Purpose This study investigated periodontal ligament (PDL) restoration in osseointegrated implants using stem cells. Methods Commercial pure titanium and zirconium oxide (zirconia) were coated with beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) using a long-pulse Nd:YAG laser (1,064 nm). Isolated bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMMSCs) from rabbit tibia and femur, isolated PDL stem cells (PDLSCs) from the lower right incisor, and co-cultured BMMSCs and PDLSCs were tested for periostin markers using an immunofluorescent assay. Implants with 3D-engineered tissue were implanted into the lower right central incisors after extraction from rabbits. Forty implants (Ti or zirconia) were subdivided according to the duration of implantation (healing period: 45 or 90 days). Each subgroup (20 implants) was subdivided into 4 groups (without cells, PDLSC sheets, BMMSC sheets, and co-culture cell sheets). All groups underwent histological testing involving haematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry, stereoscopic analysis to measure the PDL width, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The natural lower central incisors were used as controls. Results The BMMSCs co-cultured with PDLSCs generated a well-formed PDL tissue that exhibited positive periostin expression. Histological analysis showed that the implantation of coated (Ti and zirconia) dental implants without a cell sheet resulted in a well-osseointegrated implant at both healing intervals, which was confirmed with FESEM analysis and negative periostin expression. The mesenchymal tissue structured from PDLSCs only or co-cultured (BMMSCs and PDLSCs) could form a natural periodontal tissue with no significant difference between Ti and zirconia implants, consequently forming a biohybrid dental implant. Green fluorescence for periostin was clearly detected around the biohybrid implants after 45 and 90 days. FESEM showed the invasion of PDL-like fibres perpendicular to the cementum of the bio-hybrid implants. Conclusions β-TCP-coated (Ti and zirconia) implants generated periodontal tissue and formed biohybrid implants when mesenchymal-tissue-layered cell sheets were isolated from PDLSCs alone or co-cultured BMMSCs and PDLSCs.
Oily wastewater is one of the most challenging streams to deal with especially if the oil exists in emulsified form. In this study, electrospinning method was used to prepare nanofiberous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes and study their performance in oil removal. Graphene particles were embedded in the electrospun PVDF membrane to enhance the efficiency of the membranes. The prepared membranes were characterized using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to verify the graphene stabilization on the surface of the membrane homogeneously; while FTIR was used to detect the functional groups on the membrane surface. The membrane wettability was assessed by measuring the contact angle. The PVDF and PVDF / Graphene membranes efficiency
... Show MoreTwo unsupervised classifiers for optimum multithreshold are presented; fast Otsu and k-means. The unparametric methods produce an efficient procedure to separate the regions (classes) by select optimum levels, either on the gray levels of image histogram (as Otsu classifier), or on the gray levels of image intensities(as k-mean classifier), which are represent threshold values of the classes. In order to compare between the experimental results of these classifiers, the computation time is recorded and the needed iterations for k-means classifier to converge with optimum classes centers. The variation in the recorded computation time for k-means classifier is discussed.
Numerical simulations are carried out to assess the quality of the circular and square apodize apertures in observing extrasolar planets. The logarithmic scale of the normalized point spread function of these apertures showed sharp decline in the radial frequency components reaching to 10-36 and 10-34 respectively and demonstrating promising results. This decline is associated with an increase in the full width of the point spread function. A trade off must be done between this full width and the radial frequency components to overcome the problem of imaging extrasolar planets.
Bioethanol produced from lignocellulose feedstock is a renewable substitute to declining fossil fuels. Pretreatment using ultrasound assisted alkaline was investigated to enhance the enzyme digestibility of waste paper. The pretreatment was conducted over a wide range of conditions including waste paper concentrations of 1-5%, reaction time of 10-30 min and temperatures of 30-70°C. The optimum conditions were 4 % substrate loading with 25 min treatment time at 60°C where maximum reducing sugar obtained was 1.89 g/L. Hydrolysis process was conducted with a crude cellulolytic enzymes produced by Cellulomonas uda (PTCC 1259).The maximum amount of sugar released and hydrolysis efficiency were 20.92 g/L and 78.4 %, respectively. Sugars
... Show MoreChange detection is a technology ascertaining the changes of
specific features within a certain time Interval. The use of remotely
sensed image to detect changes in land use and land cover is widely
preferred over other conventional survey techniques because this
method is very efficient for assessing the change or degrading trends
of a region. In this research two remotely sensed image of Baghdad
city gathered by landsat -7and landsat -8 ETM+ for two time period
2000 and 2014 have been used to detect the most important changes.
Registration and rectification the two original images are the first
preprocessing steps was applied in this paper. Change detection using
NDVI subtractive has been computed, subtrac
The growing use of tele
This paper presents a new secret diffusion scheme called Round Key Permutation (RKP) based on the nonlinear, dynamic and pseudorandom permutation for encrypting images by block, since images are considered particular data because of their size and their information, which are two-dimensional nature and characterized by high redundancy and strong correlation. Firstly, the permutation table is calculated according to the master key and sub-keys. Secondly, scrambling pixels for each block to be encrypted will be done according the permutation table. Thereafter the AES encryption algorithm is used in the proposed cryptosystem by replacing the linear permutation of ShiftRows step with the nonlinear and secret pe
... Show MoreThe health of Roadway pavement surface is considered as one of the major issues for safe driving. Pavement surface condition is usually referred to micro and macro textures which enhances the friction between the pavement surface and vehicular tires, while it provides a proper drainage for heavy rainfall water. Measurement of the surface texture is not yet standardized, and many different techniques are implemented by various road agencies around the world based on the availability of equipment’s, skilled technicians’ and funds. An attempt has been made in this investigation to model the surface macro texture measured from sand patch method (SPM), and the surface micro texture measured from out flow time (OFT) and British pendul
... Show MoreSoil fertility is a crucial factor in measuring soil quality, it indicates the extent to which soil can support plant life. Soil fertility is measured by the amount of macro and micronutrients, pH, etc. Soil nutrients are depleted after each harvest and therefore must be added. To maintain soil nutrient levels, fertilizer is added to the soil. Adding fertilizer in the precise amount is a matter of great importance because excess or insufficient application can harm plant life and reduce productivity. The use of modern technology is a solution to this problem. Although automated techniques for sowing, weeding, crop harvesting, etc. have been proposed and implemented, none of the techniques are aimed to maintaining soil fertility. The study a
... Show MoreCompanies seek to enhance investor confidence by achieving the highest level of transparency in disclosure of financial and non-financial information (SASB standards) for Iraqi insurance companies listed on the financial market. The aim of the research is to identify the extent of the ability of financial and non-financial information to enhance transparency in reporting, which is reflected in Investor confidence. And the standards of sustainability development accounting issued by (SASB) through the electronic questionnaire that was distributed. Companies seek to achieve a set of goals, the most important of which is to enhance investor confidence by improving transparency in disclosure. Concerning the employment of financial an
... Show More