Resilient polymeric materials such as silicone elastomers are currently used for maxillofacial prostheses construction but the strength of these materials and their clinical performance need to be optimized with the addition of reinforcing fillers. This study investigates the effect of zirconia nanopowder addition on tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, Shore A hardness, surface roughness and cytotoxicity of VST-50 maxillofacial silicone. Silicone base was mixed with different amounts (1%, 2% and 3%) of zirconia nanopowder using a vacuum mixer. Silicone without filler was used as control for comparison. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were utilized to assess the efficiency of high-shear vacuum mixing as filler dispersion method and the surface topography, respectively. Both SEM and AFM images showed that the zirconia nanopowder were distributed fairly well within the polymer. Statistically, highly significant increase in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness with non-significant decrease in elongation at break and non-significant increase in surface roughness were seen with 1% and 2% groups. Whereas with 3% group, there was significant improvement in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness but there was significant undesirable decrease in elongation and increase in roughness. Cytotoxicity test revealed that the addition of zirconia nanopowder was nontoxic to Rat Embryonic Fibroblast (REF) cells and there was non-significant change in the cell viability of all study groups after 24- and 72-hours incubation periods. In conclusion, the addition of 2% by weight nano zirconia to VST-50 maxillofacial silicone could be beneficial in enhancing its performance.
In this research, experimental and numerical studies were carried out to investigate the performance of encased glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) beams under fire. The test specimens were divided into two peer groups to be tested under the effect of ambient and elevated temperatures. The first group was statically tested to investigate the monotonic behavior of the specimens. The second group was exposed to fire loading first and then statically tested to explore the residual behavior of the burned specimens. Adding shear connectors and web stiffeners to the GFRP beam was the main parameter in this investigation. Moreover, service loads were applied to the tested beams during the fire. Utilizing shear connectors, web stiffeners,
... Show MoreThe aim of the present study was to isolated the Enterococcus spp. from milk samples of cow and vaginal swabs from aborted women and patient women in Baghdad during September 2016 to april 2017. All 100 milk sample collecting was carried out on California Mastitis Test (CMT) and the positive Percentage of CMT reactions was 5% and the percentage of Enterococcus isolates from mastitic milk was 60% and 30% from nonmasitic milk. The prevalence of Enterococcus spp was 31% of milk samples and the prevalence of Enterococcus spp. Isolates were 67.74% of the isolates of cow milk samples were Enterococcus faecalis, 25.80% was Group D and 6.45% was non groupable while Enterococcus spp. isolates from aborted women samples were 20% and all isolated was
... Show MoreIn this research, experimental and numerical studies were carried out to investigate the performance of encased glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) beams under fire. The test specimens were divided into two peer groups to be tested under the effect of ambient and elevated temperatures. The first group was statically tested to investigate the monotonic behavior of the specimens. The second group was exposed to fire loading first and then statically tested to explore the residual behavior of the burned specimens. Adding shear connectors and web stiffeners to the GFRP beam was the main parameter in this investigation. Moreover, service loads were applied to the tested beams during the fire. Utilizing shear connectors, web stiffeners,
... Show MoreAn experiment was conducted in a greenhouse - research station B - College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, during the fall season of 2018 with the aim of propagating and initially studying the field performance of 18 and 20 potential potato lines derived from Rivera and Arizona cv. after in vitro exposure of nodal segments to different dosages of gamma rays (0, 10, 20, and 30 Gray) and EMS (0, 10, 20, and 30 mM). Each control cultivar and their derived lines were independently cultured in plastic bags according to the RCBD, with three replications. The results showed that the highest plant height and number of leaves were obtained from Arizona derived lines which gave 60.11 cm and 25.30 leaves.plant-1 in
... Show MoreIn recent years, the need for Machine Translation (MT) has grown, especially for translating legal contracts between languages like Arabic and English. This study primarily investigates whether Google Translator can adequately replace human translation for legal documents. Utilizing a widely popular free web-based tool, Google Translate, the research method involved translating six segments from various legal contracts into Arabic and assessing the translations for lexical and syntactic accuracy. The findings show that although Google Translate can quickly produce English-Arabic translations, it falls short compared to professional translators, especially with complex legal terms and syntax. Errors can be categorized into: polysemy,
... Show MoreAbstract
This study aims to identify the empathy of University Students, as well as the significant differences in sympathy in terms of gender and specialization. To achieve the aims of the study, a scale of empathy was administered to a sample of (450) students collected randomly from Baghdad university. The results showed that the study sample has a level of empathy. There is a significant difference between males and females in empathy, in favor of the female students. There is no significant difference in empathy in terms of specialization (scientific, humanities), and the interaction between males and females. The study came out with a number of recommendations and suggestions.