Background: One common undesirable side effect of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances is the development of incipient caries lesions around brackets, particularly in patients with poor oral hygiene. Different methods have been used to prevent demineralization; the recent effort to improve the resistance against the demineralization is by the application of lasers. Materials and method: Thirty human premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes were used to test the effect of two energy level of ER-YAG laser on enamel resistance to demineralization. The brackets were bonded on the teeth and all the labial surface excluding 2 mm area gingival to the brackets were painted with acid resistance varnish. Three groups were generated. The first group was the control group (A), with no treatment was performed. In group II (B)and groups III (C); teeth were irradiated by ER-YAG laser of 200, 60 mj energy respectively. All the teeth were individually subjected to acid challenge cycle for 30 days. After debonding longitudinal sections were taken and examined under stereomicroscope. The enamel demineralization evaluation was done by taking the average of three depths at the centre of the artificial lesion. Also the enamel surface was classified by an experienced investigator according to acid etch pattern. Comparisons of the average depth values of the groups were performed with ANOVA and LSD tests. The statistical significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: The results revealed that average lesion depth was significantly deeper at the control group than the laser groups, and its significantly deeper in group (B) 200 mj than in group (C) 60 mj, enamel surfaces showed deeper pits and craters than in control group. Conclusions: the decrease in artificial caries lesion depth associated with use of the two laser energy level support the ER-YAG laser as a tool to increase enamel resistance to demineralization and white spot lesion prevention. Key words: Demineralization, ER-YAG, laser.
A seemingly uncorrelated regression (SUR) model is a special case of multivariate models, in which the error terms in these equations are contemporaneously related. The method estimator (GLS) is efficient because it takes into account the covariance structure of errors, but it is also very sensitive to outliers. The robust SUR estimator can dealing outliers. We propose two robust methods for calculating the estimator, which are (S-Estimations, and FastSUR). We find that it significantly improved the quality of SUR model estimates. In addition, the results gave the FastSUR method superiority over the S method in dealing with outliers contained in the data set, as it has lower (MSE and RMSE) and higher (R-Squared and R-Square Adjus
... Show MoreIntroduction: Although it is discouraged, community pharmacy customers can obtain oral corticosteroids (OCSs) without prescriptions from some community pharmacies in Iraq. Medication abuse is defined as the use of medication for non-medical reasons. Objectives: The study aimed to determine demographics, beliefs, and perceptions associated with the abuse of oral corticosteroids for non-illness reasons among community pharmacy customers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in fall 2018 in four provinces in Iraq. Customers of 19 community pharmacies asking for OCSs for themselves without a prescription were administered a paper survey. This study used the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) to measure the relation
... Show MoreIt is well known that drilling fluid is a key parameter for optimizing drilling operations, cleaning the hole, and managing the rig hydraulics and margins of surge and swab pressures. Although the experimental works represent valid and reliable results, they are expensive and time consuming. In contrast, continuous and regular determination of the rheological fluid properties can perform its essential functions during good construction. The aim of this study is to develop empirical models to estimate the drilling mud rheological properties of water-based fluids with less need for lab measurements. This study provides two predictive techniques, multiple regression analysis and artificial neural networks, to determine the rheological
... Show MoreThis research discusses the exploitation of Dar-Zarrouk (D-Z) parameters which
were deduced from the quantitative interpretation of 80 Schlumberger Vertical
Electrical Sounding VES points distributed in six profiles within the Sinjar plain
area which bounded by the coordinates:Latitudes :35P
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Iraqi general commission of groundwater. The VES field readings were interpreted
manually by applying the (auxiliary point -partial resistivity curve matching)
method, th
The physical and elastic characteristics of rocks determine rock strengths in general. Rock strength is frequently assessed using porosity well logs such as neutron and sonic logs. The essential criteria for estimating rock mechanic parameters in petroleum engineering research are uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus. Indirect estimation using well-log data is necessary to measure these variables. This study attempts to create a single regression model that can accurately forecast rock mechanic characteristics for the Harth Carbonate Formation in the Fauqi oil field. According to the findings of this study, petrophysical parameters are reliable indexes for determining rock mechanical properties having good performance p
... Show MoreAbstract:
The six Arab Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) play a vital role, especially with its geographical location and natural resources (oil and gas) as well as other cultural and civilizational elements, in achieving global economic balance and more specifically global energy security, naturally because of these countries have a comparative advantage in the field of fossil energy (oil and gas), thus this sector becomes more attractive for local and international investments alike. Being the energy sector a leader sector in the economic development process, and the basic factor to achieve savings and financial surpluses in thes
... Show MoreThe literature shows conflicting outcomes, making it difficult to determine how e-learning affects the performance of students in higher education. The effect of e-learning was studied and data has been gathered with the utilization of a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods, especially in relation to students' academic achievements and perceptions in higher education, according to literature review that has been drawn from articles published in the past two decades (2000-2020). The development of a sense of community in the on-line environment has been identified to be one of the main difficulties in e-learning education across this whole review. In order to create an efficient online learning community, it could be claim
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