A pot experiment was conducted during Kharif season, 2005 to ascertain the response of different organic sources viz., wheat straw, farm yard manure (FYM), vermicompost and poultry manure to rice (Oryza sativa) and also to monitor the effect of manuring on soil carbon pools. Application of poultry manure and vermicompost alongwith chemical fertilizers for supply of nitrogen, phosphorus and pota...

This study describes the role of in situ nano SiC whiskers on the strength and density of alumina silicate–SiC-carbonrefractory compounds. The prepared specimens were composed of 65 wt. % chamotte as alumina silicatecompound, 15 wt. % SiC-containing material regenerates and 10 wt. % fine coke and 10 wt. % liquid resole asbinder. Different values of additives (such as silicon a...

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties and bioactivity of two formulations of calcium silicate-based cements containing additives (CSCM) or resin (CSCR), associated with radiopacifying agents zirconium oxide (ZrO2) and niobium oxide (Nb2O5) as micro- and nanoparticles; calcium tungstate (CaWO4); and bismuth oxide (Bi2O3). MTA Angelus was used as control....

Alkaline solutions, such as sodium, potassium or lithium silicates, appear to be very promising as healing agents for the development of encapsulated self-healing concretes. However, the evolution of their mechanical and acoustic properties in time has not yet been completely clarified, especially regarding their behavior and related kinetics when they are used in the form of a thin layer in co...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Crop yield and nutritional quality are significantly reduced when potassium (K) in soil is deficient. As a beneficial element for plants, silicon (Si) is effective in alleviating the toxic effects of mineral nutrients. However, the roles played by Si in mediating deficiency in essential mineral nutrients in general and K in particular have not been investigated. METHODS To...

Silicon monoxide (SiO) is a structurally complex compound exhibiting differentiated oxide-rich and silicon-rich nano-phases at length scales covering nanoclusters to the bulk. Although nano-sized and nano-segregated SiO has great technological potential (e.g. nano-silicon for optical applications) and is of enormous astronomical interest (e.g. formation of silicate cosmic dust) an accurate gene...