Background: Adjustment of any premature occlusal contact of any zirconia restoration requires its polishing or glazing in order to restore the smoothness of the restoration. The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of different polishing systems and glazing on the surface roughness of full-contour zirconia. Material and methods: Forty disks (diameter: 8 mm, thickness: 6.4 mm) were prepared from pre-sintered full-contoured zirconia block; they were colored and sintered in a high-temperature furnace at 1500˚C for 8 hours. The specimens were then leveled and finished using grinding and polishing machine and adjusted using diamond disk. The specimens were then randomly divided into four groups (n=10), group I involves samples that were polished using (karat diamond polishing set, Vita zahnfabrik, Germany), group II involves samples that were polished with (zirconia polishing kit, SMEdent, Shanghai, China), group III involves samples that were polished with (OptraFine® diamond polishing system, Ivoclar Vivadent, Germany), while group IV involves samples that were glazed using glazing medium (VITA Akzent Glaze AKZ 25, Vita zahnfabrik, Germany). Surface roughness values (Ra) (in µm) of all the specimens were recorded at each stage of surface treatment of zirconia disks (leveling and finishing, adjustment of the samples and polishing / glazing) using surface roughness tester. Statistical analysis was carried out using one-way ANOVA and LSD tests. Results: The results showed that the glazing group recorded the lowest surface roughness mean value, followed by (OptraFine® polishing system), then (zirconia polishing kit) and finally (karat polishing set) which showed the highest mean of surface roughness. For all groups, there was a statistically very high significant difference of (Ra) value before and after adjustment of the samples. Moreover, there was a statistically very high significant difference in (Ra) value when comparing the adjusted samples with the polished and glazed ones. Karat polishing set group showed a statistically highly significant difference with zirconia polishing kit group (P<0.01). Both, karat polishing set and zirconia polishing kit groups showed a statistically very highly significant difference (P<0.001) with (OptraFine® polishing system) and glazing groups. On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was found between glazing and (OptraFine® polishing system) groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: Adjusting full-contour zirconia with diamond bur or disk resulted in a significant increase in (Ra) that necessitates its polishing or glazing to restore the surface smoothness. Furthermore, both glazing and OptraFine® polishing system provided the best surface smoothness, so glazing can be substituted with chairside polishing using OptraFine® polishing system.
In this research work, a simulator with time-domain visualizers and configurable parameters using a continuous time simulation approach with Matlab R2019a is presented for modeling and investigating the performance of optical fiber and free-space quantum channels as a part of a generic quantum key distribution system simulator. The modeled optical fiber quantum channel is characterized with a maximum allowable distance of 150 km with 0.2 dB/km at =1550nm. While, at =900nm and =830nm the attenuation values are 2 dB/km and 3 dB/km respectively. The modeled free space quantum channel is characterized at 0.1 dB/km at =860 nm with maximum allowable distance of 150 km also. The simulator was investigated in terms of the execution of the BB84 p
... Show MoreIn this work, the fusion cross section , fusion barrier distribution and the probability of fusion have been investigated by coupled channel method for the systems 46Ti+64Ni, 40Ca+194Pt and 40Ar+148Sm with semi-classical and quantum mechanical approach using SCF and CCFULL Fortran codes respectively. The results for these calculations are compared with available experimental data. The results show that the quantum calculations agree better with experimental data, especially bellow the Coulomb barrier, for the studied systems while above this barrier, the two codes reproduce the data.
In this research work, a simulator with time-domain visualizers and configurable parameters using a continuous time simulation approach with Matlab R2019a is presented for modeling and investigating the performance of optical fiber and free-space quantum channels as a part of a generic quantum key distribution system simulator. The modeled optical fiber quantum channel is characterized with a maximum allowable distance of 150 km with 0.2 dB/km at =1550nm. While, at =900nm and =830nm the attenuation values are 2 dB/km and 3 dB/km respectively. The modeled free space quantum channel is characterized at 0.1 dB/km at =860 nm with maximum allowable distance of 150 km also. The simulator was investigated in terms of the execution of the BB84 prot
... Show MoreComparative Analysis of Economic Policy Stability between Monarchical and Republican Systems: A Theoretical Fundamental Research
Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis (SD) are common skin disorders affecting the scalp and extending to other body sites in the case of SD. They are associated with pruritus and scaling, causing an esthetical disturbance in the population affected. Treatment of such conditions involves using a variety of drugs for long terms, thus optimizing drug formulation is essential to improve therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Conventional topical formulations like shampoos and creams have been widely used but their use is associated with disadvantages. To overcome such effects, novel topical nanotechnology-based formulations are currently under investigation. In the following article, we highlight recently published formulatio
... Show MoreThe increasing drinking water demand in many countries leads to an increase in the use of desalination plants, which are considered a great solution for water treatment processes. Reverse osmosis (RO) and electro-dialysis (ED) systems are the most popular membrane processes used to desalinate water at high salinity. Both systems work by separating the ionic contaminates and disposing of them as a brine solution, but ED uses electrical current as a driving force while RO uses osmotic pressure. A direct comparison of reverse osmosis and electro-dialysis systems is needed to highlight process development similarities and variances. This work aims to provide an overview of previous studies on reverse osmosis and electro-dial
... Show More