• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.285-295
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• 2022

Laminated composite plates are utilized extensively in different fields of construction and industry thanks to their advantages such as high stiffness-to-weight ratio. Additionally, they are characterized by their directional properties that permit the designer to optimize their stiffness for specific applications. This paper presents a numerical analysis and optimization study of plates made of composite subjected to low velocity impact. The main aim is to identify the optimum fiber orientations of the composite plates that resist low velocity impact load. First, a three-dimensional finite element model is built using LS DYNA computer software package to perform the impact analyses. The composite plate has been modeled using solid elements. The failure criteria of Tsai-Wu's criterion have been used to control the strength of the composite material. A good agreement has been found between the predicted numerical results and experimental results in the literature which validate the finite element model. Then, an Adaptive Simulated Annealing (ASA) has been used to optimize the response of impacted composite laminate where its objective is to maximize the safety factor by varying the ply angles. The results show that the ASA is robust in the sense that it is capable of predicting the best optimal designs.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2011

Gibberella zeae (anamorph: Fusarium graminearum), a homothallic (self-ferile) ascomycete with ubiquitous geographic distribution, causes serious diseases in several cereal crops. Ascospores (sexual spores) produced by this fungal pathogen have been suggested as the main source of primary inoculum in disease development. Here, we report the function of a gene designated GzRUM1, which is essential for ascospore formation in G. zeae. The deduced product of GzRUM1 showed significant similarities to the human retinoblastoma (tumor suppressor) binding protein 2 and a transcriptional repressor, Rum1 in the corn smut fungus (Ustilago maydis). The transcript of GzRUM1 was detected during the both vegetative and sexual stages, but was more highly accumulated during the latter stage. In addition, no GzRUM1 transcript was detected in a G. zeae strain lacking a mating-type gene (MAT1-2), a master regulator for sexual development in G. zeae. Targeted deletion of GzRUM1 caused no dramatic changes in several traits except ascospore formation. The ${\Delta}$GzRUM1 strain produced perithecia (sexual fruit bodies) but not asci nor ascospores within them. This specific defect leading to an arrest in ascospore development suggests that GzRUM1, as Rum1 in U. maydis, functions as a transcriptional regulator during sexual reproduction in G. zeae.