A scanner based neural network technique for color matching of dyed cotton with reactive dye

Conventional theory for color matching is Kubelka-Munk, but it fails in some situations. New intelligent procedures such as neural networks could learn the behavior of a complex system and produce accurate prediction. This paper investigates the ability of MLP (multiple layer perceptron) neural network for color matching of cotton fabric. Three reactive dyes, namely Levafix Red CA, Levafix Yellow CA and Levafix Blue CA were used for experiments. The dyed samples were scanned and L * a * b * histogram were extracted. Different neural networks were trained and tested using L * a * b * histogram of fabric’s images and also L * a * b * values (D65, 10°) of fabrics. The results were encouraging. For neural networks including the L * a * b * histogram in input vector, colorants and their concentration were predicted with a mean square error (MSE) less than 10^?5 and an average value of color difference (CMC (1:2)) less than 1.5 for approximately 80 % of testing data.     

Effect of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil against lesser mulberry pyralid Glyphodes pyloalis Walker (Lep: Pyralidae) and identification of its major derivatives

The major constituents of the oil of Lavandula angustifolia Mill were estimated as borneoll (8.57%), alpha terpinene (6.22%), linolool (4.91%) geranyl proprionate (3.76%), butanoic acid hexyl ester (2.99%) and caryophyllene oxide (2.72%). LC₁₀, LC₃₀ and LC₅₀ were estimated as 0.31%, 0.705% and 1.24% respectively. The sublethal concentration (LC₃₀) of essential oil affected the nutritional indices of 4th instar larvae of Glyphodes pyloalis. The essential oil reduced total protein, carbohydrate and lipid when compared with the control. All concentrations (0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%) of essential oil affected the major macromolecules and activities of key enzyme in G. pyloalis.     

Effect of Two Natural Carotenoid Sources in Diets for Gilthead Seabream,Sparus aurata,on Growth and Skin Coloration

To improve the unnatural fade-pigmented skin of cultivated gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, (if shown) the present study was initiated. The effects of either red bell-pepper (Capsicum annum) meal or carrot (Daucus carota) meal as a natural dietary carotenoid source, on growth and skin coloration of gilthead seabream growers were investigated. A basal/control diet (D1/CTR) was firstly formulated to contain 48% crude protein and 14% lipids, with no added-carotenoids. With this basal diet, two other test diets were similarly prepared and supplemented each with about 40mg/Kg total carotenoids from either red-pepper meal (D2) or carrot meal (D3). In a feeding trial, fish (mean IW, 94.86±0.3g) were fed one of the three diets (D1, D2, D3), in triplicates for each treatment, for 6 weeks in light-blue background PVC tanks supplied with natural seawater flow. Total carotenoids content of skin was determined spectrophotometerically at initiation and end of the experiment. Neither growth nor feed utilization were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the red pepper-added diet (D2) as compared to CTR diet. However, the carrot fed fish recorded the lowest and significant (P<0.05) weight gain (g/fish) and specific growth rate (SGR, %/d) among dietary treatments. There were no considerable (P>0.05) differences in major nutrients composition between fish fed the experimental diets. Total carotenoids content was significantly (P<0.05) increased, in the skin-opercle area, of fish fed the red pepper diet (D2) as compared to initial fish and to either carrot fed fish or CTR fish. Results have suggested that gilthead seabream can effectively bio-absorb natural carotenoid pigments (mainly capsansin and capsorbin) in red-pepper but not in carrot (mainly β-and α-carotene).     

Comparison of three models describing bromide transport affected by different soil structure types

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of soil structure on bromide (Br) transport through three soils with granular, prismatic, and single-grain structures. The breakthrough curve (BTC) of the single-grain structure was sigmoidal, symmetrical and similar to a piston flow, showing the dominance of mass flow. In contrast, the BTCs of the granular and prismatic structures were initially steep, becoming more gradual at high pore volumes (PVs). The stable structure and preferential pathways caused the early breakthrough of Br in the leachate of these columns. The convection–dispersion equation (CDE), mobile–immobile water (MIM), and dual-permeability (DP) models were fitted to observed data using the program HYDRUS-1D. The equilibrium transport model (CDE) was not as successful as non-equilibrium (MIM and DP) models in describing the Br transport in prismatic and granular soil columns, although it was able to describe the Br transport in single-grain column well. Overall, the results demonstrated the importance of soil structure in pollutant transport through soils.     

Asian spiderflower (Cleome viscosa) germination ecology in southern Iran

Cleome viscosa is one of the most important weeds of warm‐season crops in southern Iran. Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the impact of environmental factors on seed germination of C. viscosa . Freshly harvested seeds exhibited dormancy that was relieved (>90%) after immersion for 20 min in concentrated sulfuric acid. Regardless of the temperature regime, the final percentage of germination in light/dark (69.3%) was significantly higher than in complete darkness (58.3%). The optimum temperature for germination was 35/25°C in both light and dark. No germination was observed at constant temperatures of either 15 or 45°C. The thermal thresholds for seed germination, the base (T _b) and the mean ceiling germination temperatures (T _c(50)) were estimated to be 18.8 and 39.9°C, respectively. A base water potential ( Ψ _b(50) ) of ?0.96 MPa was identified for C. viscosa seeds. The response threshold of C. viscosa to reduce 50% of maximum germination for salinity was estimated to be 255 mM. Seeds that were placed on the soil surface had the highest percentage of seedling emergence (77.3%), and no seedlings emerged from seeds placed at a depth of 6 cm. The findings of this study could help to improve the integrated weed management strategies for this species.     

Potential habitat modeling for reintroduction of three native plant species in central Iran

Potential habitat modeling of endemic species is an appropriate method to maintain biodiversity,ecosystem function and rehabilitation of rangeland ecosystems.Astragalus caragana,A.cyclophyllon and A.podolobus are endemic in Iran's rangelands and some neighboring countries.The three native species could endure environmental stresses due to their distinctive ecophysiological characteristics.They play important roles in sustainable pastures production,recreation and improvement.They suffer severe threat from many factors including;grazing,agriculture and invasive exotic species.We analyzed the potential habitat of three native plant species in central Iran basing on the grid map with the resolution of 1-km.We used inventory records from field surveys,herbarium collections and 22 environmental factors to explore the environmental influences on given species distribution by Maximum entropy(Maxent) model.Maxent is a species distribution model that uses species occurrence and environmental data for predicting potential species.The results of our study indicated species occurrence has strong correlation with environmental factors such as mean temperature of wettest season,elevation and precipitation of coldest season.We evaluated the model accuracy by AUC(area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) based on an independent test data set.AUC values indicated the high power of Maxent to create potential habitat map(AUCA.caragana=0.988,AUCA.cyclophyllon=0.927,AUCA.podolobus=0.923).It is important to consider that AUC values tend to be lower for species that have broad distribution scope,such as A.podolobus distribution.Most suitable potential habitat distributions of the three species were predicted in the western and southwestern parts of rangelands in Isfahan province.Visual comparisons of the actual distribution map of the three species with produced Maxent maps represent a good agreement.In general,the model demonstrated that the occurrence of the given species is highly probable when the elevation is between 2,200 and 3,000 m and mean temperature of wettest season less than 3°C.This model,therefore,can be applied to recognize potential sites for rangeland reclamation projects.     

Functionalization of graphene nanosheets and its dispersion in PMMA/PEO blend: Thermal,electrical, morphological and rheological analyses

Graphene nanoplatelet (GnP) was chemically functionalized by amine groups for improvement of compatibility in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blend. PMMA/PEO (90/10) nanocomposites with non-functionalized GnP and functionalized GnP (FGnP) were prepared by solution casting method. Successful grafting of amine groups on the GnP surface was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the dispersion state of FGnP was better than that of GnP in PMMA/PEO nanocomposites. The effects of FGnP and GnP on rheological, thermal and electrical properties of PMMA/PEO nanocomposites were investigated by various methods. The results indicated that the FGnP-based nanocomposites had higher storage modulus, glass transition temperature and thermal stability as compared to the GnP-based nanocomposites. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites with FGnP was better than that of GnP-based nanocomposites. The higher conductivity was attributed to homogeneous and well dispersion state of FGnP in PMMA/PEO nanocomposites.     

Chemical content and seasonal variation of throughfall and litterflow under individual trees in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran

We assessed the effect of seasons and the tree species velvet maple (Acer velutinum Boiss), Hainbuche hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) and chestnut-leaved oak (Quercus castanefolia C. A. Mey.; Fagaceae) on nutrient fluxes (Na⁺, K⁺ and Ca²⁺) in throughfall (TF) and litter flow (LF) from January 2012 to February 2013. Potassium (K⁺) and calcium (Ca²⁺) in total TF and LF over the measurement period significantly differed between 3 the species (p < 0.05). Maple and oak trees had significantly higher fluxes of K⁺ and Ca²⁺ in their TF, respectively. The average quantity of nutrients in LF was significantly higher in the leafy season than in the leafless season for all cations except for Na⁺. Under velvet maple trees, the average flux of nutrients (Na⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺) in TF was significantly higher than LF. Lastly, leaching of potassium (K⁺) and calcium (Ca²⁺) in LF during the measurement period was significantly lower than TF under the hornbeam trees. Our results suggest that different tree species may impact the nutrient availability and possibly the sustainability of Hyrcanian forests. Further research is needed to determine how managing different species will affect the long-term nutrient status of these forests.     

Vegetable oil blend as alternative lipid resources in diets for gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata

The recent decreasing worldwide supplies of marine oils have forced the aquaculture industry to investigate alternative lipid sources for use in marine fish feeds. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of dietary replacement of fish oil by vegetable oils on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) growth performance, nutritive utilization, body composition, and fatty acid profile as well as feed cost. Two dietary vegetable oil (VO) mix blends (VO1 and VO2) in which: sunflower (SO), cottonseed (CO) and linseed (LO) for VO1 or soybean oil (SBO) for VO2, were tested as 60% fish oil (FO) substitutes versus the 100% FO control or reference diet (FO). Three iso-proteic (46% CP) and iso-lipidic (18%) experimental diets were hand fed, twice a day, 6 days a week to apparent visual satiety to triplicate groups of seabream growers (average initial weight, 130.9 ± 3.44 g), until fish reached market size (300–400 g/fish) after 20 weeks at mean ambient temperature 27.0 ± 1.8°C. All experimental diets were well accepted by seabream growers regardless of the different lipid sources used, as overall mean feed intake (FI) and daily intake (DFI) were not significantly different (P > 0.05) among dietary treatments. In terms of growth performance, fish fed VO1 diet (with LO) exhibited a relatively lower, but significant (P < 0.05), total weight gain (WG) than fish fed all FO diet (FO). However, mean value of WG of fish fed either vegetable oil-tested diet was nonsignificantly different. Feeding seabream growers vegetable oil (VO) diets (VO1 or VO2) had no significant effect on specific growth rate (SGR), daily weight index (DWI), or feed conversion ratio (FCR) among dietary treatments. Consumption of VO for 20 weeks did not significantly alter the major nutrient composition of fish, but the muscle fatty acid (FA) profile was significantly altered compared to the reference FO diet. Comparatively reduced levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), as well as elevated levels of linoleic and linolenic acids (LA and LNA) compared with fish fed the FO were noticed. In terms of economics, 17 or 20% reduction in Kg feed cost was obtained for diets VO1 or VO2, respectively. In terms of growth performance and cost, VO2 diet showed slight relative superiority over VO1 diet. However, in terms of liver structure morphology, VO1 diet (with LO) has resulted in less fat-infiltration and altered hepatic cells than VO2 (with SBO). As these traits do not affect yield or the price paid for the fish, VO2 diet has therefore been considered better than VO1 as complementary lipid sources for gilthead seabream grower diets.