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
Industrial machining workshops generate substantial quantities of aluminum wire offcuts and filings that cannot be re-entered into bulk metal recycling circuits, posing both a resource management challenge and a potential environmental burden. This study demonstrates a closed-loop valorization route in which this low-grade aluminum waste is converted into nanostructured aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) by two scalable synthesis pathways (i) chemo-thermal calcination of precipitated Al(OH)₃ at 1000 °C and 1200 °C for 1 and 4 h, and (ii) direct chemical precipitation via AlCl3/Na2CO3 reaction, and then deployed as a functional additive in water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs) used by the oil and gas industry. Comprehensive chara
... Show MoreFour antimony compounds were used in this inves as additives to retard combustion of unsaturated polyester and epoxy resins, namely: 1. Tetraethyl ammonium tribromoethylantimonates (additive I). 2. Tetraethyl ammonium chlorodibromoethylantimonates (additive II). 3. Tetraethyl ammonium trichloroethylantimonates (additive III). 4. Tetraethyl ammonium bromodichloroethylantimonates (additive IV). The effects of these additives on flammability of unsaturated polyester and epoxy resins have been studied by using sheets of the resins with weight percentages of (0.5,1.0,1.5,2.0,2.5&3.0%) of the additives in dimensions of (150 X150X3)mm .Three standard test methods were used to measure the flame retardation which are: (ASTM:D -2863), (ASTM:D-635
... Show MoreBackground: obesity is a major global health problem with more than 200 million obese men and almost 300 million obese women. Melatonin is a well-known molecule for its involvement in circadian rhythm regulation and has multiple pathological actions including control of appetite, sleep wake cycle and metabolic syndrome.
Aim: to estimate the effect of melatonin supplements on obese patients on a calorie restricted diet in comparison to patients on lifestyle measures only in the form of weight loss, waist circumference and sleep quality.
Subjects and Method: one hundred patients with body mass index > 24 were collected, fifty patients were starte
... Show MoreA revolution called information revolution has recently invaded the world. It is Currently considered one of the most important properties of development to the countries of the world The criteria provided by computers such as accuracy, speed, time saving Storage and restore have led them to be widely used in economy, industry, agriculture, communications, etc., as well as being the major finder of reengineering the operations of innovation. The use of computers in the preparation of budgets will lead to achieve accuracy. Since, the operation draws upon the statistic and quantity estimations about budget items, the computerized balance sheet may save time and effort of preparing mathematical equations annually. According to the problem o
... Show MoreLand Use / Land Cover (LULC) classification is considered one of the basic tasks that decision makers and map makers rely on to evaluate the infrastructure, using different types of satellite data, despite the large spectral difference or overlap in the spectra in the same land cover in addition to the problem of aberration and the degree of inclination of the images that may be negatively affect rating performance. The main objective of this study is to develop a working method for classifying the land cover using high-resolution satellite images using object based method. Maximum likelihood pixel based supervised as well as object approaches were examined on QuickBird satellite image in Karbala, Iraq. This study illustrated that
... Show MoreThe presence of alkaloids in Crassula ovata is a topic that is still unexplored, as there are no published studies on the matter. This study demonstrates the presence of an alkaloid compound (and its class) for the first time in Crassula ovata. The plant material was defatted with n-hexane, and a Soxhlet apparatus was used for the extraction process, while the acid-base method was used for the isolation of alkaloids from the chloroform fractions. The quaternary alkaloid was precipitated from the aqueous layer spontaneously, in high quantity. By using standard spectroscopic methods (including liquid chromatography - mass spectroscopy) we were able to clarify the structure of the precipi¬tated compound as a tetrahydroprotoberberine a
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