Background: The interest in herbal extracts as antimicrobial agents has increased over the past few years in endodontic therapy. Nasturtium officinale (watercress) is a promising plant with great medicinal values. This study aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of watercress oil in combination with calcium hydroxide against Candida albicans as intracanal medicament. Materials and Methods: Candida albicans was isolated from patients with necrotic root canal or failed root canal treatment. The sensitivity of Candida albicans to different concentrations of watercress oil extract was determined by using the agar well diffusion method in comparison with calcium hydroxide paste. The agar plate method was used to determine the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the tested oil against the fungus. The combination of the oil extract of Nasturtium officinale with calcium hydroxide was evaluated and compared to calcium hydroxide paste with iodoform by using the agar well diffusion method. Results: The oil extract exhibited antifungal activity against Candida albicans, this activity was found to be increased as the concentration of extract increased. The tested combination of watercress oil extract with calcium hydroxide revealed larger inhibition zones than the ones formed by each tested agent individually. Conclusion: The oil extract of Nasturtium officinale is active against Candida albicans suggesting its potential to be used as an intracanal medicament alone or in combination with calcium hydroxide.
Air pollution is one of the important problems facing Iraq. Air pollution is the result of uncontrolled emissions from factories, car exhaust electric generators, and oil refineries and often reaches unacceptable limits by international standards. These pollutants can greatly affect human health and regular population activities. For this reason, there is an urgent need for effective devices to monitor the molecular concentration of air pollutants in cities and urban areas. In this research, an optical system has been built consisting of aHelium-Neonlaser,5mWand at 632.8 nm, a glass cell with a defined size, and a power meter(Gentec-E-model: uno) where a scattering of the laser beam occurs due to air pollution. Two pollutants were examin
... Show MoreThe pandemic SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmittable with its proliferation among nations. This study aims to design and exploring the efficacy of novel nirmatrelvir derivatives as SARS entry inhibitors by adapting a molecular modeling approach combined with theoretical design. The study focuses on the preparation of these derivatives and understanding their effectiveness, with a special focus on their binding affinity to the S protein, which is pivotal for the virus’s access to the host cell. Considering molecular docking aspects in the scope of a study on nirmatrelvir derivatives and S protein, dynamics simulations with 25 nanoseconds of their binding are explored. The study shows that these derivatives might work as effective antivi
... Show MoreThe advancements in horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing have been historically proven as the most viable technologies in the exploitation of unconventional resources (e.g., shale and tight gas reservoirs). However, the number of fractures, well timing, and arrangement pattern can have a significant impact on the project economy. Therefore, such design and operating parameters need to be efficiently optimized for obtaining the best production performance from unconventional gas reservoirs. In this study, the process of selecting the optimal number of fractures was conducted on a section of a tight gas reservoir model (based on data from the Whicher Range (WR) tight gas field in Western Australia). Then, the optimal number
... Show MoreThe need for renewable energy sources is higher than ever due to rising global warming, climate change, and ozone depletion. For refrigeration and air conditioning applications, adsorption refrigeration systems are viable alternatives cooling techniques. This study is a topic and part of the M.Sc. thesis. A field solar-powered ice maker unit was created, studied, tested, and evaluated on the 13th and 30th of May, 2022. Activated carbon and methanol pair was used to set up a refrigeration system in Baghdad (Al Dora). Experimental tests were carried out outdoors to determine the coefficient of performance COP and specific cooling power SCP of the system. The results showed that the lowest temperature
... Show MoreObjective This study aimed to compare the biomechanics of three-point shooting between elite Iraqi basketball players and international players, in order to identify key biomechanical differences that may impact shooting performance. Methods A total of 80 male basketball players participated in the study (40 elite Iraqi players and 40 international elite players). Kinematic data were collected using advanced motion analysis systems, force plates, and high-speed video analysis. The measured variables included joint angles, angular velocity, release speed, ball release angle, and ground reaction forces during three-point shooting. Each player performed 20 consecutive shots under controlled conditions. Group comparisons were conducted using st
... Show MoreA series of Schiff bases linked to phthalimidyl phenyl sulfonate moiety have been synthesized via multistep synthesis. The first step involved reaction of phthalic anhydride with aniline producing N-phenyl phthalamic acid which was subsequently dehydrated to the corresponding N-phenyl phthalimide via treatment with acetic anhydride and anhydrous sodium acetate. The synthesized imide was treated with chlorosulfonic acid in the third step producing 4-(N-phthalimidyl) phenyl sulfonyl chloride which was introduced in reaction with 4-hydroxy acetophenone in the fourth step producing 4-[4-(N-phthalimidyl) phenyl sulfonate] acetophenone and this in turn was introduced successfully in condensation reaction with various aromatic primary amines affor
... Show MoreIn most manufacturing processes, and in spite of statistical control, several process capability indices refer to non conformance of the true mean (µc ) from the target mean ( µT ), and the variation is also high. In this paper, data have been analyzed and studied for a blow molded plastic product (Zahi Bottle) (ZB). WinQSB software was used to facilitate the statistical process control, and process capability analysis and some of capability indices. The relationship between different process capability indices and the true mean of the process were represented, and then with the standard deviation (σ ), of achievement of process capability value that can reduce the standard deviation value and improve production out of theoretical con
... Show MoreThe CuInSe2 (CIS) nanocrystals are synthesized by arrested precipitation from molecular precursors are added to a hot solvent with organic cap- ping ligands to control nanocrystal formation and growth. CIS thin films deposited onto glass substrate by spray - coating, then selenized in Ar- atmosphere to form CIS thin films. PVs were made with power conversion efficiencies of 0.631% as -deposited and 0.846% after selenization, for Mo coated, under AM 1.5 illumination. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis it is evident that CIS have the chalcopyrite structure as the major phase with a preferred orientation along (112) direction and the atomic ratio of Cu : In : Se in the nanocrystals is nearly 1 : 1 : 2