Resilient polymeric materials such as silicone elastomers are currently used for maxillofacial prostheses construction but the strength of these materials and their clinical performance need to be optimized with the addition of reinforcing fillers. This study investigates the effect of zirconia nanopowder addition on tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, Shore A hardness, surface roughness and cytotoxicity of VST-50 maxillofacial silicone. Silicone base was mixed with different amounts (1%, 2% and 3%) of zirconia nanopowder using a vacuum mixer. Silicone without filler was used as control for comparison. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were utilized to assess the efficiency of high-shear vacuum mixing as filler dispersion method and the surface topography, respectively. Both SEM and AFM images showed that the zirconia nanopowder were distributed fairly well within the polymer. Statistically, highly significant increase in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness with non-significant decrease in elongation at break and non-significant increase in surface roughness were seen with 1% and 2% groups. Whereas with 3% group, there was significant improvement in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness but there was significant undesirable decrease in elongation and increase in roughness. Cytotoxicity test revealed that the addition of zirconia nanopowder was nontoxic to Rat Embryonic Fibroblast (REF) cells and there was non-significant change in the cell viability of all study groups after 24- and 72-hours incubation periods. In conclusion, the addition of 2% by weight nano zirconia to VST-50 maxillofacial silicone could be beneficial in enhancing its performance.
Sewer system plays an indispensable task in urban cities by protecting public health and the environment. The operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of this network have to be in a sustainable and scientific manner. For this purpose, it is important to support operators, decision makers and municipalities with performance evaluation procedure that is based on operational factors. In this paper, serviceability and performance indicator (PI) principles are employed to propose methodology comprising two enhanced PI curves that can be used to evaluate the individual sewers depending on operational factors such as flowing velocity and wastewater level in the sewers. In order to test this methodology; a case study of al-Ru
... Show MoreOndansetron hydrochloride (ONH) is a very bitter, potent antiemetic drug used for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of chemotherapy or radiotherapy or postoperative induced emesis. The objective of this study is to formulate and evaluate of taste masked fast dissolving tablet (FDTs) of ONH to increase patient compliance.
ONH taste masked granules were prepared by solid dispersion technique using Eudragit E100 polymer as an inert carrier. Solvent evaporation and fusion melting methods were used for such preparation.
Completely taste masking with zero release of drug in phosphate buffer pH 6.8was obtained from granules prepared by solvent evaporation method using drug: polymer ratio of 1:2, from which four formulas pas
... Show MoreBackground: Curve of Spee (CS) is an anteroposterior anatomical curve established by the occlusal alignment of the teeth viewed in the sagittal plane. This occlusal curvature has clinical importance in orthodontics and other fields of dentistry. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the CS and dentofacial morphology of different skeletal patterns in both genders. Materials and Methods: Eighty six Iraqi Arab subjects (44females,42 males ) their age ranged from 17 -30 years, classified into: Skeletal I with normal occlusion(15 females and 15 males), skeletal II with CI II div 1 malocclusion (15 females and 15 males) and skeletal III with CI III malocclusion (14 females and 12 males). Forty one variables measured us
... Show MoreThis study aimed to identify the changes in total protein in saliva and sera samples of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma in comparison to those of healthy controls. These changes were followed using electrophoresis (PAGE). Meanwhile, determinations of albumin, globulin and albumin to globulin ratio were carried out on sera samples only.Two groups were the participants in the present study, 18 patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), and 20 ages and gender matched healthy controls.
Population growth and economic and industrial development coupled have significantly accelerated the rate of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes, particularly in developing countries, so finding optimum ways to observe these change has become a pressing issue. Quantification evaluation of these changes is crucial to comprehend and oversee land management conversion, therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the accuracy of various algorithms for LULC classification to determine the most effective classifier for Earth observation applications. The performance of Maximum Likelihood (ML), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) was examined in this study, based on Sentinel 2A satellite images. T
... Show MoreBackground and Aim: The use of food dyes can cause certain diseases, such as anemia and indigestion, along with other disorders, tumors, and even cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the chemical nature and toxicity of some commercial dyes locally used in processed foods compared with standard food dyes. Materials and Methods: Three types of standard and commercial food color additives (Sunset Yellow, Tartrazine, and Carmoisine) were extensively examined. The chemical structures and functional groups of the dyes were evaluated by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The melting temperatures of the dyes were also determined by chemical thermal analysis. The acute toxicity test to evaluate the standard and commercial
... Show MoreThis study was conducted to describe a protocol for the callus establishing culture of Lavandula angustifolia plant and estimating their content of volatile oil. The quantity of volatile oil callus tissues was compared with that of leaves production. Callus was induced from leaf explants on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and Benzyl adenine (BA) in different concentrations. Maximum callus fresh weight was obtained in the combination of 10 mg/L BA and 3 mg/L NAA which reached 18 g after four weeks. The results of this work showed that the quantity of volatile oil from the highest fresh weight callus was 6 ml compared with quantity of 18g of leaves which gave 0.5 ml. Volatile o
... Show MoreIn drilling fluid program, selecting the drilling fluid that will reduce the lost time is the first objective, and will be economical regardless of its cost. The amount and type of solids in drilling fluid is the primary control of the rheological and filtration properties. Palygorskite clay (attapulgite) is an active solid that has the ability to reactive with its environment and form a gel structure within a fluid and due to its stability in the presence of brines and electrolytes this type of clay is preferred for use. The aim of this study is to improve properties of Iraqi palygorskite (PAL) by adding different chemical additives such as caustic soda NaOH and soda ash Na2CO3 with a different con
... Show MorePorcelain is one of the most important ceramic materials with a wide range of traditional and technical applications. Since most mixtures of porcelain have a high sintering temperature, bentonite has been added in this research to improve the characteristics of sintering and burning. The porcelain mixture consisted of the following Iraqi raw materials: 30% wt kaolin, 30 wt% non-plastic clay (grog), 10% wt sodium feldspar, 10 wt% potassium feldspar and 20 wt% flint. After the mechanical mixing process and transfer the powder mixture to the slurry by adding distilled water, then different weight percentage of the sodium bentonite(0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10) wt% was added. The specimens were prepared by using the solid casting m
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