Effect of impression valve system on adhesion force of impression materials to edentulous maxillary jaw: a preliminary clinical study

Objective: The purpose of this preliminary clinical study was to evaluate the effect of novel impression valve system (IVS) on adhesion force of different impression materials to edentulous maxilla. Background data: Impression materials and techniques have an important role in complete denture success. During the functional impression with an individual impression tray (IIT), high adhesive forces exist between edentulous ridge and impression material. Removing the IIT from the mouth with minimal force provides the most accurate and non-deformed impression. Materials and methods: This study included twenty maxillary edentulous patients (n?=?20). Patients who had palatal torus, anatomic undercut, gagging reflex, and flabby ridges were excluded from the study. The age range of the participants was 55–70. All patients gave written informed consent. Two impression materials – zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) and alginate – were used as experimental material. The digital dynamometer was used to determine the adhesion force of impression materials with and without IVS to edentulous maxilla. The mean values of the adhesion forces were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test (α = 0.05). Results: The effect of IVS on adhesion force was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). There were also statistical differences between the ZOE and alginate groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The IVS is useful to remove the functional impression from the mouth without any deformation and detaching in cases which high adhesive force occurs.     

Prediction of wheat quality parameters using near-infrared spectroscopy and artificial neural networks

In wheat and flour processing, the quality control needs quick analytical tools for predicting physical, rheological, and chemical properties. In this study, near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy combined with artificial neural network (ANN) was used to predict the flour quality parameters that are protein content, moisture content, Zeleny sedimentation, water absorption, dough development time, dough stability time, degree of dough softening, tenacity (P), extensibility (L), P/G, strength, and baking test (loaf volume and loaf weight). A total of 79 flour samples of different wheat varieties grown in different regions of Turkey were chemically analyzed, and the results of both NIR spectrum (400–2,498 nm) and chemical analysis were used to train/test the network by applying various ANN architectures. Prediction of protein, P, P/G, moisture content, Zeleny sedimentation, and water absorption in particular gave a very good accuracy with coefficient of determination (R ²) of 0.952, 0.948, 0.933, 0.920, 0.917, and 0.832, respectively. The results indicate that NIR combined with the ANN can successfully be used to predict the quality parameters of wheat flour.     

Determination of the biodegradation of phenolated wood-based molding materials by strength loss method

The biodegradability of new molding materials from HCl-catalyzed phenolated wood was investigated by using some dynamic and static mechanical strength loss methods.     

Coenzyme Q10 supplementation and diastolic heart functions in hemodialysis patients: A randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation has been shown to improve diastolic heart function in various patient cohorts. Systolic and diastolic dysfunctions are common in patients with end‐stage renal disease. Favorable effects of CoQ10 on cardiac functions are yet to be seen in hemodialysis patients. We aimed to evaluate effect of CoQ10 supplementation on diastolic function in a cohort of maintenance hemodialysis patients. This was a prospective, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover study in which all patients received placebo and oral CoQ10 200 mg/d during the 8 weeks in each phase, with a 4‐week washout period. Participants underwent conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography before and after each study phase. Parameters characterizing left ventricle diastolic function and other standard echocardiographic measurements were recorded. Twenty‐eight patients were randomized, but 22 patients completed study protocol. Intraventricular septum (IVS) thickness and left ventricle mass were significantly decreased in CoQ10 group (P = 0.03 and P = 0.01, respectively). Myocardial peak systolic and early diastolic velocities derived from IVS were significantly increased (P = 0.048 and P = 0.04, respectively). Isovolumetric relaxation time and E/Em ratio calculated for IVS also significantly reduced in CoQ10 group (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). There was no significant difference in any of the studied echocardiographic parameters in placebo group. The results of this study showed that CoQ10 supplementation did not significantly improved diastolic heart functions compared with placebo in maintenance hemodialysis patients.     

Geological Setting and the Validity of the Petroleum System Logic in the Taurus Belt of Turkey

The Taurus Belt region is located in the southern part of Turkey and includes the Tauridia highlands, the Autochthonous Taurus Units and the Allochthonous Units in the southern and northern flank of the Tauridia, respectively, and the Gondwanian Units in the southern part of the entire area. The total thickness of Palaeozoic to Cenozoic sediments ranges from 2,500 m (for the Allochthonous Units) to 10,700 m (for the Autochthonous Taurus Units). All Taurus units display many characteristics of a carbonate platform. Previous studies in the Taurus region indicate that the Paleozoic successions in the eastern and central parts of that region include some intervals of potential petroleum source rocks. Some hydrocarbon indications were found in the Akseki, Guzelsu, and Ucyildiz areas.     

Electrochemical synthesis of polyaniline films on zinc-cobalt alloy deposited carbon steel surface in sodium oxalate

Polyaniline (PANI) coatings were electropolymerized on zinc-cobalt alloy deposited carbon steel (CS/ZnCo) electrode from an aqueous sodium oxalate solution using three different scan rates in cyclic voltammetric technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the surface morphology of the polymer film. The SEM images showed that the increase in scan rate induced an increase in grain size of the PANI film. The corrosion behavior of CS/ZnCo electrodes with and without PANI film in 3.5% NaCl solution were investigated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and anodic polarization studies. The results of the study showed that the PANI coatings provided significant and effective protection for the CS/ZnCo electrode, in preventing corrosion. In addition, the PANI film that was synthesized at a high scan rate, exhibited the best anti-corrosive performance due to the formation of protective oxide layers through its catalytic efficiency.     

An expert-system approach to the assembly planning of roller chains

In this paper, assembly planning of roller chains using an expert system is described. An Expert System Building Tool is used for the development of the expert system. Production rules are presented in OPS-5 language, in view of the information supporting the development of the expert system The frame-based representation of data, inference mechanism and conflict resolution strategy of the system are explained and discussed in detail.