The effects of using aqueous nanofluids containing covalently functionalized graphene nanoplatelets with triethanolamine (TEA-GNPs) as novel working fluids on the thermal performance of a flat-plate solar collector (FPSC) have been investigated. Water-based nanofluids with weight concentrations of 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.075%, and 0.1% of TEA-GNPs with specific surface areas of 300, 500, and 750 m2/g were prepared. An experimental setup was designed and built and a simulation program using MATLAB was developed. Experimental tests were performed using inlet fluid temperatures of 30, 40, and 50 °C; flow rates of 0.6, 1.0, and 1.4 kg/min; and heat flux intensities of 600, 800, and 1000 W/m2. The FPSC’s efficiency increased as the flow rate and heat flux intensity increased, and decreased as inlet fluid temperature increased. When using nanofluids in the FPSC, the measured temperatures of absorber plate and tube wall decreased down to 3.35% and 3.51%, respectively, with the increase in weight concentration and specific surface area, while the efficiency increased up to 10.53% for 0.1- wt% TEA-GNPs nanofluid with specific surface area of 750 m2/g, in comparison with water. When using water as heat transfer fluid, very good agreement was obtained between the experimental and predicted values of absorber plate temperature, tube wall temperature, and collector’s efficiency with maximum differences of 3.02%, 3.19%, and 3.26%, respectively. While, when using nanofluids, higher differences were found, up to 4.74%, 4.7%, and 13.47% for TEA-GNPs nanofluid with specific surface area of 750 m2/g, respectively. Accordingly, the MATLAB code was capable of simulating the thermal performance of FPSCs utilizing nanofluids as their heat transfer fluids with acceptable accuracy. Values of performance index were all greater than 1, and increased as weight concentration increased up to 1.104 for 0.1- wt% TEA-GNPs nanofluid with specific surface area of 750 m2/g, implying higher positive effects on efficiency than negative effects on pressure drop. Accordingly, the investigated nanofluids can efficiently be used in FPSCs for enhanced energy efficiency, and the 0.1- wt% water-based TEA-GNPs nanofluid with specific surface area of 750 m2/g was comparatively the superior one.
Dental casts come into direct contact with impression materials and other items that are contaminated by saliva and blood from a patient's mouth, leaving the casts susceptible to cross-contamination. The disinfectant solutions of the impression materials cause various adverse reactions. Therefore, disinfection of dental casts may be effective in preventing cross infection. This study was carried out to evaluate the surface hardness, dimensional accuracy, reproduction of details and surface porosity of type III, type IV and type IV extra hard dental stone after immersion in and spray by using SOLO and Sodium hypochlorite disinfectant solutions. Materials and methods: 240 Stone samples were prepared in rubber rings, A total of 60 test block w
... Show MoreCarbamazepine (CBZ) is a narrow therapeutic index drug used in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and psychiatric disorders. Valerian (VAL) is a popular herbal product which should be prescribed to treat insomnia and anxiety. The study was designed to investigate the presence of significant pharmacokinetic (PK) interaction between Valerian (VAL) at different concentrations on Carbamazepine (CBZ) pharmacokinetic parameters in healthy male rabbits. In an in vivo, parallel-randomized controlled trial, the rabbits in three groups "first (control), second and third" were given oral doses of CBZ (50 mg/kg), for "second and third" groups (as test groups) rabbits were given (20 and 40 mg/kg/day) of the VAL respectively, as suspensi
... Show MoreThe present work aimed to investigate the neuraminidase (nan1) gene expression in 32 different clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to explore the role of the enzyme in different types of infection and might give a better understanding of host cell-pathogens interaction. In addition, the effect of monosaccharide D-mannose on neuraminidase gene expression in eight isolates was studied by utilizing a reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results demonstrated that the highest expression of nan1 gene was in otitis samples (208,913.81) which were significantly higher than that from other infections (P < 0.01). While, the concentrations of gene copies obtained from urin
... Show MoreNitrogen (N) is a key growth and yield-limiting factor in cultivated rice areas. This study has been conducted to evaluate the effects of different conditions of N application on rice yield and yield components (Shiroudi cultivar) in Babol (Mazandaran, Iran) during the 2015- 2016 season. A factorial experiment executed of a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) used in three iterations. In the first factor, treatments were four N amounts (including 50, 90, 130, and 170 kg N ha-1), while in the second factor, the treatments consisted of four different fertilizer splitting methods, including T1:70 % at the basal stage + 30 % at the maximum tillering stage, T2:1/3 at the basal stage + 1/3 at the maximum ti
... Show MoreOne hundred isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were obtained from patients admitted to Baghdad hospitals, Iraq during the period between May 2018 until July 2018. These isolates were distributed as 15 isolates from blood, 25 isolates from urinary tract infections, 10 isolates from sputum, 12 isolates from wounds, 15 isolates from ear infections, 15 isolates from bronchial wash of patients suffering from respiratory tract infections in addition to 8 isolates from cystic fibrosis patients. The isolates were initially identified by culturing on MacConkey agar, blood agar and P. aeruginosa agar then diagnosed by performing some morphological and biochemical tests. The second diagnosis was done by API 20E system followed by Vitek 2 compact syste
... Show MoreBackground In rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks the tissue lining the joints on both sides of your body. Other parts of the body may also be affected. Unsure of the exact cause. Two separate genes termed IL12A (p35) and IL12 encode the heterodimeric cytokine known as IL12 (p40). Several different hematopoietic cell types can have several different hematopoietic cell types that can generate antigen-presenting cells (APCs), including DCs and macrophages. Objectives This study aimed to investigate if the interleukin IL-12B gene's common polymorphisms in an Iraqi population were associated with RA. Material and methods Blood samples were taken from 70 Iraqi patients with RA illnesses and 30 Iraqi controls during the periods from
... Show MoreBackground: An oily calcium hydroxide formulation proved over the last years to be highly efficient in promoting bone regeneration in closed defects as periapical lesions, cysts, or post-extraction defects. The aim of the present study is the assessment of the outcome of treatment of deep intrabony periodontal defects with an Open Flap Debridement) (OFD) + combination of {(30% Hydroxyapatite HAp + 70% ?-Tricalcium Phosphate granules mixed with an Oily Calcium Hydroxide Suspension (OCHS )} and compare the results with {(OFD) alone)}. The combination of OCHS& TCP was used in humans with a sort of positive results, and more conduction of studies was recommended. Material and method: The sample of this study composed of sixteen patients;
... Show MoreCervical carcinoma represent the second predominant cancer in female and there is a strong correlation between cervical cancer and the infection with high-risk types of HPV and expression the viral oncogenes. EMT is viewed as a vital advance in carcinoma development and ensuing metastasis. To evaluate correlation between the expression of Twist and HPV16 infection in a group of Iraqi patients with cervical carcinoma. A total of forty paraffin blocks included in this study which were divided into 30 sample of cervical cancer infected with HPV16and 10 sample of normal cervical tissues. The samples were subjected to immunohistochemical technique using Anti-Twist2 polyclonal antibody. The obtained data from this study indicate that majority of
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