Cover crops (CC) improve soil quality, including soil microbial enzymatic activities and soil chemical parameters. Scientific studies conducted in research centers have shown positive effects of CC on soil enzymatic activities; however, studies conducted in farmer fields are lacking in the literature. The objective of this study was to quantify CC effects on soil microbial enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, and dehydrogenase) under a corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotation. The study was conducted in 2016 and 2018 in Chariton County, Missouri, where CC were first established in 2012. All tested soil enzyme levels were significantly different between 2016 and 2018

This study assessed the effect of co-substitution of strontium (Sr) and magnesium (Mg) ions into the hydroxyapatite (HA) coating which was deposited on Ti–6Al–4V dental alloys by an electrochemical deposition process. The deposited layers were examined using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The corrosion behavior of Ti–6Al–4V alloys in an artificial saliva environment was studied through potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicated that the substituted Sr and Mg ions in HA improved the HA coating, where the protection efficiency percentage (PE%) for Ti

Nitinol (NiTi) is used in many medical applications, including hard tissue replacements, because of its suitable characteristics, including a close elastic modulus to that of bones. Due to the great importance of the mechanical properties of this material in tissue replacements, this work aims to study the hysteresis response in an attempt to explore the ability of the material to remember its previous mechanical state in addition to its ability to withstand stress and to obtain the optimal dimensions and specifications for the manufacturer of NiTi actuators. Stress-strain examination is done in a computational way using a mutable Lagoudas MATLAB code for various coil radii, environment temperatures, and coil lengths. The computational m

This study rigorously investigates three 3d transition metal carbide (TMC) structures via LDA and GGA approximations. It examines cohesive energy (Ecoh), Vickers hardness (Hv), mechanical stability, and electronic properties. Notably, most 3d TMCs exhibit higher cohesive energy than nitrides, and rs-TiC demonstrates a Vickers hardness of 25.66 GPa, outperforming its nitride counterpart. The study employs theoretical calculations to expedite research, revealing mechanical stability in CrC and MnC (GGA) and CrC (LDA in cc structure), while all 3d TMCs in rs and seven in zb structures show stability. Charge transfer and bonding analysis reveal enhanced covalency along the series, influenced by the interplay between p orbitals of carbon and d o

Background: The most common reason for re-making a maxillofacial prosthesis is the degradation of the mechanical properties of the silicone. Aim of this study: To assess some mechanical properties of VST-50F maxillofacial silicone reinforced with a composite of silicon dioxide nanoparticle and polyamide-6 microparticle before and after artificial aging. Material and Method: Preparing 240 samples tested for tear strength, tensile strength and elongation percentage, hardness, and roughness before and after aging. The Silicon dioxide was added in concentrations of 1% by weight and Polyamide-6 in the concentration of 0.25% and 0.5% by weight to the VST-50F RTV maxillofacial silicone. The one-way ANOVA and post hoc tests were used for inferentia

An optimization calculation is made to find the optimum properties of combined quadrupole lens which consists of electrostatic and magnetic lens. Both chromatic and spherical aberration coefficients are reduced to minimum values and the achromatic aberration is found for many cases. These calculations are achieved with the aid of transfer matrices method and using rectangular model of field distribution, where the path of charged-particles beam traversing the field has been determined by solving the trajectory equation of motion and then the optical properties for lens have been computed with the aid of the beam trajectory along the lens axis. The computations have been concentrated on determining the chromatic and spher

Background: One common undesirable side effect of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances is the development of incipient caries lesions around brackets, particularly in patients with poor oral hygiene. Different methods have been used to prevent demineralization; the recent effort to improve the resistance against the demineralization is by the application of lasers. Materials and method: Thirty human premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes were used to test the effect of two energy level of ER-YAG laser on enamel resistance to demineralization. The brackets were bonded on the teeth and all the labial surface excluding 2 mm area gingival to the brackets were painted with acid resistance varnish. Three groups were generated. The fi

In this work, an investigation for the dynamic analysis of thin composite cylindrical and spherical shells is presented. The analytical solution is based upon the higher order shear deformation theory of elastic shells from which the developed equations are derived to deal with orthotropic layers. This will cover the determination of the fundamental natural frequencies and mode shapes for simply supported composites cylindrical and spherical shells.

      The analytical results obtained by using the derived equations were confirmed by the finite element technique using the well known Ansys package. The results have shown a good agreement with a maximum percentage of discrepancy, which gives a confidence o