Kurdistan Journal of Applied Research (KJAR)
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A Finite Element Study on the Structural Behavior of a Dual-Axis Solar Tracking System
No full textSolar panels have become a highly effective and widely adopted source of renewable energy. Extensive research has been devoted to improving the materials used in photovoltaic systems to enhance efficiency, durability, and performance. Continuous efforts have also focused on strategies to maximize solar energy capture; from materials used to determining the optimal angle and direction for panel installation for optimal energy capture. Within this context, this study presents the design and structural analysis of an innovative dual-axis solar tracker, developed and simulated using SolidWorks. The design consists of three main components: the main structure, which can hold up to a total of 18 panels arranged in a 3x6 matrix; the rotating structure, to which the main structure is attached via two flanged bearings at the ends to provide tilt motion; and the stationary base, to which the rotating structure is connected via a slew bearing that enables rotation in the east-west direction. The overall design accounts for a total system weight of approximately 4000 kg. To ensure safe operation, Finite Element Analysis is conducted under extreme-case wind loading conditions to assess structural integrity. Key results included a maximum von Mises stress of 196.6 MPa, a maximum deflection of 37.81 mm, and a minimum factor of safety of 1.122. Convergence is successfully achieved for all components, with relative errors below 1%, confirming the reliability and accuracy of the simulation outcomes
Effectiveness of Psychoeducation to Reduce Relapse Among Substance Users: An Interventional Study
No full textRelapse rates among substance users are generally higher in the early stages following substance use cessation. Nevertheless, correctional facilities are seeking effective strategies to reduce the risk of relapse among incarcerated substance users. This study developed and assessed a psychoeducational program to reduce the risk of relapse among substance users using a quasi-experimental design. We recruited 102 incarcerated substance users from a correctional facility and divided them into two equal groups. The pretest, program implementation, and posttest were conducted from July 1, 2024, to March 2, 2025, using the Stimulant Relapse Risk Scale-35. Paired t-tests and a linear regression analysis were used to evaluate program effectiveness and identify the predictive factors for reducing the risks of relapse, respectively. The sample was predominantly male (82.2%). Approximately 51.2% and 56.4% participants in the control and experimental groups, respectively, were using methamphetamines. Participants in the experimental group showed a significant improvement following program implementation (p < 0.001). Significant predictors of greater improvement following the program’s implementation were good financial status, being divorced, living with a spouse, living alone, and using opium. Conversely, significant predictors of lower improvement included having a bachelor’s degree, having parents with substance use disorders, smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, starting to smoke at an older age, and using alcohol. Our findings underscore the necessity of psychoeducational programs in correctional facilities to help substance users participate in programs, thereby reducing their risk of relapse
Pharmacological Inhibition of Hsp70 to Degrade c-FLIP: A Novel Indirect Approach for Cancer Therapy: A Narrative Review
Get PDFThe cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) is a master regulator of pro-grammed cell death, functioning as a key suppressor of extrinsic apoptosis mediated by death receptor signaling. Its persistent overexpression is a hall-mark of numerous cancers, contributing directly to tumorigenesis, therapy resistance, and immune evasion. However, direct pharmacological targeting of c-FLIP has proven exceptionally challenging because of its unstructured protein-interaction domains. This review explores an innovative indirect strategy: inhibiting the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) to promote the proteasomal degradation of c-FLIP. Hsp70 is frequently overex-pressed in malignancies and is critically involved in stabilizing oncoproteins, such as c-FLIP, shielding them from ubiquitination and degradation. A syn-thesis of compelling evidence was presented to demonstrate that diverse Hsp70 inhibitors—including ATP-competitive agents (VER-155008), allosteric inhibitors (PES), and co-chaperone disruptors (MAL3-101)—effectively de-plete c-FLIP levels. This depletion robustly re-sensitizes resistant cancer cells to apoptosis, which is induced by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and Fas ligand (FasL). This overcomes conventional chemoresistance and potentially restores immune-mediated cytotoxicity by dismantling a key protective mechanism. This article details the molecular mechanisms of the Hsp70-c-FLIP axis, evaluates the current landscape of Hsp70-targeted therapeutics, and discusses the significant promise and chal-lenges—such as isoform selectivity and drug development hurdles—of ex-ploiting this chaperone-client relationship. The present review concludes that targeting Hsp70 to disrupt c-FLIP stability represents a highly promising and indirect anticancer strategy, warranting extensive further investigation in both preclinical models and clinical settings
Development and Fabrication of Zavegepant Loaded Mucoadhesive Microemulsion for Intranasal Delivery
Get PDFTo develop and optimize zavegepant-loaded mucoadhesive microemulsions for intranasal delivery, utilizing quality-by-design principles for enhanced bioavailability and rapid onset in acute migraine management. Zavegepant-loaded microemulsions were formulated using Labrafil M 1944 CS (oil), Brij 35 (surfactant), polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 (co-surfactant), gellan gum (mucoadhesive polymer), and double distilled water. A central composite design with 4 factors (oil, surfactant, co-surfactant, and water concentrations) was employed to optimize critical quality attributes including globule size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index. Comprehensive characterization included particle size analysis, surface charge determination, drug content, permeation studies, and accelerated stability testing. Twenty-seven formulations were evaluated, with statistical analysis identifying concentration as the primary determinant of microemulsion properties (F-values: 144.64-375.27). Optimization yielded formulation (10% Labrafil M 1944 CS, 52% Brij 35, 18% PEG 400, 20% water) with ideal characteristics: globule size 58.7 nm, Polydispersity index 0.142, zeta potential -12.7± mV, and drug content 99.6. It demonstrated superior ex-vivo drug permeation (91.7% at 12h) and remained stable for 6 months under accelerated conditions. The optimized mucoadhesive microemulsion showed good in vitro results with fast drug release, strong permeation, and stable performance. This suggests it could be a useful intranasal system for zavegepant in treating migraines, but in vivo studies are still needed to confirm its clinical use
Comparative Efficacy of Apixaban, Dabigatran, Clopidogrel, and Aspirin Against Ferric-Chloride-Induced Thrombosis in the Carotid Arteries of Rats
Get PDFCarotid injury induced by ferric chloride (FeCl₃) is a model of arterial thrombosis for evaluating antithrombotic medications. Preclinical comparisons of different drug classes are scarce. This study compared the efficacy and safety of two direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs)—apixaban and dabigatran—and two antiplatelet agents—clopidogrel and aspirin. Adult male rats were randomly assigned to control, FeCl₃, and FeCl₃ with apixaban, dabigatran, clopidogrel, and aspirin. The endpoints were thrombus weight, occlusion time (OT), bleeding time (BT), capillary-tube clotting time (CT), and blood count. In addition, serum thromboxane B2 (TXB₂), D-dimer, malondialdehyde (MDA) and histopathological examination of the carotid artery were investigated. Compared to the controls, FeCl₃ caused a rapid, platelet-rich occlusion with increases in thrombus weight (7.18 mg), D-dimer (708.7 ng/mL), TXB₂ (549.7 pg/mL), and MDA (6.76 µmol/L). All treatments significantly prolonged OT compared with the FeCl₃ group. The DOACs (dabigatran and apixaban) demonstrated superior overall efficacy, prolonging OT and CT, reducing thrombus weight (2.53–3.97 mg) and D-dimer (563.8–591.8 ng/mL), and preserving arterial architecture, but with significant BT prolongation. Clopidogrel reduced thrombus weight (4.18 mg), TXB₂, D-dimer (552.2 ng/mL), and MDA (4.19 µmol/L) without affecting CT and with intermediate effects on BT. Aspirin showed relatively modest effects across all outcomes. Anticoagulants also reduced histological damage and normalised leukocyte counts. The efficacy of the anticoagulants reflected their mechanistic targets in FeCl₃-induced carotid thrombosis, following the gradient of dabigatran ≈ apixaban > clopidogrel >> aspirin. In this platelet-dominant model, clopidogrel was surprisingly effective, whereas aspirin had effects. DOACs offered the inhibition of thrombus formation, albeit at the expense of increased bleeding liability.
Assessing the Urban Design Features of Historical Street
Get PDFThis study offers a comprehensive and critical evaluation of the urban design elements of Goran Street, a central and historically significant artery in Sulaimani, located in the Kurdistan Region. The research focuses on four primary areas: the street's physical characteristics, spatial organization, the utilization of open spaces, and its ability to meet user needs. Employing a mixed-methods approach—including field measurements, photographic documentation, on-site observations, and user questionnaires—the study reveals several critical deficiencies in urban design quality. Physically, Goran Street suffers from inconsistent building heights and architectural styles, leading to visual disunity. The chaotic use of building materials and color palettes further contributes to an aesthetically jarring environment. Pedestrian pathways are poorly maintained, with inadequate paving, signage, and street furniture, making the area less inviting for foot traffic. User-centered analysis reveals that Goran Street meets only 40.8% of the surveyed expectations related to accessibility, personal safety, and the availability of public services. Despite this, the frequency of open space usage remains high, with 75% of respondents indicating regular engagement, primarily due to the street's central location, though the quality of these open spaces scores a concerning 0%. Additionally, the lack of cultural infrastructure, such as galleries, museums, or performance spaces, limits the street’s potential to serve as a cultural and tourism hub. The study concludes by calling for strategic interventions to enhance Goran Street’s urban appeal. Recommendations include improving walkability, redesigning public spaces, integrating cultural identity, and enforcing planning regulations to foster a vibrant, inclusive, and historically enriched urban environment.
Improving Live Streaming QoE Through HLS Parameter Tuning and Load Balancing to Mitigate Packet Loss
Get PDFLive video streaming denotes a video distribution service that concurrently captures and transmits media material to all consumers in real time. In recent years, most of the internet has been used for video streaming, as platforms have transformed content consumption, providing immediate access to films, television programs, live events, and user-generated materials worldwide. Platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Amazon Prime are built on technologies that facilitate efficient content delivery, adaptive playback, and personalized recommendations. Hypertext Transfer Protocol live streaming is a popular protocol for adaptive video delivery that adjusts to network bandwidth but not to packet loss, which can severely impact viewer Quality of Experience (QoE). This study addresses the challenge of maintaining live video streaming quality in environments with varying packet loss. To improve QoE, this study proposes optimizing HLS configuration parameters and evaluating the effects of two load balancing algorithms, round robin and ring hash, in a simulated testbed. The study investigates how adjusting the segment length, list length, and the group of pictures size affects the resilience of the system to packet loss, as assessed by objective evaluation metrics including peak signal-to-noise ratio and data loss percentage. Results show that the ring hash algorithm consistently outperforms round robin in reducing data loss, and with the optimal parameter configuration, data loss remained below 1.4% even under 5% network packet loss.
A Hybrid Approach to Cloud Data Security Using ChaCha20 and ECDH for Secure Encryption and Key Exchange
Get PDFCloud computing has transformed data storage and processing by offering on-demand resources and global accessibility. However, this convenience introduces significant security risks due to the reliance on third-party services, raising concerns about data confidentiality and integrity. This research proposes a hybrid encryption model that combines the high-speed ChaCha20 algorithm for data encryption with the Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) protocol for secure key exchange. The model ensures robust data protection in Cloud environments by generating a ChaCha20 key, encrypting it with ECDH, and securely storing encrypted key fragments in the cloud for later reassembly and decryption. This approach enhances security during data transmission and storage while mitigating the common vulnerabilities found in single-algorithm solutions. The study evaluates and compares the performance of ChaCha20 with ECDH against Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) with advanced encryption standard (AES) and Blowfish with Elliptic-Curve Cryptography (ECC). The results show that ChaCha20 with ECDH provides the fastest encryption time of 2ms and a key generation time of 15.8ms, with moderate memory usage. By contrast, RSA with AES is slower but offers consistent memory usage, while Blowfish with ECC balances speed and memory efficiency. The proposed hybrid model outperforms traditional encryption methods in both speed and security, making it suitable for modern cloud applications requiring scalability and high performance. Future research could focus on optimizing this model for resource-constrained environments, such as IoT and mobile
Effect of Cutting Tool Rake and Inclination Angles and Feeding Method on Cutting Force and Surface Quality in Single-point Threading
Get PDFSingle-point threading is the most common and useful thread machining technique. It is mostly applicable in situations which require threaded pieces with certain diameters and high quality on low machinability materials. The process has problems of surface quality and power consumption because of lack of information regarding the effect of the tool’s rake and inclination angles and feeding method on surface quality and cutting forces as a function of cutting power. This study investigates influences of tool infeed method, rake, and inclination angles on surface quality of thread flanks and the cutting forces generated. Three levels of 0°, 2°, and 3.5° as well as -6°, 0°, and 1° were considered for tool inclination and rake angles, respectively, with the two most common tool infeed methods of radial and flank infeed. Accordingly, eighteen tests were conducted by cutting metric screws of 5 mm thread pitch and triangular profile on ST45 carbon steel bar. The cutting speed, number of cutting passes, and infeed amount in each pass were maintained constant during each test. The threads were cut by P-10 type carbide insert on a test rig that involved a medium-sized lathe. Results presented that the highest inclination angle of 3.5° produces lowest surface roughness of about 0.5 and 0.45 μm and cutting force of 1850 N and 2200 N in the radial and flank infeed methods, sequentially. Also, a rake angle of 0° provides better and more equal surface finish on the both thread flanks. A high productive approach for the single-point threading with high quality was deduced.
Evaluation of Serum Interleukin-33 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Levels in Patients with Psoriasis: Correlation with Disease Severity
Get PDFPsoriasis is an immune-mediated dermatological disorder marked by accelerated skin cell proliferation, leading to thickened, rough, scaly lesions capable of causing itching, discomfort, and inflammation. This study investigates Interleukin-33 (IL-33) in psoriasis pathogenesis and evaluates its therapeutic potential. By understanding its mechanisms, the research aims to create effective treatment strategies for use in clinical practice, improving the well-being of individuals with the disease. Serum concentrations of Interleukin-33 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were assessed using the ELISA test in 44 subjects with psoriasis and 44 matched healthy controls. The severity of psoriasis was evaluated using Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI scores), which enabled stratification into mild, moderate, and severe forms. Data were statistically analyzed to compare cytokine levels in patients and controls and to examine the relationship between cytokine concentrations and disease severity. Compared to their matched controls, psoriasis patients exhibited significantly increased median concentrations of Interleukin-33 [(268: 235–316) and tumor necrosis factor-α (294: 241–435). Also, the serum TNF-α levels exhibited a notable correlation with PASI scores (r= 0.389, p value= 0.009), while IL-33 levels did not exhibit a statistically significant association with PASI scores (r= 0.251, p value= 0.100). This study demonstrated a significant elevation in serum TNF-α and IL-33 concentrations in individuals with the disease, suggesting their involvement in disease pathogenesis. Moreover, TNF-α levels showed a proportional correlation with disease severity, as reflected by PASI scores, indicating its potential role as a biomarker for monitoring psoriasis progression. This positive association suggests a possible interplay in disease progression.