Background This in vitro study compares a self-etch primer (SEP) to an etch-and-rinse (EaR) for bonding sapphire brackets by evaluation of the enamel etch-pattern, shear bond strength, amount of remnant adhesive and enamel surface damage following thermal and fatigue cyclic loading. Material and Methods Ceramic (sapphire) brackets were bonded to 80 extracted human premolars using two enamel etching protocols: conventional EaR using 37% phosphoric acid (PA) gel (control), and a SEP (Transbond Plus). Each group was subdivided into two subgroups (n=20 teeth) according to the time of bracket debonding: after 24 h water storage or following 5000 thermo-cycles plus 5000 cycles fatigue loading, to determine the shear bond strength (SBS), adhesive remnant index (ARI score), with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation of enamel condition. Results The control subgroups consistently exhibited significantly higher (p<0.05) SBS mean values (23.4-29.8 MPa) than the SEP subgroups (15.1-22.4 MPa) at both bracket debonding time points. However, the SEP subgroups yielded milder etch-patterns and attained SBS values above the minimum requirement range for clinical performance. In addition, the higher SBS of control subgroups was accompanied with higher ARI scores and enamel damage grades than SEP subgroups as confirmed by SEM. Thermocycling and fatigue significantly reduced the SBS of all subgroups, with a non-significant drop in the amount of adhesive residue or enamel damage. Conclusions The use of SEP can be a suitable alternative to the conventional PA gel for sapphire bracket bonding as it maintains suitable bond strength and has the potential to produce both less remnant adhesive and enamel damage.
This article presents the simultaneous adsorption of bimetal Cu2+ and Zn2+ from an aqueous solution using activated carbon synthesized from a plum seed precursor by sulfuric acid and microwave activation: plum seeds chemically activated by 45% (w/w) sulfuric acid with 2:1 ratio for 4 h, then carbonized for 2 h at 700 °C and the product obtained activated in a microwave oven for 20 min at 700 W for final of activation. Plum seeds and activated carbon produced were characterized in terms of their physical and chemical composition using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurements, field emission scanning electr
The integration of nanomaterials in asphalt modification has emerged as a promising approach to enhance the performance of asphalt pavements, particularly under high-temperature conditions. Nanomaterials, due to their unique properties such as high surface area, exceptional mechanical strength, and thermal stability, offer significant improvements in the rheological properties, durability, and resistance to deformation of asphalt binders. This research reviewed the application of various nanomaterials, including nano silica, nano alumina, nano titanium, nano zinc, and carbon nanotubes in asphalt modification. The incorporation of these nanomaterials into asphalt mixtures has shown potential to increase the stiffness and high-tempera
... Show MoreGundelia, a genus of flowering plants native to the Mediterranean region, particularly in Iraq, holds promise as a sustainable adsorbent for the treatment of dye-polluted water. This study explores the potential of Gundelia seeds (GS) waste as a biobased adsorbent for removing methylene blue dye from synthesized wastewater. Utilizing various analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), we assessed GS as an active adsorbent with performance comparable to fabricated and expensive composites. Key parameters such as pH (3-11), pH at the point of zero charge, temperature (298-328 K), dose (0.02-0.1 g), dye concentration (10-50 ppm), and
... Show MoreMultiplicative inverse in GF (2 m ) is a complex step in some important application such as Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and other applications. It operates by multiplying and squaring operation depending on the number of bits (m) in the field GF (2 m ). In this paper, a fast method is suggested to find inversion in GF (2 m ) using FPGA by reducing the number of multiplication operations in the Fermat's Theorem and transferring the squaring into a fast method to find exponentiation to (2 k ). In the proposed algorithm, the multiplicative inverse in GF(2 m ) is achieved by number of multiplications depending on log 2 (m) and each exponentiation is operates in a single clock cycle by generating a reduction matrix for high power of two ex
... Show MoreThe research aims to achieve market share requirements and reach the targeted competitive price through the application of management accounting techniques represented by continuous improvement technique and target costing under an Activity Based Cost (ABC) system and Activity Based Management (ABM), In Muthanna Cement Company to reach the rationalization of the cost of the product and maintain the required quality and improve the profitability of the company.
The problem of research has emerged in the inability of local firms to enter into effective competition with other companies operating in the same economic sector, Because of the high cost of its products, Which led to the sale of the product at prices below its cost, and t
... Show MoreIn this paper, a miniaturized 2 × 2 electro-optic plasmonic Mach– Zehnder switch (MZS) based on metal–polymer–silicon hybrid waveguide is presented. Adiabatic tapers are designed to couple the light between the plasmonic phase shifter, implemented in each of the MZS arms, and the 3-dB input/output directional couplers. For 6 µm-long hybrid plasmonic waveguide supported by JRD1 polymer (r33= 390 pm/V), a π-phase shift voltage of 2 V is obtained. The switch is designed for 1550 nm operation wavelength using COMSOL software and characterizes by 2.3 dB insertion loss, 9.9 fJ/bit power consumption, and 640 GHz operation bandwidth
Intravascular embolisation of foreign bodies (FB) is a rare, serious complication that may occur during central venous line insertion. A 39-yearold male in a critical condition presented to casualty department with a through-and-through chest gunshot wound. Chest X-ray showed left haemothorax; an urgent chest tube was introduced and central venous access was introduced via the right femoral vein. The guided wire used in the procedure was unintentionally pushed to reach the right ventricular apex. Echocardiography confirmed FB location. Once stabilised, the patient was referred to Iraqi Centre of Cardiac Diseases, where transcatheter retrieval was performed. To stabilise the FB, a 6F pigtail catheter was used to create a U-shaped loop in the
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