Objectives: Maxillofacial silicone is used to restore abnormalities due to congenital or acquired causes. However, the quality of silicone is far from ideal. This study was aimed at assessing the influence of the addition of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs; several nanometers wide and 2-5 micro m long) on the physical and mechanical characteristics of maxillofacial silicone elastomers. Methods: Two CNF weight percentages (0.5% and 1%) were tested, and 180 specimens were divided into one control and two experimental groups. Each group was subdivided into six subgroups. In each subgroup, ten specimens subjected to each of the following tests: tearing strength, Shore-A hardness, tensile strength, elongation percentage, surface roughness, and color stability. The samples were additionally analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM). Results: The 0.5% CNF group, compared with the control group, exhibited highly significantly greater tearing strength, elongation percentage, hardness Shore-A, and surface roughness, and substantially greater tensile strength. However, color stability did not significantly differ between groups. The 1% CNF group showed significantly greater Shore-A hardness, tear strength, color stability, and surface roughness, and insignificantly lower tensile strength and percentage elongating values, than the control group. FESEM imaging revealed good CNF dispersion. The FTIR spectra indicated that CNFs interacted with silicon through surface functional hydroxyl groups. Conclusion: Addition of 0.5 wt. % CNF to silicone elastomers increased the material’s mechanical tensile strength, tear strength, elongation percentage, and hardness as long as it stayed within the acceptable range for clinical use. Surface roughness increased in direct proportion to the amount of nanofibers added. Moreover, addition of 0.5 wt. % CNF to silicone polymers had insignificant effects on color stability.
Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a common health problem that has a worldwide distribution. Apart from the direct effect of the virus on the liver, there are many extrahepatic manifestations among which the probable effect on bone turnover associated with low bone mineral density (BMD). Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between treated and untreated chronic HBV infection with BMD. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which included a total of 48 patients with chronic HBV (28 patients treated with tenofovir-disoproxil-fumarate [TDF] antiviral drug and 20 patients have not yet started treatment). Other age- and sex-matched 30 apparently healthy individuals were recruited to represent the hea
... Show MoreAdolescent pregnancy is common health problem still found in both developed and developing countries; as adolescent may have early sexual practice or early marriage. Adolescent mothers face substantially higher maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality than adult women. This is a randomized prospective clinical study conducted at Al-Elwiya Maternity Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. The objective of this work is to assess the adverse maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes in early and late teenage pregnant mothers. Study sample consisted of 220 primigravid women with a singleton, cephalic, viable fetus and no congenital abnormality that gave birth at Al-Elwiya Maternity Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. The 1stgroup: early teenage (46 w
... Show More
The public procurement crisis in Iraq plays a fundamental role in the delay in the implementation of construction projects at different stages of project bidding (pre, during, and after). The procurement system of any country plays an important role in economic growth and revival. The paper aims to use the fuzzy logic inference model to predict the impact of the public procurement crisis (relative importance index and Likert scale) was carried out at the beginning to determine the most important parameters that affect construction projects, the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) to set up, and finally, the fuzzy decision maker's (FDM) verification of the parameter for comparison with reality. Sixty-five
... Show MoreIn this work, the optical properties of Cu2S with different thickness
(1400, 2400, 4400) Ǻ have been prepared by chemical spray pyrolys
is method onto clean glass substrate heated at 283 oC ±2. The effect
of thickness on the optical properties of Cu2S has been studied. It
was found that the optical properties of the electronic transitions on
fundamental absorption edge were direct allowed and the value of the
optical energy gap of Cu2S (Eg) for direct transition decreased from
(2.4-2.1) eV with increasing of the thickness from (1400 - 4400)Ǻ
respectively. Also it was found that the absorption coefficient is
increased with increasing of thicknesses. The optical constants such<
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,
... Show MoreCuInSe2 (CIS)thin films have been prepared by use vacuum thermal evaporation technique, of 750 nm thickness, with rate of deposition 1.8±0.1 nm/sec on glass substrate at room temperature and pressure (10-5) mbar. Heat treatment has been carried out in the range (400-600) K for all samples. The optical properties of the CIS thin films are been studied such as (absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary dielectric constant)by determined using Measurement absorption and transmission spectra. Results showed that through the optical constants we can made to control it is wide applications as an optoelectronic devices and photovoltaic applications.
Study was made on the optical properties of Ge2oSe8othinfilms prepared by vac-uum evaporation as radiated by (0,34,69) Gy of 13 ray.The optical band gab Eg and tailing band A.Et were studied in the photon energy range ( 1 to 3)eV. The a-Ge20Se8o film was found to be indirect gap with energy gap of (1.965,1.9 , 1.82) eV at radiated by B ray with absorption doses of (0,34,69)Gy respectively.The Ea and AEt of Ge20Se80 films showed adecrease in E8 and an increase in AEt with radiation. This be-havior may be related to structural defects and dangling bonds.
Chitosan (CH) / Poly (1-vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (PVP-co-VAc) blend (1:1) and nanocomposites reinforced with CaCO3 nanoparticles were prepared by solution casting method. FTIR analysis, tensile strength, Elongation, Young modulus, Thermal conductivity, water absorption and Antibacterial properties were studied for blend and nanocomposites. The tensile results show that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the nanocomposites were enhanced compared with polymer blend [CH/(PVP-co-VAc)] film. The mechanical properties of the polymer blend were improved by the addition of CaCO3 with significant increases in Young’s modulus (from 1787 MPa to ~7238 MPa) and tensile strength (from 47.87 MPa to 79.75 MPa). Strong interfacial
... Show More