Effects of Additional Elements on Microstructure and Precipitation Behaviour in Rapidly Solidified Al-Ti Base Alloys

Rapidly solidified Al-Ti base alloys were prepared by melt spinning at the cooling rate about 107 K/s. The melt-spun ribbons were used to observe the dricrostructures after heat treatment.In the supersaturated Al-Tl-Si alloy, age hardening occurred after 1 h anneal in the temperature range of 4000~500℃, which seems to be attributed to the precipitation of metastable Ll2- (Al,Si)3Ti phase. However. the microhardness was relatively low because of the low v/o and the insufflcient stability of precipitates. Thus. Cr was added to Al-Ti-Si alloys in order to stabilize the microstructures and to increase the v/o of precipitate5. As a result. the alIoys containing Cr were evaluated to possess the improved properties at the service temperature.

Effects of Ta Addition on NiTi Shape Memory Alloys

The effect of Ta addition on the martensitic transformation characteristics and the X-ray visibility on NiTi shape memory alloy have been studied in (Ni51Ti49)1-xTax system. It was found that the transformation temperatures of the Ni51Ti49 binary alloy increased drastically by an addition of 0～4 at. pet Ta, but only slightly when the concentration exceeded 4 at. pct; the addition of Ta greatly decreases the sensitivity of the martensitic transformations to the variation in the Ni-Ti ratio. The addition of Ta to the NiTi binary alloy can improve its X-ray visibility.

Additive mixed models to study the effect of tree age and climatic factors on stem radial growth of Eucalyptus trees

The effect of tree age and climatic variables on stem radial growth of two hybrid clones of Eucalyptus was determined using longitudinal data from eastern South Africa.The stem radius of was measured weekly as the response variable.In addition to tree age,average weekly temperature,solar radiation,relative humidity and wind speed were simultaneously recorded with total rainfall at the site.An additive mixed effects model that incorporates a non-parametric smooth function was used.The results of the analysis indicate that the relationship between stem radius and each of the covariates can be explained by nonlinear functions.Models that account for the effect of clone and season together with their interaction in the parametric part of the additive mixed model were also fitted.The interaction between clone and season was not significant in all cases.For analyzing the joint effect all the covariates,additive mixed models that included two or more covariates were fitted.A significant effect of tree age was found in all cases.Although tree age was the key determinant of stem radial growth,weather variables also had a significant effect that was dependent on season.

Effect of Respective Additions of Ga, Zr and Combined Additions of Co, Ga, Zr on Magnetic Properties of Remanence-enhanced Nd_(8.4) Fe_(87.1) B_(4.5) Alloy

The effect of a partial substitution of Zr, Ga; Co and Ga; Co. Ga and Zr; respectively, for Fe on the structure and magnetic properties of Nd_8.4Fe_87.1B_4.5 alloy prepared by mechanical alloying has been studied in detail. It has been shown that, intrinsic coercivity μ0 H_c and maximum magnetic energy product (BH)_max increase for only Zr or Ga-containing samples, which is mainly due to the refinement of soft grains. The combined addition of Co and Ga is less effective for improving μoH_c and (BH)_max than the respective addition of Co or Ga. which may be due to the formation of CsCl-type CoGa. μoH_c and (BH)_max for combined Co, Ga. Zr-added alloy are higher than those for the combined Co, Ga-added alloy but lower than those for only Zr-containing alloy.

Genetic Effect on Yield and Fiber Quality Traits of 16 Chromosome Substitution Lines in Upland Cotton

Evaluation of the genetic effect on yield and fiber quality can provide useful information on cotton breeding. Sixteen CSB lines and TM-1 introduced from USDA/ARS were used as male and top-crossed with three elite cultivars and the 51 F1 hybrids, 16 CSB lines, TM-1, and 3 elite cultivars were planted at the Cotton Research Institute of CAAS, Anyang, Henan Province and Xiajin, Shandong Province, China. The yield traits and fiber quality data were obtained and additive and dominance effect on each trait were measured by AD model. Boll weight takes the largest additive proration, whereas boll number takes the least additive proration. The largest and the least dominant proration for lint yield and boll weight were measured, respectively. Fiber length has the additive and dominance effect, and dominance effect was slightly more than additive effect. Larger additive and no dominance effect on uniformity, micronaire, and fiber strength were measured. Significantly, positive additive effect on boll weight of CSB06 and CSB12Sh was observed. CSB14Sh and CSB01 have significantly positive additive effect on 4 and 3 traits of fiber quality, respectively. CSB01 has the greatest dominant effect on lint yield among CSB lines. The dominant effect on fiber length of CSB lines showed positive. It is beneficial to use CSB06 and CSB12Sh as parents to improve boll size, to use CSB14Sh and CSB01 as parents to improve fiber quality. As for hybrid cotton breeding, it is reasonable using CSB01 to improve lint yield traits, and using CSB01, CSB11Sh, and CSB06 to improve fiber length.

Path analysis and estimation of additive and epistatic gene effects of barley SSD lines

In the paper presented, 99 single seed descent barley lines as well as their parental forms Roland and Apex were studied. The grain weight components and their interrelations were analyzed using simple coefficients of correlation. The direct and indirect effects of such components on grain weight per plant and 1 000-grain weight were estimated using path analysis. In the 2006 and 2007, the spike length and number of spikelets per spike were the determinants of grain weight. Genetic parameters as additive and epistasis effects were estimated for all studied traits. The results indicate the importance of both additive and epistasis gene effects of number of spikes per plant, grain weight per spike, grain number per plant and grain weight per plant in this study.

Effect of Al Addition on the Glass-Forming Ability and Magnetic Properties of a Gd-Co Binary Amorphous Alloy

The glass-forming ability （CFA） and magnetic properties of the Cd50 Co50-based amorphous alloy with AI addition substitution for Co are investigated. It is found that the CFA and magneto-caloric effect of the Gd50Co45Al5 amorphous alloy are better than Cd50Co50 amorphous alloy. The maximum magnetic entropy change （-△ Sm^peak） and the magnetic refrigerant capacity- of the amorphous alloy under a field of 5 T are about 6.64 J·kg^-1 K^-1 and 764 J·kg^-1, respectively. The field dependence of magnetic entropy change meets the one predicted by the mean field theory, which is investigated for a better understanding of the magneto-caloric behaviors of the Gdso Co45Al5 amorphous alloy.

Antioxidant and Immunopotentiating Effects of <i>Cordyceps </i>Mycelium Extract, Chicken Essence, and Their Combination in Experimental Models

Cordyceps mycelium extract (Cs-4), Chicken Essence (CE), and their combination were investigated for antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities in mouse models. Long-term treatment with Cs-4 or CE at equivalent human doses improved antioxidant status in various tissues, as evidenced by the enhancement of mitochondrial glutathione redox status in the brain, liver, heart, and kidney of mice. Cs-4 or CE treatment also produced an immunomodulatory action, as indicated by the potentiation of Concanavalin A-/lipopolysaccharide-induced proliferation of mouse splenocytes ex vivo. While doubling of the equivalent human doses of Cs-4 and CE did not further enhance their antioxidant or immunopotentiating effects, the combined treatment with Cs-4 and CE at their respective equivalent human doses produced an additive effect, with the extents of stimulation being larger than those produced by Cs-4 or CE alone. The results have demonstrated for the first time that the combined use of Cs-4 and CE can produce an additive effect on both antioxidation and immunopotentiation that cannot otherwise be achieved by increasing the equivalent human doses of Cs-4 or CE alone.

Effects of A1 Additions on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of MoSi_2

The effects of Al additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of MoSi2 have been studied. With the A1 additions from 2.5 wt pct to 5 wt pct, the siliceous grain boundary phase in hot pressed samples was eliminated because of the formation of Al2O3 particles. It was shown that Al and SiO2 reacted at 860℃. During the reaction, A1 atoms were mainly transferred to Al2O3 particles, and to some extent, diffused into MoSi2 grains. Both the toughness and strength of Al containing composites exceeded those of pure MoSi2 material. Bending strength and fracture toughness reach the highest value of 350 MPa, 4.05 MPa.m1/2, respectively, at ambient temperature when Al addition was of 3.5 wt pct.

Effect of Li and Ti Additions on Lα(Al)+Mg_2Si Pseudobinary Eutectic Reaction

Effect of Li and Ti additions on Lα(AI)+Mg2Si pseudobinary eutectic reaction in ternary Al-Mg-Si system has been investigated by thermoanalysis, directional solidification and metallographic techniques in this study. It has been found that Li addition causes decreasing of the volume fraction of Mg2Si, while a little amount of Ti causes to increasing, which is of a great importance to the adjustment of phase constitution and alloy properties. Doping components have little influence on the eutectic temperature.

The Effect and Mechanism of Nano-Cu Lubricating Additives on the Electroless Deposited Ni-W-P Coating

The coating and deposition process with excellent anti wear and suitable for industrial application were developed, and the optimum bath composition and process were obtained by studying the influence of the bath composition, temperature and pH value on the deposition rate and the plating solution stability. Moreover, the tribological properties of nano-Cu lubricating additives and electroless deposited Ni-W-P coating as well as their synergistic effect are researched using ring-block abrasion testing machine and energy dispersive spectrometer. Research results show that Ni-W-P alloy coating and nano-Cu lubricating additive have excellent synergistic effect, e g, the wear resistance of Ni-W-P alloy coating （with heat treatment and the oil with nano-Cu additives） has increased hundreds times than 45 steel as the metal substrate with the basic oil, and zero wear is achieved, which breaks through the bottleneck of previous separate research of the above-mentioned two aspects.

Effects of Ta Addition on Microstructure and Transformation Behavior of Ni-Ti Alloys

The effect of adding Ta on the changes of microstructure and Ms temperature of a dualphase shape memory alloy with compositions of (Ni51 Ti49)1 -x.Tax. and Ni50-Ti50 -g.Ta.g were systematically studied. An optical microscope, SEM, X-ray diffraction and DSC were utilized in this work. The evolution of the microstructure as a function of Ta content was characterized. The variation of the Ni/Ti ratio in the NiTi phase plays an important role in the change of the Ms temperatures due to the addition of Ta. A pseudobinary NiTi-Ta phase diagram was proposed based on these results.

Effects of Thermal Annealing on the Solvent Additive P3HT PC61BM Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

Effects of thermal annealing on the optical, electrical and structural properties of 3 vol% 1,8-diiodoctane added P3HT：PC61BM active layers are investigated, concerning the performance of the bulk heterojunction polymer so- lar cells by changing the heat temperature. The structure information of the active layer is analyzed by using the grazing incidence wide angle scattering diffraction combined with the optical microscope, light absorption, pho- toluminescence and the external quantum efficiency spectra. The relationship between the detail of morphology and the optical, electrical properties is investigated.

A stable and major QTL region on chromosome 2 conditions pod shape in cultivated peanut(Arachis hyopgaea L.)

Peanut pod shape is a heritable trait which affects the market acceptance of in-shell peanut products.In order to determine the genetic control of pod shape,six component traits of pod shape(pod length,pod width,pod length/width ratio,pod roundness,beak degree and constriction degree)were measured using an image-based phenotyping method.A recombinant inbred line(RIL)population consisting of 181 lines was phenotyped across three environments.Continuous distributions and transgressive segregations were demonstrated in all measured traits and environments.Significant correlations were found among most component traits with broad-sense heritability ranging from 0.87 to 0.95.Quantitative trait locus(QTL)analysis yielded 26 additive QTLs explaining 3.79 to 52.37%phenotypic variations.A novel,stable and major QTL region conditioning multiple shape features was detected on chromosome 2,which spans a 10.81-Mb genomic region with 543 putative genes.Bioinformatics analysis revealed several candidate genes in this region.In addition,73 pairs of epistatic interactions involving 92 loci were identified for six component traits explaining 0.94–6.45%phenotypic variations.These results provide new genetic loci to facilitate genomics-assisted breeding of peanut pod shape.

A novel procedure for identifying a hybrid QTL-allele system for hybrid-vigor improvement, with a case study in soybean(Glycine max)yield

“Breeding by design” for pure lines may be achieved by construction of an additive QTL-allele matrix in a germplasm panel or breeding population, but this option is not available for hybrids, where both additive and dominance QTL-allele matrices must be constructed. In this study, a hybrid-QTL identification approach, designated PLSRGA, using partial least squares regression(PLSR) for model fitting integrated with a genetic algorithm(GA) for variable selection based on a multi-locus, multi-allele model is described for additive and dominance QTL-allele detection in a diallel hybrid population(DHP). The PLSRGA was shown by simulation experiments to be superior to single-marker analysis and was then used for QTL-allele identification in a soybean DPH yield experiment with eight parents. Twenty-eight main-effect QTL with 138 alleles and nine QTL × environment QTL with 46 alleles were identified, with respective contributions of 61.8% and 23.5% of phenotypic variation. Main-effect additive and dominance QTL-allele matrices were established as a compact form of the DHP genetic structure. The mechanism of heterosis superior-to-parents(or superior-to-parents heterosis, SPH) was explored and might be explained by a complementary locus-set composed of OD+(showing positive over-dominance, most often), PD+(showing positive partial-to-complete dominance, less often) and HA+(showing positive homozygous additivity, occasionally) loci, depending on the parental materials. Any locus-type, whether OD+, PD + and HA+, could be the best genotype of a locus. All hybrids showed various numbers of better or best genotypes at many but not necessarily all loci, indicating further SPH improvement. Based on the additive/dominance QTL-allele matrices, the best hybrid genotype was predicted, and a hybrid improvement approach is suggested. PLSRGA is powerful for hybrid QTL-allele detection and cross-SPH improvement.

One compound approach combining factor-analytic model with AMMI and GGE biplot to improve multi-environment trials analysis

To improve multi-environmental trial(MET)analysis,a compound method—which combines factor analytic(FA)model with additive main effect and multiplicative interaction(AMMI)and genotype main effect plus genotype-by-environment interaction(GGE)biplot—was conducted in this study.The diameter at breast height of 36 open-pollinated(OP)families of Pinus taeda at six sites in South China was used as a raw dataset.The best linear unbiased prediction(BLUP)data of all individual trees in each site was obtained by fitting the spatial effects with the FA method from raw data.The raw data and BLUP data were analyzed and compared by using the AMMI and GGE biplot.BLUP results showed that the six sites were heterogeneous and spatial variation could be effectively fitted by spatial analysis with the FA method.AMMI analysis identified that two datasets had highly significant effects on the site,family,and their interactions,while BLUP data had a smaller residual error,but higher variation explaining ability and more credible stability than raw data.GGE biplot results revealed that raw data and BLUP data had different results in mega-environment delineation,test-environment evaluation,and genotype evaluation.In addition,BLUP data results were more reasonable due to the stronger analytical ability of the first two principal components.Our study suggests that the compound method combing the FA method with the AMMI and GGE biplot could improve the analysis result of MET data in Pinus teada as it was more reliable than direct AMMI and GGE biplot analysis on raw data.

Genetic Analysis of Earliness Traits in Short Season Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Inheritance and interrelationship of phenotype and genotype of earliness traits were evaluated in a diallel analysis involving six early-maturing parents. Date of first square （DFS）, date of first flower （DFF）, date of first open boll （DFOB）, number of node first sympodial branch （NNFSB）, and harvested rate before frost （HRBF） as earliness traits of six parents, 15 F1 hybrids and 15 F2 progenies were investigated from 2005 to 2008. The experiment design was a randomized complete block design with three replications. Additive, dominance and epistasis effects were analyzed with ADAA （additive- dominance-epistasis） model. HRBF, DFF, and DFOB showed significant additive genetic variances. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.088 （HN, narrow sense） and 0.416 （HNE, environment interaction） for HRBF, to 0.103 （HN） and 0.524 （HNE） for DFF, and to 0.187 （HN） and 0.519 （H~） for DFOB. Dominance genetic effects for DFS, DFF, DFOB, and NNSFB were stronger than additive effects. Additive-by-additive epistatic effects for DFS, DFOB, and NNSFB were detected and affected by environment. Correlation analysis showed generally that HRBF had a significant negative genetic and phenotypic correlation with DFS, DFOB, and NNFSB; DFS had significant positive genetic and phenotypic correlations with DFF, DFOB, and NNFSB; significant positive genetic and phenotypic correlations were also detected between DFF and DFOB, DFF and NNFSB, DFOB and NNFSB. The results showed that the lower the node to the first fruiting branch and the shorter the plant, the earlier was the onset of squaring, flowering, and boll opening, the higher was the harvest rate before frost. Heredity of earliness traits among parents and their hybrids were also detected and parents A1, A2, Bl, B2, and B3 could be used to improve earliness traits of short season cotton cultivars.

Alkali Metal-incorporated Mesoporous Smectites:Crystallinity and Textural Properties

A series of mesoporous smectite like materials incorporated with alkali metals such as Li, Na, K and Cs has been synthesized with the hydrothermal method. The crystalline and the pore structures of the materials synthesized significantly change with the introduction of alkali metals. The addition of Li gives highly ordered layer phases, while the incorporation of Cs yields much less crystalline structures. Although Na or K has little effect on the crystalline structure, they modify the pore structure.

QTL Mapping and Epistasis Analysis for Yield Traits in an RIL Population of Rice(Oryza sativa L.)

A genetic linkage map consisting of 168 DNA markers was constructed based on a recombinant inbred line(RID population derived from a cross between a high yielding indica variety, Zhong156, and a low yielding indica variety, Gumeil. The markers on the linkage map were distributed on all 12 chromosomes and covered 1 447. 9 cM of the genome. The parents and 304 RILs were grown in China National Rice Research Institute(CNRRI), Hangzhou, China, in 2001, over two seasons in a randomized block design. The statistic software of QTL Mapper 1.01 was applied to detect quantitative trait loci(QTLs)and additive by environment(AE)interactions for yield traits, including panicle length, number of panicles per plant, number of spikelets per panicle, number of filled grains per panicle, fertility and kilo-grain weight. A total of 30 QTLs with significant additive effects located on all chromosomes, except chromosomes 5 and 9, and two QTLs with significant AE interactions, were detected. Thirty-one interactions of QTLs showing significant additive by additive epistatic effects for yield traits were also detected. Genetic contributions were generally lower for QTLs showing epistatic effects compared with QTLs showing additive effects. No significant interactions between epistasis and environment were detected.

Genotype×year interaction of pod and seed mass and stability of Pongamia pinnata families in a semi-arid region

Sixteen pongamia families were evaluated in a field experiment for eight consecutive years in dryland conditions to identify stable,high-yielding families.The trial was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications.Each family,consisting of nine trees per replication,was planted at a spacing of3 m x 3 m.Yield stability was analyzed using(1)Eberhart and Russel’s regression coefficient(β_i)and deviation from regression(S_d^2),(2)Wrike’s ecovalence(W_i);(3)Shukla stability variance(σ_i^2);and(4)Piepho and Lotito’s stability index(L_i).Families were also analyzed for adaptability and stability using AMMI and GGE biplots graphical methods.The study revealed significant variances due to family and family x year interaction for pod and seed yield.Families performed differently and ranked differently across years.The performance of families was influenced by both genetic factor and environmental conditions in different years.Among families tested,TNMP20,Acc14,TNMP14 and Acc30 were high yielders for pods,and Acc14,Acc30,TNMP6,RAK19 and TNMP14 were high for seed yield.According to the Eberhart and Russell model,Acc30,TNMP14 and TNMP3 were stable across years.In the graphical view of family x year interaction based on AMMI methods,TNMP3,TNMP4 and TNMP14 had greater stability with moderate seed yield,and Acc14 and Acc30 had moderate stability with high seed yield.On the other hand,GGE biplots revealed Acc14,Acc30 and TNMP14 as high yielders with moderate stability.AMMI and GGE biplots were able to capture nonlinear parts of the family x year interaction that were not be captured by the Eberhart and Russel model while also identifying stable families.Based on different methodologies,Acc14,Acc30 and TNMP14 were identified as high yielding and stable families for promoting pongamia cultivation as a biofuel crop for semi-arid regions.