Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.) in Biological Sciences--University of Maine, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-166).

The study of mechanical properties of perpendicular to the grain research is important regarding connections within mass paneling and other wood connections. Research on wood properties perpendicular to grain and the effect of decay on this direction is needed. Brown-rot fungi are a major contributor in having to replace or repair wooden members; therefore, the objectives of this study were to study the effect brown-rot decay has on the mechanical properties of perpendicular to the grain over different periods of exposure; and to evaluate the efficacy of various methods on assessing decay on wood. The methods evaluated in this study were mass loss (ML), moisture content (MC), density, time of flight, modulus of elasticity in tension (ET) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS). In this study, low mean values of ML occurred but due to fungal activity, MC of specimens were highly affected. Among all methods tested, time of flight showed the highest significant correlations with ET and UTS. Neither initial or final time of flight correlated with MC, concluding NDT was the most consistent method in identifying early decay on mechanical properties of wood.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1945. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-90).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Idaho, 2005. / Also available online in PDF format. Abstract. "December 2005." Includes bibliographical references.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1965 E52 / Master of Science

Antagonistic effects of Epicoccum purpurascens, Aureobasidium pullulans, Trichoderma spp., and Botrytis cinerea on establishment of Monilinia fructicola infections in cherry and peach blossoms were assessed in field and mist chamber studies. Conidia of each fungus were applied to blossoms that were subsequently inoculated with conidia of M fructicola. Mist chamber experiments on forced cherry blossoms demonstrated that recovery of M. fructicola was significantly reduced (P=.05) when spores of E. purpurascens and B.cinerea had been applied 24 hr prior to inoculation with M. fructicola. Reduction in recovery of M. fructicola was comparable to that obtained with the fungicide benomyl. In field trials done in 1990 and 1991, applications of E. purpurascens and A. pullulans reduced cherry blossom blight relative to nontreated blossoms by 47 to 65 and 54 to 58%, respectively, compared to reductions of 80 to 96 and 84 to 97% with the fungicides benomyl and iprodione, respectively. Twig blight in peach, an indicator of blossom blight infection, was reduced by 37% relative to nontreated blossoms with applications of E. purpurascens, compared to 54 and 51% reductions with benomyl and iprodione, respectively. Analysis of the influence of antagonistic fungi sprayed onto blossoms on fruit set indicated that B.cinerea was a weak pathogen of stone fruit blossoms. Significant reductions (P=.05 and P=.10) were obtained in fruit set compared with the nontreated control when conidia of B. cinerea were applied to both cherry and peach blossoms in 1991. Latent Monilinia infections were evaluated by dipping green cherries in the herbicide paraquat. Applications of E. purpurascens and A. pullulans to blossoms caused reductions in the number of latent Monilinia infections in green cherries by 18 and 49%, respectively in 1990, and 61 and 66% respectively in 1991. This compares with reductions of 98 and 92% in 1990 and 1991, respectively, with the fungicide iprodione. It was observed that the antagonists E. purpurascens and B. cinerea also became established as latent infections. These fungi were recovered at a significantly (P=.05) higher percentage on green cherries where they had been applied as antagonists to blossoms. No meaningful differences were detected in the amount of brown rot that developed on fruit due to the influence of fungal treatments on blossoms. / Graduation date: 1992

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Plant Biology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-48).

The purpose of this study was to utilise lignin as a partial substitute for phenol in PF resins. To achieve this, initially brown rot lignin was produced by a bioconversion technique. During the course of the study, it became clear that the production of brown rot lignin had a limited success. Since brown rot lignin could not be obtained in sufficient quantity and purity by a bioconversion method, other alternative lignin production methods, as well as commercially available lignin, were chosen; namely production of lignin from black liquor and Alcell® (organosolv) lignin. Before performing production of resin formulations, the lignin sources were characterised in terms of reactivity and physical properties of lignins. Both lignins had a similar reactivity, but organosolv lignin was found to be more pure, with a low ash content. Since isolation of lignin from black liquor in laboratory conditions is more complex and requires more time, it was decided to use organosolv lignin for subsequent production of lignin-based reSIns. The lignin was introduced to the resin in two different ways. The first method was the replacing of a certain percentage of phenol with lignin (as supplied) directly into resins. In the second method, lignin was modified prior to resin manufacture by phenolation. Different degrees of phenol substitution (from 5% to 60%) were tried for the production of lignin-based resins. Bond qualities of lignin-phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) , phenolated-ligninformaldehyde, commercial phenol-formaldehyde (PF _com) and laboratory made phenol-formaldehyde (PF _made) resins were assessed by using an Automatic Bonding Evaluation System (ABES), prior to production of particleboards, in order to eliminate some of the poor quality resins. The effect of press temperature and time on bond strength appeared to be highly significant, as the lignin substitution levels increased. Up to 30% phenol substitution was achieved without sacrificing bond strength. The bond strength values of phenolated-lignin-formaldehyde resins were similar to commercial phenol-formaldehyde and laboratory made phenolformaldehyde resins, but better than the LPF resins. It was apparent that resins containing a high level of lignin substitution gave the poorest bond strength values. From these results, some of the resins were eliminated, prior to particleboard production. In order to evaluate the quality of lignin-based resins, particleboards were produced and mechanical and physical tests performed. Effect of press platen temperature (140°C, 160°C, 180°C) and press cycle time (5 min, 8 min, IS min) on the mechanical properties of particleboard, produced by using lignin-based resins, were investigated. It was found that particleboards bonded with up to 30% lignin content resins gave similar mechanical and physical properties to commercial phenolformaldehyde resin, as long as a sufficient heating regime and time were applied.

Copper tolerant brown rot fungi are able to depolymerize the structure of wood treated with copper or organic wood preservatives. This research used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) combined with RNA-seq to explore what genes of the brown-rot fungus, Fibroporia radiculosa, are expressed when the fungus is overcoming the wood preservatives and decaying the wood. The preliminary study of ACQ-treated wood indicated that the hydrogen peroxide needed for wood decay to proceed may come from AAOX (aryl alcohol oxidase), with oxalate regulation by ODC2 (oxalate decarboxylase), and copper regulation by COP (copper resistance P-type ATPase pump). The principal study measured the expression of ten genes at early, mid, and late stages of decay in wood treated with azole, copper, quat, ACQ, CA, plus untreated. Both AAOX and LCC (laccase) were often expressed at their highest levels early in the decay stages, thus either one or both could be involved in early Fenton chemistry. Expression levels of ICL (isocitrate lyase) and GLOXDH (glyoxylate dehydrogenase) were also highest in early decay stages. Of great interest was the complete lack of expression of the COP gene on copper-treated wood at any decay stage. The most surprising and significant result is the impact the quat-treatment had on the metabolism of the fungus, and lack of impact of the azole-treatment. This research indicates that it is the quat that provides the greatest inhibition of F. radiculosa, more so than the copper. Based on RNA Seq, the total number of genes that were up- or down-regulated on the copper-treatment was 473, with 293 on the quat-treatment, and 185 on the azole-treatment. There were a number of genes with unknown protein functions highly expressed. These data distinctly show that gene expression profiles of F. radiculosa are altered by different wood preservative compositions and the duration of wood decay. These genes and this data needs further analysis and study in order to meet the long term goal of understanding the mechanism of copper-tolerance inFibroporia radiculosa.