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.
Soils located above the groundwater table are generally unsaturated and possess negative pore-water pressures. A soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) that relates the water content of a soil to matric suction is an important relationship for the unsaturated soil mechanics. The SWCC essentially shows the ability of an unsaturated soil to retain water under various matric suctions. The filter paper method is a soil suction measurement technique. Soil suction is one of the most important parameters describing the moisture condition of unsaturated soils. The measurement of soil suction is crucial for applying the theories of the engineering behavior of unsaturated soils.In this paper, three soil samples were collected from three sites within
... Show MoreThe possible effect of the collective motion in heavy nuclei has been investigated in the framework of Nilson model. This effect has been searched realistically by calculating the level density, which plays a significant role in the description of the reaction cross sections in the statistical nuclear theory. The nuclear level density parameter for some deformed radioisotopes of (even- even) target nuclei (Dy, W and Os) is calculated, by taking into consideration the collective motion for excitation modes for the observed nuclear spectra near the neutron binding energy. The method employed in the present work assumes equidistant spacing of the collective coupled state bands of the considered isotopes. The present calculated results for f
... Show MoreThe aqueous extract of Citrullius colocynthis dried seeds (160 ?g/ml) was in vitro evaluated for its effect on phagocytic index (PI) and lymphocyte transformation index (LTI) of blood cells obtained from 30 apparently healthy blood donors (15 males and 15 females). The PI was further in vivo evaluated in cells of peritone, spleen and liver of mice treated with the extract at a dose of 0.64 mg/kg. The results revealed that in in vitro study, phagocytic cells treated with the extract showed a significant increased percentage as compared with untreated cells (60.0 vs. 44.1%). Phagocytes obtained from peritone (44.1 vs. 30.0%) and spleen (45.6 vs. 39.6 %) of treated and untreated mice behaved in a similar manner, while liver phagocytes showed n
... Show MoreThe reliability of optical sources is strongly dependent on the degradation and device characteristics are critically dependent on temperature. The degradation behaviours and reliability test results for the laser diode device (Sony-DL3148-025) will be presented .These devices are usually highly reliable. The degradation behaviour was exhibited in several aging tests, and device lifetimes were then estimated. The temperature dependence of 0.63?m lasers was studied. An aging test with constant light power operation of 5mW was carried out at 10, 25, 50 and 70°C for 100hours. Lifetimes of the optical sources have greatly improved, and these optical sources can be applied to various types of transmission systems. Within this degradation range,
... Show MoreThree different distribution modules of silicon solar cells in a panel are used in this study . Each module consists of five identical circular silicon solar cells of radius (5cm) and then the total panel areas are identical. The five solar cells are arranged in the panel in different shapes: circular, triangular and rectangular .The efficiency for these three panel distribution are measured indoor and outdoor. The results show that the efficiency is a function of the cells distribution.
The present study attempts to determine the effect of freezing for different periods on preserved bodies of fish in the laboratory to keep for the research and diagnosis of taxonomic studies and not for consumption. It also endeavors to identify the effect of freezing on some morphometric features of the preserved bodies of fishes. Planiliza abu fish were used to conduct the present study. Fish were frozen by regular freezing in the home refrigerator freezer with temperatures reaching four degrees centigrade below zero. Freezing time is distributed over four months; biometric measurements of frozen fish have been taken in these periods represented by body total length, Standard length, and Head length in centimeters using a ruler ve
... Show MoreFor the purpose of determining the impact of three levels of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 60, and 120 kg.ha-1) and sulfur fertilizer (0, 40, and 60 kg.ha-1) on production and growth indicators (number of leaves, number of branches, chlorophyll pigments, and fresh and dry weights), a field experiment was carried out during the winter season (2021/2022) in the fields of Al-Diwaniyah Province, Ministry of Agriculture, Diwaniyah Agriculture Directorate, Al-Nouriyah Forest Division. Means were compared using the least significant difference test (LSD) at a 0.05 level of probability. In a factorial experiment employing a wholly randomized block design wi