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Eight genotypes of spring safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) were evaluated for several physiological traits under stress and non-stress water regimes. Data were analyzed using principal factor analysis. The factor analysis technique extracted six factors under non-stress conditions. Six factors explained about 80% of the total variation, and only 40% of the variance was accounted for by the first two factors. Factors I and II were identified as water consumption, and water balance capacity, respectively. Similarly, seven factors were extracted under stress conditions, and 34% of the total variation was accounted for by the first two factors. Factors I and II were described as water conservation, and water holding capacity, respectively. Important physiological criteria were recognized by Fac-tors I and II in two experiments. Ultimately, initial water content (at stem elongation and grain filling stages), canopy temperature (at stem elongation and flowering stages), and leaf water potential (at flowering stage) under non-stress conditions, and canopy tempera-ture (at all stages), leaf area index (at stem elongation), and rate of water loss from ex-cised leaf (at grain filling) were the best criteria for screening suitable genotypes under the afore mentioned conditions.

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This research generally aimed to gain a better understanding of the stop voicing contrast in Khuzestani Arabic (KhA) by focusing on VOT and vowel onset f0. The potential effects of voicing status, place of articulation, vocalic context, and gender on the word-initial VOT and f0 measurements were investigated. 15 females and 15 males were asked to repeat 31 authentic words three times out of context with no marked intonation pattern. The results showed significant differences between VOT and f0 values as a function of voicing status, among others. In addition word-initially, the statistical analysis indicated significant place-dependent and vocalic-related VOT variations in the context of VOICELESS stops, whereas for f0 the effects of gender, place of articulation, and vocalic context were significant both at the VOICED and VOICELESS levels. Word-initially, in KhA /b, d, ɡ/ are produced with voicing lead, while their VOICELESS counterparts /p, t, k/ have long lag, and the two stops with no VOICED cognate /tˁ, q/ make use of short lag. Overall, KhA exhibits a two-way laryngeal contrast system, and similar to Swedish the two opposite ends of VOT continuum are utilized. Logistic regression models were executed separately for both genders to predict the levels of voicing status and emphaticness. The results revealed that in voicing contrast more weight was given to VOT compared to f0. Lastly, Pearson’s correlation showed a significantly positive linear relationship between the two acoustic parameters in marking the voicing feature of VOICELESS plosives.     
 

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The effect of nitrogen (N) levels on N uptake by high weed densities at early growth stages of corn (Zea mays L., CV. Double Cross 370) was investigated for two years (2008-2009) at the Agricultural Research Station of Shiraz University. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot arrangement in the randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Two levels of weed control (weedy and weed free) and three levels of preplanting N (0, 50, and 90 kg ha-1) were employed as main and subplots, respectively. One month after crop sowing, total weed species were determined and shoot dry weights of both corn and weeds were measured. The highest weed biomass and N uptake by weeds were obtained from the application of 50 kg N ha-1. In the first year of the study, average N content of weed seedlings grown at any rates were not significantly different, whereas in the second year, N content of the weeds in the zero N plot was 31 and 39 % less than the weeds grown in 50 and 90 kg N ha-1 applied plots, respectively. Higher uptake of N by weeds, especially redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) at the early corn growth stage is an important issue for crop-weed competition.

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Abstract:
In most steel frame designs the beam to column connections are assumed to be rigid or pinned but in many steel frames we have beam to column connections with semi-rigid behavior. The structures with semi-rigid connections include systems with the connections in joints which are not completely rigid, but allow, usually, some relative movements in directions of generalized displacements.
Early experimental studies showed the importance of panel shear deformations for stable energy dissipation under cyclic loading. Modeling of the panel is very important for the avoidance of local failure of columns under ultimate limit state.
A substantial effort has been made in recent years to characterize the behavior of semi rigid connections. Recent studies and modern codes, in especially EC3 and EC4, include methods and formulas to resistance and stiffness of panel zone. EC3 proposes a mechanical model for the semi-rigid joint in which each component is modeled by an equivalent linear spring.In these model we have some components that show with springs. These springs are assembled to form a single bilinear (elastic–plastic) rotational spring that models the connection, and is attached at the intersection between beam and column for the global analysis.
Both the stiffness and strength of the springs in EC3 and EC4 depend on β factor that definition of this parameter implies an approximation of the internal forces at the joint, and therefore its use requires an iterative process at the time of performing the global analysis of the structure. So E.Bayo proposed a new component-based method (or cruciform element method) to model internal and external semi-rigid connections that revived and modified EC methods. So a cruciform element (a four-node element) is proposed to avoid β factor, and the inherent initial guessing and iterative process that it requires, and includes the finite size and deformation modes of the joint.
One of main problems that structural engineer deal with is considering End Length Offset in conventional softwares. Extended end plate connection is one of beam-column semi rigid connection that we want to evaluate this behavios by using cruciform connection model and other panel zone models.
In this paper three 2 dimensional frames with extended end plate connections are modeld in MATLAB using Cruciform element method and these result are compared with SAP2000 results in eight cases that in four cases panel zone are modeld and four cases are without panel zone modeling. In which of this End Length Offset considering are once just for beams and the other for beams and columns (in two case of Rigid Zone Factor : 0.5 and 1). The results show that modeling panel zones according to EC method and considering Rigid Zone Factor equal to 1 in columns and beams are best assumption to analysis of 2D frames with extend end plate connections, but if we don’t model panel zones, we must considering Rigid Zone Factor equal to 0.5 in columns and beams to give nearby actual results.

Keywords: semi rigid connections, extended end plate, Rigid Zone Factor, End Length Offset

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Addition to historical analyses, three different types of reading of the ideas of al-Farabi have been offered: First, the connection between his ideas and the Greek thought; second, the connection between his ideas and theology, and the relationship that can be established between philosophy and religiousness; and third, the explication of al-Farabi’s ideas on the basis of the crisis (-es) he faced. In the present article the relationship between al-Farabi’s philosophy and Greece, Islam and the social crisis of the time are elaborated on.