Aim of study: The aim of this study was to determine some of the physical, biometry and mechanical strength properties of Diospyros lotus L. wood along radial direction from the pith to the bark and the relationship between wood various properties.Area of study: The study area is located in north Iran in the province of Mazandarn. Material and methods:Testing samples were taken at breast height of tree stem and three radial position of stem radius to determine physical (basic density), fiber biometry (fiber length, fiber diameter, cell-wall thickness) and mechanical properties (modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity).Main results: The results of ANOVA indicated that there are significant differences along radial direction in above mentioned properties for persimmon wood. Basic density, fiber length, fiber diameter, cell-wall thickness, modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture increased along radial direction from pith toward the bark.Research highlights: The persimmon wood isn't suitable for pulp and paper production due to the unfavorable flexibility and Runkel coefficients.

Green, rapid, and highly efficient syntheses of α,α 0 -bis [(aryl or allyl)idene]cycloalkanones and 2-[(aryl or allyl)idene]-1-indanones as potentially biologic compounds via solvent-free microwave-assisted Claisen-Schmidt condensation catalyzed by MoCl 5 Abstract A new, green, and highly efficient protocol for the expeditious preparation of some α,α 0 -bis[(aryl or allyl)idene]cycloalkanones and 2-[(aryl or allyl)idene]-1-indanones via a simple microwave-assisted Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction catalyzed by MoCl 5 was successfully developed. Outstanding features of the current methodology include the use of solvent-free conditions, simple operation, use of a very inexpensive and available catalyst, low catalyst loading, short reaction times, high yields of the pure products, no harmful by-products, easy workup, and also the applicability of microwave irradiation as a clean source of energy. Furthermore, a gram-scale reaction was successfully conducted, proving the scalability of this current Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction. K E Y W O R D S

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The variations of wood density and mechanical properties of Juniperus polycarpos trees were studied in a natural forest in Iran. Sample disks were taken from each tree to examine wood density and mechanical properties (MOE and MOR) from pith to bark at breast height, 50%, and 75% of total tree height. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that radial position and height significantly affected all wood properties. The wood density, MOE and MOR were decreased along horizontal position from the pith to the bark and vertical direction from base upwards. Regression analysis showed that modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) had a positive correlation with wood density.