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.
six specimens of the Hg0.5Pb0.5Ba2Ca2Cu3-y
The phenomena of Dust storm take place in barren and dry regions all over the world. It may cause by intense ground winds which excite the dust and sand from soft, arid land surfaces resulting it to rise up in the air. These phenomena may cause harmful influences upon health, climate, infrastructure, and transportation. GIS and remote sensing have played a key role in studying dust detection. This study was conducted in Iraq with the objective of validating dust detection. These techniques have been used to derive dust indices using Normalized Difference Dust Index (NDDI) and Middle East Dust Index (MEDI), which are based on images from MODIS and in-situ observation based on hourly wi
Recurrent strokes can be devastating, often resulting in severe disability or death. However, nearly 90% of the causes of recurrent stroke are modifiable, which means recurrent strokes can be averted by controlling risk factors, which are mainly behavioral and metabolic in nature. Thus, it shows that from the previous works that recurrent stroke prediction model could help in minimizing the possibility of getting recurrent stroke. Previous works have shown promising results in predicting first-time stroke cases with machine learning approaches. However, there are limited works on recurrent stroke prediction using machine learning methods. Hence, this work is proposed to perform an empirical analysis and to investigate machine learning al
... Show MoreBackground: Liver metastasis significantly complicates cancer prognosis, yet easily accessible markers for its early detection and monitoring remain crucial. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate key hematological parameters as potential indicators for liver metastasis in Iraqi patients. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study comparing hematological profiles between 90 patients (presumably with liver metastasis) and 30 healthy controls. White Blood Cell (WBC) count, Lymphocyte percentage, Neutrophil percentage, and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) were analyzed. Given non-normal data distributions (confirmed by the Shapiro-Wilk test), group comparisons were performed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test.
... Show MoreSome degree of noise is always present in any electronic device that
transmits or receives a signal . For televisions, this signal i has been to s the
broadcast data transmitted over cable-or received at the antenna; for digital
cameras, the signal is the light which hits the camera sensor. At any case, noise
is unavoidable. In this paper, an electronic noise has been generate on
TV-satellite images by using variable resistors connected to the transmitting cable
. The contrast of edges has been determined. This method has been applied by
capturing images from TV-satellite images (Al-arabiya channel) channel with
different resistors. The results show that when increasing resistance always
produced higher noise f
The densities and visconsities of solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) molccuar weight (14)kg.mol-1in water up to 0.035%mol.kg-1
A new nano-sized NiMo/TiO2-γ-Al2O3 was prepared as a Hydrodesulphurization catalyst for Iraqi gas oil with sulfur content of 8980 ppm, supplied from Al-Dura Refinery. Sol-gel method was used to prepare TiO2- γ-Al2O3 nano catalyst support with 64% TiO2, 32% Al2O3, Ni-Mo/TiO-γ-Al2O3 catalyst was prepared under vacuum impregnation conditions to loading metals with percentage 3.8 wt.% and 14 wt.% for nickel and molybdenum respectively while the percentage for alumina, and titanium became 21.7, and 58.61 respectively. The synthesized TiO2- γ-Al2O3 nanocomposites and Ni-Mo /TiO2
... Show MoreThe study of the validity and probability of failure in solids and structures is highly considered as one of the most incredibly-highlighted study fields in many science and engineering applications, the design analysts must therefore seek to investigate the points where the failing strains may be occurred, the probabilities of which these strains can cause the existing cracks to propagate through the fractured medium considered, and thereafter the solutions by which the analysts can adopt the approachable techniques to reduce/arrest these propagating cracks.In the present study a theoretical investigation upon simply-supported thin plates having surface cracks within their structure is to be accomplished, and the applied impact load to the
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