Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Improved Resistance (improved + resistance)
Selected AbstractsImproved Resistance to Damage of Silicon Carbide-Whisker-Reinforced Silicon Nitride-Matrix Composites by Whisker-Oriented AlignmentJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 1 2001Chang-an Wang The effects of whisker-oriented alignment on resistance to damage of SiC(w)/Si3N4 composites have been investigated by the Vickers indentation method and R -curve behavior. It is shown that increasing the degree of whisker-oriented alignment decreases the lengths of Vickers impressions and indentation cracks. The results exhibit rising R -curve behaviors for the SiC(w)/Si3N4 composites with different degree of whisker-oriented alignment. Moreover, the initial crack length ci, the threshold of crack growth resistance Ki, and the upper bound of crack growth resistance K, change regularly with increasing degree of whisker-oriented alignment. All results suggest that the whisker-oriented alignment improves the resistance to damage of the composites, resulting in a more reliable and usable composite. [source] Enhanced Optical Properties and Opaline Self-Assembly of PPV Encapsulated in Mesoporous Silica SpheresADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 23 2009Timothy L. Kelly Abstract A new poly(p -phenylenevinylene) (PPV) composite material has been developed by the incorporation of insoluble PPV polymer chains in the pores of monodisperse mesoporous silica spheres through an ion-exchange and in situ polymerization method. The polymer distribution within the resultant colloidal particles is characterized by electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen adsorption. It was found that the polymer was selectively incorporated into the mesopores of the silica host and was well distributed throughout the body of the particles. This confinement of the polymer influences the optical properties of the composite; these were examined by UV,vis and fluorescence spectroscopy and time-correlated single-photon counting. The results show a material that exhibits an extremely high fluorescence quantum yield (approaching 85%), and an improved resistance to oxidative photobleaching compared to PPV. These enhanced optical properties are further complemented by the overall processability of the colloidal material. In marked contrast to the insolubility of PPV, the material can be processed as a stable colloidal dispersion, and the individual composite spheres can be self-assembled into opaline films using the vertical deposition method. The bandgap of the opal can be engineered to overlap with the emission band of the polymer, which has significant ramifications for lasing. [source] Backcross breeding for improved resistance to common bacterial blight in pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)PLANT BREEDING, Issue 3 2005N. Mutlu Abstract Common bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli reduces common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) yield and quality worldwide. Genetic resistance provides effective disease control; however. a high level of resistance is difficult to attain and does not exist in pinto bean, the most important dry bean market class in North America. Our objective was to determine if a backcross breeding approach with the aid of molecular markers linked to quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to CBB in a donor parent could be used to attain higher levels of resistance to CBB in pinto bean. QTL conditioning CBB resistance from the donor parent XAN 159 were introgressed into the recurrent parent,Chase'using classical backcross breeding and intermittent marker-assisted selection.,Chase'pinto bean is moderately resistant and the breeding line XAN 159 is highly resistant to Xanthomonas campestris. Marker assays confirmed the presence of independent QTL from GN no. 1 Sel 27 and XAN 159 in advanced backcross-derived pinto bean lines with improved CBB resistance. Agronomic characteristics of,Chase'were fully recovered in the backcross-derived lines. An important QTL for CBB resistance from XAN 159 on linkage group B6 was not introgressed because tight linkage between this QTL and the dominant V allele that causes an unacceptable black-mottled seed coat colour pattern in pinto bean could not be broken. [source] Heterologous expression of Arabidopsis H+ -pyrophosphatase enhances salt tolerance in transgenic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.)PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 2 2010ZHIGANG LI ABSTRACT The Arabidopsis vacuolar H+ -pyrophosphatase (AVP1), when over-expressed in transgenic (TG) plants, regulates root and shoot development via facilitation of auxin flux, and enhances plant resistance to salt and drought stresses. Here, we report that TG perennial creeping bentgrass plants over-expressing AVP1 exhibited improved resistance to salinity than wild-type (WT) controls. Compared to WT plants, TGs grew well in the presence of 100 mm NaCl, and exhibited higher tolerance and faster recovery from damages from exposure to 200 and 300 mm NaCl. The improved performance of the TG plants was associated with higher relative water content (RWC), higher Na+ uptake and lower solute leakage in leaf tissues, and with higher concentrations of Na+, K+, Cl - and total phosphorus in root tissues. Under salt stress, proline content was increased in both WT and TG plants, but more significantly in TGs. Moreover, TG plants exhibited greater biomass production than WT controls under both normal and elevated salinity conditions. When subjected to salt stress, fresh (FW) and dry weights (DW) of both leaves and roots decreased more significantly in WT than in TG plants. Our results demonstrated the great potential of genetic manipulation of vacuolar H+ -pyrophosphatase expression in TG perennial species for improvement of plant abiotic stress resistance. [source] A new crosslinked protein fiber from gliadin and the effect of crosslinking parameters on its mechanical properties and water stabilityPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 10 2008Ying Li Abstract BACKGROUND: Although several cereal proteins have been used to develop fibers and films, it has not been possible to obtain protein materials with good mechanical properties and water stability, even after crosslinking. Previously, high concentrations of glutaraldehyde were used to improve the mechanical properties of protein fibers but the effect of crosslinking conditions on the properties of the crosslinked materials has not been studied in detail. RESULTS: Low concentrations of glutaraldehyde can be used to improve the mechanical properties and water stability of gliadin fibers. Quantitative relationships that can predict the breaking tenacity of the fibers at various crosslinking conditions are developed. Glutaraldehyde crosslinking is more resistant to hydrolysis in neutral pH than under acidic conditions in terms of increasing and retaining the breaking tenacity. The crosslinked fibers show improved resistance to hydrolysis over poly(lactic acid) fibers in aqueous dispersions at pH = 4 and 7 at 50 and 90 °C, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that low concentrations of glutaraldehyde can impart excellent mechanical properties to gliadin fibers. The quantitative relationships developed can be used to select the crosslinking conditions such low glutaraldehyde concentration and high temperature or vice versa to obtain the desired improvement in mechanical properties or water stability. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Responses of genotypes from species of Trifolium, Ornithopus, Biserrula and Hedysarum to a highly virulent race of Phytophthora clandestina and new sources of resistanceANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009H. Li Abstract Thirty-six genotypes, including 15 cultivars and 10 breeding lines of Trifolium subterraneum, a single genotype of each of seven other species of Trifolium (viz. Trifolium dasyurum, Trifolium glanduliferum, Trifolium incarnatum, Trifolium michelanium, Trifolium purpureum, Trifolium spumosum and Trifolium vesiculosum), Biserrula pelecinus, Hedysarum coronarium, Ornithopus compressus and Ornithopus sativus were screened under controlled environmental conditions for resistance to root disease caused by the most pathogenic race of Phytophthora clandestina occurring in Australia, namely race 177. This is the first time any of these genera/species other than T.subterraneum has ever been screened for its response to P. clandestina. The root disease caused by P.clandestina is the first report of susceptibility to this pathogen for the seven other species of Trifolium and also for B.pelecinus, H.coronarium and O.sativus. Within T.subterraneum, a very high level of resistance was identified in cvs Denmark, Junee and Meteora [scores ,1.5 (0,5 scale where 0 = no disease) across two separate screening tests] and in the breeding lines SL027 and SM023 (scores ,1.3 across two separate screening tests). Six of the seven other species of Trifolium (viz. T.dasyurum, T.glanduliferum, T.incarnatum, T.michelanium, T.purpureum and T.spumosum) showed a high level of resistance (scores ,0.8 across two separate screening tests), while T.vesiculosum showed a disease score of ,1.2 across both screening tests. O.compressus showed no disease in either test, and O.sativus showed a disease score of ,0.7 across both screening tests. H.coronarium was susceptible with a disease score of ,2.8 across two separate screening tests, while B.pelecinus was highly susceptible with disease scores of 3.5 and 4.6 in these tests. The high levels of resistance identified against P.clandestina are useful sources of resistance that can be exploited commercially, either directly to minimise damage from this disease or as parents in breeding programs to develop cultivars within the genera/species tested with improved resistance to this highly pathogenic race of P.clandestina. [source] | |||||||||||||