Stabilization of collagen nanofibers with l-lysine improves the ability of carbodiimide cross-linked amniotic membranes to preserve limbal epithelial progenitor cells

PubMed Central

Lai, Jui-Yang; Wang, Pei-Ran; Luo, Li-Jyuan; Chen, Si-Tan

2014-01-01

To overcome the drawbacks associated with limited cross-linking efficiency of carbodiimide modified amniotic membrane, this study investigated the use of l-lysine as an additional amino acid bridge to enhance the stability of a nanofibrous tissue matrix for a limbal epithelial cell culture platform. Results of ninhydrin assays and zeta potential measurements showed that the amount of positively charged amino acid residues incorporated into the tissue collagen chains is highly correlated with the l-lysine-pretreated concentration. The cross-linked structure and hydrophilicity of amniotic membrane scaffolding materials affected by the lysine molecular bridging effects were determined. With an increase in the l-lysine-pretreated concentration from 1 to 30 mM, the cross-linking density was significantly increased and water content was markedly decreased. The variations in resistance to thermal denaturation and enzymatic degradation were in accordance with the number of cross-links per unit mass of amniotic membrane, indicating l-lysine-modulated stabilization of collagen molecules. It was also noteworthy that the carbodiimide cross-linked tissue samples prepared using a relatively high l-lysine-pretreated concentration (ie, 30 mM) appeared to have decreased light transmittance and biocompatibility, probably due to the influence of a large nanofiber size and a high charge density. The rise in stemness gene and protein expression levels was dependent on improved cross-link formation, suggesting the crucial role of amino acid bridges in constructing suitable scaffolds to preserve limbal progenitor cells. It is concluded that mild to moderate pretreatment conditions (ie, 3–10 mM l-lysine) can provide a useful strategy to assist in the development of carbodiimide cross-linked amniotic membrane as a stable stem cell niche for corneal epithelial tissue engineering. PMID:25395849

Precuring implant photoresists for shrink and patterning control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winroth, Gustaf; Rosseel, Erik; Delvaux, Christie; Sanchez, Efrain Altamirano; Ercken, Monique

2013-10-01

193-nm compatible photoresists are turning out to be the new platform for implant lithography, due to the increasing requirements in both resolution and overlay. Shrinkage of such resists is becoming progressively the most topical issue for aggressive nodes, where conventional pretreatments from older resist platforms, such as ultraviolet flood exposures, are not directly transferable to (meth-)acrylate-type resists. The precuring options available for state-of-the-art implant photoresists for 193-nm lithography is explored, in which we target to reduce the shrinkage during implantation for trenching critical dimensions (CDs) that are relevant for nodes <20 nm. An extensive study comprising different approaches, including laser-, ion-, and electron-based treatments, is presented. Each treatment is individually investigated with the aim to find not only a valid pretreatment for shrinkage control during implantation, but also to understand what effect alternative pretreatments have on the morphology and the CDs of thick photoresists used as implant stopping layers. Viable options for further process optimization in order to integrate them into device process flows are found. To this extent, the shrink behavior after pretreatment is shown, and the additional shrink dynamics after implantation are compared.

Genetically Engineered Materials for Biofuels Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raab, Michael

2012-02-01

Agrivida, Inc., is an agricultural biotechnology company developing industrial crop feedstocks for the fuel and chemical industries. Agrivida's crops have improved processing traits that enable efficient, low cost conversion of the crops' cellulosic components into fermentable sugars. Currently, pretreatment and enzymatic conversion of the major cell wall components, cellulose and hemicellulose, into fermentable sugars is the most expensive processing step that prevents widespread adoption of biomass in biofuels processes. To lower production costs we are consolidating pretreatment and enzyme production within the crop. In this strategy, transgenic plants express engineered cell wall degrading enzymes in an inactive form, which can be reactivated after harvest. We have engineered protein elements that disrupt enzyme activity during normal plant growth. Upon exposure to specific processing conditions, the engineered enzymes are converted into their active forms. This mechanism significantly lowers pretreatment costs and enzyme loadings (>75% reduction) below those currently available to the industry.

Platform construction and extraction mechanism study of magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid-phase extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Deli; Zhang, Chan; He, Jia; Zeng, Rong; Chen, Rong; He, Hua

2016-12-01

Simple, accurate and high-throughput pretreatment method would facilitate large-scale studies of trace analysis in complex samples. Magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid-phase extraction has the power to become a key pretreatment method in biological, environmental and clinical research. However, lacking of experimental predictability and unsharpness of extraction mechanism limit the development of this promising method. Herein, this work tries to establish theoretical-based experimental designs for extraction of trace analytes from complex samples using magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid-phase extraction. We selected three categories and six sub-types of compounds for systematic comparative study of extraction mechanism, and comprehensively illustrated the roles of different force (hydrophobic interaction, π-π stacking interactions, hydrogen-bonding interaction, electrostatic interaction) for the first time. What’s more, the application guidelines for supporting materials, surfactants and sample matrix were also summarized. The extraction mechanism and platform established in the study render its future promising for foreseeable and efficient pretreatment under theoretical based experimental design for trace analytes from environmental, biological and clinical samples.

Biomass Deconstruction and Pretreatment Publications | Bioenergy | NREL

Science.gov Websites

a quantitative indication of data uncertainty. Enlarge image Transgenic Ferritin Overproduction Pretreatment, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research Image of a chart showing solubilization of

Impact of thermal pretreatment and MSW origin on composition and hydrolysability in a sugar platform biorefinery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaurs, L. P.; Heaven, S.; Banks, C. J.

2018-03-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a widely available large volume source of lignocellulosic material containing a waste paper/cardboard mixture which can be converted into fermentable sugars via cellulolytic enzyme hydrolysis in a sugar platform biorefinery. Thermal pretreatments are generally applied to MSW to facilitate the extraction of the lignocellulosic material from recyclable materials (plastics, metals etc.) and improve the paper pulp conversion to sugars. Applying high temperature might enhance food waste solubilisation but may collapse cellulose fibre decreasing its hydrolysability. Low temperature pre-treatment will reduce the energy demand but might result in highly contaminated pulp. Preliminary results showed that the enzymatic hydrolysis performances were dependent on the MSW origins. Using 8 different samples, the impact of thermal pretreatment and MSW origin on pulp composition and hydrolysability was assessed in this work. Low pre-treatment temperature produced pulp which contained less lignocellulosic material but which hydrolysed to a higher degree than MSW treated at high temperatures. High temperature pre-treatment could have exposed more of the inhibiting lignin to cellulase. This information would have a significant economic impact on a commercial plant as expensive autoclave could be advantageously replaced by a cheaper process. Glucan conversions were also found to vary depending on the region, the recycling rate possibly because of the lower recycling rate resulting in the use of less paper additive in the material or the difference in paper production technology (chemical VS mechanical pulping). This could also be explained by the differences in paper composition.

Influence of size reduction treatments on sugar recovery from Norway spruce for butanol production.

PubMed

Yang, Ming; Xu, Minyuan; Nan, Yufei; Kuittinen, Suvi; Kamrul Hassan, Md; Vepsäläinen, Jouko; Xin, Donglin; Zhang, Junhua; Pappinen, Ari

2018-06-01

This study investigated whether the effectiveness of pretreatment is limited by a size reduction of Norway spruce wood in biobutanol production. The spruce was milled, chipped, and mashed for hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid (HPAC) and dilute acid (DA) pretreatment. Sugar recoveries from chipped and mashed spruce after enzymatic hydrolysis were higher than from milled spruce, and the recoveries were not correlated with the spruce fiber length. HPAC pretreatment resulted in almost 100% glucose and 88% total reducing sugars recoveries from chipped spruce, which were apparently higher than DA pretreatment, demonstrating greater effectiveness of HPAC pretreatment on sugar production. The butanol and ABE yield from chipped spruce were 126.5 and 201.2 g/kg pretreated spruce, respectively. The yields decreased with decreasing particle size due to biomass loss in the pretreatment. The results suggested that Norway spruce chipped to a 20 mm length is applicable to the production of platform sugars for butanol fermentation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PEP Support Laboratory Leaching and Permeate Stability Tests

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

Russell, Renee L.; Peterson, Reid A.; Rinehart, Donald E.

2009-09-25

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been tasked by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) on the River Protection Project-Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (RPP-WTP) project to perform research and development activities to resolve technical issues identified for the Pretreatment Facility (PTF). The Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) was designed, constructed, and operated as part of a plan to respond to issue M12, "Undemonstrated Leaching Processes," of the External Flowsheet Review Team (EFRT) issue response plan.( ) The PEP is a 1/4.5-scale test platform designed to simulate the WTP pretreatment caustic leaching, oxidative leaching, ultrafiltration solids concentration, and slurry washing processes.more » The PEP replicates the WTP leaching processes using prototypic equipment and control strategies. A simplified flow diagram of the PEP system is shown in Figure 1.1. Two operating scenarios are currently being evaluated for the ultrafiltration process (UFP) and leaching operations. The first scenario has caustic leaching performed in the UFP-2 ultrafiltration feed vessels (i.e., vessel UFP-VSL-T02A in the PEP and vessels UFP-VSL-00002A and B in the WTP PTF). The second scenario has caustic leaching conducted in the UFP-1 ultrafiltration feed preparation vessels (i.e., vessels UFP-VSL-T01A and B in the PEP and vessels UFP-VSL-00001A and B in the WTP PTF). In both scenarios, 19-M sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH, caustic) is added to the waste slurry in the vessels to leach solid aluminum compounds (e.g., gibbsite, boehmite). Caustic addition is followed by a heating step that uses direct injection of steam to accelerate the leach process. Following the caustic leach, the vessel contents are cooled using vessel cooling jackets and/or external heat exchangers. The main difference between the two scenarios is that for leaching in UFP-VSL-T01A and B, the 19-M NaOH is added to un-concentrated waste slurry (3 to 8 wt% solids), while for leaching in UFP-VSL-T02A, the slurry is concentrated to nominally 20 wt% solids using cross-flow ultrafiltration before adding caustic.« less

Lignin structural alterations in thermochemical pretreatments with limited delignification

DOE PAGES

Pu, Yunqiao; Hu, Fan; Huang, Fang; ...

2015-08-02

Lignocellulosic biomass has a complex and rigid cell wall structure that makes biomass recalcitrant to biological and chemical degradation. Among the three major structural biopolymers (i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) in plant cell walls, lignin is considered the most recalcitrant component and generally plays a negative role in the biochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels. The conversion of biomass to biofuels through a biochemical platform usually requires a pretreatment stage to reduce the recalcitrance. Pretreatment renders compositional and structural changes of biomass with these changes ultimately govern the efficiency of the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Dilute acid, hot water, steam explosion,more » and ammonia fiber expansion pretreatments are among the leading thermochemical pretreatments with a limited delignification that can reduce biomass recalcitrance. Practical applications of these pretreatment are rapidly developing as illustrated by recent commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plants. While these thermochemical pretreatments generally lead to only a limited delignification and no significant change of lignin content in the pretreated biomass, the lignin transformations that occur during these pretreatments and the roles they play in recalcitrance reduction is an important research aspect. This review highlights recent advances in our understanding of lignin alterations during these limited delignification thermochemical pretreatments, with emphasis on lignin chemical structures, molecular weights, and redistributions in the pretreated biomass.« less

Physiology informed virtual surgical planning: a case study with a virtual airway surgical planner and BioGears

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potter, Lucas; Arikatla, Sreekanth; Bray, Aaron; Webb, Jeff; Enquobahrie, Andinet

2017-03-01

Stenosis of the upper airway affects approximately 1 in 200,000 adults per year1 , and occurs in neonates as well2 . Its treatment is often dictated by institutional factors and clinicians' experience or preferences 3 . Objective and quantitative methods of evaluating treatment options hold the potential to improve care in stenosis patients. Virtual surgical planning software tools are critically important for this. The Virtual Pediatric Airway Workbench (VPAW) is a software platform designed and evaluated for upper airway stenosis treatment planning. It incorporates CFD simulation and geometric authoring with objective metrics from both that help in informed evaluation and planning. However, this planner currently lacks physiological information which could impact the surgical planning outcomes. In this work, we integrated a lumped parameter, model based human physiological engine called BioGears with VPAW. We demonstrated the use of physiology informed virtual surgical planning platform for patient-specific stenosis treatment planning. The preliminary results show that incorporating patient-specific physiology in the pretreatment plan would play important role in patient-specific surgical trainers and planners in airway surgery and other types of surgery that are significantly impacted by physiological conditions during surgery.

A citrus waste-based biorefinery as a source of renewable energy: technical advances and analysis of engineering challenges.

PubMed

Rivas-Cantu, Raul C; Jones, Kim D; Mills, Patrick L

2013-04-01

An assessment of recent technical advances on pretreatment processes and its effects on enzymatic hydrolysis as the main steps of a proposed citrus processing waste (CPW) biorefinery is presented. Engineering challenges and relevant gaps in scientific and technical information for reliable design, modeling and scale up of a CPW biorefinery are also discussed. Some integrated physico-chemical pretreatments are proposed for testing for CPW, including high speed knife-grinding and simultaneous caustic addition. These new proposed processes and the effect of parameters such as particle size, surface area and morphology, pore volume and chemical composition of the diverse fractions resulting from pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis need to be evaluated and compared for pretreated and untreated samples of grapefruit processing waste. This assessment suggests the potential for filling the data gaps, and preliminary results demonstrate that the reduction of particle size and the increased surface area for the CPW will result in higher reaction rates and monosaccharide yields for the pretreated waste material.

Platform construction and extraction mechanism study of magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid-phase extraction

PubMed Central

Xiao, Deli; Zhang, Chan; He, Jia; Zeng, Rong; Chen, Rong; He, Hua

2016-01-01

Simple, accurate and high-throughput pretreatment method would facilitate large-scale studies of trace analysis in complex samples. Magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid-phase extraction has the power to become a key pretreatment method in biological, environmental and clinical research. However, lacking of experimental predictability and unsharpness of extraction mechanism limit the development of this promising method. Herein, this work tries to establish theoretical-based experimental designs for extraction of trace analytes from complex samples using magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid-phase extraction. We selected three categories and six sub-types of compounds for systematic comparative study of extraction mechanism, and comprehensively illustrated the roles of different force (hydrophobic interaction, π-π stacking interactions, hydrogen-bonding interaction, electrostatic interaction) for the first time. What’s more, the application guidelines for supporting materials, surfactants and sample matrix were also summarized. The extraction mechanism and platform established in the study render its future promising for foreseeable and efficient pretreatment under theoretical based experimental design for trace analytes from environmental, biological and clinical samples. PMID:27924944

Fatty acid from the renewable sources: a promising feedstock for the production of biofuels and biobased chemicals.

PubMed

Liu, Hui; Cheng, Tao; Xian, Mo; Cao, Yujin; Fang, Fang; Zou, Huibin

2014-01-01

With the depletion of the nonrenewable petrochemical resources and the increasing concerns of environmental pollution globally, biofuels and biobased chemicals produced from the renewable resources appear to be of great strategic significance. The present review described the progress in the biosynthesis of fatty acid and its derivatives from renewable biomass and emphasized the importance of fatty acid serving as the platform chemical and feedstock for a variety of chemicals. Due to the low efficient conversions of lignocellulosic biomass or carbon dioxide to fatty acid, we also put forward that rational strategies for the production of fatty acid and its derivatives should further derive from the consideration of whole bioprocess (pretreatment, saccharification, fermentation, separation), multiscale analysis and interdisciplinary combinations (omics, kinetics, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, fermentation and so on). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

RFID-Based Multidisciplinary Educational Platform to Improve the Engineering and Technology Curriculums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yelamarthi, Kumar

2012-01-01

Multidisciplinary projects involving electrical engineering (EE), mechanical engineering (ME), and computer engineering (CE) students are both exciting and difficult to conceptualize. Answering this challenge, this paper presents a multidisciplinary educational platform on radio frequency identification-based assistive devices. The combination of…

High-performance of Agaricus blazei fungus for the biological pretreatment of elephant grass.

PubMed

Dal Picolli, Thais; Regalin Aver, Kaliane; Claudete Fontana, Roselei; Camassola, Marli

2018-01-01

Biological pre-treatment seems to be promising being an eco-friendly process, with no inhibitor generated during the process. The potential for elephant grass pre-treatment with white degradation fungi Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus blazei, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, and Pleurotus djamor, in isolated or mixed cultures of these strains, was evaluated. The highest activities of enzymes involved in the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass (laccases, endoglucanases, xylanases, and β-glucosidases) were observed for A. blazei, L. edodes and the combination of P. ostreatus and A. blazei. In the enzymatic hydrolysis, there was greater release of reducing sugars in the pre-treated elephant grass samples by A. blazei during 10 days (338.91 ± 7.39 mg g -1 of biomass). For this sample, higher lignin reductions, 24.81 and 57.45%, after 15 and 35 days of incubation, respectively, were also verified. These data indicate the potential of macromycetes such as A. blazei to perform biological pre-treatments. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:42-50, 2018. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Biomass-water interactions correlate to recalcitrance and are intensified by pretreatment: An investigation of water constraint and retention in pretreated spruce using low field NMR and water retention value techniques.

PubMed

Weiss, Noah D; Thygesen, Lisbeth Garbrecht; Felby, Claus; Roslander, Christian; Gourlay, Keith

2017-01-01

The underlying mechanisms of the recalcitrance of biomass to enzymatic deconstruction are still not fully understood, and this hampers the development of biomass based fuels and chemicals. With water being necessary for most biological processes, it is suggested that interactions between water and biomass may be key to understanding and controlling biomass recalcitrance. This study investigates the correlation between biomass recalcitrance and the constraint and retention of water by the biomass, using SO 2 pretreated spruce, a common feedstock for lignocellulosic biofuel production, as a substrate to evaluate this relationship. The water retention value (WRV) of the pretreated materials was measured, and water constraint was assessed using time domain Low Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LFNMR) relaxometry. WRV increased with pretreatment severity, correlating to reduced recalcitrance, as measured by hydrolysis of cellulose using commercial enzyme preparations. Water constraint increased with pretreatment severity, suggesting that a higher level of biomass-water interaction is indicative of reduced recalcitrance in pretreated materials. Both WRV and water constraint increased significantly with reductions in particle size when pretreated materials were further milled, suggesting that particle size plays an important role in biomass water interactions. It is suggested that WRV may be a simple and effective method for measuring and comparing biomass recalcitrance. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:146-153, 2017. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Introducing WISDEM:An Integrated System Modeling for Wind Turbines and Plant (Presentation)

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

Dykes, K.; Graf, P.; Scott, G.

2015-01-01

The National Wind Technology Center wind energy systems engineering initiative has developed an analysis platform to leverage its research capabilities toward integrating wind energy engineering and cost models across wind plants. This Wind-Plant Integrated System Design & Engineering Model (WISDEM) platform captures the important interactions between various subsystems to achieve a better National Wind Technology Center wind energy systems engineering initiative has developed an analysis platform to leverage its research capabilities toward integrating wind energy engineering and cost models across wind plants. This Wind-Plant Integrated System Design & Engineering Model (WISDEM) platform captures the important interactions between various subsystems tomore » achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and achieve system-level cost reductions. This work illustrates a few case studies with WISDEM that focus on the design and analysis of wind turbines and plants at different system levels.« less

Replacing E-K pre-treat container and hose in АСУ system

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-11-29

ISS014-E-08798 (29 Nov. 2006) --- Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, Expedition 14 flight engineer, replaces the E-K pre-treat container and hose in the waste management system in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

Synthesis of three advanced biofuels from ionic liquid-pretreated switchgrass using engineered Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Bokinsky, Gregory; Peralta-Yahya, Pamela P.; George, Anthe; Holmes, Bradley M.; Steen, Eric J.; Dietrich, Jeffrey; Soon Lee, Taek; Tullman-Ercek, Danielle; Voigt, Christopher A.; Simmons, Blake A.; Keasling, Jay D.

2011-01-01

One approach to reducing the costs of advanced biofuel production from cellulosic biomass is to engineer a single microorganism to both digest plant biomass and produce hydrocarbons that have the properties of petrochemical fuels. Such an organism would require pathways for hydrocarbon production and the capacity to secrete sufficient enzymes to efficiently hydrolyze cellulose and hemicellulose. To demonstrate how one might engineer and coordinate all of the necessary components for a biomass-degrading, hydrocarbon-producing microorganism, we engineered a microorganism naïve to both processes, Escherichia coli, to grow using both the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions of several types of plant biomass pretreated with ionic liquids. Our engineered strains express cellulase, xylanase, beta-glucosidase, and xylobiosidase enzymes under control of native E. coli promoters selected to optimize growth on model cellulosic and hemicellulosic substrates. Furthermore, our strains grow using either the cellulose or hemicellulose components of ionic liquid-pretreated biomass or on both components when combined as a coculture. Both cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic strains were further engineered with three biofuel synthesis pathways to demonstrate the production of fuel substitutes or precursors suitable for gasoline, diesel, and jet engines directly from ionic liquid-treated switchgrass without externally supplied hydrolase enzymes. This demonstration represents a major advance toward realizing a consolidated bioprocess. With improvements in both biofuel synthesis pathways and biomass digestion capabilities, our approach could provide an economical route to production of advanced biofuels. PMID:22123987

Electrostatic fuel conditioning of internal combustion engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gold, P. I.

1982-01-01

Diesel engines were tested to determine if they are influenced by the presence of electrostatic and magnetic fields. Field forces were applied in a variety of configurations including pretreatment of the fuel and air, however, no affect on engine performance was observed.

Remote Video Monitor of Vehicles in Cooperative Information Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Guofeng; Wang, Xiaoguo; Wang, Li; Li, Yang; Li, Qiyan

Detection of vehicles plays an important role in the area of the modern intelligent traffic management. And the pattern recognition is a hot issue in the area of computer vision. An auto- recognition system in cooperative information platform is studied. In the cooperative platform, 3G wireless network, including GPS, GPRS (CDMA), Internet (Intranet), remote video monitor and M-DMB networks are integrated. The remote video information can be taken from the terminals and sent to the cooperative platform, then detected by the auto-recognition system. The images are pretreated and segmented, including feature extraction, template matching and pattern recognition. The system identifies different models and gets vehicular traffic statistics. Finally, the implementation of the system is introduced.

Engineering and Two-Stage Evolution of a Lignocellulosic Hydrolysate-Tolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain for Anaerobic Fermentation of Xylose from AFEX Pretreated Corn Stover

PubMed Central

Parreiras, Lucas S.; Breuer, Rebecca J.; Avanasi Narasimhan, Ragothaman; Higbee, Alan J.; La Reau, Alex; Tremaine, Mary; Qin, Li; Willis, Laura B.; Bice, Benjamin D.; Bonfert, Brandi L.; Pinhancos, Rebeca C.; Balloon, Allison J.; Uppugundla, Nirmal; Liu, Tongjun; Li, Chenlin; Tanjore, Deepti; Ong, Irene M.; Li, Haibo; Pohlmann, Edward L.; Serate, Jose; Withers, Sydnor T.; Simmons, Blake A.; Hodge, David B.; Westphall, Michael S.; Coon, Joshua J.; Dale, Bruce E.; Balan, Venkatesh; Keating, David H.; Zhang, Yaoping; Landick, Robert; Gasch, Audrey P.; Sato, Trey K.

2014-01-01

The inability of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to ferment xylose effectively under anaerobic conditions is a major barrier to economical production of lignocellulosic biofuels. Although genetic approaches have enabled engineering of S. cerevisiae to convert xylose efficiently into ethanol in defined lab medium, few strains are able to ferment xylose from lignocellulosic hydrolysates in the absence of oxygen. This limited xylose conversion is believed to result from small molecules generated during biomass pretreatment and hydrolysis, which induce cellular stress and impair metabolism. Here, we describe the development of a xylose-fermenting S. cerevisiae strain with tolerance to a range of pretreated and hydrolyzed lignocellulose, including Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX)-pretreated corn stover hydrolysate (ACSH). We genetically engineered a hydrolysate-resistant yeast strain with bacterial xylose isomerase and then applied two separate stages of aerobic and anaerobic directed evolution. The emergent S. cerevisiae strain rapidly converted xylose from lab medium and ACSH to ethanol under strict anaerobic conditions. Metabolomic, genetic and biochemical analyses suggested that a missense mutation in GRE3, which was acquired during the anaerobic evolution, contributed toward improved xylose conversion by reducing intracellular production of xylitol, an inhibitor of xylose isomerase. These results validate our combinatorial approach, which utilized phenotypic strain selection, rational engineering and directed evolution for the generation of a robust S. cerevisiae strain with the ability to ferment xylose anaerobically from ACSH. PMID:25222864

Microbial production of lactic acid: the latest development.

PubMed

Juturu, Veeresh; Wu, Jin Chuan

2016-12-01

Lactic acid is an important platform chemical for producing polylactic acid (PLA) and other value-added products. It is naturally produced by a wide spectrum of microbes including bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi. In general, bacteria ferment C5 and C6 sugars to lactic acid by either homo- or hetero-fermentative mode. Xylose isomerase, phosphoketolase, transaldolase, l- and d-lactate dehydrogenases are the key enzymes that affect the ways of lactic acid production. Metabolic engineering of microbial strains are usually needed to produce lactic acid from unconventional carbon sources. Production of d-LA has attracted much attention due to the demand for producing thermostable PLA, but large scale production of d-LA has not yet been commercialized. Thermophilic Bacillus coagulans strains are able to produce l-lactic acid from lignocellulose sugars homo-fermentatively under non-sterilized conditions, but the lack of genetic tools for metabolically engineering them severely affects their development for industrial applications. Pre-treatment of agriculture biomass to obtain fermentable sugars is a pre-requisite for utilization of the huge amounts of agricultural biomass to produce lactic acid. The major challenge is to obtain quality sugars of high concentrations in a cost effective-way. To avoid or minimize the use of neutralizing agents during fermentation, genetically engineering the strains to make them resist acidic environment and produce lactic acid at low pH would be very helpful for reducing the production cost of lactic acid.

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

Josephson, Gary B.; Geeting, John GH; Bredt, Ofelia P.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been tasked by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) on the River Protection Project-Waste Treatment Plant (RPP-WTP) project to perform research and development activities to resolve technical issues identified for the Pretreatment Facility (PTF). The Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) was designed, constructed, and operated as part of a plan to respond to issue M12, "Undemonstrated Leaching Processes." The PEP is a 1/4.5-scale test platform designed to simulate the WTP pretreatment caustic leaching, oxidative leaching, ultrafiltration solids concentration, and slurry washing processes. The PEP replicates the WTP leaching processes using prototypic equipment and control strategies. The PEPmore » also includes non-prototypic ancillary equipment to support the core processing. Two operating scenarios are currently being evaluated for the ultrafiltration process (UFP) and leaching operations. The first scenario has caustic leaching performed in the UFP-2 ultrafiltration feed vessels (i.e., vessel UFP-VSL-T02A in the PEP; and vessels UFP-VSL-00002A and B in the WTP PTF). The second scenario has caustic leaching conducted in the UFP-1 ultrafiltration feed preparation vessels (i.e., vessels UFP-VSL-T01A and B in the PEP; vessels UFP-VSL-00001A and B in the WTP PTF). In both scenarios, 19-M sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH, caustic) is added to the waste slurry in the vessels to leach solid aluminum compounds (e.g., gibbsite, boehmite). Caustic addition is followed by a heating step that uses direct injection of steam to accelerate the leach process. Following the caustic leach, the vessel contents are cooled using vessel cooling jackets and/or external heat exchangers. The main difference between the two scenarios is that for leaching in UFP-1, the 19-M NaOH is added to un-concentrated waste slurry (3-8 wt% solids), while for leaching in UFP-2, the slurry is concentrated to nominally 20 wt% solids using cross-flow ultrafiltration before the addition of caustic. In both scenarios, following the caustic leach, the slurry was then concentrated to 17 wt% and washed with inhibited water to remove NaOH and other soluble salts. Next, the slurry was oxidatively leached using sodium permanganate to solubilize chrome. The slurry was then washed to remove the dissolved chrome and concentrated.« less

Marshburn removes and replaces the WHC pre-treat tank during in-flight maintenance

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-02-11

ISS034-E-045742 (11 Feb. 2013) --- NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, Expedition 34 flight engineer, removes and replaces the Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) pretreat tank as part of routine in-flight maintenance in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station.

Methods/Labor Standards Application Program - Phase IV

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

Engine Platform a. Pressure switch b. Compressor motor c. Voltage regulator d. Open and clean generator exciter and main windings S3 . Main Collector...clean motors b. Slip rings Gantry #3 Annual: S2. Engine Platform a. Pressure switch b. Compressor motor Voltage regulator d. Open and clean generator...Travel Motors Open and clean motorsa. b. Slip rings Gantry #4 S2 . S3. S4 . S5 . Engine Platform a. Pressure switch b. Compressor motor Voltage regulator

A case study for integrated STEM outreach in an urban setting using a do-it-yourself vertical jump measurement platform.

PubMed

Drazan, John F; Danielsen, Heather; Vercelletto, Matthew; Loya, Amy; Davis, James; Eglash, Ron

2016-08-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and deploy a low cost vertical jump platform using readily available materials for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and outreach in the inner city. The platform was used to measure the jumping ability of participants to introduce students to the collection and analysis of scientific data in an engaging, accessible manner. This system was designed and fabricated by a student team of engineers as part of a socially informed engineering and design class. The vertical jump platform has been utilized in 10 classroom lectures in physics and biology. The system was also used in an after school program in which high school volunteers prepared a basketball based STEM outreach program, and at a community outreach events with over 100 participants. At present, the same group of high school students are now building their own set of vertical jump platform under the mentorship of engineering undergraduates. The construction and usage of the vertical jump platform provides an accessible introduction to the STEM fields within the urban community.

Engineer Company Force Structure Force Modularization in Support of Decisive Action. Does the Corps of Engineers Need to Re-Structure Engineer Construction Companies Again in order to Support Decisive Actions?

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-16

Regional Command RCP Route Clearance Platoon RSOI Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, Integration SBCT Stryker Brigade Combat Team TOE Table of...Point (ASPs), and field hospital platforms; prepare river crossing sites; and support port repair due to Hydraulic Excavator (HYEX), provides force...platforms, FARPS, supply routes, roads, control points, fire bases, tank ditches, ASPs, and field hospital platforms; prepare river crossing sites; and

Aiming for the complete utilization of sugar-beet pulp: Examination of the effects of mild acid and hydrothermal pretreatment followed by enzymatic digestion

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Biomass use for the production of bioethanol or platform chemicals requires efficient breakdown of biomass to fermentable monosaccharides. Lignocellulosic feedstocks often require physicochemical pretreatment before enzymatic hydrolysis can begin. The optimal pretreatment can be different for different feedstocks, and should not lead to biomass destruction or formation of toxic products. Methods We examined the influence of six mild sulfuric acid or water pretreatments at different temperatures on the enzymatic degradability of sugar-beet pulp (SBP). Results We found that optimal pretreatment at 140°C of 15 minutes in water was able to solubilize 60% w/w of the total carbohydrates present, mainly pectins. More severe treatments led to the destruction of the solubilized sugars, and the subsequent production of the sugar-degradation products furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural, acetic acid and formic acid. The pretreated samples were successfully degraded enzymatically with an experimental cellulase preparation. Conclusions In this study, we found that pretreatment of SBP greatly facilitated the subsequent enzymatic degradation within economically feasible time ranges and enzyme levels. In addition, pretreatment of SBP can be useful to fractionate functional ingredients such as arabinans and pectins from cellulose. We found that the optimal combined severity factor to enhance the enzymatic degradation of SBP was between log R'0 = -2.0 and log R'0 = -1.5. The optimal pretreatment and enzyme treatment solubilized up to 80% of all sugars present in the SBP, including ≥90% of the cellulose. PMID:21627804

Floor Plans Rolling Platform, Tech Systems Platform, and Load ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Floor Plans - Rolling Platform, Tech Systems Platform, and Load Platform Plans - Marshall Space Flight Center, F-1 Engine Static Test Stand, On Route 565 between Huntsville and Decatur, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Characterization of lignin derived from water-only and dilute acid flowthrough pretreatment of poplar wood at elevated temperatures

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Libing; Yan, Lishi; Wang, Zheming; ...

2015-12-01

In this study, flowthrough pretreatment of biomass has high potential to valorize lignin derivatives to high-value products, which is vital to enhance the economy of biorefinery plants. Comprehensive understanding of lignin behaviors and solubilization chemistry in aqueous pretreatment such as water-only and dilute acid flowthrough pretreatment is of fundamental importance to achieve the goal of providing flexible platform for lignin utilization. In this study, the effects of flowthrough pretreatment conditions on lignin separation from poplar wood were reported as well as the characteristics of three sub-sets of lignin produced from the pretreatment, including residual lignin in pretreated solid residues (ReL),more » recovered insoluble lignin in pretreated liquid (RISL), and recovered soluble lignin in pretreatment liquid (RSL). Both the water-only and 0.05% (w/w) sulfuric acid pretreatments were performed at temperatures from 160 to 270°C on poplar wood in a flowthrough reactor system for 2-10 min. Results showed that water-only flowthrough pretreatment primarily removed syringyl (S units). Increased temperature and/or the addition of sulfuric acid enhanced the removal of guaiacyl (G units) compared to water-only pretreatments at lower temperatures, resulting in nearly complete removal of lignin from the biomass. Results also suggested that more RISL was recovered than ReL and RSL in both dilute acid and water-only flowthrough pretreatment at elevated temperatures. NMR spectra of the RISL revealed significant β-O-4 cleavage, α-β deoxygenation to form cinnamyl-like end groups, and slight β-5 repolymerization in both water-only and dilute acid flowthrough pretreatments. In conclusion, elevated temperature and/or dilute acid greatly enhanced lignin removal to almost 100% by improving G unit removal besides S unit removal in flowthrough system. A new lignin chemistry transformation pathway was proposed and revealed the complexity of lignin structural change during hot water and dilute acid flowthrough pretreatment.« less

Characterization of lignin derived from water-only and dilute acid flowthrough pretreatment of poplar wood at elevated temperatures

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

Zhang, Libing; Yan, Lishi; Wang, Zheming

In this study, flowthrough pretreatment of biomass has high potential to valorize lignin derivatives to high-value products, which is vital to enhance the economy of biorefinery plants. Comprehensive understanding of lignin behaviors and solubilization chemistry in aqueous pretreatment such as water-only and dilute acid flowthrough pretreatment is of fundamental importance to achieve the goal of providing flexible platform for lignin utilization. In this study, the effects of flowthrough pretreatment conditions on lignin separation from poplar wood were reported as well as the characteristics of three sub-sets of lignin produced from the pretreatment, including residual lignin in pretreated solid residues (ReL),more » recovered insoluble lignin in pretreated liquid (RISL), and recovered soluble lignin in pretreatment liquid (RSL). Both the water-only and 0.05% (w/w) sulfuric acid pretreatments were performed at temperatures from 160 to 270°C on poplar wood in a flowthrough reactor system for 2-10 min. Results showed that water-only flowthrough pretreatment primarily removed syringyl (S units). Increased temperature and/or the addition of sulfuric acid enhanced the removal of guaiacyl (G units) compared to water-only pretreatments at lower temperatures, resulting in nearly complete removal of lignin from the biomass. Results also suggested that more RISL was recovered than ReL and RSL in both dilute acid and water-only flowthrough pretreatment at elevated temperatures. NMR spectra of the RISL revealed significant β-O-4 cleavage, α-β deoxygenation to form cinnamyl-like end groups, and slight β-5 repolymerization in both water-only and dilute acid flowthrough pretreatments. In conclusion, elevated temperature and/or dilute acid greatly enhanced lignin removal to almost 100% by improving G unit removal besides S unit removal in flowthrough system. A new lignin chemistry transformation pathway was proposed and revealed the complexity of lignin structural change during hot water and dilute acid flowthrough pretreatment.« less

Cultivating engineering innovation ability based on optoelectronic experimental platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dangjuan; Wu, Shenjiang

2017-08-01

As the supporting experimental platform of the Xi'an Technological University education reform experimental class, "optical technological innovation experimental platform" integrated the design and comprehensive experiments of the optical multi-class courses. On the basis of summing up the past two years teaching experience, platform pilot projects were improve. It has played a good role by making the use of an open teaching model in the cultivating engineering innovation spirit and scientific thinking of the students.

Pretreatment of Oil Palm Frond (OPF) with Ionic Liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azmi, I. S.; Azizan, A.; Salleh, R. Mohd

2018-05-01

Pretreatment is the key to unlock the recalcitrance of lignocellulose for cellulosic biofuel production. Increasing attention has been drawn to ionic liquids (ILs) for pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass because this approach was considered as a green engineering method over other conventional methods. In this work, Oil palm frond (OPF) was pretreated by using the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate [EMIM] Ac at the temperature of 99˚C for 3 hours. The characterization of the untreated and pretreated OPF was conducted by using different techniques which are Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The pretreatment of OPF with [EMIM] Ac was demonstrated to be effective evidenced by the significant reduction of Lateral Order Index (LOI) from FTIR, reduction of Crystallinity Index (CI) based on XRD and the significant morphology changes indicated by SEM. The CI value for the pretreated OPF decreased from 0.47 (untreated sample) to 0.28 while the LOI value decreased from 1.10 to 0.24 after pretreatment with [EMIM]Ac and the SEM morphology showed that the pretreated OPF becomes distorted and disordered.

31P NMR Chemical Shifts of Solvents and Products Impurities in Biomass Pretreatments

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

Li, Mi; Yoo, Chang Geun; Pu, Yunqiao

The identification of chemical impurities is crucial in elucidating the structures of biorefinery products using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analysis. In the current biorefinery platform, contaminants derived from pretreatment solvents and decomposition byproducts may lead to misassignment of the NMR spectra of biorefinery products (e.g, lignin and bio-oils). Therefore, we investigated in this paper 54 commonly reported compounds including alcohols, carbohydrates, organic acids, aromatics, aldehydes, and ionic liquids associated with biomass pretreatment using 31P NMR. The chemical shifts of these chemicals after derivatizing with 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane (TMDP) were provided. Finally, the 31P NMR signals of these derivatives could serve asmore » valuable and informative spectral data in characterizing lignocellulose-based compounds.« less

31P NMR Chemical Shifts of Solvents and Products Impurities in Biomass Pretreatments

DOE PAGES

Li, Mi; Yoo, Chang Geun; Pu, Yunqiao; ...

2017-12-05

The identification of chemical impurities is crucial in elucidating the structures of biorefinery products using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analysis. In the current biorefinery platform, contaminants derived from pretreatment solvents and decomposition byproducts may lead to misassignment of the NMR spectra of biorefinery products (e.g, lignin and bio-oils). Therefore, we investigated in this paper 54 commonly reported compounds including alcohols, carbohydrates, organic acids, aromatics, aldehydes, and ionic liquids associated with biomass pretreatment using 31P NMR. The chemical shifts of these chemicals after derivatizing with 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane (TMDP) were provided. Finally, the 31P NMR signals of these derivatives could serve asmore » valuable and informative spectral data in characterizing lignocellulose-based compounds.« less

Evaluation of Game Engines for Cross-Platform Development of Mobile Serious Games for Health.

PubMed

Kleinschmidt, Carina; Haag, Martin

2016-01-01

Studies have shown that serious games for health can improve patient compliance and help to increase the quality of medical education. Due to a growing availability of mobile devices, especially the development of cross-platform mobile apps is helpful for improving healthcare. As the development can be highly time-consuming and expensive, an alternative development process is needed. Game engines are expected to simplify this process. Therefore, this article examines the question whether using game engines for cross-platform serious games for health can simplify the development compared to the development of a plain HTML5 app. At first, a systematic review of the literature was conducted in different databases (MEDLINE, ACM and IEEE). Afterwards three different game engines were chosen, evaluated in different categories and compared to the development of a HTML5 app. This was realized by implementing a prototypical application in the different engines and conducting a utility analysis. The evaluation shows that the Marmalade engine is the best choice for development in this scenario. Furthermore, it is obvious that the game engines have great benefits against plain HTML5 development as they provide components for graphics, physics, sounds, etc. The authors recommend to use the Marmalade Engine for a cross-platform mobile Serious Game for Health.

A silk-based scaffold platform with tunable architecture for engineering critically-sized tissue constructs.

PubMed

Wray, Lindsay S; Rnjak-Kovacina, Jelena; Mandal, Biman B; Schmidt, Daniel F; Gil, Eun Seok; Kaplan, David L

2012-12-01

In the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine there is significant unmet need for critically-sized, fully degradable biomaterial scaffold systems with tunable properties for optimizing tissue formation in vitro and tissue regeneration in vivo. To address this need, we have developed a silk-based scaffold platform that has tunable material properties, including localized and bioactive functionalization, degradation rate, and mechanical properties and that provides arrays of linear hollow channels for delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the scaffold bulk. The scaffolds can be assembled with dimensions that range from millimeters to centimeters, addressing the need for a critically-sized platform for tissue formation. We demonstrate that the hollow channel arrays support localized and confluent endothelialization. This new platform offers a unique and versatile tool for engineering 'tailored' scaffolds for a range of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine needs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pretreatment of lignocellulose: Formation of inhibitory by-products and strategies for minimizing their effects.

PubMed

Jönsson, Leif J; Martín, Carlos

2016-01-01

Biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to advanced biofuels and other commodities through a sugar-platform process involves a pretreatment step enhancing the susceptibility of the cellulose to enzymatic hydrolysis. A side effect of pretreatment is formation of lignocellulose-derived by-products that inhibit microbial and enzymatic biocatalysts. This review provides an overview of the formation of inhibitory by-products from lignocellulosic feedstocks as a consequence of using different pretreatment methods and feedstocks as well as an overview of different strategies used to alleviate problems with inhibitors. As technologies for biorefining of lignocellulose become mature and are transferred from laboratory environments to industrial contexts, the importance of management of inhibition problems is envisaged to increase as issues that become increasingly relevant will include the possibility to use recalcitrant feedstocks, obtaining high product yields and high productivity, minimizing the charges of enzymes and microorganisms, and using high solids loadings to obtain high product titers. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Engineering of Surface Chemistry for Enhanced Sensitivity in Nanoporous Interferometric Sensing Platforms.

PubMed

Law, Cheryl Suwen; Sylvia, Georgina M; Nemati, Madieh; Yu, Jingxian; Losic, Dusan; Abell, Andrew D; Santos, Abel

2017-03-15

We explore new approaches to engineering the surface chemistry of interferometric sensing platforms based on nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) and reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS). Two surface engineering strategies are presented, namely (i) selective chemical functionalization of the inner surface of NAA pores with amine-terminated thiol molecules and (ii) selective chemical functionalization of the top surface of NAA with dithiol molecules. The strong molecular interaction of Au 3+ ions with thiol-containing functional molecules of alkane chain or peptide character provides a model sensing system with which to assess the sensitivity of these NAA platforms by both molecular feature and surface engineering. Changes in the effective optical thickness of the functionalized NAA photonic films (i.e., sensing principle), in response to gold ions, are monitored in real-time by RIfS. 6-Amino-1-hexanethiol (inner surface) and 1,6-hexanedithiol (top surface), the most sensitive functional molecules from approaches i and ii, respectively, were combined into a third sensing strategy whereby the NAA platforms are functionalized on both the top and inner surfaces concurrently. Engineering of the surface according to this approach resulted in an additive enhancement in sensitivity of up to 5-fold compared to previously reported systems. This study advances the rational engineering of surface chemistry for interferometric sensing on nanoporous platforms with potential applications for real-time monitoring of multiple analytes in dynamic environments.

Removal of Water-Soluble Extractives Improves the Enzymatic Digestibility of Steam-Pretreated Softwood Barks.

PubMed

Frankó, Balázs; Carlqvist, Karin; Galbe, Mats; Lidén, Gunnar; Wallberg, Ola

2018-02-01

Softwood bark contains a large amounts of extractives-i.e., soluble lipophilic (such as resin acids) and hydrophilic components (phenolic compounds, stilbenes). The effects of the partial removal of water-soluble extractives before acid-catalyzed steam pretreatment on enzymatic digestibility were assessed for two softwood barks-Norway spruce and Scots pine. A simple hot water extraction step removed more than half of the water-soluble extractives from the barks, which improved the enzymatic digestibility of both steam-pretreated materials. This effect was more pronounced for the spruce than the pine bark, as evidenced by the 30 and 11% glucose yield improvement, respectively, in the enzymatic digestibility. Furthermore, analysis of the chemical composition showed that the acid-insoluble lignin content of the pretreated materials decreased when water-soluble extractives were removed prior to steam pretreatment. This can be explained by a decreased formation of water-insoluble "pseudo-lignin" from water-soluble bark phenolics during the acid-catalyzed pretreatment, which otherwise results in distorted lignin analysis and may also contribute to the impaired enzymatic digestibility of the barks. Thus, this study advocates the removal of extractives as the first step in the processing of bark or bark-rich materials in a sugar platform biorefinery.

WarpEngine, a Flexible Platform for Distributed Computing Implemented in the VEGA Program and Specially Targeted for Virtual Screening Studies.

PubMed

Pedretti, Alessandro; Mazzolari, Angelica; Vistoli, Giulio

2018-05-21

The manuscript describes WarpEngine, a novel platform implemented within the VEGA ZZ suite of software for performing distributed simulations both in local and wide area networks. Despite being tailored for structure-based virtual screening campaigns, WarpEngine possesses the required flexibility to carry out distributed calculations utilizing various pieces of software, which can be easily encapsulated within this platform without changing their source codes. WarpEngine takes advantages of all cheminformatics features implemented in the VEGA ZZ program as well as of its largely customizable scripting architecture thus allowing an efficient distribution of various time-demanding simulations. To offer an example of the WarpEngine potentials, the manuscript includes a set of virtual screening campaigns based on the ACE data set of the DUD-E collections using PLANTS as the docking application. Benchmarking analyses revealed a satisfactory linearity of the WarpEngine performances, the speed-up values being roughly equal to the number of utilized cores. Again, the computed scalability values emphasized that a vast majority (i.e., >90%) of the performed simulations benefit from the distributed platform presented here. WarpEngine can be freely downloaded along with the VEGA ZZ program at www.vegazz.net .

SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-31

A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines nears the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be delivered to the VAB, where they will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-17

A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines is being prepared for the move into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. It will be stored in the VAB, and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-31

A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines backs up inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-31

A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines backs in to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-31

A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines arrives inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-31

A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-31

New service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines, secured on two flatbed trucks, are on their way to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They are being transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. The platforms will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where they will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-31

One of two new work platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines is secured on dunnage inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

A web-based online collaboration platform for formulating engineering design projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varikuti, Sainath

Effective communication and collaboration among students, faculty and industrial sponsors play a vital role while formulating and solving engineering design projects. With the advent in the web technology, online platforms and systems have been proposed to facilitate interactions and collaboration among different stakeholders in the context of senior design projects. However, there are noticeable gaps in the literature with respect to understanding the effects of online collaboration platforms for formulating engineering design projects. Most of the existing literature is focused on exploring the utility of online platforms on activities after the problem is defined and teams are formed. Also, there is a lack of mechanisms and tools to guide the project formation phase in senior design projects, which makes it challenging for students and faculty to collaboratively develop and refine project ideas and to establish appropriate teams. In this thesis a web-based online collaboration platform is designed and implemented to share, discuss and obtain feedback on project ideas and to facilitate collaboration among students and faculty prior to the start of the semester. The goal of this thesis is to understand the impact of an online collaboration platform for formulating engineering design projects, and how a web-based online collaboration platform affects the amount of interactions among stakeholders during the early phases of design process. A survey measuring the amount of interactions among students and faculty is administered. Initial findings show a marked improvement in the students' ability to share project ideas and form teams with other students and faculty. Students found the online platform simple to use. The suggestions for improving the tool generally included features that were not necessarily design specific, indicating that the underlying concept of this collaborative platform provides a strong basis and can be extended for future online platforms. Although the platform was designed to promote collaboration, adoption of the collaborative platform by students and faculty has been slow. While the platform appears to be very useful for collaboration, more time is required for it to be widely used by all the stakeholders and to fully convert from email communication to the use of the online collaboration platform.

Integrated Tools for Future Distributed Engine Control Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culley, Dennis; Thomas, Randy; Saus, Joseph

2013-01-01

Turbine engines are highly complex mechanical systems that are becoming increasingly dependent on control technologies to achieve system performance and safety metrics. However, the contribution of controls to these measurable system objectives is difficult to quantify due to a lack of tools capable of informing the decision makers. This shortcoming hinders technology insertion in the engine design process. NASA Glenn Research Center is developing a Hardware-inthe- Loop (HIL) platform and analysis tool set that will serve as a focal point for new control technologies, especially those related to the hardware development and integration of distributed engine control. The HIL platform is intended to enable rapid and detailed evaluation of new engine control applications, from conceptual design through hardware development, in order to quantify their impact on engine systems. This paper discusses the complex interactions of the control system, within the context of the larger engine system, and how new control technologies are changing that paradigm. The conceptual design of the new HIL platform is then described as a primary tool to address those interactions and how it will help feed the insertion of new technologies into future engine systems.

PepArML: A Meta-Search Peptide Identification Platform

PubMed Central

Edwards, Nathan J.

2014-01-01

The PepArML meta-search peptide identification platform provides a unified search interface to seven search engines; a robust cluster, grid, and cloud computing scheduler for large-scale searches; and an unsupervised, model-free, machine-learning-based result combiner, which selects the best peptide identification for each spectrum, estimates false-discovery rates, and outputs pepXML format identifications. The meta-search platform supports Mascot; Tandem with native, k-score, and s-score scoring; OMSSA; MyriMatch; and InsPecT with MS-GF spectral probability scores — reformatting spectral data and constructing search configurations for each search engine on the fly. The combiner selects the best peptide identification for each spectrum based on search engine results and features that model enzymatic digestion, retention time, precursor isotope clusters, mass accuracy, and proteotypic peptide properties, requiring no prior knowledge of feature utility or weighting. The PepArML meta-search peptide identification platform often identifies 2–3 times more spectra than individual search engines at 10% FDR. PMID:25663956

Real-time Simulation of Turboprop Engine Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Hanlin; Zhang, Tianhong; Zhang, Yi

2017-05-01

On account of the complexity of turboprop engine control system, real-time simulation is the technology, under the prerequisite of maintaining real-time, to effectively reduce development cost, shorten development cycle and avert testing risks. The paper takes RT-LAB as a platform and studies the real-time digital simulation of turboprop engine control system. The architecture, work principles and external interfaces of RT-LAB real-time simulation platform are introduced firstly. Then based on a turboprop engine model, the control laws of propeller control loop and fuel control loop are studied. From that and on the basis of Matlab/Simulink, an integrated controller is designed which can realize the entire process control of the engine from start-up to maximum power till stop. At the end, on the basis of RT-LAB platform, the real-time digital simulation of the designed control system is studied, different regulating plans are tried and more ideal control effects have been obtained.

Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-17

A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines, secured on a flatbed truck, has arrived at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. The platform will be stored in the VAB and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During EM-1, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the SLS to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and return to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-17

A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines has been offloaded from a flatbed truck and is being prepared for the move into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. It will be stored in the VAB, and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-17

A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines, secured on a flatbed truck, is on its way to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. The platform will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During EM-1, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the SLS to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and return to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-31

A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines makes its way along the NASA Causeway to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where they will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

WHC Dose pump R&R

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-02

ISS033-E-009153 (2 Oct. 2012) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, Expedition 33 flight engineer, performs a removal and replacement of the DKiV water pump and the E-K pre-treat tank with its hose in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station. E-K contains five liters of pre-treat solution, i.e., a mix of H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), CrO3 (chromium oxide, for oxidation and purple color) and H2O (water). The pre-treat liquid is mixed with water in the DKiV dispenser and used for toilet flushing.

Generation of a platform strain for ionic liquid tolerance using adaptive laboratory evolution

DOE PAGES

Mohamed, Elsayed T.; Wang, Shizeng; Lennen, Rebecca M.; ...

2017-11-16

There is a need to replace petroleum-derived with sustainable feedstocks for chemical production. Certain biomass feedstocks can meet this need as abundant, diverse, and renewable resources. Specific ionic liquids (ILs) can play a role in this process as promising candidates for chemical pretreatment and deconstruction of plant-based biomass feedstocks as they efficiently release carbohydrates which can be fermented. However, the most efficient pretreatment ILs are highly toxic to biological systems, such as microbial fermentations, and hinder subsequent bioprocessing of fermentative sugars obtained from IL-treated biomass. To generate strains capable of tolerating residual ILs present in treated feedstocks, a tolerance adaptivemore » laboratory evolution (TALE) approach was developed and utilized to improve growth of two different Escherichia coli strains, DH1 and K-12 MG1655, in the presence of two different ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C 2C 1Im][OAc] ) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C 4C 1Im]Cl). For multiple parallel replicate populations of E. coli, cells were repeatedly passed to select for improved fitness over the course of approximately 40 days. Clonal isolates were screened and the best performing isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing. The most prevalent mutations in tolerant clones occurred in transport processes related to the functions of mdtJI, a multidrug efflux pump, and yhdP, an uncharacterized transporter. Additional mutations were enriched in processes such as transcriptional regulation and nucleotide biosynthesis. Finally, the best-performing strains were compared to previously characterized tolerant strains and showed superior performance in tolerance of different IL and media combinations (i.e., cross tolerance) with robust growth at 8.5% (w/v) and detectable growth up to 11.9% (w/v) [C 2C 1Im][OAc]. The generated strains thus represent the best performing platform strains available for bioproduction utilizing IL-treated renewable substrates, and the TALE method was highly successful in overcoming the general issue of substrate toxicity and has great promise for use in tolerance engineering.« less

Generation of a platform strain for ionic liquid tolerance using adaptive laboratory evolution

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

Mohamed, Elsayed T.; Wang, Shizeng; Lennen, Rebecca M.

There is a need to replace petroleum-derived with sustainable feedstocks for chemical production. Certain biomass feedstocks can meet this need as abundant, diverse, and renewable resources. Specific ionic liquids (ILs) can play a role in this process as promising candidates for chemical pretreatment and deconstruction of plant-based biomass feedstocks as they efficiently release carbohydrates which can be fermented. However, the most efficient pretreatment ILs are highly toxic to biological systems, such as microbial fermentations, and hinder subsequent bioprocessing of fermentative sugars obtained from IL-treated biomass. To generate strains capable of tolerating residual ILs present in treated feedstocks, a tolerance adaptivemore » laboratory evolution (TALE) approach was developed and utilized to improve growth of two different Escherichia coli strains, DH1 and K-12 MG1655, in the presence of two different ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C 2C 1Im][OAc] ) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C 4C 1Im]Cl). For multiple parallel replicate populations of E. coli, cells were repeatedly passed to select for improved fitness over the course of approximately 40 days. Clonal isolates were screened and the best performing isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing. The most prevalent mutations in tolerant clones occurred in transport processes related to the functions of mdtJI, a multidrug efflux pump, and yhdP, an uncharacterized transporter. Additional mutations were enriched in processes such as transcriptional regulation and nucleotide biosynthesis. Finally, the best-performing strains were compared to previously characterized tolerant strains and showed superior performance in tolerance of different IL and media combinations (i.e., cross tolerance) with robust growth at 8.5% (w/v) and detectable growth up to 11.9% (w/v) [C 2C 1Im][OAc]. The generated strains thus represent the best performing platform strains available for bioproduction utilizing IL-treated renewable substrates, and the TALE method was highly successful in overcoming the general issue of substrate toxicity and has great promise for use in tolerance engineering.« less

A novel pretreatment method combining sealing technique with direct injection technique applied for improving biosafety.

PubMed

Wang, Xinyu; Gao, Jing-Lin; Du, Chaohui; An, Jing; Li, MengJiao; Ma, Haiyan; Zhang, Lina; Jiang, Ye

2017-01-01

People today have a stronger interest in the risk of biosafety in clinical bioanalysis. A safe, simple, effective method of preparation is needed urgently. To improve biosafety of clinical analysis, we used antiviral drugs of adefovir and tenofovir as model drugs and developed a safe pretreatment method combining sealing technique with direct injection technique. The inter- and intraday precision (RSD %) of the method were <4%, and the extraction recoveries ranged from 99.4 to 100.7%. Meanwhile, the results showed that standard solution could be used to prepare calibration curve instead of spiking plasma, acquiring more accuracy result. Compared with traditional methods, the novel method not only improved biosecurity of the pretreatment method significantly, but also achieved several advantages including higher precision, favorable sensitivity and satisfactory recovery. With these highly practical and desirable characteristics, the novel method may become a feasible platform in bioanalysis.

Catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment of corncob into xylose and furfural via solid acid catalyst.

PubMed

Li, Huiling; Deng, Aojie; Ren, Junli; Liu, Changyu; Lu, Qi; Zhong, Linjie; Peng, Feng; Sun, Runcang

2014-04-01

Selectively catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment of corncob into xylose and furfural has been developed in this work using solid acid catalyst (SO4(2-)/TiO2-ZrO2/La(3+)). The effects of corncob-to-water ratio, reaction temperature and residence time on the performance of catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment were investigated. Results showed that the solid residues contained mainly lignin and cellulose, which was indicative of the efficient removal of hemicelluloses from corncob by hydrothermal method. The prepared catalyst with high thermal stability and strong acid sites originated from the acid functional groups was confirmed to contribute to the hydrolysis of polysaccharides into monosaccharides followed by dehydration into furfural. Highest furfural yield (6.18 g/100g) could be obtained at 180°C for 120 min with 6.80 g/100g xylose yield when the corncob/water ratio of was 10:100. Therefore, selectively catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass into important platform chemicals by solid acids is considered to be a potential treatment for biodiesel and chemical production. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mini-review of the geotechnical parameters of municipal solid waste: Mechanical and biological pre-treated versus raw untreated waste.

PubMed

Petrovic, Igor

2016-09-01

The most viable option for biostabilisation of old sanitary landfills, filled with raw municipal solid waste, is the so-called bioreactor landfill. Even today, bioreactor landfills are viable options in many economically developing countries. However, in order to reduce the biodegradable component of landfilled waste, mechanical and biological treatment has become a widely accepted waste treatment technology, especially in more prosperous countries. Given that mechanical and biological treatment alters the geotechnical properties of raw waste material, the design of sanitary landfills which accepts mechanically and biologically treated waste, should be carried out with a distinct set of geotechnical parameters. However, under the assumption that 'waste is waste', some design engineers might be tempted to use geotechnical parameters of untreated raw municipal solid waste and mechanical and biological pre-treated municipal solid waste interchangeably. Therefore, to provide guidelines for use and to provide an aggregated source of this information, this mini-review provides comparisons of geotechnical parameters of mechanical and biological pre-treated waste and raw untreated waste at various decomposition stages. This comparison reveals reasonable correlations between the hydraulic conductivity values of untreated and mechanical and biological pre-treated municipal solid waste. It is recognised that particle size might have a significant influence on the hydraulic conductivity of both municipal solid waste types. However, the compression ratios and shear strengths of untreated and pre-treated municipal solid waste do not show such strong correlations. Furthermore, another emerging topic that requires appropriate attention is the recovery of resources that are embedded in old landfills. Therefore, the presented results provide a valuable tool for engineers designing landfills for mechanical and biological pre-treated waste or bioreactor landfills for untreated raw waste as well as planning landfill mining projects. © The Author(s) 2016.

Floor Plans Fuel Tank Support, Fuel Platform, and LOX ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Floor Plans - Fuel Tank Support, Fuel Platform, and LOX Platform Plans - Marshall Space Flight Center, F-1 Engine Static Test Stand, On Route 565 between Huntsville and Decatur, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-17

A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines, secured on a flatbed truck, is on its way to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), in view in the distance, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. The platform will be delivered to the VAB, where it will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During EM-1, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the SLS to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and return to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Automatic and integrated micro-enzyme assay (AIμEA) platform for highly sensitive thrombin analysis via an engineered fluorescence protein-functionalized monolithic capillary column.

PubMed

Lin, Lihua; Liu, Shengquan; Nie, Zhou; Chen, Yingzhuang; Lei, Chunyang; Wang, Zhen; Yin, Chao; Hu, Huiping; Huang, Yan; Yao, Shouzhuo

2015-04-21

Nowadays, large-scale screening for enzyme discovery, engineering, and drug discovery processes require simple, fast, and sensitive enzyme activity assay platforms with high integration and potential for high-throughput detection. Herein, a novel automatic and integrated micro-enzyme assay (AIμEA) platform was proposed based on a unique microreaction system fabricated by a engineered green fluorescence protein (GFP)-functionalized monolithic capillary column, with thrombin as an example. The recombinant GFP probe was rationally engineered to possess a His-tag and a substrate sequence of thrombin, which enable it to be immobilized on the monolith via metal affinity binding, and to be released after thrombin digestion. Combined with capillary electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF), all the procedures, including thrombin injection, online enzymatic digestion in the microreaction system, and label-free detection of the released GFP, were integrated in a single electrophoretic process. By taking advantage of the ultrahigh loading capacity of the AIμEA platform and the CE automatic programming setup, one microreaction column was sufficient for many times digestion without replacement. The novel microreaction system showed significantly enhanced catalytic efficiency, about 30 fold higher than that of the equivalent bulk reaction. Accordingly, the AIμEA platform was highly sensitive with a limit of detection down to 1 pM of thrombin. Moreover, the AIμEA platform was robust and reliable to detect thrombin in human serum samples and its inhibition by hirudin. Hence, this AIμEA platform exhibits great potential for high-throughput analysis in future biological application, disease diagnostics, and drug screening.

Cooperative Multi-Agent Mobile Sensor Platforms for Jet Engine Inspection: Concept and Implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Litt, Jonathan S.; Wong, Edmond; Krasowski, Michael J.; Greer, Lawrence C.

2003-01-01

Cooperative behavior algorithms utilizing swarm intelligence are being developed for mobile sensor platforms to inspect jet engines on-wing. Experiments are planned in which several relatively simple autonomous platforms will work together in a coordinated fashion to carry out complex maintenance-type tasks within the constrained working environment modeled on the interior of a turbofan engine. The algorithms will emphasize distribution of the tasks among multiple units; they will be scalable and flexible so that units may be added in the future; and will be designed to operate on an individual unit level to produce the desired global effect. This proof of concept demonstration will validate the algorithms and provide justification for further miniaturization and specialization of the hardware toward the true application of on-wing in situ turbine engine maintenance.

Accelerated In Vitro Degradation of Optically Clear Low β-Sheet Silk Films by Enzyme-Mediated Pretreatment

PubMed Central

Shang, Ke; Rnjak-Kovacina, Jelena; Lin, Yinan; Hayden, Rebecca S.; Tao, Hu; Kaplan, David L.

2013-01-01

Purpose: To design patterned, transparent silk films with fast degradation rates for the purpose of tissue engineering corneal stroma. Methods: β-sheet (crystalline) content of silk films was decreased significantly by using a short water annealing time. Additionally, a protocol combining short water annealing time with enzymatic pretreatment of silk films with protease XIV was developed. Results: Low β-sheet content (17%–18%) and enzymatic pretreatment provided film stability in aqueous environments and accelerated degradation of the silk films in the presence of human corneal fibroblasts in vitro. The results demonstrate a direct relationship between reduced β-sheet content and enzymatic pretreatment, and overall degradation rate of the protein films. Conclusions: The novel protocol developed here provides new approaches to modulate the regeneration rate of silk biomaterials for corneal tissue regeneration needs. Translational Relevance: Patterned silk protein films possess desirable characteristics for corneal tissue engineering, including optical transparency, biocompatibility, cell alignment, and tunable mechanical properties, but current fabrication protocols do not provide adequate degradation rates to match the regeneration properties of the human cornea. This novel processing protocol makes silk films more suitable for the construction of human corneal stroma tissue and a promising way to tune silk film degradation properties to match corneal tissue regeneration. PMID:24049717

Accelerated in vitro Degradation of Optically Clear Low β-sheet Silk Films by Enzyme-Mediated Pretreatment

PubMed Central

Shang, Ke; Rnjak-Kovacina, Jelena; Lin, Yinan; Hayden, Rebecca S.; Hu, Tao; Kaplan, David L.

2013-01-01

Purpose To design patterned, transparent silk films with fast degradation rates for the purpose of tissue engineering corneal stroma, Methods β-sheet (crystalline) content of silk films was decreased significantly by using a short water annealing time. Additionally, a protocol combining short water annealing time with enzymatic pretreatment of silk films with protease XIV was developed. Results Low β-sheet content (17–18%) and enzymatic pre-treatment provided film stability in aqueous environments and accelerated degradation of the silk films in the presence of human corneal fibroblasts in vitro. The results demonstrate a direct relationship between reduced β-sheet content and enzymatic pre-treatment and overall degradation rate of the protein films. Conclusions The novel protocol developed here provides new approaches to modulate the regeneration rate of silk biomaterials for corneal tissue regeneration needs. Translational relevance Patterned silk protein films possess desirable characteristics for corneal tissue engineering, including optical transparency, biocompatibility, cell alignment and tunable mechanical properties, but current fabrication protocols do not provide adequate degradation rates to match the regeneration properties of the human cornea. This novel processing protocol makes silk films more suitable for the construction of human corneal stroma tissue and a promising way to tune silk film degradation properties to match corneal tissue regeneration. PMID:23579493

Design of e-Science platform for biomedical imaging research cross multiple academic institutions and hospitals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jianguo; Zhang, Kai; Yang, Yuanyuan; Ling, Tonghui; Wang, Tusheng; Wang, Mingqing; Hu, Haibo; Xu, Xuemin

2012-02-01

More and more image informatics researchers and engineers are considering to re-construct imaging and informatics infrastructure or to build new framework to enable multiple disciplines of medical researchers, clinical physicians and biomedical engineers working together in a secured, efficient, and transparent cooperative environment. In this presentation, we show an outline and our preliminary design work of building an e-Science platform for biomedical imaging and informatics research and application in Shanghai. We will present our consideration and strategy on designing this platform, and preliminary results. We also will discuss some challenges and solutions in building this platform.

Commercialization of the Conversion of Bagasse to Ethanol. Summary quarterly report for the period January-September 1999

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

NONE

2000-02-01

These studies were intended to further refine sugar yield parameters which effect sugar yield such as feedstock particle size, debris, acid soak time, temperature, dewatering, and pretreatment conditions (such as temperature, reaction time, percentage solids concentration, acid concentration), liquid-solids separation, and detoxification parameters (such as time temperature and mixing of detoxification ingredients). Validate and refine parameters, which affect ethanol yield such as detoxification conditions mentioned above, and to fermenter conditions such as temperature, pH adjustment, aeration, nutrients, and charging sequence. Materials of construction will be evaluated also. Evaluate stillage to determine clarification process and suitability for recycle; evaluate lignocellulosic cakemore » for thermal energy recovery to produce heat and electricity for the process; and Support Studies at UF - Toxin Amelioration and Fermentation; TVA work will provide pre-hydroylsates for the evaluation of BCI proprietary methods of toxin amelioration. Pre-hydrolysates from batch studies will allow the determination of the range of allowable hydrolyze conditions that can be used to produce a fermentable sugar stream. This information is essential to guide selection of process parameters for refinement and validation in the continuous pretreatment reactor, and for overall process design. Additional work will be conducted at UFRFI to develop improved strains that are resistant to inhibitors. The authors are quite optimistic about the long-term prospects for this advancement having recently developed strains with a 25%--50% increase in ethanol production. The biocatalyst platform selected originally, genetically engineered Escherichia coli B, has proven to be quite robust and adaptable.« less

Information Technologies in Higher Education: Lessons Learned in Industrial Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delgado-Almonte, Milagros; Andreu, Hernando Bustos; Pedraja-Rejas, Liliana

2010-01-01

This article describes a teaching experience in which information and communication technologies were applied in five industrial engineering courses at the Universidad de Tarapaca in Chile. The paper compares the performance and course pass rates of the e-learning platform and portable pocket PC platform with those of the same courses teaching in…

PEP Support: Laboratory Scale Leaching and Permeate Stability Tests

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

Russell, Renee L.; Peterson, Reid A.; Rinehart, Donald E.

2010-05-21

This report documents results from a variety of activities requested by the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The activities related to caustic leaching, oxidative leaching, permeate precipitation behavior of waste as well as chromium (Cr) leaching are: • Model Input Boehmite Leaching Tests • Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) Support Leaching Tests • PEP Parallel Leaching Tests • Precipitation Study Results • Cr Caustic and Oxidative Leaching Tests. Leaching test activities using the PEP simulant provided input to a boehmite dissolution model and determined the effect of temperature on mass loss during caustic leaching, the reaction rate constantmore » for the boehmite dissolution, and the effect of aeration in enhancing the chromium dissolution during caustic leaching. Other tests were performed in parallel with the PEP tests to support the development of scaling factors for caustic and oxidative leaching. Another study determined if precipitate formed in the wash solution after the caustic leach in the PEP. Finally, the leaching characteristics of different chromium compounds under different conditions were examined to determine the best one to use in further testing.« less

Hardware-in-the-Loop Power Extraction Using Different Real-Time Platforms (PREPRINT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

engine controller ( FADEC ). Incorporating various transient subsystem level models into a complex modeling tool can be a challenging process when each...used can also be modified or replaced as appropriate. In its current configuration, the generic turbine engine model’s FADEC runs primarily on a...simulation in real-time, two platforms were tested: dSPACE and National Instruments’ (NI) LabVIEW Real-Time. For both dSPACE and NI, the engine and FADEC

The community FabLab platform: applications and implications in biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Stephenson, Makeda K; Dow, Douglas E

2014-01-01

Skill development in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education present one of the most formidable challenges of modern society. The Community FabLab platform presents a viable solution. Each FabLab contains a suite of modern computer numerical control (CNC) equipment, electronics and computing hardware and design, programming, computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided machining (CAM) software. FabLabs are community and educational resources and open to the public. Development of STEM based workforce skills such as digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing can be enhanced using this platform. Particularly notable is the potential of the FabLab platform in STEM education. The active learning environment engages and supports a diversity of learners, while the iterative learning that is supported by the FabLab rapid prototyping platform facilitates depth of understanding, creativity, innovation and mastery. The product and project based learning that occurs in FabLabs develops in the student a personal sense of accomplishment, self-awareness, command of the material and technology. This helps build the interest and confidence necessary to excel in STEM and throughout life. Finally the introduction and use of relevant technologies at every stage of the education process ensures technical familiarity and a broad knowledge base needed for work in STEM based fields. Biomedical engineering education strives to cultivate broad technical adeptness, creativity, interdisciplinary thought, and an ability to form deep conceptual understanding of complex systems. The FabLab platform is well designed to enhance biomedical engineering education.

Data-acquisition system for environmental monitoring aboard a twin-engined aircraft

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

Tichler, J.; Bernstein, H.; Brown, R.M.

A number of experimental platforms have been used in support of the Multistate Atmospheric Power Production Study (MAP3S) and the Coastal Meteorology programs at Brookhaven National Laboratory. These platforms include a twin-engine Britten Norman Islander aircraft, a motorized van, a variety of boats and temporary enclosures set up in the field. Each platform carried a data logger consisting of a multiplexer, an analog to digital (A/D) converter and a four track endless loop magnetic tape for data storage. In recent years it has become increasingly evident that the data loggers in use were no longer adequate. Since the aircraft providedmore » the most constraints on the data acquisition system as well as being the most important research platform, a data system was designed for that platform with the secondary goal that the system would serve as a prototype for systems to be used on other platforms.« less

Virtual Reality and Cellular Phones as a Complementary Intervention for Veterans with PTSD and Substance Use Disorders

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

substance use disorders (SUDs). The novel intervention uses virtual reality as a cue exposure platform to extinguish cravings to drug-related cues...Pretreatment Posttreament Outcome Variable M(SD) M(SD) PTSD Symptoms, past month (CAPS) 82.4 (18.7) 42.9 (33.5) Nicotine (Fagerstrom) 8.00 (3.46

Device for installing rocket engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, T. R., Jr. (Inventor)

1976-01-01

A device for installing rocket engines is reported that is supported at a cant relative to vertical by an axially extensible, tiltable pedestal. A lifting platform supports the rocket engine at its thrust chamber exit, including a mount having a concentric base characterized by a concave bearing surface, a plurality of uniformly spaced legs extended radially from the base, and an annular receiver coaxially aligned with the base and affixed to the distal ends of said legs for receiving the thrust chamber exit. The lifting platform rests on a seat concentrically related to the pedestal and affixed to an extended end portion thereof having a convex bearing surface mated in sliding engagement with the concave bearing surface of the annular base for accommodating a rocking motion of the platform.

An integrated biotechnology platform for developing sustainable chemical processes.

PubMed

Barton, Nelson R; Burgard, Anthony P; Burk, Mark J; Crater, Jason S; Osterhout, Robin E; Pharkya, Priti; Steer, Brian A; Sun, Jun; Trawick, John D; Van Dien, Stephen J; Yang, Tae Hoon; Yim, Harry

2015-03-01

Genomatica has established an integrated computational/experimental metabolic engineering platform to design, create, and optimize novel high performance organisms and bioprocesses. Here we present our platform and its use to develop E. coli strains for production of the industrial chemical 1,4-butanediol (BDO) from sugars. A series of examples are given to demonstrate how a rational approach to strain engineering, including carefully designed diagnostic experiments, provided critical insights about pathway bottlenecks, byproducts, expression balancing, and commercial robustness, leading to a superior BDO production strain and process.

High-throughput Saccharification assay for lignocellulosic materials.

PubMed

Gomez, Leonardo D; Whitehead, Caragh; Roberts, Philip; McQueen-Mason, Simon J

2011-07-03

Polysaccharides that make up plant lignocellulosic biomass can be broken down to produce a range of sugars that subsequently can be used in establishing a biorefinery. These raw materials would constitute a new industrial platform, which is both sustainable and carbon neutral, to replace the current dependency on fossil fuel. The recalcitrance to deconstruction observed in lignocellulosic materials is produced by several intrinsic properties of plant cell walls. Crystalline cellulose is embedded in matrix polysaccharides such as xylans and arabinoxylans, and the whole structure is encased by the phenolic polymer lignin, that is also difficult to digest (1). In order to improve the digestibility of plant materials we need to discover the main bottlenecks for the saccharification of cell walls and also screen mutant and breeding populations to evaluate the variability in saccharification (2). These tasks require a high throughput approach and here we present an analytical platform that can perform saccharification analysis in a 96-well plate format. This platform has been developed to allow the screening of lignocellulose digestibility of large populations from varied plant species. We have scaled down the reaction volumes for gentle pretreatment, partial enzymatic hydrolysis and sugar determination, to allow large numbers to be assessed rapidly in an automated system. This automated platform works with milligram amounts of biomass, performing ball milling under controlled conditions to reduce the plant materials to a standardised particle size in a reproducible manner. Once the samples are ground, the automated formatting robot dispenses specified and recorded amounts of material into the corresponding wells of 96 deep well plate (Figure 1). Normally, we dispense the same material into 4 wells to have 4 replicates for analysis. Once the plates are filled with the plant material in the desired layout, they are manually moved to a liquid handling station (Figure 2). In this station the samples are subjected to a mild pretreatment with either dilute acid or alkaline and incubated at temperatures of up to 90°C. The pretreatment solution is subsequently removed and the samples are rinsed with buffer to return them to a suitable pH for hydrolysis. The samples are then incubated with an enzyme mixture for a variable length of time at 50°C. An aliquot is taken from the hydrolyzate and the reducing sugars are automatically determined by the MBTH colorimetric method.

The GridEcon Platform: A Business Scenario Testbed for Commercial Cloud Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Risch, Marcel; Altmann, Jörn; Guo, Li; Fleming, Alan; Courcoubetis, Costas

Within this paper, we present the GridEcon Platform, a testbed for designing and evaluating economics-aware services in a commercial Cloud computing setting. The Platform is based on the idea that the exact working of such services is difficult to predict in the context of a market and, therefore, an environment for evaluating its behavior in an emulated market is needed. To identify the components of the GridEcon Platform, a number of economics-aware services and their interactions have been envisioned. The two most important components of the platform are the Marketplace and the Workflow Engine. The Workflow Engine allows the simple composition of a market environment by describing the service interactions between economics-aware services. The Marketplace allows trading goods using different market mechanisms. The capabilities of these components of the GridEcon Platform in conjunction with the economics-aware services are described in this paper in detail. The validation of an implemented market mechanism and a capacity planning service using the GridEcon Platform also demonstrated the usefulness of the GridEcon Platform.

Control of cell growth on 3D-printed cell culture platforms for tissue engineering.

PubMed

Tan, Zhikai; Liu, Tong; Zhong, Juchang; Yang, Yikun; Tan, Weihong

2017-12-01

Biocompatible tissue growth has excellent prospects for tissue engineering. These tissues are built over scaffolds, which can influence aspects such as cell adhesion, proliferation rate, morphology, and differentiation. However, the ideal 3D biological structure has not been developed yet. Here, we applied the electro-hydrodynamic jet (E-jet) 3D printing technology using poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid, PLGA) solution to print varied culture platforms for engineered tissue structures. The effects of different parameters (electrical voltage, plotting speed, and needle sizes) on the outcome were investigated. We compared the biological compatibility of the 3D printed culture platforms with that of random fibers. Finally, we used the 3D-printed PLGA platforms to culture fibroblasts, the main cellular components of loose connective tissue. The results show that the E-jet printed platforms could guide and improve cell growth. These highly aligned fibers were able to support cellular alignment and proliferation. Cell angle was consistent with the direction of the fibers, and cells cultured on these fibers showed a much faster migration, potentially enhancing wound healing performance. Thus, the potential of this technology for 3D biological printing is large. This process can be used to grow biological scaffolds for the engineering of tissues. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 3281-3292, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PEP Integrated Test D Run Report Caustic and Oxidative Leaching in UFP-VSL-T02A

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

Sevigny, Gary J.; Bredt, Ofelia P.; Burns, Carolyn A.

2009-12-11

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been tasked by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) on the River Protection Project-Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (RPP-WTP) project to perform research and development activities to resolve technical issues identified for the Pretreatment Facility (PTF). The Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) was designed, constructed and operated as part of a plan to respond to issue M12, "Undemonstrated Leaching Processes" of the External Flowsheet Review Team (EFRT) issue response plan. The PEP is a 1/4.5-scale test platform designed to simulate the WTP pretreatment caustic leaching, oxidative leaching, ultrafiltration solids concentration, and slurry washing processes. Themore » PEP replicates the WTP leaching processes using prototypic equipment and control strategies. The PEP also includes non-prototypic ancillary equipment to support the core processing. Two operating scenarios are currently being evaluated for the ultrafiltration process (UFP) and leaching operations. The first scenario (Test B and D) has caustic leaching performed in the UFP-2 ultrafiltration feed vessels (i.e., vessel UFP-VSL-T02A in the PEP and vessels UFP-VSL-00002A and B in the WTP PTF). The second scenario (Test A) has caustic leaching conducted in the UFP-1 ultrafiltration feed preparation vessels (i.e., vessels UFP-VSL-T01A and B in the PEP and vessels UFP VSL-00001A and B in the WTP PTF). In Test D, 19M sodium hydroxide (NaOH, caustic) was added to the waste slurry in the UFP VSL T02 vessel after the solids were concentrated to ~20% undissolved solids. The NaOH was added to leach solid aluminum compounds (e.g., gibbsite, boehmite). Caustic addition is followed by heating to 85°C using direct injection of steam to accelerate the leach process. The main difference of Test D compared to Test B is that the leach temperature is 85°C for 24 hrs as compared to 100°C for 12 hours. The other difference is the Test D simulant had Cr in the simulant from the start of processing and Test B had Cr added to adjust the simulant composition after aluminum leaching. Following the caustic leach, the UFP-VSL-T02A vessel contents are cooled using the vessel cooling jacket. The slurry was then concentrated to 17 wt% undissolved solids and washed with inhibited water to remove NaOH and other soluble salts. Next, the slurry was oxidatively leached using sodium permanganate to solubilize chrome. The slurry was then washed to remove the dissolved chrome and concentrated.« less

iCopyDAV: Integrated platform for copy number variations—Detection, annotation and visualization

PubMed Central

Vogeti, Sriharsha

2018-01-01

Discovery of copy number variations (CNVs), a major category of structural variations, have dramatically changed our understanding of differences between individuals and provide an alternate paradigm for the genetic basis of human diseases. CNVs include both copy gain and copy loss events and their detection genome-wide is now possible using high-throughput, low-cost next generation sequencing (NGS) methods. However, accurate detection of CNVs from NGS data is not straightforward due to non-uniform coverage of reads resulting from various systemic biases. We have developed an integrated platform, iCopyDAV, to handle some of these issues in CNV detection in whole genome NGS data. It has a modular framework comprising five major modules: data pre-treatment, segmentation, variant calling, annotation and visualization. An important feature of iCopyDAV is the functional annotation module that enables the user to identify and prioritize CNVs encompassing various functional elements, genomic features and disease-associations. Parallelization of the segmentation algorithms makes the iCopyDAV platform even accessible on a desktop. Here we show the effect of sequencing coverage, read length, bin size, data pre-treatment and segmentation approaches on accurate detection of the complete spectrum of CNVs. Performance of iCopyDAV is evaluated on both simulated data and real data for different sequencing depths. It is an open-source integrated pipeline available at https://github.com/vogetihrsh/icopydav and as Docker’s image at http://bioinf.iiit.ac.in/icopydav/. PMID:29621297

Cells for tissue engineering of cardiac valves.

PubMed

Jana, Soumen; Tranquillo, Robert T; Lerman, Amir

2016-10-01

Heart valve tissue engineering is a promising alternative to prostheses for the replacement of diseased or damaged heart valves, because tissue-engineered valves have the ability to remodel, regenerate and grow. To engineer heart valves, cells are harvested, seeded onto or into a three-dimensional (3D) matrix platform to generate a tissue-engineered construct in vitro, and then implanted into a patient's body. Successful engineering of heart valves requires a thorough understanding of the different types of cells that can be used to obtain the essential phenotypes that are expressed in native heart valves. This article reviews different cell types that have been used in heart valve engineering, cell sources for harvesting, phenotypic expression in constructs and suitability in heart valve tissue engineering. Natural and synthetic biomaterials that have been applied as scaffold systems or cell-delivery platforms are discussed with each cell type. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Characterization of stress-induced suppression of long-term potentiation in the hippocampal CA1 field of freely moving rats.

PubMed

Hirata, Riki; Togashi, Hiroko; Matsumoto, Machiko; Yamaguchi, Taku; Izumi, Takeshi; Yoshioka, Mitsuhiro

2008-08-21

Several lines of evidence have shown that exposure to stress impairs long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 field of the hippocampus, but the detailed mechanisms for this effect remain to be clarified. The present study elucidated the synaptic mechanism of stress-induced LTP suppression in conscious, freely moving rats using electrophysiological approaches. Open field stress (i.e., novel environment stress) and elevated platform stress (i.e., uncontrollable stress) were employed. Basal synaptic transmission was significantly reduced during exposure to elevated platform stress but not during exposure to open field stress. LTP induction was blocked by elevated platform stress but not influenced by open field stress. Significant increases in serum corticosterone levels were observed in the elevated platform stress group compared with the open field stress group. Furthermore, LTP suppression induced by elevated platform stress was prevented by pretreatment with an anxiolytic drug diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.). These results suggest that stress-induced LTP suppression depends on the relative intensity of the stressor. The inhibitory synaptic response induced by an intense psychological stress, such as elevated platform stress, may be attributable to LTP impairment in the CA1 field of the hippocampus.

Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation conditions for improved bioethanol production from potato peel residues.

PubMed

Ben Taher, Imen; Fickers, Patrick; Chniti, Sofien; Hassouna, Mnasser

2017-03-01

The aim of this work was the optimization of the enzyme hydrolysis of potato peel residues (PPR) for bioethanol production. The process included a pretreatment step followed by an enzyme hydrolysis using crude enzyme system composed of cellulase, amylase and hemicellulase, produced by a mixed culture of Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei. Hydrothermal, alkali and acid pretreatments were considered with regards to the enhancement of enzyme hydrolysis of potato peel residues. The obtained results showed that hydrothermal pretreatment lead to a higher enzyme hydrolysis yield compared to both acid and alkali pretreatments. Enzyme hydrolysis was also optimized for parameters such as temperature, pH, substrate loading and surfactant loading using a response surface methodology. Under optimized conditions, 77 g L -1 of reducing sugars were obtained. Yeast fermentation of the released reducing sugars led to an ethanol titer of 30 g L -1 after supplementation of the culture medium with ammonium sulfate. Moreover, a comparative study between acid and enzyme hydrolysis of potato peel residues was investigated. Results showed that enzyme hydrolysis offers higher yield of bioethanol production than acid hydrolysis. These results highlight the potential of second generation bioethanol production from potato peel residues treated with onsite produced hydrolytic enzymes. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:397-406, 2017. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

An engineered microbial platform for direct biofuel production from brown macroalgae.

PubMed

Wargacki, Adam J; Leonard, Effendi; Win, Maung Nyan; Regitsky, Drew D; Santos, Christine Nicole S; Kim, Peter B; Cooper, Susan R; Raisner, Ryan M; Herman, Asael; Sivitz, Alicia B; Lakshmanaswamy, Arun; Kashiyama, Yuki; Baker, David; Yoshikuni, Yasuo

2012-01-20

Prospecting macroalgae (seaweeds) as feedstocks for bioconversion into biofuels and commodity chemical compounds is limited primarily by the availability of tractable microorganisms that can metabolize alginate polysaccharides. Here, we present the discovery of a 36-kilo-base pair DNA fragment from Vibrio splendidus encoding enzymes for alginate transport and metabolism. The genomic integration of this ensemble, together with an engineered system for extracellular alginate depolymerization, generated a microbial platform that can simultaneously degrade, uptake, and metabolize alginate. When further engineered for ethanol synthesis, this platform enables bioethanol production directly from macroalgae via a consolidated process, achieving a titer of 4.7% volume/volume and a yield of 0.281 weight ethanol/weight dry macroalgae (equivalent to ~80% of the maximum theoretical yield from the sugar composition in macroalgae).

Catalytic conversion of corncob and corncob pretreatment hydrolysate to furfural in a biphasic system with addition of sodium chloride.

PubMed

Qing, Qing; Guo, Qi; Zhou, Linlin; Wan, Yilun; Xu, Youqing; Ji, Huilong; Gao, Xiaohang; Zhang, Yue

2017-02-01

Catalytic conversion of corncob pretreatment hydrolysate and raw corncob into furfural in a modified biphasic system by SO 4 2- /SnO 2 - MMT solid catalyst has been developed. The influence of the organic solvent type, organic to water phase ratio, sodium chloride concentration, reaction temperature and time on the furfural production were comparatively evaluated. The results showed that furfural yields of 81.7% and 66.1% were achieved at 190°C for 15mins and 190°C for 20mins, respectively, for corncob pretreatment hydrolysate and raw corncob by this solid catalyst. The solid catalyst used in this study exhibited good stability and high efficiency applied in the modified biphasic system in addition to excellent recyclability. The proposed catalytic system displayed high performance for catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into important platform chemicals and has great potential in industrial application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient biomass pretreatment using ionic liquids derived from lignin and hemicellulose

PubMed Central

Socha, Aaron M.; Parthasarathi, Ramakrishnan; Shi, Jian; Pattathil, Sivakumar; Whyte, Dorian; Bergeron, Maxime; George, Anthe; Tran, Kim; Stavila, Vitalie; Venkatachalam, Sivasankari; Hahn, Michael G.; Simmons, Blake A.; Singh, Seema

2014-01-01

Ionic liquids (ILs), solvents composed entirely of paired ions, have been used in a variety of process chemistry and renewable energy applications. Imidazolium-based ILs effectively dissolve biomass and represent a remarkable platform for biomass pretreatment. Although efficient, imidazolium cations are expensive and thus limited in their large-scale industrial deployment. To replace imidazolium-based ILs with those derived from renewable sources, we synthesized a series of tertiary amine-based ILs from aromatic aldehydes derived from lignin and hemicellulose, the major by-products of lignocellulosic biofuel production. Compositional analysis of switchgrass pretreated with ILs derived from vanillin, p-anisaldehyde, and furfural confirmed their efficacy. Enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated switchgrass allowed for direct comparison of sugar yields and lignin removal between biomass-derived ILs and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate. Although the rate of cellulose hydrolysis for switchgrass pretreated with biomass-derived ILs was slightly slower than that of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, 90–95% glucose and 70–75% xylose yields were obtained for these samples after 72-h incubation. Molecular modeling was used to compare IL solvent parameters with experimentally obtained compositional analysis data. Effective pretreatment of lignocellulose was further investigated by powder X-ray diffraction and glycome profiling of switchgrass cell walls. These studies showed different cellulose structural changes and differences in hemicellulose epitopes between switchgrass pretreatments with the aforementioned ILs. Our concept of deriving ILs from lignocellulosic biomass shows significant potential for the realization of a “closed-loop” process for future lignocellulosic biorefineries and has far-reaching economic impacts for other IL-based process technology currently using ILs synthesized from petroleum sources. PMID:25136131

Insights into plant cell wall structure, architecture, and integrity using glycome profiling of native and AFEX TM -pre-treated biomass

DOE PAGES

Pattathil, Sivakumar; Hahn, Michael G.; Dale, Bruce E.; ...

2015-04-23

We report that cell walls, which constitute the bulk of plant biomass, vary considerably in their structure, composition, and architecture. Studies on plant cell walls can be conducted on both native and pre-treated plant biomass samples, allowing an enhanced understanding of these structural and compositional variations. Here glycome profiling was employed to determine the relative abundance of matrix polysaccharides in several phylogenetically distinct native and pre-treated plant biomasses. Eight distinct biomass types belonging to four different subgroups (i.e. monocot grasses, woody dicots, herbaceous dicots, and softwoods) were subjected to various regimes of AFEX™ (ammonia fiber expansion) pre-treatment [AFEX is amore » trademark of MBI, Lansing (http://www.mbi.org]. This approach allowed detailed analysis of close to 200 cell wall glycan epitopes and their relative extractability using a high-throughput platform. In general, irrespective of the phylogenetic origin, AFEX™ pre-treatment appeared to cause loosening and improved accessibility of various xylan epitope subclasses in most plant biomass materials studied. For most biomass types analysed, such loosening was also evident for other major non-cellulosic components including subclasses of pectin and xyloglucan epitopes. The studies also demonstrate that AFEX™ pre-treatment significantly reduced cell wall recalcitrance among diverse phylogenies (except softwoods) by inducing structural modifications to polysaccharides that were not detectable by conventional gross composition analyses. Lastly, we found that monitoring changes in cell wall glycan compositions and their relative extractability for untreated and pre-treated plant biomass can provide an improved understanding of variations in structure and composition of plant cell walls and delineate the role(s) of matrix polysaccharides in cell wall recalcitrance.« less

Microfabrication of a platform to measure and manipulate the mechanics of engineered microtissues.

PubMed

Ramade, Alexandre; Legant, Wesley R; Picart, Catherine; Chen, Christopher S; Boudou, Thomas

2014-01-01

Engineered tissues can be used to understand fundamental features of biology, develop organotypic in vitro model systems, and as engineered tissue constructs for replacing damaged tissue in vivo. However, a key limitation is an inability to test the wide range of parameters that might impact the engineered tissue in a high-throughput manner and in an environment that mimics the three-dimensional (3D) native architecture. We developed a microfabricated platform to generate arrays of microtissues embedded within 3D micropatterned matrices. Microcantilevers simultaneously constrain microtissue formation and report forces generated by the microtissues in real time, opening the possibility to use high-throughput, low-volume screening for studies on engineered tissues. Thanks to the micrometer scale of the microtissues, this platform is also suitable for high-throughput monitoring of drug-induced effect on architecture and contractility in engineered tissues. Moreover, independent variations of the mechanical stiffness of the cantilevers and collagen matrix allow the measurement and manipulation of the mechanics of the microtissues. Thus, our approach will likely provide valuable opportunities to elucidate how biomechanical, electrical, biochemical, and genetic/epigenetic cues modulate the formation and maturation of 3D engineered tissues. In this chapter, we describe the microfabrication, preparation, and experimental use of such microfabricated tissue gauges. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Millstone: software for multiplex microbial genome analysis and engineering

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

Goodman, Daniel B.; Kuznetsov, Gleb; Lajoie, Marc J.

Inexpensive DNA sequencing and advances in genome editing have made computational analysis a major rate-limiting step in adaptive laboratory evolution and microbial genome engineering. Here, we describe Millstone, a web-based platform that automates genotype comparison and visualization for projects with up to hundreds of genomic samples. To enable iterative genome engineering, Millstone allows users to design oligonucleotide libraries and create successive versions of reference genomes. Millstone is open source and easily deployable to a cloud platform, local cluster, or desktop, making it a scalable solution for any lab.

Millstone: software for multiplex microbial genome analysis and engineering.

PubMed

Goodman, Daniel B; Kuznetsov, Gleb; Lajoie, Marc J; Ahern, Brian W; Napolitano, Michael G; Chen, Kevin Y; Chen, Changping; Church, George M

2017-05-25

Inexpensive DNA sequencing and advances in genome editing have made computational analysis a major rate-limiting step in adaptive laboratory evolution and microbial genome engineering. We describe Millstone, a web-based platform that automates genotype comparison and visualization for projects with up to hundreds of genomic samples. To enable iterative genome engineering, Millstone allows users to design oligonucleotide libraries and create successive versions of reference genomes. Millstone is open source and easily deployable to a cloud platform, local cluster, or desktop, making it a scalable solution for any lab.

Millstone: software for multiplex microbial genome analysis and engineering

DOE PAGES

Goodman, Daniel B.; Kuznetsov, Gleb; Lajoie, Marc J.; ...

2017-05-25

Inexpensive DNA sequencing and advances in genome editing have made computational analysis a major rate-limiting step in adaptive laboratory evolution and microbial genome engineering. Here, we describe Millstone, a web-based platform that automates genotype comparison and visualization for projects with up to hundreds of genomic samples. To enable iterative genome engineering, Millstone allows users to design oligonucleotide libraries and create successive versions of reference genomes. Millstone is open source and easily deployable to a cloud platform, local cluster, or desktop, making it a scalable solution for any lab.

Development of a high efficiency integration system and promoter library for rapid modification of Pseudomonas putida KT2440

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

Elmore, Joshua R.; Furches, Anna; Wolff, Gara N.

Pseudomonas putida strains are highly robust bacteria known for their ability to efficiently utilize a variety of carbon sources, including aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Recently, P. putida has been engineered to valorize the lignin stream of a lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment process. Nonetheless, when compared to platform organisms such as Escherichia coli, the toolkit for engineering P. putida is underdeveloped. Heterologous gene expression in particular is problematic. Plasmid instability and copy number variance provide challenges for replicative plasmids, while use of homologous recombination for insertion of DNA into the chromosome is slow and laborious. Furthermore, heterologous expression efforts to date typicallymore » rely on overexpression of exogenous pathways using a handful of poorly characterized promoters. In order to improve the P. putida toolkit, we developed a rapid genome integration system using the site-specific recombinase from bacteriophage Bxb1 to enable rapid, high efficiency integration of DNA into the P. putida chromosome. We also developed a library of synthetic promoters with various UP elements, -35 sequences, and -10 sequences, as well as different ribosomal binding sites. We tested these promoters using a fluorescent reporter gene, mNeonGreen, to characterize the strength of each promoter, and identified UP-element-promoter-ribosomal binding sites combinations capable of driving a ~150-fold range of protein expression levels. One additional integrating vector was developed that confers more robust kanamycin resistance when integrated at single copy into the chromosome. This genome integration and reporter systems are extensible for testing other genetic parts, such as examining terminator strength, and will allow rapid integration of heterologous pathways for metabolic engineering.« less

40 CFR 455.47 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PESTICIDE CHEMICALS Pesticide Chemicals Formulating and Packaging... Best Engineering Judgement for modifications not listed in Table 8 to this part 455); (2) The...

40 CFR 455.47 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PESTICIDE CHEMICALS Pesticide Chemicals Formulating and Packaging... Best Engineering Judgement for modifications not listed in Table 8 to this part 455); (2) The...

The Study on Collaborative Manufacturing Platform Based on Agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiao-yan; Qu, Zheng-geng

To fulfill the trends of knowledge-intensive in collaborative manufacturing development, we have described multi agent architecture supporting knowledge-based platform of collaborative manufacturing development platform. In virtue of wrapper service and communication capacity agents provided, the proposed architecture facilitates organization and collaboration of multi-disciplinary individuals and tools. By effectively supporting the formal representation, capture, retrieval and reuse of manufacturing knowledge, the generalized knowledge repository based on ontology library enable engineers to meaningfully exchange information and pass knowledge across boundaries. Intelligent agent technology increases traditional KBE systems efficiency and interoperability and provides comprehensive design environments for engineers.

Curating the Web: Building a Google Custom Search Engine for the Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennesy, Cody; Bowman, John

2008-01-01

Google's first foray onto the web made search simple and results relevant. With its Co-op platform, Google has taken another step toward dramatically increasing the relevancy of search results, further adapting the World Wide Web to local needs. Google Custom Search Engine, a tool on the Co-op platform, puts one in control of his or her own search…

Comparative evaluation of acid and alkaline sulfite pretreatments for enzymatic saccharification of bagasses from three different sugarcane hybrids.

PubMed

Monte, Joseana R; Laurito-Friend, Debora F; Ferraz, André; Milagres, Adriane M F

2018-04-26

Sugarcane bagasses from three experimental sugarcane hybrids and a mill-reference sample were used to compare the efficiency and mode of action of acid and alkaline sulfite pretreatment processes. Varied chemical loads and reaction temperatures were used to prepare samples with distinguished characteristics regarding xylan and lignin removals, as well as sulfonation levels of residual lignins. The pretreatment with low sulfite loads (5%) under acidic conditions (pH 2) provided maximum glucose yield of 70% during enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulases (10 FPU/g) and β-glucosidases (20 UI/g bagasse). In this case, glucan enzymatic conversion from pretreated materials was mostly associated with extensive xylan removal (70-100%) and partial delignification occurred during the pretreatment. The use of low sulfite loads under acidic conditions required pretreatment temperatures of 160°C. In contrast, at a lower pretreatment temperature (120°C), alkaline sulfite process achieved similar glucan digestibility, but required a higher sulfite load (7.5%). Residual xylans from acid pretreated materials were almost completely hydrolysed by commercial enzymes, contrasting with relatively lower xylan to xylose conversions observed in alkaline pretreated samples. Efficient xylan removal during acid sulfite pretreatment and also during enzymatic digestion can be useful to enhance glucan accessibility and digestibility by cellulases. Alkaline sulfite process also provided substrates with high glucan digestibility, mainly associated with delignification and sulfonation of residual lignins. The results demonstrate that temperature, pH and sulfite can be combined for reducing lignocellulose recalcitrance and achieve similar glucan conversion rates in the alkaline and acid sulfite pretreated bagasses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

40 CFR 455.46 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE CHEMICALS Pesticide Chemicals Formulating and... listed in Table 8 to this part 455 (or received a modification by Best Engineering Judgement for...

40 CFR 455.46 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PESTICIDE CHEMICALS Pesticide Chemicals Formulating and Packaging... listed in Table 8 to this part 455 (or received a modification by Best Engineering Judgement for...

40 CFR 455.47 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE CHEMICALS Pesticide Chemicals Formulating and... received a modification by Best Engineering Judgement for modifications not listed in Table 8 to this part...

40 CFR 455.46 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE CHEMICALS Pesticide Chemicals Formulating and... listed in Table 8 to this part 455 (or received a modification by Best Engineering Judgement for...

40 CFR 455.47 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE CHEMICALS Pesticide Chemicals Formulating and... received a modification by Best Engineering Judgement for modifications not listed in Table 8 to this part...

40 CFR 455.46 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PESTICIDE CHEMICALS Pesticide Chemicals Formulating and Packaging... listed in Table 8 to this part 455 (or received a modification by Best Engineering Judgement for...

Interface microstructure engineering by high power impulse magnetron sputtering for the enhancement of adhesion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehiasarian, A. P.; Wen, J. G.; Petrov, I.

2007-03-01

An excellent adhesion of hard coatings to steel substrates is paramount in practically all application areas. Conventional methods utilize Ar glow etching or cathodic arc discharge pretreatments that have the disadvantage of producing weak interfaces or adding droplets, respectively. One tool for interface engineering is high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS). HIPIMS is based on conventional sputtering with extremely high peak power densities reaching 3kWcm-2 at current densities of >2Acm-2. HIPIMS of Cr and Nb was used to prepare interfaces on 304 stainless steel and M2 high speed steel (HSS). During the pretreatment, the substrates were biased to Ubias=-600V and Ubias=-1000V in the environment of a HIPIMS of Cr and Nb plasma. The bombarding flux density reached peak values of 300mAcm-2 and consisted of highly ionized metal plasma containing a high proportion of Cr1+ and Nb1+. Pretreatments were also carried out with Ar glow discharge and filtered cathodic arc as comparison. The adhesion was evaluated for coatings consisting of a 0.3μm thick CrN base layer and a 4μm thick nanolayer stack of CrN /NbN with a period of 3.4nm, hardness of HK0.025=3100, and residual stress of -1.8GPa. For HIPIMS of Cr pretreatment, the adhesion values on M2 HSS reached scratch test critical load values of LC=70N, thus comparing well to LC=51N for interfaces pretreated by arc discharge plasmas and to LC=25N for Ar etching. Cross sectional transmission electron microscopy studies revealed a clean interface and large areas of epitaxial growth in the case of HIPIMS pretreatment. The HIPIMS pretreatment promoted strong registry between the orientation of the coating and polycrystalline substrate grains due to the incorporation of metal ions and the preservation of crystallinity of the substrate. Evidence and conditions for the formation of cube-on-cube epitaxy and axiotaxy on steel and γ-TiAl substrates are presented.

16. INTERIOR OF ENGINE ROOM, CONTAINING MESTACORLISS CROSSCOMPOUND ENGINE, FOR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

16. INTERIOR OF ENGINE ROOM, CONTAINING MESTA-CORLISS CROSS-COMPOUND ENGINE, FOR 40" BLOOMING MILL. THIS VIEW IS TAKEN FROM THE HIGH-PRESSURE SIDE OF THE ENGINE SHOWING THE SERVICE PLATFORM - Republic Iron & Steel Company, Youngstown Works, Blooming Mill & Blooming Mill Engines, North of Poland Avenue, Youngstown, Mahoning County, OH

Harnessing genetic diversity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for fermentation of xylose in hydrolysates of alkaline hydrogen peroxide-pretreated biomass.

PubMed

Sato, Trey K; Liu, Tongjun; Parreiras, Lucas S; Williams, Daniel L; Wohlbach, Dana J; Bice, Benjamin D; Ong, Irene M; Breuer, Rebecca J; Qin, Li; Busalacchi, Donald; Deshpande, Shweta; Daum, Chris; Gasch, Audrey P; Hodge, David B

2014-01-01

The fermentation of lignocellulose-derived sugars, particularly xylose, into ethanol by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known to be inhibited by compounds produced during feedstock pretreatment. We devised a strategy that combined chemical profiling of pretreated feedstocks, high-throughput phenotyping of genetically diverse S. cerevisiae strains isolated from a range of ecological niches, and directed engineering and evolution against identified inhibitors to produce strains with improved fermentation properties. We identified and quantified for the first time the major inhibitory compounds in alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP)-pretreated lignocellulosic hydrolysates, including Na(+), acetate, and p-coumaric (pCA) and ferulic (FA) acids. By phenotyping these yeast strains for their abilities to grow in the presence of these AHP inhibitors, one heterozygous diploid strain tolerant to all four inhibitors was selected, engineered for xylose metabolism, and then allowed to evolve on xylose with increasing amounts of pCA and FA. After only 149 generations, one evolved isolate, GLBRCY87, exhibited faster xylose uptake rates in both laboratory media and AHP switchgrass hydrolysate than its ancestral GLBRCY73 strain and completely converted 115 g/liter of total sugars in undetoxified AHP hydrolysate into more than 40 g/liter ethanol. Strikingly, genome sequencing revealed that during the evolution from GLBRCY73, the GLBRCY87 strain acquired the conversion of heterozygous to homozygous alleles in chromosome VII and amplification of chromosome XIV. Our approach highlights that simultaneous selection on xylose and pCA or FA with a wild S. cerevisiae strain containing inherent tolerance to AHP pretreatment inhibitors has potential for rapid evolution of robust properties in lignocellulosic biofuel production.

Incorporating a Product Archaeology Paradigm across the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore-Russo, Deborah; Cormier, Phillip; Lewis, Kemper; Devendorf, Erich

2013-01-01

Historically, the teaching of design theory in an engineering curriculum has been relegated to a senior capstone design experience. Presently, however, engineering design concepts and courses can be found through the entirety of most engineering programs. Educators have recognized that engineering design provides a foundational platform that can…

Development of a Turbofan Engine Simulation in a Graphical Simulation Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Khary I.; Guo, Ten-Heui

2003-01-01

This paper presents the development of a generic component level model of a turbofan engine simulation with a digital controller, in an advanced graphical simulation environment. The goal of this effort is to develop and demonstrate a flexible simulation platform for future research in propulsion system control and diagnostic technology. A previously validated FORTRAN-based model of a modern, high-performance, military-type turbofan engine is being used to validate the platform development. The implementation process required the development of various innovative procedures, which are discussed in the paper. Open-loop and closed-loop comparisons are made between the two simulations. Future enhancements that are to be made to the modular engine simulation are summarized.

A System Engineering Study and Concept Development for a Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Operations Management Platform

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

and network. The computing and network hardware are identified and include routers, servers, firewalls, laptops , backup hard drives, smart phones...deployable hardware units will be necessary. This includes the use of ruggedized laptops and desktop computers , a projector system, communications system...ENGINEERING STUDY AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT FOR A HUMANITARIAN AID AND DISASTER RELIEF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT PLATFORM by Julie A. Reed September

Design and engineering analysis of material procurement mobile operation platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, H.; Li, J.

2014-03-01

The material procurement mobile operation platform (MPMOP) consists of six modules, including network operation, truck transportation, remote communication, satellite positioning, power supply and environment regulation. The MPMOP is designed to have six major functions, including online procurement, command control, remote communication, satellite positioning, information management and auxiliary decision. The paper implements an engineering analysis on the MPMOP from three aspects, including transportation transfinite, centroid, and power dissipation.

A strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae evolved for fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass displays improved growth and fermentative ability in high solids concentrations and in the presence of inhibitory compounds

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Softwoods are the dominant source of lignocellulosic biomass in the northern hemisphere, and have been investigated worldwide as a renewable substrate for cellulosic ethanol production. One challenge to using softwoods, which is particularly acute with pine, is that the pretreatment process produces inhibitory compounds detrimental to the growth and metabolic activity of fermenting organisms. To overcome the challenge of bioconversion in the presence of inhibitory compounds, especially at high solids loading, a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was subjected to evolutionary engineering and adaptation for fermentation of pretreated pine wood (Pinus taeda). Results An industrial strain of Saccharomyces, XR122N, was evolved using pretreated pine; the resulting daughter strain, AJP50, produced ethanol much more rapidly than its parent in fermentations of pretreated pine. Adaptation, by preculturing of the industrial yeast XR122N and the evolved strains in 7% dry weight per volume (w/v) pretreated pine solids prior to inoculation into higher solids concentrations, improved fermentation performance of all strains compared with direct inoculation into high solids. Growth comparisons between XR122N and AJP50 in model hydrolysate media containing inhibitory compounds found in pretreated biomass showed that AJP50 exited lag phase faster under all conditions tested. This was due, in part, to the ability of AJP50 to rapidly convert furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural to their less toxic alcohol derivatives, and to recover from reactive oxygen species damage more quickly than XR122N. Under industrially relevant conditions of 17.5% w/v pretreated pine solids loading, additional evolutionary engineering was required to decrease the pronounced lag phase. Using a combination of adaptation by inoculation first into a solids loading of 7% w/v for 24 hours, followed by a 10% v/v inoculum (approximately equivalent to 1 g/L dry cell weight) into 17.5% w/v solids, the final strain (AJP50) produced ethanol at more than 80% of the maximum theoretical yield after 72 hours of fermentation, and reached more than 90% of the maximum theoretical yield after 120 hours of fermentation. Conclusions Our results show that fermentation of pretreated pine containing liquid and solids, including any inhibitory compounds generated during pretreatment, is possible at higher solids loadings than those previously reported in the literature. Using our evolved strain, efficient fermentation with reduced inoculum sizes and shortened process times was possible, thereby improving the overall economic viability of a woody biomass-to-ethanol conversion process. PMID:22074982

Production of isoprene, one of the high-density fuel precursors, from peanut hull using the high-efficient lignin-removal pretreatment method.

PubMed

Wang, Sumeng; Wang, Zhaobao; Wang, Yongchao; Nie, Qingjuan; Yi, Xiaohua; Ge, Wei; Yang, Jianming; Xian, Mo

2017-01-01

Isoprene as the feedstock can be used to produce renewable energy fuels, providing an alternative to replace the rapidly depleting fossil fuels. However, traditional method for isoprene production could not meet the demands for low-energy consumption and environment-friendliness. Moreover, most of the previous studies focused on biofuel production out of lignocellulosic materials such as wood, rice straw, corn cob, while few studies concentrated on biofuel production using peanut hull (PH). As is known, China is the largest peanut producer in the globe with an extremely considerable amount of PH to be produced each year. Therefore, a novel, renewable, and environment-friendly pretreatment strategy to increase the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of cellulose and reduce the inhibitors generation was developed to convert PH into isoprene. The optimal pretreatment conditions were 100 °C, 60 min, 10% (w/v) solid loading with a 2:8 volume ratio of phosphoric acid and of hydrogen peroxide. In comparison with the raw PH, the hemicellulose and lignin were reduced to 85.0 and 98.0%, respectively. The cellulose-glucose conversion of pretreated PH reached up to 95.0% in contrast to that of the raw PH (19.1%). Only three kinds of inhibitors including formic acid, levulinic acid, and a little furfural were formed during the pretreatment process, whose concentrations were too low to inhibit the isoprene yield for Escherichia coli fermentation. Moreover, compared with the isoprene yield of pure glucose fermentation (298 ± 9 mg/L), 249 ± 6.7 and 294 ± 8.3 mg/L of isoprene were produced using the pretreated PH as the carbon source by the engineered strain via separate hydrolysis and fermentation and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) methods, respectively. The isoprene production via SSF had a 9.8% glucose-isoprene conversion which was equivalent to 98.8% of isoprene production via the pure glucose fermentation. The optimized phosphoric acid/hydrogen peroxide combination pretreatment approach was proved effective to remove lignin and hemicellulose from lignocellulosic materials. Meanwhile, the pretreated PH could be converted into isoprene efficiently in the engineered Escherichia coli . It is concluded that this novel strategy of isoprene production using lignocellulosic materials pretreated by phosphoric acid/hydrogen peroxide is a promising alternative to isoprene production using traditional way which can fully utilize non-renewable fossil sources.

Novel Biocatalytic Platform for Ethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Feedstock

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

Chen, Chyi-Shin; Tachea, Firehiwot; Brown, Sarah

2017-01-23

The goals of the CRADA were achieved by illustrating the scalability of immobilized yeast technology, demonstrating lignocellulosic feedstock consumption by the immobilized cells, and confirming Microvi’s proprietary polymer matrix ethanol toxicity tolerance. We conducted fermentations at 2L and 300L scales. For carbon source, we performed pretreatment and saccharification at 100L scale to produce lignocellulosic sugars with glucose and xylose.

Impact of Pretreatment Technologies on Saccharification and Isopentenol Fermentation of Mixed Lignocellulosic Feedstocks

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

Shi, Jian; George, Kevin W.; Sun, Ning

2015-02-28

In order to enable the large-scale production of biofuels or chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass, a consistent and affordable year-round supply of lignocellulosic feedstocks is essential. Feedstock blending and/or densification offers one promising solution to overcome current challenges on biomass supply, i.e., low energy and bulk densities and significant compositional variations. Therefore, it is imperative to develop conversion technologies that can process mixed pelleted biomass feedstocks with minimal negative impact in terms of overall performance of the relevant biorefinery unit operations: pretreatment, fermentable sugar production, and fuel titers. We processed the mixture of four feedstocks—corn stover, switchgrass, lodgepole pine, and eucalyptusmore » (1:1:1:1 on dry weight basis)—in flour and pellet form using ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, dilute sulfuric acid (DA), and soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA) pretreatments. Commercial enzyme mixtures, including cellulases and hemicellulases, were then applied to these pretreated feedstocks at low to moderate enzyme loadings to determine hydrolysis efficiency. Results show significant variations on the chemical composition, crystallinity, and enzymatic digestibility of the pretreated feedstocks across the different pretreatment technologies studied. The advanced biofuel isopentenol was produced during simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of pretreated feedstocks using an engineered Escherichia coli strain. Results show that IL pretreatment liberates the most sugar during enzymatic saccharification, and in turn led to the highest isopentenol titer as compared to DA and SAA pretreatments. This study provides insights on developing biorefinery technologies that produce advanced biofuels based on mixed feedstock streams.« less

Space shuttle main engine high pressure fuel pump aft platform seal cavity flow analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowry, S. A.; Keeton, L. W.

1987-01-01

A general purpose, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics code named PHOENICS, developed by CHAM Inc., is used to model the flow in the aft-platform seal cavity in the high pressure fuel pump of the space shuttle main engine. The model is used to predict the temperatures, velocities, and pressures in the cavity for six different sets of boundary conditions. The results are presented as input for further analysis of two known problems in the region, specifically: erratic pressures and temperatures in the adjacent coolant liner cavity and cracks in the blade shanks near the outer diameter of the aft-platform seal.

Flexible workflow sharing and execution services for e-scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kacsuk, Péter; Terstyanszky, Gábor; Kiss, Tamas; Sipos, Gergely

2013-04-01

The sequence of computational and data manipulation steps required to perform a specific scientific analysis is called a workflow. Workflows that orchestrate data and/or compute intensive applications on Distributed Computing Infrastructures (DCIs) recently became standard tools in e-science. At the same time the broad and fragmented landscape of workflows and DCIs slows down the uptake of workflow-based work. The development, sharing, integration and execution of workflows is still a challenge for many scientists. The FP7 "Sharing Interoperable Workflow for Large-Scale Scientific Simulation on Available DCIs" (SHIWA) project significantly improved the situation, with a simulation platform that connects different workflow systems, different workflow languages, different DCIs and workflows into a single, interoperable unit. The SHIWA Simulation Platform is a service package, already used by various scientific communities, and used as a tool by the recently started ER-flow FP7 project to expand the use of workflows among European scientists. The presentation will introduce the SHIWA Simulation Platform and the services that ER-flow provides based on the platform to space and earth science researchers. The SHIWA Simulation Platform includes: 1. SHIWA Repository: A database where workflows and meta-data about workflows can be stored. The database is a central repository to discover and share workflows within and among communities . 2. SHIWA Portal: A web portal that is integrated with the SHIWA Repository and includes a workflow executor engine that can orchestrate various types of workflows on various grid and cloud platforms. 3. SHIWA Desktop: A desktop environment that provides similar access capabilities than the SHIWA Portal, however it runs on the users' desktops/laptops instead of a portal server. 4. Workflow engines: the ASKALON, Galaxy, GWES, Kepler, LONI Pipeline, MOTEUR, Pegasus, P-GRADE, ProActive, Triana, Taverna and WS-PGRADE workflow engines are already integrated with the execution engine of the SHIWA Portal. Other engines can be added when required. Through the SHIWA Portal one can define and run simulations on the SHIWA Virtual Organisation, an e-infrastructure that gathers computing and data resources from various DCIs, including the European Grid Infrastructure. The Portal via third party workflow engines provides support for the most widely used academic workflow engines and it can be extended with other engines on demand. Such extensions translate between workflow languages and facilitate the nesting of workflows into larger workflows even when those are written in different languages and require different interpreters for execution. Through the workflow repository and the portal lonely scientists and scientific collaborations can share and offer workflows for reuse and execution. Given the integrated nature of the SHIWA Simulation Platform the shared workflows can be executed online, without installing any special client environment and downloading workflows. The FP7 "Building a European Research Community through Interoperable Workflows and Data" (ER-flow) project disseminates the achievements of the SHIWA project and use these achievements to build workflow user communities across Europe. ER-flow provides application supports to research communities within and beyond the project consortium to develop, share and run workflows with the SHIWA Simulation Platform.

Design and development of synthetic microbial platform cells for bioenergy

PubMed Central

Lee, Sang Jun; Lee, Sang-Jae; Lee, Dong-Woo

2013-01-01

The finite reservation of fossil fuels accelerates the necessity of development of renewable energy sources. Recent advances in synthetic biology encompassing systems biology and metabolic engineering enable us to engineer and/or create tailor made microorganisms to produce alternative biofuels for the future bio-era. For the efficient transformation of biomass to bioenergy, microbial cells need to be designed and engineered to maximize the performance of cellular metabolisms for the production of biofuels during energy flow. Toward this end, two different conceptual approaches have been applied for the development of platform cell factories: forward minimization and reverse engineering. From the context of naturally minimized genomes,non-essential energy-consuming pathways and/or related gene clusters could be progressively deleted to optimize cellular energy status for bioenergy production. Alternatively, incorporation of non-indigenous parts and/or modules including biomass-degrading enzymes, carbon uptake transporters, photosynthesis, CO2 fixation, and etc. into chassis microorganisms allows the platform cells to gain novel metabolic functions for bioenergy. This review focuses on the current progress in synthetic biology-aided pathway engineering in microbial cells and discusses its impact on the production of sustainable bioenergy. PMID:23626588

Electrically polarized PLLA nanofibers as neural tissue engineering scaffolds with improved neuritogenesis.

PubMed

Barroca, Nathalie; Marote, Ana; Vieira, Sandra I; Almeida, Abílio; Fernandes, Maria H V; Vilarinho, Paula M; da Cruz E Silva, Odete A B

2018-07-01

Tissue engineering is evolving towards the production of smart platforms exhibiting stimulatory cues to guide tissue regeneration. This work explores the benefits of electrical polarization to produce more efficient neural tissue engineering platforms. Poly (l-lactic) acid (PLLA)-based scaffolds were prepared as solvent cast films and electrospun aligned nanofibers, and electrically polarized by an in-lab built corona poling device. The characterization of the platforms by thermally stimulated depolarization currents reveals a polarization of 60 × 10 -10 C cm -2 that is stable on poled electrospun nanofibers for up to 6 months. Further in vitro studies using neuroblastoma cells reveals that platforms' polarization potentiates Retinoic Acid-induced neuronal differentiation. Additionally, in differentiating embryonic cortical neurons, poled aligned nanofibers further increased neurite outgrowth by 30% (+70 μm) over non-poled aligned nanofibers, and by 50% (+100 μm) over control conditions. Therefore, the synergy of topographical cues and electrical polarization of poled aligned nanofibers places them as promising biocompatible and bioactive platforms for neural tissue regeneration. Given their long lasting induced polarization, these PLLA poled nanofibrous scaffolds can be envisaged as therapeutic devices of long shelf life for neural repair applications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A microfabricated platform to form three-dimensional toroidal multicellular aggregate.

PubMed

Masuda, Taisuke; Takei, Natsuki; Nakano, Takuma; Anada, Takahisa; Suzuki, Osamu; Arai, Fumihito

2012-12-01

Techniques that allow cells to self-assemble into three-dimensional (3D) spheroid microtissues provide powerful in vitro models that are becoming increasingly popular in fields such as stem cell research, tissue engineering, and cancer biology. Appropriate simulation of the 3D environment in which tissues normally develop and function is crucial for the engineering of in vitro models that can be used for the formation of complex tissues. We have developed a unique multicellular aggregate formation platform that utilizes a maskless gray-scale photolithography. The cellular aggregate formed using this platform has a toroidal-like geometry and includes a micro lumen that facilitates the supply of oxygen and growth factors and the expulsion of waste products. As a result, this platform was capable of rapidly producing hundreds of multicellular aggregates at a time, and of regulating the diameter of aggregates with complex design. These toroidal multicellular aggregates can grow as long-term culture. In addition, the micro lumen can be used as a continuous channel and for the insertion of a vascular system or a nerve system into the assembled tissue. These platform characteristics highlight its potential to be used in a wide variety of applications, e.g. as a bioactuator, as a micro-machine component or in drug screening and tissue engineering.

CellNet: Network Biology Applied to Stem Cell Engineering

PubMed Central

Cahan, Patrick; Li, Hu; Morris, Samantha A.; da Rocha, Edroaldo Lummertz; Daley, George Q.; Collins, James J.

2014-01-01

SUMMARY Somatic cell reprogramming, directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, and direct conversions between differentiated cell lineages represent powerful approaches to engineer cells for research and regenerative medicine. We have developed CellNet, a network biology platform that more accurately assesses the fidelity of cellular engineering than existing methodologies and generates hypotheses for improving cell derivations. Analyzing expression data from 56 published reports, we found that cells derived via directed differentiation more closely resemble their in vivo counterparts than products of direct conversion, as reflected by the establishment of target cell-type gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Furthermore, we discovered that directly converted cells fail to adequately silence expression programs of the starting population, and that the establishment of unintended GRNs is common to virtually every cellular engineering paradigm. CellNet provides a platform for quantifying how closely engineered cell populations resemble their target cell type and a rational strategy to guide enhanced cellular engineering. PMID:25126793

Pretreatment of corn stover and hybrid poplar by sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide.

PubMed

Gupta, Rajesh; Lee, Y Y

2010-01-01

Sodium hydroxide and its derivatives are used as pulping reagents, wherein the spent NaOH is recovered in salt form and reused. In this study, use of low concentration NaOH (1-5%) in pretreatment of corn stover and hybrid poplar was investigated. It was done with the understanding that NaOH can be recovered. One of the main objectives in this study is to explore the potential of H(2)O(2) with NaOH for pretreatment of high lignin substrate such as hybrid poplar. Pretreatment time has not been optimized in this study but held constant at 24 h. Corn stover, after treatment with NaOH under moderate conditions, attains near quantitative glucan digestibility. On the other hand, hybrid poplar requires treatment at higher temperature and NaOH concentration to attain acceptable level of digestibility. Supplementation of hydrogen peroxide in the pretreatment significantly raises delignification and digestibility of hybrid poplar. It was also helpful in retaining the carbohydrates in the treated solids. Retention of hemicellulose after pretreatment provides a significant economic benefit as it eliminates the need for detoxifying hemicellulose sugars. As the residual xylan remaining after pretreatment is an impediment to enzymatic digestion of glucan, supplementation of xylanase has significantly increased the digestibility of glucan as well as xylan of the treated hybrid poplar. (c) 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Unconventional Pretreatment of Lignocellulose with Low-Temperature Plasma.

PubMed

Vanneste, Jens; Ennaert, Thijs; Vanhulsel, Annick; Sels, Bert

2017-01-10

Lignocellulose represents a potential supply of sustainable feedstock for the production of biofuels and chemicals. There is, however, an important cost and efficiency challenge associated with the conversion of such lignocellulosics. Because its structure is complex and not prone to undergo chemical reactions very easily, chemical and mechanical pretreatments are usually necessary to be able to refine them into the compositional building blocks (carbohydrates and lignin) from which value-added platform molecules, such as glucose, ethylene glycol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and levulinic acid, and biofuels, such as bioderived naphtha, kerosene, and diesel fractions, will be produced. Conventional (wet) methods are usually polluting, aggressive, and highly energy consuming, so any alternative activation procedure of the lignocellulose is highly recommended and anticipated in recent and future biomass research. Lignocellulosic plasma activation has emerged as an interesting (dry) treatment technique. In the long run, in particular, in times of fairly accessible renewable electricity, plasma may be considered as an alternative to conventional pretreatment methods, but current knowledge is too little and examples too few to guarantee that statement. This review therefore highlights recent knowledge, advancements, and shortcomings in the field of plasma treatment of cellulose and lignocellulose with regard to the (structural and chemical) effects and impact on the future of pretreatment methods. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Transgenic Plant-Produced Hydrolytic Enzymes and the Potential of Insect Gut-Derived Hydrolases for Biofuels

PubMed Central

Willis, Jonathan D.; Mazarei, Mitra; Stewart, C. Neal

2016-01-01

Various perennial C4 grass species have tremendous potential for use as lignocellulosic biofuel feedstocks. Currently available grasses require costly pre-treatment and exogenous hydrolytic enzyme application to break down complex cell wall polymers into sugars that can then be fermented into ethanol. It has long been hypothesized that engineered feedstock production of cell wall degrading (CWD) enzymes would be an efficient production platform for of exogenous hydrolytic enzymes. Most research has focused on plant overexpression of CWD enzyme-coding genes from free-living bacteria and fungi that naturally break down plant cell walls. Recently, it has been found that insect digestive tracts harbor novel sources of lignocellulolytic biocatalysts that might be exploited for biofuel production. These CWD enzyme genes can be located in the insect genomes or in symbiotic microbes. When CWD genes are transformed into plants, negative pleiotropic effects are possible such as unintended cell wall digestion. The use of codon optimization along with organelle and tissue specific targeting improves CWD enzyme yields. The literature teaches several important lessons on strategic deployment of CWD genes in transgenic plants, which is the focus of this review. PMID:27303411

Spider Silk Processing for Spidroin Recovery from Crossopriza Lyoni Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohtar, J. A.; Ooi, W. L.; Yusuf, F.

2018-03-01

Spider silk is a potential biomaterial that can be used in various applications for its outstanding physicomechanical properties attributed by the spidroin composition. Efforts for commercializing spider silks have been mainly focused on the characterization of spidroins from the Entelegyne spiders for exceptional fibre construction. Hence, studies on silk proteins from the Haplogyne species remain neglected. The aim of this study is to isolate spidroin from Crossopriza lyoni web. Silk processing involved the pretreatment of fibres for the shell layer removal from the surface. A screening study was conducted to analyze the effect of temperature, incubation time and agitation speed on spidroin extraction using Ajisawa’s reagent by OFAT analysis followed by statistical optimization of the extraction process via RSM for maximal protein recovery. All parameters exerted significant effect on spidroin recovery (p<0.05) in which the maximum protein concentration (451.78 ± 0.110 µg/ml) was obtained at optimal condition of 70°C, 350 rpm and 1.25 hours. The discovery of spidroin from this study provides a basic platform for engineering spider silk to meet the demand for a variety of silk-based products in the near future.

Characterization and enzymatic hydrolysis of wood from transgenic Pinus taeda engineered with syringyl lignin or reduced lignin content

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

Edmunds, Charles W.; Peralta, Perry; Kelley, Stephen S.

Softwood is an abundant resource; however, currently its utilization for bioconversion to obtain platform sugars is limited. Pinus taeda trees which were genetically modified to either produce S lignin or to decrease lignin content were characterized with a suite of analytic techniques. Syringyl lignin was visualized in the secondary xylem of one genetic line with Maule staining. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance identified the S lignin units were coupled into the lignin through β-O-4 linkages, and thioacidolysis measured approximately 13% S lignin content in the same sample. Reductions of the lignin of as much as 33% were observed in the transgenics.more » To better understand how these modifications affect bioconversion, their amenability to hot water and dilute acid pretreatments and enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated. Lignin reductions resulted in 1.9-3.2-fold increases in glucose release compared to the control. However, no apparent benefit was observed by S lignin incorporation at the concentrations reported in this study. Finally, these results highlight the potential for softwood cell wall properties to be improved for bioenergy/biochemical applications.« less

Characterization and enzymatic hydrolysis of wood from transgenic Pinus taeda engineered with syringyl lignin or reduced lignin content

DOE PAGES

Edmunds, Charles W.; Peralta, Perry; Kelley, Stephen S.; ...

2017-02-22

Softwood is an abundant resource; however, currently its utilization for bioconversion to obtain platform sugars is limited. Pinus taeda trees which were genetically modified to either produce S lignin or to decrease lignin content were characterized with a suite of analytic techniques. Syringyl lignin was visualized in the secondary xylem of one genetic line with Maule staining. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance identified the S lignin units were coupled into the lignin through β-O-4 linkages, and thioacidolysis measured approximately 13% S lignin content in the same sample. Reductions of the lignin of as much as 33% were observed in the transgenics.more » To better understand how these modifications affect bioconversion, their amenability to hot water and dilute acid pretreatments and enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated. Lignin reductions resulted in 1.9-3.2-fold increases in glucose release compared to the control. However, no apparent benefit was observed by S lignin incorporation at the concentrations reported in this study. Finally, these results highlight the potential for softwood cell wall properties to be improved for bioenergy/biochemical applications.« less

Biochemical Conversion Processes of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Fuels and Chemicals - A Review.

PubMed

Brethauer, Simone; Studer, Michael H

2015-01-01

Lignocellulosic biomass - such as wood, agricultural residues or dedicated energy crops - is a promising renewable feedstock for production of fuels and chemicals that is available at large scale at low cost without direct competition for food usage. Its biochemical conversion in a sugar platform biorefinery includes three main unit operations that are illustrated in this review: the physico-chemical pretreatment of the biomass, the enzymatic hydrolysis of the carbohydrates to a fermentable sugar stream by cellulases and finally the fermentation of the sugars by suitable microorganisms to the target molecules. Special emphasis in this review is put on the technology, commercial status and future prospects of the production of second-generation fuel ethanol, as this process has received most research and development efforts so far. Despite significant advances, high enzyme costs are still a hurdle for large scale competitive lignocellulosic ethanol production. This could be overcome by a strategy termed 'consolidated bioprocessing' (CBP), where enzyme production, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation is integrated in one step - either by utilizing one genetically engineered superior microorganism or by creating an artificial co-culture. Insight is provided on both CBP strategies for the production of ethanol as well as of advanced fuels and commodity chemicals.

RNA extraction from self-assembling peptide hydrogels to allow qPCR analysis of encapsulated cells.

PubMed

Burgess, Kyle A; Workman, Victoria L; Elsawy, Mohamed A; Miller, Aline F; Oceandy, Delvac; Saiani, Alberto

2018-01-01

Self-assembling peptide hydrogels offer a novel 3-dimensional platform for many applications in cell culture and tissue engineering but are not compatible with current methods of RNA isolation; owing to interactions between RNA and the biomaterial. This study investigates the use of two techniques based on two different basic extraction principles: solution-based extraction and direct solid-state binding of RNA respectively, to extract RNA from cells encapsulated in four β-sheet forming self-assembling peptide hydrogels with varying net positive charge. RNA-peptide fibril interactions, rather than RNA-peptide molecular complexing, were found to interfere with the extraction process resulting in low yields. A column-based approach relying on RNA-specific binding was shown to be more suited to extracting RNA with higher purity from these peptide hydrogels owing to its reliance on strong specific RNA binding interactions which compete directly with RNA-peptide fibril interactions. In order to reduce the amount of fibrils present and improve RNA yields a broad spectrum enzyme solution-pronase-was used to partially digest the hydrogels before RNA extraction. This pre-treatment was shown to significantly increase the yield of RNA extracted, allowing downstream RT-qPCR to be performed.

Identification and microbial production of a terpene-based advanced biofuel

PubMed Central

Peralta-Yahya, Pamela P.; Ouellet, Mario; Chan, Rossana; Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila; Keasling, Jay D.; Lee, Taek Soon

2011-01-01

Rising petroleum costs, trade imbalances and environmental concerns have stimulated efforts to advance the microbial production of fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. Here we identify a novel biosynthetic alternative to D2 diesel fuel, bisabolane, and engineer microbial platforms for the production of its immediate precursor, bisabolene. First, we identify bisabolane as an alternative to D2 diesel by measuring the fuel properties of chemically hydrogenated commercial bisabolene. Then, via a combination of enzyme screening and metabolic engineering, we obtain a more than tenfold increase in bisabolene titers in Escherichia coli to >900 mg l−1. We produce bisabolene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (>900 mg l−1), a widely used platform for the production of ethanol. Finally, we chemically hydrogenate biosynthetic bisabolene into bisabolane. This work presents a framework for the identification of novel terpene-based advanced biofuels and the rapid engineering of microbial farnesyl diphosphate-overproducing platforms for the production of biofuels. PMID:21952217

Multifunctional cell-culture platform for aligned cell sheet monitoring, transfer printing, and therapy.

PubMed

Kim, Seok Joo; Cho, Hye Rim; Cho, Kyoung Won; Qiao, Shutao; Rhim, Jung Soo; Soh, Min; Kim, Taeho; Choi, Moon Kee; Choi, Changsoon; Park, Inhyuk; Hwang, Nathaniel S; Hyeon, Taeghwan; Choi, Seung Hong; Lu, Nanshu; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2015-03-24

While several functional platforms for cell culturing have been proposed for cell sheet engineering, a soft integrated system enabling in vitro physiological monitoring of aligned cells prior to their in vivo applications in tissue regeneration has not been reported. Here, we present a multifunctional, soft cell-culture platform equipped with ultrathin stretchable nanomembrane sensors and graphene-nanoribbon cell aligners, whose system modulus is matched with target tissues. This multifunctional platform is capable of aligning plated cells and in situ monitoring of cellular physiological characteristics during proliferation and differentiation. In addition, it is successfully applied as an in vitro muscle-on-a-chip testing platform. Finally, a simple but high-yield transfer printing mechanism is proposed to deliver cell sheets for scaffold-free, localized cell therapy in vivo. The muscle-mimicking stiffness of the platform allows the high-yield transfer printing of multiple cell sheets and results in successful therapies in diseased animal models. Expansion of current results to stem cells will provide unique opportunities for emerging classes of tissue engineering and cell therapy technologies.

Digital dissemination platform of transportation engineering education materials.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-09-01

National agencies have called for more widespread adoption of best practices in engineering education. To facilitate this sharing of practices we will develop a web-based system that will be used by transportation engineering educators to share curri...

Interior detail of platform in main hall, with desk, flag, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Interior detail of platform in main hall, with desk, flag, and banners, facing south - International Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union Hall, Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Port Hueneme Road, Port Hueneme, Ventura County, CA

Ethanol production from sweet sorghum bagasse through process optimization using response surface methodology.

PubMed

Lavudi, Saida; Oberoi, Harinder Singh; Mangamoori, Lakshmi Narasu

2017-08-01

In this study, comparative evaluation of acid- and alkali pretreatment of sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB) was carried out for sugar production after enzymatic hydrolysis. Results indicated that enzymatic hydrolysis of alkali-pretreated SSB resulted in higher production of glucose, xylose and arabinose, compared to the other alkali concentrations and also acid-pretreated biomass. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was, therefore, used to optimize parameters, such as alkali concentration, temperature and time of pretreatment prior to enzymatic hydrolysis to maximize the production of sugars. The independent variables used during RSM included alkali concentration (1.5-4%), pretreatment temperature (125-140 °C) and pretreatment time (10-30 min) were investigated. Process optimization resulted in glucose and xylose concentration of 57.24 and 10.14 g/L, respectively. Subsequently, second stage optimization was conducted using RSM for optimizing parameters for enzymatic hydrolysis, which included substrate concentration (10-15%), incubation time (24-60 h), incubation temperature (40-60 °C) and Celluclast concentration (10-20 IU/g-dwt). Substrate concentration 15%, (w/v) temperature of 60 °C, Celluclast concentration of 20 IU/g-dwt and incubation time of 58 h led to a glucose concentration of 68.58 g/l. Finally, simultaneous saccharification fermentation (SSF) as well as separated hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) was evaluated using Pichia kudriavzevii HOP-1 for production of ethanol. Significant difference in ethanol concentration was not found using either SSF or SHF; however, ethanol productivity was higher in case of SSF, compared to SHF. This study has established a platform for conducting scale-up studies using the optimized process parameters.

Insights into plant cell wall structure, architecture, and integrity using glycome profiling of native and AFEXTM-pre-treated biomass

PubMed Central

Pattathil, Sivakumar; Hahn, Michael G.; Dale, Bruce E.; Chundawat, Shishir P. S.

2015-01-01

Cell walls, which constitute the bulk of plant biomass, vary considerably in their structure, composition, and architecture. Studies on plant cell walls can be conducted on both native and pre-treated plant biomass samples, allowing an enhanced understanding of these structural and compositional variations. Here glycome profiling was employed to determine the relative abundance of matrix polysaccharides in several phylogenetically distinct native and pre-treated plant biomasses. Eight distinct biomass types belonging to four different subgroups (i.e. monocot grasses, woody dicots, herbaceous dicots, and softwoods) were subjected to various regimes of AFEX™ (ammonia fiber expansion) pre-treatment [AFEX is a trademark of MBI, Lansing (http://www.mbi.org]. This approach allowed detailed analysis of close to 200 cell wall glycan epitopes and their relative extractability using a high-throughput platform. In general, irrespective of the phylogenetic origin, AFEX™ pre-treatment appeared to cause loosening and improved accessibility of various xylan epitope subclasses in most plant biomass materials studied. For most biomass types analysed, such loosening was also evident for other major non-cellulosic components including subclasses of pectin and xyloglucan epitopes. The studies also demonstrate that AFEX™ pre-treatment significantly reduced cell wall recalcitrance among diverse phylogenies (except softwoods) by inducing structural modifications to polysaccharides that were not detectable by conventional gross composition analyses. It was found that monitoring changes in cell wall glycan compositions and their relative extractability for untreated and pre-treated plant biomass can provide an improved understanding of variations in structure and composition of plant cell walls and delineate the role(s) of matrix polysaccharides in cell wall recalcitrance. PMID:25911738

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli: a sustainable industrial platform for bio-based chemical production.

PubMed

Chen, Xianzhong; Zhou, Li; Tian, Kangming; Kumar, Ashwani; Singh, Suren; Prior, Bernard A; Wang, Zhengxiang

2013-12-01

In order to decrease carbon emissions and negative environmental impacts of various pollutants, more bulk and/or fine chemicals are produced by bioprocesses, replacing the traditional energy and fossil based intensive route. The Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium, Escherichia coli has been studied extensively on a fundamental and applied level and has become a predominant host microorganism for industrial applications. Furthermore, metabolic engineering of E. coli for the enhanced biochemical production has been significantly promoted by the integrated use of recent developments in systems biology, synthetic biology and evolutionary engineering. In this review, we focus on recent efforts devoted to the use of genetically engineered E. coli as a sustainable platform for the production of industrially important biochemicals such as biofuels, organic acids, amino acids, sugar alcohols and biopolymers. In addition, representative secondary metabolites produced by E. coli will be systematically discussed and the successful strategies for strain improvements will be highlighted. Moreover, this review presents guidelines for future developments in the bio-based chemical production using E. coli as an industrial platform. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mesenchymal stem cell mechanobiology and emerging experimental platforms

PubMed Central

MacQueen, Luke; Sun, Yu; Simmons, Craig A.

2013-01-01

Experimental control over progenitor cell lineage specification can be achieved by modulating properties of the cell's microenvironment. These include physical properties of the cell adhesion substrate, such as rigidity, topography and deformation owing to dynamic mechanical forces. Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) generate contractile forces to sense and remodel their extracellular microenvironments and thereby obtain information that directs broad aspects of MSC function, including lineage specification. Various physical factors are important regulators of MSC function, but improved understanding of MSC mechanobiology requires novel experimental platforms. Engineers are bridging this gap by developing tools to control mechanical factors with improved precision and throughput, thereby enabling biological investigation of mechanics-driven MSC function. In this review, we introduce MSC mechanobiology and review emerging cell culture platforms that enable new insights into mechanobiological control of MSCs. Our main goals are to provide engineers and microtechnology developers with an up-to-date description of MSC mechanobiology that is relevant to the design of experimental platforms and to introduce biologists to these emerging platforms. PMID:23635493

Engineered Mesenchymal Cells Improve Passive Immune Protection Against Lethal Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Exposure

PubMed Central

Braid, Lorena R.; Davies, John E.; Nagata, Les P.

2016-01-01

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are being exploited as gene delivery vectors for various disease and injury therapies. We provide proof-of-concept that engineered MSCs can provide a useful, effective platform for protection against infectious disease. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen affecting humans and equines and can be used in bio-warfare. No licensed vaccine or antiviral agent currently exists to combat VEEV infection in humans. Direct antibody administration (passive immunity) is an effective, but short-lived, method of providing immediate protection against a pathogen. We compared the protective efficacy of human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs; a rich source of MSCs), engineered with a transgene encoding a humanized VEEV-neutralizing antibody (anti-VEEV), to the purified antibody. In athymic mice, the anti-VEEV antibody had a half-life of 3.7 days, limiting protection to 2 or 3 days after administration. In contrast, engineered HUCPVCs generated protective anti-VEEV serum titers for 21–38 days after a single intramuscular injection. At 109 days after transplantation, 10% of the mice still had circulating anti-VEEV antibody. The mice were protected against exposure to a lethal dose of VEEV by an intramuscular pretreatment injection with engineered HUCPVCs 24 hours or 10 days before exposure, demonstrating both rapid and prolonged immune protection. The present study is the first to describe engineered MSCs as gene delivery vehicles for passive immunity and supports their utility as antibody delivery vehicles for improved, single-dose prophylaxis against endemic and intentionally disseminated pathogens. Significance Direct injection of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is an important strategy to immediately protect the recipient from a pathogen. This strategy is critical during natural outbreaks or after the intentional release of bio-weapons. Vaccines require weeks to become effective, which is not practical for first responders immediately deployed to an infected region. However, mAb recipients often require booster shots to maintain protection, which is expensive and impractical once the first responders have been deployed. The present study has shown, for the first time, that mesenchymal stromal cells are effective gene delivery vehicles that can significantly improve mAb-mediated immune protection in a single, intramuscular dose of engineered cells. Such a cell-based delivery system can provide extended life-saving protection in the event of exposure to biological threats using a more practical, single-dose regimen. PMID:27334491

Google Earth Engine: a new cloud-computing platform for global-scale earth observation data and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, R. T.; Hansen, M. C.

2011-12-01

Google Earth Engine is a new technology platform that enables monitoring and measurement of changes in the earth's environment, at planetary scale, on a large catalog of earth observation data. The platform offers intrinsically-parallel computational access to thousands of computers in Google's data centers. Initial efforts have focused primarily on global forest monitoring and measurement, in support of REDD+ activities in the developing world. The intent is to put this platform into the hands of scientists and developing world nations, in order to advance the broader operational deployment of existing scientific methods, and strengthen the ability for public institutions and civil society to better understand, manage and report on the state of their natural resources. Earth Engine currently hosts online nearly the complete historical Landsat archive of L5 and L7 data collected over more than twenty-five years. Newly-collected Landsat imagery is downloaded from USGS EROS Center into Earth Engine on a daily basis. Earth Engine also includes a set of historical and current MODIS data products. The platform supports generation, on-demand, of spatial and temporal mosaics, "best-pixel" composites (for example to remove clouds and gaps in satellite imagery), as well as a variety of spectral indices. Supervised learning methods are available over the Landsat data catalog. The platform also includes a new application programming framework, or "API", that allows scientists access to these computational and data resources, to scale their current algorithms or develop new ones. Under the covers of the Google Earth Engine API is an intrinsically-parallel image-processing system. Several forest monitoring applications powered by this API are currently in development and expected to be operational in 2011. Combining science with massive data and technology resources in a cloud-computing framework can offer advantages of computational speed, ease-of-use and collaboration, as well as transparency in data and methods. Methods developed for global processing of MODIS data to map land cover are being adopted for use with Landsat data. Specifically, the MODIS Vegetation Continuous Field product methodology has been applied for mapping forest extent and change at national scales using Landsat time-series data sets. Scaling this method to continental and global scales is enabled by Google Earth Engine computing capabilities. By combining the supervised learning VCF approach with the Landsat archive and cloud computing, unprecedented monitoring of land cover dynamics is enabled.

Use of the "Moodle" Platform to Promote an Ongoing Learning When Lecturing General Physics in the Physics, Mathematics and Electronic Engineering Programmes at the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

López, Gabriel A.; Sáenz, Jon; Leonardo, Aritz; Gurtubay, Idoia G.

2016-01-01

The "Moodle" platform has been used to put into practice an ongoing evaluation of the students' Physics learning process. The evaluation has been done on the frame of the course General Physics, which is lectured during the first year of the Physics, Mathematics and Electronic Engineering Programmes at the Faculty of Science and…

Lignin triggers irreversible cellulase loss during pretreated lignocellulosic biomass saccharification.

PubMed

Gao, Dahai; Haarmeyer, Carolyn; Balan, Venkatesh; Whitehead, Timothy A; Dale, Bruce E; Chundawat, Shishir Ps

2014-01-01

Non-productive binding of enzymes to lignin is thought to impede the saccharification efficiency of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars. Due to a lack of suitable analytical techniques that track binding of individual enzymes within complex protein mixtures and the difficulty in distinguishing the contribution of productive (binding to specific glycans) versus non-productive (binding to lignin) binding of cellulases to lignocellulose, there is currently a poor understanding of individual enzyme adsorption to lignin during the time course of pretreated biomass saccharification. In this study, we have utilized an FPLC (fast protein liquid chromatography)-based methodology to quantify free Trichoderma reesei cellulases (namely CBH I, CBH II, and EG I) concentration within a complex hydrolyzate mixture during the varying time course of biomass saccharification. Three pretreated corn stover (CS) samples were included in this study: Ammonia Fiber Expansion(a) (AFEX™-CS), dilute acid (DA-CS), and ionic liquid (IL-CS) pretreatments. The relative fraction of bound individual cellulases varied depending not only on the pretreated biomass type (and lignin abundance) but also on the type of cellulase. Acid pretreated biomass had the highest levels of non-recoverable cellulases, while ionic liquid pretreated biomass had the highest overall cellulase recovery. CBH II has the lowest thermal stability among the three T. reesei cellulases tested. By preparing recombinant family 1 carbohydrate binding module (CBM) fusion proteins, we have shown that family 1 CBMs are highly implicated in the non-productive binding of full-length T. reesei cellulases to lignin. Our findings aid in further understanding the complex mechanisms of non-productive binding of cellulases to pretreated lignocellulosic biomass. Developing optimized pretreatment processes with reduced or modified lignin content to minimize non-productive enzyme binding or engineering pretreatment-specific, low-lignin binding cellulases will improve enzyme specific activity, facilitate enzyme recycling, and thereby permit production of cheaper biofuels.

Predicted Performance of a Thrust-Enhanced SR-71 Aircraft with an External Payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conners, Timothy R.

1997-01-01

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center has completed a preliminary performance analysis of the SR-71 aircraft for use as a launch platform for high-speed research vehicles and for carrying captive experimental packages to high altitude and Mach number conditions. Externally mounted research platforms can significantly increase drag, limiting test time and, in extreme cases, prohibiting penetration through the high-drag, transonic flight regime. To provide supplemental SR-71 acceleration, methods have been developed that could increase the thrust of the J58 turbojet engines. These methods include temperature and speed increases and augmentor nitrous oxide injection. The thrust-enhanced engines would allow the SR-71 aircraft to carry higher drag research platforms than it could without enhancement. This paper presents predicted SR-71 performance with and without enhanced engines. A modified climb-dive technique is shown to reduce fuel consumption when flying through the transonic flight regime with a large external payload. Estimates are included of the maximum platform drag profiles with which the aircraft could still complete a high-speed research mission. In this case, enhancement was found to increase the SR-71 payload drag capability by 25 percent. The thrust enhancement techniques and performance prediction methodology are described.

A single-layer platform for Boolean logic and arithmetic through DNA excision in mammalian cells

PubMed Central

Weinberg, Benjamin H.; Hang Pham, N. T.; Caraballo, Leidy D.; Lozanoski, Thomas; Engel, Adrien; Bhatia, Swapnil; Wong, Wilson W.

2017-01-01

Genetic circuits engineered for mammalian cells often require extensive fine-tuning to perform their intended functions. To overcome this problem, we present a generalizable biocomputing platform that can engineer genetic circuits which function in human cells with minimal optimization. We used our Boolean Logic and Arithmetic through DNA Excision (BLADE) platform to build more than 100 multi-input-multi-output circuits. We devised a quantitative metric to evaluate the performance of the circuits in human embryonic kidney and Jurkat T cells. Of 113 circuits analysed, 109 functioned (96.5%) with the correct specified behavior without any optimization. We used our platform to build a three-input, two-output Full Adder and six-input, one-output Boolean Logic Look Up Table. We also used BLADE to design circuits with temporal small molecule-mediated inducible control and circuits that incorporate CRISPR/Cas9 to regulate endogenous mammalian genes. PMID:28346402

Synthetic biology platform technologies for antimicrobial applications.

PubMed

Braff, Dana; Shis, David; Collins, James J

2016-10-01

The growing prevalence of antibiotic resistance calls for new approaches in the development of antimicrobial therapeutics. Likewise, improved diagnostic measures are essential in guiding the application of targeted therapies and preventing the evolution of therapeutic resistance. Discovery platforms are also needed to form new treatment strategies and identify novel antimicrobial agents. By applying engineering principles to molecular biology, synthetic biologists have developed platforms that improve upon, supplement, and will perhaps supplant traditional broad-spectrum antibiotics. Efforts in engineering bacteriophages and synthetic probiotics demonstrate targeted antimicrobial approaches that can be fine-tuned using synthetic biology-derived principles. Further, the development of paper-based, cell-free expression systems holds promise in promoting the clinical translation of molecular biology tools for diagnostic purposes. In this review, we highlight emerging synthetic biology platform technologies that are geared toward the generation of new antimicrobial therapies, diagnostics, and discovery channels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Where Is the Engineering I Applied For? A Longitudinal Study of Students' Transition into Higher Education Engineering, and Their Considerations of Staying or Leaving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmegaard, Henriette Tolstrup; Madsen, Lene Møller; Ulriksen, Lars

2016-01-01

This paper presents results from a qualitative longitudinal study of students' transition into higher education engineering. The study aims at comparing upper-secondary school students' expectations of engineering with their actual experiences when encountering the engineering programme. It explores how this encounter provides a platform for…

JT90 thermal barrier coated vanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheffler, K. D.; Graziani, R. A.; Sinko, G. C.

1982-01-01

The technology of plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings applied to turbine vane platforms in modern high temperature commercial engines was advanced to the point of demonstrated feasibility for application to commercial aircraft engines. The three thermal barrier coatings refined under this program are zirconia stabilized with twenty-one percent magnesia (21% MSZ), six percent yttria (6% YSZ), and twenty percent yttria (20% YSZ). Improvement in thermal cyclic endurance by a factor of 40 times was demonstrated in rig tests. A cooling system evolved during the program which featured air impingement cooling for the vane platforms rather than film cooling. The impingement cooling system, in combination with the thermal barrier coatings, reduced platform cooling air requirements by 44% relative to the current film cooling system. Improved durability and reduced cooling air requirements were demonstrated in rig and engine endurance tests. Two engine tests were conducted, one of 1000 cycles and the other of 1500 cycles. All three coatings applied to vanes fabricated with the final cooling system configuration completed the final 1500 cycle engine endurance test. Results of this test clearly demonstrated the durability of the 6% YSZ coating which was in very good condition after the test. The 21% MSZ and 20% YSZ coatings had numerous occurrences of significant spalling in the test.

Metabolic engineering in chemolithoautotrophic hosts for the production of fuels and chemicals.

PubMed

Nybo, S Eric; Khan, Nymul E; Woolston, Benjamin M; Curtis, Wayne R

2015-07-01

The ability of autotrophic organisms to fix CO2 presents an opportunity to utilize this 'greenhouse gas' as an inexpensive substrate for biochemical production. Unlike conventional heterotrophic microorganisms that consume carbohydrates and amino acids, prokaryotic chemolithoautotrophs have evolved the capacity to utilize reduced chemical compounds to fix CO2 and drive metabolic processes. The use of chemolithoautotrophic hosts as production platforms has been renewed by the prospect of metabolically engineered commodity chemicals and fuels. Efforts such as the ARPA-E electrofuels program highlight both the potential and obstacles that chemolithoautotrophic biosynthetic platforms provide. This review surveys the numerous advances that have been made in chemolithoautotrophic metabolic engineering with a focus on hydrogen oxidizing bacteria such as the model chemolithoautotrophic organism (Ralstonia), the purple photosynthetic bacteria (Rhodobacter), and anaerobic acetogens. Two alternative strategies of microbial chassis development are considered: (1) introducing or enhancing autotrophic capabilities (carbon fixation, hydrogen utilization) in model heterotrophic organisms, or (2) improving tools for pathway engineering (transformation methods, promoters, vectors etc.) in native autotrophic organisms. Unique characteristics of autotrophic growth as they relate to bioreactor design and process development are also discussed in the context of challenges and opportunities for genetic manipulation of organisms as production platforms. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Harry Sorensen | NREL

Science.gov Websites

NREL's high performance computing cluster. Education B.S., engineering, Colorado School of Mines and platforms. His experience with writing engineering applications in Python is being utilized for

Microstructural heterogeneity directs micromechanics and mechanobiology in native and engineered fibrocartilage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Woojin M.; Heo, Su-Jin; Driscoll, Tristan P.; Delucca, John F.; McLeod, Claire M.; Smith, Lachlan J.; Duncan, Randall L.; Mauck, Robert L.; Elliott, Dawn M.

2016-04-01

Treatment strategies to address pathologies of fibrocartilaginous tissue are in part limited by an incomplete understanding of structure-function relationships in these load-bearing tissues. There is therefore a pressing need to develop micro-engineered tissue platforms that can recreate the highly inhomogeneous tissue microstructures that are known to influence mechanotransductive processes in normal and diseased tissue. Here, we report the quantification of proteoglycan-rich microdomains in developing, ageing and diseased fibrocartilaginous tissues, and the impact of these microdomains on endogenous cell responses to physiologic deformation within a native-tissue context. We also developed a method to generate heterogeneous tissue-engineered constructs (hetTECs) with non-fibrous proteoglycan-rich microdomains engineered into the fibrous structure, and show that these hetTECs match the microstructural, micromechanical and mechanobiological benchmarks of native tissue. Our tissue-engineered platform should facilitate the study of the mechanobiology of developing, homeostatic, degenerating and regenerating fibrous tissues.

Microstructural heterogeneity directs micromechanics and mechanobiology in native and engineered fibrocartilage.

PubMed

Han, Woojin M; Heo, Su-Jin; Driscoll, Tristan P; Delucca, John F; McLeod, Claire M; Smith, Lachlan J; Duncan, Randall L; Mauck, Robert L; Elliott, Dawn M

2016-04-01

Treatment strategies to address pathologies of fibrocartilaginous tissue are in part limited by an incomplete understanding of structure-function relationships in these load-bearing tissues. There is therefore a pressing need to develop micro-engineered tissue platforms that can recreate the highly inhomogeneous tissue microstructures that are known to influence mechanotransductive processes in normal and diseased tissue. Here, we report the quantification of proteoglycan-rich microdomains in developing, ageing and diseased fibrocartilaginous tissues, and the impact of these microdomains on endogenous cell responses to physiologic deformation within a native-tissue context. We also developed a method to generate heterogeneous tissue-engineered constructs (hetTECs) with non-fibrous proteoglycan-rich microdomains engineered into the fibrous structure, and show that these hetTECs match the microstructural, micromechanical and mechanobiological benchmarks of native tissue. Our tissue-engineered platform should facilitate the study of the mechanobiology of developing, homeostatic, degenerating and regenerating fibrous tissues.

Development of improved-durability plasma sprayed ceramic coatings for gas turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sumner, I. E.; Ruckle, D. L.

1980-01-01

As part of a NASA program to reduce fuel consumption of current commercial aircraft engines, methods were investigated for improving the durability of plasma sprayed ceramic coatings for use on vane platforms in the JT9D turbofan engine. Increased durability concepts under evaluation include use of improved strain tolerant microstructures and control of the substrate temperature during coating application. Initial burner rig tests conducted at temperatures of 1010 C (1850 F) indicate that improvements in cyclic life greater than 20:1 over previous ceramic coating systems were achieved. Three plasma sprayed coating systems applied to first stage vane platforms in the high pressure turbine were subjected to a 100-cycle JT9D engine endurance test with only minor damage occurring to the coatings.

[Cytotoxicity induced by gasoline engine exhausts associated with oxidative stress].

PubMed

Che, Wangjun; Zhang, Zunzhen; Wu, Mei; Wang, Ling

2008-09-01

To evaluate the relationship between cytotoxic effects of the extracts of condensate, particulates and semivolatile organic compounds from gasoline engine exhausts (EGE) and oxidative stress. After A549 cells were treated with various concentrations of EGE for 2h, and cell viabilities were detected induced by EGE were examined by MTT assay. Meanwhile, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in A549 cells induced by EGE were examined, 2',7'-dichlorodihy-drofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) was used to catch ROS and its level measured by value of pixel fluorescence intensity. Furthermore, A549 cells pretreated with different concentrations of glutathione (GSH) were exposed to various concentrations of EGE for 2h, and then cell viabilities were examined. Viabilities of A549 cells significantly decreased in comparison to the solvent group when the concentrations of EGE were more than 3.9 ml/ml (P < 0.05). There were a dose-response relationships between the viabilities and the concentration of EGE (r = -0.81, P < 0.01). At the concentrations of 31.3 ml/ml and 62.5 ml/ml, the values of pixel fluorescence intensity were (125.0 +/- 19.2) and (168.9 +/- 16.9), which were significantly higher than those of control (8.5 +/- 1.4). In addition, the viabilities of cells pretreated with GSH gradually increased with the increases of the concentrations of GSH. There were also a significant difference between the pretreated and non-pretreated group at the concentrations of 0.5 mmol/L and 1.0 mmol/L. Oxidative stress could be one of the mechanisms of cytotoxic effects of EGE.

Reprogrammed Glucose Metabolic Pathways of Inhibitor-Tolerant Yeast

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Representative inhibitory compounds such as furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural generated from lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment inhibit yeast growth and interfere with the subsequent ethanol fermentation. Evolutionary engineering under laboratory settings is a powerful tool that can be used to ...

Reprogrammed glucose metabolic pathways of inhibitor-tolerant yeast

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Representative inhibitory compounds such as furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural generated from lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment inhibit yeast growth and interfere with the subsequent ethanol fermentation. Evolutionary engineering under laboratory settings is a powerful tool that can be used to...

Differences in energy expenditure for conventional and femtosecond-assisted cataract surgery using 2 different phacoemulsification systems.

PubMed

Yesilirmak, Nilufer; Diakonis, Vasilios F; Sise, Adam; Waren, Daniel P; Yoo, Sonia H; Donaldson, Kendall E

2017-01-01

To compare the mean cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) in patients having femtosecond laser-assisted or conventional phacoemulsification cataract surgery using 2 different phacoemulsification platforms. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, Florida, USA. Prospective comparative nonrandomized clinical study. Consecutive patients were scheduled to have femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with the Lensx laser or conventional phacoemulsification using an active-fluidics torsional platform (Centurion) or torsional platform (Infiniti). The mean CDE and cataract grade were recorded. The study comprised 570 eyes (570 patients). There was no statistically significant difference in mean age (P = .41, femtosecond group; P = .33, conventional group) or cataract grade (P = .78 and P = .45, respectively) between the active-fluidics and gravity-fluidics platforms. In femtosecond cases (145 eyes), the mean CDE (percent-seconds) was 5.18 ± 4.58 (SD) with active fluidics and 7.00 ± 6.85 with gravity fluidics; in conventional cases (425 eyes), the mean CDE was 7.77 ± 6.97 and 11.43 ± 9.12, respectively. In both femtosecond cases and conventional cases, the CDE was lower with the active-fluidics platform than with the gravity-fluidics platform (P = .029, femtosecond group; P < .001 conventional group). With both fluidics platforms, the mean CDE was significantly lower in the femtosecond group than in the conventional group (both P < .001). The active-fluidics phacoemulsification platform achieved lower CDE values than the gravity-fluidics platform for conventional cataract extraction. Femtosecond laser pretreatment with the active-fluidics platform further reduced CDE. Copyright © 2017 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geostationary Platforms Mission and Payload Requirements Study. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Time-phased missions and payloads for potential accommodation on geostationary platforms and the engineering requirements placed upon the platform housekeeping elements by selected payloads are identified. Optimum locations for geostationary platforms, potential missions and their characteristics, and potential user requirements were determined as well as the interface requirements between the missions and h the geostationary platform. A payload data book was prepared and antenna tradeoff studies were conducted. Payload missions are defined in terms of frequencies, power, beam patterns, interconnections, support requirements, and other characteristics.

CellNet: network biology applied to stem cell engineering.

PubMed

Cahan, Patrick; Li, Hu; Morris, Samantha A; Lummertz da Rocha, Edroaldo; Daley, George Q; Collins, James J

2014-08-14

Somatic cell reprogramming, directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, and direct conversions between differentiated cell lineages represent powerful approaches to engineer cells for research and regenerative medicine. We have developed CellNet, a network biology platform that more accurately assesses the fidelity of cellular engineering than existing methodologies and generates hypotheses for improving cell derivations. Analyzing expression data from 56 published reports, we found that cells derived via directed differentiation more closely resemble their in vivo counterparts than products of direct conversion, as reflected by the establishment of target cell-type gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Furthermore, we discovered that directly converted cells fail to adequately silence expression programs of the starting population and that the establishment of unintended GRNs is common to virtually every cellular engineering paradigm. CellNet provides a platform for quantifying how closely engineered cell populations resemble their target cell type and a rational strategy to guide enhanced cellular engineering. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics of lignin derived from enzymatic hydrolysis residue of bamboo pretreated with white-rot fungus.

PubMed

Yan, Keliang; Liu, Fang; Chen, Qing; Ke, Ming; Huang, Xin; Hu, Weiyao; Zhou, Bo; Zhang, Xiaoyu; Yu, Hongbo

2016-01-01

The lignocellulose biorefinery based on the sugar platform usually focuses on polysaccharide bioconversion, while lignin is only burned for energy recovery. Pyrolysis can provide a novel route for the efficient utilization of residual lignin obtained from the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose. The pyrolysis characteristics of residual lignin are usually significantly affected by the pretreatment process because of structural alteration of lignin during pretreatment. In recent years, biological pretreatment using white-rot fungi has attracted extensive attention, but there are only few reports on thermal conversion of lignin derived from enzymatic hydrolysis residue (EHRL) of the bio-pretreated lignocellulose. Therefore, the study investigated the pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics of EHRL obtained from bamboo pretreated with Echinodontium taxodii in order to evaluate the potential of thermal conversion processes of EHRL. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra showed that EHRL of bamboo treated with E. taxodii had the typical lignin structure, but aromatic skeletal carbon and side chain of lignin were partially altered by the fungus. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that EHRL pyrolysis at different heating rates could be divided into two depolymerization stages and covered a wide temperature range from 500 to 900 K. The thermal decomposition reaction can be well described by two third-order reactions. The kinetics study indicated that the EHRL of bamboo treated with white-rot fungus had lower apparent activation energies, lower peak temperatures of pyrolysis reaction, and higher char residue than the EHRL of raw bamboo. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was applied to characterize the fast pyrolysis products of EHRL at 600 ℃. The ratios of guaiacyl-type to syringyl-type derivatives yield (G/S) and guaiacyl-type to p-hydroxy-phenylpropane-type derivatives yield (G/H) for the treated sample were increased by 33.18 and 25.30 % in comparison with the raw bamboo, respectively. The structural alterations of lignin during pretreatment can decrease the thermal stability of EHRL from the bio-treated bamboo and concentrate the guaiacyl-type derivatives in the fast pyrolysis products. Thus, the pyrolysis can be a promising route for effective utilization of the enzymatic hydrolysis residue from bio-pretreated lignocellulose.

A study on an information security system of a regional collaborative medical platform.

PubMed

Zhao, Junping; Peng, Kun; Leng, Jinchang; Sun, Xiaowei; Zhang, Zhenjiang; Xue, Wanguo; Ren, Lianzhong

2010-01-01

The objective of this study was to share the experience of building an information security system for a regional collaborative medical platform (RCMP) and discuss the lessons learned from practical projects. Safety measures are analyzed from the perspective of system engineering. We present the essential requirements, critical architectures, and policies for system security of regional collaborative medical platforms.

Leveraging annotation-based modeling with Jump.

PubMed

Bergmayr, Alexander; Grossniklaus, Michael; Wimmer, Manuel; Kappel, Gerti

2018-01-01

The capability of UML profiles to serve as annotation mechanism has been recognized in both research and industry. Today's modeling tools offer profiles specific to platforms, such as Java, as they facilitate model-based engineering approaches. However, considering the large number of possible annotations in Java, manually developing the corresponding profiles would only be achievable by huge development and maintenance efforts. Thus, leveraging annotation-based modeling requires an automated approach capable of generating platform-specific profiles from Java libraries. To address this challenge, we present the fully automated transformation chain realized by Jump, thereby continuing existing mapping efforts between Java and UML by emphasizing on annotations and profiles. The evaluation of Jump shows that it scales for large Java libraries and generates profiles of equal or even improved quality compared to profiles currently used in practice. Furthermore, we demonstrate the practical value of Jump by contributing profiles that facilitate reverse engineering and forward engineering processes for the Java platform by applying it to a modernization scenario.

Analysis of Aurora's Performance Simulation Engine for Three Systems

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

Freeman, Janine; Simon, Joseph

2015-07-07

Aurora Solar Inc. is building a cloud-based optimization platform to automate the design, engineering, and permit generation process of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. They requested that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) validate the performance of the PV system performance simulation engine of Aurora Solar’s solar design platform, Aurora. In previous work, NREL performed a validation of multiple other PV modeling tools 1, so this study builds upon that work by examining all of the same fixed-tilt systems with available module datasheets that NREL selected and used in the aforementioned study. Aurora Solar set up these three operating PV systemsmore » in their modeling platform using NREL-provided system specifications and concurrent weather data. NREL then verified the setup of these systems, ran the simulations, and compared the Aurora-predicted performance data to measured performance data for those three systems, as well as to performance data predicted by other PV modeling tools.« less

Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for fermentative production of chemicals in biorefinery.

PubMed

Baritugo, Kei-Anne; Kim, Hee Taek; David, Yokimiko; Choi, Jong-Il; Hong, Soon Ho; Jeong, Ki Jun; Choi, Jong Hyun; Joo, Jeong Chan; Park, Si Jae

2018-05-01

Bio-based production of industrially important chemicals provides an eco-friendly alternative to current petrochemical-based processes. Because of the limited supply of fossil fuel reserves, various technologies utilizing microbial host strains for the sustainable production of platform chemicals from renewable biomass have been developed. Corynebacterium glutamicum is a non-pathogenic industrial microbial species traditionally used for L-glutamate and L-lysine production. It is a promising species for industrial production of bio-based chemicals because of its flexible metabolism that allows the utilization of a broad spectrum of carbon sources and the production of various amino acids. Classical breeding, systems, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering approaches have been used to improve its applications, ranging from traditional amino-acid production to modern biorefinery systems for production of value-added platform chemicals. This review describes recent advances in the development of genetic engineering tools and techniques for the establishment and optimization of metabolic pathways for bio-based production of major C2-C6 platform chemicals using recombinant C. glutamicum.

A portable platform for accelerated PIC codes and its application to GPUs using OpenACC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hariri, F.; Tran, T. M.; Jocksch, A.; Lanti, E.; Progsch, J.; Messmer, P.; Brunner, S.; Gheller, C.; Villard, L.

2016-10-01

We present a portable platform, called PIC_ENGINE, for accelerating Particle-In-Cell (PIC) codes on heterogeneous many-core architectures such as Graphic Processing Units (GPUs). The aim of this development is efficient simulations on future exascale systems by allowing different parallelization strategies depending on the application problem and the specific architecture. To this end, this platform contains the basic steps of the PIC algorithm and has been designed as a test bed for different algorithmic options and data structures. Among the architectures that this engine can explore, particular attention is given here to systems equipped with GPUs. The study demonstrates that our portable PIC implementation based on the OpenACC programming model can achieve performance closely matching theoretical predictions. Using the Cray XC30 system, Piz Daint, at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), we show that PIC_ENGINE running on an NVIDIA Kepler K20X GPU can outperform the one on an Intel Sandy bridge 8-core CPU by a factor of 3.4.

Compounds inhibiting the bioconversion of hydrothermally pretreated lignocellulose.

PubMed

Ko, Ja Kyong; Um, Youngsoon; Park, Yong-Cheol; Seo, Jin-Ho; Kim, Kyoung Heon

2015-05-01

Hydrothermal pretreatment using liquid hot water, steam explosion, or dilute acids enhances the enzymatic digestibility of cellulose by altering the chemical and/or physical structures of lignocellulosic biomass. However, compounds that inhibit both enzymes and microbial activity, including lignin-derived phenolics, soluble sugars, furan aldehydes, and weak acids, are also generated during pretreatment. Insoluble lignin, which predominantly remains within the pretreated solids, also acts as a significant inhibitor of cellulases during hydrolysis of cellulose. Exposed lignin, which is modified to be more recalcitrant to enzymes during pretreatment, adsorbs cellulase nonproductively and reduces the availability of active cellulase for hydrolysis of cellulose. Similarly, lignin-derived phenolics inhibit or deactivate cellulase and β-glucosidase via irreversible binding or precipitation. Meanwhile, the performance of fermenting microorganisms is negatively affected by phenolics, sugar degradation products, and weak acids. This review describes the current knowledge regarding the contributions of inhibitors present in whole pretreatment slurries to the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and fermentation. Furthermore, we discuss various biological strategies to mitigate the effects of these inhibitors on enzymatic and microbial activity to improve the lignocellulose-to-biofuel process robustness. While the inhibitory effect of lignin on enzymes can be relieved through the use of lignin blockers and by genetically engineering the structure of lignin or of cellulase itself, soluble inhibitors, including phenolics, furan aldehydes, and weak acids, can be detoxified by microorganisms or laccase.

Systems Engineering | Wind | NREL

Science.gov Websites

platform to leverage its research capabilities toward integrating wind energy engineering and cost models achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and achieve system-level cost research capabilities to: Integrate wind plant engineering performance and cost software modeling to enable

Building a Dashboard of the Planet with Google Earth and Earth Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, R. T.; Hancher, M.

2016-12-01

In 2005 Google Earth, a popular 3-D virtual globe, was first released. Scientists immediately recognized how it could be used to tell stories about the Earth. From 2006 to 2009, the "Virtual Globes" sessions of AGU included innovative examples of scientists and educators using Google Earth, and since that time it has become a commonplace tool for communicating scientific results. In 2009 Google Earth Engine, a cloud-based platform for planetary-scale geospatial analysis, was first announced. Earth Engine was initially used to extract information about the world's forests from raw Landsat data. Since then, the platform has proven highly effective for general analysis of georeferenced data, and users have expanded the list of use cases to include high-impact societal issues such as conservation, drought, disease, food security, water management, climate change and environmental monitoring. To support these use cases, the platform has continuously evolved with new datasets, analysis functions, and user interface tools. This talk will give an overview of the latest Google Earth and Earth Engine functionality that allow partners to understand, monitor and tell stories about of our living, breathing Earth. https://earth.google.com https://earthengine.google.com

Engineered CRISPR Systems for Next Generation Gene Therapies.

PubMed

Pineda, Michael; Moghadam, Farzaneh; Ebrahimkhani, Mo R; Kiani, Samira

2017-09-15

An ideal in vivo gene therapy platform provides safe, reprogrammable, and precise strategies which modulate cell and tissue gene regulatory networks with a high temporal and spatial resolution. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), a bacterial adoptive immune system, and its CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), have gained attention for the ability to target and modify DNA sequences on demand with unprecedented flexibility and precision. The precision and programmability of Cas9 is derived from its complexation with a guide-RNA (gRNA) that is complementary to a desired genomic sequence. CRISPR systems open-up widespread applications including genetic disease modeling, functional screens, and synthetic gene regulation. The plausibility of in vivo genetic engineering using CRISPR has garnered significant traction as a next generation in vivo therapeutic. However, there are hurdles that need to be addressed before CRISPR-based strategies are fully implemented. Some key issues center on the controllability of the CRISPR platform, including minimizing genomic-off target effects and maximizing in vivo gene editing efficiency, in vivo cellular delivery, and spatial-temporal regulation. The modifiable components of CRISPR systems: Cas9 protein, gRNA, delivery platform, and the form of CRISPR system delivered (DNA, RNA, or ribonucleoprotein) have recently been engineered independently to design a better genome engineering toolbox. This review focuses on evaluating CRISPR potential as a next generation in vivo gene therapy platform and discusses bioengineering advancements that can address challenges associated with clinical translation of this emerging technology.

Evaluating Accuracy of the Sunnova Pro Platform Shade Measurement

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

Sunnova's new solar energy design platform, Sunnova Pro, automatically generates a 3D model of a building and surrounding shading objects. The product is designed to automate the process of engineering a system, sizing batteries and preparing sales proposals.

Space transportation, satellite services, and space platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Disher, J. H.

1979-01-01

The paper takes a preview of the progressive development of vehicles for space transportation, satellite services, and orbital platforms. A low-thrust upper stage of either the ion engine or chemical type will be developed to transport large spacecraft and space platforms to and from GEO. The multimission spacecraft, space telescope, and other scientific platforms will require orbital serves going beyond that provided by the Shuttle's remote manipulator system, and plans call for extravehicular activity tools, improved remote manipulators, and a remote manned work station (the cherry picker).

Cyberbullying: Important Information for Parents

MedlinePlus

... onto new platforms. A National Academics of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report concluded that cyberbullying and bullying ... on committee for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s 2016 report: “Preventing Bullying Through Science, ...

Methodology for automating software systems. Task 1 of the foundations for automating software systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moseley, Warren

1989-01-01

The early stages of a research program designed to establish an experimental research platform for software engineering are described. Major emphasis is placed on Computer Assisted Software Engineering (CASE). The Poor Man's CASE Tool is based on the Apple Macintosh system, employing available software including Focal Point II, Hypercard, XRefText, and Macproject. These programs are functional in themselves, but through advanced linking are available for operation from within the tool being developed. The research platform is intended to merge software engineering technology with artificial intelligence (AI). In the first prototype of the PMCT, however, the sections of AI are not included. CASE tools assist the software engineer in planning goals, routes to those goals, and ways to measure progress. The method described allows software to be synthesized instead of being written or built.

Using Kokkos for Performant Cross-Platform Acceleration of Liquid Rocket Simulations

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-08

NUMBER (Include area code) 08 May 2017 Briefing Charts 05 April 2017 - 08 May 2017 Using Kokkos for Performant Cross-Platform Acceleration of Liquid ...ERC Incorporated RQRC AFRL-West Using Kokkos for Performant Cross-Platform Acceleration of Liquid Rocket Simulations 2DISTRIBUTION A: Approved for... Liquid Rocket Combustion Simulation SPACE simulation of rotating detonation engine (courtesy of Dr. Christopher Lietz) 3DISTRIBUTION A: Approved

Brewing as a Comprehensive Learning Platform in Chemical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Rudi P.; Sørensen, Jens L.; Simonsen, Morten E.; Madsen, Henrik T.; Muff, Jens; Strandgaard, Morten; Søgaard, Erik G.

2016-01-01

Chemical engineering is mostly taught using traditional classroom teaching and laboratory experiments when possible. Being a wide discipline encompassing topics such as analytical chemistry, process design, and microbiology, it may be argued that brewing of beer has many relations to chemical engineering topic-wise. This work illustrates how…

Design of web platform for science and engineering in the model of open market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demichev, A. P.; Kryukov, A. P.

2016-09-01

This paper presents a design and operation algorithms of a web-platform for convenient, secure and effective remote interaction on the principles of the open market of users and providers of scientific application software and databases.

Engaging High School and Engineering Students: A Multifaceted Outreach Program Based on a Mechatronics Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habash, Riadh W. Y.; Suurtamm, Christine

2010-01-01

If we aim to enhance the interest of students in engineering and therefore produce the best engineers, it is essential to strengthen the pipeline to high school education. This paper discusses several outreach activities undertaken by the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa (UO), Ottawa, ON, Canada, to help the…

Multi-source Geospatial Data Analysis with Google Earth Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, T.

2014-12-01

The Google Earth Engine platform is a cloud computing environment for data analysis that combines a public data catalog with a large-scale computational facility optimized for parallel processing of geospatial data. The data catalog is a multi-petabyte archive of georeferenced datasets that include images from Earth observing satellite and airborne sensors (examples: USGS Landsat, NASA MODIS, USDA NAIP), weather and climate datasets, and digital elevation models. Earth Engine supports both a just-in-time computation model that enables real-time preview and debugging during algorithm development for open-ended data exploration, and a batch computation mode for applying algorithms over large spatial and temporal extents. The platform automatically handles many traditionally-onerous data management tasks, such as data format conversion, reprojection, and resampling, which facilitates writing algorithms that combine data from multiple sensors and/or models. Although the primary use of Earth Engine, to date, has been the analysis of large Earth observing satellite datasets, the computational platform is generally applicable to a wide variety of use cases that require large-scale geospatial data analyses. This presentation will focus on how Earth Engine facilitates the analysis of geospatial data streams that originate from multiple separate sources (and often communities) and how it enables collaboration during algorithm development and data exploration. The talk will highlight current projects/analyses that are enabled by this functionality.https://earthengine.google.org

Software Development for EECU Platform of Turbofan Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Bo Gyoung; Kwak, Dohyup; Kim, Byunghyun; Choi, Hee ju; Kong, Changduk

2017-04-01

The turbofan engine operation consists of a number of hardware and software. The engine is controlled by Electronic Engine Control Unit (EECU). In order to control the engine, EECU communicates with an aircraft system, Actuator Drive Unit (ADU), Engine Power Unit (EPU) and sensors on the engine. This paper tried to investigate the process form starting to taking-off and aims to design the EECU software mode and defined communication data format. The software is implemented according to the designed software mode.

In Situ Gene Therapy via AAV-CRISPR-Cas9-Mediated Targeted Gene Regulation.

PubMed

Moreno, Ana M; Fu, Xin; Zhu, Jie; Katrekar, Dhruva; Shih, Yu-Ru V; Marlett, John; Cabotaje, Jessica; Tat, Jasmine; Naughton, John; Lisowski, Leszek; Varghese, Shyni; Zhang, Kang; Mali, Prashant

2018-04-25

Development of efficacious in vivo delivery platforms for CRISPR-Cas9-based epigenome engineering will be critical to enable the ability to target human diseases without permanent modification of the genome. Toward this, we utilized split-Cas9 systems to develop a modular adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector platform for CRISPR-Cas9 delivery to enable the full spectrum of targeted in situ gene regulation functionalities, demonstrating robust transcriptional repression (up to 80%) and activation (up to 6-fold) of target genes in cell culture and mice. We also applied our platform for targeted in vivo gene-repression-mediated gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa. Specifically, we engineered targeted repression of Nrl, a master regulator of rod photoreceptor determination, and demonstrated Nrl knockdown mediates in situ reprogramming of rod cells into cone-like cells that are resistant to retinitis pigmentosa-specific mutations, with concomitant prevention of secondary cone loss. Furthermore, we benchmarked our results from Nrl knockdown with those from in vivo Nrl knockout via gene editing. Taken together, our AAV-CRISPR-Cas9 platform for in vivo epigenome engineering enables a robust approach to target disease in a genomically scarless and potentially reversible manner. Copyright © 2018 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A versatile modular bioreactor platform for Tissue Engineering

PubMed Central

Schuerlein, Sebastian; Schwarz, Thomas; Krziminski, Steffan; Gätzner, Sabine; Hoppensack, Anke; Schwedhelm, Ivo; Schweinlin, Matthias; Walles, Heike

2016-01-01

Abstract Tissue Engineering (TE) bears potential to overcome the persistent shortage of donor organs in transplantation medicine. Additionally, TE products are applied as human test systems in pharmaceutical research to close the gap between animal testing and the administration of drugs to human subjects in clinical trials. However, generating a tissue requires complex culture conditions provided by bioreactors. Currently, the translation of TE technologies into clinical and industrial applications is limited due to a wide range of different tissue‐specific, non‐disposable bioreactor systems. To ensure a high level of standardization, a suitable cost‐effectiveness, and a safe graft production, a generic modular bioreactor platform was developed. Functional modules provide robust control of culture processes, e.g. medium transport, gas exchange, heating, or trapping of floating air bubbles. Characterization revealed improved performance of the modules in comparison to traditional cell culture equipment such as incubators, or peristaltic pumps. By combining the modules, a broad range of culture conditions can be achieved. The novel bioreactor platform allows using disposable components and facilitates tissue culture in closed fluidic systems. By sustaining native carotid arteries, engineering a blood vessel, and generating intestinal tissue models according to a previously published protocol the feasibility and performance of the bioreactor platform was demonstrated. PMID:27492568

A versatile modular bioreactor platform for Tissue Engineering.

PubMed

Schuerlein, Sebastian; Schwarz, Thomas; Krziminski, Steffan; Gätzner, Sabine; Hoppensack, Anke; Schwedhelm, Ivo; Schweinlin, Matthias; Walles, Heike; Hansmann, Jan

2017-02-01

Tissue Engineering (TE) bears potential to overcome the persistent shortage of donor organs in transplantation medicine. Additionally, TE products are applied as human test systems in pharmaceutical research to close the gap between animal testing and the administration of drugs to human subjects in clinical trials. However, generating a tissue requires complex culture conditions provided by bioreactors. Currently, the translation of TE technologies into clinical and industrial applications is limited due to a wide range of different tissue-specific, non-disposable bioreactor systems. To ensure a high level of standardization, a suitable cost-effectiveness, and a safe graft production, a generic modular bioreactor platform was developed. Functional modules provide robust control of culture processes, e.g. medium transport, gas exchange, heating, or trapping of floating air bubbles. Characterization revealed improved performance of the modules in comparison to traditional cell culture equipment such as incubators, or peristaltic pumps. By combining the modules, a broad range of culture conditions can be achieved. The novel bioreactor platform allows using disposable components and facilitates tissue culture in closed fluidic systems. By sustaining native carotid arteries, engineering a blood vessel, and generating intestinal tissue models according to a previously published protocol the feasibility and performance of the bioreactor platform was demonstrated. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

"Trojan Horse" strategy for deconstruction of biomass for biofuels production.

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

Sinclair, Michael B.; Hadi, Masood Z.; Timlin, Jerilyn Ann

2008-08-01

Production of renewable biofuels to displace fossil fuels currently consumed in the transportation sector is a pressing multi-agency national priority. Currently, nearly all fuel ethanol is produced from corn-derived starch. Dedicated 'energy crops' and agricultural waste are preferred long-term solutions for renewable, cheap, and globally available biofuels as they avoid some of the market pressures and secondary greenhouse gas emission challenges currently facing corn ethanol. These sources of lignocellulosic biomass are converted to fermentable sugars using a variety of chemical and thermochemical pretreatments, which disrupt cellulose and lignin cross-links, allowing exogenously added recombinant microbial enzymes to more efficiently hydrolyze themore » cellulose for 'deconstruction' into glucose. This process is plagued with inefficiencies, primarily due to the recalcitrance of cellulosic biomass, mass transfer issues during deconstruction, and low activity of recombinant deconstruction enzymes. Costs are also high due to the requirement for enzymes and reagents, and energy-intensive and cumbersome pretreatment steps. One potential solution to these problems is found in synthetic biology; they propose to engineer plants that self-produce a suite of cellulase enzymes targeted to the apoplast for cleaving the linkages between lignin and cellulosic fibers; the genes encoding the degradation enzymes, also known as cellulases, are obtained from extremophilic organisms that grow at high temperatures (60-100 C) and acidic pH levels (<5). These enzymes will remain inactive during the life cycle of the plant but become active during hydrothermal pretreatment i.e., elevated temperatures. Deconstruction can be integrated into a one-step process, thereby increasing efficiency (cellulose-cellulase mass-transfer rates) and reducing costs. The proposed disruptive technologies address biomass deconstruction processes by developing transgenic plants encoding a suite of enzymes used in cellulosic deconstruction. The unique aspects of this technology are the rationally engineered, highly productive extremophilic enzymes, targeted to specific cellular locations (apoplast) and their dormancy during normal plant proliferation, which become Trojan horses during pretreatment conditions. They have been leveraging established Sandia's enzyme-engineering and imaging capabilities. Their technical approach not only targets the recalcitrance and mass-transfer problem during biomass degradation but also eliminates the costs associated with industrial-scale production of microbial enzymes added during processing.« less

Pre-treatment of synthetic elastomeric scaffolds by cardiac fibroblasts improves engineered heart tissue

PubMed Central

Radisic, Milica; Park, Hyoungshin; Martens, Timothy P.; Salazar-Lazaro, Johanna E.; Geng, Wenliang; Wang, Yadong; Langer, Robert; Freed, Lisa E.; Vunjak-Novakovic, Gordana

2009-01-01

Native myocardium consists of several cell types, of which approximately one-third are myocytes and most of the nonmyocytes are fibroblasts. By analogy with monolayer culture in which fibroblasts were removed to prevent overgrowth, early attempts to engineer myocardium utilized cell populations enriched for cardiac myocytes (CMs; ~80–90% of total cells). We hypothesized that the pre-treatment of synthetic elastomeric scaffolds with cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) will enhance the functional assembly of the engineered cardiac constructs by creating an environment supportive of cardiomyocyte attachment and function. Cells isolated from neonatal rat ventricles were prepared to form three distinct populations: rapidly plating cells identified as CFs, slowly plating cells identified as CMs, and unseparated initial population of cells (US). The cell fractions (3 × 106 cells total) were seeded into poly(glycerol sebacate) scaffolds (highly porous discs, 5 mm in diameter × 2-mm thick) using Matrigel™, either separately (CM or CF), concurrently (US), or sequentially (CF pre-treatment followed by CM culture, CF + CM), and cultured in spinner flasks. The CF + CM group had the highest amplitude of contraction and the lowest excitation threshold, superior DNA content, and higher glucose consumption rate. The CF + CM group exhibited compact 100- to 200-μm thick layers of elongated myocytes aligned in parallel over layers of collagen-producing fibroblasts, while US and CM groups exhibited scattered and poorly elongated myocytes. The sequential co-culture of CF and CM on a synthetic elastomer scaffold thus created an environment supportive of cardiomyocyte attachment, differentiation, and contractile function, presumably due to scaffold conditioning by cultured fibroblasts. When implanted over the infarcted myocardium in a nude rat model, cell-free poly(glycerol sebacate) remained at the ventricular wall after 2 weeks of in vivo, and was vascularized. PMID:18041719

%22Trojan Horse%22 strategy for deconstruction of biomass for biofuels production.

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

Simmons, Blake Alexander; Sinclair, Michael B.; Yu, Eizadora

2011-02-01

Production of renewable biofuels to displace fossil fuels currently consumed in the transportation sector is a pressing multiagency national priority (DOE/USDA/EERE). Currently, nearly all fuel ethanol is produced from corn-derived starch. Dedicated 'energy crops' and agricultural waste are preferred long-term solutions for renewable, cheap, and globally available biofuels as they avoid some of the market pressures and secondary greenhouse gas emission challenges currently facing corn ethanol. These sources of lignocellulosic biomass are converted to fermentable sugars using a variety of chemical and thermochemical pretreatments, which disrupt cellulose and lignin cross-links, allowing exogenously added recombinant microbial enzymes to more efficiently hydrolyzemore » the cellulose for 'deconstruction' into glucose. This process is plagued with inefficiencies, primarily due to the recalcitrance of cellulosic biomass, mass transfer issues during deconstruction, and low activity of recombinant deconstruction enzymes. Costs are also high due to the requirement for enzymes and reagents, and energy-intensive cumbersome pretreatment steps. One potential solution to these problems is found in synthetic biology-engineered plants that self-produce a suite of cellulase enzymes. Deconstruction can then be integrated into a one-step process, thereby increasing efficiency (cellulose-cellulase mass-transfer rates) and reducing costs. The unique aspects of our approach are the rationally engineered enzymes which become Trojan horses during pretreatment conditions. During this study we rationally engineered Cazy enzymes and then integrated them into plant cells by multiple transformation techniques. The regenerated plants were assayed for first expression of these messages and then for the resulting proteins. The plants were then subjected to consolidated bioprocessing and characterized in detail. Our results and possible implications of this work on developing dedicated energy crops and their advantage in a consolidated bioprocessing system.« less

Exploring Google Earth Engine platform for big data processing: classification of multi-temporal satellite imagery for crop mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shelestov, Andrii; Lavreniuk, Mykola; Kussul, Nataliia; Novikov, Alexei; Skakun, Sergii

2017-02-01

Many applied problems arising in agricultural monitoring and food security require reliable crop maps at national or global scale. Large scale crop mapping requires processing and management of large amount of heterogeneous satellite imagery acquired by various sensors that consequently leads to a “Big Data” problem. The main objective of this study is to explore efficiency of using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform when classifying multi-temporal satellite imagery with potential to apply the platform for a larger scale (e.g. country level) and multiple sensors (e.g. Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2). In particular, multiple state-of-the-art classifiers available in the GEE platform are compared to produce a high resolution (30 m) crop classification map for a large territory ( 28,100 km2 and 1.0 M ha of cropland). Though this study does not involve large volumes of data, it does address efficiency of the GEE platform to effectively execute complex workflows of satellite data processing required with large scale applications such as crop mapping. The study discusses strengths and weaknesses of classifiers, assesses accuracies that can be achieved with different classifiers for the Ukrainian landscape, and compares them to the benchmark classifier using a neural network approach that was developed in our previous studies. The study is carried out for the Joint Experiment of Crop Assessment and Monitoring (JECAM) test site in Ukraine covering the Kyiv region (North of Ukraine) in 2013. We found that Google Earth Engine (GEE) provides very good performance in terms of enabling access to the remote sensing products through the cloud platform and providing pre-processing; however, in terms of classification accuracy, the neural network based approach outperformed support vector machine (SVM), decision tree and random forest classifiers available in GEE.

Regenerator cross arm seal assembly

DOEpatents

Jackman, Anthony V.

1988-01-01

A seal assembly for disposition between a cross arm on a gas turbine engine block and a regenerator disc, the seal assembly including a platform coextensive with the cross arm, a seal and wear layer sealingly and slidingly engaging the regenerator disc, a porous and compliant support layer between the platform and the seal and wear layer porous enough to permit flow of cooling air therethrough and compliant to accommodate relative thermal growth and distortion, a dike between the seal and wear layer and the platform for preventing cross flow through the support layer between engine exhaust and pressurized air passages, and air diversion passages for directing unregenerated pressurized air through the support layer to cool the seal and wear layer and then back into the flow of regenerated pressurized air.

Metabolic engineering with plants for a sustainable biobased economy.

PubMed

Yoon, Jong Moon; Zhao, Le; Shanks, Jacqueline V

2013-01-01

Plants are bona fide sustainable organisms because they accumulate carbon and synthesize beneficial metabolites from photosynthesis. To meet the challenges to food security and health threatened by increasing population growth and depletion of nonrenewable natural resources, recent metabolic engineering efforts have shifted from single pathways to holistic approaches with multiple genes owing to integration of omics technologies. Successful engineering of plants results in the high yield of biomass components for primary food sources and biofuel feedstocks, pharmaceuticals, and platform chemicals through synthetic biology and systems biology strategies. Further discovery of undefined biosynthesis pathways in plants, integrative analysis of discrete omics data, and diversified process developments for production of platform chemicals are essential to overcome the hurdles for sustainable production of value-added biomolecules from plants.

Use of anaerobic hydrolysis pretreatment to enhance ultrasonic disintegration of excess sludge.

PubMed

Li, Xianjin; Zhu, Tong; Shen, Yang; Chai, Tianyu; Xie, Yuanhua; You, Meiyan; Wang, Youzhao

2016-01-01

To improve the excess sludge disintegration efficiency, reduce the sludge disintegration cost, and increase sludge biodegradability, a combined pretreatment of anaerobic hydrolysis (AH) and ultrasonic treatment (UT) was proposed for excess sludge. Results showed that AH had an advantage in dissolving flocs, modifying sludge characteristics, and reducing the difficulty of sludge disintegration, whereas UT was advantageous in damaging cell walls, releasing intracellular substances, and decomposing macromolecular material. The combined AH-UT process was an efficient method for excess sludge pretreatment. The optimized solution involved AH for 3 days, followed by UT for 10 min. After treatment, chemical oxygen demand, protein, and peptidoglycan concentrations reached 3,949.5 mg O2/L, 752.5 mg/L and 619.1 mg/L, respectively. This work has great significance for further engineering applications, namely, reducing energy consumption, increasing the sludge disintegration rate, and improving the biochemical properties of sludge.

The differential effect of basic fibroblast growth factor and stromal cell‑derived factor‑1 pretreatment on bone morrow mesenchymal stem cells osteogenic differentiation potency.

PubMed

Wang, Ruolin; Liu, Wenhua; Du, Mi; Yang, Chengzhe; Li, Xuefen; Yang, Pishan

2018-03-01

In situ tissue engineering has become a novel strategy to repair periodontal/bone tissue defects. The choice of cytokines that promote the recruitment and proliferation, and potentiate and maintain the osteogenic differentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is the key point in this technique. Stromal cell‑derived factor‑1 (SDF‑1) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) have the ability to promote the recruitment, and proliferation of MSCs; however, the differential effect of SDF‑1 and bFGF pretreatment on MSC osteogenic differentiation potency remains to be explored. The present study comparatively observed osteogenic differentiation of bone morrow MSCs (BMMSCs) pretreated by bFGF or SDF‑1 in vitro. The gene and protein expression levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx‑2) and bone sialoprotein (BSP) were detected using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The results showed that the expression of ALP mRNA on day 3, and BSP and Runx‑2 mRNA on day 7 in the bFGF pretreatment group was significantly higher than those in SDF‑1 pretreatment group. Expression levels of Runx‑2 mRNA, and ALP and Runx‑2 protein on day 3 in the SDF‑1 pretreatment group were higher than those in the bFGF pretreatment group. However, there was no significant difference in osteogenic differentiation ability on day 14 and 28 between the bFGF‑ or SDF‑1‑pretreatment groups and the control. In conclusion, bFGF and SDF‑1 pretreatment inhibits osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs at the early stage, promotes it in the medium phase, and maintains it in the later stage during osteogenic induction, particularly at the mRNA level. Out of the two cytokines, bFGF appeared to have a greater effect on osteogenic differentiation.

Assessing students' sentiments towards the use of a Building Information Modelling (BIM) learning platform in a construction project management course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suwal, Sunil; Singh, Vishal

2018-07-01

Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools and processes are increasingly adopted and implemented in the construction industry. Consequently, BIM education is considered increasingly important in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) education. While most of the research and literature on BIM education in engineering studies has focused on BIM implementation strategies, processes, benefits, and challenges, there is limited study on students' perception towards the implementation of BIM courses, or about online BIM learning platforms, or about the BIM tools themselves. Therefore, this paper takes the first steps towards addressing this gap. This study analyses students' (57 students) perception and sentiments towards the use of an online BIM learning platform and explores the potential implications of the findings for BIM education. The findings suggest that online BIM learning platforms are highly rated by students as a positive learning experience, indicating the need for greater integration of such tools and approaches in AEC courses.

Application and Mechanics Analysis of Multi-Function Construction Platforms in Prefabricated-Concrete Construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Meihua; Li, Rongshuai; Zhang, Wenze

2017-11-01

Multi-function construction platforms (MCPs) as an “old construction technology, new application” of the building facade construction equipment, its efforts to reduce labour intensity, improve labour productivity, ensure construction safety, shorten the duration of construction and other aspects of the effect are significant. In this study, the functional analysis of the multi-function construction platforms is carried out in the construction of the assembly building. Based on the general finite element software ANSYS, the static calculation and dynamic characteristics analysis of the MCPs structure are analysed, the simplified finite element model is constructed, and the selection of the unit, the processing and solution of boundary are under discussion and research. The maximum deformation value, the maximum stress value and the structural dynamic characteristic model are obtained. The dangerous parts of the platform structure are analysed, too. Multiple types of MCPs under engineering construction conditions are calculated, so as to put forward the rationalization suggestions for engineering application of the MCPs.

Protein Engineering of GRE2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Enhanced Detoxification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) are representative inhibitors generated by lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment such as dilute acid hydrolysis that inhibit microbial growth and subsequent fermentation. It is possible to in situ detoxify these inhibitory compounds using tolerant Saccharom...

Protein Engineering of GRE2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Enhanced Detoxification of 5-Hydroxymethyl Furfural

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) are representative inhibitors generated by lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment such as dilute acid hydrolysis that inhibit microbial growth and subsequent fermentation. It is possible to in situ detoxify these inhibitory compounds using tolerant Saccharomy...

Protein engineering of GRE2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae for enhanced detoxification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) are representative inhibitors generated by lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment such as dilute acid hydrolysis that inhibit microbial growth and interfere with subsequent fermentation. It is possible to in situ detoxify these inhibitory compounds using tole...

Determination of germanium by AAS in chloride-containing matrices.

PubMed

Anwari, M A; Abbasi, H U; Volkan, M; Ataman, O Y

1996-06-01

Interference effects of NaCl on the ET-AAS determination of Ge have been studied. The use of several matrix modifiers to alleviate this problem such as Ni and Zn perchlorates and nitrates, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate are reported. The stabilizing effect of Zn and Ni perchlorates allows the use of high pretreatment temperatures. NaCl is thus thermally volatilized from the atomizer by employing pretreatment temperatures higher than 1500 degrees C resulting in an improved sensitivity. Germanium levels in zinc plant slag samples, have been determined and compared to those obtained for the same samples spiked with NaCl with platform and wall atomization using nickel perchlorate as a matrix modifier. The results were compared with those from a hydride generation system equipped with a liquid nitrogen trap. The recoveries for germanium have been almost complete and amount to 99% for the original slag samples and 80% for 15% (w/w) NaCl containing spiked samples.

Potential use of algae for heavy metal bioremediation, a critical review.

PubMed

Zeraatkar, Amin Keyvan; Ahmadzadeh, Hossein; Talebi, Ahmad Farhad; Moheimani, Navid R; McHenry, Mark P

2016-10-01

Algae have several industrial applications that can lower the cost of biofuel co-production. Among these co-production applications, environmental and wastewater bioremediation are increasingly important. Heavy metal pollution and its implications for public health and the environment have led to increased interest in developing environmental biotechnology approaches. We review the potential for algal biosorption and/or neutralization of the toxic effects of heavy metal ions, primarily focusing on their cellular structure, pretreatment, modification, as well as potential application of genetic engineering in biosorption performance. We evaluate pretreatment, immobilization, and factors affecting biosorption capacity, such as initial metal ion concentration, biomass concentration, initial pH, time, temperature, and interference of multi metal ions and introduce molecular tools to develop engineered algal strains with higher biosorption capacity and selectivity. We conclude that consideration of these parameters can lead to the development of low-cost micro and macroalgae cultivation with high bioremediation potential. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced concepts in biomass production and pretreatment. Annual report, April 1986-March 1987

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

Hiler, E.A.; Miller, F.R.; Dominy, R.E.

1987-04-01

The objective of the research is to develop an integrated system for methane production utilizing terrestrial biomass as the feedstock. The report provides specifics of research activities in the Texas A and M biomass program sponsored by Gas Research Institute and co-funded by Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Researchers in the program include plant geneticists, plant physiologists, chemists, agronomists, ruminant physiologists, agricultural engineers, biochemical engineers, and agricultural economists. Major research emphases are genetic manipulation, physiology and production systems, harvesting, storage, processing and conversion systems, inhibitors, and economic and system analyses. During the past year, increasing emphasis was placed on the biologicalmore » pretreatment aspects of the program because of the critical importance of the area to the improved efficiency of the overall system. In the breeding, tissue culture, and production programs, continued substantial progress was made in identifying and characterizing sorghums that will produce high biomass yields and have improved lodging resistance and high uniformity. Economic and systems analyses provided important information regarding optimal overall systems.« less

A GPU OpenCL based cross-platform Monte Carlo dose calculation engine (goMC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Zhen; Shi, Feng; Folkerts, Michael; Qin, Nan; Jiang, Steve B.; Jia, Xun

2015-09-01

Monte Carlo (MC) simulation has been recognized as the most accurate dose calculation method for radiotherapy. However, the extremely long computation time impedes its clinical application. Recently, a lot of effort has been made to realize fast MC dose calculation on graphic processing units (GPUs). However, most of the GPU-based MC dose engines have been developed under NVidia’s CUDA environment. This limits the code portability to other platforms, hindering the introduction of GPU-based MC simulations to clinical practice. The objective of this paper is to develop a GPU OpenCL based cross-platform MC dose engine named goMC with coupled photon-electron simulation for external photon and electron radiotherapy in the MeV energy range. Compared to our previously developed GPU-based MC code named gDPM (Jia et al 2012 Phys. Med. Biol. 57 7783-97), goMC has two major differences. First, it was developed under the OpenCL environment for high code portability and hence could be run not only on different GPU cards but also on CPU platforms. Second, we adopted the electron transport model used in EGSnrc MC package and PENELOPE’s random hinge method in our new dose engine, instead of the dose planning method employed in gDPM. Dose distributions were calculated for a 15 MeV electron beam and a 6 MV photon beam in a homogenous water phantom, a water-bone-lung-water slab phantom and a half-slab phantom. Satisfactory agreement between the two MC dose engines goMC and gDPM was observed in all cases. The average dose differences in the regions that received a dose higher than 10% of the maximum dose were 0.48-0.53% for the electron beam cases and 0.15-0.17% for the photon beam cases. In terms of efficiency, goMC was ~4-16% slower than gDPM when running on the same NVidia TITAN card for all the cases we tested, due to both the different electron transport models and the different development environments. The code portability of our new dose engine goMC was validated by successfully running it on a variety of different computing devices including an NVidia GPU card, two AMD GPU cards and an Intel CPU processor. Computational efficiency among these platforms was compared.

A GPU OpenCL based cross-platform Monte Carlo dose calculation engine (goMC).

PubMed

Tian, Zhen; Shi, Feng; Folkerts, Michael; Qin, Nan; Jiang, Steve B; Jia, Xun

2015-10-07

Monte Carlo (MC) simulation has been recognized as the most accurate dose calculation method for radiotherapy. However, the extremely long computation time impedes its clinical application. Recently, a lot of effort has been made to realize fast MC dose calculation on graphic processing units (GPUs). However, most of the GPU-based MC dose engines have been developed under NVidia's CUDA environment. This limits the code portability to other platforms, hindering the introduction of GPU-based MC simulations to clinical practice. The objective of this paper is to develop a GPU OpenCL based cross-platform MC dose engine named goMC with coupled photon-electron simulation for external photon and electron radiotherapy in the MeV energy range. Compared to our previously developed GPU-based MC code named gDPM (Jia et al 2012 Phys. Med. Biol. 57 7783-97), goMC has two major differences. First, it was developed under the OpenCL environment for high code portability and hence could be run not only on different GPU cards but also on CPU platforms. Second, we adopted the electron transport model used in EGSnrc MC package and PENELOPE's random hinge method in our new dose engine, instead of the dose planning method employed in gDPM. Dose distributions were calculated for a 15 MeV electron beam and a 6 MV photon beam in a homogenous water phantom, a water-bone-lung-water slab phantom and a half-slab phantom. Satisfactory agreement between the two MC dose engines goMC and gDPM was observed in all cases. The average dose differences in the regions that received a dose higher than 10% of the maximum dose were 0.48-0.53% for the electron beam cases and 0.15-0.17% for the photon beam cases. In terms of efficiency, goMC was ~4-16% slower than gDPM when running on the same NVidia TITAN card for all the cases we tested, due to both the different electron transport models and the different development environments. The code portability of our new dose engine goMC was validated by successfully running it on a variety of different computing devices including an NVidia GPU card, two AMD GPU cards and an Intel CPU processor. Computational efficiency among these platforms was compared.

Learning Platform for Study of Power Electronic Application in Power Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, P.; Rompelman, O.

2005-01-01

Present engineering has to deal with increasingly complex systems. In particular, this is the case in electrical engineering. Though this is obvious in microelectronics, also in the field of power systems engineers have to design, operate and maintain highly complex systems such as power grids, energy converters and electrical drives. This is…

AADL and Model-based Engineering

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-20

and MBE Feiler, Oct 20, 2014 © 2014 Carnegie Mellon University We Rely on Software for Safe Aircraft Operation Embedded software systems ...D eveloper Compute Platform Runtime Architecture Application Software Embedded SW System Engineer Data Stream Characteristics Latency...confusion Hardware Engineer Why do system level failures still occur despite fault tolerance techniques being deployed in systems ? Embedded software

Probabilistic consensus scoring improves tandem mass spectrometry peptide identification.

PubMed

Nahnsen, Sven; Bertsch, Andreas; Rahnenführer, Jörg; Nordheim, Alfred; Kohlbacher, Oliver

2011-08-05

Database search is a standard technique for identifying peptides from their tandem mass spectra. To increase the number of correctly identified peptides, we suggest a probabilistic framework that allows the combination of scores from different search engines into a joint consensus score. Central to the approach is a novel method to estimate scores for peptides not found by an individual search engine. This approach allows the estimation of p-values for each candidate peptide and their combination across all search engines. The consensus approach works better than any single search engine across all different instrument types considered in this study. Improvements vary strongly from platform to platform and from search engine to search engine. Compared to the industry standard MASCOT, our approach can identify up to 60% more peptides. The software for consensus predictions is implemented in C++ as part of OpenMS, a software framework for mass spectrometry. The source code is available in the current development version of OpenMS and can easily be used as a command line application or via a graphical pipeline designer TOPPAS.

Synthetic Immunology: Hacking Immune Cells to Expand Their Therapeutic Capabilities.

PubMed

Roybal, Kole T; Lim, Wendell A

2017-04-26

The ability of immune cells to survey tissues and sense pathologic insults and deviations makes them a unique platform for interfacing with the body and disease. With the rapid advancement of synthetic biology, we can now engineer and equip immune cells with new sensors and controllable therapeutic response programs to sense and treat diseases that our natural immune system cannot normally handle. Here we review the current state of engineered immune cell therapeutics and their unique capabilities compared to small molecules and biologics. We then discuss how engineered immune cells are being designed to combat cancer, focusing on how new synthetic biology tools are providing potential ways to overcome the major roadblocks for treatment. Finally, we give a long-term vision for the use of synthetic biology to engineer immune cells as a general sensor-response platform to precisely detect disease, to remodel disease microenvironments, and to treat a potentially wide range of challenging diseases.

Microstructural Heterogeneity in Native and Engineered Fibrocartilage Directs Micromechanics and Mechanobiology

PubMed Central

Han, Woojin M; Heo, Su-Jin; Driscoll, Tristan P; Delucca, John F; McLeod, Claire M; Smith, Lachlan J; Duncan, Randall L; Mauck, Robert L; Elliott, Dawn M

2015-01-01

Treatment strategies to address pathologies of fibrocartilaginous tissue are in part limited by an incomplete understanding of structure-function relationships in these load-bearing tissues. There is therefore a pressing need to develop microengineered tissue platforms that can recreate the highly inhomogeneous tissue microstructures that are known to influence mechanotransductive processes in normal and diseased tissue. Here, we report the quantification of proteoglycan-rich microdomains in developing, aging, and diseased fibrocartilaginous tissues, and the impact of these microdomains on endogenous cell responses to physiologic deformation within a native-tissue context. We also developed a method to generate heterogeneous tissue engineered constructs (hetTECs) with microscale non-fibrous proteoglycan-rich microdomains engineered into the fibrous structure, and show that these hetTECs match the microstructural, micromechanical, and mechanobiological benchmarks of native tissue. Our tissue engineered platform should facilitate the study of the mechanobiology of developing, homeostatic, degenerating, and regenerating fibrous tissues. PMID:26726994

Synthetic Immunology: Hacking Immune Cells to Expand Their Therapeutic Capabilities

PubMed Central

Roybal, Kole T.; Lim, Wendell A.

2017-01-01

The ability of immune cells to survey tissues and sense pathologic insults and deviations makes them a unique platform for interfacing with the body and disease. With the rapid advancement of synthetic biology, we can now engineer and equip immune cells with new sensors and controllable therapeutic response programs to sense and treat diseases that our natural immune system cannot normally handle. Here we review the current state of engineered immune cell therapeutics and their unique capabilities compared to small molecules and biologics. We then discuss how engineered immune cells are being designed to combat cancer, focusing on how new synthetic biology tools are providing potential ways to overcome the major roadblocks for treatment. Finally, we give a long-term vision for the use of synthetic biology to engineer immune cells as a general sensor-response platform to precisely detect disease, to remodel disease microenvironments, and to treat a potentially wide range of challenging diseases. PMID:28446063

Effects of Short-term Preoperative Topical Ketorolac on Pupil Diameter in Eyes Undergoing Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Capsulotomy.

PubMed

Diakonis, Vasilios F; Kontadakis, Georgios A; Anagnostopoulos, Apostolos G; Yesilirmak, Nilufer; Waren, Daniel P; Cabot, Florence; Yoo, Sonia H; Donaldson, Kendall E

2017-04-01

To assess pupil diameter before and after femtosecond laser-assisted capsulotomy in patients who were pretreated with a short-term topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (ketorolac) versus those without pretreatment. This prospective, randomized, observational case series included consecutive patients scheduled to undergo cataract extraction using the Catalys femtosecond laser platform (Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., Santa Ana, CA) to perform only capsulotomies. The same protocol for preoperative medical mydriasis was used for all patients, whereas pupil diameter was assessed using a surgical ruler immediately before and 3 minutes after femtosecond laser-assisted capsulotomy. The patients were divided into two groups: one received short-term topical ketorolac preoperatively and the other did not receive NSAID pretreatment (control). A total of 42 eyes of 42 patients (1 eye per patient) were included in the study. Mean pupillary miosis was 0.79 ± 1.08 and 1.57 ± 1.19 mm for the ketorolac and control groups, respectively. There was a statistically significant decrease in pupil diameter for both groups individually (P < .05). There was also a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P < .05) with the induced miosis in the eyes that did not receive topical NSAIDs prior to cataract extraction being twofold greater when compared with the miosis of the eyes that received ketorolac pretreatment. Short-term topical use of ketorolac prior to femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery seems to induce significantly less pupillary miosis in comparison to eyes that did not receive NSAID pretreatment. NSAID use is advised prior to femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery to minimize pupil miosis-related surgical difficulties or complications during cataract extraction. [J Refract Surg. 2017;33(4):230-234.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

What Do We Really Need? Visions of an Ideal Human-Machine Interface for NOTES Mechatronic Support Systems From the View of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists, and Medical Engineers.

PubMed

Kranzfelder, Michael; Schneider, Armin; Fiolka, Adam; Koller, Sebastian; Wilhelm, Dirk; Reiser, Silvano; Meining, Alexander; Feussner, Hubertus

2015-08-01

To investigate why natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) has not yet become widely accepted and to prove whether the main reason is still the lack of appropriate platforms due to the deficiency of applicable interfaces. To assess expectations of a suitable interface design, we performed a survey on human-machine interfaces for NOTES mechatronic support systems among surgeons, gastroenterologists, and medical engineers. Of 120 distributed questionnaires, each consisting of 14 distinct questions, 100 (83%) were eligible for analysis. A mechatronic platform for NOTES was considered "important" by 71% of surgeons, 83% of gastroenterologist,s and 56% of medical engineers. "Intuitivity" and "simple to use" were the most favored aspects (33% to 51%). Haptic feedback was considered "important" by 70% of participants. In all, 53% of surgeons, 50% of gastroenterologists, and 33% of medical engineers already had experience with NOTES platforms or other surgical robots; however, current interfaces only met expectations in just more than 50%. Whereas surgeons did not favor a certain working posture, gastroenterologists and medical engineers preferred a sitting position. Three-dimensional visualization was generally considered "nice to have" (67% to 72%); however, for 26% of surgeons, 17% of gastroenterologists, and 7% of medical engineers it did not matter (P = 0.018). Requests and expectations of human-machine interfaces for NOTES seem to be generally similar for surgeons, gastroenterologist, and medical engineers. Consensus exists on the importance of developing interfaces that should be both intuitive and simple to use, are similar to preexisting familiar instruments, and exceed current available systems. © The Author(s) 2014.

Integrating MPI and deduplication engines: a software architecture roadmap.

PubMed

Baksi, Dibyendu

2009-03-01

The objective of this paper is to clarify the major concepts related to architecture and design of patient identity management software systems so that an implementor looking to solve a specific integration problem in the context of a Master Patient Index (MPI) and a deduplication engine can address the relevant issues. The ideas presented are illustrated in the context of a reference use case from Integrating the Health Enterprise Patient Identifier Cross-referencing (IHE PIX) profile. Sound software engineering principles using the latest design paradigm of model driven architecture (MDA) are applied to define different views of the architecture. The main contribution of the paper is a clear software architecture roadmap for implementors of patient identity management systems. Conceptual design in terms of static and dynamic views of the interfaces is provided as an example of platform independent model. This makes the roadmap applicable to any specific solutions of MPI, deduplication library or software platform. Stakeholders in need of integration of MPIs and deduplication engines can evaluate vendor specific solutions and software platform technologies in terms of fundamental concepts and can make informed decisions that preserve investment. This also allows freedom from vendor lock-in and the ability to kick-start integration efforts based on a solid architecture.

Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica as a platform for synthesis of drop-in transportation fuels and oleochemicals

PubMed Central

Xu, Peng; Qiao, Kangjian; Ahn, Woo Suk; Stephanopoulos, Gregory

2016-01-01

Harnessing lipogenic pathways and rewiring acyl-CoA and acyl-ACP (acyl carrier protein) metabolism in Yarrowia lipolytica hold great potential for cost-efficient production of diesel, gasoline-like fuels, and oleochemicals. Here we assessed various pathway engineering strategies in Y. lipolytica toward developing a yeast biorefinery platform for sustainable production of fuel-like molecules and oleochemicals. Specifically, acyl-CoA/acyl-ACP processing enzymes were targeted to the cytoplasm, peroxisome, or endoplasmic reticulum to generate fatty acid ethyl esters and fatty alkanes with tailored chain length. Activation of endogenous free fatty acids and the subsequent reduction of fatty acyl-CoAs enabled the efficient synthesis of fatty alcohols. Engineering a hybrid fatty acid synthase shifted the free fatty acids to a medium chain-length scale. Manipulation of alternative cytosolic acetyl-CoA pathways partially decoupled lipogenesis from nitrogen starvation and unleashed the lipogenic potential of Y. lipolytica. Taken together, the strategies reported here represent promising steps to develop a yeast biorefinery platform that potentially upgrades low-value carbons to high-value fuels and oleochemicals in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. PMID:27621436

Zymomonas mobilis: a novel platform for future biorefineries.

PubMed

He, Ming Xiong; Wu, Bo; Qin, Han; Ruan, Zhi Yong; Tan, Fu Rong; Wang, Jing Li; Shui, Zong Xia; Dai, Li Chun; Zhu, Qi Li; Pan, Ke; Tang, Xiao Yu; Wang, Wen Guo; Hu, Qi Chun

2014-01-01

Biosynthesis of liquid fuels and biomass-based building block chemicals from microorganisms have been regarded as a competitive alternative route to traditional. Zymomonas mobilis possesses a number of desirable characteristics for its special Entner-Doudoroff pathway, which makes it an ideal platform for both metabolic engineering and commercial-scale production of desirable bio-products as the same as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on consideration of future biomass biorefinery. Z. mobilis has been studied extensively on both fundamental and applied level, which will provide a basis for industrial biotechnology in the future. Furthermore, metabolic engineering of Z. mobilis for enhancing bio-ethanol production from biomass resources has been significantly promoted by different methods (i.e. mutagenesis, adaptive laboratory evolution, specific gene knock-out, and metabolic engineering). In addition, the feasibility of representative metabolites, i.e. sorbitol, bionic acid, levan, succinic acid, isobutanol, and isobutanol produced by Z. mobilis and the strategies for strain improvements are also discussed or highlighted in this paper. Moreover, this review will present some guidelines for future developments in the bio-based chemical production using Z. mobilis as a novel industrial platform for future biofineries.

Performance evaluation of Platform Data ManagementSystem under various degrees of protocol implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arozullah, Mohammed

1991-01-01

The Platform Data Management System (DMS) collects Housekeeping (H/K), Payload (P/L) Engineering, and Payload Science data from various subsystems and payloads on the platform for transmission to the ground through the downlink via TDRSS. The DMS also distributes command data received from the ground to various subsystems and payloads. In addition, DMS distributes timing and safemode data. The function of collection and distribution of various types of data is performed by the Command and Data Handling (C&DH) subsystem of DMS. The C&DH subsystem uses for this purpose a number of data buses namely, Housekeeping, Payload Engineering, Payload Science, and Time and Safemode buses. Out of these buses, the H/K, P/L Engineering, and P/L Science buses are planned to be implemented by using MIL-STD 1553 bus. Most of the period covered was spent in developing a queue theoretic model of the 1553 Bus as used in the DMS. The aim is to use this model to test the performance and suitability of the 1553 Bus to the DMS under a number of alternative design scenarios.

40 CFR 423.16 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... used for transformer fluid. (b) The pollutants discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not... 126 priority pollutants (Appendix A) contained in chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance... priority pollutants in paragraph (d)(1) of this section may be determined by engineering calculations which...

40 CFR 423.16 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... used for transformer fluid. (b) The pollutants discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not... 126 priority pollutants (Appendix A) contained in chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance... priority pollutants in paragraph (d)(1) of this section may be determined by engineering calculations which...

40 CFR 423.16 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... used for transformer fluid. (b) The pollutants discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not... 126 priority pollutants (Appendix A) contained in chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance... priority pollutants in paragraph (d)(1) of this section may be determined by engineering calculations which...

40 CFR 423.16 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... used for transformer fluid. (b) The pollutants discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not... 126 priority pollutants (Appendix A) contained in chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance... priority pollutants in paragraph (d)(1) of this section may be determined by engineering calculations which...

40 CFR 423.16 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... used for transformer fluid. (b) The pollutants discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not... 126 priority pollutants (Appendix A) contained in chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance... priority pollutants in paragraph (d)(1) of this section may be determined by engineering calculations which...

OXIDATION OF AS(III) BY AERATION AND STORAGE

EPA Science Inventory

A study of the effects of aeration and storage on the oxidation of arsenic(III) was undertaken at three utilities in the US to establish the engineering significance of aeration as a potential pre-treatment method for arsenic removal. The results of this study clearly establish t...

Climate Signals: An On-Line Digital Platform for Mapping Climate Change Impacts in Real Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cutting, H.

2016-12-01

Climate Signals is an on-line digital platform for cataloging and mapping the impacts of climate change. The CS platform specifies and details the chains of connections between greenhouse gas emissions and individual climate events. Currently in open-beta release, the platform is designed to to engage and serve the general public, news media, and policy-makers, particularly in real-time during extreme climate events. Climate Signals consists of a curated relational database of events and their links to climate change, a mapping engine, and a gallery of climate change monitors offering real-time data. For each event in the database, an infographic engine provides a custom attribution "tree" that illustrates the connections to climate change. In addition, links to key contextual resources are aggregated and curated for each event. All event records are fully annotated with detailed source citations and corresponding hyper links. The system of attribution used to link events to climate change in real-time is detailed here. This open-beta release is offered for public user testing and engagement. Launched in May 2016, the operation of this platform offers lessons for public engagement in climate change impacts.

Power turbine ventilation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wakeman, Thomas G. (Inventor); Brown, Richard W. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

Air control mechanism within a power turbine section of a gas turbine engine. The power turbine section includes a rotor and at least one variable pitch propulsor blade. The propulsor blade is coupled to and extends radially outwardly of the rotor. A first annular fairing is rotatable with the propulsor blade and interposed between the propulsor blade and the rotor. A second fairing is located longitudinally adjacent to the first fairing. The first fairing and the second fairing are differentially rotatable. The air control mechanism includes a platform fixedly coupled to a radially inner end of the propulsor blade. The platform is generally positioned in a first opening and a first fairing. The platform and the first fairing define an outer space. In a first position corresponding with a first propulsor blade pitch, the platform is substantially conformal with the first fairing. In a second position corresponding with the second propulsor blade pitch, an edge portion of the platform is displaced radially outwardly from the first fairing. When the blades are in the second position and rotating about the engine axis, the displacement of the edge portion with respect to the first fairing allows air to flow from the outer space to the annular cavity.

Xylose induces cellulase production in Thermoascus aurantiacus.

PubMed

Schuerg, Timo; Prahl, Jan-Philip; Gabriel, Raphael; Harth, Simon; Tachea, Firehiwot; Chen, Chyi-Shin; Miller, Matthew; Masson, Fabrice; He, Qian; Brown, Sarah; Mirshiaghi, Mona; Liang, Ling; Tom, Lauren M; Tanjore, Deepti; Sun, Ning; Pray, Todd R; Singer, Steven W

2017-01-01

Lignocellulosic biomass is an important resource for renewable production of biofuels and bioproducts. Enzymes that deconstruct this biomass are critical for the viability of biomass-based biofuel production processes. Current commercial enzyme mixtures have limited thermotolerance. Thermophilic fungi may provide enzyme mixtures with greater thermal stability leading to more robust processes. Understanding the induction of biomass-deconstructing enzymes in thermophilic fungi will provide the foundation for strategies to construct hyper-production strains. Induction of cellulases using xylan was demonstrated during cultivation of the thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus . Simulated fed-batch conditions with xylose induced comparable levels of cellulases. These fed-batch conditions were adapted to produce enzymes in 2 and 19 L bioreactors using xylose and xylose-rich hydrolysate from dilute acid pretreatment of corn stover. Enzymes from T. aurantiacus that were produced in the xylose-fed bioreactor demonstrated comparable performance in the saccharification of deacetylated, dilute acid-pretreated corn stover when compared to a commercial enzyme mixture at 50 °C. The T. aurantiacus enzymes retained this activity at of 60 °C while the commercial enzyme mixture was largely inactivated. Xylose induces both cellulase and xylanase production in T. aurantiacus and was used to produce enzymes at up to the 19 L bioreactor scale. The demonstration of induction by xylose-rich hydrolysate and saccharification of deacetylated, dilute acid-pretreated corn stover suggests a scenario to couple biomass pretreatment with onsite enzyme production in a biorefinery. This work further demonstrates the potential for T. aurantiacus as a thermophilic platform for cellulase development.

Refinement and dissemination of a digital platform for sharing transportation education materials.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-07-01

National agencies have called for more widespread adoption of best practices in engineering education. To facilitate this sharing of practices a : web-based system framework used by transportation engineering educators to share curricular materials a...

Portable life support for instrumentation of an offshore platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mull, M. M.; Coffin, C. L.

1972-01-01

A compressor was used to supply air through a nylon hose to the offshore platform field engineer working at the bottom of the piling. Air quality in the pile was sampled periodically for carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and combustible gases by an universal tester and an explosion meter.

Crash problem definition and safety benefits methodology for stability control for single-unit medium and heavy trucks and large-platform buses

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-10-01

This report presents the findings of a comprehensive engineering analysis of electronic stability control (ESC) and roll stability control (RSC) systems for single-unit medium and heavy trucks and large-platform buses. This report details the applica...

Evaluation of mechanism of cold atmospheric pressure plasma assisted polymerization of acrylic acid on low density polyethylene (LDPE) film surfaces: Influence of various gaseous plasma pretreatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramkumar, M. C.; Pandiyaraj, K. Navaneetha; Arun Kumar, A.; Padmanabhan, P. V. A.; Uday Kumar, S.; Gopinath, P.; Bendavid, A.; Cools, P.; De Geyter, N.; Morent, R.; Deshmukh, R. R.

2018-05-01

Owing to its exceptional physiochemical properties, low density poly ethylene (LDPE) has wide range of tissue engineering applications. Conversely, its inadequate surface properties make LDPE an ineffectual candidate for cell compatible applications. Consequently, plasma-assisted polymerization with a selected precursor is a good choice for enhancing its biocompatibility. The present investigation studies the efficiency of plasma polymerization of acrylic acid (AAC) on various gaseous plasma pretreated LDPE films by cold atmospheric pressure plasma, to enhance its cytocompatibility. The change in chemical composition and surface topography of various gaseous plasma pretreated and acrylic deposited LDPE films has been assessed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The changes in hydrophilic nature of surface modified LDPE films were studied by contact angle (CA) analysis. Cytocompatibility of the AAC/LDPE films was also studied in vitro, using RIN-5F cells. The results acquired by the XPS and AFM analysis clearly proved that cold atmospheric pressure (CAP) plasma assisted polymerization of AAC enhances various surface properties including carboxylic acid functional group density and increased surface roughness on various gaseous plasma treated AAC/LDPE film surfaces. Moreover, contact angle analysis clearly showed that the plasma polymerized samples were hydrophilic in nature. In vitro cytocompatibility analysis undoubtedly validates that the AAC polymerized various plasma pretreated LDPE films surfaces stimulate cell distribution and proliferation compared to pristine LDPE films. Similarly, cytotoxicity analysis indicates that the AAC deposited various gaseous plasma pretreated LDPE film can be considered as non-toxic as well as stimulating cell viability significantly. The cytocompatible properties of AAC polymerized Ar + O2 plasma pretreated LDPE films were found to be more pronounced compared to the other plasma pretreated AAC/LDPE films.

Engineering Management Board Tour VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-22

Members of NASA’s Engineering Management Board tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms in High Bay 3, including the one on which the board members are standing, were designed to surround and provide access to NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. The Engineering Management Board toured integral areas of Kennedy to help the agencywide group reach its goal of unifying engineering work across NASA.

Muscular dystrophy in a dish: engineered human skeletal muscle mimetics for disease modeling and drug discovery

PubMed Central

Smith, Alec S.T.; Davis, Jennifer; Lee, Gabsang; Mack, David L.

2016-01-01

Engineered in vitro models using human cells, particularly patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), offer a potential solution to issues associated with the use of animals for studying disease pathology and drug efficacy. Given the prevalence of muscle diseases in human populations, an engineered tissue model of human skeletal muscle could provide a biologically accurate platform to study basic muscle physiology, disease progression, and drug efficacy and/or toxicity. Such platforms could be used as phenotypic drug screens to identify compounds capable of alleviating or reversing congenital myopathies, such as Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD). Here, we review current skeletal muscle modeling technologies with a specific focus on efforts to generate biomimetic systems for investigating the pathophysiology of dystrophic muscle. PMID:27109386

Direct conversion of plant biomass to ethanol by engineered Caldicellulosiruptor bescii

PubMed Central

Chung, Daehwan; Cha, Minseok; Guss, Adam M.; Westpheling, Janet

2014-01-01

Ethanol is the most widely used renewable transportation biofuel in the United States, with the production of 13.3 billion gallons in 2012 [John UM (2013) Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States]. Despite considerable effort to produce fuels from lignocellulosic biomass, chemical pretreatment and the addition of saccharolytic enzymes before microbial bioconversion remain economic barriers to industrial deployment [Lynd LR, et al. (2008) Nat Biotechnol 26(2):169–172]. We began with the thermophilic, anaerobic, cellulolytic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, which efficiently uses unpretreated biomass, and engineered it to produce ethanol. Here we report the direct conversion of switchgrass, a nonfood, renewable feedstock, to ethanol without conventional pretreatment of the biomass. This process was accomplished by deletion of lactate dehydrogenase and heterologous expression of a Clostridium thermocellum bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase. Whereas wild-type C. bescii lacks the ability to make ethanol, 70% of the fermentation products in the engineered strain were ethanol [12.8 mM ethanol directly from 2% (wt/vol) switchgrass, a real-world substrate] with decreased production of acetate by 38% compared with wild-type. Direct conversion of biomass to ethanol represents a new paradigm for consolidated bioprocessing, offering the potential for carbon neutral, cost-effective, sustainable fuel production. PMID:24889625

Direct conversion of plant biomass to ethanol by engineered Caldicellulosiruptor bescii.

PubMed

Chung, Daehwan; Cha, Minseok; Guss, Adam M; Westpheling, Janet

2014-06-17

Ethanol is the most widely used renewable transportation biofuel in the United States, with the production of 13.3 billion gallons in 2012 [John UM (2013) Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States]. Despite considerable effort to produce fuels from lignocellulosic biomass, chemical pretreatment and the addition of saccharolytic enzymes before microbial bioconversion remain economic barriers to industrial deployment [Lynd LR, et al. (2008) Nat Biotechnol 26(2):169-172]. We began with the thermophilic, anaerobic, cellulolytic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, which efficiently uses unpretreated biomass, and engineered it to produce ethanol. Here we report the direct conversion of switchgrass, a nonfood, renewable feedstock, to ethanol without conventional pretreatment of the biomass. This process was accomplished by deletion of lactate dehydrogenase and heterologous expression of a Clostridium thermocellum bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase. Whereas wild-type C. bescii lacks the ability to make ethanol, 70% of the fermentation products in the engineered strain were ethanol [12.8 mM ethanol directly from 2% (wt/vol) switchgrass, a real-world substrate] with decreased production of acetate by 38% compared with wild-type. Direct conversion of biomass to ethanol represents a new paradigm for consolidated bioprocessing, offering the potential for carbon neutral, cost-effective, sustainable fuel production.

Ashutosh Mittal | NREL

Science.gov Websites

@nrel.gov | 303-384-6136 Research Interests Ashutosh Mittal received an M.S. in 2004 and a Ph.D. in 2007 in Laboratory (NREL), he is actively involved in research on biomass pretreatment and conversion of biomass ., Environmental Resource Engineering, SUNY, ESF, Syracuse Professional Experience Research Scientist IV, NREL

40 CFR 423.17 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not exceed the concentration listed in the following table... chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance, except: Chromium, total 0.2 Zinc, total 1.0 (2) At the... engineering calculations which demonstrate that the regulated pollutants are not detectable in the final...

40 CFR 423.17 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not exceed the concentration listed in the following table... chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance, except: Chromium, total 0.2 Zinc, total 1.0 (2) At the... engineering calculations which demonstrate that the regulated pollutants are not detectable in the final...

40 CFR 423.17 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not exceed the concentration listed in the following table... chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance, except: Chromium, total 0.2 Zinc, total 1.0 (2) At the... engineering calculations which demonstrate that the regulated pollutants are not detectable in the final...

40 CFR 423.17 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not exceed the concentration listed in the following table... chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance, except: Chromium, total 0.2 Zinc, total 1.0 (2) At the... engineering calculations which demonstrate that the regulated pollutants are not detectable in the final...

40 CFR 423.17 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... discharged in chemical metal cleaning wastes shall not exceed the concentration listed in the following table... chemicals added for cooling tower maintenance, except: Chromium, total 0.2 Zinc, total 1.0 (2) At the... engineering calculations which demonstrate that the regulated pollutants are not detectable in the final...

Biological abatement of inhibitors in rice hull hydrolyzate and fermentation to ethanol using conventional and engineered microbes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Microbial inhibitors arise from lignin, hemicellulose, and degraded sugar during pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. The fungus Coniochaeta ligniaria NRRL30616 has native ability to metabolize a number of these compounds, including furan and aromatic aldehydes known to act as inhibitors toward...

Engineering Ligninolytic Consortium for Bioconversion of Lignocelluloses to Ethanol and Chemicals.

PubMed

Bilal, Muhammad; Nawaz, Muhammad Zohaib; Iqbal, Hafiz M N; Hou, Jialin; Mahboob, Shahid; Al-Ghanim, Khalid A; Cheng, Hairong

2018-01-01

Rising environmental concerns and recent global scenario of cleaner production and consumption are leading to the design of green industrial processes to produce alternative fuels and chemicals. Although bioethanol is one of the most promising and eco-friendly alternatives to fossil fuels yet its production from food and feed has received much negative criticism. The main objective of this study was to present the noteworthy potentialities of lignocellulosic biomass as an enormous and renewable biological resource. The particular focus was also given on engineering ligninolytic consortium for bioconversion of lignocelluloses to ethanol and chemicals on sustainable and environmentally basis. Herein, an effort has been made to extensively review, analyze and compile salient information related to the topic of interest. Several authentic bibliographic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Elsevier, Springer, Bentham Science and other scientific databases were searched with utmost care, and inclusion/ exclusion criterion was adopted to appraise the quality of retrieved peer-reviewed research literature. Bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass can largely satisfy the possible inconsistency of first-generation ethanol since it utilizes inedible lignocellulosic feedstocks, primarily sourced from agriculture and forestry wastes. Two major polysaccharides in lignocellulosic biomass namely, cellulose and hemicellulose constitute a complex lignocellulosic network by connecting with lignin, which is highly recalcitrant to depolymerization. Several attempts have been made to reduce the cost involved in the process through improving the pretreatment process. While, the ligninolytic enzymes of white rot fungi (WRF) including laccase, lignin peroxidase (LiP), and manganese peroxidase (MnP) have appeared as versatile biocatalysts for delignification of several lignocellulosic residues. The first part of the review is mainly focused on engineering ligninolytic consortium. In the second part, WRF and its unique ligninolytic enzyme-based bio-delignification of lignocellulosic biomass, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation of hydrolyzed feedstock are discussed. The metabolic engineering, enzymatic engineering, synthetic biology aspects for ethanol production and platform chemicals production are comprehensively reviewed in the third part. Towards the end information is also given on futuristic viewpoints. In conclusion, given the present unpredicted scenario of energy and fuel crisis accompanied by global warming, lignocellulosic bioethanol holds great promise as an alternative to petroleum. Apart from bioethanol, the simultaneous production of other value-added products may improve the economics of lignocellulosic bioethanol bioconversion process. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

A comparative study of ethanol production using dilute acid, ionic liquid and AFEX™ pretreated corn stover

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In a biorefinery producing cellulosic biofuels, biomass pretreatment will significantly influence the efficacy of enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fermentation. Comparison of different biomass pretreatment techniques by studying the impact of pretreatment on downstream operations at industrially relevant conditions and performing comprehensive mass balances will help focus attention on necessary process improvements, and thereby help reduce the cost of biofuel production. Results An on-going collaboration between the three US Department of Energy (DOE) funded bioenergy research centers (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and BioEnergy Science Center (BESC)) has given us a unique opportunity to compare the performance of three pretreatment processes, notably dilute acid (DA), ionic liquid (IL) and ammonia fiber expansion (AFEXTM), using the same source of corn stover. Separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) was carried out using various combinations of commercially available enzymes and engineered yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae 424A) strain. The optimal commercial enzyme combination (Ctec2: Htec2: Multifect Pectinase, percentage total protein loading basis) was evaluated for each pretreatment with a microplate-based assay using milled pretreated solids at 0.2% glucan loading and 15 mg total protein loading/g of glucan. The best enzyme combinations were 67:33:0 for DA, 39:33:28 for IL and 67:17:17 for AFEX. The amounts of sugar (kg) (glucose: xylose: total gluco- and xylo-oligomers) per 100 kg of untreated corn stover produced after 72 hours of 6% glucan loading enzymatic hydrolysis were: DA (25:2:2), IL (31:15:2) and AFEX (26:13:7). Additionally, the amounts of ethanol (kg) produced per 100 kg of untreated corn stover and the respective ethanol metabolic yield (%) achieved with exogenous nutrient supplemented fermentations were: DA (14.0, 92.0%), IL (21.2, 93.0%) and AFEX (20.5, 95.0%), respectively. The reason for lower ethanol yield for DA is because most of the xylose produced during the pretreatment was removed and not converted to ethanol during fermentation. Conclusions Compositional analysis of the pretreated biomass solids showed no significant change in composition for AFEX treated corn stover, while about 85% of hemicellulose was solubilized after DA pretreatment, and about 90% of lignin was removed after IL pretreatment. As expected, the optimal commercial enzyme combination was different for the solids prepared by different pretreatment technologies. Due to loss of nutrients during the pretreatment and washing steps, DA and IL pretreated hydrolysates required exogenous nutrient supplementation to ferment glucose and xylose efficiently, while AFEX pretreated hydrolysate did not require nutrient supplementation. PMID:24917886

Turbine engine airfoil and platform assembly

DOEpatents

Campbell, Christian X [Oviedo, FL; James, Allister W [Chuluota, FL; Morrison, Jay A [Oviedo, FL

2012-07-31

A turbine airfoil (22A) is formed by a first process using a first material. A platform (30A) is formed by a second process using a second material that may be different from the first material. The platform (30A) is assembled around a shank (23A) of the airfoil. One or more pins (36A) extend from the platform into holes (28) in the shank (23A). The platform may be formed in two portions (32A, 34A) and placed around the shank, enclosing it. The two platform portions may be bonded to each other. Alternately, the platform (30B) may be cast around the shank (23B) using a metal alloy with better castability than that of the blade and shank, which may be specialized for thermal tolerance. The pins (36A-36D) or holes for them do not extend to an outer surface (31) of the platform, avoiding stress concentrations.

Ionic liquid-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities for lignocellulose conversion to bioproducts

DOE PAGES

Yu, Chaowei; Simmons, Blake A.; Singer, Steven W.; ...

2016-11-12

Chemical and physical pretreatment of biomass is a critical step in the conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels and bioproducts. Ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment has attracted significant attention due to the unique ability of certain ILs to solubilize some or all components of the plant cell wall. However, these ILs inhibit not only the enzyme activities but also the growth and productivity of microorganisms used in downstream hydrolysis and fermentation processes. While pretreated biomass can be washed to remove residual IL and reduce inhibition, extensive washing is costly and not feasible in large-scale processes. IL-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities have beenmore » discovered from environmental samples and studies begun to elucidate mechanisms of IL tolerance. The discovery of IL tolerance in environmental microbial communities and individual microbes has lead to the proposal of molecular mechanisms of resistance. Here, we review recent progress on discovering IL-tolerant microorganisms, identifying metabolic pathways and mechanisms of tolerance, and engineering microorganisms for IL tolerance. Research in these areas will yield new approaches to overcome inhibition in lignocellulosic biomass bioconversion processes and increase opportunities for the use of ILs in biomass pretreatment.« less

Ionic liquid-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities for lignocellulose conversion to bioproducts.

PubMed

Yu, Chaowei; Simmons, Blake A; Singer, Steven W; Thelen, Michael P; VanderGheynst, Jean S

2016-12-01

Chemical and physical pretreatment of biomass is a critical step in the conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels and bioproducts. Ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment has attracted significant attention due to the unique ability of certain ILs to solubilize some or all components of the plant cell wall. However, these ILs inhibit not only the enzyme activities but also the growth and productivity of microorganisms used in downstream hydrolysis and fermentation processes. While pretreated biomass can be washed to remove residual IL and reduce inhibition, extensive washing is costly and not feasible in large-scale processes. IL-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities have been discovered from environmental samples and studies begun to elucidate mechanisms of IL tolerance. The discovery of IL tolerance in environmental microbial communities and individual microbes has lead to the proposal of molecular mechanisms of resistance. In this article, we review recent progress on discovering IL-tolerant microorganisms, identifying metabolic pathways and mechanisms of tolerance, and engineering microorganisms for IL tolerance. Research in these areas will yield new approaches to overcome inhibition in lignocellulosic biomass bioconversion processes and increase opportunities for the use of ILs in biomass pretreatment.

Ionic liquid-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities for lignocellulose conversion to bioproducts

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

Yu, Chaowei; Simmons, Blake A.; Singer, Steven W.

Chemical and physical pretreatment of biomass is a critical step in the conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels and bioproducts. Ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment has attracted significant attention due to the unique ability of certain ILs to solubilize some or all components of the plant cell wall. However, these ILs inhibit not only the enzyme activities but also the growth and productivity of microorganisms used in downstream hydrolysis and fermentation processes. While pretreated biomass can be washed to remove residual IL and reduce inhibition, extensive washing is costly and not feasible in large-scale processes. IL-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities have beenmore » discovered from environmental samples and studies begun to elucidate mechanisms of IL tolerance. The discovery of IL tolerance in environmental microbial communities and individual microbes has lead to the proposal of molecular mechanisms of resistance. Here, we review recent progress on discovering IL-tolerant microorganisms, identifying metabolic pathways and mechanisms of tolerance, and engineering microorganisms for IL tolerance. Research in these areas will yield new approaches to overcome inhibition in lignocellulosic biomass bioconversion processes and increase opportunities for the use of ILs in biomass pretreatment.« less

Hydrodynamic analysis of floating platform for special purposes under complex water environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Guang-ying; Yao, Yun-long

2018-03-01

This article studied a new floating offshore platform for special purposes, which was assembled by standard floating modules. By using ANSYS AQWA software, the hydrodynamic model of the platform was established. The time history responses of the platform motions and the cable tension forces were calculate under complex water environments, such as wind, wave, current and mooring. The results showed that the tension of the four cables are far less than the breaking tension of the cable, so that the cable will not break. This study can be referenced by the relevant researchers and engineers.

Geotechnical Engineering in US Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suescun-Florez, Eduardo; Iskander, Magued; Kapila, Vikram; Cain, Ryan

2013-01-01

This paper reports on the results of several geotechnical engineering-related science activities conducted with elementary-school students. Activities presented include soil permeability, contact stress, soil stratigraphy, shallow and deep foundations, and erosion in rivers. The permeability activity employed the LEGO NXT platform for data…

Energy, wealth, and human development: why and how biomass pretreatment research must improve.

PubMed

Dale, Bruce E; Ong, Rebecca G

2012-07-01

A high level of human development is dependent on energy consumption (roughly 4 kW per person), and most developed countries that have reached this level have done so through the extensive use of fossil energy. However, given that fossil resources are finite, in order for developed countries to maintain their level of development and simultaneously allow developing countries to reach their potential, it is essential to develop viable renewable energy alternatives. Of particular importance are liquid fuel replacements for petroleum, the fossil resource that primarily drives commerce and economic growth. The intent of this article is to remind our fellow biofuel researchers, particularly those involved in lignocellulosic pretreatment, of these global issues and the serious nature of our work. We hope that this will inspire us to generate and report higher quality and more thorough data than has been done in the past. Only in this way can accurate comparisons and technoeconomic evaluations be made for the many different pretreatment technologies that are currently being researched. The data that primarily influence biorefinery economics can be subdivided into three main categories: yield, concentration, and rate. For these three categories we detail the specific data that should be reported for pretreatment research. In addition, there is other information that is needed to allow for a thorough comparison of pretreatment technologies. An overview of these criteria and our comparison of the current state of a number of pretreatment technologies with respect to these criteria are covered in the last section. Copyright © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Closeup view of a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) installed ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Close-up view of a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) installed in position number one on the Orbiter Discovery. A ground-support mobile platform is in place below the engine to assist in technicians with the installation of the engine. This Photograph was taken in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. - Space Transportation System, Orbiter Discovery (OV-103), Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX

Development of a Spray System for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platform

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

Applied Engineering in Agriculture Vol. 25(6): 803‐809 2009 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers ISSN 0883-8542 803...Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 804 APPLIED ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE non‐chemical or least toxic chemical techniques...and electrically shielded (fig. 4). 806 APPLIED ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE Figure 2. Computer‐aided model and design of the tank with baffles, and

Engineering Management Board Tour VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-22

Members of NASA’s Engineering Management Board visit the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms in High Bay 3, including the one on which the board members are standing, were designed to surround and provide access to NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. The Engineering Management Board toured integral areas of Kennedy to help the agencywide group reach its goal of unifying engineering work across NASA.

Human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and tissue engineering strategies for disease modeling and drug screening

PubMed Central

Smith, Alec S.T.; Macadangdang, Jesse; Leung, Winnie; Laflamme, Michael A.; Kim, Deok-Ho

2016-01-01

Improved methodologies for modeling cardiac disease phenotypes and accurately screening the efficacy and toxicity of potential therapeutic compounds are actively being sought to advance drug development and improve disease modeling capabilities. To that end, much recent effort has been devoted to the development of novel engineered biomimetic cardiac tissue platforms that accurately recapitulate the structure and function of the human myocardium. Within the field of cardiac engineering, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are an exciting tool that offer the potential to advance the current state of the art, as they are derived from somatic cells, enabling the development of personalized medical strategies and patient specific disease models. Here we review different aspects of iPSC-based cardiac engineering technologies. We highlight methods for producing iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) and discuss their application to compound efficacy/toxicity screening and in vitro modeling of prevalent cardiac diseases. Special attention is paid to the application of micro- and nano-engineering techniques for the development of novel iPSC-CM based platforms and their potential to advance current preclinical screening modalities. PMID:28007615

Systematic engineering of TCA cycle for optimal production of a four-carbon platform chemical 4-hydroxybutyric acid in Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Choi, Sol; Kim, Hyun Uk; Kim, Tae Yong; Lee, Sang Yup

2016-11-01

To address climate change and environmental problems, it is becoming increasingly important to establish biorefineries for the production of chemicals from renewable non-food biomass. Here we report the development of Escherichia coli strains capable of overproducing a four-carbon platform chemical 4-hybroxybutyric acid (4-HB). Because 4-HB production is significantly affected by aeration level, genome-scale metabolic model-based engineering strategies were designed under aerobic and microaerobic conditions with emphasis on oxidative/reductive TCA branches and glyoxylate shunt. Several different metabolic engineering strategies were employed to develop strains suitable for fermentation both under aerobic and microaerobic conditions. It was found that microaerobic condition was more efficient than aerobic condition in achieving higher titer and productivity of 4-HB. The final engineered strain produced 103.4g/L of 4-HB by microaerobic fed-batch fermentation using glycerol. The aeration-dependent optimization strategy of TCA cycle will be useful for developing microbial strains producing other reduced derivative chemicals of TCA cycle intermediates. Copyright © 2016 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A preliminary design and analysis of an advanced heat-rejection system for an extreme altitude advanced variable cycle diesel engine installed in a high-altitude advanced research platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Richard P.

1992-01-01

Satellite surveillance in such areas as the Antarctic indicates that from time to time concentration of ozone grows and shrinks. An effort to obtain useful atmospheric data for determining the causes of ozone depletion would require a flight capable of reaching altitudes of at least 100,000 ft and flying subsonically during the sampling portion of the mission. A study of a heat rejection system for an advanced variable cycle diesel (AVCD) engine was conducted. The engine was installed in an extreme altitude, high altitude advanced research platform. Results indicate that the waste heat from an AVCD engine propulsion system can be rejected at the maximum cruise altitude of 120,000 ft. Fifteen performance points, reflecting the behavior of the engine as the vehicle proceeded through the mission, were used to characterize the heat exchanger operation. That portion of the study is described in a appendix titled, 'A Detailed Study of the Heat Rejection System for an Extreme Altitude Atmospheric Sampling Aircraft,' by a consultant, Mr. James Bourne, Lytron, Incorporated.

Rapid Prototyping Platform for Robotics Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Kao-Shing; Hsiao, Wen-Hsu; Shing, Gaung-Ting; Chen, Kim-Joan

2011-01-01

For the past several years, a team in the Department of Electrical Engineering (EE), National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan, has been establishing a pedagogical approach to embody embedded systems in the context of robotics. To alleviate the burden on students in the robotics curriculum in their junior and senior years, a training platform on…

35. DETAILS AND SECTIONS OF FUEL ELEMENT SUPPORT PLATFORM, FUEL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

35. DETAILS AND SECTIONS OF FUEL ELEMENT SUPPORT PLATFORM, FUEL ELEMENT HOLDER, TRIP MECHANISM COVER, AND OTHER DETAILS. F.C. TORKELSON DRAWING NUMBER 842-ARVFS-701-S-3. INEL INDEX CODE NUMBER: 075 0701 60 851 151977. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Advanced Reentry Vehicle Fusing System, Scoville, Butte County, ID

PBF (PER620) interior. Detail view of actuator platform and control ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

PBF (PER-620) interior. Detail view of actuator platform and control rod mechanism. Camera facing easterly from floor level. Reactor pool at lower left of view. Date: March 2004. INEEL negative no. HD-41-3-3 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, SPERT-I & Power Burst Facility Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Ondigita: A Platform for the Management and Delivery of Digital Documents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazza, Riccardo; Baldassari, Andrea; Guidi, Roberto

2013-01-01

This paper presents Ondigita, a platform developed at the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland for the management and delivery of digital documents to students enrolled in bachelor's courses in various curricula within the field of engineering. Ondigita allows our organization to have a cloud-based repository of educational…

Wind Turbine Optimization with WISDEM

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

Dykes, Katherine L; Damiani, Rick R; Graf, Peter A

This presentation for the Fourth Wind Energy Systems Engineering Workshop explains the NREL wind energy systems engineering initiative-developed analysis platform and research capability to capture important system interactions to achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and achieve system-level cost reductions. Topics include Wind-Plant Integrated System Design and Engineering Model (WISDEM) and multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization.

Identifying Perceptions That Contribute to the Development of Successful Project Lead the Way Pre-Engineering Programs in Utah

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMullin, Keith; Reeve, Edward

2014-01-01

An educational crisis has been reported from many scholarly platforms for the last quarter century. The United States is faced with the challenge of providing a secondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, especially in secondary pre-engineering, that will lead its students to the fulfillment of academic and domestic…

28. PUMP/ENGINE ROOM OFF THE BASEMENT OF MILL NO. 1. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

28. PUMP/ENGINE ROOM OFF THE BASEMENT OF MILL NO. 1. ENGINE PLATFORM IS SEEN BEHIND PUMP. THIS AMERICAN MOISTURE CO. PUMP WAS USED TO HUMIDIFY UPPER FLOORS OF MILL. NOTE TANK TO LEFT, UNKNOWN USE. NOTHING IN THIS ROOM HAS BEEN USED SINCE 1945. - Prattville Manufacturing Company, Number One, 242 South Court Street, Prattville, Autauga County, AL

3D heterogeneous islet organoid generation from human embryonic stem cells using a novel engineered hydrogel platform.

PubMed

Candiello, Joseph; Grandhi, Taraka Sai Pavan; Goh, Saik Kia; Vaidya, Vimal; Lemmon-Kishi, Maya; Eliato, Kiarash Rahmani; Ros, Robert; Kumta, Prashant N; Rege, Kaushal; Banerjee, Ipsita

2018-05-25

Organoids, which exhibit spontaneous organ specific organization, function, and multi-cellular complexity, are in essence the in vitro reproduction of specific in vivo organ systems. Recent work has demonstrated human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) as a viable regenerative cell source for tissue-specific organoid engineering. This is especially relevant for engineering islet organoids, due to the recent advances in generating functional beta-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells. In this study, we report specific engineering of regenerative islet organoids of precise size and cellular heterogeneity, using a novel hydrogel system, Amikagel. Amikagel facilitated controlled and spontaneous aggregation of human embryonic stem cell derived pancreatic progenitor cells (hESC-PP) into robust homogeneous spheroids. This platform further allowed fine control over the integration of multiple cell populations to produce heterogeneous spheroids, which is a necessity for complex organoid engineering. Amikagel induced hESC-PP spheroid formation enhanced pancreatic islet-specific Pdx-1 and NKX6.1 gene and protein expression, while also increasing the percentage of committed population. hESC-PP spheroids were further induced towards mature beta-like cells which demonstrated increased Beta-cell specific INS1 gene and C-peptide protein expression along with functional insulin production in response to in vitro glucose challenge. Further integration of hESC-PP with biologically relevant supporting endothelial cells resulted in multicellular organoids which demonstrated spontaneous maturation towards islet-specific INS1 gene and C-peptide protein expression along with a significantly developed extracellular matrix support system. These findings establish Amikagel -facilitated platform ideal for islet organoid engineering. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Modular extracellular sensor architecture for engineering mammalian cell-based devices.

PubMed

Daringer, Nichole M; Dudek, Rachel M; Schwarz, Kelly A; Leonard, Joshua N

2014-12-19

Engineering mammalian cell-based devices that monitor and therapeutically modulate human physiology is a promising and emerging frontier in clinical synthetic biology. However, realizing this vision will require new technologies enabling engineered circuitry to sense and respond to physiologically relevant cues. No existing technology enables an engineered cell to sense exclusively extracellular ligands, including proteins and pathogens, without relying upon native cellular receptors or signal transduction pathways that may be subject to crosstalk with native cellular components. To address this need, we here report a technology we term a Modular Extracellular Sensor Architecture (MESA). This self-contained receptor and signal transduction platform is maximally orthogonal to native cellular processes and comprises independent, tunable protein modules that enable performance optimization and straightforward engineering of novel MESA that recognize novel ligands. We demonstrate ligand-inducible activation of MESA signaling, optimization of receptor performance using design-based approaches, and generation of MESA biosensors that produce outputs in the form of either transcriptional regulation or transcription-independent reconstitution of enzymatic activity. This systematic, quantitative platform characterization provides a framework for engineering MESA to recognize novel ligands and for integrating these sensors into diverse mammalian synthetic biology applications.

Systems Biology as an Integrated Platform for Bioinformatics, Systems Synthetic Biology, and Systems Metabolic Engineering

PubMed Central

Chen, Bor-Sen; Wu, Chia-Chou

2013-01-01

Systems biology aims at achieving a system-level understanding of living organisms and applying this knowledge to various fields such as synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and medicine. System-level understanding of living organisms can be derived from insight into: (i) system structure and the mechanism of biological networks such as gene regulation, protein interactions, signaling, and metabolic pathways; (ii) system dynamics of biological networks, which provides an understanding of stability, robustness, and transduction ability through system identification, and through system analysis methods; (iii) system control methods at different levels of biological networks, which provide an understanding of systematic mechanisms to robustly control system states, minimize malfunctions, and provide potential therapeutic targets in disease treatment; (iv) systematic design methods for the modification and construction of biological networks with desired behaviors, which provide system design principles and system simulations for synthetic biology designs and systems metabolic engineering. This review describes current developments in systems biology, systems synthetic biology, and systems metabolic engineering for engineering and biology researchers. We also discuss challenges and future prospects for systems biology and the concept of systems biology as an integrated platform for bioinformatics, systems synthetic biology, and systems metabolic engineering. PMID:24709875

Systems biology as an integrated platform for bioinformatics, systems synthetic biology, and systems metabolic engineering.

PubMed

Chen, Bor-Sen; Wu, Chia-Chou

2013-10-11

Systems biology aims at achieving a system-level understanding of living organisms and applying this knowledge to various fields such as synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and medicine. System-level understanding of living organisms can be derived from insight into: (i) system structure and the mechanism of biological networks such as gene regulation, protein interactions, signaling, and metabolic pathways; (ii) system dynamics of biological networks, which provides an understanding of stability, robustness, and transduction ability through system identification, and through system analysis methods; (iii) system control methods at different levels of biological networks, which provide an understanding of systematic mechanisms to robustly control system states, minimize malfunctions, and provide potential therapeutic targets in disease treatment; (iv) systematic design methods for the modification and construction of biological networks with desired behaviors, which provide system design principles and system simulations for synthetic biology designs and systems metabolic engineering. This review describes current developments in systems biology, systems synthetic biology, and systems metabolic engineering for engineering and biology researchers. We also discuss challenges and future prospects for systems biology and the concept of systems biology as an integrated platform for bioinformatics, systems synthetic biology, and systems metabolic engineering.

High-throughput detection of ethanol-producing cyanobacteria in a microdroplet platform.

PubMed

Abalde-Cela, Sara; Gould, Anna; Liu, Xin; Kazamia, Elena; Smith, Alison G; Abell, Chris

2015-05-06

Ethanol production by microorganisms is an important renewable energy source. Most processes involve fermentation of sugars from plant feedstock, but there is increasing interest in direct ethanol production by photosynthetic organisms. To facilitate this, a high-throughput screening technique for the detection of ethanol is required. Here, a method for the quantitative detection of ethanol in a microdroplet-based platform is described that can be used for screening cyanobacterial strains to identify those with the highest ethanol productivity levels. The detection of ethanol by enzymatic assay was optimized both in bulk and in microdroplets. In parallel, the encapsulation of engineered ethanol-producing cyanobacteria in microdroplets and their growth dynamics in microdroplet reservoirs were demonstrated. The combination of modular microdroplet operations including droplet generation for cyanobacteria encapsulation, droplet re-injection and pico-injection, and laser-induced fluorescence, were used to create this new platform to screen genetically engineered strains of cyanobacteria with different levels of ethanol production.

Strategies to Maximize the Potential of Marine Biomaterials as a Platform for Cell Therapy

PubMed Central

Kim, Hyeongmin; Lee, Jaehwi

2016-01-01

Marine biopolymers have been explored as a promising cell therapy system for efficient cell delivery and tissue engineering. However, the marine biomaterial-based systems themselves have exhibited limited performance in terms of maintenance of cell viability and functions, promotion of cell proliferation and differentiation as well as cell delivery efficiency. Thus, numerous novel strategies have been devised to improve cell therapy outcomes. The strategies include optimization of physical and biochemical properties, provision of stimuli-responsive functions, and design of platforms for efficient cell delivery and tissue engineering. These approaches have demonstrated substantial improvement of therapeutic outcomes in a variety of research settings. In this review, therefore, research progress made with marine biomaterials as a platform for cell therapy is reported along with current research directions to further advance cell therapies as a tool to cure incurable diseases. PMID:26821034

Determination of current loads of floating platform for special purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Guang-ying; Yao, Yun-long; Zhao, Chen-yao

2017-08-01

This article studied a new floating offshore platform for special purposes, which was assembled by standard floating modules. The environmental load calculation of the platform is an important part of the research of the ocean platform, which has always been paid attention to by engineers. In addition to wave loads, the wind loads and current loads are also important environmental factors that affect the dynamic response of the offshore platform. The current loads on the bottom structure should not be ignored. By Fluent software, the hydrostatic conditions and external current loads of the platform were calculated in this paper. The coefficient which is independent of the current velocity, namely, current force coefficient, can be fitted through current loads, which can be used for the consequent hydrodynamic and mooring analyses.

Succinic acid production from orange peel and wheat straw by batch fermentations of Fibrobacter succinogenes S85.

PubMed

Li, Qiang; Siles, Jose A; Thompson, Ian P

2010-10-01

Succinic acid is a platform molecule that has recently generated considerable interests. Production of succinate from waste orange peel and wheat straw by consolidated bioprocessing that combines cellulose hydrolysis and sugar fermentation, using a cellulolytic bacterium, Fibrobacter succinogenes S85, was studied. Orange peel contains D-limonene, which is a well-known antibacterial agent. Its effects on batch cultures of F. succinogenes S85 were examined. The minimal concentrations of limonene found to inhibit succinate and acetate generation and bacterial growth were 0.01%, 0.1%, and 0.06% (v/v), respectively. Both pre-treated orange peel by steam distillation to remove D: -limonene and intact wheat straw were used as feedstocks. Increasing the substrate concentrations of both feedstocks, from 5 to 60 g/L, elevated succinate concentration and productivity but lowered the yield. In addition, pre-treated orange peel generated greater succinate productivities than wheat straw but had similar resultant titres. The greatest succinate titres were 1.9 and 2.0 g/L for pre-treated orange peel and wheat straw, respectively. This work demonstrated that agricultural waste such as wheat straw and orange peel can be biotransformed to succinic acid by a one-step consolidated bioprocessing. Measures to increase fermentation efficiency are also discussed.

Research on Visualization of Ground Laser Radar Data Based on Osg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, H.; Hu, C.; Zhang, F.; Xue, H.

2018-04-01

Three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning is a new advanced technology integrating light, machine, electricity, and computer technologies. It can conduct 3D scanning to the whole shape and form of space objects with high precision. With this technology, you can directly collect the point cloud data of a ground object and create the structure of it for rendering. People use excellent 3D rendering engine to optimize and display the 3D model in order to meet the higher requirements of real time realism rendering and the complexity of the scene. OpenSceneGraph (OSG) is an open source 3D graphics engine. Compared with the current mainstream 3D rendering engine, OSG is practical, economical, and easy to expand. Therefore, OSG is widely used in the fields of virtual simulation, virtual reality, science and engineering visualization. In this paper, a dynamic and interactive ground LiDAR data visualization platform is constructed based on the OSG and the cross-platform C++ application development framework Qt. In view of the point cloud data of .txt format and the triangulation network data file of .obj format, the functions of 3D laser point cloud and triangulation network data display are realized. It is proved by experiments that the platform is of strong practical value as it is easy to operate and provides good interaction.

A Robust Method to Generate Mechanically Anisotropic Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Sheets for Vascular Tissue Engineering.

PubMed

Backman, Daniel E; LeSavage, Bauer L; Shah, Shivem B; Wong, Joyce Y

2017-06-01

In arterial tissue engineering, mimicking native structure and mechanical properties is essential because compliance mismatch can lead to graft failure and further disease. With bottom-up tissue engineering approaches, designing tissue components with proper microscale mechanical properties is crucial to achieve the necessary macroscale properties in the final implant. This study develops a thermoresponsive cell culture platform for growing aligned vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) sheets by photografting N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) onto micropatterned poly(dimethysiloxane) (PDMS). The grafting process is experimentally and computationally optimized to produce PNIPAAm-PDMS substrates optimal for VSMC attachment. To allow long-term VSMC sheet culture and increase the rate of VSMC sheet formation, PNIPAAm-PDMS surfaces were further modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane yielding a robust, thermoresponsive cell culture platform for culturing VSMC sheets. VSMC cell sheets cultured on patterned thermoresponsive substrates exhibit cellular and collagen alignment in the direction of the micropattern. Mechanical characterization of patterned, single-layer VSMC sheets reveals increased stiffness in the aligned direction compared to the perpendicular direction whereas nonpatterned cell sheets exhibit no directional dependence. Structural and mechanical anisotropy of aligned, single-layer VSMC sheets makes this platform an attractive microstructural building block for engineering a vascular graft to match the in vivo mechanical properties of native arterial tissue. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Contaminant Permeation in the Ionomer-Membrane Water Processor (IWP) System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelsey, Laura K.; Finger, Barry W.; Pasadilla, Patrick; Perry, Jay

2016-01-01

The Ionomer-membrane Water Processor (IWP) is a patented membrane-distillation based urine brine water recovery system. The unique properties of the IWP membrane pair limit contaminant permeation from the brine to the recovered water and purge gas. A paper study was conducted to predict volatile trace contaminant permeation in the IWP system. Testing of a large-scale IWP Engineering Development Unit (EDU) with urine brine pretreated with the International Space Station (ISS) pretreatment formulation was then conducted to collect air and water samples for quality analysis. Distillate water quality and purge air GC-MS results are presented and compared to predictions, along with implications for the IWP brine processing system.

Restricting lignin and enhancing sugar deposition in secondary cell walls enhances monomeric sugar release after low temperature ionic liquid pretreatment

DOE PAGES

Scullin, Chessa; Cruz, Alejandro G.; Chuang, Yi -De; ...

2015-07-04

Lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to be a major source of renewable sugar for biofuel production. Before enzymatic hydrolysis, biomass must first undergo a pretreatment step in order to be more susceptible to saccharification and generate high yields of fermentable sugars. Lignin, a complex, interlinked, phenolic polymer, associates with secondary cell wall polysaccharides, rendering them less accessible to enzymatic hydrolysis. Herein, we describe the analysis of engineered Arabidopsis lines where lignin biosynthesis was repressed in fiber tissues but retained in the vessels, and polysaccharide deposition was enhanced in fiber cells with little to no apparent negative impact on growth phenotype.

Restricting lignin and enhancing sugar deposition in secondary cell walls enhances monomeric sugar release after low temperature ionic liquid pretreatment

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

Scullin, Chessa; Cruz, Alejandro G.; Chuang, Yi -De

Lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to be a major source of renewable sugar for biofuel production. Before enzymatic hydrolysis, biomass must first undergo a pretreatment step in order to be more susceptible to saccharification and generate high yields of fermentable sugars. Lignin, a complex, interlinked, phenolic polymer, associates with secondary cell wall polysaccharides, rendering them less accessible to enzymatic hydrolysis. Herein, we describe the analysis of engineered Arabidopsis lines where lignin biosynthesis was repressed in fiber tissues but retained in the vessels, and polysaccharide deposition was enhanced in fiber cells with little to no apparent negative impact on growth phenotype.

Digital dissemination platform of transportation engineering education materials founded in adoption research : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

National interest abounds in improving engineering education in the US. This interest stems from low performance on concept inventories (P.S. Steif, Dollar, & Dantzler, : 2005; Paul S Steif & Hansen, 2006) concerns over the role of the US as a nation...

Fuel Combustion and Engine Performance | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

. Through modeling, simulation, and experimental validation, researchers examine what happens to fuel inside combustion and engine research activities include: Developing experimental and simulation research platforms develop and refine accurate, efficient kinetic mechanisms for fuel ignition Investigating low-speed pre

Bioprinting Cartilage Tissue from Mesenchymal Stem Cells and PEG Hydrogel.

PubMed

Gao, Guifang; Hubbell, Karen; Schilling, Arndt F; Dai, Guohao; Cui, Xiaofeng

2017-01-01

Bioprinting based on thermal inkjet printing is one of the most attractive enabling technologies for tissue engineering and regeneration. During the printing process, cells, scaffolds , and growth factors are rapidly deposited to the desired two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) locations. Ideally, the bioprinted tissues are able to mimic the native anatomic structures in order to restore the biological functions. In this study, a bioprinting platform for 3D cartilage tissue engineering was developed using a commercially available thermal inkjet printer with simultaneous photopolymerization . The engineered cartilage demonstrated native zonal organization, ideal extracellular matrix (ECM ) composition, and proper mechanical properties. Compared to the conventional tissue fabrication approach, which requires extended UV exposure, the viability of the printed cells with simultaneous photopolymerization was significantly higher. Printed neocartilage demonstrated excellent glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen type II production, which was consistent with gene expression profile. Therefore, this platform is ideal for anatomic tissue engineering with accurate cell distribution and arrangement.

Recent Advances in Laser-Ablative Synthesis of Bare Au and Si Nanoparticles and Assessment of Their Prospects for Tissue Engineering Applications.

PubMed

Al-Kattan, Ahmed; Nirwan, Viraj P; Popov, Anton; Ryabchikov, Yury V; Tselikov, Gleb; Sentis, Marc; Fahmi, Amir; Kabashin, Andrei V

2018-05-24

Driven by surface cleanness and unique physical, optical and chemical properties, bare (ligand-free) laser-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) are now in the focus of interest as promising materials for the development of advanced biomedical platforms related to biosensing, bioimaging and therapeutic drug delivery. We recently achieved significant progress in the synthesis of bare gold (Au) and silicon (Si) NPs and their testing in biomedical tasks, including cancer imaging and therapy, biofuel cells, etc. We also showed that these nanomaterials can be excellent candidates for tissue engineering applications. This review is aimed at the description of our recent progress in laser synthesis of bare Si and Au NPs and their testing as functional modules (additives) in innovative scaffold platforms intended for tissue engineering tasks.

Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Platforms: Engineered Surface Chemistry and Structure for Optical Sensing Applications

PubMed Central

Kumeria, Tushar; Santos, Abel; Losic, Dusan

2014-01-01

Electrochemical anodization of pure aluminum enables the growth of highly ordered nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) structures. This has made NAA one of the most popular nanomaterials with applications including molecular separation, catalysis, photonics, optoelectronics, sensing, drug delivery, and template synthesis. Over the past decades, the ability to engineer the structure and surface chemistry of NAA and its optical properties has led to the establishment of distinctive photonic structures that can be explored for developing low-cost, portable, rapid-response and highly sensitive sensing devices in combination with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and reflective interference spectroscopy (RIfS) techniques. This review article highlights the recent advances on fabrication, surface modification and structural engineering of NAA and its application and performance as a platform for SPR- and RIfS-based sensing and biosensing devices. PMID:25004150

Quantum state engineering using one-dimensional discrete-time quantum walks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Innocenti, Luca; Majury, Helena; Giordani, Taira; Spagnolo, Nicolò; Sciarrino, Fabio; Paternostro, Mauro; Ferraro, Alessandro

2017-12-01

Quantum state preparation in high-dimensional systems is an essential requirement for many quantum-technology applications. The engineering of an arbitrary quantum state is, however, typically strongly dependent on the experimental platform chosen for implementation, and a general framework is still missing. Here we show that coined quantum walks on a line, which represent a framework general enough to encompass a variety of different platforms, can be used for quantum state engineering of arbitrary superpositions of the walker's sites. We achieve this goal by identifying a set of conditions that fully characterize the reachable states in the space comprising walker and coin and providing a method to efficiently compute the corresponding set of coin parameters. We assess the feasibility of our proposal by identifying a linear optics experiment based on photonic orbital angular momentum technology.

[Web-based support system for medical device maintenance].

PubMed

Zhao, Jinhai; Hou, Wensheng; Chen, Haiyan; Tang, Wei; Wang, Yihui

2015-01-01

A Web-based technology system was put forward aiming at the actual problems of the long maintenance cycle and the difficulties of the maintenance and repairing of medical equipments. Based on analysis of platform system structure and function, using the key technologies such as search engine, BBS, knowledge base and etc, a platform for medical equipment service technician to use by online or offline was designed. The platform provides users with knowledge services and interactive services, enabling users to get a more ideal solution.

[Development and application of a medical device maintenance information platform based on BS architecture].

PubMed

Liu, Shenglin; Zhang, Xutian; Wang, Guohong; Zhang, Qiang

2012-03-01

Based on specified demands on medical devices maintenance for clinical engineers and Browser/Server architecture technology, a medical device maintenance information platform was developed, which implemented the following modules such as repair, preventive maintenance, accessories management, training, document, system management and regional cooperation. The characteristics of this system were summarized and application in increase of repair efficiency, improvement of preventive maintenance and cost control was introduced. The application of this platform increases medical device maintenance service level.

Engineering issues for hand-held sensing devices, with examples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freiwald, David A.; Freiwald, Joyce

1994-03-01

It is now U.S. defense policy that there will be no new platform starts. The emphasis for platforms will be on O&M cost reduction, life-extension improvements, and force-multiplier- device upgrades. There is also an increasing emphasis on hand-held force-multiplier devices for individuals, which is the focus of this paper. Engineering issues include operations analysis, weight, cube, cost, prime power, ease of use, data storage, reliability, fault tolerance, data communications and human factors. Two examples of hand-held devices are given. Applications include USMC, Army, SOCOM, DEA, FBI, SS, Border Patrol and others. Barriers to adoption of such technology are also discussed.

Integrated platform for optimized solar PV system design and engineering plan set generation

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

Adeyemo, Samuel

2015-12-30

The Aurora team has developed software that allows users to quickly generate a three-dimensional model for a building, with a corresponding irradiance map, from any two-dimensional image with associated geo-coordinates. The purpose of this project is to build upon that technology by developing and distributing to solar installers a software platform that automatically retrieves engineering, financial and geographic data for a specific site, and quickly generates an optimal customer proposal and corresponding engineering plans for that site. At the end of the project, Aurora’s optimization platform would have been used to make at least one thousand proposals from at leastmore » ten unique solar installation companies, two of whom would sign economically viable contracts to use the software. Furthermore, Aurora’s algorithms would be tested to show that in at least seventy percent of cases, Aurora automatically generated a design equivalent to or better than what a human could have done manually. A ‘better’ design is one that generates more energy for the same cost, or that generates a higher return on investment, while complying with all site-specific aesthetic, electrical and spatial requirements.« less

Zymomonas mobilis: a novel platform for future biorefineries

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Biosynthesis of liquid fuels and biomass-based building block chemicals from microorganisms have been regarded as a competitive alternative route to traditional. Zymomonas mobilis possesses a number of desirable characteristics for its special Entner-Doudoroff pathway, which makes it an ideal platform for both metabolic engineering and commercial-scale production of desirable bio-products as the same as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on consideration of future biomass biorefinery. Z. mobilis has been studied extensively on both fundamental and applied level, which will provide a basis for industrial biotechnology in the future. Furthermore, metabolic engineering of Z. mobilis for enhancing bio-ethanol production from biomass resources has been significantly promoted by different methods (i.e. mutagenesis, adaptive laboratory evolution, specific gene knock-out, and metabolic engineering). In addition, the feasibility of representative metabolites, i.e. sorbitol, bionic acid, levan, succinic acid, isobutanol, and isobutanol produced by Z. mobilis and the strategies for strain improvements are also discussed or highlighted in this paper. Moreover, this review will present some guidelines for future developments in the bio-based chemical production using Z. mobilis as a novel industrial platform for future biofineries. PMID:25024744

40 CFR 455.47 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the requirements of the Pollution Prevention Alternative listed in Table 8 to this part 455 (or received a modification by Best Engineering Judgement for modifications not listed in Table 8 to this part... periodic certification statement as described in § 455.41(b) during the months of June and December of each...

40 CFR 455.46 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... listed in Table 8 to this part 455 (or received a modification by Best Engineering Judgement for modifications not listed in Table 8 to this part 455); (2) The discharger will notify its local Control... its local Control Authority a periodic certification statement as described in § 455.41(b) during the...

Engineering wild-type robust Pediococcus acidilactici strain for high titer L- and D-lactic acid production from corn stover feedstock.

PubMed

Yi, Xia; Zhang, Peng; Sun, Jiaoe; Tu, Yi; Gao, Qiuqiang; Zhang, Jian; Bao, Jie

2016-01-10

Pediococcus acidilactici TY112 producing L-lactic acid and P. acidilactici ZP26 producing D-lactic acid, were engineered from the wild-type P. acidilactici DQ2 by ldhD or ldh gene disruption, and the robustness of the wild-type strain to the inhibitors derived from lignocellulose pretreatment was maintained well. In simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), 77.66 g L(-1) of L-lactic acid and 76.76 g L(-1) of D-lactic acid were obtained at 25% (w/w) solids content of dry dilute acid pretreated and biodetoxified corn stover feedstock. L- and D-Lactic acid yield and productivity were highly dependent on the inhibitor removal extent due to the significant down-regulation on the expressions of ldh and ldhD encoding lactate dehydrogenase by inhibitor, especially syringaldehyde and vanillin at the low concentrations. This study provided a prototype of industrial process for high titer L- and D-lactic acid production from lignocellulose feedstock. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A High Throughput Model of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis using Engineered Cartilage Tissue Analogs

PubMed Central

Mohanraj, Bhavana; Meloni, Gregory R.; Mauck, Robert L.; Dodge, George R.

2014-01-01

(1) Objective A number of in vitro models of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) have been developed to study the effect of mechanical overload on the processes that regulate cartilage degeneration. While such frameworks are critical for the identification therapeutic targets, existing technologies are limited in their throughput capacity. Here, we validate a test platform for high-throughput mechanical injury incorporating engineered cartilage. (2) Method We utilized a high throughput mechanical testing platform to apply injurious compression to engineered cartilage and determined their strain and strain rate dependent responses to injury. Next, we validated this response by applying the same injury conditions to cartilage explants. Finally, we conducted a pilot screen of putative PTOA therapeutic compounds. (3) Results Engineered cartilage response to injury was strain dependent, with a 2-fold increase in GAG loss at 75% compared to 50% strain. Extensive cell death was observed adjacent to fissures, with membrane rupture corroborated by marked increases in LDH release. Testing of established PTOA therapeutics showed that pan-caspase inhibitor (ZVF) was effective at reducing cell death, while the amphiphilic polymer (P188) and the free-radical scavenger (NAC) reduced GAG loss as compared to injury alone. (4) Conclusions The injury response in this engineered cartilage model replicated key features of the response from cartilage explants, validating this system for application of physiologically relevant injurious compression. This study establishes a novel tool for the discovery of mechanisms governing cartilage injury, as well as a screening platform for the identification of new molecules for the treatment of PTOA. PMID:24999113

Xylose induces cellulase production in Thermoascus aurantiacus

DOE PAGES

Schuerg, Timo; Prahl, Jan -Philip; Gabriel, Raphael; ...

2017-11-15

Lignocellulosic biomass is an important resource for renewable production of biofuels and bioproducts. Enzymes that deconstruct this biomass are critical for the viability of biomass-based biofuel production processes. Current commercial enzyme mixtures have limited thermotolerance. Thermophilic fungi may provide enzyme mixtures with greater thermal stability leading to more robust processes. Understanding the induction of biomass-deconstructing enzymes in thermophilic fungi will provide the foundation for strategies to construct hyper-production strains. Induction of cellulases using xylan was demonstrated during cultivation of the thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus. Simulated fed-batch conditions with xylose induced comparable levels of cellulases. These fed-batch conditions were adapted tomore » produce enzymes in 2 and 19 L bioreactors using xylose and xylose-rich hydrolysate from dilute acid pretreatment of corn stover. Enzymes from T. aurantiacus that were produced in the xylose-fed bioreactor demonstrated comparable performance in the saccharification of deacetylated, dilute acid-pretreated corn stover when compared to a commercial enzyme mixture at 50 °C. The T. aurantiacus enzymes retained this activity at of 60 °C while the commercial enzyme mixture was largely inactivated. CXylose induces both cellulase and xylanase production in T. aurantiacus and was used to produce enzymes at up to the 19 L bioreactor scale. The demonstration of induction by xylose-rich hydrolysate and saccharification of deacetylated, dilute acid-pretreated corn stover suggests a scenario to couple biomass pretreatment with onsite enzyme production in a biorefinery. This work further demonstrates the potential for T. aurantiacus as a thermophilic platform for cellulase development.« less

Xylose induces cellulase production in Thermoascus aurantiacus

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

Schuerg, Timo; Prahl, Jan -Philip; Gabriel, Raphael

Lignocellulosic biomass is an important resource for renewable production of biofuels and bioproducts. Enzymes that deconstruct this biomass are critical for the viability of biomass-based biofuel production processes. Current commercial enzyme mixtures have limited thermotolerance. Thermophilic fungi may provide enzyme mixtures with greater thermal stability leading to more robust processes. Understanding the induction of biomass-deconstructing enzymes in thermophilic fungi will provide the foundation for strategies to construct hyper-production strains. Induction of cellulases using xylan was demonstrated during cultivation of the thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus. Simulated fed-batch conditions with xylose induced comparable levels of cellulases. These fed-batch conditions were adapted tomore » produce enzymes in 2 and 19 L bioreactors using xylose and xylose-rich hydrolysate from dilute acid pretreatment of corn stover. Enzymes from T. aurantiacus that were produced in the xylose-fed bioreactor demonstrated comparable performance in the saccharification of deacetylated, dilute acid-pretreated corn stover when compared to a commercial enzyme mixture at 50 °C. The T. aurantiacus enzymes retained this activity at of 60 °C while the commercial enzyme mixture was largely inactivated. CXylose induces both cellulase and xylanase production in T. aurantiacus and was used to produce enzymes at up to the 19 L bioreactor scale. The demonstration of induction by xylose-rich hydrolysate and saccharification of deacetylated, dilute acid-pretreated corn stover suggests a scenario to couple biomass pretreatment with onsite enzyme production in a biorefinery. This work further demonstrates the potential for T. aurantiacus as a thermophilic platform for cellulase development.« less

Engineering Management Board Tour VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-22

The view members of NASA’s Engineering Management Board had in looking up the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms in High Bay 3, including the one on which the board members are standing, were designed to surround and provide access to NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. The Engineering Management Board toured integral areas of Kennedy to help the agencywide group reach its goal of unifying engineering work across NASA.

Engineering Management Board Tour VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-22

Members of NASA’s Engineering Management Board pause for a group photo during a tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms in High Bay 3, including the one on which the board members are standing, were designed to surround and provide access to NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. The Engineering Management Board toured integral areas of Kennedy to help the agencywide group reach its goal of unifying engineering work across NASA.

Experimental study on distributed optical fiber-based approach monitoring saturation line in levee engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Huaizhi; Li, Hao; Kang, Yeyuan; Wen, Zhiping

2018-02-01

Seepage is one of key factors which affect the levee engineering safety. The seepage danger without timely detection and rapid response may likely lead to severe accidents such as seepage failure, slope instability, and even levee break. More than 90 percent of levee break events are caused by the seepage. It is very important for seepage behavior identification to determine accurately saturation line in levee engineering. Furthermore, the location of saturation line has a major impact on slope stability in levee engineering. Considering the structure characteristics and service condition of levee engineering, the distributed optical fiber sensing technology is introduced to implement the real-time observation of saturation line in levee engineering. The distributed optical fiber temperature sensor system (DTS)-based monitoring principle of saturation line in levee engineering is investigated. An experimental platform, which consists of DTS, heating system, water-supply system, auxiliary analysis system and levee model, is designed and constructed. The monitoring experiment of saturation line in levee model is implemented on this platform. According to the experimental results, the numerical relationship between moisture content and thermal conductivity in porous medium is identified. A line heat source-based distributed optical fiber method obtaining the thermal conductivity in porous medium is developed. A DTS-based approach is proposed to monitor the saturation line in levee engineering. The embedment pattern of optical fiber for monitoring saturation line is presented.

Status, Vision, and Challenges of an Intelligent Distributed Engine Control Architecture (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-18

TERMS turbine engine control, engine health management, FADEC , Universal FADEC , Distributed Controls, UF, UF Platform, common FADEC , Generic FADEC ...Modular FADEC , Adaptive Control 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON (Monitor) a. REPORT Unclassified b. ABSTRACT...Eventually the Full Authority Digital Electronic Control ( FADEC ) became the norm. Presently, this control system architecture accounts for 15 to 20% of

Alpharetroviral self-inactivating vectors produced by a superinfection-resistant stable packaging cell line allow genetic modification of primary human T lymphocytes.

PubMed

Labenski, Verena; Suerth, Julia D; Barczak, Elke; Heckl, Dirk; Levy, Camille; Bernadin, Ornellie; Charpentier, Emmanuelle; Williams, David A; Fehse, Boris; Verhoeyen, Els; Schambach, Axel

2016-08-01

Primary human T lymphocytes represent an important cell population for adoptive immunotherapies, including chimeric-antigen and T-cell receptor applications, as they have the capability to eliminate non-self, virus-infected and tumor cells. Given the increasing numbers of clinical immunotherapy applications, the development of an optimal vector platform for genetic T lymphocyte engineering, which allows cost-effective high-quality vector productions, remains a critical goal. Alpharetroviral self-inactivating vectors (ARV) have several advantages compared to other vector platforms, including a more random genomic integration pattern and reduced likelihood for inducing aberrant splicing of integrated proviruses. We developed an ARV platform for the transduction of primary human T lymphocytes. We demonstrated functional transgene transfer using the clinically relevant herpes-simplex-virus thymidine kinase variant TK.007. Proof-of-concept of alpharetroviral-mediated T-lymphocyte engineering was shown in vitro and in a humanized transplantation model in vivo. Furthermore, we established a stable, human alpharetroviral packaging cell line in which we deleted the entry receptor (SLC1A5) for RD114/TR-pseudotyped ARVs to prevent superinfection and enhance genomic integrity of the packaging cell line and viral particles. We showed that superinfection can be entirely prevented, while maintaining high recombinant virus titers. Taken together, this resulted in an improved production platform representing an economic strategy for translating the promising features of ARVs for therapeutic T-lymphocyte engineering. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RADIOMICS.io | Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR)

Cancer.gov

RADIOMICS.io is a open source platform for informatics developments for radiographic phenotyping using automated algorithms, such as engineered features or using deep learning technologies. With this platform, we aim to establish a reference standard for radiomic analyses, provide a tested and maintained resource, and to grow the community of radiomic developers addressing critical needs in cancer research.

A Novel Wiki-Based Remote Laboratory Platform for Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ning; Chen, Xuemin; Lan, Qianlong; Song, Gangbing; Parsaei, Hamid R.; Ho, Siu-Chun

2017-01-01

With the unprecedented growth of e-learning, more and more new IT technologies are used to develop e-learning tools. As one of the most common forms of social computing, Wiki technology has been used to develop the collaborative and cooperative learning platform to support multiple users learning online effectively. In this paper, we propose a new…

Finding Common Ground: Use of a Geographically-Framed Landscape Template as an Integrating Platform for an International Education Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brierley, Gary; Li, Xilai; Qiao, Youming; Huang, He Qing; Wang, Zhaoyin

2018-01-01

This situated case study outlines how a place-based landscape template provided an integrative platform for the environmental arm of a cross-disciplinary international education initiative, the Three Brothers Project, wherein geographers at the University of Auckland worked alongside engineers at Tsinghua University in Beijing to support…

Interplanetary monitoring platform engineering history and achievements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, P. M.

1980-01-01

In the fall of 1979, last of ten Interplanetary Monitoring Platform Satellite (IMP) missions ended a ten year series of flights dedicated to obtaining new knowledge of the radiation effects in outer space and of solar phenomena during a period of maximum solar flare activity. The technological achievements and scientific accomplishments from the IMP program are described.

Effect of persistent trace compounds in landfill gas on engine performance during energy recovery: a case study.

PubMed

Sevimoğlu, Orhan; Tansel, Berrin

2013-01-01

Performances of gas engines operated with landfill gas (LFG) are affected by the impurities in the LFG, reducing the economic viability of energy recovery. The purpose of this study was to characterize the trace compounds in the LFG at the Odayeri Landfill, Istanbul, Turkey which is used for energy recovery. Composite gas samples were collected and analyzed for trace compounds (hydrocarbons, siloxanes, and volatile halogenated hydrocarbons) over a 3-year period. Trace compounds entering the gas engines, their impact on the engine performance were evaluated. The operational problems included deposit formation in the combustion chamber, turbocharger, and intercooler of engine before the scheduled maintenance times. High levels of hydrogen sulfide, as well as chlorinated and fluorinated compounds cause corrosion of the engine parts and decrease life of the engine oils. Persistence of siloxanes results in deposit formation, increasing engine maintenance costs. Pretreatment of LFG is necessary to protect the engines at the waste-to-energy facilities with persistence levels of siloxanes and volatile halogenated hydrocarbons. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decellularized skin/adipose tissue flap matrix for engineering vascularized composite soft tissue flaps.

PubMed

Zhang, Qixu; Johnson, Joshua A; Dunne, Lina W; Chen, Youbai; Iyyanki, Tejaswi; Wu, Yewen; Chang, Edward I; Branch-Brooks, Cynthia D; Robb, Geoffrey L; Butler, Charles E

2016-04-15

Using a perfusion decellularization protocol, we developed a decellularized skin/adipose tissue flap (DSAF) comprising extracellular matrix (ECM) and intact vasculature. Our DSAF had a dominant vascular pedicle, microcirculatory vascularity, and a sensory nerve network and retained three-dimensional (3D) nanofibrous structures well. DSAF, which was composed of collagen and laminin with well-preserved growth factors (e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor), was successfully repopulated with human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), which integrated with DSAF and formed 3D aggregates and vessel-like structures in vitro. We used microsurgery techniques to re-anastomose the recellularized DSAF into nude rats. In vivo, the engineered flap construct underwent neovascularization and constructive remodeling, which was characterized by the predominant infiltration of M2 macrophages and significant adipose tissue formation at 3months postoperatively. Our results indicate that DSAF co-cultured with hASCs and HUVECs is a promising platform for vascularized soft tissue flap engineering. This platform is not limited by the flap size, as the entire construct can be immediately perfused by the recellularized vascular network following simple re-integration into the host using conventional microsurgical techniques. Significant soft tissue loss resulting from traumatic injury or tumor resection often requires surgical reconstruction using autologous soft tissue flaps. However, the limited availability of qualitative autologous flaps as well as the donor site morbidity significantly limits this approach. Engineered soft tissue flap grafts may offer a clinically relevant alternative to the autologous flap tissue. In this study, we engineered vascularized soft tissue free flap by using skin/adipose flap extracellular matrix scaffold (DSAF) in combination with multiple types of human cells. Following vascular reanastomosis in the recipient site, the engineered products successful regenerated large-scale fat tissue in vivo. This approach may provide a translatable platform for composite soft tissue free flap engineering for microsurgical reconstruction. Copyright © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From e-manufacturing to Internet Product Process Development (IPPD) through remote - labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Córdoba Nieto, Ernesto; Andres Cifuentes Parra, Paulo; Camilo Parra Díaz, Juan

2014-07-01

This paper presents the research developed at Universidad Nacional de Colombia about the e-Manufacturing platform that is being developed and implemented at LabFabEx (acronym in Spanish as "Laboratorio Fabrica Experimental"). This platform besides has an approach to virtual-remote labs that have been tested by several students and engineers of different industrial fields. At this paper it is shown the physical and communication experimental platform, the general scope and characteristics of this e-Manufacturing platform and the virtual lab approach. This research project is funded by COLCIENCIAS (Administrative Department of science, technology and innovation in Colombia) and the enterprise IMOCOM S.A.

Space construction system analysis. Part 2: Platform definition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, R. J.; Myers, H. L.; Abramson, R. D.; Dejong, P. N.; Donavan, R. D.; Greenberg, H. S.; Indrikis, J.; Jandrasi, J. S.; Manoff, M.; Mcbaine, C. K.

1980-01-01

The top level system requirements are summarized and the accompanying conceptual design for an engineering and technology verification platform (ETVP) system is presented. An encompassing statement of the system objectives which drive the system requirements is presented and the major mission and subsystem requirements are described with emphasis on the advanced communications technology mission payload. The platform design is defined and used as a reference configuration for an end to space construction analyses. The preferred construction methods and processes, the important interactions between the platform design and the construction system design and operation, and the technology development efforts required to support the design and space construction of the ETVP are outlined.

Pretreatment of poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds with sodium hydroxide enhances osteoblastic differentiation and slows proliferation of mouse preosteoblast cells.

PubMed

Carpizo, Katherine H; Saran, Madeleine J; Huang, Weibiao; Ishida, Kenji; Roostaeian, Jason; Bischoff, David; Huang, Catherine K; Rudkin, George H; Yamaguchi, Dean T; Miller, Timothy A

2008-02-01

Surface topography is important in the creation of a scaffold for tissue engineering. Chemical etching of poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) with sodium hydroxide has been shown to enhance adhesion and function of numerous cell types. The authors investigated the effects of sodium hydroxide pretreatment of three-dimensional poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds on the adhesion, differentiation, and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 murine preosteoblasts. MC3T3-E1 cells were seeded onto three-dimensional poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds with and without 1 M sodium hydroxide pretreatment. Cells were then cultured in osteogenic medium and harvested at varying time points for RNA extraction. Quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure mRNA expression of several osteogenic marker genes. In addition, cell numbers were determined at varying time points during the culture period. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Pretreatment of three-dimensional poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds with sodium hydroxide resulted in statistically significant up-regulation of mRNA expression of alkaline phosphatase, bone sialoprotein, osteocalcin, and vascular endothelial growth factor during the first 10 days of culture. Histologic analysis demonstrated a striking increase in mineralized cell matrix deposition in the sodium hydroxide-treated group. Cell number was statistically higher in the sodium hydroxide-treated group immediately after cell seeding, suggesting improved adhesion. During the first 24 hours of culture, cells grew faster in the control group than in the sodium hydroxide-treated group. Chemical etching of poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) scaffolds with sodium hydroxide strongly influences the behavior of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts in vitro by enhancing adhesion and differentiation and slowing proliferation. Sodium hydroxide treatment may represent a simple and inexpensive way of improving scaffolds for use in bone tissue engineering.

Quiet Clean Short-haul Experimental Engine (QCSEE) under-the-wing engine composite fan blade design report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ravenhall, R.; Salemme, C. T.

1977-01-01

A total of 38 quiet clean short haul experimental engine under the wing composite fan blades were manufactured for various component tests, process and tooling, checkout, and use in the QCSEE UTW engine. The component tests included frequency characterization, strain distribution, bench fatigue, platform static load, whirligig high cycle fatigue, whirligig low cycle fatigue, whirligig strain distribution, and whirligig over-speed. All tests were successfully completed. All blades planned for use in the engine were subjected to and passed a whirligig proof spin test.

[Application of an improved model of a job-matching platform for nurses].

PubMed

Huang, Way-Ren; Lin, Chiou-Fen

2015-04-01

The three-month attrition rate for new nurses in Taiwan remains high. Many hospitals rely on traditional recruitment methods to find new nurses, yet it appears that their efficacy is less than ideal. To effectively solve this manpower shortage, a nursing resource platform is a project worth developing in the future. This study aimed to utilize a quality-improvement model to establish communication between hospitals and nursing students and create a customized employee-employer information-matching platform to help nursing students enter the workforce. This study was structured around a quality-improvement model and used current situation analysis, literature review, focus-group discussions, and process re-engineering to formulate necessary content for a job-matching platform for nursing. The concept of an academia-industry strategic alliance helped connect supply and demand within the same supply chain. The nurse job-matching platform created in this study provided job flexibility as well as job suitability assessments and continued follow-up and services for nurses after entering the workforce to provide more accurate matching of employers and employees. The academia-industry strategic alliance, job suitability, and long-term follow-up designed in this study are all new features in Taiwan's human resource service systems. The proposed human resource process re-engineering provides nursing students facing graduation with a professionally managed human resources platform. Allowing students to find an appropriate job prior to graduation will improve willingness to work and employee retention.

[Development of new magnetic bead separation and purification instrument].

PubMed

Xu, Yingyuan; Chen, Yi

2014-05-01

The article describes the development of new magnetic bead separation and purification instrument. The main application of the instrument is to capture tubercle bacillus from sputum. It is a pretreatment instrument and provides a new platform to help doctors to diagnose bacillary phthisis. Not only could it be used for tubercle bacillus capturing, but also for gene, protein and cell separating and purification. Because the controller of the instrument is 16-bit single chip microcomputer, the cost could be greatly reduced and it will be widely used in China.

Study on the variable cycle engine modeling techniques based on the component method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lihua; Xue, Hui; Bao, Yuhai; Li, Jijun; Yan, Lan

2016-01-01

Based on the structure platform of the gas turbine engine, the components of variable cycle engine were simulated by using the component method. The mathematical model of nonlinear equations correspondeing to each component of the gas turbine engine was established. Based on Matlab programming, the nonlinear equations were solved by using Newton-Raphson steady-state algorithm, and the performance of the components for engine was calculated. The numerical simulation results showed that the model bulit can describe the basic performance of the gas turbine engine, which verified the validity of the model.

Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals

PubMed Central

Den, Walter; Sharma, Virender K.; Lee, Mengshan; Nadadur, Govind; Varma, Rajender S.

2018-01-01

Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass pretreatment step and the problems associated with the conventional processes. The mechanisms of reaction pathways, selectivity and efficiency of end-products obtained using greener processes such as ozonolysis, photocatalysis, oxidative catalysis, electrochemical oxidation, and Fenton or Fenton-like reactions, as applied to depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass are summarized with deliberation on future prospects of biorefineries with greener pretreatment processes in the context of the life cycle assessment. PMID:29755972

Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals.

PubMed

Den, Walter; Sharma, Virender K; Lee, Mengshan; Nadadur, Govind; Varma, Rajender S

2018-01-01

Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass pretreatment step and the problems associated with the conventional processes. The mechanisms of reaction pathways, selectivity and efficiency of end-products obtained using greener processes such as ozonolysis, photocatalysis, oxidative catalysis, electrochemical oxidation, and Fenton or Fenton-like reactions, as applied to depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass are summarized with deliberation on future prospects of biorefineries with greener pretreatment processes in the context of the life cycle assessment.

Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Den, Walter; Sharma, Virender K.; Lee, Mengshan; Nadadur, Govind; Varma, Rajender S.

2018-04-01

Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass pretreatment step and the problems associated with the conventional processes. The mechanisms of reaction pathways, selectivity and efficiency of end-products obtained using greener processes such as ozonolysis, photocatalysis, oxidative catalysis, electrochemical oxidation, and Fenton or Fenton-like reactions, as applied to depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass are summarized with deliberation on future prospects of biorefineries with greener pretreatment processes in the context of the life cycle assessment.

Tour Guide Robots: An Integrated Research and Design Platform to Prepare Engineering and Technology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yelamarthi, Kumar

2016-01-01

Many interesting research and design questions occur at the intersections of traditional disciplines, yet most coursework and research programs for undergraduate engineering students are focused on one discipline. This leads to underutilization of the potential in better preparing students through multidisciplinary projects. Identifying this…

Software Engineering Infrastructure in a Large Virtual Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cristobal, Jesus; Merino, Jorge; Navarro, Antonio; Peralta, Miguel; Roldan, Yolanda; Silveira, Rosa Maria

2011-01-01

Purpose: The design, construction and deployment of a large virtual campus are a complex issue. Present virtual campuses are made of several software applications that complement e-learning platforms. In order to develop and maintain such virtual campuses, a complex software engineering infrastructure is needed. This paper aims to analyse the…

A Recombinant Platform for Prioritizing Aerolysin Molecular Grenades for Metastatic Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

the extracellular microenvironment at cancer sites. The objective for this proposal is to use a bio -engineering approach to produce recombinant pro...ominous diagnosis. The objective for this project is to use a bio -engineering approach to produce recombinant pro-toxins designed for specific cleavage

ADVANCED REACTIVITY MEASUREMENT FACILITY, TRA660, INTERIOR. REACTOR INSIDE TANK. METAL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

ADVANCED REACTIVITY MEASUREMENT FACILITY, TRA-660, INTERIOR. REACTOR INSIDE TANK. METAL WORK PLATFORM ABOVE. THE REACTOR WAS IN A SMALL WATER-FILLED POOL. INL NEGATIVE NO. 66-6373. Unknown Photographer, ca. 1966 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

A Thermophilic Ionic Liquid-Tolerant Cellulase Cocktail for the Production of Cellulosic Biofuels

PubMed Central

Park, Joshua I.; Steen, Eric J.; Burd, Helcio; Evans, Sophia S.; Redding-Johnson, Alyssa M.; Batth, Tanveer; Benke, Peter I.; D'haeseleer, Patrik; Sun, Ning; Sale, Kenneth L.; Keasling, Jay D.; Lee, Taek Soon; Petzold, Christopher J.; Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila; Singer, Steven W.; Simmons, Blake A.; Gladden, John M.

2012-01-01

Generation of biofuels from sugars in lignocellulosic biomass is a promising alternative to liquid fossil fuels, but efficient and inexpensive bioprocessing configurations must be developed to make this technology commercially viable. One of the major barriers to commercialization is the recalcitrance of plant cell wall polysaccharides to enzymatic hydrolysis. Biomass pretreatment with ionic liquids (ILs) enables efficient saccharification of biomass, but residual ILs inhibit both saccharification and microbial fuel production, requiring extensive washing after IL pretreatment. Pretreatment itself can also produce biomass-derived inhibitory compounds that reduce microbial fuel production. Therefore, there are multiple points in the process from biomass to biofuel production that must be interrogated and optimized to maximize fuel production. Here, we report the development of an IL-tolerant cellulase cocktail by combining thermophilic bacterial glycoside hydrolases produced by a mixed consortia with recombinant glycoside hydrolases. This enzymatic cocktail saccharifies IL-pretreated biomass at higher temperatures and in the presence of much higher IL concentrations than commercial fungal cocktails. Sugars obtained from saccharification of IL-pretreated switchgrass using this cocktail can be converted into biodiesel (fatty acid ethyl-esters or FAEEs) by a metabolically engineered strain of E. coli. During these studies, we found that this biodiesel-producing E. coli strain was sensitive to ILs and inhibitors released by saccharification. This cocktail will enable the development of novel biomass to biofuel bioprocessing configurations that may overcome some of the barriers to production of inexpensive cellulosic biofuels. PMID:22649505

Optimization of sodium hydroxide pretreatment and enzyme loading for efficient hydrolysis of rice straw to improve succinate production by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli KJ122 under simultaneous saccharification and fermentation.

PubMed

Sawisit, Apichai; Jampatesh, Surawee; Jantama, Sirima Suvarnakuta; Jantama, Kaemwich

2018-07-01

Rice straw was pretreated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) before subsequent use for succinate production by Escherichia coli KJ122 under simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The NaOH pretreated rice straw was significantly enhanced lignin removal up to 95%. With the optimized enzyme loading of 4% cellulase complex + 0.5% xylanase (endo-glucanase 67 CMC-U/g, β-glucosidase 26 pNG-U/g and xylanase 18 CMC-U/g dry biomass), total sugar conversion reached 91.7 ± 0.8% (w/w). The physicochemical analysis of NaOH pretreated rice straw indicated dramatical changes in its structure, thereby favoring enzymatic saccharification. In batch SSF, succinate production of 69.8 ± 0.3 g/L with yield and productivity of 0.84 g/g pretreated rice straw and 0.76 ± 0.02 g/L/h, respectively, was obtained. Fed-batch SSF significantly improved succinate concentration and productivity to 103.1 ± 0.4 g/L and 1.37 ± 0.07 g/L/h with a comparable yield. The results demonstrated a feasibility of sequential saccharification and fermentation of rice straw as a promising process for succinate production in industrial scale. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metabolic engineering of Clostridium cellulolyticum for the production of n-butanol from crystalline cellulose.

PubMed

Gaida, Stefan Marcus; Liedtke, Andrea; Jentges, Andreas Heinz Wilhelm; Engels, Benedikt; Jennewein, Stefan

2016-01-13

Sustainable alternatives for the production of fuels and chemicals are needed to reduce our dependency on fossil resources and to avoid the negative impact of their excessive use on the global climate. Lignocellulosic feedstock from agricultural residues, energy crops and municipal solid waste provides an abundant and carbon-neutral alternative, but it is recalcitrant towards microbial degradation and must therefore undergo extensive pretreatment to release the monomeric sugar units used by biofuel-producing microbes. These pretreatment steps can be reduced by using microbes such as Clostridium cellulolyticum that naturally digest lignocellulose, but this limits the range of biofuels that can be produced. We therefore developed a metabolic engineering approach in C. cellulolyticum to expand its natural product spectrum and to fine tune the engineered metabolic pathways. Here we report the metabolic engineering of C. cellulolyticum to produce n-butanol, a next-generation biofuel and important chemical feedstock, directly from crystalline cellulose. We introduced the CoA-dependent pathway for n-butanol synthesis from C. acetobutylicum and measured the expression of functional enzymes (using targeted proteomics) and the abundance of metabolic intermediates (by LC-MS/MS) to identify potential bottlenecks in the n-butanol biosynthesis pathway. We achieved yields of 40 and 120 mg/L n-butanol from cellobiose and crystalline cellulose, respectively, after cultivating the bacteria for 6 and 20 days. The analysis of enzyme activities and key intracellular metabolites provides a robust framework to determine the metabolic flux through heterologous pathways in C. cellulolyticum, allowing further improvements by fine tuning individual steps to improve the yields of n-butanol.

Analysis of digester design concepts

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

Ashare, E.; Wilson, E. H.

1979-01-29

Engineering economic analyses were performed on various digester design concepts to determine the relative performance for various biomass feedstocks. A comprehensive literature survey describing the state-of-the-art of the various digestion designs is included. The digester designs included in the analyses are CSTR, plug flow, batch, CSTR in series, multi-stage digestion and biomethanation. Other process options investigated included pretreatment processes such as shredding, degritting, and chemical pretreatment, and post-digestion processes, such as dewatering and gas purification. The biomass sources considered include feedlot manure, rice straw, and bagasse. The results of the analysis indicate that the most economical (on a unit gasmore » cost basis) digester design concept is the plug flow reactor. This conclusion results from this system providing a high gas production rate combined with a low capital hole-in-the-ground digester design concept. The costs determined in this analysis do not include any credits or penalties for feedstock or by-products, but present the costs only for conversion of biomass to methane. The batch land-fill type digester design was shown to have a unit gas cost comparable to that for a conventional stirred tank digester, with the potential of reducing the cost if a land-fill site were available for a lower cost per unit volume. The use of chemical pretreatment resulted in a higher unit gas cost, primarily due to the cost of pretreatment chemical. A sensitivity analysis indicated that the use of chemical pretreatment could improve the economics provided a process could be developed which utilized either less pretreatment chemical or a less costly chemical. The use of other process options resulted in higher unit gas costs. These options should only be used when necessary for proper process performance, or to result in production of a valuable by-product.« less

Erosion / Corrosion Resistant Coatings for Compressor Airfoils

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-29

Platforms in Evaluation / Qualification T56 for C-130 AE1107 for V-22 T700 for H-60 T55 for MH-47 GE38 for H-53K Gem for Lynx T58 for H-46... T56 Performance Summary Uncoated vs Coated Engine Uncoated Engine (April – May 2011) With “sand turbine” at San Antonio: Coated Engine (July...power retention 2-3% Corrected Fuel Flow 1-2% Specific Fuel Consumption decrease @ 95% shp Coated Engine T56 Sand Ingestion Test 10 Pressure

Functionalized nanocompartments (Synthosomes): limitations and prospective applications in industrial biotechnology.

PubMed

Onaca, Ozana; Nallani, Madhavan; Ihle, Saskia; Schenk, Alexander; Schwaneberg, Ulrich

2006-01-01

Synthosomes are mechanically stable vesicles with a block copolymer membrane and an engineered transmembrane protein acting as selective gate. The polymer vesicles are nanometer-sized (50-1000 nm) and functionalized by loading them with enzymes for bioconversions or encapsulating charged macromolecules for selective compound recovery/release. The Synthosome system might become a novel technology platform for biocatalysis and selective product recovery. Progress in Synthosome research comprises employed block copolymers, transmembrane channel engineering, and functionalizations, which are discussed here in detail. The challenges in transmembrane protein engineering, as well as cost-effective production, in block copolymer design and the state of the art in Synthosome characterization comprising quantification of encapsulated protein, translocation efficiency, number of transmembrane channels per vesicle, and enzyme kinetics are also presented and discussed. An assessment of the Synthosome technology platform for prospective applications in industrial (white) biotechnology concludes this review.

Microbial production of value-added nutraceuticals.

PubMed

Wang, Jian; Guleria, Sanjay; Koffas, Mattheos Ag; Yan, Yajun

2016-02-01

Nutraceuticals are important natural bioactive compounds that confer health-promoting and medical benefits to humans. Globally growing demands for value-added nutraceuticals for prevention and treatment of human diseases have rendered nutraceuticals a multi-billion dollar market. However, supply limitations and extraction difficulties from natural sources such as plants, animals or fungi, restrict the large-scale use of nutraceuticals. Metabolic engineering via microbial production platforms has been advanced as an eco-friendly alternative approach for production of value-added nutraceuticals from simple carbon sources. Microbial platforms like the most widely used Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been engineered as versatile cell factories for production of diverse and complex value-added chemicals such as phytochemicals, prebiotics, polysaccaharides and poly amino acids. This review highlights the recent progresses in biological production of value-added nutraceuticals via metabolic engineering approaches. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Authoring Immersive Mixed Reality Experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misker, Jan M. V.; van der Ster, Jelle

Creating a mixed reality experience is a complicated endeavour. From our practice as a media lab in the artistic domain we found that engineering is “only” a first step in creating a mixed reality experience. Designing the appearance and directing the user experience are equally important for creating an engaging, immersive experience. We found that mixed reality artworks provide a very good test bed for studying these topics. This chapter details three steps required for authoring mixed reality experiences: engineering, designing and directing. We will describe a platform (VGE) for creating mixed reality environments that incorporates these steps. A case study (EI4) is presented in which this platform was used to not only engineer the system, but in which an artist was given the freedom to explore the artistic merits of mixed reality as an artistic medium, which involved areas such as the look and feel, multimodal experience and interaction, immersion as a subjective emotion and game play scenarios.

The General Electric F404 - Engine of the RAAF’s New Fighter.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-01

turbine stages, high pressure and low pressure, stationary and rotating, are cooled, as well as rotors, cooling plates, blade and vane platforms and...such engine components as turbine rotor blading . disks and seals. This has led to the development of design methods that enable extended usage to...Scientific Adviser RAN Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit Directorate of Naval Aircraft Engineering Directorate of Naval Aviation Policy

Ionic Liquid Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Enhanced Enzymatic Delignification.

PubMed

Moniruzzaman, Muhammad; Goto, Masahiro

2018-05-10

Ionic liquids (ILs), a potentially attractive "green," recyclable alternative to environmentally harmful volatile organic compounds, have been increasingly exploited as solvents and/or cosolvents and/or reagents in a wide range of applications, including pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for further processing. The enzymatic delignification of biomass to degrade lignin, a complex aromatic polymer, has received much attention as an environmentally friendly process for clean separation of biopolymers including cellulose and lignin. For this purpose, enzymes are generally isolated from naturally occurring fungi or genetically engineered fungi and used in an aqueous medium. However, enzymatic delignification has been found to be very slow in these conditions, sometimes taking several months for completion. In this chapter, we highlight an environmentally friendly and efficient approach for enzymatic delignification of lignocellulosic biomass using room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) as (co)solvents or/and pretreatment agents. The method comprises pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass in IL-aqueous systems before enzymatic delignification, with the aim of overcoming the low delignification efficiency associated with low enzyme accessibility to the solid substrate and low substrate and product solubilities in aqueous systems. We believe the processes described here can play an important role in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass-the most abundant renewable biomaterial in the world-to biomaterials, biopolymers, biofuels, bioplastics, and hydrocarbons. Graphical Abstract.

Shuttle Systems 3-D Applications: Application of 3-D Graphics in Engineering Training for Shuttle Ground Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Godfrey, Gary S.

2003-01-01

This project illustrates an animation of the orbiter mate to the external tank, an animation of the OMS POD installation to the orbiter, and a simulation of the landing gear mechanism at the Kennedy Space Center. A detailed storyboard was created to reflect each animation or simulation. Solid models were collected and translated into Pro/Engineer's prt and asm formats. These solid models included computer files of the: orbiter, external tank, solid rocket booster, mobile launch platform, transporter, vehicle assembly building, OMS POD fixture, and landing gear. A depository of the above solid models was established. These solid models were translated into several formats. This depository contained the following files: stl for sterolithography, stp for neutral file work, shrinkwrap for compression, tiff for photoshop work, jpeg for Internet use, and prt and asm for Pro/Engineer use. Solid models were created of the material handling sling, bay 3 platforms, and orbiter contact points. Animations were developed using mechanisms to reflect each storyboard. Every effort was made to build all models technically correct for engineering use. The result was an animated routine that could be used by NASA for training material handlers and uncovering engineering safety issues.

Human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and tissue engineering strategies for disease modeling and drug screening.

PubMed

Smith, Alec S T; Macadangdang, Jesse; Leung, Winnie; Laflamme, Michael A; Kim, Deok-Ho

Improved methodologies for modeling cardiac disease phenotypes and accurately screening the efficacy and toxicity of potential therapeutic compounds are actively being sought to advance drug development and improve disease modeling capabilities. To that end, much recent effort has been devoted to the development of novel engineered biomimetic cardiac tissue platforms that accurately recapitulate the structure and function of the human myocardium. Within the field of cardiac engineering, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are an exciting tool that offer the potential to advance the current state of the art, as they are derived from somatic cells, enabling the development of personalized medical strategies and patient specific disease models. Here we review different aspects of iPSC-based cardiac engineering technologies. We highlight methods for producing iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) and discuss their application to compound efficacy/toxicity screening and in vitro modeling of prevalent cardiac diseases. Special attention is paid to the application of micro- and nano-engineering techniques for the development of novel iPSC-CM based platforms and their potential to advance current preclinical screening modalities. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Rad-Hard Structured ASIC Body of Knowledge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heidecker, Jason

2013-01-01

Structured Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) technology is a platform between traditional ASICs and Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). The motivation behind structured ASICs is to combine the low nonrecurring engineering costs (NRE) costs of FPGAs with the high performance of ASICs. This report provides an overview of the structured ASIC platforms that are radiation-hardened and intended for space application

Advancing Microgrid Research at NREL

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

NREL expanded its microgrid research capabilities at the Energy System Integration Facility (ESIF) with the purchase of a Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) microgrid controller, resulting in a more comprehensive microgrid research platform. NREL's microgrid research platform allows manufacturers, utilities, and integrators to develop and evaluate their technology or configuration at full power before implementation - something only possible at a handful of facilities in the world.

Progress at Standard Space Platforms Corporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perkins, Frederick W.

1992-08-01

An account is given of a simple program structure with low costs and short schedules for the space R&D community operating outside mission-oriented, government-funded programs. In addition to furnishing launch services into orbit, the program structure furnishes engineering services through its ground station, control room, and 3-year duration 'MMSB' platform. Flights may begin as little as a year after contract signature.

Observing and Understanding an On-Line Learning Activity: A Model-Based Approach for Activity Indicator Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Djouad, Tarek; Mille, Alain

2018-01-01

Although learning indicators are now properly studied and published, it is still very difficult to manage them freely within most distance learning platforms. As all activity indicators need to collect and analyze properly traces of the learning activity, we propose to use these traces as a starting point for a platform independent Trace…

NDCEE Annual Technologies Publication

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-04-01

Engineering Center TBP Thermophilic (Biological) Process TCP Trivalent chromium pretreatment 3-D Three-dimensional TNT 2,4,6 trinitrotoluene TTU Transit-Time...to be able to restore worn, improperly machined or salvaged service parts. Trivalent Chromium Plating: This process eliminates the use of chromic...acid, thereby reducing health risks to operators. Trivalent chromium forms insoluble mineral precipitates in groundwater, which eliminates the chemical

Long-term real-time structural health monitoring using wireless smart sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Shinae; Mensah-Bonsu, Priscilla O.; Li, Jingcheng; Dahal, Sushil

2013-04-01

Improving the safety and security of civil infrastructure has become a critical issue for decades since it plays a central role in the economics and politics of a modern society. Structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure using wireless smart sensor network has emerged as a promising solution recently to increase structural reliability, enhance inspection quality, and reduce maintenance costs. Though hardware and software framework are well prepared for wireless smart sensors, the long-term real-time health monitoring strategy are still not available due to the lack of systematic interface. In this paper, the Imote2 smart sensor platform is employed, and a graphical user interface for the long-term real-time structural health monitoring has been developed based on Matlab for the Imote2 platform. This computer-aided engineering platform enables the control, visualization of measured data as well as safety alarm feature based on modal property fluctuation. A new decision making strategy to check the safety is also developed and integrated in this software. Laboratory validation of the computer aided engineering platform for the Imote2 on a truss bridge and a building structure has shown the potential of the interface for long-term real-time structural health monitoring.

A Software Platform for Post-Processing Waveform-Based NDE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, Donald J.; Martin, Richard E.; Seebo, Jeff P.; Trinh, Long B.; Walker, James L.; Winfree, William P.

2007-01-01

Ultrasonic, microwave, and terahertz nondestructive evaluation imaging systems generally require the acquisition of waveforms at each scan point to form an image. For such systems, signal and image processing methods are commonly needed to extract information from the waves and improve resolution of, and highlight, defects in the image. Since some similarity exists for all waveform-based NDE methods, it would seem a common software platform containing multiple signal and image processing techniques to process the waveforms and images makes sense where multiple techniques, scientists, engineers, and organizations are involved. This presentation describes NASA Glenn Research Center's approach in developing a common software platform for processing waveform-based NDE signals and images. This platform is currently in use at NASA Glenn and at Lockheed Martin Michoud Assembly Facility for processing of pulsed terahertz and ultrasonic data. Highlights of the software operation will be given. A case study will be shown for use with terahertz data. The authors also request scientists and engineers who are interested in sharing customized signal and image processing algorithms to contribute to this effort by letting the authors code up and include these algorithms in future releases.

Application of chromatic confocal displacement sensor in measurement of tip clearance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bi, Chao; Li, Di; Fang, Jianguo; Zhang, Bin

2016-10-01

In the field of aeronautics, the tip clearance of rotor exerts a crucial influence on the performance of the aero engine. As defined as the radial distance between the top of the blade and the inner wall of the casing, the tip clearance of too large or small size will adversely affect the normal running of the engine. In order to realize accurate measurement of the tip clearance in a simple way, a non-contact measuring method by the chromatic confocal displacement sensor is proposed in the paper. The sensor possesses the advantages such as small volume, good signal-to-noise ratio, high accuracy and response frequency etc., which make it be widely used in engineering and industry. For testing the performance and potential application of the sensor, a simulation testing platform is established. In the platform, a simulation blisk is installed on the air bearing spindle and a chromatic confocal displacement sensor is fixed on the platform to measure the displacement variation of the blade tip, which can be used to characterize the variation of the tip clearance. In the simulation experiments, both of single and continuous measurement of the tip clearance of the 36 blades on the blisk is executed. As the results of experiments show, the chromatic confocal displacement sensor can meet the requirements of measuring task, in which both of high measuring efficiency and accuracy could be achieved. Therefore, the measuring method proposed in the paper can be utilized in the actual assembling sites of the aero engine.

Flight simulator requirements for airline transport pilot training - An evaluation of motion system design alternatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, A. T.; Bussolari, S. R.

1986-01-01

The effect of motion platform systems on pilot behavior is considered with emphasis placed on civil aviation applications. A dynamic model for human spatial orientation based on the physiological structure and function of the human vestibular system is presented. Motion platform alternatives were evaluated on the basis of the following motion platform conditions: motion with six degrees-of-freedom required for Phase II simulators and two limited motion conditions. Consideration was given to engine flameout, airwork, and approach and landing scenarios.

Targeted exploration and analysis of large cross-platform human transcriptomic compendia

PubMed Central

Zhu, Qian; Wong, Aaron K; Krishnan, Arjun; Aure, Miriam R; Tadych, Alicja; Zhang, Ran; Corney, David C; Greene, Casey S; Bongo, Lars A; Kristensen, Vessela N; Charikar, Moses; Li, Kai; Troyanskaya, Olga G.

2016-01-01

We present SEEK (http://seek.princeton.edu), a query-based search engine across very large transcriptomic data collections, including thousands of human data sets from almost 50 microarray and next-generation sequencing platforms. SEEK uses a novel query-level cross-validation-based algorithm to automatically prioritize data sets relevant to the query and a robust search approach to identify query-coregulated genes, pathways, and processes. SEEK provides cross-platform handling, multi-gene query search, iterative metadata-based search refinement, and extensive visualization-based analysis options. PMID:25581801

Feasibility study for the use of a YF-12 aircraft as a scientific instrument platform for observing the 1970 solar eclipse

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mercer, R. D.

1973-01-01

The scientific and engineering findings are presented of the feasibility study for the use of a YF-12 aircraft as a scientific instrument platform for observing the 1970 solar eclipse. Included in the report is the computer program documentation of the solar eclipse determination; summary data on SR-71A type aircraft capabilities and limitations as an observing platform for solar eclipses; and the recordings of an informal conference on observations of solar eclipses using SR-71A type aircraft.

Methods for open innovation on a genome-design platform associating scientific, commercial, and educational communities in synthetic biology.

PubMed

Toyoda, Tetsuro

2011-01-01

Synthetic biology requires both engineering efficiency and compliance with safety guidelines and ethics. Focusing on the rational construction of biological systems based on engineering principles, synthetic biology depends on a genome-design platform to explore the combinations of multiple biological components or BIO bricks for quickly producing innovative devices. This chapter explains the differences among various platform models and details a methodology for promoting open innovation within the scope of the statutory exemption of patent laws. The detailed platform adopts a centralized evaluation model (CEM), computer-aided design (CAD) bricks, and a freemium model. It is also important for the platform to support the legal aspects of copyrights as well as patent and safety guidelines because intellectual work including DNA sequences designed rationally by human intelligence is basically copyrightable. An informational platform with high traceability, transparency, auditability, and security is required for copyright proof, safety compliance, and incentive management for open innovation in synthetic biology. GenoCon, which we have organized and explained here, is a competition-styled, open-innovation method involving worldwide participants from scientific, commercial, and educational communities that aims to improve the designs of genomic sequences that confer a desired function on an organism. Using only a Web browser, a participating contributor proposes a design expressed with CAD bricks that generate a relevant DNA sequence, which is then experimentally and intensively evaluated by the GenoCon organizers. The CAD bricks that comprise programs and databases as a Semantic Web are developed, executed, shared, reused, and well stocked on the secure Semantic Web platform called the Scientists' Networking System or SciNetS/SciNeS, based on which a CEM research center for synthetic biology and open innovation should be established. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Cellulase Enzyme Inhibitors Formed During the Chemical Pretreatments of Rice Straw

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajan, Kalavathy

Production of fuels and chemicals from a renewable and inexpensive resource such as lignocellulosic biomass is a lucrative and sustainable option for the advanced biofuel and bio-based chemical platform. Agricultural residues constitute the bulk of potential feedstock available for cellulosic fuel production. On a global scale, rice straw is the largest source of agricultural residues and is therefore an ideal crop model for biomass deconstruction studies. Lignocellulosic biofuel production involves the processes of biomass conditioning, enzymatic saccharification, microbial fermentation and ethanol distillation, and one of the major factors affecting its techno-economic feasibility is the biomass recalcitrance to enzymatic saccharification. Preconditioning of lignocellulosic biomass, using chemical, physico-chemical, mechanical and biological pretreatments, is often practiced such that biomass becomes available to downstream processing. Pretreatments, such as dilute acid and hot water, are effective means of biomass conversion. However, despite their processing importance, preconditioning biomass also results in the production of carbohydrate and lignin degradation products that are inhibitory to downstream saccharification enzymes. The saccharification enzyme cocktail is made up of endo-cellulase, exo-cellulase and beta-glucosidase enzymes, whose role is to cleave cellulose polymers into glucose monomers. Specifically, endo-cellulase and exo-cellulase enzymes cleave cellulose chains in the middle and at the end, resulting in cellobiose molecules, which are hydrolyzed into glucose by beta-glucosidase. Unfortunately, degradation compounds generated during pretreatment inhibit the saccharification enzyme cocktail. Various research groups have identified specific classes of inhibitors formed during biomass pretreatment and have studied their inhibitory effect on the saccharification cocktail. These various research groups prepared surrogate solutions in an attempt to mimic pretreatment hydrolyzates. No group has yet attempted to elucidate the inhibitory action of compounds isolated from pretreatment hydrolyzates. Elucidating the inhibition of cellulases using actual biomass hydrolyzates would offer insights as to which inhibitors, formed during a pretreatment, are key in causing inhibition. Knowing the key inhibitor(s) would allow for the development of processing conditions that minimize their production or of their removal through hydrolyzate detoxification methods. This research has characterized various chemical compounds released during dilute acid and hot water pretreatment of rice straw and has evaluated their inhibitory effects on endo-cellulase, exo-cellulase and beta-glucosidase enzymes. The hot water pretreatment hydrolyzate, generated at 220°C and 52 min, was found to be particularly inhibitory to exo- and endo-cellulases, and was chosen for further evaluation. This hot water hydrolyzate was fractionated using centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) and grouped into furans, organic acids, phenolics, monomeric and oligomeric sugars. When these fractions were incubated with exo-cellulase, it was determined that fractions containing acetic acid and phenolics were highly inhibitory, resulting in 92% and 87% inhibition of initial hydrolysis rates, respectively. This study proposes a new approach for identifying key inhibitory compounds in biomass prehydrolyzates, eventually paving the way for developing strategies to the improve the enzymatic saccharification efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass.

T Cell Receptor Engineering and Analysis Using the Yeast Display Platform

PubMed Central

Smith, Sheena N.; Harris, Daniel T.; Kranz, David M.

2017-01-01

The αβ heterodimeric T cell receptor (TCR) recognizes peptide antigens that are transported to the cell surface as a complex with a protein encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). T cells thus evolved a strategy to sense these intracellular antigens, and to respond either by eliminating the antigen-presenting cell (e.g. a virus-infected cell) or by secreting factors that recruit the immune system to the site of the antigen. The central role of the TCR in the binding of antigens as peptide-MHC (pepMHC) ligands has now been studied thoroughly. Interestingly, despite their exquisite sensitivity (e.g. T cell activation by as few as 1 to 3 pepMHC complexes on a single target cell), TCRs are known to have relatively low affinities for pepMHC, with KD values in the micromolar range. There has been interest in engineering the affinity of TCRs in order to use this class of molecules in ways similar to now done with antibodies. By doing so, it would be possible to harness the potential of TCRs as therapeutics against a much wider array of antigens that include essentially all intracellular targets. To engineer TCRs, and to analyze their binding features more rapidly, we have used a yeast display system as a platform. Expression and engineering of a single-chain form of the TCR, analogous to scFv fragments from antibodies, allow the TCR to be affinity matured with a variety of possible pepMHC ligands. In addition, the yeast display platform allows one to rapidly generate TCR variants with diverse binding affinities and to analyze specificity and affinity without the need for purification of soluble forms of the TCRs. The present chapter describes the methods for engineering and analyzing single-chain TCRs using yeast display. PMID:26060072

Clinical comparison of positional accuracy and stability between dedicated versus conventional masks for immobilization in cranial stereotactic radiotherapy using 6-degree-of-freedom image guidance system-integrated platform.

PubMed

Ohtakara, Kazuhiro; Hayashi, Shinya; Tanaka, Hidekazu; Hoshi, Hiroaki; Kitahara, Masashi; Matsuyama, Katsuya; Okada, Hitoshi

2012-02-01

To compare the positioning accuracy and stability of two distinct noninvasive immobilization devices, a dedicated (D-) and conventional (C-) mask, and to evaluate the applicability of a 6-degrees-of-freedom (6D) correction, especially to the C-mask, based on our initial experience with cranial stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) using ExacTrac (ET)/Robotics integrated into the Novalis Tx platform. The D- and C-masks were the BrainLAB frameless mask system and a general thermoplastic mask used for conventional radiotherapy such as whole brain irradiation, respectively. A total of 148 fractions in 71 patients and 125 fractions in 20 patients were analyzed for the D- and C-masks, respectively. For the C-mask, 3D correction was applied to the initial 10 patients, and thereafter, 6D correction was adopted. The 6D residual errors (REs) in the initial setup, after correction (pre-treatment), and during post-treatment were measured and compared. The D-mask provided no significant benefit for initial setup. The post-treatment median 3D vector displacements (interquatile range) were 0.38 mm (0.22, 0.60) and 0.74 mm (0.49, 1.04) for the D- and C-masks, respectively (p<0.001). The post-treatment maximal translational REs were within 1 mm and 2 mm for the D- and C-masks, respectively, and notably within 1.5 mm for the C-mask with 6D correction. The pre-treatment 3D vector displacements were significantly correlated with those for post-treatment in both masks. The D-mask confers positional stability acceptable for SRT. For the C-mask, 6D correction is also recommended, and an additional setup margin of 0.5 mm to that for the D-mask would be sufficient. The tolerance levels for the pre-treatment REs should similarly be set as small as possible for both systems. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Engineered cell-cell communication via DNA messaging

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Evolution has selected for organisms that benefit from genetically encoded cell-cell communication. Engineers have begun to repurpose elements of natural communication systems to realize programmed pattern formation and coordinate other population-level behaviors. However, existing engineered systems rely on system-specific small molecules to send molecular messages among cells. Thus, the information transmission capacity of current engineered biological communication systems is physically limited by specific biomolecules that are capable of sending only a single message, typically “regulate transcription.” Results We have engineered a cell-cell communication platform using bacteriophage M13 gene products to autonomously package and deliver heterologous DNA messages of varying lengths and encoded functions. We demonstrate the decoupling of messages from a common communication channel via the autonomous transmission of various arbitrary genetic messages. Further, we increase the range of engineered DNA messaging across semisolid media by linking message transmission or receipt to active cellular chemotaxis. Conclusions We demonstrate decoupling of a communication channel from message transmission within engineered biological systems via the autonomous targeted transduction of user-specified heterologous DNA messages. We also demonstrate that bacteriophage M13 particle production and message transduction occurs among chemotactic bacteria. We use chemotaxis to improve the range of DNA messaging, increasing both transmission distance and communication bit rates relative to existing small molecule-based communication systems. We postulate that integration of different engineered cell-cell communication platforms will allow for more complex spatial programming of dynamic cellular consortia. PMID:22958599

Vane array with one or more non-integral platforms

DOEpatents

Lohaus, Andrew S.; Campbell, Christian Xavier; Miller, Jr, Samuel R.; Marra, John J.

2016-07-12

A vane array adapted to be coupled to a vane carrier within a gas turbine engine is provided comprising: a plurality of elongated airfoils comprising at least a first airfoil and a second airfoil located adjacent to one another; a U-ring; first connector structure for coupling a radially inner end section of each of the first and second airfoils to the U-ring; second connector structure for coupling a radially outer end section of each of the first and second airfoils to the vane carrier; a platform extending between the first and second airfoils; and platform connector structure for coupling the platform to one of the U-ring and the vane carrier.

Astro-geodetic platform for high accuracy geoid determinat ion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bǎdescu, Octavian; Nedelcu, Dan Alin; Cǎlin, Alexandru; Dumitru, Paul Daniel; Cǎlin, Lavinia A.; Popescu, Marcel

The paper presents first technical realizations of a mobile platform for vertical deviation determination at a satisfactory precision and low cost. The conception of the platform was made in the framework of a project regarding CCD astro-geodetic vertical deviation for geoid determination or geoid modeling. The project with the acronym A-GEO represents a collaboration between Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest - Faculty of Geodesy, (TUCEB-FG), Astronomical Institute of the Romanian academy (AIRA), and a private partner GeoGIS Proiect S.R.L. The paper presents some hardware and software aspects regarding design, development, and automation of the platform, based on an electro-optical geodetic instrument, CCD observations and satellite time synchronization for astro-geodetic measurements.

High-throughput detection of ethanol-producing cyanobacteria in a microdroplet platform

PubMed Central

Abalde-Cela, Sara; Gould, Anna; Liu, Xin; Kazamia, Elena; Smith, Alison G.; Abell, Chris

2015-01-01

Ethanol production by microorganisms is an important renewable energy source. Most processes involve fermentation of sugars from plant feedstock, but there is increasing interest in direct ethanol production by photosynthetic organisms. To facilitate this, a high-throughput screening technique for the detection of ethanol is required. Here, a method for the quantitative detection of ethanol in a microdroplet-based platform is described that can be used for screening cyanobacterial strains to identify those with the highest ethanol productivity levels. The detection of ethanol by enzymatic assay was optimized both in bulk and in microdroplets. In parallel, the encapsulation of engineered ethanol-producing cyanobacteria in microdroplets and their growth dynamics in microdroplet reservoirs were demonstrated. The combination of modular microdroplet operations including droplet generation for cyanobacteria encapsulation, droplet re-injection and pico-injection, and laser-induced fluorescence, were used to create this new platform to screen genetically engineered strains of cyanobacteria with different levels of ethanol production. PMID:25878135

Developing Historic Building Information Modelling Guidelines and Procedures for Architectural Heritage in Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, M.; Corns, A.; Cahill, J.; Eliashvili, K.; Chenau, A.; Pybus, C.; Shaw, R.; Devlin, G.; Deevy, A.; Truong-Hong, L.

2017-08-01

Cultural heritage researchers have recently begun applying Building Information Modelling (BIM) to historic buildings. The model is comprised of intelligent objects with semantic attributes which represent the elements of a building structure and are organised within a 3D virtual environment. Case studies in Ireland are used to test and develop the suitable systems for (a) data capture/digital surveying/processing (b) developing library of architectural components and (c) mapping these architectural components onto the laser scan or digital survey to relate the intelligent virtual representation of a historic structure (HBIM). While BIM platforms have the potential to create a virtual and intelligent representation of a building, its full exploitation and use is restricted to narrow set of expert users with access to costly hardware, software and skills. The testing of open BIM approaches in particular IFCs and the use of game engine platforms is a fundamental component for developing much wider dissemination. The semantically enriched model can be transferred into a WEB based game engine platform.

Free-standing leaping experiments with a power-autonomous elastic-spined quadruped

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pusey, Jason L.; Duperret, Jeffrey M.; Haynes, G. Clark; Knopf, Ryan; Koditschek, Daniel E.

2013-05-01

We document initial experiments with Canid, a freestanding, power-autonomous quadrupedal robot equipped with a parallel actuated elastic spine. Research into robotic bounding and galloping platforms holds scientific and engineering interest because it can both probe biological hypotheses regarding bounding and galloping mammals and also provide the engineering community with a new class of agile, efficient and rapidly-locomoting legged robots. We detail the design features of Canid that promote our goals of agile operation in a relatively cheap, conventionally prototyped, commercial off-the-shelf actuated platform. We introduce new measurement methodology aimed at capturing our robot's "body energy" during real time operation as a means of quantifying its potential for agile behavior. Finally, we present joint motor, inertial and motion capture data taken from Canid's initial leaps into highly energetic regimes exhibiting large accelerations that illustrate the use of this measure and suggest its future potential as a platform for developing efficient, stable, hence useful bounding gaits.

A Talent for Tinkering: Developing Talents in Children from Low-Income Households through Engineering Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Ann; Adelson, Jill L.; Kidd, Kristy A.; Cunningham, Christine M.

2018-01-01

Guided by the theoretical framework of curriculum as a platform for talent development, this quasi-experimental field study investigated an intervention focused on engineering curriculum and curriculum based on a biography of a scientist through a comparative design implemented in low-income schools. Student outcome measures included science…

Polymeric Medical Sutures: An Exploration of Polymers and Green Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knutson, Cassandra M.; Schneiderman, Deborah K.; Yu, Ming; Javner, Cassidy H.; Distefano, Mark D.; Wissinger, Jane E.

2017-01-01

With new K-12 national science standards emerging, there is an increased need for experiments that integrate engineering into the context of society. Here we describe a chemistry experiment that combines science and engineering principles while introducing basic polymer and green chemistry concepts. Using medical sutures as a platform for…

Experimental Economics for Teaching the Functioning of Electricity Markets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guevara-Cedeno, J. Y.; Palma-Behnke, R.; Uribe, R.

2012-01-01

In the field of electricity markets, the development of training tools for engineers has been extremely useful. A novel experimental economics approach based on a computational Web platform of an electricity market is proposed here for the practical teaching of electrical engineering students. The approach is designed to diminish the gap that…

Engineering the hematopoietic stem cell niche: Frontiers in biomaterial science

PubMed Central

Choi, Ji Sun; Mahadik, Bhushan P.; Harley, Brendan A. C.

2016-01-01

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) play a crucial role in the generation of the body’s blood and immune cells. This process takes place primarily in the bone marrow in specialized ‘niche’ microenvironments, which provide signals responsible for maintaining a balance between HSC quiescence, self-renewal, and lineage specification required for life-long hematopoiesis. While our understanding of these signaling mechanisms continues to improve, our ability to engineer them in vitro for the expansion of clinically relevant HSC populations is still lacking. In this review, we focus on development of biomaterials-based culture platforms for in vitro study of interactions between HSCs and their local microenvironment. The tools and techniques used for both examining HSC-niche interactions as well as applying these findings towards controlled HSC expansion or directed differentiation in 2D and 3D platforms are discussed. These novel techniques hold the potential to push the existing boundaries of HSC cultures towards high-throughput, real-time, and single-cell level biomimetic approaches that enable a more nuanced understanding of HSC regulation and function. Their application in conjunction with innovative biomaterial platforms can pave the way for engineering artificial bone marrow niches for clinical applications as well as elucidating the pathology of blood-related cancers and disorders. PMID:26356030

Molecular Cloning Designer Simulator (MCDS): All-in-one molecular cloning and genetic engineering design, simulation and management software for complex synthetic biology and metabolic engineering projects.

PubMed

Shi, Zhenyu; Vickers, Claudia E

2016-12-01

Molecular Cloning Designer Simulator (MCDS) is a powerful new all-in-one cloning and genetic engineering design, simulation and management software platform developed for complex synthetic biology and metabolic engineering projects. In addition to standard functions, it has a number of features that are either unique, or are not found in combination in any one software package: (1) it has a novel interactive flow-chart user interface for complex multi-step processes, allowing an integrated overview of the whole project; (2) it can perform a user-defined workflow of cloning steps in a single execution of the software; (3) it can handle multiple types of genetic recombineering, a technique that is rapidly replacing classical cloning for many applications; (4) it includes experimental information to conveniently guide wet lab work; and (5) it can store results and comments to allow the tracking and management of the whole project in one platform. MCDS is freely available from https://mcds.codeplex.com.

In vivo modification of a maize engineered minichromosome.

PubMed

Gaeta, Robert T; Masonbrink, Rick E; Zhao, Changzeng; Sanyal, Abhijit; Krishnaswamy, Lakshminarasimhan; Birchler, James A

2013-06-01

Engineered minichromosomes provide efficient platforms for stacking transgenes in crop plants. Methods for modifying these chromosomes in vivo are essential for the development of customizable systems for the removal of selection genes or other sequences and for the addition of new genes. Previous studies have demonstrated that Cre, a site-specific recombinase, could be used to modify lox sites on transgenes on maize minichromosomes; however, these studies demonstrated somatic recombination only, and modified minichromosomes could not be recovered. We describe the recovery of an engineered chromosome composed of little more than a centromere plus transgene that was derived by telomere-mediated truncation. We used the fiber fluorescence in situ hybridization technique and detected a transgene on the minichromosome inserted among stretches of CentC centromere repeats, and this insertion was large enough to suggest a tandem insertion. By crossing the minichromosome to a plant expressing Cre-recombinase, the Bar selection gene was removed, leaving behind a single loxP site. This study demonstrates that engineered chromosomes can be modified in vivo using site-specific recombinases, a demonstration essential to the development of amendable chromosome platforms in plants.

EFRT M12 Issue Resolution: Comparison of PEP and Bench-Scale Oxidative Leaching Results

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

Rapko, Brian M.; Brown, Christopher F.; Eslinger, Paul W.

2009-08-14

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been tasked by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) on the River Protection Project-Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (RPP-WTP) project to perform research and development activities to resolve technical issues identified for the Pretreatment Facility (PTF). The Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) was designed and constructed and is to be operated as part of a plan to respond to issue M12, “Undemonstrated Leaching Processes.” The PEP is a 1/4.5-scale test platform designed to simulate the WTP pretreatment caustic leaching, oxidative leaching, ultrafiltration solids concentration, and slurry washing processes. The PEP replicates the WTP leaching processesmore » using prototypic equipment and control strategies. The PEP also includes non-prototypic ancillary equipment to support the core processing. Two operating scenarios are currently being evaluated for the ultrafiltration process (UFP) and leaching operations. The first scenario has caustic leaching performed in the UFP-2 ultrafiltration feed vessels (i.e., vessel UFP-VSL-T02A in the PEP; and vessels UFP-VSL-00002A and B in the WTP PTF). The second scenario has caustic leaching conducted in the UFP-1 ultrafiltration feed preparation vessels (i.e., vessels UFP-VSL-T01A and B in the PEP; vessels UFP-VSL-00001A and B in the WTP PTF). In both scenarios, 19-M sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH, caustic) is added to the waste slurry in the vessels to dissolve solid aluminum compounds (e.g., gibbsite, boehmite). Caustic addition is followed by a heating step that uses direct steam injection to accelerate the leaching process. Following the caustic leach, the vessel contents are cooled using vessel cooling jackets and/or external heat exchangers. The main difference between the two scenarios is that for leaching in UFP1, the 19-M NaOH is added to un-concentrated waste slurry (3 to 8 wt% solids), while for leaching in UFP2, the slurry is concentrated to nominally 20 wt% solids using cross-flow ultrafiltration before the addition of caustic. For wastes that have significantly high chromium content, the caustic leaching and slurry dewatering is followed by adding sodium permanganate to UFP-VSL-T02A, and the slurry is subjected to oxidative leaching at nominally ambient temperature. The purpose of the oxidative leaching is to selectively oxidize the poorly alkaline-soluble Cr(III) believed to be the insoluble form in Hanford tank sludge to the much more alkaline-soluble Cr(VI), e.g., chromate. The work described in this report provides the test results that are related to the efficiency of the oxidative leaching process to support process modeling based on tests performed with a Hanford waste simulant. The tests were completed both at the lab-bench scale and in the PEP. The purpose of this report is to summarize the results from both scales that are related to oxidative leaching chemistry to support a scale factor for the submodels to be used in the G2 model, which predicts WTP operating performance. Owing to schedule constraints, the PEP test data to be included in this report are limited to those from Integrated Tests A (T01 A/B caustic leaching) and B (T02A caustic leaching).« less

Research and Development of Target Recognition and Location Crawling Platform based on Binocular Vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Weidong; Lei, Zhu; Yuan, Zhang; Gao, Zhenqing

2018-03-01

The application of visual recognition technology in industrial robot crawling and placing operation is one of the key tasks in the field of robot research. In order to improve the efficiency and intelligence of the material sorting in the production line, especially to realize the sorting of the scattered items, the robot target recognition and positioning crawling platform based on binocular vision is researched and developed. The images were collected by binocular camera, and the images were pretreated. Harris operator was used to identify the corners of the images. The Canny operator was used to identify the images. Hough-chain code recognition was used to identify the images. The target image in the image, obtain the coordinates of each vertex of the image, calculate the spatial position and posture of the target item, and determine the information needed to capture the movement and transmit it to the robot control crawling operation. Finally, In this paper, we use this method to experiment the wrapping problem in the express sorting process The experimental results show that the platform can effectively solve the problem of sorting of loose parts, so as to achieve the purpose of efficient and intelligent sorting.

Reusable split-aptamer-based biosensor for rapid detection of cocaine in serum by using an all-fiber evanescent wave optical biosensing platform.

PubMed

Tang, Yunfei; Long, Feng; Gu, Chunmei; Wang, Cheng; Han, Shitong; He, Miao

2016-08-24

A rapid, facile, and sensitive assay of cocaine in biological fluids is important to prevent illegal abuse of drugs. A two-step structure-switching aptasensor has been developed for cocaine detection based on evanescent wave optical biosensing platform. In the proposed biosensing platform, two tailored aptamer probes were used to construct the molecular structure switching. In the existence of cocaine, two fragments of cocaine aptamer formed a three-way junction quickly, and the fluorophore group of one fragment was effectively quenched by the quencher group of the other one. The tail of the three-way junction hybridized with the cDNA sequences immobilized on the optical fiber biosensor. Fluorescence was excited by evanescent wave, and the fluorescence signal was proportional to cocaine concentration. Cocaine was detected in 450 s (300 s for incubation and 150 s for detection and regeneration) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 165.2 nM. The proposed aptasensor was evaluated in human serum samples, and it exhibited good recovery, precision, and accuracy without complicated sample pretreatments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Conception preliminaire de disques de turbine axiale pour moteurs d'aeronefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouellet, Yannick

The preliminary design phase of a turbine rotor has an important impact on the architecture of a new engine definition, as it sets the technical orientation right from start and provides a good estimate of product performance, weight and cost. In addition, the execution speed at this preliminary phase has become critical into capturing business opportunities. Improving upfront accuracy also alleviates downstream detailed design work and therefore reduces overall product development cycle time. This preliminary phase contains elements slowing down its process, including low interoperability of currently used systems, incompatibility of software and ineffective management of data. In order to overcome these barriers, we have developed the first module of a new Design and Analysis (D&A) platform for the rotor disc. This complete platform ensures integration of different tools processing in batch mode, and is driven from a single graphical user interface. The platform developed has been linked with different optimization methods (algorithms, configuration) in order to automate the disc design and propose best practices for rotor structural optimization. This methodology allowed reduction in design cycle time and improvement of performance. It was applied on two reference P&WC axial discs. The platform's architecture was also used in the development of reference charts to better understand disc performance within given design space. Four high pressure rotor discs of P&WC turbofan and turboprop engines were used to generate the technical charts and understand the effect of various parameters. The new tools supporting disc D&A, combined with the optimization process and reference charts, has proven to be profitable in terms of component performance and engineering effort inputs.

Automatic Compilation from High-Level Biologically-Oriented Programming Language to Genetic Regulatory Networks

PubMed Central

Beal, Jacob; Lu, Ting; Weiss, Ron

2011-01-01

Background The field of synthetic biology promises to revolutionize our ability to engineer biological systems, providing important benefits for a variety of applications. Recent advances in DNA synthesis and automated DNA assembly technologies suggest that it is now possible to construct synthetic systems of significant complexity. However, while a variety of novel genetic devices and small engineered gene networks have been successfully demonstrated, the regulatory complexity of synthetic systems that have been reported recently has somewhat plateaued due to a variety of factors, including the complexity of biology itself and the lag in our ability to design and optimize sophisticated biological circuitry. Methodology/Principal Findings To address the gap between DNA synthesis and circuit design capabilities, we present a platform that enables synthetic biologists to express desired behavior using a convenient high-level biologically-oriented programming language, Proto. The high level specification is compiled, using a regulatory motif based mechanism, to a gene network, optimized, and then converted to a computational simulation for numerical verification. Through several example programs we illustrate the automated process of biological system design with our platform, and show that our compiler optimizations can yield significant reductions in the number of genes () and latency of the optimized engineered gene networks. Conclusions/Significance Our platform provides a convenient and accessible tool for the automated design of sophisticated synthetic biological systems, bridging an important gap between DNA synthesis and circuit design capabilities. Our platform is user-friendly and features biologically relevant compiler optimizations, providing an important foundation for the development of sophisticated biological systems. PMID:21850228

Automatic compilation from high-level biologically-oriented programming language to genetic regulatory networks.

PubMed

Beal, Jacob; Lu, Ting; Weiss, Ron

2011-01-01

The field of synthetic biology promises to revolutionize our ability to engineer biological systems, providing important benefits for a variety of applications. Recent advances in DNA synthesis and automated DNA assembly technologies suggest that it is now possible to construct synthetic systems of significant complexity. However, while a variety of novel genetic devices and small engineered gene networks have been successfully demonstrated, the regulatory complexity of synthetic systems that have been reported recently has somewhat plateaued due to a variety of factors, including the complexity of biology itself and the lag in our ability to design and optimize sophisticated biological circuitry. To address the gap between DNA synthesis and circuit design capabilities, we present a platform that enables synthetic biologists to express desired behavior using a convenient high-level biologically-oriented programming language, Proto. The high level specification is compiled, using a regulatory motif based mechanism, to a gene network, optimized, and then converted to a computational simulation for numerical verification. Through several example programs we illustrate the automated process of biological system design with our platform, and show that our compiler optimizations can yield significant reductions in the number of genes (~ 50%) and latency of the optimized engineered gene networks. Our platform provides a convenient and accessible tool for the automated design of sophisticated synthetic biological systems, bridging an important gap between DNA synthesis and circuit design capabilities. Our platform is user-friendly and features biologically relevant compiler optimizations, providing an important foundation for the development of sophisticated biological systems.

3D Printing and Biofabrication for Load Bearing Tissue Engineering.

PubMed

Jeong, Claire G; Atala, Anthony

2015-01-01

Cell-based direct biofabrication and 3D bioprinting is becoming a dominant technological platform and is suggested as a new paradigm for twenty-first century tissue engineering. These techniques may be our next step in surpassing the hurdles and limitations of conventional scaffold-based tissue engineering, and may offer the industrial potential of tissue engineered products especially for load bearing tissues. Here we present a topically focused review regarding the fundamental concepts, state of the art, and perspectives of this new technology and field of biofabrication and 3D bioprinting, specifically focused on tissue engineering of load bearing tissues such as bone, cartilage, osteochondral and dental tissue engineering.

Cascade Production of Lactic Acid from Universal Types of Sugars Catalyzed by Lanthanum Triflate.

PubMed

Liu, Dajiang; Kim, Kwang Ho; Sun, Jian; Simmons, Blake A; Singh, Seema

2018-02-09

Lignocellulosic biomass conversion into value-added platform chemicals in the non-toxic, water-tolerant Lewis acid, and water solutions bears the hallmark of green chemistry. Lactic acid derived from biomass is an important chemical building block for biodegradable polymers such as polylactide. Herein, a universal method of converting lignocellulosic sugars into lactic acid using catalytic amount of water-stable Lewis acid La(OTf) 3 is demonstrated. The lignocellulosic sugars studied in this work include 1) pyrolytic sugars from pyrolysis oil, and 2) sugars derived from ionic liquid (IL)-pretreated biomass. Under moderate conditions (250 °C, 1 h), levoglucosan (major pyrolytic sugar), glucose, and xylose were converted into lactic acid with carbon-based molar yields of 75, 74, and 61 %, respectively. Furthermore, roughly 49 mol % (based on levoglucosan) and 74 wt % (relative to pretreated biomass) of lactic acid were obtained from the conversion of pyrolytic sugars and sugar-rich fraction after lignin removal from switchgrass, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first reported conversion of pyrolytic sugar into lactic acid by chemocatalysis and also lignocellulosic sugars are converted into lactic acid without hydrolysis. This approach could potentially be extended to other lignocellulosic sugars after simple removal of lignin from biomass pretreatment, rendering moderate to high yields of lactic acid. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

20 CFR 619.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... inquiries and responses between SWAs. Major IT Modernization Project means conversion, re-engineering..., or upgrading software libraries, protocols, or hardware platform and infrastructure. These are...

A novel 3D bioprinted flexible and biocompatible hydrogel bioelectronic platform.

PubMed

Agarwala, Shweta; Lee, Jia Min; Ng, Wei Long; Layani, Michael; Yeong, Wai Yee; Magdassi, Shlomo

2018-04-15

Bioelectronics platforms are gaining widespread attention as they provide a template to study the interactions between biological species and electronics. Decoding the effect of the electrical signals on the cells and tissues holds the promise for treating the malignant tissue growth, regenerating organs and engineering new-age medical devices. This work is a step forward in this direction, where bio- and electronic materials co-exist on one platform without any need for post processing. We fabricate a freestanding and flexible hydrogel based platform using 3D bioprinting. The fabrication process is simple, easy and provides a flexible route to print materials with preferred shapes, size and spatial orientation. Through the design of interdigitated electrodes and heating coil, the platform can be tailored to print various circuits for different functionalities. The biocompatibility of the printed platform is tested using C2C12 murine myoblasts cell line. Furthermore, normal human dermal fibroblasts (primary cells) are also seeded on the platform to ascertain the compatibility. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Planetary-Scale Geospatial Data Analysis Techniques in Google's Earth Engine Platform (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hancher, M.

2013-12-01

Geoscientists have more and more access to new tools for large-scale computing. With any tool, some tasks are easy and other tasks hard. It is natural to look to new computing platforms to increase the scale and efficiency of existing techniques, but there is a more exiting opportunity to discover and develop a new vocabulary of fundamental analysis idioms that are made easy and effective by these new tools. Google's Earth Engine platform is a cloud computing environment for earth data analysis that combines a public data catalog with a large-scale computational facility optimized for parallel processing of geospatial data. The data catalog includes a nearly complete archive of scenes from Landsat 4, 5, 7, and 8 that have been processed by the USGS, as well as a wide variety of other remotely-sensed and ancillary data products. Earth Engine supports a just-in-time computation model that enables real-time preview during algorithm development and debugging as well as during experimental data analysis and open-ended data exploration. Data processing operations are performed in parallel across many computers in Google's datacenters. The platform automatically handles many traditionally-onerous data management tasks, such as data format conversion, reprojection, resampling, and associating image metadata with pixel data. Early applications of Earth Engine have included the development of Google's global cloud-free fifteen-meter base map and global multi-decadal time-lapse animations, as well as numerous large and small experimental analyses by scientists from a range of academic, government, and non-governmental institutions, working in a wide variety of application areas including forestry, agriculture, urban mapping, and species habitat modeling. Patterns in the successes and failures of these early efforts have begun to emerge, sketching the outlines of a new set of simple and effective approaches to geospatial data analysis.

Airborne platform effects on lasers and warning sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriksson, Markus; Eisele, Christian; Seiffer, Dirk; Sjöqvist, Lars; Togna, Fabio; Velluet, Marie-Thérèse

2017-10-01

Airborne platform effects on lasers and warning sensors (ALWS) has been a European collaborative research project to investigate the effects of platform-related turbulence on optical countermeasure systems, especially missile approach warning systems (MAWS) and directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM). Field trials have been carried out to study the turbulence effects around a hovering helicopter and behind a turboprop aircraft with engines running on the ground. In addition different methods for modelling the effects have been investigated. In the helicopter trials significant beam wander, scintillations and beam broadening were experienced by narrow divergence laser beams when passing through the down-wash of the hot engine exhaust gases. The measured effects considerably exceed the effects of atmospheric turbulence. Extraction of turbulence parameters for modelling of DIRCM-relevant scenarios show that in most cases the reduction of jamming power and distortion of jamming waveform can be expected to be small. The reduction of effects of turbulence is mainly related to the larger beam divergence and shorter Rayleigh length of DIRCM lasers compared to the experimental probe beams. Measurements using the turboprop platform confirm that tolerable effects on laser beam properties are found when the laser beam passes through the exhaust 15 m behind the outlet where the exhaust gases are starting to cool down. Modelling efforts have shown that time-resolved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations can be used to study properties of beam propagation in engine exhaust-related turbulence. Because of computational cost and the problem of validating the CFD results the use for system performance simulations is however difficult. The hot exhaust gases emitted from aircraft engines create extreme optical turbulence in a local region. The effects on countermeasure system performance depend both on the system parameters and on the threat characteristics. With present-day DIRCM systems, the effects of even severe turbulence are often tolerable.

The SCEC Broadband Platform: A Collaborative Open-Source Software Package for Strong Ground Motion Simulation and Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, F.; Maechling, P. J.; Goulet, C. A.; Somerville, P.; Jordan, T. H.

2014-12-01

The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Broadband Platform is a collaborative software development project involving geoscientists, earthquake engineers, graduate students, and the SCEC Community Modeling Environment. The SCEC Broadband Platform (BBP) is open-source scientific software that can generate broadband (0-100Hz) ground motions for earthquakes, integrating complex scientific modules that implement rupture generation, low and high-frequency seismogram synthesis, non-linear site effects calculation, and visualization into a software system that supports easy on-demand computation of seismograms. The Broadband Platform operates in two primary modes: validation simulations and scenario simulations. In validation mode, the Platform runs earthquake rupture and wave propagation modeling software to calculate seismograms for a well-observed historical earthquake. Then, the BBP calculates a number of goodness of fit measurements that quantify how well the model-based broadband seismograms match the observed seismograms for a certain event. Based on these results, the Platform can be used to tune and validate different numerical modeling techniques. In scenario mode, the Broadband Platform can run simulations for hypothetical (scenario) earthquakes. In this mode, users input an earthquake description, a list of station names and locations, and a 1D velocity model for their region of interest, and the Broadband Platform software then calculates ground motions for the specified stations. Working in close collaboration with scientists and research engineers, the SCEC software development group continues to add new capabilities to the Broadband Platform and to release new versions as open-source scientific software distributions that can be compiled and run on many Linux computer systems. Our latest release includes 5 simulation methods, 7 simulation regions covering California, Japan, and Eastern North America, the ability to compare simulation results against GMPEs, and several new data products, such as map and distance-based goodness of fit plots. As the number and complexity of scenarios simulated using the Broadband Platform increases, we have added batching utilities to substantially improve support for running large-scale simulations on computing clusters.

Facile fabrication of redox-responsive thiol-containing drug delivery system via RAFT polymerization.

PubMed

Zhuang, Yuanyuan; Su, Yue; Peng, Yu; Wang, Dali; Deng, Hongping; Xi, Xiaodong; Zhu, Xinyuan; Lu, Yunfeng

2014-04-14

A novel kind of redox-responsive polymeric drug delivery system has been designed and prepared successfully through the coupling of the multithiol branched polymers and thiol-containing drugs. The branched poly((S-(4-vinyl) benzyl S'-propyltrithiocarbonate)-co-(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate)) (poly(VBPT-co-PEGMA)) was synthesized by one-pot reaction via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization. Subsequently, the hydrophobic thiol-containing anticancer drug 6-mercaptopurine (MP) was conjugated to poly(VBPT-co-PEGMA) by thiol-disulfide exchange reaction, resulting in the formation of poly(VBPT-co-PEGMA)-S-S-MP conjugate. Due to its amphiphilicity, poly(VBPT-co-PEGMA)-S-S-MP conjugate self-assembled into amphiphilic micelles in aqueous solution. Under a reductive environment, the disassembly of polymeric micelles resulted in the MP release. Flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) measurements demonstrated that the poly(VBPT-co-PEGMA)-S-S-MP micelles could be taken up by Raji cells (a Burkitt lymphoma cell line). The viability of the Raji cells incubated with the glutathione (GSH) mediated poly(VBPT-co-PEGMA)-S-S-MP micelles was investigated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The experimental results showed that the viability of the glutathione monoester (GSH-OEt) pretreated cells was lower than that without pretreatment, while the viability of the buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) pretreated cells was higher than that without pretreatment. The poly(VBPT-co-PEGMA)-S-S-MP micelles could induce the apoptosis of Raji cells, and the apoptosis behavior was dose-dependent. This redox-responsive polymer-drug conjugate provides a promising platform for the delivery of thiol-containing biological molecules.

Rice straw pretreatment using deep eutectic solvents with different constituents molar ratios: Biomass fractionation, polysaccharides enzymatic digestion and solvent reuse.

PubMed

Li, Ao-Lin; Hou, Xue-Dan; Lin, Kai-Peng; Zhang, Xuan; Fu, Ming-Hui

2018-04-12

Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment with deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is a promising and challenging process for production of biofuels and valuable platform chemicals. In this work, rice straw was mainly fractionated into carbohydrate-rich materials (CRMs) and lignin-rich materials (LRMs) by 90% lactic acid/choline chloride (LC)-water solution with different molar ratio of hydrogen bond donor (HBD, lactic acid) and hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA, choline chloride). It was found that high HBD/HBA molar ratio of DESs was favorable for achieving CRMs and LRMs with high purity, and both HBD and HBA were responsible for effective biomass fractionation possibly due to their synergistic effect on highly efficient breakage of the linkage between hemicellulose and lignin and thus lignin extraction. About 30%-35% of lignin in native rice straw was fractionated as LRMs, and exceeding 70% of xylan were removed and fractionated into the liquid stream as forms of xylose, furfural and humins after pretreatment using aqueous LC (3:1, 5:1) solution. Consequently, polysaccharides enzymatic hydrolysis of the CRMs were significantly enhanced. Moreover, all the DESs could be recovered with high yields of around 90%, and 69% of the LC (3:1) was recovered after 5 cycles reuse at 90 °C. Besides, the recycled DES maintained a good pretreatment ability, and glucose yields of 60-70% were achieved in the enzymatic hydrolysis of CRMs obtained in each cycle. The facile process established in present work is promising for large scale production of fermentable sugars and other chemicals. Copyright © 2018 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

From Analysis to Impact: Challenges and Outcomes from Google's Cloud-based Platforms for Analyzing and Leveraging Petapixels of Geospatial Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thau, D.

2017-12-01

For the past seven years, Google has made petabytes of Earth observation data, and the tools to analyze it, freely available to researchers around the world via cloud computing. These data and tools were initially available via Google Earth Engine and are increasingly available on the Google Cloud Platform. We have introduced a number of APIs for both the analysis and presentation of geospatial data that have been successfully used to create impactful datasets and web applications, including studies of global surface water availability, global tree cover change, and crop yield estimation. Each of these projects used the cloud to analyze thousands to millions of Landsat scenes. The APIs support a range of publishing options, from outputting imagery and data for inclusion in papers, to providing tools for full scale web applications that provide analysis tools of their own. Over the course of developing these tools, we have learned a number of lessons about how to build a publicly available cloud platform for geospatial analysis, and about how the characteristics of an API can affect the kinds of impacts a platform can enable. This study will present an overview of how Google Earth Engine works and how Google's geospatial capabilities are extending to Google Cloud Platform. We will provide a number of case studies describing how these platforms, and the data they host, have been leveraged to build impactful decision support tools used by governments, researchers, and other institutions, and we will describe how the available APIs have shaped (or constrained) those tools. [Image Credit: Tyler A. Erickson

Novel predictive models for metabolic syndrome risk: a "big data" analytic approach.

PubMed

Steinberg, Gregory B; Church, Bruce W; McCall, Carol J; Scott, Adam B; Kalis, Brian P

2014-06-01

We applied a proprietary "big data" analytic platform--Reverse Engineering and Forward Simulation (REFS)--to dimensions of metabolic syndrome extracted from a large data set compiled from Aetna's databases for 1 large national customer. Our goals were to accurately predict subsequent risk of metabolic syndrome and its various factors on both a population and individual level. The study data set included demographic, medical claim, pharmacy claim, laboratory test, and biometric screening results for 36,944 individuals. The platform reverse-engineered functional models of systems from diverse and large data sources and provided a simulation framework for insight generation. The platform interrogated data sets from the results of 2 Comprehensive Metabolic Syndrome Screenings (CMSSs) as well as complete coverage records; complete data from medical claims, pharmacy claims, and lab results for 2010 and 2011; and responses to health risk assessment questions. The platform predicted subsequent risk of metabolic syndrome, both overall and by risk factor, on population and individual levels, with ROC/AUC varying from 0.80 to 0.88. We demonstrated that improving waist circumference and blood glucose yielded the largest benefits on subsequent risk and medical costs. We also showed that adherence to prescribed medications and, particularly, adherence to routine scheduled outpatient doctor visits, reduced subsequent risk. The platform generated individualized insights using available heterogeneous data within 3 months. The accuracy and short speed to insight with this type of analytic platform allowed Aetna to develop targeted cost-effective care management programs for individuals with or at risk for metabolic syndrome.

Fuel Testing for Sylvatex: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-16-636

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

Burton, Jonathan L.

Sylvatex is a green nano-chemistry company that has developed a platform technology utilizing renewable, non-toxic inputs to create a stable nanoparticle that can be used in multiple applications. Their mission is to increase the use of renewables globally, to empower a cleaner and healthier future. The main application is a fuel technology product - MicroX - that utilizes proprietary knowledge to scale low-cost, cleaner-burning renewable diesel fuel and additives by using a co-location commercial model. The aspects of this project will include testing of two Sylvatex MicroX fuels on an engine dynamometer platform. Industry standard ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) B3more » fuel and a ULSD B20 will both be used for comparison of the Sylvatex fuels (U.S. standard diesel fuel at the pump contains an average of approximately 3% biodiesel; this is why B3 would be used as a baseline comparison). Sylvatex is currently using a prototype formulation (MicroX 1) that applies a high cost surfactant. An experimental formulation (MicroX 2) that uses lower cost materials is under development. The MicroX 1 will be blended at a 10% level into the B3 ULSD fuel and the MicroX 2 will be blended at a 10% level into both the B3 and the B20 ULSD fuels for study on the engine dynamometer test platform. All fuel blends will be tested over the FTP transient engine test cycle and a steady state ramped modal engine test cycle. Each test cycle will be performed a minimum of 3 times for each fuel. Tailpipe and/or engine out gaseous exhaust emissions (CO2, CO, NOx, THC, O2,), engine out PM emissions, and brake-specific fuel consumption rates will be evaluated for all test cycles.« less

10th Annual Systems Engineering Conference: Volume 2 Wednesday

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-25

intelligently optimize resource performance. Self - Healing Detect hardware/software failures and reconfigure to permit continued operations. Self ...Types Wake Ice WEAPON/PLATFORM ACOUSTICS Self -Noise Radiated Noise Beam Forming Pulse Types Submarines, surface ships, and platform sensors P r o p P r o...Computing Self -Protecting Detect internal/external attacks and protect it’s resources from exploitation. Self -Optimizing Detect sub-optimal behaviors and

The Shock and Vibration Bulletin. Part 2. Structural Analysis, Design Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-06-01

FLOATING SHOCK PLATFORM SUBJECTED TO UNDERWATER EXPLOSIONS R. P. Brooks, and B. C, McNalght Naval Air Engineering Center Philadelphia, Pa, A lumped...Lohwasser, Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Wright -Patterson APB, Ohio AN ALGORITHM FOR SEMI-INVERSE ANALYSIS OF NONLINEAR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS ... 65 R...MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF A TYPICAL.FOATING SHOCK PLATFORM SSUBJECTED TO-UNDERWATE- EXPLOSIONS .......... ...................... 143 R. P. Brooks and B. C

Security Engineering Pilot

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-28

needed to detect and isolate the compromised component • Prevent a cyber attack exploit from reading enough information to form a coherent data set...Analysis Signal Copy Selected Sub-Bands • Gimbaled, Stabilized EO/IR Camera Ball • High Precision GPS & INS (eventual swarm capable inter-UAV coherent ... LIDAR , HSI, Chem-Bio • Multi-Platform Distributed Sensor Experiments (eg, MIMO) • Autonomous & Collaborative Multi-Platform Control • Space for

Hardware-Assisted Large-Scale Neuroevolution for Multiagent Learning

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-30

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: This DURIP equipment award was used to purchase, install, and bring on-line two Berkeley Emulation Engines ( BEEs ) and two...mini- BEE machines to establish an FPGA-based high-performance multiagent training platform and its associated software. This acquisition of BEE4-W...Platform; Probabilistic Domain Transformation; Hardware-Assisted; FPGA; BEE ; Hive Brain; Multiagent. REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S

49 CFR 571.404 - Standard No. 404; Platform lift installations in motor vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... vehicle, with the vehicle's HVAC system turned off, for a minimum of 20 minutes, after which the engine is... Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 403, Lift Systems for Motor Vehicles (49 CFR 571.403). S4.1.2Lift... Safety Standard No. 403, Lift Systems for Motor Vehicles (49 CFR 571.403). S4.1.3Platform lifts must be...

49 CFR 571.404 - Standard No. 404; Platform lift installations in motor vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... vehicle, with the vehicle's HVAC system turned off, for a minimum of 20 minutes, after which the engine is... Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 403, Lift Systems for Motor Vehicles (49 CFR 571.403). S4.1.2Lift... Safety Standard No. 403, Lift Systems for Motor Vehicles (49 CFR 571.403). S4.1.3Platform lifts must be...

49 CFR 571.404 - Standard No. 404; Platform lift installations in motor vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... vehicle, with the vehicle's HVAC system turned off, for a minimum of 20 minutes, after which the engine is... Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 403, Lift Systems for Motor Vehicles (49 CFR 571.403). S4.1.2Lift... Safety Standard No. 403, Lift Systems for Motor Vehicles (49 CFR 571.403). S4.1.3Platform lifts must be...

Constructing Training Demonstrations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-16

evaluates approaches and platforms to be employed for demonstrations, such as film, video , computer-based training, videogames , and simulations [10...environments using 3-D multiplayer gaming technologies. Together these avenues inform our effort to create demonstrations for Army curricula. 1 2 TABLE OF...space of technology platforms with a focus on 3-D game engines. With these two pieces of work in mind, we examine team training applications for

Rapid optimization of enzyme mixtures for deconstruction of diverse pretreatment/biomass feedstock combinations.

PubMed

Banerjee, Goutami; Car, Suzana; Scott-Craig, John S; Borrusch, Melissa S; Walton, Jonathan D

2010-10-12

Enzymes for plant cell wall deconstruction are a major cost in the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass. The goal of this research was to develop optimized synthetic mixtures of enzymes for multiple pretreatment/substrate combinations using our high-throughput biomass digestion platform, GENPLAT, which combines robotic liquid handling, statistical experimental design and automated Glc and Xyl assays. Proportions of six core fungal enzymes (CBH1, CBH2, EG1, β-glucosidase, a GH10 endo-β1,4-xylanase, and β-xylosidase) were optimized at a fixed enzyme loading of 15 mg/g glucan for release of Glc and Xyl from all combinations of five biomass feedstocks (corn stover, switchgrass, Miscanthus, dried distillers' grains plus solubles [DDGS] and poplar) subjected to three alkaline pretreatments (AFEX, dilute base [0.25% NaOH] and alkaline peroxide [AP]). A 16-component mixture comprising the core set plus 10 accessory enzymes was optimized for three pretreatment/substrate combinations. Results were compared to the performance of two commercial enzymes (Accellerase 1000 and Spezyme CP) at the same protein loadings. When analyzed with GENPLAT, corn stover gave the highest yields of Glc with commercial enzymes and with the core set with all pretreatments, whereas corn stover, switchgrass and Miscanthus gave comparable Xyl yields. With commercial enzymes and with the core set, yields of Glc and Xyl were highest for grass stovers pretreated by AP compared to AFEX or dilute base. Corn stover, switchgrass and DDGS pretreated with AFEX and digested with the core set required a higher proportion of endo-β1,4-xylanase (EX3) and a lower proportion of endo-β1,4-glucanase (EG1) compared to the same materials pretreated with dilute base or AP. An optimized enzyme mixture containing 16 components (by addition of α-glucuronidase, a GH11 endoxylanase [EX2], Cel5A, Cel61A, Cip1, Cip2, β-mannanase, amyloglucosidase, α-arabinosidase, and Cel12A to the core set) was determined for AFEX-pretreated corn stover, DDGS, and AP-pretreated corn stover. The optimized mixture for AP-corn stover contained more exo-β1,4-glucanase (i.e., the sum of CBH1 + CBH2) and less endo-β1,4-glucanase (EG1 + Cel5A) than the optimal mixture for AFEX-corn stover. Amyloglucosidase and β-mannanase were the two most important enzymes for release of Glc from DDGS but were not required (i.e., 0% optimum) for corn stover subjected to AP or AFEX. As a function of enzyme loading over the range 0 to 30 mg/g glucan, Glc release from AP-corn stover reached a plateau of 60-70% Glc yield at a lower enzyme loading (5-10 mg/g glucan) than AFEX-corn stover. Accellerase 1000 was superior to Spezyme CP, the core set or the 16-component mixture for Glc yield at 12 h, but the 16-component set was as effective as the commercial enzyme mixtures at 48 h. The results in this paper demonstrate that GENPLAT can be used to rapidly produce enzyme cocktails for specific pretreatment/biomass combinations. Pretreatment conditions and feedstock source both influence the Glc and Xyl yields as well as optimal enzyme proportions. It is predicted that it will be possible to improve synthetic enzyme mixtures further by the addition of additional accessory enzymes.

Forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing identifies novel gene targets for improving heterologous enzyme production in Aspergillus niger

DOE PAGES

Reilly, Morgann C.; Kim, Joonhoon; Lynn, Jed; ...

2018-01-06

Plant biomass, once reduced to its composite sugars, can be converted to fuel substitutes. One means of overcoming the recalcitrance of lignocellulose is pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. However, currently available commercial enzyme cocktails are inhibited in the presence of residual pretreatment chemicals. Recent studies have identified a number of cellulolytic enzymes from bacteria that are tolerant to pretreatment chemicals such as ionic liquids. The challenge now is generation of these enzymes in copious amounts, an arena where fungal organisms such as Aspergillus niger have proven efficient. Fungal host strains still need to be engineered to increase production titers ofmore » heterologous protein over native enzymes, which has been a difficult task. Here, we developed a forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing to identify specific lesions responsible for a protein hyper-production phenotype in A. niger. As a result, this strategy successfully identified novel targets, including a low-affinity glucose transporter, MstC, whose deletion significantly improved secretion of recombinant proteins driven by a glucoamylase promoter.« less

Forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing identifies novel gene targets for improving heterologous enzyme production in Aspergillus niger

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

Reilly, Morgann C.; Kim, Joonhoon; Lynn, Jed

Plant biomass, once reduced to its composite sugars, can be converted to fuel substitutes. One means of overcoming the recalcitrance of lignocellulose is pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. However, currently available commercial enzyme cocktails are inhibited in the presence of residual pretreatment chemicals. Recent studies have identified a number of cellulolytic enzymes from bacteria that are tolerant to pretreatment chemicals such as ionic liquids. The challenge now is generation of these enzymes in copious amounts, an arena where fungal organisms such as Aspergillus niger have proven efficient. Fungal host strains still need to be engineered to increase production titers ofmore » heterologous protein over native enzymes, which has been a difficult task. Here, we developed a forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing to identify specific lesions responsible for a protein hyper-production phenotype in A. niger. This strategy successfully identified novel targets, including a low-affinity glucose transporter, MstC, whose deletion significantly improved secretion of recombinant proteins driven by a glucoamylase promoter.« less

Forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing identifies novel gene targets for improving heterologous enzyme production in Aspergillus niger

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

Reilly, Morgann C.; Kim, Joonhoon; Lynn, Jed

Plant biomass, once reduced to its composite sugars, can be converted to fuel substitutes. One means of overcoming the recalcitrance of lignocellulose is pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. However, currently available commercial enzyme cocktails are inhibited in the presence of residual pretreatment chemicals. Recent studies have identified a number of cellulolytic enzymes from bacteria that are tolerant to pretreatment chemicals such as ionic liquids. The challenge now is generation of these enzymes in copious amounts, an arena where fungal organisms such as Aspergillus niger have proven efficient. Fungal host strains still need to be engineered to increase production titers ofmore » heterologous protein over native enzymes, which has been a difficult task. Here, we developed a forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing to identify specific lesions responsible for a protein hyper-production phenotype in A. niger. As a result, this strategy successfully identified novel targets, including a low-affinity glucose transporter, MstC, whose deletion significantly improved secretion of recombinant proteins driven by a glucoamylase promoter.« less

Forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing identifies novel gene targets for improving heterologous enzyme production in Aspergillus niger

DOE PAGES

Reilly, Morgann C.; Kim, Joonhoon; Lynn, Jed; ...

2018-01-06

Plant biomass, once reduced to its composite sugars, can be converted to fuel substitutes. One means of overcoming the recalcitrance of lignocellulose is pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. However, currently available commercial enzyme cocktails are inhibited in the presence of residual pretreatment chemicals. Recent studies have identified a number of cellulolytic enzymes from bacteria that are tolerant to pretreatment chemicals such as ionic liquids. The challenge now is generation of these enzymes in copious amounts, an arena where fungal organisms such as Aspergillus niger have proven efficient. Fungal host strains still need to be engineered to increase production titers ofmore » heterologous protein over native enzymes, which has been a difficult task. Here, we developed a forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing to identify specific lesions responsible for a protein hyper-production phenotype in A. niger. This strategy successfully identified novel targets, including a low-affinity glucose transporter, MstC, whose deletion significantly improved secretion of recombinant proteins driven by a glucoamylase promoter.« less

Value Proposition of Department of Defense Domestic Technology Transfer

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-15

Directorate NASA Langley Research Center and Boundary Layer Research, Inc., Everett, WA CRADA/PLA Complete Trivalent Chromium Pretreatment Naval Air...Dynamics Directorate NASA Langley Research Center and Boundary Layer Research, Inc., Everett, WA CRADA/PLA Trivalent Chromium Processes Naval Air...Warfare Systems Center, Pacific Various CRADA On-Hold Safety Welding Cart Air Force Training Device Design and Engineering Center Spika Welding

Reform and practice for photoelectric specialty experimental teaching based on virtual simulation experiment platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Yan; Lv, Qingsong; Wu, Maocheng; Xu, Yishen; Gu, Jihua

2017-08-01

In view of some problems about the traditional photoelectric specialty experimental teaching process, such as separation of theoretical teaching and practical teaching, immobilization of experimental teaching contents, low quality of experiments and no obvious effect, we explored and practiced a new experimental teaching model of "theoretical teaching, virtual simulation and physical experiment", which combined the characteristics of photoelectric information science and engineering major and the essential requirements of engineering innovation talents cultivation. The virtual simulation experiment platform has many advantages, such as high performance-to-price ratio, easy operation and open experimental process, which makes virtual simulation combine physical experiment, complete each other with virtual for practical. After the users log into the virtual simulation experimental platform, they will first study the contents of the experiment, clarify the purpose and requirements of the experiment, master the method of using the instrument and the relevant notes, and then use the experimental instruments provided by the platform to build the corresponding experimental system. Once the experimenter's optical path is set incorrectly or the instrument parameters are set incorrectly, the error or warning message will be automatically triggered, and the reference information will be given instructing the student to complete the correct experimental operation. The results of our practice in recent years show that the teaching reform of the photoelectric specialty experiments has not only brought great convenience to the experimental teaching management, broadened the students' thinking and vision, enhanced the students' experimental skills and comprehensive qualities, but also made the students participate in the experiment with their enthusiasm. During the construction of experiment programs, the students' engineering practical ability and independent innovation awareness has been improved greatly. In the next time, based on the development trend of optoelectronic discipline and our own major characteristics, we will further perfect and enrich the construction of virtual simulation experimental platform and continuously improve the quality of experimental teaching.

Avionics and Power Management for Low-Cost High-Altitude Balloon Science Platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chin, Jeffrey; Roberts, Anthony; McNatt, Jeremiah

2016-01-01

High-altitude balloons (HABs) have become popular as educational and scientific platforms for planetary research. This document outlines key components for missions where low cost and rapid development are desired. As an alternative to ground-based vacuum and thermal testing, these systems can be flight tested at comparable costs. Communication, solar, space, and atmospheric sensing experiments often require environments where ground level testing can be challenging or impossible in certain cases. When performing HAB research the ability to monitor the status of the platform and gather data is key for both scientific and recoverability aspects of the mission. A few turnkey platform solutions are outlined that leverage rapidly evolving open-source engineering ecosystems. Rather than building custom components from scratch, these recommendations attempt to maximize simplicity and cost of HAB platforms to make launches more accessible to everyone.

Smart CEI Moncloa: An IoT-based Platform for People Flow and Environmental Monitoring on a Smart University Campus

PubMed Central

Vázquez, Enrique

2017-01-01

Internet of Things platforms for Smart Cities are technologically complex and deploying them at large scale involves high costs and risks. Therefore, pilot schemes that allow validating proof of concepts, experimenting with different technologies and services, and fine-tuning them before migrating them to actual scenarios, are especially important in this context. The IoT platform deployed across the engineering schools of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in the Moncloa Campus of International Excellence represents a good example of a test bench for experimentation with Smart City services. This paper presents the main features of this platform, putting special emphasis on the technological challenges faced and on the solutions adopted, as well as on the functionality, services and potential that the platform offers. PMID:29292790

Smart CEI Moncloa: An IoT-based Platform for People Flow and Environmental Monitoring on a Smart University Campus.

PubMed

Alvarez-Campana, Manuel; López, Gregorio; Vázquez, Enrique; Villagrá, Víctor A; Berrocal, Julio

2017-12-08

Internet of Things platforms for Smart Cities are technologically complex and deploying them at large scale involves high costs and risks. Therefore, pilot schemes that allow validating proof of concepts, experimenting with different technologies and services, and fine-tuning them before migrating them to actual scenarios, are especially important in this context. The IoT platform deployed across the engineering schools of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in the Moncloa Campus of International Excellence represents a good example of a test bench for experimentation with Smart City services. This paper presents the main features of this platform, putting special emphasis on the technological challenges faced and on the solutions adopted, as well as on the functionality, services and potential that the platform offers.

The responsibilities of engineers.

PubMed

Smith, Justin; Gardoni, Paolo; Murphy, Colleen

2014-06-01

Knowledge of the responsibilities of engineers is the foundation for answering ethical questions about the work of engineers. This paper defines the responsibilities of engineers by considering what constitutes the nature of engineering as a particular form of activity. Specifically, this paper focuses on the ethical responsibilities of engineers qua engineers. Such responsibilities refer to the duties acquired in virtue of being a member of a group. We examine the practice of engineering, drawing on the idea of practices developed by philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, and show how the idea of a practice is important for identifying and justifying the responsibilities of engineers. To demonstrate the contribution that knowledge of the responsibilities of engineers makes to engineering ethics, a case study from structural engineering is discussed. The discussion of the failure of the Sleipner A Platform off the coast of Norway in 1991 demonstrates how the responsibilities of engineers can be derived from knowledge of the nature of engineering and its context.

49 CFR 579.21 - Reporting requirements for manufacturers of 5,000 or more light vehicles annually.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., 05 parking brake, 06 engine and engine cooling system, 07 fuel system, 10 power train, 11 electrical... model, the model year, the type, the platform, the fuel and/or propulsion system type coded as follows: CNG (compressed natural gas), CIF (compression ignition fuel), EBP (electric battery power), FCP (fuel...

Experiences in Digital Circuit Design Courses: A Self-Study Platform for Learning Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bañeres, David; Clarisó, Robert; Jorba, Josep; Serra, Montse

2014-01-01

The synthesis of digital circuits is a basic skill in all the bachelor programmes around the ICT area of knowledge, such as Computer Science, Telecommunication Engineering or Electrical Engineering. An important hindrance in the learning process of this skill is that the existing educational tools for the design of circuits do not allow the…

A Middleware Platform for Providing Mobile and Embedded Computing Instruction to Software Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattmann, C. A.; Medvidovic, N.; Malek, S.; Edwards, G.; Banerjee, S.

2012-01-01

As embedded software systems have grown in number, complexity, and importance in the modern world, a corresponding need to teach computer science students how to effectively engineer such systems has arisen. Embedded software systems, such as those that control cell phones, aircraft, and medical equipment, are subject to requirements and…

Assessing Students' Sentiments towards the Use of a Building Information Modelling (BIM) Learning Platform in a Construction Project Management Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suwal, Sunil; Singh, Vishal

2018-01-01

Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools and processes are increasingly adopted and implemented in the construction industry. Consequently, BIM education is considered increasingly important in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) education. While most of the research and literature on BIM education in engineering studies has focused…

A Strategic Plan of Academic Management System as Preparation for EAC Accreditation Visit--From UKM Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ab-Rahman, Mohammad Syuhaimi; Yusoff, Abdul Rahman Mohd; Abdul, Nasrul Amir; Hipni, Afiq

2015-01-01

Development of a robust platform is important to ensure that the engineering accreditation process can run smoothly, completely and the most important is to fulfill the criteria requirements. In case of Malaysia, the preparation for EAC (Engineering Accreditation Committee) assessment required a good strategic plan of academic management system…

Lessons from the Army’s Future Combat Systems Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

FCS, from the Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama, to the Chemical and Engineer Schools at Fort Leonard Wood , Mis- souri.75 The objective was to...Engineer) and Robert Woods (MGV LSI Chief Engineer), “MGV Platform Review,” circa February 2009. Not available to the general public. 22 Daniel Wasserbly...Acquisition Decision Memo- randum,” memorandum for Secretary of the Army, June 23, 2009. 59 Matt Donohue, Kris Gardner, and Major Scot Greig, “Future Combat

Engineering Management Board tour Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-22

All the heads of engineering from across the country come together at KSC for a bi-annual face to face meeting to discuss roles, progress and capabilities. The two day meeting helps to ensure a unified focus in all engineering endevours, especially those that involve intercenter collaboration such as upcoming launch of SLS and Orion. The group toured level 1 and 28 of highbay 3 of the VAB on Wednesday, March 22 to look over the newly installed platforms.

Production of taxadiene by engineering of mevalonate pathway in Escherichia coli and endophytic fungus Alternaria alternata TPF6.

PubMed

Bian, Guangkai; Yuan, Yujie; Tao, Hui; Shi, Xiaofei; Zhong, Xiaofang; Han, Yichao; Fu, Shuai; Fang, Chengxiang; Deng, Zixin; Liu, Tiangang

2017-04-01

Taxol (paclitaxel) is a diterpenoid compound with significant and extensive applications in the treatment of cancer. The production of Taxol and relevant intermediates by engineered microbes is an attractive alternative to the semichemical synthesis of Taxol. In this study, based on a previously developed platform, the authors first established taxadiene production in mutant E. coli T2 and T4 by engineering of the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. The authors then developed an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) method and verified the strength of heterologous promoters in Alternaria alternata TPF6. The authors next transformed the taxadiene-producing platform into A. alternata TPF6, and the MVA pathway was engineered, with introduction of the plant taxadiene-forming gene. Notably, by co-overexpression of isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (Idi), a truncated version of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (tHMG1), and taxadiene synthase (TS), the authors could detect 61.9 ± 6.3 μg/L taxadiene in the engineered strain GB127. This is the first demonstration of taxadiene production in filamentous fungi, and the approach presented in this study provides a new method for microbial production of Taxol. The well-established ATMT method and the known promoter strengths facilitated further engineering of taxaenes in this fungus. Copyright © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Water recovery and management test support modeling for Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mohamadinejad, Habib; Bacskay, Allen S.

1990-01-01

The water-recovery and management (WRM) subsystem proposed for the Space Station Freedom program is outlined, and its computerized modeling and simulation based on a Computer Aided System Engineering and Analysis (CASE/A) program are discussed. A WRM test model consisting of a pretreated urine processing (TIMES), hygiene water processing (RO), RO brine processing using TIMES, and hygiene water storage is presented. Attention is drawn to such end-user equipment characteristics as the shower, dishwasher, clotheswasher, urine-collection facility, and handwash. The transient behavior of pretreated-urine, RO waste-hygiene, and RO brine tanks is assessed, as well as the total input/output to or from the system. The model is considered to be beneficial for pretest analytical predictions as a program cost-saving feature.

Contingency Contractor Optimization Phase 3 Sustainment Platform Requirements - Contingency Contractor Optimization Tool - Prototype

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

Durfee, Justin David; Frazier, Christopher Rawls; Bandlow, Alisa

Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) is in Phase 3 Sustainment of development of a prototype tool, currently referred to as the Contingency Contractor Optimization Tool - Prototype (CCOTP), under the direction of OSD Program Support. CCOT-P is intended to help provide senior Department of Defense (DoD) leaders with comprehensive insight into the global availability, readiness and capabilities of the Total Force Mix. The CCOT-P will allow senior decision makers to quickly and accurately assess the impacts, risks and mitigating strategies for proposed changes to force/capabilities assignments, apportionments and allocations options, focusing specifically on contingency contractor planning. During Phase 2 of themore » program, conducted during fiscal year 2012, Sandia developed an electronic storyboard prototype of the Contingency Contractor Optimization Tool that can be used for communication with senior decision makers and other Operational Contract Support (OCS) stakeholders. Phase 3 used feedback from demonstrations of the electronic storyboard prototype to develop an engineering prototype for planners to evaluate. Sandia worked with the DoD and Joint Chiefs of Staff strategic planning community to get feedback and input to ensure that the engineering prototype was developed to closely align with future planning needs. The intended deployment environment was also a key consideration as this prototype was developed. Initial release of the engineering prototype was done on servers at Sandia in the middle of Phase 3. In 2013, the tool was installed on a production pilot server managed by the OUSD(AT&L) eBusiness Center. The purpose of this document is to specify the CCOT-P engineering prototype platform requirements as of May 2016. Sandia developed the CCOT-P engineering prototype using common technologies to minimize the likelihood of deployment issues. CCOT-P engineering prototype was architected and designed to be as independent as possible of the major deployment components such as the server hardware, the server operating system, the database, and the web server. This document describes the platform requirements, the architecture, and the implementation details of the CCOT-P engineering prototype.« less

DSCOVR_NISTAR_L1A

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-05-05

... Raw and calibrated radiometer science and engineering data. Project Title:  DSCOVR Discipline:  ... Level:  L1 Platform:  DEEP SPACE CLIMATE OBSERVATORY Instrument:  PHOTODIODE RADIOMETER ...

Artificial membrane-binding proteins stimulate oxygenation of stem cells during engineering of large cartilage tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, James P. K.; Shakur, Rameen; Horne, Joseph P.; Dickinson, Sally C.; Armstrong, Craig T.; Lau, Katherine; Kadiwala, Juned; Lowe, Robert; Seddon, Annela; Mann, Stephen; Anderson, J. L. Ross; Perriman, Adam W.; Hollander, Anthony P.

2015-06-01

Restricted oxygen diffusion can result in central cell necrosis in engineered tissue, a problem that is exacerbated when engineering large tissue constructs for clinical application. Here we show that pre-treating human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) with synthetic membrane-active myoglobin-polymer-surfactant complexes can provide a reservoir of oxygen capable of alleviating necrosis at the centre of hyaline cartilage. This is achieved through the development of a new cell functionalization methodology based on polymer-surfactant conjugation, which allows the delivery of functional proteins to the hMSC membrane. This new approach circumvents the need for cell surface engineering using protein chimerization or genetic transfection, and we demonstrate that the surface-modified hMSCs retain their ability to proliferate and to undergo multilineage differentiation. The functionalization technology is facile, versatile and non-disruptive, and in addition to tissue oxygenation, it should have far-reaching application in a host of tissue engineering and cell-based therapies.

Proceedings of the fifth international offshore mechanics and Arctic engineering (OMAE) symposium. Volume 4

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

Lunardini, V.J.; Wang, Y.S.; Ayorinde, O.A.

1986-01-01

This book presents the papers given at a symposium on offshore platforms. Topics considered at the symposium included climates, Arctic regions, hydrate formation, the buckling of heated oil pipelines in frozen ground, icebergs, concretes, air cushion vehicles, mobile offshore drilling units, tanker ships, ice-induced dynamic loads, adfreeze forces on offshore platforms, and multiyear ice floe collision with a massive offshore structure.

Conducting Automated Test Assembly Using the Premium Solver Platform Version 7.0 with Microsoft Excel and the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine Add-In

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cor, Ken; Alves, Cecilia; Gierl, Mark J.

2008-01-01

This review describes and evaluates a software add-in created by Frontline Systems, Inc., that can be used with Microsoft Excel 2007 to solve large, complex test assembly problems. The combination of Microsoft Excel 2007 with the Frontline Systems Premium Solver Platform is significant because Microsoft Excel is the most commonly used spreadsheet…

Transgenic mouse strains as platforms for the successful discovery and development of human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.

PubMed

Green, Larry L

2014-03-01

Transgenic mice have yielded seven of the ten currently-approved human antibody drugs, making them the most successful platform for the discovery of fully human antibody therapeutics. The use of the in vivo immune system helps drive this success by taking advantage of the natural selection process that produces antibodies with desirable characteristics. Appropriately genetically-engineered mice act as robust engines for the generation of diverse repertoires of affinity- matured fully human variable regions with intrinsic properties necessary for successful antibody drug development including high potency, specificity, manufacturability, solubility and low risk of immunogenicity. A broad range of mAb drug targets are addressable in these mice, comprising both secreted and transmembrane targets, including membrane multi-spanning targets, as well as human target antigens that share high sequence identity with their mouse orthologue. Transgenic mice can routinely yield antibodies with sub-nanomolar binding affinity for their antigen, with lead candidate mAbs frequently possessing affinities for binding to their target of less than 100 picomolar, without requiring any ex vivo affinity optimization. While the originator transgenic mice platforms are no longer broadly available, a new generation of transgenic platforms is in development for discovery of the next wave of human therapeutic antibodies.

Strategic deployment of CHO expression platforms to deliver Pfizer's Monoclonal Antibody Portfolio.

PubMed

Scarcelli, John J; Shang, Tanya Q; Iskra, Tim; Allen, Martin J; Zhang, Lin

2017-11-01

Development of stable cell lines for expression of large-molecule therapeutics represents a significant portion of the time and effort required to advance a molecule to enabling regulatory toxicology studies and clinical evaluation. Our development strategy employs two different approaches for cell line development based on the needs of a particular project: a random integration approach for projects where high-level expression is critical, and a site-specific integration approach for projects in which speed and reduced employee time spend is a necessity. Here we describe both our random integration and site-specific integration platforms and their applications in support of monoclonal antibody development and production. We also compare product quality attributes of monoclonal antibodies produced with a nonclonal cell pool or clonal cell lines derived from the two platforms. Our data suggests that material source (pools vs. clones) does not significantly alter the examined product quality attributes. Our current practice is to leverage this observation with our site-specific integration platform, where material generated from cell pools is used for an early molecular assessment of a given candidate to make informed decisions around development strategy. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:1463-1467, 2017. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

2D and 3D virtual interactive laboratories of physics on Unity platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, J. D.; Escobar, J. H.; Sánchez, H.; De la Hoz, J.; Beltrán, J. R.

2017-12-01

Using the cross-platform game engine Unity, we develop virtual laboratories for PC, consoles, mobile devices and website as an innovative tool to study physics. There is extensive uptake of ICT in the teaching of science and its impact on the learning, and considering the limited availability of laboratories for physics teaching and the difficulties this causes in the learning of school students, we design the virtual laboratories to enhance studentâĂŹs knowledge of concepts in physics. To achieve this goal, we use Unity due to provide support bump mapping, reflection mapping, parallax mapping, dynamics shadows using shadows maps, full-screen post-processing effects and render-to-texture. Unity can use the best variant for the current video hardware and, if none are compatible, to use an alternative shader that may sacrifice features for performance. The control over delivery to mobile devices, web browsers, consoles and desktops is the main reason Unity is the best option among the same kind cross-platform. Supported platforms include Android, Apple TV, Linux, iOS, Nintendo 3DS line, macOS, PlayStation 4, Windows Phone 8, Wii but also an asset server and Nvidia’s PhysX physics engine which is the most relevant tool on Unity for our PhysLab.

Isoprene Production on Enzymatic Hydrolysate of Peanut Hull Using Different Pretreatment Methods.

PubMed

Wang, Sumeng; Li, Ruichao; Yi, Xiaohua; Fang, Tigao; Yang, Jianming; Bae, Hyeun-Jong

2016-01-01

The present study is about the use of peanut hull for isoprene production. In this study, two pretreatment methods, hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid (HPAC) and popping, were employed prior to enzymatic hydrolysis, which could destroy the lignocellulosic structure and accordingly improve the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. It is proven that the isoprene production on enzymatic hydrolysate with HPAC pretreatment is about 1.9-fold higher than that of popping pretreatment. Moreover, through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the amount and category of inhibitors such as formic acid, acetic acid, and HMF were assayed and were varied in different enzymatic hydrolysates, which may be the reason leading to a decrease in isoprene production during fermentation. To further increase the isoprene yield, the enzymatic hydrolysate of HPAC was detoxified by activated carbon. As a result, using the detoxified enzymatic hydrolysate as the carbon source, the engineered strain YJM21 could accumulate 297.5 mg/L isoprene, which accounted for about 90% of isoprene production by YJM21 fermented on pure glucose (338.6 mg/L). This work is thought to be the first attempt on isoprene production by E. coli using peanut hull as the feedstock. More importantly, it also shows the prospect of peanut hull to be considered as an alternative feedstock for bio-based chemicals or biofuels production due to its easy access and high polysaccharide content.

Isoprene Production on Enzymatic Hydrolysate of Peanut Hull Using Different Pretreatment Methods

PubMed Central

Wang, Sumeng; Li, Ruichao; Yi, Xiaohua; Fang, Tigao

2016-01-01

The present study is about the use of peanut hull for isoprene production. In this study, two pretreatment methods, hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid (HPAC) and popping, were employed prior to enzymatic hydrolysis, which could destroy the lignocellulosic structure and accordingly improve the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. It is proven that the isoprene production on enzymatic hydrolysate with HPAC pretreatment is about 1.9-fold higher than that of popping pretreatment. Moreover, through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the amount and category of inhibitors such as formic acid, acetic acid, and HMF were assayed and were varied in different enzymatic hydrolysates, which may be the reason leading to a decrease in isoprene production during fermentation. To further increase the isoprene yield, the enzymatic hydrolysate of HPAC was detoxified by activated carbon. As a result, using the detoxified enzymatic hydrolysate as the carbon source, the engineered strain YJM21 could accumulate 297.5 mg/L isoprene, which accounted for about 90% of isoprene production by YJM21 fermented on pure glucose (338.6 mg/L). This work is thought to be the first attempt on isoprene production by E. coli using peanut hull as the feedstock. More importantly, it also shows the prospect of peanut hull to be considered as an alternative feedstock for bio-based chemicals or biofuels production due to its easy access and high polysaccharide content. PMID:27847814

BATMAV: a 2-DOF bio-inspired flapping flight platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunget, Gheorghe; Seelecke, Stefan

2010-04-01

Due to the availability of small sensors, Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) can be used for detection missions of biological, chemical and nuclear agents. Traditionally these devices used fixed or rotary wings, actuated with electric DC motortransmission, a system which brings the disadvantage of a heavier platform. The overall objective of the BATMAV project is to develop a biologically inspired bat-like MAV with flexible and foldable wings for flapping flight. This paper presents a flight platform that features bat-inspired wings which are able to actively fold their elbow joints. A previous analysis of the flight physics for small birds, bats and large insects, revealed that the mammalian flight anatomy represents a suitable flight platform that can be actuated efficiently using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) artificial-muscles. A previous study of the flight styles in bats based on the data collected by Norberg [1] helped to identify the required joint angles as relevant degrees of freedom for wing actuation. Using the engineering theory of robotic manipulators, engineering kinematic models of wings with 2 and 3-DOFs were designed to mimic the wing trajectories of the natural flier Plecotus auritus. Solid models of the bat-like skeleton were designed based on the linear and angular dimensions resulted from the kinematic models. This structure of the flight platform was fabricated using rapid prototyping technologies and assembled to form a desktop prototype with 2-DOFs wings. Preliminary flapping test showed suitable trajectories for wrist and wingtip that mimic the flapping cycle of the natural flyer.

Expanding Robust HCCI Operation with Advanced Valve and Fuel Control Technologies

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

Szybist, J. P.; Confer, K.

2012-09-11

Delphi Automotive Systems and ORNL established this CRADA to advance the commercialization potential of the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) advanced combustion strategy for gasoline engine platforms. HCCI combustion has been shown by others to produce high diesel-like efficiency on a gasoline engine platform while simultaneously producing low NOX and particulate matter emissions. However, the commercialization barriers that face HCCI combustion are significant, with requirements for a more active engine control system, likely with next-cycle closed-loop feedback control, and with advanced valve train technologies to enable negative valve overlap conditions. In the partnership between Delphi and ORNL, each organization broughtmore » a unique and complementary set of skills to the project. Delphi has made a number of breakthroughs with production-intent valve train technologies and controls in recent years to make a part time production-intent HCCI engine plausible. ORNL has extensive knowledge and expertise with HCCI combustion, and also has a versatile research engine with hydraulic valve actuation (HVA) that is useful for guiding production of a cam-based HCCI system. Partnering these knowledge bases and capabilities was essential towards making progress to better understand HCCI combustion and the commercialization barriers that it faces. ORNL and Delphi maintained strong collaboration throughout the project. Meetings were held regularly, with additional reports, presentations, and meetings as necessary to maintain progress. Delphi provided guidance to ORNL regarding operational strategies to investigate on their single-cylinder research engine with HVA and data from their experimental multi-cylinder engine for modeling. ORNL provided single-cylinder engine data and modeling results.« less

A Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation of a Large Commercial Aircraft Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeCastro, Jonathan A.; Litt, Jonathan S.; Frederick, Dean K.

2008-01-01

A simulation of a commercial engine has been developed in a graphical environment to meet the increasing need across the controls and health management community for a common research and development platform. This paper describes the Commercial Modular Aero Propulsion System Simulation (C-MAPSS), which is representative of a 90,000-lb thrust class two spool, high bypass ratio commercial turbofan engine. A control law resembling the state-of-the-art on board modern aircraft engines is included, consisting of a fan-speed control loop supplemented by relevant engine limit protection regulator loops. The objective of this paper is to provide a top-down overview of the complete engine simulation package.

Rational design and evolutional fine tuning of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for biomass breakdown.

PubMed

Hasunuma, Tomohisa; Ishii, Jun; Kondo, Akihiko

2015-12-01

Conferring biomass hydrolysis activity on yeast through genetic engineering has paved the way for the development of groundbreaking processes for producing liquid fuels and commodity chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass. However, the overproduction and misfolding of heterologous and endogenous proteins can trigger cellular stress, increasing the metabolic burden and retarding growth. Improving the efficiency of lignocellulosic breakdown requires engineering of yeast secretory pathway based on system-wide metabolic analysis as well as DNA constructs for enhanced cellulase gene expression with advanced molecular biology tools. Also, yeast is subjected to severe stress due to toxic compounds generated during lignocellulose pretreatment in consolidated saccharification and fermentation processes. The prospect for development of robust yeast strains makes combining evolutionary and rational engineering strategies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recent advances in the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid as C3 platform chemical.

PubMed

Valdehuesa, Kris Niño G; Liu, Huaiwei; Nisola, Grace M; Chung, Wook-Jin; Lee, Seung Hwan; Park, Si Jae

2013-04-01

Development of sustainable technologies for the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3HP) as a platform chemical has recently been gaining much attention owing to its versatility in applications for the synthesis of other specialty chemicals. Several proposed biological synthesis routes and strategies for producing 3HP from glucose and glycerol are reviewed presently. Ten proposed routes for 3HP production from glucose are described and one of which was recently constructed successfully in Escherichia coli with malonyl-Coenzyme A as a precursor. This resulted in a yield still far from the required level for industrial application. On the other hand, strategies employing engineered E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae capable of producing 3HP from glycerol are also evaluated. The titers produced by these recombinant strains reached around 3 %. At its current state, it is evident that a bulk of engineering works is yet to be done to acquire a biosynthesis route for 3HP that is acceptable for industrial-scale production.

Dedicated Industrial Oilseed Crops as Metabolic Engineering Platforms for Sustainable Industrial Feedstock Production

PubMed Central

Zhu, Li-Hua; Krens, Frans; Smith, Mark A.; Li, Xueyuan; Qi, Weicong; van Loo, Eibertus N.; Iven, Tim; Feussner, Ivo; Nazarenus, Tara J.; Huai, Dongxin; Taylor, David C.; Zhou, Xue-Rong; Green, Allan G.; Shockey, Jay; Klasson, K. Thomas; Mullen, Robert T.; Huang, Bangquan; Dyer, John M.; Cahoon, Edgar B.

2016-01-01

Feedstocks for industrial applications ranging from polymers to lubricants are largely derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Vegetable oils with fatty acid structures and storage forms tailored for specific industrial uses offer renewable and potentially sustainable sources of petrochemical-type functionalities. A wide array of industrial vegetable oils can be generated through biotechnology, but will likely require non-commodity oilseed platforms dedicated to specialty oil production for commercial acceptance. Here we show the feasibility of three Brassicaceae oilseeds crambe, camelina, and carinata, none of which are widely cultivated for food use, as hosts for complex metabolic engineering of wax esters for lubricant applications. Lines producing wax esters >20% of total seed oil were generated for each crop and further improved for high temperature oxidative stability by down-regulation of fatty acid polyunsaturation. Field cultivation of optimized wax ester-producing crambe demonstrated commercial utility of these engineered crops and a path for sustainable production of other industrial oils in dedicated specialty oilseeds. PMID:26916792

Engineering cells with intracellular agent–loaded microparticles to control cell phenotype

PubMed Central

Ankrum, James A; Miranda, Oscar R; Ng, Kelvin S; Sarkar, Debanjan; Xu, Chenjie; Karp, Jeffrey M

2014-01-01

Cell therapies enable unprecedented treatment options to replace tissues, destroy tumors and facilitate regeneration. The greatest challenge facing cell therapy is the inability to control the fate and function of cells after transplantation. We have developed an approach to control cell phenotype in vitro and after transplantation by engineering cells with intracellular depots that continuously release phenotype-altering agents for days to weeks. The platform enables control of cells’ secretome, viability, proliferation and differentiation, and the platform can be used to deliver drugs or other factors (e.g., dexamethasone, rhodamine and iron oxide) to the cell’s microenvironment. The preparation, efficient internalization and intracellular stabilization of ~1-μm drug-loaded microparticles are critical for establishing sustained control of cell phenotype. Herein we provide a protocol to generate and characterize micrometer-sized agent-doped poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) particles by using a single-emulsion evaporation technique (7 h), to uniformly engineer cultured cells (15 h), to confirm particle internalization and to troubleshoot commonly experienced obstacles. PMID:24407352

Dedicated Industrial Oilseed Crops as Metabolic Engineering Platforms for Sustainable Industrial Feedstock Production.

PubMed

Zhu, Li-Hua; Krens, Frans; Smith, Mark A; Li, Xueyuan; Qi, Weicong; van Loo, Eibertus N; Iven, Tim; Feussner, Ivo; Nazarenus, Tara J; Huai, Dongxin; Taylor, David C; Zhou, Xue-Rong; Green, Allan G; Shockey, Jay; Klasson, K Thomas; Mullen, Robert T; Huang, Bangquan; Dyer, John M; Cahoon, Edgar B

2016-02-26

Feedstocks for industrial applications ranging from polymers to lubricants are largely derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Vegetable oils with fatty acid structures and storage forms tailored for specific industrial uses offer renewable and potentially sustainable sources of petrochemical-type functionalities. A wide array of industrial vegetable oils can be generated through biotechnology, but will likely require non-commodity oilseed platforms dedicated to specialty oil production for commercial acceptance. Here we show the feasibility of three Brassicaceae oilseeds crambe, camelina, and carinata, none of which are widely cultivated for food use, as hosts for complex metabolic engineering of wax esters for lubricant applications. Lines producing wax esters >20% of total seed oil were generated for each crop and further improved for high temperature oxidative stability by down-regulation of fatty acid polyunsaturation. Field cultivation of optimized wax ester-producing crambe demonstrated commercial utility of these engineered crops and a path for sustainable production of other industrial oils in dedicated specialty oilseeds.

A Mobile Multi-Agent Information System for Ubiquitous Fetal Monitoring

PubMed Central

Su, Chuan-Jun; Chu, Ta-Wei

2014-01-01

Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) systems integrate many previously separate clinical activities related to fetal monitoring. Promoting the use of ubiquitous fetal monitoring services with real time status assessments requires a robust information platform equipped with an automatic diagnosis engine. This paper presents the design and development of a mobile multi-agent platform-based open information systems (IMAIS) with an automated diagnosis engine to support intensive and distributed ubiquitous fetal monitoring. The automatic diagnosis engine that we developed is capable of analyzing data in both traditional paper-based and digital formats. Issues related to interoperability, scalability, and openness in heterogeneous e-health environments are addressed through the adoption of a FIPA2000 standard compliant agent development platform—the Java Agent Development Environment (JADE). Integrating the IMAIS with light-weight, portable fetal monitor devices allows for continuous long-term monitoring without interfering with a patient’s everyday activities and without restricting her mobility. The system architecture can be also applied to vast monitoring scenarios such as elder care and vital sign monitoring. PMID:24452256

The Design and Semi-Physical Simulation Test of Fault-Tolerant Controller for Aero Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yuan; Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Tianhong

2017-11-01

A new fault-tolerant control method for aero engine is proposed, which can accurately diagnose the sensor fault by Kalman filter banks and reconstruct the signal by real-time on-board adaptive model combing with a simplified real-time model and an improved Kalman filter. In order to verify the feasibility of the method proposed, a semi-physical simulation experiment has been carried out. Besides the real I/O interfaces, controller hardware and the virtual plant model, semi-physical simulation system also contains real fuel system. Compared with the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation, semi-physical simulation system has a higher degree of confidence. In order to meet the needs of semi-physical simulation, a rapid prototyping controller with fault-tolerant control ability based on NI CompactRIO platform is designed and verified on the semi-physical simulation test platform. The result shows that the controller can realize the aero engine control safely and reliably with little influence on controller performance in the event of fault on sensor.

New and improved tools and methods for enhanced biosynthesis of natural products in microorganisms.

PubMed

Wang, Zhiqing; Cirino, Patrick C

2016-12-01

Engineering efficient biosynthesis of natural products in microorganisms requires optimizing gene expression levels to balance metabolite flux distributions and to minimize accumulation of toxic intermediates. Such metabolic optimization is challenged with identifying the right gene targets, and then determining and achieving appropriate gene expression levels. After decades of having a relatively limited set of gene regulation tools available, metabolic engineers are recently enjoying an ever-growing repertoire of more precise and tunable gene expression platforms. Here we review recent applications of natural and designed transcriptional and translational regulatory machinery for engineering biosynthesis of natural products in microorganisms. Customized trans-acting RNAs (sgRNA, asRNA and sRNA), along with appropriate accessory proteins, are allowing for unparalleled tuning of gene expression. Meanwhile metabolite-responsive transcription factors and riboswitches have been implemented in strain screening and evolution, and in dynamic gene regulation. Further refinements and expansions on these platform technologies will circumvent many long-term obstacles in natural products biosynthesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metadata, PICS and Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, C. J.

1997-01-01

Discusses PICS (Platform for Internet Content Selection), the Centre for Information Quality Management (CIQM), and metadata. Highlights include filtering networked information; the quality of information; and standardizing search engines. (LRW)

Technology Transfer Challenges: A Case Study of User-Centered Design in NASA's Systems Engineering Culture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quick, Jason

2009-01-01

The Upper Stage (US) section of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Ares I rocket will require internal access platforms for maintenance tasks performed by humans inside the vehicle. Tasks will occur during expensive critical path operations at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) including vehicle stacking and launch preparation activities. Platforms must be translated through a small human access hatch, installed in an enclosed worksite environment, support the weight of ground operators and be removed before flight - and their design must minimize additional vehicle mass at attachment points. This paper describes the application of a user-centered conceptual design process and the unique challenges encountered within NASA's systems engineering culture focused on requirements and "heritage hardware". The NASA design team at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) initiated the user-centered design process by studying heritage internal access kits and proposing new design concepts during brainstorming sessions. Simultaneously, they partnered with the Technology Transfer/Innovative Partnerships Program to research inflatable structures and dynamic scaffolding solutions that could enable ground operator access. While this creative, technology-oriented exploration was encouraged by upper management, some design stakeholders consistently opposed ideas utilizing novel, untested equipment. Subsequent collaboration with an engineering consulting firm improved the technical credibility of several options, however, there was continued resistance from team members focused on meeting system requirements with pre-certified hardware. After a six-month idea-generating phase, an intensive six-week effort produced viable design concepts that justified additional vehicle mass while optimizing the human factors of platform installation and use. Although these selected final concepts closely resemble heritage internal access platforms, challenges from the application of the user-centered process provided valuable lessons for improving future collaborative conceptual design efforts.

Conversion and assimilation of furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural by Pseudomonas putida KT2440

DOE PAGES

Guarnieri, Michael T.; Franden, Mary Ann; Johnson, Christopher W.; ...

2017-02-08

The sugar dehydration products, furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), are commonly formed during high-temperature processing of lignocellulose, most often in thermochemical pretreatment, liquefaction, or pyrolysis. Typically, these two aldehydes are considered major inhibitors in microbial conversion processes. Many microbes can convert these compounds to their less toxic, dead-end alcohol counterparts, furfuryl alcohol and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfuryl alcohol. Recently, the genes responsible for aerobic catabolism of furfural and HMF were discovered in Cupriavidus basilensis HMF14 to enable complete conversion of these compounds to the TCA cycle intermediate, 2-oxo-glutarate. In this work, we engineer the robust soil microbe, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, to utilize furfural andmore » HMF as sole carbon and energy sources via complete genomic integration of the 12 kB hmf gene cluster previously reported from Burkholderia phytofirmans. The common intermediate, 2-furoic acid, is shown to be a bottleneck for both furfural and HMF metabolism. When cultured on biomass hydrolysate containing representative amounts of furfural and HMF from dilute-acid pretreatment, the engineered strain outperforms the wild type microbe in terms of reduced lag time and enhanced growth rates due to catabolism of furfural and HMF. Overall, this study demonstrates that an approach for biological conversion of furfural and HMF, relative to the typical production of dead-end alcohols, enables both enhanced carbon conversion and substantially improves tolerance to hydrolysate inhibitors. Furthermore, this approach should find general utility both in emerging aerobic processes for the production of fuels and chemicals from biomass-derived sugars and in the biological conversion of high-temperature biomass streams from liquefaction or pyrolysis where furfural and HMF are much more abundant than in biomass hydrolysates from pretreatment.« less

Conversion and assimilation of furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural by Pseudomonas putida KT2440

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

Guarnieri, Michael T.; Franden, Mary Ann; Johnson, Christopher W.

The sugar dehydration products, furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), are commonly formed during high-temperature processing of lignocellulose, most often in thermochemical pretreatment, liquefaction, or pyrolysis. Typically, these two aldehydes are considered major inhibitors in microbial conversion processes. Many microbes can convert these compounds to their less toxic, dead-end alcohol counterparts, furfuryl alcohol and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfuryl alcohol. Recently, the genes responsible for aerobic catabolism of furfural and HMF were discovered in Cupriavidus basilensis HMF14 to enable complete conversion of these compounds to the TCA cycle intermediate, 2-oxo-glutarate. In this work, we engineer the robust soil microbe, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, to utilize furfural andmore » HMF as sole carbon and energy sources via complete genomic integration of the 12 kB hmf gene cluster previously reported from Burkholderia phytofirmans. The common intermediate, 2-furoic acid, is shown to be a bottleneck for both furfural and HMF metabolism. When cultured on biomass hydrolysate containing representative amounts of furfural and HMF from dilute-acid pretreatment, the engineered strain outperforms the wild type microbe in terms of reduced lag time and enhanced growth rates due to catabolism of furfural and HMF. Overall, this study demonstrates that an approach for biological conversion of furfural and HMF, relative to the typical production of dead-end alcohols, enables both enhanced carbon conversion and substantially improves tolerance to hydrolysate inhibitors. Furthermore, this approach should find general utility both in emerging aerobic processes for the production of fuels and chemicals from biomass-derived sugars and in the biological conversion of high-temperature biomass streams from liquefaction or pyrolysis where furfural and HMF are much more abundant than in biomass hydrolysates from pretreatment.« less

Conversion and assimilation of furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural by Pseudomonas putida KT2440.

PubMed

Guarnieri, Michael T; Ann Franden, Mary; Johnson, Christopher W; Beckham, Gregg T

2017-06-01

The sugar dehydration products, furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), are commonly formed during high-temperature processing of lignocellulose, most often in thermochemical pretreatment, liquefaction, or pyrolysis. Typically, these two aldehydes are considered major inhibitors in microbial conversion processes. Many microbes can convert these compounds to their less toxic, dead-end alcohol counterparts, furfuryl alcohol and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfuryl alcohol. Recently, the genes responsible for aerobic catabolism of furfural and HMF were discovered in Cupriavidus basilensis HMF14 to enable complete conversion of these compounds to the TCA cycle intermediate, 2-oxo-glutarate. In this work, we engineer the robust soil microbe, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, to utilize furfural and HMF as sole carbon and energy sources via complete genomic integration of the 12 kB hmf gene cluster previously reported from Burkholderia phytofirmans . The common intermediate, 2-furoic acid, is shown to be a bottleneck for both furfural and HMF metabolism. When cultured on biomass hydrolysate containing representative amounts of furfural and HMF from dilute-acid pretreatment, the engineered strain outperforms the wild type microbe in terms of reduced lag time and enhanced growth rates due to catabolism of furfural and HMF. Overall, this study demonstrates that an approach for biological conversion of furfural and HMF, relative to the typical production of dead-end alcohols, enables both enhanced carbon conversion and substantially improves tolerance to hydrolysate inhibitors. This approach should find general utility both in emerging aerobic processes for the production of fuels and chemicals from biomass-derived sugars and in the biological conversion of high-temperature biomass streams from liquefaction or pyrolysis where furfural and HMF are much more abundant than in biomass hydrolysates from pretreatment.

Liberation of fermentable sugars from soybean hull biomass using ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and their bioconversion to ethanol.

PubMed

da Cunha-Pereira, Fernanda; Rech, Rosane; Záchia Ayub, Marco Antônio; Pinheiro Dillon, Aldo; Dupont, Jairton

2016-03-01

Optimized hydrolysis of lignocellulosic waste biomass is essential to achieve the liberation of sugars to be used in fermentation process. Ionic liquids (ILs), a new class of solvents, have been tested in the pretreatment of cellulosic materials to improve the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomass. Optimized application of ILs on biomass is important to advance the use of this technology. In this research, we investigated the effects of using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([bmim][Ac]) on the decomposition of soybean hull, an abundant cellulosic industrial waste. Reaction aspects of temperature, incubation time, IL concentration, and solid load were optimized before carrying out the enzymatic hydrolysis of this residue to liberate fermentable glucose. Optimal conditions were found to be 75°C, 165 min incubation time, 57% (mass fraction) of [bmim][Ac], and 12.5% solid loading. Pretreated soybean hull lost its crystallinity, which eased enzymatic hydrolysis, confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared analysis. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomass using an enzyme complex from Penicillium echinulatum liberated 92% of glucose from the cellulose matrix. The hydrolysate was free of any toxic compounds, such as hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural. The obtained hydrolysate was tested for fermentation using Candida shehatae HM 52.2, which was able to convert glucose to ethanol at yields of 0.31. These results suggest the possible use of ILs for the pretreatment of some lignocellulosic waste materials, avoiding the formation of toxic compounds, to be used in second-generation ethanol production and other fermentation processes. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:312-320, 2016. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

SU-E-T-36: A GPU-Accelerated Monte-Carlo Dose Calculation Platform and Its Application Toward Validating a ViewRay Beam Model

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

Wang, Y; Mazur, T; Green, O

Purpose: To build a fast, accurate and easily-deployable research platform for Monte-Carlo dose calculations. We port the dose calculation engine PENELOPE to C++, and accelerate calculations using GPU acceleration. Simulations of a Co-60 beam model provided by ViewRay demonstrate the capabilities of the platform. Methods: We built software that incorporates a beam model interface, CT-phantom model, GPU-accelerated PENELOPE engine, and GUI front-end. We rewrote the PENELOPE kernel in C++ (from Fortran) and accelerated the code on a GPU. We seamlessly integrated a Co-60 beam model (obtained from ViewRay) into our platform. Simulations of various field sizes and SSDs using amore » homogeneous water phantom generated PDDs, dose profiles, and output factors that were compared to experiment data. Results: With GPU acceleration using a dated graphics card (Nvidia Tesla C2050), a highly accurate simulation – including 100*100*100 grid, 3×3×3 mm3 voxels, <1% uncertainty, and 4.2×4.2 cm2 field size – runs 24 times faster (20 minutes versus 8 hours) than when parallelizing on 8 threads across a new CPU (Intel i7-4770). Simulated PDDs, profiles and output ratios for the commercial system agree well with experiment data measured using radiographic film or ionization chamber. Based on our analysis, this beam model is precise enough for general applications. Conclusions: Using a beam model for a Co-60 system provided by ViewRay, we evaluate a dose calculation platform that we developed. Comparison to measurements demonstrates the promise of our software for use as a research platform for dose calculations, with applications including quality assurance and treatment plan verification.« less

A Highly Flexible, Automated System Providing Reliable Sample Preparation in Element- and Structure-Specific Measurements.

PubMed

Vorberg, Ellen; Fleischer, Heidi; Junginger, Steffen; Liu, Hui; Stoll, Norbert; Thurow, Kerstin

2016-10-01

Life science areas require specific sample pretreatment to increase the concentration of the analytes and/or to convert the analytes into an appropriate form for the detection and separation systems. Various workstations are commercially available, allowing for automated biological sample pretreatment. Nevertheless, due to the required temperature, pressure, and volume conditions in typical element and structure-specific measurements, automated platforms are not suitable for analytical processes. Thus, the purpose of the presented investigation was the design, realization, and evaluation of an automated system ensuring high-precision sample preparation for a variety of analytical measurements. The developed system has to enable system adaption and high performance flexibility. Furthermore, the system has to be capable of dealing with the wide range of required vessels simultaneously, allowing for less cost and time-consuming process steps. However, the system's functionality has been confirmed in various validation sequences. Using element-specific measurements, the automated system was up to 25% more precise compared to the manual procedure and as precise as the manual procedure using structure-specific measurements. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Feasibility of Floating Platform Systems for Wind Turbines: Preprint

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

Musial, W.; Butterfield, S.; Boone, A.

This paper provides a general technical description of several types of floating platforms for wind turbines. Platform topologies are classified into multiple- or single-turbine floaters and by mooring method. Platforms using catenary mooring systems are contrasted to vertical mooring systems and the advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Specific anchor types are described in detail. A rough cost comparison is performed for two different platform architectures using a generic 5-MW wind turbine. One platform is a Dutch study of a tri-floater platform using a catenary mooring system, and the other is a mono-column tension-leg platform developed at the National Renewable Energymore » Laboratory. Cost estimates showed that single unit production cost is $7.1 M for the Dutch tri-floater, and $6.5 M for the NREL TLP concept. However, value engineering, multiple unit series production, and platform/turbine system optimization can lower the unit platform costs to $4.26 M and $2.88 M, respectively, with significant potential to reduce cost further with system optimization. These foundation costs are within the range necessary to bring the cost of energy down to the DOE target range of $0.05/kWh for large-scale deployment of offshore floating wind turbines.« less

Role of Excessive Autophagy Induced by Mechanical Overload in Vein Graft Neointima Formation: Prediction and Prevention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Ya-Ju; Huang, Hui-Chun; Hsueh, Yuan-Yu; Wang, Shao-Wei; Su, Fong-Chin; Chang, Chih-Han; Tang, Ming-Jer; Li, Yi-Shuan; Wang, Shyh-Hau; Shung, Kirk K.; Chien, Shu; Wu, Chia-Ching

2016-02-01

Little is known regarding the interplays between the mechanical and molecular bases for vein graft restenosis. We elucidated the stenosis initiation using a high-frequency ultrasonic (HFU) echogenicity platform and estimated the endothelium yield stress from von-Mises stress computation to predict the damage locations in living rats over time. The venous-arterial transition induced the molecular cascades for autophagy and apoptosis in venous endothelial cells (ECs) to cause neointimal hyperplasia, which correlated with the high echogenicity in HFU images and the large mechanical stress that exceeded the yield strength. The ex vivo perfusion of arterial laminar shear stress to isolated veins further confirmed the correlation. EC damage can be rescued by inhibiting autophagy formation using 3-methyladenine (3-MA). Pretreatment of veins with 3-MA prior to grafting reduced the pathological increases of echogenicity and neointima formation in rats. Therefore, this platform provides non-invasive temporal spatial measurement and prediction of restenosis after venous-arterial transition as well as monitoring the progression of the treatments.

Mix and hydrodynamic instabilities on NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smalyuk, V. A.; Robey, H. F.; Casey, D. T.; Clark, D. S.; Döppner, T.; Haan, S. W.; Hammel, B. A.; MacPhee, A. G.; Martinez, D.; Milovich, J. L.; Peterson, J. L.; Pickworth, L.; Pino, J. E.; Raman, K.; Tipton, R.; Weber, C. R.; Baker, K. L.; Bachmann, B.; Berzak Hopkins, L. F.; Bond, E.; Caggiano, J. A.; Callahan, D. A.; Celliers, P. M.; Cerjan, C.; Dixit, S. N.; Edwards, M. J.; Felker, S.; Field, J. E.; Fittinghoff, D. N.; Gharibyan, N.; Grim, G. P.; Hamza, A. V.; Hatarik, R.; Hohenberger, M.; Hsing, W. W.; Hurricane, O. A.; Jancaitis, K. S.; Jones, O. S.; Khan, S.; Kroll, J. J.; Lafortune, K. N.; Landen, O. L.; Ma, T.; MacGowan, B. J.; Masse, L.; Moore, A. S.; Nagel, S. R.; Nikroo, A.; Pak, A.; Patel, P. K.; Remington, B. A.; Sayre, D. B.; Spears, B. K.; Stadermann, M.; Tommasini, R.; Widmayer, C. C.; Yeamans, C. B.; Crippen, J.; Farrell, M.; Giraldez, E.; Rice, N.; Wilde, C. H.; Volegov, P. L.; Gatu Johnson, M.

2017-06-01

Several new platforms have been developed to experimentally measure hydrodynamic instabilities in all phases of indirect-drive, inertial confinement fusion implosions on National Ignition Facility. At the ablation front, instability growth of pre-imposed modulations was measured with a face-on, x-ray radiography platform in the linear regime using the Hydrodynamic Growth Radiography (HGR) platform. Modulation growth of "native roughness" modulations and engineering features (fill tubes and capsule support membranes) were measured in conditions relevant to layered DT implosions. A new experimental platform was developed to measure instability growth at the ablator-ice interface. In the deceleration phase of implosions, several experimental platforms were developed to measure both low-mode asymmetries and high-mode perturbations near peak compression with x-ray and nuclear techniques. In one innovative technique, the self-emission from the hot spot was enhanced with argon dopant to "self-backlight" the shell in-flight. To stabilize instability growth, new "adiabat-shaping" techniques were developed using the HGR platform and applied in layered DT implosions.

Open Marketplace for Simulation Software on the Basis of a Web Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryukov, A. P.; Demichev, A. P.

2016-02-01

The focus in development of a new generation of middleware shifts from the global grid systems to building convenient and efficient web platforms for remote access to individual computing resources. Further line of their development, suggested in this work, is related not only with the quantitative increase in their number and with the expansion of scientific, engineering, and manufacturing areas in which they are used, but also with improved technology for remote deployment of application software on the resources interacting with the web platforms. Currently, the services for providers of application software in the context of scientific-oriented web platforms is not developed enough. The proposed in this work new web platforms of application software market should have all the features of the existing web platforms for submissions of jobs to remote resources plus the provision of specific web services for interaction on market principles between the providers and consumers of application packages. The suggested approach will be approved on the example of simulation applications in the field of nonlinear optics.

The Test Drive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This image taken at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows engineers rehearsing the sol 133 (June 8, 2004) drive into 'Endurance' crater by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Engineers and scientists have recreated the martian surface and slope the rover will encounter using a combination of bare and thinly sand-coated rocks, simulated martian 'blueberries' and a platform tilted at a 25-degree angle. The results of this test convinced engineers that the rover was capable of driving up and down a straight slope before it attempted the actual drive on Mars.

An Interdisciplinary Approach Between Medical Informatics and Social Sciences to Transdisciplinary Requirements Engineering for an Integrated Care Setting.

PubMed

Vielhauer, Jan; Böckmann, Britta

2017-01-01

Requirements engineering of software products for elderly people faces some special challenges to ensure a maximum of user acceptance. Within the scope of a research project, a web-based platform and a mobile app are approached to enable people to live in their own home as long as possible. This paper is about a developed method of interdisciplinary requirements engineering by a team of social scientists in cooperation with computer scientists.

Programmable full-adder computations in communicating three-dimensional cell cultures.

PubMed

Ausländer, David; Ausländer, Simon; Pierrat, Xavier; Hellmann, Leon; Rachid, Leila; Fussenegger, Martin

2018-01-01

Synthetic biologists have advanced the design of trigger-inducible gene switches and their assembly into input-programmable circuits that enable engineered human cells to perform arithmetic calculations reminiscent of electronic circuits. By designing a versatile plug-and-play molecular-computation platform, we have engineered nine different cell populations with genetic programs, each of which encodes a defined computational instruction. When assembled into 3D cultures, these engineered cell consortia execute programmable multicellular full-adder logics in response to three trigger compounds.

Simulation platform of LEO satellite communication system based on OPNET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yu; Zhang, Yong; Li, Xiaozhuo; Wang, Chuqiao; Li, Haihao

2018-02-01

For the purpose of verifying communication protocol in the low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication system, an Optimized Network Engineering Tool (OPNET) based simulation platform is built. Using the three-layer modeling mechanism, the network model, the node model and the process model of the satellite communication system are built respectively from top to bottom, and the protocol will be implemented by finite state machine and Proto-C language. According to satellite orbit parameters, orbit files are generated via Satellite Tool Kit (STK) and imported into OPNET, and the satellite nodes move along their orbits. The simulation platform adopts time-slot-driven mode, divides simulation time into continuous time slots, and allocates slot number for each time slot. A resource allocation strategy is simulated on this platform, and the simulation results such as resource utilization rate, system throughput and packet delay are analyzed, which indicate that this simulation platform has outstanding versatility.

Using VineUp to Match Students with Alumni Industry Mentors in Engineering: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halupa, Colleen; Henry, Matthew

2015-01-01

This pilot study evaluated users' perceptions of the effectiveness of the VineUp platform to match mentors from a large United States manufacturing firm and mechanical engineering students in an honors program at a small private university. Four mentor/mentee pairs were surveyed and interviewed at the end of the nine-month program. Although the…

A Three-Year Feedback Study of a Remote Laboratory Used in Control Engineering Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chevalier, Amélie; Copot, Cosmin; Ionescu, Clara; De Keyser, Robin

2017-01-01

This paper discusses the results of a feedback study for a remote laboratory used in the education of control engineering students. The goal is to show the effectiveness of the remote laboratory on examination results. To provide an overview, the two applications of the remote laboratory are addressed: 1) the Stewart platform, and 2) the quadruple…

Microscopy illumination engineering using a low-cost liquid crystal display.

PubMed

Guo, Kaikai; Bian, Zichao; Dong, Siyuan; Nanda, Pariksheet; Wang, Ying Min; Zheng, Guoan

2015-02-01

Illumination engineering is critical for obtaining high-resolution, high-quality images in microscope settings. In a typical microscope, the condenser lens provides sample illumination that is uniform and free from glare. The associated condenser diaphragm can be manually adjusted to obtain the optimal illumination numerical aperture. In this paper, we report a programmable condenser lens for active illumination control. In our prototype setup, we used a $15 liquid crystal display as a transparent spatial light modulator and placed it at the back focal plane of the condenser lens. By setting different binary patterns on the display, we can actively control the illumination and the spatial coherence of the microscope platform. We demonstrated the use of such a simple scheme for multimodal imaging, including bright-field microscopy, darkfield microscopy, phase-contrast microscopy, polarization microscopy, 3D tomographic imaging, and super-resolution Fourier ptychographic imaging. The reported illumination engineering scheme is cost-effective and compatible with most existing platforms. It enables a turnkey solution with high flexibility for researchers in various communities. From the engineering point-of-view, the reported illumination scheme may also provide new insights for the development of multimodal microscopy and Fourier ptychographic imaging.

Engineering a microbial platform for de novo biosynthesis of diverse methylxanthines

PubMed Central

McKeague, Maureen; Wang, Yen-Hsiang; Cravens, Aaron; Win, Maung Nyan; Smolke, Christina D.

2016-01-01

Engineered microbial biosynthesis of plant natural products can support manufacturing of complex bioactive molecules and enable discovery of non-naturally occurring derivatives. Purine alkaloids, including caffeine (coffee), theophylline (antiasthma drug), theobromine (chocolate), and other methylxanthines, play a significant role in pharmacology and food chemistry. Here, we engineered the eukaryotic microbial host Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the de novo biosynthesis of methylxanthines. We constructed a xanthine-to-xanthosine conversion pathway in native yeast central metabolism to increase endogenous purine flux for the production of 7-methylxanthine, a key intermediate in caffeine biosynthesis. Yeast strains were further engineered to produce caffeine through expression of several enzymes from the coffee plant. By expressing combinations of different N-methyltransferases, we were able to demonstrate re-direction of flux to an alternate pathway and develop strains that support the production of diverse methylxanthines. We achieved production of 270 μg/L, 61 μg/L, and 3700 μg/L of caffeine, theophylline, and 3-methylxanthine, respectively, in 0.3-L bench-scale batch fermentations. The constructed strains provide an early platform for de novo production of methylxanthines and with further development will advance the discovery and synthesis of xanthine derivatives. PMID:27519552

Microfluidic platform for optimization of crystallization conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuheng; Gerard, Charline J. J.; Ikni, Aziza; Ferry, Gilles; Vuillard, Laurent M.; Boutin, Jean A.; Ferte, Nathalie; Grossier, Romain; Candoni, Nadine; Veesler, Stéphane

2017-08-01

We describe a universal, high-throughput droplet-based microfluidic platform for crystallization. It is suitable for a multitude of applications, due to its flexibility, ease of use, compatibility with all solvents and low cost. The platform offers four modular functions: droplet formation, on-line characterization, incubation and observation. We use it to generate droplet arrays with a concentration gradient in continuous long tubing, without using surfactant. We control droplet properties (size, frequency and spacing) in long tubing by using hydrodynamic empirical relations. We measure droplet chemical composition using both an off-line and a real-time on-line method. Applying this platform to a complicated chemical environment, membrane proteins, we successfully handle crystallization, suggesting that the platform is likely to perform well in other circumstances. We validate the platform for fine-gradient screening and optimization of crystallization conditions. Additional on-line detection methods may well be integrated into this platform in the future, for instance, an on-line diffraction technique. We believe this method could find applications in fields such as fluid interaction engineering, live cell study and enzyme kinetics.

Blade platform seal for ceramic/metal rotor assembly

DOEpatents

Wertz, John L.

1982-01-01

A combination ceramic and metal turbine rotor for use in high temperature gas turbine engines includes a metal rotor disc having a rim with a plurality of circumferentially spaced blade root retention slots therein to receive a plurality of ceramic blades, each including side platform segments thereon and a dovetail configured root slidably received in one of the slots. Adjacent ones of the platform segments including edge portions thereon closely spaced when the blades are assembled to form expansion gaps in an annular flow surface for gas passage through the blades and wherein the assembly further includes a plurality of unitary seal members on the rotor connected to its rim and each including a plurality of spaced, axially extending, flexible fingers that underlie and conform to the edge portions of the platform segments and which are operative at turbine operating temperatures and speeds to distribute loading on the platform segments as the fingers are seated against the underside of the blade platforms to seal the gaps without undesirably stressing thin web ceramic sections of the platform.

Engineering microbial factories for synthesis of value-added products

PubMed Central

Du, Jing; Shao, Zengyi; Zhao, Huimin

2011-01-01

Microorganisms have become an increasingly important platform for the production of drugs, chemicals, and biofuels from renewable resources. Advances in protein engineering, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology enable redesigning microbial cellular networks and fine-tuning physiological capabilities, thus generating industrially viable strains for the production of natural and unnatural value-added compounds. In this review, we describe the recent progress on engineering microbial factories for synthesis of valued-added products including alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, polyketides, non-ribosomal peptides, biofuels, and chemicals. Related topics on lignocellulose degradation, sugar utilization, and microbial tolerance improvement will also be discussed. PMID:21526386

The Principles of Engineering Immune Cells to Treat Cancer

PubMed Central

Lim, Wendell A.; June, Carl H.

2017-01-01

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have proven that engineered immune cells can serve as a powerful new class of cancer therapeutics. Clinical experience has helped to define the major challenges that must be met to make engineered T cells a reliable, safe, and effective platform that can be deployed against a broad range of tumors. The emergence of synthetic biology approaches for cellular engineering is providing us with a broadly expanded set of tools for programming immune cells. We discuss how these tools could be used to design the next generation of smart T cell precision therapeutics. PMID:28187291

Employing metabolic engineered lipolytic microbial platform for 1-alkene one-step conversion.

PubMed

Wang, Juli; Yu, Haiying; Zhu, Kun

2018-05-01

1-Alkenes are traditionally used as basic chemicals with great importance. Biosynthetic 1-alkenes also have the potential to serve as biofuels. In this study, we engineered a Pseudomonas lipolytic microbial platform for 1-alkene production using hydrophobic substrate as sole carbon source. Fatty acid decarboxylase UndA and UndB were cloned and expressed, which successfully produced 1-alkenes. Optimal culturing temperature and the interruption of competitive pathway were proven to be beneficial to 1-alkene synthesis. Chromosomal integration of UndB conferred 177.8 mg/L 1-alkenes (mainly 1-undecene) in lauric acid medium and 128.9 mg/L 1-alkenes (mainly 1-pentadecene) in palm oil medium. Thioesterase expression, adjustments of fatty acid degradation pathway and a second copy of UndB improved 1-alkene titer to 1102.6 mg/L using lauric acid and 778.4 mg/L using palm oil. All in all, this study offers the first demonstration of lipolytic microbial 1-alkene producing platform with highest reported 1-alkene product titer up to date. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tissue constructs: platforms for basic research and drug discovery.

PubMed

Elson, Elliot L; Genin, Guy M

2016-02-06

The functions, form and mechanical properties of cells are inextricably linked to their extracellular environment. Cells from solid tissues change fundamentally when, isolated from this environment, they are cultured on rigid two-dimensional substrata. These changes limit the significance of mechanical measurements on cells in two-dimensional culture and motivate the development of constructs with cells embedded in three-dimensional matrices that mimic the natural tissue. While measurements of cell mechanics are difficult in natural tissues, they have proven effective in engineered tissue constructs, especially constructs that emphasize specific cell types and their functions, e.g. engineered heart tissues. Tissue constructs developed as models of disease also have been useful as platforms for drug discovery. Underlying the use of tissue constructs as platforms for basic research and drug discovery is integration of multiscale biomaterials measurement and computational modelling to dissect the distinguishable mechanical responses separately of cells and extracellular matrix from measurements on tissue constructs and to quantify the effects of drug treatment on these responses. These methods and their application are the main subjects of this review.

Experimental Study of under-platform Damper Kinematics in Presence of Blade Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botto, D.; Gastaldi, C.; Gola, M. M.; Umer, M.

2018-01-01

Among the different devices used in the aerospace industries under-platform dampers are widely used in turbo engines to mitigate the blade vibration. Nevertheless, the damper behaviour is not easy to simulate and engineers have been working in order to improve the accuracy with which theoretical contact models predict the damper behaviour. Majority of the experimental setups collect experimental data in terms of blade amplitude reduction which do not increase the knowledge about the damper dynamics and therefore the uncertainty on the damper behaviour remains a big issue. In this paper, a novel test rig has been purposely designed to accommodate a single blade and two under-platform dampers to deeply investigate the damper-blade interactions. In this test bench, a contact force measuring system was designed to extensively measure the damper contact forces. Damper kinematics is rebuilt by using the relative displacement measured between damper and blade. This paper describes the concept behind the new approach, shows the details of new test rig and discusses experimental results by comparing with previously measured results on an old experimental setup.

Tissue constructs: platforms for basic research and drug discovery

PubMed Central

Elson, Elliot L.; Genin, Guy M.

2016-01-01

The functions, form and mechanical properties of cells are inextricably linked to their extracellular environment. Cells from solid tissues change fundamentally when, isolated from this environment, they are cultured on rigid two-dimensional substrata. These changes limit the significance of mechanical measurements on cells in two-dimensional culture and motivate the development of constructs with cells embedded in three-dimensional matrices that mimic the natural tissue. While measurements of cell mechanics are difficult in natural tissues, they have proven effective in engineered tissue constructs, especially constructs that emphasize specific cell types and their functions, e.g. engineered heart tissues. Tissue constructs developed as models of disease also have been useful as platforms for drug discovery. Underlying the use of tissue constructs as platforms for basic research and drug discovery is integration of multiscale biomaterials measurement and computational modelling to dissect the distinguishable mechanical responses separately of cells and extracellular matrix from measurements on tissue constructs and to quantify the effects of drug treatment on these responses. These methods and their application are the main subjects of this review. PMID:26855763

Engineering synthetic TALE and CRISPR/Cas9 transcription factors for regulating gene expression.

PubMed

Kabadi, Ami M; Gersbach, Charles A

2014-09-01

Engineered DNA-binding proteins that can be targeted to specific sites in the genome to manipulate gene expression have enabled many advances in biomedical research. This includes generating tools to study fundamental aspects of gene regulation and the development of a new class of gene therapies that alter the expression of endogenous genes. Designed transcription factors have entered clinical trials for the treatment of human diseases and others are in preclinical development. High-throughput and user-friendly platforms for designing synthetic DNA-binding proteins present innovative methods for deciphering cell biology and designing custom synthetic gene circuits. We review two platforms for designing synthetic transcription factors for manipulating gene expression: Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) and the RNA-guided clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system. We present an overview of each technology and a guide for designing and assembling custom TALE- and CRISPR/Cas9-based transcription factors. We also discuss characteristics of each platform that are best suited for different applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gas pressure assisted microliquid-liquid extraction coupled online to direct infusion mass spectrometry: a new automated screening platform for bioanalysis.

PubMed

Raterink, Robert-Jan; Witkam, Yoeri; Vreeken, Rob J; Ramautar, Rawi; Hankemeier, Thomas

2014-10-21

In the field of bioanalysis, there is an increasing demand for miniaturized, automated, robust sample pretreatment procedures that can be easily connected to direct-infusion mass spectrometry (DI-MS) in order to allow the high-throughput screening of drugs and/or their metabolites in complex body fluids like plasma. Liquid-Liquid extraction (LLE) is a common sample pretreatment technique often used for complex aqueous samples in bioanalysis. Despite significant developments that have been made in automated and miniaturized LLE procedures, fully automated LLE techniques allowing high-throughput bioanalytical studies on small-volume samples using direct infusion mass spectrometry, have not been matured yet. Here, we introduce a new fully automated micro-LLE technique based on gas-pressure assisted mixing followed by passive phase separation, coupled online to nanoelectrospray-DI-MS. Our method was characterized by varying the gas flow and its duration through the solvent mixture. For evaluation of the analytical performance, four drugs were spiked to human plasma, resulting in highly acceptable precision (RSD down to 9%) and linearity (R(2) ranging from 0.990 to 0.998). We demonstrate that our new method does not only allow the reliable extraction of analytes from small sample volumes of a few microliters in an automated and high-throughput manner, but also performs comparable or better than conventional offline LLE, in which the handling of small volumes remains challenging. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of our method for drug screening on dried blood spots showing excellent linearity (R(2) of 0.998) and precision (RSD of 9%). In conclusion, we present the proof of principe of a new high-throughput screening platform for bioanalysis based on a new automated microLLE method, coupled online to a commercially available nano-ESI-DI-MS.

Different Routes for Conifer- and Sinapaldehyde and Higher Saccharification upon Deficiency in the Dehydrogenase CAD1.

PubMed

Van Acker, Rebecca; Déjardin, Annabelle; Desmet, Sandrien; Hoengenaert, Lennart; Vanholme, Ruben; Morreel, Kris; Laurans, Françoise; Kim, Hoon; Santoro, Nicholas; Foster, Cliff; Goeminne, Geert; Légée, Frédéric; Lapierre, Catherine; Pilate, Gilles; Ralph, John; Boerjan, Wout

2017-11-01

In the search for renewable energy sources, genetic engineering is a promising strategy to improve plant cell wall composition for biofuel and bioproducts generation. Lignin is a major factor determining saccharification efficiency and, therefore, is a prime target to engineer. Here, lignin content and composition were modified in poplar ( Populus tremula × Populus alba ) by specifically down-regulating CINNAMYL ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE1 ( CAD1 ) by a hairpin-RNA-mediated silencing approach, which resulted in only 5% residual CAD1 transcript abundance. These transgenic lines showed no biomass penalty despite a 10% reduction in Klason lignin content and severe shifts in lignin composition. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and thioacidolysis revealed a strong increase (up to 20-fold) in sinapaldehyde incorporation into lignin, whereas coniferaldehyde was not increased markedly. Accordingly, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based phenolic profiling revealed a more than 24,000-fold accumulation of a newly identified compound made from 8-8 coupling of two sinapaldehyde radicals. However, no additional cinnamaldehyde coupling products could be detected in the CAD1-deficient poplars. Instead, the transgenic lines accumulated a range of hydroxycinnamate-derived metabolites, of which the most prominent accumulation (over 8,500-fold) was observed for a compound that was identified by purification and nuclear magnetic resonance as syringyl lactic acid hexoside. Our data suggest that, upon down-regulation of CAD1 , coniferaldehyde is converted into ferulic acid and derivatives, whereas sinapaldehyde is either oxidatively coupled into S'(8-8)S' and lignin or converted to sinapic acid and derivatives. The most prominent sink of the increased flux to hydroxycinnamates is syringyl lactic acid hexoside. Furthermore, low-extent saccharification assays, under different pretreatment conditions, showed strongly increased glucose (up to +81%) and xylose (up to +153%) release, suggesting that down-regulating CAD1 is a promising strategy for improving lignocellulosic biomass for the sugar platform industry. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Different Routes for Conifer- and Sinapaldehyde and Higher Saccharification upon Deficiency in the Dehydrogenase CAD11[OPEN

PubMed Central

Laurans, Françoise; Foster, Cliff; Légée, Frédéric

2017-01-01

In the search for renewable energy sources, genetic engineering is a promising strategy to improve plant cell wall composition for biofuel and bioproducts generation. Lignin is a major factor determining saccharification efficiency and, therefore, is a prime target to engineer. Here, lignin content and composition were modified in poplar (Populus tremula × Populus alba) by specifically down-regulating CINNAMYL ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE1 (CAD1) by a hairpin-RNA-mediated silencing approach, which resulted in only 5% residual CAD1 transcript abundance. These transgenic lines showed no biomass penalty despite a 10% reduction in Klason lignin content and severe shifts in lignin composition. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and thioacidolysis revealed a strong increase (up to 20-fold) in sinapaldehyde incorporation into lignin, whereas coniferaldehyde was not increased markedly. Accordingly, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based phenolic profiling revealed a more than 24,000-fold accumulation of a newly identified compound made from 8-8 coupling of two sinapaldehyde radicals. However, no additional cinnamaldehyde coupling products could be detected in the CAD1-deficient poplars. Instead, the transgenic lines accumulated a range of hydroxycinnamate-derived metabolites, of which the most prominent accumulation (over 8,500-fold) was observed for a compound that was identified by purification and nuclear magnetic resonance as syringyl lactic acid hexoside. Our data suggest that, upon down-regulation of CAD1, coniferaldehyde is converted into ferulic acid and derivatives, whereas sinapaldehyde is either oxidatively coupled into S′(8-8)S′ and lignin or converted to sinapic acid and derivatives. The most prominent sink of the increased flux to hydroxycinnamates is syringyl lactic acid hexoside. Furthermore, low-extent saccharification assays, under different pretreatment conditions, showed strongly increased glucose (up to +81%) and xylose (up to +153%) release, suggesting that down-regulating CAD1 is a promising strategy for improving lignocellulosic biomass for the sugar platform industry. PMID:28878036

Low transient thermal stress turbine engine components

DOEpatents

Shi, Jun [Glastonbury, CT; Schmidt, Wayde R [Pomfret Center, CT

2011-06-28

A turbine vane includes a platform; and at least one airfoil mounted to the platform and having a trailing edge and a leading edge, wherein the vane is composed of a functionally graded material having a first material and a second material, wherein the trailing edge includes a greater amount of the first material than the second material, and the leading edge includes a greater amount of the second material than the first material.

The AppScale Cloud Platform

PubMed Central

Krintz, Chandra

2013-01-01

AppScale is an open source distributed software system that implements a cloud platform as a service (PaaS). AppScale makes cloud applications easy to deploy and scale over disparate cloud fabrics, implementing a set of APIs and architecture that also makes apps portable across the services they employ. AppScale is API-compatible with Google App Engine (GAE) and thus executes GAE applications on-premise or over other cloud infrastructures, without modification. PMID:23828721

Large-scale crystallization of proteins for purification and formulation.

PubMed

Hekmat, Dariusch

2015-07-01

Since about 170 years, salts were used to create supersaturated solutions and crystallize proteins. The dehydrating effect of salts as well as their kosmotropic or chaotropic character was revealed. Even the suitability of organic solvents for crystallization was already recognized. Interestingly, what was performed during the early times is still practiced today. A lot of effort was put into understanding the underlying physico-chemical interaction mechanisms leading to protein crystallization. However, it was understood that already the solvation of proteins is a highly complex process not to mention the intricate interrelation of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions taking place. Although many basic questions are still unanswered, preparative protein crystallization was attempted as illustrated in the presented case studies. Due to the highly variable nature of crystallization, individual design of the crystallization process is needed in every single case. It was shown that preparative crystallization from impure protein solutions as a capture step is possible after applying adequate pre-treatment procedures like precipitation or extraction. Protein crystallization can replace one or more chromatography steps. It was further shown that crystallization can serve as an attractive alternative means for formulation of therapeutic proteins. Crystalline proteins can offer enhanced purity and enable highly concentrated doses of the active ingredient. Easy scalability of the proposed protein crystallization processes was shown using the maximum local energy dissipation as a suitable scale-up criterion. Molecular modeling and target-oriented protein engineering may allow protein crystallization to become part of a platform purification process in the near future.

Design and implementation of distributed multimedia surveillance system based on object-oriented middleware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Xuesong; Jiang, Ling; Hu, Ruimin

2006-10-01

Currently, the applications of surveillance system have been increasingly widespread. But there are few surveillance platforms that can meet the requirement of large-scale, cross-regional, and flexible surveillance business. In the paper, we present a distributed surveillance system platform to improve safety and security of the society. The system is constructed by an object-oriented middleware called as Internet Communications Engine (ICE). This middleware helps our platform to integrate a lot of surveillance resource of the society and accommodate diverse range of surveillance industry requirements. In the follow sections, we will describe in detail the design concepts of system and introduce traits of ICE.

Evaluation of preservation methods for improving biogas production and enzymatic conversion yields of annual crops

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The use of energy crops and agricultural residues is expected to increase to fulfil the legislative demands of bio-based components in transport fuels. Ensiling methods, adapted from the feed sector, are suitable storage methods to preserve fresh crops throughout the year for, for example, biogas production. Various preservation methods, namely ensiling with and without acid addition for whole crop maize, fibre hemp and faba bean were investigated. For the drier fibre hemp, alkaline urea treatment was studied as well. These treatments were also explored as mild pretreatment methods to improve the disassembly and hydrolysis of these lignocellulosic substrates. Results The investigated storage treatments increased the availability of the substrates for biogas production from hemp and in most cases from whole maize but not from faba bean. Ensiling of hemp, without or with addition of formic acid, increased methane production by more than 50% compared to fresh hemp. Ensiling resulted in substantially increased methane yields also from maize, and the use of formic acid in ensiling of maize further enhanced methane yields by 16%, as compared with fresh maize. Ensiled faba bean, in contrast, yielded somewhat less methane than the fresh material. Acidic additives preserved and even increased the amount of the valuable water-soluble carbohydrates during storage, which affected most significantly the enzymatic hydrolysis yield of maize. However, preservation without additives decreased the enzymatic hydrolysis yield especially in maize, due to its high content of soluble sugars that were already converted to acids during storage. Urea-based preservation significantly increased the enzymatic hydrolysability of hemp. Hemp, preserved with urea, produced the highest carbohydrate increase of 46% in enzymatic hydrolysis as compared to the fresh material. Alkaline pretreatment conditions of hemp improved also the methane yields. Conclusions The results of the present work show that ensiling and alkaline preservation of fresh crop materials are useful pretreatment methods for methane production. Improvements in enzymatic hydrolysis were also promising. While all three crops still require a more powerful pretreatment to release the maximum amount of carbohydrates, anaerobic preservation is clearly a suitable storage and pretreatment method prior to production of platform sugars from fresh crops. PMID:21771298

Structural characterization of alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreated grasses exhibiting diverse lignin phenotypes

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background For cellulosic biofuels processes, suitable characterization of the lignin remaining within the cell wall and correlation of quantified properties of lignin to cell wall polysaccharide enzymatic deconstruction is underrepresented in the literature. This is particularly true for grasses which represent a number of promising bioenergy feedstocks where quantification of grass lignins is particularly problematic due to the high fraction of p-hydroxycinnamates. The main focus of this work is to use grasses with a diverse range of lignin properties, and applying multiple lignin characterization platforms, attempt to correlate the differences in these lignin properties to the susceptibility to alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment and subsequent enzymatic deconstruction. Results We were able to determine that the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to to glucose (i.e. digestibility) of four grasses with relatively diverse lignin phenotypes could be correlated to total lignin content and the content of p-hydroxycinnamates, while S/G ratios did not appear to contribute to the enzymatic digestibility or delignification. The lignins of the brown midrib corn stovers tested were significantly more condensed than a typical commercial corn stover and a significant finding was that pretreatment with alkaline hydrogen peroxide increases the fraction of lignins involved in condensed linkages from 88–95% to ~99% for all the corn stovers tested, which is much more than has been reported in the literature for other pretreatments. This indicates significant scission of β-O-4 bonds by pretreatment and/or induction of lignin condensation reactions. The S/G ratios in grasses determined by analytical pyrolysis are significantly lower than values obtained using either thioacidolysis or 2DHSQC NMR due to presumed interference by ferulates. Conclusions It was found that grass cell wall polysaccharide hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes for grasses exhibiting a diversity of lignin structures and compositions could be linked to quantifiable changes in the composition of the cell wall and properties of the lignin including apparent content of the p-hydroxycinnamates while the limitations of S/G estimation in grasses is highlighted. PMID:22672858

A Symphony of Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Currents, 2002

2002-01-01

Offers a descriptive table of databases that help higher education institutions orchestrate advancement operations. Information includes vendor, contact, software, price, database engine/server platform, recommended reporting tools, record capacity, and client type. (EV)

[Improving industrial microbial stress resistance by metabolic engineering: a review].

PubMed

Fu, Ruiyan; Li, Yin

2010-09-01

Metabolic engineering is a technologic platform for industrial strain improvement and aims not only at modifying microbial metabolic fluxes, but also improving the physiological performance of industrial microbes. Microbes will meet multiple stresses in industrial processes. Consequently, elicited gene responses might result in a decrease in overall cell fitness and the efficiency of biotransformation. Thus, it is crucial to develop robust and productive microbial strains that can be integrated into industrial-scale bioprocesses. In this review, we focus on the progress of these novel methods and strategies for engineering stress-tolerance phenotypes referring to rational metabolic engineering and inverse metabolic engineering in recent years. In addition, we also address problems existing in this area and future research needs of microbial physiological functionality engineering.

Cell Patterning for Liver Tissue Engineering via Dielectrophoretic Mechanisms

PubMed Central

Yahya, Wan Nurlina Wan; Kadri, Nahrizul Adib; Ibrahim, Fatimah

2014-01-01

Liver transplantation is the most common treatment for patients with end-stage liver failure. However, liver transplantation is greatly limited by a shortage of donors. Liver tissue engineering may offer an alternative by providing an implantable engineered liver. Currently, diverse types of engineering approaches for in vitro liver cell culture are available, including scaffold-based methods, microfluidic platforms, and micropatterning techniques. Active cell patterning via dielectrophoretic (DEP) force showed some advantages over other methods, including high speed, ease of handling, high precision and being label-free. This article summarizes liver function and regenerative mechanisms for better understanding in developing engineered liver. We then review recent advances in liver tissue engineering techniques and focus on DEP-based cell patterning, including microelectrode design and patterning configuration. PMID:24991941

Teaching smartphone and microcontroller systems using "Android Java"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tigrek, Seyitriza

Mobile devices are becoming indispensable tools for many students and educators. Mobile technology is starting a new era in the computing methodologies in many engineering disciplines and laboratories. Microcontroller extension that communicates with mobile devices will take the data acquisition and control process into a new level in the sensing technology and communication. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework to incorporate the new mobile platform with robust embedded systems into the engineering curriculum. For this purpose a course material is developed "Introduction to Programming Java on a Mobile Platform" to teach novice programmers how to create applications, specifically on Android. Combining an introductory level programming class with the Android platform can appeal to non-programming individuals in multiple disciplines. The proposed course curriculum reduces the learning time, and allows senior engineering students to use the new framework for their specific needs in the labs such as mobile data acquisition and control projects. This work provides techniques for instructors with modest programming background to teach cutting edge technology, which is smartphone programming. Techniques developed in this work minimize unnecessary information carried into current teaching approaches with hands-on practice. It also helps the students with minimal background requirements overcome the barriers that have evolved around computer programming. The motivation of this thesis is to create a tailored programming introductory course to teach Java programming on Android by incorporating selected efficient methods from extant literature. The mechanism proposed in this thesis is to keep students motivated by an active approach based on student-centered learning with collaborative work. Teamwork through pair programming is adapted in this teaching process. Bloom's taxonomy, along with a knowledge survey, is used as a guide to classify the information and exercise problems. A prototype curriculum is a deliverable of this research that is suitable for novice programmers-such as engineering freshmen students. It also contains advanced material that allows senior students to use mobile phone and a microcontroller system to enhance engineering laboratories.

An Agent-Based Optimization Framework for Engineered Complex Adaptive Systems with Application to Demand Response in Electricity Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haghnevis, Moeed

The main objective of this research is to develop an integrated method to study emergent behavior and consequences of evolution and adaptation in engineered complex adaptive systems (ECASs). A multi-layer conceptual framework and modeling approach including behavioral and structural aspects is provided to describe the structure of a class of engineered complex systems and predict their future adaptive patterns. The approach allows the examination of complexity in the structure and the behavior of components as a result of their connections and in relation to their environment. This research describes and uses the major differences of natural complex adaptive systems (CASs) with artificial/engineered CASs to build a framework and platform for ECAS. While this framework focuses on the critical factors of an engineered system, it also enables one to synthetically employ engineering and mathematical models to analyze and measure complexity in such systems. In this way concepts of complex systems science are adapted to management science and system of systems engineering. In particular an integrated consumer-based optimization and agent-based modeling (ABM) platform is presented that enables managers to predict and partially control patterns of behaviors in ECASs. Demonstrated on the U.S. electricity markets, ABM is integrated with normative and subjective decision behavior recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The approach integrates social networks, social science, complexity theory, and diffusion theory. Furthermore, it has unique and significant contribution in exploring and representing concrete managerial insights for ECASs and offering new optimized actions and modeling paradigms in agent-based simulation.

Metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida for production of docosahexaenoic acid based on a myxobacterial PUFA synthase.

PubMed

Gemperlein, Katja; Zipf, Gregor; Bernauer, Hubert S; Müller, Rolf; Wenzel, Silke C

2016-01-01

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) can be produced de novo via polyketide synthase-like enzymes known as PUFA synthases, which are encoded by pfa biosynthetic gene clusters originally discovered from marine microorganisms. Recently similar gene clusters were detected and characterized in terrestrial myxobacteria revealing several striking differences. As the identified myxobacterial producers are difficult to handle genetically and grow very slowly we aimed to establish heterologous expression platforms for myxobacterial PUFA synthases. Here we report the heterologous expression of the pfa gene cluster from Aetherobacter fasciculatus (SBSr002) in the phylogenetically distant model host bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida. The latter host turned out to be the more promising PUFA producer revealing higher production rates of n-6 docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). After several rounds of genetic engineering of expression plasmids combined with metabolic engineering of P. putida, DHA production yields were eventually increased more than threefold. Additionally, we applied synthetic biology approaches to redesign and construct artificial versions of the A. fasciculatus pfa gene cluster, which to the best of our knowledge represents the first example of a polyketide-like biosynthetic gene cluster modulated and synthesized for P. putida. Combination with the engineering efforts described above led to a further increase in LC-PUFA production yields. The established production platform based on synthetic DNA now sets the stage for flexible engineering of the complex PUFA synthase. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge Management tools integration within DLR's concurrent engineering facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, R. P.; Soragavi, G.; Deshmukh, M.; Ludtke, D.

The complexity of space endeavors has increased the need for Knowledge Management (KM) tools. The concept of KM involves not only the electronic storage of knowledge, but also the process of making this knowledge available, reusable and traceable. Establishing a KM concept within the Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF) has been a research topic of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). This paper presents the current KM tools of the CEF: the Software Platform for Organizing and Capturing Knowledge (S.P.O.C.K.), the data model Virtual Satellite (VirSat), and the Simulation Model Library (SimMoLib), and how their usage improved the Concurrent Engineering (CE) process. This paper also exposes the lessons learned from the introduction of KM practices into the CEF and elaborates a roadmap for the further development of KM in CE activities at DLR. The results of the application of the Knowledge Management tools have shown the potential of merging the three software platforms with their functionalities, as the next step towards the fully integration of KM practices into the CE process. VirSat will stay as the main software platform used within a CE study, and S.P.O.C.K. and SimMoLib will be integrated into VirSat. These tools will support the data model as a reference and documentation source, and as an access to simulation and calculation models. The use of KM tools in the CEF aims to become a basic practice during the CE process. The settlement of this practice will result in a much more extended knowledge and experience exchange within the Concurrent Engineering environment and, consequently, the outcome of the studies will comprise higher quality in the design of space systems.

Extremely thermophilic microorganisms as metabolic engineering platforms for production of fuels and industrial chemicals.

PubMed

Zeldes, Benjamin M; Keller, Matthew W; Loder, Andrew J; Straub, Christopher T; Adams, Michael W W; Kelly, Robert M

2015-01-01

Enzymes from extremely thermophilic microorganisms have been of technological interest for some time because of their ability to catalyze reactions of industrial significance at elevated temperatures. Thermophilic enzymes are now routinely produced in recombinant mesophilic hosts for use as discrete biocatalysts. Genome and metagenome sequence data for extreme thermophiles provide useful information for putative biocatalysts for a wide range of biotransformations, albeit involving at most a few enzymatic steps. However, in the past several years, unprecedented progress has been made in establishing molecular genetics tools for extreme thermophiles to the point that the use of these microorganisms as metabolic engineering platforms has become possible. While in its early days, complex metabolic pathways have been altered or engineered into recombinant extreme thermophiles, such that the production of fuels and chemicals at elevated temperatures has become possible. Not only does this expand the thermal range for industrial biotechnology, it also potentially provides biodiverse options for specific biotransformations unique to these microorganisms. The list of extreme thermophiles growing optimally between 70 and 100°C with genetic toolkits currently available includes archaea and bacteria, aerobes and anaerobes, coming from genera such as Caldicellulosiruptor, Sulfolobus, Thermotoga, Thermococcus, and Pyrococcus. These organisms exhibit unusual and potentially useful native metabolic capabilities, including cellulose degradation, metal solubilization, and RuBisCO-free carbon fixation. Those looking to design a thermal bioprocess now have a host of potential candidates to choose from, each with its own advantages and challenges that will influence its appropriateness for specific applications. Here, the issues and opportunities for extremely thermophilic metabolic engineering platforms are considered with an eye toward potential technological advantages for high temperature industrial biotechnology.

Extremely thermophilic microorganisms as metabolic engineering platforms for production of fuels and industrial chemicals

PubMed Central

Zeldes, Benjamin M.; Keller, Matthew W.; Loder, Andrew J.; Straub, Christopher T.; Adams, Michael W. W.; Kelly, Robert M.

2015-01-01

Enzymes from extremely thermophilic microorganisms have been of technological interest for some time because of their ability to catalyze reactions of industrial significance at elevated temperatures. Thermophilic enzymes are now routinely produced in recombinant mesophilic hosts for use as discrete biocatalysts. Genome and metagenome sequence data for extreme thermophiles provide useful information for putative biocatalysts for a wide range of biotransformations, albeit involving at most a few enzymatic steps. However, in the past several years, unprecedented progress has been made in establishing molecular genetics tools for extreme thermophiles to the point that the use of these microorganisms as metabolic engineering platforms has become possible. While in its early days, complex metabolic pathways have been altered or engineered into recombinant extreme thermophiles, such that the production of fuels and chemicals at elevated temperatures has become possible. Not only does this expand the thermal range for industrial biotechnology, it also potentially provides biodiverse options for specific biotransformations unique to these microorganisms. The list of extreme thermophiles growing optimally between 70 and 100°C with genetic toolkits currently available includes archaea and bacteria, aerobes and anaerobes, coming from genera such as Caldicellulosiruptor, Sulfolobus, Thermotoga, Thermococcus, and Pyrococcus. These organisms exhibit unusual and potentially useful native metabolic capabilities, including cellulose degradation, metal solubilization, and RuBisCO-free carbon fixation. Those looking to design a thermal bioprocess now have a host of potential candidates to choose from, each with its own advantages and challenges that will influence its appropriateness for specific applications. Here, the issues and opportunities for extremely thermophilic metabolic engineering platforms are considered with an eye toward potential technological advantages for high temperature industrial biotechnology. PMID:26594201

Ultra Efficient Engine Technology Systems Integration and Environmental Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daggett, David L.; Geiselhart, Karl A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This study documents the design and analysis of four types of advanced technology commercial transport airplane configurations (small, medium large and very large) with an assumed technology readiness date of 2010. These airplane configurations were used as a platform to evaluate the design concept and installed performance of advanced technology engines being developed under the NASA Ultra Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) program. Upon installation of the UEET engines onto the UEET advanced technology airframes, the small and medium airplanes both achieved an additional 16% increase in fuel efficiency when using GE advanced turbofan engines. The large airplane achieved an 18% increase in fuel efficiency when using the P&W geared fan engine. The very large airplane (i.e. BWB), also using P&W geared fan engines, only achieved an additional 16% that was attributed to a non-optimized airplane/engine combination.

The Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation (MAPSS) Users' Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Khary I.; Melcher, Kevin J.

2004-01-01

The Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation is a flexible turbofan engine simulation environment that provides the user a platform to develop advanced control algorithms. It is capable of testing the performance of control designs on a validated and verified generic engine model. In addition, it is able to generate state-space linear models of the engine model to aid in controller design. The engine model used in MAPSS is a generic high-pressure ratio, dual-spool, lowbypass, military-type, variable cycle turbofan engine with a digital controller. MAPSS is controlled by a graphical user interface (GUI) and this guide explains how to use it to take advantage of the capabilities of MAPSS.

A microfabricated platform with hydrogel arrays for 3D mechanical stimulation of cells.

PubMed

Liu, Haijiao; Usprech, Jenna; Sun, Yu; Simmons, Craig A

2016-04-01

Cellular microenvironments present cells with multiple stimuli, including not only soluble biochemical and insoluble matrix cues but also mechanical factors. Biomaterial array platforms have been used to combinatorially and efficiently probe and define two-dimensional (2D) and 3D microenvironmental cues to guide cell functions for tissue engineering applications. However, there are few examples of array platforms that include dynamic mechanical forces, particularly to enable stretching of 3D cell-seeded biomaterials, which is relevant to engineering connective and cardiovascular tissues. Here we present a deformable membrane platform that enables 3D dynamic mechanical stretch of arrayed biomaterial constructs. Cell-seeded polyethylene glycol norbornene (PEG-NB) hydrogels were bound to miniaturized deformable membranes via a thiol-ene reaction with off-stoichiometry thiol-ene based polydimethylsiloxane (OSTE-PDMS) as the membrane material. Bonding to OSTE-PDMS enabled the 3D hydrogel microconstructs to be cyclically deformed and stretched by the membrane. As a first demonstration, human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) embedded in PEG-NB were stretched for several days. They were found to be viable, spread in the 3D hydrogels, and exhibited a contractile myofibroblast phenotype when exposed to dynamic 3D mechanical deformation. This platform, which is readily scalable to larger arrays, enables systematic interrogation of the relationships between combinations of 3D mechanobiological cues and cellular responses, and thus has the potential to identify strategies to predictably control the construction of functional engineered tissues. Current high-throughput biomaterial screening approaches fail to consider the effects of dynamic mechanical stimulation, despite its importance in a wide variety of regenerative medicine applications. To meet this need, we developed a deformable membrane platform that enables 3D dynamic stretch of arrayed biomaterial constructs. Our approach combines microtechnologies fabricated with off-stoichiometry thiol-ene based polydimethylsiloxane membranes that can covalently bond cell-seeded polyethylene glycol norbornene 3D hydrogels, a model biomaterial with tunable adhesive, elastic and degradation characteristics. As a first demonstration, we show that human mesenchymal stromal cells embedded in hydrogels and subjected to dynamic mechanical stimulation undergo myofibroblast differentiation. This system is readily scaled up to larger arrays, and will enable systematic and efficient screening of combinations of 3D mechanobiological and biomaterial cues on cell fate and function. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SSME HPFTP/AT Turbine Blade Platform Featherseal Damper Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, S. K.

1999-01-01

During the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSM) HPFtP/AT development program, engine hot fire testing resulted in turbine blade fatigue cracks. The cracks were noted after only a few tests and a several hundred seconds versus the design goal of 60 tests and >30,000 seconds. Subsequent investigation attributed the distress to excessive steady and dynamic loads. To address these excessive turbine blade loads, Pratt & Whitney Liquid Space Propulsion engineers designed and developed retrofitable turbine blade to blade platform featherseal dampers. Since incorporation of these dampers, along with other turbine blade system improvements, there has been no observed SSME HPFTP/AT turbine blade fatigue cracking. The high time HPFTP/AT blade now has accumulated 32 starts and 19,200 seconds hot fire test time. Figure #1 illustrates the HPFTP/AT turbine blade platform featherseal dampers. The approached selected was to improve the turbine blade structural capability while simultaneously reducing loads. To achieve this goal, the featherseal dampers were designed to seal the blade to blade platform gap and damp the dynamic motions. Sealing improves the steady stress margins by increasing turbine efficiency and improving turbine blade attachment thermal conditioning. Load reduction was achieved through damping. Thin Haynes 188 sheet metal was selected based on its material properties (hydrogen resistance, elongation, tensile strengths, etc.). The 36,000 rpm wheel speed of the rotor result in a normal load of 120#/blade. The featherseals then act as micro-slip dampers during actual SSME operation. After initial design and analysis (prior to full engine testing), the featherseal dampers were tested in P&W's spin rig facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Both dynamic strain gages and turbine blade tip displacement measurements were utilized to quantify the featherseal damper effectiveness. Full speed (36,000 rpm), room temperature rig testing verified the elimination of fundamental mode (i.e, modes 1 & 2) resonant response. The reduction in turbine blade dynamic response is shown for a typical turbine blade. This paper discusses the design and verification of these dampers. The numerous benefits associated with this design concept warrants consideration in existing and future turbomachinery applications.

Immunocontraception: Filamentous Bacteriophage as a Platform for Vaccine Development.

PubMed

Samoylova, Tatiana I; Braden, Timothy D; Spencer, Jennifer A; Bartol, Frank F

2017-11-20

Population control of domestic, wild, invasive, and captive animal species is a global issue of importance to public health, animal welfare and the economy. There is pressing need for effective, safe, and inexpensive contraceptive technologies to address this problem. Contraceptive vaccines, designed to stimulate the immune system in order to block critical reproductive events and suppress fertility, may provide a solution. Filamentous bacteriophages can be used as platforms for development of such vaccines. In this review authors highlight structural and immunogenic properties of filamentous phages, and discuss applications of phage-peptide vaccines for advancement of immunocontraception technology in animals. Phages can be engineered to display fusion (non-phage) peptides as coat proteins. Such modifications can be accomplished via genetic manipulation of phage DNA, or by chemical conjugation of synthetic peptides to phage surface proteins. Phage fusions with antigenic determinants induce humoral as well as cell-mediated immune responses in animals, making them attractive as vaccines. Additional advantages of the phage platform include environmental stability, low cost, and safety for immunized animals and those administering the vaccines. Filamentous phages are viable platforms for vaccine development that can be engineered with molecular and organismal specificity. Phage-based vaccines can be produced in abundance at low cost, are environmentally stable, and are immunogenic when administered via multiple routes. These features are essential for a contraceptive vaccine to be operationally practical in animal applications. Adaptability of the phage platform also makes it attractive for design of human immunocontraceptive agents. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Immunocontraception: Filamentous Bacteriophage as a Platform for Vaccine Development

PubMed Central

Samoylova, Tatiana I.; Braden, Timothy D.; Spencer, Jennifer A.; Bartol, Frank F.

2017-01-01

Background: Population control of domestic, wild, invasive, and captive animal species is a global issue of importance to public health, animal welfare and the economy. There is pressing need for effective, safe, and inexpensive contraceptive technologies to ad-dress this problem. Contraceptive vaccines, designed to stimulate the immune system in order to block critical reproductive events and suppress fertility, may provide a solution. Fil-amentous bacteriophages can be used as platforms for development of such vaccines. Objective: In this review authors highlight structural and immunogenic properties of fila-mentous phages, and discuss applications of phage-peptide vaccines for advancement of immunocontraception technology in animals. Results: Phages can be engineered to display fusion (non-phage) peptides as coat proteins. Such modifications can be accomplished via genetic manipulation of phage DNA, or by chemical conjugation of synthetic peptides to phage surface proteins. Phage fusions with antigenic determinants induce humoral as well as cell-mediated immune responses in ani-mals, making them attractive as vaccines. Additional advantages of the phage platform include environmental stability, low cost, and safety for immunized animals and those ad-ministering the vaccines. Conclusion: Filamentous phages are viable platforms for vaccine development that can be engineered with molecular and organismal specificity. Phage-based vaccines can be pro-duced in abundance at low cost, are environmentally stable, and are immunogenic when administered via multiple routes. These features are essential for a contraceptive vaccine to be operationally practical in animal applications. Adaptability of the phage platform also makes it attractive for design of human immunocontraceptive agents. PMID:28901276

The iCRISPR platform for rapid genome editing in human pluripotent stem cells.

PubMed

Zhu, Zengrong; González, Federico; Huangfu, Danwei

2014-01-01

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the potential to generate all adult cell types, including rare or inaccessible human cell populations, thus providing a unique platform for disease studies. To realize this promise, it is essential to develop methods for efficient genetic manipulations in hPSCs. Established using TALEN (transcription activator-like effector nuclease) and CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas (CRISPR-associated) systems, the iCRISPR platform supports a variety of genome-engineering approaches with high efficiencies. Here, we first describe the establishment of the iCRISPR platform through TALEN-mediated targeting of inducible Cas9 expression cassettes into the AAVS1 locus. Next, we provide a series of technical procedures for using iCRISPR to achieve one-step knockout of one or multiple gene(s), "scarless" introduction of precise nucleotide alterations, as well as inducible knockout during hPSC differentiation. We present an optimized workflow, as well as guidelines for the selection of CRISPR targeting sequences and the design of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) homology-directed DNA repair templates for the introduction of specific nucleotide alterations. We have successfully used these protocols in four different hPSC lines, including human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. Once the iCRISPR platform is established, clonal lines with desired genetic modifications can be established in as little as 1 month. The methods described here enable a wide range of genome-engineering applications in hPSCs, thus providing a valuable resource for the creation of diverse hPSC-based disease models with superior speed and ease.

KSC-04pd1058

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Shop at KSC, Boeing Product Support Director Dan Hausman (left) talks with STS-114 Mission Commander Eileen Collins. Behind them is one of the main engines. Crew members are touring several areas on Center. The STS-114 mission is Logistics Flight 1, which is scheduled to deliver supplies and equipment plus the external stowage platform to the International Space Station.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-11-01

Systems ( JAUGS ). JAUGS is a JRP technology initiative under the cognizance of the Aviation and Missile Command Research, Development and Engineering Center...AMRDEC). The JAUGS focus is on developing a high-level command and control architecture for UGVs. As defined in the JRP Glossary, “ JAUGS is an upper...vehicle platforms and missions. JAUGS uses the Society of Automotive Engineers Generic Open Architecture framework to classify UGV interfaces and

Designing Transferable Skills Inventory for Assessing Students Using Group Discussion: A Case Study of First Year Electrical and Electronics Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tejaswani, K.; Madhuri, G. V.

2015-01-01

Employability skills among engineering graduates have been a concern due to their inability to perform on a professional platform to the employer's expected level. As they are higher cognitive skills, they are to be nurtured during the graduation period. Keeping this in view, group discussions are identified as one of the methods to elicit…

Preliminary Investigation of Several Root Designs for Cermet Turbine Blades in Turbojet Engine III : Curved-root Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinkel, Benjamin; Deutsch, George C; Morgan, William C

1955-01-01

Stresses om tje root fastenings of turbine blades were appreciably reduced by redesign of the root. The redesign consisted in curving the root to approximately conform to the camber of the airfoil and elimination of the blade platform. Full-scale jet-engine tests at rated speed using cermet blades of the design confirmed the improvement.

Engineering DNA scaffolds for delivery of anticancer therapeutics.

PubMed

Sun, Wujin; Gu, Zhen

2015-07-01

Engineering DNA nanostructures with programmability in size, shape and surface chemistry holds tremendous promise in biomedical applications. As an emerging platform for drug delivery, DNA nanostructures have been extensively studied for delivering anticancer therapeutics, including small-molecule drug, nucleic acids and proteins. In this mini-review, current advances in utilizing DNA scaffolds as drug carriers for cancer treatment were summarized and future challenges were also discussed.