Growth Behavior (growth + behavior)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Polymers and Materials Science

Kinds of Growth Behavior

  • grain growth behavior


  • Selected Abstracts


    Generation Mechanism and in situ Growth Behavior of ,-Iron Nanocrystals by Electron Beam Induced Deposition,

    ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 8 2006
    W. Zhang
    Amorphous iron-containing deposits were formed on carbon films by electron beam induced deposition with a precursor of iron pentacarbonyl and alpha-Fe nanocrystals were grown around the target tip deposits when the electron beam irradiation time was longer than 1000,s. [source]


    Growth Behavior in Plant Cell Cultures Based on Emissions Detected by a Multisensor Array

    BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 4 2004
    Palle Komaraiah
    The use of a multisensor array based on chemical gas sensors to monitor plant cell cultures is described. The multisensor array, also referred to as an electronic nose, consisted of 19 different metal oxide semiconductor sensors and one carbon dioxide sensor. The device was used to continuously monitor the off-gas from two plant cell suspension cultures, Morinda citrifolia and Nicotiana tabacum, cultivated under batch conditions. By analyzing the multiarray responses using two pattern recognition methods, principal component analysis and artificial neural networks, it was possible to monitor the course of the cultivations and, in turn, to predict (1) the biomass concentration in both systems and (2) the formation of the secondary metabolite, antraquinone, by M. citrifolia. The results identify the multisensor array method as a potentially useful analytical tool for monitoring plant process variables that are otherwise difficult to analyze on-line. [source]


    Growth behavior and microstructure of ZnO epilayer on ,-LiAlO2(100) substrate by chemical vapor deposition

    PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009
    Liuwen Chang
    Abstract Low lattice-mismatched ,-LiAlO2(100) substrates were employed to grow ZnO epitaxial films by chemical vapor deposition. The influence of growth temperature on growth behavior of ZnO was investigated. Results indicated that the low lattice-matched (100) crystallites nucleate on substrate at all growth temperatures employed. However, a second type of crystallites having an (0001) orientation can also nucleate on substrate at low growth temperature of 575 °C and 640 °C. The growth rate of the later crystallite is, however, higher than that of the (100) one and finally results in a single crystalline ZnO film having an [0001] azimuthal orientation. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Novel Hemoglobins to Enhance Microaerobic Growth and Substrate Utilization in Escherichiacoli,

    BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 5 2001
    Christian J. T. Bollinger
    Limited oxygen availability is a prevalent problem in microbial biotechnology. Recombinant Escherichia coli expressing the hemoglobin from Vitreoscilla (VHb) or the flavohemoglobin from Ralstonia eutropha (formerly Alcaligenes eutrophus) (FHP) demonstrate significantly increased cell growth and productivity under microaerobic conditions. We identify novel bacterial hemoglobin-like proteins and examine if these novel bacterial hemoglobins can elicit positive effects similar to VHb and FHP and if these hemoglobins alleviate oxygen limitation under microaerobic conditions when expressed in E. coli. Several finished and unfinished bacterial genomes were screened using R. eutropha FHP as a query sequence for genes (hmp) encoding hemoglobin-like proteins. Novel hmp genes were identified in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiellapneumoniae, Deinococcus radiodurans, and Campylobacter jejuni. Previously characterized hmp genes from E. coli and Bacillus subtilis and the novel hmpgenes from P. aeruginosa, S. typhi, C. jejuni, K.pneumoniae, and D. radiodurans were PCR amplified and introduced into a plasmid for expression in E. coli. Biochemically active hemoproteins were expressed in all constructs, as judged by the ability to abduct carbon monoxide. Growth behavior and byproduct formation of E. coli K-12 MG1655 cells expressing various hemoglobins were analyzed in microaerobic fed-batch cultivations and compared to plasmid-bearing control and to E. coli cells expressing VHb. The clones expressing hemoglobins from E. coli, D. radiodurans, P.aeruginosa, and S. typhi reached approximately 10%, 27%, 23%, and 36% higher final optical density values, respectively, relative to the plasmid bearing E. coli control (A600 5.5). E. coli cells expressing hemoproteins from P. aeruginosa, S. typhi, and D. radiodurans grew to similar final cell densities as did the strain expressing VHb (A600 7.5), although none of the novel constructs was able to outgrow the VHb-expressing E. coli strain. Additionally, increased yield of biomass on glucose was measured for all recombinant strains, and an approximately 2-fold yield enhancement was obtained with D.radiodurans hemoprotein-expressing E. colirelative to the E. coli control carrying the parental plasmid without any hemoglobin gene. [source]


    Improved ,-Glucanase Production by a Recombinant Escherichia coli Strain using Zinc-Ion Supplemented Medium

    ENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2007
    U. Beshay
    Abstract In order to investigate the suitability of different metal chelates for affinity chromatography, an expression vector was constructed. It contained a hybrid ,-glucanase as a model protein fused with a His6 -tag and a secretion cassette providing the ability to secrete ,-glucanase into the culture medium. Supplementation of zinc to the medium led to a rapidly increased expression and release of the target protein into the cultivation medium. Results in respect to the supplementation of the commonly used Terrific Broth "TB-medium" with different metal ions are reported with special emphasis on the influence of zinc ions. A concentration of zinc ions in the order of about 0.175 mM led to optimal results. Batch cultivation under well-controlled conditions showed that the growth behavior did not change significantly by adding zinc ions. Growth in a stirred tank bioreactor was much faster in unsupplemented TB-medium compared to shake flask experiments leading to a much higher biomass concentration (15,g/L instead of 3,g/L). The secretion of ,-glucanase under theses conditions started at the transition into the stationary phase and increased to yield an extracellular activity of 1350,U/mL at the end of the fermentation process. An even higher yield of extracellular ,-glucanase (2800,U/mL) was reached when the fermentation was carried out with TB-medium supplemented with 0.175,mM ZnSO4. [source]


    Topotactic Conversion Route to Mesoporous Quasi-Single-Crystalline Co3O4 Nanobelts with Optimizable Electrochemical Performance

    ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 4 2010
    Li Tian
    Abstract The growth of mesoporous quasi-single-crystalline Co3O4 nanobelts by topotactic chemical transformation from , -Co(OH)2 nanobelts is realized. During the topotactic transformation process, the primary , -Co(OH)2 nanobelt frameworks can be preserved. The phases, crystal structures, morphologies, and growth behavior of both the precursory and resultant products are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy,scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy, and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Detailed investigation of the formation mechanism of the porous Co3O4 nanobelts indicates topotactic nucleation and oriented growth of textured spinel Co3O4 nanowalls (nanoparticles) inside the nanobelts. Co3O4 nanocrystals prefer [0001] epitaxial growth direction of hexagonal , -Co(OH)2 nanobelts due to the structural matching of [0001] , -Co(OH)2//[111] Co3O4. The surface-areas and pore sizes of the spinel Co3O4 products can be tuned through heat treatment of , -Co(OH)2 precursors at different temperatures. The galvanostatic cycling measurement of the Co3O4 products indicates that their charge,discharge performance can be optimized. In the voltage range of 0.0,3.0,V versus Li+/Li at 40,mA g,1, reversible capacities of a sample consisting of mesoporous quasi-single-crystalline Co3O4 nanobelts can reach up to 1400,mA h g,1, much larger than the theoretical capacity of bulk Co3O4 (892,mA h g,1). [source]


    Subcritical crack growth behavior of Al2O3 -glass dental composites

    JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 2 2003
    Qingshan Zhu
    Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the subcritical crack growth (SCG) behavior of alumina-glass dental composites. Alumina-glass composites were fabricated by infiltrating molten glass to porous alumina preforms. Rectangular bars of the composite were subject to dynamic loading in air, with stressing rates ranging from 0.01 MPa/s to 2 MPa/s. The SCG parameter n was determined to be 22.1 for the composite, which is substantially lower than those of high-purity dense alumina. Investigations showed that glass phases are responsible for the low n value as cracks propagate preferentially within glass phases or along the interface between glass phases and alumina phases, due to the fact that glasses are more vulnerable to chemical attacks by water molecules under stress corrosion conditions. The SCG behavior of the infiltration glass was also investigated and the SCG parameter n was determined to be 18.7. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 65B: 233,238, 2003 [source]


    Techniques for oxygen transfer measurement in bioreactors: a review

    JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2009
    S Suresh
    Abstract Oxygen is the most essential requirement for aerobic bioprocesses. The microbial growth in a bioreactor depends upon the oxygen transfer rate (OTR). The OTR is widely used to study the growth behavior of microbial and plant cell cultures. The mass transfer coefficient (kLa) determines the magnitude of the OTR. There are many techniques for measuring oxygen concentration and OTR in bioreactors. Zirconia, electrochemical, infrared, ultrasonic and laser cells are used to measure oxygen concentration in the liquid medium. Optical sensors are better alternatives to measure oxygen concentration in small bioreactors. Sulfite oxidation and gassing-out methods with a Clark-type electrode have been used for OTR measurements in bioreactors. Many new novel techniques have evolved recently for intermittent and continuous online measurement of OTR/kLa in various types of bioreactors. The present paper gives an overview of various measurement techniques and their limitations and/or suitability for measurement of OTR/kLa in various kinds of bioreactors, especially small bioreactors. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


    The disintegrin-metalloproteinases ADAM 10, 12 and 17 are upregulated in invading peripheral tumor cells of basal cell carcinomas

    JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2009
    Shin Taek Oh
    Background:, Members of the a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) family are expressed in malignant tumors and participate in the pathogenesis of cancer. However, the presence of ADAM 10, 12, 17 and their role in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) have not been described. The purpose of this study was to investigate expression of ADAM 10, 12 and 17 in BCC. Methods:, Expression of ADAM 10, 12 and 17 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in skin tissues obtained from 25 patients with different types of BCC. Results:, Immunoreactivity of ADAM 10, 12 and 17 was increased at the peripheral tumor margin compared with central areas of BCC tumor cell nests. Immunoreactivity of ADAM 10 and 12 was increased in the deep margin of invading tumor cell nests in mixed BCC. Focally increased expression of ADAM 12 was detected in squamous differentiated tumor cells of nodular BCC. In addition, immunoreactivity of ADAM 17 was increased in superficial BCC. Conclusions:, ADAM 10, 12 and 17 showed different expression pattern in BCC histologic subtypes, indicating their different role in the BCC pathogenesis. Overexpression of ADAM 10, 12 and 17 immunoreactivity in deep invasion area of BCC indicates that these three proteases may play an important role in the locally invasive and highly destructive growth behavior of BCC. Additionally, we suggest that ADAM 17 may play an important role in early development of BCC. [source]


    Nanocomposite Formation Through Thermal Decomposition of Mixed Samarium and Magnesium Citrate-Derived Gels Formed by Spray Pyrolysis

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 9 2008
    Thorsten Enz
    Metal citrate gels of samarium and magnesium were used as precursors for the generation of hollow sphere particles by spray pyrolysis under mild thermal conditions. Six mixtures with different Sm/Mg ratios as well as pure Sm and Mg samples were prepared. As a result of the low synthesis temperature the particles consist of amorphous metal carboxylate networks. The texture of the shells is governed by microporosity yielding the major part of the total surface area. A detailed investigation of thermal decomposition, crystallization, and grain growth behavior was carried out under constant heating rate conditions. The decomposition products are nanocrystalline Sm2O3 and MgO and corresponding two-phase nanocomposites. The pure samarium carboxylate gel features considerably higher thermal stability compared with the one comprised of only magnesium. Accordingly the decomposition behavior of mixed samples is dependent on the Sm/Mg ratio. Furthermore it is shown that small amounts of MgO are able to slow down the kinetics of grain growth of Sm2O3 whereas high amounts are necessary to significantly reduce the final grain size at 1000°C. [source]


    Effect of Interface Structure on the Microstructural Evolution of Ceramics

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 8 2006
    Wook Jo
    The interface atomic structure was proposed to have a critical effect on microstructure evolution during sintering of ceramic materials. In liquid-phase sintering, spherical grains show normal grain growth behavior without exception, while angular grains often grow abnormally. The coarsening process of spherical grains with a disordered or rough interface atomic structure is diffusion-controlled, because there is little energy barrier for atomic attachments. On the other hand, kink-generating sources such as screw dislocations or two-dimensional (2-D) nuclei are required for angular grains having an ordered or singular interface structure. Coarsening of angular grains based on a 2-D nucleation mechanism could explain the abnormal grain growth behavior. It was also proposed that a densification process is closely related to the interface atomic structure. Enhanced densification by carefully chosen additives during solid state sintering was explained in terms of the grain-boundary structural transition from an ordered to a disordered open structure. [source]


    Dependence of Grain Shape and Growth on PT Content in PbO-Excess PMN,PT

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 5 2006
    Chang Eui Seo
    When Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PMN) with 40 wt% excess PbO is sintered at 1050°C, the grains grow normally and have flat {100} surface segments with round edges. As PbTiO3 (PT) is added up to 8 mol%, the grain growth is still nearly normal, characterized by time invariant normalized size distributions, but the grain edges become more sharply curved. This normal growth behavior is consistent with relatively small surface step free energy as indicated by the round grain edges. As the PT content is increased above 10,35 mol%, the grain edges become sharp and abnormal grain growth occurs. This is consistent with the step free energy increasing with the PT content as indicated by the sharpening grain edges. [source]


    Grain Growth Control and Solid-State Crystal Growth by Li2O/PbO Addition and Dislocation Introduction in the PMN,35PT System

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
    Min-Soo Kim
    Grain growth behavior and solid-state single crystal growth (SSCG) in the Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3,35 mol% PbTiO3 (PMN,35PT) system have been investigated with varying Li2O/PbO ratios. The effect of dislocation density on crystal growth has also been studied. For SSCG, a BaTiO3 single-crystal seed was embedded in a polycrystalline PMN,PT matrix. During annealing, a PMN,PT single crystal grew from the seed at the cost of the small matrix grains. Addition of Li2O dopant first enhanced and then reduced abnormal grain growth in the matrix. In the 2 mol% Li2O and 6 mol% PbO excess PMN,PT samples annealed at 1200°C, considerable single-crystal growth occurred without formation of abnormally large grains in the matrix. Increasing the dislocation density in the BaTiO3 seed crystal resulted in enhanced growth of single crystals. These results were explained in terms of interface reaction-controlled nucleation and growth, based on crystal growth theories. [source]


    Effect of Li2O and PbO Additions on Abnormal Grain Growth in the Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3,35 mol% PbTiO3 System

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 5 2004
    John Gerard Fisher
    Abnormal grain growth in Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3,35 mol% PbTiO3 (PMN-35PT) ceramics doped with Li2O and PbO has been investigated. Replacing the PbO dopant with up to 2 mol% Li2O caused an increase in the number of abnormal grains. For the composition containing 2 mol% Li2O and 6 mol% PbO, the amount of abnormal grain growth decreased with increasing sintering temperature. Single crystals of ,6 mm × 6 mm × 2 mm thickness were grown from the 2 mol% Li2O, 6 mol% PbO-containing composition via the templated grain growth method. Grain growth behavior with temperature is explained in terms of the effect of Li2O on interface-reaction-controlled grain growth and the critical driving force. [source]


    Metastable Phase Formation from an Undercooled Rare-Earth Orthoferrite Melt

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 10 2002
    Kosuke Nagashio
    High-speed digital imaging was conducted during the containerless solidification of rare-earth orthoferrites (RE = La, Sm, Dy, Y, Yb, and Lu) with the perovskite structure to determine the metastable phase and elucidate its growth behavior. Observation using a high-speed video camera revealed that the formation of the metastable phase became pronounced, and double recalescence from the metastable phase to a stable phase occurred, as the ionic radius of the rare-earth element decreased. In the present paper, the formation of the metastable phase is discussed systematically in view of the stability of the perovskite structure and the activation energy of nucleation. [source]


    Crack Growth in Soda,Lime,Silicate Glass near the Static Fatigue Limit

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 9 2002
    Sheldon M. Wiederhorn
    The atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to explore the nature of features formed on the surfaces of cracks in soda,lime,silicate glass that were held at stress intensity factors below the crack growth threshold. All studies were conducted in water. Cracks were first propagated at a stress intensity factor above the crack growth threshold and then arrested for 16 h at a stress intensity factor below the threshold. The stress intensity factor was then raised to reinitiate crack growth. The cycle was repeated multiple times, varying the hold stress intensity factor, the hold time, and the propagation stress intensity factor. Examination of the fracture surface by optical microscopy showed surface features that marked the points of crack arrest during the hold time. These features were identical to those reported earlier by Michalske in a similar study of crack arrest. A study with the AFM showed these features to be a consequence of a bifurcation of the crack surface. During the hold period, waviness developed along the crack front so that parts of the front propagated out of the original fracture plane, while other parts propagated into the plane. Crack growth changed from the original flat plane to a bifurcated surface with directions of as much as 3° to 5° to the original plane. This modification of crack growth behavior cannot be explained by a variation in the far-field stresses applied to the crack. Nor can the crack growth features be explained by chemical fluctuations within the glass. We speculate that changes in crack growth direction are a consequence of an enhancement in the corrosion rate on the flank of the crack at stresses below the apparent crack growth threshold in a manner described recently by Chuang and Fuller. [source]


    Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Fine-Grained Magnesia-Partially-Stabilized Zirconia Containing Titanium Carbide Particles

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 7 2000
    Joon Hyuk Jang
    Fine-grained Mg-PSZ has been fabricated by adding TiC particles. The average cubic grain size was smaller by more than an order of magnitude than without TiC when the TiC content was over 2.5 vol%. Pressurelessly sintered specimens contained numbers of relatively large pores while hot-pressed ones were fully dense. For hot-pressed specimens, addition of TiC particles did not affect the growth behavior of tetragonal precipitates during annealing. With increasing TiC content, the bend strength of hot-pressed specimens increased while the fracture toughness decreased. The bend strength and the fracture toughness of fine-grained Mg-PSZ containing 5 vol% TiC were 980 MPa and 8.2 MPa·m1/2, respectively. [source]


    Superplasticity and high temperature deformation behaviour in nano grain Tungsten compacts

    MATERIALWISSENSCHAFT UND WERKSTOFFTECHNIK, Issue 4-5 2008
    K. Ameyama
    Abstract Nano grain tungsten is fabricated by Mechanical Milling (MM) process, and its grain growth behavior and high temperature deformability is investigated. As a result, a nano grain structure, whose grain size is approximately 20 nm or less, is obtained after MM for 360ks. Those nano grains demonstrate an irregular grain boundary structure, i.e., "non-equilibrium grain boundary", and they change to a smooth grain boundary structure by annealing at 1023 K for 3.6 ks. Compacts with nano grain structure indicate superior sintering property even at 1273 K (0.35 Tm). Rhenium addition prevents grain growth during sintering and thus the compacts indicate a further improvement in deformability. The compact is composed of equiaxed grain, whose grain size is 420 nm, and has low dislocation density even after the large deformation. The strain rate sensitivity, i.e., m-value, of 0.41 is obtained in the W-Re compact at 1473 K. Those results strongly imply that the nano grain W-Re compacts show superplasticity at less than half of the melting temperature, i.e., 1473 K (0.42 of the solidus temperature). [source]


    Growth behavior and microstructure of ZnO epilayer on ,-LiAlO2(100) substrate by chemical vapor deposition

    PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009
    Liuwen Chang
    Abstract Low lattice-mismatched ,-LiAlO2(100) substrates were employed to grow ZnO epitaxial films by chemical vapor deposition. The influence of growth temperature on growth behavior of ZnO was investigated. Results indicated that the low lattice-matched (100) crystallites nucleate on substrate at all growth temperatures employed. However, a second type of crystallites having an (0001) orientation can also nucleate on substrate at low growth temperature of 575 °C and 640 °C. The growth rate of the later crystallite is, however, higher than that of the (100) one and finally results in a single crystalline ZnO film having an [0001] azimuthal orientation. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Theoretical and visual study of bubble dynamics in foam injection molding

    POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 3 2010
    Mehdi Mahmoodi
    This article presents an experimental observation and a theoretical prediction of bubble dynamics in foam injection molding process with a main focus on the cell collapse phenomenon under pressure. Using a visualizing setup, cell growth behavior under a nonisothermal condition was monitored. In conjunction with the growth behavior, dynamics of cell collapse under different pressures and the effect of growing time on collapse behavior and final cell size were studied. Theoretical simulation of bubble behavior included power law model, which predicted bubble dynamics during foaming process. The results show that collapse phenomenon strongly depends on both exerted holding pressure and growth time. The presented model can also give a reasonable prediction of growth and collapse of cells and could give insight to control of cell size in injection foaming process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]


    Visual observation of CO2 foaming of polypropylene-clay nanocomposites

    POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 6 2004
    Kentaro Taki
    Using a newly developed high-pressure autoclave, which has two sapphire windows on the walls, we visually observed the batch physical foaming of polymer-clay nanocomposites to understand the effect of nano-sized clay on the initial stage of foaming. With CO2 as a physical foaming agent, polypropylene-montmorillonite clay nanocomposites were foamed at 150°C. A high-speed digital camera with a microscope could observe the bubble nucleation and bubble growth behavior of the early stage of foaming in situ. The series of micrographs was analyzed in order to investigate the effect of clay content on bubble nucleation and growth. The experiments, together with CO2 -solubility and diffusivity data, show that the clay enhances bubble nucleation as a nucleation agent and retards the growth of bubbles at the early stage of foaming. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:1004,1011, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source]


    Measurement of the residual mechanical properties of crazed polycarbonate.

    POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 1 2002
    I: Qualitative analysis
    A new technique to quantify the bulk craze density of transparent plates was used to characterize the craze growth behavior of polycarbonate at various stress levels. The craze growth rates were found to exponentially increase with an increase in stress, obeying the Eyring equation for thermally activated processes in the presence of an applied stress. The residual mechanical properties of crazed polycarbonate were then correlated to the crazing stress, relative craze density and strain rate. The results show that increasing the bulk craze density does not affect the yield stress but decreases both the failure stress and ductility of polycarbonate. Also, a crazing stress of 40 MPa was found to cause a much larger degree of degradation of failure properties than a crazing stress of 45 MPa. Correlating the crazing stress to the craze microstructure revealed that fewer, larger crazes form at the lower crazing stress. Therefore, flaw size has a greater effect on the failure properties of polycarbonate than flaw quantity. [source]


    Effect of biodiesel-derived waste glycerol impurities on biomass and 1,3-propanediol production of Clostridium butyricum VPI 1718

    BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 1 2010
    Afroditi Chatzifragkou
    Abstract Aim of the present study was to assess and evaluate the impact of various kinds of impurities of biodiesel-derived raw glycerol feedstock, upon microbial growth and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) production by Clostridium butyricum. Preliminary trials in 200-mL anaerobic bottles revealed that the presence of NaCl at a concentration of 4.5% (w/w of glycerol) in growth medium imposed an evident inhibitory effect, in contrast with phosphoric salts. However, the application of NaCl at elevated quantities during batch bioreactor experiments [up to 30% (w/w of glycerol)], did neither affect the microbial growth, nor the 1,3-PDO production. Moreover, when oleic acid was added into the growth medium at 2% (w/w of glycerol), a total preclusion of the strain was observed. In order to further investigate whether the nature of oleic acid itself or the presence of the double bond induced the inhibitory phenomenon, stearic acid was added into the medium at the same concentration (2%, w/w, of glycerol). Indeed, no inhibitory effect was observed in the fermentor, suggesting that the presence of the double bond may play a key role in the growth behavior of the microorganism. Finally, methanol effect was tested in batch and continuous bioreactor operations. Interestingly enough, the alcohol addition did not affect the microbial bioconversion of glycerol into 1,3-PDO, even when imposed at relatively high concentrations (10%, w/w, of glycerol) in batch-bioreactor operations. In continuous experiments, methanol was added when steady state had been achieved, and although in one case high concentration was added into the chemostat (5,g/L), the system re-obtained a steady state without indications of negative effect upon biomass production due to the alcohol. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 76,84. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


    Phenotypic variation during cloning procedures: Analysis of the growth behavior of clonal cell lines

    BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 3 2006
    Louise M. Barnes
    Abstract The production of recombinant protein from mammalian cells is a key feature of the biotechnology industry. However, the generation of recombinant mammalian cell lines is still largely performed on an empirical basis and there are many potential areas for enhancement. We have shown previously that despite two rounds of limiting dilution cloning (LDC) of recombinant cell lines, there remained a high degree of heterogeneity in the resulting cell lines. We suggested that a rapid phenotypic drift occurred with these cells. It was unclear if this was a consequence of the added burden of production of a recombinant protein, the selection procedures, or merely an inherent feature of cell growth in culture. To address this, we have subjected untransfected (parental) cells to three successive rounds of LDC and monitored the growth properties of the resultant cells. The results show that despite repeated rounds of cloning, it was not possible to obtain phenotypically similar cell lines. We also demonstated that this phenotypic drift is not due to gross changes in the protein p27, a key regulators of the cell cycle. Although cells with a range of growth properties were observed even after three rounds of cloning, the variation in growth patterns between cell lines decreased after cloning. Hence, we suggest that by cloning it may be possible to generate untransfected cells, which have particular growth properties. Starting with a well-defined population of parental cells may aid in the subsequent generation of tranfectants with desired growth properties. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


    Fluid Mechanics, Cell Distribution, and Environment in Cell Cube Bioreactors

    BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 1 2003
    John G. Auni
    Cultivation of MRC-5 cells and attenuated hepatitis A virus (HAV) for the production of VAQTA, an inactivated HAV vaccine ( 1), is performed in the Cell Cube reactor, a laminar flow fixed-bed bioreactor with an unusual diamond-shaped, diverging-converging flow geometry. These disposable bioreactors have found some popularity for the production of cells and gene therapy vectors at intermediate scales of operation ( 2, 3). Early testing of the Cell Cube revealed that the fluid mechanical environment played a significant role in nonuniform cell distribution patterns generated during the cell growth phase. Specifically, the reactor geometry and manufacturing artifacts, in combination with certain inoculum practices and circulation flow rates, can create cell growth behavior that is not simply explained. Via experimentation and computational fluid dynamics simulations we can account for practically all of the observed cell growth behavior, which appears to be due to a complex mixture of flow distribution, particle deposition under gravity, fluid shear, and possibly nutritional microenvironment. [source]


    Effect of die geometry on foaming behaviors of high-melt-strength polypropylene with CO2

    JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 5 2008
    Patrick C. Lee
    Abstract This article reports on a systematic study that was conducted to investigate the effects of die geometry (i.e., pressure and pressure drop rate) on the cell nucleation and growth behaviors of noncrosslinked high-melt-strength (HMS) polypropylene (PP) foams blown with supercritical CO2. The experimental results showed that the cellular morphologies of PP foams were sensitive to the die geometry. Furthermore, the initial expansion behavior of the foam extrudate at the die exit was recorded using a high-speed CCD camera. This enabled us to achieve a more thorough understanding of the effect of die geometry on both the initial expansion behavior and the final cellular morphology of HMS PP foams. The effect of die temperature on cell morphology was also studied. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008 [source]