Dust is a common atmospheric phenomenon in Iran especially in central arid regions.  This severely affects environment as well as resident’s health. Among the results of this phenomenon are Respiratory diseases, bash radiation, accelerated soil erosion, Desertification and degradation of ecosystems. Some dusts are originated from local desert conditions but adjacency to neighboring countries de...

The moisture retention and compression characteristics of municipal solid waste under self-weight are likened to those of an unsaturated soil. By assuming that the solid organic fraction in waste retains a relatively immobile micropore moisture and that deformation at low confining stress occurs at the expense of a relatively large macropore system, an insight into the variation of density and ...

Monitoring of a passively-aerated plastic-wrapped mortality composting system designed for emergency disposal of diseased swine highlighted the importance of the physical characteristics of materials used to envelop the carcasses. Inadequate moisture was a problem when using envelope materials such as ground cornstalks or straw having low density and high air-filled porosity. High O2 concentrat...

The carbon isotopic composition (delta(13)C) of recently assimilated plant carbon is known to depend on water-stress, caused either by low soil moisture or by low atmospheric humidity. Air humidity has also been shown to correlate with the delta(13)C of soil respiration, which suggests indirectly that recently fixed photosynthates comprise a substantial component of substrates consumed by soil ...

−− Many processes in food technology involve water migration from or into the processed product. Modeling of food water migration knowledge could result speeding up the processes, improving the quality of final products, and reducing energy costs. A mathematical formulation for mass transfer during drying and hydration of a porous solid sphere with volume change was developed in terms of the di...

Some Enterobacteriaceae possess the ability to survive in low-moisture environments for extended periods of time. Many of the reported food-borne outbreaks associated with low-moisture foods involve Salmonella contamination. The control of Salmonella in low-moisture foods and their production environments represents a significant challenge for all food manufacturers. This review summarizes the ...

Malling-Merton 106 apple rootstocks inoculated with Pratylenchus penetrans, or uninoculated, were grown in a growth chamber in pots of loamy sand maintained at two moisture levels, 0 to -0.4 bar or 0 to -10 bars. Either inoculation or low soil moisture suppressed shoot growth and increased root necrosis. However, the nematode-soil moisture interaction was not significant.

While it is well known that soil moisture directly affects microbial activity and soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, it is unclear if the presence of plants alters these effects through rhizosphere processes. We studied soil moisture effects on SOM decomposition with and without sunflower and soybean. Plants were grown in two different soil types with soil moisture contents of 45% and 85%...

The effect of moisture content and temperature on the melt ̄ow behavior and the resulting morphology of thermoplastic starch (TPS)/ poly(hydroxy ester ether) blends is studied. The viscosity ratio (l) was found to vary over two orders of magnitude (0.1±10) with changes in the TPS moisture content (15±30%) and temperature (120±1608C). This had a substantial effect on the level of mixing, nature ...