The effect of carbon black nanoparticles on some properties of air plasma printed cotton/polyamide 6 fabrics

In this study, cotton/nylon blended fabrics were treated with atmospheric air plasma at various times (30–60 s) and were subsequently printed with pastes containing carbon black nanoparticles. Properties of plasma treated fabrics such as visible-near infrared (Vis-NIR) reflectance, water contact angle, air permeability, and color fastness were measured. It was shown that increasing plasma treatment time decreases reflection level of treated fabrics in Vis-NIR region. Plasma treatment also enhanced the hydrophobicity of cotton/nylon fabrics observed by an increase in water contact angle. Plasma treated samples for 60 s demonstrated lower air permeability than those treated for 30 s. Furthermore, printed samples possessed acceptable levels of fastness against washing, light and crocking.     

A comparative study on behavioral,physiological, and adrenal changes in buffaloes during the first stage of labor with normal and difficult parturition

The present study was primarily carried out to trace the behavioral, physiological, and adrenal changes during the first stage of labor in cases of dystocia, either in parturient buffalo heifers or cows, and their clinical significance. Of the 118 investigated buffalo herds, 40 cows (dystocia = 20 and eutocia = 20) and 40 heifers (dystocia = 20 and eutocia = 20) were used in this study. Cows approaching actual birth were transferred to a calving box with straw bedding. Behavior of the studied animals was recorded from the time that the animal was moved to the calving box until the emergence of the fetal limbs in the vulval lips. If no progress in parturition was observed within two hours after the rupture of fetal sacs (end of the first stage), these cases were considered as suffering dystocia. As the fetal limbs emerged from the birth canal, animals were examined clinically to determine their average pulse and respiratory rates as well as body temperature. Blood samples were collected to determine the cow/heifers cortisol level. Results of the present study indicated that dystocia was accompanied by disturbed physiological status and cortisol levels. Practical monitoring system of parturient animals, through observing behavioral, physiological, and adrenal aspects during calving, should be regarded to expect dystocia and provide help for the animal in the appropriate time.     

Accumulation of heavy metal in Platanus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia

Plants are capable of reducing environmental pollutions through uptaking contaminants in their tissues. In the study site, twenty one-year-old leaves and shoots as well as twenty soil samples were sampled and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). We investigated the uptaking ability of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) by the leaves and shoots of Platanus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia in Karaj city, the western Tehran, Iran. We also evaluated the total metal accumulation capacity by using metal accumulation index (MAI). Results indicated that there was no significant difference in uptaking contents of Cd and Pb in the leaves among the trees. However accumulation of Cd in shoots of F. rotundifolia and R. pseudoacacia was significantly higher than that of P. orientalis. The accumulation of Pb in shoots of R. pseudoacacia was significantly higher than the other species. The amount of Pb in the soil of the study area was significantly higher than Cd. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in leaves of the three species are in the ranges of 2.4 2.7 mg Kg-1 and 7.1 14.4 mg Kg-1 , respectively. R. pseudoacacia had the highest MAI value for leaves (2.21) and F. rotundifolia had the highest MAI value for shoots (2.4).     

Investigation of salinity impacts on germination and growth of two forest tree species at seedling stage

Soil salinity is becoming an increasingly serious constraint to plant growth in many parts of the world;this is particularly common in semi-arid and arid zones. This study was conducted to evaluate the...     

Improve regression-based models for prediction of internal-bond strength of particleboard using Buckingham’s pi-theorem

Internal bond (IB) strength is one of the most important me-chanical properties that indicate particleboard quality. The aim of this study was to find a simple regression model that considers the most ...     

Investigation in early growth traits, litter size, and lamb survival in two Iranian fat-tailed sheep breeds

In the present study, 1,635 lambing records of Ghezel (n?=?766) and Mehraban (n?=?869) breeds were used to evaluate the early growth traits, litter size, and lamb survival in sheep reared in Fars Province, southern Iran, during a 5-year-long period. The least squares means (± SE) of lamb birth weight for Ghezel were 5.27 (±0.22), 5.02 (±0.22), and 3.98 (±0.23) kg for single males, single females, and twin lambs, respectively; whereas, the corresponding values for Mehraban were 4.39 (±0.18), 4.18 (±0.18), and 3.50 (±0.19) kg. The least squares means of pre-weaning lamb growth (gram per day) for Ghezel were 239 (±15), 218 (±15), and 181 (±16) for single males, single females, and twin lambs, respectively, and the corresponding values for Mehraban were 204 (±12), 187 (±12), and 156 (±13). Lambs from 2 year old ewes or younger were on average lighter at birth and at weaning and had a lower average daily gain than those from older ewes (P?<?0.05). The percentage of twin births increased from 1.1 and 1.3 % for ewes aged ≤ 2 years to 19 and 12 % for those aged ≥ 6 years old in Ghezel and Mehraban, respectively (P?<?0.05). The mean pre-weaning lamb mortality was 7.1 and 4.1 % for Ghezel and Mehraban, respectively.     

Nitrogen release dynamics of a slow release urea pellet and its effect on growth,yield, and nutrient uptake of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Manure urea pellets were produced and their nitrogen release rate was evaluated in soil incubation at different water contents of 90, 75, and 60% soil filed capacity (FC). In another experiment, sweet basil growth was evaluated during eight months (with three shoot harvests) under the pellet application. The nitrogen release and pellet dispersion rates were slow after two months or at lower soil water content (60% FC), but they were significant after four months of soil incubation, or at higher soil water content (75 or particularly 90% FC). Application of pelleted urea reduced plant growth and yield at first harvest than urea treatment. However, at second and particularly at third harvest (and the average of three harvests) significant improvement in growth parameters of SPAD value, leaf area, plant height, shoot fresh weight, pot yield, and` leaf N and K concentrations were achieved by application of pelleted urea fertilization.     

Land use change modeling through an integrated Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network and Markov Chain analysis(case study: Arasbaran region,Iran)

Temporal land use/land cover (LULC) change information provides a variety of applications for informed management of land resources. The aim of this study was to detect and predict LULC changes in the Arasbaran region using an integrated Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network and Markov Chain analysis. At the first step, multi-temporal Landsat images (1990, 2002 and 2014) were processed using ancillary data and were classified into seven LULC categories of high density forest, low-density forest, agriculture, grassland, barren land, water and urban area. Next, LULC changes were detected for three time profiles, 1990–2002, 2002–2014 and 1990–2014. A 2014 LULC map of the study area was further simulated (for model performance evaluation) applying 1990 and 2002 map layers. In addition, a collection of spatial variables was also used for modeling LULC change processes as driving forces. The actual and simulated 2014 LULC change maps were cross-tabulated and compared to ensure model simulation success and the results indicated an overall accuracy and kappa coefficient of 97.79% and 0.992, respectively. Having the model properly validated, LULC change was predicted up to the year 2025. The results demonstrated that 992 and 1592 ha of high and lowdensity forests were degraded during 1990–2014,respectively, while 422 ha were added to the extent of residential areas with a growth rate of 17.58 ha per year. The developed model predicted a considerable degradation trend for the forest categories through 2025, accounting for 489 and 531 ha of loss for high and low-density forests, respectively. By way of contrast, residential area and farmland categories will increase up to 211 and 427 ha, respectively. The integrated prediction model and customary area data can be used for practical management efforts by simulating vegetation dynamics and future LULC change trajectories.     

An efficient in vitro shoot regeneration through direct organogenesis from seedling-derived petiole and leaf segments and acclimatization of Ficus religiosa

Prolific and rapid in vitro plant organogenesis via direct regeneration has been obtained from axenic seedling-derived petiole and leaf explants of Ficus religiosa in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing different concentrations of cytokinins in combination with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). MS medium with 1.5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine plus 0.15 mg/l IBA produced the highest shoot induction frequency with an average of 6.26 and 10.13 shoots per leaf and petiole explants, respectively. After 4 weeks, the highest root formation frequency (96.7%), root number (5.73), and root length (4.76 cm) were with MS medium containing 2.0 mg/l IBA plus 0.1 mg/l α-naphthalene acetic acid. In addition, the effect of four sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatments on acclimatization was also studied. Highest morphological traits such as survival rates, fresh and dry root weights as well as antioxidant enzymatic activities such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase was achieved with 125 ppm SNP. The α-amino acid, proline, content was highest with this treatment while the highest H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) was in the controls. This study introduces a cost-effective, prolific, and efficient in vitro multiplication system to supply pharmaceutical and ornamental needs. It is the first report of an in vitro organogenesis protocol for F. religiosa by direct regeneration through axenic seedling-derived petiole and leaf explants, which can be efficiently employed for the utilization of active biomolecules.