Objective. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the force degradation of two types of elastomeric chains following different periods of immersion in zinc-containing mouthwashes. Materials and Methods. Four hundred and forty pieces of Elasto-Force and Super Elasto-Force elastomeric chains were divided into two control and eight experimental groups. The pieces were stretched to 25 mm on pins mounted on an acrylic block and stored in distilled water at 37°C. The experimental groups were immersed in four different types of mouthwash for one minute twice a day throughout the test period. Ten continuous thermocycles per day between cold and hot water baths (5–55°C) were carried out. Forces were measured at six-time intervals (initial, 24 hours, 1, 3, 6, and 8 weeks). The mean force was calculated and compared among different elastomeric chains, mouthwashes, and times using the t-test and one-way ANOVA test followed by Tukey’s HSD test. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results. Both types of elastomeric chains had significant force degradation over time (74–79% at 8 weeks). The Super Elasto-Force generated a higher force level than the Elasto-Force elastomeric chain at all time points. SmartMouth Clinical DDS mouthwash had a significantly lower effect on force degradation than other mouthwashes with no significant difference compared to control groups. Conclusions. Depending on these results: there is no clinically significant difference between both types of elastomeric chains, although Super Elasto-Force delivered a higher force level. The pH of the mouthwashes could play a role in force degradation over time, rather than other ingredients including zinc. The SmartMouth mouthwash had the minimum effect on force degradation of elastomeric chains, followed by Halita, Listerine Total Care Zero, and Breath Rx, respectively.
Abstract
The research aims to measure the level of critical thinking skills among students of A’Sharqiah University in the Sultanate of Oman, as well as identify the level of their availability based on the variables: gender, academic level, school year, cumulative average, and general diploma / high school ratio. The researchers used the descriptive approach. To achieve the objectives of the study, they used The California Test for Critical Thinking Skills Picture (A) after evaluation (Farraj, 2006). It was applied to a sample of (487) students from A’sharqiah University. The results of the study found that the critical thinking skills of A’sharqiah University students are below the educationally acceptabl
... Show MoreThis work investigates the impacts of eccentric-inclined load on ring footing performance resting on treated and untreated weak sandy soil, and due to the reduction in the footing carrying capacity due to the combinations of eccentrically-inclined load, the geogrid was used as reinforcement material. Ring radius ratio and reinforcement depth ratio parameters were investigated. Test outcomes showed that the carrying capacity of the footing decreases with the increment in the eccentric-inclined load and footing radius ratio. Furthermore, footing tilt and horizontal displacement increase with increasing the eccentricity and inclination angle, respectively. At the same time, the increment in the horizontal displacement due t
... Show MoreThe current study used extracts from the aloe vera (AV) plant and the hibiscus sabdariffa flower to make Ag-ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and Ag-ZnO nanocomposites (NCs). Ag/ZnO NCs were compared to Ag NPs and ZnO NPs. They exhibited unique properties against bacteria and fungi that aren't present in either of the individual parts. The Ag-ZnO NCs from AV showed the best performance against E. coli, with an inhibition zone of up to 27 mm, compared to the other samples. The maximum absorbance peaks were observed at 431 nm and 410 nm for Ag NPs, at 374 nm and 377 nm for ZnO NPs and at 384 nm and 391 nm for Ag-ZnO NCs using AV leaf extract and hibiscus sabdariffa flower extract, respectively. Using field emission-scanning electron microscopes (FE-
... Show MoreIn this paper, a procedure to establish the different performance measures in terms of crisp value is proposed for two classes of arrivals and multiple channel queueing models, where both arrival and service rate are fuzzy numbers. The main idea is to convert the arrival rates and service rates under fuzzy queues into crisp queues by using graded mean integration approach, which can be represented as median rule number. Hence, we apply the crisp values obtained to establish the performance measure of conventional multiple queueing models. This procedure has shown its effectiveness when incorporated with many types of membership functions in solving queuing problems. Two numerical illustrations are presented to determine the validity of the
... Show MoreSpray pyrolysis technique was used to make Carbon60-Zinc oxide (C60-ZnO) thin films, and chemical, structural, antibacterial, and optical characterizations regarding such nanocomposite have been done prior to and following treatment. Fullerene peaks in C60-ZnO thin films are identical and appear at the same angles. Following the treatment of the plasma, the existence regarding fullerene peaks in the thin films investigated suggests that the crystallographic quality related to C60-ZnO thin films has enhanced. Following plasma treatment, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images regarding a C60-ZnO thin film indicate that both zinc oxide and fullerene particles had shrunk in the size and have an even distribution. In addition
... Show MoreIn this study, the antimicrobial properties of newly synthesized Schiff bases (4a-4e) and thiazolidinone compounds (5a-5e) generated from 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid were assessed. These compounds were obtained by reacting 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (1) with ethanol in a few drops of concentrated H2SO4 to produce the ester (2). The acid hydrazide (3), which was produced by treating the ester with hydrazine hydrate, reacted with the proper aldehydes, including 4-bromobenzaldehyde, 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, respectively, to form Schiff bases (4a-4e). The thiazolidinone compounds (5a-5e) were produced by the cyclocondensation reaction of compounds (4a-4e) with thio
... Show MoreIn this study, the antimicrobial properties of newly synthesized Schiff bases (4a-4e) and thiazolidinone compounds (5a-5e) generated from 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid were assessed. These compounds were obtained by reacting 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (1) with ethanol in a few drops of concentrated H2SO4 to produce the ester (2). The acid hydrazide (3), which was produced by treating the ester with hydrazine hydrate, reacted with the proper aldehydes, including 4-bromobenzaldehyde, 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, respectively, to form Schiff bases (4a-4e). The thiazolidinone compounds (5a-5e) were produced by the cyclocondensation reaction of compounds (4a-4e) with thio
... Show MoreSorghum cultivation is often accompanied by low field emergence rates and weak seedlings, which may be due to genetic or environmental stress. A factorial experiment was conducted in the spring and fall seasons of 2022 using a randomized complete block design with split-plot arrangement and four replications. Planting dates (spring season: Feb. 15th, Mar. 1st, 15th, and Apr. 1st, 15th; fall season: Jun. 15th, Jul. 1st, 15th, and Aug. 1st, 15th) were allocated to the main plots. Seeds stimulation treatments (35% banana peel extract + 100 mg L-1 citric acid and distilled water soaking treatment only) were allocated to the subplots. The interaction treatment (banana peel extract + citric acid) with the planting date of April 15 showed the high
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