Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/poly(caprolactone) (PCL) and two types of organoclay (OMMT) including a fatty amide and ocatdecylamine montmorillonite (FA-MMT and ODA-MMT) were employed to produce polymer nanocomposites by melt blending. Materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mechanical properties were also investigated for these nanocomposites. The nanocomposites showed increasing mechanical properties and thermal stability. XRD results indicated that the materials formed nanocomposites. SEM morphology showed that increasing content of OMMT reduc

The focus of this work is on systematically understanding the effects of packing density of the sand grains on both the internal and bulk mechanical properties for strip footing interacting with granular soil. The studies are based on particle image velocimetry (PIV) method, coupled with a high resolution imaging camera. This provides valuable new insights on the evolution of slip planes at grain-scale under different fractions of the ultimate load. Furthermore, the PIV based results are compared with finite element method simulations in which the experimentally characterised parameters and constitutive behaviour are fed as an input, and a good level of agreements are obtained. The reported results would serve to the practicing engineers, r

In order to evaluate the effect of seed size, plant growth regulators and some chemical materials on seed vigour and seedling growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.) an experiment was conducted in 2015 at Laboratories of Agriculture and Marshes College, University of Thi-Qar. Factorial experiment in CRD was used with four replications in two factors. The first factor included three seed sizes (4.6-5.1, 5.2-5.7 and 5.8-6.3 mm). The second factor was seeds soaking treatments (KNO3 6 gl-1, CaCl2 20 gl-1, salicylic acid 20 mg l-1, cytokinin 40 mg l-1, gibberllic acid 400 mg l-1, ascorbic acid 40 mg l-1 and seeds soaked in distilled water). The results showed that the largest seed size influenced significantly and gave the higher averages of germinatio

A field experiment was conducted in Al-Yusufiya district - Al-Mahmoudiya district, Baghdad province during the winter season 2021, to study improving the efficiency and management of water use and the productivity of lettuce under different irrigation systems. The Nested-Factorial Experiments design was used, where the main plots include the first factor, irrigation levels (I1) 50%, (I2) 75%, (I3) 100, (I4) 125%, (I5) 150% ETpan. After depleting 35% of the available water and in terms of climatic data from the American Evaporative Basin, Class A. Then the main factor is divided into three replicates, and the coefficients of the second factor are distributed randomly within each replicate, which includes the irrigation system: surface drip i

Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) based on the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) effect has been proposed to detect polluted water samples. The sensing characteristics are illustrated using the finite element method. The right hole of the right side of PCF core has been coated with chemically stable gold material to achieve the practical sensing approach. The performance parameter of the proposed sensor is investigated in terms of wavelength sensitivity, amplitude sensitivity, sensor resolution, and linearity of the resonant wavelength with the variation of refractive index of analyte. In the sensing range of 1.33 to 1.3624, maximum sensitivities of 1360.2 nm ∕ RIU and 184 RIU⁻¹ are achieved with the high sensor resolutions of 7

In this research, the performance of asphalt mixtures modified with polyethylene polymer (PE) by adding 2%, 4%, and 6% percentages was evaluated. Two kinds of PE are employed: Low-Density PE (LDPE) and High-Density PE (HDPE). The semi-wet mixing technique (SWM) was conducted to avoid stability issue for PE-modified binder during storage condition. Many experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the ability of these mixtures to withstand the effects of loads and moisture. The hardness index of these mixtures was also measured to determine their resistance to the effects of high temperatures without causing permanent deformations. The results showed that adding PE led to a remarkable enhancement in the performance of PE-modified mixtures.

Background: Dental calculus is mineralized dental plaque formed on teeth and dental prosthesis surfaces in the oral cavity. Urinary stone is a crystal aggregation formed in urinary system due to minerals saturation present in urine. The structure of dental calculus is similar to that of urinary stone. Objective: To assess oral hygiene and gingival status in patients with urinary stone. And compared with healthy subjects. Patients and Methods: Sixty participants, 25-40 years, were involved in this study who were divided into study and control group. The study group involved patients with urinary stone while the control group involved healthy subjects. Clinical parameters including plaque, calculus and gingival indices were recorded for al

In this study, a Hydroxyapatite (HA) coating was prepared on a titanium implant by an electrochemical deposition process. The titanium pre-treatment by anodizing in 1.65 mol/L sulfuric acid with (10V) at room temperature. The deposition was all conducted at a constant voltage of 6.0 V, for 1 h at room temperature. The coatings thus prepared were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thickness of the coated layer.The electrochemical deposition of HA occurred on the titanium as a cathode. Coated titanium by HA after anodizing revealed a good corrosion protection efficiency even at a temperature ranged (293-323) K in artificial saliva. Activation energy and pre-exponential factor (kinetic parameters) were calcul

Background: The mechanical and physical properties of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) don’tfulfill the entire ideal requirements of denture base materials. The purpose of this study was to produce new modified polymer nanocomposite (PMMA /ZrO2-TiO2) andassess itsimpact strength, transverse strength and thermal conductivity in comparison to the conventionalheat polymerized acrylic resin. Materials and Methods: Both ZrO2 and TiO2nano fillers were silanized with TMSPM (trimethoxysilyl propyl methacrylate) silane coupling agent before beingdispersed by ultrasonication with the methylmethacrylate (monomer) and mixed with the polymer by means of 2% by weight in (1:1) ratio, 60 specimens were constructed by conventional water bath processing

Due to the rapid advancement of technology and the technology of things, modern industries start to need a highprecision equipment and surface finishing, so many finishing processes began to develop. One of the modern processes is Magnetic Abrasive Finishing (MAF), which is a high-precision process for internal and external finishing under the influence of a magnetic field of abrasive particles. Boron Carbide (B4C) ceramics was tested by mixing it with iron (Fe) and produced abrasive particles to reduce the intensity of scraping on the surface, reduce the economic cost and achieve a high finishing addition to remove the edges at the same time. The material selected for the samples was mild steel (ASTM E415) under (Quantity of Abrasives, Mac