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

Biofilm formation is one of the biggest challenges of scientists. Role of heavy metals in forming biofilm is not clear enough. Here, the effect of lead on biofilm formation by Bacillus spp. isolated from soil in terms of biofilm formation and remove was studied. In present study, 10 isolates of Bacillus spp were isolated from soil. The ability of all isolates to form biofilm was evaluated. The effect of lead on biofilm formation was studied by adding lead (pb) before forming biofilm. In another experiment the lead was added after biofilm formation to study the effect of lead on biofilm remove. The current study, showed the ability of all studied isolates to form biofilm. Maximum biofilm formation by Bacillus spp isolate number 8 (B8) follow

As an alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), the alkali-activated binders have been developed with better technical characteristics and more extended durability. The Alkali-Activated Iraqi Natural Pozzolans (AANP) could produce geopolymer cementation building materials and make them ecologically acceptable. The primary advantage of geopolymer cement is that it has a lower environmental effect that contributes to it. The engineering characteristics of geopolymer concrete produced using activated Iraqi natural Pozzolan are summarized in this research. The mechanical properties, modulus of elasticity, and ultrasonic pulse velocity of various concrete mixes were determined via experimental study. The impact of essential variables like w

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

In this research, (MOORA) approach based– Taguchi design was used to convert the multi-performance problem into a single-performance problem for nine experiments which built (Taguchi (L₉) orthogonal array) for carburization operation. The main variables that had a great effect on carburizing operation are carburization temperature (^oC), carburization time (hrs.) and tempering temperature (^oC). This study was also focused on calculating the amount of carbon penetration, the value of hardness and optimal values obtained during the optimization by Taguchi approach and MOORA method for multiple parameters. In this study, the carburization process was done in temperature between (850 to 950 ᵒC) for 2 to 6

Gas sensors based on titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposites are considered energy-saving devices that are utilized to find dangerous or harmful gases in an environment. The performance of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) gas sensors have been improved by spin-coating a TiO₂ and TiO₂:ZnO nanocomposite with varying concentrations (₉₀TiO₂:₁₀ZnO, ₇₀TiO₂:₃₀ZnO, and ₅₀TiO₂:₅₀ZnO). To correlate structural properties with gas-sensing behavior, structural and morphological characterization has been done using FESEM, XRD, and EDX.  Without any ZnO-specific crystalline phase, TiO₂

Background: Polymer surfaces usually present problems in bonding and finishing due to their low hydrophilicity. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of plasma treatment with the use of two types of gases (oxygen and argon) on surface roughness, and chemical surface properties of acrylic resin denture base polymer material. Materials and Methods: Three heat cured acrylic resin specimens of (2*8*30 mm) dimensions were prepared for each test carried out in this study. Two tests were conducted, surface roughness test and chemical surface analysis test. Results: Application of plasma treatment increased surface roughness for both oxygen and argon plasma treated acrylic resin specimen groups compared with control untreated group,

We have investigated the impact of laser pulse wavelength on the quantity of ablated materials. Specifically, this study investigated the structural, optical, and morphological characteristics of tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanoparticles (NPs) that were synthesized using the technique of pulsed-laser ablation of a tungsten plate. A DD drop of water was used as the ablation environment at a fixed fluence at 76.43 J/cm2 and pulse number was 400 pulses of the laser. The first and second harmonic generation ablations were carried out, corresponding to wavelengths of 1064 and 532 nm, respectively. The Q-switched Nd: YAG laser operates at a repetition rate of 1 Hz and has a pulse width of roughly 15 ns. These parameters are applicable to both wavelen

During the last quarter century, many changes have taken place in the tanks industry and also in the materials that used in its production، while concrete is the most suitable material where concrete tanks has the benefits of strength, long service life and cost effectiveness. So, it is necessary improvement the
conventional concrete in order to adapt the severe environment requirements and as a result high
performance concrete (HPC) was used. It is not fundamentally different from the concrete used in the past, although it usually contains fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag and silica fume, as well as
superplasticizer. So, the content of cementitious material is high and the water/cement ratio is low. In this
stu