Background: Deterioration of maxillofacial silicone properties due to microbial colonization is a common problem and leads to the replacement of the prosthesis. Incorporation of the antimicrobial agent into the silicone could be a solution. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of silver-zinc zeolite addition on some mechanical properties of a maxillofacial silicone (VST-50). Materials and methods: Total 120 specimens were fabricated and divided into 3 groups: 40 specimens for tear strength test, 40 specimens for tensile and percentage of elongation tests and 40 specimens for Shore A hardness and surface roughness. Each group was divided into 4 subgroups according to the amount of zeolite added (0% “control”, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%). One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD tests were used to analyze the study data. FTIR revealed a chemical interaction between zeolite and silicone. Results: Study results revealed a highly significant increase in tear strength (p<0.01) in all experimental subgroups. The tensile strength of 1% filler was significantly higher than the control group (p<0.01) while 0.5% and 1.5% showed a non-significant increase. All experimental groups demonstrated a highly significant decrease in the percentage of elongation and a highly significant increase in roughness (p<0.01). The subgroup with 1.5% zeolite showed a highly significant increase in hardness, other subgroups showed a non-significant increase. Conclusion: The addition of 1% Ag-Zn zeolite improved some mechanical properties of VST-50 maxillofacial silicone.
Combining different treatment strategies successively or simultaneously has become recommended to achieve high purification standards for the treated discharged water. The current work focused on combining electrocoagulation, ion-exchange, and ultrasonication treatment approaches for the simultaneous removal of copper, nickel, and zinc ions from water. The removal of the three studied ions was significantly enhanced by increasing the power density (4–10 mA/cm2) and NaCl salt concentration (0.5–1.5 g/L) at a natural solution pH. The simultaneous removal of these metal ions at 4 mA/cm2 and 1 g NaCl/L was highly improved by introducing 1 g/L of mordenite zeolite as an ion-exchanger. A remarkable removal of heavy metals was reported
... Show MoreCombining different treatment strategies successively or simultaneously has become recommended to achieve high purification standards for the treated discharged water. The current work focused on combining electrocoagulation, ion-exchange, and ultrasonication treatment approaches for the simultaneous removal of copper, nickel, and zinc ions from water. The removal of the three studied ions was significantly enhanced by increasing the power density (4–10 mA/cm2) and NaCl salt concentration (0.5–1.5 g/L) at a natural solution pH. The simultaneous removal of these metal ions at 4 mA/cm2 and 1 g NaCl/L was highly improved by introducing 1 g/L of mordenite zeolite as an ion-exchanger. A remarkable removal of heavy metals was reported
... Show MoreObjective(s): The aim of this study is to compare the impact strength of a heat cured denture-base acrylic resin
reinforced with metal wire and glass fibers.
Methodology: Forty five specimens were prepared from pink heat cure acrylic resin. Specimens were grouped into;
group-I (control group) which consists of 15 specimens with no reinforcement, group-II which consists of 15 specimens
reinforced with metal wire, and group-III consists of 15 specimens reinforced with glass fibers. Specimens were tested
by using charpy impact machine.
Results: The result showed that there was a highly significant difference in impact strength value among the testing
groups at (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The impact str
... Show MoreThis research studies the effect of adding five different percentages of polymer (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% of cement weight) on cement mortar's fresh and hardened properties, which was cured at laboratory temperature for 7, 14, and 28 days. Workability increases with increasing polymer. The workability value was lowest (25.6 and 29.4) % in mixtures containing 2% and 4% of (SBR). Increasing polymer ratios significantly decreased mechanical properties (compressive and flexural strength). Therefore, the best results were at 2% SBR and 4% SBR at 28 days of age. An inverse relationship was recorded between the increase in SBR ratios and polymer-modified cement mortar's compressive and flexural strength values. In general, the high
... Show MoreMany problems were encountered during the drilling operations in Zubair oilfield. Stuckpipe, wellbore instability, breakouts and washouts, which increased the critical limits problems, were observed in many wells in this field, therefore an extra non-productive time added to the total drilling time, which will lead to an extra cost spent. A 1D Mechanical Earth Model (1D MEM) was built to suggest many solutions to such types of problems. An overpressured zone is noticed and an alternative mud weigh window is predicted depending on the results of the 1D MEM. Results of this study are diagnosed and wellbore instability problems are predicted in an efficient way using the 1D MEM. Suitable alternative solutions are presented
... Show MoreThis paper proposes a novel method for generating True Random Numbers (TRNs) using electromechanical switches. The proposed generator is implemented using an FPGA board. The system utilizes the phenomenon of electromechanical switch bounce to produce a randomly fluctuated signal that is used to trigger a counter to generate a binary random number. Compared to other true random number generation methods, the proposed approach features a high degree of randomness using a simple circuit that can be easily built using off-the-shelf components. The proposed system is implemented using a commercial relay circuit connected to an FPGA board that is used to process and record the generated random sequences. Applying statistical testing on th
... Show MoreThis paper proposes a novel method for generating True Random Numbers (TRNs) using electromechanical switches. The proposed generator is implemented using an FPGA board. The system utilizes the phenomenon of electromechanical switch bounce to produce a randomly fluctuated signal that is used to trigger a counter to generate a binary random number. Compared to other true random number generation methods, the proposed approach features a high degree of randomness using a simple circuit that can be easily built using off-the-shelf components. The proposed system is implemented using a commercial relay circuit connected to an FPGA board that is used to process and record the generated random sequences. Applying statistical testing on the exp
... Show MoreBackground: The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilliin burn wound infections related to biofilm formation, which lend to challenge in treatment with conventional antibiotics andprompting to search for novel antimicrobial agents to control the infections.Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have wide spectrum biological properties with different mechanisms of action and less toxicity towards human cells.
Objective:The goal of this study was to evaluated the anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm activities of AgNPs alone and in combination with aminoglycoside (Amikacin) and β-lactam (Ampicillin) antibiotics against multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacilli (Pseudomonas aeruginos
... Show MoreThe Na-alginate bead is commonly used in biotechnology fields such as adsorption due to ion exchange between Ca and Na with elements. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX) has proven to be a comparative method in the detections of these adsorbed elements, but the un-flat forming area of beads that can introduce impossible of the detection of element adsorbed. In contrast, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) documents analysis of elements, direct examination, which may analysis the adsorbents of elements. Here, this Study evaluated the possibility by using XRF for the direct analysis for examples of Cd and Ag in a bench stand. This Study compared this to commonly use
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