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.
Nutrient agar medium with various concentrations of cefotaxime was used for isolation spontaneous mutants from wild type strain of P.aeruginosa PHA-1. Eighty-two mutants were successfully isolated with the viable count 52×107 , these mutants were confirmed as spontaneous not physiological adaption mutants by reculture on the same medium. Then, wild type PHA-1 and mutants were examined for production pyocyanin; a blue greenish pigment was clearly noticed on King A medium. Remarkably the mutant strain named S300-8 was distinguished in productivity in comparison with wild type strain PHA-1; the amount of pigment was 56.0667mg/l and 74.53mg/l respectively. In addition, pyocyanin produced by mutant strain S300-8 revealed a potent efficacy again
... Show MoreBackground: The aim of this study is to evaluate the color change ∆E of the dental enamel following treatment with 2 kinds of protector (icon infiltrant, clinpro varnish) before fixed orthodontic treatment to avoid the possible white spot lesions. Materials and Methods: Fifty four subjects treated with fixed appliances were divided into 3 groups: the 1st group was control, while the 2nd and 3rd groups were treated with icon infiltrant and clinpro varnish before bonding procedure, respectively. Color parameters (L,a,b) were recorded for the middle and gingival thirds before and after bonding procedure to get the ∆E of each group. Results: One-way ANOVA test showed a non-significant difference in ∆E between the 3 groups a
... Show MoreThere is a global shortage of health care providers needed to address all levels of primary and specialty care. The recent COVID-19 pandemic also highlights the importance and added value of health professionals with specialty training in infectious diseases. In the United States, advanced practice providers (APPs) are being engaged to meet the expanding demand for generalist and specialist patient care. The history and development of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs), are discussed as collaborative healthcare providers to promote better understanding of the ways they can be incorporated into a healthcare system. An example of how APPs are utilized to provide both inpatient and outpatient
... Show MoreTight reservoirs have attracted the interest of the oil industry in recent years according to its significant impact on the global oil product. Several challenges are present when producing from these reservoirs due to its low to extra low permeability and very narrow pore throat radius. Development strategy selection for these reservoirs such as horizontal well placement, hydraulic fracture design, well completion, and smart production program, wellbore stability all need accurate characterizations of geomechanical parameters for these reservoirs. Geomechanical properties, including uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), static Young’s modulus (Es), and Poisson’s ratio (υs), were measured experimentally using both static and dynamic met
... Show MoreFlexible pavements are subjected to three main distress types: fatigue crack, thermal crack, and permanent deformation. Under severe climate conditions, thermal cracking particularly contributes largely to a considerable scale of premature deterioration of pavement infrastructure worldwide. This challenge is especially relevant for Europe, as weather conditions vary significantly throughout the year. Hydrated lime (HL) has been recognized as an effective additive to improve the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete for pavement applications. Previous research has found that a replacement of conventional limestone dust filler using hydrated lime at 2.5% of the total weight of aggregates generated an optimum improvement in the mec
... Show MoreSupernova explosions are described as very violent events which transfer a significant amount of energy to interstellar media and are responsible for a large variety of physical processes. This study does not discuss the actual explosion mechanisms but follows the behavior of the dynamical evolution of some selected type I and type II supernova remnant and particularly after a thousand years from their explosion and shows how the density of the medium affects the evolution and the lifetime of each remnant. By studying such behaviors, a simplified model has been proposed here for the velocity and radius of the remnant after thousand years of explosion that depends only on the density of the medium and age of the remnant. It has been found th
... Show MoreVarious assays are used to determine the toxic effects of drugs at cellular levels in vitro. One of these methods is the dye exclusion assay, which measures membrane integrity in the presence of Trypan blue. Trypan blue the dye which was used in this study to investigate cytotoxic effect of a new Cis –dichloroplatinum (II) complex [(Qu)2PtCl2] on the viability of polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs). Three concentrations of platinum complex were prepared (70, 35and 17.5 µg/ ml) and the results revealed that the percentage of cell viability decreased as the platinum complex concentration increased in comparison with control.
... Show MoreFadak farm project was selected to conduct this study in and to evaluate the state of quality and health indices in term of soil physical properties, where this farm is located in Holly Najaf Governorate. Some physical properties (soil texture, mean weight diameter, bulk density, porosity, infiltration rate, saturated hydraulic conductivity and available water) were selected to assess the quality then health indices, Results showed that classes of moderate and poor soil health were dominated in lands of this farm for physical properties It was noted that the class good of soil health wasnot collaterally appeared in areas for the physical characteristics.
This study rigorously investigates three 3d transition metal carbide (TMC) structures via LDA and GGA approximations. It examines cohesive energy (Ecoh), Vickers hardness (Hv), mechanical stability, and electronic properties. Notably, most 3d TMCs exhibit higher cohesive energy than nitrides, and rs-TiC demonstrates a Vickers hardness of 25.66 GPa, outperforming its nitride counterpart. The study employs theoretical calculations to expedite research, revealing mechanical stability in CrC and MnC (GGA) and CrC (LDA in cc structure), while all 3d TMCs in rs and seven in zb structures show stability. Charge transfer and bonding analysis reveal enhanced covalency along the series, influenced by the interplay between p orbitals of carbon and d o
... Show More