This study aims to evaluate the biocompatibility of a novel filler material intended to improve the longevity of polymer systems used in prosthetics in respect of cytotoxicity and skin irritation. RTV50F silicone elastomer incorporated with various percentages of hexagonal boron nitride (H-BN) (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1 wt%) have been tested. Silicone without H-BN was utilized as the control for comparison. The in vitro cytotoxicity test includes specimens (n=18) with 10 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness applied directly to the normal human fibroblast cell line (NHF) and incubated for 72 hours, then 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to determine the cell viability. The skin irritation test was conducted in vivo, in which specimens (n=12) with 25 mm × 25 mm dimensions were applied on the back of 5 different rabbits for 4 hours, then the skin response was evaluated after 24, 48, and 72 hours. The acquired in vitro data were statically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey’s tests with GraphPad Prism 8, where P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The H-BN powder and silicone specimens were studied via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The results revealed a negligible effect of maxillofacial silicone on cell viability after 72 hours of incubation, only one group (1wt%) showed a significant difference compared to the control group but the toxicity percentage didn’t exceed 30% of cell viability and there was no skin irritation during the in vivo test.
Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of iron oxide (Fe3O4) represent the most promising materials in many applications. MNPs have been synthesized by co-precipitation of ferric and ferrous ions in alkaline solution. Two methods of synthesis were conducted with different parameters, such as temperature (25 and 80 ̊C), adding a base to the reactants and the opposite process, and using nitrogen as an inert gas. The product of the first method (MNPs-1) and the second method (MNPs-2) were characterized by x-ray diffractometer (XRD), Zeta Potential, atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). AFM results showed convergent particle size of (MNPs-1) and (MNPs-2) with (86.01) and (74.14)
... Show MoreDuring COVID-19, wearing a mask was globally mandated in various workplaces, departments, and offices. New deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) based classifications were proposed to increase the validation accuracy of face mask detection. This work introduces a face mask model that is able to recognize whether a person is wearing mask or not. The proposed model has two stages to detect and recognize the face mask; at the first stage, the Haar cascade detector is used to detect the face, while at the second stage, the proposed CNN model is used as a classification model that is built from scratch. The experiment was applied on masked faces (MAFA) dataset with images of 160x160 pixels size and RGB color. The model achieve
... Show MoreFourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to analyze gasoline engine oil (SAE 5W20) samples that were exposed to seven different oxidation times (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, 120 h, and 144 h) to determine the best wavenumbers and wavenumber ranges for the discrimination of the oxidation times. The thermal oxidation process generated oil samples with varying total base number (TBN) levels. Each wavenumber (400–3900 cm−1) and wavenumber ranges identified from the literature and this study were statistically analyzed to determine which wavenumbers and wavenumber ranges could discriminate among all oxidation times. Linear regression was used with the best wavenumbers and wavenumber ranges to predict oxidation time.
... Show MoreA comparison between the resistance capacity of a single pile excited by two opposite rotary machines embedded in dry and saturated sandy soil was considered experimentally. A small-scale physical model was manufactured to accomplish the experimental work in the laboratory. The physical model consists of: two small motors supplied with eccentric mass 0·012 kg and eccentric distance 20 mm representing the two opposite rotary machines, an aluminum shaft with 20 mm in diameter as the pile, and a steel plate with dimensions of (160 × 160 × 20 mm) as a pile cap. The experimental work was achieved taking the following parameters into consideration, pile embedment depth ratio (L/d; length to diameter) and operating freq
... Show MoreA comparative study was done on the adsorption of methyl orange dye (MO) using non-activated and activated corn leaves with hydrochloric acid as an adsorbent material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were utilized to specify the properties of adsorbent material. The effect of several variables (pH, initial dye concentration, temperature, amount of adsorbent and contact time) on the removal efficiency was studied and the results indicated that the adsorption efficiency increases with the increase in the concentration of dye, adsorbent dosage and contact time, while inversely proportional to the increase in pH and temperature for both the treated and untreated corn leaves. The equi
... Show MoreRainwater harvesting could be a possible solution to decrease the consequences of water scarcity and energy deficiency in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This study aims to calculate the water and energy (electricity) saved by rainwater harvesting for rooftops and green areas in Sulaimani city, KR, Iraq. Various data were acquired from different formal entities in Sulaimani city. Moreover, Google Earth and ArcMap 10.4 software were used for digitizing and calculating the total rooftop and green areas. The results showed that for the used runoff coefficients (0.8 and 0.95), the harvested rainwater volumes were 2901563 and 12197131 m³ during the study period (2005 – 2006) and (2019-2020). Moreover, by compa
... Show MoreExcessive water production is a persistent challenge in oil and gas wells, with polymer and gel solutions commonly employed for water control. This study investigates the rheological behaviour of cross-linked polyacrylamide gels and their impact on water shutoff treatment in gas wells. Rheological measurements, coreflooding experiments using Berea sandstone samples, and micromodel flow visualizations were conducted to evaluate gel performance. Results showed that during water injection, the water residual resistance factor ( Frrw ) decreases with increasing flow rates, mainly due to gel shear thinning behaviour and reduced residual gas saturation. Higher polymer concentrations in the gel enhance water permeability reduction. In contrast, un
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