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: to assess the predictive value of Doppler imaging of the uterine artery in the identification of early intrauterine abnormal pregnancy as compared to a normal intrauterine pregnancy.
Subjects and methods: one hundred and twenty pregnant ladies, at their 6-12 weeks of gestation, with a singleton pregnancy were included in this population-based case-control study. Thirty women with a missed miscarriage, 30 with hydatidiform mole, 30 with a blighted ovum, and 30 as a control group, without risk factors, underwent Doppler interrogation of the uterine arteries. Resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and the systolic/diastolic ratio (S/D) were measured for both sides. The t-test, or ANOVA test when a
... Show MoreThis study aims to estimate the accuracy of digital elevation models (DEM) which are created with exploitation of open source Google Earth data and comparing with the widely available DEM datasets, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), version 3, and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER GDEM), version 2. The GPS technique is used in this study to produce digital elevation raster with a high level of accuracy, as reference raster, compared to the DEM datasets. Baghdad University, Al Jadriya campus, is selected as a study area. Besides, 151 reference points were created within the study area to evaluate the results based on the values of RMS.Furthermore, th
... Show MoreThe aim: In this study, we present and evaluate the vest-over-pants technique as a simple way to correct urethrocutaneous fistulas after hypospadias. Materials and methods: Between October 2018 and June 2020, twenty male patients aged 5 to 20 years came to us with post hypospadias repair fistula, these patients underwent vest-over-pant repair of their fistula. The size of fistula was ranging between 2.5-5 mm. The distribution of fistula was coronal (3 patients), distal penile (9 patients), midshaft (2 patients) and proximal penile (6 patients). In 14 patients there were single fistula and 6 patients had more than one fistula. Eleven of patients were exposed to a previous failed fistula repair procedure. Results: Six months after the operati
... Show MoreAn evaluation the performance of the irrigation system for the Al-Ishaqi irrigation project for the Eastern Canal was conducted to identify management strategies that can be used to improve the operation and performance of the irrigation system. The study area is located in Salah al-Din G.0overnorate, Iraq. The field work included determining the moisture content of the soil before and after irrigation, measuring the inflow of the field to find the depth of the applied water, field monitoring, and measuring the depth of the root zone for each irrigation process. Field measurements showed that the average efficiency of water application for the two fields (A, and B) are 59.81% and 38.6%, respectively. The results of the efficiency of
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In this article, the influence of group nano transition metal oxides such as {(MnO2), (Fe2O3) and (CuO)} thin films on the (ZnO-TiO2) electric characteristics have been analyzed. The prepared films deposited on glass substrate laser Nd-YAG with wavelength (ℷ =1064 nm) ,energy of (800mJ) and number of shots (400). The density of the film was found to be (200 nm) at room temperature (RT) and annealing temperature (573K).Using DC Conductivity and Hall Effect, we obtained the electrical properties of the films. The DC Conductivity shows that that the activation energies decrease while the σRT at annealing temperature with different elements increases the formation of mixed oxides. The Hall effect, the elec
... Show MoreSlurry-infiltrated fibrous concrete (SIFCON) is a special type of concrete that has great strength, as well as high ductility. However, the unit weight is high, which exceeds the unit weight of fiber-reinforced concrete, because of the high fiber content. This research aims to verify the compressive and flexural strength, as well as the density of SIFCON when using two different fibers (steel and polyolefin). Sometimes mono type of fiber steel or polyolefin, sometimes by hybridizing two types of fiber steel + polyplefin. Volume fraction (6% for all species) was used. Hook-end steel fiber and polyolefin fiber are used. With hybridization, a total volume fraction of 6% was used, which
A 3D geological model is an essential step to reveal reservoir heterogeneity and reservoir properties distribution. In the present study, a three-dimensional geological model for the Mishrif reservoir was built based on data obtained from seven wells and core data. The methodology includes building a 3D grid and populating it with petrophysical properties such as (facies, porosity, water saturation, and net to gross ratio). The structural model was built based on a base contour map obtained from 2D seismic interpretation along with well tops from seven wells. A simple grid method was used to build the structural framework with 234x278x91 grid cells in the X, Y, and Z directions, respectively, with lengths equal to 150 meters. The to
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