Sample records for phase growth rate

  1. Influence of temperature on growth rate and lag phase of fungi isolated from Argentine corn.

    PubMed

    González, H H; Resnik, S L; Vaamonde, G

    1988-03-01

    The influence of temperature on the growth of nine strains of fungi belonging to the genera Eurotium, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium has been investigated for the temperature range 15-35 degrees C. The lag phase and the growth rate were evaluated by using a laboratory medium. The maximum growth rate for E. repens, A. wentii and P. chrysogenum was observed at about 25 degrees C, for P. citrinum near 30 degrees C and for F. semitectum and F. moniliforme between 20 and 25 degrees C. The growth rate of A. niger, A. flavus and A. parasiticus increased with increasing temperatures in the range studied. For all strains studied it appeared that the higher the growth rate the lower the lag phase was.

  2. Determination of the rate of crystal growth from the gas phase under conditions of turbulent free convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alad'Ev, S. I.

    1987-04-01

    Crystal growth in vertical and horizontal cylindrical vials, with the substrate and the source serving as the vial ends, is investigated analytically, assuming that the medium consists of a binary mixture of an active and an inert gas. The active gas is made up of the gaseous products of reactions taking place at the substrate and at the source. It is shown that turbulent free convection leads to an increase in crystal growth rate. All other conditions being equal, crystal growth in vertical vials is greater than that in horizontal ones; in both cases crystal growth rate increases with the vial radius, temperature gradient in the gas phase, and gas phase density. The results are compared with experimental data on the growth of Ge crystals in the Ge-GeI4 system.

  3. A semi-empirical model for the complete orientation dependence of the growth rate for vapor phase epitaxy - Chloride VPE of GaAs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seidel-Salinas, L. K.; Jones, S. H.; Duva, J. M.

    1992-01-01

    A semi-empirical model has been developed to determine the complete crystallographic orientation dependence of the growth rate for vapor phase epitaxy (VPE). Previous researchers have been able to determine this dependence for a limited range of orientations; however, our model yields relative growth rate information for any orientation. This model for diamond and zincblende structure materials is based on experimental growth rate data, gas phase diffusion, and surface reactions. Data for GaAs chloride VPE is used to illustrate the model. The resulting growth rate polar diagrams are used in conjunction with Wulff constructions to simulate epitaxial layer shapes as grown on patterned substrates. In general, this model can be applied to a variety of materials and vapor phase epitaxy systems.

  4. [Effect of the development phase and growth rate of a Shigella sonnei population on the reproduction of homologous bacteriophage].

    PubMed

    Voroshilova, N N; Kazakova, T B

    1983-04-01

    This study showed that the minimum latent period (20 minutes) of the intracellular multiplication of dysentery bacteriophage S-9 in the population of S. sonnei substrate strain under the conditions of static heterogeneous surface batch cultivation was observed at the end of the lag phase and at the growth acceleration phase, in the first and second thirds of the exponential curve, while the maximum latent period (35-40 minutes) was observed at the stationary phase. The maximum yield of phage S-9 from one infected bacterial cell (628.3 +/- 116.8) was registered during the first third of the phase of the exponential growth of the bacterial population and the minimum yield (18.66 +/- 6.6), at the beginning of the lag phase. The significant direct correlation between the specific growth rate of the bacterial population and the yield of the phage from one infected bacterial cell at the end of the lag phase, at the growth acceleration and deceleration phases, as well as the significant inverse correlation between the yield of the phage and the time of the generation of the bacterial population at the growth acceleration phase were established.

  5. Reflectometry-Ellipsometry Reveals Thickness, Growth Rate, and Phase Composition in Oxidation of Copper.

    PubMed

    Diaz Leon, Juan J; Fryauf, David M; Cormia, Robert D; Zhang, Min-Xian Max; Samuels, Kathryn; Williams, R Stanley; Kobayashi, Nobuhiko P

    2016-08-31

    The oxidation of copper is a complicated process. Copper oxide develops two stable phases at room temperature and standard pressure (RTSP): cuprous oxide (Cu2O) and cupric oxide (CuO). Both phases have different optical and electrical characteristics that make them interesting for applications such as solar cells or resistive switching devices. For a given application, it is necessary to selectively control oxide thickness and cupric/cuprous oxide phase volume fraction. The thickness and composition of a copper oxide film growing on the surface of copper widely depend on the characteristics of as-deposited copper. In this Research Article, two samples, copper films prepared by two different deposition techniques, electron-beam evaporation and sputtering, were studied. As the core part of the study, the formation of the oxidized copper was analyzed routinely over a period of 253 days using spectroscopic polarized reflectometry-spectroscopic ellipsometry (RE). An effective medium approximation (EMA) model was used to fit the RE data. The RE measurements were complemented and validated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Our results show that the two samples oxidized under identical laboratory ambient conditions (RTSP, 87% average relative humidity) developed unique oxide films following an inverse-logarithmic growth rate with thickness and composition different from each other over time. Discussion is focused on the ability of RE to simultaneously extract thickness (i.e., growth rate) and composition of copper oxide films and on plausible physical mechanisms responsible for unique oxidation habits observed in the two copper samples. It appears that extended surface characteristics (i.e., surface roughness and grain boundaries) and preferential crystalline orientation of as-deposited polycrystalline copper films control the growth kinetics of the copper oxide film. Analysis based on a noncontact

  6. Nanoparticle growth by particle-phase chemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Apsokardu, Michael J.; Johnston, Murray V.

    2018-02-01

    The ability of particle-phase chemistry to alter the molecular composition and enhance the growth rate of nanoparticles in the 2-100 nm diameter range is investigated through the use of a kinetic growth model. The molecular components included are sulfuric acid, ammonia, water, a non-volatile organic compound, and a semi-volatile organic compound. Molecular composition and growth rate are compared for particles that grow by partitioning alone vs. those that grow by a combination of partitioning and an accretion reaction in the particle phase between two organic molecules. Particle-phase chemistry causes a change in molecular composition that is particle diameter dependent, and when the reaction involves semi-volatile molecules, the particles grow faster than by partitioning alone. These effects are most pronounced for particles larger than about 20 nm in diameter. The modeling results provide a fundamental basis for understanding recent experimental measurements of the molecular composition of secondary organic aerosol showing that accretion reaction product formation increases linearly with increasing aerosol volume-to-surface-area. They also allow initial estimates of the reaction rate constants for these systems. For secondary aerosol produced by either OH oxidation of the cyclic dimethylsiloxane (D5) or ozonolysis of β-pinene, oligomerization rate constants on the order of 10-3 to 10-1 M-1 s-1 are needed to explain the experimental results. These values are consistent with previously measured rate constants for reactions of hydroperoxides and/or peroxyacids in the condensed phase.

  7. Seasonal variations in ectotherm growth rates: Quantifying growth as an intermittent non steady state compensatory process

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Guarini, J.-M.; Chauvaud, Laurent; Cloern, J.E.; Clavier, J.; Coston-Guarini, J.; Patry, Y.

    2011-01-01

    Generally, growth rates of living organisms are considered to be at steady state, varying only under environmental forcing factors. For example, these rates may be described as a function of light for plants or organic food resources for animals and these could be regulated (or not) by temperature or other conditions. But, what are the consequences for an individual's growth (and also for the population growth) if growth rate variations are themselves dynamic and not steady state? For organisms presenting phases of dormancy or long periods of stress, this is a crucial question. A dynamic perspective for quantifying short-term growth was explored using the daily growth record of the scallop Pecten maximus (L.). This species is a good biological model for ectotherm growth because the shell records growth striae daily. Independently, a generic mathematical function representing the dynamics of mean daily growth rate (MDGR) was implemented to simulate a diverse set of growth patterns. Once the function was calibrated with the striae patterns, the growth rate dynamics appeared as a forced damped oscillation during the growth period having a basic periodicity during two transitory phases (mean duration 43. days) and appearing at both growth start and growth end. This phase is most likely due to the internal dynamics of energy transfer within the organism rather than to external forcing factors. After growth restart, the transitory regime represents successive phases of over-growth and regulation. This pattern corresponds to a typical representation of compensatory growth, which from an evolutionary perspective can be interpreted as an adaptive strategy to coping with a fluctuating environment. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

  8. A new mechanistic growth model for simultaneous determination of lag phase duration and exponential growth rate and a new Belehdradek-type model for evaluating the effect of temperature on growth rate

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A new mechanistic growth model was developed to describe microbial growth under isothermal conditions. The new mathematical model was derived from the basic observation of bacterial growth that may include lag, exponential, and stationary phases. With this model, the lag phase duration and exponen...

  9. Control of Growth Rate by Initial Substrate Concentration at Values Below Maximum Rate

    PubMed Central

    Gaudy, Anthony F.; Obayashi, Alan; Gaudy, Elizabeth T.

    1971-01-01

    The hyperbolic relationship between specific growth rate, μ, and substrate concentration, proposed by Monod and used since as the basis for the theory of steady-state growth in continuous-flow systems, was tested experimentally in batch cultures. Use of a Flavobacterium sp. exhibiting a high saturation constant for growth in glucose minimal medium allowed direct measurement of growth rate and substrate concentration throughout the growth cycle in medium containing a rate-limiting initial concentration of glucose. Specific growth rates were also measured for a wide range of initial glucose concentrations. A plot of specific growth rate versus initial substrate concentration was found to fit the hyperbolic equation. However, the instantaneous relationship between specific growth rate and substrate concentration during growth, which is stated by the equation, was not observed. Well defined exponential growth phases were developed at initial substrate concentrations below that required for support of the maximum exponential growth rate and a constant doubling time was maintained until 50% of the substrate had been used. It is suggested that the external substrate concentration initially present “sets” the specific growth rate by establishing a steady-state internal concentration of substrate, possibly through control of the number of permeation sites. PMID:5137579

  10. Condensed phase conversion and growth of nanorods instead of from vapor

    DOEpatents

    Geohegan, David B.; Seals, Roland D.; Puretzky, Alex A.; Fan, Xudong

    2005-08-02

    Compositions, systems and methods are described for condensed phase conversion and growth of nanorods and other materials. A method includes providing a condensed phase matrix material; and activating the condensed phase matrix material to produce a plurality of nanorods by condensed phase conversion and growth from the condensed chase matrix material instead of from vacor. The compositions are very strong. The compositions and methods provide advantages because they allow (1) formation rates of nanostructures necessary for reasonable production rates, and (2) the near net shaped production of component structures.

  11. Phase transition in tumor growth: I avascular development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Izquierdo-Kulich, E.; Rebelo, I.; Tejera, E.; Nieto-Villar, J. M.

    2013-12-01

    We propose a mechanism for avascular tumor growth based on a simple chemical network. This model presents a logistic behavior and shows a “second order” phase transition. We prove the fractal origin of the empirical logistics and Gompertz constant and its relation to mitosis and apoptosis rate. Finally, the thermodynamics framework developed demonstrates the entropy production rate as a Lyapunov function during avascular tumor growth.

  12. Growth-rate periodicity of Streptomyces levoris during space flight

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rogers, T. D.; Brower, M. E.; Taylor, G. R.

    1977-01-01

    Streptomyces levoris provides a suitable biological test system to investigate the effects of space flight on the rhythms of vegetative and spore phase characteristics of both growth-rate periodicity and culture morphology during the pre-, in-, and post-flight periods of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The objectives of the American participation were to study the effects of space flight on the biorhythms of Streptomyces levoris based on a comparison of the growth-rate periodicity of the vegetative and spore phase within each culture, to examine the possible alteration of spore morphology and development by SEM, and to compare the effects of a 12-hr phase shift on the periodic growth characteristics of this microorganism in cultures which were exchanged during the joint activities of the space flight. No uniform differences in the biorhythm of Streptomyces levoris during space flight were observed. It appears that the single most variable factor related to the experiment was the lack of temperature control for the space-flight specimens.

  13. Bulk water phase and biofilm growth in drinking water at low nutrient conditions.

    PubMed

    Boe-Hansen, Rasmus; Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen; Arvin, Erik; Jørgensen, Claus

    2002-11-01

    In this study, the bacterial growth dynamics of a drinking water distribution system at low nutrient conditions was studied in order to determine bacterial growth rates by a range of methods, and to compare growth rates in the bulk water phase and the biofilm. A model distribution system was used to quantify the effect of retention times at hydraulic conditions similar to those in drinking water distribution networks. Water and pipe wall samples were taken and examined during the experiment. The pipes had been exposed to drinking water at approximately 13 degrees C, for at least 385 days to allow the formation of a mature quasi-stationary biofilm. At retention times of 12 h, total bacterial counts increased equivalent to a net bacterial growth rate of 0.048 day(-1). The bulk water phase bacteria exhibited a higher activity than the biofilm bacteria in terms of culturability, cell-specific ATP content, and cell-specific leucine incorporation rate. Bacteria in the bulk water phase incubated without the presence of biofilm exhibited a bacterial growth rate of 0.30 day(-1). The biofilm was radioactively labelled by the addition of 14C-benzoic acid. Subsequently, a biofilm detachment rate of 0.013 day(-1) was determined by measuring the release of 14C-labelled bacteria of the biofilm. For the quasi-stationary phase biofilm, the detachment rate was equivalent to the net growth rate. The growth rates determined in this study by different independent experimental approaches were comparable and within the range of values reported in the literature.

  14. A Kinetic Model for GaAs Growth by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schulte, Kevin L.; Simon, John; Jain, Nikhil

    2016-11-21

    Precise control of the growth of III-V materials by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) is complicated by the fact that the growth rate depends on the concentrations of nearly all inputs to the reactor and also the reaction temperature. This behavior is in contrast to metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), which in common practice operates in a mass transport limited regime where growth rate and alloy composition are controlled almost exclusively by flow of the Group III precursor. In HVPE, the growth rate and alloy compositions are very sensitive to temperature and reactant concentrations, which are strong functions of themore » reactor geometry. HVPE growth, particularly the growth of large area materials and devices, will benefit from the development of a growth model that can eventually be coupled with a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a specific reactor geometry. In this work, we develop a growth rate law using a Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) analysis, fitting unknown parameters to growth rate data from the literature that captures the relevant kinetic and thermodynamic phenomena of the HVPE process. We compare the L-H rate law to growth rate data from our custom HVPE reactor, and develop quantitative insight into reactor performance, demonstrating the utility of the growth model.« less

  15. Estimation of activation energy for electroporation and pore growth rate in liquid crystalline and gel phases of lipid bilayers using molecular dynamics simulations.

    PubMed

    Majhi, Amit Kumar; Kanchi, Subbarao; Venkataraman, V; Ayappa, K G; Maiti, Prabal K

    2015-11-28

    Molecular dynamics simulations of electroporation in POPC and DPPC lipid bilayers have been carried out at different temperatures ranging from 230 K to 350 K for varying electric fields. The dynamics of pore formation, including threshold field, pore initiation time, pore growth rate, and pore closure rate after the field is switched off, was studied in both the gel and liquid crystalline (Lα) phases of the bilayers. Using an Arrhenius model of pore initiation kinetics, the activation energy for pore opening was estimated to be 25.6 kJ mol(-1) and 32.6 kJ mol(-1) in the Lα phase of POPC and DPPC lipids respectively at a field strength of 0.32 V nm(-1). The activation energy decreases to 24.2 kJ mol(-1) and 23.7 kJ mol(-1) respectively at a higher field strength of 1.1 V nm(-1). At temperatures below the melting point, the activation energy in the gel phase of POPC and DPPC increases to 28.8 kJ mol(-1) and 34.4 kJ mol(-1) respectively at the same field of 1.1 V nm(-1). The pore closing time was found to be higher in the gel than in the Lα phase. The pore growth rate increases linearly with temperature and quadratically with field, consistent with viscosity limited growth models.

  16. High growth rate hydride vapor phase epitaxy at low temperature through use of uncracked hydrides

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schulte, Kevin L.; Braun, Anna; Simon, John

    We demonstrate hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) of GaAs with unusually high growth rates (RG) at low temperature and atmospheric pressure by employing a hydride-enhanced growth mechanism. Under traditional HVPE growth conditions that involve growth from Asx species, RG exhibits a strong temperature dependence due to slow kinetics at the surface, and growth temperatures >750 degrees C are required to obtain RG > 60 um/h. We demonstrate that when the group V element reaches the surface in a hydride, the kinetic barrier is dramatically reduced and surface kinetics no longer limit RG. In this regime, RG is dependent on massmore » transport of uncracked AsH3 to the surface. By controlling the AsH3 velocity and temperature profile of the reactor, which both affect the degree of AsH3 decomposition, we demonstrate tuning of RG. We achieve RG above 60 um/h at temperatures as low as 560 degrees C and up to 110 um/h at 650 degrees C. We incorporate high-RG GaAs into solar cell devices to verify that the electronic quality does not deteriorate as RG is increased. The open circuit voltage (VOC), which is a strong function of non-radiative recombination in the bulk material, exhibits negligible variance in a series of devices grown at 650 degrees C with RG = 55-110 um/h. The implications of low temperature growth for the formation of complex heterostructure devices by HVPE are discussed.« less

  17. High growth rate hydride vapor phase epitaxy at low temperature through use of uncracked hydrides

    DOE PAGES

    Schulte, Kevin L.; Braun, Anna; Simon, John; ...

    2018-01-22

    We demonstrate hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) of GaAs with unusually high growth rates (RG) at low temperature and atmospheric pressure by employing a hydride-enhanced growth mechanism. Under traditional HVPE growth conditions that involve growth from Asx species, RG exhibits a strong temperature dependence due to slow kinetics at the surface, and growth temperatures >750 degrees C are required to obtain RG > 60 um/h. We demonstrate that when the group V element reaches the surface in a hydride, the kinetic barrier is dramatically reduced and surface kinetics no longer limit RG. In this regime, RG is dependent on massmore » transport of uncracked AsH3 to the surface. By controlling the AsH3 velocity and temperature profile of the reactor, which both affect the degree of AsH3 decomposition, we demonstrate tuning of RG. We achieve RG above 60 um/h at temperatures as low as 560 degrees C and up to 110 um/h at 650 degrees C. We incorporate high-RG GaAs into solar cell devices to verify that the electronic quality does not deteriorate as RG is increased. The open circuit voltage (VOC), which is a strong function of non-radiative recombination in the bulk material, exhibits negligible variance in a series of devices grown at 650 degrees C with RG = 55-110 um/h. The implications of low temperature growth for the formation of complex heterostructure devices by HVPE are discussed.« less

  18. Condensed phase conversion and growth of nanorods and other materials instead of from vapor

    DOEpatents

    Geohegan, David B.; Seals, Roland D.; Puretzky, Alex A.; Fan, Xudong

    2010-10-19

    Compositions, systems and methods are described for condensed phase conversion and growth of nanorods and other materials. A method includes providing a condensed phase matrix material; and activating the condensed phase matrix material to produce a plurality of nanorods by condensed phase conversion and growth from the condensed phase matrix material instead of from vapor. The compositions are very strong. The compositions and methods provide advantages because they allow (1) formation rates of nanostructures necessary for reasonable production rates, and (2) the near net shaped production of component structures.

  19. Effect of bacterial growth rate on bacteriophage population growth rate.

    PubMed

    Nabergoj, Dominik; Modic, Petra; Podgornik, Aleš

    2018-04-01

    It is important to understand how physiological state of the host influence propagation of bacteriophages (phages), due to the potential higher phage production needs in the future. In our study, we tried to elucidate the effect of bacterial growth rate on adsorption constant (δ), latent period (L), burst size (b), and bacteriophage population growth rate (λ). As a model system, a well-studied phage T4 and Escherichia coli K-12 as a host was used. Bacteria were grown in a continuous culture operating at dilution rates in the range between 0.06 and 0.98 hr -1 . It was found that the burst size increases linearly from 8 PFU·cell -1 to 89 PFU·cell -1 with increase in bacteria growth rate. On the other hand, adsorption constant and latent period were both decreasing from 2.6∙10 -9  ml·min -1 and 80 min to reach limiting values of 0.5 × 10 -9  ml·min -1 and 27 min at higher growth rates, respectively. Both trends were mathematically described with Michaelis-Menten based type of equation and reasons for such form are discussed. By applying selected equations, a mathematical equation for prediction of bacteriophage population growth rate as a function of dilution rate was derived, reaching values around 8 hr -1 at highest dilution rate. Interestingly, almost identical description can be obtained using much simpler Monod type equation and possible reasons for this finding are discussed. © 2017 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Mechanical model for filament buckling and growth by phase ordering.

    PubMed

    Rey, Alejandro D; Abukhdeir, Nasser M

    2008-02-05

    A mechanical model of open filament shape and growth driven by phase ordering is formulated. For a given phase-ordering driving force, the model output is the filament shape evolution and the filament end-point kinematics. The linearized model for the slope of the filament is the Cahn-Hilliard model of spinodal decomposition, where the buckling corresponds to concentration fluctuations. Two modes are predicted: (i) sequential growth and buckling and (ii) simultaneous buckling and growth. The relation among the maximum buckling rate, filament tension, and matrix viscosity is given. These results contribute to ongoing work in smectic A filament buckling.

  1. Mathematical model for the growth of phases in binary multiphase systems upon isothermic annealing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Molokhina, L. A.; Rogalin, V. E.; Filin, S. A.; Kaplunov, I. A.

    2017-09-01

    A phenomenological mathematical model of the formation and growth of phases in a binary multiphase system with allowance for factors influencing the process of diffusion in a binary system is presented. It is shown that phases can grow for a certain time at different ratios between diffusion parameters according to a parabolic law that depends on the duration of isothermic annealing. They then slow their growth after successor phases appear at their interface with one component and can completely disappear from a diffusion layer or begin to grow again, but only at a rate slower than during their initial formation. The dependence of the thickness of each phase layer in a multiphase diffusion zone on the duration of isothermic annealing and the ratio between the diffusion parameters in neighboring phases is obtained. It is established that a certain ratio between the phase growth and rates of dissolution with allowance for the coefficients of diffusion in each phase and the periods of incubation can result in the complete disappearance of one phase as early as the onset of the growth of phase nuclei and be interpreted as a process of reaction diffusion.

  2. Phase boundaries, nucleation rates and speed of crystal growth of the water-to-ice transition under an electric field: a simulation study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaragoza, Alberto; Espinosa, Jorge R.; Ramos, Regina; Cobos, José Antonio; Aragones, Juan Luis; Vega, Carlos; Sanz, Eduardo; Ramírez, Jorge; Valeriani, Chantal

    2018-05-01

    We investigate with computer simulations the effect of applying an electric field on the water-to-ice transition. We use a combination of state-of-the-art simulation techniques to obtain phase boundaries and crystal growth rates (direct coexistence), nucleation rates (seeding) and interfacial free energies (seeding and mold integration). First, we consider ice Ih, the most stable polymorph in the absence of a field. Its normal melting temperature, speed of crystal growth and nucleation rate (for a given supercooling) diminish as the intensity of the field goes up. Then, we study polarised cubic ice, or ice Icf, the most stable solid phase under a strong electric field. Its normal melting point goes up with the field and, for a given supercooling, under the studied field (0.3 V nm‑1) ice Icf nucleates and grows at a similar rate as Ih with no field. The net effect of the field would then be that ice nucleates at warmer temperatures, but in the form of ice Icf. The main conclusion of this work is that reasonable electric fields (not strong enough to break water molecules apart) are not relevant in the context of homogeneous ice nucleation at 1 bar.

  3. Phase boundaries, nucleation rates and speed of crystal growth of the water-to-ice transition under an electric field: a simulation study.

    PubMed

    Zaragoza, Alberto; Espinosa, Jorge R; Ramos, Regina; Antonio Cobos, José; Luis Aragones, Juan; Vega, Carlos; Sanz, Eduardo; Ramírez, Jorge; Valeriani, Chantal

    2018-05-02

    We investigate with computer simulations the effect of applying an electric field on the water-to-ice transition. We use a combination of state-of-the-art simulation techniques to obtain phase boundaries and crystal growth rates (direct coexistence), nucleation rates (seeding) and interfacial free energies (seeding and mold integration). First, we consider ice Ih, the most stable polymorph in the absence of a field. Its normal melting temperature, speed of crystal growth and nucleation rate (for a given supercooling) diminish as the intensity of the field goes up. Then, we study polarised cubic ice, or ice Icf, the most stable solid phase under a strong electric field. Its normal melting point goes up with the field and, for a given supercooling, under the studied field (0.3 V nm -1 ) ice Icf nucleates and grows at a similar rate as Ih with no field. The net effect of the field would then be that ice nucleates at warmer temperatures, but in the form of ice Icf. The main conclusion of this work is that reasonable electric fields (not strong enough to break water molecules apart) are not relevant in the context of homogeneous ice nucleation at 1 bar.

  4. Growth Rates and Mechanisms of Magmatic Orbicule Formation: Insights from Calcium Isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antonelli, M. A.; Watkins, J. M.; DePaolo, D. J.

    2017-12-01

    Orbicular diorites and granites are rare plutonic rock textures that remain enigmatic despite a century of study. Orbicules consist of a rounded core (xenolith, xenocryst, or autolith) surrounded by a variable number of concentric rings defined by different modal mineralogies and textures. Recent work suggests that the alternating layers of mineral growth are a consequence of either changes in external conditions of the magma (e.g. temperature, magma composition due to mixing, changes in volatile abundances), or rapid growth of one mineral phase (e.g plagioclase) creating a depleted boundary layer that then promotes precipitation of an alternative mineral phase (e.g. pyroxene). This process can be repeated to produce multiple layers. The rates at which orbicules grow is also of interest and relates to the mechanisms. Studies of orbicular diorites from the northern Sierra Nevada suggest exceptionally high growth rates (McCarthy et al., 2016). Ca isotopes can offer a unique perspective on orbicule formation, as diffusive isotope fractionation should be substantial when growth rates are high, and they are also sensitive to the nature of the growth medium (silicate liquid or supercritical fluid phase). We present δ44Ca measurements and chemistry for a transect of a dioritic orbicule collected from Emerald Lake, California (Sierra Nevada), where the growth layers are defined by variations in plagioclase/pyroxene ratio, grain size, and texture. Ca concentration varies from 5-13 wt%, and d44Ca values oscillate between -0.5 to 0.0‰ relative to BSE, correlating with changes in mineralogy and texture. Zones of plagioclase comb texture are associated with negative δ44Ca excursions of -0.2 to -0.4‰, consistent with diffusive isotope fractionation during rapid mineral growth. Assuming a 10‰ difference in diffusivity for 44Ca vs. 40Ca in dioritic liquids (Watson et al., 2016), and using the models of Watson and Muller (2009) as a guide, these small fractionations

  5. Compact seaweed growth of peritectic phase on confined, flat properitectic dendrites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ludwig, A.; Mogeritsch, J.

    2016-12-01

    Peritectic alloys form a variety of different solidification morphologies at low growth rates. An alloy with a concentration that corresponds to the hyper-peritectic limit should show a cellular/dendritic solidification of the peritectic phase for growth velocities above the corresponding constitutional undercooling limit. However, due to nucleation retardation of the peritectic phase we observed growth of properitectic dendrites before cellular growth of the peritectic could established. The transition happened via an overgrowth of dendrites with a thin layer of peritectic phase. The observations were made using a transparent, metal-like solidifying peritectic system that was solidified directionally in thin samples. In the gap between the flat dendrites and the tubing walls, the peritectic phase grew with a compact seaweed morphology, whereas in the interdendritic spacing it formed small-curved bumps. At same distance behind the tip region, more and more polycrystalline-like objects appeared at the elongated traces of the compact seaweed morphology.

  6. Molecular Analysis of the In Situ Growth Rates of Subsurface Geobacter Species

    PubMed Central

    Giloteaux, Ludovic; Barlett, Melissa; Chavan, Milind A.; Smith, Jessica A.; Williams, Kenneth H.; Wilkins, Michael; Long, Philip; Lovley, Derek R.

    2013-01-01

    Molecular tools that can provide an estimate of the in situ growth rate of Geobacter species could improve understanding of dissimilatory metal reduction in a diversity of environments. Whole-genome microarray analyses of a subsurface isolate of Geobacter uraniireducens, grown under a variety of conditions, identified a number of genes that are differentially expressed at different specific growth rates. Expression of two genes encoding ribosomal proteins, rpsC and rplL, was further evaluated with quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) in cells with doubling times ranging from 6.56 h to 89.28 h. Transcript abundance of rpsC correlated best (r2 = 0.90) with specific growth rates. Therefore, expression patterns of rpsC were used to estimate specific growth rates of Geobacter species during an in situ uranium bioremediation field experiment in which acetate was added to the groundwater to promote dissimilatory metal reduction. Initially, increased availability of acetate in the groundwater resulted in higher expression of Geobacter rpsC, and the increase in the number of Geobacter cells estimated with fluorescent in situ hybridization compared well with specific growth rates estimated from levels of in situ rpsC expression. However, in later phases, cell number increases were substantially lower than predicted from rpsC transcript abundance. This change coincided with a bloom of protozoa and increased attachment of Geobacter species to solid phases. These results suggest that monitoring rpsC expression may better reflect the actual rate that Geobacter species are metabolizing and growing during in situ uranium bioremediation than changes in cell abundance. PMID:23275510

  7. Improvement of growth rate of plants by bubble discharge in water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takahata, Junichiro; Takaki, Koichi; Satta, Naoya; Takahashi, Katsuyuki; Fujio, Takuya; Sasaki, Yuji

    2015-01-01

    The effect of bubble discharge in water on the growth rate of plants was investigated experimentally for application to plant cultivation systems. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), radish (Raphanus sativus var. sativus), and strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) were used as specimens to clarify the effect of the discharge treatment on edible parts of the plants. The specimens were cultivated in pots filled with artificial soil, which included chicken manure charcoal. Distilled water was sprayed on the artificial soil and drained through a hole in the pots to a water storage tank. The water was circulated from the water storage tank to the cultivation pots after 15 or 30 min discharge treatment on alternate days. A magnetic compression-type pulsed power generator was used to produce the bubble discharge with a repetition rate of 250 pps. The plant height in the growth phase and the dry weight of the harvested plants were improved markedly by the discharge treatment in water. The soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) value of the plants also improved in the growth phase of the plants. The concentration of nitrate nitrogen, which mainly contributed to the improvement of the growth rate, in the water increased with the discharge treatment. The Brix value of edible parts of Fragaria × ananassa increased with the discharge treatment. The inactivation of bacteria in the water was also confirmed with the discharge treatment.

  8. Identification of growth phases and influencing factors in cultivations with AGE1.HN cells using set-based methods.

    PubMed

    Borchers, Steffen; Freund, Susann; Rath, Alexander; Streif, Stefan; Reichl, Udo; Findeisen, Rolf

    2013-01-01

    Production of bio-pharmaceuticals in cell culture, such as mammalian cells, is challenging. Mathematical models can provide support to the analysis, optimization, and the operation of production processes. In particular, unstructured models are suited for these purposes, since they can be tailored to particular process conditions. To this end, growth phases and the most relevant factors influencing cell growth and product formation have to be identified. Due to noisy and erroneous experimental data, unknown kinetic parameters, and the large number of combinations of influencing factors, currently there are only limited structured approaches to tackle these issues. We outline a structured set-based approach to identify different growth phases and the factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. To this end, measurement uncertainties are taken explicitly into account to bound the time-dependent specific growth rate based on the observed increase of the cell concentration. Based on the bounds on the specific growth rate, we can identify qualitatively different growth phases and (in-)validate hypotheses on the factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. We apply the approach to a mammalian suspension cell line (AGE1.HN). We show that growth in batch culture can be divided into two main growth phases. The initial phase is characterized by exponential growth dynamics, which can be described consistently by a relatively simple unstructured and segregated model. The subsequent phase is characterized by a decrease in the specific growth rate, which, as shown, results from substrate limitation and the pH of the medium. An extended model is provided which describes the observed dynamics of cell growth and main metabolites, and the corresponding kinetic parameters as well as their confidence intervals are estimated. The study is complemented by an uncertainty and outlier analysis. Overall, we demonstrate utility of set-based methods for analyzing cell growth and

  9. Identification of Growth Phases and Influencing Factors in Cultivations with AGE1.HN Cells Using Set-Based Methods

    PubMed Central

    Borchers, Steffen; Freund, Susann; Rath, Alexander; Streif, Stefan; Reichl, Udo; Findeisen, Rolf

    2013-01-01

    Production of bio-pharmaceuticals in cell culture, such as mammalian cells, is challenging. Mathematical models can provide support to the analysis, optimization, and the operation of production processes. In particular, unstructured models are suited for these purposes, since they can be tailored to particular process conditions. To this end, growth phases and the most relevant factors influencing cell growth and product formation have to be identified. Due to noisy and erroneous experimental data, unknown kinetic parameters, and the large number of combinations of influencing factors, currently there are only limited structured approaches to tackle these issues. We outline a structured set-based approach to identify different growth phases and the factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. To this end, measurement uncertainties are taken explicitly into account to bound the time-dependent specific growth rate based on the observed increase of the cell concentration. Based on the bounds on the specific growth rate, we can identify qualitatively different growth phases and (in-)validate hypotheses on the factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. We apply the approach to a mammalian suspension cell line (AGE1.HN). We show that growth in batch culture can be divided into two main growth phases. The initial phase is characterized by exponential growth dynamics, which can be described consistently by a relatively simple unstructured and segregated model. The subsequent phase is characterized by a decrease in the specific growth rate, which, as shown, results from substrate limitation and the pH of the medium. An extended model is provided which describes the observed dynamics of cell growth and main metabolites, and the corresponding kinetic parameters as well as their confidence intervals are estimated. The study is complemented by an uncertainty and outlier analysis. Overall, we demonstrate utility of set-based methods for analyzing cell growth and

  10. A Phase Field Study of the Effect of Microstructure Grain Size Heterogeneity on Grain Growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crist, David J. D.

    Recent studies conducted with sharp-interface models suggest a link between the spatial distribution of grain size variance and average grain growth rate. This relationship and its effect on grain growth rate was examined using the diffuse-interface Phase Field Method on a series of microstructures with different degrees of grain size gradation. Results from this work indicate that the average grain growth rate has a positive correlation with the average grain size dispersion for phase field simulations, confirming previous observations. It is also shown that the grain growth rate in microstructures with skewed grain size distributions is better measured through the change in the volume-weighted average grain size than statistical mean grain size. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1334283. The NSF project title is "DMREF: Real Time Control of Grain Growth in Metals" and was awarded by the Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation division under the Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF) program.

  11. Solid-state diffusion-controlled growth of the phases in the Au-Sn system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baheti, Varun A.; Kashyap, Sanjay; Kumar, Praveen; Chattopadhyay, Kamanio; Paul, Aloke

    2018-01-01

    The solid state diffusion-controlled growth of the phases is studied for the Au-Sn system in the range of room temperature to 200 °C using bulk and electroplated diffusion couples. The number of product phases in the interdiffusion zone decreases with the decrease in annealing temperature. These phases grow with significantly high rates even at the room temperature. The growth rate of the AuSn4 phase is observed to be higher in the case of electroplated diffusion couple because of the relatively small grains and hence high contribution of the grain boundary diffusion when compared to the bulk diffusion couple. The diffraction pattern analysis indicates the same equilibrium crystal structure of the phases in these two types of diffusion couples. The analysis in the AuSn4 phase relating the estimated tracer diffusion coefficients with grain size, crystal structure, the homologous temperature of experiments and the concept of the sublattice diffusion mechanism in the intermetallic compounds indicate that Au diffuses mainly via the grain boundaries, whereas Sn diffuses via both the grain boundaries and the lattice.

  12. Effect of compression rate on ice VI crystal growth using dDAC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Yun-Hee; Kim, Yong-Jae; Lee, Sooheyong; Cho, Yong Chan; Lee, Geun Woo; Frontier in Extreme Physics Team

    It is well known that static and dynamic pressure give different results in many aspects. Understanding of crystal growth under such different pressure condition is one of the crucial issues for the formation of materials in the earth and planets. To figure out the crystal growth under the different pressure condition, we should control compression rate from static to dynamic pressurization. Here, we use a dynamic diamond anvil cell (dDAC) technique to study the effect of compression rate of ice VI crystal growth. Using dDAC with high speed camera, we monitored growth of a single crystal ice VI. A rounded ice crystal with rough surface was selected in the phase boundary of water and ice VI and then, its repetitive growth and melting has been carried out by dynamic operation of the pressure cell. The roughened crystal showed interesting growth transition with compression rate from three dimensional to two dimensional growth as well as faceting process. We will discuss possible mechanism of the growth change by compression rate with diffusion mechanism of water. This research was supported by the Converging Research Center Program through the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Korea (NRF-2014M1A7A1A01030128).

  13. Effect of temperature, water-phase salt and phenolic contents on Listeria monocytogenes growth rates on cold-smoked salmon and evaluation of secondary models.

    PubMed

    Cornu, M; Beaufort, A; Rudelle, S; Laloux, L; Bergis, H; Miconnet, N; Serot, T; Delignette-Muller, M L

    2006-02-01

    Salting and smoking are ancient processes for fish preservation. The effects of salt and phenolic smoke compounds on the growth rate of L. monocytogenes in cold-smoked salmon were investigated through physico-chemical analyses, challenge tests on surface of cold-smoked salmon at 4 degrees C and 8 degrees C, and a survey of the literature. Estimated growth rates were compared to predictions of existing secondary models, taking into account the effects of temperature, water phase salt content, phenolic content, and additional factors (e.g. pH, lactate, dissolved CO2). The secondary model proposed by Devlieghere et al. [Devlieghere, F., Geeraerd, A.H., Versyck, K.J., Vandewaetere, B., van Impe, J., Debevere, J., 2001. Growth of Listeria monocytogenes in modified atmosphere packed cooked meat products: a predictive model. Food Microbiology 18, 53-66.] and modified by Giménez and Dalgaard [Giménez, B., Dalgaard, P., 2004. Modelling and predicting the simultaneous growth of Listeria monocytogenes and spoilage micro-organisms in cold-smoked salmon. Journal of Applied Microbiology 96, 96-109.] appears appropriate. However, further research is needed to understand all effects affecting growth of L. monocytogenes in cold-smoked salmon and to obtain fully validated predictive models for use in quantitative risk assessment.

  14. On the relationship between tumour growth rate and survival in non-small cell lung cancer.

    PubMed

    Mistry, Hitesh B

    2017-01-01

    A recurrent question within oncology drug development is predicting phase III outcome for a new treatment using early clinical data. One approach to tackle this problem has been to derive metrics from mathematical models that describe tumour size dynamics termed re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth. They have shown to be strong predictors of overall survival in numerous studies but there is debate about how these metrics are derived and if they are more predictive than empirical end-points. This work explores the issues raised in using model-derived metric as predictors for survival analyses. Re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth were calculated for three large clinical studies by forward and reverse alignment. The latter involves re-aligning patients to their time of progression. Hence, it accounts for the time taken to estimate re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth but also assesses if these predictors correlate to survival from the time of progression. I found that neither re-growth rate nor time to tumour re-growth correlated to survival using reverse alignment. This suggests that the dynamics of tumours up until disease progression has no relationship to survival post progression. For prediction of a phase III trial I found the metrics performed no better than empirical end-points. These results highlight that care must be taken when relating dynamics of tumour imaging to survival and that bench-marking new approaches to existing ones is essential.

  15. Allometries of maximum growth rate versus body mass at maximum growth indicate that non-avian dinosaurs had growth rates typical of fast growing ectothermic sauropsids.

    PubMed

    Werner, Jan; Griebeler, Eva Maria

    2014-01-01

    We tested if growth rates of recent taxa are unequivocally separated between endotherms and ectotherms, and compared these to dinosaurian growth rates. We therefore performed linear regression analyses on the log-transformed maximum growth rate against log-transformed body mass at maximum growth for extant altricial birds, precocial birds, eutherians, marsupials, reptiles, fishes and dinosaurs. Regression models of precocial birds (and fishes) strongly differed from Case's study (1978), which is often used to compare dinosaurian growth rates to those of extant vertebrates. For all taxonomic groups, the slope of 0.75 expected from the Metabolic Theory of Ecology was statistically supported. To compare growth rates between taxonomic groups we therefore used regressions with this fixed slope and group-specific intercepts. On average, maximum growth rates of ectotherms were about 10 (reptiles) to 20 (fishes) times (in comparison to mammals) or even 45 (reptiles) to 100 (fishes) times (in comparison to birds) lower than in endotherms. While on average all taxa were clearly separated from each other, individual growth rates overlapped between several taxa and even between endotherms and ectotherms. Dinosaurs had growth rates intermediate between similar sized/scaled-up reptiles and mammals, but a much lower rate than scaled-up birds. All dinosaurian growth rates were within the range of extant reptiles and mammals, and were lower than those of birds. Under the assumption that growth rate and metabolic rate are indeed linked, our results suggest two alternative interpretations. Compared to other sauropsids, the growth rates of studied dinosaurs clearly indicate that they had an ectothermic rather than an endothermic metabolic rate. Compared to other vertebrate growth rates, the overall high variability in growth rates of extant groups and the high overlap between individual growth rates of endothermic and ectothermic extant species make it impossible to rule out either of

  16. Allometries of Maximum Growth Rate versus Body Mass at Maximum Growth Indicate That Non-Avian Dinosaurs Had Growth Rates Typical of Fast Growing Ectothermic Sauropsids

    PubMed Central

    Werner, Jan; Griebeler, Eva Maria

    2014-01-01

    We tested if growth rates of recent taxa are unequivocally separated between endotherms and ectotherms, and compared these to dinosaurian growth rates. We therefore performed linear regression analyses on the log-transformed maximum growth rate against log-transformed body mass at maximum growth for extant altricial birds, precocial birds, eutherians, marsupials, reptiles, fishes and dinosaurs. Regression models of precocial birds (and fishes) strongly differed from Case’s study (1978), which is often used to compare dinosaurian growth rates to those of extant vertebrates. For all taxonomic groups, the slope of 0.75 expected from the Metabolic Theory of Ecology was statistically supported. To compare growth rates between taxonomic groups we therefore used regressions with this fixed slope and group-specific intercepts. On average, maximum growth rates of ectotherms were about 10 (reptiles) to 20 (fishes) times (in comparison to mammals) or even 45 (reptiles) to 100 (fishes) times (in comparison to birds) lower than in endotherms. While on average all taxa were clearly separated from each other, individual growth rates overlapped between several taxa and even between endotherms and ectotherms. Dinosaurs had growth rates intermediate between similar sized/scaled-up reptiles and mammals, but a much lower rate than scaled-up birds. All dinosaurian growth rates were within the range of extant reptiles and mammals, and were lower than those of birds. Under the assumption that growth rate and metabolic rate are indeed linked, our results suggest two alternative interpretations. Compared to other sauropsids, the growth rates of studied dinosaurs clearly indicate that they had an ectothermic rather than an endothermic metabolic rate. Compared to other vertebrate growth rates, the overall high variability in growth rates of extant groups and the high overlap between individual growth rates of endothermic and ectothermic extant species make it impossible to rule out either

  17. Physiology regulates the relationship between coccosphere geometry and growth phase in coccolithophores

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheward, Rosie M.; Poulton, Alex J.; Gibbs, Samantha J.; Daniels, Chris J.; Bown, Paul R.

    2017-03-01

    history. Our data also show that changes in growth rate and coccoliths per cell associated with growth-phase shifts can substantially alter cellular calcite production. Coccosphere geometry is therefore a valuable tool for accessing growth information in the fossil record, providing unprecedented insights into the response of species to environmental change and the potential biogeochemical consequences.

  18. Effects of Phytoplankton Growth Phase on the Formation and Properties of Marine Snow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Montgomery, Q. W.; Proctor, K. W.; Prairie, J. C.

    2016-02-01

    Marine snow aggregates often dominate carbon export from the upper mixed layer to the deep ocean. Thus, understanding the formation and the properties of these aggregates is essential to the study of the biological pump. Aggregate formation is determined by both the encounter rate and the stickiness of the particles that they are composed of. Stickiness of phytoplankton has been linked to production of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), which has been previously shown to vary in concentration throughout different parts of the phytoplankton growth cycle. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of the growth phase of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii to both TEP production and the properties of the resulting aggregates produced. Cultures of T. weissflogii were stopped at separate phases of the phytoplankton growth curve and incubated in rotating cylindrical tanks to form aggregates. Aggregate properties such as size, density, and porosity were measured at the end of each period of roller incubation. Preliminary results describe little variation in the size of the aggregates formed from different parts of the growth phase, but show a significant effect of growth phase on aggregate density. Density is an important factor in the settling of marine aggregates. Therefore, variations in aggregate density during different growth phases may have large implications for the efficiency of the biological pump during different stages of a phytoplankton bloom. Further examination will be performed on the potential effects of TEP abundance on the properties of the aggregates formed at separate growth phases and the resulting implications for carbon flux.

  19. Growth rates of fine aerosol particles at a site near Beijing in June 2013

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Chuanfeng; Li, Yanan; Zhang, Fang; Sun, Yele; Wang, Pucai

    2018-02-01

    Growth of fine aerosol particles is investigated during the Aerosol-CCN-Cloud Closure Experiment campaign in June 2013 at an urban site near Beijing. Analyses show a high frequency (˜ 50%) of fine aerosol particle growth events, and show that the growth rates range from 2.1 to 6.5 nm h-1 with a mean value of ˜ 5.1 nm h-1. A review of previous studies indicates that at least four mechanisms can affect the growth of fine aerosol particles: vapor condensation, intramodal coagulation, extramodal coagulation, and multi-phase chemical reaction. At the initial stage of fine aerosol particle growth, condensational growth usually plays a major role and coagulation efficiency generally increases with particle sizes. An overview of previous studies shows higher growth rates over megacity, urban and boreal forest regions than over rural and oceanic regions. This is most likely due to the higher condensational vapor, which can cause strong condensational growth of fine aerosol particles. Associated with these multiple factors of influence, there are large uncertainties for the aerosol particle growth rates, even at the same location.

  20. Dependence of growth of the phases of multiphase binary systems on the diffusion parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Molokhina, L. A.; Rogalin, V. E.; Filin, S. A.; Kaplunov, I. A.

    2017-12-01

    A mathematical model of the diffusion interaction of a binary system with several phases on the equilibrium phase diagram is presented. The theoretical and calculated dependences of the layer thickness of each phase in the multiphase diffusion zone on the isothermal annealing time and the ratio of the diffusion parameters in the neighboring phases with an unlimited supply of both components were constructed. The phase formation and growth in the diffusion zone during "reactive" diffusion corresponds to the equilibrium state diagram for two components, and the order of their appearance in the diffusion zone depends only on the ratio of the diffusion parameters in the phases themselves and on the duration of the incubation periods. The dependence of phase appearance on the incubation periods, annealing time, and difference in the movement rates of the components across the interface boundaries was obtained. An example of the application of the model for processing the experimental data on phase growth in a two-component three-phase system was given.

  1. The Growth Behavior of Titanium Boride Layers in α and β Phase Fields of Titanium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lv, Xiaojun; Hu, Lingyun; Shuang, Yajing; Liu, Jianhua; Lai, Yanqing; Jiang, Liangxing; Li, Jie

    2016-07-01

    In this study, the commercially pure titanium was successfully electrochemical borided in a borax-based electrolyte. The process was carried out at a constant cathodic current density of 300 mA cm-2 and at temperatures of 1123 K and 1223 K (850 °C and 950 °C) for 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 5 hours. The growth behavior of titanium boride layers in the α phase field of titanium was compared with that in the β phase field. After boriding, the presence of both the TiB2 top layer and TiB whisker sub-layer was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope. The relationship between the thickness of boride layers and boriding time was found to have a parabolic character in both α and β phase fields of titanium. The TiB whiskers showed ultra-fast growth rate in the β phase field. Its growth rate constant was found to be as high as 3.2002 × 10-13 m2 s-1. Besides, the chemical resistance of the TiB2 layer on the surface of titanium substrate was characterized by immersion tests in molten aluminum.

  2. Long-acting PEGylated recombinant human growth hormone (Jintrolong) for children with growth hormone deficiency: phase II and phase III multicenter, randomized studies.

    PubMed

    Luo, Xiaoping; Hou, Ling; Liang, Li; Dong, Guanping; Shen, Shuixian; Zhao, Zhuhui; Gong, Chun Xiu; Li, Yuchuan; Du, Min-Lian; Su, Zhe; Du, Hongwei; Yan, Chaoying

    2017-08-01

    We assessed the efficacy and safety of a weekly pegylated human growth hormone (PEG-rhGH) (Jintrolong) vs daily rhGH for children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Phase II and III, multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trials. 108 and 343 children with treatment-naive GHD from 6 hospitals in China were enrolled in the phase II and III studies respectively. Patients in the phase II study were randomized 1:1:1 to weekly Jintrolong (0.1 mg/kg/week PEG-rhGH complex), weekly Jintrolong (0.2 mg/kg/week PEG-rhGH complex) or daily rhGH (0.25 mg/kg/week) for 25 weeks. Patients in the phase III study were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to weekly Jintrolong (0.2 mg/kg/week) or daily rhGH (0.25 mg/kg/week) for 25 weeks. The primary endpoint for both studies was height velocity (HV) increase at the end of treatment. Other growth-related parameters, safety and compliance were also monitored. The phase II study established the preliminary efficacy, safety and recommended dose of Jintrolong PEG-rhGH. In the phase III study, we demonstrated significantly greater HV increases in patients receiving Jintrolong treatment (from 2.26 ± 0.87 cm/year to 13.41 ± 3.72 cm/year) vs daily rhGH (from 2.25 ± 0.82 cm/year to 12.55 ± 2.99 cm/year) at the end of treatment ( P  < 0.05). Additionally, significantly greater improvement in the height standard deviation scores was associated with Jintrolong throughout the treatment ( P  < 0.05). Adverse event rates and treatment compliance were comparable between the two groups. Jintrolong PEG-rhGH at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg/week for 25 weeks is effective and safe for GHD treatment and is non-inferior to daily rhGH. © 2017 The authors.

  3. Long-acting PEGylated recombinant human growth hormone (Jintrolong) for children with growth hormone deficiency: phase II and phase III multicenter, randomized studies

    PubMed Central

    Hou, Ling; Liang, Li; Dong, Guanping; Shen, Shuixian; Zhao, Zhuhui; Gong, Chun Xiu; Li, Yuchuan; Du, Min-lian; Su, Zhe; Du, Hongwei; Yan, Chaoying

    2017-01-01

    Objective We assessed the efficacy and safety of a weekly pegylated human growth hormone (PEG-rhGH) (Jintrolong) vs daily rhGH for children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Design Phase II and III, multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trials. Methods 108 and 343 children with treatment-naive GHD from 6 hospitals in China were enrolled in the phase II and III studies respectively. Patients in the phase II study were randomized 1:1:1 to weekly Jintrolong (0.1 mg/kg/week PEG-rhGH complex), weekly Jintrolong (0.2 mg/kg/week PEG-rhGH complex) or daily rhGH (0.25 mg/kg/week) for 25 weeks. Patients in the phase III study were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to weekly Jintrolong (0.2 mg/kg/week) or daily rhGH (0.25 mg/kg/week) for 25 weeks. The primary endpoint for both studies was height velocity (HV) increase at the end of treatment. Other growth-related parameters, safety and compliance were also monitored. Results The phase II study established the preliminary efficacy, safety and recommended dose of Jintrolong PEG-rhGH. In the phase III study, we demonstrated significantly greater HV increases in patients receiving Jintrolong treatment (from 2.26 ± 0.87 cm/year to 13.41 ± 3.72 cm/year) vs daily rhGH (from 2.25 ± 0.82 cm/year to 12.55 ± 2.99 cm/year) at the end of treatment (P < 0.05). Additionally, significantly greater improvement in the height standard deviation scores was associated with Jintrolong throughout the treatment (P < 0.05). Adverse event rates and treatment compliance were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion Jintrolong PEG-rhGH at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg/week for 25 weeks is effective and safe for GHD treatment and is non-inferior to daily rhGH. PMID:28566441

  4. Grain growth kinetics in liquid-phase-sintered zinc oxide-barium oxide ceramics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yang, Sung-Chul; German, Randall M.

    1991-01-01

    Grain growth of ZnO in the presence of a liquid phase of the ZnO-BaO system has been studied for temperatures from 1300 to 1400 C. The specimens were treated in boiling water and the grains were separated by dissolving the matrix phase in an ultrasonic bath. As a consequence 3D grain size measurements were possible. Microstructural examination shows some grain coalescence with a wide range of neck size ratios and corresponding dihedral angles, however, most grains are isolated. Lognormal grain size distributions show similar shapes, indicating that the growth mechanism is invariant over this time and temperature. All regressions between G exp n and time for n = 2 and 3 proved statistically significant. The rate constants calculated with the growth exponent set to n = 3 are on the same order of magnitude as in metallic systems. The apparent activation energy for growth is estimated between 355 and 458 kJ/mol.

  5. Growth and Morphology of Phase Separating Supercritical Fluids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hegseth, John; Beysens, Daniel; Perrot, Francoise; Nikolayev, Vadim; Garrabos, Yves

    1996-01-01

    The scientific objective is to study the relation between the morphology and the growth kinetics of domains during phase separation. We know from previous experiments performed near the critical point of pure fluids and binary liquids that there are two simple growth laws at late times. The 'fast' growth appears when the volumes of the phases are nearly equal and the droplet pattern is interconnected. In this case the size of the droplets grows linearly in time. The 'slow' growth appears when the pattern of droplets embedded in the majority phase is disconnected. In this case the size of the droplets increases in proportion to time to the power 1/3. The volume fraction of the minority phase is a good candidate to determine this change of behavior. All previous attempts to vary the volume fraction in a single experimental cell have failed because of the extreme experimental difficulties.

  6. Growth Kinetics and Morphology of Barite Crystals Derived from Face-Specific Growth Rates

    DOE PAGES

    Godinho, Jose R. A.; Stack, Andrew G.

    2015-03-30

    Here we investigate the growth kinetics and morphology of barite (BaSO 4) crystals by measuring the growth rates of the (001), (210), (010), and (100) surfaces using vertical scanning interferometry. Solutions with saturation indices 1.1, 2.1, and 3.0 without additional electrolyte, in 0.7 M NaCl, or in 1.3 mM SrCl2 are investigated. Face-specific growth rates are inhibited in the SrCl 2 solution relative to a solution without electrolyte, except for (100). Contrarily, growth of all faces is promoted in the NaCl solution. The variation of face-specific rates is solution-specific, which leads to a. change of the crystal morphology and overallmore » growth rate of crystals. The measured face-specific growth rates are used to model the growth of single crystals. Modeled crystals have a morphology and size similar to those grown from solution. Based on the model the time dependence of surface area and growth rates is analyzed. Growth rates change with time due to surface area normalization for small crystals and large growth intervals. By extrapolating rates to crystals with large surfaces areas, time-independent growth rates are 0.783, 2.96, and 0.513 mmol∙m -2∙h -1, for saturation index 2.1 solutions without additional electrolyte, NaCl, and SrCl 2, respectively.« less

  7. Growth Kinetics and Morphology of Barite Crystals Derived from Face-Specific Growth Rates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Godinho, Jose R. A.; Stack, Andrew G.

    Here we investigate the growth kinetics and morphology of barite (BaSO 4) crystals by measuring the growth rates of the (001), (210), (010), and (100) surfaces using vertical scanning interferometry. Solutions with saturation indices 1.1, 2.1, and 3.0 without additional electrolyte, in 0.7 M NaCl, or in 1.3 mM SrCl2 are investigated. Face-specific growth rates are inhibited in the SrCl 2 solution relative to a solution without electrolyte, except for (100). Contrarily, growth of all faces is promoted in the NaCl solution. The variation of face-specific rates is solution-specific, which leads to a. change of the crystal morphology and overallmore » growth rate of crystals. The measured face-specific growth rates are used to model the growth of single crystals. Modeled crystals have a morphology and size similar to those grown from solution. Based on the model the time dependence of surface area and growth rates is analyzed. Growth rates change with time due to surface area normalization for small crystals and large growth intervals. By extrapolating rates to crystals with large surfaces areas, time-independent growth rates are 0.783, 2.96, and 0.513 mmol∙m -2∙h -1, for saturation index 2.1 solutions without additional electrolyte, NaCl, and SrCl 2, respectively.« less

  8. Colorimetry provides a rapid objective measurement of de novo hair growth rate in mice.

    PubMed

    Tzung, Tien-Yi; Yang, Chia-Yi; Huang, Yung-Chang; Kao, Fu-Jen

    2009-11-01

    Depilated mice have been used as a test platform for hair growth-regulating agents. However, currently available assessment tools for hair growth in mice are less than ideal. Tristimulus colorimetry of the fur color of depilated agouti, albino, and black mice with L*, a*, and b* values were performed daily until the full growth of pelage. Using light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation (650 and 890 nm) with a daily dose of 3.5 J/cm(2) as hair growth regulators, the hair growth rates observed by the global assessment were compared with those derived from colorimetry. In contrast to a* and b* values, L* values changed more drastically over time in the anagen phase regardless of fur color. Unlike the inhibitory effect of 650 nm irradiation, LED of 890 nm promoted de novo hair regrowth in mice. The difference in hair growth rates detected by colorimetry paralleled the observation made by the global assessment. The L* value of fur color obtained by tristimulus colorimetry was a sensitive yet quantitative indicator of de novo hair growth, and could be used to project the hair growth rate in mice.

  9. Collaborative Project: Understanding the Chemical Processes tat Affect Growth rates of Freshly Nucleated Particles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McMurry, Peter; Smuth, James

    This final technical report describes our research activities that have, as the ultimate goal, the development of a model that explains growth rates of freshly nucleated particles. The research activities, which combine field observations with laboratory experiments, explore the relationship between concentrations of gas-phase species that contribute to growth and the rates at which those species are taken up. We also describe measurements of the chemical composition of freshly nucleated particles in a variety of locales, as well as properties (especially hygroscopicity) that influence their effects on climate.

  10. Template-free vapor-phase growth of patrónite by atomic layer deposition

    DOE PAGES

    Weimer, Matthew S.; McCarthy, Robert F.; Emery, Jonathan D.; ...

    2017-03-09

    Despite challenges to control stoichiometry in the vanadium-sulfur system, template-free growth of patrónite, VS 4, thin films is demonstrated for the first time. A novel atomic layer deposition (ALD) process enables the growth of phase pure films and the study of electrical and vibrational properties of the quasi-one-dimensional (1D) transition metal sulfide. Self-limiting surface chemistry during ALD of VS4 is established via in situ quartz crystal microbalance and quadrupole mass spectrometry between 150 to 200 °C. The V precursor, unconventionally, sheds all organic components in the first half-cycle, while the H 2S half-cycle generates the disulfide dimer moiety, S 2more » -2, and oxidizes V 3+ to V 4+. X-ray analysis establishes VS 4 crystallinity and phase purity, as well as a self-limiting growth rate of 0.33 Å/cy, modest roughness (2.4 nm) and expected density (2.7g/cm 3 ). Phase pure films enable a new assignment of vibrational modes and corresponding Raman activity of VS4 that is corroborated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Lastly, at elevated growth temperatures, a change in the surface mechanism provides a synthetic route to a second vanadium-sulfur phase, V 2S 3.« less

  11. 2D motility tracking of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 in growth phases using video microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Davis, Michael L.; Mounteer, Leslie C.; Stevens, Lindsey K.; Miller, Charles D.; Zhou, Anhong

    2011-01-01

    Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is a gram negative motile soil bacterium important in bioremediation and biotechnology. Thus, it is important to understand its motility characteristics as individuals and in populations. Population characteristics were determined using a modified Gompertz model. Video microscopy and imaging software were utilized to analyze two dimensional (2D) bacteria movement tracks to quantify individual bacteria behavior. It was determined that inoculum density increased the lag time as seeding densities decreased, and that the maximum specific growth rate decreased as seeding densities increased. Average bacterial velocity remained relatively similar throughout exponential growth phase (~20.9 µm/sec), while maximum velocities peak early in exponential growth phase at a velocity of 51.2 µm/sec. Pseudomonas putida KT2440 also favor smaller turn angles indicating they often continue in the same direction after a change in flagella rotation throughout the exponential growth phase. PMID:21334971

  12. Phase-field crystal simulation facet and branch crystal growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Zhi; Wang, Zhaoyang; Gu, Xinrui; Chen, Yufei; Hao, Limei; de Wit, Jos; Jin, Kexin

    2018-05-01

    Phase-field crystal model with one mode is introduced to describe morphological transition. The relationship between growth morphology and smooth density distribution was investigated. The results indicate that the pattern selection of dendrite growth is caused by the competition between interface energy anisotropy and interface kinetic anisotropy based on the 2D phase diagram. When the calculation time increases, the crystal grows to secondary dendrite at the dimensionless undercooling equal to - 0.4. Moreover, when noise is introduced in the growth progress, the symmetry is broken in the growth mode, and there becomes irregular fractal-like growth morphology. Furthermore, the single crystal shape develops into polycrystalline when the noise amplitude is large enough. When the dimensionless undercooling is less than - 0.3, the noise has a significant effect on the growth shape. In addition, the growth velocity of crystal near to liquid phase line is slow, while the shape far away from the liquid adapts to fast growth. Based on the simulation results, the method was proved to be effective, and it can easily obtain different crystal shapes by choosing the different points in 2D phase diagram.

  13. Calcite crystal growth rate inhibition by polycarboxylic acids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reddy, M.M.; Hoch, A.R.

    2001-01-01

    Calcite crystal growth rates measured in the presence of several polycarboxyclic acids show that tetrahydrofurantetracarboxylic acid (THFTCA) and cyclopentanetetracarboxylic acid (CPTCA) are effective growth rate inhibitors at low solution concentrations (0.01 to 1 mg/L). In contrast, linear polycarbocylic acids (citric acid and tricarballylic acid) had no inhibiting effect on calcite growth rates at concentrations up to 10 mg/L. Calcite crystal growth rate inhibition by cyclic polycarboxyclic acids appears to involve blockage of crystal growth sites on the mineral surface by several carboxylate groups. Growth morphology varied for growth in the absence and in the presence of both THFTCA and CPTCA. More effective growth rate reduction by CPTCA relative to THFTCA suggests that inhibitor carboxylate stereochemical orientation controls calcite surface interaction with carboxylate inhibitors. ?? 20O1 Academic Press.

  14. Connection between the growth rate distribution and the size dependent crystal growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mitrović, M. M.; Žekić, A. A.; IIić, Z. Z.

    2002-07-01

    The results of investigations of the connection between the growth rate dispersions and the size dependent crystal growth of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP), Rochelle salt (RS) and sodium chlorate (SC) are presented. A possible way out of the existing confusion in the size dependent crystal growth investigations is suggested. It is shown that the size independent growth exists if the crystals belonging to one growth rate distribution maximum are considered separately. The investigations suggest possible reason for the observed distribution maxima widths, and the high data scattering on the growth rate versus the crystal size dependence.

  15. Pulsating aurora and cosmic noise absorption associated with growth-phase arcs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McKay, Derek; Partamies, Noora; Vierinen, Juha

    2018-01-01

    The initial stage of a magnetospheric substorm is the growth phase, which typically lasts 1-2 h. During the growth phase, an equatorward moving, east-west extended, optical auroral arc is observed. This is called a growth-phase arc. This work aims to characterize the optical emission and riometer absorption signatures associated with growth-phase arcs of isolated substorms. This is done using simultaneous all-sky camera and imaging riometer observations. The optical and riometric observations allow determination of the location of the precipitation within growth-phase arcs of low- (< 10 keV) and high- (> 10 keV) energy electrons, respectively. The observations indicate that growth-phase arcs have the following characteristics: 1. The peak of the cosmic noise absorption (CNA) arc is equatorward of the optical emission arc. This CNA is contained within the region of diffuse aurora on the equatorward side.2. Optical pulsating aurora are seen in the border region between the diffuse emission region on the equatorward side and the bright growth-phase arc on the poleward side. CNA is detected in the same region. 3. There is no evidence of pulsations in the CNA. 4. Once the equatorward drift starts, it proceeds at constant speed, with uniform separation between the growth-phase arc and CNA of 40 ± 10 km. Optical pulsating aurora are known to be prominent in the post-onset phase of a substorm. The fact that pulsations are also seen in a fairly localized region during the growth phase shows that the substorm expansion-phase dynamics are not required to closely precede the pulsating aurora.

  16. Growth Rates of Microbes in the Oceans.

    PubMed

    Kirchman, David L

    2016-01-01

    A microbe's growth rate helps to set its ecological success and its contribution to food web dynamics and biogeochemical processes. Growth rates at the community level are constrained by biomass and trophic interactions among bacteria, phytoplankton, and their grazers. Phytoplankton growth rates are approximately 1 d(-1), whereas most heterotrophic bacteria grow slowly, close to 0.1 d(-1); only a few taxa can grow ten times as fast. Data from 16S rRNA and other approaches are used to speculate about the growth rate and the life history strategy of SAR11, the most abundant clade of heterotrophic bacteria in the oceans. These strategies are also explored using genomic data. Although the methods and data are imperfect, the available data can be used to set limits on growth rates and thus on the timescale for changes in the composition and structure of microbial communities.

  17. Liquid phase heteroepitaxial growth on convex substrate using binary phase field crystal model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Yanli; Zhang, Tinghui; Chen, Zheng

    2018-06-01

    The liquid phase heteroepitaxial growth on convex substrate is investigated with the binary phase field crystal (PFC) model. The paper aims to focus on the transformation of the morphology of epitaxial films on convex substrate with two different radiuses of curvature (Ω) as well as influences of substrate vicinal angles on films growth. It is found that films growth experience different stages on convex substrate with different radiuses of curvature (Ω). For Ω = 512 Δx , the process of epitaxial film growth includes four stages: island coupled with layer-by-layer growth, layer-by-layer growth, island coupled with layer-by-layer growth, layer-by-layer growth. For Ω = 1024 Δx , film growth only experience islands growth and layer-by-layer growth. Also, substrate vicinal angle (π) is an important parameter for epitaxial film growth. We find the film can grow well when π = 2° for Ω = 512 Δx , while the optimized film can be obtained when π = 4° for Ω = 512 Δx .

  18. Nucleation and evolution of spherical crystals with allowance for their unsteady-state growth rates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alexandrov, D. V.

    2018-02-01

    The growth dynamics of a spherical crystal in a metastable liquid is analyzed theoretically. The unsteady-state contributions to the crystal radius and its growth rate are found as explicit functions of metastability level Δ and time t. It is shown that the fundamental contribution to the growth rate represents the time independent solution of a similar temperature conductivity problem (Alexandrov and Malygin 2013 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 46 455101) whereas the next unsteady-state contribution is proportional to Δ2 t . On the basis of these explicit unsteady-state solutions, the process of transient nucleation and growth of spherical crystals in a metastable system is theoretically studied at the intermediate stage of phase transformation. A complete analytical solution for the particle-radius distribution function and metastability level is constructed with allowance for the Weber-Volmer-Frenkel-Zel’dovich and Meirs kinetic mechanisms. It is shown that the obtained unsteady-state contribution to the crystal growth rate plays an important role in the nucleation process and drastically changes the particle-radius distribution function.

  19. 2D motility tracking of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 in growth phases using video microscopy.

    PubMed

    Davis, Michael L; Mounteer, Leslie C; Stevens, Lindsey K; Miller, Charles D; Zhou, Anhong

    2011-05-01

    Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is a gram negative motile soil bacterium important in bioremediation and biotechnology. Thus, it is important to understand its motility characteristics as individuals and in populations. Population characteristics were determined using a modified Gompertz model. Video microscopy and imaging software were utilized to analyze two dimensional (2D) bacteria movement tracks to quantify individual bacteria behavior. It was determined that inoculum density increased the lag time as seeding densities decreased, and that the maximum specific growth rate decreased as seeding densities increased. Average bacterial velocity remained relatively similar throughout the exponential growth phase (~20.9 μm/s), while maximum velocities peak early in the exponential growth phase at a velocity of 51.2 μm/s. P. putida KT2440 also favors smaller turn angles indicating that they often continue in the same direction after a change in flagella rotation throughout the exponential growth phase. Copyright © 2011 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Crystal growth within a phase change memory cell.

    PubMed

    Sebastian, Abu; Le Gallo, Manuel; Krebs, Daniel

    2014-07-07

    In spite of the prominent role played by phase change materials in information technology, a detailed understanding of the central property of such materials, namely the phase change mechanism, is still lacking mostly because of difficulties associated with experimental measurements. Here, we measure the crystal growth velocity of a phase change material at both the nanometre length and the nanosecond timescale using phase-change memory cells. The material is studied in the technologically relevant melt-quenched phase and directly in the environment in which the phase change material is going to be used in the application. We present a consistent description of the temperature dependence of the crystal growth velocity in the glass and the super-cooled liquid up to the melting temperature.

  1. Very slow growth of Escherichia coli.

    PubMed Central

    Chesbro, W; Evans, T; Eifert, R

    1979-01-01

    A recycling fermentor (a chemostat with 100% biomass feedback) was used to study glucose-limited behavior of Escherichia coli B. The expectation from mass transfer analysis that growth would asymptotically approach a limit mass determined by the glucose provision rate (GPR) and the culture's maintenance requirement was not met. Instead, growth proceeded at progressively lower rates through three distinct phases. After the fermentor was seeded, but before glucose became limiting, growth followed the usual, exponential path (phase 1). About 12 h postseeding, residual glucose in the fermentor fell below 1 microgram . ml-1 and the growth rate (dx/dt) became constant and a linear function of GPR (phase 2). The specific growth rate, mu, therefore fell continuously throughout the phase. Biomass yield and glucose assimilation (13%) were near the level for exponential growth, however, and independent of GPR over a broad range. At a critical specific growth rate (0.04 h-1 for this strain), phase 2 ended abruptly and phase 3 commenced. In phase 3, the growth rate was again constant, although lower than in phase 2, so that mu continued to fall, but growth rates and yields were praboloid functions of GPR. They were never zero, however, at any positive value of GPR. By inference, the fraction of metabolic energy used for maintenance functions is constant for a given GPR, although different for phases 2 and 3, and independent of biomass. In both phases 2 and 3, orcinol, diphenylamine, and Lowry reactive materials were secreted at near-constant rates such that over 50% as much biosynthetic mass was secreted as was retained by the cells. Images PMID:378981

  2. Growth phase-dependent induction of stationary-phase promoters of Escherichia coli in different gram-negative bacteria.

    PubMed Central

    Miksch, G; Dobrowolski, P

    1995-01-01

    RSF1010-derived plasmids carrying a fusion of a promoterless lacZ gene with the sigma s-dependent growth phase-regulated promoters of Escherichia coli, bolAp1 and fic, were constructed. The plasmids were mobilized into the gram-negative bacterial species Acetobacter methanolicus, Xanthomonas campestris, Pseudomonas putida, and Rhizobium meliloti. The beta-galactosidase activities of bacterial cultures were determined during exponential and stationary growth phases. Transcriptional activation of the fic promoter in the different bacteria was growth phase dependent as in E. coli and was initiated generally during the transition to stationary phase. The induction of the bolA promoter was also growth phase dependent in the bacteria tested. While the expression in E. coli and R. meliloti was initiated during the transition from exponential to stationary phase, the induction in A. methanolicus, P. putida, and X. campestris started some hours after stationary growth phase was reached. In all the species tested, DNA fragments hybridizing with the rpoS gene of E. coli were detected. The results show that in different gram-negative bacteria, stationary-phase-specific sigma factors which are structurally and functionally homologous to sigma s and are able to recognize the promoter sequences of both bolA and fic exist. PMID:7665531

  3. Lag Phase Is a Distinct Growth Phase That Prepares Bacteria for Exponential Growth and Involves Transient Metal Accumulation

    PubMed Central

    Rolfe, Matthew D.; Rice, Christopher J.; Lucchini, Sacha; Pin, Carmen; Thompson, Arthur; Cameron, Andrew D. S.; Alston, Mark; Stringer, Michael F.; Betts, Roy P.; Baranyi, József; Peck, Michael W.

    2012-01-01

    Lag phase represents the earliest and most poorly understood stage of the bacterial growth cycle. We developed a reproducible experimental system and conducted functional genomic and physiological analyses of a 2-h lag phase in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Adaptation began within 4 min of inoculation into fresh LB medium with the transient expression of genes involved in phosphate uptake. The main lag-phase transcriptional program initiated at 20 min with the upregulation of 945 genes encoding processes such as transcription, translation, iron-sulfur protein assembly, nucleotide metabolism, LPS biosynthesis, and aerobic respiration. ChIP-chip revealed that RNA polymerase was not “poised” upstream of the bacterial genes that are rapidly induced at the beginning of lag phase, suggesting a mechanism that involves de novo partitioning of RNA polymerase to transcribe 522 bacterial genes within 4 min of leaving stationary phase. We used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to discover that iron, calcium, and manganese are accumulated by S. Typhimurium during lag phase, while levels of cobalt, nickel, and sodium showed distinct growth-phase-specific patterns. The high concentration of iron during lag phase was associated with transient sensitivity to oxidative stress. The study of lag phase promises to identify the physiological and regulatory processes responsible for adaptation to new environments. PMID:22139505

  4. Phase transformations during the growth of paracetamol crystals from the vapor phase

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belyaev, A. P.; Rubets, V. P.; Antipov, V. V.; Bordei, N. S.

    2014-07-01

    Phase transformations during the growth of paracetamol crystals from the vapor phase are studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It is found that the vapor-crystal phase transition is actually a superposition of two phase transitions: a first-order phase transition with variable density and a second-order phase transition with variable ordering. The latter, being a diffuse phase transition, results in the formation of a new, "pretransition," phase irreversibly spent in the course of the transition, which ends in the appearance of orthorhombic crystals. X-ray diffraction data and micrograph are presented.

  5. Dinosaur Metabolism and the Allometry of Maximum Growth Rate

    PubMed Central

    Myhrvold, Nathan P.

    2016-01-01

    The allometry of maximum somatic growth rate has been used in prior studies to classify the metabolic state of both extant vertebrates and dinosaurs. The most recent such studies are reviewed, and their data is reanalyzed. The results of allometric regressions on growth rate are shown to depend on the choice of independent variable; the typical choice used in prior studies introduces a geometric shear transformation that exaggerates the statistical power of the regressions. The maximum growth rates of extant groups are found to have a great deal of overlap, including between groups with endothermic and ectothermic metabolism. Dinosaur growth rates show similar overlap, matching the rates found for mammals, reptiles and fish. The allometric scaling of growth rate with mass is found to have curvature (on a log-log scale) for many groups, contradicting the prevailing view that growth rate allometry follows a simple power law. Reanalysis shows that no correlation between growth rate and basal metabolic rate (BMR) has been demonstrated. These findings drive a conclusion that growth rate allometry studies to date cannot be used to determine dinosaur metabolism as has been previously argued. PMID:27828977

  6. Dinosaur Metabolism and the Allometry of Maximum Growth Rate.

    PubMed

    Myhrvold, Nathan P

    2016-01-01

    The allometry of maximum somatic growth rate has been used in prior studies to classify the metabolic state of both extant vertebrates and dinosaurs. The most recent such studies are reviewed, and their data is reanalyzed. The results of allometric regressions on growth rate are shown to depend on the choice of independent variable; the typical choice used in prior studies introduces a geometric shear transformation that exaggerates the statistical power of the regressions. The maximum growth rates of extant groups are found to have a great deal of overlap, including between groups with endothermic and ectothermic metabolism. Dinosaur growth rates show similar overlap, matching the rates found for mammals, reptiles and fish. The allometric scaling of growth rate with mass is found to have curvature (on a log-log scale) for many groups, contradicting the prevailing view that growth rate allometry follows a simple power law. Reanalysis shows that no correlation between growth rate and basal metabolic rate (BMR) has been demonstrated. These findings drive a conclusion that growth rate allometry studies to date cannot be used to determine dinosaur metabolism as has been previously argued.

  7. Growth axis maturation is linked to nutrition, growth and developmental rate.

    PubMed

    Hetz, Jennifer A; Menzies, Brandon R; Shaw, Geoffrey; Rao, Alexandra; Clarke, Iain J; Renfree, Marilyn B

    2015-08-15

    Maturation of the mammalian growth axis is thought to be linked to the transition from fetal to post-natal life at birth. However, in an altricial marsupial, the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), this process occurs many months after birth but at a time when the young is at a similar developmental stage to that of neonatal eutherian mammals. Here we manipulate growth rates and demonstrate in slow, normal and fast growing tammar young that nutrition and growth rate affect the time of maturation of the growth axis. Maturation of GH/IGF-I axis components occurred earlier in fast growing young, which had significantly increased hepatic GHR, IGF1 and IGFALS expression, plasma IGF-I concentrations, and significantly decreased plasma GH concentrations compared to age-matched normal young. These data support the hypothesis that the time of maturation of the growth axis depends on the growth rate and maturity of the young, which can be accelerated by changing their nutritional status. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The maximum growth rate of life on Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corkrey, Ross; McMeekin, Tom A.; Bowman, John P.; Olley, June; Ratkowsky, David

    2018-01-01

    Life on Earth spans a range of temperatures and exhibits biological growth rates that are temperature dependent. While the observation that growth rates are temperature dependent is well known, we have recently shown that the statistical distribution of specific growth rates for life on Earth is a function of temperature (Corkrey et al., 2016). The maximum rates of growth of all life have a distinct limit, even when grown under optimal conditions, and which vary predictably with temperature. We term this distribution of growth rates the biokinetic spectrum for temperature (BKST). The BKST possibly arises from a trade-off between catalytic activity and stability of enzymes involved in a rate-limiting Master Reaction System (MRS) within the cell. We develop a method to extrapolate quantile curves for the BKST to obtain the posterior probability of the maximum rate of growth of any form of life on Earth. The maximum rate curve conforms to the observed data except below 0°C and above 100°C where the predicted value may be positively biased. The deviation below 0°C may arise from the bulk properties of water, while the degradation of biomolecules may be important above 100°C. The BKST has potential application in astrobiology by providing an estimate of the maximum possible growth rate attainable by terrestrial life and perhaps life elsewhere. We suggest that the area under the maximum growth rate curve and the peak rate may be useful characteristics in considerations of habitability. The BKST can serve as a diagnostic for unusual life, such as second biogenesis or non-terrestrial life. Since the MRS must have been heavily conserved the BKST may contain evolutionary relics. The BKST can serve as a signature summarizing the nature of life in environments beyond Earth, or to characterize species arising from a second biogenesis on Earth.

  9. Minimization of diauxic growth lag-phase for high-efficiency biogas production.

    PubMed

    Kim, Min Jee; Kim, Sang Hun

    2017-02-01

    The objective of this study was to develop a minimization method of a diauxic growth lag-phase for the biogas production from agricultural by-products (ABPs). Specifically, the effects of proximate composition on the biogas production and degradation rates of the ABPs were investigated, and a new method based on proximate composition combinations was developed to minimize the diauxic growth lag-phase. Experiments were performed using biogas potential tests at a substrate loading of 2.5 g VS/L and feed to microorganism ratio (F/M) of 0.5 under the mesophilic condition. The ABPs were classified based on proximate composition (carbohydrate, protein, and fat etc.). The biogas production patterns, lag phase, and times taken for 90% biogas production (T90) were used for the evaluation of the biogas production with biochemical methane potential (BMP) test. The high- or medium-carbohydrate and low-fat ABPs (cheese whey, cabbage, and skim milk) showed a single step digestion process and low-carbohydrate and high-fat ABPs (bean curd and perilla seed) showed a two-step digestion process. The mixture of high-fat ABPs and high-carbohydrate ABPs reduced the lag-phase and increased the biogas yield more than that from single ABP by 35-46%. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Density, ages, and growth rates in old-growth and young-growth forests in coastal Oregon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tappeiner, J. C.; Huffman, D.; Spies, T.; Bailey, John D.

    1997-01-01

    We studied the ages and diameter growth rates of trees in former Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.)Franco) old-growth stands on 10 sites and compared them with young-growth stands (50-70 years old, regenerated after timber harvest) in the Coast Range of western Oregon. The diameters and diameter growth rates for the first 100 years of trees in the old-growth stands were significantly greater than those in the young-growth stands. Growth rates in the old stands were comparable with those from long-term studies of young stands in which density is about 100-120 trees/ha; often young-growth stand density is well over 500 trees/ha. Ages of large trees in the old stands ranged from 100 to 420 years; ages in young stands varied by only about 5 to 10 years. Apparently, regeneration of old-growth stands on these sites occurred over a prolonged period, and trees grew at low density with little self-thinning; in contrast, after timber harvest, young stands may develop with high density of trees with similar ages and considerable self-thinning. The results suggest that thinning may be needed in dense young stands where the management objective is to speed development of old-growth characteristics.

  11. Phase-field simulations of GaN growth by selective area epitaxy on complex mask geometries

    DOE PAGES

    Aagesen, Larry K.; Coltrin, Michael Elliott; Han, Jung; ...

    2015-05-15

    Three-dimensional phase-field simulations of GaN growth by selective area epitaxy were performed. Furthermore, this model includes a crystallographic-orientation-dependent deposition rate and arbitrarily complex mask geometries. The orientation-dependent deposition rate can be determined from experimental measurements of the relative growth rates of low-index crystallographic facets. Growth on various complex mask geometries was simulated on both c-plane and a-plane template layers. Agreement was observed between simulations and experiment, including complex phenomena occurring at the intersections between facets. The sources of the discrepancies between simulated and experimental morphologies were also investigated. We found that the model provides a route to optimize masks andmore » processing conditions during materials synthesis for solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and other electronic and opto-electronic applications.« less

  12. Division-Based, Growth Rate Diversity in Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Gangwe Nana, Ghislain Y.; Ripoll, Camille; Cabin-Flaman, Armelle; Gibouin, David; Delaune, Anthony; Janniere, Laurent; Grancher, Gerard; Chagny, Gaelle; Loutelier-Bourhis, Corinne; Lentzen, Esther; Grysan, Patrick; Audinot, Jean-Nicolas; Norris, Vic

    2018-01-01

    To investigate the nature and origins of growth rate diversity in bacteria, we grew Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis in liquid minimal media and, after different periods of 15N-labeling, analyzed and imaged isotope distributions in individual cells with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. We find a striking inter- and intra-cellular diversity, even in steady state growth. This is consistent with the strand-dependent, hyperstructure-based hypothesis that a major function of the cell cycle is to generate coherent, growth rate diversity via the semi-conservative pattern of inheritance of strands of DNA and associated macromolecular assemblies. We also propose quantitative, general, measures of growth rate diversity for studies of cell physiology that include antibiotic resistance. PMID:29867792

  13. Fitness Impact of Obligate Intranuclear Bacterial Symbionts Depends on Host Growth Phase

    PubMed Central

    Bella, Chiara; Koehler, Lars; Grosser, Katrin; Berendonk, Thomas U.; Petroni, Giulio; Schrallhammer, Martina

    2016-01-01

    According to text book definition, parasites reduce the fitness of their hosts whereas mutualists provide benefits. But biotic and abiotic factors influence symbiotic interactions, thus under certain circumstances parasites can provide benefits and mutualists can harm their host. Here we addressed the question which intrinsic biotic factors shape a symbiosis and are crucial for the outcome of the interaction between the obligate intranuclear bacterium Holospora caryophila (Alphaproteobacteria; Rickettsiales) and its unicellular eukaryotic host Paramecium biaurelia (Alveolata; Ciliophora). The virulence of H. caryophila, i.e., the negative fitness effect on host division and cell number, was determined by growth assays of several P. biaurelia strains. The performances of genetically identical lines either infected with H. caryophila or symbiont-free were compared. Following factors were considered as potentially influencing the outcome of the interaction: (1) host strain, (2) parasite strain, and (3) growth phases of the host. All three factors revealed a strong effect on the symbiosis. In presence of H. caryophila, the Paramecium density in the stationary growth phase decreased. Conversely, a positive effect of the bacteria during the exponential phase was observed for several host × parasite combinations resulting in an increased growth rate of infected P. biaurelia. Furthermore, the fitness impact of the tested endosymbionts on different P. biaurelia lines was not only dependent on one of the two involved strains but distinct for the specific combination. Depending on the current host growth phase, the presence of H. caryophila can be harmful or advantageous for P. biaurelia. Thus, under the tested experimental conditions, the symbionts can switch from the provision of benefits to the exploitation of host resources within the same host population and a time-span of less than 6 days. PMID:28066397

  14. Phase-field model of vapor-liquid-solid nanowire growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Nan; Upmanyu, Moneesh; Karma, Alain

    2018-03-01

    We present a multiphase-field model to describe quantitatively nanowire growth by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process. The free-energy functional of this model depends on three nonconserved order parameters that distinguish the vapor, liquid, and solid phases and describe the energetic properties of various interfaces, including arbitrary forms of anisotropic γ plots for the solid-vapor and solid-liquid interfaces. The evolution equations for those order parameters describe basic kinetic processes including the rapid (quasi-instantaneous) equilibration of the liquid catalyst to a droplet shape with constant mean curvature, the slow incorporation of growth atoms at the droplet surface, and crystallization within the droplet. The standard constraint that the sum of the phase fields equals unity and the conservation of the number of catalyst atoms, which relates the catalyst volume to the concentration of growth atoms inside the droplet, are handled via separate Lagrange multipliers. An analysis of the model is presented that rigorously maps the phase-field equations to a desired set of sharp-interface equations for the evolution of the phase boundaries under the constraint of force balance at three-phase junctions (triple points) given by the Young-Herring relation that includes torque term related to the anisotropy of the solid-liquid and solid-vapor interface excess free energies. Numerical examples of growth in two dimensions are presented for the simplest case of vanishing crystalline anisotropy and the more realistic case of a solid-liquid γ plot with cusped minima corresponding to two sets of (10 ) and (11 ) facets. The simulations reproduce many of the salient features of nanowire growth observed experimentally, including growth normal to the substrate with tapering of the side walls, transitions between different growth orientations, and crawling growth along the substrate. They also reproduce different observed relationships between the nanowire growth

  15. Growth and development rates have different thermal responses.

    PubMed

    Forster, Jack; Hirst, Andrew G; Woodward, Guy

    2011-11-01

    Growth and development rates are fundamental to all living organisms. In a warming world, it is important to determine how these rates will respond to increasing temperatures. It is often assumed that the thermal responses of physiological rates are coupled to metabolic rate and thus have the same temperature dependence. However, the existence of the temperature-size rule suggests that intraspecific growth and development are decoupled. Decoupling of these rates would have important consequences for individual species and ecosystems, yet this has not been tested systematically across a range of species. We conducted an analysis on growth and development rate data compiled from the literature for a well-studied group, marine pelagic copepods, and use an information-theoretic approach to test which equations best describe these rates. Growth and development rates were best characterized by models with significantly different parameters: development has stronger temperature dependence than does growth across all life stages. As such, it is incorrect to assume that these rates have the same temperature dependence. We used the best-fit models for these rates to predict changes in organism mass in response to temperature. These predictions follow a concave relationship, which complicates attempts to model the impacts of increasing global temperatures on species body size.

  16. Rotation-induced grain growth and stagnation in phase-field crystal models.

    PubMed

    Bjerre, Mathias; Tarp, Jens M; Angheluta, Luiza; Mathiesen, Joachim

    2013-08-01

    We consider grain growth and stagnation in polycrystalline microstructures. From the phase-field crystal modeling of the coarsening dynamics, we identify a transition from a grain-growth stagnation upon deep quenching below the melting temperature T(m) to a continuous coarsening at shallower quenching near T(m). The grain evolution is mediated by local grain rotations. In the deep quenching regime, the grain assembly typically reaches a metastable state where the kinetic barrier for recrystallization across boundaries is too large and grain rotation with subsequent coalescence or boundary motion is infeasible. For quenching near T(m), we find that the grain growth depends on the average rate of grain rotation, and follows a power-law behavior with time, with a scaling exponent that depends on the quenching depth.

  17. Population growth rates: issues and an application.

    PubMed Central

    Godfray, H Charles J; Rees, Mark

    2002-01-01

    Current issues in population dynamics are discussed in the context of The Royal Society Discussion Meeting 'Population growth rate: determining factors and role in population regulation'. In particular, different views on the centrality of population growth rates to the study of population dynamics and the role of experiments and theory are explored. Major themes emerging include the role of modern statistical techniques in bringing together experimental and theoretical studies, the importance of long-term experimentation and the need for ecology to have model systems, and the value of population growth rate as a means of understanding and predicting population change. The last point is illustrated by the application of a recently introduced technique, integral projection modelling, to study the population growth rate of a monocarpic perennial plant, its elasticities to different life-history components and the evolution of an evolutionarily stable strategy size at flowering. PMID:12396521

  18. Regulatory design governing progression of population growth phases in bacteria.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Antonio, Agustino; Lomnitz, Jason G; Sandoval, Santiago; Aldana, Maximino; Savageau, Michael A

    2012-01-01

    It has long been noted that batch cultures inoculated with resting bacteria exhibit a progression of growth phases traditionally labeled lag, exponential, pre-stationary and stationary. However, a detailed molecular description of the mechanisms controlling the transitions between these phases is lacking. A core circuit, formed by a subset of regulatory interactions involving five global transcription factors (FIS, HNS, IHF, RpoS and GadX), has been identified by correlating information from the well- established transcriptional regulatory network of Escherichia coli and genome-wide expression data from cultures in these different growth phases. We propose a functional role for this circuit in controlling progression through these phases. Two alternative hypotheses for controlling the transition between the growth phases are first, a continuous graded adjustment to changing environmental conditions, and second, a discontinuous hysteretic switch at critical thresholds between growth phases. We formulate a simple mathematical model of the core circuit, consisting of differential equations based on the power-law formalism, and show by mathematical and computer-assisted analysis that there are critical conditions among the parameters of the model that can lead to hysteretic switch behavior, which--if validated experimentally--would suggest that the transitions between different growth phases might be analogous to cellular differentiation. Based on these provocative results, we propose experiments to test the alternative hypotheses.

  19. Measurements of Protein Crystal Face Growth Rates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gorti, S.

    2014-01-01

    Protein crystal growth rates will be determined for several hyperthermophile proteins.; The growth rates will be assessed using available theoretical models, including kinetic roughening.; If/when kinetic roughening supersaturations are established, determinations of protein crystal quality over a range of supersaturations will also be assessed.; The results of our ground based effort may well address the existence of a correlation between fundamental growth mechanisms and protein crystal quality.

  20. Modeling Tetragonal Lysozyme Crystal Growth Rates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gorti, Sridhar; Forsythe, Elizabeth L.; Pusey, Marc L.

    2003-01-01

    Tetragonal lysozyme 110 face crystal growth rates, measured over 5 orders of magnitude in range, can be described using a model where growth occurs by 2D nucleation on the crystal surface for solution supersaturations of c/c(sub eq) less than or equal to 7 +/- 2. Based upon the model, the step energy per unit length, beta was estimated to be approx. 5.3 +/- 0.4 x 10(exp -7) erg/mol-cm, which for a step height of 56 A corresponds to barrier of approx. 7 +/- 1 k(sub B)T at 300 K. For supersaturations of c/c(sub eq) > 8, the model emphasizing crystal growth by 2D nucleation not only could not predict, but also consistently overestimated, the highest observable crystal growth rates. Kinetic roughening is hypothesized to occur at a cross-over supersaturation of c/c(sub eq) > 8, where crystal growth is postulated to occur by a different process such as adsorption. Under this assumption, all growth rate data indicated that a kinetic roughening transition and subsequent crystal growth by adsorption for all solution conditions, varying in buffer pH, temperature and precipitant concentration, occurs for c/c(sub eq)(T, pH, NaCl) in the range between 5 and 10, with an energy barrier for adsorption estimated to be approx. 20 k(sub B)T at 300 K. Based upon these and other estimates, we determined the size of the critical surface nucleate, at the crossover supersaturation and higher concentrations, to range from 4 to 10 molecules.

  1. Growth rate of YBCO-Ag superconducting single grains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Congreve, J. V. J.; Shi, Y. H.; Dennis, A. R.; Durrell, J. H.; Cardwell, D. A.

    2017-12-01

    The large scale use of (RE)Ba2Cu3O7 bulk superconductors, where RE=Y, Gd, Sm, is, in part, limited by the relatively poor mechanical properties of these inherently brittle ceramic materials. It is reported that alloying of (RE)Ba2Cu3O7 with silver enables a significant improvement in the mechanical strength of bulk, single grain samples without any detrimental effect on their superconducting properties. However, due to the complexity and number of inter-related variables involved in the top seeded melt growth (TSMG) process, the growth of large single grains is difficult and the addition of silver makes it even more difficult to achieve successful growth reliably. The key processing variables in the TSMG process include the times and temperatures of the stages within the heating profile, which can be derived from the growth rate during the growth process. To date, the growth rate of the YBa2Cu3O7-Ag system has not been reported in detail and it is this lacuna that we have sought to address. In this work we measure the growth rate of the YBCO-Ag system using a method based on continuous cooling and isothermal holding (CCIH). We have determined the growth rate by measuring the side length of the crystallised region for a number of samples for specified isothermal hold temperatures and periods. This has enabled the growth rate to be modelled and from this an optimized heating profile for the successful growth of YBCO-Ag single grains to be derived.

  2. Crystallization history of lunar picritic basalt sample 12002 - Phase-equilibria and cooling-rate studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walker, D.; Kirkpatrick, R. J.; Longhi, J.; Hays, J. F.

    1976-01-01

    Experimental crystallization of a lunar picrite composition (sample 12002) at controlled linear cooling rates produces systematic changes in the temperature at which crystalline phases appear, in the texture, and in crystal morphology as a function of cooling rate. Phases crystallize in the order olivine, chromium spinel, pyroxene, plagioclase, and ilmenite during equilibrium crystallization, but ilmenite and plagioclase reverse their order of appearance and silica crystallizes in the groundmass during controlled cooling experiments. The partition of iron and magnesium between olivine and liquid is independent of cooling rate, temperature, and pressure. Comparison of the olivine nucleation densities in the lunar sample and in the experiments indicates that the sample began cooling at about 1 deg C/hr. Pyroxene size, chemistry, and growth instability spacings, as well as groundmass coarseness, all suggest that the cooling rate subsequently decreased by as much as a factor of 10 or more. The porphyritic texture of this sample, then, is produced at a decreasing, rather than a discontinuously increasing, cooling rate.

  3. The instantaneous radial growth rate of stellar discs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pezzulli, G.; Fraternali, F.; Boissier, S.; Muñoz-Mateos, J. C.

    2015-08-01

    We present a new and simple method to measure the instantaneous mass and radial growth rates of the stellar discs of spiral galaxies, based on their star formation rate surface density (SFRD) profiles. Under the hypothesis that discs are exponential with time-varying scalelengths, we derive a universal theoretical profile for the SFRD, with a linear dependence on two parameters: the specific mass growth rate ν _ M ≡ dot{M}_⋆ /M_⋆ and the specific radial growth rate ν _ R ≡ dot{R}_⋆ /R_⋆ of the disc. We test our theory on a sample of 35 nearby spiral galaxies, for which we derive a measurement of νM and νR. 32/35 galaxies show the signature of ongoing inside-out growth (νR > 0). The typical derived e-folding time-scales for mass and radial growth in our sample are ˜10 and ˜30 Gyr, respectively, with some systematic uncertainties. More massive discs have a larger scatter in νM and νR, biased towards a slower growth, both in mass and size. We find a linear relation between the two growth rates, indicating that our galaxy discs grow in size at ˜0.35 times the rate at which they grow in mass; this ratio is largely unaffected by systematics. Our results are in very good agreement with theoretical expectations if known scaling relations of disc galaxies are not evolving with time.

  4. Modeling the Growth Rates of Tetragonal Lysozyme Crystal Faces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Meirong; Nadarajah, Arunan; Pusey, Marc L.

    1998-01-01

    The measured macroscopic growth rates of the (110) and (101) faces of tetragonal lysozyme show an unexpectedly complex dependence on the supersaturation. The growth rates decay asymptotically to zero when the supersaturation is lowered to zero and increase rapidly when the supersaturation is increased. When supersaturations are increased still further the growth rates attain a maximum before starting to decrease. However, growth of these crystals is known to proceed by the classical dislocation and 2D nucleation growth mechanisms. This anomaly can be explained if growth is assumed to occur not by monomer units but by lysozyme aggregates. Analysis of the molecular packing of these crystals revealed that they were constructed of strongly bonded 4(sub 3) helices, while weaker bonds were responsible for binding the helices to each other. It follows that during crystal growth the stronger bonds are formed before the weaker ones. Thus, the growth of these crystals could be viewed as a two step process: aggregate growth units corresponding to the 4(sub 3) helix are first formed in the bulk solution by stronger intermolecular bonds and then attached to the crystal face by weaker bonds on dislocation hillocks or 2D islands. This will lead to a distribution of aggregates in the solution with monomers and lower order aggregates being predominant at low supersaturations and higher order aggregates being predominant at high supersaturations. If the crystal grows mostly by higher order aggregates, such as tetramers and octamers, it would explain the anomalous dependence of the growth rates on the supersaturation. Besides the analysis of molecular packing, a comprehensive analysis of the measured (110) and (101) growth rates was also undertaken in this study. The distribution of aggregates in lysozyme nutrient solutions at various solution conditions were determined from reversible aggregation reactions at equilibrium. The supersaturation was defined for each aggregate species

  5. Growth status and estimated growth rate of youth football players: a community-based study.

    PubMed

    Malina, Robert M; Morano, Peter J; Barron, Mary; Miller, Susan J; Cumming, Sean P

    2005-05-01

    To characterize the growth status of participants in community-sponsored youth football programs and to estimate rates of growth in height and weight. Mixed-longitudinal over 2 seasons. Two communities in central Michigan. Members of 33 youth football teams in 2 central Michigan communities in the 2000 and 2001 seasons (Mid-Michigan PONY Football League). Height and weight of all participants were measured prior to each season, 327 in 2000 and 326 in 2001 (n = 653). The body mass index (kg/m) was calculated. Heights and weights did not differ from season to season and between the communities; the data were pooled and treated cross-sectionally. Increments of growth in height and weight were estimated for 166 boys with 2 measurements approximately 1 year apart to provide an estimate of growth rate. Growth status (size-attained) of youth football players relative to reference data (CDC) for American boys and estimated growth rate relative to reference values from 2 longitudinal studies of American boys. Median heights of youth football players approximate the 75th percentiles, while median weights approximate the 75th percentiles through 11 years and then drift toward the 90th percentiles of the reference. Median body mass indexes of youth football players fluctuate about the 85th percentiles of the reference. Estimated growth rates in height approximate the reference and may suggest earlier maturation, while estimated growth rates in weight exceed the reference. Youth football players are taller and especially heavier than reference values for American boys. Estimated rates of growth in height approximate medians for American boys and suggest earlier maturation. Estimated rates of growth in weight exceed those of the reference and may place many youth football players at risk for overweight/obesity, which in turn may be a risk factor for injury.

  6. The effect of size and competition on tree growth rate in old-growth coniferous forests

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Das, Adrian

    2012-01-01

    Tree growth and competition play central roles in forest dynamics. Yet models of competition often neglect important variation in species-specific responses. Furthermore, functions used to model changes in growth rate with size do not always allow for potential complexity. Using a large data set from old-growth forests in California, models were parameterized relating growth rate to tree size and competition for four common species. Several functions relating growth rate to size were tested. Competition models included parameters for tree size, competitor size, and competitor distance. Competitive strength was allowed to vary by species. The best ranked models (using Akaike’s information criterion) explained between 18% and 40% of the variance in growth rate, with each species showing a strong response to competition. Models indicated that relationships between competition and growth varied substantially among species. The results also suggested that the relationship between growth rate and tree size can be complex and that how we model it can affect not only our ability to detect that complexity but also whether we obtain misleading results. In this case, for three of four species, the best model captured an apparent and unexpected decline in potential growth rate for the smallest trees in the data set.

  7. Improvement of the Processes of Liquid-Phase Epitaxial Growth of Nanoheteroepitaxial Structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maronchuk, I. I.; Sanikovich, D. D.; Potapkov, P. V.; Vel‧chenko, A. A.

    2018-05-01

    We have revealed the shortcomings of equipment and technological approaches in growing nanoheteroepitaxial structures with quantum dots by liquid-phase epitaxy. We have developed and fabricated a new vertical barreltype cassette for growing quantum dots and epitaxial layers of various thicknesses in one technological process. A physico-mathematical simulation has been carried out of the processes of liquid-phase epitaxial growth of quantumdimensional structures with the use of the program product SolidWorks (FlowSimulation program). Analysis has revealed the presence of negative factors influencing the growth process of the above structures. The mathematical model has been optimized, and the equipment has been modernized without additional experiments and measurements. The flow dynamics of the process gas in the reactor at various flow rates has been investigated. A method for tuning the thermal equipment has been developed. The calculated and experimental temperature distributions in the process of growing structures with high reproducibility are in good agreement, which confirms the validity of the modernization made.

  8. Effects of Undercooling and Cooling Rate on Peritectic Phase Crystallization Within Ni-Zr Alloy Melt

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lü, P.; Wang, H. P.

    2018-04-01

    The liquid Ni-16.75 at. pct Zr peritectic alloy was substantially undercooled and containerlessly solidified by an electromagnetic levitator and a drop tube. The dependence of the peritectic solidification mode on undercooling was established based on the results of the solidified microstructures, crystal growth velocity, as well as X-ray diffraction patterns. Below a critical undercooling of 124 K, the primary Ni7Zr2 phase preferentially nucleates and grows from the undercooled liquid, which is followed by a peritectic reaction of Ni7Zr2+L → Ni5Zr. The corresponding microstructure is composed of the Ni7Zr2 dendrites, peritectic Ni5Zr phase, and inter-dendritic eutectic. Nevertheless, once the liquid undercooling exceeds the critical undercooling, the peritectic Ni5Zr phase directly precipitates from this undercooled liquid. However, a negligible amount of residual Ni7Zr2 phase still appears in the microstructure, indicating that nucleation and growth of the Ni7Zr2 phase are not completely suppressed. The micromechanical property of the peritectic Ni5Zr phase in terms of the Vickers microhardness is enhanced, which is ascribed to the transition of the peritectic solidification mode. To suppress the formation of the primary phase completely, this alloy was also containerlessly solidified in free fall experiments. Typical peritectic solidified microstructure forms in large droplets, while only the peritectic Ni5Zr phase appears in smaller droplets, which gives an indication that the peritectic Ni5Zr phase directly precipitates from the undercooled liquid by completely suppressing the growth of the primary Ni7Zr2 phase and the peritectic reaction due to the combined effects of the large undercooling and high cooling rate.

  9. Effects of Growth Rates and Compositions on Dendrite Arm Spacings in Directionally Solidified Al-Zn Alloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Acer, Emine; Çadırlı, Emin; Erol, Harun; Kaya, Hasan; Gündüz, Mehmet

    2017-12-01

    Dendritic spacing can affect microsegregation profiles and also the formation of secondary phases within interdendritic regions, which influences the mechanical properties of cast structures. To understand dendritic spacings, it is important to understand the effects of growth rate and composition on primary dendrite arm spacing ( λ 1) and secondary dendrite arm spacing ( λ 2). In this study, aluminum alloys with concentrations of (1, 3, and 5 wt pct) Zn were directionally solidified upwards using a Bridgman-type directional solidification apparatus under a constant temperature gradient (10.3 K/mm), resulting in a wide range of growth rates (8.3-165.0 μm/s). Microstructural parameters, λ 1 and λ 2 were measured and expressed as functions of growth rate and composition using a linear regression analysis method. The values of λ 1 and λ 2 decreased with increasing growth rates. However, the values of λ 1 increased with increasing concentration of Zn in the Al-Zn alloy, but the values of λ 2 decreased systematically with an increased Zn concentration. In addition, a transition from a cellular to a dendritic structure was observed at a relatively low growth rate (16.5 μm/s) in this study of binary alloys. The experimental results were compared with predictive theoretical models as well as experimental works for dendritic spacing.

  10. Effect of selection for growth rate on relative growth in rabbits.

    PubMed

    Pascual, M; Pla, M; Blasco, A

    2008-12-01

    The effect of selection for growth rate on relative growth of the rabbit body components was studied. Animals from the 18th generation of a line selected for growth rate were compared with a contemporary control group formed with offspring of embryos that were frozen at the seventh generation of selection of the same line. A total of 313 animals were slaughtered at 4, 9, 13, 20, and 40 wk old. The offal, organs, tissues, and retail cuts were weighed, and several carcass linear measurements were recorded. Huxley's allometric equations relating the weights of the components with respect to BW were fitted. Butterfield's quadratic equations relating the degree of maturity of the components and the degree of maturity of BW were also fitted. In most of the components studied, both models lead to similar patterns of growth. Blood was isometric or early maturing and skin was late maturing or isometric depending on the use of Huxley's or Butterfield's model. Full gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, thoracic viscera, and head were early maturing, and the chilled carcass and reference carcass were late maturing. The retail cuts of the reference carcass showed isometry (forelegs) or late maturing growth (breast and ribs, loin, hind legs, and abdominal walls). Dissectible fat of the carcass and meat of the hind leg had a late development, whereas bone of the hind leg was early maturing. Lumbar circumference length was later maturing than the carcass length and thigh length. Sex did not affect the relative growth of most of the components. Butterfield's model showed that males had an earlier development of full gastrointestinal tract and later growth of kidneys than females. No effect of selection on the relative growth of any of the components studied was found, leading to similar patterns of growth and similar carcass composition at a given degree of maturity after 11 generations of selection for growth rate.

  11. Response of Escherichia coli growth rate to osmotic shock.

    PubMed

    Rojas, Enrique; Theriot, Julie A; Huang, Kerwyn Casey

    2014-05-27

    It has long been proposed that turgor pressure plays an essential role during bacterial growth by driving mechanical expansion of the cell wall. This hypothesis is based on analogy to plant cells, for which this mechanism has been established, and on experiments in which the growth rate of bacterial cultures was observed to decrease as the osmolarity of the growth medium was increased. To distinguish the effect of turgor pressure from pressure-independent effects that osmolarity might have on cell growth, we monitored the elongation of single Escherichia coli cells while rapidly changing the osmolarity of their media. By plasmolyzing cells, we found that cell-wall elastic strain did not scale with growth rate, suggesting that pressure does not drive cell-wall expansion. Furthermore, in response to hyper- and hypoosmotic shock, E. coli cells resumed their preshock growth rate and relaxed to their steady-state rate after several minutes, demonstrating that osmolarity modulates growth rate slowly, independently of pressure. Oscillatory hyperosmotic shock revealed that although plasmolysis slowed cell elongation, the cells nevertheless "stored" growth such that once turgor was reestablished the cells elongated to the length that they would have attained had they never been plasmolyzed. Finally, MreB dynamics were unaffected by osmotic shock. These results reveal the simple nature of E. coli cell-wall expansion: that the rate of expansion is determined by the rate of peptidoglycan insertion and insertion is not directly dependent on turgor pressure, but that pressure does play a basic role whereby it enables full extension of recently inserted peptidoglycan.

  12. Response of Escherichia coli growth rate to osmotic shock

    PubMed Central

    Rojas, Enrique; Theriot, Julie A.; Huang, Kerwyn Casey

    2014-01-01

    It has long been proposed that turgor pressure plays an essential role during bacterial growth by driving mechanical expansion of the cell wall. This hypothesis is based on analogy to plant cells, for which this mechanism has been established, and on experiments in which the growth rate of bacterial cultures was observed to decrease as the osmolarity of the growth medium was increased. To distinguish the effect of turgor pressure from pressure-independent effects that osmolarity might have on cell growth, we monitored the elongation of single Escherichia coli cells while rapidly changing the osmolarity of their media. By plasmolyzing cells, we found that cell-wall elastic strain did not scale with growth rate, suggesting that pressure does not drive cell-wall expansion. Furthermore, in response to hyper- and hypoosmotic shock, E. coli cells resumed their preshock growth rate and relaxed to their steady-state rate after several minutes, demonstrating that osmolarity modulates growth rate slowly, independently of pressure. Oscillatory hyperosmotic shock revealed that although plasmolysis slowed cell elongation, the cells nevertheless “stored” growth such that once turgor was reestablished the cells elongated to the length that they would have attained had they never been plasmolyzed. Finally, MreB dynamics were unaffected by osmotic shock. These results reveal the simple nature of E. coli cell-wall expansion: that the rate of expansion is determined by the rate of peptidoglycan insertion and insertion is not directly dependent on turgor pressure, but that pressure does play a basic role whereby it enables full extension of recently inserted peptidoglycan. PMID:24821776

  13. Analysis of private health insurance premium growth rates: 1985-1992.

    PubMed

    Feldstein, P J; Wickizer, T M

    1995-10-01

    The rate of increase in health care expenditures has been a central policy concern for well over a decade, yet little empirical research has been conducted to examine expenditure growth rates. This study analyzed health insurance premium growth rates for a selected sample of 95 insured groups over the period 1985 to 1992. During this time, premiums increased by approximately 150% in nominal terms and by 45% in real terms. The observed rate of growth was not constant over time, however. The most rapid growth occurred during the years 1986 to 1989; thereafter, the rate of increase in premiums declined. Multivariate analysis was conducted to assess the effects on premium growth rates of selected variables representing insurance benefit design features, market competitive factors, insurance system factors, and group-specific factors. In addition to the percentage increase in benefit payments, other factors found to affect premium growth rates were health maintenance organization market penetration, deductible level, the coinsurance rate, and state insurance mandates. Further, this analysis suggests that the insurance underwriting cycle may play an important role in influencing insurance premium growth rates. These results support the belief that health maintenance organization induced competition has potential to control the rate of increase in health care costs.

  14. Effects of Phytoplankton Growth Phase on Delayed Settling Behavior of Marine Snow Aggregates at Sharp Density Transitions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Proctor, K. W.; Montgomery, Q. W.; Prairie, J. C.

    2016-02-01

    Marine snow aggregates play a fundamental role in the marine carbon cycle. Since marine snow aggregates are larger and thus sink faster than individual phytoplankton, aggregates often dominate carbon flux. Previous studies have shown that marine snow aggregates will significantly decrease their settling velocity when passing through sharp density transitions within the ocean, a phenomenon defined as delayed settling. Given the importance of aggregate settling to carbon export, these small-scale changes in aggregate settling dynamics may have significant impacts on the efficiency of the biological pump. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about how different physical properties of aggregates can affect this delayed settling. In this study, we investigated the effect of phytoplankton growth phase on delayed settling behavior. Using phytoplankton cultures stopped at four different growth phases, we formed marine snow aggregates in the laboratory in rotating cylindrical tanks. We then observed individual aggregates as they settled through a stratified tank. We will present data which illustrates that aggregates experience greatly reduced settling rates when passing through sharp density gradients and that the growth phase of the phytoplankton used to form these aggregates has a significant effect on this delayed settling behavior. A thorough understanding of the impact of phytoplankton growth phase on the delayed settling behavior of marine snow will offer insight into the way phytoplankton growth phase may influence the efficiency of the biological pump, carbon flux, and the carbon cycle as a whole.

  15. Resistive Wall Growth Rate Measurements in the Fermilab Recycler

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ainsworth, R.; Adamson, P.; Burov, A.

    2016-10-05

    Impedance could represent a limitation of running high intensity beams in the Fermilab recycler. With high intensity upgrades foreseen, it is important to quantify the impedance. To do this,studies have been performed measuring the growth rate of presumably the resistive wall instability. The growth rates at varying intensities and chromaticities are shown. The measured growth rates are compared to ones calculated with the resistive wall impedance.

  16. Gas-phase kinetics during diamond growth: CH4 as-growth species

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harris, Stephen J.

    1989-04-01

    We have used a one-dimensional kinetic analysis to model the gas-phase chemistry that occurred during the diamond growth experiments of Chauhan, Angus, and Gardner [J. Appl. Phys. 47, 4746 (1976)]. In those experiments the weight of diamond seed crystals heated by lamps in a CH4/H2 environment was monitored by a microbalance. No filament or electric discharge was present. Our analysis shows that diamond growth occurred in this system by direct reaction of CH4 on the diamond surface. C2H2 and CH3, which have been proposed as diamond growth species, played no significant role there, although our results do not address their possible contributions in other systems such as filament- or plasma-assisted diamond growth.

  17. Effect of Oxygen-Supply Rates on Growth of Escherichia coli

    PubMed Central

    McDaniel, L. E.; Bailey, E. G.; Zimmerli, A.

    1965-01-01

    The effect of oxygen-supply rates on bacterial growth was studied in commercially available unbaffled and baffled flasks with the use of Escherichia coli in a synthetic medium as a test system. The amount of growth obtained depended on the oxygen-supply rate. Based on oxygen-absorption rates (OAR) measured by the rate of sulfite oxidation, equal OAR values in different types of flasks did not give equal amounts of growth. However, growth was essentially equal at the equal sulfite-oxidation rates when these were determined in the presence of killed whole cultures. Specific growth rates were reduced only at oxygen-supply rates much lower than those at which the total amount of growth was reduced. For the physical set-up used in this work and with the biological system employed, Bellco 598 flasks and flasks fitted with Biotech stainless-steel baffles gave satisfactory results at workable broth volumes; unbaffled and Bellco 600 flasks did not. PMID:14264837

  18. The Influence of Grain Structure on Intermetallic Compound Layer Growth Rates in Fe-Al Dissimilar Welds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Lei; Robson, Joseph D.; Wang, Li; Prangnell, Philip B.

    2018-02-01

    The thickness of the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer that forms when aluminum is welded to steel is critical in determining the properties of the dissimilar joints. The IMC reaction layer typically consists of two phases ( η and θ) and many attempts have been made to determine the apparent activation energy for its growth, an essential parameter in developing any predictive model for layer thickness. However, even with alloys of similar composition, there is no agreement of the correct value of this activation energy. In the present work, the IMC layer growth has been characterized in detail for AA6111 aluminum to DC04 steel couples under isothermal annealing conditions. The samples were initially lightly ultrasonically welded to produce a metallic bond, and the structure and thickness of the layer were then characterized in detail, including tracking the evolution of composition and grain size in the IMC phases. A model developed previously for Al-Mg dissimilar welds was adapted to predict the coupled growth of the two phases in the layer, whilst accounting explicitly for grain boundary and lattice diffusion, and considering the influence of grain growth. It has been shown that the intermetallic layer has a submicron grain size, and grain boundary diffusion as well as grain growth plays a critical role in determining the thickening rate for both phases. The model was used to demonstrate how this explains the wide scatter in the apparent activation energies previously reported. From this, process maps were developed that show the relative importance of each diffusion path to layer growth as a function of temperature and time.

  19. Optical Diagnostics of Solution Crystal Growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kim, Yongkee; Reddy, B. R.; George, T. G.; Lal, R. B.

    1996-01-01

    Non-contact optical techniques such as, optical heterodyne, ellipsometry and interferometry, for real time in-situ monitoring of solution crystal growth are demonstrated. Optical heterodyne technique has the capability of measuring the growth rate as small as 1A/sec. In a typical Michelson interferometer set up, the crystal is illuminated by a Zeeman laser with frequency omega(sub 1) and the reference beam with frequency omega(sub 2). As the crystal grows, the phase of the rf signal changes with respect to the reference beam and this phase change is related to the crystal growth rate. This technique is demonstrated with two examples: (1) by measuring the copper tip expansion/shrinkage rate and (2) by measuring the crystal growth rate of L-Arginine Phosphate (LAP). The first test shows that the expansion/shrinkage rate of copper tip was fast in the beginning, and gets slower as the expansion begins to stabilize with time. In crystal growth, the phase change due the crystal growth is measured using a phase meter and a strip chart recorder. Our experimental results indicate a varied growth rate from 69.4 to 92.6A per sec. The ellipsometer is used to study the crystal growth interface. From these measurements and a theoretical modeling of the interface, the various optical parameters can be deduced. Interferometry can also be used to measure the growth rate and concentration gradient in the vicinity of the crystal.

  20. Growth and phase transformations of Ir on Ge(111)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mullet, C. H.; Stenger, B. H.; Durand, A. M.; Morad, J. A.; Sato, Y.; Poppenheimer, E. C.; Chiang, S.

    2017-12-01

    The growth of Ir on Ge(111) as a function of temperature between 23 °C and 820 °C is characterized with low energy electron microscopy (LEEM), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). Deposition onto a substrate at 350 °C revealed a novel growth mode consisting of multilayer Ir islands with (√3 × √3)R30° (abbreviated as √3) structure interconnected by ;bridges; of single-layer Ir several atoms wide. For deposition onto substrates above 500 °C, the √3 Ir phase grows with dendritic morphology, and substrate step bunches act as barriers to √3 Ir growth. LEEM images showed Stranski-Krastanov growth for 650-820 °C: after the √3 phase covers the surface, corresponding to 2 monolayers (ML) Ir coverage, multilayer hexagonal-shaped Ir islands form, surrounded by regions of IrGe alloy. Hexagonal-shaped Ir islands also formed upon heating 1.2 ML of √3 Ir beyond 830 °C, which resulted in the elimination of √3 structure from the surface. The transformation from √3 to (1 × 1) structure upon heating to 830 °C was an irreversible surface phase transition. Annealing > 2.0 ML of Ir in the √3 phase above the 830 °C disorder temperature, followed by cooling, produced a (3 × 1) structure. Subsequent heating and cooling through 830 °C give evidence for a reversible (3 × 1) to (1 × 1) phase transition.

  1. Analysis of traffic growth rates

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-08-01

    The primary objectives of this study were to determine patterns of traffic flow and develop traffic growth rates by traffic composition and highway type for Kentucky's system of highways. Additional subtasks included the following: 1) a literature se...

  2. Improvement of specific growth rate of Pichia pastoris for effective porcine interferon-α production with an on-line model-based glycerol feeding strategy.

    PubMed

    Gao, Min-Jie; Zheng, Zhi-Yong; Wu, Jian-Rong; Dong, Shi-Juan; Li, Zhen; Jin, Hu; Zhan, Xiao-Bei; Lin, Chi-Chung

    2012-02-01

    Effective expression of porcine interferon-α (pIFN-α) with recombinant Pichia pastoris was conducted in a bench-scale fermentor. The influence of the glycerol feeding strategy on the specific growth rate and protein production was investigated. The traditional DO-stat feeding strategy led to very low cell growth rate resulting in low dry cell weight (DCW) of about 90 g/L during the subsequent induction phase. The previously reported Artificial Neural Network Pattern Recognition (ANNPR) model-based glycerol feeding strategy improved the cell density to 120 g DCW/L, while the specific growth rate decreased from 0.15 to 0.18 to 0.03-0.08 h(-1) during the last 10 h of the glycerol feeding stage leading to a variation of the porcine interferon-α production, as the glycerol feeding scheme had a significant effect on the induction phase. This problem was resolved by an improved ANNPR model-based feeding strategy to maintain the specific growth rate above 0.11 h(-1). With this feeding strategy, the pIFN-α concentration reached a level of 1.43 g/L, more than 1.5-fold higher than that obtained with the previously adopted feeding strategy. Our results showed that increasing the specific growth rate favored the target protein production and the glycerol feeding methods directly influenced the induction stage. Consequently, higher cell density and specific growth rate as well as effective porcine interferon-α production have been achieved by our novel glycerol feeding strategy.

  3. Grain growth in U–7Mo alloy: A combined first-principles and phase field study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mei, Zhi-Gang; Liang, Linyun; Kim, Yeon Soo

    2016-05-01

    Grain size is an important factor in controlling the swelling behavior in irradiated U-Mo dispersion fuels. Increasing the grain size in UeMo fuel particles by heat treatment is believed to delay the fuel swelling at high fission density. In this work, a multiscale simulation approach combining first-principles calculation and phase field modeling is used to investigate the grain growth behavior in U-7Mo alloy. The density functional theory based first-principles calculations were used to predict the material properties of U-7Mo alloy. The obtained grain boundary energies were then adopted as an input parameter for mesoscale phase field simulations. The effects ofmore » annealing temperature, annealing time and initial grain structures of fuel particles on the grain growth in U-7Mo alloy were examined. The predicted grain growth rate compares well with the empirical correlation derived from experiments. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.« less

  4. Small regulatory RNA-induced growth rate heterogeneity of Bacillus subtilis.

    PubMed

    Mars, Ruben A T; Nicolas, Pierre; Ciccolini, Mariano; Reilman, Ewoud; Reder, Alexander; Schaffer, Marc; Mäder, Ulrike; Völker, Uwe; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Denham, Emma L

    2015-03-01

    Isogenic bacterial populations can consist of cells displaying heterogeneous physiological traits. Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) could affect this heterogeneity since they act by fine-tuning mRNA or protein levels to coordinate the appropriate cellular behavior. Here we show that the sRNA RnaC/S1022 from the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis can suppress exponential growth by modulation of the transcriptional regulator AbrB. Specifically, the post-transcriptional abrB-RnaC/S1022 interaction allows B. subtilis to increase the cell-to-cell variation in AbrB protein levels, despite strong negative autoregulation of the abrB promoter. This behavior is consistent with existing mathematical models of sRNA action, thus suggesting that induction of protein expression noise could be a new general aspect of sRNA regulation. Importantly, we show that the sRNA-induced diversity in AbrB levels generates heterogeneity in growth rates during the exponential growth phase. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the resulting subpopulations of fast- and slow-growing B. subtilis cells reflect a bet-hedging strategy for enhanced survival of unfavorable conditions.

  5. Divergent biparietal diameter growth rates in twin pregnancies.

    PubMed

    Houlton, M C

    1977-05-01

    Twenty-eight twin pregnancies were monitored by serial ultrasonic cephalometry from 30 or 31 weeks' gestation. The rates of growth of the individual twins as determined by biparietal diameters were similar in 11 cases (39%) and divergent in 17 (61%). When the rates of growth were divergent, the lesser rate was always below the mean for singleton pregnancies, and the incidence of small-for-gestational-age babies was 18 of 34 (53%). It was apparent that the greater the difference in biparietal diameters within the 2 weeks preceding delivery, the higher the risk of a small-for-gestation-age baby being delivered. No comment could be made on the growth rate prior to 28 weeks except that at diagnosis there was little or no difference in biparietal diameters.

  6. Phase transformation and sustained load crack growth in ZrO[sub 2] + 3 mol% Y[sub 2]O[sub 3]: Experiments and kinetic modeling

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yin, H.; Gao, M.; Wei, R.P.

    1995-01-01

    To better understand environmentally assisted crack growth (SCG) in yttria stabilized zirconia, experimental studies were undertaken to characterize the kinetics of crack growth and the associated stress/moisture induced phase transformation in ZrO[sub 2] + 3 mol% Y[sub 2]O[sub 3] (3Y-TZP) in water, dry nitrogen and toluene from 3 to 70 C. The results showed that crack growth in water depended strongly on stress intensity factor (K[sub 1]) and temperature (T) and involved the transformation of a thin layer of material near the crack tip from the tetragonal (t) to the monoclinic (m) phase. These results, combined with literature data onmore » moisture-induced phase transformation, suggested that crack growth enhancement by water is controlled by the rate of this transformation and reflects the environmental cracking susceptibility of the transformed m-phase. A model was developed to link subcritical crack growth (SCG) rate to the kinetics of t [yields] m phase transformation. The SCG rate is expressed as an exponential function of stress-free activation energy, a stress-dependent contribution in terms of the mode 1 stress intensity factor K[sub I] and actuation volume, and temperature. The stress-free activation energies for water and the inert environments were determined to be 82 [+-] 3 and 169 [+-] 4 kJ/mol, respectively, at the 95% confidence level, and the corresponding activation volumes were 14 and 35 unit cells. The decreases in activation energy and activation volume may be attributed to a change in surface energy by water.« less

  7. In situ monitoring of liquid phase electroepitaxial growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Okamoto, A.; Isozumi, S.; Lagowski, J.; Gatos, H. C.

    1982-01-01

    In situ monitoring of the layer thickness during liquid phase electroepitaxy (LPEE) was achieved with a submicron resolution through precise resistance measurements. The new approach to the study and control of LPEE was applied to growth of undoped and Ge-doped GaAs layers. The in situ determined growth kinetics was found to be in excellent agreement with theory.

  8. Growth behavior and growth rate dependency in LEDs performance for Mg-doped a-plane GaN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Keun-Man; Kim, Jong-Min; Lee, Dong-Hun; Shin, Chan-Soo; Ko, Chul-Gi; Kong, Bo-Hyun; Cho, Hyung-Koun; Yoon, Dae-Ho

    2011-07-01

    We investigated the influence of growth rate of Mg-doped a-plane GaN on the surface morphological and electrical properties, and the characteristics of InGaN-based nonpolar LEDs. Mg-doped a-plane GaN layers were grown on r-plane sapphire substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cathode luminescence (CL) analysis exhibited that the surface morphology changed from stripe features with large triangular pits to rough and rugged surface with small asymmetric V-shape pits, as the growth rate increased. The Mg incorporation into a-plane GaN layers increased with increasing growth rate of Mg-doped a-plane GaN, while the activation efficiency of Mg dopants decreased in a-plane GaN. Additionally, it was found that operation voltage at 20 mA decreased in characteristics of LEDs, as the growth rate of Mg-doped a-plane GaN decreased. Meanwhile, the EL intensity of LEDs with p-GaN layers grown at higher growth rate was improved compared to that of LEDs with p-GaN layers grown at lower growth rate. Such an increase of EL intensity is attributed to the rougher surface morphology with increasing growth rate of Mg-doped a-plane GaN.

  9. Resolving nanoparticle growth mechanisms from size- and time-dependent growth rate analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pichelstorfer, Lukas; Stolzenburg, Dominik; Ortega, John; Karl, Thomas; Kokkola, Harri; Laakso, Anton; Lehtinen, Kari E. J.; Smith, James N.; McMurry, Peter H.; Winkler, Paul M.

    2018-01-01

    Atmospheric new particle formation occurs frequently in the global atmosphere and may play a crucial role in climate by affecting cloud properties. The relevance of newly formed nanoparticles depends largely on the dynamics governing their initial formation and growth to sizes where they become important for cloud microphysics. One key to the proper understanding of nanoparticle effects on climate is therefore hidden in the growth mechanisms. In this study we have developed and successfully tested two independent methods based on the aerosol general dynamics equation, allowing detailed retrieval of time- and size-dependent nanoparticle growth rates. Both methods were used to analyze particle formation from two different biogenic precursor vapors in controlled chamber experiments. Our results suggest that growth rates below 10 nm show much more variation than is currently thought and pin down the decisive size range of growth at around 5 nm where in-depth studies of physical and chemical particle properties are needed.

  10. Revisiting the Estimation of Dinosaur Growth Rates

    PubMed Central

    Myhrvold, Nathan P.

    2013-01-01

    Previous growth-rate studies covering 14 dinosaur taxa, as represented by 31 data sets, are critically examined and reanalyzed by using improved statistical techniques. The examination reveals that some previously reported results cannot be replicated by using the methods originally reported; results from new methods are in many cases different, in both the quantitative rates and the qualitative nature of the growth, from results in the prior literature. Asymptotic growth curves, which have been hypothesized to be ubiquitous, are shown to provide best fits for only four of the 14 taxa. Possible reasons for non-asymptotic growth patterns are discussed; they include systematic errors in the age-estimation process and, more likely, a bias toward younger ages among the specimens analyzed. Analysis of the data sets finds that only three taxa include specimens that could be considered skeletally mature (i.e., having attained 90% of maximum body size predicted by asymptotic curve fits), and eleven taxa are quite immature, with the largest specimen having attained less than 62% of predicted asymptotic size. The three taxa that include skeletally mature specimens are included in the four taxa that are best fit by asymptotic curves. The totality of results presented here suggests that previous estimates of both maximum dinosaur growth rates and maximum dinosaur sizes have little statistical support. Suggestions for future research are presented. PMID:24358133

  11. Fast growth rate of epitaxial β-Ga2O3 by close coupled showerhead MOCVD

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alema, Fikadu; Hertog, Brian; Osinsky, Andrei; Mukhopadhyay, Partha; Toporkov, Mykyta; Schoenfeld, Winston V.

    2017-10-01

    We report on the growth of epitaxial β-Ga2O3 thin films on c-plane sapphire substrates using a close coupled showerhead MOCVD reactor. Ga(DPM)3 (DPM = dipivaloylmethanate), triethylgallium (TEGa) and trimethylgallium (TMGa) metal organic (MO) precursors were used as Ga sources and molecular oxygen was used for oxidation. Films grown from each of the Ga sources had high growth rates, with up to 10 μm/hr achieved using a TMGa precursor at a substrate temperature of 900 °C. As confirmed by X-ray diffraction, the films grown from each of the Ga sources were the monoclinic (2 bar 0 1) oriented β-Ga2O3 phase. The optical bandgap of the films was also estimated to be ∼4.9 eV. The fast growth rate of β-Ga2O3 thin films obtained using various Ga-precursors has been achieved due to the close couple showerhead design of the MOCVD reactor as well as the separate injection of oxygen and MO precursors, preventing the premature oxidation of the MO sources. These results suggest a pathway to overcoming the long-standing challenge of realizing fast growth rates for Ga2O3 using the MOCVD method.

  12. Noise in gene expression is coupled to growth rate

    PubMed Central

    Keren, Leeat; van Dijk, David; Weingarten-Gabbay, Shira; Davidi, Dan; Jona, Ghil; Weinberger, Adina; Milo, Ron; Segal, Eran

    2015-01-01

    Genetically identical cells exposed to the same environment display variability in gene expression (noise), with important consequences for the fidelity of cellular regulation and biological function. Although population average gene expression is tightly coupled to growth rate, the effects of changes in environmental conditions on expression variability are not known. Here, we measure the single-cell expression distributions of approximately 900 Saccharomyces cerevisiae promoters across four environmental conditions using flow cytometry, and find that gene expression noise is tightly coupled to the environment and is generally higher at lower growth rates. Nutrient-poor conditions, which support lower growth rates, display elevated levels of noise for most promoters, regardless of their specific expression values. We present a simple model of noise in expression that results from having an asynchronous population, with cells at different cell-cycle stages, and with different partitioning of the cells between the stages at different growth rates. This model predicts non-monotonic global changes in noise at different growth rates as well as overall higher variability in expression for cell-cycle–regulated genes in all conditions. The consistency between this model and our data, as well as with noise measurements of cells growing in a chemostat at well-defined growth rates, suggests that cell-cycle heterogeneity is a major contributor to gene expression noise. Finally, we identify gene and promoter features that play a role in gene expression noise across conditions. Our results show the existence of growth-related global changes in gene expression noise and suggest their potential phenotypic implications. PMID:26355006

  13. Calculating second derivatives of population growth rates for ecology and evolution

    PubMed Central

    Shyu, Esther; Caswell, Hal

    2014-01-01

    1. Second derivatives of the population growth rate measure the curvature of its response to demographic, physiological or environmental parameters. The second derivatives quantify the response of sensitivity results to perturbations, provide a classification of types of selection and provide one way to calculate sensitivities of the stochastic growth rate. 2. Using matrix calculus, we derive the second derivatives of three population growth rate measures: the discrete-time growth rate λ, the continuous-time growth rate r = log λ and the net reproductive rate R0, which measures per-generation growth. 3. We present a suite of formulae for the second derivatives of each growth rate and show how to compute these derivatives with respect to projection matrix entries and to lower-level parameters affecting those matrix entries. 4. We also illustrate several ecological and evolutionary applications for these second derivative calculations with a case study for the tropical herb Calathea ovandensis. PMID:25793101

  14. Assessing a relationship between bone microstructure and growth rate: a fluorescent labelling study in the king penguin chick (Aptenodytes patagonicus).

    PubMed

    de Margerie, E; Robin, J-P; Verrier, D; Cubo, J; Groscolas, R; Castanet, J

    2004-02-01

    Microstructure-function relationships remain poorly understood in primary bone tissues. The relationship between bone growth rate and bone tissue type, although documented in some species by previous works, remains somewhat unclear and controversial. We assessed this relationship in a species with extreme adaptations, the king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus). These birds have a peculiar growth, interrupted 3 months after hatching by the austral winter. Before this interruption, chicks undergo extremely rapid statural and ponderal growth. We recorded experimentally (by means of fluorescent labelling) the growth rate of bone tissue in four long bones (humerus, radius, femur and tibiotarsus) of four king penguin chicks during their fastest phase of growth (3-5 weeks after hatching) and identified the associated bone tissue types ('laminar', 'longitudinal', 'reticular' or 'radial' fibro-lamellar bone tissue). We found the highest bone tissue growth rate known to date, up to 171 microm day(-1) (mean 55 microm day(-1)). There was a highly significant relationship between bone tissue type and growth rate (P<10(-6)). Highest rates were obtained with the radial microarchitecture of fibro-lamellar bone, where cavities in the woven network are aligned radially. This result supports the heuristic value of a relationship between growth rate and bone primary microstructure. However, we also found that growth rates of bone tissue types vary according to the long bone considered (P<10(-5)) (e.g. growth rates were 38% lower in the radius than in the other long bones), a result that puts some restriction on the applicability of absolute growth rate values (e.g. to fossil species). The biomechanical disadvantages of accelerated bone growth are discussed in relation to the locomotor behaviour of the chicks during their first month of life.

  15. Crystal growth from the vapor phase experiment MA-085

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wiedemeir, H.; Sadeek, H.; Klaessig, F. C.; Norek, M.

    1976-01-01

    Three vapor transport experiments on multicomponent systems were performed during the Apollo Soyuz mission to determine the effects of microgravity forces on crystal morphology and mass transport rates. The mixed systems used germanium selenide, tellurium, germanium tetraiodide (transport agent), germanium monosulfide, germanium tetrachloride (transport agent), and argon (inert atmosphere). The materials were enclosed in evacuated sealed ampoules of fused silica and were transported in a temperature gradient of the multipurpose electric furnace onboard the Apollo Soyuz spacecraft. Preliminary evaluation of 2 systems shows improved quality of space grown crystals in terms of growth morphology and bulk perfection. This conclusion is based on a direct comparison of space grown and ground based crystals by means of X-ray diffraction, microscopic, and chemical etching techniques. The observation of greater mass transport rates than predicted for a microgravity environment by existing vapor transport models indicates the existence of nongravity caused transport effects in a reactive solid/gas phase system.

  16. Estimation of the growth curve and heritability of the growth rate for giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) cubs.

    PubMed

    Che, T D; Wang, C D; Jin, L; Wei, M; Wu, K; Zhang, Y H; Zhang, H M; Li, D S

    2015-03-27

    Giant panda cubs have a low survival rate during the newborn and early growth stages. However, the growth and developmental parameters of giant panda cubs during the early lactation stage (from birth to 6 months) are not well known. We examined the growth and development of giant panda cubs by the Chapman growth curve model and estimated the heritability of the maximum growth rate at the early lactation stage. We found that 83 giant panda cubs reached their maximum growth rate at approximately 75-120 days after birth. The body weight of cubs at 75 days was 4285.99 g. Furthermore, we estimated that the heritability of the maximum growth rate was moderate (h(2) = 0.38). Our study describes the growth and development of giant panda cubs at the early lactation stage and provides valuable growth benchmarks. We anticipate that our results will be a starting point for more detailed research on increasing the survival rate of giant panda cubs. Feeding programs for giant panda cubs need further improvement.

  17. Studying the relationship between redox and cell growth using quantitative phase imaging (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sridharan, Shamira; Leslie, Matthew T.; Bapst, Natalya; Smith, John; Gaskins, H. Rex; Popescu, Gabriel

    2016-03-01

    Quantitative phase imaging has been used in the past to study the dry mass of cells and study cell growth under various treatment conditions. However, the relationship between cellular redox and growth rates has not yet been studied in this context. This study employed the recombinant Glrx-roGFP2 redox biosensor targeted to the mitochondrial matrix or cytosolic compartments of A549 lung epithelial carcinoma cells. The Glrx-roGFP2s biosensor consists of a modified GFP protein containing internal cysteine residues sensitive to the local redox environment. The formation/dissolution of sulfide bridges contorts the internal chromophore, dictating corresponding changes in florescence emission that provide direct measures of the local redox potential. Combining 2-channel florescent imaging of the redox sensor with quantitative phase imaging allowed observation of redox homeostasis alongside measurements of cellular mass during full cycles of cellular division. The results indicate that mitochondrial redox showed a stronger inverse correlation with cell growth than cytoplasmic redox states; although redox changes are restricted to a 5% range. We are now studying the relationship between mitochondrial redox and cell growth in an isogenic series of breast cell lines built upon the MCF-10A genetic background that vary both in malignancy and metastatic potential.

  18. Noise in gene expression is coupled to growth rate.

    PubMed

    Keren, Leeat; van Dijk, David; Weingarten-Gabbay, Shira; Davidi, Dan; Jona, Ghil; Weinberger, Adina; Milo, Ron; Segal, Eran

    2015-12-01

    Genetically identical cells exposed to the same environment display variability in gene expression (noise), with important consequences for the fidelity of cellular regulation and biological function. Although population average gene expression is tightly coupled to growth rate, the effects of changes in environmental conditions on expression variability are not known. Here, we measure the single-cell expression distributions of approximately 900 Saccharomyces cerevisiae promoters across four environmental conditions using flow cytometry, and find that gene expression noise is tightly coupled to the environment and is generally higher at lower growth rates. Nutrient-poor conditions, which support lower growth rates, display elevated levels of noise for most promoters, regardless of their specific expression values. We present a simple model of noise in expression that results from having an asynchronous population, with cells at different cell-cycle stages, and with different partitioning of the cells between the stages at different growth rates. This model predicts non-monotonic global changes in noise at different growth rates as well as overall higher variability in expression for cell-cycle-regulated genes in all conditions. The consistency between this model and our data, as well as with noise measurements of cells growing in a chemostat at well-defined growth rates, suggests that cell-cycle heterogeneity is a major contributor to gene expression noise. Finally, we identify gene and promoter features that play a role in gene expression noise across conditions. Our results show the existence of growth-related global changes in gene expression noise and suggest their potential phenotypic implications. © 2015 Keren et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

  19. Growth-rate-dependent dynamics of a bacterial genetic oscillator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Osella, Matteo; Lagomarsino, Marco Cosentino

    2013-01-01

    Gene networks exhibiting oscillatory dynamics are widespread in biology. The minimal regulatory designs giving rise to oscillations have been implemented synthetically and studied by mathematical modeling. However, most of the available analyses generally neglect the coupling of regulatory circuits with the cellular “chassis” in which the circuits are embedded. For example, the intracellular macromolecular composition of fast-growing bacteria changes with growth rate. As a consequence, important parameters of gene expression, such as ribosome concentration or cell volume, are growth-rate dependent, ultimately coupling the dynamics of genetic circuits with cell physiology. This work addresses the effects of growth rate on the dynamics of a paradigmatic example of genetic oscillator, the repressilator. Making use of empirical growth-rate dependencies of parameters in bacteria, we show that the repressilator dynamics can switch between oscillations and convergence to a fixed point depending on the cellular state of growth, and thus on the nutrients it is fed. The physical support of the circuit (type of plasmid or gene positions on the chromosome) also plays an important role in determining the oscillation stability and the growth-rate dependence of period and amplitude. This analysis has potential application in the field of synthetic biology, and suggests that the coupling between endogenous genetic oscillators and cell physiology can have substantial consequences for their functionality.

  20. Seasonal and life-phase related differences in growth in Scarus ferrugineus on a southern Red Sea fringing reef.

    PubMed

    Afeworki, Y; Videler, J J; Berhane, Y H; Bruggemann, J H

    2014-05-01

    Temporal trends in growth of the rusty parrotfish Scarus ferrugineus were studied on a southern Red Sea fringing reef that experiences seasonal changes in environmental conditions and benthic algal resources. Length increment data from tagging and recapture were compared among periods and sexes and modelled using GROTAG, a von Bertalanffy growth model. The growth pattern of S. ferrugineus was highly seasonal with a maximum occurring between April and June and a minimum between December and March. Body condition followed the seasonal variation in growth, increasing from April to June and decreasing from December to March. The season of maximum growth coincided with high irradiation, temperature increases and peak abundance of the primary food source, the epilithic algal community. There was a decline in growth rate during summer (July to October) associated with a combination of extreme temperatures and lowered food availability. There were strong sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and life-history traits. Terminal-phase (TP) males achieved larger asymptotic lengths than initial-phase individuals (IP) (L(∞) 34·55 v. 25·12 cm) with growth coefficients (K) of 0·26 and 0·38. The TPs were growing four times as fast as IPs of similar size. Three individuals changed from IP to TP while at liberty and grew eight times faster than IPs of similar size, suggesting that sex change in S. ferrugineus is accompanied by a surge in growth rate. The SSD in S. ferrugineus thus coincided with fast growth that started during sex change and continued into the TP. Faster growth during sex change suggests that the cost associated with sex change is limited. © 2014 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  1. The influence of impurities on the growth rate of calcite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyer, H. J.

    1984-05-01

    The effects of 34 different additives on the growth rate of calcite were investigated. An initial growth rate of about one crystal monolayer (3 × 10 -8 cm) per minute was adjusted at a constant supersaturation which was maintained by a control circuit. Then the impurity was added step by step and the reduction of the growth rate was measured. The impurity concentration necessary to reduce the initial growth rate by a certain percentage increased in the order Fe 2+, ATP, P 3O 5-10, P 2O 4-7, (PO 3) 6-6, Zn 2+, ADP, Ce 3+, Pb 2+, carbamyl phosphate, Fe 3+, PO 3-4, Co 2+, Mn 2+, Be 2+, β-glycerophosphate, Ni 2+, Cd 2+, "Tris", phenylphosphate, chondroitine sulphate, Ba 2+, citrate, AMP, Sr 2+, tricarballylate, taurine, SO 2-4, Mg 2+ by 4 orders of magnitude. The most effective additives halved the initial growth rate in concentrations of 2 × 10 -8 mol/1. For Fe 2+ the halving concentration was nearly proportional to the initial rate. The mechanism of inhibition by adsorption of the impurities at growth sites (kinks) is discussed.

  2. Investigation of partitionless growth of ɛ-Al60Sm11 phase in Al-10 at% Sm liquid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Yang; Ye, Zhuo; Zhang, Feng; Ding, Ze Jun; Wang, Cai-Zhuang; Kramer, Matthew J.; Ho, Kai-Ming

    2018-01-01

    Recent experiments on devitrification of Al90Sm10 amorphous alloys revealed an unusual polymorphic transformation to a complex cubic crystal structure called the ɛ-Al60Sm11 phase. Molecular dynamics simulations of the growth of the stoichiometric ɛ-phase seed in contact with an undercooled Al-10 at% Sm liquid are performed to elucidate the microscopic process of transformation. The as-grown crystal and undercooled liquid possess similar local order around Al atoms whereas a rigid network defined by the Sm sub-lattice develops during the growth. Using a template-cluster alignment method, we define an order parameter to characterize the structural evolution in the system. Estimates of the attachment rate is {R}{{a}}=8.70× {10}-4 Å-2 ns-1 and detachment rate is {R}{{d}}=3.83× {10}-4 Å-2 ns-1 at the interface between ɛ-Al60Sm11 and Al-10 at% Sm liquid at 800 K.

  3. Growth kinetics and mass transport mechanisms of GaN columns by selective area metal organic vapor phase epitaxy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xue; Hartmann, Jana; Mandl, Martin; Sadat Mohajerani, Matin; Wehmann, Hergo-H.; Strassburg, Martin; Waag, Andreas

    2014-04-01

    Three-dimensional GaN columns recently have attracted a lot of attention as the potential basis for core-shell light emitting diodes for future solid state lighting. In this study, the fundamental insights into growth kinetics and mass transport mechanisms of N-polar GaN columns during selective area metal organic vapor phase epitaxy on patterned SiOx/sapphire templates are systematically investigated using various pitch of apertures, growth time, and silane flow. Species impingement fluxes on the top surface of columns Jtop and on their sidewall Jsw, as well as, the diffusion flux from the substrate Jsub contribute to the growth of the GaN columns. The vertical and lateral growth rates devoted by Jtop, Jsw and Jsub are estimated quantitatively. The diffusion length of species on the SiOx mask surface λsub as well as on the sidewall surfaces of the 3D columns λsw are determined. The influences of silane on the growth kinetics are discussed. A growth model is developed for this selective area metal organic vapor phase epitaxy processing.

  4. Influence of mass diffusion on the stability of thermophoretic growth of a solid from the vapor phase

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Castillo, J. L.; Garcia-Ybarra, P. L.; Rosner, D. E.

    1991-01-01

    The stability of solid planar growth from a binary vapor phase with a condensing species dilute in a carrier gas is examined when the ratio of depositing to carrier species molecular mass is large and the main diffusive transport mechanism is thermal diffusion. It is shown that a deformation of the solid-gas interface induces a deformation of the gas phase isotherms that increases the thermal gradients and thereby the local mass deposition rate at the crests and reduces them at the valleys. The initial surface deformation is enhanced by the modified deposition rates in the absence of appreciable Fick/Brownian diffusion and interfacial energy effects.

  5. Comparing Basal Area Growth Rates in Repeated Inventories: Simpson's Paradox in Forestry

    Treesearch

    Charles E. Thomas; Bernard R. Parresol

    1989-01-01

    Recent analyses of radial growth rates in southern commercial forests have shown that current rates are lower than past rates when compared diameter class by diameter class. These results have been interpreted as an indication that the growth rate of the forest is declining. In this paper, growth rates of forest populations in Alabama are studied. Basal area growth (a...

  6. Two-dimensional liquid crystalline growth within a phase-field-crystal model.

    PubMed

    Tang, Sai; Praetorius, Simon; Backofen, Rainer; Voigt, Axel; Yu, Yan-Mei; Wang, Jincheng

    2015-07-01

    By using a two-dimensional phase-field-crystal (PFC) model, the liquid crystalline growth of the plastic triangular phase is simulated with emphasis on crystal shape and topological defect formation. The equilibrium shape of a plastic triangular crystal (PTC) grown from an isotropic phase is compared with that grown from a columnar or smectic-A (CSA) phase. While the shape of a PTC nucleus in the isotropic phase is almost identical to that of the classical PFC model, the shape of a PTC nucleus in CSA is affected by the orientation of stripes in the CSA phase, and irregular hexagonal, elliptical, octagonal, and rectangular shapes are obtained. Concerning the dynamics of the growth process, we analyze the topological structure of the nematic order, which starts from nucleation of +1/2 and -1/2 disclination pairs at the PTC growth front and evolves into hexagonal cells consisting of +1 vortices surrounded by six satellite -1/2 disclinations. It is found that the orientational and the positional order do not evolve simultaneously; the orientational order evolves behind the positional order, leading to a large transition zone, which can span over several lattice spacings.

  7. Cell-production rates estimated by the use of vincristine sulphate and flow cytometry. II. Correlation between the cell-production rates of ageing ascites tumours and the number of S phase tumour cells.

    PubMed

    Barfod, I H; Barfod, N M

    1980-01-01

    A new method for the evaluation of cell production rates combining flow cytometry (FCM) and the stathmokinetic method using vincristine sulphate (VS) has been used for the analysis of three aneuploid ascites tumours at different stages of growth. Using this technique it was possible to estimate the well-known decrease in cell production rates of ageing ascites tumours. The percentage of normal host cells in the aneuploid tumours studied was easily determined by FCM prior to the calculation of the tumour cell-production rates. A correlation was found between the percentage of tumour cells in the S phase and the tumour cell-production rate. This correlation is probably explained by the gradual transfer of proliferating cells in S phase to resting G1 and G2 phases with increasing tumour age.

  8. Defect-phase-dynamics approach to statistical domain-growth problem of clock models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kawasaki, K.

    1985-01-01

    The growth of statistical domains in quenched Ising-like p-state clock models with p = 3 or more is investigated theoretically, reformulating the analysis of Ohta et al. (1982) in terms of a phase variable and studying the dynamics of defects introduced into the phase field when the phase variable becomes multivalued. The resulting defect/phase domain-growth equation is applied to the interpretation of Monte Carlo simulations in two dimensions (Kaski and Gunton, 1983; Grest and Srolovitz, 1984), and problems encountered in the analysis of related Potts models are discussed. In the two-dimensional case, the problem is essentially that of a purely dissipative Coulomb gas, with a sq rt t growth law complicated by vertex-pinning effects at small t.

  9. Improving estimates of tree mortality probability using potential growth rate

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Das, Adrian J.; Stephenson, Nathan L.

    2015-01-01

    Tree growth rate is frequently used to estimate mortality probability. Yet, growth metrics can vary in form, and the justification for using one over another is rarely clear. We tested whether a growth index (GI) that scales the realized diameter growth rate against the potential diameter growth rate (PDGR) would give better estimates of mortality probability than other measures. We also tested whether PDGR, being a function of tree size, might better correlate with the baseline mortality probability than direct measurements of size such as diameter or basal area. Using a long-term dataset from the Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A., as well as existing species-specific estimates of PDGR, we developed growth–mortality models for four common species. For three of the four species, models that included GI, PDGR, or a combination of GI and PDGR were substantially better than models without them. For the fourth species, the models including GI and PDGR performed roughly as well as a model that included only the diameter growth rate. Our results suggest that using PDGR can improve our ability to estimate tree survival probability. However, in the absence of PDGR estimates, the diameter growth rate was the best empirical predictor of mortality, in contrast to assumptions often made in the literature.

  10. Growth-rate dependent global effects on gene expression in bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Klumpp, Stefan; Zhang, Zhongge; Hwa, Terence

    2010-01-01

    Summary Bacterial gene expression depends not only on specific regulations but also directly on bacterial growth, because important global parameters such as the abundance of RNA polymerases and ribosomes are all growth-rate dependent. Understanding these global effects is necessary for a quantitative understanding of gene regulation and for the robust design of synthetic genetic circuits. The observed growth-rate dependence of constitutive gene expression can be explained by a simple model using the measured growth-rate dependence of the relevant cellular parameters. More complex growth dependences for genetic circuits involving activators, repressors and feedback control were analyzed, and salient features were verified experimentally using synthetic circuits. The results suggest a novel feedback mechanism mediated by general growth-dependent effects and not requiring explicit gene regulation, if the expressed protein affects cell growth. This mechanism can lead to growth bistability and promote the acquisition of important physiological functions such as antibiotic resistance and tolerance (persistence). PMID:20064380

  11. Mono- and polynucleation, atomistic growth, and crystal phase of III-V nanowires under varying group V flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubrovskii, V. G.

    2015-05-01

    We present a refined model for the vapor-liquid-solid growth and crystal structure of Au-catalyzed III-V nanowires, which revisits several assumptions used so far and is capable of describing the transition from mononuclear to polynuclear regime and ultimately to regular atomistic growth. We construct the crystal phase diagrams and calculate the wurtzite percentages, elongation rates, critical sizes, and polynucleation thresholds of Au-catalyzed GaAs nanowires depending on the As flow. We find a non-monotonic dependence of the crystal phase on the group V flow, with the zincblende structure being preferred at low and high group V flows and the wurtzite structure forming at intermediate group V flows. This correlates with most of the available experimental data. Finally, we discuss the atomistic growth picture which yields zincblende crystal structure and should be very advantageous for fabrication of ternary III-V nanowires with well-controlled composition and heterointerfaces.

  12. Final Report: "Collaborative Project. Understanding the Chemical Processes That Affect Growth Rates of Freshly Nucleated Particles"

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smith, James N.; McMurry, Peter H.

    This final technical report describes our research activities that have, as the ultimate goal, the development of a model that explains growth rates of freshly nucleated particles. The research activities, which combine field observations with laboratory experiments, explore the relationship between concentrations of gas-phase species that contribute to growth and the rates at which those species are taken up. We also describe measurements of the chemical composition of freshly nucleated particles in a variety of locales, as well as properties (especially hygroscopicity) that influence their effects on climate. Our measurements include a self-organized, DOE-ARM funded project at the Southern Greatmore » Plains site, the New Particle Formation Study (NPFS), which took place during spring 2013. NPFS data are available to the research community on the ARM data archive, providing a unique suite observations of trace gas and aerosols that are associated with the formation and growth of atmospheric aerosol particles.« less

  13. Light-optimized growth of cyanobacterial cultures: Growth phases and productivity of biomass and secreted molecules in light-limited batch growth.

    PubMed

    Clark, Ryan L; McGinley, Laura L; Purdy, Hugh M; Korosh, Travis C; Reed, Jennifer L; Root, Thatcher W; Pfleger, Brian F

    2018-03-27

    Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms whose metabolism can be modified through genetic engineering for production of a wide variety of molecules directly from CO 2 , light, and nutrients. Diverse molecules have been produced in small quantities by engineered cyanobacteria to demonstrate the feasibility of photosynthetic biorefineries. Consequently, there is interest in engineering these microorganisms to increase titer and productivity to meet industrial metrics. Unfortunately, differing experimental conditions and cultivation techniques confound comparisons of strains and metabolic engineering strategies. In this work, we discuss the factors governing photoautotrophic growth and demonstrate nutritionally replete conditions in which a model cyanobacterium can be grown to stationary phase with light as the sole limiting substrate. We introduce a mathematical framework for understanding the dynamics of growth and product secretion in light-limited cyanobacterial cultures. Using this framework, we demonstrate how cyanobacterial growth in differing experimental systems can be easily scaled by the volumetric photon delivery rate using the model organisms Synechococcus sp. strain PCC7002 and Synechococcus elongatus strain UTEX2973. We use this framework to predict scaled up growth and product secretion in 1L photobioreactors of two strains of Synechococcus PCC7002 engineered for production of l-lactate or L-lysine. The analytical framework developed in this work serves as a guide for future metabolic engineering studies of cyanobacteria to allow better comparison of experiments performed in different experimental systems and to further investigate the dynamics of growth and product secretion. Copyright © 2018 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Phase diagrams and crystal growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Venkrbec, Jan

    1980-04-01

    Phase diagrams are briefly treated as generalized property-composition relationships, with respect to crystal technology optimization. The treatment is based on mutual interaction of three systems related to semiconductors: (a) the semiconducting material systems, (b0 the data bank, (c) the system of crystallization methods. A model is proposed enabling optimatization on the path from application requirements to the desired material. Further, several examples of the selection as to the composition of LED and laser diode material are given. Some of molten-solution-zone methods are being successfully introduced for this purpose. Common features of these methods, the application of phase diagrams, and their pecularities compared with other crystallization methods are illustrated by schematic diagrams and by examples. LPE methods, particularly the steady-state LPE methods such as Woodall's ISM and Nishizawa's TDM-CVP, and the CAM-S (Crystallization Method Providing Composition Autocontrol in Situ) have been chosen as examples. Another approach of exploiting phase diagrams for optimal material selection and for determination of growth condition before experimentation through a simple calculation is presented on InP-GaP solid solutions. Ternary phase diagrams are visualized in space through calculation and constructions based on the corresponding thermodynamic models and anaglyphs. These make it easy to observe and qualitatively analyze the crystallization of every composition. Phase diagrams can be also used as a powerful tool for the deduction of new crystallization methods. Eutectic crystallization is an example of such an approach where a modified molten-solution-zone method can give a sandwich structure with an abrupt concentration change. The concentration of a component can range from 0 to 100% in the different solid phases.

  15. Phytoplankton growth rates in a light-limited environment, San Francisco Bay

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Alpine, Andrea E.; Cloern, James E.

    1988-01-01

    This study was motivated by the need for quantitative measures of phytoplankton population growth rate in an estuarine environment, and was designed around the presumption that growth rates can be related empirically to light exposure. We conducted the study in San Francisco Bay (California, USA), which has large horizontal gradients in light availability (Zp:Zm) typical of many coastal plain estuaries, and nutrient concentrations that often exceed those presumed to limit phytoplankton growth (Cloern et al. 1985). We tested the hypothesis that light availability is the primary control of phytoplankton growth, and that previous estimates of growth rate based on the ratio of productivity to biomass (Cloern et al. 1985) are realistic. Specifically, we wanted to verify that growth rate varies spatially along horizontal gradients of light availability indexed as Zp:Zm, such that phytoplankton turnover rate is rapid in shallow clear areas (high Zp:Zm) and slow in deep turbid areas (low Zp:Zm). We used an in situ incubation technique which simulated vertical mixing, and measured both changes in cell number and carbon production as independent estimates of growth rate across a range of Zp:Zm ratios.

  16. Modelling the growth Rate of Algal in sediment-laden flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, H.

    2017-12-01

    Phytoplankton plays an important role as a primary producer in aquatic ecosystems. Fluid dynamics can affect the growth of algae in a number of ways and can be divided into two categories. On the one hand the advection and diffusion processes may disrupt the vertical migration of phytoplankton. On the other hand hydrodynamic effects of sediment suspension which can affect algal growth, by releasing nutrients and reducing light intensity. Natural water generally contains sediment. Therefore, when the flow enters the lake, it will cause a change in the phytoplankton community at the junction. Few people have studied the effects of sediment-laden flows to algal growth rates. In this project, Baiyangdian was chosen as the key research area to study the effect of sediment-laden flow on the growth rate of algae. And we conducted a microcosmic experiment in the laboratory to simulate the effect of sediment-laden flow on the growth rate of algae, and constructed a numerical model for the growth rate of algae in sediment-laden flow.

  17. Effects of substrate misorientation and growth rate on ordering in GaInP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Su, L. C.; Ho, I. H.; Stringfellow, G. B.

    1994-05-01

    Epitaxial layers of GaxIn1-xP with x≊0.52 have been grown by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy on GaAs substrates misoriented from the (001) plane in the [1¯10] direction by angles ϑm, of 0°, 3°, 6°, and 9°. For each substrate orientation growth rates rg of 1, 2, and 4 μm/h have been used. The ordering was characterized using transmission electron diffraction (TED), dark-field imaging, and photoluminescence. The (110) cross-sectional images show domains of the Cu-Pt structure separated by antiphase boundaries (APBs). The domain size and shape and the degree of order are found to be strongly affected by both the substrate misorientation and the growth rate. For example, lateral domain dimensions range from 50 Å for layers grown with rg=4 μm/h and ϑm=0° to 2500 Å for rg=1 μm/h and ϑm=9°. The APBs generally propagate from the substrate/epilayer interface to the top surface at an angle to the (001) plane that increases dramatically as the angle of misorientation increases. The angle is nearly independent of growth rate. From the superspot intensities in the TED patterns, the degree of order appears to be a maximum for ϑm≊5°. Judging from the reduction in photoluminescence peak energy caused by ordering, the maximum degree of order appears to occur at ϑm≊4°.

  18. Gingival crevicular fluid protein content and alkaline phosphatase activity in relation to pubertal growth phase.

    PubMed

    Perinetti, Giuseppe; Franchi, Lorenzo; Castaldo, Attilio; Contardo, Luca

    2012-11-01

    To evaluate gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) protein content and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in growing subjects in relation to stages of skeletal maturation, ie, the growth phase, as prepubertal, pubertal, and postpubertal. Fifty healthy growing subjects (31 girls and 19 boys; age range, 7.8-17.7 years) were enrolled in this study that followed a double-blind, prospective, cross-sectional design. Collection of GCF was performed at the mesial and distal sites of both central incisors, for the maxilla and mandible. Growth phase was assessed through the cervical vertebral maturation method. GCF parameters were expressed as total protein content, total ALP activity, and normalized ALP activity. The total GCF protein content was similar between the different growth phases. On the contrary, the total ALP activity showed a peak for the pubertal growth phase. The normalized GCF ALP activity was only poorly associated with growth phase. No differences were seen between the maxillary and mandibular sites, or between the sexes, for any GCF parameter. The total GCF protein content is not sensitive to the growth phase. However, GCF ALP activity has potential as a diagnostic aid for identification of the pubertal growth phase in individual subjects when expressed as total, but not normalized, values.

  19. Crystal grain growth at the α -uranium phase transformation in praseodymium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cunningham, Nicholas C.; Velisavljevic, Nenad; Vohra, Yogesh K.

    2005-01-01

    Structural phase transformations under pressure are examined in praseodymium metal for the range 0-40GPa at ambient temperature. Pressure was generated with a diamond-anvil cell, and data were collected using high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction and the image plate technique. The structural sequence double hexagonal close packed (dhcp)→face centered cubic (fcc)→distorted-fcc (d-fcc)→ α -uranium (α-U) is observed with increasing pressure. Rietveld refinement of all crystallographic phases provided confirmation of the hR24 structure for the d-fcc phase while the previously reported monoclinic phase between the d-fcc and the α-U phase was not confirmed. We observe dramatic crystal grain growth during the volume collapse concurrent with the symmetry-lowering transition to the α-U structure. No preferred orientation axis is observed, and the formation process for these large grains is expected to be via a nucleation and growth mechanism. An analogous effect in rare earth metal cerium suggests that the grain growth during transformation to the α-U structure is a common occurrence in f -electron metals at high pressures.

  20. Timber value growth rates in New England

    Treesearch

    David A, Gansner; Stanford L. Arner; Thomas W. Birch; Thomas W. Birch

    1990-01-01

    Rates of growth in the value of standing timber can vary greatly from stand to stand and from tree to tree. In Maine, the compound annual rate of change in stand value between the two most recent forest inventories ranged from -12 to +43 percent. Faced with this kind of variation, forest managers can use help in determining financial rates of return for their woodland...

  1. Understanding the demographic drivers of realized population growth rates.

    PubMed

    Koons, David N; Arnold, Todd W; Schaub, Michael

    2017-10-01

    Identifying the demographic parameters (e.g., reproduction, survival, dispersal) that most influence population dynamics can increase conservation effectiveness and enhance ecological understanding. Life table response experiments (LTRE) aim to decompose the effects of change in parameters on past demographic outcomes (e.g., population growth rates). But the vast majority of LTREs and other retrospective population analyses have focused on decomposing asymptotic population growth rates, which do not account for the dynamic interplay between population structure and vital rates that shape realized population growth rates (λt=Nt+1/Nt) in time-varying environments. We provide an empirical means to overcome these shortcomings by merging recently developed "transient life-table response experiments" with integrated population models (IPMs). IPMs allow for the estimation of latent population structure and other demographic parameters that are required for transient LTRE analysis, and Bayesian versions additionally allow for complete error propagation from the estimation of demographic parameters to derivations of realized population growth rates and perturbation analyses of growth rates. By integrating available monitoring data for Lesser Scaup over 60 yr, and conducting transient LTREs on IPM estimates, we found that the contribution of juvenile female survival to long-term variation in realized population growth rates was 1.6 and 3.7 times larger than that of adult female survival and fecundity, respectively. But a persistent long-term decline in fecundity explained 92% of the decline in abundance between 1983 and 2006. In contrast, an improvement in adult female survival drove the modest recovery in Lesser Scaup abundance since 2006, indicating that the most important demographic drivers of Lesser Scaup population dynamics are temporally dynamic. In addition to resolving uncertainty about Lesser Scaup population dynamics, the merger of IPMs with transient LTREs will

  2. A Simple Device to Measure Root Growth Rates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rauser, Wilfried E.; Horton, Roger F.

    1975-01-01

    Describes construction and use of a simple auxanometer which students can use to accurately measure root growth rates of intact seedlings. Typical time course data are presented for the effect of ethylene and indole acetic acid on pea root growth. (Author/BR)

  3. Anomalous Growth Rate of Ag Nanocrystals Revealed by in situ STEM

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ge, Mingyuan; Lu, Ming; Chu, Yong

    In situ microscopy of colloidal nanocrystal growth offers a unique opportunity to acquire direct and straightforward data for assessing classical growth models. For this study, we observe the growth trajectories of individual Ag nanoparticles in solution using in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy. For the first time, we provide experimental evidence of growth rates of Ag nanoparticles in the presence of Pt in solution that are significantly faster than predicted by Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory. We attribute these observed anomalous growth rates to the synergistic effects of the catalytic properties of Pt and the electron beam itself. Transiently reduced Pt atoms servemore » as active sites for Ag ions to grow, thereby playing a key role in controlling the growth kinetics. Electron beam illumination greatly increases the local concentration of free radicals, thereby strongly influencing particle growth rate and the resulting particle morphology. Through a systematic investigation, we demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing these synergistic effects for controlling the growth rates and particle morphologies at the nanoscale. Our findings not only expand the current scope of crystal growth theory, but may also lead to a broader scientific application of nanocrystal synthesis.« less

  4. Anomalous Growth Rate of Ag Nanocrystals Revealed by in situ STEM

    DOE PAGES

    Ge, Mingyuan; Lu, Ming; Chu, Yong; ...

    2017-11-27

    In situ microscopy of colloidal nanocrystal growth offers a unique opportunity to acquire direct and straightforward data for assessing classical growth models. For this study, we observe the growth trajectories of individual Ag nanoparticles in solution using in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy. For the first time, we provide experimental evidence of growth rates of Ag nanoparticles in the presence of Pt in solution that are significantly faster than predicted by Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory. We attribute these observed anomalous growth rates to the synergistic effects of the catalytic properties of Pt and the electron beam itself. Transiently reduced Pt atoms servemore » as active sites for Ag ions to grow, thereby playing a key role in controlling the growth kinetics. Electron beam illumination greatly increases the local concentration of free radicals, thereby strongly influencing particle growth rate and the resulting particle morphology. Through a systematic investigation, we demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing these synergistic effects for controlling the growth rates and particle morphologies at the nanoscale. Our findings not only expand the current scope of crystal growth theory, but may also lead to a broader scientific application of nanocrystal synthesis.« less

  5. Microarray and functional analysis of growth-phase dependent gene regulation in Bordetella bronchiseptica

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Growth-phase dependent gene regulation has recently been demonstrated to occur in B. pertussis, with many transcripts, including known virulence factors, significantly decreasing during the transition from logarithmic to stationary-phase growth. Given that B. pertussis is thought to have derived fro...

  6. On Growth Rates of Subadditive Functions for Semiflows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schreiber, Sebastian J.

    1998-09-01

    Letφ: X×T+→Xbe a semiflow on a compact metric spaceX. A functionF: X×T+→Xis subadditive with respect toφifF(x, t+s)⩽F(x, t)+F(φ(x, t),nbsp;s). We define the maximal growth rate ofFto be supx∈X lim supt→∞(1/t) F(x, t). This growth rate is shown to equal the maximal growth rate of the subadditive function restricted to the minimal center of attraction of the semiflow. Applications to Birkhoff sums, characteristic exponents of linear skew-product semiflows on Banach bundles, and average Lyapunov functions are developed. In particular, a relationship between the dynamical spectrum and the measurable spectrum of a linear skew-product flow established by R. A. Johnson, K. J. Palmer, and G. R. Sell (SIAM J. Math. Anal.18, 1987, 1-33) is extended to semiflows in an infinite dimensional setting.

  7. Calculation Of Clinopyroxene And Olivine Growth Rates Using Plagioclase Residence Time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kilinc, A. I.; Borell, A.; Leu, A.

    2012-12-01

    According to the Crystal Size Distribution theory (CSD) in a plot of logarithm of number of crystals of a given size range per unit volume [ln(n)], against crystal size [L] shows a straight line. Slope of that line is given by where is the crystal residence time and G is the crystal growth rate. Therefore if is known then G can be calculated. We used thin sections of the Kilauea basalt from Hawaii where olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase crystallized within a small temperature range, and the crystal growth rate of plagioclase is known. Assuming that crystal residence times of these three minerals are the same, we plotted ln(n) against L and using the slope and the known crystal growth rate of plagioclase we calculated the crystal growth rates of clinopyroxene and olivine. For the clinopyroxene growth rate we report 10-10.9cm/sec, which is in good agreement with Congdon's data of 10-10 cm/sec. We also calculated the growth rate of olivine is a basaltic melt as 10-8.5 cm/sec which is comparable to < 10-10 to 10-7 cm/sec given by Donaldson and Jambon.

  8. Growth of NH4Cl Single Crystal from Vapor Phase in Vertical Furnace

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nigara, Yutaka; Yoshizawa, Masahito; Fujimura, Tadao

    1983-02-01

    A pure and internally stress-free single crystal of NH4Cl was grown successfully from the vapor phase. The crystal measured 1.6 cmφ× 2 cm and had the disordered CsCl structure, which was stable below 184°C. The crystal was grown in an ampoule in a vertical furnace, in which the vapor was efficiently transported both by diffusion and convection. In line with the growth mechanism of a single crystal, the temperature fluctuation (°C/min) on the growth interface was kept smaller than the product of the temperature gradient (°C/cm) and the growth rate (cm/min). The specific heat of the crystal was measured around -31°C (242 K) during cooling and heating cycles by AC calorimetry. The thermal hysteresis (0.4 K) obtained here was smaller than that (0.89 K) of an NH4Cl crystal grown from its aqueous solution with urea added as a habit modifier.

  9. Generalised Central Limit Theorems for Growth Rate Distribution of Complex Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takayasu, Misako; Watanabe, Hayafumi; Takayasu, Hideki

    2014-04-01

    We introduce a solvable model of randomly growing systems consisting of many independent subunits. Scaling relations and growth rate distributions in the limit of infinite subunits are analysed theoretically. Various types of scaling properties and distributions reported for growth rates of complex systems in a variety of fields can be derived from this basic physical model. Statistical data of growth rates for about 1 million business firms are analysed as a real-world example of randomly growing systems. Not only are the scaling relations consistent with the theoretical solution, but the entire functional form of the growth rate distribution is fitted with a theoretical distribution that has a power-law tail.

  10. The Interrelationship between Promoter Strength, Gene Expression, and Growth Rate

    PubMed Central

    Klesmith, Justin R.; Detwiler, Emily E.; Tomek, Kyle J.; Whitehead, Timothy A.

    2014-01-01

    In exponentially growing bacteria, expression of heterologous protein impedes cellular growth rates. Quantitative understanding of the relationship between expression and growth rate will advance our ability to forward engineer bacteria, important for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology applications. Recently, a work described a scaling model based on optimal allocation of ribosomes for protein translation. This model quantitatively predicts a linear relationship between microbial growth rate and heterologous protein expression with no free parameters. With the aim of validating this model, we have rigorously quantified the fitness cost of gene expression by using a library of synthetic constitutive promoters to drive expression of two separate proteins (eGFP and amiE) in E. coli in different strains and growth media. In all cases, we demonstrate that the fitness cost is consistent with the previous findings. We expand upon the previous theory by introducing a simple promoter activity model to quantitatively predict how basal promoter strength relates to growth rate and protein expression. We then estimate the amount of protein expression needed to support high flux through a heterologous metabolic pathway and predict the sizable fitness cost associated with enzyme production. This work has broad implications across applied biological sciences because it allows for prediction of the interplay between promoter strength, protein expression, and the resulting cost to microbial growth rates. PMID:25286161

  11. A scheme for reducing deceleration-phase Rayleigh-Taylor growth in inertial confinement fusion implosions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, L. F.; Ye, W. H.; Wu, J. F.; Liu, Jie; Zhang, W. Y.; He, X. T.

    2016-05-01

    It is demonstrated that the growth of acceleration-phase instabilities in inertial confinement fusion implosions can be controlled, especially in the high-foot implosions [O. A. Hurricane et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 056314 (2014)] on the National Ignition Facility. However, the excessive growth of the deceleration-phase instabilities can still destroy the hot spot ignition. A scheme is proposed to retard the deceleration-phase Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth by shock collision near the waist of the inner shell surface. Two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations confirm the improved deceleration-phase hot spot stability properties without sacrificing the fuel compression.

  12. A scheme for reducing deceleration-phase Rayleigh–Taylor growth in inertial confinement fusion implosions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, L. F., E-mail: wang-lifeng@iapcm.ac.cn; Ye, W. H.; Liu, Jie

    It is demonstrated that the growth of acceleration-phase instabilities in inertial confinement fusion implosions can be controlled, especially in the high-foot implosions [O. A. Hurricane et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 056314 (2014)] on the National Ignition Facility. However, the excessive growth of the deceleration-phase instabilities can still destroy the hot spot ignition. A scheme is proposed to retard the deceleration-phase Rayleigh–Taylor instability growth by shock collision near the waist of the inner shell surface. Two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations confirm the improved deceleration-phase hot spot stability properties without sacrificing the fuel compression.

  13. 18 CFR 2.18 - Phased electric rate increase filings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Phased electric rate increase filings. 2.18 Section 2.18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY... Policy and Interpretations Under the Federal Power Act § 2.18 Phased electric rate increase filings. (a...

  14. 18 CFR 2.18 - Phased electric rate increase filings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Phased electric rate increase filings. 2.18 Section 2.18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY... Policy and Interpretations Under the Federal Power Act § 2.18 Phased electric rate increase filings. (a...

  15. 18 CFR 2.18 - Phased electric rate increase filings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Phased electric rate increase filings. 2.18 Section 2.18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY... Policy and Interpretations Under the Federal Power Act § 2.18 Phased electric rate increase filings. (a...

  16. 18 CFR 2.18 - Phased electric rate increase filings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Phased electric rate increase filings. 2.18 Section 2.18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY... Policy and Interpretations Under the Federal Power Act § 2.18 Phased electric rate increase filings. (a...

  17. 18 CFR 2.18 - Phased electric rate increase filings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Phased electric rate increase filings. 2.18 Section 2.18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY... Policy and Interpretations Under the Federal Power Act § 2.18 Phased electric rate increase filings. (a...

  18. Growth of AlGaN under the conditions of significant gallium evaporation: Phase separation and enhanced lateral growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mayboroda, I. O.; Knizhnik, A. A.; Grishchenko, Yu. V.; Ezubchenko, I. S.; Zanaveskin, Maxim L.; Kondratev, O. A.; Presniakov, M. Yu.; Potapkin, B. V.; Ilyin, V. A.

    2017-09-01

    The growth kinetics of AlGaN in NH3 MBE under significant Ga desorption was studied. It was found that the addition of gallium stimulates 2D growth and provides better morphology of films compared to pure AlN. The effect was experimentally observed at up to 98% desorption of the impinging gallium. We found that under the conditions of significant thermal desorption, larger amounts of gallium were retained at lateral boundaries of 3D surface features than at flat terraces because of the higher binding energy of Ga atoms at specific surface defects. The selective accumulation of gallium resulted in an increase in the lateral growth component through the formation of the Ga-enriched AlGaN phase at boundaries of 3D surface features. We studied the temperature dependence of AlGaN growth rate and developed a kinetic model analytically describing this dependence. As the model was in good agreement with the experimental data, we used it to estimate the increase in the binding energy of Ga atoms at surface defects compared to terrace surface sites using data on the Ga content in different AlGaN phases. We also applied first-principles calculations to the thermodynamic analysis of stable configurations on the AlN surface and then used these surface configurations to compare the binding energy of Ga atoms at terraces and steps. Both first-principles calculations and analytical estimations of the experimental results gave similar values of difference in binding energies; this value is 0.3 eV. Finally, it was studied experimentally whether gallium can act as a surfactant in AlN growth by NH3 MBE at elevated temperatures. Gallium application has allowed us to grow a 300 nm thick AlN film with a RMS surface roughness of 2.2 Å over an area of 10 × 10 μm and a reduced density of screw dislocations.

  19. Dynamics and estimates of growth and loss rates of bacterioplankton in a temperate freshwater system.

    PubMed

    Jugnia, Louis-B; Sime-Ngando, Télesphore; Gilbert, Daniel

    2006-10-01

    The growth rate and losses of bacterioplankton in the epilimnion of an oligo-mesotrophic reservoir were simultaneously estimated using three different methods for each process. Bacterial production was determined by means of the tritiated thymidine incorporation method, the dialysis bag method and the dilution method, while bacterial mortality was assessed with the dilution method, the disappearance of thymidine-labeled natural cells and ingestion of fluorescent bacterial tracers by heterotrophic flagellates. The different methods used to estimate bacterial growth rates yielded similar results. On the other hand, the mortality rates obtained with the dilution method were significantly lower than those obtained with the use of thymidine-labeled natural cells. The bacterial ingestion rate by flagellates accounted on average for 39% of total bacterial mortality estimated by the dilution method, but this value fell to 5% when the total mortality was measured by the thymidine-labeling method. Bacterial abundance and production varied in opposite phase to flagellate abundance and the various bacterial mortality rates. All this points to the critical importance of methodological aspects in the elaboration of quantitative models of matter and energy flows over the time through microbial trophic networks in aquatic systems, and highlights the role of bacterioplankton as a source of carbon for higher trophic levels in the studied system.

  20. A signature of 12 microRNAs is robustly associated with growth rate in a variety of CHO cell lines.

    PubMed

    Klanert, Gerald; Jadhav, Vaibhav; Shanmukam, Vinoth; Diendorfer, Andreas; Karbiener, Michael; Scheideler, Marcel; Bort, Juan Hernández; Grillari, Johannes; Hackl, Matthias; Borth, Nicole

    2016-10-10

    As Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells are the cell line of choice for the production of human-like recombinant proteins, there is interest in genetic optimization of host cell lines to overcome certain limitations in their growth rate and protein secretion. At the same time, a detailed understanding of these processes could be used to advantage by identification of marker transcripts that characterize states of performance. In this context, microRNAs (miRNAs) that exhibit a robust correlation to the growth rate of CHO cells were determined by analyzing miRNA expression profiles in a comprehensive collection of 46 samples including CHO-K1, CHO-S and CHO-DUKXB11, which were adapted to various culture conditions, and analyzed in different growth stages using microarrays. By applying Spearman or Pearson correlation coefficient criteria of>|0.6|, miRNAs with high correlation to the overall growth, or growth rates observed in exponential, serum-free, and serum-free exponential phase were identified. An overlap of twelve miRNAs common for all sample sets was revealed, with nine positively and three negatively correlating miRNAs. The here identified panel of miRNAs can help to understand growth regulation in CHO cells and contains putative engineering targets as well as biomarkers for cell lines with advantageous growth characteristics. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Growth rate of plasma-synthesized vertically aligned carbon nanofibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Merkulov, Vladimir I.; Melechko, A. V.; Guillorn, M. A.; Lowndes, D. H.; Simpson, M. L.

    2002-08-01

    Vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) were synthesized by direct-current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using acetylene and ammonia as the gas source. The mechanisms responsible for changing the nanofiber growth rate were studied and phenomenological models are proposed. The feedstock for VACNF growth is suggested to consist mainly of radicals formed in the plasma and not the unexcited acetylene gas molecules. The growth rate is shown to increase dramatically by changing the radical transport mechanism from diffusive to forced flow, which was accomplished by increasing the gas flow in the direction perpendicular to the substrate.

  2. Effects of salt stress imposed during two growth phases on cauliflower production and quality.

    PubMed

    Giuffrida, Francesco; Cassaniti, Carla; Malvuccio, Angelo; Leonardi, Cherubino

    2017-03-01

    Cultivation of cauliflower is diffused in Mediterranean areas where water salinity results in the need to identify alternative irrigation sources or management strategies. Using saline water during two growth phases (from transplanting to visible appearance of inflorescence or from appearance of inflorescence to head harvest), the present study aimed to identify the growth period that is more suitable for irrigation with low quality water in relation to cauliflower production and quality. Salinity affected cauliflower growth mainly when imposed in the first growth phase. The growth reduction depended mainly on ion-specific effects, although slight nutrient imbalances as a result of Na + and Cl - antagonisms were observed. The use of non-saline water in the first or second growth period reduced both the osmotic and toxic effects of salinity. When salinity was applied during inflorescence growth, yield was reduced because of a restriction of water accumulation in the head. The results of the present study demonstrate the possibility of producing marketable cauliflower heads under conditions of salinity by timing the application of the best quality water during the first growth phase to improve fruit quality and during the second phase to reduce the negative effects of salinity on yield. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  3. Diagnostic performance of combined canine and second molar maturity for identification of growth phase.

    PubMed

    Perinetti, Giuseppe; Di Lenarda, Roberto; Contardo, Luca

    2013-05-20

    The objective of this research is to analyze the diagnostic performance of the circumpubertal dental maturation stages of the mandibular canine and second molar, as individual teeth and in combination, for the identification of growth phase. A total of 300 healthy subjects, 192 females and 108 males, were enrolled in the study (mean age, 11.4±2.4 years; range, 6.8 to 17.1 years). Dental maturity was assessed through the calcification stages from panoramic radiographs of the mandibular canine and second molar. Determination of growth phase (as pre-pubertal, pubertal, and post-pubertal) was carried out according to the cervical vertebral maturation method. The diagnostic performances of the dental maturation stages, as both individual teeth and in combination, for the identification of the growth phase were evaluated using positive likelihood ratios (LHRs), with a threshold of ≥10 for satisfactory performance. For the individual dental maturation stages, most of these positive LHRs were ≤1.6, with values≥10 seen only for the identification of the pre-pubertal growth phase for canine stage F and second molar stages D and E, and for the post-pubertal growth phase for second molar stage H. All of the combined dental maturation stages yielded positive LHRs up to 2.6. Dental maturation of either individual or combined teeth has little role in the identification of the pubertal growth spurt and should not be used to assess timing for treatments that are required to be performed at this growth phase.

  4. Growth rate degeneracies in kinematic dynamos

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Favier, B.; Proctor, M. R. E.

    2013-09-01

    We consider the classical problem of kinematic dynamo action in simple steady flows. Due to the adjointness of the induction operator, we show that the growth rate of the dynamo will be exactly the same for two types of magnetic boundary conditions: the magnetic field can be normal (infinite magnetic permeability, also called pseudovacuum) or tangent (perfect electrical conductor) to the boundaries of the domain. These boundary conditions correspond to well-defined physical limits often used in numerical models and relevant to laboratory experiments. The only constraint is for the velocity field u to be reversible, meaning there exists a transformation changing u into -u. We illustrate this surprising property using S2T2 type of flows in spherical geometry inspired by [Dudley and James, Proc. R. Soc. London A1364-502110.1098/rspa.1989.0112 425, 407 (1989)]. Using both types of boundary conditions, it is shown that the growth rates of the dynamos are identical, although the corresponding magnetic eigenmodes are drastically different.

  5. Phase Transition in a Healthy Human Heart Rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiyono, Ken; Struzik, Zbigniew R.; Aoyagi, Naoko; Togo, Fumiharu; Yamamoto, Yoshiharu

    2005-07-01

    A healthy human heart rate displays complex fluctuations which share characteristics of physical systems in a critical state. We demonstrate that the human heart rate in healthy individuals undergoes a dramatic breakdown of criticality characteristics, reminiscent of continuous second order phase transitions. By studying the germane determinants, we show that the hallmark of criticality—highly correlated fluctuations—is observed only during usual daily activity, and a breakdown of these characteristics occurs in prolonged, strenuous exercise and sleep. This finding is the first reported discovery of the dynamical phase transition phenomenon in a biological control system and will be a key to understanding the heart rate control system in health and disease.

  6. Investigating calcite growth rates using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Bo; Stack, Andrew G.; Steefel, Carl I.; DePaolo, Donald J.; Lammers, Laura N.; Hu, Yandi

    2018-02-01

    Calcite precipitation plays a significant role in processes such as geological carbon sequestration and toxic metal sequestration and, yet, the rates and mechanisms of calcite growth under close to equilibrium conditions are far from well understood. In this study, a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was used for the first time to measure macroscopic calcite growth rates. Calcite seed crystals were first nucleated and grown on sensors, then growth rates of calcite seed crystals were measured in real-time under close to equilibrium conditions (saturation index, SI = log ({Ca2+}/{CO32-}/Ksp) = 0.01-0.7, where {i} represent ion activities and Ksp = 10-8.48 is the calcite thermodynamic solubility constant). At the end of the experiments, total masses of calcite crystals on sensors measured by QCM-D and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were consistent, validating the QCM-D measurements. Calcite growth rates measured by QCM-D were compared with reported macroscopic growth rates measured with auto-titration, ICP-MS, and microbalance. Calcite growth rates measured by QCM-D were also compared with microscopic growth rates measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and with rates predicted by two process-based crystal growth models. The discrepancies in growth rates among AFM measurements and model predictions appear to mainly arise from differences in step densities, and the step velocities were consistent among the AFM measurements as well as with both model predictions. Using the predicted steady-state step velocity and the measured step densities, both models predict well the growth rates measured using QCM-D and AFM. This study provides valuable insights into the effects of reactive site densities on calcite growth rate, which may help design future growth models to predict transient-state step densities.

  7. Spontaneous Growth and Mobilization of a Gas Phase in the Presence of Dense Non- Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roy, J. W.; Smith, J. E.

    2006-12-01

    A number of mechanisms can lead to the presence of disconnected bubbles or ganglia of gas phase in groundwater. When associated with or near a DNAPL phase, the disconnected gas phase experiences mass transfer of dissolved gases including the volatile components of the DNAPL. The properties of the gas phase interface, such as interfacial tension and contact angle, can also be affected. This work addresses the behavior of spontaneous continual growth of initially trapped seed gas bubbles within DNAPL source zones. Three different experiments were performed in a 2-dimensional transparent flow cell 15 cm by 20 cm by 1.5 cm. In each case, a DNAPL pool was created within larger glass beads over smaller glass beads that served as a capillary barrier. The DNAPL consisted of either a 1:2 (v/v) tetrachloroethene (PCE) to benzene mixture, single component PCE, or single component TCE. The experiments effectively demonstrate spontaneous gas phase expansion and vertical advective mobilization of gas bubbles and ganglia above the DNAPL source zone. A cycle of gas phase growth and mobilization was facilitated by the presence of secondary seed bubbles left behind due to snap-off during vertical bubble (ganglion) mobilization. This gas phase growth process was relatively slow but continuous and could be expected to continue until the NAPL is completely dissolved. Some implications of the demonstrated behavior for water flow and mass transfer within and near the DNAPL source zone are highlighted.

  8. Surface and Thin Film Analysis during Metal Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxial Growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richter, Wolfgang

    2007-06-01

    In-situ analysis of epitaxial growth is the essential ingredient in order to understand the growth process, to optimize growth and last but not least to monitor or even control the epitaxial growth on a microscopic scale. In MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) in-situ analysis tools existed right from the beginning because this technique developed from Surface Science technology with all its electron based analysis tools (LEED, RHEED, PES etc). Vapour Phase Epitaxy, in contrast, remained for a long time in an empirical stage ("alchemy") because only post growth characterisations like photoluminescence, Hall effect and electrical conductivity were available. Within the last two decades, however, optical techniques were developed which provide similar capabilities as in MBE for Vapour Phase growth. I will discuss in this paper the potential of Reflectance Anisotropy Spectroscopy (RAS) and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) for the growth of thin epitaxial semiconductor layers with zincblende (GaAs etc) and wurtzite structure (GaN etc). Other techniques and materials will be also mentioned.

  9. Economy, efficiency, and the evolution of pollen tube growth rates.

    PubMed

    Williams, Joseph H; Edwards, Jacob A; Ramsey, Adam J

    2016-03-01

    Pollen tube growth rate (PTGR) is an important aspect of male gametophyte performance because of its central role in the fertilization process. Theory suggests that under intense competition, PTGRs should evolve to be faster, especially if PTGR accurately reflects gametophyte quality. Oddly, we know remarkably little about how effectively the work of tube construction is translated to elongation (growth and growth rate). Here we test the prediction that pollen tubes grow equally efficiently by comparing the scaling of wall production rate (WPR) to PTGR in three water lilies that flower concurrently: Nymphaea odorata, Nuphar advena and Brasenia schreberi. Single-donor pollinations on flower or carpel pairs were fixed just after pollen germination (time A) and 45 min later (time B). Mean PTGR was calculated as the average increase in tube length over that growth period. Tube circumferences (C) and wall thicknesses (W) were measured at time B. For each donor, WPR = mean (C × W) × mean PTGR. Within species, pollen tubes maintained a constant WPR to PTGR ratio, but species had significantly different ratios. N. odorata and N. advena had similar PTGRs, but for any given PTGR, they had the lowest and highest WPRs, respectively. We showed that growth rate efficiencies evolved by changes in the volume of wall material used for growth and in how that material was partitioned between lateral and length dimensions. The economics of pollen tube growth are determined by tube design, which is consequent on trade-offs between efficient growth and other pollen tube functions. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

  10. Fatigue Crack Growth Rate and Stress-Intensity Factor Corrections for Out-of-Plane Crack Growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Forth, Scott C.; Herman, Dave J.; James, Mark A.

    2003-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth rate testing is performed by automated data collection systems that assume straight crack growth in the plane of symmetry and use standard polynomial solutions to compute crack length and stress-intensity factors from compliance or potential drop measurements. Visual measurements used to correct the collected data typically include only the horizontal crack length, which for cracks that propagate out-of-plane, under-estimates the crack growth rates and over-estimates the stress-intensity factors. The authors have devised an approach for correcting both the crack growth rates and stress-intensity factors based on two-dimensional mixed mode-I/II finite element analysis (FEA). The approach is used to correct out-of-plane data for 7050-T7451 and 2025-T6 aluminum alloys. Results indicate the correction process works well for high DeltaK levels but fails to capture the mixed-mode effects at DeltaK levels approaching threshold (da/dN approximately 10(exp -10) meter/cycle).

  11. Blue phase-change recording at high data densities and data rates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dekker, Martijn K.; Pfeffer, Nicola; Kuijper, Maarten; Ubbens, Igolt P.; Coene, Wim M. J.; Meinders, E. R.; Borg, Herman J.

    2000-09-01

    For the DVR system with the use of a blue laser diode (wavelength 405 nm) we developed (12 cm) discs with a total capacity of 22.4 GB. The land/groove track pitch is 0.30 micrometers and the channel bit length is 87 nm. The DVR system uses a d equals 1 code. These phase change discs can be recorded at continuous angular velocity at a maximum of 50 Mbps user data rate (including all format and ECC overhead) and meet the system specifications. Fast growth determined phase change materials (FGM) are used for the active layer. In order to apply these FGM discs at small track pitch special attention has been paid to the issue of thermal cross-write. Finally routes towards higher capacities such as advanced bit detection schemes and the use of a smaller track pitch are considered. These show the feasibility in the near future of at least 26.0 GB on a disc for the DVR system with a blue laser diode.

  12. Brain Growth Rate Abnormalities Visualized in Adolescents with Autism

    PubMed Central

    Hua, Xue; Thompson, Paul M.; Leow, Alex D.; Madsen, Sarah K.; Caplan, Rochelle; Alger, Jeffry R.; O’Neill, Joseph; Joshi, Kishori; Smalley, Susan L.; Toga, Arthur W.; Levitt, Jennifer G.

    2014-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous disorder of brain development with wide-ranging cognitive deficits. Typically diagnosed before age 3, ASD is behaviorally defined but patients are thought to have protracted alterations in brain maturation. With longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we mapped an anomalous developmental trajectory of the brains of autistic compared to those of typically developing children and adolescents. Using tensor-based morphometry (TBM), we created 3D maps visualizing regional tissue growth rates based on longitudinal brain MRI scans of 13 autistic and 7 typically developing boys (mean age/inter-scan interval: autism 12.0 ± 2.3 years/2.9 ± 0.9 years; control 12.3 ± 2.4/2.8 ± 0.8). The typically developing boys demonstrated strong whole-brain white matter growth during this period, but the autistic boys showed abnormally slowed white matter development (p = 0.03, corrected), especially in the parietal (p = 0.008), temporal (p = 0.03) and occipital lobes (p =0.02). We also visualized abnormal overgrowth in autism in some gray matter structures, such as the putamen and anterior cingulate cortex. Our findings reveal aberrant growth rates in brain regions implicated in social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive behaviors in autism, suggesting that growth rate abnormalities persist into adolescence. TBM revealed persisting growth rate anomalies long after diagnosis, which has implications for evaluation of therapeutic effects. PMID:22021093

  13. Brain growth rate abnormalities visualized in adolescents with autism.

    PubMed

    Hua, Xue; Thompson, Paul M; Leow, Alex D; Madsen, Sarah K; Caplan, Rochelle; Alger, Jeffry R; O'Neill, Joseph; Joshi, Kishori; Smalley, Susan L; Toga, Arthur W; Levitt, Jennifer G

    2013-02-01

    Autism spectrum disorder is a heterogeneous disorder of brain development with wide ranging cognitive deficits. Typically diagnosed before age 3, autism spectrum disorder is behaviorally defined but patients are thought to have protracted alterations in brain maturation. With longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we mapped an anomalous developmental trajectory of the brains of autistic compared with those of typically developing children and adolescents. Using tensor-based morphometry, we created 3D maps visualizing regional tissue growth rates based on longitudinal brain MRI scans of 13 autistic and seven typically developing boys (mean age/interscan interval: autism 12.0 ± 2.3 years/2.9 ± 0.9 years; control 12.3 ± 2.4/2.8 ± 0.8). The typically developing boys demonstrated strong whole brain white matter growth during this period, but the autistic boys showed abnormally slowed white matter development (P = 0.03, corrected), especially in the parietal (P = 0.008), temporal (P = 0.03), and occipital lobes (P = 0.02). We also visualized abnormal overgrowth in autism in gray matter structures such as the putamen and anterior cingulate cortex. Our findings reveal aberrant growth rates in brain regions implicated in social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive behaviors in autism, suggesting that growth rate abnormalities persist into adolescence. Tensor-based morphometry revealed persisting growth rate anomalies long after diagnosis, which has implications for evaluation of therapeutic effects. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Effect of cell size and shear stress on bacterium growth rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fadlallah, Hadi; Jarrahi, Mojtaba; Herbert, Éric; Peerhossaini, Hassan; PEF Team

    2015-11-01

    Effect of shear stress on the growth rate of Synechocystis and Chlamydomonas cells is studied. An experimental setup was prepared to monitor the growth rate of the microorganisms versus the shear rate inside a clean room, under atmospheric pressure and 20 °C temperature. Digital magnetic agitators are placed inside a closed chamber provided with airflow, under a continuous uniform light intensity over 4 weeks. In order to study the effect of shear stress on the growth rate, different frequencies of agitation are tested, 2 vessels filled with 150 ml of each specie were placed on different agitating system at the desired frequency. The growth rate is monitored daily by measuring the optical density and then correlate it to the cellular concentration. The PH was adjusted to 7 in order to maintain the photosynthetic activity. Furthermore, to measure the shear stress distribution, the flow velocity field was measured using PIV. Zones of high and low shear stress were identified. Results show that the growth rate is independent of the shear stress magnitude, mostly for Synechocystis, and with lower independency for Chlamydomonas depending on the cell size for each species.

  15. 3D fold growth rates in transpressional tectonic settings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frehner, Marcel

    2015-04-01

    Geological folds are inherently three-dimensional (3D) structures; hence, they also grow in 3D. In this study, fold growth in all three dimensions is quantified numerically using a finite-element algorithm for simulating deformation of Newtonian media in 3D. The presented study is an extension and generalization of the work presented in Frehner (2014), which only considered unidirectional layer-parallel compression. In contrast, the full range from strike slip settings (i.e., simple shear) to unidirectional layer-parallel compression is considered here by varying the convergence angle of the boundary conditions; hence the results are applicable to general transpressional tectonic settings. Only upright symmetrical single-layer fold structures are considered. The horizontal higher-viscous layer exhibits an initial point-like perturbation. Due to the mixed pure- and simple shear boundary conditions a mechanical buckling instability grows from this perturbation in all three dimensions, described by: Fold amplification (vertical growth): Fold amplification describes the growth from a fold shape with low limb-dip angle to a shape with higher limb-dip angle. Fold elongation (growth parallel to fold axis): Fold elongation describes the growth from a dome-shaped (3D) structure to a more cylindrical fold (2D). Sequential fold growth (growth perpendicular to fold axial plane): Sequential fold growth describes the growth of secondary (and further) folds adjacent to the initial isolated fold. The term 'lateral fold growth' is used as an umbrella term for both fold elongation and sequential fold growth. In addition, the orientation of the fold axis is tracked as a function of the convergence angle. Even though the absolute values of all three growth rates are markedly reduced with increasing simple-shear component at the boundaries, the general pattern of the quantified fold growth under the studied general-shear boundary conditions is surprisingly similar to the end

  16. Liquid phase electroepitaxial bulk growth of binary and ternary alloy semiconductors under external magnetic field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheibani, Hamdi

    2002-01-01

    Liquid Phase Electroepitaxy (LPEE) and is a relatively new, promising technique for producing high quality, thick compound semiconductors and their alloys. The main objectives are to reduce the adverse effect of natural convection and to determine the optimum growth conditions for reproducible desired crystals for the optoelectronic and electronic device industry. Among the available techniques for suppressing the adverse effect of natural convection, the application of an external magnetic field seems the most feasible one. The research work in this dissertation consists of two parts. The first part is focused on the design and development of a state of the art LPEE facility with a novel crucible design, that can produce bulk crystals of quality higher than those achieved by the existing LPEE system. A growth procedure was developed to take advantage of this novel crucible design. The research of the growth of InGaAs single crystals presented in this thesis will be a basis for the future LPEE growth of other important material and is an ideal vehicle for the development of a ternary crystal growth process. The second part of the research program is the experimental study of the LPEE growth process of high quality bulk single crystals of binary/ternary semiconductors under applied magnetic field. The compositional uniformity of grown crystals was measured by Electron Probe Micro-analysis (EPMA) and X-ray microanalysis. The state-of-the-art LPEE system developed at University of Victoria, because of its novel design features, has achieved a growth rate of about 4.5 mm/day (with the application of an external fixed magnetic field of 4.5 KGauss and 3 A/cm2 electric current density), and a growth rate of about 11 mm/day (with 4.5 KGauss magnetic field and 7 A/cm2 electric current density). This achievement is simply a breakthrough in LPEE, making this growth technique absolutely a bulk growth technique and putting it in competition with other bulk growth techniques

  17. The Effect of the Laboratory Specimen on Fatigue Crack Growth Rate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Forth, S. C.; Johnston, W. M.; Seshadri, B. R.

    2006-01-01

    Over the past thirty years, laboratory experiments have been devised to develop fatigue crack growth rate data that is representative of the material response. The crack growth rate data generated in the laboratory is then used to predict the safe operating envelope of a structure. The ability to interrelate laboratory data and structural response is called similitude. In essence, a nondimensional term, called the stress intensity factor, was developed that includes the applied stresses, crack size and geometric configuration. The stress intensity factor is then directly related to the rate at which cracks propagate in a material, resulting in the material property of fatigue crack growth response. Standardized specimen configurations and experimental procedures have been developed for laboratory testing to generate crack growth rate data that supports similitude of the stress intensity factor solution. In this paper, the authors present laboratory fatigue crack growth rate test data and finite element analyses that show similitude between standard specimen configurations tested using the constant stress ratio test method is unobtainable.

  18. Do fish growth rates correlate with PCB body burdens?

    Treesearch

    Andrew L. Rypel; David R. Bayne

    2010-01-01

    We evaluated whether growth rates of six fish species correlated with PCB concentrations in a moderately-to-heavily polluted freshwater ecosystem. Using a large dataset (n ¼ 984 individuals), and after accounting for growth effects related to fish age, habitat, sex, and lipids, growth correlated significantly, but positively with lipid-corrected PCB concentrations for...

  19. The effect of light direction and suspended cell concentrations on algal biofilm growth rates.

    PubMed

    Schnurr, Peter J; Espie, George S; Allen, D Grant

    2014-10-01

    Algae biofilms were grown in a semicontinuous flat plate biofilm photobioreactor to study the effects of light direction and suspended algal cell populations on algal biofilm growth. It was determined that, under the growth conditions and biofilm thicknesses studied, light direction had no effect on long-term algal biofilm growth (26 days); however, light direction did affect the concentration of suspended algal cells by influencing the photon flux density in the growth medium in the photobioreactors. This suspended algal cell population affected short-term (7 days) algae cell recruitment and algal biofilm growth, but additional studies showed that enhanced suspended algal cell populations did not affect biofilm growth rates over the long term (26 days). Studying profiles of light transmittance through biofilms as they grew showed that most of the light became attenuated by the biomass after just a few days of growth (88 % after 3 days). The estimated biofilm thicknesses after these few days of growth were approximately 150 μm. The light attenuation data suggests that, although the biofilms grew to 700-900 μm, under these light intensities, only the first few hundred micrometers of the biofilm is receiving enough light to be photosynthetically active. We postulate that this photosynthetically active layer of the biofilm grows adjacent to the light source, while the rest of the biofilm is in a stationary growth phase. The results of this study have implications for algal biofilm photobioreactor design and operation.

  20. Pretreatment Growth Rate Predicts Radiation Response in Vestibular Schwannomas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Niu, Nina N.; Harvard Medical School, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Niemierko, Andrzej

    Purpose: Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are often followed without initial therapeutic intervention because many tumors do not grow and radiation therapy is associated with potential adverse effects. In an effort to determine whether maximizing initial surveillance predicts for later treatment response, the predictive value of preirradiation growth rate of VS on response to radiation therapy was assessed. Methods and Materials: Sixty-four patients with 65 VS were treated with single-fraction stereotactic radiation surgery or fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy. Pre- and postirradiation linear expansion rates were estimated using volumetric measurements on sequential magnetic resonance images (MRIs). In addition, postirradiation tumor volume change wasmore » classified as demonstrating shrinkage (ratio of volume on last follow-up MRI to MRI immediately preceding irradiation <80%), stability (ratio 80%-120%), or expansion (ratio >120%). The median pre- and postirradiation follow-up was 20.0 and 27.5 months, respectively. Seven tumors from neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) patients were excluded from statistical analyses. Results: In the 58 non-NF2 patients, there was a trend of correlation between pre- and postirradiation volume change rates (slope on linear regression, 0.29; P=.06). Tumors demonstrating postirradiation expansion had a median preirradiation growth rate of 89%/year, and those without postirradiation expansion had a median preirradiation growth rate of 41%/year (P=.02). As the preirradiation growth rate increased, the probability of postirradiation expansion also increased. Overall, 24.1% of tumors were stable, 53.4% experienced shrinkage, and 22.5% experienced expansion. Predictors of no postirradiation tumor expansion included no prior surgery (P=.01) and slower tumor growth rate (P=.02). The control of tumors in NF2 patients was only 43%. Conclusions: Radiation therapy is an effective treatment for VS, but tumors that grow quickly

  1. Plasma Instability Growth Rates in the F-Region Cusp Ionosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moen, J. I.; Daabakk, Y.; Oksavik, K.; Clausen, L.; Bekkeng, T. A.; Abe, T.; Saito, Y.; Baddeley, L. J.; Lorentzen, D. A.; Sigernes, F.; Yeoman, T. K.

    2014-12-01

    There are at least two different micro-instability processes that applies to the F-region cusp/polar cap ionosphere. These are the Gradient Drift Instability (GDI) and the Kelvin Helmholtz Instability (KHI). Due to space weather effects on radio communication and satellite signals it is of practical interest to assess the relative importance of these two instability modes and to quantify their growth rates. The Investigation of Cusp Irregularities (ICI) rocket program has been developed to investigate these plasma instabilities and formation scintillation irregularities. High resolution measurements are critical to get realistic quantities on the growth rates. The results achieved so far demonstrates that cusp ionosphere precipitation can give rise to km scale plasma structures on which grow rates are down to a few tens of seconds compared to earlier measures of ten minutes based on ground observations. This has to do with the spatial resolution required for these measurements. Growth rates for the KHI instability is found to be of the same order, which is consistent with growth rates calculated from the EISCAT Svalbard Radar. I.e. both instability modes can be highly efficient in the cusp ionosphere.

  2. Secondary growth mechanism of SiGe islands deposited on a mixed-phase microcrystalline Si by ion beam co-sputtering.

    PubMed

    Ke, S Y; Yang, J; Qiu, F; Wang, Z Q; Wang, C; Yang, Y

    2015-11-06

    We discuss the SiGe island co-sputtering deposition on a microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) buffer layer and the secondary island growth based on this pre-SiGe island layer. The growth phenomenon of SiGe islands on crystalline silicon (c-Si) is also investigated for comparison. The pre-SiGe layer grown on μc-Si exhibits a mixed-phase structure, including SiGe islands and amorphous SiGe (a-SiGe) alloy, while the layer deposited on c-Si shows a single-phase island structure. The preferential growth and Ostwald ripening growth are shown to be the secondary growth mechanism of SiGe islands on μc-Si and c-Si, respectively. This difference may result from the effect of amorphous phase Si (AP-Si) in μc-Si on the island growth. In addition, the Si-Ge intermixing behavior of the secondary-grown islands on μc-Si is interpreted by constructing the model of lateral atomic migration, while this behavior on c-Si is ascribed to traditional uphill atomic diffusion. It is found that the aspect ratios of the preferential-grown super islands are higher than those of the Ostwald-ripening ones. The lower lateral growth rate of super islands due to the lower surface energy of AP-Si on the μc-Si buffer layer for the non-wetting of Ge at 700 °C and the stronger Si-Ge intermixing effect at 730 °C may be responsible for this aspect ratio difference.

  3. Phytoplankton production and taxon-specific growth rates in the Costa Rica Dome

    PubMed Central

    Selph, Karen E.; Landry, Michael R.; Taylor, Andrew G.; Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Andrés; Stukel, Michael R.; Wokuluk, John; Pasulka, Alexis

    2016-01-01

    During summer 2010, we investigated phytoplankton production and growth rates at 19 stations in the eastern tropical Pacific, where winds and strong opposing currents generate the Costa Rica Dome (CRD), an open-ocean upwelling feature. Primary production (14C-incorporation) and group-specific growth and net growth rates (two-treatment seawater dilution method) were estimated from samples incubated in situ at eight depths. Our cruise coincided with a mild El Niño event, and only weak upwelling was observed in the CRD. Nevertheless, the highest phytoplankton abundances were found near the dome center. However, mixed-layer growth rates were lowest in the dome center (∼0.5–0.9 day−1), but higher on the edge of the dome (∼0.9–1.0 day−1) and in adjacent coastal waters (0.9–1.3 day−1). We found good agreement between independent methods to estimate growth rates. Mixed-layer growth rates of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus were largely balanced by mortality, whereas eukaryotic phytoplankton showed positive net growth (∼0.5–0.6 day−1), that is, growth available to support larger (mesozooplankton) consumer biomass. These are the first group-specific phytoplankton rate estimates in this region, and they demonstrate that integrated primary production is high, exceeding 1 g C m−2 day−1 on average, even during a period of reduced upwelling. PMID:27275025

  4. Phytoplankton production and taxon-specific growth rates in the Costa Rica Dome.

    PubMed

    Selph, Karen E; Landry, Michael R; Taylor, Andrew G; Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Andrés; Stukel, Michael R; Wokuluk, John; Pasulka, Alexis

    2016-03-01

    During summer 2010, we investigated phytoplankton production and growth rates at 19 stations in the eastern tropical Pacific, where winds and strong opposing currents generate the Costa Rica Dome (CRD), an open-ocean upwelling feature. Primary production ( 14 C-incorporation) and group-specific growth and net growth rates (two-treatment seawater dilution method) were estimated from samples incubated in situ at eight depths. Our cruise coincided with a mild El Niño event, and only weak upwelling was observed in the CRD. Nevertheless, the highest phytoplankton abundances were found near the dome center. However, mixed-layer growth rates were lowest in the dome center (∼0.5-0.9 day -1 ), but higher on the edge of the dome (∼0.9-1.0 day -1 ) and in adjacent coastal waters (0.9-1.3 day -1 ). We found good agreement between independent methods to estimate growth rates. Mixed-layer growth rates of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus were largely balanced by mortality, whereas eukaryotic phytoplankton showed positive net growth (∼0.5-0.6 day -1 ), that is, growth available to support larger (mesozooplankton) consumer biomass. These are the first group-specific phytoplankton rate estimates in this region, and they demonstrate that integrated primary production is high, exceeding 1 g C m -2 day -1 on average, even during a period of reduced upwelling.

  5. Radiocarbon Based Ages and Growth Rates: Hawaiian Deep Sea Corals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Roark, E B; Guilderson, T P; Dunbar, R B

    2006-01-13

    The radial growth rates and ages of three different groups of Hawaiian deep-sea 'corals' were determined using radiocarbon measurements. Specimens of Corallium secundum, Gerardia sp., and Leiopathes glaberrima, were collected from 450 {+-} 40 m at the Makapuu deep-sea coral bed using a submersible (PISCES V). Specimens of Antipathes dichotoma were collected at 50 m off Lahaina, Maui. The primary source of carbon to the calcitic C. secundum skeleton is in situ dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Using bomb {sup 14}C time markers we calculate radial growth rates of {approx} 170 {micro}m y{sup -1} and ages of 68-75 years on specimensmore » as tall as 28 cm of C. secundum. Gerardia sp., A. dichotoma, and L. glaberrima have proteinaceous skeletons and labile particulate organic carbon (POC) is their primary source of architectural carbon. Using {sup 14}C we calculate a radial growth rate of 15 {micro}m y{sup -1} and an age of 807 {+-} 30 years for a live collected Gerardia sp., showing that these organisms are extremely long lived. Inner and outer {sup 14}C measurements on four sub-fossil Gerardia spp. samples produce similar growth rate estimates (range 14-45 {micro}m y{sup -1}) and ages (range 450-2742 years) as observed for the live collected sample. Similarly, with a growth rate of < 10 {micro}m y{sup -1} and an age of {approx}2377 years, L. glaberrima at the Makapuu coral bed, is also extremely long lived. In contrast, the shallow-collected A. dichotoma samples yield growth rates ranging from 130 to 1,140 {micro}m y{sup -1}. These results show that Hawaiian deep-sea corals grow more slowly and are older than previously thought.« less

  6. Convection Constraints and Current Sheet Thinning During the Substorm Growth Phase

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Otto, A.; Hsieh, M.

    2012-12-01

    A typical property during the growth phase of geomagnetic substorms is the thinning of the near-Earth current sheet, most pronounced in the region between 6 and 15 RE. We propose that the cause for this current sheet thinning is convection from the midnight tail region to the dayside to replenish magnetospheric magnetic flux that is eroded at the dayside as a result of dayside reconnection. Slow (adiabatic) convection from the near-Earth tail region toward the dayside must conserve the entropy on magnetic field lines. This constraint prohibits a source of magnetic flux from a region further out in the magnetotail. Thus the near-Earth tail region is increasingly depleted of magnetic flux (the Erickson and Wolf [1980] problem) with entropy matching that of flux tubes that are eroded on the dayside. It is proposed that the magnetic flux depletion in the near-Earth tail forces the formation of thin current layers. The process is illustrated and examined by three-dimensional meso-scale MHD simulations. It is shown that the simulations yield a time scale, location, and other general characteristics of the current sheet evolution consistent with observations during the substorm growth phase. The developing thin current sheet is easily destabilized and can undergo localized reconnection events. We present properties of the thinning current sheet, the associated entropy evolution, examples of localized reconnection onset and we discuss the dependence of this process on external parameters such the global reconnection rate.

  7. Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Vegetative Growth Rate in the Edible Basidiomycete Pleurotus ostreatus

    PubMed Central

    Larraya, Luis M.; Idareta, Eneko; Arana, Dani; Ritter, Enrique; Pisabarro, Antonio G.; Ramírez, Lucia

    2002-01-01

    Mycelium growth rate is a quantitative characteristic that exhibits continuous variation. This trait has applied interest, as growth rate is correlated with production yield and increased advantage against competitors. In this work, we studied growth rate variation in the edible basidiomycete Pleurotus ostreatus growing as monokaryotic or dikaryotic mycelium on Eger medium or on wheat straw. Our analysis resulted in identification of several genomic regions (quantitative trait loci [QTLs]) involved in the control of growth rate that can be mapped on the genetic linkage map of this fungus. In some cases monokaryotic and dikaryotic QTLs clustered at the same map position, indicating that there are principal genomic areas responsible for growth rate control. The availability of this linkage map of growth rate QTLs can help in the design of rational strain breeding programs based on genomic information. PMID:11872457

  8. Metabolic enzyme cost explains variable trade-offs between microbial growth rate and yield

    PubMed Central

    Ferris, Michael; Bruggeman, Frank J.

    2018-01-01

    Microbes may maximize the number of daughter cells per time or per amount of nutrients consumed. These two strategies correspond, respectively, to the use of enzyme-efficient or substrate-efficient metabolic pathways. In reality, fast growth is often associated with wasteful, yield-inefficient metabolism, and a general thermodynamic trade-off between growth rate and biomass yield has been proposed to explain this. We studied growth rate/yield trade-offs by using a novel modeling framework, Enzyme-Flux Cost Minimization (EFCM) and by assuming that the growth rate depends directly on the enzyme investment per rate of biomass production. In a comprehensive mathematical model of core metabolism in E. coli, we screened all elementary flux modes leading to cell synthesis, characterized them by the growth rates and yields they provide, and studied the shape of the resulting rate/yield Pareto front. By varying the model parameters, we found that the rate/yield trade-off is not universal, but depends on metabolic kinetics and environmental conditions. A prominent trade-off emerges under oxygen-limited growth, where yield-inefficient pathways support a 2-to-3 times higher growth rate than yield-efficient pathways. EFCM can be widely used to predict optimal metabolic states and growth rates under varying nutrient levels, perturbations of enzyme parameters, and single or multiple gene knockouts. PMID:29451895

  9. Adaptation to Low Temperature Exposure Increases Metabolic Rates Independently of Growth Rates

    PubMed Central

    Williams, Caroline M.; Szejner-Sigal, Andre; Morgan, Theodore J.; Edison, Arthur S.; Allison, David B.; Hahn, Daniel A.

    2016-01-01

    Metabolic cold adaptation is a pattern where ectotherms from cold, high-latitude, or -altitude habitats have higher metabolic rates than ectotherms from warmer habitats. When found, metabolic cold adaptation is often attributed to countergradient selection, wherein short, cool growing seasons select for a compensatory increase in growth rates and development times of ectotherms. Yet, ectotherms in high-latitude and -altitude environments face many challenges in addition to thermal and time constraints on lifecycles. In addition to short, cool growing seasons, high-latitude and - altitude environments are characterized by regular exposure to extreme low temperatures, which cause ectotherms to enter a transient state of immobility termed chill coma. The ability to resume activity quickly after chill coma increases with latitude and altitude in patterns consistent with local adaptation to cold conditions. We show that artificial selection for fast and slow chill coma recovery among lines of the fly Drosophila melanogaster also affects rates of respiratory metabolism. Cold-hardy fly lines, with fast recovery from chill coma, had higher respiratory metabolic rates than control lines, with cold-susceptible slow-recovering lines having the lowest metabolic rates. Fast chill coma recovery was also associated with higher respiratory metabolism in a set of lines derived from a natural population. Although their metabolic rates were higher than control lines, fast-recovering cold-hardy lines did not have faster growth rates or development times than control lines. This suggests that raised metabolic rates in high-latitude and -altitude species may be driven by adaptation to extreme low temperatures, illustrating the importance of moving “Beyond the Mean”. PMID:27103615

  10. Nationwide Macroeconomic Variables and the Growth Rate of Bariatric Surgeries in Brazil.

    PubMed

    Cazzo, Everton; Ramos, Almino Cardoso; Pareja, José Carlos; Chaim, Elinton Adami

    2018-06-06

    The effect of nationwide economic issues on the necessary expansion in the number of bariatric procedures remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether there are correlations between the growth rate in the number of bariatric surgeries and the major macroeconomic variables over time in Brazil. It is a nationwide analysis regarding the number of bariatric surgeries in Brazil and the main national macroeconomic variables from 2003 through 2016: gross domestic product (GDP), inflation rate, and the unemployment rate, as well as the evolution in the number of registered bariatric surgeons. There were significant positive correlations of the growth rate of surgeries with the early variations of the GDP (R = 0.5558; p = 0.04863) and of the overall health expenditure per capita (R = 0.78322; p = 0.00259). The growth rate of the number of bariatric surgeries was not correlated with the unemployment and inflation rates, as well as with the growth rate of available bariatric surgeons. There were direct relationships between the growth rate of bariatric surgeries and the evolutions of the GDP and health care expenditure per capita. These variables appear to influence the nationwide offer of bariatric surgery.

  11. Disilane as a growth rate catalyst of plasma deposited microcrystalline silicon thin films

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dimitrakellis, P.; Amanatides, E., E-mail: lef@plasmatech.gr; Mataras, D.

    2016-07-15

    The effect of small disilane addition on the gas phase properties of silane-hydrogen plasmas and the microcrystalline silicon thin films growth is presented. The investigation was conducted in the high pressure regime and for constant power dissipation in the discharge with the support of plasma diagnostics, thin film studies and calculations of discharge microscopic parameters and gas dissociation rates. The experimental data and the calculations show a strong effect of disilane on the electrical properties of the discharge in the pressure window from 2 to 3 Torr that is followed by significant raise of the electron number density and themore » drop of the sheaths electric field intensity. Deposition rate measurements show an important four to six times increase even for disilane mole fractions as low as 0.3 %. The deposition rate enhancement was followed by a drop of the material crystalline volume fraction but films with crystallinity above 40 % were deposited with different combinations of total gas pressure, disilane and silane molar ratios. The enhancement was partly explained by the increase of the electron impact dissociation rate of silane which rises by 40% even for 0.1% disilane mole fraction. The calculations of the gas usage, the dissociation and the deposition efficiencies show that the beneficial effect on the growth rate is not just the result of the increase of Si-containing molecules density but significant changes on the species participating to the deposition and the mechanism of the film growth are caused by the disilane addition. The enhanced participation of the highly sticking to the surface radical such as disilylene, which is the main product of disilane dissociation, was considered as the most probable reason for the significant raise of the deposition efficiency. The catalytic effect of such type of radical on the surface reactivity of species with lower sticking probability is further discussed, while it is also used to explain the

  12. Disilane as a growth rate catalyst of plasma deposited microcrystalline silicon thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dimitrakellis, P.; Kalampounias, A. G.; Spiliopoulos, N.; Amanatides, E.; Mataras, D.; Lahootun, V.; Coeuret, F.; Madec, A.

    2016-07-01

    The effect of small disilane addition on the gas phase properties of silane-hydrogen plasmas and the microcrystalline silicon thin films growth is presented. The investigation was conducted in the high pressure regime and for constant power dissipation in the discharge with the support of plasma diagnostics, thin film studies and calculations of discharge microscopic parameters and gas dissociation rates. The experimental data and the calculations show a strong effect of disilane on the electrical properties of the discharge in the pressure window from 2 to 3 Torr that is followed by significant raise of the electron number density and the drop of the sheaths electric field intensity. Deposition rate measurements show an important four to six times increase even for disilane mole fractions as low as 0.3 %. The deposition rate enhancement was followed by a drop of the material crystalline volume fraction but films with crystallinity above 40 % were deposited with different combinations of total gas pressure, disilane and silane molar ratios. The enhancement was partly explained by the increase of the electron impact dissociation rate of silane which rises by 40% even for 0.1% disilane mole fraction. The calculations of the gas usage, the dissociation and the deposition efficiencies show that the beneficial effect on the growth rate is not just the result of the increase of Si-containing molecules density but significant changes on the species participating to the deposition and the mechanism of the film growth are caused by the disilane addition. The enhanced participation of the highly sticking to the surface radical such as disilylene, which is the main product of disilane dissociation, was considered as the most probable reason for the significant raise of the deposition efficiency. The catalytic effect of such type of radical on the surface reactivity of species with lower sticking probability is further discussed, while it is also used to explain the restricted

  13. Effects of growth phase on the membrane lipid composition of the thaumarchaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus and their implications for archaeal lipid distributions in the marine environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elling, Felix J.; Könneke, Martin; Lipp, Julius S.; Becker, Kevin W.; Gagen, Emma J.; Hinrichs, Kai-Uwe

    2014-09-01

    The characteristic glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether membrane lipids (GDGTs) of marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are widely used as biomarkers for studying their occurrence and distribution in marine environments and for reconstructing past sea surface temperatures using the TEX86 index. Despite an increasing use of GDGT biomarkers in microbial ecology and paleoceanography, the physiological and environmental factors influencing lipid composition in AOA, in particular the cyclization of GDGTs, remain unconstrained. We investigated the effect of metabolic state on the composition of intact polar and core lipids and the resulting TEX86 paleothermometer in pure cultures of the marine AOA Nitrosopumilus maritimus as a function of growth phase. The cellular lipid content ranged from 0.9 to 1.9 fg cell-1 and increased during growth but was lower in the stationary phases, indicating changes in average cell size in response to metabolic status. The relative abundances of monoglycosidic GDGTs increased from 27% in early growth phase to 60% in late stationary phase, while monohydroxylated GDGTs increased only slightly. The proportions of characteristic hexose-phosphohexose GDGTs were up to 7-fold higher during growth than in stationary phase, suggesting that they are valuable biomarkers for the metabolically active fraction of AOA assemblages in the environment. Methoxy archaeol was identified as novel, genuine archaeal lipid of yet unknown function; it is one of the most abundant single compounds in the lipidome of N. maritimus. TEX86 values of individual intact GDGTs and total GDGTs differed substantially, were generally lower during early and late growth phases than in stationary phase, and did not reflect growth temperature. Consequently, our results strongly suggest that biosynthesis is at least partially responsible for the systematic offsets in TEX86 values between different intact polar GDGT classes observed previously in environmental samples

  14. Increases in plasma sheet temperature with solar wind driving during substorm growth phases

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forsyth, C.; Watt, C. E. J.; Rae, I. J.; Fazakerley, A. N.; Kalmoni, N. M. E.; Freeman, M. P.; Boakes, P. D.; Nakamura, R.; Dandouras, I.; Kistler, L. M.; Jackman, C. M.; Coxon, J. C.; Carr, C. M.

    2014-12-01

    During substorm growth phases, magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause extracts ~1015 J from the solar wind which is then stored in the magnetotail lobes. Plasma sheet pressure increases to balance magnetic flux density increases in the lobes. Here we examine plasma sheet pressure, density, and temperature during substorm growth phases using 9 years of Cluster data (>316,000 data points). We show that plasma sheet pressure and temperature are higher during growth phases with higher solar wind driving, whereas the density is approximately constant. We also show a weak correlation between plasma sheet temperature before onset and the minimum SuperMAG AL (SML) auroral index in the subsequent substorm. We discuss how energization of the plasma sheet before onset may result from thermodynamically adiabatic processes; how hotter plasma sheets may result in magnetotail instabilities, and how this relates to the onset and size of the subsequent substorm expansion phase.

  15. Phase-field modeling of two-dimensional crystal growth with anisotropic diffusion.

    PubMed

    Meca, Esteban; Shenoy, Vivek B; Lowengrub, John

    2013-11-01

    In the present article, we introduce a phase-field model for thin-film growth with anisotropic step energy, attachment kinetics, and diffusion, with second-order (thin-interface) corrections. We are mainly interested in the limit in which kinetic anisotropy dominates, and hence we study how the expected shape of a crystallite, which in the long-time limit is the kinetic Wulff shape, is modified by anisotropic diffusion. We present results that prove that anisotropic diffusion plays an important, counterintuitive role in the evolving crystal shape, and we add second-order corrections to the model that provide a significant increase in accuracy for small supersaturations. We also study the effect of different crystal symmetries and discuss the influence of the deposition rate.

  16. Unusual growth rate during cystic echinococcosis.

    PubMed

    Valour, Florent; Khenifer, Safia; Della-Schiava, Nellie; Cotte, Eddy; Guibert, Benoit; Wallon, Martine; Durupt, Stéphane; Durieu, Isabelle

    2014-04-01

    Cystic echinococcosis is a world wild zoonosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus, leading to hepatic and lung cysts with a usually slight growth rate. We report the case of an 82year-old Algerian woman with hepatic and lung cystic echinococcosis with a 10-fold size increase in 6months. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  17. On the growth rate of gallstones in the human gallbladder

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nudelman, I.

    1993-05-01

    The growth rate of a single symmetrically oval shaped gallbladder stone weighing 10.8 g was recorded over a period of six years before surgery and removal. The length of the stone was measured by ultrasonography and the growth rate was found to be linear with time, with a value of 0.4 mm/year. A smaller stone growing in the wall of the gallbladder was detected only three years before removal and grew at a rate of ˜ 1.33 mm/year. The morphology and metallic ion chemical composition of the large stone and of a randomly selected small stone weighing about 1.1 g, extracted from another patient, were analyzed and compared. It was found that the large stone contained besides calcium also lead, whereas the small stone contained mainly calcium. It is possible that the lead causes a difference in mechanism between the growth of a single large and growth of multiple small gallstones.

  18. DKDP crystal growth controlled by cooling rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Xiaoyi; Qi, Hongji; Shao, Jianda

    2017-08-01

    The performance of deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate (DKDP) crystal directly affects beam quality, energy and conversion efficiency in the Inertial Confinement Fusion(ICF)facility, which is related with the initial saturation temperature of solution and the real-time supersaturation during the crystal growth. However, traditional method to measure the saturation temperature is neither efficient nor accurate enough. Besides, the supersaturation is often controlled by experience, which yields the higher error and leads to the instability during the crystal growth. In this paper, DKDP solution with 78% deuteration concentration is crystallized in different temperatures. We study the relation between solubility and temperature of DKDP and fit a theoretical curve with a parabola model. With the model, the measurement of saturation temperature is simplified and the control precision of the cooling rate is improved during the crystal growth, which is beneficial for optimizing the crystal growth process.

  19. Condensation and dissociation rates for gas phase metal clusters from molecular dynamics trajectory calculations

    DOE PAGES

    Yang, Huan; Goudeli, Eirini; Hogan, Christopher J.

    2018-04-24

    In gas phase synthesis systems, clusters form and grow via condensation, in which a monomer binds to an existing cluster. While a hard sphere equation is frequently used to predict the condensation rate coefficient, this equation neglects the influences of potential interactions and cluster internal energy on the condensation process. Here, we present a collision rate theory-Molecular Dynamics simulation approach to calculate condensation probabilities and condensation rate coefficients; we use this approach to examine atomic condensation onto 6-56 atom Au and Mg clusters. The probability of condensation depends upon the initial relative velocity ( v) between atom and cluster andmore » the initial impact parameter ( b). In all cases there is a well-defined region of b-v space where condensation is highly probable, and outside of which the condensation probability drops to zero. For Au clusters with more than 10 atoms, we find that at gas temperatures in the 300-1200 K range, the condensation rate coefficient exceeds the hard sphere rate coefficient by a factor of 1.5-2.0. Conversely, for Au clusters with 10 or fewer atoms, and for 14 atom and 28 atom Mg clusters, as cluster equilibration temperature increases the condensation rate coefficient drops to values below the hard sphere rate coefficient. Calculations also yield the self-dissociation rate coefficient, which is found to vary considerably with gas temperature. Finally, calculations results reveal that grazing (high b) atom-cluster collisions at elevated velocity (> 1000 m s -1) can result in the colliding atom rebounding (bounce) from the cluster surface or binding while another atom dissociates (replacement). In conclusion, the presented method can be applied in developing rate equations to predict material formation and growth rates in vapor phase systems.« less

  20. Condensation and dissociation rates for gas phase metal clusters from molecular dynamics trajectory calculations.

    PubMed

    Yang, Huan; Goudeli, Eirini; Hogan, Christopher J

    2018-04-28

    In gas phase synthesis systems, clusters form and grow via condensation, in which a monomer binds to an existing cluster. While a hard-sphere equation is frequently used to predict the condensation rate coefficient, this equation neglects the influences of potential interactions and cluster internal energy on the condensation process. Here, we present a collision rate theory-molecular dynamics simulation approach to calculate condensation probabilities and condensation rate coefficients. We use this approach to examine atomic condensation onto 6-56-atom Au and Mg clusters. The probability of condensation depends upon the initial relative velocity (v) between atom and cluster and the initial impact parameter (b). In all cases, there is a well-defined region of b-v space where condensation is highly probable, and outside of which the condensation probability drops to zero. For Au clusters with more than 10 atoms, we find that at gas temperatures in the 300-1200 K range, the condensation rate coefficient exceeds the hard-sphere rate coefficient by a factor of 1.5-2.0. Conversely, for Au clusters with 10 or fewer atoms and for 14- and 28-atom Mg clusters, as cluster equilibration temperature increases, the condensation rate coefficient drops to values below the hard-sphere rate coefficient. Calculations also yield the self-dissociation rate coefficient, which is found to vary considerably with gas temperature. Finally, calculations results reveal that grazing (high b) atom-cluster collisions at elevated velocity (>1000 m s -1 ) can result in the colliding atom rebounding (bounce) from the cluster surface or binding while another atom dissociates (replacement). The presented method can be applied in developing rate equations to predict material formation and growth rates in vapor phase systems.

  1. Condensation and dissociation rates for gas phase metal clusters from molecular dynamics trajectory calculations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Huan; Goudeli, Eirini; Hogan, Christopher J.

    In gas phase synthesis systems, clusters form and grow via condensation, in which a monomer binds to an existing cluster. While a hard sphere equation is frequently used to predict the condensation rate coefficient, this equation neglects the influences of potential interactions and cluster internal energy on the condensation process. Here, we present a collision rate theory-Molecular Dynamics simulation approach to calculate condensation probabilities and condensation rate coefficients; we use this approach to examine atomic condensation onto 6-56 atom Au and Mg clusters. The probability of condensation depends upon the initial relative velocity ( v) between atom and cluster andmore » the initial impact parameter ( b). In all cases there is a well-defined region of b-v space where condensation is highly probable, and outside of which the condensation probability drops to zero. For Au clusters with more than 10 atoms, we find that at gas temperatures in the 300-1200 K range, the condensation rate coefficient exceeds the hard sphere rate coefficient by a factor of 1.5-2.0. Conversely, for Au clusters with 10 or fewer atoms, and for 14 atom and 28 atom Mg clusters, as cluster equilibration temperature increases the condensation rate coefficient drops to values below the hard sphere rate coefficient. Calculations also yield the self-dissociation rate coefficient, which is found to vary considerably with gas temperature. Finally, calculations results reveal that grazing (high b) atom-cluster collisions at elevated velocity (> 1000 m s -1) can result in the colliding atom rebounding (bounce) from the cluster surface or binding while another atom dissociates (replacement). In conclusion, the presented method can be applied in developing rate equations to predict material formation and growth rates in vapor phase systems.« less

  2. Condensation and dissociation rates for gas phase metal clusters from molecular dynamics trajectory calculations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Huan; Goudeli, Eirini; Hogan, Christopher J.

    2018-04-01

    In gas phase synthesis systems, clusters form and grow via condensation, in which a monomer binds to an existing cluster. While a hard-sphere equation is frequently used to predict the condensation rate coefficient, this equation neglects the influences of potential interactions and cluster internal energy on the condensation process. Here, we present a collision rate theory-molecular dynamics simulation approach to calculate condensation probabilities and condensation rate coefficients. We use this approach to examine atomic condensation onto 6-56-atom Au and Mg clusters. The probability of condensation depends upon the initial relative velocity (v) between atom and cluster and the initial impact parameter (b). In all cases, there is a well-defined region of b-v space where condensation is highly probable, and outside of which the condensation probability drops to zero. For Au clusters with more than 10 atoms, we find that at gas temperatures in the 300-1200 K range, the condensation rate coefficient exceeds the hard-sphere rate coefficient by a factor of 1.5-2.0. Conversely, for Au clusters with 10 or fewer atoms and for 14- and 28-atom Mg clusters, as cluster equilibration temperature increases, the condensation rate coefficient drops to values below the hard-sphere rate coefficient. Calculations also yield the self-dissociation rate coefficient, which is found to vary considerably with gas temperature. Finally, calculations results reveal that grazing (high b) atom-cluster collisions at elevated velocity (>1000 m s-1) can result in the colliding atom rebounding (bounce) from the cluster surface or binding while another atom dissociates (replacement). The presented method can be applied in developing rate equations to predict material formation and growth rates in vapor phase systems.

  3. Growth rate for blackhole instabilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prabhu, Kartik; Wald, Robert

    2015-04-01

    Hollands and Wald showed that dynamic stability of stationary axisymmetric black holes is equivalent to positivity of canonical energy on a space of linearised axisymmetric perturbations satisfying certain boundary and gauge conditions. Using a reflection isometry of the background, we split the energy into kinetic and potential parts. We show that the kinetic energy is positive. In the case that potential energy is negative, we show existence of exponentially growing perturbations and further obtain a variational formula for the growth rate.

  4. Age class, longevity and growth rate relationships: protracted growth increases in old trees in the eastern United States.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Sarah E; Abrams, Marc D

    2009-11-01

    This study uses data from the International Tree-Ring Data Bank website and tree cores collected in the field to explore growth rate (basal area increment, BAI) relationships across age classes (from young to old) for eight tree species in the eastern US. These species represent a variety of ecological traits and include those in the genera Populus, Quercus, Pinus, Tsuga and Nyssa. We found that most trees in all age classes and species exhibit an increasing BAI throughout their lives. This is particularly unusual for trees in the older age classes that we expected to have declining growth in the later years, as predicted by physiological growth models. There exists an inverse relationship between growth rate and increasing age class. The oldest trees within each species have consistently slow growth throughout their lives, implying an inverse relationship between growth rate and longevity. Younger trees (< 60 years of age) within each species are consistently growing faster than the older trees when they are of the same age resulting from a higher proportion of fast-growing trees in these young age classes. Slow, but increasing, BAI in the oldest trees in recent decades is a continuation of their growth pattern established in previous centuries. The fact that they have not shown a decreasing growth rate in their old age contradicts physiological growth models and may be related to the stimulatory effects of global change phenomenon (climate and land-use history).

  5. Increases in plasma sheet temperature with solar wind driving during substorm growth phases

    PubMed Central

    Forsyth, C; Watt, C E J; Rae, I J; Fazakerley, A N; Kalmoni, N M E; Freeman, M P; Boakes, P D; Nakamura, R; Dandouras, I; Kistler, L M; Jackman, C M; Coxon, J C; Carr, C M

    2014-01-01

    During substorm growth phases, magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause extracts ∼1015 J from the solar wind which is then stored in the magnetotail lobes. Plasma sheet pressure increases to balance magnetic flux density increases in the lobes. Here we examine plasma sheet pressure, density, and temperature during substorm growth phases using 9 years of Cluster data (>316,000 data points). We show that plasma sheet pressure and temperature are higher during growth phases with higher solar wind driving, whereas the density is approximately constant. We also show a weak correlation between plasma sheet temperature before onset and the minimum SuperMAG AL (SML) auroral index in the subsequent substorm. We discuss how energization of the plasma sheet before onset may result from thermodynamically adiabatic processes; how hotter plasma sheets may result in magnetotail instabilities, and how this relates to the onset and size of the subsequent substorm expansion phase. PMID:26074645

  6. Increases in plasma sheet temperature with solar wind driving during substorm growth phases.

    PubMed

    Forsyth, C; Watt, C E J; Rae, I J; Fazakerley, A N; Kalmoni, N M E; Freeman, M P; Boakes, P D; Nakamura, R; Dandouras, I; Kistler, L M; Jackman, C M; Coxon, J C; Carr, C M

    2014-12-28

    During substorm growth phases, magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause extracts ∼10 15  J from the solar wind which is then stored in the magnetotail lobes. Plasma sheet pressure increases to balance magnetic flux density increases in the lobes. Here we examine plasma sheet pressure, density, and temperature during substorm growth phases using 9 years of Cluster data (>316,000 data points). We show that plasma sheet pressure and temperature are higher during growth phases with higher solar wind driving, whereas the density is approximately constant. We also show a weak correlation between plasma sheet temperature before onset and the minimum SuperMAG AL (SML) auroral index in the subsequent substorm. We discuss how energization of the plasma sheet before onset may result from thermodynamically adiabatic processes; how hotter plasma sheets may result in magnetotail instabilities, and how this relates to the onset and size of the subsequent substorm expansion phase.

  7. Co-variation between seed dormancy, growth rate and flowering time changes with latitude in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Debieu, Marilyne; Tang, Chunlao; Stich, Benjamin; Sikosek, Tobias; Effgen, Sigi; Josephs, Emily; Schmitt, Johanna; Nordborg, Magnus; Koornneef, Maarten; de Meaux, Juliette

    2013-01-01

    Life-history traits controlling the duration and timing of developmental phases in the life cycle jointly determine fitness. Therefore, life-history traits studied in isolation provide an incomplete view on the relevance of life-cycle variation for adaptation. In this study, we examine genetic variation in traits covering the major life history events of the annual species Arabidopsis thaliana: seed dormancy, vegetative growth rate and flowering time. In a sample of 112 genotypes collected throughout the European range of the species, both seed dormancy and flowering time follow a latitudinal gradient independent of the major population structure gradient. This finding confirms previous studies reporting the adaptive evolution of these two traits. Here, however, we further analyze patterns of co-variation among traits. We observe that co-variation between primary dormancy, vegetative growth rate and flowering time also follows a latitudinal cline. At higher latitudes, vegetative growth rate is positively correlated with primary dormancy and negatively with flowering time. In the South, this trend disappears. Patterns of trait co-variation change, presumably because major environmental gradients shift with latitude. This pattern appears unrelated to population structure, suggesting that changes in the coordinated evolution of major life history traits is adaptive. Our data suggest that A. thaliana provides a good model for the evolution of trade-offs and their genetic basis.

  8. Crystal Growth Rate Dispersion: A Predictor of Crystal Quality in Microgravity?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kephart, Richard D.; Judge, Russell A.; Snell, Edward H.; vanderWoerd, Mark J.

    2003-01-01

    In theory macromolecular crystals grow through a process involving at least two transport phenomena of solute to the crystal surface: diffusion and convection. In absence of standard gravitational forces, the ratio of these two phenomena can change and explain why crystal growth in microgravity is different from that on Earth. Experimental evidence clearly shows, however, that crystal growth of various systems is not equally sensitive to reduction in gravitational forces, leading to quality improvement in microgravity for some crystals but not for others. We hypothesize that the differences in final crystal quality are related to crystal growth rate dispersion. If growth rate dispersion exists on Earth, decreases in microgravity, and coincides with crystal quality improvements then this dispersion is a predictor for crystal quality improvement. In order to test this hypothesis, we will measure growth rate dispersion both in microgravity and on Earth and will correlate the data with previously established data on crystal quality differences for the two environments. We present here the first crystal growth rate measurement data for three proteins (lysozyme, xylose isomerase and human recombinant insulin), collected on Earth, using hardware identical to the hardware to be used in microgravity and show how these data correlate with crystal quality improvements established in microgravity.

  9. Growth rate dependence of boron incorporation into BxGa1-xAs layers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Detz, H.; MacFarland, D.; Zederbauer, T.; Lancaster, S.; Andrews, A. M.; Schrenk, W.; Strasser, G.

    2017-11-01

    This work provides a comprehensive study of the incorporation behavior of B in growing GaAs under molecular beam epitaxy conditions. Structural characterization of superlattices revealed a strong dependence of the BAs growth rate on the GaAs growth rate used. In general, higher GaAs growth rates lead to a higher apparent BAs growth rate, although lower B cell temperatures showed saturation behavior. Each B cell temperature requires a minimum GaAs growth rate for producing smooth films. The B incorporation into single thick layers was found to be reduced to 75-80% compared to superlattice structures. The p-type carrier densities in 1000 nm thick layers were found to be indirectly proportional to the B content. Furthermore, 500 nm thick BxGa1-xAs layers showed significantly lower carrier concentrations, indicating B segregation on the surface during growth of thicker layers.

  10. Nucleation and growth studies of crystalline carbon phases at nanoscale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mani, Radhika C.

    Understanding the nucleation and early stage growth of crystals from the vapor phase is important for realizing large-area single-crystal quality films, controlled synthesis of nanocrystals, and the possible discovery of new phases of materials. Carbon provides the most interesting system because all its known crystalline phases (diamond, graphite and carbon nanotubes) are technologically important materials. Hence, this dissertation is focused on studying the nucleation and growth of carbon phases synthesized from the vapor phase. Nucleation experiments were performed in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor, and the resulting carbon nanocrystals were analyzed primarily using electron nanodiffraction and Raman spectroscopy. These studies led to the discovery of two new crystalline phases of sp 3 carbon other than diamond: face-centered and body-centered cubic carbon. Nanodiffraction results revealed possible hydrogen substitution into diamond-cubic lattices, indicating that these new phases probably act as intermediates in diamond nucleation. Nucleation experiments also led to the discovery of two new morphologies for sp2 carbon: nanocrystals of graphite and tapered, hollow 1-D structures termed here as "carbon nanopipettes". A Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) algorithm was developed to simulate the growth of individual diamond crystals from the vapor phase, starting with small clusters of carbon atoms (or seeds). Specifically, KMC simulations were used to distinguish the kinetic rules that give rise to a star-shaped decahedral morphology compared to decahedral crystals. KMC simulations revealed that slow adsorption on the {111} step-propagation sites compared to kink sites leads to star-decahedral crystals, and higher adsorption leads to decahedral crystals. Since the surfaces of the nanocrystals of graphite and nanopipettes were expected to be composed primarily of edge-plane sites, the electrochemical behavior of both these materials were

  11. Influences of misfit strains on liquid phase heteroepitaxial growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Yanli; Peng, Yingying; Yu, Genggeng; Chen, Zheng

    2017-10-01

    Influences of misfit strains with different signs on liquid phase heteroepitaxial growth are studied by binary phase field crystal model. It is amazing to find that double islands are formed because of lateral and vertical separation. The morphological evolution of epitaxial layer depends on signs of misfit strains. The maximum atomic layer thickness of double islands under negative misfit strain is larger than that of under positive misfit strain at the same evolutional time, and size differences between light and dark islands is much smaller under negative misfit strain than that of under positive misfit strain. In addition, concentration field and density field approximately have similar variational law along x direction under the same misfit strain but show opposite variational trend under misfit strains with different signs. Generally, free energy of epitaxial growth systems keeps similar variational trend under misfit strains with different signs.

  12. Two-Way Selection for Growth Rate in the Common Carp (CYPRINUS CARPIO L.)

    PubMed Central

    Moav, R.; Wohlfarth, G.

    1976-01-01

    The domesticated European carp was subjected to a two-way selection for growth rate. Five generations of mass selection for faster growth rate did not yield any response, but subsequent selection between groups (families) resulted in considerable progress while maintaining a large genetic variance. Selection for slow growth rate yielded relatively strong response for the first three generations. Random-bred control lines suffered from strong inbreeding depression and when two lines were crossed, the F1 showed a high degree of heterosis. Selection was performed on pond-raised fish, but growth rate was also tested in cages. A strong pond-cage genetic interaction was found. A theoretical explanation was suggested involving overdominance for fast growth rate and amplification through competition of intra-group but not inter-group variation. PMID:1248737

  13. Long-term growth rates and effects of bleaching in Acropora hyacinthus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gold, Zachary; Palumbi, Stephen R.

    2018-03-01

    Understanding the response of coral growth to natural variation in the environment, as well as to acute temperature stress under current and future climate change conditions, is critical to predicting the future health of coral reef ecosystems. As such, ecological surveys are beginning to focus on corals that live in high thermal stress environments to understand how future coral populations may adapt to climate change. We investigated the relationship between coral growth, thermal microhabitat, symbionts type, and thermal acclimatization of four species of the Acropora hyacinthus complex in back-reef lagoons in American Samoa. Coral growth was measured from August 2010 to April 2016 using horizontal planar area of coral colonies derived from photographs and in situ maximum width measurements. Despite marked intraspecific variation, we found that planar colony growth rates were significantly different among cryptic species. The highly heat tolerant A. hyacinthus variant "HE" increased in area an average of 2.9% month-1 (0.03 cm average mean radial extension month-1). By contrast, the three less tolerant species averaged 6.1% (0.07 cm average mean radial extension month-1). Planar growth rates were 40% higher on average in corals harboring Clade C versus Clade D symbiont types, although marked inter-colony variation in growth rendered this difference nonsignificant. Planar growth rates for all four species dropped to near zero following a 2015 bleaching event, independent of the visually estimated percent area of bleaching. Within 1 yr, growth rates recovered to previous levels, confirming previous studies that found sublethal effects of thermal stress on coral growth. Long-term studies of individual coral colonies provide an important tool to measure impacts of environmental change and allow integration of coral physiology, genetics, symbionts, and microclimate on reef growth patterns.

  14. [Correlation between growth rate of corpus callosum and neuromotor development in preterm infants].

    PubMed

    Liu, Rui-Ke; Sun, Jie; Hu, Li-Yan; Liu, Fang

    2015-08-01

    To investigate the growth rate of corpus callosum by cranial ultrasound in very low birth weight preterm infants and to provide a reference for early evaluation and improvement of brain development. A total of 120 preterm infants under 33 weeks' gestation were recruited and divided into 26-29(+6) weeks group (n=64) and 30-32(+6) weeks group (n=56) according to the gestational age. The growth rate of corpus callosum was compared between the two groups. The correlation between the corpus callosum length and the cerebellar vermis length and the relationship of the growth rate of corpus callosum with clinical factors and the neuromotor development were analyzed. The growth rate of corpus callosum in preterm infants declined since 2 weeks after birth. Compared with the 30-32(+6) weeks group, the 26-29(+6) weeks group had a significantly lower growth rate of corpus callosum at 3-4 weeks after birth, at 5-6 weeks after birth, and from 7 weeks after birth to 40 weeks of corrected gestational age. There was a positive linear correlation between the corpus callosum length and the cerebellar vermis length. Small-for-gestational age infants had a low growth rate of corpus callosum at 2 weeks after birth. The 12 preterm infants with severe abnormal intellectual development had a lower growth rate of corpus callosum compared with the 108 preterm infants with non-severe abnormal intellectual development at 3-6 weeks after birth. The 5 preterm infants with severe abnormal motor development had a significantly lower growth rate of corpus callosum compared with the 115 preterm infants with non-severe abnormal motor development at 3-6 weeks after birth. The decline of growth rate of corpus callosum in preterm infants at 2-6 weeks after birth can increase the risk of severe abnormal neuromotor development.

  15. Delta L: An Apparatus for Measuring Macromolecule Crystal Growth Rates in Microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Judge, Russell A.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Strongly diffracting high quality macromolecule crystals of suitable volume are keenly sought for X-ray diffraction analysis so that high-resolution molecular structure data can be obtained. Such data is of tremendous value to medical research, agriculture and commercial biotechnology. In previous studies by many investigators microgravity has been reported in some instances to improve biological macromolecule X-ray crystal quality while little or no improvement was observed in other cases. A better understanding of processes effecting crystal quality improvement in microgravity will therefore be of great benefit in optimizing crystallization success in microgravity. In ground based research with the protein lysozyme we have previously shown that a population of crystals grown under the same solution conditions, exhibit a variation in X-ray diffraction properties (Judge et al., 1999). We have also observed that under the same solution conditions, individual crystals will grow at slightly different growth rates. This phenomenon is called growth rate dispersion. For small molecule materials growth rate dispersion has been directly related to crystal quality (Cunningham et al., 1991; Ristic et al., 1991). We therefore postulate that microgravity may act to improve crystal quality by reducing growth rate dispersion. If this is the case then as different, Materials exhibit different degrees of growth rate dispersion on the ground then growth rate dispersion could be used to screen which materials may benefit the most from microgravity crystallization. In order to assess this theory the Delta L hardware is being developed so that macromolecule crystal growth rates can be measured in microgravity. Crystal growth rate is defined as the change or delta in crystal size (defined as a characteristic length, L) over time; hence the name of the hardware. Delta L will consist of an optics, a fluids, and a data acquisition sub-assemblies. The optics assembly will consist of a

  16. The effect of growth rate on pyrazinamide activity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis - insights for early bactericidal activity?

    PubMed

    Pullan, Steven T; Allnutt, Jon C; Devine, Rebecca; Hatch, Kim A; Jeeves, Rose E; Hendon-Dunn, Charlotte L; Marsh, Philip D; Bacon, Joanna

    2016-05-17

    Pyrazinamide (PZA) plays an essential part in the shortened six-month tuberculosis (TB) treatment course due to its activity against slow-growing and non-replicating organisms. We tested whether PZA preferentially targets slow growing cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that could be representative of bacteria that remain after the initial kill with isoniazid (INH), by observing the response of either slow growing or fast growing bacilli to differing concentrations of PZA. M. tuberculosis H37Rv was grown in continuous culture at either a constant fast growth rate (Mean Generation Time (MGT) of 23.1 h) or slow growth rate (69.3 h MGT) at a controlled dissolved oxygen tension of 10 % and a controlled acidity at pH 6.3 ± 0.1. Cultures were exposed to step-wise increases in the concentration of PZA (25 to 500 μgml(-1)) every two MGTs, and bacterial survival was measured. PZA-induced global gene expression was explored for each increase in PZA-concentration, using DNA microarray. At a constant pH 6.3, actively dividing mycobacteria were susceptible to PZA, with similar responses to increasing concentrations of PZA at both growth rates. Three distinct phases of drug response could be distingished for both slow growing (69.3 h MGT) and fast growing (23.1 h MGT) bacilli. A bacteriostatic phase at a low concentration of PZA was followed by a recovery period in which the culture adapted to the presence of PZA and bacteria were actively dividing in steady-state. In contrast, there was a rapid loss of viability at bactericidal concentrations. There was a notable delay in the onset of the recovery period in quickly dividing cells compared with those dividing more slowly. Fast growers and slow growers adapted to PZA-exposure via very similar mechanisms; through reduced gene expression of tRNA, 50S, and 30S ribosomal proteins. PZA had an equivalent level of activity against fast growing and slow growing M. tuberculosis. At both growth rates drug-tolerance to sub

  17. Cell Size and Growth Rate Are Modulated by TORC2-Dependent Signals.

    PubMed

    Lucena, Rafael; Alcaide-Gavilán, Maria; Schubert, Katherine; He, Maybo; Domnauer, Matthew G; Marquer, Catherine; Klose, Christian; Surma, Michal A; Kellogg, Douglas R

    2018-01-22

    The size of all cells, from bacteria to vertebrates, is proportional to the growth rate set by nutrient availability, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we show that nutrients modulate cell size and growth rate via the TORC2 signaling network in budding yeast. An important function of the TORC2 network is to modulate synthesis of ceramide lipids, which play roles in signaling. TORC2-dependent control of ceramide signaling strongly influences both cell size and growth rate. Thus, cells that cannot make ceramides fail to modulate their growth rate or size in response to changes in nutrients. PP2A associated with the Rts1 regulatory subunit (PP2A Rts1 ) is embedded in a feedback loop that controls TORC2 signaling and helps set the level of TORC2 signaling to match nutrient availability. Together, the data suggest a model in which growth rate and cell size are mechanistically linked by ceramide-dependent signals arising from the TORC2 network. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Growth Kinetics of Intracellular RNA/Protein Droplets: Signature of a Liquid-Liquid Phase Transition?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berry, Joel; Weber, Stephanie C.; Vaidya, Nilesh; Zhu, Lian; Haataja, Mikko; Brangwynne, Clifford P.

    2015-03-01

    Nonmembrane-bound organelles are functional, dynamic assemblies of RNA and/or protein that can self-assemble and disassemble within the cytoplasm or nucleoplasm. The possibility that underlying intracellular phase transitions may drive and mediate the morphological evolution of some membrane-less organelles has been supported by several recent studies. In this talk, results from a collaborative experimental-theoretical study of the growth and dissolution kinetics of nucleoli and extranucleolar droplets (ENDs) in C. elegans embryos will be presented. We have employed Flory-Huggins solution theory, reaction-diffusion kinetics, and quantitative statistical dynamic scaling analysis to characterize the specific growth mechanisms at work. Our findings indicate that both in vivo and in vitro droplet scaling and growth kinetics are consistent with those resulting from an equilibrium liquid-liquid phase transition mediated by passive nonequilibrium growth mechanisms - simultaneous Brownian coalescence and Ostwald ripening. This supports a view in which cells can employ phase transitions to drive structural organization, while utilizing active processes, such as local transcriptional activity, to fine tune the kinetics of these phase transitions in response to given conditions.

  19. Adoption of multivariate copulae in prognostication of economic growth by means of interest rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saputra, Dewi Tanasia; Indratno, Sapto Wahyu, Dr.

    2015-12-01

    Inflation, at a healthy rate, is a sign of growing economy. Nonetheless, when inflation rate grows uncontrollably, it will negatively influence economic growth. Many tackle this problem by increasing interest rate to help protecting the value of money which is detained by inflation. There are few, however, who study the effects of interest rate in economic growth. The main purposes of this paper are to find how the change of interest rate affects economic growth and to use the relationship in prognostication of economic growth. By using expenditure model, a linear relationship between economic growth and interest rate is developed. The result is then used for prediction by normal copula and Vine Archimedean copula. It is shown that increasing interest rate to tackle inflation is a poor solution. Whereas implementation of copula in predicting economic growth yields an accurate result, with not more than 0.5% difference.

  20. Correcting speleothem oxygen isotopic variations for growth-rate controlled kinetic fractionation effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stoll, Heather; Moreno, Ana; Cacho, Isabel; Mendez Vicence, Ana; Gonzalez Lemos, Saul; Pirla Casasayas, Gemma; Cheng, Hai; Wang, Xianfeng; Edwards, R. Lawrence

    2015-04-01

    The oxygen isotopic signature may be the most widely used climate indicator in stalagmites, but recent experimental and theoretical studies indicate the potential for kinetic fractionation effects which may be significant, especially in situations where the primary signal from rainfall isotopic composition and cave temperature is limited to a few permil. Here we use a natural set of stalagmites to illustrate the magnitude of such effects and the potential for deconvolving kinetic signals from the primary temperature and rainfall signals. We compare isotopic records from 6 coeval stalagmites covering the interval 140 to 70 ka, from two proximal caves in NW Spain which experienced the same primary variations in temperature and rainfall d18O, but exhibit a large range in growth rates and temporal trends in growth rate. Stalagmites growing at faster rates near 50 microns/year have oxygen isotopic ratios more than 1 permil more negative than coeval stalagmites with very slow (5 micron/year) growth rates. Because growth rate variations also occur over time within any given stalagmite, the measured oxygen isotopic time series for a given stalagmite includes both climatic and kinetic components. Removal of the kinetic component of variation in each stalagmite, based on the dependence of the kinetic component on growth rate, is effective at distilling a common temporal evolution among the oxygen isotopic records of the multiple stalagmites. However, this approach is limited by the quality of the age model. For time periods characterized by very slow growth and long durations between dates, the presence of crypto-hiatus may result in average growth rates which underestimate the instantaneous speleothem deposition rates and which therefore underestimate the magnitude of kinetic effects. We compare the composite corrected oxygen isotopic record with other records of the timing of glacial inception in the North Atlantic realm.

  1. Coordinated Changes in Mutation and Growth Rates Induced by Genome Reduction.

    PubMed

    Nishimura, Issei; Kurokawa, Masaomi; Liu, Liu; Ying, Bei-Wen

    2017-07-05

    Genome size is determined during evolution, but it can also be altered by genetic engineering in laboratories. The systematic characterization of reduced genomes provides valuable insights into the cellular properties that are quantitatively described by the global parameters related to the dynamics of growth and mutation. In the present study, we analyzed a small collection of W3110 Escherichia coli derivatives containing either the wild-type genome or reduced genomes of various lengths to examine whether the mutation rate, a global parameter representing genomic plasticity, was affected by genome reduction. We found that the mutation rates of these cells increased with genome reduction. The correlation between genome length and mutation rate, which has been reported for the evolution of bacteria, was also identified, intriguingly, for genome reduction. Gene function enrichment analysis indicated that the deletion of many of the genes encoding membrane and transport proteins play a role in the mutation rate changes mediated by genome reduction. Furthermore, the increase in the mutation rate with genome reduction was highly associated with a decrease in the growth rate in a nutrition-dependent manner; thus, poorer media showed a larger change that was of higher significance. This negative correlation was strongly supported by experimental evidence that the serial transfer of the reduced genome improved the growth rate and reduced the mutation rate to a large extent. Taken together, the global parameters corresponding to the genome, growth, and mutation showed a coordinated relationship, which might be an essential working principle for balancing the cellular dynamics appropriate to the environment. IMPORTANCE Genome reduction is a powerful approach for investigating the fundamental rules for living systems. Whether genetically disturbed genomes have any specific properties that are different from or similar to those of natively evolved genomes has been under

  2. Interface coupling and growth rate measurements in multilayer Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adkins, Raymond; Shelton, Emily M.; Renoult, Marie-Charlotte; Carles, Pierre; Rosenblatt, Charles

    2017-06-01

    Magnetic levitation was used to measure the growth rate Σ vs wave vector k of a Rayleigh-Taylor instability in a three-layer fluid system, a crucial step in the elucidation of interface coupling in finite-layer instabilities. For a three-layer (low-high-low density) system, the unstable mode growth rate decreases as both the height h of the middle layer and k are reduced, consistent with an interface coupling ∝e-k h . The ratios of the three-layer to the established two-layer growth rates are in good agreement with those of classic linear stability theory, which has long resisted verification in that configuration.

  3. Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxial growth of red and infrared vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schneider, R. P.; Lott, J. A.; Lear, K. L.; Choquette, K. D.; Crawford, M. H.; Kilcoyne, S. P.; Figiel, J. J.

    1994-12-01

    Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is used for the growth of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes. MOVPE exhibits a number of important advantages over the more commonly-used molecular-beam epitaxial (MBE) techniques, including ease of continuous compositional grading and carbon doping for low-resistance p-type distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), higher growth rates for rapid throughput and greater versatility in choice of materials and dopants. Planar gain-guided red VCSELs based on AlGaInP/AlGaAs heterostructures lase continuous-wave at room temperature, with voltage thresholds between 2.5 and 3 V and maximum power outputs of over 0.3 mW. Top-emitting infra-red (IR) VCSELs exhibit the highest power-conversion (wall-plug) efficiencies (21%), lowest threshold voltage (1.47 V), and highest single mode power (4.4 mW from an 8 μm device) yet reported. These results establish MOVPE as a preferred growth technique for this important new family of photonic devices.

  4. [Specific growth rate and the rate of energy metabolism in the ontogenesis of axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum (Amphibia: Ambystomatidae)].

    PubMed

    Vladimirova, I G; Kleĭmenov, S Iu; Alekseeva, T A; Radzinskaia, L I

    2003-01-01

    Concordant changes in the rate of energy metabolism and specific growth rate of axolotls have been revealed. Several periods of ontogeny are distinguished, which differ in the ratio of energy metabolism to body weight and, therefore, are described by different allometric equations. It is suggested that the specific growth rate of an animal determines the type of dependence of energy metabolism on body weight.

  5. Heteroepitaxial growth of cadmium carbonate at dolomite and calcite surfaces: Mechanisms and rates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Callagon, Erika Blanca R.; Lee, Sang Soo; Eng, Peter J.

    Here, the systematic variation of rates and the mechanism of cadmium uptake on the (104) surface of dolomite (CaMg(CO 3) 2) were investigated using in situ and ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM), ex situ specular X-ray reflectivity (XR), and ex situ X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Selected experiments were performed on the calcite (CaCO 3) (104) surface for comparison. Aqueous solutions of CdCl 2, CaCl 2, and NaHCO 3, undersaturated with respect to calcite and supersaturated with respect to otavite (CdCO 3) and the (Cd xCa 1-x)CO 3 solid solution, were reacted with dolomite surfaces for minutes to days. Calcite substratesmore » were reacted with solutions containing 1-50 μM CdCl 2, and with no added Ca or CO 3. Thin carbonate films following the Stranski-Krastanov growth mode were observed on both substrates. Specular XR and XRF revealed the formation of nm-thick Cd-rich carbonate films that were structurally ordered with respect to the dolomite (104) plane. Epitaxial films adopted the calcite crystal structure with a d 104- spacing (3.00 Å) larger than those of pure dolomite (2.88 Å) and otavite (2.95 Å) indicating either a solid solution with x approximate to 0.5, or a strained Cd-rich carbonate with a composition near that of otavite. The growth rate r of this phase increases with the initial supersaturation of the solution with respect to the solid solution, beta max, and follows the empirical relationship, as determined from XRF measurements, given by: r = 10 -4.88 ± 0.42 (β 2.29 ± 0.24 max - 1), (in units of atoms of Cd/Å 2/h).The morphology of the overgrowth also varied with β max, as exemplified by AFM observations. Growth at step edges occurred over the entire β max range considered, and additional growth features including 3 Å high monolayer islands and ~ 25 Å high tall islands were observed when log β max > 1. On calcite, in situ XR indicated that this phase is similar to the Cd-rich overgrowth formed on dolomite and images obtained from X

  6. Heteroepitaxial growth of cadmium carbonate at dolomite and calcite surfaces: Mechanisms and rates

    DOE PAGES

    Callagon, Erika Blanca R.; Lee, Sang Soo; Eng, Peter J.; ...

    2016-12-10

    Here, the systematic variation of rates and the mechanism of cadmium uptake on the (104) surface of dolomite (CaMg(CO 3) 2) were investigated using in situ and ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM), ex situ specular X-ray reflectivity (XR), and ex situ X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Selected experiments were performed on the calcite (CaCO 3) (104) surface for comparison. Aqueous solutions of CdCl 2, CaCl 2, and NaHCO 3, undersaturated with respect to calcite and supersaturated with respect to otavite (CdCO 3) and the (Cd xCa 1-x)CO 3 solid solution, were reacted with dolomite surfaces for minutes to days. Calcite substratesmore » were reacted with solutions containing 1-50 μM CdCl 2, and with no added Ca or CO 3. Thin carbonate films following the Stranski-Krastanov growth mode were observed on both substrates. Specular XR and XRF revealed the formation of nm-thick Cd-rich carbonate films that were structurally ordered with respect to the dolomite (104) plane. Epitaxial films adopted the calcite crystal structure with a d 104- spacing (3.00 Å) larger than those of pure dolomite (2.88 Å) and otavite (2.95 Å) indicating either a solid solution with x approximate to 0.5, or a strained Cd-rich carbonate with a composition near that of otavite. The growth rate r of this phase increases with the initial supersaturation of the solution with respect to the solid solution, beta max, and follows the empirical relationship, as determined from XRF measurements, given by: r = 10 -4.88 ± 0.42 (β 2.29 ± 0.24 max - 1), (in units of atoms of Cd/Å 2/h).The morphology of the overgrowth also varied with β max, as exemplified by AFM observations. Growth at step edges occurred over the entire β max range considered, and additional growth features including 3 Å high monolayer islands and ~ 25 Å high tall islands were observed when log β max > 1. On calcite, in situ XR indicated that this phase is similar to the Cd-rich overgrowth formed on dolomite and images obtained from X

  7. Postnatal growth rates covary weakly with embryonic development rates and do not explain adult mortality probability among songbirds on four continents.

    PubMed

    Martin, Thomas E; Oteyza, Juan C; Mitchell, Adam E; Potticary, Ahva L; Lloyd, Penn

    2015-03-01

    Growth and development rates may result from genetic programming of intrinsic processes that yield correlated rates between life stages. These intrinsic rates are thought to affect adult mortality probability and longevity. However, if proximate extrinsic factors (e.g., temperature, food) influence development rates differently between stages and yield low covariance between stages, then development rates may not explain adult mortality probability. We examined these issues based on study of 90 songbird species on four continents to capture the diverse life-history strategies observed across geographic space. The length of the embryonic period explained little variation (ca. 13%) in nestling periods and growth rates among species. This low covariance suggests that the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic influences on growth and development rates differs between stages. Consequently, nestling period durations and nestling growth rates were not related to annual adult mortality probability among diverse songbird species within or among sites. The absence of a clear effect of faster growth on adult mortality when examined in an evolutionary framework across species may indicate that species that evolve faster growth also evolve physiological mechanisms for ameliorating costs on adult mortality. Instead, adult mortality rates of species in the wild may be determined more strongly by extrinsic environmental causes.

  8. Postnatal growth rates covary weakly with embryonic development rates and do not explain adult mortality probability among songbirds on four continents

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Martin, Thomas E.; Oteyza, Juan C.; Mitchell, Adam E.; Potticary, Ahva L.; Lloyd, P.

    2016-01-01

    Growth and development rates may result from genetic programming of intrinsic processes that yield correlated rates between life stages. These intrinsic rates are thought to affect adult mortality probability and longevity. However, if proximate extrinsic factors (e.g., temperature, food) influence development rates differently between stages and yield low covariance between stages, then development rates may not explain adult mortality probability. We examined these issues based on study of 90 songbird species on four continents to capture the diverse life-history strategies observed across geographic space. The length of the embryonic period explained little variation (ca. 13%) in nestling periods and growth rates among species. This low covariance suggests that the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic influences on growth and development rates differs between stages. Consequently, nestling period durations and nestling growth rates were not related to annual adult mortality probability among diverse songbird species within or among sites. The absence of a clear effect of faster growth on adult mortality when examined in an evolutionary framework across species may indicate that species that evolve faster growth also evolve physiological mechanisms for ameliorating costs on adult mortality. Instead, adult mortality rates of species in the wild may be determined more strongly by extrinsic environmental causes.

  9. Ergodicity, hidden bias and the growth rate gain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rochman, Nash D.; Popescu, Dan M.; Sun, Sean X.

    2018-05-01

    Many single-cell observables are highly heterogeneous. A part of this heterogeneity stems from age-related phenomena: the fact that there is a nonuniform distribution of cells with different ages. This has led to a renewed interest in analytic methodologies including use of the ‘von Foerster equation’ for predicting population growth and cell age distributions. Here we discuss how some of the most popular implementations of this machinery assume a strong condition on the ergodicity of the cell cycle duration ensemble. We show that one common definition for the term ergodicity, ‘a single individual observed over many generations recapitulates the behavior of the entire ensemble’ is implied by the other, ‘the probability of observing any state is conserved across time and over all individuals’ in an ensemble with a fixed number of individuals but that this is not true when the ensemble is growing. We further explore the impact of generational correlations between cell cycle durations on the population growth rate. Finally, we explore the ‘growth rate gain’—the phenomenon that variations in the cell cycle duration leads to an improved population-level growth rate—in this context. We highlight that, fundamentally, this effect is due to asymmetric division.

  10. The effects of population density on juvenile growth rate in white-tailed deer.

    PubMed

    Barr, Brannon; Wolverton, Steve

    2014-10-01

    Animal body size is driven by habitat quality, food availability, and nutrition. Adult size can relate to birth weight, to length of the ontogenetic growth period, and/or to the rate of growth. Data requirements are high for studying these growth mechanisms, but large datasets exist for some game species. In North America, large harvest datasets exist for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), but such data are collected under a variety of conditions and are generally dismissed for ecological research beyond local population and habitat management. We contend that such data are useful for studying the ecology of white-tailed deer growth and body size when analyzed at ordinal scale. In this paper, we test the response of growth rate to food availability by fitting a logarithmic equation that estimates growth rate only to harvest data from Fort Hood, Texas, and track changes in growth rate over time. Results of this ordinal scale model are compared to previously published models that include additional parameters, such as birth weight and adult weight. It is shown that body size responds to food availability by variation in growth rate. Models that estimate multiple parameters may not work with harvest data because they are prone to error, which renders estimates from complex models too variable to detect interannual changes in growth rate that this ordinal scale model captures. This model can be applied to harvest data, from which inferences about factors that influence animal growth and body size (e.g., habitat quality and nutritional availability) can be drawn.

  11. The Effects of Population Density on Juvenile Growth Rate in White-Tailed Deer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barr, Brannon; Wolverton, Steve

    2014-10-01

    Animal body size is driven by habitat quality, food availability, and nutrition. Adult size can relate to birth weight, to length of the ontogenetic growth period, and/or to the rate of growth. Data requirements are high for studying these growth mechanisms, but large datasets exist for some game species. In North America, large harvest datasets exist for white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus), but such data are collected under a variety of conditions and are generally dismissed for ecological research beyond local population and habitat management. We contend that such data are useful for studying the ecology of white-tailed deer growth and body size when analyzed at ordinal scale. In this paper, we test the response of growth rate to food availability by fitting a logarithmic equation that estimates growth rate only to harvest data from Fort Hood, Texas, and track changes in growth rate over time. Results of this ordinal scale model are compared to previously published models that include additional parameters, such as birth weight and adult weight. It is shown that body size responds to food availability by variation in growth rate. Models that estimate multiple parameters may not work with harvest data because they are prone to error, which renders estimates from complex models too variable to detect interannual changes in growth rate that this ordinal scale model captures. This model can be applied to harvest data, from which inferences about factors that influence animal growth and body size (e.g., habitat quality and nutritional availability) can be drawn.

  12. Scaling laws in the dynamics of crime growth rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alves, Luiz G. A.; Ribeiro, Haroldo V.; Mendes, Renio S.

    2013-06-01

    The increasing number of crimes in areas with large concentrations of people have made cities one of the main sources of violence. Understanding characteristics of how crime rate expands and its relations with the cities size goes beyond an academic question, being a central issue for contemporary society. Here, we characterize and analyze quantitative aspects of murders in the period from 1980 to 2009 in Brazilian cities. We find that the distribution of the annual, biannual and triannual logarithmic homicide growth rates exhibit the same functional form for distinct scales, that is, a scale invariant behavior. We also identify asymptotic power-law decay relations between the standard deviations of these three growth rates and the initial size. Further, we discuss similarities with complex organizations.

  13. First Satellite Measurement of the ULF Wave Growth Rate in the Ion Foreshock

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dorfman, Seth

    2017-10-01

    Waves generated by accelerated particles are important throughout our heliosphere. These particles often gain their energy at shocks via Fermi acceleration. At the Earth's bow shock, this mechanism accelerates ion beams back into the solar wind; the beams can then generate ultra low frequency (ULF) waves via an ion-ion right hand resonant instability. These waves influence the shock structure and particle acceleration, lead to coherent structures in the magnetosheath, and are ideal for non-linear interaction studies relevant to turbulence. We report the first satellite measurement of the ultralow frequency (ULF) wave growth rate in the upstream region of the Earth's bow shock. This is made possible by employing the two ARTEMIS spacecraft orbiting the moon at 60 Earth radii from Earth to characterize crescent-shaped reflected ion beams and relatively monochromatic ULF waves. The event to be presented features spacecraft separation of 2.5 Earth radii (0.9 +/- 0.1 wavelengths) in the solar wind flow direction along a nearly radial interplanetary magnetic field. By contrast, most prior ULF wave observations use spacecraft with insufficient separation to see wave growth and are so close to Earth (within 30 Earth radii) that waves convected from different events interfere. Using ARTEMIS data, the ULF wave growth rate is estimated and found to fall within dispersion solver predictions during the initial growth time. Observed frequencies and wave numbers are within the predicted range. Other ULF wave properties such as the phase speed, obliquity, and polarization are consistent with expectations from resonant beam instability theory and prior satellite measurements. These results not only advance our understanding of the foreshock, but will also inform future nonlinear studies related to turbulence and dissipation in the heliosphere. Supported by NASA, NASA Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowship.

  14. Canopy disturbance intervals, early growth rates, and canopy accession trends of oak-dominated old-growth forests

    Treesearch

    James S. Rentch; Ray R., Jr. Hicks

    2003-01-01

    Using a radial growth averaging technique, changes in growth rates of overstory oaks were used to quantify canopy disturbance events at five old-growth sites. On average, at least one canopy disturbance occurred on these sites every 3 years; larger multiple-tree disturbances occurred every 17 years. Although there was some variation by site and by historical period,...

  15. Growth and characterization of α and β-phase tungsten films on various substrates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, Jeong-Seop; Cho, Jaehun; You, Chun-Yeol, E-mail: cyyou@inha.ac.kr

    2016-03-15

    The growth conditions of tungsten thin films were investigated using various substrates including Si, Si/SiO{sub 2}, GaAs, MgO, and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and recipes were discovered for the optimal growth conditions of thick metastable β-phase tungsten films on Si, GaAs, and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates, which is an important material in spin orbit torque studies. For the Si/SiO{sub 2} substrate, the crystal phase of the tungsten films was different depending upon the tungsten film thickness, and the transport properties were found to dramatically change with the thickness owing to a change in phase from the α + β phase to the α-phase.more » It is shown that the crystal phase changes are associated with residual stress in the tungsten films and that the resistivity is closely related to the grain sizes.« less

  16. Phase field benchmark problems for dendritic growth and linear elasticity

    DOE PAGES

    Jokisaari, Andrea M.; Voorhees, P. W.; Guyer, Jonathan E.; ...

    2018-03-26

    We present the second set of benchmark problems for phase field models that are being jointly developed by the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) along with input from other members in the phase field community. As the integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach to materials design has gained traction, there is an increasing need for quantitative phase field results. New algorithms and numerical implementations increase computational capabilities, necessitating standard problems to evaluate their impact on simulated microstructure evolution as well as their computational performance. We propose one benchmark problem formore » solidifiication and dendritic growth in a single-component system, and one problem for linear elasticity via the shape evolution of an elastically constrained precipitate. We demonstrate the utility and sensitivity of the benchmark problems by comparing the results of 1) dendritic growth simulations performed with different time integrators and 2) elastically constrained precipitate simulations with different precipitate sizes, initial conditions, and elastic moduli. As a result, these numerical benchmark problems will provide a consistent basis for evaluating different algorithms, both existing and those to be developed in the future, for accuracy and computational efficiency when applied to simulate physics often incorporated in phase field models.« less

  17. Phase field benchmark problems for dendritic growth and linear elasticity

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jokisaari, Andrea M.; Voorhees, P. W.; Guyer, Jonathan E.

    We present the second set of benchmark problems for phase field models that are being jointly developed by the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) along with input from other members in the phase field community. As the integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach to materials design has gained traction, there is an increasing need for quantitative phase field results. New algorithms and numerical implementations increase computational capabilities, necessitating standard problems to evaluate their impact on simulated microstructure evolution as well as their computational performance. We propose one benchmark problem formore » solidifiication and dendritic growth in a single-component system, and one problem for linear elasticity via the shape evolution of an elastically constrained precipitate. We demonstrate the utility and sensitivity of the benchmark problems by comparing the results of 1) dendritic growth simulations performed with different time integrators and 2) elastically constrained precipitate simulations with different precipitate sizes, initial conditions, and elastic moduli. As a result, these numerical benchmark problems will provide a consistent basis for evaluating different algorithms, both existing and those to be developed in the future, for accuracy and computational efficiency when applied to simulate physics often incorporated in phase field models.« less

  18. Size-dependent standard deviation for growth rates: Empirical results and theoretical modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Podobnik, Boris; Horvatic, Davor; Pammolli, Fabio; Wang, Fengzhong; Stanley, H. Eugene; Grosse, I.

    2008-05-01

    We study annual logarithmic growth rates R of various economic variables such as exports, imports, and foreign debt. For each of these variables we find that the distributions of R can be approximated by double exponential (Laplace) distributions in the central parts and power-law distributions in the tails. For each of these variables we further find a power-law dependence of the standard deviation σ(R) on the average size of the economic variable with a scaling exponent surprisingly close to that found for the gross domestic product (GDP) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 3275 (1998)]. By analyzing annual logarithmic growth rates R of wages of 161 different occupations, we find a power-law dependence of the standard deviation σ(R) on the average value of the wages with a scaling exponent β≈0.14 close to those found for the growth of exports, imports, debt, and the growth of the GDP. In contrast to these findings, we observe for payroll data collected from 50 states of the USA that the standard deviation σ(R) of the annual logarithmic growth rate R increases monotonically with the average value of payroll. However, also in this case we observe a power-law dependence of σ(R) on the average payroll with a scaling exponent β≈-0.08 . Based on these observations we propose a stochastic process for multiple cross-correlated variables where for each variable (i) the distribution of logarithmic growth rates decays exponentially in the central part, (ii) the distribution of the logarithmic growth rate decays algebraically in the far tails, and (iii) the standard deviation of the logarithmic growth rate depends algebraically on the average size of the stochastic variable.

  19. Size-dependent standard deviation for growth rates: empirical results and theoretical modeling.

    PubMed

    Podobnik, Boris; Horvatic, Davor; Pammolli, Fabio; Wang, Fengzhong; Stanley, H Eugene; Grosse, I

    2008-05-01

    We study annual logarithmic growth rates R of various economic variables such as exports, imports, and foreign debt. For each of these variables we find that the distributions of R can be approximated by double exponential (Laplace) distributions in the central parts and power-law distributions in the tails. For each of these variables we further find a power-law dependence of the standard deviation sigma(R) on the average size of the economic variable with a scaling exponent surprisingly close to that found for the gross domestic product (GDP) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 3275 (1998)]. By analyzing annual logarithmic growth rates R of wages of 161 different occupations, we find a power-law dependence of the standard deviation sigma(R) on the average value of the wages with a scaling exponent beta approximately 0.14 close to those found for the growth of exports, imports, debt, and the growth of the GDP. In contrast to these findings, we observe for payroll data collected from 50 states of the USA that the standard deviation sigma(R) of the annual logarithmic growth rate R increases monotonically with the average value of payroll. However, also in this case we observe a power-law dependence of sigma(R) on the average payroll with a scaling exponent beta approximately -0.08 . Based on these observations we propose a stochastic process for multiple cross-correlated variables where for each variable (i) the distribution of logarithmic growth rates decays exponentially in the central part, (ii) the distribution of the logarithmic growth rate decays algebraically in the far tails, and (iii) the standard deviation of the logarithmic growth rate depends algebraically on the average size of the stochastic variable.

  20. Influence of primary α-phase volume fraction on the mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at different strain rates and temperatures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, Yu; Zhou, Shimeng; Luo, Wenbo; Xue, Zhiyong; Zhang, Yajing

    2018-03-01

    Bimodal microstructures with primary α-phase volume fractions ranging from 14.3% to 57.1% were gained in Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-64) alloy through annealed in two-phase region at various temperatures below the β-transus point. Then the influence of the primary α-phase volume fraction on the mechanical properties of Ti-64 were studied. The results show that, at room temperature and a strain rate of 10‑3 s‑1, the yield stress decreases but the fracture strain augments with added primary α-phase volume fraction. The equiaxed primary α-phase possesses stronger ability to coordinate plastic deformation, leading to the improvement of the ductile as well as degradation of the strength of Ti-64 with higher primary α-phase volume fraction. As the temperature goes up to 473 K, the quasi-static yield stress and ultimate strength decrease first and then increase with the incremental primary α-phase volume fraction, due to the interaction between the work hardening and the softening caused by the DRX and the growth of the primary α-phase. At room temperature and a strain rate of 3×103 s‑1, the varying pattern of strength with the primary α-phase volume fraction resembles that at a quasi-static strain rate. However, the flow stress significantly increases but the strain-hardening rate decreases compared to those at quasi-static strain rate due to the competition between the strain rate hardening and the thermal softening during dynamic compression process.

  1. Phase diagrams for understanding gold-seeded growth of GaAs and InAs nanowires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghasemi, Masoomeh; Johansson, Jonas

    2017-04-01

    Phase diagrams are useful tools to study the phase equilibria of nanowire materials systems because the growth of nanowires is accompanied by phase formation and phase transition. We have modeled the phase equilibria of the As-Au-Ga ternary system by means of the CALPHAD method. This method is a well-established semi-empirical technique for thermodynamic modeling in which Gibbs energy functions with free parameters are defined for all phases in a system followed by adjusting these parameters to the experimental data. Using the resulting As-Au-Ga thermodynamic database, four vertical cuts of this ternary system are calculated and all show good agreement with experiments. This ternary system is particularly useful for predicting the state of the Au seed alloys when growing GaAs nanowires and we discuss such predictions. Similar calculations are performed for Au-seeded InAs nanowires. We show that the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth fails for InAs nanowires, while GaAs nanowires can grow from a liquid particle. Our calculations are in agreement with experimental data on the growth of Au-seeded GaAs and InAs nanowires.

  2. Differentiating the growth phases of single bacteria using Raman spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strola, S. A.; Marcoux, P. R.; Schultz, E.; Perenon, R.; Simon, A.-C.; Espagnon, I.; Allier, C. P.; Dinten, J.-M.

    2014-03-01

    In this paper we present a longitudinal study of bacteria metabolism performed with a novel Raman spectrometer system. Longitudinal study is possible with our Raman setup since the overall procedure to localize a single bacterium and collect a Raman spectrum lasts only 1 minute. Localization and detection of single bacteria are performed by means of lensfree imaging, whereas Raman signal (from 600 to 3200 cm-1) is collected into a prototype spectrometer that allows high light throughput (HTVS technology, Tornado Spectral System). Accomplishing time-lapse Raman spectrometry during growth of bacteria, we observed variation in the net intensities for some band groups, e.g. amides and proteins. The obtained results on two different bacteria species, i.e. Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis clearly indicate that growth affects the Raman chemical signature. We performed a first analysis to check spectral differences and similarities. It allows distinguishing between lag, exponential and stationary growth phases. And the assignment of interest bands to vibration modes of covalent bonds enables the monitoring of metabolic changes in bacteria caused by growth and aging. Following the spectra analysis, a SVM (support vector machine) classification of the different growth phases is presented. In sum this longitudinal study by means of a compact and low-cost Raman setup is a proof of principle for routine analysis of bacteria, in a real-time and non-destructive way. Real-time Raman studies on metabolism and viability of bacteria pave the way for future antibiotic susceptibility testing.

  3. Malaria infection and feather growth rate predict reproductive success in house martins.

    PubMed

    Marzal, Alfonso; Reviriego, Maribel; Hermosell, Ignacio G; Balbontín, Javier; Bensch, Staffan; Relinque, Carmen; Rodríguez, Laura; Garcia-Longoria, Luz; de Lope, Florentino

    2013-04-01

    Carry-over effects take place when events occurring in one season influence individual performance in a subsequent season. Blood parasites (e.g. Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) have strong negative effects on the body condition of their hosts and could slow the rate of feather growth on the wintering grounds. In turn, these winter moult costs could reduce reproductive success in the following breeding season. In house martins Delichon urbica captured and studied at a breeding site in Europe, we used ptilochronology to measure growth rate of tail feathers moulted on the winter range in Africa, and assessed infection status of blood parasites transmitted on the wintering grounds. We found a negative association between haemosporidian parasite infection status and inferred growth rate of tail feathers. A low feather growth rate and blood parasite infections were related to a delay in laying date in their European breeding quarters. In addition, clutch size and the number of fledglings were negatively related to a delayed laying date and blood parasite infection. These results stress the importance of blood parasites and feather growth rate as potentially mechanisms driving carry-over effects to explain fitness differences in wild populations of migratory birds.

  4. Measurement of Microscopic Growth Rates in Float-Zone Silicon Crystals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dold, P.; Schweizer, M.; Benz, K. W.; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Time dependent convective flows during crystal growth of doped semiconductors lead to fluctuations of the composition, so called dopant striations. In general, it is difficult to decide which is the main mechanism for the generation of these striations, it might be either the fluctuation of the concentration field in the melt and the extent of the solute boundary layer ahead of the solid-liquid interface or a variation of the growth velocity. Direct access to the concentration field is rather complicated to achieve, especially considering the high process temperature and the chemical activity of liquid silicon. The contribution of growth rate fluctuations to the formation of compositional fluctuations can be determined by measuring microscopic growth rates. The classical method of current pulses requires electrical feed-throughs and good electrical contacts, both are critical issues for the growth of high purity silicon crystals. Using a radiation based heating system, the heating power can be modulated very fast and effectively. We added to the normal heater power a sinusoidal off-set in the frequency range of 1 to 10 Hz, generating a narrow spaced weak rippling in the grown crystals which are superposed to the dopant striations caused by natural and by thermocapillary convection. The pulling speed was varied between 1 and 4mm/min. The microscope images of etched crystals slices have been analyzed by peak-search algorithms (measuring the spacing between each artificially induced marker) and by FFT. Performing growth experiments under a time-dependent flow regime, fluctuations of the microscopic growth velocity of Delta(v)/v(sub average) up to 50% have been measured. Damping the time-dependent convection by the use of an axial, static magnetic field of 500mT, the microscopic growth rate became constant within the resolution limit of this method. The results will be discussed using analytical methods for the calculation of microscopic growth velocity and by

  5. Understanding Growth Rate Limitations in Production of Single-Crystal Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) by the Traveling Heater Method (THM)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peterson, Jeffrey H.

    Cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) are important optoelectronic materials with applications ranging from medical imaging to nuclear materials monitoring. However, CZT and CdTe have long been plagued by second-phase particles, inhomogeneity, and other defects. The traveling heater method (THM) is a promising approach for growing CZT and other compound semiconductors that has been shown to grow detector-grade crystals. In contrast to traditional directional solidification, the THM consists of a moving melt zone that simultaneously dissolves a polycrystalline feed while producing a single-crystal of material. Additionally, the melt is highly enriched in tellurium, which allows for growth at lower temperatures, limiting the presence of precipitated tellurium second-phase particles in the final crystal. Unfortunately, the THM growth of CZT is limited to millimeters per day when other growth techniques can grow an order of magnitude faster. To understand these growth limits, we employ a mathematical model of the THM system that is formulated to realistically represent the interactions of heat and species transport, fluid flow, and interfacial dissolution and growth under conditions of local thermodynamic equilibrium and steady-state growth. We examine the complicated interactions among zone geometry, continuum transport, phase change, and fluid flow driven by buoyancy. Of particular interest and importance is the formation of flow structures in the liquid zone of the THM that arise from the same physical mechanism as lee waves in atmospheric flows and demonstrate the same characteristic Brunt-Vaisala scaling. We show that flow stagnation and reversal associated with lee-wave formation are responsible for the accumulation of tellurium and supercooled liquid near the growth interface, even when the lee-wave vortex is not readily apparent in the overall flow structure. The supercooled fluid is posited to result in morphological instability at growth

  6. Growth rate in the dynamical dark energy models.

    PubMed

    Avsajanishvili, Olga; Arkhipova, Natalia A; Samushia, Lado; Kahniashvili, Tina

    Dark energy models with a slowly rolling cosmological scalar field provide a popular alternative to the standard, time-independent cosmological constant model. We study the simultaneous evolution of background expansion and growth in the scalar field model with the Ratra-Peebles self-interaction potential. We use recent measurements of the linear growth rate and the baryon acoustic oscillation peak positions to constrain the model parameter [Formula: see text] that describes the steepness of the scalar field potential.

  7. Nucleation and Growth Rates of Pyroxene, Plagioclase and Fe-Ti Oxides in Basalt

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burkhard, D. J.

    2003-12-01

    Rock textures and physical and chemical properties are determined by the time-temperature path of a magma, and the nucleation and growth rates (J, G) of crystallizing mineral phases. We applied the crystal size distribution theory (CSD) to derived J and G of pyroxene, plagioclase and of Fe-Ti oxides in basalt glass during heat treatment [1,2,3,4]. The glass was sampled from active Pu`u O`o, Kilauea, Hawaii, by hammer-dipping and subsequent quenching [5]. Temperature (T) and time (t) dependent heat treatment of the glass above temperature of nucleation and growth maxima, about 930° C, allows one to derive the activation energy of J and G, EJ, EG, which are at steady state after about 100 hrs, at 180/200, 353/307, 292/343 kJ/mol (EJ/EG, for pyroxene, plagioclase and Fe-Ti oxides). On a logarithmic scale, J and G are linear with t. A comparison with growth rates of lava cooled within a lava lobe, from top to bottom [6], suggests that independent of depth, all mineral phases crystallized at T < 1000° C. According to our results of t and T dependent J and G, such rock textures should first crystallize pyroxene, and intersertal plagioclase which is, indeed, observed. Slow cooling or a hold at T > 1000° C, should result in a first crystallization of plagioclase. This is reported in the literature [e.g., 7]. In agreement with this, we detected anorthite nuclei in the glass with HRTEM [8]. [1] Randolph R.D., Larson M.A (1979); Theory of particulate processes. Academic Press, New York. [2] Marsh B.D. (1988); Contrib.Mineral. Petrol. 99, 277-291. [3] Cashman K.V., Marsh (1988) Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 99, 292-305. [4] Burkhard D.J.M. (2002); Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 142, 724-527. [5] Burkhard D.J.M. (2001); J. Petrol. 42, 507-527. [6] Burkhard D.J.M. (2003; Bull. Volcanol. 65, 136-143. [7] Lofgren G.E 1983; J. Petrol., 24, 229-225. [8] Burkhard D.J.M., Wirth, R. (2001); EOS Trans. AGU, 82 (47), Fall Meet. Suppl., abstract V51B-1014.

  8. Characterization of beta phase growth and experimental validation of long term thermal exposure sensitization of AA5XXX alloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Yakun

    The United States Navy has a need for fast, light-weight ships to provide rapid deployment in its operations. Strong and corrosion-resistant aluminum alloys, such as AA5083 (UNS A95083) as well as other AA5XXX alloys, have properties that are well-suited for such applications. However, AA5XXX alloys are susceptible to intergranular corrosion (IGC) and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) because of sensitization which is a consequence of the formation of the grain boundary beta-phase, Al3Mg2, and the anodic dissolution of the beta-phase. Significant research has been performed to measure and understand the effects of time, temperature, stress, and sea water on sensitization and associated intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking under steady-state conditions. In the present work, the behaviors of beta-phase nucleation and growth were characterized using optical and electron microscopy, the relationship between preexisting particles and beta-phase, as well as the effect of different heat treatment times and temperatures on IGC and SCC susceptibility of 5XXX alloys were investigated. Grain boundary beta-phase thickness was measured with high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The corrosion sensitization susceptibility was evaluated according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard G67 tests, that is, nitric acid mass-loss testing (NAMLT). Diffusion of Mg is manifested by the thickening of beta-phase along the grainboundary because the grain boundary is considered as the preferential site for beta-phase nucleation. The beta-phase growth rate was monitored using high resolution TEM. The variety of precipitates and their subsequent effects on beta-phase nucleation and growth kinetics was investigated. The existence of various intermetallic particles was observed in both baseline and thermally exposed (70°C and 175°C) samples. These particles are usually either rod-shaped or equiaxed, and rich in Mn, Fe, and Cr

  9. Change in Photosystem II Photochemistry During Algal Growth Phases of Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus.

    PubMed

    Oukarroum, Abdallah

    2016-06-01

    Sensitivity of photosynthetic processes towards environmental stress is used as a bioanalytical tool to evaluate the responses of aquatic plants to a changing environment. In this paper, change of biomass density, chlorophyll a fluorescence and photosynthetic parameters during growth phases of two microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus were studied. The photosynthetic growth behaviour changed significantly with cell age and algae species. During the exponential phase of growth, the photosynthesis capacity reached its maximum and decreased in ageing algal culture during stationary phase. In conclusion, the chlorophyll a fluorescence OJIP method and the derived fluorescence parameters would be an accurate method for obtaining information on maximum photosynthetic capacities and monitoring algal cell growth. This will contribute to more understanding, for example, of toxic actions of pollutants in microalgae test.

  10. Growth rates of rainbow smelt in Lake Champlain: Effects of density and diet

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stritzel, Thomson J.L.; Parrish, D.L.; Parker-Stetter, S. L.; Rudstam, L. G.; Sullivan, P.J.

    2011-01-01

    Stritzel Thomson JL, Parrish DL, Parker-Stetter SL, Rudstam LG, Sullivan PJ. Growth rates of rainbow smelt in Lake Champlain: effects of density and diet. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010. ?? 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract- We estimated the densities of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) using hydroacoustics and obtained specimens for diet analysis and groundtruthed acoustics data from mid-water trawl sampling in four areas of Lake Champlain, USA-Canada. Densities of rainbow smelt cohorts alternated during the 2-year study; age-0 rainbow smelt were very abundant in 2001 (up to 6fish per m2) and age-1 and older were abundant (up to 1.2fish per m2) in 2002. Growth rates and densities varied among areas and years. We used model selection on eight area-year-specific variables to investigate biologically plausible predictors of rainbow smelt growth rates. The best supported model of growth rates of age-0 smelt indicated a negative relationship with age-0 density, likely associated with intraspecific competition for zooplankton. The next best-fit model had age-1 density as a predictor of age-0 growth. The best supported models (N=4) of growth rates of age-1 fish indicated a positive relationship with availability of age-0 smelt and resulting levels of cannibalism. Other plausible models were contained variants of these parameters. Cannibalistic rainbow smelt consumed younger conspecifics that were up to 53% of their length. Prediction of population dynamics for rainbow smelt requires an understanding of the relationship between density and growth as age-0 fish outgrow their main predators (adult smelt) by autumn in years with fast growth rates, but not in years with slow growth rates. ?? 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  11. Rain rate instrument for deployment at sea, phase 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Steele, Jimmy W.

    1992-01-01

    This report describes, in detail, the SBIR Phase 2 contracting effort provided for by NASA Contract Number NAS8-38481 in which a prototype Rain Rate Sensor was developed. FWG Model RP101A is a fully functional rain rate and droplet size analyzing instrument. The RP101A is a fully functional rain rate and droplet size analyzing instrument. The RP101A consists of a fiber optic probe containing a 32-fiber array connected to an electronic signal processor. When interfaced to an IBM compatible personal computer and configured with appropriate software, the RP101A is capable of measuring rain rates and particles ranging in size from around 300 microns up to 6 to 7 millimeters. FWG Associates, Inc. intends to develop a production model from the prototype and continue the effort under NASA's SBIR Phase 3 program.

  12. Effect of Time-Dependent Pinning Pressure on Abnormal Grain Growth: Phase Field Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Jeong Min; Min, Guensik; Shim, Jae-Hyeok; Lee, Kyung Jong

    2018-05-01

    The effect of the time-dependent pinning pressure of precipitates on abnormal grain growth has been investigated by multiphase field simulation with a simple precipitation model. The application of constant pinning pressure is problematic because it always induces abnormal grain growth or no grain growth, which is not reasonable considering the real situation. To produce time-dependent pinning pressure, both precipitation kinetics and precipitate coarsening kinetics have been considered with two rates: slow and fast. The results show that abnormal grain growth is suppressed at the slow precipitation rate. At the slow precipitation rate, the overall grain growth caused by the low pinning pressure in the early stage indeed plays a role in preventing abnormal grain growth by reducing the mobility advantage of abnormal grains. In addition, the fast precipitate coarsening rate tends to more quickly transform abnormal grain growth into normal grain growth by inducing the active growth of grains adjacent to the abnormal grains in the early stage. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that the time dependence of the pinning pressure of precipitates is a critical factor that determines the grain growth mode.

  13. Effect of Time-Dependent Pinning Pressure on Abnormal Grain Growth: Phase Field Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Jeong Min; Min, Guensik; Shim, Jae-Hyeok; Lee, Kyung Jong

    2018-03-01

    The effect of the time-dependent pinning pressure of precipitates on abnormal grain growth has been investigated by multiphase field simulation with a simple precipitation model. The application of constant pinning pressure is problematic because it always induces abnormal grain growth or no grain growth, which is not reasonable considering the real situation. To produce time-dependent pinning pressure, both precipitation kinetics and precipitate coarsening kinetics have been considered with two rates: slow and fast. The results show that abnormal grain growth is suppressed at the slow precipitation rate. At the slow precipitation rate, the overall grain growth caused by the low pinning pressure in the early stage indeed plays a role in preventing abnormal grain growth by reducing the mobility advantage of abnormal grains. In addition, the fast precipitate coarsening rate tends to more quickly transform abnormal grain growth into normal grain growth by inducing the active growth of grains adjacent to the abnormal grains in the early stage. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that the time dependence of the pinning pressure of precipitates is a critical factor that determines the grain growth mode.

  14. Calcite growth-rate inhibition by fulvic acid and magnesium ion—Possible influence on biogenic calcite formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reddy, Michael M.

    2012-08-01

    Increases in ocean surface water dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations retard biocalcification by reducing calcite supersaturation (Ωc). Reduced calcification rates may influence growth-rate dependent magnesium ion (Mg) incorporation into biogenic calcite modifying the use of calcifying organisms as paleoclimate proxies. Fulvic acid (FA) at biocalcification sites may further reduce calcification rates. Calcite growth-rate inhibition by FA and Mg, two common constituents of seawater and soil water involved in the formation of biogenic calcite, was measured separately and in combination under identical, highly reproducible experimental conditions. Calcite growth rates (pH=8.5 and Ωc=4.5) are reduced by FA (0.5 mg/L) to 47% and by Mg (10-4 M) to 38%, compared to control experiments containing no added growth-rate inhibitor. Humic acid (HA) is twice as effective a calcite growth-rate inhibitor as FA. Calcite growth rate in the presence of both FA (0.5 mg/L) and Mg (10-4 M) is reduced to 5% of the control rate. Mg inhibits calcite growth rates by substitution for calcium ion at the growth site. In contrast, FA inhibits calcite growth rates by binding multiple carboxylate groups on the calcite surface. FA and Mg together have an increased affinity for the calcite growth sites reducing calcite growth rates.

  15. Calcite growth-rate inhibition by fulvic acid and magnesium ion—Possible influence on biogenic calcite formation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reddy, Michael M.

    2012-01-01

    Increases in ocean surface water dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations retard biocalcification by reducing calcite supersaturation (Ωc). Reduced calcification rates may influence growth-rate dependent magnesium ion (Mg) incorporation into biogenic calcite modifying the use of calcifying organisms as paleoclimate proxies. Fulvic acid (FA) at biocalcification sites may further reduce calcification rates. Calcite growth-rate inhibition by FA and Mg, two common constituents of seawater and soil water involved in the formation of biogenic calcite, was measured separately and in combination under identical, highly reproducible experimental conditions. Calcite growth rates (pH=8.5 and Ωc=4.5) are reduced by FA (0.5 mg/L) to 47% and by Mg (10−4 M) to 38%, compared to control experiments containing no added growth-rate inhibitor. Humic acid (HA) is twice as effective a calcite growth-rate inhibitor as FA. Calcite growth rate in the presence of both FA (0.5 mg/L) and Mg (10−4 M) is reduced to 5% of the control rate. Mg inhibits calcite growth rates by substitution for calcium ion at the growth site. In contrast, FA inhibits calcite growth rates by binding multiple carboxylate groups on the calcite surface. FA and Mg together have an increased affinity for the calcite growth sites reducing calcite growth rates.

  16. Coordinated Changes in Mutation and Growth Rates Induced by Genome Reduction

    PubMed Central

    Nishimura, Issei; Kurokawa, Masaomi; Liu, Liu

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Genome size is determined during evolution, but it can also be altered by genetic engineering in laboratories. The systematic characterization of reduced genomes provides valuable insights into the cellular properties that are quantitatively described by the global parameters related to the dynamics of growth and mutation. In the present study, we analyzed a small collection of W3110 Escherichia coli derivatives containing either the wild-type genome or reduced genomes of various lengths to examine whether the mutation rate, a global parameter representing genomic plasticity, was affected by genome reduction. We found that the mutation rates of these cells increased with genome reduction. The correlation between genome length and mutation rate, which has been reported for the evolution of bacteria, was also identified, intriguingly, for genome reduction. Gene function enrichment analysis indicated that the deletion of many of the genes encoding membrane and transport proteins play a role in the mutation rate changes mediated by genome reduction. Furthermore, the increase in the mutation rate with genome reduction was highly associated with a decrease in the growth rate in a nutrition-dependent manner; thus, poorer media showed a larger change that was of higher significance. This negative correlation was strongly supported by experimental evidence that the serial transfer of the reduced genome improved the growth rate and reduced the mutation rate to a large extent. Taken together, the global parameters corresponding to the genome, growth, and mutation showed a coordinated relationship, which might be an essential working principle for balancing the cellular dynamics appropriate to the environment. PMID:28679744

  17. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria allow reduced application rates of chemical fertilizers.

    PubMed

    Adesemoye, A O; Torbert, H A; Kloepper, J W

    2009-11-01

    The search for microorganisms that improve soil fertility and enhance plant nutrition has continued to attract attention due to the increasing cost of fertilizers and some of their negative environmental impacts. The objectives of this greenhouse study with tomato were to determine (1) if reduced rates of inorganic fertilizer coupled with microbial inoculants will produce plant growth, yield, and nutrient uptake levels equivalent to those with full rates of the fertilizer and (2) the minimum level to which fertilizer could be reduced when inoculants were used. The microbial inoculants used in the study were a mixture of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens IN937a and Bacillus pumilus T4, a formulated PGPR product, and the arbuscular mycorrhiza fungus (AMF), Glomus intraradices. Results showed that supplementing 75% of the recommended fertilizer rate with inoculants produced plant growth, yield, and nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) uptake that were statistically equivalent to the full fertilizer rate without inoculants. When inoculants were used with rates of fertilizer below 75% of the recommended rate, the beneficial effects were usually not consistent; however, inoculation with the mixture of PGPR and AMF at 70% fertility consistently produced the same yield as the full fertility rate without inoculants. Without inoculants, use of fertilizer rates lower than the recommended resulted in significantly less plant growth, yield, and nutrient uptake or inconsistent impacts. The results suggest that PGPR-based inoculants can be used and should be further evaluated as components of integrated nutrient management strategies.

  18. Bifurcations of a periodically forced microbial continuous culture model with restrained growth rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, Jingli; Yuan, Qigang

    2017-08-01

    A three dimensional microbial continuous culture model with a restrained microbial growth rate is studied in this paper. Two types of dilution rates are considered to investigate the dynamic behaviors of the model. For the unforced system, fold bifurcation and Hopf bifurcation are detected, and numerical simulations reveal that the system undergoes degenerate Hopf bifurcation. When the system is periodically forced, bifurcation diagrams for periodic solutions of period-one and period-two are given by researching the Poincaré map, corresponding to different bifurcation cases in the unforced system. Stable and unstable quasiperiodic solutions are obtained by Neimark-Sacker bifurcation with different parameter values. Periodic solutions of various periods can occur or disappear and even change their stability, when the Poincaré map of the forced system undergoes Neimark-Sacker bifurcation, flip bifurcation, and fold bifurcation. Chaotic attractors generated by a cascade of period doublings and some phase portraits are given at last.

  19. Phase-field modeling of void anisotropic growth behavior in irradiated zirconium

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Han, G. M.; Wang, H.; Lin, De-Ye

    2017-06-01

    A three-dimensional (3D) phase field model was developed to study the effects of surface energy and diffusivity anisotropy on void growth behavior in irradiated Zr. The gamma surface energy function, which is used in the phase field model, was developed with the surface energy anisotropy calculated from the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. It is assumed that vacancies have much larger mobility in c-axis than a- and b- axes while interstitials have much larger mobility in basal plane then that in c-axis. With the model, the equilibrium void morphology and the effect of defect concentrations and defect mobility anisotropy on voidmore » growth behavior were simulated. The simulations demonstrated that 1) The developed phase-field model can correctly reproduce the faceted void morphology predicted by the Wullf construction. 2) With isotropic diffusivity the void prefers to grow on the basal plane. 3) When the vacancy has large mobility along c-axis and interstitial has a large mobility on the basal plane of hexagonal closed packed (hcp) Zr alloys a platelet void grows in c-direction and shrinks on the basal plane, which is in agreement with the experimental observation of void growth behavior in irradiated Zr.« less

  20. Phase-Separated Polyaniline/Graphene Composite Electrodes for High-Rate Electrochemical Supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jifeng; Zhang, Qin'e; Zhou, An'an; Huang, Zhifeng; Bai, Hua; Li, Lei

    2016-12-01

    Polyaniline/graphene hydrogel composites with a macroscopically phase-separated structure are prepared. The composites show high specific capacitance and excellent rate performance. Further investigation demonstrates that polyaniline inside the graphene hydrogel has low rate performance, thus a phase-separated structure, in which polyaniline is mainly outside the graphene hydrogel matrix, can enhance the rate performance of the composites. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Solid-phase diffusion mechanism for GaAs nanowire growth.

    PubMed

    Persson, Ann I; Larsson, Magnus W; Stenström, Stig; Ohlsson, B Jonas; Samuelson, Lars; Wallenberg, L Reine

    2004-10-01

    Controllable production of nanometre-sized structures is an important field of research, and synthesis of one-dimensional objects, such as nanowires, is a rapidly expanding area with numerous applications, for example, in electronics, photonics, biology and medicine. Nanoscale electronic devices created inside nanowires, such as p-n junctions, were reported ten years ago. More recently, hetero-structure devices with clear quantum-mechanical behaviour have been reported, for example the double-barrier resonant tunnelling diode and the single-electron transistor. The generally accepted theory of semiconductor nanowire growth is the vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism, based on growth from a liquid metal seed particle. In this letter we suggest the existence of a growth regime quite different from VLS. We show that this new growth regime is based on a solid-phase diffusion mechanism of a single component through a gold seed particle, as shown by in situ heating experiments of GaAs nanowires in a transmission electron microscope, and supported by highly resolved chemical analysis and finite element calculations of the mass transport and composition profiles.

  2. Numerical Simulation of Nanostructure Growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hwang, Helen H.; Bose, Deepak; Govindan, T. R.; Meyyappan, M.

    2004-01-01

    Nanoscale structures, such as nanowires and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are often grown in gaseous or plasma environments. Successful growth of these structures is defined by achieving a specified crystallinity or chirality, size or diameter, alignment, etc., which in turn depend on gas mixture ratios. pressure, flow rate, substrate temperature, and other operating conditions. To date, there has not been a rigorous growth model that addresses the specific concerns of crystalline nanowire growth, while demonstrating the correct trends of the processing conditions on growth rates. Most crystal growth models are based on the Burton, Cabrera, and Frank (BCF) method, where adatoms are incorporated into a growing crystal at surface steps or spirals. When the supersaturation of the vapor is high, islands nucleate to form steps, and these steps subsequently spread (grow). The overall bulk growth rate is determined by solving for the evolving motion of the steps. Our approach is to use a phase field model to simulate the growth of finite sized nanowire crystals, linking the free energy equation with the diffusion equation of the adatoms. The phase field method solves for an order parameter that defines the evolving steps in a concentration field. This eliminates the need for explicit front tracking/location, or complicated shadowing routines, both of which can be computationally expensive, particularly in higher dimensions. We will present results demonstrating the effect of process conditions, such as substrate temperature, vapor supersaturation, etc. on the evolving morphologies and overall growth rates of the nanostructures.

  3. Changes in Microbial Energy Metabolism Measured by Nanocalorimetry during Growth Phase Transitions

    PubMed Central

    Robador, Alberto; LaRowe, Douglas E.; Finkel, Steven E.; Amend, Jan P.; Nealson, Kenneth H.

    2018-01-01

    Calorimetric measurements of the change in heat due to microbial metabolic activity convey information about the kinetics, as well as the thermodynamics, of all chemical reactions taking place in a cell. Calorimetric measurements of heat production made on bacterial cultures have recorded the energy yields of all co-occurring microbial metabolic reactions, but this is a complex, composite signal that is difficult to interpret. Here we show that nanocalorimetry can be used in combination with enumeration of viable cell counts, oxygen consumption rates, cellular protein content, and thermodynamic calculations to assess catabolic rates of an isolate of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and infer what fraction of the chemical energy is assimilated by the culture into biomass and what fraction is dissipated in the form of heat under different limiting conditions. In particular, our results demonstrate that catabolic rates are not necessarily coupled to rates of cell division, but rather, to physiological rearrangements of S. oneidensis MR-1 upon growth phase transitions. In addition, we conclude that the heat released by growing microorganisms can be measured in order to understand the physiochemical nature of the energy transformation and dissipation associated with microbial metabolic activity in conditions approaching those found in natural systems. PMID:29449836

  4. Gross domestic product growth rates as confined Lévy flights: Towards a unifying theory of economic growth rate fluctuations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lera, Sandro Claudio; Sornette, Didier

    2018-01-01

    A model that combines economic growth rate fluctuations at the microscopic and macroscopic levels is presented. At the microscopic level, firms are growing at different rates while also being exposed to idiosyncratic shocks at the firm and sector levels. We describe such fluctuations as independent Lévy-stable fluctuations, varying over multiple orders of magnitude. These fluctuations are aggregated and measured at the macroscopic level in averaged economic output quantities such as GDP. A fundamental question is thereby to what extent individual firm size fluctuations can have a noticeable impact on the overall economy. We argue that this question can be answered by considering the Lévy fluctuations as embedded in a steep confining potential well, ensuring nonlinear mean-reversal behavior, without having to rely on microscopic details of the system. The steepness of the potential well directly controls the extent to which idiosyncratic shocks to firms and sectors are damped at the level of the economy. Additionally, the theory naturally accounts for business cycles, represented in terms of a bimodal economic output distribution and thus connects two so far unrelated fields in economics. By analyzing 200 years of U.S. gross domestic product growth rates, we find that the model is in good agreement with the data.

  5. Gross domestic product growth rates as confined Lévy flights: Towards a unifying theory of economic growth rate fluctuations.

    PubMed

    Lera, Sandro Claudio; Sornette, Didier

    2018-01-01

    A model that combines economic growth rate fluctuations at the microscopic and macroscopic levels is presented. At the microscopic level, firms are growing at different rates while also being exposed to idiosyncratic shocks at the firm and sector levels. We describe such fluctuations as independent Lévy-stable fluctuations, varying over multiple orders of magnitude. These fluctuations are aggregated and measured at the macroscopic level in averaged economic output quantities such as GDP. A fundamental question is thereby to what extent individual firm size fluctuations can have a noticeable impact on the overall economy. We argue that this question can be answered by considering the Lévy fluctuations as embedded in a steep confining potential well, ensuring nonlinear mean-reversal behavior, without having to rely on microscopic details of the system. The steepness of the potential well directly controls the extent to which idiosyncratic shocks to firms and sectors are damped at the level of the economy. Additionally, the theory naturally accounts for business cycles, represented in terms of a bimodal economic output distribution and thus connects two so far unrelated fields in economics. By analyzing 200 years of U.S. gross domestic product growth rates, we find that the model is in good agreement with the data.

  6. Influence of corruption on economic growth rate and foreign investment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Podobnik, Boris; Shao, Jia; Njavro, Djuro; Ivanov, Plamen Ch.; Stanley, H. E.

    2008-06-01

    We analyze the dependence of the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) per capita growth rates on changes in the Corruption Perceptions Index ( CPI). For the period 1999 2004 for all countries in the world, we find on average that an increase of CPI by one unit leads to an increase of the annual GDP per capita growth rate by 1.7%. By regressing only the European countries with transition economies, we find that an increase of CPI by one unit generates an increase of the annual GDP per capita growth rate by 2.4%. We also analyze the relation between foreign direct investments received by different countries and CPI, and we find a statistically significant power-law functional dependence between foreign direct investment per capita and the country corruption level measured by the CPI. We introduce a new measure to quantify the relative corruption between countries based on their respective wealth as measured by GDP per capita.

  7. Effect of Nb on the Growth Behavior of Co3Sn2 Phase in Undercooled Co-Sn Melts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kang, Jilong; Xu, Wanqiang; Wei, Xiuxun; Ferry, Michael; Li, Jinfu

    2016-12-01

    The growth behavior of the primary β-Co3Sn2 phase in (Co67Sn33)100- x Nb x ( x = 0, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0) hypereutectic alloys at different melt undercoolings was investigated systematically. The growth pattern of the β-Co3Sn2 phase at low undercooling changes with the Nb content from fractal seaweed ( x = 0, 0.5) into dendrite ( x = 0.8) and then returns to fractal seaweed ( x = 1.0) as a response to the changes in interface energy anisotropy and interface kinetic anisotropy. As undercooling increases, the dendritic growth of the β-Co3Sn2 phase in (Co67Sn33)99.2Nb0.8 alloy gives way to fractal seaweed growth at an undercooling of 32 K (-241 °C). At larger undercooling, the fractal seaweed growth is further replaced by compact seaweed growth, which occurred in the other three alloys investigated. The growth velocity of the β-Co3Sn2 phase slightly increases at low and intermediate undercooling but clearly decreases at larger undercooling due to the Nb addition. The growth velocity sharply increases as the growth pattern of the Co3Sn2 phase transits from fractal seaweed into compact seaweed.

  8. Delta L: An Apparatus for Measuring Macromolecular Crystal Growth Rates in Microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Judge, Russell A.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    In order to determine how macromolecule crystal quality improvement in microgravity is related to crystal growth characteristics, is was necessary to develop new hardware that could measure the crystal growth rates of a population of crystals growing under the same solution conditions. As crystal growth rate is defined as the change or delta in a defined dimension or length (L) of a crystal over time, the hardware was named Delta L. Delta L consists of fluids, optics, and data acquisition, sub-assemblies. Temperature control is provided for the crystal growth chamber. Delta L will be used in connection with the Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT) inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Delta L prototype hardware has been assembled. This paper will describe an overview of the design of Delta L and present preliminary crystal growth rate data.

  9. Phenytoin crystal growth rates in the presence of phosphate and chloride ions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zipp, G. L.; Rodríguez-Hornedo, N.

    1992-09-01

    Phenytoin crystal growth kinetics have been measured as a function of supersaturation in pH 2.2 phosphoric acid and pH 2.2 hydrochloric acid solutions. Two different methods were used for the kinetic analysis. The first involved a zone-sensing device which provided an analysis of the distribution of crystals in a batch crystallizer. Crystal growth rates were calculated from the increase in the size of the distribution with time. In the second method, growth rates were evaluated from the change in size with time of individual crystals observed under an inverted microscope. The results from each method compare favorably. The use of both techniques provides an excellent opportunity to exploit the strengths of each: an average growth rate from a population of crystals from batch crystallization and insight into the effect of growth on the morphology of the crystals from the individual crystal measurements.

  10. Spatial and directional variation of growth rates in Arabidopsis root apex: a modelling study.

    PubMed

    Nakielski, Jerzy; Lipowczan, Marcin

    2013-01-01

    Growth and cellular organization of the Arabidopsis root apex are investigated in various aspects, but still little is known about spatial and directional variation of growth rates in very apical part of the apex, especially in 3D. The present paper aims to fill this gap with the aid of a computer modelling based on the growth tensor method. The root apex with a typical shape and cellular pattern is considered. Previously, on the basis of two types of empirical data: the published velocity profile along the root axis and dimensions of cell packets formed in the lateral part of the root cap, the displacement velocity field for the root apex was determined. Here this field is adopted to calculate the linear growth rate in different points and directions. The results are interpreted taking principal growth directions into account. The root apex manifests a significant anisotropy of the linear growth rate. The directional preferences depend on a position within the root apex. In the root proper the rate in the periclinal direction predominates everywhere, while in the root cap the predominating direction varies with distance from the quiescent centre. The rhizodermis is distinguished from the neighbouring tissues (cortex, root cap) by relatively high contribution of the growth rate in the anticlinal direction. The degree of growth anisotropy calculated for planes defined by principal growth directions and exemplary cell walls may be as high as 25. The changes in the growth rate variation are modelled.

  11. Skeletal muscle protein accretion rates and hindlimb growth are reduced in late gestation intrauterine growth-restricted fetal sheep.

    PubMed

    Rozance, Paul J; Zastoupil, Laura; Wesolowski, Stephanie R; Goldstrohm, David A; Strahan, Brittany; Cree-Green, Melanie; Sheffield-Moore, Melinda; Meschia, Giacomo; Hay, William W; Wilkening, Randall B; Brown, Laura D

    2018-01-01

    Adults who were affected by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) suffer from reductions in muscle mass, which may contribute to insulin resistance and the development of diabetes. We demonstrate slower hindlimb linear growth and muscle protein synthesis rates that match the reduced hindlimb blood flow and oxygen consumption rates in IUGR fetal sheep. These adaptations resulted in hindlimb blood flow rates in IUGR that were similar to control fetuses on a weight-specific basis. Net hindlimb glucose uptake and lactate output rates were similar between groups, whereas amino acid uptake was significantly lower in IUGR fetal sheep. Among all fetuses, blood O 2 saturation and plasma glucose, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 were positively associated and norepinephrine was negatively associated with hindlimb weight. These results further our understanding of the metabolic and hormonal adaptations to reduced oxygen and nutrient supply with placental insufficiency that develop to slow hindlimb growth and muscle protein accretion. Reduced skeletal muscle mass in the fetus with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) persists into adulthood and may contribute to increased metabolic disease risk. To determine how placental insufficiency with reduced oxygen and nutrient supply to the fetus affects hindlimb blood flow, substrate uptake and protein accretion rates in skeletal muscle, late gestation control (CON) (n = 8) and IUGR (n = 13) fetal sheep were catheterized with aortic and femoral catheters and a flow transducer around the external iliac artery. Muscle protein kinetic rates were measured using isotopic tracers. Hindlimb weight, linear growth rate, muscle protein accretion rate and fractional synthetic rate were lower in IUGR compared to CON (P < 0.05). Absolute hindlimb blood flow was reduced in IUGR (IUGR: 32.9 ± 5.6 ml min -1 ; CON: 60.9 ± 6.5 ml min -1 ; P < 0.005), although flow normalized to hindlimb weight was similar between groups

  12. How do output growth-rate distributions look like? Some cross-country, time-series evidence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fagiolo, G.; Napoletano, M.; Roventini, A.

    2007-05-01

    This paper investigates the statistical properties of within-country gross domestic product (GDP) and industrial production (IP) growth-rate distributions. Many empirical contributions have recently pointed out that cross-section growth rates of firms, industries and countries all follow Laplace distributions. In this work, we test whether also within-country, time-series GDP and IP growth rates can be approximated by tent-shaped distributions. We fit output growth rates with the exponential-power (Subbotin) family of densities, which includes as particular cases both Gaussian and Laplace distributions. We find that, for a large number of OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries including the US, both GDP and IP growth rates are Laplace distributed. Moreover, we show that fat-tailed distributions robustly emerge even after controlling for outliers, autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity.

  13. [Growth rate and bone maturation in celiac disease (author's transl)].

    PubMed

    Martínez Sopena, M J; Calvo Romero, M C; Bedate Calderón, P; Alonso Franch, M; Sánchez Villares, E

    1978-05-01

    The growth and bone maturation of 43 celiac patients were analyzed. A significant correlation between gluten intake and growth rate was found. The authors suggest this is a good parameter to advise the best moment to make the control biopsie and the provocation test.

  14. Body size and mortality rates in coral reef fishes: a three-phase relationship.

    PubMed

    Goatley, Christopher Harry Robert; Bellwood, David Roy

    2016-10-26

    Body size is closely linked to mortality rates in many animals, although the overarching patterns in this relationship have rarely been considered for multiple species. A meta-analysis of published size-specific mortality rates for coral reef fishes revealed an exponential decline in mortality rate with increasing body size, however, within this broad relationship there are three distinct phases. Phase one is characterized by naive fishes recruiting to reefs, which suffer extremely high mortality rates. In this well-studied phase, fishes must learn quickly to survive the many predation risks. After just a few days, the surviving fishes enter phase two, in which small increases in body size result in pronounced increases in lifespan (estimated 11 d mm -1 ). Remarkably, approximately 50% of reef fish individuals remain in phase two throughout their lives. Once fishes reach a size threshold of about 43 mm total length (TL) they enter phase three, where mortality rates are relatively low and the pressure to grow is presumably, significantly reduced. These phases provide a clearer understanding of the impact of body size on mortality rates in coral reef fishes and begin to reveal critical insights into the energetic and trophic dynamics of coral reefs. © 2016 The Author(s).

  15. Body size and mortality rates in coral reef fishes: a three-phase relationship

    PubMed Central

    Bellwood, David Roy

    2016-01-01

    Body size is closely linked to mortality rates in many animals, although the overarching patterns in this relationship have rarely been considered for multiple species. A meta-analysis of published size-specific mortality rates for coral reef fishes revealed an exponential decline in mortality rate with increasing body size, however, within this broad relationship there are three distinct phases. Phase one is characterized by naive fishes recruiting to reefs, which suffer extremely high mortality rates. In this well-studied phase, fishes must learn quickly to survive the many predation risks. After just a few days, the surviving fishes enter phase two, in which small increases in body size result in pronounced increases in lifespan (estimated 11 d mm–1). Remarkably, approximately 50% of reef fish individuals remain in phase two throughout their lives. Once fishes reach a size threshold of about 43 mm total length (TL) they enter phase three, where mortality rates are relatively low and the pressure to grow is presumably, significantly reduced. These phases provide a clearer understanding of the impact of body size on mortality rates in coral reef fishes and begin to reveal critical insights into the energetic and trophic dynamics of coral reefs. PMID:27798308

  16. Thermo-Mechanical Fatigue Crack Growth of RR1000

    PubMed Central

    Pretty, Christopher John; Whitaker, Mark Thomas; Williams, Steve John

    2017-01-01

    Non-isothermal conditions during flight cycles have long led to the requirement for thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) evaluation of aerospace materials. However, the increased temperatures within the gas turbine engine have meant that the requirements for TMF testing now extend to disc alloys along with blade materials. As such, fatigue crack growth rates are required to be evaluated under non-isothermal conditions along with the development of a detailed understanding of related failure mechanisms. In the current work, a TMF crack growth testing method has been developed utilising induction heating and direct current potential drop techniques for polycrystalline nickel-based superalloys, such as RR1000. Results have shown that in-phase (IP) testing produces accelerated crack growth rates compared with out-of-phase (OOP) due to increased temperature at peak stress and therefore increased time dependent crack growth. The ordering of the crack growth rates is supported by detailed fractographic analysis which shows intergranular crack growth in IP test specimens, and transgranular crack growth in 90° OOP and 180° OOP tests. Isothermal tests have also been carried out for comparison of crack growth rates at the point of peak stress in the TMF cycles. PMID:28772394

  17. In situ growth rates of deep-water octocorals determined from 3D photogrammetric reconstructions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bennecke, Swaantje; Kwasnitschka, Tom; Metaxas, Anna; Dullo, Wolf-Christian

    2016-12-01

    Growth rates of deep-water corals provide important information on the recovery potential of these ecosystems, for example from fisheries-induced impacts. Here, we present in situ growth dynamics that are currently largely unknown for deep-water octocorals, calculated by applying a non-destructive method. Videos of a boulder harbouring multiple colonies of Paragorgia arborea and Primnoa resedaeformis in the Northeast Channel Coral Conservation Area at the entrance to the Gulf of Maine at 863 m depth were collected in 2006, 2010 and 2014. Photogrammetric reconstructions of the boulder and the fauna yielded georeferenced 3D models for all sampling years. Repeated measurements of total length and cross-sectional area of the same colonies allowed the observation of growth dynamics. Growth rates of total length of Paragorgia arborea decreased over time with higher rates between 2006 and 2010 than between 2010 and 2014, while growth rates of cross-sectional area remained comparatively constant. A general trend of decreasing growth rates of total length with size of the coral colony was documented. While no growth was observed for the largest colony (165 cm in length) between 2010 and 2014, a colony 50-65 cm in length grew 3.7 cm yr-1 between 2006 and 2010. Minimum growth rates of 1.6-2.7 cm yr-1 were estimated for two recruits (<23 cm in 2014) of Primnoa resedaeformis. We successfully extracted biologically meaningful data from photogrammetric models and present the first in situ growth rates for these coral species in the Northwest Atlantic.

  18. Effects of climate change on plant population growth rate and community composition change.

    PubMed

    Chang, Xiao-Yu; Chen, Bao-Ming; Liu, Gang; Zhou, Ting; Jia, Xiao-Rong; Peng, Shao-Lin

    2015-01-01

    The impacts of climate change on forest community composition are still not well known. Although directional trends in climate change and community composition change were reported in recent years, further quantitative analyses are urgently needed. Previous studies focused on measuring population growth rates in a single time period, neglecting the development of the populations. Here we aimed to compose a method for calculating the community composition change, and to testify the impacts of climate change on community composition change within a relatively short period (several decades) based on long-term monitoring data from two plots-Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, China (DBR) and Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI)-that are located in tropical and subtropical regions. We proposed a relatively more concise index, Slnλ, which refers to an overall population growth rate based on the dominant species in a community. The results indicated that the population growth rate of a majority of populations has decreased over the past few decades. This decrease was mainly caused by population development. The increasing temperature had a positive effect on population growth rates and community change rates. Our results promote understanding and explaining variations in population growth rates and community composition rates, and are helpful to predict population dynamics and population responses to climate change.

  19. A Minimalistic Resource Allocation Model to Explain Ubiquitous Increase in Protein Expression with Growth Rate

    PubMed Central

    Keren, Leeat; Segal, Eran; Milo, Ron

    2016-01-01

    Most proteins show changes in level across growth conditions. Many of these changes seem to be coordinated with the specific growth rate rather than the growth environment or the protein function. Although cellular growth rates, gene expression levels and gene regulation have been at the center of biological research for decades, there are only a few models giving a base line prediction of the dependence of the proteome fraction occupied by a gene with the specific growth rate. We present a simple model that predicts a widely coordinated increase in the fraction of many proteins out of the proteome, proportionally with the growth rate. The model reveals how passive redistribution of resources, due to active regulation of only a few proteins, can have proteome wide effects that are quantitatively predictable. Our model provides a potential explanation for why and how such a coordinated response of a large fraction of the proteome to the specific growth rate arises under different environmental conditions. The simplicity of our model can also be useful by serving as a baseline null hypothesis in the search for active regulation. We exemplify the usage of the model by analyzing the relationship between growth rate and proteome composition for the model microorganism E.coli as reflected in recent proteomics data sets spanning various growth conditions. We find that the fraction out of the proteome of a large number of proteins, and from different cellular processes, increases proportionally with the growth rate. Notably, ribosomal proteins, which have been previously reported to increase in fraction with growth rate, are only a small part of this group of proteins. We suggest that, although the fractions of many proteins change with the growth rate, such changes may be partially driven by a global effect, not necessarily requiring specific cellular control mechanisms. PMID:27073913

  20. Spin-lattice relaxation-rate anomaly at structural phase transitions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levanyuk, A. P.; Minyukov, S. A.; Etrillard, J.; Toudic, B.

    1997-12-01

    The theory of spin-lattice relaxation (SLR)-rate anomaly at structural phase transitions proposed about 30 years ago is reconsidered taking into account that knowledge about the relevant lattice response functions has changed considerably. We use both the results of previous authors and perform original calculations of the response functions when it is necessary. We consider displacive systems and use the perturbation theory to treat the lattice anharmonicities in a broad temperature region whenever possible. Some comments about the order-disorder systems are made as well. The possibility of linear coupling of the order parameter and the resonance frequency is always assumed. It is found that in the symmetrical phase the anomaly is due to the one-phonon processes, the anomalous part being proportional to either (T-Tc)-1 or (T-Tc)-1/2 depending on some condition on the soft-mode dispersion. In both cases the value of the SLR rate at the boundary of applicabity of the theory (close to the phase transition) is estimated to be 102-103 times more than the typical value of the SLR rate in an ideal crystal. An essential specific feature of the nonsymmetrical phase is appearance of third-order anharmonicities that are well known to lead to a low-frequency dispersion of the order-parameter damping constant. We have found that this constant exhibits, in addition, a strong wave-vector dispersion, so that the damping constant determing the SLR rate is quite different from that at zero wave vector. In the case of two-component order parameter the damping constant for the component with nonzero equilibrium value is different from that for the other component, the difference is of the same order of magnitude as the damping constants themselves. In the case of the incommensurate phase a part of the mentioned third-order anharmonicity is responsible for longitudinal-transversal interaction that is well known to influence the static longitudinal response function. We calculate as

  1. Multiphase flow and transport caused by spontaneous gas phase growth in the presence of dense non-aqueous phase liquid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roy, James W.; Smith, James E.

    2007-01-01

    Disconnected bubbles or ganglia of trapped gas may occur below the top of the capillary fringe through a number of mechanisms. In the presence of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), the disconnected gas phase experiences mass transfer of dissolved gases, including volatile components from the DNAPL. The properties of the gas phase interface can also change. This work shows for the first time that when seed gas bubbles exist spontaneous gas phase growth can be expected to occur and can significantly affect water-gas-DNAPL distributions, fluid flow, and mass transfer. Source zone behaviour was observed in three different experiments performed in a 2-dimensional flow cell. In each case, a DNAPL pool was created in a zone of larger glass beads over smaller glass beads, which served as a capillary barrier. In one experiment effluent water samples were analyzed to determine the vertical concentration profile of the plume above the pool. The experiments effectively demonstrated a) a cycle of spontaneous gas phase expansion and vertical advective mobilization of gas bubbles and ganglia above the DNAPL source zone, b) DNAPL redistribution caused by gas phase growth and mobilization, and c) that these processes can significantly affect mass transport from a NAPL source zone.

  2. Multiphase flow and transport caused by spontaneous gas phase growth in the presence of dense non-aqueous phase liquid.

    PubMed

    Roy, James W; Smith, James E

    2007-01-30

    Disconnected bubbles or ganglia of trapped gas may occur below the top of the capillary fringe through a number of mechanisms. In the presence of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), the disconnected gas phase experiences mass transfer of dissolved gases, including volatile components from the DNAPL. The properties of the gas phase interface can also change. This work shows for the first time that when seed gas bubbles exist spontaneous gas phase growth can be expected to occur and can significantly affect water-gas-DNAPL distributions, fluid flow, and mass transfer. Source zone behaviour was observed in three different experiments performed in a 2-dimensional flow cell. In each case, a DNAPL pool was created in a zone of larger glass beads over smaller glass beads, which served as a capillary barrier. In one experiment effluent water samples were analyzed to determine the vertical concentration profile of the plume above the pool. The experiments effectively demonstrated a) a cycle of spontaneous gas phase expansion and vertical advective mobilization of gas bubbles and ganglia above the DNAPL source zone, b) DNAPL redistribution caused by gas phase growth and mobilization, and c) that these processes can significantly affect mass transport from a NAPL source zone.

  3. Removal of nutrient limitations in forest gaps enhances growth rate and resistance to cavitation in subtropical canopy tree species differing in shade tolerance.

    PubMed

    Villagra, Mariana; Campanello, Paula I; Montti, Lia; Goldstein, Guillermo

    2013-03-01

    A 4-year fertilization experiment with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) was carried out in natural gaps of a subtropical forest in northeastern Argentina. Saplings of six dominant canopy species differing in shade tolerance were grown in five control and five N + P fertilized gaps. Hydraulic architectural traits such as wood density, the leaf area to sapwood area ratio (LA : SA), vulnerability to cavitation (P50) and specific and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity were measured, as well as the relative growth rate, specific leaf area (SLA) and percentage of leaf damage by insect herbivores. Plant growth rates and resistance to drought-induced embolisms increased when nutrient limitations were removed. On average, the P50 of control plants was -1.1 MPa, while the P50 of fertilized plants was -1.6 MPa. Wood density and LA : SA decreased with N + P additions. A trade-off between vulnerability to cavitation and efficiency of water transport was not observed. The relative growth rate was positively related to the total leaf surface area per plant and negatively related to LA : SA, while P50 was positively related to SLA across species and treatments. Plants with higher growth rates and higher total leaf area in fertilized plots were able to avoid hydraulic dysfunction by becoming less vulnerable to cavitation (more negative P50). Two high-light-requiring species exhibited relatively low growth rates due to heavy herbivore damage. Contrary to expectations, shade-tolerant plants with relatively high resistance to hydraulic dysfunction and reduced herbivory damage were able to grow faster. These results suggest that during the initial phase of sapling establishment in gaps, species that were less vulnerable to cavitation and exhibited reduced herbivory damage had faster realized growth rates than less shade-tolerant species with higher potential growth rates. Finally, functional relationships between hydraulic traits and growth rate across species and treatments

  4. Radiosensitivity of different tissues from carrot root at different phases of growth in culture

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Degani, N.; Pickholtz, D.

    1980-09-01

    The present work compares the effect of ..gamma..-radiation dose and time in culture on the growth of cambium and phloem carrot (Daucus carota) root explants. It was found that the phloem is more radiosensitive than the cambium and that both tissues were more radiosensitive when irradiated on excision at the G/sub 1/ phase rather than at the end of the lag phase on the ninth day of growth in culture when cells were predominantly at the G/sub 2/ phase. The nuclear volumes of cells from both tissues were similar but were larger at the end of the more radioresistant lagmore » phase than those of the G/sub 1/ phase on excision. However, nuclear volume could not account for the differences in radiosensitivity between either the tissues or irradiation times in culture.« less

  5. Ultrahigh-yield growth of GaN via halogen-free vapor-phase epitaxy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakamura, Daisuke; Kimura, Taishi

    2018-06-01

    The material yield of Ga during GaN growth via halogen-free vapor-phase epitaxy (HF-VPE) was systematically investigated and found to be much higher than that obtained using conventional hydride VPE. This is attributed to the much lower process pressure and shorter seed-to-source distance, owing to the inherent chemical reactions and corresponding reactor design used for HF-VPE growth. Ultrahigh-yield GaN growth was demonstrated on a 4-in.-diameter sapphire seed substrate.

  6. Strain energy release rate analysis of cyclic delamination growth in compressively loaded laminates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Whitcomb, J. D.

    1983-01-01

    Delamination growth in compressively loaded composite laminates was studied analytically and experimentally. The configuration used was a laminate with an across-the-width delamination. An approximate super-position stress analysis was developed to quantify the effects of various geometric, material, and load parameters on mode 2 and mode 2 strain energy release rates G sub/1 and G sub 2, respectively. Calculated values of G sub 1 and G sub 2 were then compared with measured cyclic delamination growth rates to determine the relative importance of G sub 1 and G sub 2. High growth rates were observed only when G sub 1 was large. However, slow growth was observed even when G sub 1 was negligibly small. This growth apparently was due to a large value of G sub 2.

  7. The effects of temperature and NaCl concentration on tetragonal lysozyme face growth rates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Forsythe, Elizabeth; Pusey, Marc Lee

    1994-01-01

    Measurements were made of the (110) and (101) face growth rates of the tetragonal form of hen egg white lysozyme at 0.1M sodium acetate buffer, pH 4.0, from 4 to 22 C and with 3.0%, 5.0%, and 7.0% NaCl used as the precipitating salt. The data were collected at supersaturation ratios ranging from approximately 4 to approximately 63. Both decreasing temperature and increasing salt concentrations shifted plots of the growth rate versus C/C(sat) to the right, i.e. higher supersaturations were required for comparable growth rates. The observed trends in the growth data are counter to those expected from the solubility data. If tetragonal lysozyme crystal growth is by addition of ordered aggregates from the solution, then the observed growth data could be explained as a result of the effects of lowered temperature and increased salt concentration on the kinetics and equilibrium processes governing protein-protein interactions in solution. The data indicate that temperature would be a more tractable means of controlling the growth rate for tetragonal lysozyme crystals contrary to the usual practice in, e.g., vapor diffusion protein crystal growth, where both the precipitant and protein concentrations are simultaneously increased. However, the available range for control is dependent upon the protein concentration, with the greatest growth rate control being at the lower concentration.

  8. Associations between heterozygosity and growth rate variables in three western forest trees

    Treesearch

    Jeffry B. Milton; Peggy Knowles; Kareen B. Sturgeon; Yan B. Linhart; Martha Davis

    1981-01-01

    For each of three species, quaking aspen, ponderosa pine, and lodgepole pine, we determined the relationships between a ranking of heterozygosity of individuals and measures of growth rate. Genetic variation was assayed by starch gel electrophoresis of enzymes. Growth rates were characterized by the mean, standard deviation, logarithm of the variance, and coefficient...

  9. Effect of growth phase on the fatty acid compositions of four species of marine diatoms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Ying; Mai, Kangsen

    2005-04-01

    The fatty acid compositions of four species of marine diatoms ( Chaetoceros gracilis MACC/B13, Cylindrotheca fusiformis MACC/B211, Phaeodactylum tricornutum MACC/B221 and Nitzschia closterium MACC/B222), cultivated at 22°C±1°C with the salinity of 28 in f/2 medium and harvested in the exponential growth phase, the early stationary phase and the late stationary phase, were determined. The results showed that growth phase has significant effect on most fatty acid contents in the four species of marine diatoms. The proportions of 16:0 and 16:1n-7 fatty acids increased while those of 16:3n-4 and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) decreased with increasing culture age in all species studied. The subtotal of saturated fatty acids (SFA) increased with the increasing culture age in all species with the exception of B13. The subtotal of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) increased while that of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decreased with culture age in the four species of marine diatoms. MUFA reached their lowest value in the exponential growth phase, whereas PUFA reached their highest value in the same phase.

  10. The evaluation system of city's smart growth success rates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Yifan

    2018-04-01

    "Smart growth" is to pursue the best integrated perform+-ance of the Economically prosperous, socially Equitable, and Environmentally Sustainable(3E). Firstly, we establish the smart growth evaluation system(SGI) and the sustainable development evaluation system(SDI). Based on the ten principles and the definition of three E's of sustainability. B y using the Z-score method and the principal component analysis method, we evaluate and quantify indexes synthetically. Then we define the success of smart growth as the ratio of the SDI to the SGI composite score growth rate (SSG). After that we select two cities — Canberra and Durres as the objects of our model in view of the model. Based on the development plans and key data of these two cities, we can figure out the success of smart growth. And according to our model, we adjust some of the growth indicators for both cities. Then observe the results before and after adjustment, and finally verify the accuracy of the model.

  11. Rate limits in silicon sheet growth - The connections between vertical and horizontal methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thomas, Paul D.; Brown, Robert A.

    1987-01-01

    Meniscus-defined techniques for the growth of thin silicon sheets fall into two categories: vertical and horizontal growth. The interactions of the temperature field and the crystal shape are analyzed for both methods using two-dimensional finite-element models which include heat transfer and capillarity. Heat transfer in vertical growth systems is dominated by conduction in the melt and the crystal, with almost flat melt/crystal interfaces that are perpendicular to the direction of growth. The high axial temperature gradients characteristic of vertical growth lead to high thermal stresses. The maximum growth rate is also limited by capillarity which can restrict the conduction of heat from the melt into the crystal. In horizontal growth the melt/crystal interface stretches across the surface of the melt pool many times the crystal thickness, and low growth rates are achievable with careful temperature control. With a moderate axial temperature gradient in the sheet a substantial portion of the latent heat conducts along the sheet and the surface of the melt pool becomes supercooled, leading to dendritic growth. The thermal supercooling is surpressed by lowering the axial gradient in the crystal; this configuration is the most desirable for the growth of high quality crystals. An expression derived from scaling analysis relating the growth rate and the crucible temperature is shown to be reliable for horizontal growth.

  12. Collective firm bankruptcies and phase transition in rating dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sieczka, P.; Hołyst, J. A.

    2009-10-01

    We present a simple model of firm rating evolution. We consider two sources of defaults: individual dynamics of economic development and Potts-like interactions between firms. We show that such a defined model leads to phase transition, which results in collective defaults. The existence of the collective phase depends on the mean interaction strength. For small interaction strength parameters, there are many independent bankruptcies of individual companies. For large parameters, there are giant collective defaults of firm clusters. In the case when the individual firm dynamics favors dumping of rating changes, there is an optimal strength of the firm's interactions from the systemic risk point of view. in here

  13. Rate processes in gas phase

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hansen, C. F.

    1983-01-01

    Reaction-rate theory and experiment are given a critical review from the engineers' point of view. Rates of heavy-particle, collision-induced reaction in gas phase are formulated in terms of the cross sections and activation energies for reaction. The effect of cross section function shape and of excited state contributions to reaction both cause the slope of Arrhenius plots to differ from the true activation energy, except at low temperature. The master equations for chemically reacting gases are introduced, and dissociation and ionization reactions are shown to proceed primarily from excited states about kT from the dissociation or ionization limit. Collision-induced vibration, vibration-rotation, and pure rotation transitions are treated, including three-dimensional effects and conservation of energy, which have usually been ignored. The quantum theory of transitions at potential surface crossing is derived, and results are found to be in fair agreement with experiment in spite of some questionable approximations involved.

  14. Shape of growth-rate distribution determines the type of Non-Gibrat’s Property

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ishikawa, Atushi; Fujimoto, Shouji; Mizuno, Takayuki

    2011-11-01

    In this study, the authors examine exhaustive business data on Japanese firms, which cover nearly all companies in the mid- and large-scale ranges in terms of firm size, to reach several key findings on profits/sales distribution and business growth trends. Here, profits denote net profits. First, detailed balance is observed not only in profits data but also in sales data. Furthermore, the growth-rate distribution of sales has wider tails than the linear growth-rate distribution of profits in log-log scale. On the one hand, in the mid-scale range of profits, the probability of positive growth decreases and the probability of negative growth increases symmetrically as the initial value increases. This is called Non-Gibrat’s First Property. On the other hand, in the mid-scale range of sales, the probability of positive growth decreases as the initial value increases, while the probability of negative growth hardly changes. This is called Non-Gibrat’s Second Property. Under detailed balance, Non-Gibrat’s First and Second Properties are analytically derived from the linear and quadratic growth-rate distributions in log-log scale, respectively. In both cases, the log-normal distribution is inferred from Non-Gibrat’s Properties and detailed balance. These analytic results are verified by empirical data. Consequently, this clarifies the notion that the difference in shapes between growth-rate distributions of sales and profits is closely related to the difference between the two Non-Gibrat’s Properties in the mid-scale range.

  15. Systemic mesenchymal stem cells reduce growth rate of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Pengfei; Chen, Mo; Wang, Li; Ning, Yanxia; Liang, Jie; Zhang, Hao; Xu, Congjian; Chen, Sifeng; Yao, Liangqing

    2013-01-01

    Epithelial ovarian cancer is one of the most malignant cancers in women and resistant to chemotherapy is the major obstacle for the five-year survival rate. Cisplatin is one of the effective anticancer drug used in the ovarian cancer. To find a good strategy to cure the tumors which is resistant to cisplatin, the cisplatin-resistant 3SKOV3 cells were selected from SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, the isolated mesenchymal stem cells were infused systemically to try to cure the transplanted tumor induced by 3SKOV3 cells in nude mice. The morphology and cell membrane CD44 expression were investigated by microscope and flow cytometry. The biological behaviors of resistant 3SKOV3 and its parental SKOV3 cells, including proliferation, adhesion, and cell cycle were determined by CCK8, absorbance assay and FCM methods. The transplanted tumors were set up in nude mice with 3SKOV3 cells injection. The growth rate of transplanted tumors was detected following with MSCs injection. The 3SKOV3 cells have different morphologic manifestation and expressed high level of CD44 molecule. At the same time, 3SKOV3 cells have less adhesion ability and less S-phase ratio. The isolated MSCs from bone marrow could inhibit the growth of transplanted tumor via systemic injection. The cisplatin-resistant 3SKOV3 cells have the different biological behaviors as its parental SKOV3 cells. The present study indicated that systemic MSCs have the therapeutic role on ovarian cancer. However, further investigations are in progress to elucidate the underlying mechanism.

  16. Single-mode, Rayleigh-Taylor growth-rate measurements on the OMEGA laser system

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Knauer, J. P.; Betti, R.; Bradley, D. K.

    2000-01-01

    The results from a series of single-mode, Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability growth experiments performed on the OMEGA laser system [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] using planar targets are reported. Planar targets with imposed mass perturbations were accelerated using five or six 351 nm laser beams overlapped with total intensities up to 2.5x10{sup 14} W/cm{sup 2}. Experiments were performed with both 3 ns ramp and 3 ns flat-topped temporal pulse shapes. The use of distributed phase plates and smoothing by spectral dispersion resulted in a laser-irradiation nonuniformity of 4%-7% over a 600 {mu}m diam region defined bymore » the 90% intensity contour. The temporal growth of the modulation in optical depth was measured using throughfoil radiography and was detected with an x-ray framing camera for CH targets. Two-dimensional (2-D) hydrodynamic simulations (ORCHID) [R. L. McCrory and C. P. Verdon, in Inertial Confinement Fusion (Editrice Compositori, Bologna, 1989), pp. 83-124] of the growth of 20, 31, and 60 {mu}m wavelength perturbations were in good agreement with the experimental data when the experimental details, including noise, were included. The amplitude of the simulation optical depth is in good agreement with the experimental optical depth; therefore, great care must be taken when the growth rates are compared to dispersion formulas. Since the foil's initial condition just before it is accelerated is not that of a uniformly compressed foil, the optical density measurement does not accurately reflect the amplitude of the ablation surface but is affected by the initial nonuniform density profile. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.« less

  17. Maximum Rate of Growth of Enstrophy in Solutions of the Fractional Burgers Equation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yun, Dongfang; Protas, Bartosz

    2018-02-01

    This investigation is a part of a research program aiming to characterize the extreme behavior possible in hydrodynamic models by analyzing the maximum growth of certain fundamental quantities. We consider here the rate of growth of the classical and fractional enstrophy in the fractional Burgers equation in the subcritical and supercritical regimes. Since solutions to this equation exhibit, respectively, globally well-posed behavior and finite-time blowup in these two regimes, this makes it a useful model to study the maximum instantaneous growth of enstrophy possible in these two distinct situations. First, we obtain estimates on the rates of growth and then show that these estimates are sharp up to numerical prefactors. This is done by numerically solving suitably defined constrained maximization problems and then demonstrating that for different values of the fractional dissipation exponent the obtained maximizers saturate the upper bounds in the estimates as the enstrophy increases. We conclude that the power-law dependence of the enstrophy rate of growth on the fractional dissipation exponent has the same global form in the subcritical, critical and parts of the supercritical regime. This indicates that the maximum enstrophy rate of growth changes smoothly as global well-posedness is lost when the fractional dissipation exponent attains supercritical values. In addition, nontrivial behavior is revealed for the maximum rate of growth of the fractional enstrophy obtained for small values of the fractional dissipation exponents. We also characterize the structure of the maximizers in different cases.

  18. Phylogenetic, functional, and structural components of variation in bone growth rate of amniotes.

    PubMed

    Cubo, Jorge; Legendre, Pierre; de Ricqlès, Armand; Montes, Laëtitia; de Margerie, Emmanuel; Castanet, Jacques; Desdevises, Yves

    2008-01-01

    The biological features observed in every living organism are the outcome of three sets of factors: historical (inherited by homology), functional (biological adaptation), and structural (properties inherent to the materials with which organs are constructed, and the morphogenetic rules by which they grow). Integrating them should bring satisfactory causal explanations of empirical data. However, little progress has been accomplished in practice toward this goal, because a methodologically efficient tool was lacking. Here we use a new statistical method of variation partitioning to analyze bone growth in amniotes. (1) Historical component. The variation of bone growth rates contains a significant phylogenetic signal, suggesting that the observed patterns are partly the outcome of shared ancestry. (2) Functional causation. High growth rates, although energy costly, may be adaptive (i.e., they may increase survival rates) in taxa showing short growth periods (e.g., birds). In ectothermic amniotes, low resting metabolic rates may limit the maximum possible growth rates. (3) Structural constraint. Whereas soft tissues grow through a multiplicative process, growth of mineralized tissues is accretionary (additive, i.e., mineralization fronts occur only at free surfaces). Bone growth of many amniotes partially circumvents this constraint: it is achieved not only at the external surface of the bone shaft, but also within cavities included in the bone cortex as it grows centrifugally. Our approach contributes to the unification of historicism, functionalism, and structuralism toward a more integrated evolutionary biology.

  19. A phase-field simulation of uranium dendrite growth on the cathode in the electrorefining process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shibuta, Yasushi; Unoura, Seiji; Sato, Takumi; Shibata, Hiroki; Kurata, Masaki; Suzuki, Toshio

    2011-07-01

    The uranium dendrite growth on the cathode during the pyroprocessing of uranium is investigated using a novel phase-field model, in which electrodeposition of uranium and zirconium from the molten-salt is taken into account. The threshold concentration of zirconium in the molten salt demarcating the dendritic and planar growth is then estimated as a function of the current density. Moreover, the growth process of both the dendritic and planar electrodeposits has been demonstrated by way of varying the mobility of the phase field, which consists of the effect of attachment kinetics and diffusion.

  20. Size evolution in microorganisms masks trade-offs predicted by the growth rate hypothesis.

    PubMed

    Gounand, Isabelle; Daufresne, Tanguy; Gravel, Dominique; Bouvier, Corinne; Bouvier, Thierry; Combe, Marine; Gougat-Barbera, Claire; Poly, Franck; Torres-Barceló, Clara; Mouquet, Nicolas

    2016-12-28

    Adaptation to local resource availability depends on responses in growth rate and nutrient acquisition. The growth rate hypothesis (GRH) suggests that growing fast should impair competitive abilities for phosphorus and nitrogen due to high demand for biosynthesis. However, in microorganisms, size influences both growth and uptake rates, which may mask trade-offs and instead generate a positive relationship between these traits (size hypothesis, SH). Here, we evolved a gradient of maximum growth rate (μ max ) from a single bacterium ancestor to test the relationship among μ max , competitive ability for nutrients and cell size, while controlling for evolutionary history. We found a strong positive correlation between μ max and competitive ability for phosphorus, associated with a trade-off between μ max and cell size: strains selected for high μ max were smaller and better competitors for phosphorus. Our results strongly support the SH, while the trade-offs expected under GRH were not apparent. Beyond plasticity, unicellular populations can respond rapidly to selection pressure through joint evolution of their size and maximum growth rate. Our study stresses that physiological links between these traits tightly shape the evolution of competitive strategies. © 2016 The Author(s).

  1. Exploring Latent Class Based on Growth Rates in Number Sense Ability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Dongil; Shin, Jaehyun; Lee, Kijyung

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore latent class based on growth rates in number sense ability by using latent growth class modeling (LGCM). LGCM is one of the noteworthy methods for identifying growth patterns of the progress monitoring within the response to intervention framework in that it enables us to analyze latent sub-groups based not…

  2. Hybrid vapor phase-solution phase growth techniques for improved CZT(S,Se) photovoltaic device performance

    DOEpatents

    Chang, Liang-Yi; Gershon, Talia S.; Haight, Richard A.; Lee, Yun Seog

    2016-12-27

    A hybrid vapor phase-solution phase CZT(S,Se) growth technique is provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a kesterite absorber material on a substrate includes the steps of: depositing a layer of a first kesterite material on the substrate using a vapor phase deposition process, wherein the first kesterite material includes Cu, Zn, Sn, and at least one of S and Se; annealing the first kesterite material to crystallize the first kesterite material; and depositing a layer of a second kesterite material on a side of the first kesterite material opposite the substrate using a solution phase deposition process, wherein the second kesterite material includes Cu, Zn, Sn, and at least one of S and Se, wherein the first kesterite material and the second kesterite material form a multi-layer stack of the absorber material on the substrate. A photovoltaic device and method of formation thereof are also provided.

  3. Slow growth rates of Amazonian trees: Consequences for carbon cycling

    PubMed Central

    Vieira, Simone; Trumbore, Susan; Camargo, Plinio B.; Selhorst, Diogo; Chambers, Jeffrey Q.; Higuchi, Niro; Martinelli, Luiz Antonio

    2005-01-01

    Quantifying age structure and tree growth rate of Amazonian forests is essential for understanding their role in the carbon cycle. Here, we use radiocarbon dating and direct measurement of diameter increment to document unexpectedly slow growth rates for trees from three locations spanning the Brazilian Amazon basin. Central Amazon trees, averaging only ≈1mm/year diameter increment, grow half as fast as those from areas with more seasonal rainfall to the east and west. Slow growth rates mean that trees can attain great ages; across our sites we estimate 17-50% of trees with diameter >10 cm have ages exceeding 300 years. Whereas a few emergent trees that make up a large portion of the biomass grow faster, small trees that are more abundant grow slowly and attain ages of hundreds of years. The mean age of carbon in living trees (60-110 years) is within the range of or slightly longer than the mean residence time calculated from C inventory divided by annual C allocation to wood growth (40-100 years). Faster C turnover is observed in stands with overall higher rates of diameter increment and a larger fraction of the biomass in large, fast-growing trees. As a consequence, forests can recover biomass relatively quickly after disturbance, whereas recovering species composition may take many centuries. Carbon cycle models that apply a single turnover time for carbon in forest biomass do not account for variations in life strategy and therefore may overestimate the carbon sequestration potential of Amazon forests. PMID:16339903

  4. Two genetically separable phases of growth inhibition induced by blue light in Arabidopsis seedlings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parks, B. M.; Cho, M. H.; Spalding, E. P.; Evans, M. L. (Principal Investigator)

    1998-01-01

    High fluence-rate blue light (BL) rapidly inhibits hypocotyl growth in Arabidopsis, as in other species, after a lag time of 30 s. This growth inhibition is always preceded by the activation of anion channels. The membrane depolarization that results from the activation of anion channels by BL was only 30% of the wild-type magnitude in hy4, a mutant lacking the HY4 BL receptor. High-resolution measurements of growth made with a computer-linked displacement transducer or digitized images revealed that BL caused a rapid inhibition of growth in wild-type and hy4 seedlings. This inhibition persisted in wild-type seedlings during more than 40 h of continuous BL. By contrast, hy4 escaped from the initial inhibition after approximately 1 h of BL and grew faster than wild type for approximately 30 h. Wild-type seedlings treated with 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid, a potent blocker of the BL-activated anion channel, displayed rapid growth inhibition, but, similar to hy4, these seedlings escaped from inhibition after approximately 1 h of BL and phenocopied the mutant for at least 2.5 h. The effects of 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid and the HY4 mutation were not additive. Taken together, the results indicate that BL acts through HY4 to activate anion channels at the plasma membrane, causing growth inhibition that begins after approximately 1 h. Neither HY4 nor anion channels appear to participate greatly in the initial phase of inhibition.

  5. Growth rate measurement in free jet experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Charpentier, Jean-Baptiste; Renoult, Marie-Charlotte; Crumeyrolle, Olivier; Mutabazi, Innocent

    2017-07-01

    An experimental method was developed to measure the growth rate of the capillary instability for free liquid jets. The method uses a standard shadow-graph imaging technique to visualize a jet, produced by extruding a liquid through a circular orifice, and a statistical analysis of the entire jet. The analysis relies on the computation of the standard deviation of a set of jet profiles, obtained in the same experimental conditions. The principle and robustness of the method are illustrated with a set of emulated jet profiles. The method is also applied to free falling jet experiments conducted for various Weber numbers and two low-viscosity solutions: a Newtonian and a viscoelastic one. Growth rate measurements are found in good agreement with linear stability theory in the Rayleigh's regime, as expected from previous studies. In addition, the standard deviation curve is used to obtain an indirect measurement of the initial perturbation amplitude and to identify beads on a string structure on the jet. This last result serves to demonstrate the capability of the present technique to explore in the future the dynamics of viscoelastic liquid jets.

  6. Improved national growth rate method: a comment.

    PubMed

    Begum, N

    1991-09-01

    Rahman's 1987 paper on an improvement in the National Growth Rate Method (NGRM) is discussed. Rahman's assumption is that migration in/out of a city of region is constant, and because the method requires minimal data, it is suitable for application in developing countries. This assumption means that the model is inappropriate for developing countries which are known to have nonuniform rates of population change. Size of city also affects the migration pattern, where larger cities with greater numbers of industrial and business concerns and social services receive a rapid influx of new migrants. This view is also reflected in Rahman's paper. The example is given that Dhaka SMA, Bangladesh received 60% more migrants in 2 periods: 130,000 in migrants/year from 1974 to 1981 vs. 82,000/year from 1961 to 1974. Chittagong, Khulna, and Rajshahi SMA's had similar growth from 1961 to 1981, but there was a slower rate in the 2nd period. Positive contributions of the Rahman paper are the identification of the problems of the nuisance parameter. Rahman points out that the definition of the migration rate is flawed by the traditional NGRM parameter describing the natural increase of migrants. It is stated that recognition of this flaw and the development of a simple case of uniform migration is a good beginning for developing a more realistic model of migration. It is suggested that an extra parameter to represent departure from uniformity in the estimation be introduced. More data would be required. If the task is to use only 2 censuses for estimation of a single parameter, then there is a seemingly insurmountable problem.

  7. The radial growth phase of malignant melanoma: multi-phase modelling, numerical simulations and linear stability analysis.

    PubMed

    Ciarletta, P; Foret, L; Ben Amar, M

    2011-03-06

    Cutaneous melanoma is disproportionately lethal despite its relatively low incidence and its potential for cure in the early stages. The aim of this study is to foster understanding of the role of microstructure on the occurrence of morphological changes in diseased skin during melanoma evolution. The authors propose a biomechanical analysis of its radial growth phase, investigating the role of intercellular/stromal connections on the initial stages of epidermis invasion. The radial growth phase of a primary melanoma is modelled within the multi-phase theory of mixtures, reproducing the mechanical behaviour of the skin layers and of the epidermal-dermal junction. The theoretical analysis takes into account those cellular processes that have been experimentally observed to disrupt homeostasis in normal epidermis. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the loss of adhesiveness of the melanoma cells both to the basal laminae, caused by deregulation mechanisms of adherent junctions, and to adjacent keratynocytes, consequent to a downregulation of E-cadherin, are the fundamental biomechanical features for promoting tumour initiation. Finally, the authors provide the mathematical proof of a long wavelength instability of the tumour front during the early stages of melanoma invasion. These results open the perspective to correlate the early morphology of a growing melanoma with the biomechanical characteristics of its micro-environment.

  8. The radial growth phase of malignant melanoma: multi-phase modelling, numerical simulations and linear stability analysis

    PubMed Central

    Ciarletta, P.; Foret, L.; Ben Amar, M.

    2011-01-01

    Cutaneous melanoma is disproportionately lethal despite its relatively low incidence and its potential for cure in the early stages. The aim of this study is to foster understanding of the role of microstructure on the occurrence of morphological changes in diseased skin during melanoma evolution. The authors propose a biomechanical analysis of its radial growth phase, investigating the role of intercellular/stromal connections on the initial stages of epidermis invasion. The radial growth phase of a primary melanoma is modelled within the multi-phase theory of mixtures, reproducing the mechanical behaviour of the skin layers and of the epidermal–dermal junction. The theoretical analysis takes into account those cellular processes that have been experimentally observed to disrupt homeostasis in normal epidermis. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the loss of adhesiveness of the melanoma cells both to the basal laminae, caused by deregulation mechanisms of adherent junctions, and to adjacent keratynocytes, consequent to a downregulation of E-cadherin, are the fundamental biomechanical features for promoting tumour initiation. Finally, the authors provide the mathematical proof of a long wavelength instability of the tumour front during the early stages of melanoma invasion. These results open the perspective to correlate the early morphology of a growing melanoma with the biomechanical characteristics of its micro-environment. PMID:20656740

  9. Growth rate effects on the formation of dislocation loops around deep helium bubbles in Tungsten

    DOE PAGES

    Sandoval, Luis; Perez, Danny; Uberuaga, Blas P.; ...

    2016-11-15

    Here, the growth process of spherical helium bubbles located 6 nm below a (100) surface is studied using molecular dynamics and parallel replica dynamics simulations, over growth rates from 10 6 to 10 12 helium atoms per second. Slower growth rates lead to a release of pressure and lower helium content as compared with fast growth cases. In addition, at slower growth rates, helium bubbles are not decorated by multiple dislocation loops, as these tend to merge or emit given sufficient time. At faster rates, dislocation loops nucleate faster than they can emit, leading to a more complicated dislocation structuremore » around the bubble.« less

  10. In situ high-energy synchrotron radiation study of boehmite formation, growth, and phase transformation to alumina in sub- and supercritical water.

    PubMed

    Lock, Nina; Bremholm, Martin; Christensen, Mogens; Almer, Jonathan; Chen, Yu-Sheng; Iversen, Bo B

    2009-12-14

    Boehmite (AlOOH) nanoparticles have been synthesized in subcritical (300 bar, 350 degrees C) and supercritical (300 bar, 400 degrees C) water. The formation and growth of AlOOH nanoparticles were studied in situ by small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) using 80 keV synchrotron radiation. The SAXS/WAXS data were measured simultaneously with a time resolution greater than 10 s and revealed the initial nucleation of amorphous particles takes place within 10 s with subsequent crystallization after 30 s. No diffraction signals were observed from Al(OH)(3) within the time resolution of the experiment, which shows that the dehydration step of the reaction is fast and the hydrolysis step rate-determining. The sizes of the crystalline particles were determined as a function of time. The overall size evolution patterns are similar in sub- and supercritical water, but the growth is faster and the final particle size larger under supercritical conditions. After approximately 5 min, the rate of particle growth decreases in both sub- and supercritical water. Heating of the boehmite nanoparticle suspension allowed an in situ X-ray investigation of the phase transformation of boehmite to aluminium oxide. Under the wet conditions used in this work, the transition starts at 530 degrees C and gives a two-phase product of hydrated and non-hydrated aluminium oxide.

  11. Maximum initial growth-rate of strong-shock-driven Richtmyer-Meshkov instability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abarzhi, Snezhana I.; Bhowmich, Aklant K.; Dell, Zachary R.; Pandian, Arun; Stanic, Milos; Stellingwerf, Robert F.; Swisher, Nora C.

    2017-10-01

    We focus on classical problem of dependence on the initial conditions of the initial growth-rate of strong shocks driven Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) by developing a novel empirical model and by employing rigorous theories and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations to describe the simulations data with statistical confidence in a broad parameter regime. For given values of the shock strength, fluids' density ratio, and wavelength of the initial perturbation of the fluid interface, we find the maximum value of RMI initial growth-rate, the corresponding amplitude scale of the initial perturbation, and the maximum fraction of interfacial energy. This amplitude scale is independent of the shock strength and density ratio, and is characteristic quantity of RMI dynamics. We discover the exponential decay of the ratio of the initial and linear growth-rates of RMI with the initial perturbation amplitude that excellently agrees with available data. National Science Foundation, USA.

  12. Maximum initial growth-rate of strong-shock-driven Richtmyer-Meshkov instability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abarzhi, Snezhana I.; Bhowmich, Aklant K.; Dell, Zachary R.; Pandian, Arun; Stanic, Milos; Stellingwerf, Robert F.; Swisher, Nora C.

    2017-11-01

    We focus on classical problem of dependence on the initial conditions of the initial growth-rate of strong shocks driven Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) by developing a novel empirical model and by employing rigorous theories and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations to describe the simulations data with statistical confidence in a broad parameter regime. For given values of the shock strength, fluids' density ratio, and wavelength of the initial perturbation of the fluid interface, we find the maximum value of RMI initial growth-rate, the corresponding amplitude scale of the initial perturbation, and the maximum fraction of interfacial energy. This amplitude scale is independent of the shock strength and density ratio, and is characteristic quantity of RMI dynamics. We discover the exponential decay of the ratio of the initial and linear growth-rates of RMI with the initial perturbation amplitude that excellently agrees with available data. National Science Foundation, USA.

  13. Fabrication of selective-area growth InGaN LED by mixed-source hydride vapor-phase epitaxy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bae, Sung Geun; Jeon, Injun; Jeon, Hunsoo; Kim, Kyoung Hwa; Yang, Min; Yi, Sam Nyung; Lee, Jae Hak; Ahn, Hyung Soo; Yu, Young Moon; Sawaki, Nobuhiko; Kim, Suck-Whan

    2018-01-01

    We prepared InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with the active layers grown from a mixed source of Ga-In-N materials on an n-type GaN substrate by a selective-area growth method and three fabrication steps: photolithography, epitaxial layer growth, and metallization. The preparation followed a previously developed experimental process using apparatus for mixed-source hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE), which consisted of a multi-graphite boat, for insulating against the high temperature and to control the growth rate of epilayers, filled with the mixed source on the inside and a radio-frequency (RF) heating coil for heating to a high temperature (T > 900 °C) and for easy control of temperature outside the source zone. Two types of LEDs were prepared, with In compositions of 11.0 and 6.0% in the InGaN active layer, and room-temperature electroluminescence measurements exhibited a main peak corresponding to the In composition at either 420 or 390 nm. The consecutive growth of InGaN LEDs by the mixed-source HVPE method provides a technique for the production of LEDs with a wide range of In compositions in the active layer.

  14. Effect of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on growth rate and morphology of bacteria.

    PubMed

    Inhan-Garip, Ayse; Aksu, Burak; Akan, Zafer; Akakin, Dilek; Ozaydin, A Nilufer; San, Tangul

    2011-12-01

    To determine the effect of extremely low frequency (<300 Hz) electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on the growth rate of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and to determine any morphological changes that might have been caused by ELF-EMF. Six bacterial strains, three Gram-negative and three Gram-positive were subjected to 50 Hz, 0.5 mT ELF-EMF for 6 h. To determine growth rate after ELF-EMF application, bacteria exposed to ELF-EMF for 3 h were collected, transferred to fresh medium and cultured without field application for another 4 h. Growth-rate was determined by optical density (OD) measurements made every hour. Morphological changes were determined with Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for two gram-negative and two gram-positive strains collected after 3 h of field application. A decrease in growth rate with respect to control samples was observed for all strains during ELF-EMF application. The decrease in growth-rate continued when exposed bacteria were cultured without field application. Significant ultrastructural changes were observed in all bacterial strains, which were seen to resemble the alterations caused by cationic peptides. This study shows that ELF-EMF induces a decrease in growth rate and morphological changes for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

  15. Comparison between polymerized ionic liquids synthesized using chain-growth and step-growth mechanisms used as stationary phase in gas chromatography.

    PubMed

    Roeleveld, Kevin; David, Frank; Lynen, Frédéric

    2016-06-17

    In this study the merits of polymerized imidazolium based ionic liquid (PIL) stationary phases obtained via condensation and free radical polymerizations are compared as stationary phases in gas chromatography (GC). Poly(1-vinyl-3-butyl-imidazolium - bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide) (poly(ViC4Im(+) NTf2(-))) was obtained via a chain-growth mechanism while poly(propylimidazolium-NTf2) (poly(C3Im(+) NTf2(-))) was synthesized via a step-growth polymerization. The thermal stability of both polymers was assessed using thermal gravimetric analysis and compared with bleeding profiles obtained from the statically coated GC columns (30m×0.25mm×0.25μm). The performance was compared to what could be obtained on commercially available 1,5-di(2,3-dimethylimidazolium)pentane(2+) 2NTf2(-) (SLB-IL111) ionic liquid based columns. It was observed that the step-growth polymer was more thermally stable, up to 325°C, while the chain-growth polymer showed initial degradation at 250°C. Both polymers allowed reaching minimal plate heights of 0.400-0.500mm for retained solutes such as benzaldehyde, acetophenone, 1-methylnaphthalene and aniline. Assessment of the McReynolds constants illustrated that the polarity of the step-growth polymer was similar to the SLB-IL111 column, while displaying improved column stability. The PIL phases and particularly the so far little studied condensation based polymer shows particular retention and satisfactory column performance for polar moieties such as esters, amine and carbonyl functionalities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Sex-based differences in Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) chick growth rates.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jennings, Scott; Varsani, Arvind; Dugger, Catherine; Ballard, Grant; Ainley, David G.

    2016-01-01

    Sexually size-dimorphic species must show some difference between the sexes in growth rate and/or length of growing period. Such differences in growth parameters can cause the sexes to be impacted by environmental variability in different ways, and understanding these differences allows a better understanding of patterns in productivity between individuals and populations. We investigated differences in growth rate and diet between male and female Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) chicks during two breeding seasons at Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica. Adélie Penguins are a slightly dimorphic species, with adult males averaging larger than adult females in mass (~11%) as well as bill (~8%) and flipper length (~3%). We measured mass and length of flipper, bill, tibiotarsus, and foot at 5-day intervals for 45 male and 40 female individually-marked chicks. Chick sex was molecularly determined from feathers. We used linear mixed effects models to estimate daily growth rate as a function of chick sex, while controlling for hatching order, brood size, year, and potential variation in breeding quality between pairs of parents. Accounting for season and hatching order, male chicks gained mass an average of 15.6 g d-1 faster than females. Similarly, growth in bill length was faster for males, and the calculated bill size difference at fledging was similar to that observed in adults. There was no evidence for sex-based differences in growth of other morphological features. Adélie diet at Ross Island is composed almost entirely of two species—one krill (Euphausia crystallorophias) and one fish (Pleuragramma antarctica), with fish having a higher caloric value. Using isotopic analyses of feather samples, we also determined that male chicks were fed a higher proportion of fish than female chicks. The related differences in provisioning and growth rates of male and female offspring provides a greater understanding of the ways in which ecological factors may impact

  17. Phytoplankton growth rate modelling: can spectroscopic cell chemotyping be superior to physiological predictors?

    PubMed

    Fanesi, Andrea; Wagner, Heiko; Wilhelm, Christian

    2017-02-08

    Climate change has a strong impact on phytoplankton communities and water quality. However, the development of robust techniques to assess phytoplankton growth is still in progress. In this study, the growth rate of phytoplankton cells grown at different temperatures was modelled based on conventional physiological traits (e.g. chlorophyll, carbon and photosynthetic parameters) using the partial least square regression (PLSR) algorithm and compared with a new approach combining Fourier transform infrared-spectroscopy and PLSR. In this second model, it is assumed that the macromolecular composition of phytoplankton cells represents an intracellular marker for growth. The models have comparable high predictive power (R 2 > 0.8) and low error in predicting new observations. Interestingly, not all of the predictors present the same weight in the modelling of growth rate. A set of specific parameters, such as non-photochemical fluorescence quenching (NPQ) and the quantum yield of carbon production in the first model, and lipid, protein and carbohydrate contents for the second one, strongly covary with cell growth rate regardless of the taxonomic position of the phytoplankton species investigated. This reflects a set of specific physiological adjustments covarying with growth rate, conserved among taxonomically distant algal species that might be used as guidelines for the improvement of modern primary production models. The high predictive power of both sets of cellular traits for growth rate is of great importance for applied phycological studies. Our approach may find application as a quality control tool for the monitoring of phytoplankton populations in natural communities or in photobioreactors. © 2017 The Author(s).

  18. Growth of III-V films by control of MBE growth front stoichiometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grunthaner, Frank J. (Inventor); Liu, John K. (Inventor); Hancock, Bruce R. (Inventor)

    1992-01-01

    For the growth of strain-layer materials and high quality single and multiple quantum wells, the instantaneous control of growth front stoichiometry is critical. The process of the invention adjusts the offset or phase of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) control shutters to program the instantaneous arrival or flux rate of In and As4 reactants to grow InAs. The interrupted growth of first In, then As4, is also a key feature.

  19. Effects of nutrients on specific growth rate of bacterioplankton in oligotrophic lake water cultures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Coveney, M.F.; Wetzel, R.G.

    The effects of organic and inorganic nutrient additions on the specific growth rates of bacterioplankton in oligotrophic lake water cultures were investigated. Lake water was first passed through 0.8-{mu}m-pore-size filters (prescreening) to remove bacterivores and to minimize confounding effects of algae. Specific growth rates were calculated from changes in both bacterial cell numbers and biovolumes over 36 h. Gross specific growth rates in unmanipulated control samples were estimated through separate measurements of grazing losses by use of penicillin. The addition of mixed organic substrates alone to prescreened water did not significantly increase bacterioplankton specific growth rates. The addition of inorganicmore » phosphorus alone significantly increased one or both specific growth rates in three of four experiments, and one experiment showed a secondary stimulation by organic substrates. The stimulatory effects of phosphorus addition were greatest concurrently with the highest alkaline phosphatase activity in the lake water. Because bacteria have been shown to dominate inorganic phosphorus uptake in other P-deficient systems, the demonstration that phosphorus, rather than organic carbon, can limit bacterioplankton growth suggests direct competition between phytoplankton and bacterioplankton for inorganic phosphorus.« less

  20. Metabolism correlates with variation in post-natal growth rate among songbirds at three latitudes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ton, Riccardo; Martin, Thomas E.

    2016-01-01

    4. Our results suggest that variation in metabolic rates has an important influence on broad patterns of avian growth rates at a global scale. We suggest further studies that address the ecological and physiological costs and consequences of variation in metabolism and growth rates.

  1. Phase Shift Interferometer and Growth Set Up to Step Pattern Formation During Growth From Solutions. Influence of the Oscillatory solution Flow on Stability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chernov, Alex A.; Booth, N. A.; Vekilov, P. G.; Murray, B. T.; McFadden, G. B.

    2000-01-01

    We have assembled an experimental setup based on Michelson interferometry with the growing crystal surface as one of the reflective surfaces. The crystallization part of the device allows optical monitoring of a face of a crystal growing at temperature stable within 0.05 C in a flow of solution of controlled direction and speed. The reference arm of the interferometer contains a liquid crystal element that allows controlled shifts of the phase of the interferograms. We employ an image-processing algorithm, which combines five images with a pi/2 phase difference between each pair of images. The images are transferred to a computer by a camera capable of capturing 60 frames per second. The device allows data collection on surface morphology and kinetics during the face layers growth over a relatively large area (approximately 4 sq. mm) in situ and in real time during growth. The estimated depth resolution of the phase shifting interferometry is approximately 50 Angstroms. The data will be analyzed in order to reveal and monitor step bunching during the growth process. The crystal chosen as a model for study in this work is KH2PO4 (KDP). This optically non-linear material is widely used in frequency doubling applications. There have been a number of studies of the kinetics of KDP crystallization that can serve as a benchmark for our investigations. However, so far, systematic quantitative characteristics of step interaction and bunching are missing. We intend to present our first quantitative results on the onset, initial stages and development of instabilities in moving step trains on vicinal crystal surfaces at varying supersaturation, flow rate, and flow direction. Behavior of a vicinal face growing from solution flowing normal to the steps and periodically changing its direction in time was considered theoretically. It was found that this oscillating flow reduces both stabilization and destabilization effects resulted from the unidirectional solution flow directed

  2. Magnetospheric chorus - Amplitude and growth rate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burtis, W. J.; Helliwell, R. A.

    1975-01-01

    A new study of the amplitude of magnetospheric chorus with 1966-1967 data from the Stanford University/Stanford Research Institute VLF receivers on Ogo 1 and Ogo 3 has confirmed the band-limited character of magnetospheric chorus in general and the double-banding of near-equatorial chorus. Chorus amplitude tended to be inversely correlated with frequency, implying lower intensities at lower L values. Individual chorus emissions often showed a characteristic amplitude variation, with rise times of 10 to 300 ms, a short duration at peak amplitude, and decay times of 100 to 3000 msec. Growth was often approximately exponential, with rates from 200 to nearly 2000 dB/sec. Rate of change of frequency was found in many cases to be independent of emission amplitude, in agreement with the cyclotron feedback theory of chorus (Helliwell, 1967, 1970).

  3. Strain rate sensitivity of a TRIP-assisted dual-phase high-entropy alloy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Basu, Silva; Li, Zhiming; Pradeep, K. G.; Raabe, Dierk

    2018-05-01

    Dual-phase high-entropy alloys (DP-HEAs) with transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) have an excellent strength-ductility combination. To reveal their strain-rate sensitivity and hence further understand the corresponding deformation mechanisms, we investigated the tensile behavior and microstructural evolution of a typical TRIP-DP-HEA (Fe50Mn30Co10Cr10, at. %) under different strain rates (i.e., 5 × 10-3 s-1, 1 × 10-3 s-1, 5 × 10-4 s-1 and 1 × 10-4 s-1) at room temperature. The strain rate range was confined to this regime in order to apply the digital image correlation technique for probing the local strain evolution during tensile deformation at high resolution and to correlate it to the microstructure evolution. Grain size effects of the face-centered cubic (FCC) matrix and the volume fractions of the hexagonal-close packed (HCP) phase prior to deformation were also considered. The results show that within the explored strain rate regime the TRIP-DP-HEA has a fairly low strain rate sensitivity parameter within the range from 0.004 to 0.04, which is significantly lower than that of DP and TRIP steels. Samples with varying grain sizes (e.g., 2.8 μm and 38 μm) and starting HCP phase fractions (e.g., 25% and 72%) at different strain rates show similar deformation mechanisms, i.e., dislocation plasticity and strain-induced transformation from the FCC matrix to the HCP phase. The low strain rate sensitivity is attributed to the observed dominant displacive transformation mechanism. Also, the coarse-grained alloy samples with a very high starting HCP phase fraction ( 72%) prior to deformation show very good ductility with a total elongation of 60%, suggesting that both, the initial and the transformed HCP phase in the TRIP-DP-HEA are ductile and deform further via dislocation slip at the different strain rates which were probed.

  4. Vapour phase growth and characterization of II-VI mixed crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reddy, D. R.; Reddy, B. K.

    1992-02-01

    All II-VI semiconductors with melting temperatures well above 1000 degree(s)C and with appreciable congruent vaporization well below their melting temperatures leave little scope for any growth technique except for the slow but efficient vaporphase growth method. Theoretical flaw in diffusion models of vapor phase growth was corrected by Factor and Garrett by incorporating the flow velocity term which otherwise would lead to segregation of constituents. An additional degree of freedom arising from the presence of two components was well utilized to finely control the stoichiometry in binaries. In mixed II-VI systems the components are either three or four, depending on whether the system is a ternary or a quaternary. The added degrees of freedom make it very difficult to control stoichiometry. However, Igaki et al. demonstrated the feasibility of control of stoichiometry in CdSxSe1-x. In this paper, a self-sealing vaporphase growth technique used for both ternary and quaternary system is described. The systems studied are CdSxSe1-x, (ZnSe)x(CdTe)1-x and (ZnTe)x(CdSe)1-x. Results on growth mechanism, miscibility, structure, band gap variation, conductivity type variation with 'x' and transport properties are presented in a comparative way and discussed. CdSxSe1-x system in the entire 'X' has the same crystal structure and type of conductivity. The second system has the same zincblend structure but the type of conductivity is very sensitive to thermal treatment. In the last system both structure and types of conductivity are different. The discontinuities in properties associated with this divergent end compound are presented and discussed. Among the physical properties/parameters studied crystal structure, bandgap and nature of conductivity are tailorable, and magnitudes of conductivity and dielectric properties are very difficult to control in the crystals grown by this vapor phase method.

  5. Effect of Specific Growth Rate on Fermentative Capacity of Baker’s Yeast

    PubMed Central

    Van Hoek, Pim; Van Dijken, Johannes P.; Pronk, Jack T.

    1998-01-01

    The specific growth rate is a key control parameter in the industrial production of baker’s yeast. Nevertheless, quantitative data describing its effect on fermentative capacity are not available from the literature. In this study, the effect of the specific growth rate on the physiology and fermentative capacity of an industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain in aerobic, glucose-limited chemostat cultures was investigated. At specific growth rates (dilution rates, D) below 0.28 h−1, glucose metabolism was fully respiratory. Above this dilution rate, respirofermentative metabolism set in, with ethanol production rates of up to 14 mmol of ethanol · g of biomass−1 · h−1 at D = 0.40 h−1. A substantial fermentative capacity (assayed offline as ethanol production rate under anaerobic conditions) was found in cultures in which no ethanol was detectable (D < 0.28 h−1). This fermentative capacity increased with increasing dilution rates, from 10.0 mmol of ethanol · g of dry yeast biomass−1 · h−1 at D = 0.025 h−1 to 20.5 mmol of ethanol · g of dry yeast biomass−1 · h−1 at D = 0.28 h−1. At even higher dilution rates, the fermentative capacity showed only a small further increase, up to 22.0 mmol of ethanol · g of dry yeast biomass−1 · h−1 at D = 0.40 h−1. The activities of all glycolytic enzymes, pyruvate decarboxylase, and alcohol dehydrogenase were determined in cell extracts. Only the in vitro activities of pyruvate decarboxylase and phosphofructokinase showed a clear positive correlation with fermentative capacity. These enzymes are interesting targets for overexpression in attempts to improve the fermentative capacity of aerobic cultures grown at low specific growth rates. PMID:9797269

  6. Rate and yield relationships in the production of xanthan gum by batch fermentations using complex and chemically defined growth media

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pinches, A.; Pallent, L.J.

    1986-10-01

    Rate and yield information relating to biomass and product formation and to nitrogen, glucose and oxygen consumption are described for xanthan gum batch fermentations in which both chemically defined (glutamate nitrogen) and complex (peptone nitrogen) media are employed. Simple growth and product models are used for data interpretation. For both nitrogen sources, rate and yield parameter estimates are shown to be independent of initial nitrogen concentrations. For stationary phases, specific rates of gum production are shown to be independent of nitrogen source but dependent on initial nitrogen concentration. The latter is modeled empirically and suggests caution in applying simple productmore » models to xanthan gum fermentations. 13 references.« less

  7. Ecological regime shift drives declining growth rates of sea turtles throughout the West Atlantic

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bjorndal, Karen A.; Bolten, Alan B.; Chaloupka, Milani; Saba, Vincent S.; Bellini, Cláudio; Marcovaldi, Maria A.G.; Santos, Armando J.B.; Bortolon, Luis Felipe Wurdig; Meylan, Anne B.; Meylan, Peter A.; Gray, Jennifer; Hardy, Robert; Brost, Beth; Bresette, Michael; Gorham, Jonathan C.; Connett, Stephen; Crouchley, Barbara Van Sciver; Dawson, Mike; Hayes, Deborah; Diez, Carlos E.; van Dam, Robert P.; Willis, Sue; Nava, Mabel; Hart, Kristen M.; Cherkiss, Michael S.; Crowder, Andrew; Pollock, Clayton; Hillis-Starr, Zandy; Muñoz Tenería, Fernando A.; Herrera-Pavón, Roberto; Labrada-Martagón, Vanessa; Lorences, Armando; Negrete-Philippe, Ana; Lamont, Margaret M.; Foley, Allen M.; Bailey, Rhonda; Carthy, Raymond R.; Scarpino, Russell; McMichael, Erin; Provancha, Jane A.; Brooks, Annabelle; Jardim, Adriana; López-Mendilaharsu, Milagros; González-Paredes, Daniel; Estrades, Andrés; Fallabrino, Alejandro; Martínez-Souza, Gustavo; Vélez-Rubio, Gabriela M.; Boulon, Ralf H.; Collazo, Jaime; Wershoven, Robert; Hernández, Vicente Guzmán; Stringell, Thomas B.; Sanghera, Amdeep; Richardson, Peter B.; Broderick, Annette C.; Phillips, Quinton; Calosso, Marta C.; Claydon, John A.B.; Metz, Tasha L.; Gordon, Amanda L.; Landry, Andre M.; Shaver, Donna J.; Blumenthal, Janice; Collyer, Lucy; Godley, Brendan J.; McGowan, Andrew; Witt, Matthew J.; Campbell, Cathi L.; Lagueux, Cynthia J.; Bethel, Thomas L.; Kenyon, Lory

    2017-01-01

    Somatic growth is an integrated, individual-based response to environmental conditions, especially in ectotherms. Growth dynamics of large, mobile animals are particularly useful as bio-indicators of environmental change at regional scales. We assembled growth rate data from throughout the West Atlantic for green turtles, Chelonia mydas, which are long-lived, highly migratory, primarily herbivorous mega-consumers that may migrate over hundreds to thousands of kilometers. Our dataset, the largest ever compiled for sea turtles, has 9690 growth increments from 30 sites from Bermuda to Uruguay from 1973 to 2015. Using generalized additive mixed models, we evaluated covariates that could affect growth rates; body size, diet, and year have significant effects on growth. Growth increases in early years until 1999, then declines by 26% to 2015. The temporal (year) effect is of particular interest because two carnivorous species of sea turtles – hawksbills, Eretmochelys imbricata, and loggerheads, Caretta caretta – exhibited similar significant declines in growth rates starting in 1997 in the West Atlantic, based on previous studies. These synchronous declines in productivity among three sea turtle species across a trophic spectrum provide strong evidence that an ecological regime shift (ERS) in the Atlantic is driving growth dynamics. The ERS resulted from a synergy of the 1997/1998 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – the strongest on record – combined with an unprecedented warming rate over the last two to three decades. Further support is provided by the strong correlations between annualized mean growth rates of green turtles and both sea surface temperatures (SST) in the West Atlantic for years of declining growth rates (r = -0.94) and the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) for all years (r = 0.74). Granger-causality analysis also supports the latter finding. We discuss multiple stressors that could reinforce and prolong the effect of the ERS. This study

  8. Ecological regime shift drives declining growth rates of sea turtles throughout the West Atlantic.

    PubMed

    Bjorndal, Karen A; Bolten, Alan B; Chaloupka, Milani; Saba, Vincent S; Bellini, Cláudio; Marcovaldi, Maria A G; Santos, Armando J B; Bortolon, Luis Felipe Wurdig; Meylan, Anne B; Meylan, Peter A; Gray, Jennifer; Hardy, Robert; Brost, Beth; Bresette, Michael; Gorham, Jonathan C; Connett, Stephen; Crouchley, Barbara Van Sciver; Dawson, Mike; Hayes, Deborah; Diez, Carlos E; van Dam, Robert P; Willis, Sue; Nava, Mabel; Hart, Kristen M; Cherkiss, Michael S; Crowder, Andrew G; Pollock, Clayton; Hillis-Starr, Zandy; Muñoz Tenería, Fernando A; Herrera-Pavón, Roberto; Labrada-Martagón, Vanessa; Lorences, Armando; Negrete-Philippe, Ana; Lamont, Margaret M; Foley, Allen M; Bailey, Rhonda; Carthy, Raymond R; Scarpino, Russell; McMichael, Erin; Provancha, Jane A; Brooks, Annabelle; Jardim, Adriana; López-Mendilaharsu, Milagros; González-Paredes, Daniel; Estrades, Andrés; Fallabrino, Alejandro; Martínez-Souza, Gustavo; Vélez-Rubio, Gabriela M; Boulon, Ralf H; Collazo, Jaime A; Wershoven, Robert; Guzmán Hernández, Vicente; Stringell, Thomas B; Sanghera, Amdeep; Richardson, Peter B; Broderick, Annette C; Phillips, Quinton; Calosso, Marta; Claydon, John A B; Metz, Tasha L; Gordon, Amanda L; Landry, Andre M; Shaver, Donna J; Blumenthal, Janice; Collyer, Lucy; Godley, Brendan J; McGowan, Andrew; Witt, Matthew J; Campbell, Cathi L; Lagueux, Cynthia J; Bethel, Thomas L; Kenyon, Lory

    2017-11-01

    Somatic growth is an integrated, individual-based response to environmental conditions, especially in ectotherms. Growth dynamics of large, mobile animals are particularly useful as bio-indicators of environmental change at regional scales. We assembled growth rate data from throughout the West Atlantic for green turtles, Chelonia mydas, which are long-lived, highly migratory, primarily herbivorous mega-consumers that may migrate over hundreds to thousands of kilometers. Our dataset, the largest ever compiled for sea turtles, has 9690 growth increments from 30 sites from Bermuda to Uruguay from 1973 to 2015. Using generalized additive mixed models, we evaluated covariates that could affect growth rates; body size, diet, and year have significant effects on growth. Growth increases in early years until 1999, then declines by 26% to 2015. The temporal (year) effect is of particular interest because two carnivorous species of sea turtles-hawksbills, Eretmochelys imbricata, and loggerheads, Caretta caretta-exhibited similar significant declines in growth rates starting in 1997 in the West Atlantic, based on previous studies. These synchronous declines in productivity among three sea turtle species across a trophic spectrum provide strong evidence that an ecological regime shift (ERS) in the Atlantic is driving growth dynamics. The ERS resulted from a synergy of the 1997/1998 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-the strongest on record-combined with an unprecedented warming rate over the last two to three decades. Further support is provided by the strong correlations between annualized mean growth rates of green turtles and both sea surface temperatures (SST) in the West Atlantic for years of declining growth rates (r = -.94) and the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) for all years (r = .74). Granger-causality analysis also supports the latter finding. We discuss multiple stressors that could reinforce and prolong the effect of the ERS. This study demonstrates the

  9. Linear Stability of Binary Alloy Solidification for Unsteady Growth Rates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mazuruk, K.; Volz, M. P.

    2010-01-01

    An extension of the Mullins and Sekerka (MS) linear stability analysis to the unsteady growth rate case is considered for dilute binary alloys. In particular, the stability of the planar interface during the initial solidification transient is studied in detail numerically. The rapid solidification case, when the system is traversing through the unstable region defined by the MS criterion, has also been treated. It has been observed that the onset of instability is quite accurately defined by the "quasi-stationary MS criterion", when the growth rate and other process parameters are taken as constants at a particular time of the growth process. A singular behavior of the governing equations for the perturbed quantities at the constitutional supercooling demarcation line has been observed. However, when the solidification process, during its transient, crosses this demarcation line, a planar interface is stable according to the linear analysis performed.

  10. Phase diagram of nanoscale alloy particles used for vapor-liquid-solid growth of semiconductor nanowires.

    PubMed

    Sutter, Eli; Sutter, Peter

    2008-02-01

    We use transmission electron microscopy observations to establish the parts of the phase diagram of nanometer sized Au-Ge alloy drops at the tips of Ge nanowires (NWs) that determine their temperature-dependent equilibrium composition and, hence, their exchange of semiconductor material with the NWs. We find that the phase diagram of the nanoscale drop deviates significantly from that of the bulk alloy, which explains discrepancies between actual growth results and predictions on the basis of the bulk-phase equilibria. Our findings provide the basis for tailoring vapor-liquid-solid growth to achieve complex one-dimensional materials geometries.

  11. Population growth, interest rate, and housing tax in the transitional China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Ling-Yun; Wen, Xing-Chun

    2017-03-01

    This paper combines and develops the models in Lastrapes (2002) and Mankiw and Weil (1989), which enables us to analyze the effects of interest rate and population growth shocks on housing price in one integrated framework. Based on this model, we carry out policy simulations to examine whether the housing (stock or flow) tax reduces the housing price fluctuations caused by interest rate or population growth shocks. Simulation results imply that the choice of housing tax tools depends on the kind of shock that housing market faces. In the situation where the housing price volatility is caused by the population growth shock, the flow tax can reduce the volatility of housing price while the stock tax makes no difference to it. If the shock is resulting from the interest rate, the policy maker should not impose any kind of the housing taxes. Furthermore, the effect of one kind of the housing tax can be strengthened by that of the other type of housing tax.

  12. Extending the durability of cultivar resistance by limiting epidemic growth rates.

    PubMed

    Carolan, Kevin; Helps, Joe; van den Berg, Femke; Bain, Ruairidh; Paveley, Neil; van den Bosch, Frank

    2017-09-27

    Cultivar resistance is an essential part of disease control programmes in many agricultural systems. The use of resistant cultivars applies a selection pressure on pathogen populations for the evolution of virulence, resulting in loss of disease control. Various techniques for the deployment of host resistance genes have been proposed to reduce the selection for virulence, but these are often difficult to apply in practice. We present a general technique to maintain the effectiveness of cultivar resistance. Derived from classical population genetics theory; any factor that reduces the population growth rates of both the virulent and avirulent strains will reduce selection. We model the specific example of fungicide application to reduce the growth rates of virulent and avirulent strains of a pathogen, demonstrating that appropriate use of fungicides reduces selection for virulence, prolonging cultivar resistance. This specific example of chemical control illustrates a general principle for the development of techniques to manage the evolution of virulence by slowing epidemic growth rates. © 2017 The Author(s).

  13. Declining growth rate of West Nile virus in North America.

    PubMed

    Snapinn, Katherine W; Holmes, Edward C; Young, David S; Bernard, Kristen A; Kramer, Laura D; Ebel, Gregory D

    2007-03-01

    To determine the demographic history of West Nile virus (WNV) in North America, we employed a coalescent method to envelope coding region data sets for the NY99 and WN02 genotypes. Although the observed genetic diversities in both genotypes were of approximately the same age, the mean rate of epidemiological growth of the WN02 population was approximately three times that of the NY99 population, a finding compatible with the recent dominance of the former genotype. However, there has also been a marked decrease in the recent growth rate of WN02, suggesting that WNV has reached its peak prevalence in North America.

  14. Rate-independent dissipation in phase-field modelling of displacive transformations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tůma, K.; Stupkiewicz, S.; Petryk, H.

    2018-05-01

    In this paper, rate-independent dissipation is introduced into the phase-field framework for modelling of displacive transformations, such as martensitic phase transformation and twinning. The finite-strain phase-field model developed recently by the present authors is here extended beyond the limitations of purely viscous dissipation. The variational formulation, in which the evolution problem is formulated as a constrained minimization problem for a global rate-potential, is enhanced by including a mixed-type dissipation potential that combines viscous and rate-independent contributions. Effective computational treatment of the resulting incremental problem of non-smooth optimization is developed by employing the augmented Lagrangian method. It is demonstrated that a single Lagrange multiplier field suffices to handle the dissipation potential vertex and simultaneously to enforce physical constraints on the order parameter. In this way, the initially non-smooth problem of evolution is converted into a smooth stationarity problem. The model is implemented in a finite-element code and applied to solve two- and three-dimensional boundary value problems representative for shape memory alloys.

  15. Predators select against high growth rates and risk-taking behaviour in domestic trout populations.

    PubMed

    Biro, Peter A; Abrahams, Mark V; Post, John R; Parkinson, Eric A

    2004-11-07

    Domesticated (farm) salmonid fishes display an increased willingness to accept risk while foraging, and achieve high growth rates not observed in nature. Theory predicts that elevated growth rates in domestic salmonids will result in greater risk-taking to access abundant food, but low survival in the presence of predators. In replicated whole-lake experiments, we observed that domestic trout (selected for high growth rates) took greater risks while foraging and grew faster than a wild strain. However, survival consequences for greater growth rates depended upon the predation environment. Domestic trout experienced greater survival when risk was low, but lower survival when risk was high. This suggests that animals with high intrinsic growth rates are selected against in populations with abundant predators, explaining the absence of such phenotypes in nature. This is, to our knowledge, the first large-scale field experiment to directly test this theory and simultaneously quantify the initial invasibility of domestic salmonid strains that escape into the wild from aquaculture operations, and the ecological conditions affecting their survival.

  16. Stochastic phase segregation on surfaces

    PubMed Central

    Gera, Prerna

    2017-01-01

    Phase separation and coarsening is a phenomenon commonly seen in binary physical and chemical systems that occur in nature. Often, thermal fluctuations, modelled as stochastic noise, are present in the system and the phase segregation process occurs on a surface. In this work, the segregation process is modelled via the Cahn–Hilliard–Cook model, which is a fourth-order parabolic stochastic system. Coarsening is analysed on two sample surfaces: a unit sphere and a dumbbell. On both surfaces, a statistical analysis of the growth rate is performed, and the influence of noise level and mobility is also investigated. For the spherical interface, it is also shown that a lognormal distribution fits the growth rate well. PMID:28878994

  17. GNSS seismometer: Seismic phase recognition of real-time high-rate GNSS deformation waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nie, Zhaosheng; Zhang, Rui; Liu, Gang; Jia, Zhige; Wang, Dijin; Zhou, Yu; Lin, Mu

    2016-12-01

    High-rate global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) can potentially be used as seismometers to capture short-period instantaneous dynamic deformation waves from earthquakes. However, the performance and seismic phase recognition of the GNSS seismometer in the real-time mode, which plays an important role in GNSS seismology, are still uncertain. By comparing the results of accuracy and precision of the real-time solution using a shake table test, we found real-time solutions to be consistent with post-processing solutions and independent of sampling rate. In addition, we analyzed the time series of real-time solutions for shake table tests and recent large earthquakes. The results demonstrated that high-rate GNSS have the ability to retrieve most types of seismic waves, including P-, S-, Love, and Rayleigh waves. The main factor limiting its performance in recording seismic phases is the widely used 1-Hz sampling rate. The noise floor also makes recognition of some weak seismic phases difficult. We concluded that the propagation velocities and path of seismic waves, macro characteristics of the high-rate GNSS array, spatial traces of seismic phases, and incorporation of seismographs are all useful in helping to retrieve seismic phases from the high-rate GNSS time series.

  18. A trait-based trade-off between growth and mortality: evidence from 15 tropical tree species using size-specific relative growth rates

    PubMed Central

    Philipson, Christopher D; Dent, Daisy H; O’Brien, Michael J; Chamagne, Juliette; Dzulkifli, Dzaeman; Nilus, Reuben; Philips, Sam; Reynolds, Glen; Saner, Philippe; Hector, Andy

    2014-01-01

    A life-history trade-off between low mortality in the dark and rapid growth in the light is one of the most widely accepted mechanisms underlying plant ecological strategies in tropical forests. Differences in plant functional traits are thought to underlie these distinct ecological strategies; however, very few studies have shown relationships between functional traits and demographic rates within a functional group. We present 8 years of growth and mortality data from saplings of 15 species of Dipterocarpaceae planted into logged-over forest in Malaysian Borneo, and the relationships between these demographic rates and four key functional traits: wood density, specific leaf area (SLA), seed mass, and leaf C:N ratio. Species-specific differences in growth rates were separated from seedling size effects by fitting nonlinear mixed-effects models, to repeated measurements taken on individuals at multiple time points. Mortality data were analyzed using binary logistic regressions in a mixed-effects models framework. Growth increased and mortality decreased with increasing light availability. Species differed in both their growth and mortality rates, yet there was little evidence for a statistical interaction between species and light for either response. There was a positive relationship between growth rate and the predicted probability of mortality regardless of light environment, suggesting that this relationship may be driven by a general trade-off between traits that maximize growth and traits that minimize mortality, rather than through differential species responses to light. Our results indicate that wood density is an important trait that indicates both the ability of species to grow and resistance to mortality, but no other trait was correlated with either growth or mortality. Therefore, the growth mortality trade-off among species of dipterocarp appears to be general in being independent of species crossovers in performance in different light environments

  19. Breast thermography is a noninvasive prognostic procedure that predicts tumor growth rate in breast cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Head, J F; Wang, F; Elliott, R L

    1993-11-30

    Our recent retrospective analysis of the clinical records of patients who had breast thermography demonstrated that an abnormal thermogram was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and a poorer prognosis for the breast cancer patient. This study included 100 normal patients, 100 living cancer patients, and 126 deceased cancer patients. Abnormal thermograms included asymmetric focal hot spots, areolar and periareolar heat, diffuse global heat, vessel discrepancy, or thermographic edge sign. Incidence and prognosis were directly related to thermographic results: only 28% of the noncancer patients had an abnormal thermogram, compared to 65% of living cancer patients and 88% of deceased cancer patients. Further studies were undertaken to determine if thermography is an independent prognostic indicator. Comparison to the components of the TNM classification system showed that only clinical size was significantly larger (p = 0.006) in patients with abnormal thermograms. Age, menopausal status, and location of tumor (left or right breast) were not related to thermographic results. Progesterone and estrogen receptor status was determined by both the cytosol-DCC and immunocytochemical methods, and neither receptor status showed any clear relationship to the thermographic results. Prognostic indicators that are known to be related to tumor growth rate were then compared to thermographic results. The concentration of ferritin in the tumor was significantly higher (p = 0.021) in tumors from patients with abnormal thermograms (1512 +/- 2027, n = 50) compared to tumors from patients with normal thermograms (762 +/- 620, n = 21). Both the proportion of cells in DNA synthesis (S-phase) and proliferating (S-phase plus G2M-phase, proliferative index) were significantly higher in patients with abnormal thermograms. The expression of the proliferation-associated tumor antigen Ki-67 was also associated with an abnormal thermogram. The strong relationships of thermographic

  20. Growth rates of rhizosphere microorganisms depend on competitive abilities of plants for nitrogen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blagodatskaya, Evgenia; Littschwager, Johanna; Lauerer, Marianna; Kuzyakov, Yakov

    2010-05-01

    Rhizosphere - one of the most important ‘hot spots' in soil - is characterized not only by accelerated turnover of microbial biomass and nutrients but also by strong intra- and inter-specific competition. Intra-specific competition occurs between individual plants of the same species, while inter-specific competition can occur both at population level (plant species-specific, microbial species-specific interactions) and at community level (plant - microbial interactions). Such plant - microbial interactions are mainly governed by competition for available N sources, since N is one of the main growth limiting nutrients in natural ecosystems. Functional structure and activity of microbial community in rhizosphere is not uniform and is dependent on quantity and quality of root exudates which are plant specific. It is still unclear how microbial growth and turnover in the rhizosphere are dependent on the features and competitive abilities of plants for N. Depending on C and N availability, acceleration and even retardation of microbial activity and carbon mineralization can be expected in the rhizosphere of plants with high competitive abilities for N. We hypothesized slower microbial growth rates in the rhizosphere of plants with smaller roots, as they usually produce less exudates compared to plants with small shoot-to-root ratio. As the first hypothesis is based solely on C availability, we also expected the greater effect of N availability on microbial growth in rhizosphere of plants with smaller root mass. These hypothesis were tested for two plant species of strawberry: Fragaria vesca L. (native species), and Duchesnea indica (Andrews) Focke (an invasive plant in central Europe) growing in intraspecific and interspecific competition. Microbial biomass and the kinetic parameters of microbial growth in the rhizosphere were estimated by dynamics of CO2 emission from the soil amended with glucose and nutrients. Specific growth rate (µ) of soil microorganisms was

  1. Growth rate and size effect on carbon isotopic fractionation in diatom-bound organic matter in recent Southern Ocean sediments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stoll, Heather M.; Mendez-Vicente, Ana; Abrevaya, Lorena; Anderson, Robert F.; Rigual-Hernández, Andrés S.; Gonzalez-Lemos, Saul

    2017-01-01

    Carbon isotopic fractionation during photosynthesis (εp) is used to reconstruct past CO2 and phytoplankton growth rates, typically by measuring the δ13C of biomarkers produced by coccolithophorids. However, organic molecules bound within diatom frustules represent another phase for measurement of δ13C and offer the opportunity to obtain εp for specific diatom sizes and geometries. Here, from core top sediments covering a strong productivity gradient in the Southern Ocean, we present determinations of δ13C and εp from frustule-bound organic matter from a fine opal fraction dominated by pennate diatoms and a coarse opal fraction dominated by larger centric diatoms. The δ13C of the pennate diatom fraction is typically 2.8‰ more positive than that of the centric fraction. Both fractions show a comparable range of 9-10‰ over the core top transect. εp is lowest (6.3‰ in pennate fraction) between the Polar Front (PF) and Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF) and increases both to the north and south, with maximum values at greatest distance from the PF (18‰ in the pennate fraction). These spatial changes in εp are too large to arise from the rather modest variation in dissolved CO2 in surface waters across the core top transect. We suggest instead that the maximum εp reflects higher diatom growth rates, and in the case of pennate diatom F. kerguelensis also an increase in the frustule width and volume to surface area ratio. Both processes may result from enhanced Fe supply due to upwelling of circumpolar deep water between the PF and SACCF. Farther south, diatom growth is strongly Fe-limited and farther north it is Fe and Si co-limited. The optima of growth rates between the PF and SACCF appears to be a general feature in all sectors of the Southern Ocean. Such growth rate-induced changes in diatom εp allow us to resolve a 5° northward displacement of the PF during glacial times compared to interglacial times. By estimating CO2 aq in

  2. Vertical Bridgman growth of Hg 1-xMn xTe with variational withdrawal rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhi, Gu; Wan-Qi, Jie; Guo-Qiang, Li; Long, Zhang

    2004-09-01

    Based on the solute redistribution models, Vertical Bridgman growth of Hg1-xMnxTe with variational withdrawal rate is studied. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the axial composition uniformity is improved and the crystal growth rate is also increased at the optimized variational method of withdrawal rate.

  3. Long-run growth rate in a random multiplicative model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pirjol, Dan

    2014-08-01

    We consider the long-run growth rate of the average value of a random multiplicative process x{sub i+1} = a{sub i}x{sub i} where the multipliers a{sub i}=1+ρexp(σW{sub i}₋1/2 σ²t{sub i}) have Markovian dependence given by the exponential of a standard Brownian motion W{sub i}. The average value (x{sub n}) is given by the grand partition function of a one-dimensional lattice gas with two-body linear attractive interactions placed in a uniform field. We study the Lyapunov exponent λ=lim{sub n→∞}1/n log(x{sub n}), at fixed β=1/2 σ²t{sub n}n, and show that it is given by the equation of state of the lattice gas inmore » thermodynamical equilibrium. The Lyapunov exponent has discontinuous partial derivatives along a curve in the (ρ, β) plane ending at a critical point (ρ{sub C}, β{sub C}) which is related to a phase transition in the equivalent lattice gas. Using the equivalence of the lattice gas with a bosonic system, we obtain the exact solution for the equation of state in the thermodynamical limit n → ∞.« less

  4. Phase competition in the growth of SrCoOx/LaAlO3 thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Jie; Meng, Dechao; Huang, Haoliang; Cai, Honglei; Huang, Qiuping; Wang, Jianlin; Yang, Yuanjun; Zhai, Xiaofang; Fu, Zhengping; Lu, Yalin

    2018-02-01

    The reversible topotactic phase transformation between brownmillerite SrCoO2.5 to perovskite SrCoO3 has attracted more and more attention for potential applications as solid oxide fuels and electrolysis cells. However, the relatively easy transformation result from small thermal stable energy barriers between the two phases leads to unstable the structures. In the paper, amounts of SrCoO3-δ films have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition at optimized growth conditions with the temperature range of 590-720°C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrated that a phase competition emerged around 650°C. The Gibbs free energies of two phases at high temperature revealed the difference of stability of these two phases under different growth temperature. The optical spectroscopies and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies were used to verify the electronic structure and chemical state differences between the two phases with distinct crystal structures.

  5. Controlling the growth of multiple ordered heteromolecular phases by utilizing intermolecular repulsion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henneke, Caroline; Felter, Janina; Schwarz, Daniel; Stefan Tautz, F.; Kumpf, Christian

    2017-06-01

    Metal/organic interfaces and their structural, electronic, spintronic and thermodynamic properties have been investigated intensively, aiming to improve and develop future electronic devices. In this context, heteromolecular phases add new design opportunities simply by combining different molecules. However, controlling the desired phases in such complex systems is a challenging task. Here, we report an effective way of steering the growth of a bimolecular system composed of adsorbate species with opposite intermolecular interactions--repulsive and attractive, respectively. The repulsive species forms a two-dimensional lattice gas, the density of which controls which crystalline phases are stable. Critical gas phase densities determine the constant-area phase diagram that describes our experimental observations, including eutectic regions with three coexisting phases. We anticipate the general validity of this type of phase diagram for binary systems containing two-dimensional gas phases, and also show that the density of the gas phase allows engineering of the interface structure.

  6. The cellular growth rate controls overall mRNA turnover, and modulates either transcription or degradation rates of particular gene regulons.

    PubMed

    García-Martínez, José; Delgado-Ramos, Lidia; Ayala, Guillermo; Pelechano, Vicent; Medina, Daniel A; Carrasco, Fany; González, Ramón; Andrés-León, Eduardo; Steinmetz, Lars; Warringer, Jonas; Chávez, Sebastián; Pérez-Ortín, José E

    2016-05-05

    We analyzed 80 different genomic experiments, and found a positive correlation between both RNA polymerase II transcription and mRNA degradation with growth rates in yeast. Thus, in spite of the marked variation in mRNA turnover, the total mRNA concentration remained approximately constant. Some genes, however, regulated their mRNA concentration by uncoupling mRNA stability from the transcription rate. Ribosome-related genes modulated their transcription rates to increase mRNA levels under fast growth. In contrast, mitochondria-related and stress-induced genes lowered mRNA levels by reducing mRNA stability or the transcription rate, respectively. We also detected these regulations within the heterogeneity of a wild-type cell population growing in optimal conditions. The transcriptomic analysis of sorted microcolonies confirmed that the growth rate dictates alternative expression programs by modulating transcription and mRNA decay.The regulation of overall mRNA turnover keeps a constant ratio between mRNA decay and the dilution of [mRNA] caused by cellular growth. This regulation minimizes the indiscriminate transmission of mRNAs from mother to daughter cells, and favors the response capacity of the latter to physiological signals and environmental changes. We also conclude that, by uncoupling mRNA synthesis from decay, cells control the mRNA abundance of those gene regulons that characterize fast and slow growth. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  7. The use of Ampelisca abdita growth rate as an indicator of sediment quality

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weston, D.P.; Thompson, B.

    1995-12-31

    Acute lethal bioassays with amphipod crustaceans are routinely used to assess toxicity of bulk sediments. A study within the San Francisco Bay Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) is in progress to develop a chronic bioassay with the amphipod Ampelisca abdita, measuring both survivorship and growth rates. This approach is attractive because depression of growth rate is likely to be a more sensitive indicator of toxic effects than acute lethality, and natural populations of A. abdita exist throughout the Bay. Spiked sediment bioassays, using cadmium and crude oil, were used to demonstrate the relative sensitivity of the standard 10-day lethal test vs.more » the 30-day growth test. Sediments were also collected from 9 sites throughout the Bay, ranging from areas adjacent to municipal wastewater discharges to areas distant from known point source inputs. These samples were then split, and used for side-by-side comparison of acute (lethal) and chronic (growth) toxicity tests. Survivorship exceeded 90% in all tests, including those sediments collected nearest the wastewater outfalls. Growth rates were contrasted among the various treatments to examine the utility of this end point in discriminating the outfall sites. Data on the spatial distribution, abundance, and size-frequency distribution of native populations was examined within the context of using growth rate as an indicator of toxic effects in natural populations as well.« less

  8. Nanowire growth by an electron beam induced massive phase transformation

    DOE PAGES

    Sood, Shantanu; Kisslinger, Kim; Gouma, Perena

    2014-11-15

    Tungsten trioxide nanowires of a high aspect ratio have been synthesized in-situ in a TEM under an electron beam of current density 14A/cm² due to a massive polymorphic reaction. Sol-gel processed pseudocubic phase nanocrystals of tungsten trioxide were seen to rapidly transform to one dimensional monoclinic phase configurations, and this reaction was independent of the substrate on which the material was deposited. The mechanism of the self-catalyzed polymorphic transition and accompanying radical shape change is a typical characteristic of metastable to stable phase transformations in nanostructured polymorphic metal oxides. A heuristic model is used to confirm the metastable to stablemore » growth mechanism. The findings are important to the control electron beam deposition of nanowires for functional applications starting from colloidal precursors.« less

  9. Effect of temperature on microbial growth rate-mathematical analysis: the Arrhenius and Eyring-Polanyi connections.

    PubMed

    Huang, Lihan; Hwang, Andy; Phillips, John

    2011-10-01

    The objective of this work is to develop a mathematical model for evaluating the effect of temperature on the rate of microbial growth. The new mathematical model is derived by combination and modification of the Arrhenius equation and the Eyring-Polanyi transition theory. The new model, suitable for both suboptimal and the entire growth temperature ranges, was validated using a collection of 23 selected temperature-growth rate curves belonging to 5 groups of microorganisms, including Pseudomonas spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens, and Escherichia coli, from the published literature. The curve fitting is accomplished by nonlinear regression using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The resulting estimated growth rate (μ) values are highly correlated to the data collected from the literature (R(2) = 0.985, slope = 1.0, intercept = 0.0). The bias factor (B(f) ) of the new model is very close to 1.0, while the accuracy factor (A(f) ) ranges from 1.0 to 1.22 for most data sets. The new model is compared favorably with the Ratkowsky square root model and the Eyring equation. Even with more parameters, the Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, and mean square errors of the new model are not statistically different from the square root model and the Eyring equation, suggesting that the model can be used to describe the inherent relationship between temperature and microbial growth rates. The results of this work show that the new growth rate model is suitable for describing the effect of temperature on microbial growth rate. Practical Application:  Temperature is one of the most significant factors affecting the growth of microorganisms in foods. This study attempts to develop and validate a mathematical model to describe the temperature dependence of microbial growth rate. The findings show that the new model is accurate and can be used to describe the effect of temperature on microbial growth rate in foods

  10. Real-time x-ray studies of crystal growth modes during metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy of GaN on c- and m-plane single crystals

    DOE PAGES

    Perret, Edith; Highland, M. J.; Stephenson, G. B.; ...

    2014-08-04

    Non-polar orientations of III-nitride semiconductors have attracted significant interest due to their potential application in optoelectronic devices with enhanced efficiency. Using in-situ surface x-ray scattering during metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) of GaN on non-polar (m-plane) and polar (c-plane) orientations of single crystal substrates, we have observed the homoepitaxial growth modes as a function of temperature and growth rate. On the m-plane surface we observe all three growth modes (step-flow, layer-by-layer, and three-dimensional) as conditions are varied. In contrast, the +c-plane surface exhibits a direct cross over between step-flow and 3-D growth, with no layer-by-layer regime. The apparent activation energymore » of 2.8 ± 0.2 eV observed for the growth rate at the layer-by-layer to step-flow boundary on the m-plane surface is consistent with those observed for MOVPE growth of other III-V compounds, indicating a large critical nucleus size for islands.« less

  11. Maximising electricity production by controlling the biofilm specific growth rate in microbial fuel cells.

    PubMed

    Ledezma, Pablo; Greenman, John; Ieropoulos, Ioannis

    2012-08-01

    The aim of this work is to study the relationship between growth rate and electricity production in perfusion-electrode microbial fuel cells (MFCs), across a wide range of flow rates by co-measurement of electrical output and changes in population numbers by viable counts and optical density. The experiments hereby presented demonstrate, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, that the anodic biofilm specific growth rate can be determined and controlled in common with other loose matrix perfusion systems. Feeding with nutrient-limiting conditions at a critical flow rate (50.8 mL h(-1)) resulted in the first experimental determination of maximum specific growth rate μ(max) (19.8 day(-1)) for Shewanella spp. MFC biofilms, which is considerably higher than those predicted or assumed via mathematical modelling. It is also shown that, under carbon-energy limiting conditions there is a strong direct relationship between growth rate and electrical power output, with μ(max) coinciding with maximum electrical power production. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. In situ Observation of Phase Transformation in MnAl(C) Magnetic Materials

    PubMed Central

    Si, Ping-Zhan; Qian, Hui-Dong; Choi, Chul-Jin; Park, Jihoon; Han, Sangho; Ge, Hong-Liang; Shinde, Kiran P.

    2017-01-01

    The phase transformation in two modes, including both displacive and massive growth of τ-phase from ε-MnAl(C), was observed by in situ transmission electron microscopy. The exact temperature range for different phase transformation modes was determined by magnetic measurements. The displacive growth of ε→τ in Mn54Al46 (or Mn54Al46C2.44) occurs at temperatures below 650 K (or 766 K), above which both modes coexist. One-third or less of the ε-phase can be transformed into τ-phase via displacive mode while the remaining two-thirds or more via massive mode. In bulk τ-phase, most τ-nanocrystals formed via displacive mode are distributed in the matrix of large τ-grains that formed via massive mode. The typical massive growth rate of the τ-phase is 8–60 nm/s, while the displacive growth rate is low. A more complete understanding of the ε→τ phase transformations in the MnAl-based magnets was provided in this work, based on which the annealing process for ε→τ was optimized and thus high purity τ-phase with high saturation magnetization was obtained. PMID:28858231

  13. Inferring time derivatives including cell growth rates using Gaussian processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Swain, Peter S.; Stevenson, Keiran; Leary, Allen; Montano-Gutierrez, Luis F.; Clark, Ivan B. N.; Vogel, Jackie; Pilizota, Teuta

    2016-12-01

    Often the time derivative of a measured variable is of as much interest as the variable itself. For a growing population of biological cells, for example, the population's growth rate is typically more important than its size. Here we introduce a non-parametric method to infer first and second time derivatives as a function of time from time-series data. Our approach is based on Gaussian processes and applies to a wide range of data. In tests, the method is at least as accurate as others, but has several advantages: it estimates errors both in the inference and in any summary statistics, such as lag times, and allows interpolation with the corresponding error estimation. As illustrations, we infer growth rates of microbial cells, the rate of assembly of an amyloid fibril and both the speed and acceleration of two separating spindle pole bodies. Our algorithm should thus be broadly applicable.

  14. Growth rate models for short surface cracks in AI 2219-T851

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morris, W. L.; James, M. R.; Buck, O.

    1981-01-01

    Rates of fatigue propagation of short Mode I surface cracks in Al 2219-T851 are measured as a function of crack length and of the location of the surface crack tips relative to the grain boundaries. The measured rates are then compared to values predicted from crack growth models. The crack growth rate is modeled with an underlying assumption that slip responsible for early propagation does not extend in significant amounts beyond the next grain boundary in the direction of crack propagation. Two models that contain this assumption are combined: 1) cessation of propagation into a new grain until a mature plastic zone is developed; 2) retardation of propagation by crack closure stress, with closure stress calculated from the location of a crack tip relative to the grain boundary. The transition from short to long crack growth behavior is also discussed.

  15. Mutations Enhancing Amino Acid Catabolism Confer a Growth Advantage in Stationary Phase

    PubMed Central

    Zinser, Erik R.; Kolter, Roberto

    1999-01-01

    Starved cultures of Escherichia coli undergo successive rounds of population takeovers by mutants of increasing fitness. These mutants express the growth advantage in stationary phase (GASP) phenotype. Previous work identified the rpoS819 allele as a GASP mutation allowing cells to take over stationary-phase cultures after growth in rich media (M. M. Zambrano, D. A. Siegele, M. A. Almirón, A. Tormo, and R. Kolter, Science 259:1757–1760, 1993). Here we have identified three new GASP loci from an aged rpoS819 strain: sgaA, sgaB, and sgaC. Each locus is capable of conferring GASP on the rpoS819 parent, and they can provide successively higher fitnesses for the bacteria in the starved cultures. All four GASP mutations isolated thus far allow for faster growth on both individual and mixtures of amino acids. Each mutation confers a growth advantage on a different subset of amino acids, and these mutations act in concert to increase the overall catabolic capacity of the cell. We present a model whereby this enhanced ability to catabolize amino acids is responsible for the fitness gain during carbon starvation, as it may allow GASP mutants to outcompete the parental cells when growing on the amino acids released by dying cells. PMID:10482523

  16. Effects of Combinations of Substrates on Maximum Growth Rates of Several Rumen Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Russell, James B.; Delfino, Frank J.; Baldwin, R. L.

    1979-01-01

    Five rumen bacteria, Selenomonas ruminantium, Bacteroides ruminicola, Megasphaera elsdenii, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, and Streptococcus bovis were grown in media containing nonlimiting concentrations of glucose, sucrose, maltose, cellobiose, xylose and/or lactate. Each bacterium was grown with every substrate that it could ferment in every possible two-way combination. Only once did a combination of substrates result in a higher maximum growth rate than that observed with either substrate alone. Such stimulations of growth rate would be expected if specific factors unique to individual substrates (transport proteins and/or enzymes) were limiting. Since such synergisms were rare, it was concluded that more general factors limit maximum growth rates in these five bacteria. PMID:16345360

  17. Ambient observations of dimers from terpene oxidation in the gas phase: Implications for new particle formation and growth: Ambient Observations of Gas-Phase Dimers

    DOE PAGES

    Mohr, Claudia; Lopez-Hilfiker, Felipe D.; Yli-Juuti, Taina; ...

    2017-03-28

    Here, we present ambient observations of dimeric monoterpene oxidation products (C 16–20H yO 6–9) in gas and particle phases in the boreal forest in Finland in spring 2013 and 2014, detected with a chemical ionization mass spectrometer with a filter inlet for gases and aerosols employing acetate and iodide as reagent ions. These are among the first online dual-phase observations of such dimers in the atmosphere. Estimated saturation concentrations of 10 -15 to 10 -6 µg m -3 (based on observed thermal desorptions and group-contribution methods) and measured gas-phase concentrations of 10 -3 to 10 -2 µg m -3 (~10more » 6–10 7 molecules cm -3) corroborate a gas-phase formation mechanism. Regular new particle formation (NPF) events allowed insights into the potential role dimers may play for atmospheric NPF and growth. The observationally constrained Model for Acid-Base chemistry in NAnoparticle Growth indicates a contribution of ~5% to early stage particle growth from the ~60 gaseous dimer compounds.« less

  18. Ambient observations of dimers from terpene oxidation in the gas phase: Implications for new particle formation and growth: Ambient Observations of Gas-Phase Dimers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mohr, Claudia; Lopez-Hilfiker, Felipe D.; Yli-Juuti, Taina

    Here, we present ambient observations of dimeric monoterpene oxidation products (C 16–20H yO 6–9) in gas and particle phases in the boreal forest in Finland in spring 2013 and 2014, detected with a chemical ionization mass spectrometer with a filter inlet for gases and aerosols employing acetate and iodide as reagent ions. These are among the first online dual-phase observations of such dimers in the atmosphere. Estimated saturation concentrations of 10 -15 to 10 -6 µg m -3 (based on observed thermal desorptions and group-contribution methods) and measured gas-phase concentrations of 10 -3 to 10 -2 µg m -3 (~10more » 6–10 7 molecules cm -3) corroborate a gas-phase formation mechanism. Regular new particle formation (NPF) events allowed insights into the potential role dimers may play for atmospheric NPF and growth. The observationally constrained Model for Acid-Base chemistry in NAnoparticle Growth indicates a contribution of ~5% to early stage particle growth from the ~60 gaseous dimer compounds.« less

  19. Stature of sub-arctic birch in relation to growth rate, lifespan and tree form.

    PubMed

    Jónsson, Thorbergur Hjalti

    2004-11-01

    Sub-arctic mountain birch Betula pubescens var. pumila communities in the North Atlantic region are of variable stature, ranging from prostrate scrubs to forests with trees up to 12 m high. Four hypotheses were tested, relating growth and population characteristics of sub-arctic birch woodland and scrub to tree stature; i.e. the variable stature of birch woods is due to differences in (1) the mean growth rate; (2) the age-related patterns of growth rate; (3) the life expectancy of stems; or (4) the tree form. A stratified random sample of 300 birch trees was drawn from the total population of indigenous birch woodlands and scrub in Iceland, yielding 286 valid sample genets. The population was divided into three sub-populations with dominant trees 0-2, 2-4 and 4-12 m tall, referred to as birch scrub, birch scrub-woodland and birch forest, respectively. Trees in the scrub population were of more contorted growth form than birch in the scrub-woodland and forest populations. Mean growth rates, mean age and median life expectancies increased significantly with sub-population of greater tree stature. At the population level, annual increment and longevity of birch stems was apparently interrelated as the stems in vigorously growing birch sub-populations had a longer life expectancy than those of slower growth. However, no difference was observed between sub-populations in age-related patterns of extension growth rate. The results were consistent with hypotheses (1), (3) and (4), but hypothesis (2) was rejected. Hence, mountain birch of more vigorous growth attains a greater stature than birch of lesser increment due to faster extension growth rate and a longer lifespan. In addition, the more contorted stem form of scrub populations contributes to their low stature.

  20. Stature of Sub-arctic Birch in Relation to Growth Rate, Lifespan and Tree Form

    PubMed Central

    JÓNSSON, THORBERGUR HJALTI

    2004-01-01

    • Background and Aims Sub-arctic mountain birch Betula pubescens var. pumila communities in the North Atlantic region are of variable stature, ranging from prostrate scrubs to forests with trees up to 12 m high. Four hypotheses were tested, relating growth and population characteristics of sub-arctic birch woodland and scrub to tree stature; i.e. the variable stature of birch woods is due to differences in (1) the mean growth rate; (2) the age-related patterns of growth rate; (3) the life expectancy of stems; or (4) the tree form. • Methods A stratified random sample of 300 birch trees was drawn from the total population of indigenous birch woodlands and scrub in Iceland, yielding 286 valid sample genets. The population was divided into three sub-populations with dominant trees 0–2, 2–4 and 4–12 m tall, referred to as birch scrub, birch scrub-woodland and birch forest, respectively. • Key Results Trees in the scrub population were of more contorted growth form than birch in the scrub-woodland and forest populations. Mean growth rates, mean age and median life expectancies increased significantly with sub-population of greater tree stature. At the population level, annual increment and longevity of birch stems was apparently interrelated as the stems in vigorously growing birch sub-populations had a longer life expectancy than those of slower growth. However, no difference was observed between sub-populations in age-related patterns of extension growth rate. • Conclusions The results were consistent with hypotheses (1), (3) and (4), but hypothesis (2) was rejected. Hence, mountain birch of more vigorous growth attains a greater stature than birch of lesser increment due to faster extension growth rate and a longer lifespan. In addition, the more contorted stem form of scrub populations contributes to their low stature. PMID:15374837

  1. Two-Phase Eutectic Growth in Al-Cu and Al-Cu-Ag

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Senninger, Oriane; Peters, Matthew; Voorhees, Peter W.

    2018-02-01

    The microstructure developed by two-phase lamellar eutectics (α ) -(θ {-Al}2{Cu}) in Al-Cu and Al-Cu-Ag alloys is analyzed. A model of two-phase eutectic growth in multicomponent alloys is used to determine the scaling law of the eutectic microstructure using the alloy thermophysical properties. The application of the model to these alloys shows that the addition of Ag to Al-Cu alloys does not significantly change the length scale of the microstructure, which is in agreement with previous experimental studies. This is explained by the combined phenomena of the decrease in interface energies with the addition of Ag and the superheating of the (α ) phase interface induced by the Ag composition profile.

  2. On the intrinsic constraint of bacterial growth rate: M. tuberculosis's view of the protein translation capacity.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Manlu; Dai, Xiongfeng

    2018-01-15

    In nature, the maximal growth rates vary widely among different bacteria species. Fast-growing bacteria species such as Escherichia coli can have a shortest generation time of 20 min. Slow-growing bacteria species are perhaps best known for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a human pathogen with a generation time being no less than 16 h. Despite of the significant progress made on understanding the pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis, we know little on the origin of its intriguingly slow growth. From a global view, the intrinsic constraint of the maximal growth rate of bacteria remains to be a fundamental question in microbiology. In this review, we analyze and discuss this issue from the angle of protein translation capacity, which is the major demand for cell growth. Based on quantitative analysis, we propose four parameters: rRNA chain elongation rate, abundance of RNA polymerase engaged in rRNA synthesis, polypeptide chain elongation rate, and active ribosome fraction, which potentially limit the maximal growth rate of bacteria. We further discuss the relation of these parameters with the growth rate for M. tuberculosis as well as other bacterial species. We highlight future comprehensive investigation of these parameters for different bacteria species to understand how bacteria set their own specific growth rates.

  3. The Modellers' Halting Foray into Ecological Theory: Or, What is This Thing Called 'Growth Rate'?

    PubMed

    Deveau, Michael; Karsten, Richard; Teismann, Holger

    2015-06-01

    This discussion paper describes the attempt of an imagined group of non-ecologists ("Modellers") to determine the population growth rate from field data. The Modellers wrestle with the multiple definitions of the growth rate available in the literature and the fact that, in their modelling, it appears to be drastically model-dependent, which seems to throw into question the very concept itself. Specifically, they observe that six representative models used to capture the data produce growth-rate values, which differ significantly. Almost ready to concede that the problem they set for themselves is ill-posed, they arrive at an alternative point of view that not only preserves the identity of the concept of the growth rate, but also helps discriminate between competing models for capturing the data. This is accomplished by assessing how robustly a given model is able to generate growth-rate values from randomized time-series data. This leads to the proposal of an iterative approach to ecological modelling in which the definition of theoretical concepts (such as the growth rate) and model selection complement each other. The paper is based on high-quality field data of mites on apple trees and may be called a "data-driven opinion piece".

  4. Translation elicits a growth rate-dependent, genome-wide, differential protein production in Bacillus subtilis.

    PubMed

    Borkowski, Olivier; Goelzer, Anne; Schaffer, Marc; Calabre, Magali; Mäder, Ulrike; Aymerich, Stéphane; Jules, Matthieu; Fromion, Vincent

    2016-05-17

    Complex regulatory programs control cell adaptation to environmental changes by setting condition-specific proteomes. In balanced growth, bacterial protein abundances depend on the dilution rate, transcript abundances and transcript-specific translation efficiencies. We revisited the current theory claiming the invariance of bacterial translation efficiency. By integrating genome-wide transcriptome datasets and datasets from a library of synthetic gfp-reporter fusions, we demonstrated that translation efficiencies in Bacillus subtilis decreased up to fourfold from slow to fast growth. The translation initiation regions elicited a growth rate-dependent, differential production of proteins without regulators, hence revealing a unique, hard-coded, growth rate-dependent mode of regulation. We combined model-based data analyses of transcript and protein abundances genome-wide and revealed that this global regulation is extensively used in B. subtilis We eventually developed a knowledge-based, three-step translation initiation model, experimentally challenged the model predictions and proposed that a growth rate-dependent drop in free ribosome abundance accounted for the differential protein production. © 2016 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

  5. Impact of growth rate on graphene lattice-defect formation within a single crystalline domain.

    PubMed

    Chin, Hao-Ting; Lee, Jian-Jhang; Hofmann, Mario; Hsieh, Ya-Ping

    2018-03-06

    Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is promising for the large scale production of graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Optimization of the CVD process for enhancing their quality is a focus of ongoing effort and significant progress has been made in decreasing the defectiveness associated with grain boundaries and nucleation spots. However, little is known about the quality and origin of structural defects in the outgrowing lattice which are present even in single-crystalline material and represent the limit of current optimization efforts. We here investigate the formation kinetics of such defects by controlling graphene's growth rate over a wide range using nanoscale confinements. Statistical analysis of Raman spectroscopic results shows a clear trend between growth rate and defectiveness that is in quantitative agreement with a model where defects are healed preferentially at the growth front. Our results suggest that low growth rates are required to avoid the freezing of lattice defects and form high quality material. This conclusion is confirmed by a fourfold enhancement in graphene's carrier mobility upon optimization of the growth rate.

  6. Growth rates and energy intake of hand-reared cheetah cubs (Acinonyx jubatus) in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Bell, K M; Rutherfurd, S M; Morton, R H

    2012-04-01

    Growth rate is an important factor in neonatal survival. The aim of this study was to determine growth rates in hand-reared cheetah cubs in South Africa fed a prescribed energy intake, calculated for growth in the domestic cat. Growth was then compared with previously published data from hand-reared cubs in North America and the relationship between growth and energy intake explored. Daily body weight (BW) gain, feed and energy intake data was collected from 18 hand-reared cheetah cubs up to 120 days of age. The average pre-weaning growth rate was 32 g/day, which is lower than reported in mother-reared cubs and hand-reared cubs in North American facilities. However, post-weaning growth increased to an average of 55 g/day. Growth was approximately linear prior to weaning, but over the entire age range it exhibited a sigmoidal shape with an asymptotic plateau averaging 57 kg. Energy intake associated with pre-weaning growth was 481 kJ ME/kg BW(0.75). Regression analysis described the relationship between metabolic BW, metabolisable energy (ME) intake, and hence daily weight gain. This relationship may be useful in predicting energy intake required to achieve growth rates in hand-reared cheetah cubs similar to those observed for their mother-reared counterparts. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  7. The dependence of the growth rate and meat content of young boars on semen parameters and conception rate.

    PubMed

    Knecht, D; Jankowska-Mąkosa, A; Duziński, K

    2017-05-01

    Boars have a decisive impact on the progress in pig production, however, there is no recent information about the optimal growth parameters during the rearing period for modern breed later used in artificial insemination (AI) stations. Therefore, the objective of the research was to conduct semen parameter and conception rate analyses on the basis of growth rate and meat content assessments made during the rearing of AI boars of different genotypes. The study was carried out between 2010 and 2014 and included 184 boars in five breed combinations: 46 Polish Large White, 50 Polish Landrace, 27 Pietrain, 36 Duroc×Pietrain and 25 Hampshire×Pietrain. Boars were qualified by daily gains and meat content assessment (between 170 and 210 days of life). A total number of 38 272 ejaculates were examined (semen volume (ml), spermatozoa concentration (×106 ml-1), total number of spermatozoa (×109) and number of insemination doses from one ejaculate (n)). The fertility was determined by the conception rate (%). Semen volume, spermatozoa concentration and conception rate (P<0.01), followed by the total number of spermatozoa and insemination doses (P<0.05) were characterized by the highest variability in relation to breed of boars. The effect of daily gains was reported for spermatozoa concentration, number of insemination doses, conception rate (all P<0.01) and total number of spermatozoa (P<0.05). The peak of growth for spermatozoa concentration, total number of spermatozoa, insemination doses and conception rate was achieved for 800 to 850 g gains. Meat content affected semen volume, number of insemination doses and conception rate (P<0.05). Rearing boars while maintaining daily gains at the 800 to 850 g level and 62.5% to 65% meat content helps AI stations to increase the efficiency and economic profitability, and the number of insemination doses to increase by up to 300 doses/boar within a year. The analyses of growth parameters may help increase the efficiency and

  8. Influence of Polymers on the Crystal Growth Rate of Felodipine: Correlating Adsorbed Polymer Surface Coverage to Solution Crystal Growth Inhibition.

    PubMed

    Schram, Caitlin J; Taylor, Lynne S; Beaudoin, Stephen P

    2015-10-20

    The bioavailability of orally administered drugs that exhibit poor aqueous solubility can be enhanced with the use of supersaturating dosage forms. Stabilization of these forms by preventing or inhibiting crystallization in solution is an important area of study. Polymers can be used to stabilize supersaturated systems; however, the properties that impact their effectiveness as crystal growth rate inhibitors are not yet fully understood. In this study, the impact of various polymers on the crystal growth rate of felodipine and the conformation of these polymers adsorbed to crystalline felodipine was investigated in order to gain a mechanistic understanding of crystal growth inhibition. It was determined that polymer hydrophobicity impacted polymer adsorption as well as adsorbed polymer conformation. Polymer conformation impacts its surface coverage, which was shown to directly correlate to the polymer's effectiveness as a growth rate inhibitor. By modeling this correlation, it is possible to predict polymer effectiveness given the surface coverage of the polymer.

  9. Phase transition and flow-rate behavior of merging granular flows.

    PubMed

    Hu, Mao-Bin; Liu, Qi-Yi; Jiang, Rui; Hou, Meiying; Wu, Qing-Song

    2015-02-01

    Merging of granular flows is ubiquitous in industrial, mining, and geological processes. However, its behavior remains poorly understood. This paper studies the phase transition and flow-rate behavior of two granular flows merging into one channel. When the main channel is wider than the side channel, the system shows a remarkable two-sudden-drops phenomenon in the outflow rate when gradually increasing the main inflow. When gradually decreasing the main inflow, the system shows obvious hysteresis phenomenon. We study the flow-rate-drop phenomenon by measuring the area fraction and the mean velocity at the merging point. The phase diagram of the system is also presented to understand the occurrence of the phenomenon. We find that the dilute-to-dense transition occurs when the area fraction of particles at the joint point exceeds a critical value ϕ(c)=0.65±0.03.

  10. Periodic matrix population models: growth rate, basic reproduction number, and entropy.

    PubMed

    Bacaër, Nicolas

    2009-10-01

    This article considers three different aspects of periodic matrix population models. First, a formula for the sensitivity analysis of the growth rate lambda is obtained that is simpler than the one obtained by Caswell and Trevisan. Secondly, the formula for the basic reproduction number R0 in a constant environment is generalized to the case of a periodic environment. Some inequalities between lambda and R0 proved by Cushing and Zhou are also generalized to the periodic case. Finally, we add some remarks on Demetrius' notion of evolutionary entropy H and its relationship to the growth rate lambda in the periodic case.

  11. Protein Degradation Rate in Arabidopsis thaliana Leaf Growth and Development[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Nelson, Clark J.; Castleden, Ian

    2017-01-01

    We applied 15N labeling approaches to leaves of the Arabidopsis thaliana rosette to characterize their protein degradation rate and understand its determinants. The progressive labeling of new peptides with 15N and measuring the decrease in the abundance of >60,000 existing peptides over time allowed us to define the degradation rate of 1228 proteins in vivo. We show that Arabidopsis protein half-lives vary from several hours to several months based on the exponential constant of the decay rate for each protein. This rate was calculated from the relative isotope abundance of each peptide and the fold change in protein abundance during growth. Protein complex membership and specific protein domains were found to be strong predictors of degradation rate, while N-end amino acid, hydrophobicity, or aggregation propensity of proteins were not. We discovered rapidly degrading subunits in a variety of protein complexes in plastids and identified the set of plant proteins whose degradation rate changed in different leaves of the rosette and correlated with leaf growth rate. From this information, we have calculated the protein turnover energy costs in different leaves and their key determinants within the proteome. PMID:28138016

  12. Comparison of statistical models to estimate parasite growth rate in the induced blood stage malaria model.

    PubMed

    Wockner, Leesa F; Hoffmann, Isabell; O'Rourke, Peter; McCarthy, James S; Marquart, Louise

    2017-08-25

    The efficacy of vaccines aimed at inhibiting the growth of malaria parasites in the blood can be assessed by comparing the growth rate of parasitaemia in the blood of subjects treated with a test vaccine compared to controls. In studies using induced blood stage malaria (IBSM), a type of controlled human malaria infection, parasite growth rate has been measured using models with the intercept on the y-axis fixed to the inoculum size. A set of statistical models was evaluated to determine an optimal methodology to estimate parasite growth rate in IBSM studies. Parasite growth rates were estimated using data from 40 subjects published in three IBSM studies. Data was fitted using 12 statistical models: log-linear, sine-wave with the period either fixed to 48 h or not fixed; these models were fitted with the intercept either fixed to the inoculum size or not fixed. All models were fitted by individual, and overall by study using a mixed effects model with a random effect for the individual. Log-linear models and sine-wave models, with the period fixed or not fixed, resulted in similar parasite growth rate estimates (within 0.05 log 10 parasites per mL/day). Average parasite growth rate estimates for models fitted by individual with the intercept fixed to the inoculum size were substantially lower by an average of 0.17 log 10 parasites per mL/day (range 0.06-0.24) compared with non-fixed intercept models. Variability of parasite growth rate estimates across the three studies analysed was substantially higher (3.5 times) for fixed-intercept models compared with non-fixed intercept models. The same tendency was observed in models fitted overall by study. Modelling data by individual or overall by study had minimal effect on parasite growth estimates. The analyses presented in this report confirm that fixing the intercept to the inoculum size influences parasite growth estimates. The most appropriate statistical model to estimate the growth rate of blood-stage parasites

  13. Interface Shape and Growth Rate Analysis of Se/GaAs Bulk Crystals Grown in the NASA Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bly, J. M.; Kaforey, M. L.; Matthiesen, D. H.; Chait, A.

    1997-01-01

    Selenium-doped gallium arsenide, Se/GaAs, bulk crystals have been grown on earth using NASA's crystal growth furnace (CGF) in preparation for microgravity experimentation on the USML-2 spacelab mission. Peltier cooling pulses of 50 ms duration, 2040 A magnitude, and 0.0033 Hz frequency were used to successfully demark the melt-solid interface at known times during the crystal growth process. Post-growth characterization included interface shape measurement, growth rate calculation, and growth rate transient determinations. It was found that the interface shapes were always slightly concave into the solid. The curvature of the seeding interfaces was typically 1.5 mm for the 15 mm diameter samples. This was in agreement with the predicted interface shapes and positions relative to the furnace determined using a numerical model of the sample/ampoule/cartridge assembly (SACA).

  14. Avoid Early Selection for Growth Rate in Cottonwood

    Treesearch

    D. T. Cooper; Robert B. Ferguson

    1971-01-01

    A sample of 37 cottonwood clones from a selection program was compared with a sample of 40 random clones in a 14-year test at two sites near Stoneville, Mississippi. Throughout the test period, the select sample was slightly better in mean growth rate, but this difference decreased with age. Performance of ''blue tag" clones selected at age 5 and planted...

  15. Properties of the seismic nucleation phase

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Beroza, G.C.; Ellsworth, W.L.

    1996-01-01

    Near-source observations show that earthquakes begin abruptly at the P-wave arrival, but that this beginning is weak, with a low moment rate relative to the rest of the main shock. We term this initial phase of low moment rate the seismic nucleation phase. We have observed the seismic nucleation phase for a set of 48 earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 1.1-8.1. The size and duration of the seismic nucleation phase scale with the total seismic moment of the earthquake, suggesting that the process responsible for the seismic nucleation phase carries information about the eventual size of the earthquake. The seismic nucleation phase is characteristically followed by quadratic growth in the moment rate, consistent with self-similar rupture at constant stress drop. In this paper we quantify the properties of the seismic nucleation phase and offer several possible explanations for it.

  16. Polycrystalline indium phosphide on silicon by indium assisted growth in hydride vapor phase epitaxy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Metaferia, Wondwosen; Sun, Yan-Ting, E-mail: yasun@kth.se; Lourdudoss, Sebastian

    2014-07-21

    Polycrystalline InP was grown on Si(001) and Si(111) substrates by using indium (In) metal as a starting material in hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) reactor. In metal was deposited on silicon substrates by thermal evaporation technique. The deposited In resulted in islands of different size and was found to be polycrystalline in nature. Different growth experiments of growing InP were performed, and the growth mechanism was investigated. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy for morphological investigation, Scanning Auger microscopy for surface and compositional analyses, powder X-ray diffraction for crystallinity, and micro photoluminescence for optical quality assessment were conducted. Itmore » is shown that the growth starts first by phosphidisation of the In islands to InP followed by subsequent selective deposition of InP in HVPE regardless of the Si substrate orientation. Polycrystalline InP of large grain size is achieved and the growth rate as high as 21 μm/h is obtained on both substrates. Sulfur doping of the polycrystalline InP was investigated by growing alternating layers of sulfur doped and unintentionally doped InP for equal interval of time. These layers could be delineated by stain etching showing that enough amount of sulfur can be incorporated. Grains of large lateral dimension up to 3 μm polycrystalline InP on Si with good morphological and optical quality is obtained. The process is generic and it can also be applied for the growth of other polycrystalline III–V semiconductor layers on low cost and flexible substrates for solar cell applications.« less

  17. Modeling of Gallium Nitride Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meyyappan, Meyya; Arnold, James O. (Technical Monitor)

    1997-01-01

    A reactor model for the hydride vapor phase epitaxy of GaN is presented. The governing flow, energy, and species conservation equations are solved in two dimensions to examine the growth characteristics as a function of process variables and reactor geometry. The growth rate varies with GaCl composition but independent of NH3 and H2 flow rates. A change in carrier gas for Ga source from H2 to N2 affects the growth rate and uniformity for a fixed reactor configuration. The model predictions are in general agreement with observed experimental behavior.

  18. Interactive effects of and light on growth rates and RUBISCO content of small and large centric diatoms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, G.; Campbell, D. A.

    2015-10-01

    Among marine phytoplankton groups, diatoms span the widest range of cell size, with resulting effects upon their nitrogen uptake, photosynthesis and growth responses to light. We grew two strains of marine centric diatoms, the small Thalassiosira pseudonana and the larger T. punctigera in high and low nitrogen media, across a range of growth light levels. Nitrogen and total proteins per cell decreased with increasing growth light in both species when grown under low nitrogen media. Surprisingly, low nitrogen increased the cellular allocation to RUBISCO and the rate of electron transport away from Photosystem II for the smaller diatom under low growth light, and for the larger diatom across the range of growth lights. Low nitrogen decreased the growth rate of the smaller diatom, particularly under higher light, but stimulated the growth rate of the larger diatom. Our results show that the high nitrogen in common growth media favours the growth rate of a small diatom but inhibits growth of a larger species.

  19. Molecular and Metabolic Adaptations of Lactococcus lactis at Near-Zero Growth Rates

    PubMed Central

    Ercan, Onur; Wels, Michiel; Smid, Eddy J.

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the molecular and metabolic adaptations of Lactococcus lactis during the transition from a growing to a near-zero growth state by using carbon-limited retentostat cultivation. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that metabolic patterns shifted between lactic- and mixed-acid fermentations during retentostat cultivation, which appeared to be controlled at the level of transcription of the corresponding pyruvate dissipation-encoding genes. During retentostat cultivation, cells continued to consume several amino acids but also produced specific amino acids, which may derive from the conversion of glycolytic intermediates. We identify a novel motif containing CTGTCAG in the upstream regions of several genes related to amino acid conversion, which we propose to be the target site for CodY in L. lactis KF147. Finally, under extremely low carbon availability, carbon catabolite repression was progressively relieved and alternative catabolic functions were found to be highly expressed, which was confirmed by enhanced initial acidification rates on various sugars in cells obtained from near-zero-growth cultures. The present integrated transcriptome and metabolite (amino acids and previously reported fermentation end products) study provides molecular understanding of the adaptation of L. lactis to conditions supporting low growth rates and expands our earlier analysis of the quantitative physiology of this bacterium at near-zero growth rates toward gene regulation patterns involved in zero-growth adaptation. PMID:25344239

  20. Growth rate predicts mortality of Abies concolor in both burned and unburned stands

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    van Mantgem, Phillip J.; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Mutch, Linda S.; Johnson, Veronica G.; Esperanza, Annie M.; Parsons, David J.

    2003-01-01

    Tree mortality is often the result of both long-term and short-term stress. Growth rate, an indicator of long-term stress, is often used to estimate probability of death in unburned stands. In contrast, probability of death in burned stands is modeled as a function of short-term disturbance severity. We sought to narrow this conceptual gap by determining (i) whether growth rate, in addition to crown scorch, is a predictor of mortality in burned stands and (ii) whether a single, simple model could predict tree death in both burned and unburned stands. Observations of 2622 unburned and 688 burned Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. (white fir) in the Sierra Nevada of California, U.S.A., indicated that growth rate was a significant predictor of mortality in the unburned stands, while both crown scorch and radial growth were significant predictors of mortality in the burned stands. Applying the burned stand model to unburned stands resulted in an overestimation of the unburned stand mortality rate. While failing to create a general model of tree death for A. concolor, our findings underscore the idea that similar processes may affect mortality in disturbed and undisturbed stands.

  1. Multilayer Pressure Vessel Materials Testing and Analysis Phase 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Popelar, Carl F.; Cardinal, Joseph W.

    2014-01-01

    To provide NASA with a suite of materials strength, fracture toughness and crack growth rate test results for use in remaining life calculations for the vessels described above, Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) was contracted in two phases to obtain relevant material property data from a representative vessel. An initial characterization of the strength, fracture and fatigue crack growth properties was performed in Phase 1. Based on the results and recommendations of Phase 1, a more extensive material property characterization effort was developed in this Phase 2 effort. This Phase 2 characterization included additional strength, fracture and fatigue crack growth of the multilayer vessel and head materials. In addition, some more limited characterization of the welds and heat affected zones (HAZs) were performed. This report

  2. In situ evidence for chirality-dependent growth rates of individual carbon nanotubes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rao, Rahul; Liptak, David; Cherukuri, Tonya; Yakobson, Boris I.; Maruyama, Benji

    2012-03-01

    Chiral-selective growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) remains a great challenge that hinders their use in applications such as electronics and medicine. Recent experimental and theoretical reports have begun to address this problem by suggesting that selectivity may be achieved during nucleation by changing the catalyst composition or structure. Nevertheless, to establish a rational basis for chiral-selective synthesis, the underlying mechanisms governing nucleation, growth, and termination of SWNTs must be better understood. To this end, we report the first measurements of growth rates of individual SWNTs through in situ Raman spectroscopy and correlate them with their chiral angles. Our results show that the growth rates are directly proportional to the chiral angles, in agreement with recent theoretical predictions. Importantly, the evidence singles out the growth stage as responsible for the chiral distribution—distinct from nucleation and termination which might also affect the final product distribution. Our results suggest a route to chiral-selective synthesis of SWNTs through rational synthetic design strategies based on kinetic control.

  3. Variations in atmospheric CO2 growth rates coupled with tropical temperature

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Weile; Ciais, Philippe; Nemani, Ramakrishna R.; Canadell, Josep G.; Piao, Shilong; Sitch, Stephen; White, Michael A.; Hashimoto, Hirofumi; Milesi, Cristina; Myneni, Ranga B.

    2013-01-01

    Previous studies have highlighted the occurrence and intensity of El Niño–Southern Oscillation as important drivers of the interannual variability of the atmospheric CO2 growth rate, but the underlying biogeophysical mechanisms governing such connections remain unclear. Here we show a strong and persistent coupling (r2 ≈ 0.50) between interannual variations of the CO2 growth rate and tropical land–surface air temperature during 1959 to 2011, with a 1 °C tropical temperature anomaly leading to a 3.5 ± 0.6 Petagrams of carbon per year (PgC/y) CO2 growth-rate anomaly on average. Analysis of simulation results from Dynamic Global Vegetation Models suggests that this temperature–CO2 coupling is contributed mainly by the additive responses of heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and net primary production (NPP) to temperature variations in tropical ecosystems. However, we find a weaker and less consistent (r2 ≈ 0.25) interannual coupling between CO2 growth rate and tropical land precipitation than diagnosed from the Dynamic Global Vegetation Models, likely resulting from the subtractive responses of tropical Rh and NPP to precipitation anomalies that partly offset each other in the net ecosystem exchange (i.e., net ecosystem exchange ≈ Rh − NPP). Variations in other climate variables (e.g., large-scale cloudiness) and natural disturbances (e.g., volcanic eruptions) may induce transient reductions in the temperature–CO2 coupling, but the relationship is robust during the past 50 y and shows full recovery within a few years after any such major variability event. Therefore, it provides an important diagnostic tool for improved understanding of the contemporary and future global carbon cycle. PMID:23884654

  4. Analysing growth and development of plants jointly using developmental growth stages

    PubMed Central

    Dambreville, Anaëlle; Lauri, Pierre-Éric; Normand, Frédéric; Guédon, Yann

    2015-01-01

    Background and Aims Plant growth, the increase of organ dimensions over time, and development, the change in plant structure, are often studied as two separate processes. However, there is structural and functional evidence that these two processes are strongly related. The aim of this study was to investigate the co-ordination between growth and development using mango trees, which have well-defined developmental stages. Methods Developmental stages, determined in an expert way, and organ sizes, determined from objective measurements, were collected during the vegetative growth and flowering phases of two cultivars of mango, Mangifera indica. For a given cultivar and growth unit type (either vegetative or flowering), a multistage model based on absolute growth rate sequences deduced from the measurements was first built, and then growth stages deduced from the model were compared with developmental stages. Key Results Strong matches were obtained between growth stages and developmental stages, leading to a consistent definition of integrative developmental growth stages. The growth stages highlighted growth asynchronisms between two topologically connected organs, namely the vegetative axis and its leaves. Conclusions Integrative developmental growth stages emphasize that developmental stages are closely related to organ growth rates. The results are discussed in terms of the possible physiological processes underlying these stages, including plant hydraulics, biomechanics and carbohydrate partitioning. PMID:25452250

  5. Onset of Curved Dendrite Growth in an Al-Cu Welding Pool: A Phase Field Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Lei; Wei, Yanhong

    2018-02-01

    A phase field model is developed to predict curved dendrite growth in the gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding pool of an Al-Cu alloy. The equations of temperature gradient, pulling velocity and dendrite growth orientation are proposed to consider the transient solidification process during welding. Solidification microstructures and solute diffusion along the fusion boundary in the welding pool are predicted by using the phase field model coupled with transient solidification conditions. Predicted primary dendrites are curved and point toward the welding direction. Welding experiments are carried out to observe solidification microstructures of the weld. Comparisons of simulation results with experimental measurements are conducted. Predicted dendritic morphology, dendrite growth orientation, primary dendrite arm spacing and initial cell spacing give a good agreement with experimental measurements.

  6. Growth rate independence of Mg doping in GaN grown by plasma-assisted MBE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turski, Henryk; Muzioł, Grzegorz; Siekacz, Marcin; Wolny, Pawel; Szkudlarek, Krzesimir; Feduniewicz-Żmuda, Anna; Dybko, Krzysztof; Skierbiszewski, Czeslaw

    2018-01-01

    Doping of Ga(Al)N layers by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy in Ga-rich conditions on c-plane bulk GaN substrates was studied. Ga(Al)N samples, doped with Mg or Si, grown using different growth conditions were compared. In contrast to Si doped layers, no change in the Mg concentration was observed for layers grown using different growth rates for a constant Mg flux and constant growth temperature. This effect enables the growth of Ga(Al)N:Mg layers at higher growth rates, leading to shorter growth time and lower residual background doping, without the need of increasing Mg flux. Enhancement of Mg incorporation for Al containing layers was also observed. Change of Al content from 0% to 17% resulted in more than two times higher Mg concentration.

  7. Effect of Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle on Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

    PubMed

    Brar, Tejinder Kaur; Singh, K D; Kumar, Avnish

    2015-10-01

    Heart Rate Variability (HRV), which is a measure of the cardiac autonomic tone, displays physiological changes throughout the menstrual cycle. The functions of the ANS in various phases of the menstrual cycle were examined in some studies. The aim of our study was to observe the effect of menstrual cycle on cardiac autonomic function parameters in healthy females. A cross-sectional (observational) study was conducted on 50 healthy females, in the age group of 18-25 years. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) was recorded by Physio Pac (PC-2004). The data consisted of Time Domain Analysis and Frequency Domain Analysis in menstrual, proliferative and secretory phase of menstrual cycle. Data collected was analysed statistically using student's pair t-test. The difference in mean heart rate, LF power%, LFnu and HFnu in menstrual and proliferative phase was found to be statistically significant. The difference in mean RR, Mean HR, RMSSD (the square root of the mean of the squares of the successive differences between adjacent NNs.), NN50 (the number of pairs of successive NNs that differ by more than 50 ms), pNN50 (the proportion of NN50 divided by total number of NNs.), VLF (very low frequency) power, LF (low frequency) power, LF power%, HF power %, LF/HF ratio, LFnu and HFnu was found to be statistically significant in proliferative and secretory phase. The difference in Mean RR, Mean HR, LFnu and HFnu was found to be statistically significant in secretory and menstrual phases. From the study it can be concluded that sympathetic nervous activity in secretory phase is greater than in the proliferative phase, whereas parasympathetic nervous activity is predominant in proliferative phase.

  8. Growth rate and mitotic index analysis of Vicia faba L. roots exposed to 60-Hz electric fields.

    PubMed

    Inoue, M; Miller, M W; Cox, C; Carstesen, E L

    1985-01-01

    Growth, mitotic index, and growth rate recovery were determined for Vicia faba L. roots exposed to 60-Hz electric fields of 200, 290, and 360 V/m in an aqueous inorganic nutrient medium (conductivity 0.07-0.09 S/m). Root growth rate decreased in proportion to the increasing strength; the electric field threshold for a growth rate effect was about 230 V/m. The induced transmembrane potential at the threshold exposure was about 4-7 mV. The mitotic index was not affected by an electric field exposure sufficient to reduce root growth rate to about 35% of control. Root growth rate recovery from 31-96% of control occurred in 4 days after cessation of the 360 V/m exposure. The results support the postulate that the site of action of the applied electric fields is the cell membrane.

  9. Effect of Acidified Sorbate Solutions on the Lag-Phase Durations and Growth Rates of Listeria monocytogenes on Meat Surfaces.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Cheng-An; Huang, Lihan; Juneja, Vijay

    2015-06-01

    The surfaces of ready-to-eat meats are susceptible to postprocessing contamination by Listeria monocytogenes. This study quantified the lag-phase durations (LPD) and growth rates (GR) of L. monocytogenes on the surfaces of cooked ham as affected by sorbate solutions of different concentrations and pH levels. Slices of cooked ham inoculated with a four-strain mixture of L. monocytogenes (ca. 10(3) CFU/g) were surface treated with sorbate solutions of 0 to 4% (wt/vol) at pH 4.0 to 6.5, vacuum packaged, and stored at 4 to 12 °C for up to 45 days. The LPD and GR of L. monocytogenes were used to develop response surface models. The models estimated that the LPD of L. monocytogenes in samples treated with solutions of pH 4.0 to 5.5 (no sorbate) were 0 to 11 days and the GR were 0.25 to 0.36 log CFU/day, respectively, at 4 °C. With the treatments of 2 and 4% (wt/vol) sorbate solutions, the LPD were estimated to be extended to 2 to 26 days and 34 to >45 days, and the GR were reduced to 0.15 to 0.30 and 0 to 0.19 log CFU/day, respectively. At 4 °C, increasing sorbate concentrations by 1% (wt/vol) to 2, 3, and 4% (wt/vol) at pH 5.5 to 4.0 led to an extension of LPD by 2 to 11, 10 to 19, and 18 to 27 days, whereas the GR were reduced by 0.037 to 0.055, 0.048 to 0.066, and 0.060 to 0.078 log CFU/day, respectively. Sorbate also extended the LPD and reduced the GR of L. monocytogenes at 8 and 12 °C. Results indicated that sorbate concentration and pH level were significant factors affecting the LPD and GR of L. monocytogenes and that the combination of sorbate and low pH has potential for use as a surface treatment to control L. monocytogenes on meat surfaces.

  10. Investigating the asymmetric relationship between inflation-output growth exchange rate changes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chu, Jenq Fei; Sek, Siok Kun

    2017-08-01

    The relationship between inflation-output growth or output variation has long been studied. In this study, we extend the investigation under two exchange rate flexibility/regime in four Asian countries (Indonesia, Korea, Philippines and Thailand) that have experienced drastic exchange rate regime changes aftermath the financial crisis of 1997. These countries have switched from fixed/rigid exchange rate regime to flexible exchange rate and inflation targeting (IT) regime after the crisis. Our main objective is to compare the inflation-output trade-off relationship in the pre-IT and post-IT periods as a tool to evaluate the efficiency of monetary policy. A nonlinear autoregressive distributed lags (NARDL) model is applied to capture the asymmetric effects of exchange rate changes (increases and decreases). The data ranging from 1981M1 onwards till 2016M3. Our results show that exchange rate has asymmetric effect on inflation both short-run and long-run with larger impact in the post-IT period under flexible regime. Depreciation of exchange rate has leads to higher inflation. Furthermore, we find evidences on the relationship between inflation and growth in both short-run and long-run, but the trade-off only detected in the short run both in the pre- and post-IT periods.

  11. The diagnostic performance of dental maturity for identification of the circumpubertal growth phases: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Perinetti, Giuseppe; Westphalen, Graziela H; Biasotto, Matteo; Salgarello, Stefano; Contardo, Luca

    2013-05-23

    The present meta-analysis initially evaluates the reliability of dental maturation in the identification of the circumpubertal growth phases, essentially for determining treatment timing in orthodontics. A literature survey was performed using the Medline, LILACS and SciELO databases, and the Cochrane Library (2000 to 2011). Studies of the correlation between dental and cervical vertebral maturation methods were considered. The mandibular canine, the first and second premolars, and the second molar were investigated. After the selection, six articles qualified for the final analysis. The overall correlation coefficients were all significant, ranging from 0.57 to 0.73. Five of these studies suggested the use of dental maturation as an indicator of the growth phase. However, the diagnostic performance analysis uncovered limited reliability only for the identification of the pre-pubertal growth phase. The determination of dental maturity for the assessment of treatment timing in orthodontics is not recommended.

  12. Heterogeneous nucleation and growth dynamics in the light-induced phase transition in vanadium dioxide

    DOE PAGES

    Brady, Nathaniel F.; Appavoo, Kannatassen; Seo, Minah; ...

    2016-03-02

    Here we report on ultrafast optical investigations of the light-induced insulator-to-metal phase transition in vanadium dioxide with controlled disorder generated by substrate mismatch. These results reveal common dynamics of this optically-induced phase transition that are independent of this disorder. Lastly, above the fluence threshold for completing the transition to the rutile crystalline phase, we find a common time scale, independent of sample morphology, of 40.5 ± 2 ps that is consistent with nucleation and growth dynamics of the R phase from the parent M1 ground state.

  13. High Growth Rate Metal-Organic Molecular Beam Epitaxy for the Fabrication of GaAs Space Solar Cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freundlich, A.; Newman, F.; Monier, C.; Street, S.; Dargan, P.; Levy, M.

    2005-01-01

    In this work it is shown that high quality GaAs photovoltaic devices can be produced by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) with growth rates comparable to metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) through the subsitution of group III solid sources by metal-organic compounds. The influence the III/V flux-ratio and growth temperatures in maintaining a two dimensional layer by layer growth mode and achieving high growth rates with low residual background impurities is investigated. Finally subsequent to the study of the optimization of n- and p doping of such high growth rate epilayers, results from a preliminary attempt in the fabrication of GaAs photovoltaic devices such as tunnel diodes and solar cells using the proposed high growth rate approach are reported.

  14. Comparing growth rates of Arctic Cod Boreogadus saida across the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frothingham, A. M.; Norcross, B.

    2016-02-01

    Dramatic changes to the Arctic have highlighted the need for a greater understanding of the present ecosystem. Arctic Cod, Boreogadus saida, commonly dominate fish assemblages in the Arctic region and inhabit two geographically unique seas in the U.S. Due to the importance of Arctic Cod in the Arctic food web, establishing current benchmark information such as growth rates, will provide a better understanding as to how the species will adapt to the effects of climate change. To investigate differences in Arctic Cod life history across nearly 1500 km of vital habitat, growth rates were examined using a von Bertalanffy growth equation. Arctic Cod were collected from 2009 to 2014 from the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Arctic Cod collected from the Chukchi Sea had an overall smaller maximum achievable length (210 mm) compared to the Beaufort Sea (253 mm) despite a larger sample size in the Chukchi Sea (n=1569) than the Beaufort Sea (n=1140). Growth rates indicated faster growth in the Chukchi Sea (K =0.33) than in the Beaufort Sea (K= 0.29). Arctic Cod collected from the Chukchi Sea had similar achievable maximum lengths throughout, but those collected from the southern Chukchi Sea grew at faster rates (K=0.45).Arctic Cod in the eastern Beaufort Sea region had a higher overall maximum achievable length (243 mm) than in the western Beaufort Sea region (186 mm). Knowledge about contemporary growth rates of Arctic Cod in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas can be used in future comparisons to evaluate potential effects of increasing climate change and anthropogenic influences.

  15. Using wavelength-normalized optical spectroscopy to improve the accuracy of bacteria growth rate quantification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McBirney, Samantha E.; Trinh, Kristy; Wong-Beringer, Annie; Armani, Andrea M.

    2017-02-01

    One of the fundamental analytical measurements performed in microbiology is monitoring and characterizing cell concentration in culture media. Measurement error will give rise to reproducibility problems in a wide range of applications, from biomanufacturing to basic research. Therefore, it is critical that the generated results are consistent. Single wavelength optical density (OD) measurements have become the preferred approach. Here, we compare the conventional OD600 technique with a multi-wavelength normalized scattering optical spectroscopy method to measure the growth rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, two of the leading nosocomial pathogens with proven abilities to develop resistance. The multi-wavelength normalization process minimizes the impact of bacteria byproducts and environmental noise on the signal, thereby accurately quantifying growth rates with high fidelity at low concentrations. In contrast, due to poor absorbance and scattering at 600 nm, the classic OD600 measurement method is able to detect bacteria but cannot quantify the growth rate reliably. Our wavelength-normalization protocol to detect bacteria growth rates can be readily and easily adopted by research labs, given that it only requires the use of a standard spectrophotometer and implementation of straightforward data analysis. Measuring and monitoring bacteria growth rates play a critical role in a wide range of settings, spanning from therapeutic design and development to diagnostics and disease prevention. Having a full understanding of the growth cycles of bacteria known to cause severe infections and diseases will lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of these illnesses, leading to better treatment and, ultimately, the development of a cure.

  16. Bacterial Associates Modify Growth Dynamics of the Dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum

    PubMed Central

    Bolch, Christopher J. S.; Bejoy, Thaila A.; Green, David H.

    2017-01-01

    Marine phytoplankton cells grow in close association with a complex microbial associate community known to affect the growth, behavior, and physiology of the algal host. The relative scale and importance these effects compared to other major factors governing algal cell growth remain unclear. Using algal-bacteria co-culture models based on the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum, we tested the hypothesis that associate bacteria exert an independent effect on host algal cell growth. Batch co-cultures of G. catenatum were grown under identical environmental conditions with simplified bacterial communities composed of one-, two-, or three-bacterial associates. Modification of the associate community membership and complexity induced up to four-fold changes in dinoflagellate growth rate, equivalent to the effect of a 5°C change in temperature or an almost six-fold change in light intensity (20–115 moles photons PAR m-2 s-1). Almost three-fold changes in both stationary phase cell concentration and death rate were also observed. Co-culture with Roseobacter sp. DG874 reduced dinoflagellate exponential growth rate and led to a more rapid death rate compared with mixed associate community controls or co-culture with either Marinobacter sp. DG879, Alcanivorax sp. DG881. In contrast, associate bacteria concentration was positively correlated with dinoflagellate cell concentration during the exponential growth phase, indicating growth was limited by supply of dinoflagellate-derived carbon. Bacterial growth increased rapidly at the onset of declining and stationary phases due to either increasing availability of algal-derived carbon induced by nutrient stress and autolysis, or at mid-log phase in Roseobacter co-cultures potentially due to the onset of bacterial-mediated cell lysis. Co-cultures with the three bacterial associates resulted in dinoflagellate and bacterial growth dynamics very similar to more complex mixed bacterial community controls, suggesting that

  17. Conifers in cold environments synchronize maximum growth rate of tree-ring formation with day length.

    PubMed

    Rossi, Sergio; Deslauriers, Annie; Anfodillo, Tommaso; Morin, Hubert; Saracino, Antonio; Motta, Renzo; Borghetti, Marco

    2006-01-01

    Intra-annual radial growth rates and durations in trees are reported to differ greatly in relation to species, site and environmental conditions. However, very similar dynamics of cambial activity and wood formation are observed in temperate and boreal zones. Here, we compared weekly xylem cell production and variation in stem circumference in the main northern hemisphere conifer species (genera Picea, Pinus, Abies and Larix) from 1996 to 2003. Dynamics of radial growth were modeled with a Gompertz function, defining the upper asymptote (A), x-axis placement (beta) and rate of change (kappa). A strong linear relationship was found between the constants beta and kappa for both types of analysis. The slope of the linear regression, which corresponds to the time at which maximum growth rate occurred, appeared to converge towards the summer solstice. The maximum growth rate occurred around the time of maximum day length, and not during the warmest period of the year as previously suggested. The achievements of photoperiod could act as a growth constraint or a limit after which the rate of tree-ring formation tends to decrease, thus allowing plants to safely complete secondary cell wall lignification before winter.

  18. Stress Ratio Effects on Crack Opening Loads and Crack Growth Rates in Aluminum Alloy 2024

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riddell, William T.; Piascik, Robert S.

    1998-01-01

    The effects of stress ratio (R) and crack opening behavior on fatigue crack growth rates (da/dN) for aluminum alloy (AA) 2024-T3 were investigated using constant-delta K testing, closure measurements, and fractography. Fatigue crack growth rates were obtained for a range of delta K and stress ratios. Results show that constant delta K fatigue crack growth for R ranging from near 0 to 1 is divided into three regions. In Region 1, at low R, da/dN increases with increasing R. In Region 2, at intermediate R, fatigue crack growth rates are relatively independent of R. In Region 3, at high R, further increases in da/dN are observed with increasing R.

  19. Crossflow effects on the growth rate of inviscid Goertler vortices in a hypersonic boundary layer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fu, Yibin; Hall, Philip

    1992-01-01

    The effects of crossflow on the growth rate of inviscid Goertler vortices in a hypersonic boundary layer with pressure gradient are studied. Attention is focused on the inviscid mode trapped in the temperature adjustment layer; this mode has greater growth rate than any other mode. The eigenvalue problem which governs the relationship between the growth rate, the crossflow amplitude, and the wavenumber is solved numerically, and the results are then used to clarify the effects of crossflow on the growth rate of inviscid Goertler vortices. It is shown that crossflow effects on Goertler vortices are fundamentally different for incompressible and hypersonic flows. The neutral mode eigenvalue problem is found to have an exact solution, and as a by-product, we have also found the exact solution to a neutral mode eigenvalue problem which was formulated, but unsolved before, by Bassom and Hall (1991).

  20. Growth of SiO 2 on InP substrate by liquid phase deposition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, Po Hsun; Yang, Chyi Da

    2010-04-01

    We have grown silicon dioxide (SiO 2) on indium phosphorous (InP) substrate by liquid phase deposition (LPD) method. With inserting InP wafer in the treatment solution composed of SiO 2 saturated hydrofluorosilicic acid (H 2SiF 6), 0.1 M boric acid (H 3BO 3) and 1.74 M diluted hydrochloric acid (HCl), the maximum deposition rate and refractive index for the as-grown LPD-SiO 2 film were about 187.5 Å/h and 1.495 under the constant growth temperature of 40 °C. The secondary ion mass spectroscope (SIMS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) confirmed that the elements of silicon, oxygen, and chloride were found in the as-grown LPD-SiO 2 film. On the other hand, the effects of treatment solution incorporated with the hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) that can regulate the concentration of OH - ion were also shown in this article. The experimental results represented that the deposition rate decreases with increasing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide due to the reduced concentration of SiO 2 saturated H 2SiF 6 in treatment solution.

  1. Phase-Field Modeling of Sigma-Phase Precipitation in 25Cr7Ni4Mo Duplex Stainless Steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malik, Amer; Odqvist, Joakim; Höglund, Lars; Hertzman, Staffan; Ågren, John

    2017-10-01

    Phase-field modeling is used to simulate the formation of sigma phase in a model alloy mimicking a commercial super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) alloy, in order to study precipitation and growth of sigma phase under linear continuous cooling. The so-called Warren-Boettinger-McFadden (WBM) model is used to build the basis of the multiphase and multicomponent phase-field model. The thermodynamic inconsistency at the multiple junctions associated with the multiphase formulation of the WBM model is resolved by means of a numerical Cut-off algorithm. To make realistic simulations, all the kinetic and the thermodynamic quantities are derived from the CALPHAD databases at each numerical time step, using Thermo-Calc and TQ-Interface. The credibility of the phase-field model is verified by comparing the results from the phase-field simulations with the corresponding DICTRA simulations and also with the empirical data. 2D phase-field simulations are performed for three different cooling rates in two different initial microstructures. A simple model for the nucleation of sigma phase is also implemented in the first case. Simulation results show that the precipitation of sigma phase is characterized by the accumulation of Cr and Mo at the austenite-ferrite and the ferrite-ferrite boundaries. Moreover, it is observed that a slow cooling rate promotes the growth of sigma phase, while a higher cooling rate restricts it, eventually preserving the duplex structure in the SDSS alloy. Results from the phase-field simulations are also compared quantitatively with the experiments, performed on a commercial 2507 SDSS alloy. It is found that overall, the predicted morphological features of the transformation and the composition profiles show good conformity with the empirical data.

  2. The Role of Convection and Growth Competition in Phase Selection in Microgravity: Controlled Convection in the Containerless Processing of Steel Alloys

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Matson, D. M.; Loser, W.; Rogers, J. R.; Flemings, M. C.

    2001-01-01

    Containerless processing using electromagnetic levitation (EML) is a powerful technique in the investigation of reactive molten metal systems. On ground, the power required to overcome the weight of the sample is sufficient to cause significant heating and induce substantial melt convection. In microgravity, the heating and positioning fields may be decoupled and the field strength may be varied to achieve the desired level of convection within the limits set by the geometry of the levitation coil and the sample size. From high-speed digital images of the double recalescence behavior of Fe-Cr-Ni alloys in ground-based testing and in reduced-gravity aboard the NASA KC-135 parabolic aircraft, we have shown that phase selection can be predicted based on a growth competition model. An important parameter in this model is the delay time between primary nucleation and subsequent nucleation of the stable solid within the liquid/metastable solid array. This delay time is a strong function of composition and a weak function of the undercooling of the melt below the metastable liquidus. From the results obtained during the first Microgravity Sciences Laboratory (MSL-1) mission, we also know that convection may significantly influence the delay time, especially at low undercoolings. Currently, it is unclear what mechanism controls the formation of a heterogeneous site that allows nucleation of the austenitic phase on the pre-existing ferrite skeleton. By examining the behavior of the delay time under different convective conditions, we hypothesize that we can differentiate between several of these mechanisms to gain an understanding of how to control microstructural. evolution. We will anchor these predictions by examining samples quenched at different times following primary recalescence in microgravity. A second important parameter in the growth competition model is the identification of the growth rate of the stable phase into the semi-solid array that formed during

  3. Physiological and Transcriptional Responses of Different Industrial Microbes at Near-Zero Specific Growth Rates.

    PubMed

    Ercan, Onur; Bisschops, Markus M M; Overkamp, Wout; Jørgensen, Thomas R; Ram, Arthur F; Smid, Eddy J; Pronk, Jack T; Kuipers, Oscar P; Daran-Lapujade, Pascale; Kleerebezem, Michiel

    2015-09-01

    The current knowledge of the physiology and gene expression of industrially relevant microorganisms is largely based on laboratory studies under conditions of rapid growth and high metabolic activity. However, in natural ecosystems and industrial processes, microbes frequently encounter severe calorie restriction. As a consequence, microbial growth rates in such settings can be extremely slow and even approach zero. Furthermore, uncoupling microbial growth from product formation, while cellular integrity and activity are maintained, offers perspectives that are economically highly interesting. Retentostat cultures have been employed to investigate microbial physiology at (near-)zero growth rates. This minireview compares information from recent physiological and gene expression studies on retentostat cultures of the industrially relevant microorganisms Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactococcus lactis, Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Aspergillus niger. Shared responses of these organisms to (near-)zero growth rates include increased stress tolerance and a downregulation of genes involved in protein synthesis. Other adaptations, such as changes in morphology and (secondary) metabolite production, were species specific. This comparison underlines the industrial and scientific significance of further research on microbial (near-)zero growth physiology. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  4. High rates of growth recorded for hawksbill sea turtles in Anegada, British Virgin Islands.

    PubMed

    Hawkes, Lucy A; McGowan, Andrew; Broderick, Annette C; Gore, Shannon; Wheatley, Damon; White, Jim; Witt, Matthew J; Godley, Brendan J

    2014-04-01

    Management of species of conservation concern requires knowledge of demographic parameters, such as rates of recruitment, survival, and growth. In the Caribbean, hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) have been historically exploited in huge numbers to satisfy trade in their shells and meat. In the present study, we estimated growth rate of juvenile hawksbill turtles around Anegada, British Virgin Islands, using capture-mark-recapture of 59 turtles over periods of up to 649 days. Turtles were recaptured up to six times, having moved up to 5.9 km from the release location. Across all sizes, turtles grew at an average rate of 9.3 cm year(-1) (range 2.3-20.3 cm year(-1)), and gained mass at an average of 3.9 kg year(-1) (range 850 g-16.1 kg year(-1)). Carapace length was a significant predictor of growth rate and mass gain, but there was no relationship between either variable and sea surface temperature. These are among the fastest rates of growth reported for this species, with seven turtles growing at a rate that would increase their body size by more than half per year (51-69% increase in body length). This study also demonstrates the importance of shallow water reef systems for the developmental habitat for juvenile hawksbill turtles. Although growth rates for posthatching turtles in the pelagic, and turtles larger than 61 cm, are not known for this population, the implications of this study are that Caribbean hawksbill turtles in some areas may reach body sizes suggesting sexual maturity in less time than previously considered.

  5. High rates of growth recorded for hawksbill sea turtles in Anegada, British Virgin Islands

    PubMed Central

    Hawkes, Lucy A; McGowan, Andrew; Broderick, Annette C; Gore, Shannon; Wheatley, Damon; White, Jim; Witt, Matthew J; Godley, Brendan J

    2014-01-01

    Management of species of conservation concern requires knowledge of demographic parameters, such as rates of recruitment, survival, and growth. In the Caribbean, hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) have been historically exploited in huge numbers to satisfy trade in their shells and meat. In the present study, we estimated growth rate of juvenile hawksbill turtles around Anegada, British Virgin Islands, using capture–mark–recapture of 59 turtles over periods of up to 649 days. Turtles were recaptured up to six times, having moved up to 5.9 km from the release location. Across all sizes, turtles grew at an average rate of 9.3 cm year−1 (range 2.3–20.3 cm year−1), and gained mass at an average of 3.9 kg year−1 (range 850 g–16.1 kg year−1). Carapace length was a significant predictor of growth rate and mass gain, but there was no relationship between either variable and sea surface temperature. These are among the fastest rates of growth reported for this species, with seven turtles growing at a rate that would increase their body size by more than half per year (51–69% increase in body length). This study also demonstrates the importance of shallow water reef systems for the developmental habitat for juvenile hawksbill turtles. Although growth rates for posthatching turtles in the pelagic, and turtles larger than 61 cm, are not known for this population, the implications of this study are that Caribbean hawksbill turtles in some areas may reach body sizes suggesting sexual maturity in less time than previously considered. PMID:24834324

  6. Retrospective analysis of seasonal ocean growth rates of two sea winter Atlantic Salmon in eastern Maine using historic scales

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Izzo, Lisa K.; Zydlewski, Joseph D.

    2017-01-01

    Substantial declines of anadromous Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar have occurred throughout its range, with many populations at the southern extent of the distribution currently extirpated or endangered. While both one sea winter (1SW) and two sea winter (2SW) spawner numbers for the North American stocks have declined since the 1950s, the decline has been most severe in 2SW spawners. The first months at sea are considered a period of high mortality. However, early ocean mortality alone cannot explain the more pronounced decline of 2SW spawners, suggesting that the second year at sea may be more critical than previously thought. Atlantic Salmon scales collected by anglers and the state agency from 1946 to 2013 from five rivers in eastern Maine were used to estimate smolt age and ocean age of returning adults. Additionally, seasonal growth rates of maiden 2SW spawners were estimated using intercirculi measurements and linear back-calculation methods. Generalized linear mixed models (Gaussian family, log link function) were used to investigate the influence of average sea surface temperature, accumulated thermal units, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and North Atlantic Oscillation indices, smolt age, smolt length, postsmolt growth, and river of origin on growth rate during the oceanic migration of North American Atlantic Salmon. Results suggest that different factors influence salmon growth throughout their oceanic migration, and previous growth can be a strong predictor of future size. Growth was negatively impacted by the phase of the AMO, which has been linked to salmon abundance trends, in early spring following the postsmolt period. This is likely when the 1SW and 2SW stock components separate, and our results suggest that this period may be of interest in future work examining the disproportionate decline in 2SW spawners.

  7. Systematic identification of genes involved in divergent skeletal muscle growth rates of broiler and layer chickens.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Qi; Zhang, Yong; Chen, Ying; Yang, Ning; Wang, Xiu-Jie; Zhu, Dahai

    2009-02-22

    The genetic closeness and divergent muscle growth rates of broilers and layers make them great models for myogenesis study. In order to discover the molecular mechanisms determining the divergent muscle growth rates and muscle mass control in different chicken lines, we systematically identified differentially expressed genes between broiler and layer skeletal muscle cells during different developmental stages by microarray hybridization experiment. Taken together, 543 differentially expressed genes were identified between broilers and layers across different developmental stages. We found that differential regulation of slow-type muscle gene expression, satellite cell proliferation and differentiation, protein degradation rate and genes in some metabolic pathways could give great contributions to the divergent muscle growth rates of the two chicken lines. Interestingly, the expression profiles of a few differentially expressed genes were positively or negatively correlated with the growth rates of broilers and layers, indicating that those genes may function in regulating muscle growth during development. The multiple muscle cell growth regulatory processes identified by our study implied that complicated molecular networks involved in the regulation of chicken muscle growth. These findings will not only offer genetic information for identifying candidate genes for chicken breeding, but also provide new clues for deciphering mechanisms underlining muscle development in vertebrates.

  8. Plant allometry, leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry, and interspecific trends in annual growth rates.

    PubMed

    Niklas, Karl J

    2006-02-01

    Life forms as diverse as unicellular algae, zooplankton, vascular plants, and mammals appear to obey quarter-power scaling rules. Among the most famous of these rules is Kleiber's (i.e. basal metabolic rates scale as the three-quarters power of body mass), which has a botanical analogue (i.e. annual plant growth rates scale as the three-quarters power of total body mass). Numerous theories have tried to explain why these rules exist, but each has been heavily criticized either on conceptual or empirical grounds. N,P-STOICHIOMETRY: Recent models predicting growth rates on the basis of how total cell, tissue, or organism nitrogen and phosphorus are allocated, respectively, to protein and rRNA contents may provide the answer, particularly in light of the observation that annual plant growth rates scale linearly with respect to standing leaf mass and that total leaf mass scales isometrically with respect to nitrogen but as the three-quarters power of leaf phosphorus. For example, when these relationships are juxtaposed with other allometric trends, a simple N,P-stoichiometric model successfully predicts the relative growth rates of 131 diverse C3 and C4 species. The melding of allometric and N,P-stoichiometric theoretical insights provides a robust modelling approach that conceptually links the subcellular 'machinery' of protein/ribosomal metabolism to observed growth rates of uni- and multicellular organisms. Because the operation of this 'machinery' is basic to the biology of all life forms, its allometry may provide a mechanistic explanation for the apparent ubiquity of quarter-power scaling rules.

  9. Tank cultivation of the red algae Palmaria mollis: Effects of nutrients on growth rate, biochemical quality, and epiphytic growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ben, D.; Langdon, C. J.

    2016-02-01

    Pacific dulse (Palmaria mollis) is a candidate for aquaculture production in Oregon due to its high protein content, fast growth rate, and ability to fare in cold water conditions. Current cultivation methods use the F/2 medium to supply nutrients to macroalgae cultures. The F/2 medium is a costly mixture of nitrate, phosphate, trace metals and vitamins. The F/2 medium has been the standard for microalgae cultivation, but research has lacked on the necessity of all or part of this mixture for macroalgae cultivation. This study is designed to contribute to the development of Pacific dulse cultivation by measuring how different fertilizer regimens affect the growth, biochemical composition, and quality of Palmaria mollis (C-3 variety) in hopes to reduce the production cost. I hypothesis that dulse will not require additional nutrients during summer cultivation, due to summer upwelling conditions. Experiments were conducted in a flow-through water system, controlling for flow rate, stocking density, and nutrient supplementation. To test this, two replicates of four nutrient regimes were organized: no supplemental nutrients, all nutrients (standard F/2 medium), nitrate/phosphate only, and nitrate/phosphate with trace metals. Each tank was monitored weekly for color quality, epiphytic growth, specific growth rate, production and a final biochemical analysis. This study has preliminarily concluded that supplemental nutrients have no significant effect on production or biochemical quality, but does have an effect quality of epiphytic growth.

  10. Effect of Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle on Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

    PubMed Central

    Singh, K. D.; Kumar, Avnish

    2015-01-01

    Background Heart Rate Variability (HRV), which is a measure of the cardiac autonomic tone, displays physiological changes throughout the menstrual cycle. The functions of the ANS in various phases of the menstrual cycle were examined in some studies. Aims and Objectives The aim of our study was to observe the effect of menstrual cycle on cardiac autonomic function parameters in healthy females. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional (observational) study was conducted on 50 healthy females, in the age group of 18-25 years. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) was recorded by Physio Pac (PC-2004). The data consisted of Time Domain Analysis and Frequency Domain Analysis in menstrual, proliferative and secretory phase of menstrual cycle. Data collected was analysed statistically using student’s pair t-test. Results The difference in mean heart rate, LF power%, LFnu and HFnu in menstrual and proliferative phase was found to be statistically significant. The difference in mean RR, Mean HR, RMSSD (the square root of the mean of the squares of the successive differences between adjacent NNs.), NN50 (the number of pairs of successive NNs that differ by more than 50 ms), pNN50 (the proportion of NN50 divided by total number of NNs.), VLF (very low frequency) power, LF (low frequency) power, LF power%, HF power %, LF/HF ratio, LFnu and HFnu was found to be statistically significant in proliferative and secretory phase. The difference in Mean RR, Mean HR, LFnu and HFnu was found to be statistically significant in secretory and menstrual phases. Conclusion From the study it can be concluded that sympathetic nervous activity in secretory phase is greater than in the proliferative phase, whereas parasympathetic nervous activity is predominant in proliferative phase. PMID:26557512

  11. Single-Cell Growth Rates in Photoautotrophic Populations Measured by Stable Isotope Probing and Resonance Raman Microspectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Taylor, Gordon T.; Suter, Elizabeth A.; Li, Zhuo Q.; Chow, Stephanie; Stinton, Dallyce; Zaliznyak, Tatiana; Beaupré, Steven R.

    2017-01-01

    A new method to measure growth rates of individual photoautotrophic cells by combining stable isotope probing (SIP) and single-cell resonance Raman microspectrometry is introduced. This report explores optimal experimental design and the theoretical underpinnings for quantitative responses of Raman spectra to cellular isotopic composition. Resonance Raman spectra of isogenic cultures of the cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp., grown in 13C-bicarbonate revealed linear covariance between wavenumber (cm−1) shifts in dominant carotenoid Raman peaks and a broad range of cellular 13C fractional isotopic abundance. Single-cell growth rates were calculated from spectra-derived isotopic content and empirical relationships. Growth rates among any 25 cells in a sample varied considerably; mean coefficient of variation, CV, was 29 ± 3% (σ/x¯), of which only ~2% was propagated analytical error. Instantaneous population growth rates measured independently by in vivo fluorescence also varied daily (CV ≈ 53%) and were statistically indistinguishable from single-cell growth rates at all but the lowest levels of cell labeling. SCRR censuses of mixtures prepared from Synechococcus sp. and T. pseudonana (a diatom) populations with varying 13C-content and growth rates closely approximated predicted spectral responses and fractional labeling of cells added to the sample. This approach enables direct microspectrometric interrogation of isotopically- and phylogenetically-labeled cells and detects as little as 3% changes in cellular fractional labeling. This is the first description of a non-destructive technique to measure single-cell photoautotrophic growth rates based on Raman spectroscopy and well-constrained assumptions, while requiring few ancillary measurements. PMID:28824580

  12. Light contamination during the dark phase in "photoperiodically controlled" animal rooms: effect on tumor growth and metabolism in rats.

    PubMed

    Dauchy, R T; Sauer, L A; Blask, D E; Vaughan, G M

    1997-10-01

    Enhanced neoplastic growth and metabolism have been reported in animals maintained in a constant light (24L:0D) environment. Results from this laboratory indicate that tumor growth is directly dependent upon increased ambient blood concentrations of arachidonic and linoleic acids, particularly linoleic acid. Tumor linoleic acid utilization and production if its putative mitogenic metabolite, 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE), are suppressed by the circadian neurohormone melatonin, the production of which is itself regulated by light in all mammals. This study was performed to determine whether minimal light contamination (0.2 lux) in an animal room during an otherwise normal dark phase may disrupt normal circadian production of melatonin and affect tumor growth and metabolism. Animals of groups I (12L:12D), II (12L:12-h light-contaminated dark phase), and III (24L:0D) had plasma total fatty acid (TFA), linoleic acid (LA), and melatonin concentrations measured prior to tumor implantation; groups I and II had daily cycles in plasma TFA and LA values, whereas group III had constant values throughout the day. The integrated mean TFA and LA values for the entire day were similar in all groups. Although group-I animals had a normal nocturnal surge of melatonin (127.0 pg/ml) at 2400 h, the nocturnal amplitude was suppressed in group-II animals (16.0 pg/ml); circadian variation in melatonin concentration was not seen in group-III animals (7.4 pg/ml). At 12 weeks of age, rats had the Morris hepatoma 7288CTC implanted as "tissue-isolated" tumors grown subcutaneously. Latency to onset of palpable tumor mass for groups I, II, and III was 11, 9, and 5 days respectively. Tumor growth rates were 0.72 +/- 0.09, 1.30 +/- 0.15, and 1.48 +/- 0.17 g/d (mean +/- SD, n = 6/group) in groups I, II, and III respectively. Arteriovenous difference measurements for TFA and LA across the tumors were 4.22 +/- 0.89 and 0.83 +/- 0.18 (group I), 8.26 +/- 0.66 and 1.64 +/- 0.13 (group II

  13. Crystal phase-based epitaxial growth of hybrid noble metal nanostructures on 4H/fcc Au nanowires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Qipeng; Wang, An-Liang; Gong, Yue; Hao, Wei; Cheng, Hongfei; Chen, Junze; Li, Bing; Yang, Nailiang; Niu, Wenxin; Wang, Jie; Yu, Yifu; Zhang, Xiao; Chen, Ye; Fan, Zhanxi; Wu, Xue-Jun; Chen, Jinping; Luo, Jun; Li, Shuzhou; Gu, Lin; Zhang, Hua

    2018-03-01

    Crystal-phase engineering offers opportunities for the rational design and synthesis of noble metal nanomaterials with unusual crystal phases that normally do not exist in bulk materials. However, it remains a challenge to use these materials as seeds to construct heterometallic nanostructures with desired crystal phases and morphologies for promising applications such as catalysis. Here, we report a strategy for the synthesis of binary and ternary hybrid noble metal nanostructures. Our synthesized crystal-phase heterostructured 4H/fcc Au nanowires enable the epitaxial growth of Ru nanorods on the 4H phase and fcc-twin boundary in Au nanowires, resulting in hybrid Au-Ru nanowires. Moreover, the method can be extended to the epitaxial growth of Rh, Ru-Rh and Ru-Pt nanorods on the 4H/fcc Au nanowires to form unique hybrid nanowires. Importantly, the Au-Ru hybrid nanowires with tunable compositions exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance towards the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media.

  14. Effects of void anisotropy on the ignition and growth rates of energetic materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rai, Nirmal Kumar; Sen, Oishik; Udaykumar, H. S.

    2017-06-01

    Initiation of heterogeneous energetic materials is thought to occur at hot spots; reaction fronts propagate from sites of such hot spots into the surrounding material resulting in complete consumption of the material. Heterogeneous materials, such as plastic bonded explosives (PBXs) and pressed materials contain numerous voids, defects and interfaces at which hot spots can occur. Amongst the various mechanisms of hot spot formation, void collapse is considered to be the predominant one in the high strain rate loading conditions. It is established in the past the shape of the voids has a significant effect on the initiation behavior of energetic materials. In particular, void aspect ratio and orientations play an important role in this regard. This work aims to quantify the effects of void aspect ratio and orientation on the ignition and growth rates of chemical reaction from the hot spot. A wide range of aspect ratio and orientations is considered to establish a correlation between the ignition and growth rates and the void morphology. The ignition and growth rates are obtained from high fidelity reactive meso-scale simulations. The energetic material considered in this work is HMX and Tarver McGuire HMX decomposition model is considered to capture the reaction mechanism of HMX. The meso-scale simulations are performed using a Cartesian grid based Eulerian solver SCIMITAR3D. The void morphology is shown to have a significant effect on the ignition and growth rates of HMX.

  15. Constant growth rate can be supported by decreasing energy flux and increasing aerobic glycolysis.

    PubMed

    Slavov, Nikolai; Budnik, Bogdan A; Schwab, David; Airoldi, Edoardo M; van Oudenaarden, Alexander

    2014-05-08

    Fermenting glucose in the presence of enough oxygen to support respiration, known as aerobic glycolysis, is believed to maximize growth rate. We observed increasing aerobic glycolysis during exponential growth, suggesting additional physiological roles for aerobic glycolysis. We investigated such roles in yeast batch cultures by quantifying O2 consumption, CO2 production, amino acids, mRNAs, proteins, posttranslational modifications, and stress sensitivity in the course of nine doublings at constant rate. During this course, the cells support a constant biomass-production rate with decreasing rates of respiration and ATP production but also decrease their stress resistance. As the respiration rate decreases, so do the levels of enzymes catalyzing rate-determining reactions of the tricarboxylic-acid cycle (providing NADH for respiration) and of mitochondrial folate-mediated NADPH production (required for oxidative defense). The findings demonstrate that exponential growth can represent not a single metabolic/physiological state but a continuum of changing states and that aerobic glycolysis can reduce the energy demands associated with respiratory metabolism and stress survival. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Effect of Strain Restored Energy on Abnormal Grain Growth in Mg Alloy Simulated by Phase Field Methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Yan; Huang, Yuan-yuan

    2018-03-01

    Abnormal grain growth of single phase AZ31 Mg alloy in the spatio-temporal process has been simulated by phase field models, and the influencing factors of abnormal grain growth are studied in order to find the ways to control secondary recrystallization in the microstructure. The study aims to find out the mechanisms for abnormal grain growth in real alloys. It is shown from the simulated results that the abnormal grain growth can be controlled by the strain restored energy. Secondary recrystallization after an annealing treatment can be induced if there are grains of a certain orientation in the microstructure with local high restored energy. However, if the value of the local restored energy at a certain grain orientation is not greater than 1.1E 0, there may be no abnormal grain growth in the microstructure.

  17. Algal growth response to particle-bound orthophosphate and zinc.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kuwabara, J.S.; Davis, J.A.; Chang, Cecily C.Y.

    1986-01-01

    Effects of Zn (0-1 mu M total Zn(II)) and orthophosphate (8-12 mu M total P) additions on growth indices for the chlorophyte Selenastrum capricornutum were examined in a medium containing 50 mg liter-1 colloidal titania. Over the Zn(II) concentration range used, detrimental growth and yield effects were observed. Addition of P to a synthetic growth medium increased stationary phase cell density, but had minimal effect on growth rate and duration of lag phase. Presence of TiO2 particles in culture media significantly reduced Zn and P dissolved fractions.-from Authors

  18. Cell surface acid-base properties of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus: Influences of nitrogen source, growth phase and N:P ratios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yuxia; Alessi, D. S.; Owttrim, G. W.; Kenney, J. P. L.; Zhou, Qixing; Lalonde, S. V.; Konhauser, K. O.

    2016-08-01

    The distribution of many trace metals in the oceans is controlled by biological uptake. Recently, Liu et al. (2015) demonstrated the propensity for a marine cyanobacterium to adsorb cadmium from seawater, suggesting that cell surface reactivity might also play an important role in the cycling of metals in the oceans. However, it remains unclear how variations in cyanobacterial growth rates and nutrient supply might affect the chemical properties of their cellular surfaces. In this study we used potentiometric titrations and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry to profile the key metabolic changes and surface chemical responses of a Synechococcus strain, PCC 7002, during different growth regimes. This included testing various nitrogen (N) to phosphorous (P) ratios (both nitrogen and phosphorous dependent), nitrogen sources (nitrate, ammonium and urea) and growth stages (exponential, stationary, and death phase). FT-IR spectroscopy showed that varying the growth substrates on which Synechococcus cells were cultured resulted in differences in either the type or abundance of cellular exudates produced or a change in the cell wall components. Potentiometric titration data were modeled using three distinct proton binding sites, with resulting pKa values for cells of the various growth conditions in the ranges of 4.96-5.51 (pKa1), 6.67-7.42 (pKa2) and 8.13-9.95 (pKa3). According to previous spectroscopic studies, these pKa ranges are consistent with carboxyl, phosphoryl, and amine groups, respectively. Comparisons between the titration data (for the cell surface) and FT-IR spectra (for the average cellular changes) generally indicate (1) that the nitrogen source is a greater determinant of ligand concentration than growth phase, and (2) that phosphorus limitation has a greater impact on Synechococcus cellular and extracellular properties than does nitrogen limitation. Taken together, these techniques indicate that nutritional quality during cell growth can

  19. Human Disturbance Influences Reproductive Success and Growth Rate in California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus)

    PubMed Central

    French, Susannah S.; González-Suárez, Manuela; Young, Julie K.; Durham, Susan; Gerber, Leah R.

    2011-01-01

    The environment is currently undergoing changes at both global (e.g., climate change) and local (e.g., tourism, pollution, habitat modification) scales that have the capacity to affect the viability of animal and plant populations. Many of these changes, such as human disturbance, have an anthropogenic origin and therefore may be mitigated by management action. To do so requires an understanding of the impact of human activities and changing environmental conditions on population dynamics. We investigated the influence of human activity on important life history parameters (reproductive rate, and body condition, and growth rate of neonate pups) for California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Increased human presence was associated with lower reproductive rates, which translated into reduced long-term population growth rates and suggested that human activities are a disturbance that could lead to population declines. We also observed higher body growth rates in pups with increased exposure to humans. Increased growth rates in pups may reflect a density dependent response to declining reproductive rates (e.g., decreased competition for resources). Our results highlight the potentially complex changes in life history parameters that may result from human disturbance, and their implication for population dynamics. We recommend careful monitoring of human activities in the Gulf of California and emphasize the importance of management strategies that explicitly consider the potential impact of human activities such as ecotourism on vertebrate populations. PMID:21436887

  20. Tyrosine requirement during the rapid catch-up growth phase of recovery from severe childhood undernutrition

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The requirement for aromatic amino acids, during the rapid catch-up in weight phase of recovery from severe childhood under nutrition (SCU) is not clearly established. As a first step, the present study aimed to estimate the tyrosine requirement of children with SCU during the catch-up growth phase ...

  1. The effect of desferrioxamine on transferrin receptors, the cell cycle and growth rates of human leukaemic cells.

    PubMed Central

    Bomford, A; Isaac, J; Roberts, S; Edwards, A; Young, S; Williams, R

    1986-01-01

    The effect of the iron chelator, desferrioxamine, on transferrin binding, growth rates and the cell cycle was investigated in the human leukaemic cell line, K562. At all concentrations of the chelator (2-50 microM) binding of 125I-transferrin was increased by 24 h and reached a maximum at 72-96 h. Maximum binding (6-8-fold increased) occurred in cells treated with 20 microM-desferrioxamine, in contrast with control cells which, at 96 h, showed a 50% decrease over initial binding. Scatchard analysis at 4 degrees C showed that this increased binding was due to an increase in the number of receptors, as the Kd was similar in induced (1.8 nM) and control (1.5 nM) cells. After 96 h cells, cultured with 20 and 50 microM-desferrioxamine accumulated 59Fe from bovine transferrin at over twice the rate found with control cells, reflecting the increase in transferrin receptors. Although iron uptake was unimpaired by the chelator there was a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth, with control cells completing three divisions in 96 h and those in 10 microM-desferrioxamine only two divisions. At the highest concentration (50 microM), cell division was abrogated although cell viability was maintained (85%). In contrast, DNA synthesis was not markedly affected, except at 50 microM-desferrioxamine when incorporation of [3H]thymidine was 52% of that in control cells. Flow cytometry revealed that there was a progressive accumulation of the cells in the active phases of their cycle (S, G2 + M). Desferrioxamine may increase transferrin receptors in two ways: by chelating a regulatory pool of iron within the cell, and by arresting cells in S phase when receptors are maximally expressed. PMID:3790074

  2. Higher Growth Rate of Branch Duct Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms Associates With Worrisome Features.

    PubMed

    Kolb, Jennifer M; Argiriadi, Pamela; Lee, Karen; Liu, Xiaoyu; Bagiella, Emilia; Lucas, Aimee L; Kim, Michelle Kang; Kumta, Nikhil A; Nagula, Satish; Sarpel, Umut; DiMaio, Christopher J

    2018-03-11

    For patients with branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMNs, cysts), it is a challenge to identify those at high risk for malignant lesions. We sought to identify factors associated with development of pancreatic cancer, focusing on neoplasm growth rate. We performed a retrospective study of 189 patients with BD-IPMNs who underwent at least 2 contrast-enhanced cross-sectional imaging studies, 1 year or more apart, at a tertiary referral center from January 2003 through 2013. Patients with cysts that had Fukuoka worrisome or high-risk features were excluded. Two radiologists reviewed all images. Cyst size was recorded at the initial and final imaging studies and growth rate was calculated. We collected patient demographic data, cyst characteristics, and clinical outcomes; univariate logistic regression models were used to determine the odds of developing worrisome features. The primary outcomes were to determine growth rate of low-risk BD-IPMNs and to assess whether cyst growth rate correlates high-risk features of IPMNs. Based on image analyses, cysts were initially a median 11 mm (range, 3-31 mm) and their final size was 12.5 mm (range, 3-42 mm). After a median follow-up time of 56 months (range, 12-163 months), the median cyst growth rate was 0.29 mm/year. Twelve patients developed worrisome features, no patients developed high-risk features, 4 patients had surgical resection, and no cancers developed. The rate of BD-IPMN growth was greater in patients who developed worrisome features than those who did not (2.84 mm/year vs 0.23 mm/year; P < .001). The odds of developing worrisome features increased for each unit (mm) increase in cyst size (odds ratio, 1.149; 95% CI, 1.035-1.276, P = .009). In a retrospective analysis of images from patients with BD-IPMN, we found low-risk BD-IPMNs to grow at an extremely low rate (less than 0.3 mm/year). BD-IPMNs in only about 6% of patients developed worrisome features, and none developed high-risk features

  3. Role of Dynamic Nucleation at Moving Boundaries in Phase and Microstructure Selection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karma, Alain; Trivedi, Rohit

    1999-01-01

    Solidification microstructures that form under steady-state growth conditions (cells, dendrites, regular eutectics, etc.) are reasonably well understood in comparison to other, more complex microstructures, which form under intrinsically non-steady-state growth conditions due to the competition between the nucleation and growth of several phases. Some important practical examples in this latter class include microstructures forming in peritectic systems in highly undercooled droplets, and in strip cast stainless steels. Prediction of phase and microstructure selection in these systems has been traditionally based on (1) heterogeneous nucleation on a static interface, and (2) comparing the relative growth rate of different phase/microstructures under steady-state growth conditions. The formation of new phases, however, occurs via nucleation on, or ahead of, a moving boundary. In addition, the actual selection process is controlled by a complex interaction between the nucleation process and the growth competition between the nuclei and the pre-existing phase under non-steady-state conditions. As a result, it is often difficult to predict which microstructure will form and which phases will be selected under prescribed processing conditions. This research addresses this critical role of nucleation at moving boundaries in the selection of phases and solidification microstructures through quantitative experiments and numerical modeling in peritectic systems. In order to create a well characterized system in which to study this problem, we focus on the directional solidification of hypo- and hyper-peritectic alloys in the two-phase region, imposing a large enough ratio of temperature gradient/growth rate (G/V(sub p)) to suppress the morphological instability of both the parent (alpha) and peritectic (Beta) phases, i.e. each phase alone would grow as a planar front. Our combined experimental and theoretical results show that, already in this simplified case, the growth

  4. Physiological-phased kinetic characteristics of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris growth and lipid synthesis considering synergistic effects of light, carbon and nutrients.

    PubMed

    Liao, Qiang; Chang, Hai-Xing; Fu, Qian; Huang, Yun; Xia, Ao; Zhu, Xun; Zhong, Nianbing

    2018-02-01

    To comprehensively understand kinetic characteristics of microalgae growth and lipid synthesis in different phases, a phase-feeding strategy was proposed to simultaneously regulate light, carbon and nutrients in adaption, growth and stationary phases of microalgae cultivation. Physiological-phased kinetic characteristics of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris growth and lipid synthesis under synergistic effects of light, carbon and nutrients were investigated, and supply-demand relationships of electrons and energy between light and dark reactions of photosynthesis process were discussed. Finally, the optimized cultivation strategy for microalgae in various phases were obtained, under which the lipid productivity was significantly improved from 130.11 mg/L/d to 163.42 mg/L/d. The study provided some important guidance for the large-scale production of biofuels from microalgae. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Kinetic 15N-isotope effects on algal growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andriukonis, Eivydas; Gorokhova, Elena

    2017-03-01

    Stable isotope labeling is a standard technique for tracing material transfer in molecular, ecological and biogeochemical studies. The main assumption in this approach is that the enrichment with a heavy isotope has no effect on the organism metabolism and growth, which is not consistent with current theoretical and empirical knowledge on kinetic isotope effects. Here, we demonstrate profound changes in growth dynamics of the green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata grown in 15N-enriched media. With increasing 15N concentration (0.37 to 50 at%), the lag phase increased, whereas maximal growth rate and total yield decreased; moreover, there was a negative relationship between the growth and the lag phase across the treatments. The latter suggests that a trade-off between growth rate and the ability to adapt to the high 15N environment may exist. Remarkably, the lag-phase response at 3.5 at% 15N was the shortest and deviated from the overall trend, thus providing partial support to the recently proposed Isotopic Resonance hypothesis, which predicts that certain isotopic composition is particularly favorable for living organisms. These findings confirm the occurrence of KIE in isotopically enriched algae and underline the importance of considering these effects when using stable isotope labeling in field and experimental studies.

  6. Solvent effects and polymorphic transformation of organic nonlinear optical crystal L-pyroglutamic acid in solution growth processes . I. Solvent effects and growth morphology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, W. S.; Aggarwal, M. D.; Choi, J.; Gebre, T.; Shields, Angela D.; Penn, Benjamin G.; Frazier, Donald O.

    1999-03-01

    Single crystals of a new promising nonlinear optical material for the tunable UV harmonic generation, L-pyroglutamic acid 60×20×20 mm 3 in size were obtained from aqueous solution by using the temperature-lowering method. Solubility of L-pyroglutamic acid in different solvents was measured. The single crystals showed different morphological characteristics and growth rate in different solvents with different crystallographic orientations. Methanol or ethanol solutions yielded needle-like crystals. In mixed solution such as methanol/H 2O or ethanol/ H 2O plate-like crystals with a thickness in the direction [0 1 0] were observed. The water as a good solvent, however, produced long prism-like crystals. The two polymorphs of L-pyroglutamic acid (α and β phases) were found for the first time. The growth shapes of α-phase is mainly a prism and β phases is a rhombic plate.The growth rate of α and β phases is mainly a function of the supersaturation of the L-pyroglutamic acid in solution.

  7. Effect of repeated oral therapeutic doses of methylphenidate on food intake and growth rate in rats.

    PubMed

    Alam, Nausheen; Najam, Rahila

    2015-01-01

    Central nervous system stimulants are known to produce anorexia. Previous data suggest that methylphenidate can have variable effects on caloric intake and growth rate. A dose-response study was performed to monitor caloric intake, liquid intake and growth rate in rats following repeated administration of human oral therapeutic doses 2 mg/kg/day, 5mg/kg/day and 8mg/kg/day of methylphenidate. We found that food intake and water intake, increased in all weeks and at all doses used in the study. Growth rate increased more at higher dose (8mg/kg/day) and at low dose (2mg/kg/day) of methylphenidate in 1(st) and 2(nd) week whereas more decreased by the above doses in 3(rd) week, suggesting that food stimulation leads to initial increase in growth rate but long term administration of methylphenidate attenuate growth rate that is not due to modulation of appetite but may be due to anxiety and increased activity produce by stimulants. A possible role of DA, 5HT receptors in modulation of appetite and anxiety is discussed.

  8. The stability of nonlinear dynamos and the limited role of kinematic growth rates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brandenburg, A.; Krause, F.; Meinel, R.; Moss, D.; Tuominen, I.

    1989-04-01

    The growth rate behavior of several kinematic dynamo models was investigated in the context of the observation that, as a rule, a magnetic field of a single symmetry dominates in the sun and other cosmic objects. For all dynamo models considered, it is shown that, as the dynamo numbers increase, the kinematic growth rates of fields of different parities are asymptotically equal, indicating that growth rates do not dominate the final state of the field. The possibility that the stability of different solutions of nonlinear dynamos determines the final state was then investigated. Dynamo models in spherical geometry were found in which both symmetric and antisymmetric solutions are stable. The kind of symmetry finally established depends in these cases on the initial conditions, i.e., on the history of the object. It is noted that the basic mechanism stabilizing or destabilizing different solutions is not well understood.

  9. Modeling crystal growth from solution with molecular dynamics simulations: approaches to transition rate constants.

    PubMed

    Reilly, Anthony M; Briesen, Heiko

    2012-01-21

    The feasibility of using the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation technique to study crystal growth from solution quantitatively, as well as to obtain transition rate constants, has been studied. The dynamics of an interface between a solution of Lennard-Jones particles and the (100) face of an fcc lattice comprised of solute particles have been studied using MD simulations, showing that MD is, in principle, capable of following growth behavior over large supersaturation and temperature ranges. Using transition state theory, and a nearest-neighbor approximation growth and dissolution rate constants have been extracted from equilibrium MD simulations at a variety of temperatures. The temperature dependence of the rates agrees well with the expected transition state theory behavior. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

  10. Morphology and mycelial growth rate of Pleurotus spp. strains from the Mexican mixtec region

    PubMed Central

    Guadarrama-Mendoza, P.C.; del Toro, G. Valencia; Ramírez-Carrillo, R.; Robles-Martínez, F.; Yáñez-Fernández, J.; Garín-Aguilar, M.E.; Hernández, C.G.; Bravo-Villa, G.

    2014-01-01

    Two native Pleurotus spp. strains (white LB-050 and pale pink LB-051) were isolated from rotten tree trunks of cazahuate (Ipomoea murucoides) from the Mexican Mixtec Region. Both strains were chemically dedikaryotized to obtain their symmetrical monokaryotic components (neohaplonts). This was achieved employing homogenization time periods from 60 to 65 s, and 3 day incubation at 28 °C in a peptone-glucose solution (PGS). Pairing of compatible neohaplonts resulted in 56 hybrid strains which were classified into the four following hybrid types: (R1-nxB1-n, R1-nxB2-1, R2-nxB1-n and R2-nxB2-1). The mycelial growth of Pleurotus spp. monokaryotic and dikaryotic strains showed differences in texture (cottony or floccose), growth (scarce, regular or abundant), density (high, regular or low), and pigmentation (off-white, white or pale pink). To determine the rate and the amount of mycelium growth in malt extract agar at 28 °C, the diameter of the colony was measured every 24 h until the Petri dish was completely colonized. A linear model had the best fit to the mycelial growth kinetics. A direct relationship between mycelial morphology and growth rate was observed. Cottony mycelium presented significantly higher growth rates (p < 0.01) in comparison with floccose mycelium. Thus, mycelial morphology can be used as criterion to select which pairs must be used for optimizing compatible-mating studies. Hybrids resulting from cottony neohaplonts maintained the characteristically high growth rates of their parental strains with the hybrid R1-nxB1-n being faster than the latter. PMID:25477920

  11. Pulsed growth of fungal hyphal tips.

    PubMed

    López-Franco, R; Bartnicki-Garcia, S; Bracker, C E

    1994-12-06

    Somatic fungal hyphae are generally assumed to elongate at steady linear rates when grown under constant environmental conditions with ample nutrients. However, patterns of pulsed hyphal elongation were detected during apparent steady growth of hyphal tips in fungi from several major taxonomic groups (Oomycetes, Pythium aphanidermatum and Saprolegnia ferax; Zygomycetes, Gilbertella persicaria; Deuteromycetes, Trichoderma viride; Ascomycetes, Neurospora crassa and Fusarium culmorum; Basidiomycetes, Rhizoctonia solani). Growing hyphal tips were recorded with video-enhanced phase-contrast microscopy at high magnification, and digital images were measured at very short time intervals (1-5 s). In all fungi tested, the hyphal elongation rate was never perfectly steady but fluctuated continuously with alternating periods of fast and slow growth at more or less regular intervals. Pulsed growth was observed in fungi differing in cell diameter, overall growth rate, taxonomic position, and presence and pattern of Spitzenkörper organization, suggesting that this is a general phenomenon. Frequency and amplitude of the pulses varied among the test organisms. T. viride and N. crassa showed the most frequent pulses (average of 13-14 per min), and F. culmorum the least frequent (2.7 per min). Average pulse amplitude varied from 0.012 microns/s for F. culmorum to 0.068 microns/s for G. persicaria. In F. culmorum and T. viride, the fast phase of the growth pulses was correlated with the merger of satellite Spitzenkörper with the main Spitzenkörper. These findings are consistent with a causal relationship between fluctuations in the overall rate of secretory vesicle delivery/discharge at the hyphal apex and the fluctuations in hyphal elongation rate.

  12. Respiration, and growth-efficiency of coastal prokaryote communities in continuous cultures under different growth rates and temperatures.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maske, H.; Cajal-Medrano, R.; Villegas-Mendoza, J.

    2016-02-01

    Organotrophic prokaryotes in aquatic environments account for about half of community respiration in surface oceans and are key trophic links in the plankton food web connecting dissolved organics and higher trophic levels. The transfer efficiency is partially characterized by the ratio of prokaryote respiration rates (r, day-1) to growth rates (m, day-1) and the resulting growth efficiency (Y). Much literature has been published about the response of these parameters to temperature in monospecific cultures, but little is known about the response of a community of pelagic prokaryotes were the sum of the genotypes and phenotype define the physiological potential. We inoculated 10 turbidostats and 39 chemostats with coastal bacteria and measured CO2 production, carbon biomass and cell abundance, with m ranging from 0.05 to 62 day-1 between 10 and 26oC. Under substrate limited conditions, common in the ocean, r showed no significant trend with temperature and was proportional to m implying constant Y. Under temperature-limited, nutrient replete growth the m of coastal prokaryote communities increased with temperature but r decreased (Q10: 0.4), resulting in an increase of Y with temperature (Q10: 2.5). The carbon demand rate (b, fmol C (cell day)-1) of turbidostat cultures showed a very high Q10 of 8.4. Casting the data in the framework of the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE), the physiological rates normalized to cell carbon showed no significant changes with temperature using either respiration or carbon demand as a proxy for physiological rate. Our results suggest that physiological patterns related to temperature are very different under nutrient limited or replete conditions and under neither condition it followed the pattern expected by MTE.

  13. Graphite to ultrafine nanocrystalline diamond phase transition model and growth restriction mechanism induced by nanosecond laser processing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ren, X. D., E-mail: renxd@mail.ujs.edu.cn; Liu, R.; Zheng, L. M.

    2015-10-05

    To have a clear insight into nanocrystal growth from graphite to diamond upon high energy pulsed laser irradiation of graphite suspension, synthesis of ultrafine nanocrystalline diamonds with laser energy set up from 0.3 J to 12 J, repetition rate of 10 Hz has been studied. The method allows synthesizing ultrafine nanocrystalline particles continuously at the ambient temperature and normal pressure. The particle size is shown independent of laser energy, which is ultrafine and ranges in 2–6 nm. The theoretical grown size of nano-diamonds is found in well agreement with the experiment results. Four kinds of production were found: nano-diamond, spherical carbon nano-particles, flocculent amorphousmore » carbon, and graphene nano-ribbon rolls. A solid-vapor-plasma-liquid coexistence model describing phase transition from graphite to diamond induced by nanosecond laser processing was proposed. Graphene nano-ribbon rolls might be the intermediate phase in the conversion from graphite to diamond.« less

  14. Landscape scale measures of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) bioenergetic growth rate potential in Lake Michigan and comparison with angler catch rates

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hook, T.O.; Rutherford, E.S.; Brines, Shannon J.; Geddes, C.A.; Mason, D.M.; Schwab, D.J.; Fleischer, G.W.

    2004-01-01

    The relative quality of a habitat can influence fish consumption, growth, mortality, and production. In order to quantify habitat quality, several authors have combined bioenergetic and foraging models to generate spatially explicit estimates of fish growth rate potential (GRP). However, the capacity of GRP to reflect the spatial distributions of fishes over large areas has not been fully evaluated. We generated landscape scale estimates of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) GRP throughout Lake Michigan for 1994-1996, and used these estimates to test the hypotheses that GRP is a good predictor of spatial patterns of steelhead catch rates. We used surface temperatures (measured with AVHRR satellite imagery) and acoustically measured steelhead prey densities (alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus) as inputs for the GRP model. Our analyses demonstrate that potential steelhead growth rates in Lake Michigan are highly variable in both space and time. Steelhead GRP tended to increase with latitude, and mean GRP was much higher during September 1995, compared to 1994 and 1996. In addition, our study suggests that landscape scale measures of GRP are not good predictors of steelhead catch rates throughout Lake Michigan, but may provide an index of interannual variation in system-wide habitat quality.

  15. Nucleation, growth and evolution of calcium phosphate films on calcite.

    PubMed

    Naidu, Sonia; Scherer, George W

    2014-12-01

    Marble, a stone composed of the mineral calcite, is subject to chemically induced weathering in nature due to its relatively high dissolution rate in acid rain. To protect monuments and sculpture from corrosion, we are investigating the application of thin layers of hydroxyapatite (HAP) onto marble. The motivation for using HAP is its low dissolution rate and crystal and lattice compatibility with calcite. A mild, wet chemical synthesis route, in which diammonium hydrogen phosphate salt was reacted with marble, alone and with cationic and anionic precursors under different reaction conditions, was used to produce inorganic HAP layers on marble. Nucleation and growth on the calcite substrate was studied, as well as metastable phase evolution, using scanning electron microscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. Film nucleation was enhanced by surface roughness. The rate of nucleation and the growth rate of the film increased with cationic (calcium) and anionic (carbonate) precursor additions. Calcium additions also influenced phase formation, introducing a metastable phase (octacalcium phosphate) and a different phase evolution sequence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Relationships among foliar phenology, radial growth rate, and xylem density in a young Douglas-fir plantation

    Treesearch

    Warren D. Devine; Constance A. Harrington

    2009-01-01

    We related intraannual patterns in radial growth rate and xylem density to foliar phenology and second growth flushes in a young Douglas-fir plantation in western Washington. Three foliar maturity classes were defined: (1) shoots and needles elongating; (2) elongation complete, needles maturing; and (3) needles mature. Diameter growth rate had two peaks, one about the...

  17. Growth Hormone Supplementation in the Luteal Phase Before Microdose GnRH Agonist Flare Protocol for In Vitro Fertilization.

    PubMed

    Dunne, Caitlin; Seethram, Ken; Roberts, Jeffrey

    2015-09-01

    Growth hormone (GH) acts in both early and late follicular development to stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of granulosa cells and to increase the production of estradiol in animal and human ovaries. Investigators have therefore explored GH supplementation to improve outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization, with the greatest interest in women with diminished ovarian reserve. Recent meta-analyses indicate that GH supplementation can be beneficial for poor responders undergoing IVF. In most studies, GH has been given concomitantly with gonadotropins during the follicular phase; this may not be optimal, since follicular recruitment begins during the preceding luteal phase. We therefore wished to examine the effect of GH supplementation in the luteal phase before controlled ovarian stimulation (COH) with a microdose GnRH agonist flare (MDF) protocol in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. We performed a retrospective matched case-control study of patients undergoing treatment at a private IVF facility between June 2012 and July 2013. Patients identified as poor responders to COH were offered adjuvant GH treatment as part of their ovarian stimulation regimen. The patients in the experimental group chose to take GH, 3.33 mg daily by subcutaneous injection for 14 days, before starting COH. All patients had an MDF stimulation protocol using 450 IU of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) daily. A total of 42 women were included in the study. There were 14 women in the experimental group (GH) and 28 controls (C) matched for age, BMI, and day 3 FSH level. There was no difference between the groups in clinical pregnancy rate (GH = 29%, C = 32%, P = 0.99), number of mature oocytes retrieved (GH = 2.5, C = 5.0, P = 0.13), cycle cancellation rate (GH = 21%, C = 14%, P = 0.88), duration of COH (GH = 10.1, C = 10.1, P = 0.93), or mean peak estradiol level (GH = 4174 pmol/L, C = 5105 pmol/L, P = 0.44). The administration of growth hormone during the

  18. Accelerated GaAs growth through MOVPE for low-cost PV applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ubukata, Akinori; Sodabanlu, Hassanet; Watanabe, Kentaroh; Koseki, Shuichi; Yano, Yoshiki; Tabuchi, Toshiya; Sugaya, Takeyoshi; Matsumoto, Koh; Nakano, Yoshiaki; Sugiyama, Masakazu

    2018-05-01

    The high growth rate of epitaxial GaAs was investigated using a novel horizontal metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) reactor, from the point of view of realizing low-cost photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. The GaAs growth rate exhibited an approximately linear relationship with the amount of trimethylgalium (TMGa) supplied, up to a rate of 90 μm/h. The distribution of growth rate was observed for a two-inch wafer, along the flow direction, and the normalized profile of the distribution was found to be independent of the precursor input, from 20 to 70 μm/h. These tendencies indicated that significant parasitic prereaction did not occur in the gaseous phase, for this range of growth rate. GaAs p-n single-junction solar cells were successfully fabricated at growth rates of 20, 60, and 80 μm/h. The conversion efficiency of the cell grown at 80 μm/h was comparable to that of the 20 μm/h cell, indicating the good quality and properties of GaAs. The epitaxial growth exhibited good uniformity, as evidenced by the uniformity of the cell performance across the wafer, from the center to the edge. The result indicated the potential of high-throughput MOVPE for low-cost production, not only for PV devices but also for other semiconductor applications.

  19. Equilibrium, chemical kinetic, and transport limitations to diamond growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, Edward Anthony

    Because of their extreme properties, diamond films have found some industrial applications, i.e., heat sinks and tool coatings. However, to increase their economic attractiveness, the growth rate must be increased, the deposition temperature must be lowered, and single crystal films must be achieved. We have studied two types of chemical vapor deposition systems, hot-filament and microwave assisted, in order to understand the factors limiting diamond growth rate. From simultaneous microbalance growth rate measurements and mass spectrometer measurements, changes in growth rate are correlated with changes in gas phase composition. Measured reaction orders support the proposal that diamond growth occurs through a single-carbon-atom species, e.g., CHsb3. When a two-carbon atom source gas is used, it is likely that the dissociation to two, single-carbon atom species occurs on the substrate surface (dissociative adsorption). Furthermore, a shift to zero-order suggests that the diamond growth is a surface-site limited process at higher hydrocarbon concentrations. The diamond growth rate maximum with pressure is explained by transport limitations of species within the reaction zone. The reported diamond growth rates in the hot-filament reactor are several times higher than those reported by other research groups. These higher growth rates result from surrounding the substrate with the filament. We have used the measured growth rates, filament temperatures, and thermocouple measurements to calculate activation energies for diamond growth. When the filament temperature is used for the calculation, an activation energy of 73 kcal per mole is obtained; however, based on estimated substrate temperatures, an activation energy of 18 kcal per mole is determined. A dimensional analysis approach was developed to select the most important gas phase reactions occurring during diamond CVD. Steady-state analysis of these reactions and the application of mass transport equations lead to

  20. A Comparison between Growth Morphology of "Eutectic" Cells/Dendrites and Single-Phase Cells/Dendrites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tewari, S. N.; Raj, S. V.; Locci, I. E.

    2003-01-01

    Directionally solidified (DS) intermetallic and ceramic-based eutectic alloys with an in-situ composite microstructure containing finely distributed, long aspect ratio, fiber, or plate reinforcements are being seriously examined for several advanced aero-propulsion applications. In designing these alloys, additional solutes need to be added to the base eutectic composition in order to improve heir high-temperature strength, and provide for adequate toughness and resistance to environmental degradation. Solute addition, however, promotes instability at the planar liquid-solid interface resulting in the formation of two-phase eutectic "colonies." Because morphology of eutectic colonies is very similar to the single-phase cells and dendrites, the stability analysis of Mullins and Sekerka has been extended to describe their formation. Onset of their formation shows a good agreement with this approach; however, unlike the single-phase cells and dendrites, there is limited examination of their growth speed dependence of spacing, morphology, and spatial distribution. The purpose of this study is to compare the growth speed dependence of the morphology, spacing, and spatial distribution of eutectic cells and dendrites with that for the single-phase cells and dendrites.

  1. Listeria monocytogenes Growth Kinetics in Milkshakes Made from Naturally and Artificially Contaminated Ice Cream.

    PubMed

    Salazar, Joelle K; Bathija, Vriddi M; Carstens, Christina K; Narula, Sartaj S; Shazer, Arlette; Stewart, Diana; Tortorello, Mary Lou

    2018-01-01

    This study assessed the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in milkshakes made using the process-contaminated ice cream associated with a listeriosis outbreak in comparison to milkshakes made with artificially contaminated ice cream. For all temperatures, growth kinetics including growth rates, lag phases, maximum populations, and population increases were determined for the naturally and artificially derived contaminants at 5, 10, 15, and 25°C storage for 144 h. The artificially inoculated L. monocytogenes presented lower growth rates and shorter lag phases than the naturally contaminated populations at all temperatures except for 5°C, where the reverse was observed. At 25°C, lag phases of the naturally and artificially contaminated L. monocytogenes were 11.6 and 7.8 h, respectively. The highest increase in population was observed for the artificially inoculated pathogen at 15°C after 96 h (6.16 log CFU/mL) of storage. Growth models for both contamination states in milkshakes were determined. In addition, this study evaluated the antimicrobial effectiveness of flavoring agents, including strawberry, chocolate and mint, on the growth of the pathogen in milkshakes during 10°C storage. All flavor additions resulted in decreased growth rates of L. monocytogenes for both contamination states. The addition of chocolate and mint flavoring also resulted in significantly longer lag phases for both contamination states. This study provides insight into the differences in growth between naturally and artificially contaminated L. monocytogenes in a food product.

  2. Listeria monocytogenes Growth Kinetics in Milkshakes Made from Naturally and Artificially Contaminated Ice Cream

    PubMed Central

    Salazar, Joelle K.; Bathija, Vriddi M.; Carstens, Christina K.; Narula, Sartaj S.; Shazer, Arlette; Stewart, Diana; Tortorello, Mary Lou

    2018-01-01

    This study assessed the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in milkshakes made using the process-contaminated ice cream associated with a listeriosis outbreak in comparison to milkshakes made with artificially contaminated ice cream. For all temperatures, growth kinetics including growth rates, lag phases, maximum populations, and population increases were determined for the naturally and artificially derived contaminants at 5, 10, 15, and 25°C storage for 144 h. The artificially inoculated L. monocytogenes presented lower growth rates and shorter lag phases than the naturally contaminated populations at all temperatures except for 5°C, where the reverse was observed. At 25°C, lag phases of the naturally and artificially contaminated L. monocytogenes were 11.6 and 7.8 h, respectively. The highest increase in population was observed for the artificially inoculated pathogen at 15°C after 96 h (6.16 log CFU/mL) of storage. Growth models for both contamination states in milkshakes were determined. In addition, this study evaluated the antimicrobial effectiveness of flavoring agents, including strawberry, chocolate and mint, on the growth of the pathogen in milkshakes during 10°C storage. All flavor additions resulted in decreased growth rates of L. monocytogenes for both contamination states. The addition of chocolate and mint flavoring also resulted in significantly longer lag phases for both contamination states. This study provides insight into the differences in growth between naturally and artificially contaminated L. monocytogenes in a food product. PMID:29416531

  3. High-Rate Charging Induced Intermediate Phases and Structural Changes of Layer-Structured Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

    DOE PAGES

    Zhou, Yong-Ning; Yue, Ji-Li; Hu, Enyuan; ...

    2016-08-08

    Using fast time-resolved in situ X-ray diffraction, charge-rate dependent phase transition processes of layer structured cathode material LiNi 1/3Mn 1/3Co 1/3O 2 for lithium-ion batteries are studied. During first charge, intermediate phases emerge at high rates of 10C, 30C, and 60C, but not at low rates of 0.1C and 1C. These intermediate phases can be continuously observed during relaxation after the charging current is switched off. After half-way charging at high rate, sample studied by scanning transmission electron microscopy shows Li-rich and Li-poor phases' coexistence with tetrahedral occupation of Li in Li-poor phase. Also, the high rate induced overpotential ismore » thought to be the driving force for the formation of this intermediate Li-poor phase. The in situ quick X-ray absorption results show that the oxidation of Ni accelerates with increasing charging rate and the Ni 4+ state can be reached at the end of charge with 30C rate. Finally, these results give new insights in the understanding of the layered cathodes during high-rate charging.« less

  4. Population Growth Rate: Teaching Guide. Measures of Progress Poster Kit Number 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    World Bank, Washington, DC.

    This teaching guide accompanies the Population Growth Rate poster kit which is designed to teach students about population growth differences between rich and poor nations and about what people in developing countries are doing to help improve their quality of life. The guide is designed for use with: (1) a poster map of the world providing social…

  5. Role of temperature on growth and metabolic rate in the tenebrionid beetles Alphitobius diaperinus and Tenebrio molitor.

    PubMed

    Bjørge, Julie Dahl; Overgaard, Johannes; Malte, Hans; Gianotten, Natasja; Heckmann, Lars-Henrik

    2018-03-10

    Insects are increasingly used as a dietary source for food and feed and it is therefore important to understand how rearing conditions affect growth and development of these agricultural animals. Temperature is arguably the most important factor affecting metabolism and growth rate in insects. Here, we investigated how rearing temperature affected growth rate, growth efficiency and macronutrient composition in two species of edible beetle larvae: Alphitobius diaperinus and Tenebrio molitor. Growth rates of both species were quantified at temperatures ranging from 15.2 to 38.0 °C after which we measured protein and lipid content of the different treatment groups. Metabolic rate was measured in a similar temperature range by measuring the rate of O 2 consumption (V·O 2 ) and CO 2 production (V·CO 2 ) using repeated measures closed respirometry. Using these measurements, we calculated the growth efficiency of mealworms by relating the energy assimilation rate to the metabolic rate. Maximum daily growth rates were 18.3% and 16.6% at 31 °C, for A. diaperinus and T. molitor respectively, and we found that A. diaperinus was better at maintaining growth at high temperatures while T. molitor had superior growth at lower temperatures. Both species had highest efficiencies of energy assimilation in the temperature range of 23.3-31.0 °C, with values close to 2 J assimilated/J metabolised in A. diaperinus and around 4 J assimilated/J metabolised in T. molitor. Compared to "conventional" terrestrial livestock, both species of insects were characterised by high growth rates and very high energy conversion efficiency at most experimental temperatures. For A. diaperinus, lipid content was approximately 30% of dry mass and protein content approximately 50% of dry mass across most temperatures. Temperature had a greater influence on the body composition of T. molitor. At 31.0 °C the lipid and protein content was measured to 47.4% and 37.9%, respectively but lipid

  6. Experimental Study of Sr Partitioning into Calcite at Various Linear Growth Rates and Temperatures: Preliminary Results.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gabitov, R. I.; Watson, B. E.

    2004-05-01

    minute. After treatment the remaining solution was blown out by a stream of nitrogen to preclude the precipitation of Sr phase. We observed that the precipitated calcite crystals can be very different in size even if the runs have the same input rate of calcite components. The cave-type and cold-seal runs yielded 15-40 μ m calcites, but in the drift experiments crystal size varied between 60 μ m and 1 mm. Electron microprobe analysis across the large crystals show that the concentration of Sr is higher in the center and decreases toward the edge. This is probably due to the cube-root dependence of radial growth on the volume change of the growing crystals. Like previous workers who measured bulk uptake of Sr as a function of precipitation rate, we observed that increased growth rate (V, nm/s) enhances Sr uptake into the crystal, raising Kdbulk/liquid=(Sr/Ca)bulk/(Sr/Ca)liquid. Kdbulk/liquid = 0.03 to 0.06 when log(V)=-1.1 to -0.6 at 25° C in the cave-type runs (I=0.01). At higher ionic strength (I=0.52) and T=55° C, Kdbulk/liquid=0.11 to 0.15 when log(V)=-0.6 to 0.4 in the drift experiments. XPS analysis of surface-liquid experiments yielded higher Kdsurface/liquid=(Sr/Ca)surface/(Sr/Ca)liquid values compared with Kdbulk/liquid. This combined evidence supports the idea that Sr is enriched at the calcite surface relative to the bulk crystal during crystal growth.

  7. Prediction of infarction volume and infarction growth rate in acute ischemic stroke.

    PubMed

    Kamran, Saadat; Akhtar, Naveed; Alboudi, Ayman; Kamran, Kainat; Ahmad, Arsalan; Inshasi, Jihad; Salam, Abdul; Shuaib, Ashfaq; Qidwai, Uvais

    2017-08-08

    The prediction of infarction volume after stroke onset depends on the shape of the growth dynamics of the infarction. To understand growth patterns that predict lesion volume changes, we studied currently available models described in literature and compared the models with Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System [ANFIS], a method previously unused in the prediction of infarction growth and infarction volume (IV). We included 67 patients with malignant middle cerebral artery [MMCA] stroke who underwent decompressive hemicraniectomy. All patients had at least three cranial CT scans prior to the surgery. The rate of growth and volume of infarction measured on the third CT was predicted with ANFIS without statistically significant difference compared to the ground truth [P = 0.489]. This was not possible with linear, logarithmic or exponential methods. ANFIS was able to predict infarction volume [IV3] over a wide range of volume [163.7-600 cm 3 ] and time [22-110 hours]. The cross correlation [CRR] indicated similarity between the ANFIS-predicted IV3 and original data of 82% for ANFIS, followed by logarithmic 70%, exponential 63% and linear 48% respectively. Our study shows that ANFIS is superior to previously defined methods in the prediction of infarction growth rate (IGR) with reasonable accuracy, over wide time and volume range.

  8. Imaging System For Measuring Macromolecule Crystal Growth Rates in Microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Corder, Eric L.; Briscoe, Jeri

    2004-01-01

    In order to determine how macromolecule crystal quality improvement in microgravity is related to crystal growth characteristics, a team of scientists and engineers at NASA's Marshal Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed flight hardware capable of measuring the crystal growth rates of a population of crystals growing under the same conditions. As crystal growth rate is defined as the change or delta in a defined dimension or length (L) of crystal over time, the hardware was named Delta-L. Delta-L consists of three sub assemblies: a fluid unit including a temperature-controlled growth cell, an imaging unit, and a control unit (consisting of a Data Acquisition and Control Unit (DACU), and a thermal control unit). Delta-L will be used in connection with the Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT) inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), onboard the International Space Station. This paper will describe the Delta-L imaging system. The Delta-L imaging system was designed to locate, resolve, and capture images of up to 10 individual crystals ranging in size from 10 to 500 microns with a point-to-point accuracy of +/- 2.0 microns within a quartz growth cell observation area of 20 mm x 10 mm x 1 mm. The optical imaging system is comprised of a video microscope camera mounted on computer controlled translation stages. The 3-axis translation stages and control units provide crewmembers the ability to search throughout the growth cell observation area for crystals forming in size of approximately 10 microns. Once the crewmember has selected ten crystals of interest, the growth of these crystals is tracked until the size reaches approximately 500 microns. In order to resolve these crystals an optical system with a magnification of 10X was designed. A black and white NTSC camera was utilized with a 20X microscope objective and a 0.5X custom designed relay lens with an inline light to meet the magnification requirement. The design allows a 500 pm

  9. Predicting the growth of S i3N4 nanowires by phase-equilibrium-dominated vapor-liquid-solid mechanism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yongliang; Cai, Jing; Yang, Lijun; Wu, Qiang; Wang, Xizhang; Hu, Zheng

    2017-09-01

    Nanomaterial synthesis is experiencing a profound evolution from empirical science ("cook-and-look") to prediction and design, which depends on the deep insight into the growth mechanism. Herein, we report a generalized prediction of the growth of S i3N4 nanowires by nitriding F e28S i72 alloy particles across different phase regions based on our finding of the phase-equilibrium-dominated vapor-liquid-solid (PED-VLS) mechanism. All the predictions about the growth of S i3N4 nanowires, and the associated evolutions of lattice parameters and geometries of the coexisting Fe -Si alloy phases, are experimentally confirmed quantitatively. This progress corroborates the general validity of the PED-VLS mechanism, which could be applied to the design and controllable synthesis of various one-dimensional nanomaterials.

  10. Estimating blue whale skin isotopic incorporation rates and baleen growth rates: Implications for assessing diet and movement patterns in mysticetes

    PubMed Central

    Busquets-Vass, Geraldine; Newsome, Seth D.; Calambokidis, John; Serra-Valente, Gabriela; Jacobsen, Jeff K.; Aguíñiga-García, Sergio; Gendron, Diane

    2017-01-01

    Stable isotope analysis in mysticete skin and baleen plates has been repeatedly used to assess diet and movement patterns. Accurate interpretation of isotope data depends on understanding isotopic incorporation rates for metabolically active tissues and growth rates for metabolically inert tissues. The aim of this research was to estimate isotopic incorporation rates in blue whale skin and baleen growth rates by using natural gradients in baseline isotope values between oceanic regions. Nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope values of blue whale skin and potential prey were analyzed from three foraging zones (Gulf of California, California Current System, and Costa Rica Dome) in the northeast Pacific from 1996–2015. We also measured δ15N and δ13C values along the lengths of baleen plates collected from six blue whales stranded in the 1980s and 2000s. Skin was separated into three strata: basale, externum, and sloughed skin. A mean (±SD) skin isotopic incorporation rate of 163±91 days was estimated by fitting a generalized additive model of the seasonal trend in δ15N values of skin strata collected in the Gulf of California and the California Current System. A mean (±SD) baleen growth rate of 15.5±2.2 cm y-1 was estimated by using seasonal oscillations in δ15N values from three whales. These oscillations also showed that individual whales have a high fidelity to distinct foraging zones in the northeast Pacific across years. The absence of oscillations in δ15N values of baleen sub-samples from three male whales suggests these individuals remained within a specific zone for several years prior to death. δ13C values of both whale tissues (skin and baleen) and potential prey were not distinct among foraging zones. Our results highlight the importance of considering tissue isotopic incorporation and growth rates when studying migratory mysticetes and provide new insights into the individual movement strategies of blue whales. PMID:28562625

  11. Relative growth rate in phylogenetically related deciduous and evergreen woody species.

    PubMed

    Antúnez, Isabel; Retamosa, Emilio C; Villar, Rafael

    2001-07-01

    Relative growth rate (RGR) and other growth parameters were studied in eight pairs of closely related deciduous and evergreen species (within the same genus or family). The main objective of this study was to test the association between leaf turnover rate and RGR, specific leaf area (SLA, leaf area/leaf dry weight) and other growth variables. Plants were grown for 6 months in a greenhouse under favourable water and nutrient conditions. Variation in RGR among the 16 woody species was due mainly to differences in morphological parameters such as leaf area ratio (LAR, whole plant area/whole plant dry weight) and SLA). However, temporal variation in RGR within species was due mainly to variation in net assimilation rate. When phylogeny was not taken into account, analyses showed that deciduous species grew faster than evergreens. In contrast, when phylogeny was taken into account, the data analysis showed that a faster RGR is not consistently associated with the deciduous habit (in five pairs it was, but in the other three it was not). The faster growth of the deciduous trees (in the five positive contrasts) could be explained by their higher LAR and higher SLA relative to evergreens. The lack of differences in RGR between deciduous and evergreens (in three pairs) was due to the higher leaf mass ratio (LMR, leaf dry biomass/total dry biomass) for the evergreens, which offset the higher SLA of the deciduous species, resulting in a similar LAR in both functional groups (LAR=LMR×SLA). Deciduous species had consistently higher SLA than evergreens. We suggest that SLA, more than RGR, could be an important parameter in determining adaptive advantages of deciduous and evergreen species.

  12. Insights into crystal growth rates from a study of orbicular granitoids from western Australia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, J.; Lee, C. T.

    2017-12-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop new tools for constraining crystal growth rate in geologic systems. Of interest is the growth of crystals in magmatic systems because crystallization changes the rheology of a magma as well as provides surfaces on which bubbles can nucleate. To explore crystal growth in more detail, we conducted a case study of orbicular granitoids from western Australia. The orbicules occur as spheroids dispersed in a granitic matrix. Most orbicules have at least two to three concentric bands, composed of elongate and radially oriented hornblende surrounded by interstitial plagioclase. We show that mineral modes and hence bulk composition at the scale of the band is homogeneous from rim to core. Crystal number density decreases and crystal size increases from rim to core. These observations suggest that the orbicules crystallized rapidly from rim to core. We hypothesize that the orbicules are blobs of hot dioritic liquid injected into a cold granitic magma and subsequently cooled and solidified. Crystals stop growing when the mass transport rate tends to zero due to the low temperature. We estimated cooling timescales based on conductive cooling models, constraining crystal growth rates to be 10-6 to 10-5 m/s. We also show that the oscillatory banding is controlled by disequilibrium crystallization, wherein hornblende preferentially crystallizes, resulting in the diffusive growth of a chemical boundary layer enriched in plagioclase component, which in turns results in crystallization of plagioclase. We show that the correlation between the width of each crystallization couplet (band) with distance from orbicule rim is linear, with the slope corresponding to the square root of the ratio between chemical diffusivity in the growth medium and thermal diffusivity. We estimate chemical diffusivity of 2*10-7 m2/s, which is remarkably fast for silicate liquids but reasonable for diffusion in hot aqueous fluids, suggesting that crystallization

  13. CURRENT SHEET THINNING AND ENTROPY CONSTRAINTS DURING THE SUBSTORM GROWTH PHASE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Otto, A.; Hall, F., IV

    2009-12-01

    A typical property during the growth phase of geomagnetic substorms is the thinning of the near-Earth current sheet, most pronounced in the region between 6 and 15 R_E. We propose that the cause for the current sheet thinning is convection from the midnight tail region to the dayside to replenish magnetospheric magnetic flux which is eroded at the dayside as a result of dayside reconnection. Adiabatic convection from the near-Earth tail region toward the dayside must conserve the entropy on magnetic field lines. This constraint prohibits a source of the magnetic flux from a region further out in the magnetotail. Thus the near-Earth tail region is increasingly depleted of magnetic flux (the Erickson and Wolf [1980] problem) with entropy matching that of flux tubes that are eroded on the dayside. It is proposed that the magnetic flux depletion in the near-Earth tail forces the formation of thin current layers. The process is documented by three-dimensional MHD simulations. It is shown that the simulations yield a time scale, location, and other general characteristics of the current sheet evolution during the substorm growth phase.

  14. The nucleation rate surfaces design over diagram of phase equilibria and their applications for computational chemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anisimov, M. P.

    2016-12-01

    One can find in scientific literature a pretty fresh idea of the nucleation rate surfaces design over the diagrams of phase equilibria. That idea looks like profitable for the nucleation theory development and for various practical applications where predictions of theory have no high enough accuracy for today. The common thermodynamics has no real ability to predict parameters of the first order phase transition. Nucleation experiment can be provided in very local nucleation conditions even the nucleation takes place from the critical line (in two-component case) down to the absolute zero temperature limit and from zero nucleation rates at phase equilibria up to the spinodal conditions. Theory predictions have low reliability as a rule. The computational chemistry has chance to make solution of that problem easier when a set of the used axiomatic statements will adapt enough progressive assumptions [1]. Semiempirical design of the nucleation rate surfaces over diagrams of phase equilibria have a potential ability to provide a reasonable quality information on nucleation rate for each channel of nucleation. Consideration and using of the nucleation rate surface topologies to optimize synthesis of a given phase of the target material can be available when data base on nucleation rates over diagrams of phase equilibria will be created.

  15. Flexibility in metabolic rate confers a growth advantage under changing food availability.

    PubMed

    Auer, Sonya K; Salin, Karine; Rudolf, Agata M; Anderson, Graeme J; Metcalfe, Neil B

    2015-09-01

    1. Phenotypic flexibility in physiological, morphological and behavioural traits can allow organisms to cope with environmental challenges. Given recent climate change and the degree of habitat modification currently experienced by many organisms, it is therefore critical to quantify the degree of phenotypic variation present within populations, individual capacities to change and what their consequences are for fitness. 2. Flexibility in standard metabolic rate (SMR) may be particularly important since SMR reflects the minimal energetic cost of living and is one of the primary traits underlying organismal performance. SMR can increase or decrease in response to food availability, but the consequences of these changes for growth rates and other fitness components are not well known. 3. We examined individual variation in metabolic flexibility in response to changing food levels and its consequences for somatic growth in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta). 4. SMR increased when individuals were switched to a high food ration and decreased when they were switched to a low food regime. These shifts in SMR, in turn, were linked with individual differences in somatic growth; those individuals that increased their SMR more in response to elevated food levels grew fastest, while growth at the low food level was fastest in those individuals that depressed their SMR most. 5. Flexibility in energy metabolism is therefore a key mechanism to maximize growth rates under the challenges imposed by variability in food availability and is likely to be an important determinant of species' resilience in the face of global change. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.

  16. Effect of Alfvén waves on the growth rate of the electron-cyclotron maser emission

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wu, D. J., E-mail: djwu@pmo.ac.cn

    By using the non-relativistic approximation for the calculation of growth rates, but taking account of the weakly relativistic modification for the electron-cyclotron resonance condition, it is shown that the effect of Alfvén waves (AWs) on the electron-cyclotron maser emission leads to the significant increase of the O-mode growth rate, but has little effect on the X-mode growth rate. We propose that this is because the O-mode wave has the field-aligned polarization sense in the same as the field-aligned oscillatory current, which is created by the field-aligned oscillatory motion of the energetic electrons caused via the presence of AWs. It ismore » this field-aligned oscillatory current that contributes a novel growth rate to the O-mode wave but has little effect on the X-mode wave.« less

  17. Effects of the fungal endophyte, Neotyphodium lolii, on net photosynthesis and growth rates of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) are independent of In Planta endophyte concentration.

    PubMed

    Spiering, Martin J; Greer, Dennis H; Schmid, Jan

    2006-08-01

    Neotyphodium lolii is a fungal endophyte of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), improving grass fitness through production of bioactive alkaloids. Neotyphodium species can also affect growth and physiology of their host grasses (family Poaceae, sub-family Pooideae), but little is known about the mechanisms. This study examined the effect of N. lolii on net photosynthesis (P(n)) and growth rates in ryegrass genotypes differing in endophyte concentration in all leaf tissues. Plants from two ryegrass genotypes, Nui D and Nui UIV, infected with N. lolii (E+) differing approx. 2-fold in endophyte concentration or uninfected clones thereof (E-) were grown in a controlled environment. For each genotype x endophyte treatment, plant growth rates were assessed as tillering and leaf extension rates, and the light response of P(n), dark respiration and transpiration measured in leaves of young (30-45 d old) and old (>90 d old) plants with a single-chamber open infrared gas-exchange system. Neotyphodium lolii affected CO(2)-limited rates of P(n), which were approx. 17 % lower in E+ than E- plants (P < 0.05) in the young plants. Apparent photon yield and dark respiration were unaffected by the endophyte (P > 0.05). Neotyphodium lolii also decreased transpiration (P < 0.05), but only in complete darkness. There were no endophyte effects on P(n) in the old plants (P > 0.05). E+ plants grew faster immediately after replanting (P < 0.05), but had approx. 10 % lower growth rates during mid-log growth (P < 0.05) than E- plants, but there was no effect on final plant biomass (P > 0.05). The endophyte effects on P(n) and growth tended to be more pronounced in Nui UIV, despite having a lower endophyte concentration than Nui D. Neotyphodium lolii affects CO(2) fixation, but not light interception and photochemistry of P(n). The impact of N. lolii on plant growth and photosynthesis is independent of endophyte concentration in the plant, suggesting that the endophyte mycelium is not simply

  18. Age determinations and growth rates of Pacific ferromanganese deposits using strontium isotopes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ingram, B.L.; Hein, J.R.; Farmer, G.L.

    1990-01-01

    87Sr 86Sr ratios, trace element and REE compositions, and textural characteristics were determined for three hydrogenetic Fe-Mn crusts, one hydrothermal deposit, and two mixed hydrothermalhydrogenetic crusts from the Pacific. The Sr isotope data are compared to the Sr seawater curve for the Cenozoic to determine the ages and growth rates of the crusts. The 87Sr 86Sr in the crusts does not increase monotonically with depth as expected if the Sr were solely derived from seawater and perfectly preserved since deposition. This indicates post-depositional exchange of Sr or heterogeneous sources for the Sr originally contained in the crusts. Textures of hydrogenetic crusts generally correlate with Sr isotopic variations. The highest porosity intervals commonly exhibit the highest 87Sr 86Sr ratios, indicating exchange with younger seawater. Intervals with the lowest porosity commonly have lower 87Sr 86Sr and may preserve the original Sr isotopic ratios. Minimum ages of crust growth inception were calculated from dense, low porosity intervals. Growth of the hydrogenetic crusts began at or after 23 Ma, although their substrates are Cretaceous. Estimated average growth rates of the three hydrogenetic crusts vary between 0.9 and 2.7 mm/Ma, consistent with published rates determined by other techniques. Within the Marshall Islands crust, growth rates for individual layers varied greatly between 1.0 and 5.4 mm/Ma. For one crust, very low 87Sr 86Sr ratios occurred in detrital-rich intervals. Hydrothermal Fe-Mn oxide from the active Lau Basin back-arc spreading axis (Valu Fa Ridge) has an 87Sr 86Sr ratio with a predominantly seawater signature ( 87Sr 86Sr 0.709196), indicating a maximum age of 0.9 Ma. One crust from an off-axis seamount west of Gorda Ridge may have begun precipitating hydrogenetically at 0.5 Ma (0.709211), and had increasing hydrothermal or volcanic input in the top half of the crust, indicated by a significantly lower 87Sr 86Sr ratio (0.709052). ?? 1990.

  19. The impact of ozonated water treatment on growth rate of ‘Srikandi’ tilapia (Oreoshromis Aureus X Niloticus)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Putro, Sapto; Adityarini, Devi; Chiang, R. T.

    2018-05-01

    The impact of ozonized water treatment on ‘Srikandi’ tilapia was assessed using ozone reactor with an airflow velocity of 1.5 L / min at a voltage of 10 kV, which leads to that the dissolved oxygen (DO) content increases from 0.99 to 11.11 mg / L. The ozonized water treatment was divided into five groups based on the length of treatment period: 5 minutes as group I, 10 minutes as group II, 15 minutes as group III, 20 minutes as group IV and 0 minute (Reference case). The fish growth rate was measured in terms of length and weight per seven days for 30 days. The result indicated that the fastest growth rate of ‘Srikandi’ tilapia occured at the group III (length growth: 7.82 cm; weight growth: 7.72 g in 30 days). The fastest Specific Growth Rate (SGR) of the fish occured at the group II (1.281%), and the fastest Relative Growth Rate (RGR) of the fish occurs at the group III (4.538%). The oxygen content, temperature, salinity to match the growth of Tilapia ‘Srikandi’ are vital elements in Tilapia farming management. These results are considered to be useful to increase the production rate of ‘Srikandi’ tilapia farming.

  20. Why care about linear hair growth rates (LHGR)? a study using in vivo imaging and computer assisted image analysis after manual processing (CAIAMP) in unaffected male controls and men with male pattern hair loss (MPHL).

    PubMed

    Van Neste, Dominique

    2014-01-01

    The words "hair growth" frequently encompass many aspects other than just growth. Report on a validation method for precise non-invasive measurement of thickness together with linear hair growth rates of individual hair fibres. To verify the possible correlation between thickness and linear growth rate of scalp hair in male pattern hair loss as compared with healthy male controls. To document the process of validation of hair growth measurement from in vivo image capturing and manual processing, followed by computer assisted image analysis. We analysed 179 paired images obtained with the contrast-enhanced-phototrichogram method with exogen collection (CE-PTG-EC) in 13 healthy male controls and in 87 men with male pattern hair loss (MPHL). There was a global positive correlation between thickness and growth rate (ANOVA; p<0.0001) and a statistically significantly (ANOVA; p<0.0005) slower growth rate in MPHL as compared with equally thick hairs from controls. Finally, the growth rate recorded in the more severe patterns was significantly (ANOVA; P ≤ 0.001) reduced compared with equally thick hair from less severely affected MPHL or controls subjects. Reduced growth rate, together with thinning and shortening of the anagen phase duration in MPHL might contribute together to the global impression of decreased hair volume on the top of the head. Amongst other structural and functional parameters characterizing hair follicle regression, linear hair growth rate warrants further investigation, as it may be relevant in terms of self-perception of hair coverage, quantitative diagnosis and prognostic factor of the therapeutic response.

  1. Measuring the Growth Rate of Structure with Type IA Supernovae from LSST

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howlett, Cullan; Robotham, Aaron S. G.; Lagos, Claudia D. P.; Kim, Alex G.

    2017-10-01

    We investigate the peculiar motions of galaxies up to z = 0.5 using Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and predict the subsequent constraints on the growth rate of structure. We consider two cases. Our first is based on measurements of the volumetric SNe Ia rate and assumes we can obtain spectroscopic redshifts and light curves for varying fractions of objects that are detected pre-peak luminosity by LSST (some of which may be obtained by LSST itself, and others that would require additional follow-up observations). We find that these measurements could produce growth rate constraints at z< 0.5 that significantly outperform those found using Redshift Space Distortions (RSD) with DESI or 4MOST, even though there are ˜ 4× fewer objects. For our second case, we use semi-analytic simulations and a prescription for the SNe Ia rate as a function of stellar mass and star-formation rate to predict the number of LSST SNe IA whose host redshifts may already have been obtained with the Taipan+WALLABY surveys or with a future multi-object spectroscopic survey. We find ˜18,000 and ˜160,000 SNe Ia with host redshifts for these cases, respectively. While this is only a fraction of the total LSST-detected SNe Ia, they could be used to significantly augment and improve the growth rate constraints compared to only RSD. Ultimately, we find that combining LSST SNe Ia with large numbers of galaxy redshifts will provide the most powerful probe of large-scale gravity in the z< 0.5 regime over the coming decades.

  2. Response of the insulin-like growth factor-1 (Igf1) system to nutritional status and growth rate variation in olive rockfish (Sebastes serranoides).

    PubMed

    Hack, Nicole L; Strobel, Jackson S; Journey, Meredith L; Beckman, Brian R; Lema, Sean C

    2018-06-05

    Growth performance in vertebrates is regulated by environmental factors including the quality and quantity of food, which influence growth via endocrine pathways such as the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor somatotropic axis. In several teleost fishes, circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (Igf1) correlate positively with growth rate, and it has been proposed that plasma Igf1 levels may serve as an indicator of growth variation for fisheries and aquaculture applications. This study tested whether plasma Igf1 concentrations might serve as an indicator of somatic growth in olive rockfish (Sebastes serranoides), one species among dozens of rockfishes important to commercial and recreational fisheries in the Northern Pacific Ocean. Juvenile olive rockfish were reared under food ration treatments of 1% or 4% wet mass per d for 98 d to experimentally generate variation in growth. Juvenile rockfish in the 4% ration grew 60% more quickly in mass and 22% faster in length than fish in the 1% ration. Plasma Igf1 levels were elevated in rockfish under the 4% ration, and individual Igf1 levels correlated positively with growth rate, as well as with individual variation in hepatic igf1 mRNA levels. Transcripts encoding the Igf binding proteins (Igfbps) igfbp1a and igfbp1b were also at higher abundance in the liver of rockfish in the 1% ration treatment, while mRNAs for igfbp5a and igfbp5b were elevated in the skeletal muscle of 4% ration fish. These findings support the use of plasma Igf1 as a physiological index of growth rate variation in rockfish. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Pros and cons of estimating the reproduction number from early epidemic growth rate of influenza A (H1N1) 2009.

    PubMed

    Nishiura, Hiroshi; Chowell, Gerardo; Safan, Muntaser; Castillo-Chavez, Carlos

    2010-01-07

    In many parts of the world, the exponential growth rate of infections during the initial epidemic phase has been used to make statistical inferences on the reproduction number, R, a summary measure of the transmission potential for the novel influenza A (H1N1) 2009. The growth rate at the initial stage of the epidemic in Japan led to estimates for R in the range 2.0 to 2.6, capturing the intensity of the initial outbreak among school-age children in May 2009. An updated estimate of R that takes into account the epidemic data from 29 May to 14 July is provided. An age-structured renewal process is employed to capture the age-dependent transmission dynamics, jointly estimating the reproduction number, the age-dependent susceptibility and the relative contribution of imported cases to secondary transmission. Pitfalls in estimating epidemic growth rates are identified and used for scrutinizing and re-assessing the results of our earlier estimate of R. Maximum likelihood estimates of R using the data from 29 May to 14 July ranged from 1.21 to 1.35. The next-generation matrix, based on our age-structured model, predicts that only 17.5% of the population will experience infection by the end of the first pandemic wave. Our earlier estimate of R did not fully capture the population-wide epidemic in quantifying the next-generation matrix from the estimated growth rate during the initial stage of the pandemic in Japan. In order to quantify R from the growth rate of cases, it is essential that the selected model captures the underlying transmission dynamics embedded in the data. Exploring additional epidemiological information will be useful for assessing the temporal dynamics. Although the simple concept of R is more easily grasped by the general public than that of the next-generation matrix, the matrix incorporating detailed information (e.g., age-specificity) is essential for reducing the levels of uncertainty in predictions and for assisting public health policymaking

  4. Growth rate and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope trophic discrimination factors of lion and leopard whiskers.

    PubMed

    Mutirwara, Ruwimbo; Radloff, Frans G T; Codron, Daryl

    2018-01-15

    Stable isotope analysis (SIA) of whiskers has been used to identify temporal feeding habits, intra-population diet variation, as well as individual dietary specialisation of marine and terrestrial carnivores. However, the potential of the method to disclose such dietary information for large wild felids is hampered by lack of information on species-specific whisker growth rates, whisker growth patterns and whisker-diet trophic discrimination factors (TDFs). Whisker growth rates and growth patterns were measured for four lions (Panthera leo) and one leopard (Panthera pardus) held at the National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria, South Africa. Actively growing whiskers of the felids were 'marked' four times over 185 days using 13 C-depleted, C 3 -based giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) meat. The periods with low δ 13 C values, identified following serial sectioning of the regrown whiskers at 1 mm intervals and isotopic analysis, were then correlated to specific giraffe meat feeding bouts and hence growth periods. δ 13 C and δ 15 N whisker-diet TDFs were estimated for five lions whose diet remained consistent over multiple years. The whisker growth rates of three lionesses and the leopard were similar (mean = 0.65 mm day -1 ), despite species, sex and age differences. There was a decrease in whisker growth rate over time, suggesting a non-linear whisker growth pattern. However, linear and non-linear growth simulations showed slight differences between the two growth patterns for the proximal ~50 mm of whiskers. δ 13 C and δ 15 N lion whisker-diet TDFs were also similar amongst individuals (mean = 2.7 ± 0.12 ‰ for δ 13 C values and 2.5 ± 0.08 ‰ for δ 15 N values), irrespective of age and sex. The whisker growth rate and δ 13 C and δ 15 N lion whisker-diet TDFs obtained in this study can be applied in future studies to assign dietary information contained in analysed felid whiskers to the correct time period and improve deductions of prey species consumed by

  5. Cold-stress response during the stationary-growth phase of Antarctic and temperate-climate Penicillium strains.

    PubMed

    Miteva-Staleva, Jeni G; Krumova, Ekaterina T; Vassilev, Spassen V; Angelova, Maria B

    2017-07-01

    Cold-induced oxidative stress during the aging of three Penicillium strains (two Antarctic and one from a temperate region) in stationary culture was documented and demonstrated a significant increase in the protein carbonyl content, the accumulation of glycogen and trehalose, and an increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase). The cell response to a temperature downshift depends on the degree of stress and the temperature characteristics of the strains. Our data give further support for the role of oxidative stress in the aging of fungi in stationary cultures. Comparing the present results for the stationary growth phase with our previous results for the exponential growth phase was informative concerning the relationship between the cold-stress response and age-related changes in the tested strains. Unlike the young cells, stationary-phase cultures demonstrated a more pronounced level of oxidative damage, as well as decreased antioxidant defence.

  6. Effects of potentised substances on growth rate of the water plant Lemna gibba L.

    PubMed

    Scherr, Claudia; Simon, Meinhard; Spranger, Jörg; Baumgartner, Stephan

    2009-04-01

    This study investigated, whether the growth rate of Lemna gibba L. (duckweed) can be influenced by the application of homeopathic potencies of gibberellic acid, kinetin, argentum nitricum, and lemna minor. Duckweed was grown in either potencies (14x-30x, decimal steps) or water controls (unsuccussed and succussed) over seven days. Frond (leaf-like structure) growth was measured using a non-destructive image analysis system. Growth rates were calculated for three time intervals (0-7, 0-3, 3-7 days). Five to six independent, randomized and blinded experiments were analysed for each of the four tested substances. Water control experiments were performed repeatedly to test the reliability of the experimental set-up (systematic negative controls). The systematic negative control experiments did not yield any significant effects. Hence, false positive results could be excluded. The test system had a low coefficient of variation (1.5%). Out of the four tested substances gibberellic acid had the most pronounced effect (p=0.0002, F-test) on the main outcome parameter frond growth rate (r(area) day 0-7). Potency levels 15x, 17x, 18x, 23x and 24x reduced growth rate of Lemna gibba (p<0.05 against the pooled water control, LSD test). Lemna gibba may be considered as a suitable test organism for further studies on the efficacy of homeopathic potencies. Evidence accumulates, that adjacent potency levels may strongly differ in their biological activity. Potential consequences for therapeutical application might be worth investigating.

  7. Pegagan and cinnamon bark flours as a feed supplement for quail growth rate (Coturnix coturnix)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Falasifah; Sunarno, Sunarno; Djaelani, Muhammad Anwar; Rahadian, Rully

    2018-05-01

    Quail (Coturnix coturnix) is one of the poultry that developed continuously to meet the needs of animal protein as well as to improve the quality of public health. Aside from meat, quail also produces egg productively. Meanwhile, excessive consumption of quail eggs is known to cause the health problem. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum sp) and (Centella asiatica) are believed to improve health quality but has not known their impact on quail especially on its growth rate. The objective of this research is to determine the effect of cinnamon bark flour and Pegagan leaf to the growth rate of Australia quail. This study used experimental design consisted of 8 treatments with 4 replications, i.e., controls, feeds supplemented with cinnamon bark flour 5%, 10%, pegagan 5%, 10%, cinnamon bark flour: pegagan leaf powder, among others 5 %: 5%, 5%: 10%, and 10%: 5%. The results showed that the combination of cinnamon bark flour: pegagan flour: 5%: 10% produced the highest growth rate of quail. To conclude, the combination of cinnamon bark flour: pegagan with concentration 5%: 10% could increase the growth rate of quail.

  8. A comparison of growth rate of late Holocene stalagmites with atmospheric precipitation and temperature, and its implications for paleoclimatology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Railsback, L. Bruce

    2018-05-01

    Growth rate of stalagmites can vary with many factors of physical environment, ecology, and karst hydrogeology, to the extent that growth rates calculated from a carefully selected set of data from 80 stalagmites from around the world vary by a factor of 400 from smallest to largest. Growth rates of those 80 stalagmites nonetheless collectively show correlations to atmospheric precipitation and temperature that are non-trivial (r2 = 0.12 and 0.20, respectively) and unlikely to have arisen randomly (p = 0.002 and 0.00002). Those global relationships are also supported by previously published studies of individual drip sites. The general trend of growth rates is not a monotonic increase with precipitation; instead, it reaches a maximum at annual precipitation rates between 700 and 2300 mm/year, which both counters many model predictions that growth rates should increase monotonically with drip rate and complicates use of growth rate as a proxy for past precipitation. The general trend of growth rates among the 80 stalagmites is a monotonic increase with temperature. However, the low values of r2 in both of these general trends indicate that growth rate can be at best a qualitative rather than quantitative proxy of past conditions. Growth rate shows no statistically significant relationship to effective precipitation, seemingly because of the confounding effect of temperature. Growth rates of aragonite-bearing stalagmites are commonly greater than rates in stalagmites in which calcite is the only carbonate mineral, suggesting both the need for careful identification of mineralogy and the special applicability of aragonitic stalagmites in high-resolution studies. Aragonite has exceptionally great frequency in settings with low effective atmospheric precipitation, supporting previous linkages of that mineral to warm dry environments. Closely-spaced sampling used in recent paleoclimatological studies suggests that unexploited long-term low-resolution records of past

  9. Toxicity, feeding rate and growth rate response to sub-lethal concentrations of anthracene and benzo [a] pyrene in milkfish Chanos chanos (Forskkal).

    PubMed

    Palanikumar, L; Kumaraguru, A K; Ramakritinan, C M; Anand, M

    2013-01-01

    The feeding rate, growth rate and gross conversion efficiency were studied in milkfish Chanos chanos for 28 days of exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of anthracene (1.00, 2.00, 3.00, 6.00 and 12.0 μg l(-1)) and benzo [a] pyrene (0.30, 0.70, 1.40, 2.80 and 5.60 μg l(-1)) under continuous flow through bioassays. Based on survival and growth data, No Observed Effect Concentration; Lowest Observed Effect Concentration were estimated after 28 days, the values for anthracene were 2.03 and 3.09 μg l(-1), and the values for benzo [a] pyrene were 0.82 and 1.46 μg l(-1), respectively. Anthracene and benzo [a] pyrene exposure caused reduction in feeding and growth rate.

  10. Application of growth-phase based light-feeding strategies to simultaneously enhance Chlorella vulgaris growth and lipid accumulation.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yahui; Liao, Qiang; Huang, Yun; Xia, Ao; Fu, Qian; Zhu, Xun; Fu, Jingwei; Li, Jun

    2018-05-01

    Considering the variations of optimal light intensity required by microalgae cells along with growth phases, growth-phase light-feeding strategies were proposed and verified in this paper, aiming at boosting microalgae lipid productivity from the perspective of light conditions optimization. Experimental results demonstrate that under an identical time-averaged light intensity, the light-feeding strategies characterized by stepwise incremental light intensities showed a positive effect on biomass and lipid accumulation. The lipid productivity (235.49 mg L -1  d -1 ) attained under light-feeding strategy V (time-averaged light intensity: 225 μmol m -2  s -1 ) was 52.38% higher over that obtained under a constant light intensity of 225 μmol m -2  s -1 . Subsequently, based on light-feeding strategy V, microalgae lipid productivity was further elevated to 312.92 mg L -1  d -1 employing a two-stage based light-feeding strategy V 560 (time-averaged light intensity: 360 μmol m -2  s -1 ), which was 79.63% higher relative to that achieved under a constant light intensity of 360 μmol m -2  s -1 . Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The Role of the Plant Hormone Benzyl Adenine to Promote Growth for the Diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gutierrez Franco, D.; Vernet, M.; Walters, R. J.; Tan, M.

    2016-02-01

    This study was inspired by the establishment of autoinduction in the model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana, and the identification of the cytokinin plant hormone benzyl adenine (BA) as a potential autoinducer in this species via comparative genome studies. The effects of a wide range (0.0017518 mg/L-500 mg/L) of concentrations of benzyl adenine on the growth dynamics of T. pseudonana have been explored. The results suggest that a concentration of 5 mg BA/L has the highest positive effect on the growth rate of T. pseudonana batch cultures, compared to the other concentrations tested. Furthermore, concentrations of >100 mg BA/L were lethal. No marked effects on the lag phase length were observed. However, it is possible that some trade-offs between growth rate and lag phase length exist as a result of benzyl adenine. For instance, the BA concentration that exhibited the highest growth rate (5mg BA/L; µ=1.06 d-1) had a negative effect on the lag phase length (6 days), as compared to our control (lag phase length = 5 d; µ=0.81 d-1). On the other hand, at 10 mg BA/L, a slightly smaller growth rate of 1.01 d-1 was observed, with a shorter lag phase length of 4 days, suggesting that benzyl adenine may not have a positive effect on all growth parameters at once. These results provide insight into the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of cell-to-cell communication employed by diatoms, and supports the hypothesis that hormones may play an important role in bloom development.

  12. Analysing growth and development of plants jointly using developmental growth stages.

    PubMed

    Dambreville, Anaëlle; Lauri, Pierre-Éric; Normand, Frédéric; Guédon, Yann

    2015-01-01

    Plant growth, the increase of organ dimensions over time, and development, the change in plant structure, are often studied as two separate processes. However, there is structural and functional evidence that these two processes are strongly related. The aim of this study was to investigate the co-ordination between growth and development using mango trees, which have well-defined developmental stages. Developmental stages, determined in an expert way, and organ sizes, determined from objective measurements, were collected during the vegetative growth and flowering phases of two cultivars of mango, Mangifera indica. For a given cultivar and growth unit type (either vegetative or flowering), a multistage model based on absolute growth rate sequences deduced from the measurements was first built, and then growth stages deduced from the model were compared with developmental stages. Strong matches were obtained between growth stages and developmental stages, leading to a consistent definition of integrative developmental growth stages. The growth stages highlighted growth asynchronisms between two topologically connected organs, namely the vegetative axis and its leaves. Integrative developmental growth stages emphasize that developmental stages are closely related to organ growth rates. The results are discussed in terms of the possible physiological processes underlying these stages, including plant hydraulics, biomechanics and carbohydrate partitioning. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  13. Modeling void growth and movement with phase change in thermal energy storage canisters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Darling, Douglas; Namkoong, David; Skarda, J. R. L.

    1993-01-01

    A scheme was developed to model the thermal hydrodynamic behavior of thermal energy storage salts. The model included buoyancy, surface tension, viscosity, phases change with density difference, and void growth and movement. The energy, momentum, and continuity equations were solved using a finite volume formulation. The momentum equation was divided into two pieces. The void growth and void movement are modeled between the two pieces of the momentum equations. Results showed this scheme was able to predict the behavior of thermal energy storage salts.

  14. Cell wall structures leading to cultivar differences in softening rates develop early during apple (Malus x domestica) fruit growth.

    PubMed

    Ng, Jovyn K T; Schröder, Roswitha; Sutherland, Paul W; Hallett, Ian C; Hall, Miriam I; Prakash, Roneel; Smith, Bronwen G; Melton, Laurence D; Johnston, Jason W

    2013-11-19

    There is a paucity of information regarding development of fruit tissue microstructure and changes in the cell walls during fruit growth, and how these developmental processes differ between cultivars with contrasting softening behaviour. In this study we compare two apple cultivars that show different softening rates during fruit development and ripening. We investigate whether these different softening behaviours manifest themselves late during ethylene-induced softening in the ripening phase, or early during fruit expansion and maturation. 'Scifresh' (slow softening) and 'Royal Gala' (rapid softening) apples show differences in cortical microstructure and cell adhesion as early as the cell expansion phase. 'Scifresh' apples showed reduced loss of firmness and greater dry matter accumulation compared with 'Royal Gala' during early fruit development, suggesting differences in resource allocation that influence tissue structural properties. Tricellular junctions in 'Scifresh' were rich in highly-esterified pectin, contributing to stronger cell adhesion and an increased resistance to the development of large airspaces during cell expansion. Consequently, mature fruit of 'Scifresh' showed larger, more angular shaped cells than 'Royal Gala', with less airspaces and denser tissue. Stronger cell adhesion in ripe 'Scifresh' resulted in tissue fracture by cell rupture rather than by cell-to-cell-separation as seen in 'Royal Gala'. CDTA-soluble pectin differed in both cultivars during development, implicating its involvement in cell adhesion. Low pectin methylesterase activity during early stages of fruit development coupled with the lack of immuno-detectable PG was associated with increased cell adhesion in 'Scifresh'. Our results indicate that cell wall structures leading to differences in softening rates of apple fruit develop early during fruit growth and well before the induction of the ripening process.

  15. Observing ice particle growth along fall streaks in mixed-phase clouds using spectral polarimetric radar data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pfitzenmaier, Lukas; Unal, Christine M. H.; Dufournet, Yann; Russchenberg, Herman W. J.

    2018-06-01

    The growth of ice crystals in presence of supercooled liquid droplets represents the most important process for precipitation formation in the mid-latitudes. However, such mixed-phase interaction processes remain relatively unknown, as capturing the complexity in cloud dynamics and microphysical variabilities turns to be a real observational challenge. Ground-based radar systems equipped with fully polarimetric and Doppler capabilities in high temporal and spatial resolutions such as the S-band transportable atmospheric radar (TARA) are best suited to observe mixed-phase growth processes. In this paper, measurements are taken with the TARA radar during the ACCEPT campaign (analysis of the composition of clouds with extended polarization techniques). Besides the common radar observables, the 3-D wind field is also retrieved due to TARA unique three beam configuration. The novelty of this paper is to combine all these observations with a particle evolution detection algorithm based on a new fall streak retrieval technique in order to study ice particle growth within complex precipitating mixed-phased cloud systems. In the presented cases, three different growth processes of ice crystals, plate-like crystals, and needles are detected and related to the presence of supercooled liquid water. Moreover, TARA observed signatures are assessed with co-located measurements obtained from a cloud radar and radiosondes. This paper shows that it is possible to observe ice particle growth processes within complex systems taking advantage of adequate technology and state of the art retrieval algorithms. A significant improvement is made towards a conclusive interpretation of ice particle growth processes and their contribution to rain production using fall streak rearranged radar data.

  16. The Faceted Discrete Growth and Phase Differentiation During the Directional Solidification of 20SiMnMo5 Steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Xiaoping; Li, Dianzhong

    2018-03-01

    The microstructures, segregation and cooling curve were investigated in the directional solidification of 20SiMnMo5 steel. The typical characteristic of faceted growth is identified. The microstructures within the single cellular and within the single dendritic arm, together with the contradictive segregation distribution against the cooling curve, verify the discrete crystal growth in multi-scales. Not only the single cellular/dendritic arm but also the single martensite zone within the single cellular/dendritic arm is produced by the discrete growth. In the viewpoint of segregation, the basic domain following continuous growth has not been revealed. Along with the multi-scale faceted discrete growth, the phase differentiation happens for both the solid and liquid. The differentiated liquid phases appear and evolve with different sizes, positions, compositions and durations. The physical mechanism for the faceted discrete growth is qualitatively established based on the nucleation of new faceted steps induced by the composition gradient and temperature gradient.

  17. The Faceted Discrete Growth and Phase Differentiation During the Directional Solidification of 20SiMnMo5 Steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Xiaoping; Li, Dianzhong

    2018-07-01

    The microstructures, segregation and cooling curve were investigated in the directional solidification of 20SiMnMo5 steel. The typical characteristic of faceted growth is identified. The microstructures within the single cellular and within the single dendritic arm, together with the contradictive segregation distribution against the cooling curve, verify the discrete crystal growth in multi-scales. Not only the single cellular/dendritic arm but also the single martensite zone within the single cellular/dendritic arm is produced by the discrete growth. In the viewpoint of segregation, the basic domain following continuous growth has not been revealed. Along with the multi-scale faceted discrete growth, the phase differentiation happens for both the solid and liquid. The differentiated liquid phases appear and evolve with different sizes, positions, compositions and durations. The physical mechanism for the faceted discrete growth is qualitatively established based on the nucleation of new faceted steps induced by the composition gradient and temperature gradient.

  18. 7075-T6 and 2024-T351 Aluminum Alloy Fatigue Crack Growth Rate Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Forth, Scott C.; Wright, Christopher W.; Johnston, William M., Jr.

    2005-01-01

    Experimental test procedures for the development of fatigue crack growth rate data has been standardized by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Over the past 30 years several gradual changes have been made to the standard without rigorous assessment of the affect these changes have on the precision or variability of the data generated. Therefore, the ASTM committee on fatigue crack growth has initiated an international round robin test program to assess the precision and variability of test results generated using the standard E647-00. Crack growth rate data presented in this report, in support of the ASTM roundrobin, shows excellent precision and repeatability.

  19. Evaluation of data transformations used with the square root and schoolfield models for predicting bacterial growth rate.

    PubMed Central

    Alber, S A; Schaffner, D W

    1992-01-01

    A comparison was made between mathematical variations of the square root and Schoolfield models for predicting growth rate as a function of temperature. The statistical consequences of square root and natural logarithm transformations of growth rate use in several variations of the Schoolfield and square root models were examined. Growth rate variances of Yersinia enterocolitica in brain heart infusion broth increased as a function of temperature. The ability of the two data transformations to correct for the heterogeneity of variance was evaluated. A natural logarithm transformation of growth rate was more effective than a square root transformation at correcting for the heterogeneity of variance. The square root model was more accurate than the Schoolfield model when both models used natural logarithm transformation. PMID:1444367

  20. Wavelength-normalized spectroscopic analysis of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth rates.

    PubMed

    McBirney, Samantha E; Trinh, Kristy; Wong-Beringer, Annie; Armani, Andrea M

    2016-10-01

    Optical density (OD) measurements are the standard approach used in microbiology for characterizing bacteria concentrations in culture media. OD is based on measuring the optical absorbance of a sample at a single wavelength, and any error will propagate through all calculations, leading to reproducibility issues. Here, we use the conventional OD technique to measure the growth rates of two different species of bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The same samples are also analyzed over the entire UV-Vis wavelength spectrum, allowing a distinctly different strategy for data analysis to be performed. Specifically, instead of only analyzing a single wavelength, a multi-wavelength normalization process is implemented. When the OD method is used, the detected signal does not follow the log growth curve. In contrast, the multi-wavelength normalization process minimizes the impact of bacteria byproducts and environmental noise on the signal, thereby accurately quantifying growth rates with high fidelity at low concentrations.

  1. Effect of lag time distribution on the lag phase of bacterial growth - a Monte Carlo analysis

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The objective of this study is to use Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the effect of lag time distribution of individual bacterial cells incubated under isothermal conditions on the development of lag phase. The growth of bacterial cells of the same initial concentration and mean lag phase durati...

  2. Systems Level Regulation of Rhythmic Growth Rate and Biomass Accumulation in Grasses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kay, Steve A.

    Objectives: Several breakthroughs have been recently made in our understanding of plant growth and biomass accumulation. It was found that plant growth is rhythmically controlled throughout the day by the circadian clock through a complex interplay of light and phytohormone signaling pathways. While plants such as the C4 energy crop sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and possibly the C3 grass Brachypodium distachyon also exhibit daily rhythms in growth rate, the molecular details of its regulation remain to be explored. A better understanding of diurnally regulated growth behavior in grasses may lead to species-specific mechanisms highly relevant to future strategies tomore » optimize energy crop biomass yield. Here we propose to devise a systems approach to identify, in parallel, regulatory hubs associated with rhythmic growth in C3 and C4 plants. We propose to use rhythmicity in daily growth patterns to drive the discovery of regulatory network modules controlling biomass accumulation. Description: The project is divided in three main parts: 1) Performing time-lapse imaging and growth measurement in B. distachyon and S. bicolor to determine growth rate dynamic during the day/night cycle. Identifying growth-associated genes whose expression patterns follow the observed growth dynamics using deep sequencing technology, 2) identifying regulators of these genes by screening for DNA-binding proteins interacting with the growth-associated gene promoters identified in Aim 1. Screens will be performed using a validated yeast-one hybrid strategy paired with a specifically designed B. distachyon and S. bicolor transcription factor libraries (1000 clones each), and 3) Selecting 50 potential growth regulators from the screen for downstream characterization. The selection will be made by using a sytems biology approach by calculating the connectivity between growth rate, rhythmic gene expression profiles and TF expression profile and determine which TF is likely part of

  3. The growth rate of vertex-transitive planar graphs

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Babai, L.

    1997-06-01

    A graph is vertex-transitive if all of its vertices axe equivalent under automorphisms. Confirming a conjecture of Jon Kleinberg and Eva Tardos, we prove the following trichotomy theorem concerning locally finite vertex-transitive planar graphs: the rate of growth of a graph with these properties is either linear or quadratic or exponential. The same result holds more generally for locally finite, almost vertex-transitive planar graphs (the automorphism group has a finite number of orbits). The proof uses the elements of hyperbolic plane geometry.

  4. Inequality of Size and Size Increment in Pinus banksiana in Relation to Stand Dynamics and Annual Growth Rate

    PubMed Central

    Metsaranta, Juha M.; Lieffers, Victor J.

    2008-01-01

    Background and Aims Changes in size inequality in tree populations are often attributed to changes in the mode of competition over time. The mode of competition may also fluctuate annually in response to variation in growing conditions. Factors causing growth rate to vary can also influence competition processes, and thus influence how size hierarchies develop. Methods Detailed data obtained by tree-ring reconstruction were used to study annual changes in size and size increment inequality in several even-aged, fire-origin jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands in the boreal shield and boreal plains ecozones in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada, by using the Gini and Lorenz asymmetry coefficients. Key Results The inequality of size was related to variables reflecting long-term stand dynamics (e.g. stand density, mean tree size and average competition, as quantified using a distance-weighted absolute size index). The inequality of size increment was greater and more variable than the inequality of size. Inequality of size increment was significantly related to annual growth rate at the stand level, and was higher when growth rate was low. Inequality of size increment was usually due primarily to large numbers of trees with low growth rates, except during years with low growth rate when it was often due to small numbers of trees with high growth rates. The amount of competition to which individual trees were subject was not strongly related to the inequality of size increment. Conclusions Differences in growth rate among trees during years of poor growth may form the basis for development of size hierarchies on which asymmetric competition can act. A complete understanding of the dynamics of these forests requires further evaluation of the way in which factors that influence variation in annual growth rate also affect the mode of competition and the development of size hierarchies. PMID:18089583

  5. Inequality of size and size increment in Pinus banksiana in relation to stand dynamics and annual growth rate.

    PubMed

    Metsaranta, Juha M; Lieffers, Victor J

    2008-03-01

    Changes in size inequality in tree populations are often attributed to changes in the mode of competition over time. The mode of competition may also fluctuate annually in response to variation in growing conditions. Factors causing growth rate to vary can also influence competition processes, and thus influence how size hierarchies develop. Detailed data obtained by tree-ring reconstruction were used to study annual changes in size and size increment inequality in several even-aged, fire-origin jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands in the boreal shield and boreal plains ecozones in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada, by using the Gini and Lorenz asymmetry coefficients. The inequality of size was related to variables reflecting long-term stand dynamics (e.g. stand density, mean tree size and average competition, as quantified using a distance-weighted absolute size index). The inequality of size increment was greater and more variable than the inequality of size. Inequality of size increment was significantly related to annual growth rate at the stand level, and was higher when growth rate was low. Inequality of size increment was usually due primarily to large numbers of trees with low growth rates, except during years with low growth rate when it was often due to small numbers of trees with high growth rates. The amount of competition to which individual trees were subject was not strongly related to the inequality of size increment. Differences in growth rate among trees during years of poor growth may form the basis for development of size hierarchies on which asymmetric competition can act. A complete understanding of the dynamics of these forests requires further evaluation of the way in which factors that influence variation in annual growth rate also affect the mode of competition and the development of size hierarchies.

  6. The effect of temperature and bacterial growth phase on protein extraction by means of electroporation.

    PubMed

    Haberl-Meglič, Saša; Levičnik, Eva; Luengo, Elisa; Raso, Javier; Miklavčič, Damijan

    2016-12-01

    Different chemical and physical methods are used for extraction of proteins from bacteria, which are used in variety of fields. But on a large scale, many methods have severe drawbacks. Recently, extraction by means of electroporation showed a great potential to quickly obtain proteins from bacteria. Since many parameters are affecting the yield of extracted proteins, our aim was to investigate the effect of temperature and bacterial growth phase on the yield of extracted proteins. At the same time bacterial viability was tested. Our results showed that the temperature has a great effect on protein extraction, the best temperature post treatment being 4°C. No effect on bacterial viability was observed for all temperatures tested. Also bacterial growth phase did not affect the yield of extracted proteins or bacterial viability. Nevertheless, further experiments may need to be performed to confirm this observation, since only one incubation temperature (4°C) and one incubation time before and after electroporation (0.5 and 1h) were tested for bacterial growth phase. Based on our results we conclude that temperature is a key element for bacterial membrane to stay in a permeabilized state, so more proteins flow out of bacteria into surrounding media. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Comparison of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) growth rate in culture media supplemented with or without basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF).

    PubMed

    Abdian, Narges; Ghasemi-Dehkordi, Payam; Hashemzadeh-Chaleshtori, Morteza; Ganji-Arjenaki, Mahbobe; Doosti, Abbas; Amiri, Beheshteh

    2015-12-01

    Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF or FGF-2) is a member of the FGF family secreted by different kinds of cells like HDFs and it is an important nutritional factor for cell growth and differentiation. The HDFs release bFGF in culture media at very low. The present study aims to investigate the HDFs growth rate in culture media supplemented either with or without bFGF. In brief, HDFs were isolated from human foreskin sample and were cultured in vitro in media containing bFGF and lack of this factor. The cells growth rate was calculated by trypan blue. The karyotyping was performed using G-banding to investigate the chromosomal abnormality of HDFs in both groups. Total RNA of each groups were extracted and cDNA samples were synthesized then, real-time Q-PCR was used to measure the expression level of p27kip1 and cyclin D1 genes normalized to internal control gene (GAPDH). The karyotype analysis showed that HDFs cultured in media or without bFGF had normal karyotype (46 chromosomes, XY) and chromosomal abnormalities were not observed. The cell growth rates in both groups were normal with proliferated exponentially but the slope of growth curve in HDFs cultured in media containing bFGF was increased. Karyotyp test showed that bFGF does not affect on cytogenetic stability of cells. The survey of p27kip1 and cyclin D1 genes by real-time Q-PCR showed that the expression level of these genes were up-regulated when adding bFGF in culture media (p < 0.05). The findings of the present study demonstrate that appropriate supplementation of culture media with growth factor like bFGF could enhance the proliferation and differentiation capacity of cells and improve cells growth rate. Similarly, fibroblast growth factors did not induce any chromosomal abnormality in cells. Furthermore, in HDFs cultured in bFGF supplemented media, the p27kip1 and cyclin D1 genes were up-regulated and suggesting an important role for bFGF in cell-cycle regulation and progression and fibroblast

  8. Evaluation of coral pathogen growth rates after exposure to atmospheric African dust samples

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lisle, John T.; Garrison, Virginia H.; Gray, Michael A.

    2014-01-01

    Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess if exposure to atmospheric African dust stimulates or inhibits the growth of four putative bacterial coral pathogens. Atmospheric dust was collected from a dust-source region (Mali, West Africa) and from Saharan Air Layer masses over downwind sites in the Caribbean [Trinidad and Tobago and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI)]. Extracts of dust samples were used to dose laboratory-grown cultures of four putative coral pathogens: Aurantimonas coralicida (white plague type II), Serratia marcescens (white pox), Vibrio coralliilyticus, and V. shiloi (bacteria-induced bleaching). Growth of A. coralicida and V. shiloi was slightly stimulated by dust extracts from Mali and USVI, respectively, but unaffected by extracts from the other dust sources. Lag time to the start of log-growth phase was significantly shortened for A. coralicida when dosed with dust extracts from Mali and USVI. Growth of S. marcescens and V. coralliilyticus was neither stimulated nor inhibited by any of the dust extracts. This study demonstrates that constituents from atmospheric dust can alter growth of recognized coral disease pathogens under laboratory conditions.

  9. Resting metabolic expenditure as a potential source of variation in growth rates of the sagebrush lizard.

    PubMed

    Sears, Michael W

    2005-02-01

    Along an elevational gradient on SW Utah, sagebrush lizards (Sceloporus graciosus) exhibit an unexpected pattern of growth. Lizards from a high elevation population grow faster than lizards from two populations at lower elevations despite shorter daily and seasonal activity. Results from a common environment study of growth suggest that the differences in growth are not due to adaptation to local environmental conditions. In this study, I test the hypothesis that higher growth rates in lizards from high elevation may be attributable to reduced resting metabolic expenditure compared to that of lizards from populations at two lower elevations. Resting metabolic rates were measured for individuals from each of the study populations across different times of day and over a broad range of temperatures. Under the same laboratory conditions, field-caught lizards from the high elevation population exhibited lower metabolic rates when compared to lizards from lower elevations. Daily resting metabolic expenditures were calculated using the observed metabolic rates coupled with estimates of daily activity. Daily resting metabolic expenditure was 50% greater for individuals from the two lower elevation populations, which could result in 12.5% more energy that could be potentially allocated to growth for lizards from high elevation. Such energetic savings may be able to explain differences in the patterns of growth observed in nature.

  10. Decreased growth rate of P. falciparum blood stage parasitemia with age in a holoendemic population.

    PubMed

    Pinkevych, Mykola; Petravic, Janka; Chelimo, Kiprotich; Vulule, John; Kazura, James W; Moormann, Ann M; Davenport, Miles P

    2014-04-01

    In malaria holoendemic settings, decreased parasitemia and clinical disease is associated with age and cumulative exposure. The relative contribution of acquired immunity against various stages of the parasite life cycle is not well understood. In particular, it is not known whether changes in infection dynamics can be best explained by decreasing rates of infection, or by decreased growth rates of parasites in blood. Here, we analyze the dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum infection after treatment in a cohort of 197 healthy study participants of different ages. We use both polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microscopy detection of parasitemia in order to understand parasite growth rates and infection rates over time. The more sensitive PCR assay detects parasites earlier than microscopy, and demonstrates a higher overall prevalence of infection than microscopy alone. The delay between PCR and microscopy detection is significantly longer in adults compared with children, consistent with slower parasite growth with age. We estimated the parasite multiplication rate from delay to PCR and microscopy detections of parasitemia. We find that both the delay between PCR and microscopy infection as well as the differing reinfection dynamics in different age groups are best explained by a slowing of parasite growth with age.

  11. Growth rate characteristics of acidophilic heterotrophic organisms from mine waste rock piles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yacob, T. W.; Silverstein, J.; Jenkins, J.; Andre, B. J.; Rajaram, H.

    2010-12-01

    Autotrophic iron oxidizing bacteria play a key role in pyrite oxidation and generation of acid mine drainage AMD. Scarcity of organic substrates in many disturbed sites insures that IOB have sufficient oxygen and other nutrients for growth. It is proposed that addition of organic carbon substrate to waste rock piles will result in enrichment of heterotrophic microorganisms limiting the role of IOB in AMD generation. Previous researchers have used the acidophilic heterotroph Acidiphilium cryptum as a model to study the effects of organic substrate addition on the pyrite oxidation/AMD cycle. In order to develop a quantitative model of effects such as competition for oxygen, it is necessary to use growth and substrate consumption rate expressions, and one approach is to choose a model strain such as A. cryptum for kinetic studies. However we have found that the growth rate characteristics of A. cryptum may not provide an accurate model of the remediation effects of organic addition to subsurface mined sites. Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) assays of extracts of mine waste rock enriched with glucose and yeast extract did not produce countable numbers of cells in the Acidiphilium genus, with a detection limit of3 x 104 cells/gram rock, despite evidence of the presence of well established heterotrophic organisms. However, an MPN enrichment produced heterotrophic population estimates of 1x107 and 1x109 cells/gram rock. Growth rate studies of A. cryptum showed that cultures took 120 hours to degrade 50% of an initial glucose concentration of 2,000 mg/L. However a mixed culture enriched from mine waste rock consumed 100% of the same amount of glucose in 24 hours. Substrate consumption data for the mixed culture were fit to a Monod growth model: {dS}/{dt} = μ_{max}S {( {X_0}/{Y} + S_0 -S )}/{(K_s +S)} Kinetic parameters were estimated utilizing a non linear regression method coupled with an ODE solver. The maximum specific growth rate of the mixed population with

  12. An experimental investigation of the effect of hydrophobicity on the rate of frost growth in laminar channel flows

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dyer, J.M.; Storey, B.D.; Hoke, J.L.

    2000-07-01

    An experimental investigation of the effect of the substrate on frost growth rate is presented. Measurements of frost height as a function of time are presented for a flat, bare, horizontally oriented aluminum substrate and four coated substrates, two hydrophilic and two hydrophobic. The average frost growth rate on the hydrophilic coated aluminum substrate is 13% higher than the control substrate, while the frost growth rate on the hydrophilic kapton substrate is 4% higher. Frost grows on the hydrophobic substrates at a rate 19% and 3% lower than the reference substrate for the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coated steel and PTFE tape,more » respectively. Differences in the receding and advancing contact angles for these substrates do not fully explain the difference in growth rates. Differences in initial water deposition, freezing, and frost growth on hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates are examined using confocal microscopy. On the basis of the microscopic observations, the authors hypothesize that the water coverage on the substrate before and after freezing can affect the thermal resistance of the mature frost layer. Differences in thermal resistance, in turn, affect the growth rate.« less

  13. Speed over efficiency: locusts select body temperatures that favour growth rate over efficient nutrient utilization

    PubMed Central

    Miller, Gabriel A.; Clissold, Fiona J.; Mayntz, David; Simpson, Stephen J.

    2009-01-01

    Ectotherms have evolved preferences for particular body temperatures, but the nutritional and life-history consequences of such temperature preferences are not well understood. We measured thermal preferences in Locusta migratoria (migratory locusts) and used a multi-factorial experimental design to investigate relationships between growth/development and macronutrient utilization (conversion of ingesta to body mass) as a function of temperature. A range of macronutrient intake values for insects at 26, 32 and 38°C was achieved by offering individuals high-protein diets, high-carbohydrate diets or a choice between both. Locusts placed in a thermal gradient selected temperatures near 38°C, maximizing rates of weight gain; however, this enhanced growth rate came at the cost of poor protein and carbohydrate utilization. Protein and carbohydrate were equally digested across temperature treatments, but once digested both macronutrients were converted to growth most efficiently at the intermediate temperature (32°C). Body temperature preference thus yielded maximal growth rates at the expense of efficient nutrient utilization. PMID:19625322

  14. Bacterial diversity, community structure and potential growth rates along an estuarine salinity gradient

    PubMed Central

    Campbell, Barbara J; Kirchman, David L

    2013-01-01

    Very little is known about growth rates of individual bacterial taxa and how they respond to environmental flux. Here, we characterized bacterial community diversity, structure and the relative abundance of 16S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes (rDNA) using pyrosequencing along the salinity gradient in the Delaware Bay. Indices of diversity, evenness, structure and growth rates of the surface bacterial community significantly varied along the transect, reflecting active mixing between the freshwater and marine ends of the estuary. There was no positive correlation between relative abundances of 16S rRNA and rDNA for the entire bacterial community, suggesting that abundance of bacteria does not necessarily reflect potential growth rate or activity. However, for almost half of the individual taxa, 16S rRNA positively correlated with rDNA, suggesting that activity did follow abundance in these cases. The positive relationship between 16S rRNA and rDNA was less in the whole water community than for free-living taxa, indicating that the two communities differed in activity. The 16S rRNA:rDNA ratios of some typically marine taxa reflected differences in light, nutrient concentrations and other environmental factors along the estuarine gradient. The ratios of individual freshwater taxa declined as salinity increased, whereas the 16S rRNA:rDNA ratios of only some typical marine bacteria increased as salinity increased. These data suggest that physical and other bottom-up factors differentially affect growth rates, but not necessarily abundance of individual taxa in this highly variable environment. PMID:22895159

  15. Influence of growth rate and onset of boar contact on puberty attainment of replacement gilts raised in Thailand.

    PubMed

    Roongsitthichai, Atthaporn; Olanratmanee, Em-On; Tummaruk, Padet

    2014-10-01

    This study aimed to investigate the influence of growth rate and onset of boar contact on age at first observed estrus of the replacement gilts raised in Thailand. In total, 766 gilts were measured for body weight and backfat thickness prior to insemination. Body weight was further calculated for growth rate. Estrus detection was performed twice a day by back pressure test with an existence of mature boars with high libido. The first date of boar exposure and that of first observed estrus were individually recorded. Due to growth rate, they were classified into three groups: high (>700 g/day), moderate (600-700 g/day), and low (<600 g/day). According to onset of boar contact, the gilts were grouped into two categories: early (<150 days) and late (≥150 days). The results revealed that the gilts expressed first observed estrus, averagely, at age 205.1 ± 34.1 days, had a growth rate of 615.5 ± 57.6 g/day, and first contact with boars at 160.7 ± 19.9 days of age. The gilts with low growth rate expressed first estrus later than those with moderate (208.6 ± 2.0 vs 198.0 ± 3.2 days, P = 0.033) and high growth rate (208.6 ± 2.0 vs 193.9 ± 6.7 days, P = 0.005) groups. Together with the influence of boar exposure, the gilts contacted boar earlier with high growth rate showed first estrus at age 180.3 ± 10.1 days, whereas those with later boar contact with low growth rate showed first estrus at age 197.9 ± 3.2 days. In summary, the replacement gilts should have high growth rate and contact boar early to attain puberty faster and possess decent subsequent reproductive performance.

  16. Non-linear stochastic growth rates and redshift space distortions

    DOE PAGES

    Jennings, Elise; Jennings, David

    2015-04-09

    The linear growth rate is commonly defined through a simple deterministic relation between the velocity divergence and the matter overdensity in the linear regime. We introduce a formalism that extends this to a non-linear, stochastic relation between θ = ∇ ∙ v(x,t)/aH and δ. This provides a new phenomenological approach that examines the conditional mean , together with the fluctuations of θ around this mean. We also measure these stochastic components using N-body simulations and find they are non-negative and increase with decreasing scale from ~10 per cent at k < 0.2 h Mpc -1 to 25 per cent atmore » k ~ 0.45 h Mpc -1 at z = 0. Both the stochastic relation and non-linearity are more pronounced for haloes, M ≤ 5 × 10 12 M ⊙ h -1, compared to the dark matter at z = 0 and 1. Non-linear growth effects manifest themselves as a rotation of the mean away from the linear theory prediction -f LTδ, where f LT is the linear growth rate. This rotation increases with wavenumber, k, and we show that it can be well-described by second-order Lagrangian perturbation theory (2LPT) fork < 0.1 h Mpc -1. Furthermore, the stochasticity in the θ – δ relation is not so simply described by 2LPT, and we discuss its impact on measurements of f LT from two-point statistics in redshift space. Furthermore, given that the relationship between δ and θ is stochastic and non-linear, this will have implications for the interpretation and precision of f LT extracted using models which assume a linear, deterministic expression.« less

  17. Bacterial growth rates are influenced by cellular characteristics of individual species when immersed in electromagnetic fields.

    PubMed

    Tessaro, Lucas W E; Murugan, Nirosha J; Persinger, Michael A

    2015-03-01

    Previous studies have shown that exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) have negative effects on the rate of growth of bacteria. In the present study, two Gram-positive and two Gram-negative species were exposed to six magnetic field conditions in broth cultures. Three variations of the 'Thomas' pulsed frequency-modulated pattern; a strong-static "puck" magnet upwards of 5000G in intensity; a pair of these magnets rotating opposite one another at ∼30rpm; and finally a strong dynamic magnetic field generator termed the 'Resonator' with an average intensity of 250μT were used. Growth rate was discerned by optical density (OD) measurements every hour at 600nm. ELF-EMF conditions significantly affected the rates of growth of the bacterial cultures, while the two static magnetic field conditions were not statistically significant. Most interestingly, the 'Resonator' dynamic magnetic field increased the rates of growth of three species (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli), while slowing the growth of one (Serratia marcescens). We suggest that these effects are due to individual biophysical characteristics of the bacterial species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  18. A Growth-rate Indicator for Compton-thick Active Galactic Nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brightman, M.; Masini, A.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Baloković, M.; Brandt, W. N.; Chen, C.-T.; Comastri, A.; Farrah, D.; Gandhi, P.; Harrison, F. A.; Ricci, C.; Stern, D.; Walton, D. J.

    2016-07-01

    Due to their heavily obscured central engines, the growth rate of Compton-thick (CT) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is difficult to measure. A statistically significant correlation between the Eddington ratio, λ Edd, and the X-ray power-law index, Γ, observed in unobscured AGNs offers an estimate of their growth rate from X-ray spectroscopy (albeit with large scatter). However, since X-rays undergo reprocessing by Compton scattering and photoelectric absorption when the line of sight to the central engine is heavily obscured, the recovery of the intrinsic Γ is challenging. Here we study a sample of local, predominantly CT megamaser AGNs, where the black hole mass, and thus Eddington luminosity, are well known. We compile results of the X-ray spectral fitting of these sources with sensitive high-energy (E > 10 keV) NuSTAR data, where X-ray torus models, which take into account the reprocessing effects have been used to recover the intrinsic Γ values and X-ray luminosities, L X. With a simple bolometric correction to L X to calculate λ Edd, we find a statistically significant correlation between Γ and λ Edd (p = 0.007). A linear fit to the data yields Γ = (0.41 ± 0.18)log10 λ Edd + (2.38 ± 0.20), which is statistically consistent with results for unobscured AGNs. This result implies that torus modeling successfully recovers the intrinsic AGN parameters. Since the megamasers have low-mass black holes (M BH ≈ 106-107 M ⊙) and are highly inclined, our results extend the Γ-λ Edd relationship to lower masses and argue against strong orientation effects in the corona, in support of AGN unification. Finally this result supports the use of Γ as a growth-rate indicator for accreting black holes, even for CT AGNs.

  19. A model of northern pintail productivity and population growth rate

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Flint, Paul L.; Grand, James B.; Rockwell, Robert F.

    1998-01-01

    Our objective was to synthesize individual components of reproductive ecology into a single estimate of productivity and to assess the relative effects of survival and productivity on population dynamics. We used information on nesting ecology, renesting potential, and duckling survival of northern pintails (Anas acuta) collected on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (Y-K Delta), Alaska, 1991-95, to model the number of ducklings produced under a range of nest success and duckling survival probabilities. Using average values of 25% nest success, 11% duckling survival, and 56% renesting probability from our study population, we calculated that all young in our population were produced by 13% of the breeding females, and that early-nesting females produced more young than later-nesting females. Further, we calculated, on average, that each female produced only 0.16 young females/nesting season. We combined these results with estimates of first-year and adult survival to examine the growth rate (X) of the population and the relative contributions of these demographic parameters to that growth rate. Contrary to aerial survey data, the population projection model suggests our study population is declining rapidly (X = 0.6969). The relative effects on population growth rate were 0.1175 for reproductive success, 0.1175 for first-year survival, and 0.8825 for adult survival. Adult survival had the greatest influence on X for our population, and this conclusion was robust over a range of survival and productivity estimates. Given published estimates of annual survival for adult females (61%), our model suggested nest success and duckling survival need to increase to approximately 40% to achieve population stability. We discuss reasons for the apparent discrepancy in population trends between our model and aerial surveys in terms of bias in productivity and survival estimates.

  20. Rate-induced solubility and suppression of the first-order phase transition in olivine LiFePO4.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xiaoyu; van Hulzen, Martijn; Singh, Deepak P; Brownrigg, Alex; Wright, Jonathan P; van Dijk, Niels H; Wagemaker, Marnix

    2014-05-14

    The impact of ultrahigh (dis)charge rates on the phase transition mechanism in LiFePO4 Li-ion electrodes is revealed by in situ synchrotron diffraction. At high rates the solubility limits in both phases increase dramatically, causing a fraction of the electrode to bypass the first-order phase transition. The small transforming fraction demonstrates that nucleation rates are consequently not limiting the transformation rate. In combination with the small fraction of the electrode that transforms at high rates, this indicates that higher performances may be achieved by further optimizing the ionic/electronic transport in LiFePO4 electrodes.