Evaluating the analgesic effect of Cucurbita maxima Duch hydro-alcoholic extract in rats

Background and aims: Cucurbita maxima Duch (CMD) is used as sedative for tooth and ear pain, but its analgesic effect has not been research in experimental studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the analgesic effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of CMD was studied using formalin model in rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 60 Rats were randomly divided into 6 equal groups. Control group was injected distilled water and three experimental groups were injected CMD extracts (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg). Group 5 received ibuprofen and group 6 received naloxone with the most effective dose of the extract. Extract or drugs were injected 15 minutes before formalin injection. The responses of animals to pain were recorded for 30 min. after the formalin injection. Responses of first 0-5 min. were considered as acute pain and responses of 15-30 min. as chronic pain. Results: CRM extracts reduced acute pain in doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg (P<0.001). In addition, the extract decreased chronic pain in all used concentrations compared to the control group (P<0.001). Naloxone inhibited analgesic effect of the extract (P<0.05). Conclusion: CRM extracts reduce acute and chronic pains in formalin test through opioid system and it might be used as an analgesic drug

Radiological characterization of Nahrawan site in Baghdad governorate using portable radiation devices

Radioactive contamination occurred at the Nahrawan site as a result of the use of the US military depleted uranium in the war of 2003, which led to contamination of a certain area of this city. The aim of this study is the characterization of contaminated areas in the AL-Nahrawan site using portable exposure Geiger miler devices and the surface contamination is measured by Radeye AB100 (ZnS(Ag)) scintillation detector Alpha-Beta Contamination Monitor from a thermos. It was found that the values of the surface contamination ranged above the background the values of surface contamination are 0.46 to 50.9 Bq/cm2 and the values range of radiation exposure are 0.016 to 1.823 m R/hr.&nbsp; The average dose rate is (0.104mRad / hr) and the average surface contamination is (2.88 Bq/cm2). The radiation exposure and surface contaminated survey are using to draw the radiological map for the AL-Nahrawan site in order to determine the contaminated area and values of radioactive waste in the AL-Nahrawan site

Implicative algebras and Heyting algebras can be residuated lattices

The commutative residuated lattices were first introduced by M. Ward and R.P. Dilworth as generalization of ideal lattices of rings. Complete studies on residuated lattices were developed by H. Ono, T. Kowalski, P. Jipsen and C. Tsinakis. Also, the concept of lattice implication algebra is due to Y. Xu. And Luitzen Brouwer founded the mathematical philosophy of intuitionism, which believed that a statement could only be demonstrated by direct proof. Arend Heyting, a student of Brouwer’s, formalized this thinking into his namesake algebras. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between implicative algebras, Heyting algebras and residuated lattices. In fact, we show that implicative algebras and Heyting algebras can be described as residuated lattices

The Effect of Burnout on Organizational Citizenship Behaviour: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of burnout on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in a mediating model in which the job satisfaction was contextual state.&nbsp; Data were obtained from 257 nurses from three university hospitals. While the data involving burnout and job satisfaction were gathered from the nurses, OCB data were obtained from supervisors. The findings of hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that the only contributor burnout dimension on OCB-O (ODB toward organization) was the reduced personal accomplishment while emotional exhaustion and depersonalization had no effect. Also the findings of mediation analysis showed that job satisfaction is a mediator in the relation between reduced personal accomplishment and OCB-O and it is not a mediating factor in relation between all three burnout dimensions and OCB-I (OCB toward individuals)

Diagonalisation SGD: Fast & Convergent SGD for Non-Differentiable Models via Reparameterisation and Smoothing

It is well-known that the reparameterisation gradient estimator, which exhibits low variance in practice, is biased for non-differentiable models. This may compromise correctness of gradient-based optimisation methods such as stochastic gradient descent (SGD). We introduce a simple syntactic framework to define non-differentiable functions piecewisely and present a systematic approach to obtain smoothings for which the reparameterisation gradient estimator is unbiased. Our main contribution is a novel variant of SGD, Diagonalisation Stochastic Gradient Descent, which progressively enhances the accuracy of the smoothed approximation during optimisation, and we prove convergence to stationary points of the unsmoothed (original) objective. Our empirical evaluation reveals benefits over the state of the art: our approach is simple, fast, stable and attains orders of magnitude reduction in work-normalised variance

Characterizing the properties of sustainable semi-flexible pavement produced with polymer modified bitumen

Semi-Flexible Pavement (SFP) is a composite type of pavement produced by manufacturing of porous asphalt mixes using open graded aggregate gradation to create 20-35% of voids filled with grout (cement paste, cement mortar, etc.….). The resulting pavement has the flexibility of asphalt pavement and some strength of concrete pavement. The current study focused on investigation of using widely available (in Iraq) waste material namely Rice Husk Ash (RHA) to replace the Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) partially in grout, also, using Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) to develop Open-Graded Asphalt (OGA) pavement without using cellulous fibre. The study focused on assessment of mechanical properties of the obtained SFP mixes with and without PMB. The results of study showed that using of PMB increased the Marshall Stability up to 100% and indirect tensile strength up to 50%. The Marshall Retained Stability gave about 90% which is quite higher the minimum required limit (70%). The results also revealed that RHA can be used as replacement for the OPC in SFP mixes. All investigated percentages showed satisfactory mechanical properties

Risk Assessment for AL-Nahrawn Site that Contaminated with Depleted Uranium in Baghdad

Activity concentrations of (238U series), (226Ra), (232Th) and (40K) in some soil samples in AL-Nahrawan site 52 soil samples were determined and evaluated. The measurements were carried out using high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The mean activity concentrations in soil samples were (76019.61, 16.634, 11.693 and 147.55) Bq Kg-1&nbsp;for&nbsp;238U ,226Ra,&nbsp;232Th and&nbsp;40K, respectively. The concentration of 238U more than of accepted limited of clearance level according to IAEA and that mean AL-Nahrawan site is radioactive contaminated site. The risk assessment that calculated for AL-Nahrawan site appear the&nbsp; most of dose that calculated from different pathways such as ingestion ,inhalation ,drinking water and meat&nbsp; is&nbsp; coming from external dose and most of it from&nbsp;238U than another radio nuclides such as (226R,&nbsp;232Thand&nbsp;40K). The total dose for the contaminated area that calculated by RESRAD code (7.2) dose from all nuclides all pathways summed in AL-Nahrawan is (1.46 mSv / year) and that more the accepted limit for dose limit exposure to public (1 mSv/A) according the IAEA and that mean the public have limit use and action for this site. The high purity germanium analysis appears AL-Nahrawan site contaminated with Du depended on the ratio between&nbsp;235U and&nbsp;238U radio nuclides. The cancer risk from all nuclides calculated by RESRD code for AL-Nahrawan site is (2.2) ×10-3This value is above the global average of 0.29×10&nbsp;−3&nbsp;and 1.16×10&nbsp;−3&nbsp;reported by UNSCEAR

Study of Kinetics, Equilibrium and the Influence of Steric Effects on Proton-Transfer in the Reactions of 2, 2, 4- and 2, 6- Substituted Anilines with 2-Phenoxy-3,5-dinitropyridine in DMSO

Kinetic and equilibrium results for the reactions of 2-phenoxy-3,5-dinitropyridine (1), with a series of 2, 2, 4- and 2, 6- substituted anilines (2a-f), in the presence of DABCO in DMSO are reported. The reactions yield the 2-anilino derivatives (5), without the accumulation of intermediates. Kinetics studies are compatible with a two-step mechanism involving initial nucleophilic attack by amine at the ring carbon substituted by phenoxy group followed by either base-catalyzed or uncatalyzed conversion to the product. The base-catalyzed pathway is likely to involve rate-limiting proton-transfer from the zwitterionic intermediate to base. This work indicates a steric effect to proton transfer in reactions involving 2, 6-disubstituted anilines. The results were compared with those for reactions of 1, 3, 5-trinitrobenzene with anilines