Aim To develop a low-density polyethylene–hydroxyapatite (HA-PE) composite with properties tailored to function as a potential root canal filling material. Methodology Hydroxyapatite and polyethylene mixed with strontium oxide as a radiopacifier were extruded from a single screw extruder fitted with an appropriate die to form fibres. The composition of the composite was optimized with clinical handling and placement in the canal being the prime consideration. The fibres were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and their thermal properties determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The tensile strength and elastic modulus of the composite fibres and gutta-percha were compared, dry and after 1 month storage in simulated body fluid (SBF), using a universal testing machine. The radiopacity of the fibres was determined using digital radiography. The interaction of the composites with eugenol was evaluated and compared with gutta-percha. Data of the tensile test were submitted to two-way anova and Bonferroni tests (P < 0.05). Results The endothermic peaks obtained from the DSC studies showed that the melting point of the HA/PE composites ranged between 110.5 and 111.2 °C, whereas gutta-percha exhibited a melting point at 52 °C. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of the silanated HA/PE composites were significantly higher than those of gutta-percha (P < 0.0001) under dry conditions and 1 month storage in SBF. The gutta-percha in eugenol showed a significant increase in the polymer molar mass, whereas the silanated HA/PE composites were unchanged. Radiological evaluations demonstrated that silanated HA/PE fibres were sufficiently radiopaque. Conclusion Promising materials for endodontic applications have been developed, offering relevant benefits over the traditional materials in terms of mechanical and chemical properties
This work dealt with separation of naphthenic hydrocarbons from non-naphthenic hydrocarbons and in particular concerns an improved process for increasing the naphthenes concentration in naphtha, The separation was examined using adsorption by Y and B zeolite in a fixed bed process. The concentration of naphthenes in the influent and effluent streams was determined using PONA classification. The effect of different operating variables such as feed flow rate (2- 4 L/hr); bed length (50 - 80 cm) on the adsorption capacity of Y and zeolite was studied. Increasing the bed length lead to increase the naphthenes concentration, and increasing the flow rate lead to decrease in the concentration of naphthenes, It was found that the decrease
... Show MoreThis study introduces a highly sensitive trapezium-shaped PCF based on an SPR refractometric sensor with unique design features. The structure of a sensor was designed and analyzed using COMSOL Multiphysics v5.6 based on Finite Element Method (FEM) with a focus on investigating the influence of various geometric parameters on its performance. The two channels were coated with a metallic gold layer to provide chemical stability, and a thin layer of TiO₂ improved the gold's adhesion to the fiber. The findings indicate that the proposed sensor achieves maximum amplitude and wavelength sensitivities of 1,779 RIU⁻¹ and 30,500 nm/RIU, respectively, with corresponding resolutions of 3.2
The aim of the research is to find out the effect of applying classroom assessment techniques (CATs) on both mathematical and logical thinking among fourth-grade scientific students. In pursuit of the research objectives, the experimental method was used, and the quasi-experimental design was used for two equivalent groups, one control group taught in the traditional way and the other experimental taught according to the techniques of classroom structural evaluation. The research sample consisted of (44) students from the fourth scientific grade who were intentionally chosen after ensuring their equivalence in several factors, most notably chronologi-cal age and the level of mathematics, and they were distributed equally among the t
... Show MoreDiabetic nephropathy is characterized by persistent microalbuminuria and metabolic changes that decline renal functions. Researchers have been prompted to explore new biomarkers such as KIM-1 and nephrin that may enhance the identification of disease. Objective: To Evaluate biomarker levels of kidney injury molculre-1 (KIM-1) concentration and nephrin as early and sensitive markers of nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients. Method: One hundred T2DM patients were included in a cross-sectional study at the specialized center for endocrinology and diabetes, Baghdad. The first group includes 50 diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients, and the second group includes 50 T2DM patients without DN. Biochemical and clinical parameters were reported for pa
... Show MoreSpinach, Spinacia oleracea L is a popular vegetable belonging to the family Chenopodiaceae. This study was concerned with extraction of compounds in Iraqi spinach leaves, preliminary phytochemical evaluation, identification of two biological important flavonols, quercetin and kaempferol in spinach leaves and evaluation of the protective effect of aqueous spinach extract on methotrexate (MTX) induced hepatotoxicity in rats. The percentage yield of extraction procedure, identification of spinach by chemical tests and identification of flavonols by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were fully described in this study. The results indicate that the percentage of quarce
... Show MoreThe paper aims to build a model that supports organizational sustainability by analyzing the correlations and revealing the impact between the two main variables (entrepreneurial leadership) with its dimensions of proactive outlook, risk, and creativity (Van Zyl & Mathur-Helm, 2007), and (organizational sustainability) with its economic, environmental, and societal dimensions (Hansmann et al., 2012). As well as identifying the level of awareness and informing managers in the General Company for the Automotive and Equipment Industry, of the theoretical implications and performance, and its vital importance to society and the surrounding ecological environment, and drawing attention to that and improving performance, and indicatin
... Show MoreIn this research, rabbit femurs were implanted with CP Ti screws coated with a combination of CaCO3 and nanohydroxyapatite, and the effect on osseointegration was assessed using histological and histomorphometric examination at 2 and 6 weeks. CaCO3 and nanohydroxyapatite were combined with the EPD to coat the surfaces of the CP Ti screws. The femurs of five male rabbits were implanted with coated and uncoated implant screws. Healing time was divided into two groups (2 and 6 weeks). After 2 and 6 weeks of implantation, the histological examination revealed an increase in the growth of bone cells for coated screws, and the histomorphometric analysis revealed an increase in the percentage of ne
... Show MoreA model using the artificial neural networks and genetic algorithm technique is developed for obtaining optimum dimensions of the foundation length and protections of small hydraulic structures. The procedure involves optimizing an objective function comprising a weighted summation of the state variables. The decision variables considered in the optimization are the upstream and downstream cutoffs lengths and their angles of inclination, the foundation length, and the length of the downstream soil protection. These were obtained for a given maximum difference in head, depth of impervious layer and degree of anisotropy. The optimization carried out is subjected to constraints that ensure a safe structure aga
... Show MoreThe aim of this work is to enhance the mechanical properties of the glass ionomer cement GIC (dental materials) by adding Zirconium Oxide ZrO2 in both micro and nano particles. GIC were mixed with (3, 5 and 7) wt% of both ZrO2 micro and nanoparticles separately. Compressive strength (CS), biaxial flexural strength (BFS), Vickers Microhardness (VH) and wear rate losses (WR) were investigated. The maximum compression strength was 122.31 MPa with 5 wt. % ZrO2 micro particle, while 3wt% nanoparticles give highest Microhardness and biaxial flexural strength of 88.8 VHN and 35.79 MPa respectively. The minimum wear rate losses were 3.776µg/m with 7 wt. % ZrO2 nanoparticle. GIC-contai
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