Background: Psychological stress is considered the major etiological factor precipitating myofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders.It is known that stress induce various adaptational responses of physiologic systems. The process includes increase in the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which promotes cortisol secretion. Salivary cortisol has been used as a measure of free circulating cortisol levels.The use of salivary biomarkers has gained increased popularity since collecting samples is non-invasive and painless. The aim of thisstudy was to evaluate the level of cortisol in saliva among sample of university students having myofacial pain, during the final exam period and whether this finding could have a significant value as a symptomatic psychobiological marker. Materials and Methods: Ninety eight (98) university students were enrolled in this study. Fifty(50) were with myofacial pain (symptomatic) and forty eight (48) were without myofacial pain (asymptomatic) as a control group.Each student with myofacial pain was examined according to Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. Saliva sample were collected from each subject before final examination and three months later for biochemical analysis of cortisolusing ELISA test. Results: A highly significant difference in salivary cortisol level between the two periods for both the study and control groups, and a non-significant difference between the two groups in before examination period. A negative association has been observed between the level of salivary cortisol and severity of pain and a highly significant improvement of pain between the final examination periods and three months later. Conclusions: Dental students perceived a higher level of stress prior to the final exam was associated with raised salivary cortisol levels which could be considered as a useful non-invasive biomarker for measuring acute stress.
The consumption of fresh fruits has increased nowadays due to the lifestyle of the consumers. Maintaining the quality and nutritional value of cut fruits during storage is difficult compared to whole fruits. Deterioration of internal and external quality usually occurs in freshly harvested fruits. It is necessary to use different techniques to maintain the quality and increase the shelf life of the freshly cut product. This research studied the effect of treating apple slices with cold plasma once and with filtered water again on quality characteristics (hardness, moisture content, sugar content, carbohydrate content, and color) after being stored for five days. The best treatment was determined using two different pressures of the plasma j
... Show MoreJet grouting is one of the most widely applied soil improvement techniques. It is suitable for most geotechnical problems, including improving bearing capacity, decreasing settlement, forming seals, and stabilizing slopes. One of the difficulties faced by designers is determining the strength and geometry of elements created using this method. Jet grouted soil-cement columns in soil are a complicated issue because they are dependent on a number of parameters such as soil type, grout and water flow rate, rotation and lifting speed of monitor, nozzle jetting force, and water to cement ratio of slurry. This paper discusses the effect of the water-cement ratio on the physical and mechanical characteristics of soilcrete. In t
... Show MoreIn this research, a study is introduced on the effect of several environmental factors on the performance of an already constructed quality inspection system, which was designed using a transfer learning approach based on convolutional neural networks. The system comprised two sets of layers, transferred layers set from an already trained model (DenseNet121) and a custom classification layers set. It was designed to discriminate between damaged and undamaged helical gears according to the configuration of the gear regardless to its dimensions, and the model showed good performance discriminating between the two products at ideal conditions of high-resolution images. So, this study aimed at testing the system performance at poo
... Show MoreIn this research, a study is introduced on the effect of several environmental factors on the performance of an already constructed quality inspection system, which was designed using a transfer learning approach based on convolutional neural networks. The system comprised two sets of layers, transferred layers set from an already trained model (DenseNet121) and a custom classification layers set. It was designed to discriminate between damaged and undamaged helical gears according to the configuration of the gear regardless to its dimensions, and the model showed good performance discriminating between the two products at ideal conditions of high-resolution images.
So, this study aimed at testing the system performance at poor s
... Show MoreResearch and Development Programs Effectiveness in the Central Library of Baghdad University
This study is about awareness of teaching explanation difficulties in the Islamic university from the lecturers point of view. It discussed the difficulties and the traditional teaching methods of explanation. The study concentrated on teaching Islamic studies in general and teaching explanation in specific and set difficulties so as to be treated.
The study is of three chapters, the first contains the difficulties in several aspects like the educational goals, text contents, teaching methods and styles, students, educational techniques, educational aids and evaluation, it addition to the lecturers of Islamic university colleges in 2009-2
... Show MoreThis study identifies the contribution of some positive variables (happiness, optimism, and hope) to the level of psychological health in the practitioners of the nursing profession in Algeria, a total of (38) male and female nurses were employed as research sample. The researcher used a scale to measure happiness, optimism, hope, and psychological health. The results showed that the level of psychological health varies depending on the positive variables (happiness, optimism), as well as it depends on the variables of gender and professional Experience.
The current study aims to find a new plan to manage the water quality of the western part of the Hammar Marsh to reduce the salts that cause problems for the marshes and preserve their environmental life by isolating the southwestern part of the Hammar Marsh by closing the outlet under the railway embankment. The outlet is discharging saline water to the east-western part of Al Hammar Marsh. After isolating the southwestern part of the marsh, a new outlet is proposed. The impact of the flow hydrodynamics on improving the water quality was simulated using the SMS model. The hydrodynamics and water quality simulation models for the marsh are : a hydrodynamic model and average depth (SMS RMA2) and a two-dimensional water quality model (SMS
... Show MoreAn experiment was conducted to study how SAE 50 engine oil contaminated with diesel fuel affects engine performance. The engine oil was contaminated with diesel fuel at concentrations of 0%, 1%, and 3%. The following performance characteristics were studied: brake-specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, friction power, and exhaust gas temperature. Each treatment was tested three times. The three treatments (0%, 1%, and 3%) were analyzed statistically with a one-way ANOVA model at the 5% probability level to determine if the three treatments produced significant differences in engine performance. The statistical results showed that there were significant differences in engine performance metrics among the three treatments. The 3
... Show MoreBackground: Odontogenisis is a complex process controlled by dynamic and reciprocal interactions that regulated by various molecules. Thymosin β4 is a small bioactive peptide with wide spectrum biological effects on much cell types. The present study was designed to highlight the effect of synthetic exogenous Tβ4 on developing dental tissue of the upper central teeth of rats, by histological examination and immunohistochemical evaluation of TGFβ1. Materials and method: Thirty six Albino Wister pregnant rat 18control group received intraperitoneal injection of normal saline and the others are experimental group received 50µg/300µl of Tβ4 injection. The animals were sacrificed at periods 16th and 18th day I.U.L and one day p
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