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One study whose importance has significantly grown in recent years is lip-reading, particularly with the widespread of using deep learning techniques. Lip reading is essential for speech recognition in noisy environments or for those with hearing impairments. It refers to recognizing spoken sentences using visual information acquired from lip movements. Also, the lip area, especially for males, suffers from several problems, such as the mouth area containing the mustache and beard, which may cover the lip area. This paper proposes an automatic lip-reading system to recognize and classify short English sentences spoken by speakers using deep learning networks. The input video extracts frames and each frame is passed to the Viola-Jones to detect the face area. Then 68 landmarks of the facial area are determined, and the landmarks from 48 to 68 represent the lip area extracted based on building a binary mask. Then, the contrast is enhanced to improve the quality of the lip image by applying contrast adjustment. Finally, sentences are classified using two deep learning models, the first is AlexNet, and the second is VGG-16 Net. The database consists of 39 participants (32 males and 7 females). Each participant repeats the short sentences five times. The outcomes demonstrate the accuracy rate of AlexNet is 90.00%, whereas the accuracy rate for VGG-16 Net is 82.34%. We concluded that AlexNet performs better for classifying short sentences than VGG-16 Net.

This study was carried out at three locations (Laboratory of Plant Tissue Culture, Fields of the College of Agriculture, University of Diyala and one of the private nursery at the city of Baqubah. The applied experiments included two separate experiments on the scion Mandarin Clementine micro grafted on Sour orange rootstock. The first micro grafting experiment aimed to develop a method of vegetative propagation of Clementine and transferring the micro grafts from a laboratory to the field and comparing grafting dates (spring, early autumn, late autumn) with the laboratory grafting after treating grafting region with different concentrations of gibberellin (0, 0.3 or 0.4 mg. L-1). The effect of grafting dates on the percentages of success of grafted plants after one month of acclimatization. The experiment was carried out according to completely randomized design (CRD) as a factorial experiment with two factors and three replications for the first one, and as a single factor experiment with three replicates for the second experiment. Results showed a decline in the percentage of success of the grafting and a slight success correlated with increased gibberellin concentration in the aforementioned experiment at early fall grafting. A second field experiment, was conducted with the aim of studying the success of maintained micro propagated plants during summer season and the effect of foliar spray with salicylic acid (0, 200 or 400 mg. L-1) and marine algae extract (0, 5 or 10 g. L-1) on some characteristics of vegetative growth and some chemical characteristics. The experiment was carried out according to the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), as a factorial experiment with two factors and three replications. No significant effect for both factors was recorded in most vegetative characteristics, while chemical composition was significantly affected caused by the two factors.

In this study the Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) received by pediatrics patients undergoing chest, abdomen and skull X-ray examinations was estimated. The study was conducted in two hospitals in Najaf city where three radiographic systems were considered. The study participants were classified into four age groups 0-1 , 1-5 , 5-10 and 10-15 years. Calculations were performed using exposure factors, kVp, mAs and focal-skin distance, together with patient data age. The ESD was calculated for the involved patients who underwent an Antero-posterior (AP) chest, abdomen and skull X-ray examination. The resulted data were analyzed and compared with international dose references. For all studied radiographic examinations and all X-ray machines, the ESD increases with age. The lowest recorded radiation dose was from hospital 1 machine 2. In this facility ESD ranged from 19.93 µGy to 67.66 µGy for chest X-ray, from 39.03 µGy to 82.63 µGy for abdomen (AP), and from 35.47 µGy to 94.27 µGy for skull (AP). In contrast the highest dose levels are recorded from hospital 2 machine 1; the minimum ESD for chest X-ray is 247.51 µGy and the maximum is 2393.12 µGy; for abdomen X-ray the lowest ESD is 269.05 µGy and the highest value is 5106.15 µGy; and for skull X-ray minimum values is 430.96 µGy and the maximum value is 3072.77 µGy. In conclusion, for the considered pediatrics examinations, most of ESD values are within the international acceptable level and some are higher >100% .

Background and Objectives: Medicinal plants have recently received much interest because of the low production costs and fewer side effects associated with remedies made from them compared with chemical therapies. The current study investigated the antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxicity properties of an ethanol extract of Cordiamyxa fruit (CMF) extract. Materials and Methods: The antioxidant activity of CMF was determined by measuring electron-donating ability with a 1,1-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The phenolic content was calculated as Gallic acid equivalents using the Folin–Ciocalteu assay. To evaluate the efficiency of CMF, five multidrug-resistant bacterial strains (Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were tested using the agar diffusion method. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activity of CMF was determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-dipheltetrazolium (MTT) assay against a healthy fibroblast (L929) cell line. Results: The CMF ethanol extract was revealed to have substantial phenol and flavonoid content (113.71± 0.04 mg gallic acid/g dried extract and 68.9 ± 0.002 mg quercetin/g dried extract, respectively) that showed the highest percentage of DPPH inhibition (86.45%), which was achieved by ethanol extract at the concentration of 60 μg/ml,with excellent antibacterial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, S. enterica, B. subtilis, and P. aeruginosa (17.5 ± 1.0, 14.9 ± 1.0, 13.3 ± 1.5, 15.7 ± 1.0, and 13.8 ± 1.5 mm IZ, respectively). In addition, no expressive antiproliferative effect was recorded in the assessment of cytotoxicity on L929 cells. Conclusion: According to the current findings, CMF exhibits low cytotoxicity, antibacterial activity, and antioxidant properties in vitro and can be developed for pharmaceutical and medical uses in the future.

The goal of the current work was to create an antibacterial agent by using polycaprolactone/chitosan (PCL/CH) nanofibers loaded with Cordia myxa fruit extract (CMFE) as an antimicrobial agent for wound dressing. Several characteristics, including morphological, physicomechanical, and mechanical characteristics, surface wettability, antibacterial activity, cell viability, and in vitro drug release, were investigated. The inclusion of CMFE in PCL/CH led to increased swelling capability and maximum weight loss. The SEM images of the PCL/CH/CMFE mat showed a uniform topology free of beads and an average fiber diameter of 195.378 nm. Excellent antimicrobial activity was shown towards Escherichia coli (31.34 ± 0.42 mm), Salmonella enterica (30.27 ± 0.57 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (21.31 ± 0.17 mm), Bacillus subtilis (27.53 ± 1.53 mm), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22.17 ± 0.12 mm) based on the inhibition zone assay. The sample containing 5 wt% CMFE had a lower water contact angle (47 ± 3.7°), high porosity, and high swelling compared to the neat mat. The release of the 5% CMFE-loaded mat was proven to be based on anomalous non-Fickian diffusion using the Korsmeyer–Peppas model. Compared to the pure PCL membrane, the PCL-CH/CMFE membrane exhibited suitable cytocompatibility on L929 cells. In conclusion, the fabricated antimicrobial nanofibrous films demonstrated high bioavailability, with suitable properties that can be used in wound dressings.

THIS STudy was aimed to induce genetic variation toward drought tolerance after treatment with EMS as a mutagen to two maize inbred lines and their single hybrid. The experiment was carried out at Abo-Ghraib Research Station, Baghdad during the spring season of 2019. The experiment included three irrigation intervals 7, 9 and 11, four concentrations of EMS (0, 50, 60, and 70 mM) and three maize genotypes distributed in three replications using randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split-split plot arrangement which included three irrigation intervals 7, 9 and 11 days occupied the main plot, while the sub plots included three maize genotypes, and four EMS concentrations which were distributed in sub-sub plots. Results were revealed significant differences among EMS treatments and irrigation interval treatments. The inbred line 5 in control treatment showed a significant increase in days for both anthesis and silking (70.11 and 71.94) days, respectively. Plants of Nahrain hybrid also showed a super performance in plant height, leaf area, and number of rows ear-1, with a mean of 154.47cm, 746.31cm2 and 17.83 row ear-1, respectively. The irrigation intervals of 9 and 11 days were significantly decreased the mean performance of genotypes, compared to the shortest irrigation interval (7 days) which had highest mean in most traits. None treated plants (0 mM EMS) had a significant effect on the performance of most studied traits, except the anthesis and silking time, which gave the highest values under the concentration 60 mM with 69.11 and 70.48 days, respectively. Hybrid plants interacted significantly with the EMS concentration of 0 mM producing the maximal means of plant height and leaf area (169.56cm and 759.78cm2 respectively). On the other hand, the hybrid was significantly interacted with the shortest irrigation interval in the mean traits of plant's height and leaf area (163.50 cm and 757 cm2, respectively). The triple interaction between hybrids, shortest irrigation interval and EMS concentration of 60 mM had significantly increased leaf area reached 769.67cm2, meanwhile the triple interaction between hybrid plants, shortest irrigation interval, and the EMS concentration of 0 mM recorded the highest value of plant yield (199.67g). It can be concluded from the current study that the genotypes differed in their response to 9 and 11 days irrigation intervals, with a negative effect of the later interval on the vegetative and yield traits of maize compared with shorter irrigation interval.

Objectives: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are considered a major public health problem worldwide. In Oman, high numbers of RTIs and RTI-related deaths are frequently registered. This study aimed to evaluate the distribution of trauma care facilities in Oman with regards to their proximity to RTI-prevalent areas. Methods: This descriptive pilot study analysed RTI data recorded in the national Royal Oman Police registry from January to December 2014. The distribution of trauma care facilities was analysed by calculating distances between areas of peak RTI incidence and the closest trauma centre using Google Earth and Google Maps software (Google Inc., Googleplex, Mountain View, California, USA). Results: A total of 32 trauma care facilities were identified. Four facilities (12.5%) were categorised as class V trauma centres. Of the facilities in Muscat, 42.9% were ranked as class IV or V. There were no class IV or V facilities in Musandam, Al-Wusta or Al-Buraimi. General surgery, orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery services were available in 68.8%, 59.3% and 12.5% of the centres, respectively. Emergency services were available in 75.0% of the facilities. Intensive care units were available in 11 facilities, with four located in Muscat. The mean distance between a RTI hotspot and the nearest trauma care facility was 34.7 km; however, the mean distance to the nearest class IV or V facility was 83.3 km. Conclusion: The distribution and quality of trauma care facilities in Oman needs modification. It is recommended that certain centres upgrade their levels of trauma care in order to reduce RTI-associated morbidity and mortality in Oman.

Background: Polyphenols are considered an important compound with a wide range of medical activities. Several plant families are rich with phenolics. Attempts have been carried out to increase them at the intact and cellular levels. Objective: The current study aimed to increase the production of polyphenols in Coleus blumei plant using two precursors at the whole and tissue culture levels. Materials and methods: Two precursors namely Tyrosine and phenylalanine at the concentrations 0.20 , 0.25 or 0.30 g.l-1 were added either by spraying on the vegetative parts or supplemented to the tissue culture medium. Total phenols were estimated in the whole plant and compared with the total phenolic content in callus tissues. They were estimated by Folin-ciocalteu and spectrophotometric methods. Induction and maintenance of Coleus callus cultures were carried out on Gamborg medium (B5) for 21 days supplemented with the growth regulators 2,4 dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2-4-D) at 0.8 mg.l-1 , 2 mg.l-1 Benzyl adenine (BA) and 0.5 mg.l-1 Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Stem explants were used as a source for callus induction. Results: Results showed a significant increase in both fresh and dry weights of the fresh compared with control of intact plants in vivo after treatment with the two precursors. The fresh weight of shoots increased up to 15.9 g at 0.30 g.l-1 of Tyrosine treatment compared with the control which recorded 11.05 g. while the fresh weight of the shoots recorded 13.470 g at 0.30 g.l-1 after treatment with phenylalanine compared with the control which recorded 11.05 g. The dry weight of the shoots increased as well up to 3.127 g at 0.30 g.l-1 of Tyrosine treatment compared with control 1.837 g while the dry weight of shoot recorded 2.880 g at 0.30 g.l-1 phenylalanine treatment compared with the control 1.837g. Despite the slight increase in both root fresh and dry weights at 0.30 g.l-1 due to the treatment with Tyrosine or phenylalanine ,such increments were not significantly different with control. Total poly phenols in callus cultures accumulated more compared with mother plants after treatment with precursors. Phenols were also measured in both callus tissue and liquid medium then compared with the whole plant and control treatment. The highest value was recorded in callus cultures supplied with Tyrosine recording 348.36 µg.l-1 at 0.20 g.l-1 of Tyrosine while phenylalanine treatment recorded the highest weight 293.98 µg.l-1 when applied at 0.30 g.l-1 in both liquid medium and callus tissues. The intact plants however recorded the highest mean in total phenols in plants grown in vivo with mean values 68.58, 66.53 µg.l-1 for Tyrosine and phenylalanine respectively. Conclusion: It is concluded that both precursors are good candidates for increasing total phenols in Coleus blumei. Plant tissue culture techniques can be utilized commercially for this purpose.

Objectives: A thyroidectomy is a frequently performed surgical procedure which can result in lifethreatening complications. The insertion of a drain after a thyroidectomy has been suggested to prevent such complications. This study aimed to evaluate the use of surgical drains following thyroidectomies in relation to postoperative complications and mass sizes. Methods: This retrospective case-control study included all thyroidectomies conducted at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, from January 2011 to December 2013. Length of hospital stay, readmission, postoperative complications and mass size were evaluated. Results: During the study period, 250 surgeries were carried out on 241 patients. The majority of patients were female (87.2%). Drains were inserted postoperatively after 202 surgeries (80.8%) compared to 48 surgeries (19.2%) without drains. A total of 32 surgeries (12.8%) were conducted on patients with thyroid masses 4 cm. The association between drain use and mass size was not significant (P = 0.439). Although postoperative complications were more prevalent in patients with drains, the relationship between these factors was not significant (P >0.050). Length of hospital stay was significantly longer among patients with postoperative drains (P

Objectives: Trauma is the greatest cause of morbidity and mortality in paediatric/adolescent populations worldwide. This study aimed to describe trauma mechanisms, patterns and outcomes among children with blunt torso trauma admitted to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman. Methods: This retrospective single-centre study involved all children ≤12 years old with blunt torso trauma admitted for paediatric surgical care at SQUH between January 2009 and December 2013. Medical records were analysed to collect demographic and clinical data. Results: A total of 70 children were admitted with blunt torso trauma during the study period, including 39 (55.7%) male patients. The mean age was 5.19 ± 2.66 years. Of the cohort, 35 children (50.0%) received their injuries after having been hit by cars as pedestrians, while 19 (27.1%) were injured by falls, 12 (17.1%) during car accidents as passengers and four (5.7%) by falling heavy objects. According to computed tomography scans, thoracic injuries were most common (65.7%), followed by abdominal injuries (42.9%). The most commonly involved solid organs were the liver (15.7%) and spleen (11.4%). The majority of the patients were managed conservatively (92.9%) with a good outcome (74.3%). The mortality rate was 7.1%. Most deaths were due to multisystem involvement. Conclusion: Among children with blunt torso trauma admitted to SQUH, the main mechanism of injury was motor vehicle accidents. As a result, parental education and enforcement of infant car seat/child seat belt laws are recommended. Conservative management was the most successful approach.

The present work represents an investigation for the pollutants emission when adding water to air in a continuous combustion chamber. Direct water injection into the chamber with water/fuel ratio up to 0.8, as well as, humidifying the inlet air with water prior to the chamber by changing humidity between 20 to 100%, has been examined at different equivalence ratio with gas oil fuel. The results with fuel droplet size of 80µm and Φ=0.8, show that when water directly injected, NOx and soot will decrease by 53% and 56.6% respectively. Nevertheless, CO and UHC are to increase by 108% and 84% respectively. On the other hand, when inlet air has humidified, the decrease in NOx and soot will be 17.15% and 17.94% respectively. But, CO and UHC show an increase of 13.5% and 8.47% respectively.

Hollow viscus injuries of the digestive tract are an uncommon occurrence in blunt abdominal trauma. We report a 39-year-old male who was hit by a vehicle as a pedestrian and admitted to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in 2015. He underwent an exploratory laparotomy which revealed injuries to the distal stomach, liver and descending colon. Postoperatively, the patient was febrile, tachycardic and hypotensive. Abdominal examination revealed distention and tenderness. The next day, a repeat laparotomy identified a gastric injury which had not been diagnosed during the initial laparotomy. Although the defect was repaired, the patient subsequently died as a result of multiorgan failure. Missed gastric injuries are rare and are associated with a grave prognosis, particularly for trauma patients. Delays in diagnosis, in addition to associated injuries, contribute to a high mortality rate.

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The emission sources have great effects on our environment. Further using of fossil fuels because of our needs for heating purposes and developments leads to raising the emission concentration in the air which caused to health risks to human society and its environment. This paper deals with using a different percentage of Iraqi liquefied petroleum gas from 10% to 25% with different percentage of Iraqi Gas-oil fuel from 90% to 75%, keeping the thermal load constant in order to indicate the possibility of reducing the pollutant emissions . A dual fuel burner and equivalence ratio range from 0.8 to 1.4 is used to study the emission concentrations based on these equivalence ratio. For further reducing in emission and heat recovery from the exhaust gases the cooling effect also investigated for water mass flow-rate from 12 kg/s to 48 kg/s roughly. The results showed that for further increasing equivalence ratio the UHC, CO, and Soot increased by about 3% and NOx, and CO2 decreased by 2.5% and this due to decreasing the oxygen ratio in the mixture and incomplete combustion occurred. Also for increasing percentage participating of LPG fuel as a secondary fuel, UHC, CO, and Soot decreased by 8%and NOx and CO2 increased slightly. With heat recovery process the concentration of UHC, CO, and Soot increased slightly while NOx, CO2 decreased by 1.5% because of decreasing of combustion chamber temperature.

This study investigates the effect of Castor oil on the pollutants emissions in the continuous combustion chamber. The bio-blend fuels used are mixtures of Castor oil with two types of hydrocarbon fuels (gas oil and kerosene). The pollutants measured include carbon monoxide CO, unburned hydrocarbon UHC, soot and nitrogen oxide NOx . It is found that all pollutants have less emissions when using Castor oil blended in different percentages of 5% , 7%, and 10% . The lower emission with Castor oil blends due to the existence of oxygen O2 in the chemical structure of the Castor oil which is sufficient to seek the complete combustion. The test were conducted through the range of equivalence ratio between (0.85-1.7) . Results showed that Castor oil blends with gas oil brings a reduction of about 71.2% in CO, 22.1% in UHC, 37.8% in NOx and 29.6% in soot emissions from that of pure gas oil. But, blends with kerosene, showed a reduction of about 70.6% in CO, 20% in UHC, 35.8% in NOx and 29% in soot emissions compared with those of pure kerosene.

This work involves the synthesis and characterization of asymmetrical pyromellitdiimide derivatives [VII]a-f by four sequences steps reaction . One mole of pyromellitic dianhydride was reacted with one mole of various primary aromatic amines [2aminothiazole , 2-aminobenzothiazole , 5-(4-amino phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol , 4-nitro aniline , 4-chloro aniline , 4-toludine] in excess of dry acetone to produce six compounds (Nsubstituted-pyromellitamic monoacid) [IV]a-f . These new compounds [IV]a-f were converted to the corresponding N- substituted- pyromellitmonoimide [V]a-f when heating then at (8090) 0C in sodium acetate-acetic anhydride system .The compounds [V]d-f were allowed to react with one mole of another primary amines (containing benzothiazole or 1,3,4-oxadiazole unit) in dry acetone to give new derivatives of amic acid [VI]a-f followed by intramolecular cyclization reaction of these compounds in sodium acetate-acetic anhydride system to yield the desired asymmetrical pyromellitdiimide derivatives [VII]a-f, the above reactions can be summarized in Scheme 1. Structures of the synthesized compounds have been ascertained by their melting points , C.H.N analysis , UV-Vis, FTIR and 1HNMR spectroscopy.

This work involves synthesis and characterization of some new 1, 3, 4-thiadiazole or pyrazoline derivatives heterocyclic containing indole ring. The new 2-amino-1, 3, 4thiadiazole derivatives[IV] and [V]a, b were synthesized by cyclization reaction of 2-methyl1H-indole-carbothiosemicarbazide[III] in H2SO4 acid or by reaction of indole-3-acetic acid or indole-3-butanoic acid with thiosemicarbazide in the presence of phosphorous oxychloride, respectively. Amide derivatives [VI]-[VIII] were synthesized by the reaction equimolar of 2amino-1, 3, 4-thiadiazoles and (acetyl chloride, benzoyl chloride, anisoyl chloride and heptanoyl chloride) in DMF and pyridine as accepter. The new pyrazolone derivatives [XI]a, b were synthesized from heating under reflux equimolar from a mixture of acid hydrazides [X]a or [X]b and ethylacetoacetate in absolute ethanol. Acetyl pyrazolone compounds[XII]a, b were synthesized by the reaction of pyrazolone derivatives [X]a or [X]b with acetyl chloride in 1,4-Dioxane in present of calcium hydroxide to give 4-acetyl pyrazolone derivatives[XI]a, b. The new aryl hydrazone derivatives of pyrazoline [XIII] and [XIV] were synthesized by the reaction of one mole of compounds [XII]a or [XII]b with one mole of phenyl hydrazine or substituted phenyl hydrazine in ethanol. All the synthesized compounds have been characterized by melting points , FTIR, 1HNMR and Mass spectroscopy (of some of theme).

This study investigates the effect of using olive oil on the pollutants emissions in the continuous combustion chamber. The bio-fuels used are mixtures of olive oil with two types of hydrocarbon fuels (gas oil and kerosene). The pollutants measured include carbon monoxide CO, unburned hydrocarbon UHC, soot and nitrogen oxide NOx .It is found that all pollutants have less percent emissions when using olive oil blended with percent addition of 5%, 10%, and 15%. The reduction in emission with olive oil blends is due to the existence of oxygen O2 in the chemical structure of the olive oil which is sufficient to achieve the complete combustion. The test was conducted through the range of equivalence ratio between (0.85-1.7). Results showed that olive oil blends with gas oil brings about 45.63% reduction in UHC and 36.48% soot, while CO 32.24% and NOx showed only about 39.54% reduction from that of pure gas oil. Whilst, blends with kerosene, showed a reduction of about 48.92% in UHC and 42.13% soot, while for CO and NOx the reduction was 37.41% and 42.85% respectively compared with those of pure kerosene emission.

This project aimed to increase the production of some secondary metabolites using physical and chemical elicitors in tissue cultures of Hypercom triquetrifolium L.. The quality and quantity of photochemical were estimated using methanolic extracts of dried leaves and callus were analyses using HPLC. Callus was initiated on leaf discs cultured on Murashig and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and Benzyl adenosine (BA) at concentrations of 0,0.1, 0.5, 2.0 or 5.0 mg/l for H. triquetrifolium callus. Results showed that the combination of 2,4-D at 0.1 mg/l with BA at 0.5 mg/l was the most effective for callus induction percentage reached 90%. The highest mean fresh weight reached 64.33 mg for H. triquetrfolium. The same combination was used for callus maintenance for plants. Results also showed an increase in the concentration of secondary metabolites in methanol extracts induced on leaves. Callus cultures induced on leaf discs were treated with some physical stimuli such as light, ultraviolet, the different exposure to photoperiod (dark for 24 hrs, 12 hrs light, 16 hrs light or 24 hrs light), the uv exposure time was 10 or 20 minutes. Result showed that there are significant differences between the various treatmeant, The best light exposure time caused an increase in the production of secondary metabolism was 12 hrs light for calli in both plants. Both exposure times (10 or 20 mint) induced the yield of secondary metabolites in callus cultures of H. triquetrifolium equally.