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IntroductionOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most prevalent oral malignancy, with emerging interest in the characterization of its tumor microenvironment. Herein, we present a comprehensive histological analysis of OSCC stromal density and inflammation and their relationship with patient demographics, clinicopathologic features and immuno-oncologic signatures.Materials-methodsEighty-seven completely excised OSCC tissues were prospectively collected and scored for histopathologic inflammatory subtypes [HIS]—inflamed (INF), immune-excluded (IE) and immune-desert (ID), peritumoral stromal inflammation (PTSI), and peritumoral stromal fibrosis (PTSF). Scoring of inflammation was complemented by Semaphorin 4D immunohistochemistry. NanoString differential gene expression (DGE) analysis was conducted for eight OSCC cases representative of the inflammatory and stromal subtypes and the demographic groups.ResultsPTSF correlated with male gender (p = 0.0043), smoking (p = 0.0455), alcohol consumption (p = 0.0044), increased tumor size (p = 0.0054), and advanced stage (p = 0.002). On the contrary, PTSI occurred predominantly in females (p = 0.0105), non-drinkers (p = 0.0329), and small tumors (p = 0.0044). Transcriptionally, decreased cytokine signaling, and oncogenic pathway activation were observed in HIS-IE. Smokers and males displayed decreased global immune-cell levels and myeloid-cell predominance.ConclusionOur work describes OSCC stromal and inflammatory phenotypes in correlation with distinct patient groups and DGE, highlighting the translational potential of characterizing the tumor microenvironment for optimal patient stratification.

Background The programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/programmed death receptor ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis critically facilitates cancer cells immune evasion. Antibody therapeutics targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis have shown remarkable efficacy in various tumors. Immuno-positron emission tomography (ImmunoPET) imaging of PD-L1 expression may help reshape solid tumors immunotherapy landscape.Methods By immunizing an alpaca with recombinant human PD-L1, three clones of the variable domain of the heavy chain of heavy-chain only antibody (VHH) were screened, and RW102 with high binding affinity was selected for further studies. ABDRW102, a VHH derivative, was further engineered by fusing RW102 with the albumin binder ABD035. Based on the two targeting vectors, four PD-L1-specific tracers ([68Ga]Ga-NOTA-RW102, [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-ABDRW102, [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-ABDRW102, and [89Zr]Zr-DFO-ABDRW102) with different circulation times were developed. The diagnostic efficacies were thoroughly evaluated in preclinical solid tumor models, followed by a first-in-human translational investigation of [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-RW102 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Results While RW102 has a high binding affinity to PD-L1 with an excellent KD value of 15.29 pM, ABDRW102 simultaneously binds to human PD-L1 and human serum albumin with an excellent KD value of 3.71 pM and 3.38 pM, respectively. Radiotracers derived from RW102 and ABDRW102 have different in vivo circulation times. In preclinical studies, [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-RW102 immunoPET imaging allowed same-day annotation of differential PD-L1 expression with specificity, while [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-ABDRW102 and [89Zr]Zr-DFO-ABDRW102 enabled longitudinal visualization of PD-L1. More importantly, a pilot clinical trial shows the safety and diagnostic value of [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-RW102 immunoPET imaging in patients with NSCLCs and its potential to predict immune-related adverse effects following PD-L1-targeted immunotherapies.Conclusions We developed and validated a series of PD-L1-targeted tracers. Initial preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that immunoPET imaging with [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-RW102 holds promise in visualizing differential PD-L1 expression, selecting patients for PD-L1-targeted immunotherapies, and monitoring immune-related adverse effects in patients receiving PD-L1-targeted treatments.Trial registration number NCT06165874.

Abstract To evaluate the biomimetic remineralization capabilities of Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) extract on coronal dentin and acellular cementum, two different concentrations (50 and 200 mg/ml) of MOL extract loaded in plain varnish (M1 and M2 groups respectively) were compared to fluoride varnish (FL group) and native surface (C group). Eighty sound premolar teeth were collected. Forty teeth (10 teeth in each group) were used for coronal dentin testing while the other forty (10 teeth in each group) were used for acellular cementum testing. Teeth in M1, M2, and FL groups were etched for 30 s and then received the specific varnish treatment. All samples were immersed in artificial saliva for 14 days and then collected, dried, and examined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Histologically, FL group showed mineral deposition as discrete vesicular granules of various sizes on the surface of both coronal dentin and acellular cementum. Mineral deposition only occurred on some DTs openings while opened tubules remained. The surface of the acellular cementum revealed regular grooves, micro-fissures, and cracks. In the M1 and M2 groups, mineral deposition appeared as a homogenous continuous layer on coronal dentin and acellular cementum. Only a few DTs and cementum fissures were not filled completely. In L.S. sections of the coronal one-third, the DTs appeared almost sealed with varying lengths of mineral deposition. EDX results statistical analysis showed that the M2 group had the highest phosphate ions (P−) and calcium ions (Ca+2) at%. MOL has an extraordinary effect on the remineralization of coronal dentin and acellular cementum. It would have a promising ability to control dentinal hypersensitivity and formation of biomimetic cementum tissue.

Abstract The intensive exposure of the liver cells to any type of noxae, such as viruses, drugs, alcohols, and xenobiotics could induce hepatic inflammation through the upregulation of gene expression of several fibrotic and inflammatory mediators. So, our study assessed the role of silymarin on the inflammatory response induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) as an example of xenobiotics on liver tissues in male rats. Forty-eight Wister male rats (weight: 130 ± 10) were housed for 14 days and then divided randomly into six groups: control, SLY: rats received only silymarin orally for 12 weeks (daily), CO: rats were injected with corn oil for 8 weeks (3 times weekly), CCl4: rats were injected with CCl4 solubilized in corn oil for 8 weeks (day by day), Treated: rats received silymarin for 4 weeks after CCl4 injection, Protected: rats received silymarin for 4 weeks before and 8 weeks during CCl4 injection. When the treatment period for the rats was over, they underwent scarification after anesthesia. Then, the sera were extracted from the collected blood for the determination of irisin levels, liver functions, and lipid profiles. Liver tissues were separated for the histopathological examinations, the determination of oxidative stress (OS) parameters content, and the relative gene expression of inflammatory cytokines; nuclear factor kappa (NF)-κB, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). The findings showed that silymarin reduced liver inflammation by overcoming the OS process and inflammatory cytokines production which was stimulated by CCl4. These results were confirmed by histopathology of liver tissues.

IntroductionOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is often preceded by oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). The role of ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in the progression of OED to OSCC remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the expression of phosphorylated RPS6 (p-RPS6) and PD-L1 in OSCC and OED and to examine its relationship with clinicopathological features.MethodsFifty-two OSCC and 48 OED cases were recruited for immunohistochemical analysis of p-RPS6 and PD-L1 expression. The expression of markers was correlated with clinicopathological features of OSCC and OED.ResultsWe found p-RPS6 expression in all cases of OSCC and OED, whereas PD-L1 was expressed in 42/48 (87%) OED and in 28/52 (53%) OSCC. The patients with mild OED presented higher expression level of PD-L1 and p-RPS6 significantly, when compared to moderate-differentiated OSCC patients (p

Abstract Radiomics aims to develop novel biomarkers and provide relevant deeper subvisual information about pathology, immunophenotype, and tumor microenvironment. It uses automated or semiautomated quantitative analysis of high‐dimensional images to improve characterization, diagnosis, and prognosis. Recent years have seen a rapid increase in radiomics applications in nuclear medicine, leading to some promising research results in digestive system oncology, which have been driven by big data analysis and the development of artificial intelligence. Although radiomics advances one step further toward the non‐invasive precision medical analysis, it is still a step away from clinical application and faces many challenges. This review article summarizes the available literature on digestive system tumors regarding radiomics in nuclear medicine. First, we describe the workflow and steps involved in radiomics analysis. Subsequently, we discuss the progress in clinical application regarding the utilization of radiomics for distinguishing between various diseases and evaluating their prognosis, and demonstrate how radiomics advances this field. Finally, we offer our viewpoint on how the field can progress by addressing the challenges facing clinical implementation.

Commercial fish catch in the Iraqi marine waters from December 2018 to December 2019 was investigated. The study is based on three stations:the first station is located at the Shatt Al-Arab estuary,the second represents the area between the Shatt Al-Arab Estuary and open marine waters, and the third is associated with the Iraqi territorial marine waters. The total weight of the catch was 1881 kg, represented by 500, 654, and 727 kg in the first, second and third stations respectively. The third station was the highest with a majority of the family Sciaenidae by 464 kg, while the lowest was the family Scombridae by 0.5 kg. The total number of species included 37 species, belonging to 27 genera, 19 families, and 6 orders, the largest order represented by a high number of species was the Perciformes and the lowest versatile orders were Oreclotiformes, Nemipterideaformes and Scombridaeformes;while the order Scorpaeniformes was found by only one species.

Pityriasis lichenoides (PL) presents a spectrum of uncommon inflammatory skin diseases that includes acute and chronic variants. The hypopigmented PL is a rare variant that was reported in dark-skinned individuals. It was proved histologically to be a variant of PL chronica (PLC). To our best knowledge, we report the first case of a hypopigmented variant of PL that shows histopathological features of PLC and PL et varioliformis acuta.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) can be classified according to the histological inflammatory subtype (HIS) into inflamed (HIS-INF) or immune excluded (HIS-IE). HIS-IE was previously associated with higher levels of soluble Semaphorin 4D (HsS4D) in plasma, and higher transcriptional levels of osteopontin (OPN) in the tumor tissue, compared to HIS-INF. The goal of the current study is to investigate whether the HIS inflammatory subtype can be distinguished by a differential cytokine panel in peripheral blood. Retrospectively collected five HIS-INF and five HIS-IE tumor tissue with paired plasma were included in the study. Five healthy donors (HD) and five autoimmune/chronic inflammatory conditions (AI/CI) were controls. The ELISA-Luminex™ system was used to detect 40 traditional cytokines in plasma. Human cytokine array (104 cytokines) was used for the conditioned medium (CM) of the HNSCC HN6 cell line. Semaphorin 4D (Sema4D) siRNA and recombinant human osteopontin (rh-OPN) were used to investigate the effect of OPN on Sema4D expression. The HIS-IE cytokine profile was higher than HIS-INF but comparable to AI/CI. HIS-INF had the lowest cytokine levels. HIS-IE was differentially higher in IP-10 and IL8 compared to HD, while HIS-INF was higher in IL-10. Sema4D inhibition in HN6 resulted in a decrease of OPN in the CM of HN6, and treatment with rh-OPN rescued Sema4D in HN6 cell lysate and associated CM. In conclusion, the current work demonstrates a novel association between the HIS subtypes and a differential pattern of cytokine expression in plasma. These findings can open new avenues for HNSCC patient stratification and hence provide better personalized treatment.

This experimental work investigates the mechanical performance and ductility behavior of Ultra-High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) containing high volume of micro-glass fibers (MGF). The influence of various volume fractions of MGF and two water-to-binder ratios (w/b) are investigated. These w/b ratios are 0.12 and 0.14. Based on these ratios, two groups of UHPFRC mixes were prepared and each group include seven mixes made with 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, and 3% MGF volume dosages. In total fourteen mixes were examined for the mechanical properties such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, flexural strength; and the ductility behavior. It was concluded that lower w/b resulted in better mechanical performance. Also, the mixes containing 1.5% to 3% of MGF, resulted in the highest compressive strength reaching up to 160 MPa. Furthermore, the results indicated that no more strength enhancement can be achieved beyond 1.5% MGF.

Filamentous algae , Blue green algae and Alpha alpha were used in common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) larvaes diets at different percentages (10 , 24 , 34)% from diet weight to Alpha alpha and (34) % to filamentous algae and blue green algae .The larvaes were cultured in average weight (0.00089)g and average length (0.7)cm on six aquaria at (63) larvae/aquarium . The higher growth rates , survival rates and the increase of larvae weight and length were found in the diets (5) and (6) (34%) filamentous algae and blue green algae respectively in comparable to diet (1) , the length rates was (1.4,1.33)cm and the weight rates was (0.035, 0.036)g and the survival rates (77.7, 71.4)% and the specific growth rates (3832.58 , 3944.94) % and the relative growth rates (17.48 , 17.61) %wt/day respectively compared to (10.1)cm length rate , (0.016)g weight rate , (54)% survival rate , (1697.75)% specific rate and (13.75) %wt/day relative growth rate to diet (1) . There are a significant differences (P < 0.05) between the diets (5 , 6) and the other diets in larvaes length , weight , growth rates and survival rates .

The study include the description of fish assemblage in Al- Saffia reservation during the period March 2006 to February 2007. Sixteen of osteichthyes species were obtained, the highest number of species 13 was recorded during July and the lowest 7 in November and January. The largest number of individuals collected was obtained during July (212) and the lowest in February (124). Four species formed 71.02% include Alburnus mossulensis 20.64 % Liza abu19.62 % Barbus luteus16.13 % Carassius auratus 14.46 %. The annual values of richness (D), diversity (H) and evenness (J) were 1.95 , 2.12 and 0.76 respectively .

The fish assemblage structure in Shatt AL-Basrah canal was described during the period June 2008–June 2009. Two stations were chosen, the first at the upper reaches of the Canal south to the regulation Dam and the second station located near AL-Zubair Bridge. We collected 51 species belonging to Osteichthyes and two species to Chondrichthyes.The number of species collected was 38 species in both stations. The total number of individuals collected was 8216 in the first station and 2969 fish in the second station. The Similarity index in the species composition of the fish assemblage was 49% between the two stations. Diversity (H), Evenness (J) and Richness (D) of the fish assemble was respectively 2.57, 0.71, 4.63 in the first station .while at the second station was lower 2.06, 0.57, 4, 10 respectively.

In the present study, data on total fishing of Tenualosa ilisha have been collected from the Iraqi marine waters and the southern part of Shatt Al-Arab which were landed at Basrah city. The study was conducted during the period from January 2013 to December 2013, from 41 Sampling sites (stations). The total number of landed T. ilisha was 1141671 individuals; the highest numbers of landed T. ilisha were obtained during April and May which were 301598 and 339748 individuals with a percentage of 26.4 % and 29.8 % of the total number of landed fishes, respectively. The total weight of the landed T. ilisha was 560.053 tons and its highest level was obtained during March 81.805 tons, April 151.500 tons, May 169.700 tons, and June 117.900 tons with a percentage of 27.05, 14.6, 30.30, and 21.05 % of the total weight of landed T. ilisha then start to decrease to lowest level in January 300 kg, 0.053 % of the total weight of the landed fish. The numbers of the large sized T. ilisha landed (larger than 24 cm) were 1089896 individuals with a total weight of 545,283. The highest number and weight of the landed fishes at Al-FAO station 185520 individuals, 185.520 tons, and the lowest number and weight was at Al-Behar station was 23686 individuals, 23.686 tons. The total number of fishing trips which were catching T. ilisha during 2013 was 11042 sampling trips. The highest fishing trips were recorded during March (1580), April (1512), May (1670), June (1277), July (1177), and the lowest fishing trips were during December (221 trips).

The objective of this study is to utilize artificial cold bonded fly ash aggregate (AFA) in pervious concrete to produce a sustainable, and permeable concrete. The AFA were manufactured through cold bonding pelletization of fly ash (90 %) and Portland cement (10 %) in an inclined pan at ambient temperature. In this study, pervious concrete is manufactured by replacing the natural aggregates (NA) with AFA in five levels of replacements 0–100% with 25 % increments of the total aggregate’s volume. Two different concrete series were manufactured at 0.27 and 0.32 water-to-cement ratios (w/c). Totally, 10 pervious concretes were manufactured in this study. The utilized NA and AFA were uniformly graded and ranged 12.5 mm to 8 mm. In this study, the dry density and content of voids were determined. Furthermore, for the produced pervious concretes some tests were conducted such as compressive strength, splitting tensile, permeability and abrasion resistance. Besides, GLM-ANOVA as a statistical tool was employed to examine the effective parameter(s) on the properties of pervious concrete made using AFA. The results showed that with replacing the natural aggregate with 100 % AFA, the dry density of pervious concretes has decreased up to 22.4 % and the content of void and abrasion value has increased up to 20.8 %, and 153.8 %, respectively, for 0.27 w/c. In addition, the full replacement of NA with AFA resulted in a decrease of 51.5 % and 57.2 % in compressive strength and splitting tensile values made with w/c of 0.27. While, utilizing AFA significantly enhanced the permeability coefficient of the pervious concrete reaching maximum value of 10.27 mm/sec at w/c of 0.32.

A child was referred for removal of an eyelid mass. She had preseptal cellulitis and a large tick deeply embedded in the tarsus of the upper eyelid necessitating antibiotic therapy and en-bloc excision of the tick with the attached eyelid portion. Large ticks that are embedded in the eyelid are best treated surgically with en-bloc excision of the tick and its attached lid. On the contrary, for small ticks involving the very superficial skin, fine-tipped tweezers can be used to grasp the insect. Ticks are vectors of several diseases like Lyme borreliosis, hence prophylactic antibiotic treatment and close observation are recommended.

This investigation evaluates the influence of various curing conditions and slag inclusion on the fresh, mechanical, and durability properties of self-compacting geopolymer concrete (SCGC) based on fly ash (FA). Curing temperature and curing time have a vital role in the strength and microstructure of geopolymer concrete. Therefore, to begin the research, the impacts of different curing conditions (curing temperature and curing time) and slag content on the compressive strength of FA-based SCGC were examined to determine the optimum curing method. A series of four SCGC mixes with a fixed binder content (450 kg/m3) and an alkaline/binder ratio of 0.5 was designated to conduct a parametric study. FA was replaced with slag at four different substitution percentages, including 0%, 30%, 50%, and 100% of the total weight of the binder. The fresh properties of the produced SCGC specimens were investigated in terms of slump flow diameter, T50 flow time, and L-box height ratio. Additionally, the following mechanical properties of SCGC specimens were investigated: modulus of elasticity and fracture parameters. The water permeability and freezing–thawing resistance were studied to determine the durability behavior of SCGC. In this study, the optimum curing temperature was 85 °C for the duration of 24 h, which provided the maximum compressive strength. The results confirmed that adding slag affected the workability of SCGC mixtures. However, the mechanical characteristics, fracture parameters, and durability performance of SCGC were improved for slag-rich mixtures. When using 50% slag instead of FA, the percentage increase in compressive, flexural, elastic module, and fracture energy test values were about 100%, 43%, 58%, and 55%, respectively, whilst the percentage decrease in water permeability was 65% and the resistance to freeze–thaw test in terms of surface scaling was enhanced by 79%.

Semaphorin 4D (Sema4D) is a glycoprotein that is expressed by several tumors and immune cells. It can function as a membrane bound protein or as a cleaved soluble protein (sSema4D). We sought to investigate the translational potential of plasma sSema4D as an immune marker in plasma of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Paired peripheral blood and tumor tissue samples of 104 patients with HNSCC were collected at the same time point to allow for real time analysis. Scoring of the histological inflammatory subtype (HIS) was carried out using Sema4D immunohistochemistry on the tumor tissue. sSema4D was detected in plasma using direct ELISA assay. Defining elevated sSema4D as values above the 95th percentile in healthy controls, our data showed that sSema4D levels in plasma were elevated in 25.0% (95% CI, 16.7–34.9%) of the patients with HNSCC and showed significant association with HIS immune excluded (HIS-IE) (p = 0.007), Sema4D+ve tumor cells (TCs) (p = 0.018) and PD-L1+ve immune cells (ICs) (p = 0.038). A multi-variable logistic regression analysis showed that HIS was significantly (P = 0.004) associated with elevated sSema4D, an association not explained by available patient-level factors. Using the IO-360 nanoString platform, differential gene expression (DGE) analysis of 10 HNSCC tumor tissues showed that patients with high sSema4D in plasma (HsS4D) clustered as IFN-γ negative tumor immune signature and were mostly HIS-IE. The IC type in the HsS4D paired tumor tissue was predominantly myeloid, while the lymphoid compartment was higher in the low sSema4D (LsS4D). The Wnt signaling pathway was upregulated in the HsS4D group. Further analysis using the IO-360, 770 gene set, showed significant non-inflamed profile of the HsS4D tumors compared to the LsS4D. In conclusion, our data reveals an association between sSema4D and the histological inflammatory subtype.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved overall survival for cancer patients, however, optimal duration of ICI therapy has yet to be defined. Given ICIs were first used to treat patients with metastatic melanoma, a condition that at the time was incurable, little attention was initially paid to how much therapy would be needed for a durable response. As the early immunotherapy trials have matured past 10 years, a significant per cent of patients have demonstrated durable responses; it is now time to determine whether patients have been overtreated, and if durable remissions can still be achieved with less therapy, limiting the physical and financial toxicity associated with years of treatment. Well-designed trials are needed to identify optimal duration of therapy, and to define biomarkers to predict who would benefit from shorter courses of immunotherapy. Here, we outline key questions related to health, financial and societal toxicities of over treating with ICI and present four unique clinical trials aimed at exposing criteria for early cessation of ICI. Taken together, there is a serious liability to overtreating patients with ICI and future work is warranted to determine when it is safe to stop ICI.

In this paper, under the effects of the largest primary radiation pressure, the elliptic restricted four-body problem is formulated in Hamiltonian form. Moreover, the canonical equations are obtained which are considered as the equations of motion. The Lagrangian points within the frame of the elliptic restricted four-body problem are obtained. The true anomalies are considered as independent variables. An analytical and numerical approach had been used. A code of Mathematica version 12 is constructed to truncate these considerations and is applied on the Earth-Moon-Sun system. In addition, the stability and periodicity of the motion about the equilibrium points are studied by using the Poincare maps. The motion about the collinear point L2 is presented as an example for the obtained results, and some families of periodic orbits are presented.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate enamel remineralization using lyophilized extract from Moringa Oleifera Leaves (MOL). Materials and methods: A total of seventy-five teeth were selected and randomly divided into 5 equal groups (n = 15). All teeth were air dried for 30 s, two windows (right and left) were drawn on the labial surface of each tooth. The right window was set as the control and no etching or treatment was performed. The left window was etched for 30 s for all five groups. After etching, group I received no treatment, group II received plain varnish, group III received fluoride varnish, and finally groups IV and V received plain varnish loaded with 50 mg/ml and 200 mg/ml of lyophilized MOL extract respectively. All samples were then immersed in artificial saliva for 14 days. The specimens were examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX). Results: SEM micrographs revealed that MOL extract loaded-varnish groups IV & V showed the most re-establishment of normal enamel architecture. Elemental analysis of the treated surfaces of Groups IV and V showed the surfaces treated by MOL loaded-varnish groups had significantly higher Ca, P, and O deposition than the fluoride varnish group. Conclusion: MOL might be considered as a biomimetic material capable of guiding enamel tissue remineralization.

This experimental research investigates the effect of utilizing metakaolin (MK) on the behavior of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). The RAC incorporates recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) originated from crushing construction and demolition waste. The investigated parameters were RCA and MK contents. Tests of workability and mechanical properties such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity were conducted to evaluate the influence of MK on workability and mechanical behavior of RAC. In total, 19 mixes were prepared. These mixes are divided into four groups. Group zero (G0) includes a reference mix containing normal coarse aggregate (NCA) and 3 mixes made with 35%, 70%, and 100% of RCA. Each one of the other three groups (G1, G2, and G3) was made with one content of the three contents of RCA, and each group includes five mixes made with the contents of 4%, 8%, 12%, 16%, and 20% of MK. Empirical models among the mechanical properties of the RAC mixes were developed and compared with models of standard codes of practice such as ACI 318, BS 8110, and Eurocode 2. It was found that MK reduces the workability of the RAC mixes. Nonetheless, the outcomes reveal that MK can improve the compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strengths and the elastic modulus of RAC. This strength improvement enhances as the content of MK increases. The proposed models for the mechanical properties of RAC made with MK showed good correlations. The developed model for modulus of elasticity is quite close to the Eurocode 2 model, whereas the models of ACI 318 and BS 8110 underestimate the values of the modulus of elasticity.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the rheological behavior and the mechanical performance of SCC with different contents and lengths of recycled steel fiber (RSF) recovered from scrap tires. The rheological properties investigated in this study include: slump flow, J-ring, L-box, and V-funnel tests. The mechanical properties include: compressive and flexural strength. The parameters of the study are fiber content and length. In total, thirteen self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixtures were prepared. Three fibers contents 30, 60 and 90 kg/m3 were investigated and for each fiber contents Wf, four mixes were prepared with four different fiber lengths (Lf) (10, 15, 25, 35 mm). A control mix (plain SCC) was also prepared for comparison reasons. The results showed that the addition of RSF decreased the slump flow, slowed down the flow rate and increased the V-funnel time but maintained the requirement of SCC up to 60 kg/m3 fiber content. Shorter fibers had less effect on the rheological behavior of SCC than long fibers. Both RSF content and length affected the compressive strength and the flexural strength of SCC. Long RSF reduced compressive strength but increased the flexural strength.

Sustainability of concrete could be enhanced by incorporating recycled aggregate in the production of concrete. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of using nano-silica (nanoparticles of SiO2) to improve the performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) containing recycled aggregate (RA) derived from processing construction and demolition waste of concrete buildings. In this study, compressive strength of concrete and the microstructure of RA and RAC with and without nanoparticles of SiO2 were examined. Nine mixes: one control mix with natural aggregate without nanoparticles, two mixes with RA at 50% and 100% contents (without nano-silica) and three mixes for each content of RA with nano-silica content of 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2% (by mass of cement) were investigated. The results showed that nanoparticles of silica can improve the compressive strength and modify the microstructure of RAC.

Francisella tularensis (Ft) is a Gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium that is a Tier 1 Select Agent of concern for biodefense for which there is no licensed vaccine. A subfamily of 9 Francisella phagosomal transporter (fpt) genes belonging to the Major Facilitator Superfamily of transporters was identified as critical to pathogenesis and potential targets for attenuation and vaccine development. We evaluated the attenuation and protective capacity of LVS derivatives with deletions of the fptA and fptF genes in the C57BL/6J mouse model of respiratory tularemia. LVSΔfptA and LVSΔfptF were highly attenuated with LD50 values of >20 times that of LVS when administered intranasally and conferred 100% protection against lethal challenge. Immune responses to the fpt mutant strains in mouse lungs on day 6 post-infection were substantially modified compared to LVS and were associated with reduced organ burdens and reduced pathology. The immune responses to LVSΔfptA and LVSΔfptF were characterized by decreased levels of IL-10 and IL-1β in the BALF versus LVS, and increased numbers of B cells, αβ and γδ T cells, NK cells, and DCs versus LVS. These results support a fundamental requirement for FptA and FptF in the pathogenesis of Ft and the modulation of the host immune response.

This study was conducted at Mosul university compus. The samples were collected from four species of forest trees)Ceratonia siliqua , Robinia pseudoacacia, Morus alba , Leucaena leucocyphala(in nine dates namely (1/4 , 1/5, 1/6, 1/7, 1/8 , 1/9, 1/10, 1/11, 1/12).The characters (Chlorophyll A, Chlorophyll B, Chlorophyll AB , dry matter , crude protein , crude fiber)were studied to find the correlation relationship percent between Chlorophyll quantity (A,B,AB) and percentage of (dry matter,crude protein , crude fiber) to create prediction equations for calculate these three characters. The study showed significant differences between species , dates and its interaction in all the studied characters. Leucaena leucocyphala trees significantly superiority in (Chlorophyll A, Chlorophyll AB , crude protein and less quantity of crude fiber) characters, first date (1/4) was significantly superiority in(Chlorophyll A, Chlorophyll B, Chlorophyll AB, crude protein and less quantity of crude fiber). There were significantly correlation between dependent variables ((dry matter,crude protein , crude fiber) and independent variables (Chlorophyll A, Chlorophyll B, Chlorophyll AB) , through this strong correlation we created nine equations represent the relation between these dependent and independent variables. The best equation (Crude protein = 18.4656 - 17.9462*1/x3) to find crude protein percentage depending on overturnedtotal chlorophyll.

The Present study was included the ecological assessment of

An investigational study is conducted to examine the effects of different amounts of binders and curing methods on the mechanical behavior and ductility of Ultra-High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concretes (UHPFRCs) that contain 2% of Micro Steel Fiber (MSF). The aim is to find an optimum binder content for the UHPFRC mixes. The same water-to-binder ratio (w/b) of 0.12 was used for both water curing (WC) and steam curing (SC). Based on the curing methods, two series of eight mixes of UHPFRCs containing different binder contents ranging from 850 to 1200 kg/m3 with an increment of 50 kg/m3 were produced. Mechanical properties such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, static elastic module, flexural tensile strength and the ductility behavior were investigated. This study revealed that the mixture of 1150 kg/m3 binder content exhibited the highest values of the experimental results such as a compressive strength greater than 190 MPa, a splitting tensile strength greater than 12.5 MPa, and a modulus of elasticity higher than 45 GPa. The results also show that all of the improvements began to slightly decrease at 1200 kg/m3 of the binder content. On the other hand, it was concluded that SC resulted in higher mechanical performance and ductility behavior than WC.

The aim of this paper was to examine the feasibility of using nanoparticles of SiO2 (nanosilica) to improve the performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) containing recycled aggregate (RA) derived from processing construction and demolition waste of concrete buildings. The examined properties include compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and water absorption. The study also includes examining the microstructure of RA and RAC with and without nanoparticles of SiO2. In total, nine mixes were investigated. Two mixes with RA contents of 50% and 100% were investigated and for each RA content; three mixes were prepared with three different nanoparticles dosages 0.4%, 0.8%, and 1.2% (by mass of cement). A control mix with natural aggregate (NA) was also prepared for comparison reasons. The results show that nanoparticles of silica can improve the compressive strength, tensile strength, reduce the water absorption, and modify the microstructure of RAC.