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R A Fletcher

Publications and source records attributed to R A Fletcher.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Understanding the difference in oxidative properties between flame and diesel soot nanoparticles: the role of metals.

The purpose of this paper is to address the differences observed in the oxidative kinetics between flame and diesel derived soots. In particular, it has been observed that flame soot has a significantly higher activation energy for oxidation than does diesel soot. The hypothesis tested in this paper is that metals, possibly coming from lubricating oils, within diesel generated soot particles may be responsible for this effect. This is supported by the fact that addition of metal additives to diesel fuel is shown to have no effect on the activation energy of soot oxidation. The subject of this paper lies in testing the hypothesis by adding metal directly to a flame and extracting oxidation kinetics. Using a high temperature oxidation tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTO-TDMA) we extract particle size dependent kinetics for the oxidation of flame-derived soot doped with and without iron. We found that indeed addition of iron to a flame reduced the activation energy significantly from approximately 162 +/- 3 kJ/mol to approximately 116 +/- 3 kJ/mol, comparable with diesel engine generated soot with an activation energy approximately 110 kJ/mol. These results are consistent with the idea that small quantities of metals during diesel combustion may play an important role in soot abatement.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1982

An improved bioassay for cytokinins using cucumber cotyledons.

The cucumber cotyledon greening bioassay is frequently used for detecting cytokinins. Beneficial modifications of the original technique included using 5-day-old cucumber (Cucumus sativus L., cv. National Pickling) cotyledons treated with combinations of 40 millimolar KCl and various concentrations of cytokinins. A dark incubation period of 20 hours was followed by an exposure to light for 3.5 hours. Under these conditions, extremely low (0.0001 milligram per liter) concentrations of N(6)-benzyladenine, zeatin, kinetin, or zeatin riboside can be detected. Of the four cytokinins tested, kinetin appeared to be the least active. With these improvements, the assay is 10 times more sensitive than is the previously described cucumber cotyledon greening bioassay for cytokinins.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1976

In vitro effects of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) on bovine cells.

Bovine fetal muscle cells were exposed to culture media containing 2 mg and 20 mg per liter of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) for varying intervals to determine the in vitro response of mammalian cells to this compound. The concentrations of 2,4-D used were comparable to those used in spray programmes although the residues normally found in pasture are much lower since 2,4-D is rapidly degraded under field conditions. Untreated and treated cultures were analyzed for total cell count, mitotic index and the percentages of differentiating and degenerating cells. The response of cultures to treatment was similar irrespective of the concentrations of 2,4-D used although in higher concentrations there was an initial drop in mitotic index. Other changes noted in treated cultures included an increase in differentiating and degenerating cells compared to those in control. The mitotic cells in treated cultures exhibited unipolar and tripolar spindles and a variety of other abnormalities including malorientation of the mitotic apparatus in relation to the axis of the cell. Myoblasts in initial stages of myogenesis were noted to be in mitosis in treated cultures suggesting that 2,4-D may have a stimulatory effect on myoblasts which in normal myogenesis are in post mitotic stage.

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗
PubMed1970

Retardation of bean leaf senescence by benzyladenine and its influence on phosphate metabolism.

The levels of glucose, sugar phosphates, and adenosine phosphates were determined in primary leaves of intact bean plants during normal senescence and compared to leaves in which senescence was delayed by application of benzyladenine (BA). In both cases there was a rise with time in the levels of glucose 1-phosphate, glucose 6-phosphate, and fructose 6-phosphate, and a decline in 2-phosphoglyceric acid, inorganic phosphate, and the adenosine phosphates (AMP, ADP, ATP). The levels of fructose 1,6-diphosphate remained fairly constant. Although the levels of hexose phosphates, adenosine phosphates, and inorganic phosphate were lower in the BA-treated leaves, the incorporation of (32)P into these compounds by 3- and 6-week-old plants was higher than in the controls. These results suggest that the retardation of leaf senescence by BA in intact bean plants is associated with increased utilization of metabolites, indicating a more rapid turnover of the adenosine phosphates. It is concluded that this effect is brought about by a regulatory coordination of metabolic processes in relation to energy production and utilization.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1968

Transport of the auxin, picloram, through petioles of bean and coleus and stem sections of pea.

The transport of the synthetic auxin, picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) was investigated in sections of petioles of Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Coleus blumei Benth. and stems of Pisum sativum L. Transport of (14)C-picloram was basipolar in all tissues, although the degree of polarity was dependant on age. The velocity of picloram movement was calculated at between 0.75 and 1.11 mm/hr. The amount moved in a given time, the flux, was dependant on the concentration applied and the length of the sections used. Picloram did not appear to be metabolized by the tissues during the transport experiments. When compared to the movement of other growth regulators, picloram transport bears marked similarities to that of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.

Journal Article↗