Application of one-quarter fractional and full factorial design to study set mark phenomenon of multifilament polyester fabrics

Set marks are fabric defects in weft direction which are caused by an interruption of the weaving process. In this study, based on one-quarter fractional factorial design, among eight parameters of weaving machine, i.e. horizontal and vertical position of back rest roller, horizontal position of warp stop motion, shed crossing degree, shed crossing point position, warp tension, stoppage position of machine, and stoppage time, four most effective parameters was determined. These parameters were stoppage position of machine, vertical position of back rest roller, shed crossing point, and horizontal position of warp stop motion. Then using full factorial design effectiveness of these parameters was evaluated statistically at 99 % confidence level and effect of them on set mark studied in detail. Statistical evaluations showed that the stoppage position of machine was the most effective parameters on intensity of set mark of multifilament polyester fabric. A specific image capturing device for using on weaving machine based on CCD camera was designed. Image processing technique was used to measure the pickspacing in stop zone objectively. Five picks before and five picks after stoppage was considered as stop zone and the standard deviation of pickspacing was used as a criterion which interpret this defect. Dynamic loading of warp yarns were execute to evaluate the relaxation behavior of polyester multifilament warp yarns.     

Evaluation of Salinity Effects on Ionic Balance and Compatible Solute Contents in Nine Grape (Vitis L.) Genotypes

The salinity tolerance of nine grape genotypes was studied. Salinity was applied as nutrient solutions containing 0, 25, 50, and 100 mM sodium chloride (NaCl) for two weeks. Growth was significantly reduced by salinity, whereas chloride (Cl^?) and sodium (Na⁺) contents increased. Sodium ion accumulation exceeded that of Cl^? in all treatments. Shirazi and H₆ had higher and lower Cl^? concentrations in their lamina than others. There were significant positive correlations (P < 0.01) between Cl^? and Na⁺ and negative correlation between Na⁺ and potassium (K⁺) in roots and laminas of all genotypes. Soluble sugars, proline, and glycine betaine contents increased in laminas of all of the genotypes with moderate salinity. There were positive correlations (P < 0.01) between lamina and root Na⁺ and Cl^? contents and compatible solutes in all genotypes. Overall results revealed that unlike Shirazi with higher Na⁺ and Cl^? accumulation in shoot, H₆ showed a higher capacity to restrict Na⁺ and Cl^? transport to shoot.     

Morphology and genetic diversity of Marrubium cuneatum Russell and M. parviflorum Fisch. & C.A. Mey

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Marrubium parviflorum Fisch. &amp; C.A. Mey. and Marrubium cuneatum Russell, are naturally distributed in various parts of Iran. It is difficult to...     

Influence of humic acid and salicylic acid on yield,fruit quality,and leaf mineral elements of strawberry (Fragaria × Ananassa duch.) cv. Camarosa

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of foliarly-applied Humic Acid (HA) and Salicylic Acid (SA) on strawberry (Fragaria × Ananassa cv. Camarosa). On average, HA applications, regardless of concentration, increased overall yield, Soluble Solids Concentrations (SSC), Titratable Acidity (TA), vitamin C, red tone (a*), leaf potassium (K), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) while had no effect on pH and fruit luminosity (L*). In contrast, fruit from the untreated control tended to have higher Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and SSC: TA ratio than HA-treated plants. Application of SA significantly increased yield, vitamin C, SSC, SSC: TA ratio, TAC, a*, leaf P and Ca while had no effect on TA, fruit size, L* and pH. In general, application of either HA at 25 mg L¹ or SA at 2 mM resulted in better strawberry performance than did other rates of these compounds.     

Effects of green synthesized zinc and copper nano-fertilizers on the morphological and biochemical attributes of basil plant

Abstract

In the present study, the green synthesis of Zn and Cu nanoparticles (NPs) was carried out via Zn and Cu ions reduction during their exposure to basil extract. The shape, size and chemical identity of the Zn and Cu NPs were determined using SEM and XRD analysis. To investigate the effects of the Zn and Cu NPs on the morphological and biochemical traits of basil plant, an experiment was conducted as a factorial based on completely randomized design with 4 levels of Zn NPs (0, 1000, 2000, and 4000?ppm) and 4 levels of Cu NPs (0, 1000, 2000, and 4000?ppm). Based on the results, nutrient treatments, especially 4000?ppm Zn NPs + 2000?ppm Cu NPs caused a significant increase in most morphological parameters. The application of the Zn and Cu NPs significantly affected concentrations of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoid in the leaves of basil plants. The highest total phenolic and flavonoid content was obtained for 4000?ppm Zn NPs + 2000?ppm Cu NPs treatment. Plants treated with 4000?ppm Zn NPs + 0?ppm Cu NPs showed the highest antioxidant activity followed by 4000?ppm Zn NPs + 2000?ppm Cu NPs and 2000?ppm Zn NPs + 0?ppm Cu NPs. It can be concluded that foliar application of the Zn and Cu NPs is necessary for obtaining better quantity and quality in basil.     

Modeling the effects of saline water use in wheat-cultivated lands using the UNSATCHEM model

Waters of poor quality are often used to irrigate crops in arid and semiarid regions, including the Fars Province of southwest Iran. The UNSATCHEM model was first calibrated and validated using field data that were collected to evaluate the use of saline water for the wheat crop. The calibrated and validated model was then employed to study different aspects of the salinization process and the impact of rainfall. The effects of irrigation water quality on the salinization process were evaluated using model simulations, in which irrigation waters of different salinity were used. The salinization process under different practices of conjunctive water use was also studied using simulations. Different practices were evaluated and ranked on the basis of temporal changes in root-zone salinity, which were compared with respect to the sensitivity of wheat to salinity. This ranking was then verified using published field studies evaluating wheat yield data for different practices of conjunctive water use. Next, the effects of the water application rate on the soil salt balance were studied using the UNSATCHEM simulations. The salt balance was affected by the quantity of applied irrigation water and precipitation/dissolution reactions. The results suggested that the less irrigation water is used, the more salts (calcite and gypsum) precipitate from the soil solution. Finally, the model was used to evaluate how the electrical conductivity of irrigation water affects the wheat production while taking into account annual rainfall and its distribution throughout the year. The maximum salinity of the irrigation water supply, which can be safely used in the long term (33 years) without impairing the wheat production, was determined to be 6 dS m^?1. Rainfall distribution also plays a major role in determining seasonal soil salinity of the root zone. Winter-concentrated rainfall is more effective in reducing salinity than a similar amount of rainfall distributed throughout autumn, winter, and spring seasons.     

Quantitative study of poplar plantations in three Iranian provinces

Fast growing poplar species enjoy a highly favored position in Iran＇s forest product industries. Howeve~ information on poplar plantations, such as areas, growing stock and harvest volumes, are largely obtained by now scientific means and poorly executed methods. A few studies have been conducted to obtain data on the capacit,. of poplar plantations, their extent, existing growing stock, distribution and species choice in three provinces, i.e. Western Azerbaijan, Kurdistan and Hamedan, with relatively well developed management systems. We opted for cluster method, a standard sampling method for conducting similar investigations, consisting of two phases. In the firs phase we collected library information and conducted half-open interviews with villagers. In the second phase fiel~ measurements in the villages of these three provinces were carried out. Information from field measurements on growin! stock, cultivated areas, dominant species were used to estimate volumes by way of volume and weight tables. Result~ obtained from the present study indicate that the average annual volume of timber harvested in the three province~ was 697,723 m~, with an average sampling error of 22.7 per cent. This annual volume of poplar timber harvested fron the three provinces was estimated to amount to about 25 per cent of overall harvest; at that rate, the overall annu~ utilization potential of poplar plantations will be 10 million m3, which constitutes a reliable resource of raw timber for us~ in wood and paper industries.     

Canopy cover or remotely sensed vegetation index,explanatory variables of above-ground biomass in an arid rangeland,Iran

Estimation of above-ground biomass is vital for understanding ecological processes. Since direct measurement of above-ground biomass is destructive, time consuming and labor intensive, canopy cover can be considered as a predictor if a significant correlation between the two variables exists. In this study, relationship between canopy cover and above-ground biomass was investigated by a general linear regression model. To do so, canopy cover and above-ground biomass were measured at 5 sub-life forms(defined as life forms grouped in the same height classes) using 380 quadrats, which is systematic-randomly laid out along a 10-km transect, during four sampling periods(May, June, August, and September) in an arid rangeland of Marjan, Iran. To reveal whether obtained canopy cover and above-ground biomass of different sampling periods can be lumped together or not, we applied a general linear model(GLM). In this model, above-ground biomass was considered as a dependent or response variable, canopy cover as an independent covariate or predictor factor and sub-life forms as well as sampling periods as fixed factors. Moreover, we compared the estimated above-ground biomass derived from remotely sensed images of Landsat-8 using NDVI(normalized difference vegetation index), after finding the best regression line between predictor(measured canopy cover in the field) and response variable(above-ground biomass) to test the robustness of the induced model. Results show that above-ground biomass(response variable) of all vegetative forms and periods can be accurately predicted by canopy cover(predictor), although sub-life forms and sampling periods significantly affect the results. The best regression fit was found for short forbs in September and shrubs in May, June and August with R~2 values of 0.96, 0.93 and 0.91, respectively, whilst the least significant was found for short grasses in June, tall grasses in August and tall forbs in June with R~2 values of 0.71, 0.73 and 0.75, respectively. Even though the estimated above-ground biomass by NDVI is also convincing(R~2=0.57), the canopy cover is a more reliable predictor of above-ground biomass due to the higher R~2 values(from 0.75 to 0.96). We conclude that canopy cover can be regarded as a reliable predictor of above-ground biomass if sub-life forms and sampling periods(during growing season) are taken into account. Since,(1) plant canopy cover is not distinguishable by remotely sensed images at the sub-life form level, especially in sparse vegetation of arid and semi-arid regions, and(2) remotely sensed-based prediction of above-ground biomass shows a less significant relationship(R~2=0.57) than that of canopy cover(R~2 ranging from 0.75 to 0.96), which suggests estimating of plant biomass by canopy cover instead of cut and weighting method is highly recommended. Furthermore, this fast, nondestructive and robust method that does not endanger rare species, gives a trustworthy prediction of above-ground biomass in arid rangelands.     

Investigation of the maximum front to back load in the chairs made from curved and modified poplar wood

The aim of this research was to build a chair resistant to force from front to back. To achieve this goal, poplar wood was treated with heat and steam, and then curved at an angle of 90°. Curved frame was used for manufacturing chairs. In this study, three different designs of chairs were used. Control sample is a chair of custom type. The first design was a chair with a curved frame forming the structure back down to bottom (one-piece type) and the second design with two curved parts (two-piece type). Front to back load tests were conducted by mechanical universal testing machine in accordance with DIN EN 1729-2 standard. For each design, the test was repeated three times. The results of the experiment showed that differences between the designs were significant. The full type chairs were broken at the load about 1725 N, but the partial type chairs at about 1421 N. For the top to bottom load test, the full type chairs were broken at about 1052 N, other chairs were more resistant. In general, by introducing a design using the curved frame made of treated poplar, the resistance of chairs is improved.