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.
In this study, we attempt to provide healthcare service to the pilgrims. This study describes how a multimedia courseware can be used in making the pilgrims aware of the common diseases that are present in Saudi Arabia during the pilgrimage. The multimedia courseware will also be used in providing some information about the symptoms of these diseases, and how each of them can be treated. The multimedia courseware contains a virtual representation of a hospital, some videos of actual cases of patients, and authentic learning activities intended to enhance health competencies during the pilgrimage. An examination of the courseware was conducted so as to study the manner in which the elements of the courseware are applied in real-time learn
... Show Moreالمقال منشور على موقع مجلة الفورين بوليسي الأميركية (Foreign Policy) على الانترنت في 27 أيلول/سبتمبر 2019. يُشير مصطلح العزل (Impeachment) في الثقافة السياسية الأميركية إلى مجموعة الإجراءات التي يتم بموجبها عزل الرئيس من منصبه، وهذه الإجراءات هي بمثابة عملية طويلة تجري داخل الكونجرس، وتتم وفقاً لخطوات يؤدي فيها كل من مجلسيّ النواب والشيوخ دوراَ. ولا يعني القيام بهذه الإجراءات أن يتم عزل الرئيس، فقد تتم إ
... Show MoreAn image retrieval system is a computer system for browsing, looking and recovering pictures from a huge database of advanced pictures. The objective of Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) methods is essentially to extract, from large (image) databases, a specified number of images similar in visual and semantic content to a so-called query image. The researchers were developing a new mechanism to retrieval systems which is mainly based on two procedures. The first procedure relies on extract the statistical feature of both original, traditional image by using the histogram and statistical characteristics (mean, standard deviation). The second procedure relies on the T-
... Show MoreLet G be a graph, each edge e of which is given a weight w(e). The shortest path problem is a path of minimum weight connecting two specified vertices a and b, and from it we have a pre-topology. Furthermore, we study the restriction and separators in pre-topology generated by the shortest path problems. Finally, we study the rate of liaison in pre-topology between two subgraphs. It is formally shown that the new distance measure is a metric
The current study, performed during the period from February 2021 to June 2022 at the University of Thi- Qar/ College of Education for Pure Sciences, and aimed to follow the changes in external morphological features at different Embryonic developmental stages in pregnant rats treated with different doses of amlodipine. Usage In this study, 18 pregnant rats were randomly divided into three groups, each with six pregnant rats. Each group received different concentrations of amlodipine (0.3, 0.5) in oral doses until the 20th day of gestation, while the control group was injected with 0.9% normal saline. Teratomas are bizarre tumors derived from embryonic tissue that are normally found only in the gonadal and sacral regions of adults. Primary
... Show MoreThe paper presents a neural synchronization into intensive study in order to address challenges preventing from adopting it as an alternative key exchange algorithm. The results obtained from the implementation of neural synchronization with this proposed system address two challenges: namely the verification of establishing the synchronization between the two neural networks, and the public initiation of the input vector for each party. Solutions are presented and mathematical model is developed and presented, and as this proposed system focuses on stream cipher; a system of LFSRs (linear feedback shift registers) has been used with a balanced memory to generate the key. The initializations of these LFSRs are neural weights after achiev
... Show MoreThin films of microcrystalline and nanocrystalline -silicon carbide and silicon, where deposited on glass substrate with substrate temperature ranging from 350-400C, with deposition rate 0.5nm per pulse, by laser induced chemical vapor deposition. The deposition induced by TEACO2 laser. The reactant gases (SiH4 and C2H4) photo decompose throughout collision associated multiple photon dissociate. Such inhomogeneous film structure containing crystalline silicon, silicon carbide and amorphous silicon carbide matrix, give rise to a new type of material nanocrystalline silicon carbide in which the optical transmittance is governed by amorphous SiC phase while nanocrystalline grain are responsible for the conduction processes. This new m
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Single long spiral tube column pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit, 25 mm diameter, and 6 m length was constructed to study the separation of water from ethanol at azeotropic concentration of 95 wt%. The first three meters of the column length acted as a vaporizer and the remaining length acted as an adsorber filled by commercial 3A zeolite. The effect of pressure, temperature and feed flow rate on the product ethanol purity, process recovery and productivity were studied. The results showed that ethanol purity increased with temperature and pressure and decreased with feed flow rate. The purity decreased with increasing productivity. The purity range was 98.9 % to 99.6 %, the recovery range was 0.82 to 0.92 and the productivity range w
... Show MoreHydrogen fuel is a good alternative to fossil fuels. It can be produced using a clean energy without contaminated emissions. This work is concerned with experimental study on hydrogen production via solar energy. Photovoltaic module is used to convert solar radiation to electrical energy. The electrical energy is used for electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen by using alkaline water electrolyzer with stainless steel electrodes. A MATLAB computer program is developed to solve a four-parameter-model and predict the characteristics of PV module under Baghdad climate conditions. The hydrogen production system is tested at different NaOH mass concentration of (50,100, 200, 300) gram. The maximum hydrogen produc
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