Hard Coat Research Articles

Warm stratification combined with organic manure application enhances seed germination and improves Cycas revoluta growth and development

Cycas revoluta (Sago palm) is one of the widespread ornamental plant, used as an indoor and outdoor plant. Seed propagation is extremely hard and time consuming, given the physical dormancy imposed by hard coat. The use of warm stratification improves seed germination by prompting embryos development. As mean to gain more insight on the beneficial effect of warm treatment on seed germination, histological analysis of warm stratified and untreated embryos was conducted. Our results revealed that warm treatment accelerated embryos development, resulting in a rapid differentiation of embryos’ tissues. α-amylase, GA3 and ABA quantification showed that warm stratified embryos accumulated higher and lower amounts of α-amylase and ABA respectively compared to untreated embryos. Regarding plant development, our results showed that organic manures significantly improved Cycas revoluta growth and development. The best response was recorded with the application of sheep manure. Indeed, sheep manure addition increased plant height, the number of leaves per plant, stip length and width by nearby 188% and 61%, 36% and 17% respectively. In roots, the presence of nodules had been recorded in the three applied treatments and more importantly in the presence of sheep manure. At the physiological level, sheep manure supplementation improved photosynthetic apparatus and nitrogen content in leaves (by 75%), thereby explaining the growth promotion. Taken together, these results underlined the beneficial effect of organic manure on Cycas revoluta growth and development and proposed a new strategy to improve plant growth and development with the use of sheep manure as organic amendment.

Physical and mechanical properties of hard seed coat on the example of Gleditsia triacanthos L.

The microhardness of individual morphological structures of the hard coat of the seed of Gleditsia triacanthos L. was measured. Measurements were made on the transverse and frontal planes. Based on the differences in the hardness of the two planes, the anisotropy of the seed coat was revealed. The entire seed coat has a special hardness which can be compared with the hardness of hardwood like oat wood. An interesting feature was the hardness of the endosperm, comparable to the hardness of the epidermis. Further study of the processes that occur in seeds during imbibition is based on the obtained data. Mathematical modeling methods are the most promising for these tasks; they will help to identify the points of fragility and the points of the greatest tension in the seed coat. These results will allow us to find the best ways to destroy the seed coat and to accelerate the germination. Research of physical properties of the seed coat is of practical importance in the fact that in the future it will allow reducing of the hard-seeding and increasing the germination of seeds. The obtained data allows us to represent the initial hardness of the seed coat.

The effect of sand on the wear of anodized aluminum

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use a wear test to determine the effect of sand on the wear rates of materials typically used in aerospace applications. Once a repeatable wear test has been established, it can be used to test any combination of materials or coatings. The effectiveness of several different test methods will also be evaluated, including the sample height, surface roughness and mass difference. In addition, the current work will observe the differences between applying sand before the samples are brought into contact or after. The wear rates obtained from these tests could also be used to predict the wear of other components in similar abrasive particulate environments.Design/methodology/approachA modified block-on-flat wear test of anodized aluminum on hard coat anodized aluminum was used to study this. The experiments were performed with and without sand to study the effects of the sand. Two methods of adding sand were also evaluated. Weighing and profilometry were used to study the differences between the tests.FindingsWear rates have been calculated based on both the change in the masses of the samples and the change in the height between the upper and lower samples over the course of each test. The wear rates from the change in the masses are repeatable with and without sand, but the results for the change in height show no repeatability without sand. In addition, only in the presence of sand do the trends for the two methods agree. The wear rate was found to be non-linear as a function of load and therefore not in agreement with Archard’s Wear Law. The wear rate also increased significantly when sand was present in the contact for the duration of the test. The sand appears to change the wear mechanism from an adhesive to an abrasive mechanism. Black wear particles formed both when there was sand and when there was not sand. The source of these particles has been investigated but not determined.Originality/valueThis work has not been previously published and is the original work of the authors.

Impact of Hydrochloric acid on breaking seed dormancy and germination enhancement in native Alhagi graecorum Boiss ( Al-Agool ).

Despite the great importance of legumes plants, most of them have a hard and impermeable testa, which causes physical dormancy of the seeds and prevents germination even when environmental conditions are favorable. This is considered one of the major problems in successful seed germination. Alhagi graecorum plant is a wild native legume. It has a hard and impermeable testa, which causes physical dormancy of seeds, and to overcome hard coat imposed dormancy, softening the hard seed coat by soaking Hydrochloric acid ( HCl ). The present study was conducted to evaluate various duration of soaking seeds in HCL to breaking physical dormancy for A.graecorum in 10, 20, and 30 minutes. The results showed that, final germination percentage (FGP) in treated seeds significantly increased when compared with the control were 55, 62 and 68 % respectively, while in control was only 12 %. Seed germination influenced by HCL is due to its capability to break the hard seed coat that leads to water absorption and imbibition of seeds. As for the mean daily germination ( MDG ), the results revealed that, there were significance increased in seventh day of sowing in germination between the treated seeds in duration of soaking 20 and 30 min were 23 and 24 % respectively, as they were most effective in germination, while the germination in the control stopped in the fifth day of sowing at 12 %. While the mean germination time (MGT), the results indicated that the seeds soaked in acid recorded 9.66, 9.13, and 8.62 days, respectively. The minimum MGT for treated seeds was detected in 30 min., 8.62 days. The reason for the long period of the mean germination time may be due to the use of a low concentration of hydrochloric acid, so I recommend using higher concentrations of acid to obtain a lower mean germination time.

The metagenomics of soil bacteria and fungi and the release of mechanical dormancy in hard seeds.

Persistence in the soil is a function of seed physiology, particularly non-germination and inherent lifespan. However, for seeds with mechanical dormancy, non-germination is also a function of the composition and activity of the soil microbiota. We attempted to screen out microorganisms in the soil that can specifically and rapidly decompose the hard fruit pericarps of Tilia miqueliana Maxim., a unique native tree species in China. Using the classical replica plating method, more than 100 different culturable microorganisms that could rapidly erode the pericarp were collected from the surface of pericarps under different culture conditions. At the same time, we successfully extended the concept of metagenomics and applied it to the identification of mixed artificial cultures. The decomposition process of the pericarps in soil was also simulated artificially. The physical and chemical data suggested a potential mechanism of microbial scarification and cracking in pericarp, whilst the embryos inside the eroded fruits retained good viability. Our discoveries could pave the way for the removal of physical and mechanical obstacles that prevent hard coat seeds from germinating. We anticipate that the use of this technology will improve the germination of other hard coat seeds. More research is needed to investigate the impacts on other seeds. The findings of this research can inform the design of experiments on the seed ecology of persistence.

Fabrication of an Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Hard Coat with a Gradient Structure Controlled by Photoirradiation.

Organic-inorganic materials have attracted attention because of the advantages of both organic and inorganic resins. Among their disadvantages, hard coating films made of organic-inorganic mixtures of resins have opacity and interface peeling problems because of organic-inorganic phase separation and surface segregation of inorganic resins. Although an organic-inorganic gradient-structured material comprising an inorganic-rich domain at the air interface and an organic-rich domain at the organic substrate has the potential to solve these problems, the fabrication of a gradient-structured material has not yet been achieved. Here, we describe the fabrication of an organic-inorganic gradient film by impeding the movement of organic and inorganic resins through radical photopolymerization of organic and inorganic oligomers. Moreover, we successfully enhanced gouge hardness by cross-linking with photobase-catalyzed sol-gel reactions of inorganic resins at the air interface. As a result, the organic-inorganic gradient coating contributed excellent gouge hardness (pencil hardness >9H), adhesion to an organic substrate such as polycarbonate, and transparency (visible light transmittance >99%T). In addition, we demonstrated that the formation of organic-inorganic gradient structures is dominated by the surface free energy and viscosity of each resin. Achieving a gradient structure required a significant difference in surface free energy (>20 mJ/m2) and high mixture viscosity (>65 mPa·s).

P‐80: Process Optimization of High Hardness Polarizer for Touch Display

In this article, we optimized the preparation process of Hard Coat (HC) materials, studied the influence of UV and postbake parameters on curing rate and film surface warpage, improved the warpage of the film during the curing process, and successfully prepared a high‐hardness HC film that can be applied to touch display. At the same time, by optimizing the pretreatment of the film surface, the adhesion of the Anti‐Fingerprint (AF)material on the HC surface is improved, so that the surface of HC film has no scratches after abrasion test, and the WCA is kept above 110°, which meets requirement the of touch display.

Cão especialista em odor na busca de pessoas desaparecidas - relato de caso

This report describes a case of search and rescue of a missing person using a dog specialized in the search method by specific odor. The work of the dog and his partner, a military firefighter, was carried out in 2021. The Dutch Shepherd, female, four years old, medium-sized and muscular, short and hard coat, brindle coloration, with a black mask and erect ears, weighed 25 kg and had an intelligent and shrewd expression. During training, the dog must learn to work free, using the senses of smell, sight and hearing, have good obedience control, have good socialization with people and animals and work in different environments. This type of operation is official and several government entities participate in it. The dog succeeded in the mission.

Industrial applications of sol-gel derived coatings.

Sol-gel derived coatings have many practical applications in different industries. In this paper, HI-GARD® hard coat, multi-layer antireflective coatings, and an anti-glare coating with organic particles are described. Optical and mechanical performances of these coatings are discussed in addition to adhesion properties. The HI-GARD® hard coat was dip or spin coated from a sol by hydrolyzing alkoxysilanes with water in an acidic condition. The hard coat acts as a protective coating for optical lenses with excellent optical properties with a Bayer ratio of 4.8 and an adhesion of 5B. The multi-layer antireflective coatings were prepared by incorporating titanium oxide sol into the HI-GARD® hard coat solution to obtain different layers by spin-coating with tunable refractive index. These two-layer or three-layer antireflective coatings increase transmittance by at least 3% compared to an uncoated glass substrate. Anti-glare coatings were spray-coated at room temperature on glass substrates by embedding cationic or anionic polystyrene particles in an acid-hydrolyzed silane sol. The anti-glare coating with organic particles can provide a significant glare reduction with a haze value of up to 13% for display surface without sparkling. In addition to these transparent coatings, non-transparent sol-gel derived coatings such as a sol-gel non-stick coating for cookware and bakeware, and two zinc-silicate protective coatings hydrolyzed from a silane with addition of zinc dusts for corrosion protection are also discussed briefly. The schematic structures of the hard coat on CR-39® substrate, three-layer AR coatings on glass substrate, and organic particle embedded anti-glare coatings on glass substrate, and their respective transmittance or reflective curves.

Characterization of pinto and cranberry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces from western Himalayan Kashmir for yield and quality

The present study aimed to characterize pinto and cranberry bean landraces of Kashmir valley. A set of 30 genotypes including 16 pinto and 12 cranberry type bean landraces and two checks viz., Shalimar Rajmash-1 (SR-1) and Shalimar French Bean-1 (SFB-1) were evaluated for seven qualitative and 10 quantitative traits.  There was a substantial variation among 30 accessions (28 landraces and 2 checks) evaluated for all the traits.  Out of 28 landrace accessions, 13 were bushy type and 15 were pole type.  Pods were predominantly green and seed colour was predominantly brown with characteristic mottling of varying colour shades.  Out of 30 accessions, 16 were medium sized with oval seeds. There was substantial variability as depicted by a wide range for both morphological and seed quality traits pertaining to water absorption as well as protein content and phytic acid. The heat map revealed that seed yield had a significant correlation with the number of pods per plant (0.505), followed by seed length (0.455) and seeds per pod (0.414). Similarly, water absorption percentage was significantly correlated with hydration coefficient followed by seed wet weight and hydration capacity but was negatively correlated with hard shell percentage and coat proportion. Principal component analysis based on the seed yield and related traits concentrated the variability in the first three components for morphological traits and four components for seed quality traits explaining 67.23 % and 78.60 % variation, respectively.  A number of desirable genotypes could be identified based on consistent performance for various maturity, yield and seed quality traits including high protein and low phytic acid content. Keywords: Common bean, Western Himalayas, Pinto beans, Cranberry beans, Cooking quality, Seed protein, Phytic acid  

A comparison of pre-coated stock antireflection coating lenses in terms of transmission, durability and quality

Background: Antireflection coatings (ARCs) applied to ophthalmic plastic lenses must have a good quality base hard coat for the ARC to adhere to. The hard coating must be durable so as not to crack, craze or peel under different atmospheric conditions. The purpose of ARC is also to increase the transmission of light through the lenses and eliminate reflections.Aim: The aim of this research was to compare the quality of eight different pre-coated ARC stock lenses in terms of light transmission and durability.Setting: The measurements were taken in the physics laboratory at the University of Johannesburg.Methods: Eight different stock ARC lenses were obtained from different lens suppliers. The performances were assessed by measuring the light transmission through each lens, exposure to chemicals such as salt–water solution and adhesion and abrasion tests to assess the quality of the coatings.Results: The performance and quality of the different lenses differed slightly in terms of hardness, durability and quality. The lenses also differed slightly in average transmission percentage. The difference between the control lens and the highest average percentage transmission was 4.8%, and the lowest average transmission was 2.2%. The lens that performed the best overall was Crizal Forte and the worst was Precision.Conclusion: Not all lenses have the same quality of ARC applied and durable qualities. Quality control should be carried out regularly in batches so as to maintain high standards set out by the different suppliers.

Preview the Products on Display at Display Week 2022

Preview the Products on Display at Display Week 2022

Morphological and Structural Details of Tomato Seed Coat Formation: A Different Functional Role of the Inner and Outer Epidermises in Unitegmic Ovule

In order to understand how and what structures of the tomato ovule with a single integument form the seed coat of a mature seed, a detailed study of the main development stages of the tomato ovule integument was carried out using the methods of light and electron microscopy. The integument itself it was shown to transform in the course of development into the coat (skin) of a mature seed, but the outer and inner epidermises of the integument and some layers of the integument parenchyma are mainly involved in this process. The outer epidermis cells are highly modified in later stages; their walls are thickened and lignified, creating a unique relatively hard outer coat. The fate of the inner epidermis of integument is completely different. It is separated from the other parenchyma cells of integument and is transformed into an independent new secretory tissue, an endothelium, which fences off the forming embryo and endosperm from the death zone. Due to the secretory activity of the endothelium, the dying inner parenchyma cells of the integument are lysed. Soon after the cuticle covers the endosperm, the lysis of dead integument cells stops and their flattened remnants form dense layers, which then enter the final composition of the coat of mature tomato seed. The endothelium itself returns to the location of the integument inner epidermis.

Nutrient content of sorghum hybrid lines between Gadam and hard coat tannin sorghum cultivars.

Sorghum is an important food crop in the world that exhibits a predominant role in fulfilling the nutritional requirements, particularly in low‐income group populations of marginal areas in Kenya. It is a principal source of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and crude fibers (CFs), which are important nutrients necessary for human development and health. Reduced tannin in sorghum grains is desirable since it affects the availability of nutrients. This study aimed at assessing the nutrient content in filial generation one (F1) developed between Gadam (sorghum), which is low in tannin and hard coat tannin (sorghum) cultivars. The nutrient content analyses were carried out from samples collected in a completely randomized design experiment. Crude protein (CP) and tannin content were analyzed using the modified Kjeldahl method and vanillin‐HCl methanol method, respectively, whereas moisture, fat, CF, ash, and carbohydrate contents were determined using Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using R statistical software. Among the F1s, Kari/Mtama‐1 x Gadam recorded the highest CP value of 10.390%. This differed significantly from Gadam x Kari/Mtama‐1 which recorded CP content of 9.770%. Kari/Mtama‐1 x Gadam recorded the highest fat and moisture contents of 2.299% and 8.600%, respectively. The highest CF content of 3.433% was recorded in Gadam x Serena. Gadam x Kari/Mtama‐1 recorded the highest ash content of 1.619%, whereas the highest carbohydrate (84.503%) and tannin content (0.771 mg/g) means were recorded in Seredo x Gadam. Results demonstrated that the choice of maternal and paternal parent influence CP, CF, and carbohydrate contents. Among the F1s, tannin content ranged from 0.106 to 0.771 mg/g compared to 0.953 to 1.763 mg/g recorded in Serena and Seredo (hard coat seeded cultivars). This is an indication that tannin can be downregulated through hybridization.

ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ СОЗДАНИЯ РАДОНОСОДЕРЖАЩИХ АГЕНТОВ РАДИОНУКЛИДНОЙ ТЕРАПИИ

One of the methods for treating oncological diseases is application of short-lived radionuclides. Existing risks of intoxication and radioactive contamination can be eliminated by introduction of a short-lived radon isotope into a hard strong fullerene coat. To increase the effectiveness of these drugs it is promising to introduce structural fragments of amino acids, peptides, steroid hormones, nucleic bases or heterocyclic compounds being able to accumulate exactly in tumoral but not in healthy tissues of the body. The article presents data on quantum-chemical simulation of electronic structure and thermodynamic stability of fullerenol radon-containing agents of radionuclide therapy on the example of a model cortisonefullerenol bioconjugate.

Morphological Characterization and Physical Dormancy of Bauhinia winitii Seed: Living Collection of Purwodadi Botanic Garden

Bauhinia winitii Craib (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae) is a woody climber which is currently included in endangered species list. B. winitii seeds are orthodox seeds in which it has hard coat morphologically. Therefore, B. winitii seeds often undergo physical dormancy which can be broken through immersion in certain liquid media. This study aimed to characterize the morphology of B. winitii seeds and determine the pre-sowing treatment method to accelerate the seeds germination of B. winitii. External morphological characterization was carried out by observing the seeds quantitative and qualitative parameters. Characterization of seeds internal morphology was conducted using a digital microscope. Physical dormancy breaking was carried out by immersion in warm and cold water for 24 hours. Morphological characterization data were analyzed descriptively, while seed germination data were analyzed quantitatively by using one-way ANOVA followed by LSD test (with confidence level of 95%). B. winitii has pod-shaped fruits with 2-6 seeds per pod, the seeds are 1.36 cm x 1 cm in size, 0.47 cm thick and weighed 0.5 g, oblong to conical in shape, smooth and shine surface, with light to dark brown in color. Seeds immersion treatment in warm water could break the physical dormancy of B. winitii seeds thus 63% of the seeds were able to germinate and it was significantly different compared to control and cold water immersion treatment. Technical to germinate B. winitii seed can be known from pre-sowing treatment. This study can be used as a reference for seed identification and germination technical of B. winitii seed.

Propagation of valuable tree of eha (Castanopsis buruana Miq.) using stem cutting

Eha (Castanopsis buruana Miq.) is an endemic and valuable species of the Castanopsis genus that can produce wood and the source of food. However, C. buruana has many constraints in its growth and development, such as limited seed production due to the plants are producing seeds very rarely, just one time in every two or three years. Another thing is C. buruana also has low seeds germination because of the hard and thick seeds coat. In order to increase the plant population, it is very important to do species propagation with vegetative propagation methods by using stem cuttings. Therefore, this study aimed to get information about vegetative propagation of C. buruana and determine the success of vegetative propagation C. buruana using stem cuttings influenced by the application of rootone-F. The research was designed using a completely randomized design consisting of 5 (five) treatments, namely no rootone-F (control), rootone F 100 ppm, 200 ppm, 300 ppm, and 400 ppm. Each treatment was repeated 4 (four) times, and each replication consisted of 5 (five) plants so that there was a total of 100 experimental units. The media used was a combination of sand: soil: rice husk charcoal (1: 1: 1 v/v/v). Thus, the variables used to determine C. buruana stem cuttings success were live percentage, sprouting percentage, number of leaves, rooted cuttings, number of roots, length of roots, and rooted days. The data were analyzed using the F test (Analysis of Variance). If the treatments had a significant effect, then it would be followed by the Duncan test with the 95% confidence level. The results showed that the application of rootone F had no significant effect on all tested variables. Nevertheless, the graph trend showed that some variables gave the differences between rootone F treatments and control. At the end of the research, the stem cuttings had not produced roots yet.

Application of time-temperature superposition principle to pull-off tensile strength of asphalt tack coats

Flexible pavements are multilayered structures that are designed to withstand vehicular traffic and thermal loading. Tack coat provides the bonding between these multilayers, which is a critical mechanism to provide a pavement with the monolithic action of asphalt layers to resist traffic and thermal loading, thereby dictating the pavement’s service life. Asphalt binder bond strength (BBS) is an indicator that can be used to evaluate the interlayer bonding ability of tack coat and changes as a function of temperature and loading rate. The focus of this paper is to prove that the time-temperature superposition principle is applicable to the BBS of various tack coat materials. In order to achieve this goal, BBS and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests were conducted on four different tack coats, CRS-2, CRS-1h, NTCRS-1hM, and Ultrafuse. The Pneumatic Adhesion Tensile Testing Instrument (PATTI) was used to determine the BBS at 13 different temperatures ranging from 5 °C to 53 °C. The BBS data showed that adhesive failures between the binder and pull stub of PATTI caused the drop of BBS below 5 °C to 15 °C for hard (CRS-1h) and Non-tracking (NTCRS-1hM, Ultrafuse) tack coat. In addition to the BBS test, DSR tests were performed on the emulsion residue to measure the time-temperature shift factors at the reference temperature of 20 °C. It was found that the time-temperature shift factors determined from the DSR tests could be successfully used to shift the BBS vs. stress rate curves to construct the mastercurve for all four tack coat materials at a residual application rate of 0.14 L/m2 (0.03 Gal/yd2) as long as the BBS test exhibited cohesive failure between the binder and pull-off stubs. A simple method based on the BBS values at two temperatures is proposed to predict the mastercurve for routine characterization of the BBS mastercurve. No definite trend in the BBS mastercurve emerged among the different tack coat application rates for the different tack coats.

Population Genetic Analysis of Ten Geographically Isolated Tibetan Pig Populations.

Simple SummaryWhole-genome re-sequencing data from 10 geographically isolated Tibetan pig populations were collected and analyzed in this study. Population genetic analyses, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), phylogenic tree, genetic differentiation, deleterious variant, contribution to meta-population genetic diversity and selective sweep were performed. Limited genetic differentiation was identified among these Tibetan pig populations. Most deleterious variants were low-frequency mutations and population specific. Contribution to the meta-population was largest in the TT population, based on gene and allelic diversity. Genes under selection were involved in hypoxia adaptation, hard palate development, facial appearance, and perception of smell. Several geographically isolated populations of Tibetan pigs inhabit the high-altitude environment of the Tibetan Plateau. Their genetic relationships, contribution to the pool of genetic diversity, and their origin of domestication are unclear. In this study, whole-genome re-sequencing data from 10 geographically isolated Tibetan pig populations were collected and analyzed. Population genetic analyses revealed limited genetic differentiation among the Tibetan pig populations. Evidence from deleterious variant analysis indicated that population-specific deleterious variants were the major component of all mutational loci. Contribution to the meta-population was largest in the TT (Qinghai-Tibet Plateau) population, based on gene diversity or allelic diversity. Selective sweep analysis revealed numerous genes, including RXFP1, FZD1, OR1F1, TBX19, MSTN, ESR1, MC1R, HIF3A, and EGLN2 which are involved in lung development, hard palate development, coat color, hormone metabolism, facial appearance, and perception of smell. These findings increase our understanding of the origins and domestication of the Tibetan pig, and help optimize the strategy for their conservation.

Corrosion Resistance of Hard Coat Anodized AA 6061 in Citric–Sulfuric Solutions

Aluminum is a material widely used in aeronautical and transport industries due to its excellent mechanical and corrosion resistance properties. Unfortunately, aluminum alloys are susceptible to corrosion, which limits their use in some corrosive environments. The aim of this work is to characterize hard coat film fabricated by anodizing in a citric–sulfuric acid system using electrochemical techniques. The anodization process was carried out using an aluminum alloy AA 6061 anodization bath: a mix of citric and sulfuric acid solutions were used. For the anodizing process, two current densities were used, 1 and 7.2 A·cm−2. Anodized specimens obtained under different conditions were exposed to a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, and their electrochemical behavior was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) according to ASTM G106-15 and ASTM G5-13, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to determinate the morphology and thickness of coatings. The results showed improved corrosion resistance in 6061 aluminum anodized in citric–sulfuric acid electrolyte compared to those anodized in sulfuric acid solution.