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 invest

The frenzy caused by the horrific news on the TVs and the social media about COVID19 brings to the forefront the catastrophic epidemics in the past that led to mass deaths and haunt the imagination of historians and public alike. Works of fiction often depict the disastrous consequences of these epidemics, both real and imagined, focusing on the gothic experience the characters endure and their struggle to survive the disasters. This article explores this major issue in a contemporary novel, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Fever 1793 (2000). It chronicles the journey of the female protagonist and her struggle to survive and achieve autonomy during the historical yellow fever that hit Philadelphia more than two centuries ago, which stuck to the me

The object of the presented study was to monitor the changes that had happened
in the main features (water, vegetation, and soil) of Al-Hammar Marsh region. To
fulfill this goal, different satellite images had been used in different times, MSS
1973, TM 1990, ETM+ 2000 and MODIS 2010. K-Means which is unsupervised
classification and Neural Net which is supervised classification was used to classify
the satellite images 0Tand finally by use 0Tadaptive classification 0Twhich is0T3T 0T3Tapply
s0Tupervised classification on the unsupervised classification. ENVI soft where used
in this study.

The study investigated the behaviour of asphalt concrete mixes for aggregate gradations, according to the Iraqi specification using the Bailey method designed by an Excel spreadsheet. In mixing aggregates with varying gradations (coarse and fine aggregate), The Bailey method is a systematic methodology that offers aggregate interlocking as the backbone of the framework and a controlled gradation to complete the blends. Six types of gradation are used according to the bailey method considered in this study. Two-course prepared Asphalt Concrete Wearing and Asphalt Concrete binder, the Nominal Maximum Aggregate Sizes (NMAS) of the mixtures are 19 and 12.5 mm, respectively. The total number of specimens was 240 for both layers (15 samp

Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of nonnutritive sucking habits on the presence of oral Escherichia coli. Methods. One hundred and twenty children aged 3–5 years old were enrolled in the present case-control study, as follows: 60 children with continuous pacifier and thumb sucking habits (study group) and 60 children without any sucking habits (control group). The children in the two groups were matched in terms of age and gender. Information was gathered from the parents concerning their children using a special sheet. Sterile swabs were taken from both groups and cultured on agar plates. Then, they were subjected to further biochemical tests to identify E. coli species. The mean of the E. coli count was determ

The study aimed to investigate the effect of fungicides chlorothalonil at different concentrations ( 0.1 , 0.5 , 5 , 25 , 50 ) × 10 - 5 M on some cytogenetic parameters of human peripheral blood lymphocytes . The genotoxicity parameters were estimated by the number of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and their types and by estimating the induced micronuclei (Mn) . Cytotoxic effect recorded by estimating the mitotic index (MI) . Results revealed that the fungicide increased the CAs in dose – response pattern with positive correlation coefficient ( r = + 0.964) , there was a significant differences among the concentrations (P<0.01) . The major CAs records chromosomal breakage at concentrations. 0.5 , 5 , 25 , and 50 , while the lowest concen