Background: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a promising implant material due to its superior biomechanical strength. However, due to its hydrophobic nature and lack of cellular adhesion properties, it has poor integration with bone tissue. Methods: A fractional CO2 laser was used with various parameters for surface texturing of PEEK substrate to enhance its surface properties. An optical microscope and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) were used to examine the surface morphology of untextured and laser-textured samples. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was performed to determine the effect of the laser on the microstructure of PEEK. Surface microroughness, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wettability were investigated. Results: There were significant increases in microroughness, nanoroughness, surface area ratio, and wettability after laser texturing with no change in the elemental composition. The best results were obtained by using 400 µs laser pulse duration with a dot separation distance of 0.2 mm and a 60° staggered dots pattern. Conclusions: Laser surface texturing of PEEK implant material by fractional CO2 laser is an easy and fast method of introducing patterned topographical features with no need for additional devices. With further investigations, this method of PEEK modification might have the potential to be used in the implant field.
Abstract
The present study investigates the effect of acetic acid on corrosion behavior and its potential of hydrothermally sealed anodized AA2319-Al-alloys. Anodizing treatment was performed in stagnant phosphoric acid electrolyte with or without addition of acetic acid. Hydrothermal sealing was carried out in boiling water for each anodized specimen. The open circuit potential of the unsealed and sealed anodized samples was examined using open circuit potential measurement for the purpose of starting in scanning polarization diagrams. The potentiostatic polarization technique measurements were performed to assess corrosion behavior and sealing quality (i.e., degree of sealing) of
... Show MoreMost of the mosques in the Islamic world fall under specific and known forms and patterns to a large extent, and such patterns have grown and evolved from the few basic and uniform models, but they changed slowly due to the impact with a mixture of changing functional requirements and cultural landscapes because of the variables of time and place to form patterns known and famous in this day across parts of the Islamic world and its borders. There was no exception to these patterns, but small numbers of mosques that were probably the result of personal experiences or improvisational resolutions, or in response to specific or temporary stimuli. However, the emergence of a specific pattern which does not belong to any of these patt
... Show MoreThe study aims to select suitable ornamental plant species that can survive relatively with high concentrations of acetaminophen and methylparaben in constructed wetlands. Alternanthera spp, Asparagus aethiopicus and Chlorophytum comosum are examined to withstand three initial concentrations, 20, 100 and 200 mg/L of acetaminophen and methylparaben. A total of 21 plastic pails with each 3 L capacity consisting of nine pails are used for each pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) compounds (acetaminophen and methylparaben) for three ornamental plants (Alternanthera spp, Asparagus aethiopicus and Chlorophytum comosum), with three pails as plant controls. The results reveales
... Show MoreASTRACT
The current study aimed to identify the quality of health services provided by the Omani health sector through the comparison between public and private hospitals in Dhofar Governorate, Oman. A questionnaire has been developed to collect data from 360 patients who received health services in one public Hospital (Sultan Qaboos) and three private Hospitals (Badr Al-Sama, Lifeline, and Al-Hakeeim). The data were analyzed using independent samples T-Test and One Way ANOVA. The results of the study showed that the quality levels of health services offered in private hospitals were better than public hospitals. The study results also reveled that there are significant differences between public hospitals and private hos
... Show MoreMany satellite systems take cover images like QuickBird for terrain so that these images scan be used to construct 3D models likes Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN), and Digital Elevation Model (DEM). This paper presents a production of 3D TIN for Al-Karkh University of Science in Baghdad - Iraq using QuickBird image data with pixel resolution of 0.6 m. The recent generations of high-resolution satellite imaging systems open a new era of digital mapping and earth observation. It provides not only multi-spectral and high-resolution data but also the capability for stereo mapping. The result of this study is a production of 3D satellite images of the university by merging 1 m DEM with satellite image for ROI using ArcGIS package Version
... Show MoreSome aspects of population dynamics of both corbicula species inhabiting intertidal zone of
shatt al-Arab are described. These informations are explained in accordance with the possible
occurrence of competition between the two related species.
The current study, which extended from February 2020 to June 2021 at the University of Thi- Qar\ College of Education for Pure Sciences, aimed to follow the changes in external morphological features at different Embryonic Developmental stages in pregnant mice treated with different doses of Rapamycin (Rapa). Use In this study, 32 pregnant mice were divided randomly into four groups, each of which had eight pregnant mice. Each group received different dose of Rapa via intraperitoneally injection at different gestation days until the end of the specified periods, whereas the control group received a DMSO. Mice were administered under the same circumstances and dosages were determined based on body weight, as specified in pharmaceutical const
... Show MoreThe past decades have witnessed a development in the concept of corporate governance and the transformation of a concept that is limited to large companies listed in capital markets in major economies to an issue that concerns all business activities in the public and private sectors in both large and small countries. The aim of this research is to propose a guide to the mechanisms and rules of governance in the municipal institutions that contributes to the activation of the internal control system to reduce the fraud and manipulation of this activity. Institutions. The research was based on the hypothesis that the implementation of the principles and rules of governance in municipal institutions lead to the contribution of the activati
... Show MoreThe difference The doctrines of the four jurists were built in Achieving the purposes of Tesper in Islam