Investigation of the maximum front to back load in the chairs made from curved and modified poplar wood

The aim of this research was to build a chair resistant to force from front to back. To achieve this goal, poplar wood was treated with heat and steam, and then curved at an angle of 90°. Curved frame was used for manufacturing chairs. In this study, three different designs of chairs were used. Control sample is a chair of custom type. The first design was a chair with a curved frame forming the structure back down to bottom (one-piece type) and the second design with two curved parts (two-piece type). Front to back load tests were conducted by mechanical universal testing machine in accordance with DIN EN 1729-2 standard. For each design, the test was repeated three times. The results of the experiment showed that differences between the designs were significant. The full type chairs were broken at the load about 1725 N, but the partial type chairs at about 1421 N. For the top to bottom load test, the full type chairs were broken at about 1052 N, other chairs were more resistant. In general, by introducing a design using the curved frame made of treated poplar, the resistance of chairs is improved.     

Level of superoxide dismutase,glutathione peroxidase and uric acid in thioacetamide-induced cirrhotic rats

Levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were determined in blood and hepatic tissues of thioacetamide-induced cirrhotic rats and compared to levels in age-matched control animals. The plasma level of uric acid was also determined in these animals. A general decrease was noticed in the level of all the antioxidants examined as compared to the control. This decrease was statistically significant in the level of all the antioxidants studied, except for the level of superoxide dismutase in blood. A decrease in the antioxidant level may indicate an increase in free radical level and thereby an increase in cellular damage in cirrhotic rats. The changes in the level of antioxidants showed a direct correlation with the changes in the level of trace elements observed in our previous studies. These studies suggest that antioxidants alone or in combination with trace elements may have beneficial effects in treating liver cirrhosis.     

Thioacetamide toxicity and the spleen: histological and biochemical analysis

Exposure to thioacetamide is associated with the development of liver cirrhosis in experimental animals. In addition to liver, thioacetamide toxicity has been observed in other organs. In this study, the toxic effect of thioacetamide on the spleen was investigated at 0, 4, 8 and 12 weeks post-treatment durations. The level of tissue copper and selenium increased until the eighth week when a significant drop was observed. The zinc level was also increased but returned back to normal by week 8, thereafter it showed further increase. Calculation of the copper/zinc ratio showed an increase, but, recovered and returned to normal value by week 12. The level of manganese fluctuated until the eighth week. It then increased rapidly. Histological studies of the spleen tissue showed a significant increase in extramedullary haematopoiesis in the red pulp region and marked hyperplasia in the marginal zone and follicles. The results of this study, demonstrate an intimate association between trace element levels and spleen pathology, as observed in studies of other organs.     

Ameliorative effects of spermine application on physiological performance and salinity tolerance induction of susceptible and tolerant cultivars of wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Polyamines are well known in environmental stress tolerance induction of plants. The present study was conducted to evaluate the interactive effects of salinity (0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl) and spermine (Spm) concentration (0, 0.5 and 1 mM solution) on physiological performance of susceptible (Sepahan) and tolerant (Neyshabour) wheat cultivars. Proline accumulation was more affected by salinity than Spm. Chlorophyll a and b content was totally improved by Spm application. Catalase and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity was generally increased by increasing salinity and Spm level. Highest APX activity was observed on 200 mM salinity and highest level of Spm concentration in both tolerant and susceptible cultivars. Superoxide dismutase activity was elevated with increasing salinity level and applied Spm concentration in both cultivars. Higher levels of Spm under salinity conditions showed higher activity of glutathione reductase (GR) compared with the treatment without Spm, but it reduced GR activity under normal condition. Spm application decreased sodium content in all salinity levels in both cultivars, but not with a similar trend. Higher concentration of applied Spm also enhanced potassium content. To sum up, Spm application alleviated hazardous effects of salinity stress mainly through antioxidative defense and this was more evident in tolerant cultivar.     

Reciprocal substitutions analysis of freezing resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

To investigate the effects of individual chromosomes on freezing resistance, as well as their interactions with the genetic background, reciprocal sets of chromosome substitution lines between two hard red winter wheat cultivars, ‘Cheyenne’ and ‘Wichita’, were used in this study. Duplicate lines for each chromosome were included to check background homogeneity. Two experiments were carried out in complete block designs with two replications for each duplicate. Crown and leaf water content and leaf wet weight were measured in the field experiments. Crown survival, electrolyte leakage and 50% lethality temperature (LT50) were measured in the laboratory. The results showed that ‘Cheyenne’ was more resistant than ‘Wichita’. Crown survival was significantly correlated with crown water content, crown wet weight and electrolyte leakage. Chromosomes 6A, 3B and 5D substituted from ‘Wichita’ into ‘Cheyenne’ (‘CNN‐WI’), decreased the crown survival, and increased membrane stability, crown water content and crown wet weight of ‘Cheyenne’. Thus, these chromosomes from ‘Wichita’ decreased freezing resistance in ‘Cheyenne’. Reciprocally, chromosomes 5A, 5D, 3B and 4D from ‘Cheyenne’ into ‘Wichita’ increased crown survival and decreased crown water content and crown wet weight of ‘Wichita’. It was concluded that these chromosomes from ‘Cheyenne’ cause freezing resistance in ‘Wichita’ and carry freezing‐resistance genes.     

Moisture diffusion coefficient of reaction woods: compression wood of Picea abies L. and tension wood of Fagus sylvatica L.

The moisture diffusion coefficient of compression wood in spruce (P. abies) and tension wood in beech (F. sylvatica) was examined. The results indicated that the diffusion coefficient measured under steady-state condition (cup method) could well characterize the drying kinetics of the reaction woods. The compression wood offered more resistance to the moisture diffusivity when compared with the corresponding normal wood. The thick cell wall rich in lignin explains the small mass diffusivity in compression wood. In contrast, the mass diffusivity in beech is almost always higher in tension wood than in normal wood, in spite of similar density values. The high moisture diffusion in tension wood can be explained by the ease of bound water diffusion in the gelatinous layers (G-layers).