Objectives This work presents laser coating of grade 1 pure titanium (Ti) dental implant surface with sintered biological apatite beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), which has a chemical composition close to bone. Materials and methods Pulsed Nd:YAG laser of single pulse capability up to 70 J/10 ms and pulse peak power of 8 kW was used to implement the task. Laser pulse peak power, pulse duration, repetition rate and scanning speed were modulated to achieve the most homogenous, cohesive and highly adherent coat layer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microscopy (EDX), optical microscopy and nanoindentation analyses were conducted to characterise and evaluate the microstructure, phases, modulus of elasticity of the coating layer and calcium-to-phosphate ratio and composition. Results showed that the laser power and scanning speed influenced coating adherence. The cross-sectional field-emission scanning electron microscopy images at low power and high speed showed poor adherence and improved as the laser power increased to 2 kW. Decreasing the scanning speed to 0.2 mm/s at the same power of 2 kW increased adherence. EDX results of the substrate demonstrated that the chemical composition of the coat layer did not change after processing. Moreover, the maps revealed proper distribution of Ca and P with some agglomeration on the surface. The sharp peaks on the X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that β-TCPs in the coat layer were mostly crystalline. The elastic modulus was low at the surface and increased gradually with depth to reach 19 GPa at 200 nm; this value was close to that of bone. The microhardness of the coated substrate increased by about 88%. The laser pulse energy of 8.3 J, pulse peak power of 2 kW, pulse duration of 4.3 min, repetition rate of 10 Hz and scanning speed of 0.2 ms−1 yielded the best results. Conclusion: Both processing and coating have potential use for dental implant applications.
This article studies the nonlocal inverse boundary value problem for a rectangular domain, a second-order, elliptic equation and a two-dimensional equation. The main objective of the article is to find the unidentified coefficient and provide a solution to the problem. The two-dimensional second-order, convection equation is solved directly using the finite difference method (FDM). However, the inverse problem was successfully solved the MATLAB subroutine lsqnonlin from the optimization toolbox after reformulating it as a nonlinear regularized least-square optimization problem with a simple bound on the unknown quantity. Considering that the problem under study is often ill-posed and that even a small error in the input data can hav
... Show MoreBackground: Client satisfaction with the immunization service is used to evaluate the quality of the admitted service and at the same time it affects the goodness of the health care outcome.
Objectives: This study assessed the satisfaction with immunization services offered to children and factors affecting this satisfaction.
Methods: Exit interviews for clients were conducted in Baghdad, Al-Karkh in a representative sample of primary health care centers to assess clients’ satisfaction with immunization services. Clients are companions of children encountered at study settings.
Results: Among the 253 respondent clients, 183 (72.3%) reflected satisfaction with the immunization
... Show MoreThe condition known as hypothyroidism is common in women, even in those who are fertile. The quantity and caliber of follicles present in the ovary at any one moment are known as the ovarian reserve. Individuals who are susceptible to a decreased ovarian reserve ought to have an assessment of their ovarian reserve conducted. The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of hypothyroidism on Iraqi women's ovarian reserve using Inhibin B hormone and hormone tests FSH, LH. There was no discernible variation in the average (±SD) age from (20 to 40) years of the patient group compared to the control group (p-value 0.08). However the mean BMI of the patients were statistically significantly different from the controls (P- value 0.006).Wom
... Show MoreA Genetic Algorithm optimization model is used in this study to find the optimum flow values of the Tigris river branches near Ammara city, which their water is to be used for central marshes restoration after mixing in Maissan River. These tributaries are Al-Areed, AlBittera and Al-Majar Al-Kabeer Rivers. The aim of this model is to enhance the water quality in Maissan River, hence provide acceptable water quality for marsh restoration. The model is applied for different water quality change scenarios ,i.e. , 10%,20% increase in EC,TDS and BOD. The model output are the optimum flow values for the three rivers while, the input data are monthly flows(1994-2011),monthly water requirements and water quality parameters (EC, TDS, BOD, DO and
... Show MoreBackground: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a significant role in the activation of adaptive immunity and may have an essential role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objectives: To assess the gene expression of TLR4 in individuals with RA compared to healthy individuals. Methods: From July to December 2022. A total of 100 individuals were encompassed in the study, consisting of 50 individuals diagnosed with RA, of whom 42 were females and 8 were males, with an average age of 45.22 years. Additionally, there were 50 healthy control participants, 40 of whom were females and 10 were males, with an average age of 45.64 years. To assess the TLR4 transcript levels, blood samples were collected from each participant, and RN
... Show MoreTheoretical and experimental investigations have been carried out on developing laminar
combined free and forced convection heat transfer in a vertical concentric annulus with uniformly
heated outer cylinder (constant heat flux) and adiabatic inner cylinder for both aiding and opposing
flows. The theoretical investigation involved a mathematical modeling and numerical solution for
two dimensional, symmetric, simultaneously developing laminar air flows was achieved. The
governing equations of motion (continuity, momentum and energy) are solved by using implicit
finite difference method and the Gauss elimination technique. The theoretical work covers heat flux
range from (200 to 1500) W/m2, Re range from 400 to 2000 an
Objective To evaluate recently developed acidic calcium-phosphate (CaP) pastes as conservative enamel-conditioning systems for bracket bonding and investigate their effects on the shear bond strength, adhesive residues, and enamel damage in comparison to a conventional 37 % phosphoric acid (PA) gel. Materials and methods Two experimental etchant pastes consisting of hydroxyapatite and monocalcium phosphate monohydrate were prepared by mixing them with 37 % and 10 % PA solutions, respectively. These were characterized using X-ray diffraction. Metal brackets were bonded to 90 freshly extracted human premolars and assigned to three groups, depending on etchant type: 37 % PA-gel (control) and the two experimental (HPA and MPA) pastes. Shear bon
... Show More