Measurement of Binding Force between Microtubule-Associated Protein and Microtubule

Microtubule-associated proteins （MAPs） are important proteins in cells. They can regulate the organization, dynamics and function of microtubules. We measure the binding force between microtubule and a new plant MAP, i.e. AtMAP65-1, by dual-optical tweezers. The force is obtained to be 14.6 ± 3.5 pN from the data statistics and analysis. This force measurement is helpful to understand the function and mechanism of MAPs from the mechanical point of view and lays the groundwork for future measurements of the mechanical properties of other biological macro-molecules.

Key indicators affecting maize stalk lodging resistance of different growth periods under different sowing dates

The accurate evaluation of maize stalk lodging resistance in different growth periods enables timely management of lodging risks and ensures stable and high maize yields.Here,we established five diferent sowing dates to create diferent conditions for maize growth.We evaluated the effects of the different growth conditions on lodging resistance by determining stalk morphology,moisture content,mechanical strength and dry matter,and the relationship between stalk breaking force and these indicators during the silking stage(R1),milk stage(R3),physiological maturity stage(R6),and 20 days after R6.Plant height at R1 positively affected stalk breaking force.At R3,the cofficient of ear height and the dry weight per unit length of basal internodes were key indicators of stalk lodging resistance.At R6,the key indicators were the coefficient of the center of gravity height and plant fresh weight.After R6,the key indicator was the coefficient of the center of gravity height.The crushing strength of the fourth internode correlated significanty and positively with the stalk breaking force from R1 to R6,which indicates that crushing strength is a reliable indicator of stalk mechanical strength.These results suggest that high stalk strength and low ear height beneft lodging resistance prior to R6.During and after R6,the cofficient of the center of gravity height and the mechanical strength of basal internodes can be used to evaluate plant lodging resistance and the appropriate time for harvesting in fields with a high lodging risk.

Prediction of Burst Pressure of a Radial Truck Tire Using Finite Element Analysis

This paper is concerned with the numerical prediction of the burst pressure of a radial truck tire. Even though relatively rare, the tire fracture or failure brings up a big accident. Especially, the tire burst or rupture is a rapid loss of inflation pressure of a truck and bus tire leading to an explosion. The tire burst pressure, under this extreme loading condition, can be predicted by identifying the pressure at which the cord breaking force of the composite materials is attained. Recently, the use of finite element analysis in tire optimal design has become widely popular. In order to determine the burst pressure of a radial truck tire, an axisymmetric finite element model has been developed using a commercial finite element code with rebar element. The numerical result shows that the bead wire among the various layers modeled the rebar element breaks off first in the radial truck tire. The finite element modeling with the rebar element on the bead wire of a radial truck tire is able to well predict the tire burst pressure identifying the pressure at which the breaking force of steel bead wires is reached. The model predictions of tire burst pressure should be correlated with test data, in which case the tire is hydro-tested to destruction. The effect of the design change with the different bead structure on the tire burst pressure is discussed.

BREAKING WAVE FORCES ON VERTICAL CYLINDERS

The breaking wave forces on vertical cylinders in shallow waters were studied by means of experimental methods. The results indicate that the breaking wave pressure is distributed exponentially with respect to water depth. An experimental formula was given using the test data. Compared with test data, the calculated breaking wave forces are in good agreement with the test data.

Differences in breaking behavior of rice leaves under microwave and naturally drying processes

In order to fight for good farming time or harvest in bad weather,combine harvester will produce more broken leaves when threshing high moisture content rice,which will seriously hinder the grain cleaning effect.In this study,the breaking behavior of rice leaves under different microwave drying time and drying power was studied.Firstly,based on the appearance of freshly rice leaves undergoing microwave drying,the changing property of moisture content,weightlessness rate and temperature rise of rice leaves were tested and analyzed.Secondly,the tensile breaking force of freshly rice leaves under different microwave drying time and drying power was tested and compared with the tensile breaking force of naturally dried rice.Finally,the optimal microwaves parameters of rice leaves after drying which could result in greater breaking force than the natural drying state were obtained.The result showed that microwave drying method will reduce the moisture content of rice leaves and change the microstructure,which would affect the tensile-breaking property of rice leaves.The maximum tensile breaking force of rice leaves appeared at microwave dried power 70 W for 5-8 min and at microwave dried power 210 W for 3-4 min.The tensile breaking property of rice leaves at microwave dried power 350 W for 6-8 min were the weakest,which was lower than that of fresh rice leaves.Therefore,the optimal microwave drying parameters of rice leaves will provide a basis for the application of microwave technology in the threshing process.

The temperature-dependent domains,SHG effect and piezoelectric coefficient of TGS

The temperature-dependent,second-order,nonlinear,optical coefficient（x^（（2）））.piezoelectric coefficient （d_（33））,pyroelectric coefficient（Ps） and domains on triglycine sulfate（TGS） reported herein provide a clue for us to investigate these as a typical second-order phase transition.The symmetry breaking occurrence is definitely confirmed by the temperature-dependent x^（（2）） in which x^（（2）） displays a limited value at the ferroelectric phase,indicating the space group（P2_1） chosen is correct,and when x^（（2）） basically maintains a zero value at the paraelectric phase,indicating the space group should be centric.Interestingly,after normalization of x^（（2））,d_（33） or Ps,the change trend with temperature is basically overlapped,probably abiding by Landau theory.Moreover,temperature-dependent domains directly show the symmetry breaking occurrence.