Microbiostratigraphy of Kazhdumi Formation in the Northwestern Shiraz (Southwest Iran) on the Basis of Foraminifera and Calcareous Algae

The middle Cretaceous Kazhdumi Formation,with a thickness of 222 m,belongs to the Bangestan Group and occurs in the Zagros folded zone in southwest Iran.The lower boundary with the Dariyan Formation is disconformable,which is recognized by iron oxides and glauconite.The recognized microfossils are Valvulammina sp.,Scandonea sp.,Daxia cenomana,Choffatela sp., Pseudolituonella reicheli and calcareous algae-Lithocodium aggregation(which belongs to the Sarvak Formation),representing the beginning of Cenomani...     

Effects of biochar and bio-fertilizer on yield and qualitative properties of soybean and some chemical properties of soil

This study attempted to examine the effects of biochar amendment together with bio-fertilizer on soybean yield and its qualitative properties, as well as a few chemical properties of soil through a factorial randomized complete block design at three replications in east of Golestan Province (Iran) during 2014. The two factors under study included the following: (1) biochar amendment (in four levels of 0, 2.5, 8, and 16 tons per hectare), (2) bio-fertilizer containing phosphorus and sulfur growth-promoting rhizobacteria (in two levels of inoculation and non-inoculation) applied through foliar feeding. The results of analysis of variance indicated that interactions of biochar amendment and bio-fertilizer on harvest index and grain yield were significant (p ≤?0.01). According to the results of this study, the highest harvest index and oil content were 56.9, and 17.7%, respectively, in the treatment of 8 tons per hectare biochar and inoculation with bio-fertilizer. The lowest harvest index and the lowest oil content were in the control treatment. The interaction of biochar and bio-fertilizer on bulk density and cation exchange capacity was significant (p ≤?0.01). The results of this study demonstrated that biochar affected the amount of residual nitrogen in the soil after harvest, cation exchange capacity (CEC), acidity (pH), and electrical conductivity (EC). The highest grain yield (3440 kg/ha) was in the 8-ton biochar treatment with inoculated bio-fertilizer. Our study concludes that the biochar and bio-fertilizers can improve grain yield of soybean till 51% relative to the control.     

b-value and fractal dimension variations in Iran

Iran sits on a region with a high intrinsic level of seismic activity due to its tectonic setting. Through statistical examination of the earthquakes listed in the catalogue from International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), this research attempted to calculate some seismicity factors and find correlation between them. A preliminary analysis indicated changes in the b-value of the Gutenberg-Richter relationship over the study region. Thus, the study area was divided into five zones (Alborz, Zagros, Azerbaijan, Central and East) and b-value was computed for each zone. Considering faulting mechanism styles and the b-values in the region, it was found that the lowest b-values belong to the thrust events and strike-slip faulting earthquakes have intermediate values. These findings support previous studies. Furthermore, results of b-value calculation were used for the estimation of accumulated differential stresses (σ₁–σ₂) over each zone. Overall, the b-value for Iran is averagely low which signifies the high stress tectonic regime in this region. Also, by having calculated fractal dimension (D) in each zone, a correlation obtained showing that in Iran region, the b-value correlates to fractal dimension by D = 4.2b–2 relation which does not support Aki's (1981) speculation of D = 3b/c.     

Simulating the urban growth dimensions and scenario prediction through sleuth model: a case study of Rasht County,Guilan, Iran

Urban growth models (UGM) as regional planning tools are of great interest for quantitative analysis of urban complex systems. In this study, the SLEUTH UGM has been calibrated through a sequential multistage automated method to derive the pattern of urban growth in Rasht County from 1975 up to year 2011. Evaluation of model goodness of fit confirms that the model is adjusted properly to the area under investigation. Four growth rules of spontaneous, new spreading center, edge and road influenced growth as well as five coefficients of diffusion, breed, spread, road gravity and slope resistance are responsible to detect quantitative aspects of urban dynamics from control years. According to the results, successive improvement of the model parameters during the calibration mode indicates applicability of the model for forecasting of future urban growth mechanism until the year 2050. Accordingly, two growth scenarios were developed mainly with the aim of investigating the coefficients’ role in controlling the nature of urban dynamics. In this concern, the spread and road gravity coefficients’ value, as two major driving forces of urban sprawl in the study area were reduced to dictate compact and infill growth, compared to their original values derived from calibration for historical prediction. Comparison between two forecasted scenarios indicates insignificant difference in total amount of the urban area, which denotes there is a threshold to urbanization and the current trend of urban growth could not be maintained. Finally, we conclude that Rasht County with considerable industrial and agricultural attractions, will witness noticeable expansion from 20,310 ha in 2011, up to 34,745 ha in 2050, accounting to 71 % increase in total area of manmade surfaces.     

Kinetic Determination of Trace Amounts of Nitrite Using an Optical Chemical Sensor

An optical chemical sensor (optode) is proposed for the kinetic determination of nitrite ion. The optode was fabricated by the immobilization of methyl violet on a triacetylcellulose polymeric membrane. Methyl violet is covalently bonded to a transparent triacetylcellulose film. By immersion of the sensor into an acidic nitrite solution, the absorbance of the sensor at 596 nm decreases with time that is due to the reaction of nitrite with the immobilized methyl violet. A fixed time method of 15 min was used to monitor the reaction. The linear range for the determination of nitrite was 0.20–8.00 µg mL^?1 and the limit of detection was 0.08 µg mL^?1. The optodes were one‐shot, they had durability more than 2 months and were easily prepared. The optode was successfully applied to the determination of nitrite ion in spring water and sewage samples.     

3D road marking reconstruction from street-level calibrated stereo pairs

This paper presents an automatic approach to road marking reconstruction using stereo pairs acquired by a mobile mapping system in a dense urban area. Two types of road markings were studied: zebra crossings (crosswalks) and dashed lines. These two types of road markings consist of strips having known shape and size. These geometric specifications are used to constrain the recognition of strips. In both cases (i.e. zebra crossings and dashed lines), the reconstruction method consists of three main steps. The first step extracts edge points from the left and right images of a stereo pair and computes 3D linked edges using a matching process. The second step comprises a filtering process that uses the known geometric specifications of road marking objects. The goal is to preserve linked edges that can plausibly belong to road markings and to filter others out. The final step uses the remaining linked edges to fit a theoretical model to the data. The method developed has been used for processing a large number of images. Road markings are successfully and precisely reconstructed in dense urban areas under real traffic conditions.     

Geochemical analysis of evaporite sedimentation in the Gachsaran Formation,Zeloi oil field,southwest Iran

In this study, the paleo-sedimentary depositional environment of the Gachsaran Formation and the Asmari reservoir cap rock (i.e., the stratigraphically lowest member of the Gachsaran Formation) was investigated from elemental geochemical data and mineralogical data obtained XRF and SEM analyses, respectively, of anhydrite samples collected from two oil wells in the Zeloi oil field in southwestern Iran. The present data reveal that arid conditions and cycles of transgression–regression of the sea contributed to the formation of evaporite sequences of the Gachsaran Formation in a coastal sabkha-lagoon basin that was partly closed to the sea. This interpretation was based on synthesis of statistical correlation analysis the geochemical data, chemostratigraphic correlation of geochemical ratios, and textural analysis of salts observed in SEM images.     

Proposing a formula for evaporation measurement from salt water resources

Evaporation involves the change in state of a liquid to a vapour. The evaporation rate from salt‐water resources depends mostly on saturated vapour pressure above its surface. On the other hand, the saturated vapour pressure is affected by the ion activity coefficient, which stems from the chemical salt concentration of water. Thus, an increase in concentration of water results in a reduction of saturated vapour pressure. In order to acquire the actual rate of evaporation from salt‐water resources, a uniform set of evaporation pans with different but specified salt concentrations were used, in a meteorological station under the same conditions. The difference in evaporation rate of each pan can only stem from the difference in chemical salt concentration and, indeed, the molar fraction of water in each saline solution. Therefore, by applying the water molar fraction in the pressure term of fresh‐water evaporation measurement formulas, these equations were developed further for determination of evaporation rate from salt‐water resources. The proposed formulas using very simple terms seem to be suitable for determination of evaporation rate from any water (typically saline, semi‐saline and fresh water) with a satisfactory precision. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.