Considering the environmental problems due to the usage of chemical herbicides, to control the weeds we can increase soil temperature by mulching. This research was conducted in Fasa in 2020. The experiment was performed as a factorial in a completely randomized design with three replications.The first factor was four varieties of weeds including Amaranthus retroflexus, Chenopodium album, Portulaca oleracea and Plantago lancoelata and the second factor was duration of mulching cover in 3 treatments including control, 20 and 40 days. After the periods of plastic mulching, the seeds were taken out of the soil depth and were examined based on standardized germination test. The results showed that the percentage and rate germination seeds, vigor and alpha and beta amylase decreased with the plastic mulching was used. 40 days of plastic mulching caused a reduction in germination speed comparing to the treatment which had no plastic mulching. By increasing the duration of the usage of mulching, the electric conduction of seeds showed an increase applying plastic mulching for forty days caused a decrease in seedling growth comparing to the treatment. The highest decrease in germination and seed vigor among the weeds was observed in Chenopodium album on the other hand plastic mulching treatment couldn't affect the germination in Plantago lancoelata. Overall, the results of this study showed that the parameters related to seed germination in different weed species was different based on the time of sun exposure under plastic mulch; So that solarization for 40 days is recommended to control weeds.

In this research the effects of different aging conditions on the raveling and cracking resistance of asphalt concrete made by two types of aggregates, namely limestone and siliceous source have been investigated. Asphalt samples made by siliceous and limestone aggregates were made and were subjected to short-term and 5 and 7-day long-term aging conditions. After that, they were tested using Cantabro mass loss and semi-circular bending test at ambient temperature. Results reveal that the mixture made by limestone aggregates has more raveling and cracking resistance than the mixture made by siliceous aggregates. These results were found to be due to rougher texture and more angularity of limestone particles and also having more MgO and CaO content in their chemical compositions. Results also reveal that aging results in reduction of raveling resistance, fracture energy, fracture toughness, ductility and critical load sustained before fracture in semi-circular bending test. The effect of aging on these properties was found to be dependent on the type of aggregates and the considered property. In terms of raveling resistance, the aging is more effective on the mixture made by limestone aggregates; however, the fracture properties and cracking resistance of the mixture made by siliceous aggregates are more affected by aging than the mixture made by limestone aggregates. .

Introduction  Cheese is the general name of a group of fermented dairy products that are produced all over the world in a variety of flavors, textures, and shapes. This product considered a source of protein, minerals, and vitamins, all of which add to its high nutritional value. White-brined cheeses are soft cheeses that ripen in brine. Brined ultrafiltered cheese, as a popular product, has attracted a broad consumer market in our country. The use of thermal processes to prolong the shelf life of foods has long been considered, but these methods lead to a decrease in nutritional value and product quality. Emerging non-thermal technologies, including ultrasound, pulsed electric field, high hydrostatic pressure, cold plasma and ozone have revolutionized the food processing sector. These processes can improve the safety and quality of food products and increase their shelf life by reducing food spoilage. In addition to expanding food shelf life, these technologies are experiencing more orogress  in the industry due to reduced energy consumption. Ozone is one of the most effective disinfectants known that does not leave any dangerous residue on food or other surfaces in contact. Ozone treatment does not require heat and therefore saves energy. Ozonation, as a novel technology, is widely used in preserving meat, processing oysters, inhibiting microbial growth, and oxidizing phenolic compounds. Ozone has been mainly used in the dairy industry to reduce or inhibit the growth of pathogenic or spoilage microorganisms. However, its effect on the non-microbial properties of dairy products has not been studied much.   Materials and Methods  Cheese production was carried out by ultrafiltration technology in the Hamedan Pegah dairy complex (Hamedan, Iran). The starter culture used in cheese production was R708 (containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis), which was obtained from Christian Hansen, Denmark. Microbial renin enzyme (Proteria, Handry Company, Belgium) was also used for coagulation. Analytical grade chemicals were also purchased from Merck, Darmstadt, Germany. Ozone gas at concentrations of 2 and 5 ppm was used in different stages of brined ultrafiltered cheese production and then the samples were subjected to physicochemical (total solids (TS), ash, pH, salt, protein, fat, acid degree value (ADV)), microbiological and organoleptic (based on the 5-point hedonic scale) analyses at 35-day intervals during a ripening period of 105 days. The studied treatments were: Ozonization of retentate simultaneously with starter inoculation (OA), Ozonization of retentate before starter inoculation (OB), Ozonization of retentate (before starter inoculation) and brine (OC), Ozonization of brine (OD) and control (C). Statistical analysis (One-way ANOVA and Duncan) was performed at a significance level of 95% by the SPSS package program (v. 20.0, Chicago, IL, USA).     Results and Discussion  Based on the results, the amounts of total solids, ash, salt, ADV and syneresis of cheeses increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05), while the protein and fat contents of the samples decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) during the ripening period. The pH of the samples decreased from day 0 to 35 and then increased in most samples until the end of the ripening period. The total counts in the samples increased initially until day 70 but then decreased until the end of the ripening period. In general, during the ripening, cheeses treated with 5 ppm ozone had lower microbial load and higher lipolysis compared to samples treated with 2 ppm ozone. In addition, in most treatments, the sensory scores of cheese samples at the end of the ripening period were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher than those at the beginning of the ripening period. The application of ozone treatment was able to improve some of the sensory properties of the cheeses. In general, this improvement was not statistically significant compared to the control, especially at the end of the ripening period. The positive microbial and physicochemical effects of ozone treatment on cheese samples leading to increase the shelf life of brine cheese up to 105 days (30 days more than usual) without having a negative effect on its sensory properties. Therefore, ozone can be used as a non-thermal treatment to extend shelf life and improve some physicochemical characteristics of cheese.

Estimation of flood zoning is very important in terms of management and determination of flood damages. Remote sensing and the use of high-resolution images can be effective in extracting flood zoning estimator indicators. In this research, Sentinel 2 images in the year of the flood occurrence with a spatial resolution of 10 meters and Landsat 8 images at the same time in the years before and after the flood were used by environment the Google Earth Engine. In this study, the zoning of the flood was estimated using indices of NDWI, MNDWI, and DVDI. The results showed that the MNDWI, despite the long-time interval (20 days) after the flood of 2019 and the evaporation of most of the water spread over the lands, the area of flooding was estimated better compared to the NDWI around 330.59 ha. Also, the flood-affected area using DVDI (that indicates the destruction of vegetation due to floods showing negative values) was estimated at 3522.21 ha, which showed a small difference compared to the results provided by the results of Lorestan Governorate research (4750 hectares). Finally, the results showed although DVDI optimally estimated flood zoning due to the use of the 5-year time series of the NDVI before and after the flood if the cloud-free images of Sentinel 2 exist to extract the MNDWI, it probably could perform better than the DVDI. In general, the use of the above indicators is suggested as an important, practical, and low-cost method for management, area estimation, and flood damage determination.