High tunnels, or unheated plastic greenhouses, are becoming increasingly popular among organic vegetable growers across the United States. However, the intensive production typical of these systems presents soil health challenges, including salinization due to high fertilizer or compost inputs coupled with lack of rainfall to leach salts. Legume cover crops may improve soil health in high tunnels by reducing the need for external inputs, while adding organic matter. We tested the soil health effects of a winter hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) cover crop used to replace fertilizer N in an organic tomato cropping system in high tunnels. Studies were replicated across three sites differing in climate and soil type (Kansas, Kentucky, and Minnesota) over three years. We measured vetch cover crop effects on a suite of soil health indicators, including potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN), permanganate oxidizable carbon, and microbial biomass. Preliminary results suggest that vetch effects on PMN were highly variable. Soil mineral N, meanwhile, was often lower in the vetch treatment than in a fertilized control, both in spring and in fall. While further work on vetch effects on crop yields is needed, our results suggest that even legume cover crops such as vetch have the potential to reduce nitrate leaching.
Background: Dental caries and periodontal disease are the most common and widely spread diseases affecting humans at different ages. Aim of this study is the assessment of prevalence and severity of dental caries, gingivitis, oral hygiene and enamel anomalies in relation to gender and residency among 15 years old students in Maysan governorate –Iraq. Materials and methods: The total sample composed of 750 students (400 males and 350 females, 450 urban and 300 rural) selected randomly from different high schools in the Governorate. Diagnoses and recording dental caries was according to the criteria of WHO (1987), Plaque index of Silness and Loe (1964) was used for plaque assessment, Ramfjord index (1959) was applied for the assessment
... Show MoreBackground: Emergency contraception (EC) is a general term used to describe drugs and devices that are utilized to prevent pregnancy following unprotected intercourse or in the event of contraceptive failure. This postcoital birth-control option is available by means of hormonal pills or copper-bearing intrauterine device.Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the women's knowledge regarding EC, to compare the knowledge of school teachers with other women in the community, as well as assessing the pre-post test knowledge of teachers.Type of the study: A cross sectional and quasi- experimental study.Methods: It was carried out in Duhok during the period from 20th of November 2014 to 6th of January 2015. A Simple and system
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: In pregnancy, several physiological changes occur that lead to decrease in the level of hemoglobin. Anemia during pregnancy is a major public health concern in underdeveloped nations, with a high rate of morbidity and death among pregnant women. Inadequate prenatal care, a lack of information about the nutritional requirements of pregnant women, and general low socioeconomic circumstances all contribute to these high rates of morbidity and death. As pregnant women’s and husbands’ education levels increased, the frequency and severity of anemia decreased in the investigated community of pregnant women. AIM: This study aims to find out the level of knowledge about anemia in pregnancy among adult females attending pr
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Phytomedicine refers to the use of naturally derived products to cure and mitigate human conditions. Natural products have the advantages of causing minimum side effects, being biocompatible, available, and economical, with a wide array of biological activities. Reports have described the use of natural products with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties to treat oral conditions and promote wound healing. Moringa oleifera, known as the “drumstick” or “horseradish” tree, is believed to have medicinal properties regarding a range of medical conditions, though there is limited information on its use in oral medicine. This narrative review focuses on the use of Moringa extracts in the management of oral conditions, incl
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BACKGROUND: In pregnancy, several physiological changes occur that lead to decrease in the level of hemoglobin. Anemia during pregnancy is a major public health concern in underdeveloped nations, with a high rate of morbidity and death among pregnant women. Inadequate prenatal care, a lack of information about the nutritional requirements of pregnant women, and general low socioeconomic circumstances all contribute to these high rates of morbidity and death. As pregnant women’s and husbands’ education levels increased, the frequency and severity of anemia decreased in the investigated community of pregnant women. AIM: This study aims to find out the level of knowledge about anemia in pregnancy among adult females attending pr
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This study aims to assess the removal efficiency andestablish the BOD5 and COD statisticalcorrelation of the sewage flowing in Al-Diwaniyah wastewater treatment plant in Iraq during the study period (2005-2016). The strength of the influent wastewater entering the plant varied from medium to high in strength. High concentrations of BOD5 and COD in the effluent were obtained due to the poor performance of the plant. This was observed from the BOD5 /COD ratios that did not confirm with the typical ratios for the treated sewage. To improve the performance of this plant, regression equations for BOD5 and COD removal percentages were suggested which can be used to facilitate evaluation of liquid waste and optimal control process. The equations
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Iraq is located near the northern tip of the Arabian plate, which is advancing northwards relative to the Eurasian plate, and is predictably, a tectonically active country. Seismic activity in Iraq increased significantly during the last decade. So structural and geotechnical engineers have been giving increasing attention to the design of buildings for earthquake resistance. Dynamic properties play a vital role in the design of structures subjected to seismic load. The main objective of this study is to prepare a data base for the dynamic properties of different soils in seismic active zones in Iraq using the results of cross hole and down hole tests. From the data base collected it has been observed that the average ve
... Show MoreThe Central Marshes are one of southern Iraq's most important wetlands and ecosystems. A study on evaluating soil quality and water quality in terms of chemical properties at certain sites in the southern Iraqi Central Marshes has been conducted to investigate their types and suitability for enhancing the agricultural reality of most field crops. Soil and water samples were collected from 15 sites and transferred to the laboratory. In the lab, the following parameters were determined: electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved salts (TDS), organic materials (OM), pH, gypsum, and total sulfate content (SO3). The tests conducted on the samples indicated that it could be said that the soil of the Central Marshes
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The aim of this study is modeling the transport of industrial wastewater in sandy soil by using finite element method. A washing technique was used to remove the industrial wastewater from the soil. The washing technique applied with an efficient hydraulic gradient to help in transport of contaminant mass by advection. Also, the mass transport equation used in modeling the transport of industrial wastewater from soil includes the sorption and chemical reactions. The sandy soil samples obtained from Al-Najaf Governorate/Iraq. The wastewater contaminant was obtained from Al- Musyiebelectricity power plant. The soil samples were synthetically contaminated with four percentages of 10, 20, 30 and 40% of the contaminant and these percentages calc
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