Background. Nanocoating of biomedical materials may be considered the most essential developing field recently, primarily directed at improving their tribological behaviors that enhance their performance and durability. In orthodontics, as in many medical fields, friction reduction (by nanocoatings) among different orthodontic components is considered a substantial milestone in the development of biomedical technology that reduces orthodontic treatment time. The objective of the current research was to explore the tribological behavior, namely, friction of nanocoated thin layer by tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), and vanadium (V) manufactured using plasma sputtering at 1, 2, and 3 hours on substrates made of 316L stainless steel (SS), which is thought to be one of the most popular alloys for stainless steel orthodontic archwires. The friction of coated 316L SS archwires coated with Ta, Nb, and V plasma sputtering is hardly mentioned in the literature as of yet. Results. An oscillating pin-on-plate tribological test using a computerized tribometer was performed by applying a load of 1 N for 20 minutes under the dry condition at room temperature (25°C) to understand their role in the tribological behavior of the bulk material. Ta and Nb were found to reduce the friction of their SS substrate significantly (45 and 55%, respectively), while V was found to deteriorate the friction of its substrate. Moreover, sputtering time had no substantial role in the friction reduction of coatings. Conclusions. Nanocoating of 316L SS bulk material by Nb and Ta with a 1-hour plasma sputtering time can enhance dramatically its tribological behavior. Higher coating hardness, smaller nanoparticle size, intermediate surface coating roughness, and lower surface binding energy of the coatings may play a vital role in friction reduction of the coated 316L SS corresponding to SS orthodontic archwires, predicting to enhance orthodontic treatment.
In this work, a novel design for the NiO/TiO2 heterojunction solar cells is presented. Highly-pure nanopowders prepared by dc reactive magnetron sputtering technique were used to form the heterojunctions. The electrical characteristics of the proposed design were compared to those of a conventional thin film heterojunction design prepared by the same technique. A higher efficiency of 300% was achieved by the proposed design. This attempt can be considered as the first to fabricate solar cells from highly-pure nanopowders of two different semiconductors.
In this paper, an adaptive active disturbance rejection control is newly designed for precise angular steering position tracking of the uncertain and nonlinear SBW system with time delay communications. The proposed adaptive active disturbance rejection control comprises the following two elements: (1) An adaptive extended state observer and (2) an adaptive state error feedback controller. The adaptive extended state observer with adaptive gains is employed for estimating the unmeasured velocity, acceleration, and compound disturbance which consists of system parameter uncertainties, nonlinearities, exterior disturbances, and time delay in which the observer gains are dynamically adjusted based on the estimation error to enhance est
... Show MoreMeasuring the efficiency of postgraduate and undergraduate programs is one of the essential elements in educational process. In this study, colleges of Baghdad University and data for the academic year (2011-2012) have been chosen to measure the relative efficiencies of postgraduate and undergraduate programs in terms of their inputs and outputs. A relevant method to conduct the analysis of this data is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The effect of academic staff to the number of enrolled and alumni students to the postgraduate and undergraduate programs are the main focus of the study.
This study presents a practical method for solving fractional order delay variational problems. The fractional derivative is given in the Caputo sense. The suggested approach is based on the Laplace transform and the shifted Legendre polynomials by approximating the candidate function by the shifted Legendre series with unknown coefficients yet to be determined. The proposed method converts the fractional order delay variational problem into a set of (n + 1) algebraic equations, where the solution to the resultant equation provides us the unknown coefficients of the terminated series that have been utilized to approximate the solution to the considered variational problem. Illustrative examples are given to show that the recommended appro
... Show MoreThe modern steer-by-wire (SBW) systems represent a revolutionary departure from traditional automotive designs, replacing mechanical linkages with electronic control mechanisms. However, the integration of such cutting-edge technologies is not without its challenges, and one critical aspect that demands thorough consideration is the presence of nonlinear dynamics and communication network time delays. Therefore, to handle the tracking error caused by the challenge of time delays and to overcome the parameter uncertainties and external perturbations, a robust fast finite-time composite controller (FFTCC) is proposed for improving the performance and safety of the SBW systems in the present article. By lumping the uncertainties, parameter var
... Show MoreOur research comes to shed light on Iraqi literature as literature that arose in special circumstances alongside foreign literature. Using comparative research methods, we chose to highlight two distinguished writers, who have their mark in the world of literature. The first is the Iraqi writer Maysaloun Hadi, who is considered an icon of Iraqi feminist literature, and the second is the French writer Le Clézieu, who won the Nobel in 2008. We will see through the research how the two authors expressed their views of modernity and urbanism. And how each of them separately portrayed the psychological and moral projections that formed the essence of man today.
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... Show MoreThe purpose of this study is to develop and assess the effectiveness of exercises using heavy and hanging ropes for handball players, focusing on enhancing specific physical abilities and shooting accuracy. The research addresses the gap in training methodologies by comparing the effects of heavy rope exercises versus hanging rope exercises. An experimental design was used in two equal groups, besides pre-testing and post-testing. The study involved 16 players from the School of Handball for the season 2022–2023. The sample included 14 players, who were then randomly divided into two experimental groups of 7 each. The first group performed heavy rope exercises, while hanging rope exercises were included in the plan of the second group. Th
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