Abstract Background: The daily usage of maxillofacial prostheses causes them to mechanically deteriorate with time. This study was aimed to evaluate the reinforcement of VST50F maxillofacial silicone by using yttrium oxide (Y2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) to resist aging and mechanical deterioration. Materials and Method: Y2O3 NPs (30–45nm) were loaded into VST50F maxillofacial silicone in two weight percentages (1 and 1.5 wt%), which were predetermined in a pilot study as the best rates for improving tear strength with minimum increase in hardness values. A total of 120 specimens were prepared and divided into the control and experimental groups (with 1 and 1.5 wt% Y2O3 addition). Each group included 40 specimens, 10 specimens for each parameter tested (i.e., tear strength, surface roughness, hardness, tensile strength and elongation percentage). Specimens were artificially aged in a weathering chamber for 150 h and then tested. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD). Statistical significance was set to P ≤ 0.05. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were also conducted. Results and Discussion: SEM results showed that Y2O3 NPs were distributed well within the silicon matrix. FTIR results indicated that the NPs were physically dispersed within VST50F silicone without chemical interaction. After 150 h of accelerated artificial aging, adding Y2O3 NPs significantly increased the tear strength, hardness, surface roughness, and elongation percentage. Tensile strength increased non significantly. Conclusion: Adding Y2O3 NPs as fillers improved the mechanical properties of artificially aged maxillofacial silicone elastomer. Keywords: maxillofacial silicone, Y2O3, nanoparticles, fillers, artificial aging.
Random laser gain media is synthesized with different types of dye at the same concentration (1×10-3 M) as an active material and silicon dioxide NPs (silica SiO2) as scatter centers through the Sol-Gel technique. The prepared samples are tested with UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction (EDX). The end result demonstrates that doped dyes with silica nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.0016 mol/ml have lower absorbance and higher fluorescence spectra than pure dyes. FESEM scans revealed that the morphology of nanocrystalline silica is clusters of nano-sized spherical particles in the range (25-67) nm. It is con
... Show MoreIn this paper, we implement and examine a Simulink model with electroencephalography (EEG) to control many actuators based on brain waves. This will be in great demand since it will be useful for certain individuals who are unable to access some control units that need direct contact with humans. In the beginning, ten volunteers of a wide range of (20-66) participated in this study, and the statistical measurements were first calculated for all eight channels. Then the number of channels was reduced by half according to the activation of brain regions within the utilized protocol and the processing time also decreased. Consequently, four of the participants (three males and one female) were chosen to examine the Simulink model during di
... Show MoreIn this paper, we implement and examine a Simulink model with electroencephalography (EEG) to control many actuators based on brain waves. This will be in great demand since it will be useful for certain individuals who are unable to access some control units that need direct contact with humans. In the beginning, ten volunteers of a wide range of (20-66) participated in this study, and the statistical measurements were first calculated for all eight channels. Then the number of channels was reduced by half according to the activation of brain regions within the utilized protocol and the processing time also decreased. Consequently, four of the participants (three males and one female) were chosen to examine the Simulink model duri
... Show MoreThe use of ultraviolet rays is one of the methods of treating surface contamination of many foods especially pickles. however, there are some side effects to its use, especially in high percentage oil food products, it is necessary to determine the appropriate doses and time periods to avoid deterioration of its oil physicochemical characteristics. this study was conducted to see the effect of ultraviolet rays 15W on some chemical properties of olive oil when using it to preserve green olive pickles, treated for 5, 10 and 15 min daily. green olive fruits Iraqi variety (al-ashrasi), in season (2020-2021) were pickled using Spanish style, the best time period to pr
... Show MoreThe new novel polymers nanocomposites based modified chitosan (CS) blending with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and coated gold or silver nanoparticles (AuNPs), AgNPs) were synthesized from many sequence reactions as presented in (Scheme1, 2 and 3). By utilizing 1H-NMR spectroscopy, FTIR, and Field Emission Scanning electron microscope , the synthesized compounds have been identified. Molecular docking is studied, where operations are used to predict the binding status of compounds with the enzyme and to calculate the free energy (ΔG) of the compounds prepared. Also, the antibacterial activity regarding the synthesized compounds against two resistant pathogenic bacteria (G+) S. aureus and E. coli (G-) was examined in vitro compare with standard a
... Show MoreStabilization of phenol trapped by agricultural waste: a study of the influence of ambient temperature on the adsorbed phenol
Adenosine deaminase (ADA; Ec: 3.5.4.4), 5´- Nucleotidase (5´– NT; Ec: 3.1.3.5), and AMP – amino hydrolase (AMP – deaminase AMPDA; Ec: 3.5.4.6) activities were measured in sera of ovarian cancer patients before surgery, and after chemotherapy. The results indicated that ADA specific activity increased significantly (P<0.05), while 5´-NT and AMPDA specific activity decreased significantly (P<0.05) in ovarian cancer patients before surgery in comparison with those of their corresponding control women and benign tumors groups. When the activities of these enzymes were measured after chemotherapy, a significant decrease (P<0.05) in ADA activity, and a significant increase (P<0.05) in 5´- NT and AMPDA activities w
... Show MoreFlexible pavements are subjected to three main distress types: fatigue crack, thermal crack, and permanent deformation. Under severe climate conditions, thermal cracking particularly contributes largely to a considerable scale of premature deterioration of pavement infrastructure worldwide. This challenge is especially relevant for Europe, as weather conditions vary significantly throughout the year. Hydrated lime (HL) has been recognized as an effective additive to improve the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete for pavement applications. Previous research has found that a replacement of conventional limestone dust filler using hydrated lime at 2.5% of the total weight of aggregates generated an optimum improvement in the mec
... Show MoreDifferent percents(1.0,2.5,5.0 and 10)wt%of MgO powders were added to ZnO powder to study their effects on the physical properties of ZnO.Density, porpsity and water absorption of ZnO were decreased as MgO weigth percentage content increased. The values of vickers hardneess have double values especially at 1.0 wt % of MgO.