The influence of dc Joule annealing of electroplated Ni80Fe20/Cu composite wires on their giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect is presented in this article. Successive thermal treatments by dc Joule annealing with the current density ranging from 2.4 to 9.6×108 A/m2 were applied to the composite wires for a fixed annealing time of 1 min to release the residual stresses in the plated NiFe layer. The results showed that the magnetoimpedance (MI) effect of the composite wires can be greatly enhanced by dc Joule annealing. For electroplated 1.5 μm of the Ni80Fe20 layer on a copper wire of 20 μm diameter, the optimum annealing current density was found to be 7.2×108 A/m2 and from such annealing the MI ratio was increased from 637% to 1110%, a 74% increment. The optimum ac driving frequency for the GMI effect of the annealed wires under the influence of the annealing conditions in relation to the skin effect and permeability variation in the wires was investigated and discussed. The optimum procedure of dc Joule annealing and the cooling rate against the MI ratio of the annealed wire were also investigated. The results showed that stepped annealing is better than single step annealing and the lower the cooling rate the higher the MI ratio.

Abiotic stresses like salinity and abnormally cold environments cause significant yield losses in many crops including wheat. Therefore, concerted efforts are being made by breeders to develop new varieties with salt and cold tolerance to ensure stable yields over varied environments. This study was undertaken to screen six hundred and seventy-seven accessions of international wheat genetic resources to identify lines with high level of tolerance to salinity and cold environments. Based on the results of two years study in different agroecological locations, 51 accessions were classified as salt tolerant and 115 accessions were classified as cold tolerant. Of these, 35 accessions had good agronomic characteristics. Also, there were 39 genotypes with combined tolerance to cold as well as salinity. Thus, there were good lines which can be used directly or as parents for breeding wheat varieties for wide adaptation and high yield. Further analysis of the data showed that early genotypes had good cold tolerance but a poor salt tolerance. It was also observed that small number of both test spikelet and spikelet, short spike length and good seed-plump were positively associated with cold tolerance. Therefore, maturity and spike traits should be taken into considered when selecting wheat lines for wide adaptation breeding.