Objective: Evaluate the effects of different storage periods on flexural strength (FS) and degree of conversion (DC) of Bis-Acryl composite and Urethane dimethacrylate provisional restorative materials. Material and Methods: A total of 60 specimens were prepared from four temporary crown materials commercially available and assigned to four tested groups (n = 15 for each group): Prevision Temp, B&E CROWN, Primma Art, and Charm Temp groups. The specimens were stored in artificial saliva, and the FS was tested after 24 h, 7 d, and 14 d. A standard three-point bending test was conducted using a universal testing machine. Additionally, the DC was determined using a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) device. The data were analyzed statistically using two- way ANOVA, Tukey`s HSD post-hoc test, and the Bonferroni test, all at a 5% significance level. For each group, a paired samples test was applied to compare the DC of the immediate and 24 h samples. Results: The highest FS value was found for the Prevision Temp material, while the Charm Temp material showed the lowest FS, with no statistically significant difference between the mean values of the groups at 24 h; while there were significant differences at 7d and 14 d of storage. However, within each group, the aging had no significant impact on the FS, except for an increase in the FS of the B&E CROWN group after 14 d. Prevision Temp also had the highest mean DC value. At each time interval, significant differences were recorded. Moreover, within each group of material, aging significantly increased the DC, except for the Primma Art. Conclusion: Bis-acryl composite resin materials exhibited higher flexural strength compared to traditional methyl methacrylate resin during the 14 d investigation period. Aging in artificial saliva did not significantly affect the mechanical performance of the tested materials. Materials with higher DC values showed greater flexural strength; where the Prevision Temp showed higher FS and DC values than the other tested materials.
Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)-based plastic optical fiber sensor for estimating the concentration and refractive index of sugar in human blood serum. The sensor is fabricated by a small part (10mm) of optical fiber in the middle is embedded in a resin block and then the polishing process is done, after that it is deposited with about (40nm) thickness of gold metal. The blood serum is placed on gold coated core of an Optical grade plastic optical fiber of 980 µm core diameter.
In the modern world, wind turbine (WT) has become the largest source of renewable energy. The horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) has higher efficiency than the vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). The blade pitch angle (BPA) of WT is controlled to increase output power generation over the rated wind speed. This paper proposes an accurate controller for BPA in a 500-kw HAWT. Three types of controllers have been applied and compared to find the best controller: PID controller (PIDC), fuzzy logic type-2 controller (T2FLC), and hybrid type-2 fuzzy-PID controller (T2FPIDC). This paper has been used Mamdani and Sugeno fuzzy inference systems (FIS) to find the best inference system for WT controllers. Furthermore, genetic algorithm (GA) and particl
... Show MoreThis study provides an empirical and strategic contribution to the revenue management literature by investigating the transition from static cost-plus pricing to a dynamic, elasticity-based framework within state-owned extractive industries (SOEs). While dynamic pricing is extensively studied in flexible, data-rich private markets, its application in structurally rigid SOEs within transitional economies remains a critical research gap. Drawing on primary fiscal and production data from the 2024 fiscal year of the General Company for Mining Industries (SCMI), we developed a mathematical model to determine optimal pricing ( ) based on marginal cost principles and demand elasticity. The findings demonstrate that replacing rigid accounting rout
... Show MoreTransient mixed convection heat transfer in a confined porous medium heated at periodic sinusoidal heat flux is investigated numerically in the present paper. The Poisson-type pressure equation, resulted from the substituting of the momentum Darcy equation in the continuity equation, was discretized by using finite volume technique. The energy equation was solved by a fully implicit control volume-based finite difference formulation for the diffusion terms with the use of the quadratic upstream interpolation for convective kinetics scheme to discretize the convective terms and the temperature values at the control volume faces. The numerical study covers a range of the hydrostatic pressure sinusoidal amplitude range and
... Show MorePsoriasis is a complex autoimmune disorder characterized by skin inflammation with keratinocyte proliferation, and 85% of cases present as plaque-type psoriasis. Biologics such as ustekinumab (UST) are highly successful therapies for psoriasis. To achieve maximum clinical efficacy while minimizing undesirable effects, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for biologics has emerged. This study aims to measure the UST trough level (TL) and anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) and to evaluate clinical response in Iraqi patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis in order to make appropriate recommendations for modifying therapy. This cross-sectional study enrolled 75 patients, divided into two groups: Group 1, patients who achieved the UST target TL (≥0.6
... Show MoreAbstract This dissertation examined the policy of American settlers toward Native peoples in the United States as one of the most complex issues in modern American history, as it was closely connected to the emergence of the new state and to the political, military, and economic transformations that followed the War of Independence, this policy developed within an expansionist context characterized by the pursuit of control over land and resources and the reorganization of geographical space in ways that served settler interests, in contrast to the marginalization of Indigenous presence and the erosion of their political and social systems, historical evidence demonstrated that relations between the two sides did not rest on fixed foundatio
... Show MoreThis paper proposed a new method for network self-fault management (NSFM) based on two technologies: intelligent agent to automate fault management tasks, and Windows Management Instrumentations (WMI) to identify the fault faster when resources are independent (different type of devices). The proposed network self-fault management reduced the load of network traffic by reducing the request and response between the server and client, which achieves less downtime for each node in state of fault occurring in the client. The performance of the proposed system is measured by three measures: efficiency, availability, and reliability. A high efficiency average is obtained depending on the faults occurred in the system which reaches to
... Show MoreThis work presents a design for a pressure swing adsorption process (PSA) to separate oxygen from air with approximately 95% purity, suitable for different numbers of columns and arrangements. The product refill PSA process was found to perform 33% better (weight of zeolite required or productivity) than the pressure equalization process. The design is based on the adsorption equilibrium of a binary mixture of O2 and N2 for two of the most commonly used adsorbents, 5A & 13X, and extension from a single column approach. Zeolite 13X was found to perform 6% better than zeolite 5A. The most effective variables were determined to be the adsorption step time and the operational pressure. Increasing the adsorption step
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