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.
Objective(s): Evaluation of late adulthood knowledge about social frailty, measure the level of knowledge about social frailty, and to find out the relationship between knowledge and socio-demographic characteristics.
Methodology: A descriptive study design was carried out to measure the late adults' level of knowledge at Technical Institute-Suwaira in Middle Technical University and to find out the association between late adults' knowledge and their socio-demographic characteristic. The study was started from 28th April 2022 to 15th August 2022. The sample was Non-probability (convenience) sample of (100) late adults were selected according to the study that are working i
... Show MoreClimate change causes water shortage (water scarcity) in addition to the dams built by neighboring countries, which caused a lack of Iraq's water share. Therefore, evaluating the irrigation system requires considering its suitability, adequacy, and efficiency. Irrigation is considered adequate when it maintains water availability within the root zone, and if the amount to be added is determined, irrigation efficiency becomes possible by avoiding water loss. Babil Governorate is considered one of the agricultural governorates in the country that depends on its irrigation from Shatt Al-Hilla. The study area is the Elaj project. Three fields were selected for the project (B1, B2, and B3). These fields are lo
... Show MoreFrequently, Load associated mode of failure (rutting and fatigue) as well as, occasionally, moisture damage in some sections poorly drained are the main failure types found in some of the newly constructed road within Baghdad as well as other cities in Iraq. The use of hydrated lime in pavement construction could be one of the possible steps taken in the direction of improving pavement performance and meeting the required standards. In this study, the mechanistic properties of asphalt concrete mixes modified with hydrated lime as a partial replacement of limestone dust mineral filler were evaluated. Seven replacement rates were used; 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 percent by weight of aggregate. Asphalt concrete mixes were prepared at their
... Show MoreWarm mix asphalt (WMA) is relatively a new technology which enables the production and compaction of asphalt concrete mixtures at temperatures 15-40 °C lower than that of traditional hot mix asphalt HMA. In the present work, six asphalt concrete mixtures were produced in the mix plant (1 ton each) in six different batches. Half of these mixes were WMA and the other half were HMA. Three types of fillers (limestone dust, Portland cement and hydrated lime) were used for each type of mix. Samples were then taken from these patches and transferred to lab for performance testing which includes: Marshall characteristics, moisture susceptibility (indirect tension test), resilient modulus, permanent deformation (axial repe
... Show MoreHeterocyclic compounds are crucial for medicinal chemistry and the development of therapeutic agents like broad-spectrum antibiotics. This study devised a facile procedure to synthesize novel antimicrobial bicyclic heterocycles from 2-mercapto-3-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one. Advanced analytical techniques including 1 H and 13C NMR, elemental analysis, and FT-IR spectroscopy characterized the intricate chemical structures of the products. In vitro assays tested the heterocycles against aerobic and anaerobic bacterial strains using fluconazole and ciprofloxacin as antifungal and antibacterial controls. Results demonstrated the formidable broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities of the synthesized compounds, with growth inhibition
... Show MoreSynthesis of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (A1) is performed from the reaction of o-aminothiophenol and carbon disulfide CS2 in ethanol under basic condition. Compound (A1) is reacted with chloro acetyl chloride to give compound (A2). Hydrazide acid compound (A3) is obtained from the reaction of compound (A2) with hydrazine hydrate in ethanol under reflux in the presence of glacial acetic acid .The reaction of hydrazide acid compound (A3) with ethyl acetoacetate gives pyrazole compound (A4). The new hydrazone compound (A5) was prepared from the reaction of compound (A3) with benzaldehyde. Reaction of compound
... Show MoreFor this research, the utilisation of electrocoagulation (EC) toremove theciprofloxacin (CIP) and levofloxacin (LVX) from aqueous solutions was examined. The effective removal efficiencies are 93.47% for CIP and 88.00% for LVX, under optimum conditions. The adsorption isotherm models with suitable mechanisms were applied to determine the elimination of CIP and LVX utilizingtheEC method. Thefindingsshowed the adsorption of CIP and LVX on iron hydroxide flocs followed the Sips isotherm, with correlation coefficient values (R2) of 0.939 and 0.937. Threekinetic models were reviewed to determine the accurate CIP and LVX elimination methods using the EC method. The results showed that itfittedfor the second-order model, which indicated that the c
... Show MoreThe objective of the present investigation was to enhance the solubility of practically insoluble mirtazapine by preparing nanosuspension, prepared by using solvent anti solvent technology. Mirtazapine is practically insoluble in water which act as antidepressant .It was prepared as nano particles in order to improve its solubility and dissolution rate. Twenty formulas were prepared and different stabilizing agents were used with different concentrations such as poly vinyl pyrrolidone (PVPK-90), poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), poloxamer 188 and poloxamer 407. The ratios of drug to stabilizers used to prepare the nanoparticles were 1: 1 and 1:2. The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for
... Show MoreNew bidentate dithiocarbamate ligand (NaL) namely [Sodium-2-(((3-methyl -4- “(2,2,2-tri fluoro ethoxy) pyridin-2”-yl) methyl) sulfinyl)-1H-benzoimidazole -1-carbodithioate] was prepared. This free ligand was synthesized from the reaction of a (RS)-2-([3-methyl -4-(2,2,2-tri fluoroethoxy) pyridin-2-yl] methyl sulfinyl)-1H benzoimidazole, CS2 and NaOH in methanol as solvent. From reaction of dithiocarbamate salt (NaL) with metal ions (M); Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pd(II)”, have obtained the DTC complexes at general molecular formula [M(L)2(H2O)2] and [Pd(L)2]. To characterize the ligand and its complexes, used different analyses methods such FTIR, UV-Vis, elemental microanalysis, atomic absoreption, magnetic susceptibil
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