Sustainable vegetative management plays a significant role in improving soil quality in degraded agricultural landscapes by enhancing soil microbial biomass. This study investigated the effects of grass buffers (GBs), biomass crops (BCs), grass waterways (GWWs), and agroforestry buffers (ABs) on soil microbial biomass and soil organic C (SOC) compared with continuous corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation (row crop [RC]) on claypan soils. The RC, AB, GB, GWW, and BC treatments were established in 1991, 1997, 1997, 1997, and 2012, respectively, and are located at Greenley Memorial Research Center in Missouri. Soil samples were collected in May 2018 from the 0‐ to

Measuring the efficiency of postgraduate and undergraduate programs is one of the essential elements in educational process. In this study, colleges of Baghdad University and data for the academic year (2011-2012) have been chosen to measure the relative efficiencies of postgraduate and undergraduate programs in terms of their inputs and outputs. A relevant method to conduct the analysis of this data is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The effect of academic staff to the number of enrolled and alumni students to the postgraduate and undergraduate programs are the main focus of the study.

This research studies the possibility of producing Bone China with available local and geological substitutes and other manufactured ones since it’s traditionally produced by Bone ash, Cornish stone, and China clay, while the substitutes are Kaolin instead of China clay and Feldspar potash instead of Cornish stone. Because of the unavailability of Feldspar in Iraq, it was substituted with the manufactured alternative Feldspar. Bone ash was prepared from cow bones with heating treatments, grinding and sifting. The alternative Feldspar was prepared by chemical analysis of the natural Feldspar potash with local materials that include Dwaikhla Kaolin, Urdhuma Silica sand, Potassium Carbonate, and Sodium Carbonate. The mixture was burned at

The significant addition of immersive technologies, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality(AR) and Mixed Reality(MR) are transforming the domain of design education. Still, finding an equilibrium between these new tools alongside with traditional methods of teaching is a menace which educational institutes needs to solve. This paper proposes a structure that would help the ease with which to include immersive technologies within design education, keeping in mind the solid points of more conventional pedagogical methods. Based on a survey of interior design programs, this research highlights the potential for VR, AR and MR in student engagement, creativity skills and professional practices. The results suggest that adoption of an im

In light of the development in computer science and modern technologies, the impersonation crime rate has increased. Consequently, face recognition technology and biometric systems have been employed for security purposes in a variety of applications including human-computer interaction, surveillance systems, etc. Building an advanced sophisticated model to tackle impersonation-related crimes is essential. This study proposes classification Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) models, utilizing Viola-Jones, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Mutual Information (MI), and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) techniques. The two proposed facial classification systems are J48 with LDA feature extraction method as input, and a one-dimen

A bolted–welded hybrid demountable shear connector for use in deconstructable steel–concrete composite buildings and bridges was proposed. The hybrid connector consisted of a partially threaded stud, which was welded on the flange of a steel section, and a machined steel tube with compatible geometry, which was bolted on the stud. Four standard pushout tests according to Eurocode 4 were carried out to assess the shear performance of the hybrid connector. The experimental results show that the initial stiffness, shear resistance, and slip capacity of the proposed connector were higher than those of traditional welded studs. The hybrid connector was a ductile connector, according to Eurocode 4, with slip capacity higher than 6 mm. A nonli

Finding communities of connected individuals in complex networks is challenging, yet crucial for understanding different real-world societies and their interactions. Recently attention has turned to discover the dynamics of such communities. However, detecting accurate community structures that evolve over time adds additional challenges. Almost all the state-of-the-art algorithms are designed based on seemingly the same principle while treating the problem as a coupled optimization model to simultaneously identify community structures and their evolution over time. Unlike all these studies, the current work aims to individually consider this three measures, i.e. intra-community score, inter-community score, and evolution of community over

This study looks into the many methods that are used in the risk assessment procedure that is used in the construction industry nowadays. As a result of the slow adoption of novel assessment methods, professionals frequently resort to strategies that have previously been validated as being successful. When it comes to risk assessment, having a precise analytical tool that uses the cost of risk as a measurement and draws on the knowledge of professionals could potentially assist bridge the gap between theory and practice. This step will examine relevant literature, sort articles according to their published year, and identify domains and qualities. Consequently, the most significant findings have been presented in a manne

Porous silicon was prepared by using electrochemical etching process. The structure, electrical, and photoelectrical properties had been performed. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) observations of porous silicon layers were obtained before and after rapid thermal oxidation process. The rapid thermal oxidation process did not modify the morphology of porous layers. The unique observation was the pore size decreased after oxidation; pore number and shape were conserved. The wall size which separated between pore was increased after oxidation and that effected on charge transport mechanism of PS