Electrospinning is a novel technique that can be used to produce highly porous fibers with highly tunable properties. In this research, this technique is adopted to prepare the electrospun nanofiber membrane for membrane distillation application. A custom-built electrospinning setup was made to prepare the nanofibers membrane. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer was used in the electrospinning process due to its high hydrophobicity. Electrospun (PVDF) nanofibers were tested in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process using 0.6 M sodium chloride as a feed solution. The resulting nanofiber membrane exhibited high performance in DCMD (i.e. relatively high water flux and high salt rejection). It has been found

Ultraviolet light radiation is applied to treat Plaque Psoriasis disease by targeted phototherapy. This is available through Narrowband-UVB light radiation devices peaked at wavelength 311 nm. Ten cases were chosen as a study group, 8 males aged 22-40 years old, and 2 females aged 25 and 32 years old who were exposed to ultraviolet light radiation. Their recovery or improvement was followed weekly. Different doses were used according to the severity of the lesion and as a trial for the outcome. The dose was given two times a week, starting with 200mJ/cm^2, and subsequently increased by 100 or 200 mJ/cm² reaching a maximum dose as tolerated by each individual patient. Improvement was observed after 4 – 6 weeks. The

ST Alawi, NA Mustafa, Al-Mustansiriyah Journal of Science, 2013

In this study, thirty-two adult male mice were divided into four groups control and experimental treatment groups received crocin at 4, 20, and 100 mg/kg daily for six weeks. In results, testosterone level was increased significantly from 18.5 ng/dl in the control to 49.3 ng/dl in group received crocin at 20 mg/kg. The regular features of seminiferous tubules with increased Sertoli cells have been observed in the 20mg/kg crocin group.  In the group received crocin at 100 mg/kg, many of the seminiferous tubules were atrophic, spermatogenic cells were discontinuous in the same areas while the space among them has been increased, and fewer interstitial tissue between seminiferous tubules were observed. The changes were markedly

Background: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a promising implant material due to its superior biomechanical strength. However, due to its hydrophobic nature and lack of cellular adhesion properties, it has poor integration with bone tissue. Methods: A fractional CO2 laser was used with various parameters for surface texturing of PEEK substrate to enhance its surface properties. An optical microscope and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) were used to examine the surface morphology of untextured and laser-textured samples. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was performed to determine the effect of the laser on the microstructure of PEEK. Surface microroughness, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wettability were invest

For design purposes, it`s necessary to know the compression rate of soil layers which might be happened when it`s subjected to effective stresses. Also, it`s essential to know the rate of flow through soil mass specially for the design of marine structures or earth embankment. These two important behavior could be predicted from the coefficient of consolidation (Cv) and the coefficient of permeability (k). This study shows the effect of cutback asphalt stabilization on Cv and k and other compressibility factors, the investigation was done for silty clay samples, specimens were prepared by mixing the soil with different percentage of asphalt from (0-10)% and subjected to one-dimensional consolidation test of 50mm diameter and 20mm height wer

In this work, the copper metal was treated using Nd:YAG laser with energy 1Joul to enhance corrosion resistance and improve surface properties. The copper metal has many applications in industry as well as water, oil and gas pipes. The same conditions, (laser power density, scan speed, distance between paths, medium gas-air) were applied in the laser surface treatment, After laser treatment, the samples microstructures were investigated using optical microscope (OM) to examine micro structural changes due to laser irradiation. Specimen surfaces were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), macro hardness, and corrosion test before and after laser treatment to

Background: Thalassemia is a hereditary anemia resulting from defects in hemoglobin production. ?- thalassemia caused by decrease in the production of ?- globin chains affect multiple organs and is associated with cranio-oro-facial deformity which include prominent cheek bones and protrusive premaxilla with depression of the nasal bridge often referred to as “rodent or chip-munk face” with small mandible and Cl.II skeletal relationship. This study aimed to investigate cephalometric craniofacial parameters (skeletal) of ?- thalassemic major patients by using computed tomography and to compare findings with a group of healthy patients in the same age group. Subject, Materials and Method: The study included (40) patients with ?- thalassemi

Biofilm formation is one of the biggest challenges of scientists. Role of heavy metals in forming biofilm is not clear enough. Here, the effect of lead on biofilm formation by Bacillus spp. isolated from soil in terms of biofilm formation and remove was studied. In present study, 10 isolates of Bacillus spp were isolated from soil. The ability of all isolates to form biofilm was evaluated. The effect of lead on biofilm formation was studied by adding lead (pb) before forming biofilm. In another experiment the lead was added after biofilm formation to study the effect of lead on biofilm remove. The current study, showed the ability of all studied isolates to form biofilm. Maximum biofilm formation by Bacillus spp isolate number 8 (B8) follow

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was studied using CdS and ZnS as catalyst. The photocatalytic activity of the specimen was studied by exposing to UV-radiation. The result shows that the degradation efficiency of the dye for CdS micro-particles was 92% after 7 hours and for ZnS micro-particles was 88.29% for the same time interval.