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.
We study the physics of flow due to the interaction between a viscous dipole and boundaries that permit slip. This includes partial and free slip, and interactions near corners. The problem is investigated by using a two relaxation time lattice Boltzmann equation with moment-based boundary conditions. Navier-slip conditions, which involve gradients of the velocity, are formulated and applied locally. The implementation of free-slip conditions with the moment-based approach is discussed. Collision angles of 0°, 30°, and 45° are investigated. Stable simulations are shown for Reynolds numbers between 625 and 10 000 and various slip lengths. Vorticity generation on the wall is shown to be affected by slip length, angle of incidence,
... Show MoreOptical properties of chromium oxide (Cr2O3) thin films which were prepared by pulse laser deposition method, onto glass substrates. Different laser energy (500-900) mJ were used to obtain Cr2O3 thin films with thickness ranging from 177.3 to 372.4 nm were measured using Tolansky method. Then films were annealed at temperature equal to 300 °C. Absorption spectra were used to determine the absorption coefficient of the films, and the effects of the annealing temperature on the absorption coefficient were investigated. The absorption edge shifted to red range of wavelength, and the optical constants of Cr2O3 films increases as the annealing temperature increased to 300 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study reveals that Cr2O3 thin films are a
... Show MoreIn the present study, the effect of Zinc nanoparticles on levels of (T3 , T4 and TSH) hormones was investigated. Zinc nanoparticles were synthesized by Laser induced plasma.The Nd: YAG Nd: YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used to generate nanomaterials of the elements (zinc) upon collision with target atoms. Plasma generated by different laser intensity is generated. After confirming the preparation of zinc nanoparticles, XRD, AFM was examined, and the effect of these substances on the thyroid gland (T3, T4, TSH) was observed for two doses of each component (1 ml / kg, 4 ml / kg) after conducting a cytotoxicity examination of the lymphocytes of the rats extracted from Rat spleen was 1.8% less toxic to zinc, and as noted The
... Show MoreOyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) P. Kumm.) is involved in the destruction of dead wood which is the main place of settlement of several living organisms. After humification, dead wood also becomes an important component of forest soils.
The purpose of the research is to study temperature and moisture conditions of extensive cultivation of oyster mushrooms on various wood substrates. To accomplish this goal, the following tasks were set: to determine the amount of effective stress temperatures and moisture content of substrates and their influence on the appearance of fruiting bodies of the oyster mushroom; to study the features of the extensive culti
... Show MoreBackground: Facial disfigurement can be the result of a congenital anomaly, trauma or tumor surgery, in many cases the prosthetic rehabilitation is indicated. Maxillofacial prosthetic materials should have desirable and ideal physical, aesthetic, and biological properties and those properties should be kept for long period of time in order to reach patient acceptance. Silicone elastomer are the most commonly used material for facial restoration because of its favorable properties mechanically and physically as the biocompatibility and good elasticity. Aim of this study: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of addition of Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) Nano fillers in different concentrations on tear strength and hardness of VST 50F room tempe
... Show MoreElection study included four sites for the waters in area of Youssifiyah south of Baghdad (river water, tank water, liquefactions water, and water filtrate and seethed and purifier by alum and chloride), the samples were collected during the month of June in 2007. Temperature, electrical conductivity and acidity are measured. Also , the concentration of chloride , sulphate , carbonate , nitrate , sodium , calcium , magnesium , hard total and total dissolved substances are determined , as well as heavy metals assess environmental risk (such as Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe). It was also a study of bacterial totals included both total Bacteria (TB) and Total Coliform Bacteria (TC) and Fecal Coliform (FC) and Fecal Streptococci (FS). The stu
... Show MoreA field experiment was conducted during the autumn of 2021 at the Agricultural Research Department station / Abu Ghraib to evaluate the soil moisture, water potential distribution, and growth factors of maize crops under alternating and constant partial drip irrigation methods. In the experiment, two irrigation systems were used, surface drip irrigation (DI) and subsurface irrigation (SD); under each irrigation system, five irrigation methods were: conventional irrigation (CI), and 75 and 50% of the amount of water of CI of each of the alternating partial irrigation APRI75 and APRI50 and the constant partial irrigation FPRI75 and FPRI50 respectively. The results showed that the water depth for conventional irrigation (C1) was 658.3
... Show MoreLimited importance of research in a stand on the most important difficulties faced by both faculty and parents to communicate with each process to follow up on their children, and the analysis and inventory of the obstacles that hinder the educational process, and work to develop a vision of how to address these constraints and the important role of technology in the treatment of problems of the society so as to develop frameworks future to minimize the errors and the problems they face, and the development outlook for future generations in order to promote the educational level, especially that Iraq is going through a change in conditions in all sectors. Through the questionnaire, which includes questions set that was made on a sample o
... Show MoreA dose of ten grams of the roots and leaves of Nettle (Urtica dioica) dissolved in (200)ml of boiled water then covered for (10)min. was given to a sample of (15) patients attending to the herbal department of ministry of health complaining of malnutrition and low Hb(hemoglobin) concentration and PCV(packed cell volume) levels with absence of any other predisposing factors disease inorder to find the effects of these roots and leaves on Hb and PCV levels for different periods of time in relation to age and sex variations . The study have shown that this mixture has a high significant effect (p<0.001) in elevating (Hb) concentration and PCV levels on those patients according to the differences recorded from the start of the basic period unt
... Show MoreCharge transfer in styryl dyes STQ-1, STQ-2,and STQ-3 with organic media system has been studied theoretically depending on the Franck- Condon rule and continuum dielectric model . The reorientation energies (eV) were evaluated theoretically depending on dipole momentum, dielectric constant , and refrective index n. The rate constant of charge transfer has been calculated depending on the reorientation energy (eV) ,effective free energy , potential height barrier , and coupling coefficient . A matlap program has been written to calculated the rate constant of charge transfer and other parameter. The results of calculations show that STQ-2 dye is more reaction for charge transfer compare with STQ-1 and STQ-3 dyes