This contribution investigates the effect of the addition of the Hubbard U parameter on the electronic structural and mechanical properties of cubic (C-type) lanthanide sesquioxides (Ln2O3). Calculated Bader's charges confirm the ionic character of Lnsingle bondO bonds in the C-type Ln2O3. Estimated structural parameters (i.e., lattice constants) coincide with analogous experimental values. The calculated band gaps energies at the Ueff of 5 eV for these compounds exhibit a non-metallic character and Ueff of 6.5 eV reproduces the analogous experimental band gap of cerium sesquioxide Ce2O3. We have thoroughly investigated the effect of the O/Ce ratios and the effect of hafnium (Hf) and zirconium (Zr) dopants on the reduction energies of C

Background: 37% phosphoric acid (PA) is the traditional enamel etching technique prior to bracket ‎adhesion, yet it has been implicated in numerous enamel injuries. The purpose of the current study was to create a calcium phosphate (CaP) etching paste in a ‎‎simplified capsule ‎formula that can underpin clinically ‎adequate bracket bond strength ‎without jeopardizing the ‎integrity of enamel upon ‎the debracketing procedure. Materials and Methods: micro-sized hydroxyapatite (HA) powder was mixed with 40% PA solution to prepare ‎experimental acidic CaP paste. Sixty human premolars were ‎assigned into two groups of 30 each. ‎Enamel conditioning was accomplished using 37% PA-gel‎ for control group and CaP paste for e

Pathological blood clot in blood vessels, which often leads to cardiovascular diseases, are one of the most common causes of death in humans. Therefore, enzymatic therapy to degrade blood clots is vital. To achieve this goal, bromelain was immobilized and used for the biodegradation of blood clots. Bromelain was extracted from the pineapple fruit pulp (Ananas comosus) and purified by ion exchange chromatography after precipitation with ammonium sulphate (0-80 %), resulting in a yield of 70%, purification fold of 1.42, and a specific activity of 1175 U/mg. Bromelain was covalently immobilized on functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), with an enzyme loading of 71.35%. The results of the characterization of free and immobilized

Different compositions of hydrogels composed of mathacrylamide homopolymer (60 and 90% of PMAM) were prepared using the free radical polymerization technique, with and without methylene bisacrylamide as crosslinker (0 and 3%). Several parameters and properties were studied to evaluate their performance as oil/water separators. Many parameters are used, such as residual oil in water, water recovery, separation time, hydrogels coated percentages, swelling parameters, mechanical properties, microscopic and photographic images, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that water recovery (87-97), Separation efficiency (96.2-99.6 %), separation time (6-9.5 min.), hydrogels coated percentages (18-23 %), water content (70-97 %), and