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.
The aerodynamic and elastic forces may cause an oscillation of the structure such as the high frequency of the airfoil surfaces and the dynamic instability occurring in an aircraft in flight and failure may occur at a speed called flutter speed. In this work, analytical and numerical investigations of flutter limits of thin plates have been carried out. The flutter speed of rectangular plates were obtained and compared with some published results. Different design parameters were investigated such as aspect ratio, thickness and their effects on flutter velocity. It was found that the structural mode shape plays an important role in the determination of the flutter speed and the coupling between the bending and torsional mode is the main
... Show MoreIn this work, the design and implementation of a smart energy metering system has been developed. This system consists of two parts: billing center and a set of distributed smart energy meters. The function of smart energy meter is measuring and calculating the cost of consumed energy according to a multi-tariff scheme. This can be effectively solving the problem of stressing the electrical grid and rising consumer awareness. Moreover, smart energy meter decreases technical losses by improving power factor. The function of the billing center is to issue a consumer bill and contributes in locating the irregularities on the electrical grid (non-technical losses). Moreover, it sends the switch off command in case of the consumer bill is not
... Show MoreBacterial contamination of AL-Habania and AL-Tharthar reservoirs were studied during the period from February 2001 to January 2002, samples were collected from four stations in AL-Habania reservoir (AL-Warrar, AL-Theban regulator, middle of the reservoir and the fourth was towards AL-Razzaza reservoir) and from two stations at AL-Tharthar reservoir (Ein AL-Hilwa and the middle of the reservoir). Coliform bacteria, faecal Coliforms, Streptococci, faecal Streptococci and total count of bacteria were used as parameters of bacterial contamination in waters of both reservoirs through calculating the most probable number. Highest count of Coliform bacteria (15000 cell/100ml) was recorded at Ein AL-Hilwa and lowest count at AL-Theban regulator
... Show MoreIn this paper, a single-phase boost type ac-dc converter with power factor correction (PFC) technique is designed and implemented. A current mode control at a constant switching frequency is used as a control strategy for PFC converter. The PFC converter is a single-stage singleswitch boost converter that uses a current shaping technique to reshape the non-sinusoidal input current drawn by the bulky capacitor in the conventional rectifier. This technique should provide an input current with almost free-harmonics, comply with the IEC61000-3-2 limits, and a system operates with near unity power factor. The other function of the boost converter that should be
accomplished is to provide a regulated DC output voltage. The complete designed
Background: The integration of modern computer-aided design and manufacturing technologies in diagnosis, treatment planning, and appliance construction is changing the way in which orthodontic treatment is provided to patients. The aim of this study is to assess the validity of digital and rapid prototyped orthodontic study models as compared to their original stone models. Materials and methods: The sample of the study consisted of 30 study models with well-aligned, Angle Class I malocclusion. The models were digitized with desktop scanner to create digital models. Digital files were then converted to plastic physical casts using prototyping machine, which utilizes the fused deposition modeling technology. Polylactic acid polymer was chose
... Show MoreThis study was carried out to prepare and characterize domperidone nanoparticles to enhance solubility and the release rate. Domperidone is practically insoluble in water and has low and an erratic bioavailability range from 13%-17%. The domperidone nanoparticles were prepared by solvent/antisolvent precipitation method at different polymer:drug ratios of 1:1 and 2:1 using different polymers and grades of poly vinyl pyrolidone, hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as stabilizers. The effect of polymer type, ratio of polymer:drug, solvent:antisolvent ratio, stirring rate and stirring time on the particle size, were investigated and found to have a significant (p? 0.05) effect on particle size. The best formul
... Show MoreBackground Anorectal carcinoma includes the anal margin, the anal canal, and the lower rectum. The incidences of anal tumors represent 1.4 % of all gastrointestinal tumors.
Patients and methods Our study is retrospective and was conducted at Baghdad Medical City. Patient’s data were collected from the medical records through a predesigned sheet that included the following information: demographic data, medical history, past-history, presenting symptoms, pathological data, and treatment details.
Results The median age was 49 years. As regard tumor extension, 85.71 % of patients had anal disease, while anorectal cancer was encount
his study aimed to investigate the usability of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) in warm mix asphalt (WMA) as the implementation of sustainable construction technology. Five replacement rates (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) were tested for the coarse fraction of virgin aggregate (VA) with 3 types of RCA: untreated RCA, HL-treated RCA, and HCL-treated RCA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed to investigate the surface morphology for both treated and untreated RCA. The optimum asphalt cement content for every substitution rate was determined using Marshall mix design method. Thereafter, asphalt concrete specimens were prepared using the optimum asphalt cement content, followed by the evaluation of their performance prope
... Show MoreBackground: Lymphomas are a group of diseases caused by malignant lymphocytes that accumulate in lymph nodes and cause the characteristic clinical features of lymphadenopathy. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) (CD54) is a transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily of adhesion molecules. Cortactin was first identified as one of the major substrates for src kinase. because it localized to Cortical actin structures, The aims of this study was to evaluate and compare the immunohistochemical of ICAM-1 expression as cell adhesion molecule marker and Cortactin expression as invasive marker. Material and Methods: This study was performed on (68) formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks, histopathologically diagn
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