Electrodeposited MoSO/Ni Tribological Coatings.

Deposition of molybdenum disulfide (MoS) coatings using physical vapor deposition (PVD) and mechanical burnishing has been widely assessed for solid lubricants in space applications but still suffers from line-of-sight constraints on complex geometries. Here, we highlight one of the first demonstrations of electrodeposited MoSO and MoSO/Ni thin-film coatings from aqueous solutions of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate for solid lubricant applications and their remarkable ability to provide low coefficients of friction and high wear resistance. Characterization of the coating morphology shows amorphous microstructures with a high oxygen content and cracking upon drying.

Using Genomic Selection to Develop Performance-Based Restoration Plant Materials.

Effective native plant materials are critical to restoring the structure and function of extensively modified ecosystems, such as the sagebrush steppe of North America's Intermountain West. The reestablishment of native bunchgrasses, e.g.

Nested association mapping reveals the genetic architecture of spike emergence and anthesis timing in intermediate wheatgrass.

Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) is an outcrossing, cool season grass species currently undergoing direct domestication as a perennial grain crop. Though many traits are selection targets, understanding the genetic architecture of those important for local adaptation may accelerate the domestication process. Nested association mapping (NAM) has proven useful in dissecting the genetic control of agronomic traits many crop species, but its utility in primarily outcrossing, perennial species has yet to be demonstrated.

Layer-by-layer assembly of nanorods on a microsphere via electrostatic interactions.

Combining coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and experiments, a systematic study on both the dynamics and equilibrium behavior of the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of charged nanorods (NRs) onto a charged microsphere (MS) via electrostatic interactions has been carried out. The adsorption of the first layer of NRs on the MS follows a growth-saturation dynamics. The adsorption rate is governed by a diffusion limited process when the NR concentration (CNR) is low, while the rate is independent of CNR when CNR is high.

Genetic Relationships among Different Chemotypes of Lupinus sulphureus.

Lupines (Lupinus spp.) are a common plant legume species found on western U.S.

Plasmonic and SERS performances of compound nanohole arrays fabricated by shadow sphere lithography.

Several plasmonic compound nanohole arrays (CNAs), such as triangular nanoholes and fan-like nanoholes with multiple nanotips and nanogaps, are designed by a simple and efficient shadow sphere lithography technique by tuning the sphere mask size, the deposition and azimuthal angles, substrate temperature T , and the number of deposition steps N. Compared with conventional circular nanohole arrays, the CNAs show more hot spots and exhibit new transmission speaks. Systematic finite-difference time-domain calculations indicate that different resonance modes excited by the various shaped and sized nanoholes are responsible for the enhanced plasmonic performances of CNAs.

Uncovering the Genetic Architecture of Seed Weight and Size in Intermediate Wheatgrass through Linkage and Association Mapping.

Intermediate wheatgrass [IWG; (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey subsp.

Association of candidate genes with heading date in a diverse Dactylis glomerata population.

Flowering occurs in response to cues from both temperature and photoperiod elicitors in cool-season, long-day forage grasses, and genes involved in sensing the elicitors and inducing downstream flowering responses have been associated with heading date and flowering time in perennial forage grasses as well as cereal grasses. In this study we test for association between orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) heading date and polymorphisms in the CONSTANS (DgCO1), FLOWERING TIME (DgFT1), a VRN1 like MADS-box (DgMADS), and PHOTOPERIOD (DgPPD1-like) containing genes.

Implications of Grain Size Variation in Magnetic Field Alignment of Block Copolymer Blends.

Recent experiments have highlighted the intrinsic magnetic anisotropy in coil-coil diblock copolymers, specifically in poly(styrene--4-vinylpyridine) (PS--P4VP), that enables magnetic field alignment at field strengths of a few tesla. We consider here the alignment response of two low molecular weight (MW) lamallae-forming PS--P4VP systems. Cooling across the disorder-order transition temperature () results in strong alignment for the higher MW sample (5.

Isomeric Effect Enabled Thermally Driven Self-Assembly of Hydroxystyrene-Based Block Copolymers.

We demonstrate through isomeric effect the modulation of thermal properties of poly(hydroxystyrene) (PHS)-based block copolymers (BCPs). A minimal structural change of substituting 3HS for 4HS in the BCP results in a drastic decrease in , which in turn enables the thin film assembly of the BCP via thermal annealing. We synthesized a series of poly(3-hydroxystyrene---butylstyrene) [P(3HS--BuSt)] and poly(4-hydroxystyrene---butylstyrene) [P(4HS--BuSt)] BCPs by sequential anionic polymerization of protected 3HS/4HS monomer and BuSt followed by deprotection.

Magnetic Alignment of Block Copolymer Microdomains by Intrinsic Chain Anisotropy.

We examine the role of intrinsic chain susceptibility anisotropy in magnetic field directed self-assembly of a block copolymer using in situ x-ray scattering. Alignment of a lamellar mesophase is observed on cooling across the disorder-order transition with the resulting orientational order inversely proportional to the cooling rate. We discuss the origin of the susceptibility anisotropy, Δχ, that drives alignment and calculate its magnitude using coarse-grained molecular dynamics to sample conformations of surface-tethered chains, finding Δχ≈2×10^{-8}.

Genes and QTLs controlling inflorescence and stem branch architecture in Leymus (Poaceae: Triticeae) Wildrye.

Grass inflorescence and stem branches show recognizable architectural differences among species. The inflorescence branches of Triticeae cereals and grasses, including wheat, barley, and 400-500 wild species, are usually contracted into a spike formation, with the number of flowering branches (spikelets) per node conserved within species and genera. Perennial Triticeae grasses of genus Leymus are unusual in that the number of spikelets per node varies, inflorescences may have panicle branches, and vegetative stems may form subterranean rhizomes.

A molecular genetic linkage map identifying the St and H subgenomes of Elymus (Poaceae: Triticeae) wheatgrass.

Elymus L. is the largest and most complex genus in the Triticeae tribe of grasses with approximately 150 polyploid perennial species occurring worldwide. We report here the first genetic linkage map for Elymus.

Leymus EST linkage maps identify 4NsL-5NsL reciprocal translocation, wheat-Leymus chromosome introgressions, and functionally important gene loci.

Allotetraploid (2n = 4x = 28) Leymus triticoides and Leymus cinereus are divergent perennial grasses, which form fertile hybrids. Genetic maps with n = 14 linkage groups (LG) comprised with 1,583 AFLP and 67 heterologous anchor markers were previously used for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in these hybrids, and chromosomes of other Leymus wildryes have been transferred to wheat. However, identifications of the x = 7 homoeologous groups were tenuous and genetic research has been encumbered by a lack of functional, conserved gene marker sequences.

Analyses of Thinopyrum bessarabicum, T. elongatum, and T. junceum chromosomes using EST-SSR markers.

Wild Thinopyrum grasses are important gene pools for forage and cereal crops. Knowledge of their chromosome organizations is pivotal for efficient utilization of this important gene pool in germplasm enhancement programs. Expressed sequence tags derived simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers for Thinopyrum bessarabicum, T.

Genome relationships in polyploid Poa pratensis and other Poa species inferred from phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences.

The genus Poa comprises approximately 500 species that occur throughout the world, including the widely grown Kentucky bluegrass (P. pratensis L.).

Population structure in Pseudoroegneria spicata (Poaceae: Triticeae) modeled by Bayesian clustering of AFLP genotypes.

Pseudoroegneria spicata (Poaceae: Triticeae) is an abundant, allogamous species widely adapted to the temperate, semiarid steppe and open woodland regions of western North America. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), model-based Bayesian clustering, and other methods of hypothesis testing were used to investigate genetic diversity and population structure among 565 P. spicata plants from 82 localities representing much of the species distribution.

Molecular genetic linkage maps for allotetraploid Leymus wildryes (Gramineae: Triticeae).

Molecular genetic maps were constructed for two full-sib populations, TTC1 and TTC2, derived from two Leymus triticoides x Leymus cinereus hybrids and one common Leymus triticoides tester. Informative DNA markers were detected using 21 EcoRI-MseI and 17 PstI-MseI AFLP primer combinations, 36 anchored SSR or STS primer pairs, and 9 anchored RFLP probes. The 164-sib TTC1 map includes 1069 AFLP markers and 38 anchor loci in 14 linkage groups spanning 2001 cM.