Publications

Challenges posed by industrial solid waste, particularly Electrical Cable Waste (ECW), have been increasingly recognized due to their environmental implications and substantial decomposition timelines.ECW, a byproduct of aggressive demolition and reconstruction in Iraq, has seen limited investigation regarding its potential use as an aggregate substitute and fiber additive in concrete applications.This study endeavors to repurpose ECW as a partial replacement for natural sand and as fiber reinforcement, with a focus on both short-term and long-term performance.A fixed ratio of natural sand was substituted with ECW (10%), and waste fibers were integrated at varying concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, and 3%).For comparative purposes, a control mix devoid of ECW and fibers was also examined.Evaluations were conducted on the flow rate, along with compressive strength, flexural strength, and density at intervals of 7, 28, and 360 days.Results indicate that despite a reduction in flowability and a decrease in hardened density to under 2000 kg/m 3 , inclusion of ECW can yield a sustainable lightweight mortar without significant compromise on strength.This study thus underscores the potential of waste repurposing as a viable solution for waste management and environmental enhancement.Additionally, this approach can help mitigate natural resource depletion, such as that of natural sand, fostering a move towards sustainable construction practices.

Concrete is a brittle substance; thus, it is reinforced with rebars and fibers to enhance its ductility. On the other hand, the presence of waste from various industries negatively impacts the environment. The ongoing reconstruction in Iraq has resulted in an abundance of locally produced rebar-connecting wire (RCW) and copper electric wire (CEW) waste. To minimize the environmental impact of these wastes, they can be reused in other industries, such as the concrete industry. Few studies have dealt with concrete's structural and mechanical properties containing these local residues. Therefore, this study included an experimental investigation of concrete columns with and without various types of industrial and waste fibers. Two types of industrial fibers (macro hooked-end; CH, and micro straight; CS) steel fibers and two types of waste fibers (RCW and CEW) were utilized. Six reinforced concrete (RC) columns (150 × 150 × 450 mm3) were cast: one control column without fibers and five columns with fibers. The fiber content within the columns was fixed at 0.75% of the concrete volume. The cracks pattern, load-deflection behavior and concrete strain for RC columns were investigated. Moreover, the mechanical properties in terms of compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strengths tests were also conducted. The results revealed that all types of fibers used improved the mechanical and structural properties of the concrete. Moreover, although the hybrid synthetic fibers gave the best improvement compared to the reference sample, the waste fibers (especially RCW) showed a significant improvement that reached 30.91% in relation to the ultimate load and (10.1, 10.8 and 14.4%) in relation to the compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths respectively. ABSTRAK: Konkrit adalah material rapuh; oleh itu ianya dikuatkan dengan besi dan fiber bagi menguatkan kekuatannya. Dalam masa sama, kehadiran bahan buangan dalam pelbagai industri memberi kesan negatif kepada persekitaran. Penstrukturan semula Iraq yang sedang berlangsung memberi kesan kepada kebanjiran bahan buangan seperti besi penghubung litar (RCW) dan litar elektrik tembaga (CEW) buatan tempatan. Bagi mengurangkan kesan pencemaran terhadap alam sekitar, bahan-bahan ini boleh diguna balik dalam industri berbeza, seperti industri konkrit. Terdapat banyak kajian terhadap buangan tempatan yang melibatkan struktur bahan konkrit dan sifat mekanikal. Oleh itu, kajian ini merupakan kajian eksperimen pasak konkrit dengan atau tanpa pelbagai jenis industri dan fiber buangan. Dua jenis fiber industri iaitu fiber besi (mikro hujung-penyangkut; CH dan mikro lurus; CS) dan dua jenis fiber buangan (RCW dan CEW) dipakai. Enam RC pasak konkrit (150 × 150 × 450 mm3) dihasilkan: satu pasak kawalan tanpa fiber dan lima pasak dengan fiber. Kandungan fiber dalam pasak di tetapkan pada 0.75% isipadu konkrit. Corak rekahan, ciri-ciri kesan beban dan tekanan konkrit pada pasak RC dikaji. Tambahan, kajian terhadap ciri-ciri mekanikal berdasarkan tekanan, rekahan tensil dan kekuatan anjalan telah dijalankan. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan kesemua fiber yang digunakan menambah baik ciri-ciri mekanikal dan struktur konkrit. Tambahan lagi, walaupun fiber sintetik hibrid menunjukkan paling baik berbanding sampel contoh, fiber buangan (terutama RCW) menunjukkan pembaharuan ketara mencapai 30.91% berbanding beban maksimum dan masing-masing menunjukkan 10.1, 10.8 dan 14.4% pada tekanan, rekahan tensil dan kekuatan anjalan.

Pavement deterioration is often the result of intense traffic and increased runoff from storms, floods, or other environmental factors. A practical solution to this challenge involves the use of permeable pavements, such as permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP), which are designed to effectively manage water runoff while supporting heavy traffic. This research investigates the effectiveness of PICP in two distinct surface patterns: stretcher bond and 45° herringbone, by assessing their performance in terms of water infiltration and runoff using two different methods. The first approach has been conducted experimentally using a laboratory apparatus designed to simulate rainfall. Various conditions were applied during the performance tests, including longitudinal (L-Slope) and transverse (T-Slope) slopes of (0, 2, and 4%) and rainfall intensities of (40 and 80 L/min). The second approach has been implemented theoretically using Surfer 2.0 software to simulate the distribution of infiltrated water underneath the layers of PICP. Moreover, the behavior of PICP has been analyzed statistically using artificial neural networks (ANNs). The results indicated that at a rainfall intensity of 40 L/min, equal infiltration was observed in both patterns on 0% and 4% T-Slope. However, the 45° herringbone PICP showed better infiltration on the 8% T-Slope. Additionally, at 80 L/min rainfall, equal infiltration was observed in both patterns on 0% L-Slope for 0% and 4% T-Slope. The 45° herringbone PICP also demonstrated higher water infiltration on the 8% T-Slope, and this trend continued as the L-Slope increased. PICP with a 45° herringbone surface pattern exhibited superiority in reducing runoff compared to the stretcher bond pattern. The statistical models for the stretcher bond and 45° herringbone patterns demonstrate high accuracy, as evidenced by their correlation coefficient (R2) values of 99.97% and 97.32%, respectively, which confirms their validity. Despite the variations between the two forms of PICP, both are strongly endorsed as excellent alternatives to conventional pavement.

Premature failure of hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements in Iraq is typically caused by heavy loading, which requires frequent maintenance. Several approaches

In the current investigation, four reinforced concrete beams with square cross sectional area were poured and tested up to failure under the action of three-point loads. Three of them were designed to contain small web openings of different shapes, square, rectangular and circular while the other beam had no openings (control beam) for the purpose of comparison of findings. The load–deflection traces were successfully obtained for the tested specimens. The results indicated that perforating reinforced concrete beams with small web openings leads to a slight reduction in their ultimate loads corresponding to an increase in the ultimate deflection. Also, it was concluded that the beams with circular web openings had better shear resistance than other shapes selected here.

In modern pathology, multiplexed immunofluorescence (mIF) and multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) bring both vast opportunities and challenges. These techniques illuminate complex tumor microenvironment interactions, necessitating intuitive visualization tools. With the rise of electronic health records (EHR) and information overload for physicians, integrating advanced technologies becomes essential. Enter SpatialVisVR: a versatile VR platform for comparing medical images, adaptable for data privacy on embedded hardware. Clinicians can capture pathology slides in real-time via mobile, then SpatialVisVR employs a deep learning algorithm to match and display similar mIF images. This interface allows for adding or removing up to 100 multiplexed protein channels, aiding immuno-oncology decisions. Ultimately, SpatialVisVR aims to refine diagnostic processes, promoting a holistic, efficient approach to immuno-oncology research and treatment.

Preserving natural resources and implementing the concepts of sustainable engineering to approach the zero waste concept helped in reducing the detrimental environmental effects in the last two-decade. Proposed re-using of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) as an alternate solution is to get rid of them and profit from them concurrently. In this process, GGBS is used as cement substitute material to enhance mortar characteristics. On the other hand, the required water for concrete mixture should be characterized by several characters, which similar to drinkable water, therefore, using of Latex Rubber as a water substitution reduces the demand for such water in the construction industry. In this project, percentages of GGBS that have been used were 0%, 10%, 30%, and 50% which compatible with (0, 10, 20 and 30) % of Latex Rubber. Suitable tests were performed to measure properties of mortar by GGBS and Latex Rubber such as setting time, compressive strength and Permeability test (Electrical resistivity). The results obtained indicate that the setting time reduced with increasing Rubber Latex in spite of increasing the proportion of water to binder. Additionally, increasing the Latex Rubber amount leads to decrease the compressive strength and electrical resistivity of mortars.

The Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is one of the major ingredient utilized for the manufacture of concrete. The manufacturing of cement includes the release of huge amounts of CO 2 gas as a main contributor for greenhouse influence and global warming. Several researchers have investigated the characteristics of OPC concrete utilizing cementitious materials like fly ash, silica fume, and Ground Granulated Blast furnace Slag (GGBS) as replacement materials. The article aims to investigate experimentally the flexural behavior of concrete beams with GGBS. The experimental work was divided into three stages, the first one consists of six reinforced concrete beam specimens with (0%, 40% and 60%) of GGBS. During this stage, the used steel bars were 8 mm diameter and 500 mm in length. In the second stage, the length of the steel bars was reduced to 400 mm with the best mixture of (GGBS+OPC) that obtained from stage 1. In the third stage, the best length of steel bars was used with the best (GGBS+OPC) ratio to be tested at 7, 14 and 28 days from the date of casting. Consequences of this exploration suggests that replacement of OPC with 40 percent GGBS with 500 mm steel bar length can be used in reinforced concrete specimens as it shows comparable results relative to control mixtures (0% GGBS).

Designing armor units that can withstand harsh marine environments while remaining cost-effective is a central challenge in modern breakwater engineering. This study introduces a newly designed artificial armor unit and evaluates its performance in comparison with established alternatives such as the accropode, core-loc, and conventional rock armor. The findings reveal that the new unit achieves a lower packing density, reducing the number of units required and thereby improving overall cost-effectiveness. Armor layers formed from the newly designed unit exhibited higher porosity than accropode but lower than core-loc, effectively avoiding the slender geometries that compromise durability. Structural analysis using STAAD.Pro confirmed that the new unit developed lower tensile stresses, with reductions of 15% compared to accropode and 35% compared to core-loc under flexure, torsion, and combined loading, demonstrating superior integrity. Hydraulic stability tests showed that the randomly placed newly designed units resisted failure at a stability number (Ns) of 1.4, lowering run-up by 50% and overtopping by 59%, while the uniformly placed newly designed units reached 1.5 without failure, with run-up and overtopping reductions of 30% and 37%, respectively. Collectively, these outcomes highlight the clear hydraulic and structural advantages of the new design over conventional systems, establishing it as a stronger and more resilient solution for breakwater protection.