The effect of combined use of chitosan and PIPS on push-out bond strength of root canal filling materials

Adhesion of root canal filling materials to root dentin is important for the long-term success of the treatment. Push-out bond strength test is used to evaluate the adhesion capacity of root canal filling materials to root canal walls. The aim of the present study is to compare the bond strength of root canal filling materials to root dentin after irrigation with EDTA, chitosan and the combination of chitosan and PIPS irridation using push-out bond strength test. Forty-eight extracted teeth were resected until 13-mm long roots were obtained. Root canals were prepared with a size-25 OneShape instrument. Samples were divided into three groups each including 15 roots. Group 1: Canals were rinsed with 0.2% chitosan and subjected to laser irridation with PIPS at the same time. Group 2: Canals were rinsed with 0.2% chitosan. Group 3: Canals were rinsed with EDTA. All canals were filled with .06 tapered gutta-percha and AH-plus sealer. One-mm thick slices were taken from coronal, middle and apical one-thirds of the roots. Push-out bond strength was determined using a Universal Testing Machine. One root from each group was observed under SEM to evaluate the degree of smear removal. Statistical analysis was performed with Kruskall-Wallis test. Results showed that bond strength values were statistically similar in overall evaluation for all groups (p > .05). In segmental evaluation, group 1 revealed the highest bond strength in apical one-third compared to other groups (p < .05).     

Investigation on the effect of spinning conditions on the properties of hollow fiber membrane for hemodialysis application

Polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber membranes were fabricated via the dry‐wet phase inversion spinning technique, aiming to produce an asymmetric, micro porous ultrafiltration hollow‐fiber specifically for hemodialysis membrane. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of spinning conditions on the morphological and permeation properties of the fabricated membrane. Among the parameters that were studied in this work are air gap distance, dope extrusion rate, bore fluid flow rate, and the take‐up speed. The contact angle was measured to determine the hydrophilicity of the fibers. Membrane with sufficient hydrophilicity properties is desired for hemodialysis application to avoid fouling and increase its biocompatibility. The influences of the hollow fiber's morphology (i.e., diameter and wall thickness) on the performance of the membranes were evaluated by pure water flux and BSA rejection. The experimental results showed that the dope extrusion rate to bore fluid flow rate ratio should be maintained at 1:1 ratio to produce a perfectly rounded asymmetric hollow fiber membrane. Moreover, the flux of the hollow fiber spun at higher air gap distance had better flux than the one spun at lower air gap distance. Furthermore, spinning asymmetric hollow fiber membranes at high air gap distance helps to produce a thin and porous skin layer, leading to a better flux but a relatively low percentage of rejection for BSA separation. Findings from this study would serve as primary data which will be a useful guide for fabricating a high performance hemodialysis hollow fiber membrane. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43633.     

Characterization and mechanical properties of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets reinforced polyethylene terephthalate/polypropylene composites

Recently, graphene and its derivatives have been used to develop polymer composites with improved or multifunctional properties. Exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) reinforced composite materials based on blend of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polypropylene (PP) compatibilized with styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene‐g‐maleic anhydride is prepared by melt extrusion followed by injection molding. Characterization of the composites' microstructure and morphology was conducted using field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Tensile and impact strengths of test specimens were evaluated and the results showed maximum values at 3phr GNP in both the cases. Morphological studies showed that the GNPs were uniformly dispersed within the matrix. Results from XRD analysis showed uniformly dispersed GNPs, which may not have been substantially exfoliated. FTIR spectroscopy did not show any significant change in the peak positions to suggest definitive chemical interaction between GNP and the matrix. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40582.     

Preparation of rare earth-doped ZnO hierarchical micro/nanospheres and their enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Rare earth-doped ZnO hierarchical micro/nanospheres were prepared by a facile chemical precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the as-synthesized products were well-crystalline and accumulated by large amount of interleaving nanosheets. It was also observed that the rare earth doping increased the visible light absorption ability of the catalysts and red shift for rare earth-doped ZnO products appeared when compared to pure ZnO. The photocatalytic studies revealed that all the rare earth-doped ZnO products exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation of phenol compared with the pure ZnO and commercial TiO₂ under visible light irradiation. Nd-doped ZnO had the highest photocatalytic activity among all of the rare earth-doped ZnO products studied. The optimal Nd content was 2.0 at% under visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of rare earth-doped ZnO products can be attributed to the increase in the rate of separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and hydroxyl radicals generation ability as evidenced by photoluminescence spectra.     

Validation and improvement of gamma heating calculation methods for the G.A. Siwabessy multipurpose reactor

Nuclear Science and Techniques - This study presents the RF design of a linear accelerator (linac) operated in single-bunch mode. The accelerator is powered by a compressed RF pulse produced from a...     

Studies on batch adsorptive removal of cadmium and nickel from synthetic waste water using silty clay originated from Balochistan–Pakistan

The potentials of silty clay(SC), acquired from Chaman, Balochistan, were investigated as adsorbent for Ni(Ⅱ)and Cd(Ⅱ) removal from contaminated media. The influence of different operating factors like dose, pH, temperature, and time of contact was explored, and optimum values were noted under batch adsorption method. Isothermal study was conducted with varying concentrations of solutions on optimized conditions and different adsorption models i.e., Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich(D–R) isotherm, which were employed to interpret the process. The isothermal data of both Ni(Ⅱ) and Cd(Ⅱ) were well fitted to Langmuir isotherm suggesting the formation of monolayer of metal ions on silty clay. The values of adsorption capacity noted for Ni(Ⅱ) and Cd(Ⅱ) were 3.603 mg·g~(-1) and 5.480 mg·g~(-)1, respectively. Kinetic studies affirmed that pseudo second order(PSO) kinetics was being obeyed by the removal of Ni(Ⅱ) and Cd(Ⅱ). Thermodynamic variables like free energy change(ΔG°), enthalpy change(ΔH°) and entropy change(ΔS°) were calculated. The negative value of ΔG° and the positive values of ΔH° and ΔS° unfolded that the removal process of both metal ions of by SC was spontaneous, endothermic and feasible.