Bedding plants are important elements in landscape construction, and their cultivation is limited by drought stress. Improving the cultivation medium of these flowers with organic materials such as biochar can be a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to increase their tolerance to drought stress. For this purpose, a greenhouse research was conducted to mitigate the effects of drought on morpho-physiological and biochemical characteristics of African marigold by application of rice husk biochar. The factorial experiment was conducted with two factors of irrigation treatment at three levels of 100, 50 and 25% of the field capacity (FC) and biochar at three levels of 0, 3.5 and 7% (w/w) in a completely randomized design with 5 replications. The results showed that drought decreased the morphological factors of shoot height, shoot dry weight, number of leaves, number of lateral branches, number of flowers, and length and diameter of flowers, so their lowest value were obtained in 25% FC. Furthermore, the use of biochar improved the morphological traits mentioned under drought conditions. The activity of peroxidase and superoxide dismutase enzymes, hydrogen peroxide content, proline, malondialdehyde, soluble carbohydrates, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoid increased under drought conditions. The use of biochar reduced these biochemical traits under drought conditions. Furthermore, relative water content of leaf, cell membrane stability index and soluble proteins showed a decreasing trend under drought conditions, and the use of biochar led to the improvement of these traits. In general, 7% biochar was more effective than 3.5% in reducing the adverse effects of drought stress. Therefore, 7% rice husk biochar can be recommended as a suitable soil improver to increase tolerance to drought stress in Bedding plants for landscape purposes, although more investigations are needed both under field cultivation and at other applied amounts.

In the floriculture industry, the need for heat tolerant Bedding plant cultivars is increasing because of the rising temperature around the world. A pot experiment was carried out to examine the impacts of four heat stress durations (0, 7, 14 and 21 days) on growth and ornamental traits to determine the relative heat tolerance of four cultivars of calendula (Calendula officinal is). Growth and development were quantified by measuring plant height, total leaf area, shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root dry weight, time to flowering, flower number, average flower size, and flower longevity. Plant height, leaf area, and shoot and root growth at 35-42°C were significantly lower than those at normal temperatures (20-30°C). Time to flowering increased with temperature. Flower number, size and longevity were reduced by heat stress, so that among all durations, plants exposed to heat stress for 21d had the least mean. Longer heat stress reduced the plant height, leaf area, shoot and root growth, SPAD value, flower diameter and flower longevity of all cultivars., However, the range percentage reduction in growth and flowering parameters were different among cultivars. Experiment to determine the membrane damage showed an increase in percent electrolyte leakage with exposure of plants to higher temperatures. The studied cultivars differed in their sensitivity to heat stress. The results indicated that better cell membrane stability, higher shoot and root growth, and later flowering led to greater heat tolerance in ‘Indian Prince’ compared to other cultivars.

Various cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have suggested that synthetic Bedding is associated with asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema while feather Bedding seems to be protective. Synthetic Bedding items have higher house dust mite allergen levels than feather Bedding items. This is possibly the mechanism involved although fungal and bacterial pro-inflammatory compounds and volatile organic compounds may play a role. In this review we present and discuss the epidemiological evidence and suggest possible mechanisms. Primary intervention studies are required to show whether feather Bedding is protective for the development of childhood asthma and allergic diseases while secondary intervention studies are required to potentially reduce symptoms and medication use in subjects with established disease.

The drastic decline of precipitation over the past decade along with overuse of chemical inputs and consequent soil fertility reduction are the most important problems in the approach to agricultural expansion, particularly in urban landscaping. Therefore, an experiment was designed to examine the effects of different irrigation levels (40, 70 and 100 % of field capacity, or FC) and different vermicompost (VC) levels (0, 2.5 and 5 %) on the morphophysiological parameters of Zinnia elegance ‘Dreamland Red’ in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with three replications. Results indicated a significant reduction in root/shoot ratio, flower diameter, flower longevity, water use efficiency (WUE), photosynthetic pigments and nutrient uptake, along with reduction in the FC, while VC application improved these features. Based on the results, the highest electrolyte leakage and free radicals were observed in the 40 % of FC level without VC treatment, while the highest antiradical property and phenolic compounds were obtained at the same FC level along with 2.5% VC. Moreover, the highest WUE was observed at 2.5% VC with 70% FC, compared to 40% FC with no VC application. The flower diameter and longevity, as the most important indicators of the zinnias’ quality, were significantly affected by the interaction effects of irrigation and organic fertilizers.

This study aimed to assess the water demand and growth traits of ornamental Gaillardia (Gaillardia grandiflora) and Marguerite (Leucanthemum × superbum) in peat-based substrates with different volume based ratios of field soil (Clay loam) and peat moss (100% peat, 80% peat+20% soil, 60% peat+40% soil, 20% peat+80% soil and 100% soil) in a randomized complete block design with three replications in a greenhouse at the horticulture Department, University of Tehran. Irrigation applied based on plant demand (by weight) up to the end of the experiment, but the evaluation of the harvest took place between two specified intervals. The amount of water consumed, growth characteristics, shoot and root dry weight and root development traits were evaluated. Overall study results showed the root system of Gaillardia was more developed than Marguerite, so it was also more efficient in water uptake. Combining 40-60% (v/v) of peat with field soil resulted in progress of the root system and significantly increased the efficiency of water absorption. Therefore, the combination of at least 20% of peat with field soil is recommended with in the production and cultivation of garden plants (Gaillardia and Marguerite).

One of the effects of tectonic forces on the ground formations is the formation of foldings and fractures such as joints and faults. The study of these fractures especially sedimental formation during and hereafter is the main object for many projects including oil well fields. Therefore, Their estmation, using ground surface topography determines fractures pattern in different areas of individual structure of geological structures. To do this, a number of engineering geology mapping from one of the important anticlines which is known as Mish anticline in the north of Gachsaran city has been carried out to study the relationship between joints system and strata on the goes around surface topography other than folding. So, the procedure could be used for investigations of fractures in the formations by using surface topography.

Blast wave propagation in a granite rock mass and its interaction with existing discontinuities are simulated and studied by means of UDEC software. For this purpose, a blast shock wave is simplified as a triangular pulse, with the specific maximum pressure of 16.5 GPa and time duration of 0.01 to 0.08msec, which was placed in a 200 mm diameter blast hole. Results of the numerical analysis along the discontinuity are compared with both field results and the Dowding empirical formulae. A relatively good correlation is observed between numerical analysis results and field data.

One of the main challenges constantly facing the majority of the organizations is planning to develop and improve processes and operations based on the adoption of new technologies, especially digital technologies, to react to the requirements of markets and competitive environments. Therefore, by using hybrid research approach (qualitative and quantitative), the present study explores the applications of digital technologies in terms of technical needs and business performances in the supply chain network of the Bedding industry. The method includes developing an efficient measurement tool to evaluate the digitalization and automation specifications for integrated management of the supply chain operations and flows in manufacturing industries and validating it using the multi-criteria decision-making approach DANP (DEMATEL-based ANP), which is considered the study’s contribution to knowledge and the literature. Therefore, in the first step, the list of influential factors was determined as 6 process areas and a total of 22 related attributes using the desk-based research and Delphi method. Then, the weights and relationships among factors were evaluated using the DANP technique. According to the obtained results, the process area of inventory and warehouse management is considered the most critical factor with the highest weight. However, the process areas of sourcing and buy and business management were identified as the most effective factors in improving critical areas.

Population growth and increase in the rate of consumption in the recent years, has lead the solid waste management issue to a serious challenge especially in the large cities. One of the effective, environmental friendly and economical methods for solid waste management is Vermicomposting technology. In Vermicomposting, earthworms especially Epigeic species cooperate with other microorganisms for biotransformation and bio stabilization of organic waste converting into high valuable humus like substance or Vermicomposting. Vermicomposting has variety of applications such as bio adsorbent to removal heavy metal ions, enhancement of microbial community and enzyme activity, plant growth and germination index improvement, reduction of recalcitrant hydrocarbon in soil, wastewater treatment's sludge handling and reduction in the concentration of some pesticides in soil. Therefore Vermicomposting has two important advantages, first to reduce amount of organic wastes and the second to generate high valuable products.

Optimum mud weight estimation in wellbore is one of the most important steps to prevent instability. In wellbore stability studies, media (rock) is usually assumed to be isotropic but errors occur when weak Bedding planes cause the rocks to be anisotropic. In this study the effect of weak Bedding plane in stability of wellbore was studied. Also, the effect of Bedding plane parameters on stability of vertical and horizontal wellbore was investigated. Through the use of the geometric relations of Bedding plane and wellbore, new equations were presented to calculate the attack angle. Sensitivity analysis on the dip and dip direction of weak Bedding plane in the vertical and horizontal wellbore were also performed. On the basis of the porous elasticity theory and Jaeger theories, an analytical model was proposed to analyze the wellbore stability with regard to the dip and dip direction of the weak Bedding plane. A code in MATLAB was written based on an analytical model and the effect of the dip and dip direction of the weak Bedding plane can be reviewed. By using real data from a wellbore, a comparative analysis was carried out between the new analytical model and the intact rock failure model. Minimum drilling mud weight was calculated in two phases, without weak Bedding planes, and with weak Bedding planes. Results show that the existence of weak Bedding planes causes more instability in the wellbore in some azimuths and deviations. The dip and dip direction of weak Bedding planes have a significant impact on the wellbore stability and in the horizontal wellbore according to dip and dip direction, the optimum wellbore trajectory is different. By applying the code, geomechanical engineers can calculate the amount of mud weight based on the dip and dip direction of the weak Bedding plane.