Determination of Etch Rate Behavior of 4H-SiC Using Chlorine Trifluoride Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miura, Yutaka; Habuka, Hitoshi; Katsumi, Yusuke; Oda, Satoko; Fukai, Yasushi; Fukae, Katsuya; Kato, Tomohisa; Okumura, Hajime; Arai, Kazuo

2007-12-01

The etch rate of single-crystalline 4H-SiC is studied using chlorine trifluoride gas at 673-973 K and atmospheric pressure in a cold wall horizontal reactor. The 4H-SiC etch rate can be higher than 10 μm/min at substrate temperatures higher than 723 K. The etch rate increases with the chlorine trifluoride gas flow rate. The etch rate is calculated by taking into account the transport phenomena in the reactor including the chemical reaction at the substrate surface. The flat etch rate at the higher substrate temperatures is caused mainly by the relationship between the transport rate and the surface chemical reaction rate of chlorine trifluoride gas.

ANALYTICAL APPROXIMATION OF THE BIODEGRADATION RATE FOR IN SITU BIOREMEDIATION OF GROUNDWATER UNDER IDEAL RADIAL FLOW CONDITIONS. (R824785)

EPA Science Inventory

We derive the long-term biodegradation rate of an organic contaminant (substrate) for an in situ bioremediation model with axisymmetric flow conditions. The model presumes that a nonsorbing electron acceptor is injected into a saturated homogeneous porous medium which initially c...

Intrinsic kinetic parameters of substrate utilization by immobilized anaerobic sludge.

PubMed

Zaiat, M; Vieira, L G; Foresti, E

1997-01-20

This article presents a method for evaluating the intrinsic kinetic parameters of the specific substrate utilization rate (r) equation and discusses the results obtained for anaerobic sludge-bed samples taken from a horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized sludge (HAIS) reactor. This method utilizes a differential reactor filled with polyurethane foam matrices containing immobilized anaerobic sludge which is subjected to a range of feeding substrate flow rates. The range of liquid superficial velocities thus obtained are used for generating data of observed specific substrate utilization rates (r(obs)) under a diversity of external mass transfer resistance conditions. The r(obs) curves are then adjusted to permit their extrapolation for the condition of no external mass transfer resistance, and the values determined are used as a test for the condition of absence of limitation of internal mass transfer. The intrinsic parameters r(max), the maximum specific substrate utilization rate, and K(s), the half-velocity coefficient, are evaluated from the r values under no external mass transfer resistance and no internal mass transfer limitation. The application of such a method for anaerobic sludge immobilized in polyurethane foam particles treating a glucose substrate at 30 degrees C resulted in intrinsic r(max) and K(s), respectively, of 0.330 mg chemical oxygen demand (COD) . mg(-1) volatile suspended solids (VSS) . h(-1) and 72 mg COD . L(-1). In comparison with the values found in the literature, intrinsic r(max) is significantly high and intrinsic K(s) is relatively low. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Ultrasensitive SERS Flow Detector Using Hydrodynamic Focusing

PubMed Central

Negri, Pierre; Jacobs, Kevin T.; Dada, Oluwatosin O.; Schultz, Zachary D.

2013-01-01

Label-free, chemical specific detection in flow is important for high throughput characterization of analytes in applications such as flow injection analysis, electrophoresis, and chromatography. We have developed a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) flow detector capable of ultrasensitive optical detection on the millisecond time scale. The device employs hydrodynamic focusing to improve SERS detection in a flow channel where a sheath flow confines analyte molecules eluted from a fused silica capillary over a planar SERS-active substrate. Increased analyte interactions with the SERS substrate significantly improve detection sensitivity. The performance of this flow detector was investigated using a combination of finite element simulations, fluorescence imaging, and Raman experiments. Computational fluid dynamics based on finite element analysis was used to optimize the flow conditions. The modeling indicates that a number of factors, such as the capillary dimensions and the ratio of the sheath flow to analyte flow rates, are critical for obtaining optimal results. Sample confinement resulting from the flow dynamics was confirmed using wide-field fluorescence imaging of rhodamine 6G (R6G). Raman experiments at different sheath flow rates showed increased sensitivity compared with the modeling predictions, suggesting increased adsorption. Using a 50-millisecond acquisitions, a sheath flow rate of 180 μL/min, and a sample flow rate of 5 μL/min, a linear dynamic range from nanomolar to micromolar concentrations of R6G with a LOD of 1 nM is observed. At low analyte concentrations, rapid analyte desorption is observed, enabling repeated and high-throughput SERS detection. The flow detector offers substantial advantages over conventional SERS-based assays such as minimal sample volumes and high detection efficiency. PMID:24074461

High rates of organic carbon processing in the hyporheic zone of intermittent streams.

PubMed

Burrows, Ryan M; Rutlidge, Helen; Bond, Nick R; Eberhard, Stefan M; Auhl, Alexandra; Andersen, Martin S; Valdez, Dominic G; Kennard, Mark J

2017-10-16

Organic carbon cycling is a fundamental process that underpins energy transfer through the biosphere. However, little is known about the rates of particulate organic carbon processing in the hyporheic zone of intermittent streams, which is often the only wetted environment remaining when surface flows cease. We used leaf litter and cotton decomposition assays, as well as rates of microbial respiration, to quantify rates of organic carbon processing in surface and hyporheic environments of intermittent and perennial streams under a range of substrate saturation conditions. Leaf litter processing was 48% greater, and cotton processing 124% greater, in the hyporheic zone compared to surface environments when calculated over multiple substrate saturation conditions. Processing was also greater in more saturated surface environments (i.e. pools). Further, rates of microbial respiration on incubated substrates in the hyporheic zone were similar to, or greater than, rates in surface environments. Our results highlight that intermittent streams are important locations for particulate organic carbon processing and that the hyporheic zone sustains this fundamental process even without surface flow. Not accounting for carbon processing in the hyporheic zone of intermittent streams may lead to an underestimation of its local ecological significance and collective contribution to landscape carbon processes.

The effect of carrier gas flow rate and source cell temperature on low pressure organic vapor phase deposition simulation by direct simulation Monte Carlo method

PubMed Central

Wada, Takao; Ueda, Noriaki

2013-01-01

The process of low pressure organic vapor phase deposition (LP-OVPD) controls the growth of amorphous organic thin films, where the source gases (Alq3 molecule, etc.) are introduced into a hot wall reactor via an injection barrel using an inert carrier gas (N2 molecule). It is possible to control well the following substrate properties such as dopant concentration, deposition rate, and thickness uniformity of the thin film. In this paper, we present LP-OVPD simulation results using direct simulation Monte Carlo-Neutrals (Particle-PLUS neutral module) which is commercial software adopting direct simulation Monte Carlo method. By estimating properly the evaporation rate with experimental vaporization enthalpies, the calculated deposition rates on the substrate agree well with the experimental results that depend on carrier gas flow rate and source cell temperature. PMID:23674843

Dynamics of viscous liquid bridges inside microchannels subject to external oscillatory flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadlouydarab, Majid; Azaiez, Jalel; Chen, Zhangxin

2015-02-01

We report on two-dimensional simulations of liquid bridges' dynamics inside microchannels of uniform wettability and subject to an external oscillatory flow rate. The oscillatory flow results in a zero net flow rate and its effects are compared to those of a stationary system. To handle the three phase contact lines motion, Cahn-Hilliard diffuse-interface formulation was used and the flow equations were solved using the finite element method with adaptively refined unstructured grids. The results indicate that the liquid bridge responds in three different ways depending on the substrate wettability properties and the frequency of the oscillatory flow. In particular below a critical frequency, the liquid bridge will rupture when the channel walls are philic or detach from the surface when they are phobic. However, at high frequencies, the liquid bridge shows a perpetual periodic oscillatory motion for both philic and phobic surfaces. Furthermore, an increase in the frequency of the flow velocity results in stabilization effects and a behavior approaching that of the stationary system where no rupture or detachment can be observed. This stable behavior is the direct result of less deformation of the liquid bridge due to the fast flow direction change and motion of contact lines on the solid substrate. Moreover, it was found that the flow velocity is out of phase with the footprint and throat lengths and that the latter two also show a phase difference. These differences were explained in terms of the motion of the two contact lines on the solid substrates and the deformation of the two fluid-fluid interfaces.

Dynamics of viscous liquid bridges inside microchannels subject to external oscillatory flow.

PubMed

Ahmadlouydarab, Majid; Azaiez, Jalel; Chen, Zhangxin

2015-02-01

We report on two-dimensional simulations of liquid bridges' dynamics inside microchannels of uniform wettability and subject to an external oscillatory flow rate. The oscillatory flow results in a zero net flow rate and its effects are compared to those of a stationary system. To handle the three phase contact lines motion, Cahn-Hilliard diffuse-interface formulation was used and the flow equations were solved using the finite element method with adaptively refined unstructured grids. The results indicate that the liquid bridge responds in three different ways depending on the substrate wettability properties and the frequency of the oscillatory flow. In particular below a critical frequency, the liquid bridge will rupture when the channel walls are philic or detach from the surface when they are phobic. However, at high frequencies, the liquid bridge shows a perpetual periodic oscillatory motion for both philic and phobic surfaces. Furthermore, an increase in the frequency of the flow velocity results in stabilization effects and a behavior approaching that of the stationary system where no rupture or detachment can be observed. This stable behavior is the direct result of less deformation of the liquid bridge due to the fast flow direction change and motion of contact lines on the solid substrate. Moreover, it was found that the flow velocity is out of phase with the footprint and throat lengths and that the latter two also show a phase difference. These differences were explained in terms of the motion of the two contact lines on the solid substrates and the deformation of the two fluid-fluid interfaces.

Controllable growth of shaped graphene domains by atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Lili; Li, Zhen; Li, Xiao; Wang, Kunlin; Zhong, Minlin; Wei, Jinquan; Wu, Dehai; Zhu, Hongwei

2011-12-01

Graphene domains in different shapes have been grown on copper substrates via atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition by controlling the growth process parameters. Under stabilized conditions, graphene domains tend to be six-fold symmetric hexagons under low flow rate methane with some domains in an irregular hexagonal shape. After further varying the growth duration, methane flow rate, and temperature, graphene domains have developed shapes from hexagon to shovel and dendrite. Two connecting modes, through overlap and merging of adjacent graphene domains, are proposed.Graphene domains in different shapes have been grown on copper substrates via atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition by controlling the growth process parameters. Under stabilized conditions, graphene domains tend to be six-fold symmetric hexagons under low flow rate methane with some domains in an irregular hexagonal shape. After further varying the growth duration, methane flow rate, and temperature, graphene domains have developed shapes from hexagon to shovel and dendrite. Two connecting modes, through overlap and merging of adjacent graphene domains, are proposed. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Schematics of CVD setups for graphene growth, Raman spectra and SEM images. See DOI: 10.1039/c1nr11480h

The effect of the solution flow rate on the properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attaf, A.; Benkhetta, Y.; Saidi, H.; Bouhdjar, A.; Bendjedidi, H.; Nouadji, M.; Lehraki, N.

2015-03-01

In this work, we used a system based on ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique. By witch, we have deposited thin films of zinc oxide (ZnO) with the variation of solution flow rate from 50 ml / h to 150 ml / h, and set other parameters such as the concentration of the solution, the deposition time, substrate temperature and the nozzel -substrate distance. In order to study the influence of the solution flow rate on the properties of the films produced, we have several characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction to determine the films structure, the scanning electron microscopy SEM for the morphology of the surfaces, EDS spectroscopy for the chemical composition, UV-Visible-Nir spectroscopy for determination the optical proprieties of thin films.The experimental results show that: the films have hexagonal structure at the type (wurtzite), the average size of grains varies from 20.11 to 32.45 nm, the transmittance of the films equals 80% in visible rang and the band gap is varied between 3.274 and 3.282 eV, when the solution flow rate increases from 50 to 150 ml/h.

In situ laser-induced photochemical silver substrate synthesis and sequential SERS detection in a flow cell.

PubMed

Herman, Krisztian; Szabó, László; Leopold, Loredana F; Chiş, Vasile; Leopold, Nicolae

2011-05-01

A new, simple, and effective approach for multianalyte sequential surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection in a flow cell is reported. The silver substrate was prepared in situ by laser-induced photochemical synthesis. By focusing the laser on the 320 μm inner diameter glass capillary at 0.5 ml/min continuous flow of 1 mM silver nitrate and 10 mM sodium citrate mixture, a SERS active silver spot on the inner wall of the glass capillary was prepared in a few seconds. The test analytes, dacarbazine, 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) complex with Cu(II), and amoxicillin, were sequentially injected into the flow cell. Each analyte was adsorbed to the silver surface, enabling the recording of high intensity SERS spectra even at 2 s integration times, followed by desorption from the silver surface and being washed away from the capillary. Before and after each analyte passed the detection window, citrate background spectra were recorded, and thus, no "memory effects" perturbed the SERS detection. A good reproducibility of the SERS spectra obtained under flow conditions was observed. The laser-induced photochemically synthesized silver substrate enables high Raman enhancement, is characterized by fast preparation with a high success rate, and represents a valuable alternative for silver colloids as SERS substrate in flow approaches.

Numerical Study of Suspension Plasma Spraying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrokhpanah, Amirsaman; Coyle, Thomas W.; Mostaghimi, Javad

2017-01-01

A numerical study of suspension plasma spraying is presented in the current work. The liquid suspension jet is replaced with a train of droplets containing the suspension particles injected into the plasma flow. Atomization, evaporation, and melting of different components are considered for droplets and particles as they travel toward the substrate. Effect of different parameters on particle conditions during flight and upon impact on the substrate is investigated. Initially, influence of the torch operating conditions such as inlet flow rate and power is studied. Additionally, effect of injector parameters like injection location, flow rate, and angle is examined. The model used in the current study takes high-temperature gradients and non-continuum effects into account. Moreover, the important effect of change in physical properties of suspension droplets as a result of evaporation is included in the model. These mainly include variations in heat transfer properties and viscosity. Utilizing this improved model, several test cases have been considered to better evaluate the effect of different parameters on the quality of particles during flight and upon impact on the substrate.

A metal-insulator transition study of VO 2 thin films grown on sapphire substrates

DOE PAGES

Yu, Shifeng; Wang, Shuyu; Lu, Ming; ...

2017-12-15

In this paper, vanadium thin films were deposited on sapphire substrates by DC magnetron sputtering and then oxidized in a tube furnace filled with oxygen under different temperatures and oxygen flow rates. The significant influence of the oxygen flow rate and oxidation temperature on the electrical and structural properties of the vanadium oxide thin films were investigated systematically. It shows the pure vanadium dioxide (VO 2) state can only be obtained in a very narrow temperature and oxygen flow rate range. The resistivity change during the metal-insulator transition varies from 0.2 to 4 orders of magnitude depending on the oxidationmore » condition. Large thermal hysteresis during the metal-insulator phase transition was observed during the transition compared to the results in literature. Proper oxidation conditions can significantly reduce the thermal hysteresis. Finally, the fabricated VO 2 thin films showed the potential to be applied in the development of electrical sensors and other smart devices.« less

Continuous production of lipase-catalyzed biodiesel in a packed-bed reactor: optimization and enzyme reuse study.

PubMed

Chen, Hsiao-Ching; Ju, Hen-Yi; Wu, Tsung-Ta; Liu, Yung-Chuan; Lee, Chih-Chen; Chang, Cheng; Chung, Yi-Lin; Shieh, Chwen-Jen

2011-01-01

An optimal continuous production of biodiesel by methanolysis of soybean oil in a packed-bed reactor was developed using immobilized lipase (Novozym 435) as a catalyst in a tert-butanol solvent system. Response surface methodology (RSM) and Box-Behnken design were employed to evaluate the effects of reaction temperature, flow rate, and substrate molar ratio on the molar conversion of biodiesel. The results showed that flow rate and temperature have significant effects on the percentage of molar conversion. On the basis of ridge max analysis, the optimum conditions were as follows: flow rate 0.1 mL/min, temperature 52.1°C, and substrate molar ratio 1 : 4. The predicted and experimental values of molar conversion were 83.31 ± 2.07% and 82.81 ± .98%, respectively. Furthermore, the continuous process over 30 days showed no appreciable decrease in the molar conversion. The paper demonstrates the applicability of using immobilized lipase and a packed-bed reactor for continuous biodiesel synthesis.

Naturally-Derived Microcosms for Estimating Stress Effects in Aquatic Ecosystems

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-31

production, respiration, nutrient dynamics, enzyme activities, and species richness. Endpoints can be added or eliminated, depending on the...substrates per microcosm, depending on the experimental design. One to two substrates per microcosm will be placed in a natural ecosystem to accumulate the...water, these substrates should be left to accumulate microbiota for 3-10 d, depending on the flow rate and sediment load. In lentic ecosystems, exposure

Numerical simulations of sessile droplet evaporating on heated substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xue; Chen, Paul G.; Ouazzani, Jalil; Liu, Qiusheng

2017-04-01

Motivated by the space project EFILE, a 2D axisymmetric numerical model in the framework of ALE method is developed to investigate the coupled physical mechanism during the evaporation of a pinned drop that partially wets on a heated substrate. The model accounts for mass transport in surrounding air, Marangoni convection inside the drop and heat conduction in the substrate as well as moving interface. Numerical results predict simple scaling laws for the evaporation rate which scales linearly with drop radius but follows a power-law with substrate temperature. It is highlighted that thermal effect of the substrate has a great impact on the temperature profile at the drop surface, which leads to a multicellular thermocapillary flow pattern. In particular, the structure of the multicellular flow behavior induced within a heated drop is mainly controlled by a geometric parameter (aspect ratio). A relationship between the number of thermal cells and the aspect ratio is proposed.

Flow-induced adhesion of shear-activated polymers to a substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoore, Masoud; Rack, Kathrin; Fedosov, Dmitry A.; Gompper, Gerhard

2018-02-01

Adhesion of polymers and proteins to substrates plays a crucial role in many technological applications and biological processes. A prominent example is the von Willebrand factor (VWF) protein, which is essential in blood clotting as it mediates adhesion of blood platelets to the site of injury at high shear rates. VWF is activated by flow and is able to bind efficiently to damaged vessel walls even under extreme flow-stress conditions; however, its adhesion is reversible when the flow strength is significantly reduced or the flow is ceased. Motivated by the properties and behavior of VWF in flow, we investigate adhesion of shear-activated polymers to a planar wall in flow and whether the adhesion is reversible under flow stasis. The main ingredients of the polymer model are cohesive inter-monomer interactions, a catch bond with the adhesive surface, and the shear activation/deactivation of polymer adhesion correlated with its stretching in flow. The cohesive interactions within the polymer maintain a globular conformation under low shear stresses and allow polymer stretching if a critical shear rate is exceeded, which is directly associated with its activation for adhesion. Our results show that polymer adhesion at high shear rates is significantly stabilized by catch bonds, while at the same time they also permit polymer dissociation from a surface at low or no flow stresses. In addition, the activation/deactivation mechanism for adhesion plays a crucial role in the reversibility of its adhesion. These observations help us better understand the adhesive behavior of VWF in flow and interpret its adhesion malfunctioning in VWF-related diseases.

Scanning nozzle plating system. [for etching or plating metals on substrates without masking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliver, G. D. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A plating system is described in which a substrate to be plated is supported on a stationary platform. A nozzle assembly with a small nozzle is supplied with a plating solution under high pressure, so that a constant-flow stream of solution is directed to the substrate. The nozzle assembly is moved relative to the substrate at a selected rate and movement pattern. A potential difference (voltage) is provided between the substrate and the solution in the assembly. The voltage amplitude is modulated so that only when the amplitude is above a minimum known value plating takes place.

Surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) flow sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Shrinivas G.

1991-03-01

The use of a surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) device to measure the rate of gas flow is described. A SAW oscillator heated to a suitable temperature above ambient is placed in the path of a flowing gas. Convective cooling caused by the gas flow results in a change in the oscillator frequency. A 73-MHz oscillator fabricated on 128 deg rotated Y-cut lithium niobate substrate and heated to 55 C above ambient shows a frequency variation greater than 142 kHz for flow-rate variation from 0 to 1000 cu cm/min. The output of the sensor can be calibrated to provide a measurement of volume flow rate, pressure differential across channel ports, or mass flow rate. High sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and direct digital output are among the attractive features of this sensor. Theoretical expressions for the sensitivity and response time of the sensor are derived. It is shown that by using ultrasonic Lamb waves propagating in thin membranes, a flow sensor with faster response than a SAW sensor can be realized.

Surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) flow sensor.

PubMed

Joshi, S G

1991-01-01

The use of a surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) device to measure the rate of gas flow is described. A SAW oscillator heated to a suitable temperature above ambient is placed in the path of a flowing gas. Convective cooling caused by the gas flow results in a change in the oscillator frequency. A 73-MHz oscillator fabricated on 128 degrees rotated Y-cut lithium niobate substrate and heated to 55 degrees C above ambient shows a frequency variation greater than 142 kHz for flow-rate variation from 0 to 1000 cm(3)/min. The output of the sensor can be calibrated to provide a measurement of volume flow rate, pressure differential across channel ports, or mass flow rate. High sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and direct digital output are among the attractive features of this sensor. Theoretical expressions for the sensitivity and response time of the sensor are derived. It is shown that by using ultrasonic Lamb waves, propagating in thin membranes, a flow sensor with faster response than a SAW sensor can be realized.

Influence of the Substrate on the Formation of Metallic Glass Coatings by Cold Gas Spraying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henao, John; Concustell, Amadeu; Dosta, Sergi; Cinca, Núria; Cano, Irene G.; Guilemany, Josep M.

2016-06-01

Cold gas spray technology has been used to build up coatings of Fe-base metallic glass onto different metallic substrates. In this work, the effect of the substrate properties on the viscoplastic response of metallic glass particles during their impact has been studied. Thick coatings with high deposition efficiencies have been built-up in conditions of homogeneous flow on substrates such as Mild Steel AISI 1040, Stainless Steel 316L, Inconel 625, Aluminum 7075-T6, and Copper (99.9%). Properties of the substrate have been identified to play an important role in the viscoplastic response of the metallic glass particles at impact. Depending on the process gas conditions, the impact morphologies show not only inhomogeneous deformation but also homogeneous plastic flow despite the high strain rates, 108 to 109 s-1, involved in the technique. Interestingly, homogenous deformation of metallic glass particles is promoted depending on the hardness and the thermal diffusivity of the substrate and it is not exclusively a function of the kinetic energy and the temperature of the particle at impact. Coating formation is discussed in terms of fundamentals of dynamics of undercooled liquids, viscoplastic flow mechanisms of metallic glasses, and substrate properties. The findings presented in this work have been used to build up a detailed scheme of the deposition mechanism of metallic glass coatings by the cold gas spraying technology.

Substituent effect on the oxidation of phenols and aromatic amines by horseradish peroxidase compound I.

PubMed

Job, D; Dunford, H B

1976-07-15

A stopped-flow kinetic study shows that the reduction rate of horseradish peroxidase compound I by phenols and aromatic amines is greatly dependent upon the substituent effect on the benzene ring. Morever it has been possible to relate the reduction rate constants of monosubstituted substrates by a linear free-energy relationship (Hammett equation). The correlation of log (rate constants) with sigma values (Hammett equation) and the absence of correlation with sigma+ values (Okamoto-Brown equation) can be explained by a mechanism of aromatic substrate oxidations, in which the substrate gives an electron to the enzyme compound I and simultaneously loses a proton. The analogy which has been made with oxidation potentials of phenols or anilines strengthens the view that the reaction is only dependent on the relative ease of oxidation of the substrate. The rate constant obtained for p-aminophenol indicates that a value of 2.3 X 10(8) M-1 S-1 probably approaches the diffusion-controlled limit for a bimolecular reaction involving compound I and an aromatic substrate.

Modified kinetic-hydraulic UASB reactor model for treatment of wastewater containing biodegradable organic substrates.

PubMed

El-Seddik, Mostafa M; Galal, Mona M; Radwan, A G; Abdel-Halim, Hisham S

2016-01-01

This paper addresses a modified kinetic-hydraulic model for up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor aimed to treat wastewater of biodegradable organic substrates as acetic acid based on Van der Meer model incorporated with biological granules inclusion. This dynamic model illustrates the biomass kinetic reaction rate for both direct and indirect growth of microorganisms coupled with the amount of biogas produced by methanogenic bacteria in bed and blanket zones of reactor. Moreover, the pH value required for substrate degradation at the peak specific growth rate of bacteria is discussed for Andrews' kinetics. The sensitivity analyses of biomass concentration with respect to fraction of volume of reactor occupied by granules and up-flow velocity are also demonstrated. Furthermore, the modified mass balance equations of reactor are applied during steady state using Newton Raphson technique to obtain a suitable degree of freedom for the modified model matching with the measured results of UASB Sanhour wastewater treatment plant in Fayoum, Egypt.

Highly Segmented Thermal Barrier Coatings Deposited by Suspension Plasma Spray: Effects of Spray Process on Microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaolong; Honda, Hiroshi; Kuroda, Seiji; Araki, Hiroshi; Murakami, Hideyuki; Watanabe, Makoto; Sakka, Yoshio

2016-12-01

Effects of the ceramic powder size used for suspension as well as several processing parameters in suspension plasma spraying of YSZ were investigated experimentally, aiming to fabricate highly segmented microstructures for thermal barrier coating (TBC) applications. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to observe the atomization process and the velocity distribution of atomized droplets and ceramic particles travelling toward the substrates. The tested parameters included the secondary plasma gas (He versus H2), suspension injection flow rate, and substrate surface roughness. Results indicated that a plasma jet with a relatively higher content of He or H2 as the secondary plasma gas was critical to produce highly segmented YSZ TBCs with a crack density up to 12 cracks/mm. The optimized suspension flow rate played an important role to realize coatings with a reduced porosity level and improved adhesion. An increased powder size and higher operation power level were beneficial for the formation of highly segmented coatings onto substrates with a wider range of surface roughness.

Substrate effects on the epitaxial growth of ZnGeP2 thin films by open tube organometallic chemical vapor deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xing, G. C.; Bachmann, K. J.; Posthill, J. B.; Timmons, M. L.

1991-01-01

Epitaxial ZnGeP2-Ge films have been grown on (111)GaP substrates using MOCVD. The films grown with dimethylzinc to germane flow rate ratio R greater than 10 show mirror-smooth surface morphology. Films grown with R less than 10 show a high density of twinning, including both double position and growth twins. Compared to films grown on (001) GaP substrates, the layers on (111) GaP generally show a higher density of microstructural defects. TEM electron diffraction patterns show that the films grown on (111) GaP substrates are more disordered than films grown on (001) GaP under comparable conditions. The growth rate on (111) GaP substrates is about 2.5 times slower than that on (001) GaP, and films grown on Si substrates show extensive twinning formation. Both TEM and SEM examinations indicate that smooth epitaxial overgrowth may be easier on (111) Si substrates than on (001) Si.

Removal of pharmaceuticals in pre-denitrifying MBBR - Influence of organic substrate availability in single- and three-stage configurations.

PubMed

Polesel, Fabio; Torresi, Elena; Loreggian, Luca; Casas, Mònica Escolà; Christensson, Magnus; Bester, Kai; Plósz, Benedek Gy

2017-10-15

Due to the limited efficiency of conventional biological treatment, innovative solutions are being explored to improve the removal of trace organic chemicals in wastewater. Controlling biomass exposure to growth substrate represents an appealing option for process optimization, as substrate availability likely impacts microbial activity, hence organic trace chemical removal. This study investigated the elimination of pharmaceuticals in pre-denitrifying moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs), where biofilm exposure to different organic substrate loading and composition was controlled by reactor staging. A three-stage MBBR and a single-stage reference MBBR (with the same operating volume and filling ratio) were operated under continuous-flow conditions (18 months). Two sets of batch experiments (day 100 and 471) were performed to quantify and compare pharmaceutical removal and denitrification kinetics in the different MBBRs. Experimental results revealed the possible influence of retransformation (e.g., from conjugated metabolites) and enantioselectivity on the removal of selected pharmaceuticals. In the second set of experiments, specific trends in denitrification and biotransformation kinetics were observed, with highest and lowest rates/rate constants in the first (S1) and the last (S3) staged sub-reactors, respectively. These observations were confirmed by removal efficiency data obtained during continuous-flow operation, with limited removal (<10%) of recalcitrant pharmaceuticals and highest removal in S1 within the three-stage MBBR. Notably, biotransformation rate constants obtained for non-recalcitrant pharmaceuticals correlated with mean specific denitrification rates, maximum specific growth rates and observed growth yield values. Overall, these findings suggest that: (i) the long-term exposure to tiered substrate accessibility in the three-stage configuration shaped the denitrification and biotransformation capacity of biofilms, with significant reduction under substrate limitation; (ii) biotransformation of pharmaceuticals may have occurred as a result of cometabolism by heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two dimensional radial gas flows in atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Gwihyun; Park, Seran; Shin, Hyunsu; Song, Seungho; Oh, Hoon-Jung; Ko, Dae Hong; Choi, Jung-Il; Baik, Seung Jae

2017-12-01

Atmospheric pressure (AP) operation of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is one of promising concepts for high quality and low cost processing. Atmospheric plasma discharge requires narrow gap configuration, which causes an inherent feature of AP PECVD. Two dimensional radial gas flows in AP PECVD induces radial variation of mass-transport and that of substrate temperature. The opposite trend of these variations would be the key consideration in the development of uniform deposition process. Another inherent feature of AP PECVD is confined plasma discharge, from which volume power density concept is derived as a key parameter for the control of deposition rate. We investigated deposition rate as a function of volume power density, gas flux, source gas partial pressure, hydrogen partial pressure, plasma source frequency, and substrate temperature; and derived a design guideline of deposition tool and process development in terms of deposition rate and uniformity.

Impacts of changing hydrology on permanent gully growth: experimental results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, Stephanie S.; Gran, Karen B.; Paola, Chris

2018-06-01

Permanent gullies grow through head cut propagation in response to overland flow coupled with incision and widening in the channel bottom leading to hillslope failures. Altered hydrology can impact the rate at which permanent gullies grow by changing head cut propagation, channel incision, and channel widening rates. Using a set of small physical experiments, we tested how changing overland flow rates and flow volumes alter the total volume of erosion and resulting gully morphology. Permanent gullies were modeled as both detachment-limited and transport-limited systems, using two different substrates with varying cohesion. In both cases, the erosion rate varied linearly with water discharge, such that the volume of sediment eroded was a function not of flow rate, but of total water volume. This implies that efforts to reduce peak flow rates alone without addressing flow volumes entering gully systems may not reduce erosion. The documented response in these experiments is not typical when compared to larger preexisting channels where higher flow rates result in greater erosion through nonlinear relationships between water discharge and sediment discharge. Permanent gullies do not respond like preexisting channels because channel slope remains a free parameter and can adjust relatively quickly in response to changing flows.

Process for Smoothing an Si Substrate after Etching of SiO2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Tasha; Wu, Chi

2003-01-01

A reactive-ion etching (RIE) process for smoothing a silicon substrate has been devised. The process is especially useful for smoothing those silicon areas that have been exposed by etching a pattern of holes in a layer of silicon dioxide that covers the substrate. Applications in which one could utilize smooth silicon surfaces like those produced by this process include fabrication of optical waveguides, epitaxial deposition of silicon on selected areas of silicon substrates, and preparation of silicon substrates for deposition of adherent metal layers. During etching away of a layer of SiO2 that covers an Si substrate, a polymer becomes deposited on the substrate, and the substrate surface becomes rough (roughness height approximately equal to 50 nm) as a result of over-etching or of deposition of the polymer. While it is possible to smooth a silicon substrate by wet chemical etching, the undesired consequences of wet chemical etching can include compromising the integrity of the SiO2 sidewalls and undercutting of the adjacent areas of the silicon dioxide that are meant to be left intact. The present RIE process results in anisotropic etching that removes the polymer and reduces height of roughness of the silicon substrate to less than 10 nm while leaving the SiO2 sidewalls intact and vertical. Control over substrate versus sidewall etching (in particular, preferential etching of the substrate) is achieved through selection of process parameters, including gas flow, power, and pressure. Such control is not uniformly and repeatably achievable in wet chemical etching. The recipe for the present RIE process is the following: Etch 1 - A mixture of CF4 and O2 gases flowing at rates of 25 to 75 and 75 to 125 standard cubic centimeters per minute (stdcm3/min), respectively; power between 44 and 55 W; and pressure between 45 and 55 mtorr (between 6.0 and 7.3 Pa). The etch rate lies between approximately equal to 3 and approximately equal to 6 nm/minute. Etch 2 - O2 gas flowing at 75 to 125 stdcm3/min, power between 44 and 55 W, and pressure between 50 and 100 mtorr (between 6.7 and 13.3 Pa).

Effects of substrate heating and post-deposition annealing on characteristics of thin MOCVD HfO2 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopalan, Sundararaman; Ramesh, Sivaramakrishnan; Dutta, Shibesh; Virajit Garbhapu, Venkata

2018-02-01

It is well known that Hf-based dielectrics have replaced the traditional SiO2 and SiON as gate dielectric materials for conventional CMOS devices. By using thicker high-k materials such as HfO2 rather than ultra-thin SiO2, we can bring down leakage current densities in MOS devices to acceptable levels. HfO2 is also one of the potential candidates as a blocking dielectric for Flash memory applications for the same reason. In this study, effects of substrate heating and oxygen flow rate while depositing HfO2 thin films using CVD and effects of post deposition annealing on the physical and electrical characteristics of HfO2 thin films are presented. It was observed that substrate heating during deposition helps improve the density and electrical characteristics of the films. At higher substrate temperature, Vfb moved closer to zero and also resulted in significant reduction in hysteresis. Higher O2 flow rates may improve capacitance, but also results in slightly higher leakage. The effect of PDA depended on film thickness and O2 PDA improved characteristics only for thick films. For thinner films forming gas anneal resulted in better electrical characteristics.

Evaluation of an Immobilized Cell Bioreactor for Degradation of Meta- and Para-Nitrobenzoate

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-01-18

AFB IWTP. 4 Shake flask tests and continuous flow, bench-scale bioreactor tests were conducted using EDA or spent CLEPO 204 as the substrate. It was...found that the shake flask cultures completely degraded EDA when it was the sole substrate. However, using spent CLEPO 204 as the substrate caused a...microorganisms isolated, Kelly 4. Erlenmeyer flasks (250 mL) were used in studies to determine the maximal growth rate of Kelly 4 at 30" C in SMSB

Lava-substrate heat transfer: Laboratory experiments and thermodynamic modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumpf, M.; Fagents, S. A.; Hamilton, C. W.; Wright, R.; Crawford, I.

2012-12-01

We have performed laboratory experiments and numerical modeling to investigate the heat transfer from a lava flow into various substrate materials, focusing on the effects of the differing thermophysical properties of substrate materials. Initial motivation for this project developed from the desire to understand the loss of solar wind volatiles embedded in lunar regolith deposits that were subsequently covered by a lava flow. The Moon lacks a significant atmosphere and magnetosphere, leaving the surface regolith exposed to bombardment by solar flare and solar wind particles, and by the cosmogenic products of galactic cosmic rays. Preservation of particle-rich regolith deposits may have occurred by the emplacement of an active lava flow on top of the regolith layer, provided the embedded particles survive heating by the lava. During future expeditions to the lunar surface, ancient regolith deposits could be sampled through surface drilling to extract the extra-lunar particles, revealing a history of the solar activity and galactic events not available on the Earth. This project also has important implications for terrestrial lava flows, particularly in the prediction of lava flow hazards. Lava erupted on Earth may be emplaced on various substrates, including solid lava rock, volcanic tephra, sands, soils, etc. The composition, grain size, consolidation, moisture content, etc. of these materials will vary greatly and have different effects on the cooling of the flow. Accounting for specific properties of the substrate could be an important improvement in lava flow models We have performed laboratory experiments in collaboration with the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in which ~5-6 kg of basalt, collected at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, is melted to ~1200 °C. The lava is poured into a device constructed of calcium silicate sheeting that has been filled with a solid or particulate substrate material and embedded with thermocouples. Internal temperatures are monitored by the thermocouple array, while external temperatures are monitored by a Forward Looking Infrared Radiometer (FLIR) video camera. The experimental data thus describe the cooling rates of the system, and reveal the release of latent heat of crystallization within the cooling lava. These experiments have been conducted in conjunction with numerical simulations of the heat transfer from a lava flow into various substrates, to quantify the depth reached by the heat pulse as it penetrates the substrate. Models include material-specific, temperature-dependent thermophysical properties, including thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, and latent heat of crystallization. We find that particulate materials, such as lunar regolith, sand, and soils will be heated to depths shallower than solid materials. In addition, the particulate materials will act as insulators, shielding the lava flow from basal cooling and maintaining high temperatures in the flow core. These results suggest that lava flows emplaced on a dry particulate terrain will remain above solidus for a longer duration, allowing the lava to flow further than when emplaced on a solid substrate.

Raman Studies on Pre- and Post-Processed CVD Graphene Films Grown under Various Nitrogen Carrier Gas Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beh, K. P.; Yam, F. K.; Abdalrheem, Raed; Ng, Y. Z.; Suhaimi, F. H. A.; Lim, H. S.; Mat Jafri, M. Z.

2018-04-01

In this work, graphene films were grown on copper substrates using chemical vapour deposition method under various N2 carrier flow rate. The samples were characterized using Raman spectroscopy. Three sets of Raman measurements have been performed: graphene/Cu (as-grown samples), pre-annealed graphene/glass, and post-annealed graphene/glass. It was found that the Raman spectra of graphene/Cu samples possessed a hump-shaped baseline, additionally higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that leads to attenuation graphene-related bands. Significant improvement of SNR and flat baseline were observed for graphene films transferred on glass substrate. Further analysis on the remaining sets of Raman spectra highlighted minute traces of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) could yield misleading results. Hence, the set of Raman spectra on annealed graphene/glass samples would be suitable in further elucidating the effects of N2 carrier flow towards graphene growth. From there, higher N2 flow implied dilution of methanol/H2 mixture, limiting interactions between reactants and substrate. This leads to smaller crystallite size and lesser graphene layers.

Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Alleviates Restrictions to Substrate Water Flow and Delays Transpiration Limitation to Stronger Drought in Tomato.

PubMed

Bitterlich, Michael; Sandmann, Martin; Graefe, Jan

2018-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) proliferate in soil pores, on the surface of soil particles and affect soil structure. Although modifications in substrate moisture retention depend on structure and could influence plant water extraction, mycorrhizal impacts on water retention and hydraulic conductivity were rarely quantified. Hence, we asked whether inoculation with AMF affects substrate water retention, water transport properties and at which drought intensity those factors become limiting for plant transpiration. Solanum lycopersicum plants were set up in the glasshouse, inoculated or not with Funneliformis mosseae , and grown for 35 days under ample water supply. After mycorrhizal establishment, we harvested three sets of plants, one before (36 days after inoculation) and the second (day 42) and third (day 47) within a sequential drying episode. Sampling cores were introduced into pots before planting. After harvest, moisture retention and substrate conductivity properties were assessed and water retention and hydraulic conductivity models were fitted. A root water uptake model was adopted in order to identify the critical substrate moisture that induces soil derived transpiration limitation. Neither substrate porosity nor saturated water contents were affected by inoculation, but both declined after substrates dried. Drying also caused a decline in pot water capacity and hydraulic conductivity. Plant available water contents under wet (pF 1.8-4.2) and dry (pF 2.5-4.2) conditions increased in mycorrhizal substrates and were conserved after drying. Substrate hydraulic conductivity was higher in mycorrhizal pots before and during drought exposure. After withholding water from pots, higher substrate drying rates and lower substrate water potentials were found in mycorrhizal substrates. Mycorrhiza neither affected leaf area nor root weight or length. Consistently with higher substrate drying rates, AMF restored the plant hydraulic status, and increased plant transpiration when soil moisture declined. The water potential at the root surface and the resistance to water flow in the rhizosphere were restored in mycorrhizal pots although the bulk substrate dried more. Finally, substrates colonized by AMF can be more desiccated before substrate water flux quantitatively limits transpiration. This is most pronounced under high transpiration demands and complies with a difference of over 1,000 hPa in substrate water potential.

Enhancing the Microparticle Deposition Stability and Homogeneity on Planer for Synthesis of Self-Assembly Monolayer.

PubMed

Shih, An-Ci; Han, Chi-Jui; Kuo, Tsung-Cheng; Cheng, Yun-Chien

2018-03-14

The deposition stability and homogeneity of microparticles improved with mask, lengthened nozzle and flow rate adjustment. The microparticles can be used to encapsulate monomers, before the monomers in the microparticles can be deposited onto a substrate for nanoscale self-assembly. For the uniformity of the synthesized nanofilm, the homogeneity of the deposited microparticles becomes an important issue. Based on the ANSYS simulation results, the effects of secondary flow were minimized with a lengthened nozzle. The ANSYS simulation was also used to investigate the ring-vortex generation and why the ring vortex can be eliminated by adding a mask with an aperture between the nozzle and deposition substrate. The experimental results also showed that particle deposition with a lengthened nozzle was more stable, while adding the mask stabilized deposition and diminished the ring-vortex contamination. The effects of flow rate and pressure were also investigated. Hence, the deposition stability and homogeneity of microparticles was improved.

Effect of the carrier gas flow rate on the microstructure evolution and the generation of the charged nanoparticles during silicon chemical vapor deposition.

PubMed

Youn, Woong-Kyu; Kim, Chan-Soo; Hwang, Nong-Moon

2013-10-01

The generation of charged nanoparticles in the gas phase has been continually reported in many chemical vapor deposition processes. Charged silicon nanoparticles in the gas phase were measured using a differential mobility analyzer connected to an atmospheric-pressure chemical vapor deposition reactor at various nitrogen carrier gas flow rates (300-1000 standard cubic centimeter per minute) under typical conditions for silicon deposition at the reactor temperature of 900 degrees C. The carrier gas flow rate affected not only the growth behavior of nanostructures but also the number concentration and size distribution of both negatively and positively charged nanoparticles. As the carrier gas flow rate decreased, the growth behavior changed from films to nanowires, which grew without catalytic metal nanoparticles on a quartz substrate.

Heat transfer measurements on biconics at incidence in hypersonic high enthalpy air and nitrogen flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gai, S. L.; Cain, T.; Joe, W. S.; Sandeman, R. J.; Miller, C. G.

1988-01-01

Heat transfer rate measurements have been obtained at 0, 5, 15, and 21 deg angles-of-attack for a straight biconic scale model of an aeroassisted orbital vehicle proposed for planetary probe missions. Heat-transfer distributions were measured using palladium thin-film resistance gauges deposited on a glass-ceramic substrate. The windward heat transfer correlations were based on equilibrium flow in the shock layer of the model, although the flow may depart from equilibrium in the flow-field.

Hydrodynamic and Chemical Modeling of a Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor for Zirconia Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belmonte, T.; Gavillet, J.; Czerwiec, T.; Ablitzer, D.; Michel, H.

1997-09-01

Zirconia is deposited on cylindrical substrates by flowing post-discharge enhanced chemical vapor deposition. In this paper, a two dimensional hydrodynamic and chemical modeling of the reactor is described for given plasma characteristics. It helps in determining rate constants of the synthesis reaction of zirconia in gas phase and on the substrate which is ZrCl4 hydrolysis. Calculated deposition rate profiles are obtained by modeling under various conditions and fits with a satisfying accuracy the experimental results. The role of transport processes and the mixing conditions of excited gases with remaining ones are studied. Gas phase reaction influence on the growth rate is also discussed.

Growth of single-crystalline cobalt silicide nanowires and their field emission property.

PubMed

Lu, Chi-Ming; Hsu, Han-Fu; Lu, Kuo-Chang

2013-07-03

In this work, cobalt silicide nanowires were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition processes on Si (100) substrates with anhydrous cobalt chloride (CoCl2) as precursors. Processing parameters, including the temperature of Si (100) substrates, the gas flow rate, and the pressure of reactions were varied and studied; additionally, the physical properties of the cobalt silicide nanowires were measured. It was found that single-crystal CoSi nanowires were grown at 850°C ~ 880°C and at a lower gas flow rate, while single-crystal Co2Si nanowires were grown at 880°C ~ 900°C. The crystal structure and growth direction were identified, and the growth mechanism was proposed as well. This study with field emission measurements demonstrates that CoSi nanowires are attractive choices for future applications in field emitters.

Observations and initial modeling of lava-SO2 interactions at Prometheus, Io

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milazzo, M. P.; Keszthelyi, L. P.; McEwen, A. S.

2001-12-01

We present observations and initial modeling of the lava-SO2 interactions at the flow fronts in the Prometheus region of Io. Recent high-resolution observations of Prometheus reveal a compound flow field with many active flow lobes. Many of the flow lobes are associated with bright streaks of what is interpreted to be volatilized and recondensed SO2 radiating away from the hot lava. Lower-resolution color data show diffuse blue to violet areas, also near the active flow front, perhaps from active venting of SO2. Not clearly visible in any of the images is a single source vent for the active plume. While the size of the proposed vent is probably near the limit of the resolution, we expected to see radial or concentric albedo patterns or other evidence for gas and entrained particles above the flow field. The lack of an obvious plume vent, earlier suggestions that the Prometheus-type plumes may originate from the advancing flow lobes, and the high-resolution images showing evidence for large-scale volatilization of the SO2-rich substrate at Prometheus encouraged us to develop a model to quantify the heat transfer between a basaltic lava flow and a substrate of SO2 snow. We calculate that the vaporization rate of SO2 snow is 2.5×10-6ms-1 per unit area. Using an estimated 5 m2s-1 lava coverage rate (from change detection images), we show that the gas production rate of SO2 at the flow fronts is enough to produce a resurfacing rate of ~0.24 cm yr-1 at the annulus of Prometheus. This is much less than other estimates of resurfacing by the Prometheus plume. While not easily explaining the main Prometheus plume, our model readily accounts for the bright streaks.

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

Lobo, R.; Revah, S.; Viveros-Garcia, T.

An analysis of the local processes occurring in a trickle-bed bioreactor (TBB) with a first-order bioreaction shows that the identification of the TBB operating regime requires knowledge of the substrate concentration in the liquid phase. If the substrate liquid concentration is close to 0, the rate-controlling step is mass transfer at the gas-liquid interface; when it is close to the value in equilibrium with the gas phase, the controlling step is the phenomena occurring in the biofilm, CS{sub 2} removal rate data obtained in a TBB with a Thiobacilii consortia biofilm are analyzed to obtain the mass transfer and kineticmore » parameters, and to show that the bioreactor operates in a regime mainly controlled by mass transfer. A TBB model with two experimentally determined parameters is developed and used to show how the bioreactor size depends on the rate-limiting step, the absorption factor, the substrate fractional conversion, and on the gas and liquid contact pattern. Under certain conditions, the TBB size is independent of the flowing phases` contact pattern. The model effectively describes substrate gas and liquid concentration data for mass transfer and biodegradation rate controlled processes.« less

Improving the performance of immobilized β-glucosidase using a microreactor.

PubMed

Wei, Ce; Zhou, Yan; Zhuang, Wei; Li, Ganlu; Jiang, Min; Zhang, Hongman

2018-04-01

Here, we have presented a technically simple and efficient method for preparing a continuous flow microreactor by employing immobilized β-glucosidase in a silica quartz capillary tube. Developing an immobilized enzyme layer on the inner wall of the capillary tube involved the modification of the inner wall using bifunctional crosslinking agents 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and glutaraldehyde before attaching β-glucosidase. The microreactor afforded unique reaction capacities compared with conventional batch operational configurations. These included enhanced pH and thermal stability during storage tests, increased conversion rates of cellobiose, and reduced product inhibition. The maximum conversion rate of soluble substrate cellobiose digestion in the microreactor was 76% at 50°C and pH 4.8 when the microreactor was operated continually over 10 h at a flow rate of 7 μL/min. This was markedly contrasting to the observed conversion rate of 56% when cellobiose was digested in a conventional batch mode under the same pH and temperature conditions. Reaction inhibition by glucose was significantly reduced in the microreactor. We postulate that the increased capacity of glucose to diffuse into the continual flowing media above the immobilized enzyme layer prevents glucose from reaching inhibitory concentrations at the substrate-enzyme interface. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Form and Function of Clostridium thermocellum Biofilms

PubMed Central

Dumitrache, Alexandru; Allen, Grant; Liss, Steven N.; Lynd, Lee R.

2013-01-01

The importance of bacterial adherence has been acknowledged in microbial lignocellulose conversion studies; however, few reports have described the function and structure of biofilms supported by cellulosic substrates. We investigated the organization, dynamic formation, and carbon flow associated with biofilms of the obligately anaerobic cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum 27405. Using noninvasive, in situ fluorescence imaging, we showed biofilms capable of near complete substrate conversion with a characteristic monolayered cell structure without an extracellular polymeric matrix typically seen in biofilms. Cell division at the interface and terminal endospores appeared throughout all stages of biofilm growth. Using continuous-flow reactors with a rate of dilution (2 h−1) 12-fold higher than the bacterium's maximum growth rate, we compared biofilm activity under low (44 g/liter) and high (202 g/liter) initial cellulose loading. The average hydrolysis rate was over 3-fold higher in the latter case, while the proportions of oligomeric cellulose hydrolysis products lost from the biofilm were 13.7% and 29.1% of the total substrate carbon hydrolyzed, respectively. Fermentative catabolism was comparable between the two cellulose loadings, with ca. 4% of metabolized sugar carbon being utilized for cell production, while 75.4% and 66.7% of the two cellulose loadings, respectively, were converted to primary carbon metabolites (ethanol, acetic acid, lactic acid, carbon dioxide). However, there was a notable difference in the ethanol-to-acetic acid ratio (g/g), measured to be 0.91 for the low cellulose loading and 0.41 for the high cellulose loading. The results suggest that substrate availability for cell attachment rather than biofilm colonization rates govern the efficiency of cellulose conversion. PMID:23087042

Form and function of Clostridium thermocellum biofilms.

PubMed

Dumitrache, Alexandru; Wolfaardt, Gideon; Allen, Grant; Liss, Steven N; Lynd, Lee R

2013-01-01

The importance of bacterial adherence has been acknowledged in microbial lignocellulose conversion studies; however, few reports have described the function and structure of biofilms supported by cellulosic substrates. We investigated the organization, dynamic formation, and carbon flow associated with biofilms of the obligately anaerobic cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum 27405. Using noninvasive, in situ fluorescence imaging, we showed biofilms capable of near complete substrate conversion with a characteristic monolayered cell structure without an extracellular polymeric matrix typically seen in biofilms. Cell division at the interface and terminal endospores appeared throughout all stages of biofilm growth. Using continuous-flow reactors with a rate of dilution (2 h(-1)) 12-fold higher than the bacterium's maximum growth rate, we compared biofilm activity under low (44 g/liter) and high (202 g/liter) initial cellulose loading. The average hydrolysis rate was over 3-fold higher in the latter case, while the proportions of oligomeric cellulose hydrolysis products lost from the biofilm were 13.7% and 29.1% of the total substrate carbon hydrolyzed, respectively. Fermentative catabolism was comparable between the two cellulose loadings, with ca. 4% of metabolized sugar carbon being utilized for cell production, while 75.4% and 66.7% of the two cellulose loadings, respectively, were converted to primary carbon metabolites (ethanol, acetic acid, lactic acid, carbon dioxide). However, there was a notable difference in the ethanol-to-acetic acid ratio (g/g), measured to be 0.91 for the low cellulose loading and 0.41 for the high cellulose loading. The results suggest that substrate availability for cell attachment rather than biofilm colonization rates govern the efficiency of cellulose conversion.

Corrosion, optical and magnetic properties of flexible iron nitride nano thin films deposited on polymer substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, W. Q.; Wang, Qun; Jin, Xin; Yasin, G.

2017-11-01

Iron nitride thin films of different compositions and thicknesses were deposited on flexible polymer substrate in Ar/N2 atmosphere by reactive magnetron sputtering under varying nitrogen flow rates. The nano structured films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectrophotometer, electrochemical impedance (EIS), atomic force (AFM) and transmission electron microscopies. The dependence of their functional properties on coating and growth conditions was studied in detail. It was found that the thin films show a uniform permeability in the frequency range of 200 MHz to 1 Ghz and can be used in this range without appreciable changes. Decrease of nitrogen flow rate resulted in the smoother surfaces which in turn increase transmittance quality and corrosion resistance. Functional properties are dependent of nature, relative concentration of the iron nitride phases and film thickness. Surface integrity is excellent for180 nm thick sample because the films appear to be very dense and free from open pores. By keeping sputtering power stable at 110 W, nitrogen flow rate of 10 sccm was ideal to develop the ferromagnetic γʹFe4N phase at room temperature.

Steady film flow over a substrate with rectangular trenches forming air inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varchanis, S.; Dimakopoulos, Y.; Tsamopoulos, J.

2017-12-01

Film flow along an inclined, solid substrate featuring periodic rectangular trenches may either completely wet the trench floor (Wenzel state) or get pinned on the entrance and exit corners of the trench (Cassie state) or assume other configurations in between these two extremes. Such intermediate configurations are examined in the present study. They are bounded by a second gas-liquid interface inside the trench, which adheres to its walls forming two three-phase contact lines, and encloses a different amount of air under different physical conditions. The Galerkin finite-element method is used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations in a physical domain, which is adaptively remeshed. Multiple steady solutions, connected by turning points and transcritical bifurcations as well as isolated solution branches, are revealed by pseudo-arc-length continuation. Two possible configurations of a single air inclusion inside the trench are examined: the inclusion either surrounds the upstream convex corner or is attached to the upstream trench wall. The penetration of the liquid inside the trench is enhanced primarily by increasing either the wettability of the substrate or capillary over viscous forces or by decreasing the flow rate. Flow hysteresis may occur when the liquid wetting of the upstream wall decreases abruptly, leading to drastically different flow patterns for the same parameter values. The interplay of inertia, viscous, gravity, and capillary forces along with substrate wettability determines the volume of the air encapsulated in the trench and the extent of deformation of the outer free surface.

Deposition of TiOxNy Thin Films with Various Nitrogen Flow Rate:. Growth Behavior and Structural Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, S.-J.; Jung, C.-K.; Bae, I.-S.; Song, Y.-H.; Boo, J.-H.

2011-06-01

We have deposited TiOxNy thin films on Si(100) substrates at 500 °C using RF PECVD system. Titanium iso-propoxide was used as precursor with different nitrogen flow rate to control oxygen and nitrogen contents in the films. Changes of chemical states of constituent elements in the deposited films were examined by XPS analysis. The data showed that with increasing nitrogen flow rate, the total amounts of nitrogen and titanium were increased while that of oxygen was decreased, resulting in a binding energy shift toward high energy side. The characteristics of film growth orientation and structure as well as morphology change behavior were also analyzed by XRD, TED, FT-IR, TEM, and SEM. Deposition at higher nitrogen flow rate results in finer clusters with a nanograin size and more effective photocatalytic TiOxNy thin films with hydrophilic surface.

Experiments and simulation of the growth of droplets on a surface (breath figures)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritter, Daniela; Knobler, Charles M.; Beysens, Daniel A.

1991-03-01

Detailed experiments are reported of the growth of droplets when water vapor condenses from a saturated carrier gas onto a hydrophobic plane substrate. We have investigated the effects of the carrier-gas flow velocity, the nature of the gas, the experimental geometry, and heat transfer through the substrate. Individual drops grow according to a power law with exponent μ=1/3. At high flow velocities, the temperature of the substrate can rise significantly, which lowers the condensation rate and leads to lower apparent growth-law exponents. A self-similar regime is reached when droplets interact by coalescences. The coalescences continuously rescale the pattern, produce spatial correlations between the droplets, and accelerate the growth, leading to a power law with an exponent μ0=3μ. The experiments are compared to predictions of scaling laws and to simulations.

Growth rate of plasma-synthesized vertically aligned carbon nanofibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2002-08-01

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

Marangoni Flow Induced Evaporation Enhancement on Binary Sessile Drops.

PubMed

Chen, Pin; Harmand, Souad; Ouenzerfi, Safouene; Schiffler, Jesse

2017-06-15

The evaporation processes of pure water, pure 1-butanol, and 5% 1-butanol aqueous solution drops on heated hydrophobic substrates are investigated to determine the effect of temperature on the drop evaporation behavior. The evolution of the parameters (contact angle, diameter, and volume) during evaporation measured using a drop shape analyzer and the infrared thermal mapping of the drop surface recorded by an infrared camera were used in investigating the evaporation process. The pure 1-butanol drop does not show any thermal instability at different substrate temperatures, while the convection cells created by the thermal Marangoni effect appear on the surface of the pure water drop from 50 °C. Because 1-butanol and water have different surface tensions, the infrared video of the 5% 1-butanol aqueous solution drop shows that the convection cells are generated by the solutal Marangoni effect at any substrate temperature. Furthermore, when the substrate temperature exceeds 50 °C, coexistence of the thermal and solutal Marangoni flows is observed. By analyzing the relation between the ratio of the evaporation rate of pure water and 1-butanol aqueous solution drops and the Marangoni number, a series of empirical equations for predicting the evaporation rates of pure water and 1-butanol aqueous solution drops at the initial time as well as the equations for the evaporation rate of 1-butanol aqueous solution drop before the depletion of alcohol are derived. The results of these equations correspond fairly well to the experimental data.

Impact of microbial activity on the hydraulic properties of fractured chalk.

PubMed

Arnon, Shai; Adar, Eilon; Ronen, Zeev; Yakirevich, Alexander; Nativ, Ronit

2005-02-01

The impact of microbial activity on fractured chalk transmissivity was investigated on a laboratory scale. Long-term experiments were conducted on six fractured chalk cores (20 cm diameter, 23-44 cm long) containing a single natural fracture embedded in a porous matrix. Biodegradation experiments were conducted under various conditions, including several substrate and oxygen concentrations and flow rates. 2,4,6-Tribromophenol (TBP) was used as a model contaminant (substrate). TBP biodegradation efficiency depended mainly on the amount of oxygen. However, under constant oxygen concentration at the core inlet, elevating the flow rates increased the removal rate of TBP. Transmissivity reduction was clearly related to TBP removal rate, following an initial slow decline and a further sharp decrease with time. The fracture's transmissivity was reduced by as much as 97% relative to the initial value, with no leveling off of the clogging process. For the most extreme cases, reductions of 262 and 157 microm in the equivalent hydraulic apertures were recorded for fractures with initial apertures of 495 and 207 microm, respectively. The reductions in fracture transmissivity occurred primarily because of clogging by bacterial cells and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by the bacteria. Most of the biodegradation activity was concentrated near the fracture inlet, where the most suitable biodegradation conditions (nutrients and oxygen) prevailed, suggesting that the clogging had occurred in that vicinity. The clogging must have changed the structure of the fracture void, thereby reducing the active volume participating in flow and transport processes. This phenomenon caused accelerated transport of non-reactive tracers and doubled the fracture's dispersivity under constant flow rates.

Using nonlinear ac electrokinetics vortex flow to enhance catalytic activities of sol-gel encapsulated trypsin in microfluidic devices

PubMed Central

Wang, Shau-Chun; Chen, Hsiao-Ping; Lai, Yi-Wen; Chau, Lai-Kwan; Chuang, Yu-Chun; Chen, Yi-Jie

2007-01-01

A novel microstirring strategy is applied to accelerate the digestion rate of the substrate Nα-benzoyl-L-arginine-4-nitroanilide (L-BAPA) catalyzed by sol-gel encapsulated trypsin. We use an ac nonlinear electrokinetic vortex flow to stir the solution in a microfluidic reaction chamber to reduce the diffusion length between the immobilized enzyme and substrate in the solution. High-intensity nonlinear electroosmotic microvortices, with angular speeds in excess of 1 cm∕s, are generated around a small (∼1.2 mm) conductive ion exchange granule when ac electric fields (133 V∕cm) are applied across a miniature chamber smaller than 10 μl. Coupling between these microvortices and the on-and-off electrophoretic motion of the granule in low frequency (0.1 Hz) ac fields produces chaotic stream lines to stir substrate molecules sufficiently. We demonstrate that, within a 5-min digestion period, the catalytic reaction rate of immobilized trypsin increases almost 30-fold with adequate reproducibility (15%) due to sufficient stirring action through the introduction of the nonlinear electrokinetic vortices. In contrast, low-frequency ac electroosmotic flow without the granule, provides limited stirring action and increases the reaction rate approximately ninefold with barely acceptable reproducibility (30%). Dye molecules are used to characterize the increases in solute diffusivity in the reaction reservoir in which sol-gel particles are placed, with and without the presence of granule, and compared with the static case. The solute diffusivity enhancement data show respective increases of ∼30 and ∼8 times, with and without the presence of granule. These numbers are consistent with the ratios of the enhanced reaction rate. PMID:19693360

Using nonlinear ac electrokinetics vortex flow to enhance catalytic activities of sol-gel encapsulated trypsin in microfluidic devices.

PubMed

Wang, Shau-Chun; Chen, Hsiao-Ping; Lai, Yi-Wen; Chau, Lai-Kwan; Chuang, Yu-Chun; Chen, Yi-Jie

2007-09-04

A novel microstirring strategy is applied to accelerate the digestion rate of the substrate N(alpha)-benzoyl-L-arginine-4-nitroanilide (L-BAPA) catalyzed by sol-gel encapsulated trypsin. We use an ac nonlinear electrokinetic vortex flow to stir the solution in a microfluidic reaction chamber to reduce the diffusion length between the immobilized enzyme and substrate in the solution. High-intensity nonlinear electroosmotic microvortices, with angular speeds in excess of 1 cms, are generated around a small ( approximately 1.2 mm) conductive ion exchange granule when ac electric fields (133 Vcm) are applied across a miniature chamber smaller than 10 mul. Coupling between these microvortices and the on-and-off electrophoretic motion of the granule in low frequency (0.1 Hz) ac fields produces chaotic stream lines to stir substrate molecules sufficiently. We demonstrate that, within a 5-min digestion period, the catalytic reaction rate of immobilized trypsin increases almost 30-fold with adequate reproducibility (15%) due to sufficient stirring action through the introduction of the nonlinear electrokinetic vortices. In contrast, low-frequency ac electroosmotic flow without the granule, provides limited stirring action and increases the reaction rate approximately ninefold with barely acceptable reproducibility (30%). Dye molecules are used to characterize the increases in solute diffusivity in the reaction reservoir in which sol-gel particles are placed, with and without the presence of granule, and compared with the static case. The solute diffusivity enhancement data show respective increases of approximately 30 and approximately 8 times, with and without the presence of granule. These numbers are consistent with the ratios of the enhanced reaction rate.

Effect of Target Composition and Sputtering Deposition Parameters on the Functional Properties of Nitrogenized Ag-Permalloy Flexible Thin Films Deposited on Polymer Substrates

PubMed Central

Wang, Qun; Jin, Xin

2018-01-01

We report the first results of functional properties of nitrogenized silver-permalloy thin films deposited on polyethylene terephthalic ester {PETE (C10H8O4)n} flexible substrates by magnetron sputtering. These new soft magnetic thin films have magnetization that is comparable to pure Ni81Fe19 permalloy films. Two target compositions (Ni76Fe19Ag5 and Ni72Fe18Ag10) were used to study the effect of compositional variation and sputtering parameters, including nitrogen flow rate on the phase evolution and surface properties. Aggregate flow rate and total pressure of Ar+N2 mixture was 60 sccm and 0.55 Pa, respectively. The distance between target and the substrate was kept at 100 mm, while using sputtering power from 100–130 W. Average film deposition rate was confirmed at around 2.05 nm/min for argon atmosphere and was reduced to 1.8 nm/min in reactive nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and contact angle measurements were used to characterize the functional properties. Nano sized character of films was confirmed by XRD and SEM. It is found that the grain size was reduced by the formation of nitride phase, which in turns enhanced the magnetization and lowers the coercivity. Magnetic field coupling efficiency limit was determined from 1.6–2 GHz frequency limit. The results of comparable magnetic performance, lowest magnetic loss, and highest surface free energy, confirming that 15 sccm nitrogen flow rate at 115 W is optimal for producing Ag-doped permalloy flexible thin films having excellent magnetic field coupling efficiency. PMID:29562603

Hyporheic zone denitrification: controls on effective reaction depth and contribution to whole-stream mass balance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harvey, Judson W.; Böhlke, John Karl; Voytek, Mary A.; Scott, Durelle; Tobias, Craig R.

2013-01-01

Stream denitrification is thought to be enhanced by hyporheic transport but there is little direct evidence from the field. To demonstrate at a field site, we injected 15NO3−, Br (conservative tracer), and SF6 (gas exchange tracer) and compared measured whole-stream denitrification with in situ hyporheic denitrification in shallow and deeper flow paths of contrasting geomorphic units. Hyporheic denitrification accounted for between 1 and 200% of whole-stream denitrification. The reaction rate constant was positively related to hyporheic exchange rate (greater substrate delivery), concentrations of substrates DOC and nitrate, microbial denitrifier abundance (nirS), and measures of granular surface area and presence of anoxic microzones. The dimensionless product of the reaction rate constant and hyporheic residence time, λhzτhz define a Damköhler number, Daden-hz that was optimal in the subset of hyporheic flow paths where Daden-hz ≈ 1. Optimal conditions exclude inefficient deep pathways transport where substrates are used up and also exclude inefficient shallow pathways that require repeated hyporheic entries and exits to complete the reaction. The whole-stream reaction significance, Rs (dimensionless), was quantified by multiplying Daden-hz by the proportion of stream discharge passing through the hyporheic zone. Together these two dimensionless metrics, one flow-path scale and the other reach-scale, quantify the whole-stream significance of hyporheic denitrification. One consequence is that the effective zone of significant denitrification often differs from the full depth of the hyporheic zone, which is one reason why whole-stream denitrification rates have not previously been explained based on total hyporheic-zone metrics such as hyporheic-zone size or residence time.

Nitrogen-doped diamond thin films: potential application in Fabry-Pérot interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosowska, M.; Majchrowicz, D.; Sankaran, K. J.; Ficek, M.; Jedrzejewska-Szczerska, M.; Haenen, M. K.

2018-04-01

In this paper we present results of preliminary research of using nitrogen-doped diamond (NDD) films as reflective layer in Fabry-Pérot interferometer. NDD films were deposited on Si substrates by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (MPECVD) with the use of CH4, H2 and N2 gas mixtures. During deposition process methane flow rate varied while nitrogen flow was constant. We performed series of measurements which showed that NDD can be used as a mirror in Fabry-Pérot interferometer. The best signal visibility and repeatability of measurements were obtained for sample made with 3 sccm methane flow rate.

Adhesion strength of sputtered TiAlN-coated WC insert tool

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

Budi, Esmar; Razali, M. Mohd.; Nizam, A. R. Md.

2013-09-09

The adhesion strength of TiAlN coating that deposited by using DC magnetron sputtering on WC insert tool are studied. TiAlN coating are deposited on Tungsten Carbide (WC) insert tool by varying negatively substrate bias from 79 to 221 volt and nitrogen flow rate from 30 to 72 sccm. The adhesion strength are obtained by using Rockwell indentation test method with a Brale diamond at applied load of 60,100 and 150 kgf. The lateral diameter of indentation is plotted on three different applied loads and the adhesion strength of TiAlN coating was obtained from the curved slopes at 100 and 150more » kgf. The lower curve slop indicated better adhesion strength. The results shows that the adhesion strength of sputterred TiAlN coating tend to increase as the negatively substrate bias and nitrogen flow rate are increased.« less

Self-powered enzyme micropumps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, Samudra; Patra, Debabrata; Ortiz-Rivera, Isamar; Agrawal, Arjun; Shklyaev, Sergey; Dey, Krishna K.; Córdova-Figueroa, Ubaldo; Mallouk, Thomas E.; Sen, Ayusman

2014-05-01

Non-mechanical nano- and microscale pumps that function without the aid of an external power source and provide precise control over the flow rate in response to specific signals are needed for the development of new autonomous nano- and microscale systems. Here we show that surface-immobilized enzymes that are independent of adenosine triphosphate function as self-powered micropumps in the presence of their respective substrates. In the four cases studied (catalase, lipase, urease and glucose oxidase), the flow is driven by a gradient in fluid density generated by the enzymatic reaction. The pumping velocity increases with increasing substrate concentration and reaction rate. These rechargeable pumps can be triggered by the presence of specific analytes, which enables the design of enzyme-based devices that act both as sensor and pump. Finally, we show proof-of-concept enzyme-powered devices that autonomously deliver small molecules and proteins in response to specific chemical stimuli, including the release of insulin in response to glucose.

Growth of single-crystalline cobalt silicide nanowires and their field emission property

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

In this work, cobalt silicide nanowires were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition processes on Si (100) substrates with anhydrous cobalt chloride (CoCl2) as precursors. Processing parameters, including the temperature of Si (100) substrates, the gas flow rate, and the pressure of reactions were varied and studied; additionally, the physical properties of the cobalt silicide nanowires were measured. It was found that single-crystal CoSi nanowires were grown at 850°C ~ 880°C and at a lower gas flow rate, while single-crystal Co2Si nanowires were grown at 880°C ~ 900°C. The crystal structure and growth direction were identified, and the growth mechanism was proposed as well. This study with field emission measurements demonstrates that CoSi nanowires are attractive choices for future applications in field emitters. PMID:23819795

Design and monitoring of horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetlands for treating nursery leachates.

PubMed

Narváez, Lola; Cunill, Conrad; Cáceres, Rafaela; Marfà, Oriol

2011-06-01

Nursery leachates usually contain high concentrations of nitrates, phosphorus and potassium, so discharging them into the environment often causes pollution. Single-stage or two-stage horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSCW) filled with different substrates were designed to evaluate the effect and evolution over time of the removal of nitrogen and other nutrients contained in nursery leachates. The addition of sodium acetate to achieve a C:NO(3)(-)-N ratio of 3:1 was sufficient to reach complete denitrification in all HSSCW. The removal rate of nitrate was high throughout the operation period (over 98%). Nevertheless, the removal rate of ammonium decreased about halfway through the operation. Removal of the COD was enhanced by the use of two-stage HSSCW. In general, the substrates and the number of stages of the wetlands did not affect the removal of nitrogen, total phosphorus and potassium. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Alleviates Restrictions to Substrate Water Flow and Delays Transpiration Limitation to Stronger Drought in Tomato

PubMed Central

Bitterlich, Michael; Sandmann, Martin; Graefe, Jan

2018-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) proliferate in soil pores, on the surface of soil particles and affect soil structure. Although modifications in substrate moisture retention depend on structure and could influence plant water extraction, mycorrhizal impacts on water retention and hydraulic conductivity were rarely quantified. Hence, we asked whether inoculation with AMF affects substrate water retention, water transport properties and at which drought intensity those factors become limiting for plant transpiration. Solanum lycopersicum plants were set up in the glasshouse, inoculated or not with Funneliformis mosseae, and grown for 35 days under ample water supply. After mycorrhizal establishment, we harvested three sets of plants, one before (36 days after inoculation) and the second (day 42) and third (day 47) within a sequential drying episode. Sampling cores were introduced into pots before planting. After harvest, moisture retention and substrate conductivity properties were assessed and water retention and hydraulic conductivity models were fitted. A root water uptake model was adopted in order to identify the critical substrate moisture that induces soil derived transpiration limitation. Neither substrate porosity nor saturated water contents were affected by inoculation, but both declined after substrates dried. Drying also caused a decline in pot water capacity and hydraulic conductivity. Plant available water contents under wet (pF 1.8–4.2) and dry (pF 2.5–4.2) conditions increased in mycorrhizal substrates and were conserved after drying. Substrate hydraulic conductivity was higher in mycorrhizal pots before and during drought exposure. After withholding water from pots, higher substrate drying rates and lower substrate water potentials were found in mycorrhizal substrates. Mycorrhiza neither affected leaf area nor root weight or length. Consistently with higher substrate drying rates, AMF restored the plant hydraulic status, and increased plant transpiration when soil moisture declined. The water potential at the root surface and the resistance to water flow in the rhizosphere were restored in mycorrhizal pots although the bulk substrate dried more. Finally, substrates colonized by AMF can be more desiccated before substrate water flux quantitatively limits transpiration. This is most pronounced under high transpiration demands and complies with a difference of over 1,000 hPa in substrate water potential. PMID:29503655

Understanding the impact of flow rate and recycle on the conversion of a complex biorefinery stream using a flow-through microbial electrolysis cell

DOE PAGES

Lewis, Alex J.; Borole, Abhijeet P.

2016-06-16

We investigated the effect of flow rate and recycle on the conversion of a biomass-derived pyrolysis aqueous phase in amicrobial electrolysis cell (MEC) to demonstrate production of renewable hydrogen in biorefinery. A continuous MEC operation was investigated under one-pass and recycle conditions usingthe complex, biomass-derived, fermentable, mixed substrate feed at a constant concentration of 0.026 g/L,while testing flow rates ranging from 0.19 to 3.6 mL/min. This corresponds to an organic loading rate (OLR) of 0.54₋10 g/L-day. Mass transfer issues observed at low flow rates were alleviated using high flow rates.Increasing the flow rate to 3.6 mL/min (3.7 min HRT) duringmore » one-pass operation increased the hydrogen productivity 3-fold, but anode conversion efficiency (ACE) decreased from 57.9% to 9.9%. Recycle of the anode liquid helped to alleviate kinetic limitations and the ACE increased by 1.8-fold and the hydrogen productivity by 1.2-fold compared to the one-pass condition at the flow rate of 3.6 mL/min (10 g/L-d OLR). High COD removal was also achieved under recycle conditions, reaching 74.2 1.1%, with hydrogen production rate of 2.92 ± 0.51 L/L-day. This study demonstrates the advantages of combining faster flow rates with a recycle process to improve rate of hydrogen production from a switchgrass-derived stream in the biorefinery.« less

Method of processing a substrate

DOEpatents

Babayan, Steven E [Huntington Beach, CA; Hicks, Robert F [Los Angeles, CA

2008-02-12

The invention is embodied in a plasma flow device or reactor having a housing that contains conductive electrodes with openings to allow gas to flow through or around them, where one or more of the electrodes are powered by an RF source and one or more are grounded, and a substrate or work piece is placed in the gas flow downstream of the electrodes, such that said substrate or work piece is substantially uniformly contacted across a large surface area with the reactive gases emanating therefrom. The invention is also embodied in a plasma flow device or reactor having a housing that contains conductive electrodes with openings to allow gas to flow through or around them, where one or more of the electrodes are powered by an RF source and one or more are grounded, and one of the grounded electrodes contains a means of mixing in other chemical precursors to combine with the plasma stream, and a substrate or work piece placed in the gas flow downstream of the electrodes, such that said substrate or work piece is contacted by the reactive gases emanating therefrom. In one embodiment, the plasma flow device removes organic materials from a substrate or work piece, and is a stripping or cleaning device. In another embodiment, the plasma flow device kills biological microorganisms on a substrate or work piece, and is a sterilization device. In another embodiment, the plasma flow device activates the surface of a substrate or work piece, and is a surface activation device. In another embodiment, the plasma flow device etches materials from a substrate or work piece, and is a plasma etcher. In another embodiment, the plasma flow device deposits thin films onto a substrate or work piece, and is a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition device or reactor.

Balance between cell-substrate adhesion and myosin contraction determines the frequency of motility initiation in fish keratocytes.

PubMed

Barnhart, Erin; Lee, Kun-Chun; Allen, Greg M; Theriot, Julie A; Mogilner, Alex

2015-04-21

Cells are dynamic systems capable of spontaneously switching among stable states. One striking example of this is spontaneous symmetry breaking and motility initiation in fish epithelial keratocytes. Although the biochemical and mechanical mechanisms that control steady-state migration in these cells have been well characterized, the mechanisms underlying symmetry breaking are less well understood. In this work, we have combined experimental manipulations of cell-substrate adhesion strength and myosin activity, traction force measurements, and mathematical modeling to develop a comprehensive mechanical model for symmetry breaking and motility initiation in fish epithelial keratocytes. Our results suggest that stochastic fluctuations in adhesion strength and myosin localization drive actin network flow rates in the prospective cell rear above a critical threshold. Above this threshold, high actin flow rates induce a nonlinear switch in adhesion strength, locally switching adhesions from gripping to slipping and further accelerating actin flow in the prospective cell rear, resulting in rear retraction and motility initiation. We further show, both experimentally and with model simulations, that the global levels of adhesion strength and myosin activity control the stability of the stationary state: The frequency of symmetry breaking decreases with increasing adhesion strength and increases with increasing myosin contraction. Thus, the relative strengths of two opposing mechanical forces--contractility and cell-substrate adhesion--determine the likelihood of spontaneous symmetry breaking and motility initiation.

Hydrodynamic and thermal modeling of two-dimensional microdroplet arrays for digitized heat transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baird, Eric S.

This document describes hydrodynamic and thermal modeling of two-dimensional microdroplet arrays for use in digitized heat transfer (DHT), a novel active thermal management technique for high power density electronics and integrated microsystems. In DHT, thermal energy is transported by a discrete array of electrostatically activated microdroplets of liquid metals, alloys or aqueous solutions with the potential of supporting significantly higher heat transfer rates than classical air-cooled heat sinks. Actuation methods for dispensing and transporting individual fluid slugs with a high degree of precision and programmability are described, with simple approximate formulae for net forces for steady state and transient velocities in terms of known parameters. A modified cavity flow solver is developed to provide details on the internal flow properties of a translating microdroplet and used to detail the effects of droplet curvature, internal mixing, Peclet number and other parameters on the heat transfer capabilities of a discretized liquid flow. The concept of Nusselt number is generalized to an individual fluid slug and shown to oscillate with a period equal to the droplet's mixing rate. In whole, DHT is demonstrated to be a viable new alternative for achieving the most important objectives of electronic cooling (i.e., minimization of the maximum substrate temperature, reduction of the substrate temperature gradient and removal of substrate hot spots) and a sound fundamental description of the method's electro-, hydro- and thermodynamics is provided.

Nutrients removal and substrate enzyme activities in vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands for mariculture wastewater treatment: Effects of ammonia nitrogen loading rates and salinity levels.

PubMed

Li, Meng; Liang, Zhenlin; Callier, Myriam D; Roque d'orbcastel, Emmanuelle; Sun, Guoxiang; Ma, Xiaona; Li, Xian; Wang, Shunkui; Liu, Ying; Song, Xiefa

2018-06-01

This study aims to investigate the effects of ammonia nitrogen loading rates and salinity levels on nutrients removal rates and substrate enzyme activities of constructed wetland (CW) microcosms planted with Salicornia bigelovii treating mariculture wastewater. Activities of urease (UA), dehydrogenase (DA), protease (PrA) and phosphatase (PA) were considered. Using principal component analysis (PCA), nutrient removal index (NRI) and enzyme activity index (EAI) were developed to evaluate the effects. The results revealed that increasing ammonia nitrogen loading rates had positive effects on nitrogen removal rates (i.e. NH 4 -N and DIN) and enhanced substrate enzyme activities. Compared with low salinity (i.e. 15 and 22), high salinity levels (i.e. 29 and 36) enhanced nutrients removal rates, DA and UA, but weaken PA and PrA. In conclusion, CW microcosms with Salicornia bigelovii can be used for the removal of nutrients under a range of ammonia nitrogen loadings and high salinity levels. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of membrane deformability and bond formation/dissociation rates on adhesion dynamics of a spherical capsule in shear flow.

PubMed

Zhang, Ziying; Du, Jun; Wei, Zhengying; Wang, Zhen; Li, Minghui

2018-02-01

Cellular adhesion plays a critical role in biological systems and biomedical applications. Cell deformation and biophysical properties of adhesion molecules are of significance for the adhesion behavior. In the present work, dynamic adhesion of a deformable capsule to a planar substrate, in a linear shear flow, is numerically simulated to investigate the combined influence of membrane deformability (quantified by the capillary number) and bond formation/dissociation rates on the adhesion behavior. The computational model is based on the immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method for the capsule-fluid interaction and a probabilistic adhesion model for the capsule-substrate interaction. Three distinct adhesion states, detachment, rolling adhesion and firm adhesion, are identified and presented in a state diagram as a function of capillary number and bond dissociation rate. The impact of bond formation rate on the state diagram is further investigated. Results show that the critical bond dissociation rate for the transition of rolling or firm adhesion to detachment is strongly related to the capsule deformability. At the rolling-adhesion state, smaller off rates are needed for larger capillary number to increase the rolling velocity and detach the capsule. In contrast, the critical off rate for firm-to-detach transition slightly increases with the capillary number. With smaller on rate, the effect of capsule deformability on the critical off rates is more pronounced and capsules with moderate deformability are prone to detach by the shear flow. Further increasing of on rate leads to large expansion of both rolling-adhesion and firm-adhesion regions. Even capsules with relatively large deformability can maintain stable rolling adhesion at certain off rate.

Development of a Novel Catalytic Membrane Reactor for Heterogeneous Catalysis in Supercritical CO2

PubMed Central

Islam, Nazrul M.; Chatterjee, Maya; Ikushima, Yutaka; Yokoyama, Toshiro; Kawanami, Hajime

2010-01-01

A novel type of high-pressure membrane reactor has been developed for hydrogenation in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The main objectives of the design of the reactor are the separate feeding of hydrogen and substrate in scCO2 for safe reactions in a continuous flow process, and to reduce the reaction time. By using this new reactor, hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde into hydrocinnamaldehyde has been successfully carried out with 100% selectivity at 50 °C in 10 MPa (H2: 1 MPa, CO2: 9 MPa) with a flow rate of substrate ranging from 0.05 to 1.0 mL/min. PMID:20162008

Rational design of capillary-driven flows for paper-based microfluidics.

PubMed

Elizalde, Emanuel; Urteaga, Raúl; Berli, Claudio L A

2015-05-21

The design of paper-based assays that integrate passive pumping requires a precise programming of the fluid transport, which has to be encoded in the geometrical shape of the substrate. This requirement becomes critical in multiple-step processes, where fluid handling must be accurate and reproducible for each operation. The present work theoretically investigates the capillary imbibition in paper-like substrates to better understand fluid transport in terms of the macroscopic geometry of the flow domain. A fluid dynamic model was derived for homogeneous porous substrates with arbitrary cross-sectional shapes, which allows one to determine the cross-sectional profile required for a prescribed fluid velocity or mass transport rate. An extension of the model to slit microchannels is also demonstrated. Calculations were validated by experiments with prototypes fabricated in our lab. The proposed method constitutes a valuable tool for the rational design of paper-based assays.

Catalytic nanoporous membranes

DOEpatents

Pellin, Michael J; Hryn, John N; Elam, Jeffrey W

2013-08-27

A nanoporous catalytic membrane which displays several unique features Including pores which can go through the entire thickness of the membrane. The membrane has a higher catalytic and product selectivity than conventional catalysts. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes serve as the catalyst substrate. This substrate is then subjected to Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), which allows the controlled narrowing of the pores from 40 nm to 10 nm in the substrate by deposition of a preparatory material. Subsequent deposition of a catalytic layer on the inner surfaces of the pores reduces pore sizes to less than 10 nm and allows for a higher degree of reaction selectivity. The small pore sizes allow control over which molecules enter the pores, and the flow-through feature can allow for partial oxidation of reactant species as opposed to complete oxidation. A nanoporous separation membrane, produced by ALD is also provided for use in gaseous and liquid separations. The membrane has a high flow rate of material with 100% selectivity. Also provided is a method for producing a catalytic membrane having flow-through pores and discreet catalytic clusters adhering to the inside surfaces of the pores.

A diffusive ink transport model for lipid dip-pen nanolithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urtizberea, A.; Hirtz, M.

2015-09-01

Despite diverse applications, phospholipid membrane stacks generated by dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) still lack a thorough and systematic characterization that elucidates the whole ink transport process from writing to surface spreading, with the aim of better controlling the resulting feature size and resolution. We report a quantitative analysis and modeling of the dependence of lipid DPN features (area, height and volume) on dwell time and relative humidity. The ink flow rate increases with humidity in agreement with meniscus size growth, determining the overall feature size. The observed time dependence indicates the existence of a balance between surface spreading and the ink flow rate that promotes differences in concentration at the meniscus/substrate interface. Feature shape is controlled by the substrate surface energy. The results are analyzed within a modified model for the ink transport of diffusive inks. At any humidity the dependence of the area spread on the dwell time shows two diffusion regimes: at short dwell times growth is controlled by meniscus diffusion while at long dwell times surface diffusion governs the process. The critical point for the switch of regime depends on the humidity.Despite diverse applications, phospholipid membrane stacks generated by dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) still lack a thorough and systematic characterization that elucidates the whole ink transport process from writing to surface spreading, with the aim of better controlling the resulting feature size and resolution. We report a quantitative analysis and modeling of the dependence of lipid DPN features (area, height and volume) on dwell time and relative humidity. The ink flow rate increases with humidity in agreement with meniscus size growth, determining the overall feature size. The observed time dependence indicates the existence of a balance between surface spreading and the ink flow rate that promotes differences in concentration at the meniscus/substrate interface. Feature shape is controlled by the substrate surface energy. The results are analyzed within a modified model for the ink transport of diffusive inks. At any humidity the dependence of the area spread on the dwell time shows two diffusion regimes: at short dwell times growth is controlled by meniscus diffusion while at long dwell times surface diffusion governs the process. The critical point for the switch of regime depends on the humidity. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr04352b

Comparative performance of fixed-film biological filters: Application of reactor theory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watten, B.J.; Sibrell, P.L.

2006-01-01

Nitrification is classified as a two-step consecutive reaction where R1 represents the rate of formation of the intermediate product NO2-N and R2 represents the rate of formation of the final product NO3-N. The relative rates of R1 and R2 are influenced by reactor type characterized hydraulically as plug-flow, plug-flow with dispersion and mixed-flow. We develop substrate conversion models for fixed-film biofilters operating in the first-order kinetic regime based on application of chemical reactor theory. Reactor type, inlet conditions and the biofilm kinetic constants Ki (h-1) are used to predict changes in NH4-N, NO2-N, NO3-N and BOD5. The inhibiting effects of the latter on R1 and R2 were established based on the ?? relation, e.g.:{A formula is presented}where BOD5,max is the concentration that causes nitrification to cease and N is a variable relating Ki to increasing BOD5. Conversion models were incorporated in spreadsheet programs that provided steady-state concentrations of nitrogen and BOD5 at several points in a recirculating aquaculture system operating with input values for fish feed rate, reactor volume, microscreen performance, make-up and recirculating flow rates. When rate constants are standardized, spreadsheet use demonstrates plug-flow reactors provide higher rates of R1 and R2 than mixed-flow reactors thereby reducing volume requirements for target concentrations of NH4-N and NO2-N. The benefit provided by the plug-flow reactor varies with hydraulic residence time t as well as the effective vessel dispersion number, D/??L. Both reactor types are capable of providing net increases in NO2-N during treatment but the rate of decrease in the mixed-flow case falls well behind that predicted for plug-flow operation. We show the potential for a positive net change in NO2-N increases with decreases in the dimensionless ratios K2, (R2 )/K1,( R1 ) and [NO2-N]/[NH4-N] and when the product K1, (R1) t provides low to moderate NH4-N conversions. Maintaining high levels of the latter reduces the effective reactor utilization rate (%) defined here as (RNavg/RNmax)100 where RNavg is the mean reactive nitrogen concentration ([NH4-N] + [NO2-N]) within the reactor, and RNmax represents the feed concentration of the same. Low utilization rates provide a hedge against unexpected increases in substrate loading and reduce water pumping requirements but force use of elevated reactor volumes. Further ?? effects on R1 and R2 can be reduced through use of a tanks-in-series versus a single mixed-flow reactor configuration and by improving the solids removal efficiency of microscreen treatment.

Nitrate removal performance of Diaphorobacter nitroreducens using biodegradable plastics as the source of reducing power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, S. T.; Nagao, Y.; Hiraishi, A.

2015-02-01

Strain NA10BT and other two strains of the denitrifying betaproteobacterium Diaphorobacter nitroreducens were studied for the performance of solid-phase denitrification (SPD) using poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and some other biodegradable plastics as the source of reducing power in wastewater treatment. Sequencing-batch SPD reactors with these organisms and PHBV granules or flakes as the substrate exhibited good nitrate removal performance. Vial tests using cultures from these parent reactors showed higher nitrate removal rates with PHBV granules (ca. 20 mg-NO3-- N g-1 [dry wt cells] h-1) than with PHBV pellets and flakes. In continuous-flow SPD reactors using strain NA10BT and PHBV flakes, nitrate was not detected even at a loading rate of 21 mg-NO3-- N L-1 h-1. This corresponded to a nitrate removal rate of 47 mg-NO3-- N g-1 (dry wt cells) h-1. In the continuous-flow reactor, the transcription level of the phaZ gene, coding for PHB depolymerase, decreased with time, while that of the nosZ gene, involved in denitrificaiton, was relatively constant. These results suggest that the bioavailability of soluble metabolites as electron donor and carbon sources increases with time in the continuous-flow SPD process, thereby having much higher nitrate removal rates than the process with fresh PHBV as the substrate.

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) driven droplet mixer

DOEpatents

Lee, Abraham P.; Lemoff, Asuncion V.; Miles, Robin R.

2004-05-11

A magnetohydrodynamic fluidic system mixes a first substance and a second substance. A first substrate section includes a first flow channel and a first plurality of pairs of spaced electrodes operatively connected to the first flow channel. A second substrate section includes a second flow channel and a second plurality of pairs of spaced electrodes operatively connected to the second flow channel. A third substrate section includes a third flow channel and a third plurality of pairs of spaced electrodes operatively connected to the third flow channel. A magnetic section and a control section are operatively connected to the spaced electrodes. The first substrate section, the second substrate section, the third substrate section, the first plurality of pairs of spaced electrodes, the second plurality of pairs of spaced electrodes, the third plurality of pairs of spaced electrodes, the magnetic section, and the control section are operated to move the first substance through the first flow channel, the second substance through the second flow channel, and both the first substance and the second substance into the third flow channel where they are mixed.

Optimization of lipase-catalyzed biodiesel by isopropanolysis in a continuous packed-bed reactor using response surface methodology.

PubMed

Chang, Cheng; Chen, Jiann-Hwa; Chang, Chieh-Ming J; Wu, Tsung-Ta; Shieh, Chwen-Jen

2009-10-31

Isopropanolysis reactions were performed using triglycerides with immobilized lipase in a solvent-free environment. This study modeled the degree of isopropanolysis of soybean oil in a continuous packed-bed reactor when Novozym 435 was used as the biocatalyst. Response surface methodology (RSM) and three-level-three-factor Box-Behnken design were employed to evaluate the effects of synthesis parameters, reaction temperature ( degrees C), flow rate (mL/min) and substrate molar ratio of isopropanol to soybean oil, on the percentage molar conversion of biodiesel by transesterification. The results show that flow rate and temperature have a significant effect on the percentage of molar conversion. On the basis of ridge max analysis, the optimum conditions for synthesis were as follows: flow rate 0.1 mL/min, temperature 51.5 degrees C and substrate molar ratio 1:4.14. The predicted value was 76.62+/-1.52% and actual experimental value was 75.62+/-0.81% molar conversion. Moreover, continuous enzymatic process for seven days did not show any appreciable decrease in the percent of molar conversion (75%). This work demonstrates the applicability of lipase catalysis to prepare isopropyl esters by transesterification in solvent-free system with a continuous packed-bed reactor for industrial production.

Falling films on flexible inclines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matar, O. K.; Craster, R. V.; Kumar, S.

2007-11-01

The nonlinear stability and dynamic behavior of falling fluid films is studied for flow over a flexible substrate. We use asymptotic methods to deduce governing equations valid in various limits. Long-wave theory is used to derive Benney-like coupled equations for the film thickness and substrate deflection. Weakly nonlinear equations are then derived from these equations that, in the limit of large wall damping and/or large wall tension, reduce to the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation. These models break down when inertia becomes more significant, so we also use a long-wave approximation in conjunction with integral theory to derive three strongly coupled nonlinear evolution equations for the film thickness, substrate deflection, and film volumetric flow rate valid at higher Reynolds numbers. These equations, accounting for inertia, capillary, viscous, wall tension, and damping effects, are solved over a wide range of parameters. Our results suggest that decreasing wall damping and/or wall tension can promote the development of chaos in the weakly nonlinear regime and lead to severe substrate deformations in the strongly nonlinear regime; these can give rise to situations in which the free surface and underlying substrate come into contact in finite time.

Metal oxide nanorod arrays on monolithic substrates

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

Gao, Pu-Xian; Guo, Yanbing; Ren, Zheng

A metal oxide nanorod array structure according to embodiments disclosed herein includes a monolithic substrate having a surface and multiple channels, an interface layer bonded to the surface of the substrate, and a metal oxide nanorod array coupled to the substrate surface via the interface layer. The metal oxide can include ceria, zinc oxide, tin oxide, alumina, zirconia, cobalt oxide, and gallium oxide. The substrate can include a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, a silicon substrate, a ceramic monolith, and a stainless steel monolith. The ceramic can include cordierite, alumina, tin oxide, and titania. The nanorod array structure can includemore » a perovskite shell, such as a lanthanum-based transition metal oxide, or a metal oxide shell, such as ceria, zinc oxide, tin oxide, alumina, zirconia, cobalt oxide, and gallium oxide, or a coating of metal particles, such as platinum, gold, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium, over each metal oxide nanorod. Structures can be bonded to the surface of a substrate and resist erosion if exposed to high velocity flow rates.« less

Investigation of plasma dynamics and spatially varying O and OH concentrations in atmospheric pressure plasma jets impinging on glass, water and metal substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Yuanfu; Pei, Xuekai; Gidon, Dogan; Wu, Fan; Wu, Shuqun; Lu, Xinpei

2018-06-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) have attracted considerable attention over the last decade, specifically for use in surface engineering. A comparative study of an APPJ, driven by pulsed DC voltage, is conducted in order to examine the plasma impingement onto different surfaces. In this paper, the effect of gas flow rate and composition is investigated using three kinds of substrates: dielectric glass, distilled water and metal plate using fast imaging. Alongside discharges associated with rising and falling voltage, a so-called third discharge is observed during the pulse for water and metal surfaces which corresponds to a restrike breakdown from surfaces to nozzle. The differences in plasma dynamics observed are mainly attributed to the differences in substrate conductivity. In addition, spatial and temporal distributions of OH and O density are investigated by means of laser induced fluorescence (LIF). The OH/O LIF intensity is found to be much higher for metal and water substrates compared to the glass plate. We attribute this effect to the differences in power dissipation associated with the presence and intensity of the third discharge. Effects of gas flow rate and seed gas (H2O and O2) mixing on the LIF enhancement are also studied. The related results provide additional insights for optimizing the generation of reactive species.

Thrombin generation and fibrin formation under flow on biomimetic tissue factor-rich surfaces.

PubMed

Onasoga-Jarvis, A A; Puls, T J; O'Brien, S K; Kuang, L; Liang, H J; Neeves, K B

2014-01-01

Blood flow regulates coagulation and fibrin assembly by controlling the rate of transport of zymogens, enzymes and plasma proteins to and from the site of an injury. The objective of this work was to define the hemodynamic conditions under which fibrin can form under flow on tissue factor (TF)-rich substrates. TF-coated silica beads (~ 800 nm) were patterned into 18-85-μm spots. Normal pooled plasma and factors VIII, IX and XI deficient plasmas were perfused over the beads coated with 0.08, 0.8 and 8 molecules-TF μm(-2) at shear rates of 50-1000 s(-1) . Fibrin deposition and thrombin generation were measured by fluorescence microscopy in a hydrodynamic focusing microfluidic device. Fibrin deposition was supported on patterned bead spots, but not planar TF substrates at the same surface TF concentration. There was a threshold spot size and a shear rate dependent TF concentration that was necessary to support fibrin polymerization. FVIII and FIX had minor effects on fibrin dynamics at 8 molecules-TF μm(-2) , but were essential at 0.8 molecules-TF μm(-2) . The absence of FXI influenced thrombin generation and fibrin deposition at both 0.8 and 8 molecules-TF μm(-2) . These results show that fibrin deposition requires perturbations in the flow field that protect reactions from dilution by flow under venous and arterial conditions. FVIII and FIX have a modest effect on fibrin deposition at high TF concentrations, but are necessary for fibrin deposition at low TF concentrations. FXI amplifies thrombin generation under flow at both low and high TF concentrations. © 2013 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Enhanced P, N and C removal from domestic wastewater using constructed wetland employing construction solid waste (CSW) as main substrate.

PubMed

Yang, Y; Wang, Z M; Liu, C; Guo, X C

2012-01-01

Construction solid waste (CSW), an inescapable by-product of the construction and demolition process, was used as main substrate in a four-stage vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland system to improve phosphorus P removal from domestic wastewater. A 'tidal flow' operation was also employed in the treatment system. Under a hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 0.76 m3/m2 d for 1st and 3rd stage and HLR of 0.04 m3/m2 d for 2nd and 4th stage of the constructed wetland system respectively and tidal flow operation strategy, average removal efficiencies of 99.4% for P, 95.4% for ammoniacal-nitrogen, 56.5% for total nitrogen and 84.5% for total chemical oxygen demand were achieved during the operation period. The CSW-based constructed wetland system presents excellent P removal performance. The adoption of tidal flow strategy creates the aerobic/anoxic condition intermittently in the treatment system. This can achieve better oxygen transfer and hence lead to more complete nitrification and organic matter removal and enhanced denitrification. Overall, the CSW-based tidal flow constructed wetland system holds great promise for enabling high rate removal of P, ammoniacal-nitrogen and organic matter from domestic wastewater, and transforms CSW from a waste into a useful material.

Novel silicon microchannels device for use in red blood cell deformability studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Xiao-Lin; Liao, Yan-Jian; Zhang, Wen-Xian

2001-10-01

Currently, a number of techniques are used to access cell deformability. We study a novel silicon microchannels device for use in red blood cell deformability. The channels are produced in silicon substrate using microengineering technology. The microgrooves formed in the surface of a single-crystal silicon substrate. They were converted to channels by tightly covering them with an optical flat glass plate. An array of flow channels (number 950 in parallel) have typical dimensions of 5 micrometers width X 5.5 Xm depth, and 30 micrometers length. There the RBC's are forced to pass through channels. Thus, the microchannels are used to simulate human blood capillaries. It provides a specific measurement of individual cell in terms of both flow velocity profile and an index of cell volume while the cell flow through the channels. It dominates the complex cellular flow behavior, such as, the viscosity of whole blood is a nonlinear function of shear rate, index of filtration, etc.

Millimeter-Sized Suspended Plasmonic Nanohole Arrays for Surface-Tension-Driven Flow-Through SERS

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

We present metallic nanohole arrays fabricated on suspended membranes as an optofluidic substrate. Millimeter-sized suspended nanohole arrays were fabricated using nanoimprint lithography. We demonstrate refractive-index-based tuning of the optical spectra using a sucrose solution for the optimization of SERS signal intensity, leading to a Raman enhancement factor of 107. Furthermore, compared to dead-ended nanohole arrays, suspended nanohole arrays capable of flow-through detection increased the measured SERS signal intensity by 50 times. For directed transport of analytes, we present a novel methodology utilizing surface tension to generate spontaneous flow through the nanoholes with flow rates of 1 μL/min, obviating the need for external pumps or microfluidic interconnects. Using this method for SERS, we obtained a 50 times higher signal as compared to diffusion-limited transport and could detect 100 pM 4-mercaptopyridine. The suspended nanohole substrates presented herein possess a uniform and reproducible geometry and show the potential for improved analyte transport and SERS detection. PMID:25678744

Cantilever epitaxial process

DOEpatents

Ashby, Carol I.; Follstaedt, David M.; Mitchell, Christine C.; Han, Jung

2003-07-29

A process of growing a material on a substrate, particularly growing a Group II-VI or Group III-V material, by a vapor-phase growth technique where the growth process eliminates the need for utilization of a mask or removal of the substrate from the reactor at any time during the processing. A nucleation layer is first grown upon which a middle layer is grown to provide surfaces for subsequent lateral cantilever growth. The lateral growth rate is controlled by altering the reactor temperature, pressure, reactant concentrations or reactant flow rates. Semiconductor materials, such as GaN, can be produced with dislocation densities less than 10.sup.7 /cm.sup.2.

Physical properties and surface/interface analysis of nanocrystalline WO3 films grown under variable oxygen gas flow rates

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

Vemuri, R. S.; Carbjal-Franco, G.; Ferrer, D. A.

2012-10-15

Nanocrystalline WO3 films were grown by reactive magnetron sputter-deposition in a wide range of oxygen gas flow rates while keeping the deposition temperature fixed at 400 oC. The physical characteristics of WO3 films were evaluated using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. Physical characterization indicates that the thickness, grain size, and density of WO3 films are sensitive to the oxygen gas flow rate during deposition. XRD data indicates the formation of tetragonal WO3 films. The grain size increases from 21 to 25 nm with increasing oxygen gas flow rate to 65%, atmore » which point the grain size exhibits a decreasing trend to attain the lowest value of 15 nm at 100% oxygen. TEM analysis provides a model consisting of isotropic WO3 film (nanocrystalline)-SiO2 interface (amorphous)-Si(100) substrate. XRR simulations, which are based on this model, provide excellent agreement to the experimental data indicating that the normalized thickness of WO3 films decreases with the increasing oxygen gas flow rate. The density of WO3 films increases with increasing oxygen gas flow rate.« less

Biochemical analysis with microfluidic systems.

PubMed

Bilitewski, Ursula; Genrich, Meike; Kadow, Sabine; Mersal, Gaber

2003-10-01

Microfluidic systems are capillary networks of varying complexity fabricated originally in silicon, but nowadays in glass and polymeric substrates. Flow of liquid is mainly controlled by use of electroosmotic effects, i.e. application of electric fields, in addition to pressurized flow, i.e. application of pressure or vacuum. Because electroosmotic flow rates depend on the charge densities on the walls of capillaries, they are influenced by substrate material, fabrication processes, surface pretreatment procedures, and buffer additives. Microfluidic systems combine the properties of capillary electrophoretic systems and flow-through analytical systems, and thus biochemical analytical assays have been developed utilizing and integrating both aspects. Proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids can be separated because of their different electrophoretic mobility; detection is achieved with fluorescence detectors. For protein analysis, in particular, interfaces between microfluidic chips and mass spectrometers were developed. Further levels of integration of required sample-treatment steps were achieved by integration of protein digestion by immobilized trypsin and amplification of nucleic acids by the polymerase chain reaction. Kinetic constants of enzyme reactions were determined by adjusting different degrees of dilution of enzyme substrates or inhibitors within a single chip utilizing mainly the properties of controlled dosing and mixing liquids within a chip. For analysis of kinase reactions, however, a combination of a reaction step (enzyme with substrate and inhibitor) and a separation step (enzyme substrate and reaction product) was required. Microfluidic chips also enable separation of analytes from sample matrix constituents, which can interfere with quantitative determination, if they have different electrophoretic mobilities. In addition to analysis of nucleic acids and enzymes, immunoassays are the third group of analytical assays performed in microfluidic chips. They utilize either affinity capillary electrophoresis as a homogeneous assay format, or immobilized antigens or antibodies in heterogeneous assays with serial supply of reagents and washing solutions.

Distributed Pore Chemistry in Porous Organic Polymers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koontz, Steven L. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A method for making a biocompatible polymer article using a uniform atomic oxygen treatment is disclosed. The substrate may be subsequently optionally grated with a compatibilizing compound. Compatibilizing compounds may include proteins, phosphorylcholine groups, platelet adhesion preventing polymers, albumin adhesion promoters, and the like. The compatibilized substrate may also have a living cell layer adhered thereto. The atomic oxygen is preferably produced by a flowing afterglow microwave discharge. wherein the substrate resides in a sidearm out of the plasma. Also, methods for culturing cells for various purposes using the various membranes are disclosed as well. Also disclosed are porous organic polymers having a distributed pore chemistry (DPC) comprising hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. and a method for making the DPC by exposing the polymer to atomic oxygen wherein the rate of hydrophilization is greater than the rate of mass loss.

Distributed Pore Chemistry in Porous Organic Polymers in Tissue Culture Flasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koontz, Steven L. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A method for making a biocompatible polymer article using a uniform atomic oxygen treatment is disclose. The substrate may be subsequently optionally grated with a compatibilizing compound. Compatibilizing compounds may include proteins, phosphorylcholine groups, platelet adhesion preventing polymers, albumin adhesion promoters, and the like. The compatibilized substrate may also have a living cell layer adhered thereto. The atomic oxygen is preferably produced by a flowing afterglow microwave discharge, wherein the substrate resides in a sidearm out of the plasma. Also, methods for culturing cells for various purposes using the various membranes are disclosed as well. Also disclosed are porous organic polymers having a distributed pore chemistry (DPC) comprising hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, and a method for making the DPC by exposing the polymer to atomic oxygen wherein the rate of hydrophilization is greater than the rate of mass loss.

Distributed Pore Chemistry in Porous Organic Polymers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koontz, Steven L. (Inventor)

1998-01-01

A method for making a biocompatible polymer article using a uniform atomic oxygen treatment is disclosed. The sub-strate may be subsequently optionally grated with a compatibilizing compound. Compatibilizing compounds may include proteins, phosphorylcholine groups, platelet adhesion preventing polymers, albumin adhesion promoters, and the like. The compatibilized substrate may also have a living cell layer adhered thereto. The atomic oxygen is preferably produced by a flowing afterglow microwave discharge, wherein the substrate resides in a sidearm out of the plasma. Also, methods for culturing cells for various purposes using the various membranes are disclosed as well. Also disclosed are porous organic polymers having a distributed pore chemistry (DPC) comprising hydrophilic and hydrophobic region, and a method for making the DPC by exposing the polymer to atomic oxygen wherein the rate of hydrophilization is greater than the rate of mass loss.

Cell-Culture Reactor Having a Porous Organic Polymer Membrane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koontz, Steven L. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

A method for making a biocompatible polymer article using a uniform atomic oxygen treatment is disclosed. The substrate may be subsequently optionally grated with a compatibilizing compound. Compatibilizing compounds may include proteins, phosphory1choline groups, platelet adhesion preventing polymers, albumin adhesion promoters, and the like. The compatibilized substrate may also have a living cell layer adhered thereto. The atomic oxygen is preferably produced by a flowing afterglow microwave discharge, wherein the substrate resides in a sidearm out of the plasma. Also, methods for culturing cells for various purposes using the various membranes are disclosed as well. Also disclosed are porous organic polymers having a distributed pore chemistry (DPC) comprising hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, and a method for making the DPC by exposing the polymer to atomic oxygen wherein the rate of hydrophilization is greater than the rate of mass loss.

Rheology and thermal budget of lunar basalts: an experimental study and its implications for rille formation of non-Newtonian lavas on the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sehlke, A.; Whittington, A. G.

2015-12-01

Sinuous lava channels are a characteristic feature observed on the Moon. Their formation is assumed to be due to a combination of mechanical and thermal erosion of the lava into the substrate during emplacement as surface channels, or due to collapsed subsurface lava tubes after the lava has evacuated. The viscosity (η) of the lava plays an important role, because it controls the volume flux of the emplaced lava that governs the mechanical and thermal erosion potential of the lava flow. Thermal properties, such as heat capacity (Cp) and latent heat of crystallization (ΔHcryst) are important parameters in order for the substrate to melt and causing thermal buffering during crystallization of the flowing lava. We experimentally studied the rheological evolution of analog lavas representing the KREEP terrain and high-Ti mare basalts during cooling and crystallization. We find that the two lavas behave very differently. High-Ti mare lava begins to crystallize around 1300 ºC with a viscosity of 8.6±0.6 Pa s and crystal content around 2 vol%. On cooling to 1169 ºC, the effective viscosity of the crystal-melt suspension is increased to only 538±33 Pa s (at a strain rate of 1 s-1) due to crystallization of 14±1 vol% blocky magnetite and acicular ulvöspinel-rich magnetite. The flow behavior of these suspensions depends on the strain rate, where flow curves below strain rates of 10 s-1show shear-thinning character, but resemble Bingham behavior at greater strain rates. In contrast, the KREEP lava crystallizes rapidly over a narrow temperature interval of ~ 30 degrees. The first crystals detected were ulvospinel-rich magnetites at 1204 ºC with ~2 vol% and a viscosity of 90±2 Pa s. On cooling to 1178 ºC, anorthite and enstatite appears, so that the crystal-melt suspension has become strongly pseudoplastic at a crystal content of 22±2 vol% with a flow index (n) of 0.63 and an effective viscosity of 1600±222 Pa s at a strain rate of 1 s-1. We are currently measuring the heat capacity of crystal-bearing glasses (representing erodible solid substrate) and the heat released during lava crystallization at different cooling rates measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The rheological and thermal properties will then be integrated into thermo-mechanical models of rille formation in non-Newtonian lavas on the lunar surface.

Probe-Substrate Distance Control in Desorption Electrospray Ionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yarger, Tyler J.; Yuill, Elizabeth M.; Baker, Lane A.

2018-03-01

We introduce probe-substrate distance (Dps)-control to desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and report a systematic investigation of key experimental parameters. Examination of voltage, flow rate, and nebulizing gas pressure suggests as Dps decreases, the distance-dependent spray current increases, until a critical point. At the critical point the relationship inverts, and the spray current decreases as the probe moves closer to the surface due to constriction of solution flow by the nebulizing gas. Dps control was used to explore the use of spray current as a signal for feedback positioning, while mass spectrometry imaging was performed simultaneously. Further development of this technique is expected to find application in study of structure-function relationships for clinical diagnostics, biological investigation, and materials characterization. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Creating fast flow channels in paper fluidic devices to control timing of sequential reactions.

PubMed

Jahanshahi-Anbuhi, Sana; Chavan, Puneet; Sicard, Clémence; Leung, Vincent; Hossain, S M Zakir; Pelton, Robert; Brennan, John D; Filipe, Carlos D M

2012-12-07

This paper reports the development of a method to control the flow rate of fluids within paper-based microfluidic analytical devices. We demonstrate that by simply sandwiching paper channels between two flexible films, it is possible to accelerate the flow of water through paper by over 10-fold. The dynamics of this process are such that the height of the liquid is dependent on time to the power of 1/3. This dependence was validated using three different flexible films (with markedly different contact angles) and three different fluids (water and two silicon oils with different viscosities). These covered channels provide a low-cost method for controlling the flow rate of fluid in paper channels, and can be added following printing of reagents to control fluid flow in selected fluidic channels. Using this method, we redesigned a previously published bidirectional lateral flow pesticide sensor to allow more rapid detection of pesticides while eliminating the need to run the assay in two stages. The sensor is fabricated with sol-gel entrapped reagents (indoxyl acetate in a substrate zone and acetylcholinesterase, AChE, in a sensing zone) present in an uncovered "slow" flow channel, with a second, covered "fast" channel used to transport pesticide samples to the sensing region through a simple paper-flap valve. In this manner, pesticides reach the sensing region first to allow preincubation, followed by delivery of the substrate to generate a colorimetric signal. This format results in a uni-directional device that detects the presence of pesticides two times faster than the original bidirectional sensors.

Method of making a light weight battery plaque

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reid, M. A.; Post, R. E.; Soltis, D. G. (Inventor)

1984-01-01

A nickel plaque which may be coated with a suitable metal or compound to make an electrode for a fuel cell or battery is fabricated by directing nickel sensitizer, catalyst and plating solutions through a porous plastic substrate in the order named and at prescribed temperatures and flow rates. A boride compound dissolved in the plating solution decreases the electrical resistance of the plaque. Certain substrates may require treatment in an alkali solution to dissolve filler materials thereby increasing porosity to a required 65%.

Fabrication of microfluidic architectures for optimal flow rate and concentration measurement for lab on chip application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, Tijjani; Hashim, U.

2017-03-01

Optimum flow in micro channel for sensing purpose is challenging. In this study, The optimizations of the fluid sample flows are made through the design and characterization of the novel microfluidics' architectures to achieve the optimal flow rate in the micro channels. The biocompatibility of the Polydimetylsiloxane (Sylgard 184 silicon elastomer) polymer used to fabricate the device offers avenue for the device to be implemented as the universal fluidic delivery system for bio-molecules sensing in various bio-medical applications. The study uses the following methodological approaches, designing a novel microfluidics' architectures by integrating the devices on a single 4 inches silicon substrate, fabricating the designed microfluidic devices using low-cost solution soft lithography technique, characterizing and validating the flow throughput of urine samples in the micro channels by generating pressure gradients through the devices' inlets. The characterization on the urine samples flow in the micro channels have witnessed the constant flow throughout the devices.

Growth characteristics of (100)HgCdTe layers in low-temperature MOVPE with ditertiarybutyltelluride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuda, K.; Hatano, H.; Ferid, T.; Minamide, M.; Maejima, T.; Kawamoto, K.

1996-09-01

Low-temperature growth of (100)HgCdTe (MCT) layers in MOVPE has been studied using ditertiarybutyltelluride (DtBTe), dimethylcadmium (DMCd), and elementary mercury as precursors. MCT layers were grown at 275°C on (100)GaAs substrates. Growths were carried out in a vertical growth cell which has a narrow spacing between the substrate and cell ceiling. Using the growth cell, the Cd-composition ( x) of MCT layers was controlled over a wide range from 0 to 0.98 by the DMCd flow. The growth rate of the MCT layers was constant at 5 μm h -1 for the increased DMCd flow. Preferential Cd-incorporation into MCT layers and an increase of the growth rate were observed in the presence of mercury vapor. The growth characteristics were considered to be due to the alkyl-exchange reaction between DMCd and mercury. The electrical properties and crystallinity of grown layers were also evaluated, which showed that layers with high quality can be grown at 275°C.

LPG sensing characteristics of electrospray deposited SnO2 nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gürbüz, Mevlüt; Günkaya, Göktuğ; Doğan, Aydın

2014-11-01

In this study, SnO2 films were fabricated on conductive substrate such as aluminum and platinum coated alumina using electro-spray deposition (ESD) method for gas sensor applications. Solution flow rate, coating time, substrate-nozzle distance and solid/alcohol ratio were studied to optimize SnO2 film structure. The morphology of the deposited films was characterized by stereo and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gas sensing properties of tin oxide films were investigated using liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for various lower explosive limit (LEL). The results obtained from microscopic analyses show that optimum SnO2 films were evaluated at flow rate of 0.05 ml/min, at distance of 6 cm, for 10 min deposition time, for 20 gSnO2/Lethanol ratio and at 7 kV DC electric field. By the results obtained from the gas sensing behavior, the sensitivity of the films was increased with operating temperature. The films showed better sensitivity for 20 LEL LPG concentration at 450 °C operating temperature.

Sediment Dynamics Affecting the Threatened Santa Ana Sucker in the Highly-modified Santa Ana River and Inset Channel, Southern California, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minear, J. T.; Wright, S. A.

2015-12-01

In this study, we investigate the sediment dynamics of the low-flow channel of the Santa Ana River that is formed by wastewater discharges and contains some of the last remaining habitat of the Santa Ana Sucker (Catostomus santaanae). The Santa Ana River is a highly-modified river draining the San Bernardino Mountains and Inland Empire metropolitan area east of Los Angeles. Home to over 4 million people, the watershed provides habitat for the federally-threatened Santa Ana Sucker, which presently reside within the mainstem Santa Ana River in a reach supported by year-round constant discharges from water treatment plants. The nearly constant low-flow wastewater discharges and infrequent runoff events create a small, approximately 8 m wide, inset channel within the approximately 300 m wide mainstem channel that is typically dry except for large flood flows. The sediment dynamics within the inset channel are characterized by constantly evolving bed substrate and sediment transport rates, and occasional channel avulsions. The sediment dynamics have large influence on the Sucker, which rely on coarse-substrate (gravel and cobble) for their food production. In WY 2013 through the present, we investigated the sediment dynamics of the inset channel using repeat bathymetric and substrate surveys, bedload sampling, and discharge measurements. We found two distinct phases of the inset channel behavior: 1. 'Reset' flows, where sediment-laden mainstem discharges from upstream runoff events result in sand deposition in the inset channel or avulse the inset channel onto previously dry riverbed; and 2. 'Winnowing' flows, whereby the sand within the inset channel is removed by clear-water low flows from the wastewater treatment plant discharges. Thus, in contrast to many regulated rivers where high flows are required to flush fine sediments from the bed (for example, downstream from dams), in the Santa Ana River the low flows from wastewater treatment plants serve as the flushing flows that gradually remove sand and expose the coarser substrate. In effect, the inset channel is analogous to a flume subject to periodic sediment loading events from upstream (runoff events) with long periods of negligible upstream sediment supply between the events (wastewater discharges).

Studying enzymatic bioreactions in a millisecond microfluidic flow mixer

PubMed Central

Buchegger, Wolfgang; Haller, Anna; van den Driesche, Sander; Kraft, Martin; Lendl, Bernhard; Vellekoop, Michael

2012-01-01

In this study, the pre-steady state development of enzymatic bioreactions using a microfluidic mixer is presented. To follow such reactions fast mixing of reagents (enzyme and substrate) is crucial. By using a highly efficient passive micromixer based on multilaminar flow, mixing times in the low millisecond range are reached. Four lamination layers in a shallow channel reduce the diffusion lengths to a few micrometers only, enabling very fast mixing. This was proven by confocal fluorescence measurements in the channel’s cross sectional area. Adjusting the overall flow rate in the 200 μm wide and 900 μm long mixing and observation channel makes it possible to investigate enzyme reactions over several seconds. Further, the device enables changing the enzyme/substrate ratio from 1:1 up to 3:1, while still providing high mixing efficiency, as shown for the enzymatic hydrolysis using β-galactosidase. This way, the early kinetics of the enzyme reaction at multiple enzyme/substrate concentrations can be collected in a very short time (minutes). The fast and easy handling of the mixing device makes it a very powerful and convenient instrument for millisecond temporal analysis of bioreactions. PMID:22662071

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

Khan, S. T.; Nagao, Y.; Hiraishi, A., E-mail: hiraishi@ens.tut.ac.jp

Strain NA10B{sup T} and other two strains of the denitrifying betaproteobacterium Diaphorobacter nitroreducens were studied for the performance of solid-phase denitrification (SPD) using poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and some other biodegradable plastics as the source of reducing power in wastewater treatment. Sequencing-batch SPD reactors with these organisms and PHBV granules or flakes as the substrate exhibited good nitrate removal performance. Vial tests using cultures from these parent reactors showed higher nitrate removal rates with PHBV granules (ca. 20 mg-NO{sub 3}{sup −}‐N g{sup −1} [dry wt cells] h{sup −1}) than with PHBV pellets and flakes. In continuous-flow SPD reactors using strain NA10B{sup T}more » and PHBV flakes, nitrate was not detected even at a loading rate of 21 mg-NO{sub 3}{sup −}‐N L{sup −1} h{sup −1}. This corresponded to a nitrate removal rate of 47 mg-NO{sub 3}{sup −}‐N g{sup −1} (dry wt cells) h{sup −1}. In the continuous-flow reactor, the transcription level of the phaZ gene, coding for PHB depolymerase, decreased with time, while that of the nosZ gene, involved in denitrificaiton, was relatively constant. These results suggest that the bioavailability of soluble metabolites as electron donor and carbon sources increases with time in the continuous-flow SPD process, thereby having much higher nitrate removal rates than the process with fresh PHBV as the substrate.« less

Catalytic nanoporous membranes

DOEpatents

Pellin, Michael J [Naperville, IL; Hryn, John N [Naperville, IL; Elam, Jeffrey W [Elmhurst, IL

2009-12-01

A nanoporous catalytic membrane which displays several unique features including pores which can go through the entire thickness of the membrane. The membrane has a higher catalytic and product selectivity than conventional catalysts. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes serve as the catalyst substrate. This substrate is then subjected to Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), which allows the controlled narrowing of the pores from 40 nm to 10 nm in the substrate by deposition of a preparatory material. Subsequent deposition of a catalytic layer on the inner surfaces of the pores reduces pore sizes to less than 10 nm and allows for a higher degree of reaction selectivity. The small pore sizes allow control over which molecules enter the pores, and the flow-through feature can allow for partial oxidation of reactant species as opposed to complete oxidation. A nanoporous separation membrane, produced by ALD is also provided for use in gaseous and liquid separations. The membrane has a high flow rate of material with 100% selectivity.

Probing Reversible Chemistry in Coenzyme B12-Dependent Ethanolamine Ammonia Lyase with Kinetic Isotope Effects

PubMed Central

Jones, Alex R; Rentergent, Julius; Scrutton, Nigel S; Hay, Sam

2015-01-01

Coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes such as ethanolamine ammonia lyase have remarkable catalytic power and some unique properties that enable detailed analysis of the reaction chemistry and associated dynamics. By selectively deuterating the substrate (ethanolamine) and/or the β-carbon of the 5′-deoxyadenosyl moiety of the intrinsic coenzyme B12, it was possible to experimentally probe both the forward and reverse hydrogen atom transfers between the 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical and substrate during single-turnover stopped-flow measurements. These data are interpreted within the context of a kinetic model where the 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical intermediate may be quasi-stable and rearrangement of the substrate radical is essentially irreversible. Global fitting of these data allows estimation of the intrinsic rate constants associated with CoC homolysis and initial H-abstraction steps. In contrast to previous stopped-flow studies, the apparent kinetic isotope effects are found to be relatively small. PMID:25950663

The influence of process parameters in production of lipopeptide iturin A using aerated packed bed bioreactors in solid-state fermentation.

PubMed

Piedrahíta-Aguirre, C A; Bastos, R G; Carvalho, A L; Monte Alegre, R

2014-08-01

The strain Bacillus iso 1 co-produces the lipopeptide iturin A and biopolymer poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) in solid-state fermentation of substrate consisting of soybean meal, wheat bran with rice husks as an inert support. The effects of pressure drop, oxygen consumption, medium permeability and temperature profile were studied in an aerated packed bed bioreactor to produce iturin A, diameter of which was 50 mm and bed height 300 mm. The highest concentrations of iturin A and γ-PGA were 5.58 and 3.58 g/kg-dry substrate, respectively, at 0.4 L/min after 96 h of fermentation. The low oxygen uptake rates, being 23.34 and 22.56 mg O2/kg-dry solid substrate for each air flow rate tested generated 5.75 W/kg-dry substrate that increased the fermentation temperature at 3.7 °C. The highest pressure drop was 561 Pa/m at 0.8 L/min in 24 h. This is the highest concentration of iturin A produced to date in an aerated packed bed bioreactor in solid-state fermentation. The results can be useful to design strategies to scale-up process of iturin A in aerated packed bed bioreactors. Low concentration of γ-PGA affected seriously pressure drop, decreasing the viability of the process due to generation of huge pressure gradients with volumetric air flow rates. Also, the low oxygenation favored the iturin A production due to the reduction of free void by γ-PGA production, and finally, the low oxygen consumption generated low metabolic heat. The results show that it must control the pressure gradients to scale-up the process of iturin A production.

Pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of the three Escherichia coli pseudouridine synthases TruB, TruA, and RluA reveals uniformly slow catalysis

PubMed Central

Wright, Jaden R.; Keffer-Wilkes, Laura C.; Dobing, Selina R.; Kothe, Ute

2011-01-01

Pseudouridine synthases catalyze formation of the most abundant modification of functional RNAs by site-specifically isomerizing uridines to pseudouridines. While the structure and substrate specificity of these enzymes have been studied in detail, the kinetic and the catalytic mechanism of pseudouridine synthases remain unknown. Here, the first pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of three Escherichia coli pseudouridine synthases is presented. A novel stopped-flow absorbance assay revealed that substrate tRNA binding by TruB takes place in two steps with an overall rate of 6 sec−1. In order to observe catalysis of pseudouridine formation directly, the traditional tritium release assay was adapted for the quench-flow technique, allowing, for the first time, observation of a single round of pseudouridine formation. Thereby, the single-round rate constant of pseudouridylation (kΨ) by TruB was determined to be 0.5 sec−1. This rate constant is similar to the kcat obtained under multiple-turnover conditions in steady-state experiments, indicating that catalysis is the rate-limiting step for TruB. In order to investigate if pseudouridine synthases are characterized by slow catalysis in general, the rapid kinetic quench-flow analysis was also performed with two other E. coli enzymes, RluA and TruA, which displayed rate constants of pseudouridine formation of 0.7 and 0.35 sec−1, respectively. Hence, uniformly slow catalysis might be a general feature of pseudouridine synthases that share a conserved catalytic domain and supposedly use the same catalytic mechanism. PMID:21998096

Lava Flow Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, G. Jeffrey

1996-01-01

This grant originally had four major tasks, all of which were addressed to varying extents during the course of the research: (1) Measure the fractal dimensions of lava flows as a function of topography, substrate, and rheology; (2) The nature of lava tube systems and their relation to flow fields; (3) A quantitative assessment of lava flow dynamics in light of the fractal nature of lava flow margins; and (4) Development and application of a new remote sensing tool based on fractal properties. During the course of the research, the project expanded to include the following projects: (1) A comparison of what we can-learn from remote sensing studies of lava flow morphology and from studies of samples of lava flows; (2) Study of a terrestrial analog of the nakhlites, one of the groups of meteorites from Mars; and (3) Study of the textures of Hawaiian basalts as an aid in understanding the dynamics (flow rates, inflation rates, thermal history) of flow interiors. In addition, during the first year an educational task (development and writing of a teacher's guide and activity set to accompany the lunar sample disk when it is sent to schools) was included.

Adhesion behavior of endothelial progenitor cells to endothelial cells in simple shear flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Xiao-Bo; Li, Yu-Qing; Gao, Quan-Chao; Cheng, Bin-Bin; Shen, Bao-Rong; Yan, Zhi-Qiang; Jiang, Zong-Lai

2011-12-01

The adhesion of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) on endothelial cells (ECs) is one of the critical physiological processes for the regenesis of vascular vessels and the prevention of serious cardiovascular diseases. Here, the rolling and adhesion behavior of EPCs on ECs was studied numerically. A two-dimensional numerical model was developed based on the immersed boundary method for simulating the rolling and adhesion of cells in a channel flow. The binding force arising from the catch bond of a receptor and ligand pair was modeled with stochastic Monte Carlo method and Hookean spring model. The effect of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- α) on the expression of the number of adhesion molecules in ECs was analyzed experimentally. A flow chamber system with CCD camera was set up to observe the top view of the rolling of EPCs on the substrate cultivated with ECs. Numerical results prove that the adhesion of EPC on ECs is closely related to membrane stiffness of the cell and shear rate of the flow. It also suggests that the adhesion force between EPC and EC by P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 only is not strong enough to bond the cell onto vessel walls unless contributions of other catch bond are considered. Experimental results demonstrate that TNF- α enhanced the expressions of VCAM, ICAM, P-selectin and E-selectin in ECs, which supports the numerical results that the rolling velocity of EPC on TNF- α treated EC substrate decreases obviously compared with its velocity on the untreated one. It is found that because the adhesion is affected by both the rolling velocity and the deformability of the cell, an optimal stiffness of EPC may exist at a given shear rate of flow for achieving maximum adhesion rates.

Highly efficient isolation and release of circulating tumor cells based on size-dependent filtration and degradable ZnO nanorods substrate in a wedge-shaped microfluidic chip.

PubMed

Li, Songzhan; Gao, Yifan; Chen, Xiran; Qin, Luman; Cheng, Boran; Wang, Shubin; Wang, Shengxiang; Zhao, Guangxin; Liu, Kan; Zhang, Nangang

2017-10-25

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been regarded as the major cause of metastasis, holding significant insights for tumor diagnosis and treatment. Although many efforts have been made to develop methods for CTC isolation and release in microfluidic system, it remains significant challenges to realize highly efficient isolation and gentle release of CTCs for further cellular and bio-molecular analyses. In this study, we demonstrate a novel method for CTC isolation and release using a simple wedge-shaped microfluidic chip embedding degradable znic oxide nanorods (ZnNRs) substrate. By integrating size-dependent filtration with degradable nanostructured substrate, the capture efficiencies over 87.5% were achieved for SKBR3, PC3, HepG2 and A549 cancer cells spiked in healthy blood sample with the flow rate of 100 μL min -1 . By dissolving ZnNRs substrate with an extremely low concentration of phosphoric acid (12.5 mM), up to 85.6% of the captured SKBR3 cells were released after reverse injection with flow rate of 100 μL min -1 for 15 min, which exhibited around 73.6% cell viability within 1 h after release to around 93.9% after re-cultured for 3 days. It is conceivable that our microfluidic device has great potentials in carrying on cell-based biomedical studies and guiding individualized treatment in the future.

Chemical vapor deposition growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruth, R. P.; Manasevit, H. M.; Kenty, J. L.; Moudy, L. A.; Simpson, W. I.; Yang, J. J.

1976-01-01

A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor system with a vertical deposition chamber was used for the growth of Si films on glass, glass-ceramic, and polycrystalline ceramic substrates. Silicon vapor was produced by pyrolysis of SiH4 in a H2 or He carrier gas. Preliminary deposition experiments with two of the available glasses were not encouraging. Moderately encouraging results, however, were obtained with fired polycrystalline alumina substrates, which were used for Si deposition at temperatures above 1,000 C. The surfaces of both the substrates and the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, reflection electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy optical microscopy, and surface profilometric techniques. Several experiments were conducted to establish baseline performance data for the reactor system, including temperature distributions on the sample pedestal, effects of carrier gas flow rate on temperature and film thickness, and Si film growth rate as a function of temperature.

Synthesis and characterization of CrCN-DLC composite coatings by cathodic arc ion-plating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, R. Y.; Wang, L. L.; Liu, H. D.; Yan, S. J.; Chen, Y. M.; Fu, D. J.; Yang, B.

2013-07-01

CrCN-DLC composite coatings were deposited onto silicon (1 0 0) and cemented carbides substrates using pure Cr targets under C2H2 ambient by cathodic arc ion plating system. The influence of C2H2 flow rate on the structure and mechanical properties of the coatings was investigated systemically. The coatings structure and bonding state were characterized by XRD, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The chemical composition was measured by EDS. The mechanical performance and tribological behaviour of the coatings were studied by a hardness tester and ball-on-disc wear tester. The results showed that with increasing C2H2 flow rate from 50 to 100 sccm, the corresponding hardness of coatings increased firstly and then decreased with further addition of C2H2 flow rate. The coatings deposited at lower C2H2 flow rate (less than 200 sccm) exhibited a relatively higher hardness value (more than HV0.0252000) and then the hardness decrease with increasing C2H2 flow rate. The friction coefficient also exhibited similar variation trend, when the C2H2 flow rate was higher than 100 sccm, the friction coefficient decreased and then maintained in a relatively lower value from 0.18 to 0.24, which may be attribute to the increasing carbon content and the coating exhibited more diamond-like structure.

Analog laboratory experiments on the influence of substrate roughness on the run out distance of pyroclastic flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roche, O.; Chedevile, C.

2012-12-01

We carried out scaled experiments on gas-particles flows propagating on a rough substrate in order to investigate the emplacement of pyroclastic flows. The flows were generated from the release of non-fluidized or gas-fluidized columns of fine (80 μm) glass beads of height of 30 cm into a 3 m-long horizontal channel. The base of the channel was either smooth or was made rough by gluing a monodisperse layer of spherical particles of diameter of 80 μm to 3 mm. We defined the substrate roughness as the size of the glued particles, which corresponded to up to several tens of centimeters when scaled to the natural system. The flow front kinematics and the detailed interactions between the base of the flow and the rough substrate were investigated from high speed videos. We measured systematically the run out distance of the flows, and experiments were repeated 8-10 times for each configuration to obtain a mean value. The run out distance increased with the substrate roughness for both initially non-fluidized and fluidized flows. The run out had a minimum value for a smooth base and was about twice that value for the highest roughness of 3 mm. Analysis of the flow kinematics revealed that the increase in run out was caused by higher front velocities essentially at late stages of emplacement, during which the head of the flows stretched considerably. High speed videos made at the base of the flows showed that their head first slid over the substrate before aggregates of particles fell into the interstices between the particles forming the rough substrate, at a mean speed of several centimeters per second. In contrast, complementary experiments on flows of coarse beads of 350 μm showed that the substrate roughness did not influence their run out, and at the flow base their particles bumped into those of the substrate before falling individually into the interstices. These observations suggest that the positive correlation between the flow run out and the substrate roughness for flows of fine particles could result from two mechanisms. The first was the reduction of the contact area between the flow base and the substrate as the roughness increased because of the reduced number of particles per unit length. The second, main mechanism was auto-fluidization generated as the fine particles falling into the interstices expulsed the air upward at a velocity much larger than the minimum fluidization velocity. This promoted at least partial fluidization or additional pore pressure in case of initially non-fluidized or fluidized flows, respectively. This experimental investigation provides some counterintuitive results and has implication for hazards assessment. Other things being equal, the run out distance of fines-rich pyroclastic flows is expected to increase with the roughness of the terrain on which they propagate.

Heterogeneous reactions of chlorine nitrate and hydrogen chloride on type I polar stratospheric clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leu, Ming-Taun; Moore, Steven B.; Keyser, Leon F.

1991-01-01

A fast-flow reactor coupled with a quadrupole mass spectrometer was used to study the heterogeneous reactions ClONO2 + HCl yields Cl2 + HNO3 (1) and ClONO2 + H2O yields HOCl + HNO3 (2) on vapor-deposited HNO3-H2O ice substrates. It was found that the sticking coefficient of HCl on these substrates was a strong function of the substrate composition, ranging from about 2 x 10 exp -5 at nitric acid trihydrate composition to 6 x 10 exp -3 at 45 wt pct HNO3. The HNO3-H2O ice substrates were found to have large internal surface areas, and corrections for gas-phase diffusion within the porous ices were applied to observed loss rates.

Drop impact on flowing liquid films: asymmetric splashing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, Renad; Che, Zhizhao; Rotkovitz, Lauren; Adebayo, Idris; Matar, Omar

2015-11-01

The splashing of droplets on flowing liquid films is studied experimentally using high-speed photography. The flowing liquid films are generated on an inclined substrate. The flow rate of the liquid film, the inclination angle, and the droplet speed are controlled and their effects on the splashing process studied. Due to the flow in the liquid film and the oblique impact direction, the splashing process is asymmetric. The propagation of the asymmetric crown and the generation of secondary droplets on the rim of the crown are analysed through image processing. The results show that the flow in the liquid films significantly affects the propagation of the liquid crown and the generation of secondary droplets. EPSRC Programme Grant, MEMPHIS, EP/K0039761/1.

Naphthol AS-BI (7-bromo-3-hydroxy-2-naphtho-o-anisidine) phosphatase and naphthol AS-BI. beta. -D-glucuronidase in Chinese hamster ovary cells: biochemical and flow cytometric studies

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

Dolbeare, F.A.; Phares, W.

1979-01-01

Conditions for the biochemical and flow cytometric assay of 7-bromo-3-hydroxy-2-naphtho-o-anisidine phosphatase and ..beta..-D-glucuronidase activities in Chinese hamster ovary cells were studied. In the biochemical assays, the pH optimum for the phosphatase activity was pH 4.6 with a Km of 10/sup -5/ M; the pH optimum for ..beta..-D-glucuronidase activity was pH 5.0 with a Km of 2 x 10/sup -5/ M. For intact cells the derived constants were 3 to 10 times higher. The rate of hydrolysis of both substrates was also examined by flow cytometry. Cellular fluorescence increased linearly for only about 15 min. Diffusion of the fluorescent product probablymore » caused nonlinearity of the fluorescence increase and was demonstrated by mixing cells incubated with substrate with those that had not been incubated. After 15 min, cells that had not been exposed previously to product or substrate contained the fluorescent product. Cells fractionated into size classes by centrifugal elutriation also were analyzed by flow cytometry for ..beta..-D-glucuronidase activity. The activity increased linearly with the increase in cell size corresponding to the progression from G/sub 1/ through S and into G/sub 2/-M phases of the cell cycle.« less

Effects of drying on nitrification activity in zeoponic medium used for long-term space missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGilloway, R. L.; Weaver, R. W.

2004-01-01

One component of a proposed life support system is the use of zeoponic substrates, which slowly release NH4+ into "soil" solution, for the production of plants. Nitrifying bacteria that convert NH4+ to NO3- are among the important microbial components of these systems. Survival of nitrifying bacteria in dry zeoponic substrates is needed, because the substrate would likely be stored in an air-dry state between croppings. Substrate was enriched for nitrifying bacteria and allowed to air-dry in a laminar flow hood. Stored substrate was analyzed for nitrifier survivability by measuring nitrifier activity at the beginning, 3 days, 1, 2, and 3 weeks. After rewetting, activity was approximately 9 micrograms N g-1 h-1 regardless of storage time. Nitrification rates did not decrease during storage. It seems unlikely that drying between plantings would result in practical reductions in nitrification, and reinoculation with nitrifying bacteria would not be necessary.

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

Yu, Shifeng; Wang, Shuyu; Lu, Ming

In this paper, vanadium thin films were deposited on sapphire substrates by DC magnetron sputtering and then oxidized in a tube furnace filled with oxygen under different temperatures and oxygen flow rates. The significant influence of the oxygen flow rate and oxidation temperature on the electrical and structural properties of the vanadium oxide thin films were investigated systematically. It shows the pure vanadium dioxide (VO 2) state can only be obtained in a very narrow temperature and oxygen flow rate range. The resistivity change during the metal-insulator transition varies from 0.2 to 4 orders of magnitude depending on the oxidationmore » condition. Large thermal hysteresis during the metal-insulator phase transition was observed during the transition compared to the results in literature. Proper oxidation conditions can significantly reduce the thermal hysteresis. Finally, the fabricated VO 2 thin films showed the potential to be applied in the development of electrical sensors and other smart devices.« less

EPITAXIAL GROWTH OF SILICON

DTIC Science & Technology

Epitaxial growth of silicon on a silicon substrate by hydrogen reduction of SiCl4 was investigated. The chemical and physical processes involved in...silicon layers were produced at temperatures between 1100 and 1300 C. The effects of the concentration of SiCl4 in H2, the flow rate of the gas, the

Doubly-excited pulse-waves on flowing liquid films: experiments and numerical simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adebayo, Idris; Xie, Zhihua; Che, Zhizhao; Wray, Alex; Matar, Omar

2016-11-01

The interaction patterns between doubly-excited pulse waves on a flowing liquid film are studied both experimentally and numerically. The flowing film is constituted on an inclined glass substrate while pulse-waves are excited on the film surface by means of a solenoid valve connected to a relay which receives signals from customised Matlab routines. The effect of varying the system parameters i.e. film flow rate, inter-pulse interval and substrate inclination angle on the pulse interaction patterns are then studied. Results show that different interaction patterns exist for these binary pulses; which include a singular behaviour, complete merger, partial merger and total non-coalescence. A regime map of these patterns is then plotted for each inclination angles examined, based on the film Re and the inter-pulse interval. Finally, the individual effect of the system parameters on the merging distance of these binary pulses in the merger mode is then studied and the results validated using both numerical simulations and mathematical modelling. Funding from the Nigerian Government (for Idris Adebayo), and the EPSRC through a programme Grant MEMPHIS (EP/K003976/1) gratefully acknowledged.

Bioremoval of trivalent chromium using Bacillus biofilms through continuous flow reactor.

PubMed

Sundar, K; Sadiq, I Mohammed; Mukherjee, Amitava; Chandrasekaran, N

2011-11-30

Present study deals with the applicability of bacterial biofilms for the bioremoval of trivalent chromium from tannery effluents. A continuous flow reactor was designed for the development of biofilms on different substrates like glass beads, pebbles and coarse sand. The parameters for the continuous flow reactor were 20 ml/min flow rate at 30°C, pH4. Biofilm biomass on the substrates was in the following sequence: coarse sand>pebbles>glass beads (4.8 × 10(7), 4.5 × 10(7) and 3.5 × 10(5)CFU/cm(2)), which was confirmed by CLSM. Biofilms developed using consortium of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus on coarse sand had more surface area and was able to remove 98% of Cr(III), SEM-EDX proved 92.60% Cr(III) adsorption on biofilms supported by coarse sand. Utilization of Bacillus biofilms for effective bioremoval of Cr(III) from chrome tanning effluent could be a better option for tannery industry, especially during post chrome tanning operation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimizing Micromixer Surfaces To Deter Biofouling.

PubMed

Waters, James T; Liu, Ya; Li, Like; Balazs, Anna C

2018-03-07

Using computational modeling, we show that the dynamic interplay between a flowing fluid and the appropriately designed surface relief pattern can inhibit the fouling of the substrate. We specifically focus on surfaces that are decorated with three-dimensional (3D) chevron or sawtooth "micromixer" patterns and model the fouling agents (e.g., cells) as spherical microcapsules. The interaction between the imposed shear flow and the chevrons on the surface generates 3D vortices in the system. We pinpoint a range of shear rates where the forces from these vortices can rupture the bonds between the two mobile microcapsules near the surface. Notably, the patterned surface offers fewer points of attachment than a flat substrate, and the shear flows readily transport the separated capsules away from the layer. We contrast the performance of surfaces that encompass rectangular posts, chevrons, and asymmetric sawtooth patterns and thereby identify the geometric factors that cause the sawtooth structure to be most effective at disrupting the bonding between the capsules. By breaking up nascent clusters of contaminant cells, these 3D relief patterns can play a vital role in disrupting the biofouling of surfaces immersed in flowing fluids.

Flow coating apparatus and method of coating

DOEpatents

Hanumanthu, Ramasubrahmaniam; Neyman, Patrick; MacDonald, Niles; Brophy, Brenor; Kopczynski, Kevin; Nair, Wood

2014-03-11

Disclosed is a flow coating apparatus, comprising a slot that can dispense a coating material in an approximately uniform manner along a distribution blade that increases uniformity by means of surface tension and transfers the uniform flow of coating material onto an inclined substrate such as for example glass, solar panels, windows or part of an electronic display. Also disclosed is a method of flow coating a substrate using the apparatus such that the substrate is positioned correctly relative to the distribution blade, a pre-wetting step is completed where both the blade and substrate are completed wetted with a pre-wet solution prior to dispensing of the coating material onto the distribution blade from the slot and hence onto the substrate. Thereafter the substrate is removed from the distribution blade and allowed to dry, thereby forming a coating.

Investigating lava-substrate interactions through flow experiments with syrup, wax, and molten basalt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumpf, M. E.; Lev, E.

2015-12-01

Among the many factors influencing the complex process of lava flow emplacement, the interaction with the substrate onto which flow is emplaced plays a central role. Lava flows are rarely emplaced onto smooth or regular surfaces. For example, at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i, lava flows regularly flow over solid rock, vegetation, basaltic or silica sand, and man-made materials, including asphalt and concrete. In situ studies of lava-substrate interactions are inherently difficult, and often dangerous, to carry-out, requiring the design of controllable laboratory experiments. We investigate the effects of substrate grain size, cohesion, and roughness on flow mobility and morphology through a series of flow experiments using analog materials and molten basalt. We have developed a series of experiments that allow for adjustable substrate parameters and analyze their effects on lava flow emplacement. The first set of experiments are performed at the Fluids Mechanics Laboratory at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and focus on two analog materials: polyethylene glycol (PEG), a commercially available wax, and corn syrup. The fluids were each extruded onto a series of scaled substrate beds to replicate the emplacement of lava in a natural environment. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that irregular topography, particularly topography with a height amplitude similar to that of the flow itself, can affect flow morphology, width, and velocity by acting as local barriers or culverts to the fluid. This is expected from observations of fluid flow in natural environments. A follow-up set of experiments will be conducted in Fall 2015 at the Syracuse University (SU) Lava Project Lab. In this set, we will pour molten basalt directly onto a series of substrates representing natural environments found on the Earth and other rocky bodies in the Solar System. These experiments will allow for analysis of the effects of basaltic composition and high temperatures on lava-substrate heat transfer and mechanical interactions. Results will be used to improve current lava flow prediction models as well as increase our understanding of the evolution of volcanic regions on the Earth and other planets.

Flow of a surfactant across a thin liquid film wetting a solid substrate

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

Peng, J.B.; He, S.X.; Dutta, P.

1989-12-15

Transfer of a monolayer (valinomycin) between two Langmuir troughs via an interconnecting glass bridge'' has been observed when there is a difference between the monolayer pressures in the two troughs. Assuming that the transfer occurs over the surface of the thin film of water that wets the bridge,'' the transfer rate can be used to estimate the thickness of the liquid film. The thickness thus determined may be used to determine the retarded van der Waals (Hamaker) constant associated with the interaction of the film with the underlying substrate.

Silicon Carbide Etching Using Chlorine Trifluoride Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habuka, Hitoshi; Oda, Satoko; Fukai, Yasushi; Fukae, Katsuya; Takeuchi, Takashi; Aihara, Masahiko

2005-03-01

The etch rate, chemical reactions and etched surface of β-silicon carbide are studied in detail using chlorine trifluoride gas. The etch rate is greater than 10 μm min-1 at 723 K with a flow rate of 0.1 \\ell min-1 at atmospheric pressure in a horizontal reactor. The maximum etch rate at a substrate temperature of 773 K is 40 μm min-1 with a flow rate of 0.25 \\ell min-1. The step-like pattern that initially exists on the β-silicon carbide surface tends to be smoothed; the root-mean-square surface roughness decreases from its initial value of 5 μm to 1 μm within 15 min; this minimum value is maintained for more than 15 min. Therefore, chlorine trifluoride gas is considered to have a large etch rate for β-silicon carbide associated with making a rough surface smooth.

Sequential hydrogen and methane coproduction from sugary wastewater treatment by "CSTRHyd-UASBMet" system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Ping

2017-10-01

Potentiality of sequential hydrogen bioproduction from sugary wastewater treatment was investigated using continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) for various substrate COD concentrations and HRTs. At optimum substrate concentration of 6 g COD/L, hydrogen could be efficiently produced from CSTR with the highest production rate of 3.00 (±0.04) L/L reactor d at HRT of 6 h. The up flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor was used for continuous methane bioproduction from the effluents of hydrogen bioproduction. At optimal HRT 12 h, methane could be produced with a production rate of 2.27 (±0.08) L/L reactor d and the COD removal efficiency reached up to the maximum 82.3%.

Hydrogen production in microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cells using a substrate without buffer solution.

PubMed

Song, Young-Hyun; Hidayat, Syarif; Kim, Han-Ki; Park, Joo-Yang

2016-06-01

The aim of this work was to use substrate without buffer solution in a microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell (MREC) for hydrogen production under continuous flow condition (10 cell pairs of RED stacks, HRT=5, 7.5, and 15h). Decreasing in the HRT (increasing in the organic matter) made cell current stable and increased. Hydrogen gas was produced at a rate of 0.61m(3)-H2/m(3)-Van/d in H-MREC, with a COD removal efficiency of 81% (1.55g/L/d) and a Coulombic efficiency of 41%. This MREC system without buffer solution could successfully produce hydrogen gas at a consistent rate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Breaking conceptual locks in modelling root absorption of nutrients: reopening the thermodynamic viewpoint of ion transport across the root

PubMed Central

Le Deunff, Erwan; Malagoli, Philippe

2014-01-01

Background The top-down analysis of nitrate influx isotherms through the Enzyme-Substrate interpretation has not withstood recent molecular and histochemical analyses of nitrate transporters. Indeed, at least four families of nitrate transporters operating at both high and/or low external nitrate concentrations, and which are located in series and/or parallel in the different cellular layers of the mature root, are involved in nitrate uptake. Accordingly, the top-down analysis of the root catalytic structure for ion transport from the Enzyme-Substrate interpretation of nitrate influx isotherms is inadequate. Moreover, the use of the Enzyme-Substrate velocity equation as a single reference in agronomic models is not suitable in its formalism to account for variations in N uptake under fluctuating environmental conditions. Therefore, a conceptual paradigm shift is required to improve the mechanistic modelling of N uptake in agronomic models. Scope An alternative formalism, the Flow-Force theory, was proposed in the 1970s to describe ion isotherms based upon biophysical ‘flows and forces’ relationships of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. This interpretation describes, with macroscopic parameters, the patterns of N uptake provided by a biological system such as roots. In contrast to the Enzyme-Substrate interpretation, this approach does not claim to represent molecular characteristics. Here it is shown that it is possible to combine the Flow-Force formalism with polynomial responses of nitrate influx rate induced by climatic and in planta factors in relation to nitrate availability. Conclusions Application of the Flow-Force formalism allows nitrate uptake to be modelled in a more realistic manner, and allows scaling-up in time and space of the regulation of nitrate uptake across the plant growth cycle. PMID:25425406

Fluid flow inside and outside an evaporating sessile drop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouchenna, C.; Aitsaada, M.; Chikh, S.; Tadrist, L.

2017-11-01

The sessile drop evaporation is a phenomena which is extensively studied in the literature, but the governing effects are far from being well understood especially those involving movements taking place in both liquid and gas phases. The present work numerically studies the flow within and around an evaporating sessile drop. The flow is induced by the strong mass loss at contact line, the thermo-capillary effect and the buoyancy effect in the surrounding air. The results showed that buoyancy-induced flow in gas phase weakly influences thermo-capillarity-induced flow in the liquid phase. Buoyancy effect can strongly modify the temperature distribution at liquid-gas interface and thus the overall evaporation rate of the drop when the substrate is heated.

The flow of a thin liquid film on a stationary and rotating disk. I - Experimental analysis and flow visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, S.; Faghri, A.; Hankey, W.

1990-01-01

The mean thickness of a thin liquid film of deionized water with a free surface on a stationary and rotating horizontal disk has been measured with a nonobtrusive capacitance technique. The measurements were taken when the rotational speed was 0-300 RPM and the flow rate was 7.0-15.0 LPM. A flow visualization study of the thin film was also performed to determine the characteristics of the waves on the free surface. When the disk was stationary, a circular hydraulic jump was present on the disk. Surface waves were found in the supercritical and subcritical regions at all flow rates studied. When the rotational speed of the disk is low, a standing wave at the edge of the disk was present. As the rotational speed increased, the surface waves changed from the wavy-laminar region to a region in which the waves ran nearly radially across the disk on top of a thin substrate of fluid.

Droplet trapping and fast acoustic release in a multi-height device with steady-state flow.

PubMed

Rambach, Richard W; Linder, Kevin; Heymann, Michael; Franke, Thomas

2017-10-11

We demonstrate a novel multilayer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) device for selective storage and release of single emulsion droplets. Drops are captured in a microchannel cavity and can be released on-demand through a triggered surface acoustic wave pulse. The surface acoustic wave (SAW) is excited by a tapered interdigital transducer (TIDT) deposited on a piezoelectric lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 ) substrate and inverts the pressure difference across the cavity trap to push a drop out of the trap and back into the main flow channel. Droplet capture and release does not require a flow rate change, flow interruption, flow inversion or valve action and can be achieved in as fast as 20 ms. This allows both on-demand droplet capture for analysis and monitoring over arbitrary time scales, and continuous device operation with a high droplet rate of 620 drops per s. We hence decouple long-term droplet interrogation from other operations on the chip. This will ease integration with other microfluidic droplet operations and functional components.

Shear sensitive monomer-polymer laminate structure and method of using same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Jag J. (Inventor); Eftekhari, Abe (Inventor); Parmar, Devendra S. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

Monomer cholesteric liquid crystals have helical structures which result in a phenomenon known as selective reflection, wherein incident white light is reflected in such a way that its wavelength is governed by the instantaneous pitch of the helix structure. The pitch is dependent on temperature and external stress fields. It is possible to use such monomers in flow visualization and temperature measurement. However, the required thin layers of these monomers are quickly washed away by a flow, making their application time dependent for a given flow rate. The laminate structure according to the present invention comprises a liquid crystal polymer substrate attached to a test surface of an article. A light absorbing coating is applied to the substrate and is thin enough to permit bonding steric interaction between the liquid crystal polymer substrate and an overlying liquid crystal monomer thin film. Light is directed through and reflected by the liquid crystal monomer thin film and unreflected light is absorbed by the underlying coating. The wavelength of the reflected light is indicative of the shear stress experienced by the test surface. Novel aspects of the invention include its firm bonding of a liquid crystal monomer to a model and its use of a coating to reduce interference from light unreflected by the monomer helical structure.

A diffusive ink transport model for lipid dip-pen nanolithography.

PubMed

Urtizberea, A; Hirtz, M

2015-10-14

Despite diverse applications, phospholipid membrane stacks generated by dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) still lack a thorough and systematic characterization that elucidates the whole ink transport process from writing to surface spreading, with the aim of better controlling the resulting feature size and resolution. We report a quantitative analysis and modeling of the dependence of lipid DPN features (area, height and volume) on dwell time and relative humidity. The ink flow rate increases with humidity in agreement with meniscus size growth, determining the overall feature size. The observed time dependence indicates the existence of a balance between surface spreading and the ink flow rate that promotes differences in concentration at the meniscus/substrate interface. Feature shape is controlled by the substrate surface energy. The results are analyzed within a modified model for the ink transport of diffusive inks. At any humidity the dependence of the area spread on the dwell time shows two diffusion regimes: at short dwell times growth is controlled by meniscus diffusion while at long dwell times surface diffusion governs the process. The critical point for the switch of regime depends on the humidity.

Flow variation and substrate type affect dislodgement of the freshwater polychaete, Manayunkia speciosa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Malakauskas, David M.; Wilson, Sarah J.; Wilzbach, Margaret A.; Som, Nicholas A.

2013-01-01

We quantified microscale flow forces and their ability to entrain the freshwater polychaete, Manayunkia speciosa, the intermediate host for 2 myxozoan parasites (Ceratomyxa shasta and Parvicapsula minibicornis) that cause substantial mortalities in salmonid fishes in the Pacific Northwest. In a laboratory flume, we measured the shear stress associated with 2 mean flow velocities and 3 substrates and quantified associated dislodgement of polychaetes, evaluated survivorship of dislodged polychaetes, and observed behavioral responses of the polychaetes in response to increased flow. We used a generalized linear mixed model to estimate the probability of polychaete dislodgement for treatment combinations of velocity (mean flow velocity  =  55 cm/s with a shear velocity  =  3 cm/s, mean flow velocity  =  140 cm/s with a shear velocity  =  5 cm/s) and substrate type (depositional sediments and analogs of rock faces and the filamentous alga, Cladophora). Few polychaetes were dislodged at shear velocities <3 cm/s on any substrate. Above this level of shear, probability of dislodgement was strongly affected by both substrate type and velocity. After accounting for substrate, odds of dislodgement were 8× greater at the higher flow. After accounting for velocity, probability of dislodgement was greatest from fine sediments, intermediate from rock faces, and negligible from Cladophora. Survivorship of dislodged polychaetes was high. Polychaetes exhibited a variety of behaviors for avoiding increases in flow, including extrusion of mucus, burrowing into sediments, and movement to lower-flow microhabitats. Our findings suggest that polychaete populations probably exhibit high resilience to flow-mediated disturbances.

Development of lightweight ceramic ablators and arc-jet test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tran, Huy K.

1994-01-01

Lightweight ceramic ablators (LCA's) were recently developed at Ames to investigate the use of low density fibrous substrates and organic resins as high temperature, high strength ablative heat shields. Unlike the traditional ablators, LCA's use porous ceramic/carbon fiber matrices as substrates for structural support, and polymeric resins as fillers. Several substrates and resins were selected for the initial studies, and the best performing candidates were further characterized. Three arcjet tests were conducted to determine the LCA's thermal performance and ablation characteristics in a high enthalpy, hypersonic flow environment. Mass loss and recession measurements were obtained for each sample at post test, and the recession rates were determined from high speed motion films. Surface temperatures were also obtained from optical pyrometers.

Measurement of an Evaporating Drop on a Reflective Substrate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, David F.; Zhang, Nengli

2004-01-01

A figure depicts an apparatus that simultaneously records magnified ordinary top-view video images and laser shadowgraph video images of a sessile drop on a flat, horizontal substrate that can be opaque or translucent and is at least partially specularly reflective. The diameter, contact angle, and rate of evaporation of the drop as functions of time can be calculated from the apparent diameters of the drop in sequences of the images acquired at known time intervals, and the shadowgrams that contain flow patterns indicative of thermocapillary convection (if any) within the drop. These time-dependent parameters and flow patterns are important for understanding the physical processes involved in the spreading and evaporation of drops. The apparatus includes a source of white light and a laser (both omitted from the figure), which are used to form the ordinary image and the shadowgram, respectively. Charge-coupled-device (CCD) camera 1 (with zoom) acquires the ordinary video images, while CCD camera 2 acquires the shadowgrams. With respect to the portion of laser light specularly reflected from the substrate, the drop acts as a plano-convex lens, focusing the laser beam to a shadowgram on the projection screen in front of CCD camera 2. The equations for calculating the diameter, contact angle, and rate of evaporation of the drop are readily derived on the basis of Snell s law of refraction and the geometry of the optics.

Assessment of water droplet evaporation mechanisms on hydrophobic and superhydrophobic substrates.

PubMed

Pan, Zhenhai; Dash, Susmita; Weibel, Justin A; Garimella, Suresh V

2013-12-23

Evaporation rates are predicted and important transport mechanisms identified for evaporation of water droplets on hydrophobic (contact angle ~110°) and superhydrophobic (contact angle ~160°) substrates. Analytical models for droplet evaporation in the literature are usually simplified to include only vapor diffusion in the gas domain, and the system is assumed to be isothermal. In the comprehensive model developed in this study, evaporative cooling of the interface is accounted for, and vapor concentration is coupled to local temperature at the interface. Conjugate heat and mass transfer are solved in the solid substrate, liquid droplet, and surrounding gas. Buoyancy-driven convective flows in the droplet and vapor domains are also simulated. The influences of evaporative cooling and convection on the evaporation characteristics are determined quantitatively. The liquid-vapor interface temperature drop induced by evaporative cooling suppresses evaporation, while gas-phase natural convection acts to enhance evaporation. While the effects of these competing transport mechanisms are observed to counterbalance for evaporation on a hydrophobic surface, the stronger influence of evaporative cooling on a superhydrophobic surface accounts for an overprediction of experimental evaporation rates by ~20% with vapor diffusion-based models. The local evaporation fluxes along the liquid-vapor interface for both hydrophobic and superhydrophobic substrates are investigated. The highest local evaporation flux occurs at the three-phase contact line region due to proximity to the higher temperature substrate, rather than at the relatively colder droplet top; vapor diffusion-based models predict the opposite. The numerically calculated evaporation rates agree with experimental results to within 2% for superhydrophobic substrates and 3% for hydrophobic substrates. The large deviations between past analytical models and the experimental data are therefore reconciled with the comprehensive model developed here.

Rate-determining Step of Flap Endonuclease 1 (FEN1) Reflects a Kinetic Bias against Long Flaps and Trinucleotide Repeat Sequences.

PubMed

Tarantino, Mary E; Bilotti, Katharina; Huang, Ji; Delaney, Sarah

2015-08-21

Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is a structure-specific nuclease responsible for removing 5'-flaps formed during Okazaki fragment maturation and long patch base excision repair. In this work, we use rapid quench flow techniques to examine the rates of 5'-flap removal on DNA substrates of varying length and sequence. Of particular interest are flaps containing trinucleotide repeats (TNR), which have been proposed to affect FEN1 activity and cause genetic instability. We report that FEN1 processes substrates containing flaps of 30 nucleotides or fewer at comparable single-turnover rates. However, for flaps longer than 30 nucleotides, FEN1 kinetically discriminates substrates based on flap length and flap sequence. In particular, FEN1 removes flaps containing TNR sequences at a rate slower than mixed sequence flaps of the same length. Furthermore, multiple-turnover kinetic analysis reveals that the rate-determining step of FEN1 switches as a function of flap length from product release to chemistry (or a step prior to chemistry). These results provide a kinetic perspective on the role of FEN1 in DNA replication and repair and contribute to our understanding of FEN1 in mediating genetic instability of TNR sequences. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Plasma deposited diamondlike carbon on GaAs and InP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warner, J. D.; Pouch, J. J.; Alterovitz, S. A.; Liu, D. C.; Lanford, W. A.

1984-01-01

The properties of diamond like carbon films grown by RF flow discharge 30 kHz plasma using methane are reported. The Cls XPS line shape of films showed localized hybrid carbon bonds as low as 40 to as high as 95 percent. Infrared spectroscopy and N(15) nuclear reaction profiling data indicated 35 to 42 percent hydrogen, depending inversely on deposition temperature. The deposition rate of films on Si falls off exponentially with substrate temperature, and nucleation does not occur above 200 C on GaAs and InP. Optical data of the films showed bandgap values of 2.0 to 2.4 eV increasing monotonically with CH4 flow rate.

Influence of oxygen flow rate on metal-insulator transition of vanadium oxide thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xu; Liu, Xinkun; Li, Haizhu; Zhang, Angran; Huang, Mingju

2017-03-01

High-quality vanadium oxide ( VO2) films have been fabricated on Si (111) substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering deposition method. The sheet resistance of VO2 has a significant change (close to 5 orders of magnitude) in the process of the metal-insulator phase transition (MIT). The field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) results show the grain size of VO2 thin films is larger with the increase of oxygen flow. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate the thin films fabricated at different oxygen flow rates grow along the (011) crystalline orientation. As the oxygen flow rate increases from 3 sccm to 6 sccm, the phase transition temperature of the films reduces from 341 to 320 K, the width of the thermal hysteresis loop decreases from 32 to 9 K. The thin films fabricated in the condition of 5 sccm have a high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) -3.455%/K with a small resistivity of 2.795 ρ/Ω cm.

Leaching of two fungicides in spent mushroom substrate amended soil: Influence of amendment rate, fungicide ageing and flow condition.

PubMed

Álvarez-Martín, Alba; Sánchez-Martín, María J; Ordax, José M; Marín-Benito, Jesús M; Sonia Rodríguez-Cruz, M

2017-04-15

A study has been conducted on the leaching of two fungicides, tebuconazole and cymoxanil, in a soil amended with spent mushroom substrate (SMS), with an evaluation of how different factors influence this process. The objective was based on the potential use of SMS as a biosorbent for immobilizing pesticides in vulnerable soils, and the need to know how it could affect the subsequent transport of these retained compounds. Breakthrough curves (BTCs) for 14 C-fungicides, non-incubated and incubated over 30days, were obtained in columns packed with an unamended soil (S), and this soil amended with SMS at rates of 5% (S+SMS5) and 50% (S+SMS50) under saturated and saturated-unsaturated flows. The highest leaching of tebuconazole (>50% of the total 14 C added) was found in S when a saturated water flow was applied to the column, but the percentage of leached fungicide decreased when a saturated-unsaturated flow was applied in both SMS-amended soils. Also a significant decrease in leaching was observed for tebuconazole after incubation in the column, especially in S+SMS50 when both flows were applied. Furthermore, cymoxanil leaching was complete in S and S+SMS when a saturated flow was applied, and maximum peak concentrations were reached at 1pore volume (PV), although BTCs showed peaks with lower concentrations in S+SMS. The amounts of cymoxanil retained only increased in S+SMS when a saturated-unsaturated flow was applied. A more relevant effect of SMS for reducing the leaching of fungicide was observed when cymoxanil was previously incubated in the column, although mineralization was enhanced in this case. These results are of interest for extending SMS application on the control of the leaching of fungicides with different physicochemical characteristics after different ageing times in the soil and water flow conditions applied. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recovery and fractionation of phosphorus retained by lightweight expanded shale and masonry sand used as media in subsurface flow treatment wetlands.

PubMed

Forbes, Margaret G; Dickson, Kenneth L; Saleh, Farida; Waller, William T; Doyle, Robert D; Hudak, Paul

2005-06-15

Most subsurface flow treatment wetlands, also known as reed bed or root zone systems, use sand or gravel substrates to reduce organics, solids, and nutrients in septic tank effluents. Phosphorus (P) retention in these systems is highly variable and few studies have identified the fate of retained P. In this study, two substrates, expanded shale and masonry sand, were used as filter media in five subsurface flow pilot-scale wetlands (2.7 m3). After 1 year of operation, we estimated the annual rate of P sorption by taking the difference between total P (TP) of substrate in the pilot cells and TP of substrate not exposed to wastewater (control). Means and standard deviations of TP retained by expanded shale were 349 +/- 171 mg kg(-1), respectively. For a substrate depth of 0.9 m, aerial P retention by shale was 201 +/- 98.6 g of P m(-2) year(-1), respectively. Masonry sand retained an insignificant quantity of wastewater P (11.9 +/- 21.8 mg kg(-1)) and on occasion exported P. Substrate samples were also sequentially fractionated into labile P, microbial P, (Fe + Al) P, humic P, (Ca + Mg) P, and residual P. In expanded shale samples, the greatest increase in P was in the relatively permanent form of (Fe + Al) P (108 mg kg(-1)), followed by labile P (46.7 mg kg(-1)) and humic P (39.8 mg kg(-1)). In masonry sand, there was an increase in labile P (9.71 mg kg(-1)). Results suggest that sand is a poor candidate for long-term P storage, but its efficiency is similar to that reported for many sand, gravel, and rock systems. By contrast, expanded shale and similar products with high hydraulic conductivity and P sorption capacity could greatly improve performance of P retention in constructed wetlands.

Study of low resistivity and high work function ITO films prepared by oxygen flow rates and N2O plasma treatment for amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells.

PubMed

Hussain, Shahzada Qamar; Oh, Woong-Kyo; Kim, Sunbo; Ahn, Shihyun; Le, Anh Huy Tuan; Park, Hyeongsik; Lee, Youngseok; Dao, Vinh Ai; Velumani, S; Yi, Junsin

2014-12-01

Pulsed DC magnetron sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) films deposited on glass substrates with lowest resistivity of 2.62 x 10(-4) Ω x cm and high transmittance of about 89% in the visible wavelength region. We report the enhancement of ITO work function (Φ(ITO)) by the variation of oxygen (O2) flow rate and N2O surface plasma treatment. The Φ(ITO) increased from 4.43 to 4.56 eV with the increase in O2 flow rate from 0 to 4 sccm while surface treatment of N2O plasma further enhanced the ITO work function to 4.65 eV. The crystallinity of the ITO films improved with increasing O2 flow rate, as revealed by XRD analysis. The ITO work function was increased by the interfacial dipole resulting from the surface rich in O- ions and by the dipole moment formed at the ITO surface during N2O plasma treatment. The ITO films with high work functions can be used to modify the front barrier height in heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cells.

Low temperature growth of heavy boron-doped hydrogenated Ge epilayers and its application in Ge/Si photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Wei-Cheng; Lee, Ming Jay; Wu, Mount-Learn; Lee, Chien-Chieh; Tsao, I.-Yu; Chang, Jenq-Yang

2017-04-01

In this study, heavily boron-doped hydrogenated Ge epilayers are grown on Si substrates at a low growth temperature (220 °C). The quality of the boron-doped epilayers is dependent on the hydrogen flow rate. The optical emission spectroscopic, X-ray diffraction and Hall measurement results demonstrate that better quality boron-doped Ge epilayers can be obtained at low hydrogen flow rates (0 sccm). This reduction in quality is due to an excess of hydrogen in the source gas, which breaks one of the Ge-Ge bonds on the Ge surface, leading to the formation of unnecessary dangling bonds. The structure of the boron doped Ge epilayers is analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. In addition, the performance, based on the I-V characteristics, of Ge/Si photodetectors fabricated with boron doped Ge epilayers produced under different hydrogen flow rates was examined. The photodetectors with boron doped Ge epilayers produced with a low hydrogen flow rate (0 sccm) exhibited a higher responsivity of 0.144 A/W and a lower dark current of 5.33 × 10-7 A at a reverse bias of 1 V.

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet for biomedical applications characterised by passive thermal probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mance, Diana; Wiese, Ruben; Kewitz, Thorben; Kersten, Holger

2018-05-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) are a promising tool in medicine with extensive possibilities of utilization. For a safe and therapeutically effective application of APPJs, it is necessary to know in detail the physical processes in plasma as well as possible hazards. In this paper, we focus on plasma thermal energy transferred to the substrate, i.e. to a passive thermal probe acting as substrate dummy. Specifically, we examined the dependence of transferred energy on the distance from the plasma source outlet, on the gas flow rate, and on the length of the visible plasma plume. The plasma plume is the plasma carried by the gas flow from the outlet of the source into the ambient air. The results show the distance between the plasma-generating device and the substrate to be the most important determinant of the transferred thermal energy, among the three examined variables. Most importantly for the end-user, the results also show this relation to be non-linear. To describe this relation, we chose a model based on a Boltzmann type of sigmoid function. Based on the results of our modelling and visual inspection of the plasma, we provide sort of a user guide for the adjustment of a suitable energy flux on the (bio) substrate.

Influence of the three-dimensional heterogeneous roughness on electrokinetic transport in microchannels.

PubMed

Hu, Yandong; Werner, Carsten; Li, Dongqing

2004-12-15

Surface roughness has been considered as a passive means of enhancing species mixing in electroosmotic flow through microfluidic systems. It is highly desirable to understand the synergetic effect of three-dimensional (3D) roughness and surface heterogeneity on the electrokinetic flow through microchannels. In this study, we developed a three-dimensional finite-volume-based numerical model to simulate electroosmotic transport in a slit microchannel (formed between two parallel plates) with numerous heterogeneous prismatic roughness elements arranged symmetrically and asymmetrically on the microchannel walls. We consider that all 3D prismatic rough elements have the same surface charge or zeta potential, the substrate (the microchannel wall) surface has a different zeta potential. The results showed that the rough channel's geometry and the electroosmotic mobility ratio of the roughness elements' surface to that of the substrate, epsilon(mu), have a dramatic influence on the induced-pressure field, the electroosmotic flow patterns, and the electroosmotic flow rate in the heterogeneous rough microchannels. The associated sample-species transport presents a tidal-wave-like concentration field at the intersection between four neighboring rough elements under low epsilon(mu) values and has a concentration field similar to that of the smooth channels under high epsilon(mu) values.

The coupled geochemistry of Au and As in pyrite from ore deposits and geothermal fields: monitoring fluid evolution and external forcing factors in hydrothermal systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reich, M.; Deditius, A.; Tardani, D.; Sanchez-Alfaro, P.

2014-12-01

Among the many factors influencing the complex process of lava flow emplacement, the interaction with the substrate onto which flow is emplaced plays a central role. Lava flows are rarely emplaced onto smooth or regular surfaces. For example, at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i, lava flows regularly flow over solid rock, vegetation, basaltic or silica sand, and man-made materials, including asphalt and concrete. In situ studies of lava-substrate interactions are inherently difficult, and often dangerous, to carry-out, requiring the design of controllable laboratory experiments. We investigate the effects of substrate grain size, cohesion, and roughness on flow mobility and morphology through a series of flow experiments using analog materials and molten basalt. We have developed a series of experiments that allow for adjustable substrate parameters and analyze their effects on lava flow emplacement. The first set of experiments are performed at the Fluids Mechanics Laboratory at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and focus on two analog materials: polyethylene glycol (PEG), a commercially available wax, and corn syrup. The fluids were each extruded onto a series of scaled substrate beds to replicate the emplacement of lava in a natural environment. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that irregular topography, particularly topography with a height amplitude similar to that of the flow itself, can affect flow morphology, width, and velocity by acting as local barriers or culverts to the fluid. This is expected from observations of fluid flow in natural environments. A follow-up set of experiments will be conducted in Fall 2015 at the Syracuse University (SU) Lava Project Lab. In this set, we will pour molten basalt directly onto a series of substrates representing natural environments found on the Earth and other rocky bodies in the Solar System. These experiments will allow for analysis of the effects of basaltic composition and high temperatures on lava-substrate heat transfer and mechanical interactions. Results will be used to improve current lava flow prediction models as well as increase our understanding of the evolution of volcanic regions on the Earth and other planets.

Vine Trimming Shoots as Substrate for Ferulic Acid Esterases Production.

PubMed

Pérez-Rodríguez, N; Outeiriño, D; Torrado Agrasar, A; Domínguez, J M

2017-02-01

Ferulic acid esterases (FAE) possess a large variety of biotechnological applications mainly based on their ability to release ferulic acid from lignocellulosic matrixes. The use of vine trimming shoots (VTS), an agricultural waste, as substrate for the generation of this kind of esterases represents an attractive alternative to change the consideration of VTS from residue to resource. Furthermore, xylanase, cellobiase, and cellulase activities were quantified. Six microorganisms were screened for FAE production by solid-state fermentation, and the effects of the additional supplementation and substrate size were also tested. Finally, the process was scaled-up to a horizontal bioreactor where the influence of aeration in enzymatic activities was evaluated. Thus, the optimal FAE activity (0.44 U/g dry VTS) was attained by Aspergillus terreus CECT 2808, in non-additional supplementation media, using the larger particles size of substrate (≤ 5 mm) and at a flow rate of 0.7 L/min.

Local phase transitions in driven colloidal suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scacchi, A.; Brader, J. M.

2018-02-01

Using dynamical density functional theory and Brownian dynamics simulations, we investigate the influence of a driven tracer particle on the density distribution of a colloidal suspension at a thermodynamic state point close to the liquid side of the binodal. In bulk systems, we find that a localised region of the colloid-poor phase, a 'cavitation bubble', forms behind the moving tracer. The extent of the cavitation bubble is investigated as a function of both the size and velocity of the tracer. The addition of a confining boundary enables us to investigate the interaction between the local phase instability at the substrate and that at the particle surface. When both the substrate and tracer interact repulsively with the colloids we observe the formation of a colloid-poor bridge between the substrate and the tracer. When a shear flow is applied parallel to the substrate the bridge becomes distorted and, at sufficiently high shear-rates, disconnects from the substrate to form a cavitation bubble.

Energy driven self-organization in nanoscale metallic liquid films.

PubMed

Krishna, H; Shirato, N; Favazza, C; Kalyanaraman, R

2009-10-01

Nanometre thick metallic liquid films on inert substrates can spontaneously dewet and self-organize into complex nanomorphologies and nanostructures with well-defined length scales. Nanosecond pulses of an ultraviolet laser can capture the dewetting evolution and ensuing nanomorphologies, as well as introduce dramatic changes to dewetting length scales due to the nanoscopic nature of film heating. Here, we show theoretically that the self-organization principle, based on equating the rate of transfer of thermodynamic free energy to rate of loss in liquid flow, accurately describes the spontaneous dewetting. Experimental measurements of laser dewetting of Ag and Co liquid films on SiO(2) substrates confirm this principle. This energy transfer approach could be useful for analyzing the behavior of nanomaterials and chemical processes in which spontaneous changes are important.

Effect of argon ion activity on the properties of Y 2O 3 thin films deposited by low pressure PACVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barve, S. A.; Jagannath; Deo, M. N.; Kishore, R.; Biswas, A.; Gantayet, L. M.; Patil, D. S.

2010-10-01

Yttrium oxide thin films are deposited by microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma assisted metal organic chemical vapour deposition process using an indegeneously developed Y(thd) 3 {(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate)yttrium} precursor. Depositions were carried out at two different argon gas flow rates keeping precursor and oxygen gas flow rate constant. The deposited coatings are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and infrared spectroscopy. Optical properties of the films are studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Hardness and elastic modulus of the films are measured by load depth sensing nanoindentation technique. Stability of the film and its adhesion with the substrate is inferred from the nanoscratch test. It is shown here that, the change in the argon gas flow rates changes the ionization of the gas in the microwave ECR plasma and imposes a drastic change in the characteristics like composition, structure as well as mechanical properties of the deposited film.

Single-crystalline chromium silicide nanowires and their physical properties.

PubMed

Hsu, Han-Fu; Tsai, Ping-Chen; Lu, Kuo-Chang

2015-01-01

In this work, chromium disilicide nanowires were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes on Si (100) substrates with hydrous chromium chloride (CrCl3 · 6H2O) as precursors. Processing parameters, including the temperature of Si (100) substrates and precursors, the gas flow rate, the heating time, and the different flow gas of reactions were varied and studied; additionally, the physical properties of the chromium disilicide nanowires were measured. It was found that single-crystal CrSi2 nanowires with a unique morphology were grown at 700°C, while single-crystal Cr5Si3 nanowires were grown at 750°C in reducing gas atmosphere. The crystal structure and growth direction were identified, and the growth mechanism was proposed as well. This study with magnetism, photoluminescence, and field emission measurements demonstrates that CrSi2 nanowires are attractive choices for future applications in magnetic storage, photovoltaic, and field emitters.

Shifts in the suitable habitat available for brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) under short-term climate change scenarios.

PubMed

Muñoz-Mas, R; Lopez-Nicolas, A; Martínez-Capel, F; Pulido-Velazquez, M

2016-02-15

The impact of climate change on the habitat suitability for large brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) was studied in a segment of the Cabriel River (Iberian Peninsula). The future flow and water temperature patterns were simulated at a daily time step with M5 models' trees (NSE of 0.78 and 0.97 respectively) for two short-term scenarios (2011-2040) under the representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and 8.5). An ensemble of five strongly regularized machine learning techniques (generalized additive models, multilayer perceptron ensembles, random forests, support vector machines and fuzzy rule base systems) was used to model the microhabitat suitability (depth, velocity and substrate) during summertime and to evaluate several flows simulated with River2D©. The simulated flow rate and water temperature were combined with the microhabitat assessment to infer bivariate habitat duration curves (BHDCs) under historical conditions and climate change scenarios using either the weighted usable area (WUA) or the Boolean-based suitable area (SA). The forecasts for both scenarios jointly predicted a significant reduction in the flow rate and an increase in water temperature (mean rate of change of ca. -25% and +4% respectively). The five techniques converged on the modelled suitability and habitat preferences; large brown trout selected relatively high flow velocity, large depth and coarse substrate. However, the model developed with support vector machines presented a significantly trimmed output range (max.: 0.38), and thus its predictions were banned from the WUA-based analyses. The BHDCs based on the WUA and the SA broadly matched, indicating an increase in the number of days with less suitable habitat available (WUA and SA) and/or with higher water temperature (trout will endure impoverished environmental conditions ca. 82% of the days). Finally, our results suggested the potential extirpation of the species from the study site during short time spans. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth Cone Biomechanics in Peripheral and Central Nervous System Neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbach, Jeffrey; Koch, Daniel; Rosoff, Will; Geller, Herbert

2012-02-01

The growth cone, a highly motile structure at the tip of an axon, integrates information about the local environment and modulates outgrowth and guidance, but little is known about effects of external mechanical cues and internal mechanical forces on growth-cone mediated guidance. We have investigated neurite outgrowth, traction forces and cytoskeletal substrate coupling on soft elastic substrates for dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons (from the peripheral nervous system) and hippocampal neurons (from the central) to see how the mechanics of the microenvironment affect different populations. We find that the biomechanics of DRG neurons are dramatically different from hippocampal, with DRG neurons displaying relatively large, steady traction forces and maximal outgrowth and forces on substrates of intermediate stiffness, while hippocampal neurons display weak, intermittent forces and limited dependence of outgrowth and forces on substrate stiffness. DRG growth cones have slower rates of retrograde actin flow and higher density of localized paxillin (a protein associated with substrate adhesion complexes) compared to hippocampal neurons, suggesting that the difference in force generation is due to stronger adhesions and therefore stronger substrate coupling in DRG growth cones.

Kinetics of enzymatic high-solid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass studied by calorimetry.

PubMed

Olsen, Søren N; Lumby, Erik; McFarland, Kc; Borch, Kim; Westh, Peter

2011-03-01

Enzymatic hydrolysis of high-solid biomass (>10% w/w dry mass) has become increasingly important as a key step in the production of second-generation bioethanol. To this end, development of quantitative real-time assays is desirable both for empirical optimization and for detailed kinetic analysis. In the current work, we have investigated the application of isothermal calorimetry to study the kinetics of enzymatic hydrolysis of two substrates (pretreated corn stover and Avicel) at high-solid contents (up to 29% w/w). It was found that the calorimetric heat flow provided a true measure of the hydrolysis rate with a detection limit of about 500 pmol glucose s(-1). Hence, calorimetry is shown to be a highly sensitive real-time method, applicable for high solids, and independent on the complexity of the substrate. Dose-response experiments with a typical cellulase cocktail enabled a multidimensional analysis of the interrelationships of enzyme load and the rate, time, and extent of the reaction. The results suggest that the hydrolysis rate of pretreated corn stover is limited initially by available attack points on the substrate surface (<10% conversion) but becomes proportional to enzyme dosage (excess of attack points) at later stages (>10% conversion). This kinetic profile is interpreted as an increase in polymer end concentration (substrate for CBH) as the hydrolysis progresses, probably due to EG activity in the enzyme cocktail. Finally, irreversible enzyme inactivation did not appear to be the source of reduced hydrolysis rate over time.

Treatment and utilization of septic tank effluent using vertical-flow constructed wetlands and vegetable hydroponics.

PubMed

Cui, Li-Hua; Luo, Shi-Ming; Zhu, Xi-Zhen; Liu, Ying-Hu

2003-01-01

Vertical flow constructed wetlands is a typical ecological sanitation system for sewage treatment. The removal rates for COD, BOD5, SS, TN, and TP were 60%, 80%, 74%, 49% and 79%, respectively, when septic tank effluent was treated by vertical flow filter. So the concentration of COD and BOD5 in the treated effluent could meet the quality standard for irrigation water. After that the treated effluent was used for hydroponic cultivation of water spinach and romaine lettuce, the removal efficiencies of the whole system for COD, BOD5, SS, TN and TP were 71.4%, 97.5%, 96.9%, 86.3%, and 87.4%, respectively. And it could meet the integrated wastewater discharge standard for secondary biological treatment plant. It was found that using treated effluent for hydroponic cultivation of vegetables could reduce the nitrate content in vegetables. The removal rates for total bacteria and coliform index by using vertical flow bed system with cinder substrate were 80%-90% and 85%-96%, respectively.

Three-dimensional wave evolution on electrified falling films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomlin, Ruben; Papageorgiou, Demetrios; Pavliotis, Greg

2016-11-01

We consider the full three-dimensional model for a thin viscous liquid film completely wetting a flat infinite solid substrate at some non-zero angle to the horizontal, with an electric field normal to the substrate far from the flow. Thin film flows have applications in cooling processes. Many studies have shown that the presence of interfacial waves increases heat transfer by orders of magnitude due to film thinning and convection effects. A long-wave asymptotics procedure yields a Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation with a non-local term to model the weakly nonlinear evolution of the interface dynamics for overlying film arrangements, with a restriction on the electric field strength. The non-local term is always linearly destabilising and produces growth rates proportional to the cube of the magnitude of the wavenumber vector. A sufficiently strong electric field is able promote non-trivial dynamics for subcritical Reynolds number flows where the flat interface is stable in the absence of an electric field. We present numerical simulations where we observe rich dynamical behavior with competing attractors, including "snaking" travelling waves and other fully three-dimensional wave formations. EPSRC studentship (RJT).

AAO-CNTs electrode on microfluidic flow injection system for rapid iodide sensing.

PubMed

Phokharatkul, Ditsayut; Karuwan, Chanpen; Lomas, Tanom; Nacapricha, Duangjai; Wisitsoraat, Anurat; Tuantranont, Adisorn

2011-06-15

In this work, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nanoarrays in anodized aluminum oxide (AAO-CNTs) nanopore is integrated on a microfluidic flow injection system for in-channel electrochemical detection of iodide. The device was fabricated from PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) microchannel bonded on glass substrates that contains three-electrode electrochemical system, including AAO-CNTs as a working electrode, silver as a reference electrode and platinum as an auxiliary electrode. Aluminum, stainless steel catalyst, silver and platinum layers were sputtered on the glass substrate through shadow masks. Aluminum layer was then anodized by two-step anodization process to form nanopore template. CNTs were then grown in AAO template by thermal chemical vapor deposition. The amperometric detection of iodide was performed in 500-μm-wide and 100-μm-deep microchannels on the microfluidic chip. The influences of flow rate, injection volume and detection potential on the current response were optimized. From experimental results, AAO-CNTs electrode on chip offers higher sensitivity and wider dynamic range than CNTs electrode with no AAO template. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of electron-beam deposition process variables on the film characteristics of the CrOx films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Po-kai; Liao, Yi-Ting; Tsai, Hung-Yin; Chiang, Donyau

2018-02-01

The film characteristics and optical properties of the chromium oxide films on the glass substrates prepared by electron-beam deposition with different process variables were investigated. The process variables included are the various oxygen flow rates, the different applied substrate temperatures, and the preparation process in Ar or O2 surrounding environment with and without ion-assisted deposition. The optical constants of the deposited films are determined from the reflectance and transmittance measurements obtained using a spectrophotometer with wavelengths ranging from 350 nm to 2000 nm. The microstructures of the films were examined by the XRD, SEM, and XPS. The electrical conductivity was measured by a four-point probe instrument. The resulting microstructures of all the prepared films are amorphous and the features of the films are dense, uniform and no pillar structure is observed. The refractive index of deposited films decrease with oxygen flow rate increase within studied wavelengths and the extinction coefficients have the same trend in wavelengths of UV/Vis ranges. Increasing substrate temperature to 200 oC results in increase of both refractive index and extinction coefficient, but substrate temperatures below 150 oC show negligible effect on optical constants. The optical and electrical properties in the prepared CrOx films are illustrated by the analyzed XPS results, which decompose the enveloped curve of chromium electron energy status into the constituents of metal Cr, oxides CrO2 and Cr2O3. The relative occupied area contributed from metal Cr and area contributed from the other oxides can express the concentration ratio of free electron to covalent bonds in deposited films and the ratio is applied to explain the film characteristics, including the optical constants and sheet resistance.

Synergistic Processing of Biphenyl and Benzoate: Carbon Flow Through the Bacterial Community in Polychlorinated-Biphenyl-Contaminated Soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leewis, Mary-Cathrine; Uhlik, Ondrej; Leigh, Mary Beth

2016-02-01

Aerobic mineralization of PCBs, which are toxic and persistent organic pollutants, involves the upper (biphenyl, BP) and lower (benzoate, BZ) degradation pathways. The activity of different members of the soil microbial community in performing one or both pathways, and their synergistic interactions during PCB biodegradation, are not well understood. This study investigates BP and BZ biodegradation and subsequent carbon flow through the microbial community in PCB-contaminated soil. DNA stable isotope probing (SIP) was used to identify the bacterial guilds involved in utilizing 13C-biphenyl (unchlorinated analogue of PCBs) and/or 13C-benzoate (product/intermediate of BP degradation and analogue of chlorobenzoates). By performing SIP with two substrates in parallel, we reveal microbes performing the upper (BP) and/or lower (BZ) degradation pathways, and heterotrophic bacteria involved indirectly in processing carbon derived from these substrates (i.e. through crossfeeding). Substrate mineralization rates and shifts in relative abundance of labeled taxa suggest that BP and BZ biotransformations were performed by microorganisms with different growth strategies: BZ-associated bacteria were fast growing, potentially copiotrophic organisms, while microbes that transform BP were oligotrophic, slower growing, organisms. Our findings provide novel insight into the functional interactions of soil bacteria active in processing biphenyl and related aromatic compounds in soil, revealing how carbon flows through a bacterial community.

Direct cooled power electronics substrate

DOEpatents

Wiles, Randy H [Powell, TN; Wereszczak, Andrew A [Oak Ridge, TN; Ayers, Curtis W [Kingston, TN; Lowe, Kirk T [Knoxville, TN

2010-09-14

The disclosure describes directly cooling a three-dimensional, direct metallization (DM) layer in a power electronics device. To enable sufficient cooling, coolant flow channels are formed within the ceramic substrate. The direct metallization layer (typically copper) may be bonded to the ceramic substrate, and semiconductor chips (such as IGBT and diodes) may be soldered or sintered onto the direct metallization layer to form a power electronics module. Multiple modules may be attached to cooling headers that provide in-flow and out-flow of coolant through the channels in the ceramic substrate. The modules and cooling header assembly are preferably sized to fit inside the core of a toroidal shaped capacitor.

Model-based design of an agricultural biogas plant: application of anaerobic digestion model no.1 for an improved four chamber scheme.

PubMed

Wett, B; Schoen, M; Phothilangka, P; Wackerle, F; Insam, H

2007-01-01

Different digestion technologies for various substrates are addressed by the generic process description of Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1. In the case of manure or agricultural wastes a priori knowledge about the substrate in terms of ADM1 compounds is lacking and influent characterisation becomes a major issue. The actual project has been initiated for promotion of biogas technology in agriculture and for expansion of profitability also to rather small capacity systems. In order to avoid costly individual planning and installation of each facility a standardised design approach needs to be elaborated. This intention pleads for bio kinetic modelling as a systematic tool for process design and optimisation. Cofermentation under field conditions was observed, quality data and flow data were recorded and mass flow balances were calculated. In the laboratory different substrates have been digested separately in parallel under specified conditions. A configuration of four ADM1 model reactors was set up. Model calibration identified disintegration rate, decay rates for sugar degraders and half saturation constant for sugar as the three most sensitive parameters showing values (except the latter) about one order of magnitude higher than default parameters. Finally, the model is applied to the comparison of different reactor configurations and volume partitions. Another optimisation objective is robustness and load flexibility, i.e. the same configuration should be adaptive to different load situations only by a simple recycle control in order to establish a standardised design.

Optically controlled electrophoresis with a photoconductive substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inami, Wataru; Nagashima, Taiki; Kawata, Yoshimasa

2018-05-01

A photoconductive substrate is used to perform electrophoresis. Light-induced micro-particle flow manipulation is demonstrated without using a fabricated flow channel. The path along which the particles were moved was formed by an illuminated light pattern on the substrate. Because the substrate conductivity and electric field distribution can be modified by light illumination, the forces acting on the particles can be controlled. This technique has potential applications as a high functionality analytical device.

The Use of Particle/Substrate Material Models in Simulation of Cold-Gas Dynamic-Spray Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmati, Saeed; Ghaei, Abbas

2014-02-01

Cold spray is a coating deposition method in which the solid particles are accelerated to the substrate using a low temperature supersonic gas flow. Many numerical studies have been carried out in the literature in order to study this process in more depth. Despite the inability of Johnson-Cook plasticity model in prediction of material behavior at high strain rates, it is the model that has been frequently used in simulation of cold spray. Therefore, this research was devoted to compare the performance of different material models in the simulation of cold spray process. Six different material models, appropriate for high strain-rate plasticity, were employed in finite element simulation of cold spray process for copper. The results showed that the material model had a considerable effect on the predicted deformed shapes.

Protease production by fermentation of fish solubles from salmon canning processes.

PubMed

Wah-On, H C; Branion, R M; Strasdine, G A

1980-09-01

Production of protease by fermentation, using Sorangium 495, of a substrate based on condensed fish solubles is demonstrated. The effects of carbohydrate addition, pH, fish solubles concentration, scale-up, agitation, and air flow rate on protease yields are described. While the fish solubles medium alone could give rise to measurable yields of protease, these were, at worst, doubled when 1% glucose was added to the medium. pH 7 was optimal for protease yield. Although the concentration of fish solubles in the basic medium showed no significant effect on cell yield, maximum protease yield was observed at a protein concentration equivalent to 3.85 mg/mL of bovine serum albumin. Protease production rates decreased as medium protein fermentor showed no significant effect on maximum protease yields. The effects of agitator speed and air flow rate on protease yield suggested that the rate of O2 transfer from air to medium could limit the rate of protease production. It was also noted that protease production is not growth associated.

Experimental investigation into the initiation and intensity of erosion in granular flows and its effect on flow dynamics with applications to pyroclastic density currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollock, N. M.; Brand, B. D.; Roche, O.

2017-12-01

The macroscopic processes that control the behavior of pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) include the transportation and deposition of flow particles, entrainment of air, and interaction with topography. However, recent field studies demonstrate that substrate erosion by PDCs is also pervasive. Furthermore, analogue experiments suggest that erosion can increase flow runout distance up to 50%. We present the results from a series of analogue flume experiments on both non-fluidized and initially gas fluidized (i.e. high pore fluid pressure) granular flows. The experiments are designed to explore the controls on erosion initiation and intensity, and how erosion affects flow dynamics. A range of initial conditions allow us to explore how the angle of the bed (0°-20°) and diameter of substrate particles (40 to 700 μm) affect the onset of erosion. The experiments also explore how erosion, once initiated, affects the behavior of the flow in terms of velocity and runout distance. We observe that fluidized flows have increased runout distances of 50-300% relative to non-fluidized flows with the same initial conditions. Fluidized flows that travel over substrates composed of 40 μm particles consistently experience the largest increase in runout distance relative to non-fluidized flows, while flows over substrates of 80 μm particles experience the lowest increase. Erosion occurs for all experimental configurations in both non-fluidized and fluidized flows; however, the intensity of erosion varies widely, from small, millimeter-scale erosional features to decimeter sized wave-like features. Fluidized flows consistently show more intense erosion than non-fluidized flows, suggesting that the fluid-like behavior of these flows allows for efficient mixing between flow and substrate particles. These experiments demonstrate that erosion is a pervasive process for fluidized granular flows and that intense erosion is associated with increased flow runout distances. These results improve our understanding of the role of fluidization in erosion processes, what controls when PDCs become erosional, and how that erosion can alter flow behavior. To accurately model and predict hazards associated with PDCs, we must better understand erosional processes as they relate to these dangerous volcanic phenomena.

Nitrogen removal and its relationship with the nitrogen-cycle genes and microorganisms in the horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands with different design parameters.

PubMed

Chen, Jun; Ying, Guang-Guo; Liu, You-Sheng; Wei, Xiao-Dong; Liu, Shuang-Shuang; He, Liang-Ying; Yang, Yong-Qiang; Chen, Fan-Rong

2017-07-03

This study aims to investigate nitrogen removal and its relationship with the nitrogen-cycle genes and microorganisms in the horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (CWs) with different design parameters. Twelve mesocosm-scale CWs with four substrates and three hydraulic loading rates were set up in the outdoor. The result showed the CWs with zeolite as substrate and HLR of 20 cm/d were selected as the best choice for the TN and NH 3 -N removal. It was found that the single-stage mesocosm-scale CWs were incapable to achieve high removals of TN and NH 3 -N due to inefficient nitrification process in the systems. This was demonstrated by the lower abundance of the nitrification genes (AOA and AOB) than the denitrification genes (nirK and nirS), and the less diverse nitrification microorganisms than the denitrification microorganisms in the CWs. The results also show that microorganism community structure including nitrogen-cycle microorganisms in the constructed wetland systems was affected by the design parameters especially the substrate type. These findings show that nitrification is a limiting factor for the nitrogen removal by CWs.

Impact of laminar flow velocity of different acids on enamel calcium loss.

PubMed

Attin, T; Becker, K; Wiegand, A; Tauböck, T T; Wegehaupt, F J

2013-03-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of flow velocity under laminar flow conditions of different acidic solutions on enamel erosion. A total of 240 bovine enamel specimens were prepared and allocated to 30 groups (n = 8 each). Samples of 18 groups were superfused in a flow chamber system with laminar flow behavior using 1 ml of citric acid or hydrochloric acid (HCl) of pH 2.0, 2.6 or 3.0. Flow rates in the sample chamber were adjusted to 10, 60 or 100 μl/min. To simulate turbulent flow behavior, samples of six groups were immersed in 1 ml of the respective solution, which was vortexed (15 min, 600 rpm). For simulating non-agitated conditions, specimens of the remaining six groups were immersed in 1 ml of the respective solution without stirring. Calcium in the solutions, released from the enamel samples, was determined using Arsenazo III method. For acidic solutions of pH 2.6 and 3.0, erosive potential of citric acid was equivalent to that of HCl at a flow of 100 μl/min. The same observation was made for the samples subjected to turbulent conditions at pH 3. At all other conditions, citric acid induced a significantly higher calcium loss than HCl. It is concluded that under slow laminar flow conditions, flow rate variations lead to higher erosive impact of citric acid compared to hydrochloric acid at pH 2.0, but not at pH ≥ 2.6 and increasing laminar flow or turbulent conditions. Erosive enamel dissolution under laminar flow conditions is a complex issue influenced by flow rate and acidic substrate.

Protein crystal growth in low gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feigelson, Robert S.

1993-01-01

This Final Technical Report for NASA Grant NAG8-774 covers the period from April 27, 1989 through December 31, 1992. It covers five main topics: fluid flow studies, the influence of growth conditions on the morphology of isocitrate lyase crystals, control of nucleation, the growth of lysozyme by the temperature gradient method and graphoepitaxy of protein crystals. The section on fluid flow discusses the limits of detectability in the Schlieren imaging of fluid flows around protein crystals. The isocitrate lyase study compares crystals grown terrestrially under a variety of conditions with those grown in space. The controlling factor governing the morphology of the crystals is the supersaturation. The lack of flow in the interface between the drop and the atmosphere in microgravity causes protein precipitation in the boundary layer and a lowering of the supersaturation in the drop. This lowered supersaturation leads to improved crystal morphology. Preliminary experiments with lysozyme indicated that localized temperature gradients could be used to nucleate crystals in a controlled manner. An apparatus (thermonucleator) was designed to study the controlled nucleation of protein crystals. This apparatus has been used to nucleate crystals of materials with both normal (ice-water, Rochelle salt and lysozyme) and retrograde (horse serum albumin and alpha chymotrypsinogen A) solubility. These studies have lead to the design of an new apparatus that small and more compatible with use in microgravity. Lysozyme crystals were grown by transporting nutrient from a source (lysozyme powder) to the crystal in a temperature gradient. The influence of path length and cross section on the growth rate was demonstrated. This technique can be combined with the thermonucleator to control both nucleation and growth. Graphoepitaxy utilizes a patterned substrate to orient growing crystals. In this study, silicon substrates with 10 micron grooves were used to grow crystals of catalase, lysozyme and canavalin. In all cases, the crystals grew oriented to the substrate. The supersaturation needed for nucleation and growth was lower on the patterned substrates. In some cases, isolated, large crystals were grown.

In/ITO whisker and optoelectronic properties of ITO films deposited by ion beam sputtering

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

Shen, Jung-Hsiung; Yeh, Sung-Wei; Teoh, Lay Gaik

2012-07-15

ITO films were deposited on a glass substrate using ion beam sputtering, with oxygen flow rates from 0.5 to 2 sccm. The films consisted of randomly oriented ITO nanoparticles and metallic indium (In) with {l_brace}101{r_brace} facets, following the specific crystallographic relationship of [010]{sub In}//[110]{sub ITO}; (001){sub In}//(001){sub ITO} with habit planes (100){sub In}//(011){sub ITO}, when fabricated using a low oxygen flow rate. Oxygen flow rate in excess of 2.0 sccm results in the growth of amorphous films. The epitaxial In nanoparticles probably act as seeds for the development of curved ITO whiskers as small as 10 nm and extend upmore » to 100 nm in length along the [100] direction, with poorly defined shape, possibly due to the tapering and bending of the whisker to form a tilt boundary about the [011] zone axis of the ITO. The ITO whisker growth was facilitated by the In globular tips in the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism. The films prepared using a series of oxygen flow rates showed different chemical-bonding states, electric resistivity and optical transparency; as a result of phase and microstructural changes.« less

An electrochemical pumping system for on-chip gradient generation.

PubMed

Xie, Jun; Miao, Yunan; Shih, Jason; He, Qing; Liu, Jun; Tai, Yu-Chong; Lee, Terry D

2004-07-01

Within the context of microfluidic systems, it has been difficult to devise pumping systems that can deliver adequate flow rates at high pressure for applications such as HPLC. An on-chip electrochemical pumping system based on electrolysis that offers certain advantages over designs that utilize electroosmotic driven flow has been fabricated and tested. The pump was fabricated on both silicon and glass substrates using photolithography. The electrolysis electrodes were formed from either platinum or gold, and SU8, an epoxy-based photoresist, was used to form the pump chambers. A glass cover plate and a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) gasket were used to seal the chambers. Filling of the chambers was accomplished by using a syringe to inject liquid via filling ports, which were later sealed using a glass cover plate. The current supplied to the electrodes controlled the rate of gas formation and, thus, the resulting fluid flow rate. At low backpressures, flow rates >1 microL/min have been demonstrated using <1 mW of power. Pumping at backpressures as high as 200 psi have been demonstrated, with 20 nL/min having been observed using <4 mW. By integrating two electrochemical pumps with a polymer electrospray nozzle, we have confirmed the successful generation of a solvent gradient via a mass spectrometer.

Control by substrate of the cytochrome p450-dependent redox machinery: mechanistic insights.

PubMed

Hlavica, Peter

2007-08-01

Based on initial studies with bacterial CYP101A1, a popular concept emerged predicting that substrate-induced low-to-high spin conversion of P450s is universally associated with shifts of the midpoint potential to a more positive value to maximize rates of electron transfer and metabolic turnover. However, evaluation of the plethora of observations with pro- and eukaryotic hemoproteins suggests a caveat as to generalization of this principle. Thus, some P450s are inherently high-spin, so that there is no need for a supportive substrate-triggered impulse to electron flow. With other enzymes, high-spin content is not consonant with reductive activity, and spin transition as such is not essential to sustaining substrate oxidation. Also, with certain proteins the low-spin conformer is reduced as swift as the high-spin entity. Moreover, there is not regularly a linear relationship between high-spin level and anodic shift of the reduction potential. Similarly, in given cases turnover may proceed despite insignificant or even lacking substrate-provoked alterations in the redox behaviour. Thus, folding of the disparate and sometimes conflicting data into a harmonized overall picture is a lingering problem. Apart from direct perturbation of the electrochemical properties, substrate docking may entail changes in enzyme conformation such as to favour productive complexation with redox partners or modulate electron transfer conduits within preformed donor/acceptor adducts, resulting in elevated ease of flow of reducing equivalents. Substrate-steered ordering of the oligomeric aggregation state of P450s is likely to impose steric constraints on heterodimers, causing one component to more readily align with electron carriers. Careful uncovering of electrochemical mechanisms in these systems will be fruitful to tailoring of novel bioenergetic machines and redox chains via redox-inspired protein engineering or molecular Lego, capable of generating products of interest or degrading toxic pollutants. Finally, availability of P450 nanobiochips for high-throughput screening of substrate libraries might expedite drug development.

A simple model for heterogeneous nucleation of isotactic polypropylene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, Michael; Milner, Scott

2013-03-01

Flow-induced crystallization (FIC) is of interest because of its relevance to processes such as injection molding. It has been suggested that flow increases the homogeneous nucleation rate by reducing the melt state entropy. However, commercial polypropylene (iPP) exhibits quiescent nucleation rates that are much too high to be consistent with homogeneous nucleation in carefully purified samples. This suggests that heterogeneous nucleation is dominant for typical samples used in FIC experiments. We describe a simple model for heterogeneous nucleation of iPP, in terms of a cylindrical nucleus on a flat surface with the critical size and barrier set by the contact angle. Analysis of quiescent crystallization data with this model gives reasonable values for the contact angle. We have also employed atomistic simulations of iPP crystals to determine surface energies with vacuum and with Hamaker-matched substrates, and find values consistent with the contact angles inferred from heterogeneous nucleation experiments. In future work, these results combined with calculations from melt rheology of entropy reduction due to flow can be used to estimate the heterogeneous nucleation barrier reduction due to flow, and hence the increase in nucleation rate due to FIC for commecial iPP.

The flow dynamics of an extremely large volume pyroclastic flow, the 2.08-Ma Cerro Galán Ignimbrite, NW Argentina, and comparison with other flow types

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cas, Ray A.F.; Wright, Heather M.; Folkes, Christopher B.; Lesti, Chiara; Porreca, Massimiliano; Giordano, Guido; Viramonte, Jose G.

2011-01-01

The 2.08-Ma Cerro Galán Ignimbrite (CGI) represents a >630-km3 dense rock equivalent (VEI 8) eruption from the long-lived Cerro Galán magma system (∼6 Ma). It is a crystal-rich (35–60%), pumice (<10% generally) and lithic-poor (<5% generally) rhyodacitic ignimbrite, lacking a preceding plinian fallout deposit. The CGI is preserved up to 80 km from the structural margins of the caldera, but almost certainly was deposited up to 100 km from the caldera in some places. Only one emplacement unit is preserved in proximal to medial settings and in most distal settings, suggesting constant flow conditions, but where the pyroclastic flow moved into a palaeotopography of substantial valleys and ridges, it interacted with valley walls, resulting in flow instabilities that generated multiple depositional units, often separated by pyroclastic surge deposits. The CGI preserves a widespread sub-horizontal fabric, defined by aligned elongate pumice and lithic clasts, and minerals (e.g. biotite). A sub-horizontal anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility fabric is defined by minute magnetic minerals in all localities where it has been analysed. The CGI is poor in both vent-derived (‘accessory’) lithics and locally derived lithics from the ground surface (‘accidental’) lithics. Locally derived lithics are small (<20 cm) and were not transported far from source points. All data suggest that the pyroclastic flow system producing the CGI was characterised throughout by high sedimentation rates, resulting from high particle concentration and suppressed turbulence at the depositional boundary layer, despite being a low aspect ratio ignimbrite. Based on these features, we question whether high velocity and momentum are necessary to account for extensive flow mobility. It is proposed that the CGI was deposited by a pyroclastic flow system that developed a substantial, high particle concentration granular under-flow, which flowed with suppressed turbulence. High particle concentration and fine-ash content hindered gas loss and maintained flow mobility. In order to explain the contemporaneous maintenance of high particle concentration, high sedimentation rate at the depositional boundary layer and a high level of mobility, it is also proposed that the flow(s) was continuously supplied at a high mass feeding rate. It is also proposed that internal gas pressure within the flow, directed downwards onto the substrate over which the flow was passing, reduced the friction between the flow and the substrate and also enhanced its mobility. The pervasive sub-horizontal fabric of aligned pumice, lithic and even biotite crystals indicates a consistent horizontal shear force existed during transport and deposition in the basal granular flow, consistent with the existence of a laminar, shearing, granular flow regime during the final stages of transport and deposition.

Operational parameters and their influence on particle-side mass transfer resistance in a packed bed bioreactor.

PubMed

Hussain, Amir; Kangwa, Martin; Yumnam, Nivedita; Fernandez-Lahore, Marcelo

2015-12-01

The influence of internal mass transfer on productivity as well as the performance of packed bed bioreactor was determined by varying a number of parameters; chitosan coating, flow rate, glucose concentration and particle size. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were immobilized in chitosan and non-chitosan coated alginate beads to demonstrate the effect on particle side mass transfer on substrate consumption time, lag phase and ethanol production. The results indicate that chitosan coating, beads size, glucose concentration and flow rate have a significant effect on lag phase duration. The duration of lag phase for different size of beads (0.8, 2 and 4 mm) decreases by increasing flow rate and by decreasing the size of beads. Moreover, longer lag phase were found at higher glucose medium concentration and also with chitosan coated beads. It was observed that by increasing flow rates; lag phase and glucose consumption time decreased. The reason is due to the reduction of external (fluid side) mass transfer as a result of increase in flow rate as glucose is easily transported to the surface of the beads. Varying the size of beads is an additional factor: as it reduces the internal (particle side) mass transfer by reducing the size of beads. The reason behind this is the distance for reactants to reach active site of catalyst (cells) and the thickness of fluid created layer around alginate beads is reduced. The optimum combination of parameters consisting of smaller beads size (0.8 mm), higher flow rate of 90 ml/min and glucose concentration of 10 g/l were found to be the maximum condition for ethanol production.

Conformational dynamics of abasic DNA upon interactions with AP endonuclease 1 revealed by stopped-flow fluorescence analysis.

PubMed

Kanazhevskaya, Lyubov Yu; Koval, Vladimir V; Vorobjev, Yury N; Fedorova, Olga S

2012-02-14

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites are abundant DNA lesions arising from exposure to UV light, ionizing radiation, alkylating agents, and oxygen radicals. In human cells, AP endonuclease 1 (APE1) recognizes this mutagenic lesion and initiates its repair via a specific incision of the phosphodiester backbone 5' to the AP site. We have investigated a detailed mechanism of APE1 functioning using fluorescently labeled DNA substrates. A fluorescent adenine analogue, 2-aminopurine, was introduced into DNA substrates adjacent to the abasic site to serve as an on-site reporter of conformational transitions in DNA during the catalytic cycle. Application of a pre-steady-state stopped-flow technique allows us to observe changes in the fluorescence intensity corresponding to different stages of the process in real time. We also detected an intrinsic Trp fluorescence of the enzyme during interactions with 2-aPu-containing substrates. Our data have revealed a conformational flexibility of the abasic DNA being processed by APE1. Quantitative analysis of fluorescent traces has yielded a minimal kinetic scheme and appropriate rate constants consisting of four steps. The results obtained from stopped-flow data have shown a substantial influence of the 2-aPu base location on completion of certain reaction steps. Using detailed molecular dynamics simulations of the DNA substrates, we have attributed structural distortions of AP-DNA to realization of specific binding, effective locking, and incision of the damaged DNA. The findings allowed us to accurately discern the step that corresponds to insertion of specific APE1 amino acid residues into the abasic DNA void in the course of stabilization of the precatalytic complex.

Influence of Substrate Heating and Nitrogen Flow on the Composition, Morphological and Mechanical Properties of SiNx Coatings Aimed for Joint Replacements

PubMed Central

Skjöldebrand, Charlotte; Schmidt, Susann; Vuong, Vicky; Pettersson, Maria; Grandfield, Kathryn; Högberg, Hans; Engqvist, Håkan; Persson, Cecilia

2017-01-01

Silicon nitride (SiNx) coatings are promising for joint replacement applications due to their high wear resistance and biocompatibility. For such coatings, a higher nitrogen content, obtained through an increased nitrogen gas supply, has been found to be beneficial in terms of a decreased dissolution rate of the coatings. The substrate temperature has also been found to affect the composition as well as the microstructure of similar coatings. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the substrate temperature and nitrogen flow on the coating composition, microstructure and mechanical properties. SiNx coatings were deposited onto CoCrMo discs using reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering. During deposition, the substrate temperatures were set to 200 °C, 350 °C or 430 °C, with nitrogen-to-argon flow ratios of 0.06, 0.17 or 0.30. Scanning and transmission electron spectroscopy revealed that the coatings were homogenous and amorphous. The coatings displayed a nitrogen content of 23–48 at.% (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). The surface roughness was similar to uncoated CoCrMo (p = 0.25) (vertical scanning interferometry). The hardness and Young’s modulus, as determined from nanoindentation, scaled with the nitrogen content of the coatings, with the hardness ranging from 12 ± 1 GPa to 26 ± 2 GPa and the Young’s moduli ranging from 173 ± 8 GPa to 293 ± 18 GPa, when the nitrogen content increased from 23% to 48%. The low surface roughness and high nano-hardness are promising for applications exposed to wear, such as joint implants. PMID:28772532

The Sugar Model: Catalytic Flow Reactor Dynamics of Pyruvaldehyde Synthesis from Triose Catalyzed by Poly-L-Lysine Contained in a Dialyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weber, Arthur L.; DeVincenzi, Donald (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The formation of pyruvaldehyde from triose sugars was catalyzed by poly-L-lysine contained in a small dialyzer (100 MWCO) suspended in a much larger triose substrate reservoir. The polylysine confined in the dialyzer functioned as a catalytic flow reactor that constantly brought in triose from the substrate reservoir by diffusion to offset the drop in triose concentration within the reactor caused by its conversion to pyruvaldehyde. A 400 mM solution of poly-L-lysine contained in a 0.35 ml dialyzer placed in a 120 ml solution of triose substrate (pH 5.5, 40 C) generated pyruvaldehyde 11 -times faster than an a control reaction without the catalytic dialyzer. However, since the catalytic dialyzer's volume was 343-times smaller than the control reaction, the synthetic intensity (rate/volume) of pyruvaldehyde synthesis within the catalytic dialyzer was 3400-times greater than that of the control reaction and substrate solution. A similar result was obtained using a dialyzer with a 500 MWCO value. Acting as a catalytic flow reactor the polylysine catalytic dialyzer synthesized about 3.5 molecules of pyruvaldehyde per lysine residue in 7 days -- an amount of triose equal to twice the weight of the catalyst. At 7 days the catalytic activity of polylysine was 16% of its initial value, a result indicating catalyst-poisoning caused by reaction of pyruvaldehyde with the e-amino groups of polylysine. The dialyzer method of catalyst containment was selected it provides a simple, flexible, and easily manipulated experimental system for studying the dynamics and evolutionary development of confined autocatalytic processes related to the origin of life under anaerobic conditions.

Stabilized filter-supported bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) for automated flow monitoring of compounds of clinical, pharmaceutical, environmental and industrial interest

PubMed Central

Siontorou, Christina G.

1997-01-01

This paper describes the results of analytical applications of electrochemical biosensors based on bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) for the automated rapid and sensitive flow monitoring of substrates of hydrolytic enzymes, antigens and triazine herbicides. BLMs, composed of mixtures of egg phosphatidylcholine (egg PC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid (DPPA), were supported on ultrafiltration membranes (glass microfibre or polycarbonate filters) which were found to enhance their stability for flow experiments. The proteins (enzymes, antibodies) were incorporated into a floating lipid matrix at an air-electrolyte interface, and then a casting procedure was used to deliver the lipid onto the filter supports for BLM formation. Injections of the analyte were made into flowing streams of the carrier electrolyte solution and a current transient signal was obtained with a magnitude related to the analyte concentration. Substrates of hydrolytic enzyme reactions (acetylcholine, urea and penicillin) could be determined at the micromolar level with a maximum rate of 220 samples/h, whereas antigens (thyroxin) and triazine herbicides (simazine, atrazine and propazine) could be monitored at the nanomolar level in less than 2 min. The time of appearance of the transient response obtained for herbicides was increased to the order of simazine, atrazine and propazine which has permitted analysis of these triazines in mixtures. PMID:18924789

Quantification of Marangoni flows and film morphology during solid film formation by inkjet printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishizuka, Hirotaka; Fukai, Jun

2018-01-01

We visualized experimentally the internal flow inside inkjet droplets of polystyrene-anisole solution during solid film formation on substrates at room temperature. The effects of contact angle and evaporation rate on the internal flow and film morphology were quantitatively investigated. The transport process during film formation was examined by measuring the relationship between internal flow and film morphology, which provided three remarkable findings. First, self-pinning and the strength of outward flow on the free surface under 2.3 Pa s determined film morphology. The solute distribution, corresponding to rim areas in ring-like films and a convex trough in dot-like films, had already developed at self-pinning. Second, the mass fraction at self-pinning close to the contact line converged to one, regardless of the film morphology. This implies that self-pinning is independent of parameters such as the contact angle and evaporation rate. Third, at room temperature, the solutal Marangoni numbers were 20-30 times larger than the thermal ones. Thus, the outward flow on the free surface caused by the solutal Marangoni effect dominates in droplets before self-pinning. The solutal Marangoni number at self-pinning and thickness variation at the center of the film displayed a good relationship for droplets with different contact angles and evaporation rates. This suggests that film morphology can be technically controlled by solutal Marangoni number at room temperature.

In situ photoelectrochemical/photocatalytic study of a dye discoloration in a microreactor system using TiO2 thin films.

PubMed

Montero-Ocampo, C; Gago, A; Abadias, G; Gombert, B; Alonso-Vante, N

2012-11-01

In this work, we report in situ studies of UV photoelectrocatalytic discoloration of a dye (indigo carmine) by a TiO(2) thin film in a microreactor to demonstrate the driving force of the applied electrode potential and the dye flow rate toward dye discoloration kinetics. TiO(2) 65-nm-thick thin films were deposited by PVD magnetron sputtering technique on a conducting glass substrate of fluorinated tin oxide. A microreactor to measure the discoloration rate, the electrode potential, and the photocurrent in situ, was developed. The dye solutions, before and after measurements in the microreactor, were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. The annealed TiO(2) thin films had anatase structure with preferential orientation (101). The discoloration rate of the dye increased with the applied potential to TiO(2) electrode. Further, acceleration of the photocatalytic reaction was achieved by utilizing dye flow recirculation to the microreactor. In both cases the photoelectrochemical/photocatalytic discoloration kinetics of the dye follows the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model, with first-order kinetics. The feasibility of dye discoloration on TiO(2) thin film electrodes, prepared by magnetron sputtering using a flow microreactor system, has been clearly demonstrated. The discoloration rate is enhanced by applying a positive potential (E (AP)) and/or increasing the flow rate. The fastest discoloration and shortest irradiation time (50 min) produced 80% discoloration with an external anodic potential of 0.931 V and a flow rate of 12.2 mL min(-1).

Research on Glass Frit Deposition Based on the Electrospray Process

PubMed Central

Liu, Yifang; Chen, Daner; Zhan, Zhan; Li, Chenlei; Zheng, Jianyi; Sun, Daoheng

2016-01-01

In this paper, the electrospray technology is used to easily deposit the glass frit into patterns at a micro-scale level. First, far-field electrospray process was carried out with a mixture of glass frit in the presence of ethanol. A uniform, smooth, and dense glass frit film was obtained, verifying that the electrospray technology was feasible. Then, the distance between the nozzle and the substrate was reduced to 2 mm to carry out near-field electrospray. The experimental process was improved by setting the range of the feed rate of the substrate to match both the concentration and the flow rate of the solution. Spray diameter could be less at the voltage of 2 kV, in which the glass frit film was expected to reach the minimum line width. A uniform glass frit film with a line width within the range of 400–500 μm was prepared when the speed of the substrate was 25 mm/s. It indicates that electrospray is an efficient technique for the patterned deposition of glass frit in wafer-level hermetic encapsulation. PMID:28773417

Organometallic chemical vapor deposition and characterization of ZnGeP2/GaP multiple heterostructures on GaP substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xing, G. C.; Bachmann, Klaus J.

1993-01-01

The growth of ZnGeP2/GaP double and multiple heterostructures on GaP substrates by organometallic chemical vapor deposition is reported. These epitaxial films were deposited at a temperature of 580 C using dimethylzinc, trimethylgallium, germane, and phosphine as source gases. With appropriate deposition conditions, mirror smooth epitaxial GaP/ZnGeP2 multiple heterostructures were obtained on (001) GaP substrates. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) studies of the films showed that the interfaces are sharp and smooth. Etching study of the films showed dislocation density on the order of 5x10(exp 4)cm(sup -2). The growth rates of the GaP layers depend linearly on the flow rates of trimethylgallium. While the GaP layers crystallize in zinc-blende structure, the ZnGeP2 layers crystallize in the chalcopyrite structure as determined by (010) electron diffraction pattern. This is the first time that multiple heterostructures combining these two crystal structures were made.

Depolymerization of starch and pectin using superporous matrix supported enzymes.

PubMed

Lali, Arvind; Manudhane, Kushal; Motlekar, Nuzhat; Karandikar, Priti

2002-08-01

Immobilized enzyme catalyzed biotransformations involving macromolecular substrates and/or products are greatly retarded due to slow diffusion of large substrate molecules in and out of the typical enzyme supports. Slow diffusion of macromolecules into the matrix pores can be speeded up by use of macroporous supports as enzyme carriers. Depolymerization reactions of polysaccharides like starch, pectin, and dextran to their respective low molecular weight products are some of the reactions that can benefit from use of such superporous matrices. In the present work, an indigenously prepared rigid cross-linked cellulose matrix (called CELBEADS) has been used as support for immobilizing alpha amylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1.) and pectinase (endo-PG: poly(1,4-alpha-galactouronide) glycanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.15). The immobilized enzymes were used for starch and pectin hydrolysis respectively, in batch, packed bed and expanded bed modes. The macroporosity of CELBEADS was found to permit through-flow and easy diffusion of substrates pectin and starch to enzyme sites in the porous supports and gave reaction rates comparable to the rates obtained using soluble enzymes.

Erosion by flowing lava: Geochemical evidence in the Cave Basalt, Mount St. Helens, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, D.A.; Kadel, S.D.; Greeley, R.; Lesher, C.M.; Clynne, M.A.

2004-01-01

We sampled basaltic lava flows and underlying dacitic tuff deposits in or near lava tubes of the Cave Basalt, Mount St. Helens, Washington to determine whether the Cave Basalt lavas contain geochemical evidence of substrate contamination by lava erosion. The samples were analyzed using a combination of wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results indicate that the oldest, outer lava tube linings in direct contact with the dacitic substrate are contaminated, whereas the younger, inner lava tube linings are uncontaminated and apparently either more evolved or enriched in residual liquid. The most heavily contaminated lavas occur closer to the vent and in steeper parts of the tube system, and the amount of contamination decreases with increasing distance downstream. These results suggest that erosion by lava and contamination were limited to only the initially emplaced flows and that erosion was localized and enhanced by vigorous laminar flow over steeper slopes. After cooling, the initial Cave Basalt lava flows formed an insulating lining within the tubes that prevented further erosion by later flows. This interpretation is consistent with models of lava erosion that predict higher erosion rates closer to sources and over steeper slopes. A greater abundance of xenoliths and xenocrysts relative to xenomelts in hand samples indicates that mechanical erosion rather than thermal erosion was the dominant erosional process in the Cave Basalt, but further sampling and petrographic analyses must be performed to verify this hypothesis. ?? Springer-Verlag 2003.

Flame stabilizer for stagnation flow reactor

DOEpatents

Hahn, David W.; Edwards, Christopher F.

1999-01-01

A method of stabilizing a strained flame in a stagnation flow reactor. By causing a highly strained flame to be divided into a large number of equal size segments it is possible to stablize a highly strained flame that is on the verge of extinction, thereby providing for higher film growth rates. The flame stabilizer is an annular ring mounted coaxially and coplanar with the substrate upon which the film is growing and having a number of vertical pillars mounted on the top surface, thereby increasing the number of azimuthal nodes into which the flame is divided and preserving an axisymmetric structure necessary for stability.

Large deviation theory for the kinetics and energetics of turnover of enzyme catalysis in a chemiostatic flow.

PubMed

Das, Biswajit; Gangopadhyay, Gautam

2018-05-07

In the framework of large deviation theory, we have characterized nonequilibrium turnover statistics of enzyme catalysis in a chemiostatic flow with externally controllable parameters, like substrate injection rate and mechanical force. In the kinetics of the process, we have shown the fluctuation theorems in terms of the symmetry of the scaled cumulant generating function (SCGF) in the transient and steady state regime and a similar symmetry rule is reflected in a large deviation rate function (LDRF) as a property of the dissipation rate through boundaries. Large deviation theory also gives the thermodynamic force of a nonequilibrium steady state, as is usually recorded experimentally by a single molecule technique, which plays a key role responsible for the dynamical symmetry of the SCGF and LDRF. Using some special properties of the Legendre transformation, here, we have provided a relation between the fluctuations of fluxes and dissipation rates, and among them, the fluctuation of the turnover rate is routinely estimated but the fluctuation in the dissipation rate is yet to be characterized for small systems. Such an enzymatic reaction flow system can be a very good testing ground to systematically understand the rare events from the large deviation theory which is beyond fluctuation theorem and central limit theorem.

Large deviation theory for the kinetics and energetics of turnover of enzyme catalysis in a chemiostatic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Biswajit; Gangopadhyay, Gautam

2018-05-01

In the framework of large deviation theory, we have characterized nonequilibrium turnover statistics of enzyme catalysis in a chemiostatic flow with externally controllable parameters, like substrate injection rate and mechanical force. In the kinetics of the process, we have shown the fluctuation theorems in terms of the symmetry of the scaled cumulant generating function (SCGF) in the transient and steady state regime and a similar symmetry rule is reflected in a large deviation rate function (LDRF) as a property of the dissipation rate through boundaries. Large deviation theory also gives the thermodynamic force of a nonequilibrium steady state, as is usually recorded experimentally by a single molecule technique, which plays a key role responsible for the dynamical symmetry of the SCGF and LDRF. Using some special properties of the Legendre transformation, here, we have provided a relation between the fluctuations of fluxes and dissipation rates, and among them, the fluctuation of the turnover rate is routinely estimated but the fluctuation in the dissipation rate is yet to be characterized for small systems. Such an enzymatic reaction flow system can be a very good testing ground to systematically understand the rare events from the large deviation theory which is beyond fluctuation theorem and central limit theorem.

Evidence for the Involvement of Acid/Base Chemistry in the Reaction Catalyzed by the Type II Isopentenyl Diphosphate/Dimethylallyl Diphosphate Isomerase from Staphylococcus aureus†

PubMed Central

Thibodeaux, Christopher J.; Mansoorabadi, Steven O.; Kittleman, William; Chang, Wei-chen; Liu, Hung-wen

2011-01-01

The type II isopentenyl diphosphate/dimethylallyl diphosphate isomerase (IDI-2) is a flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the reversible isomerization of isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) to dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP), a reaction with no net change in redox state of the coenzyme or substrate. Here, UV-vis spectral analysis of the IDI-2 reaction revealed the accumulation of a reduced neutral dihydroflavin intermediate when the reduced enzyme was incubated with IPP or DMAPP. When IDI-2 was reconstituted with 1-deazaFMN and 5-deazaFMN, similar reduced neutral forms of the deazaflavin analogues were observed in the presence of IPP. Single turnover stopped-flow absorbance experiments indicated that this flavin intermediate formed and decayed at kinetically competent rates in the pre-steady-state and, thus, most likely represents a true intermediate in the catalytic cycle. UV-vis spectra of the reaction mixtures reveal trace amounts of a neutral semiquinone, but evidence for the presence of IPP-based radicals could not be obtained by EPR spectroscopy. Rapid-mix chemical quench experiments show no burst in DMAPP formation, suggesting that the rate determining step in the forward direction (IPP to DMAPP) occurs prior to DMAPP formation. A solvent deuterium kinetic isotope effect (D2OVmax = 1.5) was measured on vo in steady-state kinetic experiments at saturating substrate concentrations. A substrate deuterium kinetic isotope effect was also measured on the initital velocity (DVmax = 1.8) and on the decay rate of the flavin intermediate (Dks = 2.3) in single-turnover stopped-flow experiments using (R)-[2-2H]-IPP. Taken together, these data suggest that the C2–H bond of IPP is cleaved in the rate determining step and that general acid/base catalysis may be involved during turnover. Possible mechanisms for the IDI-2 catalyzed reaction are presented and discussed in terms of the available X-ray crystal structures. PMID:18229948

A two-stage storage routing model for green roof runoff detention.

PubMed

Vesuviano, Gianni; Sonnenwald, Fred; Stovin, Virginia

2014-01-01

Green roofs have been adopted in urban drainage systems to control the total quantity and volumetric flow rate of runoff. Modern green roof designs are multi-layered, their main components being vegetation, substrate and, in almost all cases, a separate drainage layer. Most current hydrological models of green roofs combine the modelling of the separate layers into a single process; these models have limited predictive capability for roofs not sharing the same design. An adaptable, generic, two-stage model for a system consisting of a granular substrate over a hard plastic 'egg box'-style drainage layer and fibrous protection mat is presented. The substrate and drainage layer/protection mat are modelled separately by previously verified sub-models. Controlled storm events are applied to a green roof system in a rainfall simulator. The time-series modelled runoff is compared to the monitored runoff for each storm event. The modelled runoff profiles are accurate (mean Rt(2) = 0.971), but further characterization of the substrate component is required for the model to be generically applicable to other roof configurations with different substrate.

Portable dual field gradient force multichannel flow cytometer device with a dual wavelength low noise detection scheme

DOEpatents

James, Conrad D; Galambos, Paul C; Derzon, Mark S; Graf, Darin C; Pohl, Kenneth R; Bourdon, Chris J

2012-10-23

Systems and methods for combining dielectrophoresis, magnetic forces, and hydrodynamic forces to manipulate particles in channels formed on top of an electrode substrate are discussed. A magnet placed in contact under the electrode substrate while particles are flowing within the channel above the electrode substrate allows these three forces to be balanced when the system is in operation. An optical detection scheme using near-confocal microscopy for simultaneously detecting two wavelengths of light emitted from the flowing particles is also discussed.

Heat and mass exchanger

DOEpatents

Lowenstein, Andrew; Sibilia, Marc J.; Miller, Jeffrey A.; Tonon, Thomas

2007-09-18

A mass and heat exchanger includes at least one first substrate with a surface for supporting a continuous flow of a liquid thereon that either absorbs, desorbs, evaporates or condenses one or more gaseous species from or to a surrounding gas; and at least one second substrate operatively associated with the first substrate. The second substrate includes a surface for supporting the continuous flow of the liquid thereon and is adapted to carry a heat exchange fluid therethrough, wherein heat transfer occurs between the liquid and the heat exchange fluid.

Heat and mass exchanger

DOEpatents

Lowenstein, Andrew [Princeton, NJ; Sibilia, Marc J [Princeton, NJ; Miller, Jeffrey A [Hopewell, NJ; Tonon, Thomas [Princeton, NJ

2011-06-28

A mass and heat exchanger includes at least one first substrate with a surface for supporting a continuous flow of a liquid thereon that either absorbs, desorbs, evaporates or condenses one or more gaseous species from or to a surrounding gas; and at least one second substrate operatively associated with the first substrate. The second substrate includes a surface for supporting the continuous flow of the liquid thereon and is adapted to carry a heat exchange fluid therethrough, wherein heat transfer occurs between the liquid and the heat exchange fluid.

Apparatus for thermally evolving chemical analytes from a removable substrate

DOEpatents

Linker, Kevin L.; Hannum, David W.

2003-06-03

Method and apparatus suited to convenient field use for heating a porous metallic substrate swiped on the surface of an article possibly bearing residue of contraband or other target chemical substances. The preferred embodiment of the device includes means for holding the swiped substrate between electrodes bearing opposite electrical charges, thereby completing an electrical circuit in which current can flow through the porous metallic substrate. Resistance causes the substrate to heat, thus driving adherent target chemicals, if present, into a space from which they are carried via gas flow into a detector such as a portable IMS for analysis.

Hydrodynamic control of inorganic calcite precipitation in Huanglong Ravine, China: Field measurements and theoretical prediction of deposition rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaihua, Liu; Svensson, U.; Dreybrodt, W.; Daoxian, Yuan; Buhmann, D.

1995-08-01

Hydrochemical and hydrodynamical investigations are presented to explain tufa deposition rates along the flow path of the Huanglong Ravine, located in northwestern Sichuan province, China, on an altitude of about 3400 m asl. Due to outgassing of CO 2 the mainly spring-fed stream exhibits, along a valley of 3.5 km, calcite precipitation rates up to a few mm/year. We have carried out in situ experiments to measure calcite deposition rates at rimstone dams, inside of pools and in the stream-bed. Simultaneously, the downstream evolution of water chemistry was investigated at nine locations with respect to Ca 2+, Mg 2+, Na +, Cl -, SO 42-, and alkalinity. Temperature, pH, and conductivity were measured in situ, while total hardness, Ca T, and alkalinity have been determined immediately after sampling, performing standard titration methods. The water turned out to be of an almost pure CaMgHCO 3 type. The degassing of CO 2 causes high supersaturation with respect to calcite and due to calcite precipitation the Ca 2+ concentration decreases from 6·10 -3 mole/1 upstream down to 2.5·10 -3 mole/1 at the lower course. Small rectangular shaped tablets of pure marble were mounted under different flow regimes, i.e., at the dam sites with fast water flow as well as inside pools with still water. After the substrate samples had stayed in the water for a period of a few days, the deposition rates were measured by weight increase, up to several tens of milligrams. Although there were no differences in hydrochemistry, deposition rates in fast flowing water were higher by as much as a factor of four compared to still water, indicating a strong influence of hydrodynamics. While upstream rates amounted up to 5 mm/year, lower rates of about 1 mm/year were observed downstream. Inspection of the marble substrate surfaces by EDAX and SEM (scanning electron microscope) revealed authigeneously grown calcite crystals of about 10 μm. Their shape and habit are indicative of a chemically controlled inorganic origin. By applying a mass transfer model for calcite precipitation taking into account the reaction rates at the surface given by Plummer et al. (1978), slow conversion of CO 2 into H + and HCO 3- , and diffusional mass transport across a diffusion boundary layer, we have calculated the deposition rates from the hydrochemistry of the corresponding locations. The calculated rates agree within a factor of two with the experimental results. Our findings confirm former conclusions with respect to fast flow conditions: reasonable rates of calcite precipitation can be estimated in reducing the PWP-rate calculated from the chemical composition of the water by a factor of about ten, thus correcting for the influence of the diffusion boundary layer.

Feasibility of two low-cost organic substrates for inducing denitrification in artificial recharge ponds: Batch and flow-through experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grau-Martínez, Alba; Torrentó, Clara; Carrey, Raúl; Rodríguez-Escales, Paula; Domènech, Cristina; Ghiglieri, Giorgio; Soler, Albert; Otero, Neus

2017-03-01

Anaerobic batch and flow-through experiments were performed to assess the capacity of two organic substrates to promote denitrification of nitrate-contaminated groundwater within managed artificial recharge systems (MAR) in arid or semi-arid regions. Denitrification in MAR systems can be achieved through artificial recharge ponds coupled with a permeable reactive barrier in the form of a reactive organic layer. In arid or semi-arid regions, short-term efficient organic substrates are required due to the short recharge periods. We examined the effectiveness of two low-cost, easily available and easily handled organic substrates, commercial plant-based compost and crushed palm tree leaves, to determine the feasibility of using them in these systems. Chemical and multi-isotopic monitoring (δ15NNO3, δ18ONO3, δ34SSO4, δ18OSO4) of the laboratory experiments confirmed that both organic substrates induced denitrification. Complete nitrate removal was achieved in all the experiments with a slight transient nitrite accumulation. In the flow-through experiments, ammonium release was observed at the beginning of both experiments and lasted longer for the experiment with palm tree leaves. Isotopic characterisation of the released ammonium suggested ammonium leaching from both organic substrates at the beginning of the experiments and pointed to ammonium production by DNRA for the palm tree leaves experiment, which would only account for a maximum of 15% of the nitrate attenuation. Sulphate reduction was achieved in both column experiments. The amount of organic carbon consumed during denitrification and sulphate reduction was 0.8‰ of the total organic carbon present in commercial compost and 4.4% for the palm tree leaves. The N and O isotopic fractionation values obtained (εN and εO) were - 10.4‰ and - 9.0‰ for the commercial compost (combining data from both batch and column experiments), and - 9.9‰ and - 8.6‰ for the palm tree column, respectively. Both materials showed a satisfactory capacity for denitrification, but the palm tree leaves gave a higher denitrification rate and yield (amount of nitrate consumed per amount of available C) than commercial compost

Advective transport of CO2 in permeable media induced by atmospheric pressure fluctuations: 1. An analytical model

Treesearch

W. J. Massman

2006-01-01

Advective flows within soils and snowpacks caused by pressure fluctuations at the upper surface of either medium can significantly influence the exchange rate of many trace gases from the underlying substrate to the atmosphere. Given the importance of many of these trace gases in understanding biogeochemical cycling and global change, it is crucial to quantify (as much...

Diffusion and reaction within porous packing media: a phenomenological model.

PubMed

Jones, W L; Dockery, J D; Vogel, C R; Sturman, P J

1993-04-25

A phenomenological model has been developed to describe biomass distribution and substrate depletion in porous diatomaceous earth (DE) pellets colonized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The essential features of the model are diffusion, attachment and detachment to/from pore walls of the biomass, diffusion of substrate within the pellet, and external mass transfer of both substrate and biomass in the bulk fluid of a packed bed containing the pellets. A bench-scale reactor filled with DE pellets was inoculated with P. aeruginosa and operated in plug flow without recycle using a feed containing glucose as the limiting nutrient. Steady-state effluent glucose concentrations were measured at various residence times, and biomass distribution within the pellet was measured at the lowest residence time. In the model, microorganism/substrate kinetics and mass transfer characteristics were predicted from the literature. Only the attachment and detachment parameters were treated as unknowns, and were determined by fitting biomass distribution data within the pellets to the mathematical model. The rate-limiting step in substrate conversion was determined to be internal mass transfer resistance; external mass transfer resistance and microbial kinetic limitations were found to be nearly negligible. Only the outer 5% of the pellets contributed to substrate conversion.

Flow control for a paper-based microfluidic device by adjusting permeability of paper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Ilhoon; Kim, Gangjune; Song, Simon

2014-11-01

The paper-based microfluidics has attracted intensive attention as a prospective substitute for conventional microfluidic substrates used for a point-of-care diagnostics due to its superior advantages such as the cost effectiveness and production simplicity. Generally, a paper-based microfluidic device utilizes capillary force to drive a flow. Recent studies on flow control in such a device aimed at obtaining accurate and quantitative results by varying a channel geometry like width and length. According to the Darcy's law describing a flow in a porous media like paper, a flow rate can be adjusted the permeability of paper. In this study, we investigate a flow control method by adjusting the permeability of paper. We utilize the wax printing for the adjustment and the fabrication of paper channels. A rectangular wax pattern was printed on one inlet channel of a Y-channel geometry. By varying the brightness of the wax pattern, a relationship between the flow rate and permeability changes due to the wax was investigated. As a result, we obtained an effective permeability contour with respect to the wax pattern length and brightness. In addition, we developed a paper-based micromixer of which the mixing ratio was controlled precisely by adjusting the permeability.

Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates

DOEpatents

Mahan, Archie Harvin; Molenbroek, Edith C.; Gallagher, Alan C.; Nelson, Brent P.; Iwaniczko, Eugene; Xu, Yueqin

2002-01-01

A method of fabricating device quality, thin-film a-Si:H for use as semiconductor material in photovoltaic and other devices, comprising in any order; positioning a substrate in a vacuum chamber adjacent a plurality of heatable filaments with a spacing distance L between the substrate and the filaments; heating the filaments to a temperature that is high enough to obtain complete decomposition of silicohydride molecules that impinge said filaments into Si and H atomic species; providing a flow of silicohydride gas, or a mixture of silicohydride gas containing Si and H, in said vacuum chamber while maintaining a pressure P of said gas in said chamber, which, in combination with said spacing distance L, provides a P.times.L product in a range of 10-300 mT-cm to ensure that most of the Si atomic species react with silicohydride molecules in the gas before reaching the substrate, to thereby grow a a-Si:H film at a rate of at least 50 .ANG./sec.; and maintaining the substrate at a temperature that balances out-diffusion of H from the growing a-Si:H film with time needed for radical species containing Si and H to migrate to preferred bonding sites.

Insight into the effect of screw dislocations and oxygen vacancy defects on the optical nonlinear refraction response in chemically grown ZnO/Al2O3 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, Arpana; Saroj, Rajendra K.; Dar, Tanveer A.; Baraskar, Priyanka; Sen, Pratima; Dhar, Subhabrata

2017-11-01

We report the effect of screw dislocations and oxygen vacancy defects on the optical nonlinear refraction response of ZnO films grown on a sapphire substrate at various oxygen flow rates using the chemical vapor deposition technique. The nonlinear refraction response was investigated in the off-resonant regime using a CW He-Ne laser source to examine the role of the intermediate bandgap states. It has been observed that the structural defects strongly influence the optical nonlinearity in the off-resonant regime. Nonlinearity has been found to improve as the oxygen flow rate is lowered from 2 sccm to 0.3 sccm. From photoluminescence studies, we observe that the enhanced defect density of the electronic defect levels due to the increased concentration of structural defects (with the decrease in the oxygen flow rate) is responsible for this improved optical nonlinearity along with the thermal effect. This suggests that defect engineering is an effective way to tailor the nonlinearity of ZnO films and their utility for optoelectronic device applications.

Reactive barrier system for nitrate removal from mine effluents in northern Sweden: Laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbert, Roger

2010-05-01

Laboratory column experiments have been conducted to determine nitrate removal rates from mine effluents by denitrification, with the purpose of providing initial data for the construction of a pilot scale reactive barrier system at the Malmberget iron mine, Sweden. Experiments were conducted at several different flow rates at 5C, 10C and room temperature; annual mean temperatures at the Malmberget site lie close to 0C. Columns were filled with an organic substrate consisting of sawdust mixed with sewage sludge, the source of denitrifying bacteria, supported by oven-dried clay pellets. Apparent denitrification rates, calculated from inflow and outflow nitrate concentrations and column hydraulic residence time, ranged from 5 to 13 mg N/L/d, with the lowest rates corresponding to the 5C experiments. These rates are, however, limited to a certain degree by the low flow rate and the supply of electrons acceptors (i.e. nitrate) to denitrifying bacteria. Results from the column experiment have been used to construct a barrier system in Malmberget, Sweden. Trial runs with the pilot-scale barrier will be conducted during 2010, with the purpose of determining the performance of the barrier as mean air temperatures increase from below to above 0C and saturated flow commences in the barrier. The barrier system is constructed as a rectangular container with steel sheet walls (9m length in flow direction, 1.5m deep), and the flow rate will be adjusted to a hydraulic residence time of 1 day. The pilot-scale barrier system currently lies above ground, but a permanent barrier system would be installed below the ground surface so that the system can be maintained at positive temperatures throughout the year.

Receptor-mediated binding of IgE-sensitized rat basophilic leukemia cells to antigen-coated substrates under hydrodynamic flow.

PubMed Central

Tempelman, L A; Hammer, D A

1994-01-01

The physiological function of many cells is dependent on their ability to adhere via receptors to ligand-coated surfaces under fluid flow. We have developed a model experimental system to measure cell adhesion as a function of cell and surface chemistry and fluid flow. Using a parallel-plate flow chamber, we measured the binding of rat basophilic leukemia cells preincubated with anti-dinitrophenol IgE antibody to polyacrylamide gels covalently derivatized with 2,4-dinitrophenol. The rat basophilic leukemia cells' binding behavior is binary: cells are either adherent or continue to travel at their hydrodynamic velocity, and the transition between these two states is abrupt. The spatial location of adherent cells shows cells can adhere many cell diameters down the length of the gel, suggesting that adhesion is a probabilistic process. The majority of experiments were performed in the excess ligand limit in which adhesion depends strongly on the number of receptors but weakly on ligand density. Only 5-fold changes in IgE surface density or in shear rate were necessary to change adhesion from complete to indistinguishable from negative control. Adhesion showed a hyperbolic dependence on shear rate. By performing experiments with two IgE-antigen configurations in which the kinetic rates of receptor-ligand binding are different, we demonstrate that the forward rate of reaction of the receptor-ligand pair is more important than its thermodynamic affinity in the regulation of binding under hydrodynamic flow. In fact, adhesion increases with increasing receptor-ligand reaction rate or decreasing shear rate, and scales with a single dimensionless parameter which compares the relative rates of reaction to fluid shear. Images FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 6 FIGURE 8 FIGURE 10 PMID:8038394

Effect of mass transfer in a recirculation batch reactor system for immobilized penicillin amidase.

PubMed

Park, J M; Choi, C Y; Seong, B L; Han, M H

1982-10-01

The effect of external mass transfer resistance on the overall reaction rate of the immobilized whole cell penicillin amidase of E. coli in a recirculation batch reactor was investigated. The internal diffusional resistance was found negligible as indicated by the value of effectiveness factor, 0.95. The local environmental change in a column due to the pH drop was successfully overcome by employing buffer solution. The reaction rate was measured by pH-stat method and was found to follow the simple Michaelis-Menten law at the initial stage of the reaction. The values of the net reaction rate experimentally determined were used to calculate the substrate concentration at the external surface of the catalyst pellet and then to calculate the mass transfer coefficient, k(L), at various flow rates and substrate concentrations. The correlation proposed by Chilton and Colburn represented adequately the experimental data. The linear change of log j(D) at low log N(Re) with negative slope was ascribed to the fact that the external mass transfer approached the state of pure diffusion in the limit of zero superficial velocity.

Locations of ectopic beats coincide with spatial gradients of NADH in a regional model of low-flow reperfusion.

PubMed

Kay, Matthew; Swift, Luther; Martell, Brian; Arutunyan, Ara; Sarvazyan, Narine

2008-05-01

We studied the origins of ectopic beats during low-flow reperfusion after acute regional ischemia in excised rat hearts. The left anterior descending coronary artery was cannulated. Perfusate was delivered to the cannula using an high-performance liquid chromatography pump. This provided not only precise control of flow rate but also avoided mechanical artifacts associated with vessel occlusion and deocclusion. Optical mapping of epicardial transmembrane potential served to identify activation wavefronts. Imaging of NADH fluorescence was used to quantify local ischemia. Our experiments suggest that low-flow reperfusion of ischemic myocardium leads to a highly heterogeneous ischemic substrate and that the degree of ischemia between adjacent patches of tissue changes in time. In contrast to transient ectopic activity observed during full-flow reperfusion, persistent ectopic arrhythmias were observed during low-flow reperfusion. The origins of ectopic beats were traceable to areas of high spatial gradients of changes in NADH fluorescence caused by low-flow reperfusion.

Rapid Chemical Vapor Infiltration of Silicon Carbide Minicomposites at Atmospheric Pressure.

PubMed

Petroski, Kenneth; Poges, Shannon; Monteleone, Chris; Grady, Joseph; Bhatt, Ram; Suib, Steven L

2018-02-07

The chemical vapor infiltration technique is one of the most popular for the fabrication of the matrix portion of a ceramic matrix composite. This work focuses on tailoring an atmospheric pressure deposition of silicon carbide onto carbon fiber tows using the methyltrichlorosilane (CH 3 SiCl 3 ) and H 2 deposition system at atmospheric pressure to create minicomposites faster than low pressure systems. Adjustment of the flow rate of H 2 bubbled through CH 3 SiCl 3 will improve the uniformity of the deposition as well as infiltrate the substrate more completely as the flow rate is decreased. Low pressure depositions conducted at 50 Torr deposit SiC at a rate of approximately 200 nm*h -1 , while the atmospheric pressure system presented has a deposition rate ranging from 750 nm*h -1 to 3.88 μm*h -1 . The minicomposites fabricated in this study had approximate total porosities of 3 and 6% for 10 and 25 SCCM infiltrations, respectively.

Metabolic behavior and enzymatic aspects of denitrifying EBPR sludge in a continuous-flow anaerobic-anoxic system.

PubMed

Zafiriadis, Ilias; Ntougias, Spyridon; Kapagiannidis, Anastasios G; Aivasidis, Alexander

2013-10-01

The metabolic aspects of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) were investigated for the first time in a continuous-flow anaerobic-anoxic plant fed with acetate, propionate, or substrates which are involved in the tricarboxylic acid and/or glyoxylate cycle, i.e., fumarate, malate, or oxaloacetate, as the sole carbon source. Although the polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) population remained stable with any carbon source examined, no typical EBPR metabolism was observed during fumarate, malate, or oxaloacetate utilization. Specific enzymatic activities related to EBPR were determined in activated sludge homogenates and directly correlated with the nutrient metabolic rates. The experimental results indicated the direct involvement of alkaline phosphatase, pyrophosphatase, and exopolyphosphatase in the denitrifying EBPR process. Metabolic aspects of glyoxylate cycle enzymes are discussed with regard to the biomass anaerobic and anoxic activity. Process performance was highly influenced by the kind of substrate utilized, indicating that specific metabolic pathways should be followed to favor efficient EBPR.

Ceramic microsystem incorporating a microreactor with immobilized biocatalyst for enzymatic spectrophotometric assays.

PubMed

Baeza, Mireia; López, Carmen; Alonso, Julián; López-Santín, Josep; Alvaro, Gregorio

2010-02-01

Low-temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) technology is a versatile fabrication technique used to construct microflow systems. It permits the integration of several unitary operations (pretreatment, separation, (bio)chemical reaction, and detection stage) of an analytical process in a modular or monolithic way. Moreover, because of its compatibility with biological material, LTCC is adequate for analytical applications based on enzymatic reactions. Here we present the design, construction, and evaluation of a LTCC microfluidic system that integrates a microreactor (internal volume, 24.28 microL) with an immobilized beta-galactosidase from Escherichia coli (0.479 activity units) and an optical flow cell to measure the product of the enzymatic reaction. The enzyme was immobilized on a glyoxal-agarose support, maintaining its activity along the time of the study. As a proof of concept, the LTCC-beta-galactosidase system was tested by measuring the conversion of ortho-nitrophenyl beta-D-galactopyranoside, the substrate usually employed for activity determinations. Once packed in a monolithically integrated microcolumn, the miniaturized flow system was characterized, the operational conditions optimized (flow rate and injection volume), and its performance successfully evaluated by determining the beta-galactosidase substrate concentration at the millimolar level.

Optimization of operating parameters of hybrid vertical down-flow constructed wetland systems for domestic sewerage treatment.

PubMed

Huang, Zhujian; Zhang, Xianning; Cui, Lihua; Yu, Guangwei

2016-09-15

In this work, three hybrid vertical down-flow constructed wetland (HVDF-CW) systems with different compound substrates were fed with domestic sewage and their pollutants removal performance under different hydraulic loading and step-feeding ratio was investigated. The results showed that the hydraulic loading and step-feeding ratio were two crucial factors determining the removal efficiency of most pollutants, while substrate types only significantly affected the removal of COD and NH4(+)-N. Generally, the lower the hydraulic loading, the better removal efficiency of all contaminants, except for TN. By contrast, the increase of step-feeding ratio would slightly reduce the removal rate of ammonium and TP but obviously promoted the TN removal. Therefore, the optimal operation of this CWs could be achieved with low hydraulic loading combined with 50% of step-feeding ratio when TN removal is the priority, whereas medium or low hydraulic loading without step-feeding would be suitable when TN removal is not taken into consideration. The obtained results in this study can provide us with a guideline for design and optimization of hybrid vertical flow constructed wetland systems to improve the pollutants removal from domestic sewage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bouncing and coalescence of droplets on falling liquid films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Che, Zhizhao; Deygas, Amandine; Matar, Omar

2014-11-01

When a droplet impacts on a falling liquid film, the outcome depends on the fluid properties of the droplet, its speed, and angle of incidence, as well as on the film flow rate and associated flow regimes. In this study, the oblique impact of droplets on a falling liquid film is investigated experimentally. The falling film is created on an inclined substrate and the Reynolds number is varied. Droplets with different sizes and different speeds are used to study the impact process for different Weber and Ohnesorge numbers. Different phenomena of droplet impact are identified and analysed, such as bouncing, partial coalescence, total coalescence, and splashing. An impact regime map is generated, and the effects of droplet impact speed and size, and the film flow rates are studied. The propagation of waves on the liquid film post-impact is analysed. The results show that the flowing film can significantly affect the impact process of droplets, and the latter can alter the propagation of waves on the falling film. EPSRC Programme Grant, MEMPHIS, EP/K0039761/1.

Functionalized Anodic Aluminum Oxide Membrane–Electrode System for Enzyme Immobilization

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

A nanoporous membrane system with directed flow carrying reagents to sequentially attached enzymes to mimic nature’s enzyme complex system was demonstrated. Genetically modified glycosylation enzyme, OleD Loki variant, was immobilized onto nanometer-scale electrodes at the pore entrances/exits of anodic aluminum oxide membranes through His6-tag affinity binding. The enzyme activity was assessed in two reactions—a one-step “reverse” sugar nucleotide formation reaction (UDP-Glc) and a two-step sequential sugar nucleotide formation and sugar nucleotide-based glycosylation reaction. For the one-step reaction, enzyme specific activity of 6–20 min–1 on membrane supports was seen to be comparable to solution enzyme specific activity of 10 min–1. UDP-Glc production efficiencies as high as 98% were observed at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min, at which the substrate residence time over the electrode length down pore entrances was matched to the enzyme activity rate. This flow geometry also prevented an unwanted secondary product hydrolysis reaction, as observed in the test homogeneous solution. Enzyme utilization increased by a factor of 280 compared to test homogeneous conditions due to the continuous flow of fresh substrate over the enzyme. To mimic enzyme complex systems, a two-step sequential reaction using OleD Loki enzyme was performed at membrane pore entrances then exits. After UDP-Glc formation at the entrance electrode, aglycon 4-methylumbelliferone was supplied at the exit face of the reactor, affording overall 80% glycosylation efficiency. The membrane platform showed the ability to be regenerated with purified enzyme as well as directly from expression crude, thus demonstrating a single-step immobilization and purification process. PMID:25025628

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

Anand, Venu, E-mail: venuanand@cense.iisc.ernet.in, E-mail: venuanand83@gmail.com; Shivashankar, S. A.; Nair, Aswathi R.

Gas discharge plasmas used for thinfilm deposition by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) must be devoid of contaminants, like dust or active species which disturb the intended chemical reaction. In atmospheric pressure plasma systems employing an inert gas, the main source of such contamination is the residual air inside the system. To enable the construction of an atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) system with minimal contamination, we have carried out fluid dynamic simulation of the APP chamber into which an inert gas is injected at different mass flow rates. On the basis of the simulation results, we have designed and builtmore » a simple, scaled APP system, which is capable of holding a 100 mm substrate wafer, so that the presence of air (contamination) in the APP chamber is minimized with as low a flow rate of argon as possible. This is examined systematically by examining optical emission from the plasma as a function of inert gas flow rate. It is found that optical emission from the plasma shows the presence of atmospheric air, if the inlet argon flow rate is lowered below 300 sccm. That there is minimal contamination of the APP reactor built here, was verified by conducting an atmospheric pressure PECVD process under acetylene flow, combined with argon flow at 100 sccm and 500 sccm. The deposition of a polymer coating is confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the polymer coating contains only 5% of oxygen, which is comparable to the oxygen content in polymer deposits obtained in low-pressure PECVD systems.« less

Production of egg white protein hydrolysates with improved antioxidant capacity in a continuous enzymatic membrane reactor: optimization of operating parameters by statistical design.

PubMed

Jakovetić Tanasković, Sonja; Luković, Nevena; Grbavčić, Sanja; Stefanović, Andrea; Jovanović, Jelena; Bugarski, Branko; Knežević-Jugović, Zorica

2018-01-01

This study focuses on the influence of operating conditions on Alcalase-catalyzed egg white protein hydrolysis performed in a continuously stirred tank reactor coupled with ultrafiltration module (10 kDa). The permeate flow rate did not significantly affect the degree of hydrolysis (DH), but a significant increase in process productivity was apparent above flow rate of 1.9 cm 3 min -1 . By contrast, an increase in enzyme/substrate ( E / S ) ratio provided an increase in DH, but a negative correlation was observed between E / S ratio and productivity. The relationship between operating conditions and antioxidant properties of the hydrolysates, measured by three methods, was studied using Box-Behnken experimental design and response surface methodology. The statistical analysis showed that each variable (impeller speed, E / S ratio, and permeate flow rate) had a significant effect on the antioxidant capacity of all tested systems. Nevertheless, obtained response functions revealed that antioxidative activity measured by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods were affected differently by the same operating conditions. High impeller speeds and low permeate flow rates favor ABTS while high impeller speeds and high permeate flow rates had a positive effect on the DPPH scavenging activity. On the other hand, the best results obtained with FRAP method were achieved under moderate operating conditions. The integration of the reaction and ultrafiltration membrane separation in a continuous manner appears to be a right approach to improve and intensify the enzymatic process, enabling the production of peptides with desired antioxidant activity.

Role of a Streambed's Benthic Biolayer in Enhancing Chemical Reactions in Hyporheic Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, J. W.

2016-12-01

Chemical processing of metals, nutrients, and organic compounds occurs throughout natural waters, however the rate of reactions often is greater at the streambed interface compared with surface water or deeper groundwater. Hydrologic exchange across the sediment interface brings reactive solutes and fine particulate organic matter from surface waters into contact with the streambed biolayer, a zone with algae and other living microflora and fauna, microbial communities, and reactive geochemical coatings on granular sediments. Compared with surface water or deeper hyporheic sediments, the intrinsic rate of reactions may be stimulated in biolayers because of higher rates of metabolic processing and associated redox reactions. Also, hydrologic transport may enhance reaction rates by relieving potential transport limitations through the re-supply of reactive substrates from surface water. As a result the chemical processing that occurs in the biolayer may far exceed processing that occurs in deeper hyporheic flow. Here I highlight new understanding of enhancement of reaction rates and their hydrologic and biogeochemical controls in streambed biolayers compared with hyporheic flow as a whole. The approach distinguishes and quantifies reaction limitation and transport limitation both at the centimeter-scale within the hyporheic zone and at the river network scale where the effect of streambed reactions accumulates and influences downstream water quality.

Catalysis by Methylamine Dehydrogenase and Electron Transfer to Amicyanin and Cytochrome C(551I) from Paracoccus Denitrificans.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, Harold Burns

1995-01-01

The quinoprotein methylamine dehydrogenase (MADH), a type I copper protein, amicyanin, and cytochrome c _{55li} form a physiologic ternary complex (Chen et al. (1994) Science 264, 86-90) in which electrons are transferred from tryptophan tryptophylquinone to copper to heme. The reduction of MADH by rm H_3- and rm D_3 -methylamine, the reoxidation of MADH by amicyanin, and the reduction of cytochrome c_{55li } by reduced amicyanin in the presence of MADH have been studied by stopped-flow spectroscopy. When rm CD_3NH_2 was used as a substrate for MADH a deuterium kinetic isotope effect of 17.2 was measured for the hydrogen abstraction step. The maximum deuterium kinetic isotope effect that was measured in steady-state kinetic experiments was 3.0. The temperature dependencies of the rate constants for the reaction of methylamine with MADH were also determined. An iminosemiquinone intermediate for the oxidation of substrate-reduced MADH by amicyanin was detected using stopped-flow spectroscopy, and the presence of the substrate derived nitrogen was confirmed by electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy. Marcus theory, which was used to analyze the electron transfer reaction between the dithionite-generated redox forms of MADH and amicyanin, gave values of 218 kJ rm mol^{ -1} (2.3 eV) for the reorganizational energy (lambda ) and 11.6 rm cm^{-1} for the coupling rm (H_{AB}). In contrast, the oxidation of substrate-reduced MADH by amicyanin was a gated electron transfer reaction with values for DeltaH* of 76 kJ rm mol^ {-1} and DeltaS* of -41 J rm mol^{ -1} ^circ K^ {-1}. These studies are consistent with the formation of transient unstable intermediates preceeding electron transfer between MADH and amicyanin. Preliminary investigations of the ternary complex of MADH, amicyanin, and cytochrome c_{55li } suggest two distinct cytochrome c _{55li} binding sites on amicyanin. This conclusion is supported by the biphasic nature of the stopped -flow trace, the inhibition of the rm k^ {fast}_{obs} by MADH, and the ionic strength dependence of the two phases. The slow phase had a rate of 3.1 rm s^ {-1} which is consistent with electron transfer between amicyanin and cytochrome c_ {55li} within the ternary complex. The fast phase does not exhibit saturation behavior, must have an electron transfer rate greater than 1000 rm s^{-1}, and likely involves a complex of amicyanin and cytochrome c_{55li } near the hydrophobic patch of amicyanin.

Coating and curing apparatus and methods

DOEpatents

Brophy, Brenor L; Maghsoodi, Sina; Neyman, Patrick J; Gonsalves, Peter R; Hirsch, Jeffrey G; Yang, Yu S

2015-02-24

Disclosed are coating apparatus including flow coating and roll-coating that may be used for uniform sol-gel coating of substrates such as glass, solar panels, windows or part of an electronic display. Also disclosed are methods for substrate preparation, flow coating and roll coating. Lastly systems and methods for skin curing sol-gel coatings deposited onto the surface of glass substrates using a high temperature air-knife are disclosed.

Shielded regeneration heating element for a particulate filter

DOEpatents

Gonze, Eugene V [Pinckney, MI; Ament, Frank [Troy, MI

2011-01-04

An exhaust system includes a particulate filter (PF) that is disposed downstream from an engine. The PF filters particulates within an exhaust from the engine. A heating element heats particulate matter in the PF. A catalyst substrate or a flow converter is disposed upstream from said heating element. The catalyst substrate oxidizes the exhaust prior to reception by the heating element. The flow converter converts turbulent exhaust flow to laminar exhaust flow prior to reception by the heating element.

Growth parameter dependent structural and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures on Si substrate by a two-zone thermal CVD.

PubMed

Lee, Hee Kwan; Yu, Jae Su

2012-04-01

We investigated the effect of growth parameters on the structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanostructures (NSs) grown on Au-coated Si substrate by a two-zone thermal chemical vapor deposition. The morphologies of ZnO NSs were controlled by various growth parameters, such as growth temperature, O2 flow rate, and working pressure, for different thicknesses of Au layer. The nanorod-like ZnO NSs were formed at 915 degrees C and the growth of two-dimensional structures, i.e., nanosheets, was enhanced with the increase of growth temperature up to 965 degrees C. It was found that the low working pressure contributed to improvement in vertical alignment and uniformity of ZnO NSs. The Zn/O atomic % ratio, which plays a key role in the growth mechanism of ZnO NSs, was changed by the growth parameters. The Zn/O atomic % ratio was increased with increasing the growth temperature, while it was decreased with increasing the working pressure. Under proper O2 flow rate, the ZnO nanorods with good crystallinity were fabricated with a Zn/O atomic % ratio of -0.9. For various growth parameters, the photoluminescence emission was slightly shifted with the ultraviolet emission related to the near band edge transition.

Experimental Fluidic Investigation of Degradation of Pico-liter Oil Droplets by Physical and Biological Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalali, Maryam; Sheng, Jian

2016-11-01

This study used laboratory experiments to assess degradation of crude oil by physical and biological processes including dissolution and consumption. To perform this study, we have developed a bioassay that consists of a flow chamber with a bottom glass substrate printed with an array of pico-liter oil droplets using micro-Transfer Printing. The technique allows the printing of highly homogeneous pico-liter droplet array with different dimensions and shapes that can be maintained for weeks. Since the droplets are pinned and stationary on the bottom substrate, the key processes can be evaluated by measuring the change of shape and volume using Atomic Force Microscopy. Parallel microfluidic bioassays are established at the beginning, exposed to abiotic/biotic solutions, and scarified for characterization at given time intervals for each experiment. Two processes, dissolution and consumption, are investigated. In addition, the effects of dispersant on these processes are also studied. The results show that the amount of oil degraded by bacteria accounts for almost 50% of the total volume in comparison to 25% via dissolution. Although dispersant has a subtle effect on dissolution, the effect on rates of consumption and its asymptotic behavior are substantial. Experiments involving different bacterial strains, dispersant concentration, and flow shear rate are on-going.

Significantly improved surface morphology of N-polar GaN film grown on SiC substrate by the optimization of V/III ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Gaoqiang; Zhang, Yuantao; Yu, Ye; Yan, Long; Li, Pengchong; Han, Xu; Chen, Liang; Zhao, Degang; Du, Guotong

2018-04-01

In this paper, N-polar GaN films with different V/III ratios were grown on vicinal C-face SiC substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. During the growth of N-polar GaN film, the V/III ratio was controlled by adjusting the molar flow rate of ammonia while keeping the trimethylgallium flow rate unchanged. The influence of the V/III ratio on the surface morphology of N-polar GaN film has been studied. We find that the surface root mean square roughness of N-polar GaN film over an area of 20 × 20 μm2 can be reduced from 8.13 to 2.78 nm by optimization of the V/III ratio. Then, using the same growth conditions, N-polar InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were grown on the rough and the smooth N-polar GaN templates, respectively. Compared with the LED grown on the rough N-polar GaN template, dramatically improved interface sharpness and luminescence uniformity of the InGaN/GaN MQWs are achieved for the LED grown on the smooth N-polar GaN template.

Nucleation of protein crystals under the influence of solution shear flow.

PubMed

Penkova, Anita; Pan, Weichun; Hodjaoglu, Feyzim; Vekilov, Peter G

2006-09-01

Several recent theories and simulations have predicted that shear flow could enhance, or, conversely, suppress the nucleation of crystals from solution. Such modulations would offer a pathway for nucleation control and provide a novel explanation for numerous mysteries in nucleation research. For experimental tests of the effects of shear flow on protein crystal nucleation, we found that if a protein solution droplet of approximately 5 microL (2-3 mm diameter at base) is held on a hydrophobic substrate in an enclosed environment and in a quasi-uniform constant electric field of 2 to 6 kV cm(-1), a rotational flow with a maximum rate at the droplet top of approximately 10 microm s(-1) is induced. The shear rate varies from 10(-3) to 10(-1) s(-1). The likely mechanism of the rotational flow involves adsorption of the protein and amphiphylic buffer molecules on the air-water interface and their redistribution in the electric field, leading to nonuniform surface tension of the droplet and surface tension-driven flow. Observations of the number of nucleated crystals in 24- and 72-h experiments with the proteins ferritin, apoferritin, and lysozyme revealed that the crystals are typically nucleated at a certain radius of the droplet, that is, at a preferred shear rate. Variations of the rotational flow velocity resulted in suppression or enhancement of the total number of nucleated crystals of ferritin and apoferritin, while all solution flow rates were found to enhance lysozyme crystal nucleation. These observations show that shear flow may strongly affect nucleation, and that for some systems, an optimal flow velocity, leading to fastest nucleation, exists. Comparison with the predictions of theories and simulations suggest that the formation of ordered nuclei in a "normal" protein solution cannot be affected by such low shear rates. We conclude that the flow acts by helping or suppressing the formation of ordered nuclei within mesoscopic metastable dense liquid clusters. Such clusters were recently shown to exist in protein solutions and to constitute the first step in the nucleation mechanism of many protein and nonproteinsystems.

Dry patches in a flowing film : Predicting rewetting and the effects of inertia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebon, Luc; Sebilleau, Julien; Limat, Laurent

2016-11-01

We study the effects of inertia on the shape and stability of dry patches using liquids of decreasing viscosities. These dry patches are formed when a liquid film flows down along a substrate under partial wetting conditions. They become stationary and exhibit an "arch" shape well described by a simple viscous model developed long ago by Podgorski. Surprisingly, this "arch" shape appears to be robust when one decreases the fluid viscosity which increases inertial effects, but the evolution of the apex curvature upon flow rate is strongly affected. We here proposed an improved description of the dry patch evolution taking into account several physical effects as the hydrostatic pressure in the liquid film, the curvature of the contact line, and these inertial effects. These ones affect both the mechanical equilibrium of the rim surrounding the dry patch and the flow inside the rim. This model allows us to show that the dry patch shape remains extremely close to the viscous -Podgorski- prediction but with a rescaling of the apex curvature. It also allows us to get a better prediction of the apex curvature dependence upon flow rate and a prediction of the rewetting threshold above which dry patches are swept away by the film flow.

TACT 1: A computer program for the transient thermal analysis of a cooled turbine blade or vane equipped with a coolant insert. 2. Programmers manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaugler, R. E.

1979-01-01

A computer program to calculate transient and steady state temperatures, pressures, and coolant flows in a cooled axial flow turbine blade or vane with an impingement insert is described. Coolant-side heat transfer coefficients are calculated internally in the program, with the user specifying either impingement or convection heat transfer at each internal flow station. Spent impingement air flows in a chordwise direction and is discharged through the trailing edge and through film cooling holes. The ability of the program to handle film cooling is limited by the internal flow model. Input to the program includes a description of the blade geometry, coolant-supply conditions, outside thermal boundary conditions, and wheel speed. The blade wall can have two layers of different materials, such as a ceramic thermal barrier coating over a metallic substrate. Program output includes the temperature at each node, the coolant pressures and flow rates, and the coolant-side heat transfer coefficients.

Prediction of Thrombus Growth: Effect of Stenosis and Reynolds Number.

PubMed

Hosseinzadegan, Hamid; Tafti, Danesh K

2017-06-01

Shear stresses play a major role in platelet-substrate interactions and thrombus formation and growth in blood flow, where under both pathological and physiological conditions platelet adhesion and accumulation occur. In this study, a shear-dependent continuum model for platelet activation, adhesion and aggregation is presented. The model was first verified under three different shear conditions and at two heparin levels. Three-dimensional simulations were then carried out to evaluate the performance of the model for severely damaged (stripped) aortas with mild and severe stenosis degrees in laminar flow regime. For these cases, linear shear-dependent functions were developed for platelet-surface and platelet-platelet adhesion rates. It was confirmed that the platelet adhesion rate is not only a function of Reynolds number (or wall shear rate) but also the stenosis severity of the vessel. General correlations for adhesion rates of platelets as functions of stenosis and Reynolds number were obtained based on these cases. Finally using the new platelet adhesion rates, the model was applied to different experimental systems and shown to agree well with measured platelet deposition.

Method of growing films by flame synthesis using a stagnation-flow reactor

DOEpatents

Hahn, David W.; Edwards, Christopher F.

1998-01-01

A method of stabilizing a strained flame in a stagnation flow reactor. By causing a highly strained flame to be divided into a large number of equal size segments it is possible to stablize a highly strained flame that is on the verge of extinction, thereby providing for higher film growth rates. The flame stabilizer is an annular ring mounted coaxially and coplanar with the substrate upon which the film is growing and having a number of vertical pillars mounted on the top surface, thereby increasing the number of azimuthal nodes into which the flame is divided and preserving an axisymmetric structure necessary for stability.

Single Turnover Kinetics of Tryptophan Hydroxylase: Evidence for a New Intermediate in the Reaction of the Aromatic Amino Acid Hydroxylases

PubMed Central

Pavon, Jorge Alex; Eser, Bekir; Huynh, Michaela T.; Fitzpatrick, Paul F.

2010-01-01

Tryptophan hydroxylase (TrpH) uses a non-heme mononuclear iron center to catalyze the tetrahydropterin-dependent hydroxylation of tryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptophan. The reactions of the TrpH·Fe(II), TrpH·Fe(II)·tryptophan, TrpH·Fe(II)·6MePH4·tryptophan, and TrpH·Fe(II)·6MePH4·phenylalanine complexes with O2 were monitored by stopped-flow absorbance spectroscopy and rapid quench methods. The second-order rate constant for the oxidation of TrpH·Fe(II) has a value of 104 M−1s−1 irrespective of the presence of tryptophan. Stopped-flow absorbance analyses of the reaction of the TrpH·Fe(II)·6MePH4·tryptophan complex with oxygen are consistent with the initial step being reversible binding of oxygen, followed by the formation with a rate constant of 65 s−1 of an intermediate I that has maximal absorbance at 420 nm. The rate constant for decay of I, 4.4 s−1, matches that for formation of the 4a-hydroxypterin product monitored at 248 nm. Chemical-quench analyses show that 5-hydroxytryptophan forms with a rate constant of 1.3 s−1, and that overall turnover is limited by a subsequent slow step, presumably product release, with a rate constant of 0.2 s−1. All of the data with tryptophan as substrate can be described by a five-step mechanism. In contrast, with phenylalanine as substrate, the reaction can be described by three steps: a second-order reaction with oxygen to form I, decay of I as tyrosine forms, and slow product release. PMID:20687613

Structure and corrosion properties of PVD Cr-N coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C.; Bi, Q.; Ziegele, H.; Leyland, A.; Matthews, A.

2002-05-01

PVD Cr-N coatings produced by physical vapor deposition (PVD) are increasingly used for mechanical and tribological applications in various industrial sectors. These coatings are particularly attractive for their excellent corrosion resistance, which further enhances the lifetime and service quality of coated components. PVD Cr-N coated steels in an aqueous solution are usually corroded by galvanic attack via through-coating ``permeable'' defects (e.g., pores). Therefore, the corrosion performance of Cr-N coated steel is determined by a number of variables of the coating properties and corrosive environment. These variables include: (i) surface continuity and uniformity; (ii) through-coating porosity; (iii) film density and chemical stability; (iv) growth stresses; (v) interfacial and intermediate layers; (vi) coating thickness; (vii) coating composition; and (viii) substrate properties. In this article, PVD Cr-N coatings were prepared, by electron-beam PVD and sputter deposition, with different compositions, thicknesses, and surface roughnesses, by changing the N2 flow rate, applying multilayering techniques and changing the substrate finish prior to coating. The microstructure of such coatings is investigated by various analytical techniques such as glancing angle x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, which are also correlated with the corrosion performance of the coated steel. Both dc polarization and ac impedance spectroscopy were employed to investigate the corrosion resistance of Cr-N coated steel in a 0.5N NaCl solution. It has been found that the N2 flow rate during reactive deposition strongly determines the microstructure of Cr-N coatings (due to the changing nitrogen content in the film) and can thus affect the corrosion resistance of coated systems. The surface finish of the steel substrate also affects the uniformity and coverage of PVD coatings; grooves and inclusions on the original substrate can raise the susceptibility of coated systems to crevice corrosion. Increased coating thickness can also greatly reduce the incidence of through-coating porosity such that the improvement in corrosion performance of thicker Cr-N coatings is significant.

Continuous catalytic hydrogenation of polyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds in hydrogen-supercritical carbon dioxide.

PubMed

Yuan, Tao; Fournier, Anick R; Proudlock, Raymond; Marshall, William D

2007-03-15

A continuous hydrogenation device was evaluated for the detoxification of selected tri-, tetra-, or pentacyclic polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds {anthracene, phenanthrene, chrysene, and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)} by hydrogenation. A substrate stream in hexane, 0.05-1.0% (w/v), was mixed with hydrogen-carbon dioxide (H2-CO2, 5-30% v/v) and delivered to a heated reactor column (25 cm x 1 cm) containing palladium supported on gamma alumina (Pd0/gamma-Al2O3) that was terminated with a capillary restrictor. The flow rate from the reactor, approximately 800 mL min(-1) decompressed gas, corresponded to 4 mL min(-1) fluid under the operating conditions of the trials. Reaction products were recovered by passing the reactor effluent through hexane. At 90 degrees C, the anthracene or phenanthrene substrate was hydrogenated only partially to octahydro and dodecahydro species and contained only a minor quantity of totally hydrogenated products. For substrates with increasing numbers of fused aromatic rings, the hydrogenation efficiency was decreased further. However, at an increasing temperature (90-150 degrees C) and increasing mobile phase flow rate (20.68 MPa corresponding to 2100 mL min(-1) decompressed gas), B[a]P and chrysene were hydrogenated, virtuallytotally, to their corresponding perhydro analogues (eicosahydrobenzo[a]pyrenes and octadecahydrochrysenes), respectively. That this approach might be useful for decontaminating soil extracts was supported by companion in vitro trials in which the substrate and products were assayed for mutagenic activity with five bacterial strains that are auxotrophic for histidine (Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537) or tryptophan (Escherichia coliWP2 uvrA), using the bacterial reverse mutation assay (modified Ames test). Generally, substantial increases in revertant colony counts were not observed with any of the strains following exposure to the hydrogenation products in the absence or presence of the 10 or 30% S9 mix, which is consistent with the loss of mutagenic activity from these hydrogenation products.

Bedform development and morphodynamics in mixed cohesive sediment substrates: the importance of winnowing and flocculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Leiping; Parsons, Daniel; Manning, Andrew

2016-04-01

There remains a lack of process-based knowledge of sediment dynamics within flows over bedforms generated in complex mixtures of cohesionless sand and biologically-active cohesive muds in natural estuarine flow systems. The work to be presented forms a part of the UK NERC "COHesive BEDforms (COHBED)" project which aims to fill this gap in knowledge. Herein results from a field survey in sub-tidal zone of Dee estuary (NW, England) and a set of large-scale laboratory experiments, conducted using mixtures of non-cohesive sands, cohesive muds and Xanthan gum (as a proxy for the biological stickiness of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS)) will be presented. The results indicate the significance of biological-active cohesive sediments in controlling winnowing rates and flocculation dynamics, which contributes significantly to rates of bedform evolution.

Coating and curing apparatus and methods

DOEpatents

Brophy, Brenor L.; Gonsalves, Peter R.; Maghsoodi, Sina; Colson, Thomas E.; Yang, Yu S.; Abrams, Ze'ev R.

2016-04-19

Disclosed is a coating apparatus including flow coating and roll-coating that may be used for uniform sol-gel coating of substrates such as glass, solar panels, windows or part of an electronic display. Also disclosed are methods for substrate preparation, flow coating and roll coating. Lastly, systems and methods for curing sol-gel coatings deposited onto the surface of glass substrates using high temperature air-knives, infrared emitters and direct heat applicators are disclosed.

Reactor design for uniform chemical vapor deposition-grown films without substrate rotation

DOEpatents

Wanlass, M.

1985-02-19

A quartz reactor vessel for growth of uniform semiconductor films includes a vertical, cylindrical reaction chamber in which a substrate-supporting pedestal provides a horizontal substrate-supporting surface spaced on its perimeter from the chamber wall. A cylindrical confinement chamber of smaller diameter is disposed coaxially above the reaction chamber and receives reaction gas injected at a tangent to the inside chamber wall, forming a helical gas stream that descends into the reaction chamber. In the reaction chamber, the edge of the substrate-supporting pedestal is a separation point for the helical flow, diverting part of the flow over the horizontal surface of the substrate in an inwardly spiraling vortex.

Reactor design for uniform chemical vapor deposition-grown films without substrate rotation

DOEpatents

Wanlass, Mark

1987-01-01

A quartz reactor vessel for growth of uniform semiconductor films includes a vertical, cylindrical reaction chamber in which a substrate-supporting pedestal provides a horizontal substrate-supporting surface spaced on its perimeter from the chamber wall. A cylindrical confinement chamber of smaller diameter is disposed coaxially above the reaction chamber and receives reaction gas injected at a tangent to the inside chamber wall, forming a helical gas stream that descends into the reaction chamber. In the reaction chamber, the edge of the substrate-supporting pedestal is a separation point for the helical flow, diverting part of the flow over the horizontal surface of the substrate in an inwardly spiraling vortex.

Design of an interface to allow microfluidic electrophoresis chips to drink from the fire hose of the external environment.

PubMed

Attiya, S; Jemere, A B; Tang, T; Fitzpatrick, G; Seiler, K; Chiem, N; Harrison, D J

2001-01-01

An interface design is presented that facilitates automated sample introduction into an electrokinetic microchip, without perturbing the liquids within the microfluidic device. The design utilizes an interface flow channel with a volume flow resistance that is 0.54-4.1 x 10(6) times lower than the volume flow resistance of the electrokinetic fluid manifold used for mixing, reaction, separation, and analysis. A channel, 300 microm deep, 1 mm wide and 15-20 mm long, was etched in glass substrates to create the sample introduction channel (SIC) for a manifold of electrokinetic flow channels in the range of 10-13 microm depth and 36-275 microm width. Volume flow rates of up to 1 mL/min were pumped through the SIC without perturbing the solutions within the electrokinetic channel manifold. Calculations support this observation, suggesting a leakage flow to electroosmotic flow ratio of 0.1:1% in the electrokinetic channels, arising from 66-700 microL/min pressure-driven flow rates in the SIC. Peak heights for capillary electrophoresis separations in the electrokinetic flow manifold showed no dependence on whether the SIC pump was on or off. On-chip mixing, reaction and separation of anti-ovalbumin and ovalbumin could be performed with good quantitative results, independent of the SIC pump operation. Reproducibility of injection performance, estimated from peak height variations, ranged from 1.5-4%, depending upon the device design and the sample composition.

Growth of single crystal silicon carbide by halide chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanton, Mark A.

The goal of this thesis is to understand relationships between the major process variables and the growth rate, doping, and defect density of SiC grown by halide chemical vapor deposition (HCVD). Specifically this work addresses the maximum C/Si ratios that can be utilized for single crystal SiC growth by providing a thermodynamic model for determining the boundary between single crystal growth and SiC+C mixed phase growth in the Si-C-Cl-H system. SiC epitaxial layers ranging from 50--200microm thick were grown at temperatures near 2000°C on 6H and 4H-SiC substrates at rates up to 250microm/hr. Experimental trends in the growth rate as a function of precursor flow rates and temperature closely match those expected from thermodynamic equilibrium in a closed system. The equilibrium model can be used to predict the trends in growth rate with the changes in precursor flow rates as well as the boundary between deposition of pure SiC and deposition of a mixture of SiC and C. Calculation of the boundary position in terms of the SiCl 4 and CH4 concentrations provides an upper limit on the C/Si ratio that can be achieved for any given set of crystal growth conditions. The model can be adjusted for changes in temperature, pressure, and chlorine concentration as well. The boundary between phase pure and mixed phase growth was experimentally shown to be very abrupt, thereby providing a well defined window for Si-rich and C-rich growth conditions. Growth of SiC epitaxial layers by HCVD under both Si-rich and C-rich conditions generally yielded the same trends in dopant incorporation as those observed in conventional silane-based CVD processes. Nitrogen incorporation was highest on the C-face of 4H-SiC substrates but could be reduced to concentrations as low as 1x1015 atoms/cm3 at C/Si ratios greater than 1. Residual B concentrations were slightly higher for epitaxial layers grown on the Si-face of substrates. However, changes in the C/Si ratio had no effect on B incorporation at concentrations on the order of 1x10 15 atoms/cm3. No significant trends in structural quality or defect density were evident as the C/Si ratio was varied from 0.72 to 1.81. Structural quality and defect density were more closely related to substrate off-cut and polarity. The highest quality crystals were grown on the C-face of 4° off-axis substrates as measured by HRXRD rocking curves. Growth on on-axis substrates was most successful on the C-face, although the x-ray rocking curves were nearly twice as wide as those on off-axis substrates. Etch pit densities obtained by KOH etching layers grown on Si-face substrates were closely related to the defect density of the substrate not the C/Si ratio. Thick p-type layers with B or Al dopant concentrations on the order of 1019 atoms/cm3 were readily achieved with the HCVD process. Trimethylaluminum and BCl3 were successfully employed as dopant sources. Aluminum incorporation was sensitive to both the substrate surface polarity and the C/Si ratio employed for growth. Dopant concentrations were maximized under C-rich growth conditions on the Si-face of SiC substrates. Boron incorporation was insensitive to both the surface polarity of the substrate and the C/Si used for layer growth even though B appears to favor incorporation on Si lattice sites. Boron acceptors in HCVD grown SiC are not passivated by H to any significant extent based on a comparison of net acceptor concentrations and B doping concentrations. In addition, the lattice parameters epitaxial layers doped with B at concentrations on the order of 1019 atoms/cm3 showed no change as a function of B concentration. This was in contrast to the lattice parameter decrease as expected from a comparison between the size of the Si and B atoms. The HCVD process has demonstrated an order of magnitude higher growth rates than conventional SiC CVD and while providing control over the C/Si ratio. This allows the user to directly influence dopant incorporation and growth morphology. However, this control should also permit several other material properties to be tailored. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Si substrates texturing and vapor-solid-solid Si nanowhiskers growth using pure hydrogen as source gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordmark, H.; Nagayoshi, H.; Matsumoto, N.; Nishimura, S.; Terashima, K.; Marioara, C. D.; Walmsley, J. C.; Holmestad, R.; Ulyashin, A.

2009-02-01

Scanning and transmission electron microscopies have been used to study silicon substrate texturing and whisker growth on Si substrates using pure hydrogen source gas in a tungsten hot filament reactor. Substrate texturing, in the nanometer to micrometer range of mono- and as-cut multicrystalline silicon, was observed after deposition of WSi2 particles that acted as a mask for subsequent hydrogen radical etching. Simultaneous Si whisker growth was observed for long residence time of the source gas and low H2 flow rate with high pressure. The whiskers formed via vapor-solid-solid growth, in which the deposited WSi2 particles acted as catalysts for a subsequent metal-induced layer exchange process well below the eutectic temperature. In this process, SiHx species, formed by substrate etching by the H radicals, diffuse through the metal particles. This leads to growth of crystalline Si whiskers via metal-induced solid-phase crystallization. Transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to study the WSi2 particles and the structure of the Si substrates in detail. It has been established that the whiskers are partly crystalline and partly amorphous, consisting of pure Si with WSi2 particles on their tips as well as sometimes being incorporated into their structure.

Enzymatic amplification of a flow-injected thermometric enzyme-linked immunoassay for human insulin.

PubMed

Mecklenburg, M; Lindbladh, C; Li, H; Mosbach, K; Danielsson, B

1993-08-01

A flow-injected thermometric enzyme linked immunoassay for human insulin which employs the lactate dehydrogenase/lactate oxidase (LDH/LOD) substrate recycling system for signal amplification is described. The system is composed of two columns, an immunosorbent column containing immobilized anti-insulin antibodies for sensing and a recycling column containing immobilized LDH/LOD/Catalase for detection. The effect of flow rates, conjugate concentrations, and chromatographic support material upon the sensitivity of the assay are investigated. The assay has a detection limit of 0.025 microgram/ml and a linear range from 0.05 to 2 micrograms/ml. This corresponds to a 10-fold increase in sensitivity over the unamplified system. A recombinant human insulin-proinsulin conjugate was also tested. The results show that enzymatic amplification can be employed to increase the sensitivity and reproducibility of flow injection assay-based biosensors. The implications of these results upon on-line analysis are discussed.

Method and apparatus for improved melt flow during continuous strip casting

DOEpatents

Follstaedt, Donald W.; King, Edward L.; Schneider, Ken C.

1991-11-12

The continuous casting of metal strip using the melt overflow process is improved by controlling the weir conditions in the nozzle to provide a more uniform flow of molten metal across the width of the nozzle and reducing the tendency for freezing of metal along the interface with refractory surfaces. A weir design having a sloped rear wall and tapered sidewalls and critical gap controls beneath the weir has resulted in the drastic reduction in edge tearing and a significant improvement in strip uniformity. The floor of the container vessel is preferably sloped and the gap between the nozzle and the rotating substrate is critically controlled. The resulting flow patterns observed with the improved casting process have reduced thermal gradients in the bath, contained surface slag and eliminated undesirable solidification near the discharge area by increasing the flow rates at those points.

Method and apparatus for improved melt flow during continuous strip casting

DOEpatents

Follstaedt, D.W.; King, E.L.; Schneider, K.C.

1991-11-12

The continuous casting of metal strip using the melt overflow process is improved by controlling the weir conditions in the nozzle to provide a more uniform flow of molten metal across the width of the nozzle and reducing the tendency for freezing of metal along the interface with refractory surfaces. A weir design having a sloped rear wall and tapered sidewalls and critical gap controls beneath the weir has resulted in the drastic reduction in edge tearing and a significant improvement in strip uniformity. The floor of the container vessel is preferably sloped and the gap between the nozzle and the rotating substrate is critically controlled. The resulting flow patterns observed with the improved casting process have reduced thermal gradients in the bath, contained surface slag and eliminated undesirable solidification near the discharge area by increasing the flow rates at those points. 8 figures.

Understanding the Broad Substrate Repertoire of Nitroreductase Based on Its Kinetic Mechanism*

PubMed Central

Pitsawong, Warintra; Hoben, John P.; Miller, Anne-Frances

2014-01-01

The oxygen-insensitive nitroreductase from Enterobacter cloacae (NR) catalyzes two-electron reduction of nitroaromatics to the corresponding nitroso compounds and, subsequently, to hydroxylamine products. NR has an unusually broad substrate repertoire, which may be related to protein dynamics (flexibility) and/or a simple non-selective kinetic mechanism. To investigate the possible role of mechanism in the broad substrate repertoire of NR, the kinetics of oxidation of NR by para-nitrobenzoic acid (p-NBA) were investigated using stopped-flow techniques at 4 °C. The results revealed a hyperbolic dependence on the p-NBA concentration with a limiting rate of 1.90 ± 0.09 s−1, indicating one-step binding before the flavin oxidation step. There is no evidence for a distinct binding step in which specificity might be enforced. The reduction of p-NBA is rate-limiting in steady-state turnover (1.7 ± 0.3 s−1). The pre-steady-state reduction kinetics of NR by NADH indicate that NADH reduces the enzyme with a rate constant of 700 ± 20 s−1 and a dissociation constant of 0.51 ± 0.04 mm. Thus, we demonstrate simple transient kinetics in both the reductive and oxidative half-reactions that help to explain the broad substrate repertoire of NR. Finally, we tested the ability of NR to reduce para-hydroxylaminobenzoic acid, demonstrating that the corresponding amine does not accumulate to significant levels even under anaerobic conditions. Thus E. cloacae NR is not a good candidate for enzymatic production of aromatic amines. PMID:24706760

Applying the Brakes to Multi-Site SR Protein Phosphorylation: Substrate-Induced Effects on the Splicing Kinase SRPK1†

PubMed Central

Aubol, Brandon E.; Adams, Joseph A.

2011-01-01

To investigate how a protein kinase interacts with its protein substrate during extended, multi-site phosphorylation, the kinetic mechanism of a protein kinase involved in mRNA splicing control was investigated using rapid quench flow techniques. The protein kinase SRPK1 phosphorylates approximately 10 serines in the arginine-serine-rich domain (RS domain) of the SR protein SRSF1 in a C-to-N-terminal direction, a modification that directs this essential splicing factor from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Transient-state kinetic experiments illustrate that the first phosphate is added rapidly onto the RS domain of SRSF1 (t1/2 = 0.1 sec) followed by slower, multi-site phosphorylation at the remaining serines (t1/2 = 15 sec). Mutagenesis experiments suggest that efficient phosphorylation rates are maintained by an extensive hydrogen bonding and electrostatic network between the RS domain of the SR protein and the active site and docking groove of the kinase. Catalytic trapping and viscosometric experiments demonstrate that while the phosphoryl transfer step is fast, ADP release limits multi-site phosphorylation. By studying phosphate incorporation into selectively pre-phosphorylated forms of the enzyme-substrate complex, the kinetic mechanism for site-specific phosphorylation along the reaction coordinate was assessed. The binding affinity of the SR protein, the phosphoryl transfer rate and ADP exchange rate were found to decline significantly as a function of progressive phosphorylation in the RS domain. These findings indicate that the protein substrate actively modulates initiation, extension and termination events associated with prolonged, multi-site phosphorylation. PMID:21728354

Integration of micro nano and bio technologies with layer-by-layer self-assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kommireddy, Dinesh Shankar

In the past decade, layer-by-layer (LbL) nanoassembly has been used as a tool for immobilization and surface modification of materials with applications in biology and physical sciences. Often, in such applications, LbL assembly is integrated with various techniques to form functional surface coatings and immobilized matrices. In this work, integration of LbL with microfabrication and microfluidics, and tissue engineering are explored. In an effort to integrate microfabrication with LbL nanoassembly, microchannels were fabricated using soft-lithography and the surface of these channels was used for the immobilization of materials using LbL and laminar flow patterning. Synthesis of poly(dimethyldiallyl ammonium chloride)/poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(dimethyldiallyl ammonium chloride)/bovine serum albumin microstrips is demonstrated with the laminar flow microfluidic reactor. Resulting micropatterns are 8-10 mum wide, separated with few micron gaps. The width of these microstrips as well as their position in the microchannel is controlled by varying the flow rate, time of interaction and concentration of the individual components, which is verified by numerical simulation. Spatially resolved pH sensitivity was observed by modifying the surface of the channel with a pH sensitive dye. In order to investigate the integration of LbL assembly with tissue engineering, glass substrates were coated with nanoparticle/polyelectrolyte layers, and two different cell types were used to test the applicability of these coatings for the surface modification of medical implants. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2), silicon dioxide, halloysite and montmorillonite nanoparticles were assembled with oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. In-vitro cytotoxicity tests of the nanoparticle substrates on human dermal firbroblasts (HDFs) showed that the nanoparticle surfaces do not have toxic effects on the cells. HDFs retained their phenotype on the nanoparticle coatings, by synthesizing type-I collagen. These cells also showed active proliferation on the nanoparticle substrates. Cells attached on TiO2 substrates showed faster rate of spreading compared with the other types of nanoparticle coatings. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were used as a second cell type to support and elaborate on the results obtained with the HDFs. Increasing surface roughness was observed with increasing number of layers of TiO2. Tests with a higher number of layers of TiO2, showed an increased attachment, proliferation and faster spreading of the MSCs on a larger number of layers of TiO2.

Studies of Two-Phase Gas-Liquid Flow in Microgravity. Ph.D. Thesis, Dec. 1994

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bousman, William Scott

1995-01-01

Two-phase gas-liquid flows are expected to occur in many future space operations. Due to a lack of buoyancy in the microgravity environment, two-phase flows are known to behave differently than those in earth gravity. Despite these concerns, little research has been conducted on microgravity two-phase flow and the current understanding is poor. This dissertation describes an experimental and modeling study of the characteristics of two-phase flows in microgravity. An experiment was operated onboard NASA aircraft capable of producing short periods of microgravity. In addition to high speed photographs of the flows, electronic measurements of void fraction, liquid film thickness, bubble and wave velocity, pressure drop and wall shear stress were made for a wide range of liquid and gas flow rates. The effects of liquid viscosity, surface tension and tube diameter on the behavior of these flows were also assessed. From the data collected, maps showing the occurrence of various flow patterns as a function of gas and liquid flow rates were constructed. Earth gravity two-phase flow models were compared to the results of the microgravity experiments and in some cases modified. Models were developed to predict the transitions on the flow pattern maps. Three flow patterns, bubble, slug and annular flow, were observed in microgravity. These patterns were found to occur in distinct regions of the gas-liquid flow rate parameter space. The effect of liquid viscosity, surface tension and tube diameter on the location of the boundaries of these regions was small. Void fraction and Weber number transition criteria both produced reasonable transition models. Void fraction and bubble velocity for bubble and slug flows were found to be well described by the Drift-Flux model used to describe such flows in earth gravity. Pressure drop modeling by the homogeneous flow model was inconclusive for bubble and slug flows. Annular flows were found to be complex systems of ring-like waves and a substrate film. Pressure drop was best fitted with the Lockhart- Martinelli model. Force balances suggest that droplet entrainment may be a large component of the total pressure drop.

Effect of Argon/Oxygen Flow Rate Ratios on DC Magnetron Sputtered Nano Crystalline Zirconium Titanate Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rani, D. Jhansi; Kumar, A. GuruSampath; Sarmash, T. Sofi; Chandra Babu Naidu, K.; Maddaiah, M.; Rao, T. Subba

2016-06-01

High transmitting, non absorbent, nano crystalline zirconium titanate (ZT) thin films suitable for anti reflection coatings (ARC) were deposited on to glass substrates by direct current (DC) magnetron reactive sputtering technique, under distinct Argon to Oxygen (Ar/O2) gas flow rate ratios of 31/1, 30/2, 29/3 and 28/4, with a net gas flow (Ar + O2) of 32sccm, at an optimum substrate temperature of 250°C. The influence of the gas mixture ratio on the film properties has been investigated by employing x-ray diffraction (XRD), ultra violet visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) and four point probe methods. The films showed a predominant peak at 30.85° with (111) orientation. The crystallite size reduced from 22.94 nm to 13.5 nm and the surface roughness increased from 11.53 nm to 50.58 nm with increase in oxygen content respectively. The films deposited at 31/1 and 30/2 showed almost similar chemical composition. Increased oxygen content results an increase in electrical resistivity from 3.59 × 103 to 2.1 × 106 Ωm. The film deposited at Ar/O2 of 28/4 exhibited higher average optical transmittance of 91%, but its refractive index is higher than that of what is required for ARC. The films deposited at 31/1 and 30/2 of Ar/O2 possess higher transmittance (low absorbance) apart from suitable refractive index. Thus, these films are preferable candidates for ARC.

Anaerobic rumen SBR for degradation of cellulosic material.

PubMed

Barnes, S P; Keller, J

2004-01-01

Hydrolysis of organic particulates under anaerobic conditions is generally regarded as the rate limiting step in solid digestion processes. Rumen-based ecosystems appear to achieve very high hydrolysis rates for cellulosic organic material. This study aimed at the development and demonstration of an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process operating with a rumen-based microbial inoculum. Fibrous alpha cellulose was used as sole carbon substrate and the use of an SBR operating cycle allowed the utilisation of a high liquid flow rate (hydraulic retention time of 0.67 d) while maintaining a much longer solids retention time of 7 d. Complete mass balances for carbon and nitrogen, as well as COD balancing allowed the full characterisation of the process stoichiometry and kinetics. Elemental analysis of the biomass revealed a composition of C5H4.8O2.4N0.7, which is quite different from other generic biomass compositions used in the literature. The anaerobic rumen SBR was compared with another rumen-based reactor system in the literature which used a continuous filtration process for solid/liquid separation. This comparison showed that the volatile fatty acid production rate from cellulose in the anaerobic SBR was comparable with the performance achieved in the continuous system, although loading, substrate type and media composition were quite different between these two studies. Further evaluation of the anaerobic rumen SBR is required to determine its practical application for other substrates and to demonstrate the scale-up potential of this concept.

Hydrologic conditions, habitat characteristics, and occurrence of fishes in the Apalachicola River floodplain, Florida; second annual report of progress, October 1993-September 1994

USGS Publications Warehouse

Light, Helen M.; Darst, Melanie R.; Grubbs, J.W.

1995-01-01

This report describes progress and interim results of the second year of a 4-year study. The purpose of the 4-year study is to describe aquatic habitat types in the Apalachicola River floodplain and quantify the amount of habitat inundated by the river at various stages. Final results will be used to determine possible effects of altered flows on floodplain habitats and their associated fish communities. The study is being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Northwest Florida Water Management District as part of a comprehensive study of water needs throughout two large river basins in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. By the end of the second year, approxi- mately 80 to 90 percent of field data collection was completed. Water levels at 56 floodplain and main channel locations at study sites were read numerous times during low water and once or twice during high water. Rating curves estimating the relationship between stage at a floodplain site and flow of the Apalachicola River at Chattahoochee are presented for 3 sites in the upper river. Elevation, substrate type, and amount of vegetative structure were described at 27 cross sections representing eight different floodplain tributary types at upper, middle, and lower river study sites. A summary of substrate and structure information from all cross sections is presented. Substrate and structure characteristics of floodplain habitats inundated when river flow was at record low flow, mean annual low flow, and mean flow are described for 3 cross sections in the upper river. Digital coverage of high-altitude infra-red aerial photography was processed for use in a Geographic Information System which will be used to map aquatic habitats in the third year of the study. A summary of the literature on fish utilization of floodplain habitats is described. Eighty-one percent of the species collected in the main channel of the Apalachicola River are known to occur in floodplain habitats of eastern rivers.

Electrophoretic and Electrolytic Deposition of Ceramic Particles on Porous Substrates

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-30

hydrodynamic drag force exerted on the particle due to the electroosmotic flow of the solvent inside the pore, the electrophoretic force exerted on the...8217 - electrophoretic velocity UN - electroosmotic velocity b - pore mean radius D - diffusion coefficient k - local deposition rate Large Peclet numbers and small...experimentally as the charge is acquired spontaneously on mixing the particles with the solvent and it may be reversed upon addition ot ionic compounds. The

Deposition of device quality, low hydrogen content, hydrogenated amorphous silicon at high deposition rates with increased stability using the hot wire filament technique

DOEpatents

Molenbroek, Edith C.; Mahan, Archie Harvin; Gallagher, Alan C.

2000-09-26

A method or producing hydrogenated amorphous silicon on a substrate, comprising the steps of: positioning the substrate in a deposition chamber at a distance of about 0.5 to 3.0 cm from a heatable filament in the deposition chamber; maintaining a pressure in said deposition chamber in the range of about 10 to 100 millitorr and pressure times substrate-filament spacing in the range of about 10 to 100 millitorr-cm, heating the filament to a temperature in the range of about 1,500 to 2,000.degree. C., and heating the substrate to a surface temperature in the range of about 280 to 475.degree. C.; and flowing silicohydride gas into the deposition chamber with said heated filament, decomposing said silicohydride gas into silicon and hydrogen atomic species and allowing products of gas reactions between said atomic species and the silicohydride gas to migrate to and deposit on said substrate while adjusting and maintaining said pressure times substrate-filament spacing in said deposition chamber at a value in said 10 to 100 millitorr range to produce statistically about 3 to 50 atomic collisions between the silicon and hydrogen atomic species migrating to said substrate and undecomposed molecules of the silane or other silicohydride gas in the deposition chamber.

TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILING USING THE FLOWTHROUGH GENOSENSOR FINAL CRADA REPORT C/ORNL97-00472

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

Doktycz, M. J.; Yang, H.

1999-06-01

A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation (Contractor) and Gene Logic, Inc., (Participant) was carried out to evaluate the technical feasibility study of the application of the flowthrough genosensor for gene expression (transcriptional) profiling, over the current industry practice of using flat surface hybridization arrays to monitor the relative abundance of individual mRNA species in a cell. Various parameters, including substrate preparation, flow rates, hybridization conditions and sample concentrations, were evaluated on the flowthrough genosensor. The superiority of the flowthrough genosensor, in terms of hybridization rate and sensitivity were established.

Evaporation-induced flow in an inviscid liquid line at any contact angle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petsi, A. J.; Burganos, V. N.

2006-04-01

The problem of potential flow inside an evaporating liquid line, shaped as an infinitely long cylindrical segment lying on a flat surface, is considered and an analytical solution is obtained for any contact angle in (0,π) . In this way, microflow details inside linear liquid bodies evaporating on hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and strongly hydrophobic substrates can now be obtained. The mathematical formulation employs the velocity potential and stream function formulations in bipolar coordinates and the solution is obtained using the technique of Fourier transform. Both pinned and depinned contact lines are considered. The solution is applicable to any evaporation mechanism but for illustration purposes numerical results are presented here for the particular case of kinetically controlled evaporation. For hydrophilic substrates, the flow inside the evaporating liquid line is directed towards the edges for pinned contact lines, thus, promoting a coffee stain effect. The opposite flow direction is observed for depinned contact lines. However, for strongly hydrophobic substrates, flow is directed outwards for both pinned and depinned contact lines, but owing to its low magnitude compared to that on hydrophilic substrates, a craterlike colloidal deposit should be expected rather than a ringlike deposit, in agreement with experimental observations.

Towards an Integrated QR Code Biosensor: Light-Driven Sample Acquisition and Bacterial Cellulose Paper Substrate.

PubMed

Yuan, Mingquan; Jiang, Qisheng; Liu, Keng-Ku; Singamaneni, Srikanth; Chakrabartty, Shantanu

2018-06-01

This paper addresses two key challenges toward an integrated forward error-correcting biosensor based on our previously reported self-assembled quick-response (QR) code. The first challenge involves the choice of the paper substrate for printing and self-assembling the QR code. We have compared four different substrates that includes regular printing paper, Whatman filter paper, nitrocellulose membrane and lab synthesized bacterial cellulose. We report that out of the four substrates bacterial cellulose outperforms the others in terms of probe (gold nanorods) and ink retention capability. The second challenge involves remote activation of the analyte sampling and the QR code self-assembly process. In this paper, we use light as a trigger signal and a graphite layer as a light-absorbing material. The resulting change in temperature due to infrared absorption leads to a temperature gradient that then exerts a diffusive force driving the analyte toward the regions of self-assembly. The working principle has been verified in this paper using assembled biosensor prototypes where we demonstrate higher sample flow rate due to light induced thermal gradients.

Production of medium chain fatty acid rich mustard oil using packed bed bioreactor.

PubMed

Sengupta, Avery; Roy, Susmita; Mukherjee, Sohini; Ghosh, Mahua

2015-01-01

A comparative study was done on the production of different medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) rich mustard oil using a stirred tank batchreactor (STBR) and packed bed bio reactor (PBBR) using three commercially available immobilised lipases viz. Thermomyces lanuginosus, Candida antarctica and Rhizomucor meihe. Three different MCFAs capric, caprylic and lauric acids were incorporated in the mustard oil. Reaction parameters, such as substrate molar ratio, reaction temperature and enzyme concentration were standardized in the STBR and maintained in the PBBR. To provide equal time of residence between the substrate and enzyme in both the reactors for the same amount of substrates, the substrate flow rate in the PBBR was maintainedat 0.27 ml/min. Gas liquid chromatography was used to monitor the incorporation of MCFA in mustard oil. The study showed that the PBBR was more efficient than the STBR in the synthesis of structured lipids with less migration of acyl groups. The physico-chemical parameters of the product along with fatty acid composition in all positions and sn-2 positions were also determined.

Improved activity of α-chymotrypsin on silica particles - A high-pressure stopped-flow study.

PubMed

Schuabb, Vitor; Winter, Roland; Czeslik, Claus

2016-11-01

Pressure is well known to affect the catalytic rate of enzymes dissolved in solution. To better understand enzyme kinetics at aqueous-solid interfaces, we have carried out a high-pressure stopped-flow activity study of α-chymotrypsin (α-CT) that is adsorbed on silica particles and, for comparison, dissolved in solution. The enzyme reaction was modulated using pressures up to 2000bar and recorded using the high-pressure stopped-flow technique. The results indicate an 8-fold enhancement of the turnover number upon α-CT adsorption and a further increase of the catalytic rate in the pressure range up to 1000bar. From the pressure dependence of the catalytic rate, apparent activation volumes have been determined. In the adsorbed state of α-CT, a pronounced change of the activation volume is found with increasing pressure. Furthermore, owing to suppression of its autolysis, a significantly longer storage time of α-CT can be achieved when the enzyme is adsorbed on silica particles. The results obtained are discussed in terms of a surface-induced selection of conformational substates of the enzyme-substrate complex. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of annealing time and NH3 flow on GaN films deposited on amorphous SiO2 by MOCVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tianbao; Liu, Chenyang; Zhang, Zhe; Yu, Bin; Dong, Hailiang; Jia, Wei; Jia, Zhigang; Yu, Chunyan; Xu, Bingshe

2018-05-01

GaN polycrystalline films were successfully grown on amorphous SiO2 by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition to fabricate transferable devices using inorganic films. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy images show that by prolonging the annealing time, re-evaporation is enhanced, which reduced the uniformity of the nucleation layer and GaN films. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the decomposition rate of the nucleation layer increases when the annealing flow rate of NH3 is 500 sccm, which makes the unstable plane and amorphous domains decompose rapidly, thereby improving the crystallinity of the GaN films. Photoluminescence spectra also indicate the presence of fewer defects when the annealing flow rate of NH3 is 500 sccm. The excellent crystal structure of the GaN films grown under optimized conditions was revealed by transmission electron microscopy analysis. More importantly, the crystal structure and orientation of GaN grown on SiO2 are the same as that of GaN grown on conventional sapphire substrate when a buffer layer is used. This work can aid in the development of transferable devices using GaN films.

Insulin action in hyperthyroidism: a focus on muscle and adipose tissue.

PubMed

Mitrou, Panayota; Raptis, Sotirios A; Dimitriadis, George

2010-10-01

Hyperthyroidism leads to an enhanced demand for glucose, which is primarily provided by increased rates of hepatic glucose production due to increased gluconeogenesis (in the fasting state) and increased Cori cycle activity (in the late postprandial and fasting state). Adipose tissue lipolysis is increased in the fasting state, resulting in increased production of glycerol and nonesterified fatty acids. Under these conditions, increased glycerol generated by lipolysis and increased amino acids generated by proteolysis are used as substrates for gluconeogenesis. Increased nonesterified fatty acid levels are necessary to stimulate gluconeogenesis and provide substrate for oxidation in other tissues (such as muscle). In the postprandial period, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by the skeletal muscle has been found to be normal or increased, mainly due to increased blood flow. Under hyperthyroid conditions, insulin-stimulated rates of glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle are decreased, whereas there is a preferential increase in the rates of lactate formation vs. glucose oxidation leading to increased Cori cycle activity. In hyperthyroidism, the Cori cycle could be considered as a large substrate cycle; by maintaining a high flux through it, a dynamic buffer of glucose and lactate is provided, which can be used by other tissues as required. Moreover, lipolysis is rapidly suppressed to normal after the meal to facilitate the disposal of glucose by the insulin-resistant muscle. This ensures the preferential use of glucose when available and helps to preserve fat stores.

Nucleation and growth of single layer graphene on electrodeposited Cu by cold wall chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Shantanu; Drucker, Jeff

2017-03-01

The nucleation density and average size of graphene crystallites grown using cold wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on 4 μm thick Cu films electrodeposited on W substrates can be tuned by varying growth parameters. Growth at a fixed substrate temperature of 1000 °C and total pressure of 700 Torr using Ar, H2 and CH4 mixtures enabled the contribution of total flow rate, CH4:H2 ratio and dilution of the CH4/H2 mixture by Ar to be identified. The largest variation in nucleation density was obtained by varying the CH4:H2 ratio. The observed morphological changes are analogous to those that would be expected if the deposition rate were varied at fixed substrate temperature for physical deposition using thermal evaporation. The graphene crystallite boundary morphology progresses from irregular/jagged through convex hexagonal to regular hexagonal as the effective C deposition rate decreases. This observation suggests that edge diffusion of C atoms along the crystallite boundaries, in addition to H2 etching, may contribute to shape evolution of the graphene crystallites. These results demonstrate that graphene grown using cold wall CVD follows a nucleation and growth mechanism similar to hot wall CVD. As a consequence, the vast knowledge base relevant to hot wall CVD may be exploited for graphene synthesis by the industrially preferable cold wall method.

Feasibility of two low-cost organic substrates for inducing denitrification in artificial recharge ponds: Batch and flow-through experiments.

PubMed

Grau-Martínez, Alba; Torrentó, Clara; Carrey, Raúl; Rodríguez-Escales, Paula; Domènech, Cristina; Ghiglieri, Giorgio; Soler, Albert; Otero, Neus

2017-03-01

Anaerobic batch and flow-through experiments were performed to assess the capacity of two organic substrates to promote denitrification of nitrate-contaminated groundwater within managed artificial recharge systems (MAR) in arid or semi-arid regions. Denitrification in MAR systems can be achieved through artificial recharge ponds coupled with a permeable reactive barrier in the form of a reactive organic layer. In arid or semi-arid regions, short-term efficient organic substrates are required due to the short recharge periods. We examined the effectiveness of two low-cost, easily available and easily handled organic substrates, commercial plant-based compost and crushed palm tree leaves, to determine the feasibility of using them in these systems. Chemical and multi-isotopic monitoring (δ 15 N NO3 , δ 18 O NO3 , δ 34 S SO4 , δ 18 O SO4 ) of the laboratory experiments confirmed that both organic substrates induced denitrification. Complete nitrate removal was achieved in all the experiments with a slight transient nitrite accumulation. In the flow-through experiments, ammonium release was observed at the beginning of both experiments and lasted longer for the experiment with palm tree leaves. Isotopic characterisation of the released ammonium suggested ammonium leaching from both organic substrates at the beginning of the experiments and pointed to ammonium production by DNRA for the palm tree leaves experiment, which would only account for a maximum of 15% of the nitrate attenuation. Sulphate reduction was achieved in both column experiments. The amount of organic carbon consumed during denitrification and sulphate reduction was 0.8‰ of the total organic carbon present in commercial compost and 4.4% for the palm tree leaves. The N and O isotopic fractionation values obtained (ε N and ε O ) were -10.4‰ and -9.0‰ for the commercial compost (combining data from both batch and column experiments), and -9.9‰ and -8.6‰ for the palm tree column, respectively. Both materials showed a satisfactory capacity for denitrification, but the palm tree leaves gave a higher denitrification rate and yield (amount of nitrate consumed per amount of available C) than commercial compost. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wave-front propagation of rinsing flows on rotating semiconductor wafers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frostad, John M.; Ylitalo, Andy; Walls, Daniel J.; Mui, David S. L.; Fuller, Gerald G.

2016-11-01

The semiconductor manufacturing industry is migrating to a cleaning technology that involves dispersing cleaning solutions onto a rotating wafer, similar to spin-coating. Advantages include a more continuous overall fabrication process, lower particle level, no cross contamination from the back side of a wafer, and less usage of harsh chemicals for a lower environmental impact. Rapid rotation of the wafer during rinsing can be more effective, but centrifugal forces can pull spiral-like ribbons of liquid radially outward from the advancing wave-front where particles can build up, causing higher instances of device failure at these locations. A better understanding of the rinsing flow is essential for reducing yield losses while taking advantage of the benefits of rotation. In the present work, high-speed video and image processing are used to study the dynamics of the advancing wave-front from an impinging jet on a rotating substrate. The flow-rate and rotation-speed are varied for substrates coated with a thin layer of a second liquid that has a different surface tension than the jet liquid. The difference in surface tension of the two fluids gives rise to Marangoni stresses at the interface that have a significant impact on the rinsing process, despite the extremely short time-scales involved.

Conjugate heat transfer investigation on the cooling performance of air cooled turbine blade with thermal barrier coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Yongbin; Ma, Chao; Ge, Bing; Zang, Shusheng

2016-08-01

A hot wind tunnel of annular cascade test rig is established for measuring temperature distribution on a real gas turbine blade surface with infrared camera. Besides, conjugate heat transfer numerical simulation is performed to obtain cooling efficiency distribution on both blade substrate surface and coating surface for comparison. The effect of thermal barrier coating on the overall cooling performance for blades is compared under varied mass flow rate of coolant, and spatial difference is also discussed. Results indicate that the cooling efficiency in the leading edge and trailing edge areas of the blade is the lowest. The cooling performance is not only influenced by the internal cooling structures layout inside the blade but also by the flow condition of the mainstream in the external cascade path. Thermal barrier effects of the coating vary at different regions of the blade surface, where higher internal cooling performance exists, more effective the thermal barrier will be, which means the thermal protection effect of coatings is remarkable in these regions. At the designed mass flow ratio condition, the cooling efficiency on the pressure side varies by 0.13 for the coating surface and substrate surface, while this value is 0.09 on the suction side.

Magnetic roller gas gate employing transonic sweep gas flow to isolate regions of differing gaseous composition or pressure

DOEpatents

Doehler, Joachim

1994-12-20

Disclosed herein is an improved gas gate for interconnecting regions of differing gaseous composition and/or pressure. The gas gate includes a narrow, elongated passageway through which substrate material is adapted to move between said regions and inlet means for introducing a flow of non-contaminating sweep gas into a central portion of said passageway. The gas gate is characterized in that the height of the passageway and the flow rate of the sweep gas therethrough provides for transonic flow of the sweep gas between the inlet means and at least one of the two interconnected regions, thereby effectively isolating one region, characterized by one composition and pressure, from another region, having a differing composition and/or pressure, by decreasing the mean-free-path length between collisions of diffusing species within the transonic flow region. The gas gate preferably includes a manifold at the juncture point where the gas inlet means and the passageway interconnect.

Slow-moving and far-travelled dense pyroclastic flows during the Peach Spring super-eruption.

PubMed

Roche, O; Buesch, D C; Valentine, G A

2016-03-07

Explosive volcanic super-eruptions of several hundred cubic kilometres or more generate long run-out pyroclastic density currents the dynamics of which are poorly understood and controversial. Deposits of one such event in the southwestern USA, the 18.8 Ma Peach Spring Tuff, were formed by pyroclastic flows that travelled >170 km from the eruptive centre and entrained blocks up to ∼ 70-90 cm diameter from the substrates along the flow paths. Here we combine these data with new experimental results to show that the flow's base had high-particle concentration and relatively modest speeds of ∼ 5-20 m s(-1), fed by an eruption discharging magma at rates up to ∼ 10(7)-10(8) m(3) s(-1) for a minimum of 2.5-10 h. We conclude that sustained high-eruption discharge and long-lived high-pore pressure in dense granular dispersion can be more important than large initial velocity and turbulent transport with dilute suspension in promoting long pyroclastic flow distance.

X-Ray Fluorescence Determination of Sulphur in Oils by a Thin Film Method.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

thickness. The procedure utilises a mixture of samp and an alkyd resin to improve adhesion to a Mylar substrate and to reduce sample flow during...thickness. The procedure utilises a mixture of sample and an alkyd resin to improve adhesion to a Mylar substrate and to reduce sample flow during...film. By incorporating an alkyd resin into the sample mixture the adhesion of the oil film to the Mylar sheet substrate is improved to the extent that

High content evaluation of shear dependent platelet function in a microfluidic flow assay

PubMed Central

Hansen, Ryan R.; Wufsus, Adam R.; Barton, Steven T.; Onasoga, Abimbola A.; Johnson-Paben, Rebecca M.; Neeves, Keith B.

2012-01-01

The high blood volume requirements and low throughput of conventional flow assays for measuring platelet function are unsuitable for drug screening and clinical applications. In this study, we describe a microfluidic flow assay that uses 50 μL of whole blood to measure platelet function on ~300 micropatterned spots of collagen over a range of physiologic shear rates (50–920 s−1). Patterning of collagen thin films (CTF) was achieved using a novel hydrated microcontact stamping method. CTF spots of 20, 50, and 100 μm were defined on glass substrates and consisted of a dense mat of nanoscale collagen fibers (3.74 ± 0.75 nm). We found that a spot size of greater than 20 μm was necessary to support platelet adhesion under flow, suggesting a threshold injury is necessary for stable platelet adhesion. Integrating 50 μm CTF microspots into a multishear microfluidic device yielded a high content assay from which we extracted platelet accumulation metrics (lag time, growth rate, total accumulation) on the spots using Hoffman modulation contrast microscopy. This method has potential broad application in identifying platelet function defects and screening, monitoring and dosing antiplatelet agents. PMID:23001359

A screen-printed flexible flow sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moschos, A.; Syrovy, T.; Syrova, L.; Kaltsas, G.

2017-04-01

A thermal flow sensor was printed on a flexible plastic substrate using exclusively screen-printing techniques. The presented device was implemented with custom made screen-printed thermistors, which allows simple, cost-efficient production on a variety of flexible substrates while maintaining the typical advantages of thermal flow sensors. Evaluation was performed for both static (zero flow) and dynamic conditions using a combination of electrical measurements and IR imaging techniques in order to determine important characteristics, such as temperature response, output repeatability, etc. The flow sensor was characterized utilizing the hot-wire and calorimetric principles of operation, while the preliminary results appear to be very promising, since the sensor was successfully evaluated and displayed adequate sensitivity in a relatively wide flow range.

[Use of claydite-immobilized oil-oxidizing microbial cells for purification of water from oil].

PubMed

Pirog, T P; Shevchuk, T A; Voloshinka, I N; Gregirchak, N N

2005-01-01

Oil-oxidizing bacteria were isolated from oil-polluted soil and water samples and identified as Acinetobacter calcoaceticus K-4, Nocardia vaceinii K-8, Rhodococcus erythropolis EK-1, and Mycobacterium sp. K-2. It was found that immobilization of the bacteria on an expanded clay aggregate accelerated their growth and consumption of hydrocarbon substrates. It was also found that water polluted with 100 mg/l oil could be purified with Rhodococcus erythropolis EK-1 and Nocardia vaceinii K-8 cells immobilized in this way. The dependence of the degree of water purification on its flow rate, aeration, and availability of nitrogen and phosphorus sources was determined. The efficiency of water purification from oil by immobilized Rhodococcus erythropolis EK-1 cells at high flow rates (of up to 0.68 l/h), low aeration (of 0.1 l/l per min) and an intermittent supply of 0.01% diammonium phosphate reached 99.5-99.8%.

Design, fabrication, and characterization of a valveless magnetic travelling-wave micropump

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Huawei; Ye, Weixiang; Zhang, Wei; Yue, Zhao; Liu, Guohua

2015-06-01

In this paper, we propose a valveless magnetic micropump for lab-on-a-chip and microfluidic applications. The micropump, based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), consists primarily of a saw-toothed microchannel, two substrates, and two integrated NdFeB permanent magnetic arrays. The travelling wave beneath the top wall of the elastic microchannel can be induced by the proper magnetic pole orientation arrangement of these magnetic arrays, and the liquid particles are then transported along with the travelling wave in the microchannel. Appropriate geometry of the saw-toothed microchannel was also studied for optimizing the performance of the micropump. Experimental characterization of the micropump has been performed in terms of the frequency response of the flow rate and backpressure. The results demonstrate that this micropump is capable of reliably generating a maximum flow rate of 342.4 μL min-1 and operating against a high backpressure of 1.67 kPa.

Hall effect of copper nitride thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, G. H.; Liu, J. Z.; Li, M.; Yuan, X. M.; Yan, P. X.; Liu, J. L.

2005-08-01

The Hall effect of copper nitride (Cu3N) thin films was investigated in our work. Cu3N films were deposited on glass substrates by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at different temperatures using pure copper as the sputtering target. The Hall coefficients of the films are demonstrated to be dependent on the deposition gas flow rate and the measuring temperature. Both the Hall coefficient and resistance of the Cu3N films increase with the nitrogen gas flow rate at room temperature, while the Hall mobility and the carrier density of the films decrease. As the temperature changed from 100 K to 300 K, the Hall coefficient and the resistivity of the films decreased, while the carrier density increased and Hall mobility shows no great change. The energy band gap of the Cu3N films deduced from the curve of the common logarithm of the Hall coefficient against 1/T is 1.17-1.31 eV.

Thermodiffusion as a means to manipulate liquid film dynamics on chemically patterned surfaces

PubMed Central

Kalpathy, Sreeram K.; Shreyes, Amrita Ravi

2017-01-01

The model problem examined here is the stability of a thin liquid film consisting of two miscible components, resting on a chemically patterned solid substrate and heated from below. In addition to surface tension gradients, the temperature variations also induce gradients in the concentration of the film by virtue of thermodiffusion/Soret effects. We study the stability and dewetting behaviour due to the coupled interplay between thermal gradients, Soret effects, long-range van der Waals forces, and wettability gradient-driven flows. Linear stability analysis is first employed to predict growth rates and the critical Marangoni number for chemically homogeneous surfaces. Then, nonlinear simulations are performed to unravel the interfacial dynamics and possible locations of the film rupture on chemically patterned substrates. Results suggest that appropriate tuning of the Soret parameter and its direction, in conjunction with either heating or cooling, can help manipulate the location and time scales of the film rupture. The Soret effect can either potentially aid or oppose film instability depending on whether the thermal and solutal contributions to flow are cooperative or opposed to each other. PMID:28595391

Heterogeneities in Myocardial Flow and Metabolism: Exacerbation with Abnormal Excitation

PubMed Central

Bassingthwaighte, James B.; Li, Zheng

2010-01-01

Because regional myocardial blood flows are remarkably heterogeneous—with a 6- to 10-fold range of flows in normal hearts—and because the spatial profiles of the flows are stable over long periods and over a range of conditions, the relation between flows and other physiologic functions has been explored. Local fatty acid uptake and oxygen consumption are almost linearly related to the flows. Coronary network structure and hydrodynamic resistances give suitable flow heterogeneity but are thought to be a response to local needs rather than being causative. Presumably the cause is the need for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis locally, and therefore flows, substrate delivery, and oxygen utilization are driven primarily by local rates of ATP hydrolysis, mainly by contractile proteins. This hypothesis is by no means fully tested. Data on pacing dog hearts from different sites, on patients with left bundle branch block, and on unloading transplanted rat hearts, all point in the same direction: unloading ventricular muscle leads to diminished flow and exaggeratedly diminished glucose uptake. The mechanism is likely to be that discovered by Taegtmeyer and colleagues, namely, the expression of fetal genes in regions where the muscle is unloaded and particular metabolic enzymes and transporters are downregulated. PMID:10750580

Method of growing films by flame synthesis using a stagnation-flow reactor

DOEpatents

Hahn, D.W.; Edwards, C.F.

1998-11-24

A method is described for stabilizing a strained flame in a stagnation flow reactor. By causing a highly strained flame to be divided into a large number of equal size segments it is possible to stablize a highly strained flame that is on the verge of extinction, thereby providing for higher film growth rates. The flame stabilizer is an annular ring mounted coaxially and coplanar with the substrate upon which the film is growing and having a number of vertical pillars mounted on the top surface, thereby increasing the number of azimuthal nodes into which the flame is divided and preserving an axisymmetric structure necessary for stability. 5 figs.

Atomic Force Microscope Mediated Chromatography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Mark S.

2013-01-01

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to inject a sample, provide shear-driven liquid flow over a functionalized substrate, and detect separated components. This is demonstrated using lipophilic dyes and normal phase chromatography. A significant reduction in both size and separation time scales is achieved with a 25-micron-length column scale, and one-second separation times. The approach has general applications to trace chemical and microfluidic analysis. The AFM is now a common tool for ultra-microscopy and nanotechnology. It has also been demonstrated to provide a number of microfluidic functions necessary for miniaturized chromatography. These include injection of sub-femtoliter samples, fluidic switching, and sheardriven pumping. The AFM probe tip can be used to selectively remove surface layers for subsequent microchemical analysis using infrared and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. With its ability to image individual atoms, the AFM is a remarkably sensitive detector that can be used to detect separated components. These diverse functional components of microfluidic manipulation have been combined in this work to demonstrate AFM mediated chromatography. AFM mediated chromatography uses channel-less, shear-driven pumping. This is demonstrated with a thin, aluminum oxide substrate and a non-polar solvent system to separate a mixture of lipophilic dyes. In conventional chromatographic terms, this is analogous to thin-layer chromatography using normal phase alumina substrate with sheardriven pumping provided by the AFM tip-cantilever mechanism. The AFM detection of separated components is accomplished by exploiting the variation in the localized friction of the separated components. The AFM tip-cantilever provides the mechanism for producing shear-induced flows and rapid pumping. Shear-driven chromatography (SDC) is a relatively new concept that overcomes the speed and miniaturization limitations of conventional liquid chromatography. SDC is based on a sliding plate system, consisting of two flat surfaces, one of which has a recessed channel. A fluid flow is produced by axially sliding one plate past another, where the fluid has mechanical shear forces imposed at each point along the channel length. The shear-induced flow rates are very reproducible, and do not have pressure or voltage gradient limitations. SDC opens up a new range of enhanced separation kinetics by permitting the sample confinement with submicron dimensions. Small, highly confined liquid is advantageous for chromatographic separation because the separation rate is known to scale according to the square of the confined sample diameter. In addition, because shear-driven flows are not limited by fluid velocity, shear-driven liquid chromatography may provide up to 100,000 plate efficiency.

Direct Metal Deposition of H13 Tool Steel on Copper Alloy Substrate: Parametric Investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imran, M. Khalid; Masood, S. H.; Brandt, Milan

2015-12-01

Over the past decade, researchers have demonstrated interest in tribology and prototyping by the laser aided material deposition process. Laser aided direct metal deposition (DMD) enables the formation of a uniform clad by melting the powder to form desired component from metal powder materials. In this research H13 tool steel has been used to clad on a copper alloy substrate using DMD. The effects of laser parameters on the quality of DMD deposited clad have been investigated and acceptable processing parameters have been determined largely through trial-and-error approaches. The relationships between DMD process parameters and the product characteristics such as porosity, micro-cracks and microhardness have been analysed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), image analysis software (ImageJ) and microhardness tester. It has been found that DMD parameters such as laser power, powder mass flow rate, feed rate and focus size have an important role in clad quality and crack formation.

Dynamics and linear stability of thermocapillary spreading films on homogeneous and micropatterned surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Jeffrey Michael

The recent focus on microfluidic devices has generated substantial interest in small-scale transport phenomena. Because the surface to volume ratio scales inversely with the characteristic length scale, surface forces dominate in microscale systems. In particular, these forces can be manipulated to regulate the motion of thin liquid films. The dynamics and stability of thermocapillary spreading films are theoretically investigated in this dissertation for flow on homogeneous and chemically or topographically patterned substrates. Because the governing equations for spreading films driven by other forces are analogous, the approach and results are valid for general lubrication flows. Experiments have shown that films spreading on homogeneous substrates can undergo a flow transition from a uniform front at the advancing solid-liquid-vapor contact line to an array of parallel rivulets. This instability is investigated via a non-modal, transient analysis because the relevant linearized disturbance operators for spatially inhomogeneous thin films are nonnormal. Stability results for three different contact line models are compared. This investigation of thermocapillary driven spreading is also pursued in the context of characterizing a novel, open-architecture microfluidic device based on flow confinement to completely wetting microstripes through chemical micropatterning of the substrate. The resulting lateral curvature of the fluid significantly influences the dynamics of the liquid. Applied to the dip coating of these patterned substrates, hydrodynamic scaling arguments are used to derive a replacement for the classical Landau-Levich result for homogeneous substrates. Thermocapillary flow along wetting microstripes is then characterized. The lateral curvature modifies the expected spreading velocity and film profile and also suppresses the capillary ridge and instability observed at the advancing contact line on homogeneous surfaces. In addition, a lubrication-based model is derived to quantify the significant effects of lateral film curvature and fluid confinement on the transverse diffusive broadening in two microstreams merging at a ⋎ -junction. Finally, the analysis is extended to lubrication flow over chemically uniform but topographically patterned substrates. A transient analysis is employed to determine the evolution of disturbances to the capillary ridges induced by the substrate topography.

Substitutions of S101 decrease proton and hydride transfers in the oxidation of betaine aldehyde by choline oxidase.

PubMed

Gadda, Giovanni; Yuan, Hongling

2017-11-15

Choline oxidase oxidizes choline to glycine betaine, with two flavin-mediated reactions to convert the alcohol substrate to the carbon acid product. Proton abstraction from choline or hydrated betaine aldehyde in the wild-type enzyme occurs in the mixing time of the stopped-flow spectrophotometer, thereby precluding a mechanistic investigation. Mutagenesis of S101 rendered the proton transfer reaction amenable to study. Here, we have investigated the aldehyde oxidation reaction catalyzed by the mutant enzymes using steady-state and rapid kinetics with betaine aldehyde. Stopped-flow traces for the reductive half-reaction of the S101T/V/C variants were biphasic, corresponding to the reactions of proton abstraction and hydride transfer. In contrast, the S101A enzyme yielded monophasic traces like wild-type choline oxidase. The rate constants for proton transfer in the S101T/C/V variants decreased logarithmically with increasing hydrophobicity of residue 101, indicating a behavior different from that seen previously with choline for which no correlation was determined. The rate constants for hydride transfer also showed a logarithmic decrease with increasing hydrophobicity at position 101, which was similar to previous results with choline as a substrate for the enzyme. Thus, the hydrophilic character of S101 is necessary not only for efficient hydride transfer but also for the proton abstraction reaction. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Production of Biomass-Degrading Multienzyme Complexes under Solid-State Fermentation of Soybean Meal Using a Bioreactor

PubMed Central

Vitcosque, Gabriela L.; Fonseca, Rafael F.; Rodríguez-Zúñiga, Ursula Fabiola; Bertucci Neto, Victor; Couri, Sonia; Farinas, Cristiane S.

2012-01-01

Biomass-degrading enzymes are one of the most costly inputs affecting the economic viability of the biochemical route for biomass conversion into biofuels. This work evaluates the effects of operational conditions on biomass-degrading multienzyme production by a selected strain of Aspergillus niger. The fungus was cultivated under solid-state fermentation (SSF) of soybean meal, using an instrumented lab-scale bioreactor equipped with an on-line automated monitoring and control system. The effects of air flow rate, inlet air relative humidity, and initial substrate moisture content on multienzyme (FPase, endoglucanase, and xylanase) production were evaluated using a statistical design methodology. Highest production of FPase (0.55 IU/g), endoglucanase (35.1 IU/g), and xylanase (47.7 IU/g) was achieved using an initial substrate moisture content of 84%, an inlet air humidity of 70%, and a flow rate of 24 mL/min. The enzymatic complex was then used to hydrolyze a lignocellulosic biomass, releasing 4.4 g/L of glucose after 36 hours of saccharification of 50 g/L pretreated sugar cane bagasse. These results demonstrate the potential application of enzymes produced under SSF, thus contributing to generate the necessary technological advances to increase the efficiency of the use of biomass as a renewable energy source. PMID:23365723

Electroosmotic Push–Pull Perfusion: Description and Application to Qualitative Analysis of the Hydrolysis of Exogenous Galanin in Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Cultures

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

We demonstrate here a method that perfuses a small region of an organotypic hippocampal culture with a solution containing an enzyme substrate, a neuropeptide. Perfusate containing hydrolysis products is continually collected and subsequently analyzed for the products of the enzymatic degradation of the peptide substrate. The driving force for perfusion is an electric field. The fused silica capillaries used as “push” and “pull” or “source” and “collection” capillaries have a ζ-potential that is negative and greater in magnitude than the tissue’s ζ-potential. Thus, depending on the magnitudes of particular dimensions, the electroosmotic flow in the capillaries augments the fluid velocity in the tissue. The flow rate is not directly measured; however, we determine it using a finite-element approach. We have determined the collection efficiency of the system using an all d-amino acid internal standard. The flow rates are low, in the nL/min range, and adjustable by controlling the current or voltage in the system. The collection efficiency of the d-amino acid peptide internal standard is variable, increasing with increased current and thus electroosmotic flow rate. The collection efficiency can be rationalized in the context of a Peclet number. Electroosmotic push–pull perfusion of the neuropeptide galanin (gal1–29) through the extracellular space of an organotypic hippocampal culture results in its hydrolysis by ectopeptidase reactions occurring in the extracellular space. The products of hydrolysis were identified by MALDI-MS. Experiments at two levels of current (8–12 μA and 19–40 μA) show that the probability of seeing hydrolysis products (apparently from aminopeptidases) is greater in the Cornu Ammonis area 3 (CA3) than in the Cornu Ammonis area 1 (CA1) in the higher current experiments. In the lower current experiments, shorter peptide products of aminopeptidases (gal13–29 to gal20–19) are seen with greater frequency in CA3 than in CA1 but there is no statistically significant difference for longer peptides (gal3–29 to gal12–29). PMID:23614879

Mass flow sensor utilizing a resistance bridge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fralick, Gustave C. (Inventor); Hwang, Danny P. (Inventor); Wrbanek, John D. (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A mass flow sensor to be mounted within a duct and measures the mass flow of a fluid stream moving through the duct. The sensor is an elongated thin quartz substrate having a plurality of platinum strips extending in a parallel relationship on the strip, with certain of the strips being resistors connected to an excitation voltage. The resistors form the legs of a Wheatstone bridge. The resistors are spaced a sufficient distance inwardly from the leading and trailing edges of the substrate to lie within the velocity recovery region so that the measured flow is the same as the actual upstream flow. The resistor strips extend at least half-way through the fluid stream to include a substantial part of the velocity profile of the stream. Certain of the resistors detect a change in temperature as the fluid stream moves across the substrate to provide an output signal from the Wheatstone bridge which is representative of the fluid flow. A heater is located in the midst of the resistor array to heat the air as it passes over the array.

Mechanistic modeling study on process optimization and precursor utilization with atmospheric spatial atomic layer deposition

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

Deng, Zhang; He, Wenjie; Duan, Chenlong

2016-01-15

Spatial atomic layer deposition (SALD) is a promising technology with the aim of combining the advantages of excellent uniformity and conformity of temporal atomic layer deposition (ALD), and an industrial scalable and continuous process. In this manuscript, an experimental and numerical combined model of atmospheric SALD system is presented. To establish the connection between the process parameters and the growth efficiency, a quantitative model on reactant isolation, throughput, and precursor utilization is performed based on the separation gas flow rate, carrier gas flow rate, and precursor mass fraction. The simulation results based on this model show an inverse relation betweenmore » the precursor usage and the carrier gas flow rate. With the constant carrier gas flow, the relationship of precursor usage and precursor mass fraction follows monotonic function. The precursor concentration, regardless of gas velocity, is the determinant factor of the minimal residual time. The narrow gap between precursor injecting heads and the substrate surface in general SALD system leads to a low Péclet number. In this situation, the gas diffusion act as a leading role in the precursor transport in the small gap rather than the convection. Fluid kinetics from the numerical model is independent of the specific structure, which is instructive for the SALD geometry design as well as its process optimization.« less

Numerical Prediction of the Influence of Process Parameters on Large Area Diamond Deposition by DC Arcjet with ARC Roots Rotating and Operating at Gas Recycling Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, F. X.; Huang, T. B.; Tang, W. Z.; Song, J. H.; Tong, Y. M.

A computer model have been set up for simulation of the flow and temperature field, and the radial distribution of atomic hydrogen and active carbonaceous species over a large area substrate surface for a new type dc arc plasma torch with rotating arc roots and operating at gas recycling mode A gas recycling radio of 90% was assumed. In numerical calculation of plasma chemistry, the Thermal-Calc program and a powerful thermodynamic database were employed. Numerical calculations to the computer model were performed using boundary conditions close to the experimental setup for large area diamond films deposition. The results showed that the flow and temperature field over substrate surface of Φ60-100mm were smooth and uniform. Calculations were also made with plasma of the same geometry but no arc roots rotation. It was clearly demonstrated that the design of rotating arc roots was advantageous for high quality uniform deposition of large area diamond films. Theoretical predictions on growth rate and film quality as well as their radial uniformity, and the influence of process parameters on large area diamond deposition were discussed in detail based on the spatial distribution of atomic hydrogen and the carbonaceous species in the plasma over the substrate surface obtained from thermodynamic calculations of plasma chemistry, and were compared with experimental observations.

The sugar model: catalytic flow reactor dynamics of pyruvaldehyde synthesis from triose catalyzed by poly-l-lysine contained in a dialyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weber, A. L.

2001-01-01

The formation of pyruvaldehyde from triose sugars was catalyzed by poly-l-lysine contained in a small dialyzer with a 100 molecular weight cut off (100 MWCO) suspended in a much larger triose substrate reservoir at pH 5.5 and 40 degrees C. The polylysine confined in the dialyzer functioned as a catalytic flow reactor that constantly brought in triose from the substrate reservoir by diffusion to offset the drop in triose concentration within the reactor caused by its conversion to pyruvaldehyde. The catalytic polylysine solution (400 mM, 0.35 mL) within the dialyzer generated pyruvaldehyde with a synthetic intensity (rate/volume) that was 3400 times greater than that of the triose substrate solution (12 mM, 120 mL) outside the dialyzer. Under the given conditions the final yield of pyruvaldehyde was greater than twice the weight of the polylysine catalyst. During the reaction the polylysine catalyst was poisoned presumably by reaction of its amino groups with aldehyde reactants and products. Similar results were obtained using a dialyzer with a 500 MWCO. The dialyzer method of catalyst containment was selected because it provides a simple and easily manipulated experimental system for studying the dynamics and evolutionary development of confined autocatalytic processes related to the origin of life under anaerobic conditions.

Continuous formation of N-chloro-N,N-dialkylamine solutions in well-mixed meso-scale flow reactors

PubMed Central

Jolley, Katherine E

2015-01-01

Summary The continuous flow synthesis of a range of organic solutions of N,N-dialkyl-N-chloramines is described using either a bespoke meso-scale tubular reactor with static mixers or a continuous stirred tank reactor. Both reactors promote the efficient mixing of a biphasic solution of N,N-dialkylamine in organic solvent, and aqueous sodium hypochlorite to achieve near quantitative conversions, in 72–100% in situ yields, and useful productivities of around 0.05 mol/h with residence times from 3 to 20 minutes. Initial calorimetric studies have been carried out to inform on reaction exotherms, rates and safe operation. Amines which partition mainly in the organic phase require longer reaction times, provided by the CSTR, to compensate for low mass transfer rates in the biphasic system. The green metrics of the reaction have been assessed and compared to existing procedures and have shown the continuous process is improved over previous procedures. The organic solutions of N,N-dialkyl-N-chloramines produced continuously will enable their use in tandem flow reactions with a range of nucleophilic substrates. PMID:26734089

Real-time x-ray studies of crystal growth modes during metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy of GaN on c- and m-plane single crystals

DOE PAGES

Perret, Edith; Highland, M. J.; Stephenson, G. B.; ...

2014-08-04

Non-polar orientations of III-nitride semiconductors have attracted significant interest due to their potential application in optoelectronic devices with enhanced efficiency. Using in-situ surface x-ray scattering during metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) of GaN on non-polar (m-plane) and polar (c-plane) orientations of single crystal substrates, we have observed the homoepitaxial growth modes as a function of temperature and growth rate. On the m-plane surface we observe all three growth modes (step-flow, layer-by-layer, and three-dimensional) as conditions are varied. In contrast, the +c-plane surface exhibits a direct cross over between step-flow and 3-D growth, with no layer-by-layer regime. The apparent activation energymore » of 2.8 ± 0.2 eV observed for the growth rate at the layer-by-layer to step-flow boundary on the m-plane surface is consistent with those observed for MOVPE growth of other III-V compounds, indicating a large critical nucleus size for islands.« less

Stokes flow inside an evaporating liquid line for any contact angle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petsi, A. J.; Burganos, V. N.

2008-09-01

Evaporation of droplets or liquid films lying on a substrate induces internal viscous flow, which affects the transport of suspended particles and, thus, the final deposit profile in numerous applications. In this work, the problem of Stokes flow inside a two-dimensional droplet, representing the cross section of an evaporating liquid line lying on a flat surface, is considered. The stream function formulation is adopted, leading to the biharmonic equation in bipolar coordinates. A solution in closed form is obtained for any contact angle in (0,π) and is, thus, valid for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates. The solution can be used with any type of evaporation mechanism, including diffusion, convection, or kinetically controlled modes. Both pinned and depinned contact lines are considered. For the boundary conditions to be compatible at the contact lines, the Navier slip boundary condition is applied on the substrate. Numerical results are presented for kinetically and diffusion controlled evaporation. For pinned contact lines, the flow inside the evaporating liquid line is directed towards the edges, thus, promoting the coffee stain phenomenon. In the case of depinned contact lines and contact angle less than π/2 , the flow is directed towards the center of the droplet, whereas, for strongly hydrophobic substrates it is directed outwards.

TACT1, a computer program for the transient thermal analysis of a cooled turbine blade or vane equipped with a coolant insert. 1. Users manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaugler, R. E.

1978-01-01

A computer program to calculate transient and steady state temperatures, pressures, and coolant flows in a cooled, axial flow turbine blade or vane with an impingement insert is described. Coolant side heat transfer coefficients are calculated internally in the program, with the user specifying either impingement or convection heat transfer at each internal flow station. Spent impingement air flows in a chordwise direction and is discharged through the trailing edge and through film cooling holes. The ability of the program to handle film cooling is limited by the internal flow model. Sample problems, with tables of input and output, are included in the report. Input to the program includes a description of the blade geometry, coolant supply conditions, outside thermal boundary conditions, and wheel speed. The blade wall can have two layers of different materials, such as a ceramic thermal barrier coating over a metallic substrate. Program output includes the temperature at each node, the coolant pressures and flow rates, and the inside heat-transfer coefficients.

Ultrasensitive Nanoelectrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry using Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Microchips with Monolithically Integrated Emitters

PubMed Central

Sun, Xuefei; Kelly, Ryan T.; Tang, Keqi; Smith, Richard D.

2010-01-01

Summary Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is a widely used substrate for microfluidic devices, as it enables facile fabrication and has other distinctive properties. However, for applications requiring highly sensitive nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nanoESI-MS) detection, the use of PDMS microdevices has been hindered by a large chemical background in the mass spectra that originates from the leaching of uncross-linked oligomers and other contaminants from the substrate. A more general challenge is that microfluidic devices containing monolithically integrated electrospray emitters are frequently unable to operate stably in the nanoflow regime where the best sensitivity is achieved. In this report, we extracted the contaminants from PDMS substrates using a series of solvents, eliminating the background observed when untreated PDMS microchips are used for nanoESI-MS, such that peptides at concentrations of 1 nM were readily detected. Optimization of the integrated emitter geometry enabled stable operation at flow rates as low as 10 nL/min. PMID:20617264

Heteroepitaxial diamond growth on 4H-SiC using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition.

PubMed

Moore, Eric; Jarrell, Joshua; Cao, Lei

2017-09-01

Deposition of heteroepitaxial diamond via microwave chemical vapor deposition has been performed on a 4H-SiC substrate using bias enhanced nucleation followed by a growth step. In future work, the diamond film will serve as a protective layer for an alpha particle sensor designed to function in an electrorefiner during pyroprocessing of spent fuel. The diamond deposition on the 4H-SiC substrate was carried out using a methane-hydrogen gas mixture with varying gas flow rates. The nucleation step was conducted for 30 minutes and provided sufficient nucleation sites to grow a diamond film on various locations on the substrate. The resulting diamond film was characterized using Raman spectroscopy exhibiting the strong Raman peak at 1332 cm -1 . Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the surface morphology and the average grain size of the diamond film was observed to be on the order of ∼2-3 μm.

Controllable dimension of ZnO nanowalls on GaN/c-Al2O3 substrate by vapor phase epitaxy method.

PubMed

Song, W Y; Shin, T I; Kang, S M; Kim, S W; Yang, J H; Park, M H; Yang, C W; Yoon, D H

2008-09-01

Vertically well-aligned ZnO nanowalls were successfully synthesized at 950-1050 degrees C. Ar gas was introduced into the furnace at a flow rate of 2000-2500 sccm. An Au thin film with a thickness of 3 nm was used as a catalyst. The ZnO nanowalls were successfully grown on the substrate and most of them had nearly the same thickness and were oriented perpendicular to the substrate. The morphology and chemical composition of the ZnO nanowalls were examined as a function of the growth conditions examined. It was found that the grown ZnO nanowalls have a single-crystalline hexagonal structure and preferred c-axis growth orientation based on the X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscope measurements. The room temperature photoluminescence showed a strong free-exciton emission band with negligible deep level emission, indicating the high optical property of our ZnO nanowall samples.

Quantitative analysis of oxygen content in copper oxide films using ultra microbalance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Yonghua; Wang, Lianhong; Liu, Chong; Fan, Jing

2014-12-01

Copper oxide films were prepared on quartz substrates through electron beam physical vapor deposition in a vacuum chamber, and the films were observed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The oxygen content of the films were analyzed using an ultra microbalance. Results indicated that when the substrate was heated to 600°C and the oxygen flow rate was 5 sccm, the film was composed of 47% Cu and 53% Cu2O (mass percent), and the oxidation ratio of copper was 25%. After the deposition process at the same condition, i.e. the substrate at temperature of 600°C and blowed by oxygen flowrate of 5 sccm, then in-stu annealed at 600°C in low oxygen pressure of 10 Pa for 30 minutes, the film composition became 22% Cu2O and 78% CuO (mass percent), and the oxidation ratio of copper greatly increased to about 88%.

Thermal stability of trapped hydrogen in amorphous carbon thin films on Si substrate using ion beam scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, A.; Tecos, G.; Nandasiri, M. I.; Garratt, E.; Wickey, K. J.; Gao, X.; Kayani, A.

2009-11-01

Unbalanced magnetron sputtering deposition of C-H films has been performed with various levels of negative substrate bias and with a fixed flow rate of hydrogen. Argon was used as a sputtering gas and formed the majority of the gas in the plasma. The effect of hydrogenation on the final concentration of trapped elements and their thermal stability with respect to hydrogen content is studied using ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques. The elemental concentrations of the films were measured in samples deposited on silicon substrates with a 3.3 MeV of He++ beam used to perform Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), Non-Rutherford backscattering Spectroscopy (NRBS) and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA). Thermal stability with respect to trapped hydrogen in the film has been studied. As the films were heated in-situ in the vacuum using a o non-gassy button heater, hydrogen was found to be decreasing around 400° C.

A robotics platform for automated batch fabrication of high density, microfluidics-based DNA microarrays, with applications to single cell, multiplex assays of secreted proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Habib; Sutherland, Alex; Shin, Young Shik; Hwang, Kiwook; Qin, Lidong; Krom, Russell-John; Heath, James R.

2011-09-01

Microfluidics flow-patterning has been utilized for the construction of chip-scale miniaturized DNA and protein barcode arrays. Such arrays have been used for specific clinical and fundamental investigations in which many proteins are assayed from single cells or other small sample sizes. However, flow-patterned arrays are hand-prepared, and so are impractical for broad applications. We describe an integrated robotics/microfluidics platform for the automated preparation of such arrays, and we apply it to the batch fabrication of up to eighteen chips of flow-patterned DNA barcodes. The resulting substrates are comparable in quality with hand-made arrays and exhibit excellent substrate-to-substrate consistency. We demonstrate the utility and reproducibility of robotics-patterned barcodes by utilizing two flow-patterned chips for highly parallel assays of a panel of secreted proteins from single macrophage cells.

A robotics platform for automated batch fabrication of high density, microfluidics-based DNA microarrays, with applications to single cell, multiplex assays of secreted proteins

PubMed Central

Ahmad, Habib; Sutherland, Alex; Shin, Young Shik; Hwang, Kiwook; Qin, Lidong; Krom, Russell-John; Heath, James R.

2011-01-01

Microfluidics flow-patterning has been utilized for the construction of chip-scale miniaturized DNA and protein barcode arrays. Such arrays have been used for specific clinical and fundamental investigations in which many proteins are assayed from single cells or other small sample sizes. However, flow-patterned arrays are hand-prepared, and so are impractical for broad applications. We describe an integrated robotics/microfluidics platform for the automated preparation of such arrays, and we apply it to the batch fabrication of up to eighteen chips of flow-patterned DNA barcodes. The resulting substrates are comparable in quality with hand-made arrays and exhibit excellent substrate-to-substrate consistency. We demonstrate the utility and reproducibility of robotics-patterned barcodes by utilizing two flow-patterned chips for highly parallel assays of a panel of secreted proteins from single macrophage cells. PMID:21974603

A robotics platform for automated batch fabrication of high density, microfluidics-based DNA microarrays, with applications to single cell, multiplex assays of secreted proteins.

PubMed

Ahmad, Habib; Sutherland, Alex; Shin, Young Shik; Hwang, Kiwook; Qin, Lidong; Krom, Russell-John; Heath, James R

2011-09-01

Microfluidics flow-patterning has been utilized for the construction of chip-scale miniaturized DNA and protein barcode arrays. Such arrays have been used for specific clinical and fundamental investigations in which many proteins are assayed from single cells or other small sample sizes. However, flow-patterned arrays are hand-prepared, and so are impractical for broad applications. We describe an integrated robotics/microfluidics platform for the automated preparation of such arrays, and we apply it to the batch fabrication of up to eighteen chips of flow-patterned DNA barcodes. The resulting substrates are comparable in quality with hand-made arrays and exhibit excellent substrate-to-substrate consistency. We demonstrate the utility and reproducibility of robotics-patterned barcodes by utilizing two flow-patterned chips for highly parallel assays of a panel of secreted proteins from single macrophage cells. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Improved vacuum-UV (VUV)-initiated photomineralization of organic compounds in water with a xenon excimer flow-through photoreactor (Xe2* lamp, 172 nm) containing an axially centered ceramic oxygenator.

PubMed

Oppenländer, Thomas; Walddörfer, Carsten; Burgbacher, Jens; Kiermeier, Martin; Lachner, Klaus; Weinschrott, Helga

2005-07-01

Xenon excimer (Xe2*) lamps can be used for the oxidation and mineralization of organic compounds in aqueous solution. This vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photochemical method is mainly based on the photochemically initiated homolysis of water that produces hydrogen atoms and hydroxyl radicals. The efficiency of substrate oxidation and mineralization is limited markedly due to the high absorbance of water at the emission maximum of the Xe2* lamp (lambda(max)=172 nm). This photochemical condition generates an extreme heterogeneity between the irradiated volume V(irr) and the non-irradiated ("dark") bulk solution. During VUV-initiated photomineralization of organic substrates, the fast scavenging of hydrogen atoms and of carbon-centered radicals by dissolved molecular oxygen produces a permanent oxygen deficit within V(irr) and adjacent compartments. Hence, at a constant photon flux the concentration of dissolved molecular oxygen within the zones of photo and thermal radical reactions limits the rate of mineralization, i.e. the rate of TOC diminution. Thus, a simple and convenient technique is presented that overcomes this limitation by injection of molecular oxygen (or air) into the irradiated volume by use of a ceramic oxygenator (aerator). The tube oxygenator was centered axially within the xenon excimer flow-through lamp. Consequently, the oxygen or air bubbles enhanced the transfer of dissolved molecular oxygen into the VUV-irradiated volume leading to an increased rate of mineralization of organic model compounds, e.g. 1-heptanol, benzoic acid and potassium hydrogen phthalate.

Influence of substrate diffusion on degradation of dibenzofuran and 3-chlorodibenzofuran by attached and suspended bacteria.

PubMed Central

Harms, H; Zehnder, A J

1994-01-01

Dibenzofuran uptake-associated kinetic parameters of suspended and attached Sphingomonas sp. strain HH19k cells were compared. The suspended cells were studied in a batch system, whereas glass beads in percolated columns were used as the solid support for attached cells. The maximum specific activities of cells in the two systems were the same. The apparent half-maximum uptake rate-associated concentrations (Kt') of attached cells, however, were considerably greater than those of suspended cells and depended on cell density and on percolation velocity. A mathematical model was developed to explain the observed differences in terms of substrate transport to the cells. This model was based on the assumptions that the intrinsic half-maximum uptake rate-associated concentration (Kt) was unchanged and that deviations of Kt' from Kt resulted from the stereometry and the hydrodynamics around the cells. Our calculations showed that (i) diffusion to suspended cells and to single attached cells is efficient and therefore only slightly affects Kt'; (ii) diffusion to cells located on crowded surfaces is considerably lower than that to single attached cells and greatly increases Kt', which depends on the cell density; (iii) the convective-diffusive transport to attached cells that occurs in a percolated column is influenced by the liquid flow and results in dependency of Kt' on the flow rate; and (iv) higher specific affinity of cells correlates with higher susceptibility to diffusion limitation. Properties of the experimental system which limited quantitative proof of exclusively transport-controlled variations of Kt' are discussed. PMID:8085817

Sensor chip and apparatus for tactile and/or flow sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Chang (Inventor); Chen, Jack (Inventor); Engel, Jonathan (Inventor)

2008-01-01

A sensor chip, comprising a flexible, polymer-based substrate, and at least one microfabricated sensor disposed on the substrate and including a conductive element. The at least one sensor comprises at least one of a tactile sensor and a flow sensor. Other embodiments of the present invention include sensors and/or multi-modal sensor nodes.

Sensor chip and apparatus for tactile and/or flow sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Chang (Inventor); Chen, Jack (Inventor); Engel, Jonathan (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A sensor chip, comprising a flexible, polymer-based substrate, and at least one microfabricated sensor disposed on the substrate and including a conductive element. The at least one sensor comprises at least one of a tactile sensor and a flow sensor. Other embodiments of the present invention include sensors and/or multi-modal sensor nodes.

Purifying capability, enzyme activity, and nitrification potentials in December in integrated vertical flow constructed wetland with earthworms and different substrates.

PubMed

Xu, Defu; Gu, Jiaru; Li, Yingxue; Zhang, Yu; Howard, Alan; Guan, Yidong; Li, Jiuhai; Xu, Hui

2016-01-01

The response of purifying capability, enzyme activity, nitrification potentials, and total number of bacteria in the rhizosphere in December to wetland plants, substrates, and earthworms was investigated in integrated vertical flow constructed wetlands (IVFCW). The removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN), NH4-N, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total phosphorus (TP) was increased when earthworms were added into IVFCW. A significantly average removal efficiency of N in IVFCW that employed river sand as substrate and in IVFCW that employed a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate was not found. However, the average removal efficiency of P was higher in IVFCW with a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate than in IVFCW with river sand as substrate. Invertase activity in December was higher in IVFCW that used a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate than in IVFCW which used only river sand as substrate. However, urease activity, nitrification potential, and total number of bacteria in December was higher in IVFCW that employed river sand as substrate than in IVFCW with a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate. The addition of earthworms into the integrated vertical flow constructed wetland increased the above-ground biomass, enzyme activity (catalase, urease, and invertase), nitrification potentials, and total number of bacteria in December. The above-ground biomass of wetland plants was significantly positively correlated with urease and nitrification potentials (p < 0.01). The addition of earthworms into IVFCW increased enzyme activity and nitrification potentials in December, which resulted in improving purifying capability.

Methods and systems for fabricating high quality superconducting tapes

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

Majkic, Goran; Selvamanickam, Venkat

An MOCVD system fabricates high quality superconductor tapes with variable thicknesses. The MOCVD system can include a gas flow chamber between two parallel channels in a housing. A substrate tape is heated and then passed through the MOCVD housing such that the gas flow is perpendicular to the tape's surface. Precursors are injected into the gas flow for deposition on the substrate tape. In this way, superconductor tapes can be fabricated with variable thicknesses, uniform precursor deposition, and high critical current densities.

Scalable continuous flow synthesis of ZnO nanorod arrays in 3-D ceramic honeycomb substrates for low-temperature desulfurization

DOE PAGES

Wang, Sibo; Wu, Yunchao; Miao, Ran; ...

2017-07-26

Scalable and cost-effective synthesis and assembly of technologically important nanostructures in three-dimensional (3D) substrates hold keys to bridge the demonstrated nanotechnologies in academia with industrially relevant scalable manufacturing. In this paper, using ZnO nanorod arrays as an example, a hydrothermal-based continuous flow synthesis (CFS) method is successfully used to integrate the nano-arrays in multi-channeled monolithic cordierite. Compared to the batch process, CFS enhances the average growth rate of nano-arrays by 125%, with the average length increasing from 2 μm to 4.5 μm within the same growth time of 4 hours. The precursor utilization efficiency of CFS is enhanced by 9more » times compared to that of batch process by preserving the majority of precursors in recyclable solution. Computational fluid dynamic simulation suggests a steady-state solution flow and mass transport inside the channels of honeycomb substrates, giving rise to steady and consecutive growth of ZnO nano-arrays with an average length of 10 μm in 12 h. The monolithic ZnO nano-array-integrated cordierite obtained through CFS shows enhanced low-temperature (200 °C) desulfurization capacity and recyclability in comparison to ZnO powder wash-coated cordierite. This can be attributed to exposed ZnO {101¯0} planes, better dispersion and stronger interactions between sorbent and reactant in the ZnO nanorod arrays, as well as the sintering-resistance of nano-array configurations during sulfidation–regeneration cycles. Finally, with the demonstrated scalable synthesis and desulfurization performance of ZnO nano-arrays, a promising, industrially relevant integration strategy is provided to fabricate metal oxide nano-array-based monolithic devices for various environmental and energy applications.« less

Scalable continuous flow synthesis of ZnO nanorod arrays in 3-D ceramic honeycomb substrates for low-temperature desulfurization

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

Wang, Sibo; Wu, Yunchao; Miao, Ran

Scalable and cost-effective synthesis and assembly of technologically important nanostructures in three-dimensional (3D) substrates hold keys to bridge the demonstrated nanotechnologies in academia with industrially relevant scalable manufacturing. In this paper, using ZnO nanorod arrays as an example, a hydrothermal-based continuous flow synthesis (CFS) method is successfully used to integrate the nano-arrays in multi-channeled monolithic cordierite. Compared to the batch process, CFS enhances the average growth rate of nano-arrays by 125%, with the average length increasing from 2 μm to 4.5 μm within the same growth time of 4 hours. The precursor utilization efficiency of CFS is enhanced by 9more » times compared to that of batch process by preserving the majority of precursors in recyclable solution. Computational fluid dynamic simulation suggests a steady-state solution flow and mass transport inside the channels of honeycomb substrates, giving rise to steady and consecutive growth of ZnO nano-arrays with an average length of 10 μm in 12 h. The monolithic ZnO nano-array-integrated cordierite obtained through CFS shows enhanced low-temperature (200 °C) desulfurization capacity and recyclability in comparison to ZnO powder wash-coated cordierite. This can be attributed to exposed ZnO {101¯0} planes, better dispersion and stronger interactions between sorbent and reactant in the ZnO nanorod arrays, as well as the sintering-resistance of nano-array configurations during sulfidation–regeneration cycles. Finally, with the demonstrated scalable synthesis and desulfurization performance of ZnO nano-arrays, a promising, industrially relevant integration strategy is provided to fabricate metal oxide nano-array-based monolithic devices for various environmental and energy applications.« less

Very low temperature (450 °C) selective epitaxial growth of heavily in situ boron-doped SiGe layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aubin, J.; Hartmann, J. M.; Veillerot, M.; Essa, Z.; Sermage, B.

2015-11-01

We have investigated the feasibility of selectively growing SiGe:B layers at 450 °C, 20 Torr in a 300 mm industrial reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition tool. A reduced H2 carrier gas mass-flow has been used in order to have acceptable growth rates at such a temperature, which is very low indeed. We have first of all studied on blanket Si wafers the in situ boron doping of SiGe with Si2H6, GeH4 and B2H6. A growth rate increase by a factor close to 7 together with a Ge concentration decrease from 53% down to 32% occurred as the diborane mass-flow increased. Very high B+ ion concentrations were obtained in layers that were single crystalline and smooth. Their concentration increased almost linearly with the B2H6 mass-flow, from 1.8 up to 8.3 × 1020 cm-3. The associated resistivity dropped from 0.43 down to 0.26 mΩ cm. We have then tested whether or not selectivity versus SiO2 could be achieved by adding various amounts of HCl to Si2H6 + GeH4 +B2H6. Single crystalline growth rates of intrinsic SiGe(:B) on Si were very similar to poly-crystalline growth rates on SiO2-covered substrates irrespective of the HCl flow. Straightforward selectivity was thus not feasible with a co-flow approach. As a consequence, a 450 °C deposition/etch (DE) process was evaluated. Growth occurred at 20 Torr with the above-mentioned chemistry, while the selective etch of poly-SiGe:B versus c-SiGe:B was conducted at 740 Torr with a medium HCl mass-flow (F(HCl)/F(H2) = 0.2) and a high H2 flow. A 2.2 etch selectivity was achieved while retaining single crystalline if slightly rough SiGe:B layers.

Scientific Communication and the Unified Laboratory Sequence1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silverstein, Todd P.; Hudak, Norman J.; Chapple, Frances H.; Goodney, David E.; Brink, Christina P.; Whitehead, Joyce P.

1997-02-01

The "Temperature Dependent Relaxation Kinetics" lab was first implemented in 1987; it uses stopped-flow pH jump techniques to determine rate constants and activation parameters (H, S, G) for a reaction mechanism. Two new experiments (Monoamine Oxidase, and Molecular Modeling) will be implemented in the fall of 1997. The "Monoamine Oxidase" project uses chromatography and spectrophotometry to purify and characterize the enzyme. Subsequent photometric assays explore the enzyme's substrate specificity, activation energy, and denaturation. Finally, in the "Molecular Modeling"project, students characterize enzyme - substrate and drug - receptor interactions. Energy minimization protocols are used to make predictions about protein structure and ligand binding, and to explore pharmacological and biomedical implications. With these additions, the twelve Unified Laboratory projects introduce our chemistry majors to nearly all of the instrumental methods commonly encountered in modern chemistry.

Perchlorate remediation using packed-bed bioreactors and electricity generation in microbial fuel cells (MFCs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Booki

Two pilot-scale fixed bed bioreactors were operated in continuous mode in order to treat groundwater contaminated by perchlorate. The bioreactors were constructed and operated side-by-side at the Texas Street Well Facility in Redlands, California. Each reactor was packed with either sand or plastic media. A perchlorate-reducing bacterium, Dechlorosoma sp. KJ, was used to inoculate the bioreactors. Perchlorate was successfully removed down to a non-detectable level (<4mug/L) in both bioreactors with acetate as a carbon source and nutrients at loading rates less than 0.063 L/s (1 gpm; 0.34 L/m2s). The sand medium bioreactor could achieve complete-perchlorate removal up to flow rate of 0.126 L/s. A regular backwashing cycle (once a week) was an important factor for completely removing perchlorate in groundwater. Power generation directly from pure or mixed organic matter was examined using microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which were run either in batch or continuous mode. In batch experiments, both a pure culture (Geobactor metallireducens) and a mixed culture (wastewater inoculum) were used as the biocatalyst, and acetate was added as substrate in the anode chamber of the MFC. Power output in a membrane MFC with either inoculum was essentially the same, with 40 +/- 1 mW/m2 for G. metallireducens and 38 +/- 1 mW/m2 for mixed culture. A different type of the MFC containing a salt bridge instead of a membrane system was examined to generate power using the same substrate and pure culture as used in the membrane MFC. Power output in the salt bridge MFC was 2.2 mW/m 2. It was found that the lower power output was directly attributed to the higher internal resistance of the salt bridge system (19920 +/- 50 O) in comparison with that of the membrane system (1286 +/- 1 O). Continuous electricity generation was examined in a flat plate microbial fuel cell (FPMFC) using domestic wastewater and specific organic substrates. The FPMFC, containing a combined electrode/proton exchange membrane (PEM), was initially acclimated for one month to domestic wastewater, and then was operated as a plug flow reactor system. Power density using domestic wastewater as a substrate was 72 +/- 1 mW/m2 at a liquid flow rate of 0.39 mL/min (1.1 hr hydraulic retention time, HRT), and COD removal was 42%. At a longer HRT of 4.0 hr, the COD removal increased to 79%, and power density was 43 mW/m2. Several organic compounds (about 1000 mg-COD/L) also generated high power densities including: glucose (212 +/- 2 mW/m2), acetate (286 +/- 3 mW/m2), butyrate (220 +/- 1 mW/m2), dextran (150 +/- 1 mW/m 2), and starch (242 +/- 3 mW/m2). Therefore, it was shown that power could be successfully generated in a continuous-mode MFC with a variety of organic substrates. Animal wastewater was also tested as substrate to generate power in an air-cathode single chamber MFC operated in batch mode. This preliminary experiment demonstrated that power generation could be sustained with animal wastewater and that wastewater strength and odors were substantially reduced in the reactor after only one day of operation.

The Thermal Regime Around Buried Submarine High-Voltage Cables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emeana, C. J.; Dix, J.; Henstock, T.; Gernon, T.; Thompson, C.; Pilgrim, J.

2015-12-01

The expansion of offshore renewable energy infrastructure and the desire for "trans-continental shelf" power transmission, all require the use of submarine High Voltage (HV) cables. These cables have maximum operating surface temperatures of up to 70oC and are typically buried at depths of 1-2 m beneath the seabed, within the wide range of substrates found on the continental shelf. However, the thermal properties of near surface shelf sediments are poorly understood and this increases the uncertainty in determining the required cable current ratings, cable reliability and the potential effects on the sedimentary environments. We present temperature measurements from a 2D laboratory experiment, designed to represent a buried, submarine HV cable. We used a large (2.5 m-high) tank, filled with water-saturated ballotini and instrumented with 120 thermocouples, which measured the time-dependent 2D temperature distributions around the heat source. The experiments use a buried heat source to represent a series of realistic cable surface temperatures with the aim for identifying the thermal regimes generated within typical non-cohesive shelf sediments: coarse silt, fine sand and very coarse sand. The steady state heat flow regimes, and normalised and radial temperature distributions were assessed. Our results show that at temperatures up to 60°C above ambient, the thermal regimes are conductive for the coarse silt sediments and convective for the very coarse sand sediments even at 7°C above ambient. However, the heat flow pattern through the fine sand sediment shows a transition from conductive to convective heat flow at a temperature of approximately 20°C above ambient. These findings offer an important new understanding of the thermal regimes associated with submarine HV cables buried in different substrates and has huge impacts on cable ratings as the IEC 60287 standard only considers conductive heat flow as well as other potential near surface impacts.

Macro-kinetic investigation on phenol uptake from air by biofiltration: Influence of superficial gas flow rate and inlet pollutant concentration

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

Zilli, M.; Fabiano, B.; Ferraiolo, A.

1996-02-20

The macro-kinetic behavior of phenol removal from a synthetic exhaust gas was investigated theoretically as well as experimentally by means of two identical continuously operating laboratory-scale biological filter bed columns. A mixture of peat and glass beads was used as filter material. After sterilization it was inoculated with a pure strain of Pseudomonas putida, as employed in previous experimental studies. To determine the influence of the superficial gas flow rate on biofilter performance and to evaluate the phenol concentration profiles along the column, two series of continuous tests were carried out varying either the inlet phenol concentration, up to 1,650more » mg {center_dot} m{sup {minus}3}, or the superficial gas flow rate, from 30 to 460 m{sup 3} {center_dot} m{sup {minus}2} {center_dot} h{sup {minus}1}. The elimination capacity of the biofilter is proved by a maximum volumetric phenol removal rate of 0.73 kg {center_dot} m{sup {minus}3} {center_dot} h{sup {minus}1}. The experimental results are consistent with a biofilm model incorporating first-order substrate elimination kinetics. The model may be considered a useful tool in scaling-up a biofiltration system. Furthermore, the deodorization capacity of the biofilter was investigated, at inlet phenol concentrations up to 280 mg {center_dot} m{sup {minus}3} and superficial gas flow rates ranging from 30 to 92 m{sup 3} {center_dot} m{sup {minus}2} {center_dot} h{sup {minus}1}. The deodorization of the gas was achieved at a maximum inlet phenol concentration of about 255 mg {center_dot} m{sup {minus}3}, operating at a superficial gas flow rate of 30 m{sup 3} {center_dot} m{sup {minus}2} {center_dot} h{sup {minus}1}.« less

The removal efficiency of constructed wetlands filled with the zeolite-slag hybrid substrate for the rural landfill leachate treatment.

PubMed

He, Hailing; Duan, Zhiwei; Wang, Zhenqing; Yue, Bo

2017-07-01

The removal efficiencies of two horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF CWs, down-flow (F1) and up-flow (F2)) filled with the zeolite-slag hybrid substrate for the rural landfill leachate treatment were investigated. The adsorption experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential of zeolite and slag as the wetland substrate. The effects of distance variations along the longitudinal profile of wetland bed on pollutant removal were assessed by sampling at four locations (inlet, outlet, 0.55 m, and 1.10 m from the inlet). During the operation time, the influent and effluent concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N), total nitrogen (TN), heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) were measured. The results showed that the constructed wetlands were capable of removing COD, 20.5-48.2% (F1) and 18.6-61.2% (F2); NH 3 -N, 84.0-99.9% (F1) and 93.5-99.2% (F2); TN, 80.3-92.1% (F1) and 80.3-91.2% (F2); and heavy metals, about 90% (F1 and F2). The zeolite-slag hybrid substrate performed excellent removal efficiency for the nitrogen and heavy metals. The inlet area was the most active region of leachate removal. The up-flow constructed wetland (F2) has a higher removal efficiency for the PAH compounds. The significant removal efficiency illustrated that the rural landfill leachate can be treated using the horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland filled with the zeolite-slag hybrid substrate.

Characteristic angles in the wetting of an angular region: deposit growth.

PubMed

Popov, Yuri O; Witten, Thomas A

2003-09-01

Solids dispersed in a drying drop migrate to the (pinned) contact line. This migration is caused by outward flows driven by the loss of the solvent due to evaporation and by geometrical constraint that the drop maintains an equilibrium surface shape with a fixed boundary. Here, in continuation of our earlier paper, we theoretically investigate the evaporation rate, the flow field, and the rate of growth of the deposit patterns in a drop over an angular sector on a plane substrate. Asymptotic power laws near the vertex (as distance to the vertex goes to zero) are obtained. A hydrodynamic model of fluid flow near the singularity of the vertex is developed and the velocity field is obtained. The rate of the deposit growth near the contact line is found in two time regimes. The deposited mass falls off as a weak power gamma of distance close to the vertex and as a stronger power beta of distance further from the vertex. The power gamma depends only slightly on the opening angle alpha and stays roughly between -1/3 and 0. The power beta varies from -1 to 0 as the opening angle increases from 0 degrees to 180 degrees. At a given distance from the vertex, the deposited mass grows faster and faster with time, with the greatest increase in the growth rate occurring at the early stages of the drying process.

Information storage at the molecular level - The design of a molecular shift register memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beratan, David N.; Onuchic, Jose Nelson; Hopfield, J. J.

1989-01-01

The control of electron transfer rates is discussed and a molecular shift register memory at the molecular level is described. The memory elements are made up of molecules which can exist in either an oxidized or reduced state and the bits can be shifted between the cells with photoinduced electron transfer reactions. The device integrates designed molecules onto a VLSI substrate. A control structure to modify the flow of information along a shift register is indicated schematically.

Enzyme-coated microelectrodes to monitor lactate production in a nanoliter microfluidic cell culture device

PubMed Central

Ges, Igor A.; Baudenbacher, Franz

2015-01-01

Monitoring the degree of anaerobic respiration of cells in high density microscale culture systems is an enabling key technology and essential for cell-based biosensors. We have fabricated and incorporated miniature amperometric lactate sensing electrodes with working areas from 3 to 5×10−2 mm2 into a microfluidic-based microscale cell culture system to measure the lactate production rate of fibroblasts in nanoliter volumes. Planar thin film platinum electrode arrays on glass substrates were spin coated with lactate oxidase and a protective Nafion layer. The lactate electrodes had a high enzymatic activity described by a Michaelis-Menten constant of 2.6±0.1 mM, a linear response in the range 0.01÷2.5mM and a sensitivity of 7.3×10−2mA/mM·cm2. A replica-molded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic device with nanoliter sensing volumes was aligned and sealed to a glass substrate with the sensing electrodes. We trapped fibroblasts in the cell culture volume and measured the lactate production rate using a stop and flow protocol. The average lactate production rate was 0.011±0.0049mM/min. The lactate production was suppressed with the addition of 2-deoxy-D-glucose, which binds to hexokinase. The blocking of hexokinase prevents the generation of pyruvate, the intermittent substrate required for lactate production even in the presence of glucose. PMID:20566279

Selective formation of GaN-based nanorod heterostructures on soda-lime glass substrates by a local heating method.

PubMed

Hong, Young Joon; Kim, Yong-Jin; Jeon, Jong-Myeong; Kim, Miyoung; Choi, Jun Hee; Baik, Chan Wook; Kim, Sun Il; Park, Sung Soo; Kim, Jong Min; Yi, Gyu-Chul

2011-05-20

We report on the fabrication of high-quality GaN on soda-lime glass substrates, heretofore precluded by both the intolerance of soda-lime glass to the high temperatures required for III-nitride growth and the lack of an epitaxial relationship with amorphous glass. The difficulties were circumvented by heteroepitaxial coating of GaN on ZnO nanorods via a local microheating method. Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of ZnO nanorods and GaN layers using the microheater arrays produced high-quality GaN/ZnO coaxial nanorod heterostructures at only the desired regions on the soda-lime glass substrates. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy examination of the coaxial nanorod heterostructures indicated the formation of an abrupt, semicoherent interface. Photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy was also applied to confirm the high optical quality of the coaxial nanorod heterostructures. Mg-doped GaN/ZnO coaxial nanorod heterostructure arrays, whose GaN shell layers were grown with various different magnesocene flow rates, were further investigated by using photoluminescence spectroscopy for the p-type doping characteristics. The suggested method for fabrication of III-nitrides on glass substrates signifies potentials for low-cost and large-size optoelectronic device applications.

Production of FucoPol by Enterobacter A47 using waste tomato paste by-product as sole carbon source.

PubMed

Antunes, Sílvia; Freitas, Filomena; Sevrin, Chantal; Grandfils, Christian; Reis, Maria A M

2017-03-01

Out-of-specification tomato paste, a by-product from the tomato processing industry, was used as the sole substrate for cultivation of the bacterium Enterobacter A47 and production of FucoPol, a value-added fucose-rich extracellular polysaccharide. Among the different tested fed-batch strategies, pH-stat, DO-stat and continuous substrate feeding, the highest production (8.77gL -1 ) and overall volumetric productivity (2.92gL -1 d -1 ) were obtained with continuous substrate feeding at a constant flow rate of 11gh -1 . The polymer produced had the typical FucoPol composition (37mol% fucose, 27mol% galactose, 23mol% glucose and 12mol% glucuronic acid, with an acyl groups content of 13wt%). The average molecular weight was 4.4×10 6 Da and the polydispersity index was 1.2. This study demonstrated that out-of-specification tomato paste is a suitable low-cost substrate for the production of FucoPol, thus providing a route for the valorization of this by-product into a high-value microbial product. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Wagner-Nelson method can generate an accurate gastric emptying flow curve from CO2 data obtained by a 13C-labeled substrate breath test.

PubMed

Sanaka, Masaki; Yamamoto, Takatsugu; Ishii, Tarou; Kuyama, Yasushi

2004-01-01

In pharmacokinetics, the Wagner-Nelson (W-N) method can accurately estimate the rate of drug absorption from its urinary elimination rate. A stable isotope (13C) breath test attempts to estimate the rate of absorption of 13C, as an index of gastric emptying rate, from the rate of pulmonary elimination of 13CO2. The time-gastric emptying curve determined by the breath test is quite different from that determined by scintigraphy or ultrasonography. In this report, we have shown that the W-N method can adjust the difference. The W-N equation to estimate gastric emptying from breath data is as follows: the fractional cumulative amount of gastric contents emptied by time t = Abreath (t)/Abreath (infinity) + (1/0.65).d[Abreath (t)/Abreath (infinity) ]/dt, where Abreath (t) = the cumulative recovery of 13CO2 in breath by time t and Abreath ( infinity ) = the ultimate cumulative 13CO2 recovery. The emptying flow curve generated by ultrasonography was compared with that generated by the W-N method-adjusted breath test in 6 volunteers. The emptying curves by the W-N method were almost identical to those by ultrasound. The W-N method can generate an accurate emptying flow curve from 13CO2 data, and it can adjust the difference between ultrasonography and the breath test. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Sudden substrate dilution induces a higher rate of citric acid production by Aspergillus niger.

PubMed Central

Legisa, M; Gradisnik-Grapulin, M

1995-01-01

On the basis of the present knowledge of Aspergillus niger metabolism during citric acid fermentation, an idea on how to improve the process was formed. Initially, a higher sucrose concentration was used for the germination of spores, which caused a higher intracellular level of the osmoregulator, glycerol, to be present. When citric acid started to be excreted into the medium, the substrate was suddenly diluted. Optimization of this procedure resulted in a nearly tripled volumetric rate (grams per liter per hour) of acid production, while the overall fermentation time was halved compared with the usual batch process. Yet, a characteristic delay was observed at the start of the acid excretion after the dilution. Hypo-osmotic shock caused a prominent elevation of intracellular cyclic AMP levels. Simultaneously, the specific activity of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase increased significantly, probably due to phosphorylation of the protein molecule by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Specific 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase activity was much higher in the treated than in the normally growing mycelium. The metabolic flow through glycolysis was expected to be higher, which should contribute to a higher volumetric rate of acid production. PMID:7618885

Sudden substrate dilution induces a higher rate of citric acid production by Aspergillus niger.

PubMed

Legisa, M; Gradisnik-Grapulin, M

1995-07-01

On the basis of the present knowledge of Aspergillus niger metabolism during citric acid fermentation, an idea on how to improve the process was formed. Initially, a higher sucrose concentration was used for the germination of spores, which caused a higher intracellular level of the osmoregulator, glycerol, to be present. When citric acid started to be excreted into the medium, the substrate was suddenly diluted. Optimization of this procedure resulted in a nearly tripled volumetric rate (grams per liter per hour) of acid production, while the overall fermentation time was halved compared with the usual batch process. Yet, a characteristic delay was observed at the start of the acid excretion after the dilution. Hypo-osmotic shock caused a prominent elevation of intracellular cyclic AMP levels. Simultaneously, the specific activity of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase increased significantly, probably due to phosphorylation of the protein molecule by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Specific 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase activity was much higher in the treated than in the normally growing mycelium. The metabolic flow through glycolysis was expected to be higher, which should contribute to a higher volumetric rate of acid production.

Substrate effects on endothelial cell adherence rates.

PubMed

Scott, W J; Mann, P

1990-01-01

Endothelial cell attachment to a synthetic substrate was studied using an in vitro model system. Attachment rate was defined as the number of tritium-labeled endothelial cells attached to a synthetic substrate after 30 minutes. The surface of the synthetic substrate was chemically modified with either laminin or fibronectin. Labeled endothelial cells attached more rapidly to synthetic substrate, chemically modified with biomolecules, as compared with the untreated substrate controls. Unlabeled endothelial cells were grown to confluency on a second set of modified and untreated substrates. The cells were removed with 1% Triton, and the rate of re-endothelialization with tritium-labeled endothelial cells was determined. The rate was 11-13 times that of the same cells on untreated substrate. These data confirm that biomolecules increase the attachment rate of endothelial cells to synthetic substrate, and also suggest that endothelial cells may secrete a Triton-insoluble product (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) into subendothelial matrix that increases re-endothelialization.

An SOI CMOS-Based Multi-Sensor MEMS Chip for Fluidic Applications.

PubMed

Mansoor, Mohtashim; Haneef, Ibraheem; Akhtar, Suhail; Rafiq, Muhammad Aftab; De Luca, Andrea; Ali, Syed Zeeshan; Udrea, Florin

2016-11-04

An SOI CMOS multi-sensor MEMS chip, which can simultaneously measure temperature, pressure and flow rate, has been reported. The multi-sensor chip has been designed keeping in view the requirements of researchers interested in experimental fluid dynamics. The chip contains ten thermodiodes (temperature sensors), a piezoresistive-type pressure sensor and nine hot film-based flow rate sensors fabricated within the oxide layer of the SOI wafers. The silicon dioxide layers with embedded sensors are relieved from the substrate as membranes with the help of a single DRIE step after chip fabrication from a commercial CMOS foundry. Very dense sensor packing per unit area of the chip has been enabled by using technologies/processes like SOI, CMOS and DRIE. Independent apparatuses were used for the characterization of each sensor. With a drive current of 10 µA-0.1 µA, the thermodiodes exhibited sensitivities of 1.41 mV/°C-1.79 mV/°C in the range 20-300 °C. The sensitivity of the pressure sensor was 0.0686 mV/(V excit kPa) with a non-linearity of 0.25% between 0 and 69 kPa above ambient pressure. Packaged in a micro-channel, the flow rate sensor has a linearized sensitivity of 17.3 mV/(L/min) -0.1 in the tested range of 0-4.7 L/min. The multi-sensor chip can be used for simultaneous measurement of fluid pressure, temperature and flow rate in fluidic experiments and aerospace/automotive/biomedical/process industries.

An SOI CMOS-Based Multi-Sensor MEMS Chip for Fluidic Applications †

PubMed Central

Mansoor, Mohtashim; Haneef, Ibraheem; Akhtar, Suhail; Rafiq, Muhammad Aftab; De Luca, Andrea; Ali, Syed Zeeshan; Udrea, Florin

2016-01-01

An SOI CMOS multi-sensor MEMS chip, which can simultaneously measure temperature, pressure and flow rate, has been reported. The multi-sensor chip has been designed keeping in view the requirements of researchers interested in experimental fluid dynamics. The chip contains ten thermodiodes (temperature sensors), a piezoresistive-type pressure sensor and nine hot film-based flow rate sensors fabricated within the oxide layer of the SOI wafers. The silicon dioxide layers with embedded sensors are relieved from the substrate as membranes with the help of a single DRIE step after chip fabrication from a commercial CMOS foundry. Very dense sensor packing per unit area of the chip has been enabled by using technologies/processes like SOI, CMOS and DRIE. Independent apparatuses were used for the characterization of each sensor. With a drive current of 10 µA–0.1 µA, the thermodiodes exhibited sensitivities of 1.41 mV/°C–1.79 mV/°C in the range 20–300 °C. The sensitivity of the pressure sensor was 0.0686 mV/(Vexcit kPa) with a non-linearity of 0.25% between 0 and 69 kPa above ambient pressure. Packaged in a micro-channel, the flow rate sensor has a linearized sensitivity of 17.3 mV/(L/min)−0.1 in the tested range of 0–4.7 L/min. The multi-sensor chip can be used for simultaneous measurement of fluid pressure, temperature and flow rate in fluidic experiments and aerospace/automotive/biomedical/process industries. PMID:27827904

Surface instability of a thin electrolyte film undergoing coupled electroosmotic and electrophoretic flows in a microfluidic channel.

PubMed

Ray, Bahni; Reddy, Puchalapalli Dinesh Sankar; Bandyopadhyay, Dipankar; Joo, Sang W; Sharma, Ashutosh; Qian, Shizhi; Biswas, Gautam

2011-11-01

We consider the stability of a thin liquid film with a free charged surface resting on a solid charged substrate by performing a general Orr-Sommerfeld (O-S) analysis complemented by a long-wave (LW) analysis. An externally applied field generates an electroosmotic flow (EOF) near the solid substrate and an electrophoretic flow (EPF) at the free surface. The EPF retards the EOF when both the surfaces have the same sign of the potential and can even lead to the flow reversal in a part of the film. In conjunction with the hydrodynamic stress, the Maxwell stress is also considered in the problem formulation. The electrokinetic potential at the liquid-air and solid-liquid interfaces is modelled by the Poisson-Boltzmann equation with the Debye-Hückel approximation. The O-S analysis shows a finite-wavenumber shear mode of instability when the inertial forces are strong and an LW interfacial mode of instability in the regime where the viscous force dominates. Interestingly, both the modes are found to form beyond a critical flow rate. The shear (interfacial) mode is found to be dominant when the film is thick (thin), the electric field applied is strong (weak), and the zeta-potentials on the liquid-air and solid-liquid interfaces are high (small). The LW analysis predicts the presence of the interfacial mode, but fails to capture the shear mode. The change in the propagation direction of the interfacial mode with the zeta-potential is predicted by both O-S and LW analyses. The parametric range in which the LW analysis is valid is thus demonstrated. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Whole-stream metabolism of a perennial spring-fed aufeis field in Alaska, with coincident surface and subsurface flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrickson, P. J.; Gooseff, M. N.; Huryn, A. D.

2017-12-01

Aufeis (icings or naleds) are seasonal arctic and sub-arctic features that accumulate through repeated overflow and freeze events of river or spring discharge. Aufeis fields, defined as the substrate on which aufeis form and the overlaying ice, have been studied to mitigate impacts on engineering structures; however, ecological characteristics and functions of aufeis fields are poorly understood. The perennial springs that supply warm water to aufeis fields create unique fluvial habitats, and are thought to act as winter and summer oases for biota. To investigate ecosystem function, we measured whole-stream metabolism at the Kuparuk River Aufeis (North Slope, AK), a large ( 5 km2) field composed of cobble substrate and predominately subsurface flow dynamics. The single-station open channel diel oxygen method was utilized at several dissolved oxygen (DO) stations located within and downstream of the aufeis field. DO loggers were installed in August 2016, and data downloaded summer 2017. Daily ecosystem respiration (ER), gross primary production (GPP) and reaeration rates were modeled using BASE, a package freely available in the open-source software R. Preliminary results support net heterotrophy during a two-week period of DO measurements in the fall season when minimum ice extent is observed. GPP, ER, and net metabolism are greater at the upstream reach near the spring source (P/R = 0.53), and decrease as flow moves downstream. As flow exits the aufeis field, surface and subsurface flow are incorporated into the metabolism model, and indicate the stream system becomes dependent on autochthonous production (P/R = 0.91). Current work is directed towards spring and summer discharge and metabolic parameter estimation, which is associated with maximum ice extent and rapid melting of the aufeis feature.

Design and Fabrication of a PDMS Microchip Based Immunoassay

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

Shao, Guocheng; Wang, Wanjun; Wang, Jun

2010-07-01

In this paper, we describe the design and fabrication process of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchip for on-chip multiplex immunoassay application. The microchip consists of a PDMS microfluidic channel layer and a micro pneumatic valve control layer. By selectively pressurizing the pneumatic microvalves, immuno reagents were controlled to flow and react in certain fluidic channel sites. Cross contamination was prevented by tightly closed valves. Our design was proposed to utilize PDMS micro channel surface as the solid phase immunoassay substrate and simultaneously detect four targets antigens on chip. Experiment result shows that 20psi valve pressure is sufficient to tightly close amore » 200µm wide micro channel with flow rate up to 20µl/min.« less

Screw-actuated displacement micropumps for thermoplastic microfluidics.

PubMed

Han, J Y; Rahmanian, O D; Kendall, E L; Fleming, N; DeVoe, D L

2016-10-05

The fabrication of on-chip displacement pumps integrated into thermoplastic chips is explored as a simple and low cost method for achieving precise and programmable flow control for disposable microfluidic systems. The displacement pumps consist of stainless steel screws inserted into threaded ports machined into a thermoplastic substrate which also serve as on-chip reagent storage reservoirs. Three different methods for pump sealing are investigated to enable high pressure flows without leakage, and software-defined control of multiple pumps is demonstrated in a self-contained platform using a compact and self-contained microcontroller for operation. Using this system, flow rates ranging from 0.5-40 μl min -1 are demonstrated. The pumps are combined with on-chip burst valves to fully seal multiple reagents into fabricated chips while providing on-demand fluid distribution in a downstream microfluidic network, and demonstrated for the generation of size-tunable water-in-oil emulsions.

Theoretical modeling on the laser-induced phase deformation of liquid crystal optical phased shifter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Zhuangqi; Wang, Xiangru; Zhuo, Rusheng; He, Xiaoxian; Wu, Liang; Wang, Xiaolin; Tan, Qinggui; Qiu, Qi

2018-03-01

To improve the working condition of liquid crystal phase shifter on incident laser power, a theoretical model on laser induced phase distortion is built on the physics of heat deposition and heat transfer. Four typical factors (absorption, heat sink structure, cooling fluid rate, and substrate) are analyzed to evaluate the influence of phase distortion when a relative high-power laser is pumped into the liquid crystal phase shifter. Flow rate of cooling fluid and heat sink structure are the most important two factors on improving the limit of incident laser power. Meanwhile, silicon wafer is suggested to replace the back glass contacting the heat sink, because of its higher heat transfer coefficient. If the device is fabricated on the conditions that: the total absorption is 5% and it has a strong heat sink structure with a flow rate of 0.01 m/s, when the incident laser power is 110W, the laser-induced phase deformation on the center is diminished to be less than 0.06, and the maximum temperature increase on the center is less than 1K degree.

Low-temperature (120 °C) growth of nanocrystalline silicon films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition from SiCl 4/H 2 gases: Microstructure characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, L.; Gao, J. H.; Xiao, J. Q.; Wen, L. S.; Gong, J.; Sun, C.

2012-01-01

Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) films were prepared using diluted tetrachlorosilane (SiCl4) with various hydrogen flow rates (Hf) by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at a constant substrate temperature (Ts) as low as 120 °C. Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectra (IR) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) were employed to investigate the microstructure and hydrogen bonding of the nc-Si:H films. Our results showed that the microstructure and hydrogen content of the films could be effectively tailored by the hydrogen flow rates, and a distinct transition from amorphous to nanocrystalline phase was observed with an increase of Hf. At an optimal preparation condition, a deposition rate was as high as 3.7 nm/min and the crystallinity reached up to 64.1%. In addition, the effect of hydrogen on the low-temperature growth of nc-Si:H film was proposed in relation to the surface reaction of radicals and the hydrogen diffusion in the surface growing region.

Combinatorial Characterization of TiO2 Chemical Vapor Deposition Utilizing Titanium Isopropoxide.

PubMed

Reinke, Michael; Ponomarev, Evgeniy; Kuzminykh, Yury; Hoffmann, Patrik

2015-07-13

The combinatorial characterization of the growth kinetics in chemical vapor deposition processes is challenging because precise information about the local precursor flow is usually difficult to access. In consequence, combinatorial chemical vapor deposition techniques are utilized more to study functional properties of thin films as a function of chemical composition, growth rate or crystallinity than to study the growth process itself. We present an experimental procedure which allows the combinatorial study of precursor surface kinetics during the film growth using high vacuum chemical vapor deposition. As consequence of the high vacuum environment, the precursor transport takes place in the molecular flow regime, which allows predicting and modifying precursor impinging rates on the substrate with comparatively little experimental effort. In this contribution, we study the surface kinetics of titanium dioxide formation using titanium tetraisopropoxide as precursor molecule over a large parameter range. We discuss precursor flux and temperature dependent morphology, crystallinity, growth rates, and precursor deposition efficiency. We conclude that the surface reaction of the adsorbed precursor molecules comprises a higher order reaction component with respect to precursor surface coverage.

Effects of temperature on microbial transformation of organic matter - comparing stories told by purified enzyme assays, chemostat experiments and soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmeier, C.; Min, K.; Good, H. J.; Billings, S. A.

2015-12-01

Temperature (T) is a major determinant of microbial decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM). Quantifying T responses of microbial C fluxes is crucial to improve predictions of SOM dynamics and atmospheric CO2 concentrations, but interpretation of experimental data is complicated by many properties inherent to soils. Comparing such data with complementary, reductionist experiments can help to identify basic mechanisms and interpret soil measurements. We quantified T effects on activity levels (i.e., rates of substrate cleavage) of microbial extracellular enzymes β-glucosidase (BGase) and β-N-acetyl glucosaminidase (NAGase), and on rates of CO2 efflux in soil incubations. We compare the results to those derived from purified enzyme assays, and to measurements of microbial respiration rates in continuous-flow chemostat culture in which a population of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens was grown on medium with similar C:N ratio as the incubated SOM (10:1). Activity levels of both BGase and NAGase decreased by 80% between 25 and 5 °C. These T responses were higher than predictions from intrinsic (i.e., maximum) T responses in purified assays of BGase (minus 50%) and NAGase (minus 67%). This suggests that factors like physical access to substrate or reduced microbial production of enzymes constrained substrate decomposition rates in the soils relatively more at low than at high T. In chemostats, (mass-)specific bacterial respiration rate at T 14.5 °C was 50% of the rate observed at 26.5 °C; in contrast, CO2 efflux from the soil incubations decreased by only ~25% from 25 to 15 °C. The reason for this discrepancy can be manifold, including changes in microbial community composition, but results from ongoing measurements of microbial biomass in the soil samples will allow a closer comparison of these respiration rate responses. Our efforts highlight the significance of experimenting across scales and complexity for a better understanding of SOM dynamics.

Vacuum vapor deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poorman, Richard M. (Inventor); Weeks, Jack L. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

A method and apparatus is described for vapor deposition of a thin metallic film utilizing an ionized gas arc directed onto a source material spaced from a substrate to be coated in a substantial vacuum while providing a pressure differential between the source and the substrate so that, as a portion of the source is vaporized, the vapors are carried to the substrate. The apparatus includes a modified tungsten arc welding torch having a hollow electrode through which a gas, preferably inert, flows and an arc is struck between the electrode and the source. The torch, source, and substrate are confined within a chamber within which a vacuum is drawn. When the arc is struck, a portion of the source is vaporized and the vapors flow rapidly toward the substrate. A reflecting shield is positioned about the torch above the electrode and the source to ensure that the arc is struck between the electrode and the source at startup. The electrode and the source may be confined within a vapor guide housing having a duct opening toward the substrate for directing the vapors onto the substrate.

Experimental Evaluation of Hot Films on Ceramic Substrates for Skin-Friction Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noffz, Gregory K.; Lavine, Adrienne S.; Hamory, Philip J.

2003-01-01

An investigation has been performed on the use of low-thermal conductivity, ceramic substrates for hot films intended to measure skin friction. Hot films were deposited on two types of ceramic substrates. Four hot films used composite-ceramic substrates with subsurface thermocouples (TCs), and two hot films were deposited on thin Macor(R) substrates. All six sensors were tested side by side in the wall of the NASA Glenn Research Center 8-ft by 6-ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel (SWT). Data were obtained from zero flow to Mach 1.98 in air. Control measurements were made with three Preston tubes and two boundary-layer rakes. The tests were repeated at two different hot film power levels. All hot films and subsurface TCs functioned throughout the three days of testing. At zero flow, the films on the high-thermal conductivity Macor(R) substrates required approximately twice the power as those on the composite-ceramic substrates. Skin-friction results were consistent with the control measurements. Estimates of the conduction heat losses were made using the embedded TCs but were hampered by variability in coating thicknesses and TC locations.

Performance of system consisting of vertical flow trickling filter and horizontal flow multi-soil-layering reactor for treatment of rural wastewater.

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Cheng, Yan; Yang, Chunping; Luo, Wei; Zeng, Guangming; Lu, Li

2015-10-01

In order to improve nitrogen removal for rural wastewater, a novel two-stage hybrid system, consisting of a vertical flow trickling filter (VFTF) and a horizontal flow multi-soil-layering (HFMSL) bioreactor was developed. The performance of the apparatus was observed under various carbon-nitrogen ratios and water spraying frequencies separately. The maximum removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN) for the hybrid system was 92.8% while the removal rates of CODCr, ammonium (NH4(+)-N), and total phosphorus (TP) were 94.1%, 96.1%, 92.0% respectively, and the corresponding effluent concentrations were 3.61, 21.20, 1.91, and 0.33 mg L(-1). The horizontal flow mode for MSL led the system to denitrifying satisfactorily as it ensured relatively long hydraulic retention time (HRT), ideal anoxic condition and adequate organic substrates supply. Also, higher water spraying frequency benefited intermittent feeding system for pollutants removal. Shock loading test indicated that the hybrid system could operate well even at hydraulic shock loadings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing Marine Microbial Induced Corrosion at Santa Catalina Island, California

PubMed Central

Ramírez, Gustavo A.; Hoffman, Colleen L.; Lee, Michael D.; Lesniewski, Ryan A.; Barco, Roman A.; Garber, Arkadiy; Toner, Brandy M.; Wheat, Charles G.; Edwards, Katrina J.; Orcutt, Beth N.

2016-01-01

High iron and eutrophic conditions are reported as environmental factors leading to accelerated low-water corrosion, an enhanced form of near-shore microbial induced corrosion. To explore this hypothesis, we deployed flow-through colonization systems in laboratory-based aquarium tanks under a continuous flow of surface seawater from Santa Catalina Island, CA, USA, for periods of 2 and 6 months. Substrates consisted of mild steel – a major constituent of maritime infrastructure – and the naturally occurring iron sulfide mineral pyrite. Four conditions were tested: free-venting “high-flux” conditions; a “stagnant” condition; an “active” flow-through condition with seawater slowly pumped over the substrates; and an “enrichment” condition where the slow pumping of seawater was supplemented with nutrient rich medium. Electron microscopy analyses of the 2-month high flux incubations document coating of substrates with “twisted stalks,” resembling iron oxyhydroxide bioprecipitates made by marine neutrophilic Fe-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB). Six-month incubations exhibit increased biofilm and substrate corrosion in the active flow and nutrient enriched conditions relative to the stagnant condition. A scarcity of twisted stalks was observed for all 6 month slow-flow conditions compared to the high-flux condition, which may be attributable to oxygen concentrations in the slow-flux conditions being prohibitively low for sustained growth of stalk-producing bacteria. All substrates developed microbial communities reflective of the original seawater input, as based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Deltaproteobacteria sequences increased in relative abundance in the active flow and nutrient enrichment conditions, whereas Gammaproteobacteria sequences were relatively more abundant in the stagnant condition. These results indicate that (i) high-flux incubations with higher oxygen availability favor the development of biofilms with twisted stalks resembling those of marine neutrophilic FeOB and (ii) long-term nutrient stimulation results in substrate corrosion and biofilms with different bacterial community composition and structure relative to stagnant and non-nutritionally enhanced incubations. Similar microbial succession scenarios, involving increases in nutritional input leading to the proliferation of anaerobic iron and sulfur-cycling guilds, may occur at the nearby Port of Los Angeles and cause potential damage to maritime port infrastructure. PMID:27826293

Process-structure-property relationships of micron thick gadolinium oxide films deposited by reactive electron beam-physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grave, Daniel A.

Gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) is an attractive material for solid state neutron detection due to gadolinium's high thermal neutron capture cross section. Development of neutron detectors based on Gd2 O3 requires sufficiently thick films to ensure neutron absorption. In this dissertation work, the process-structure-property relationships of micron thick Gd2O3 films deposited by reactive electron-beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) were studied. Through a systematic design of experiments, fundamental studies were conducted to determine the effects of processing conditions such as deposition temperature, oxygen flow rate, deposition rate, and substrate material on Gd2O3 film crystallographic phase, texture, morphology, grain size, density, and surface roughness. Films deposited at high rates (> 5 A/s) were examined via x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Quantitative phase volume calculations were performed via a Rietveld refinement technique. All films deposited at high rates were found to be fully monoclinic or mixed cubic/monoclinic phase. Generally, increased deposition temperature and increased oxygen flow resulted in increased cubic phase volume. As film thickness increased, monoclinic phase volume increased. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD) depth profiling analysis showed that cubic phase was only present under large incidence angle (large penetration depth) measurements, and after a certain point, only monoclinic phase was grown. This was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis with selected area diffraction (SAD). Based on this information, a large compressive stress was hypothesized to cause the formation of the monoclinic phase and this hypothesis was confirmed by demonstrating the existence of a stress induced phase transition. An experiment was designed to introduce compressive stress into the Gd2O 3 films via ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). This allowed for systematic increase in compressive stress while keeping a large adatom diffusion length on the film surface. Crystallographic texture evolution in the Gd2O3 films was investigated for different substrate types. At high rates, it was shown that films deposited on different substrates (quartz, silicon, sapphire, and GaN) all had similar theta-2theta diffraction patterns, suggesting that films grew similarly on different substrates due to the low adatom mobility. However, significant differences in texture were observed for films deposited at low rates (< 1 A/s) and high temperature (650°C) on different substrates. For evaluation of in-plane texture in the Gd2O 3 films, pole figure analysis was performed. Mixed phase films deposited at high rates and low temperature showed weak out-of-plane texture and random in-plane texture. Mixed phase films deposited at high temperatures possessed a fiber texture (strong out-of-plane texture), but lacked the necessary adatom mobility to develop in-plane texture. For single phase cubic films grown under low rates of deposition, out-of-plane texture was observed on quartz substrates. However, weak and strong in-plane textures were observed for sapphire and GaN substrates, respectively. The use of ion bombardment resulted in the formation of moderate biaxial texture for films grown on quartz. For films grown on sapphire, a very strong biaxial texture was achieved with ion bombardment which adds additional energy to the system. The effects of processing on the structure, composition, and interfacial chemistry of the Gd2O3 films were investigated. The results showed that films primarily adhered to the Structure-Zone models with a few exceptions. The deviation from the Structure-Zone model was explained by the combined effects of columnar growth, shadowing, and adatom mobility. At low deposition temperatures, decreasing oxygen flow resulted in increased film density due to higher adatom mobility. Films deposited at this temperature were characterized by small (10-15 nm) nanocrystalline grains with some porous disordered regions. The dielectric properties of Si(111)/Gd2O3/Ti/Au MOS capacitors were investigated. Moisture absorption in Gd2O 3 films was found to result in both increased dielectric loss (10x) and inflated dielectric constant values ( 40 %). Heat treatment of the films at 100 °C resulted in outgassing of moisture, reduction in dielectric constant, and excellent frequency dispersion of the dielectric constant over a range of 10 kHz-1 MHz. The effect of film processing on the dielectric constant was systematically investigated. Tuning of the dielectric constant from a value of 11 to a value of 24 was possible by manipulating the structure and crystallographic phase of the material via the processing conditions. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G-V) characteristics of GaN/AlGaN/Gd2O3/Ti/Au MOS capacitors were investigated. The effects of processing on fixed oxide charge, trapped oxide charge, and density of interface states were evaluated. Single phase cubic films deposited at low rates with near heteroepitaxial growth were shown to have the lowest density of trapped charge. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Carbamazepine degradation using a N-doped TiO2 coated photocatalytic membrane reactor: Influence of physical parameters.

PubMed

Horovitz, Inna; Avisar, Dror; Baker, Mark A; Grilli, Rossana; Lozzi, Luca; Di Camillo, Daniela; Mamane, Hadas

2016-06-05

Commercial α-Al2O3 photocatalytic membranes with a pore size of 200 and 800-nm were coated with N-doped TiO2 photocatalytic film using a sol-gel technique for concurrent bottom-up filtration and photocatalytic oxidation. X-ray diffraction confirmed that the deposited N-doped TiO2 films are in the form of anatase with 78-84% coverage of the membrane surface. The concentration of N found by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was in the range of 0.3-0.9 atomic percentage. Membrane permeability after coating decreased by 50% and 12% for the 200- and 800-nm membrane substrates, respectively. The impact of operational parameters on the photocatalytic activity (PCA) of the N-doped TiO2-coated membranes was examined in a laboratory flow cell based on degradation of the model micropollutant carbamazepine, using a solar simulator as the light source. The significant gap in degradation rate between flow through the membrane and flow on the surface of the membrane was attributed both to the hydraulic effect and in-pore PCA. N-doped TiO2-coated membranes showed enhanced activity for UV wavelengths, in addition to activity under visible light. Experiments of PCA under varying flow rates concluded that the process is in the mass-transfer control regime. Carbamazepine removal rate increased with temperature, despite the decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bubble pump: scalable strategy for in-plane liquid routing.

PubMed

Oskooei, Ali; Günther, Axel

2015-07-07

We present an on-chip liquid routing technique intended for application in well-based microfluidic systems that require long-term active pumping at low to medium flowrates. Our technique requires only one fluidic feature layer, one pneumatic control line and does not rely on flexible membranes and mechanical or moving parts. The presented bubble pump is therefore compatible with both elastomeric and rigid substrate materials and the associated scalable manufacturing processes. Directed liquid flow was achieved in a microchannel by an in-series configuration of two previously described "bubble gates", i.e., by gas-bubble enabled miniature gate valves. Only one time-dependent pressure signal is required and initiates at the upstream (active) bubble gate a reciprocating bubble motion. Applied at the downstream (passive) gate a time-constant gas pressure level is applied. In its rest state, the passive gate remains closed and only temporarily opens while the liquid pressure rises due to the active gate's reciprocating bubble motion. We have designed, fabricated and consistently operated our bubble pump with a variety of working liquids for >72 hours. Flow rates of 0-5.5 μl min(-1), were obtained and depended on the selected geometric dimensions, working fluids and actuation frequencies. The maximum operational pressure was 2.9 kPa-9.1 kPa and depended on the interfacial tension of the working fluids. Attainable flow rates compared favorably with those of available micropumps. We achieved flow rate enhancements of 30-100% by operating two bubble pumps in tandem and demonstrated scalability of the concept in a multi-well format with 12 individually and uniformly perfused microchannels (variation in flow rate <7%). We envision the demonstrated concept to allow for the consistent on-chip delivery of a wide range of different liquids that may even include highly reactive or moisture sensitive solutions. The presented bubble pump may provide active flow control for analytical and point-of-care diagnostic devices, as well as for microfluidic cells culture and organ-on-chip platforms.

Wave-induced ripple development in mixed clay-sand substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xuxu; Parsons, Daniel; Baas, Jaco H.; Mouazé, Dominique; McLelland, Stuart; Amoudry, Laurent; Eggenhuisen, Jorris; Cartigny, Matthieu; Ruessink, Gerben

2016-04-01

This paper reports on a series of experiments that aim to provide a fuller understanding of ripple development within clay-sand mixture substrates under oscillatory flow conditions. The work was conducted in the Total Environment Simulator at the University of Hull and constituted 6 separate runs, in which 5 runs were conducted under identical sets of regular waves (an additional run was conducted under irregular waves, but is not discussed in present paper). The bed content was systematically varied in its composition ranging from a pure sand bed through to a bed comprising 7.4% clay. A series of state-of-the-art measurements were employed to quantify interactions of near-bed hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and turbulence over rippled beds formed by wave action, during and after, each run. The experimental results demonstrate the significant influence of the amount of cohesive clay materials in the substrate on ripple evolution under waves. Most importantly, addition of clay in the bed dramatically slowed down the rate of ripple development and evolution. The equilibrium time of each run increased exponentially from 30 minutes under the control conditions of a pure sand bed, rising to ~350 minutes for the bed with the highest fraction of clay. The paper discusses the slower ripple growth rates with higher cohesive fractions, via an influence on critical shear, but highlights that the end equilibrium size of ripples is found to be independent of increasing substrate clay fraction. The suspended particles mass (SPM) concentration indicates that clay particles were suspended and winnowed by wave action. Additionally, laser granulometry of the final substrates verified that ripple crests were composed of pure sand layers that were absent at ripple troughs, reflecting a relatively higher winnowing efficiency at wave ripples crest. The winnowing process and its efficiency is inexorably linked to wave ripple development and evolution. The implications of the results for sediment dynamics in mixed-bed substrates are highlighted and discussed.

Sputtering characteristics, crystal structures, and transparent conductive properties of TiOxNy films deposited on α-Al2O3(0 0 0 1) and glass substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akazawa, Housei

2012-12-01

Adding N2 gas during reactive sputtering of a Ti target prevented the target surface from being severely poisoned by oxygen atoms and sustained a high deposition rate for titanium oxynitride films under metal-mode-like sputtering conditions. With progress in the degree of oxidization, films deposited onto a glass substrate varied from TiO1-xNx having a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure to TiO2-xNx having an anatase structure. Titanium oxynitride films deposited on an Al2O3(0 0 0 1) substrate were epitaxial with major orientations toward the (1 1 1) and (2 0 0) directions for fcc-TiO1-xNx and (1 1 2) for anatase-TiO2-xNx. Intermediately oxidized films between TiO1-xNx and TiO2-xNx were amorphous on the glass substrate but crystallized into a Magneli phase, TinO(N)2n-1, on the Al2O3(0 0 0 1) substrate. Partially substituting oxygen in TiO2 with nitrogen as well as continuously irradiating the growing film surface with a Xe plasma stream preferentially formed anatase rather than rutile. However, the occupation of anion sites with enough oxygen rather than nitrogen was the required condition for anatase crystals to form. The transparent conductive properties of epitaxial TiO2-xNx films on Al2O3(0 0 0 1) were superior to those of microcrystalline films on the glass substrate. Since resistivity and optical transmittance of TiOxNy films vary continuously with changing N2 flow rate, their transparent conductive properties can be controlled more easily than TiOx. Nb5+ ions could be doped as donors in TiO2-xNx anatase crystals.

Single cell kinase signaling assay using pinched flow coupled droplet microfluidics.

PubMed

Ramji, Ramesh; Wang, Ming; Bhagat, Ali Asgar S; Tan Shao Weng, Daniel; Thakor, Nitish V; Teck Lim, Chwee; Chen, Chia-Hung

2014-05-01

Droplet-based microfluidics has shown potential in high throughput single cell assays by encapsulating individual cells in water-in-oil emulsions. Ordering cells in a micro-channel is necessary to encapsulate individual cells into droplets further enhancing the assay efficiency. This is typically limited due to the difficulty of preparing high-density cell solutions and maintaining them without cell aggregation in long channels (>5 cm). In this study, we developed a short pinched flow channel (5 mm) to separate cell aggregates and to form a uniform cell distribution in a droplet-generating platform that encapsulated single cells with >55% encapsulation efficiency beating Poisson encapsulation statistics. Using this platform and commercially available Sox substrates (8-hydroxy-5-(N,N-dimethylsulfonamido)-2-methylquinoline), we have demonstrated a high throughput dynamic single cell signaling assay to measure the activity of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in lung cancer cells triggered by cell surface ligand binding. The phosphorylation of the substrates resulted in fluorescent emission, showing a sigmoidal increase over a 12 h period. The result exhibited a heterogeneous signaling rate in individual cells and showed various levels of drug resistance when treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, gefitinib.

Hydrodynamics of larval settlement: The influence of turbulent stress events at potential recruitment sites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crimaldi, John P.; Thompson, Janet K.; Rosman, Johanna H.; Lowe, Ryan J.; Koseff, Jeffrey R.

2002-01-01

We describe a laboratory investigation into the effect of turbulent hydrodynamic stresses on clam larvae in the settlement phase of the recruitment process. A two-component laser-Doppler anemometer (LDA) was used to measure time histories of the instantaneous turbulence structure at potential recruitment sites within reconstructed beds of the adult Asian clam, Potamocorbula amurensis. Measurements were made for two flow speeds over beds with three different clam densities and two different clam heights. We analyze the statistical effect of the turbulence on the larval flux to the bed and on the probability of successful anchoring to the substrate. It is shown that the anchoring probability depends on the nature of the instantaneous stress events rather than on mean stresses. The instantaneous turbulence structure near the bed is altered by the flow rate and the spacing and height of adult clams living in the substrate. The ability to anchor quickly is therefore extremely important, since the time sequence of episodic turbulent stress events influences larval settlement success. The probability of successful larval settlement is predicted to decrease as the spacing between adults decreases, implying that the hydrodynamics impose negative feedback on clam bed aggregation dynamics.

Removal of total suspended solids from wastewater in constructed horizontal flow subsurface wetlands.

PubMed

Manios, T; Stentiford, E I; Millner, P

2003-06-01

Subsurface horizontal flow experimental wetlands (reed beds), were designed and built based on a combination of two design methodologies, that of the WRc and Severn Trent Water plc (1996) and that of the USA, EPA (1988). Four different growing media were used with a combination of top soil, gravel, river sand, and mature sewage sludge compost, to determine the best substrate for total suspended solids (TSS) removal. Eight units were constructed, two for each growing media. One bed for each pair was planted with Typha latifolia plants commonly known as cattails. Primary treated domestic wastewater, was continuously fed to the beds for more than six months. All eight beds performed very well. The best performance was achieved by the gravel reed beds with an almost constant removal rate above 95% and an average effluent concentration of less than 10 mg/L. Soil based beds containing top soil and sand, managed to reach values of removal around 90%. The wetlands containing compost in their substrate, produced an effluent with average concentration of less than 30 mg/L and a percentage removal between 80% and 90%. As expected, there was no significant difference in the performance of planted and unplanted wetlands.

Effect of the submergence, the bed form geometry, and the speed of the surface water flow on the mitigation of pesticides in agricultural ditches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boutron, Olivier; Margoum, Christelle; Chovelon, Jean-Marc; Guillemain, CéLine; Gouy, VéRonique

2011-08-01

Pesticides, which have been extensively used in agriculture, have become a major environmental issue, especially regarding surface and groundwater contamination. Of particular importance are vegetated farm drainage ditches, which can play an important role in the mitigation of pesticide contamination by adsorption onto ditch bed substrates. This role is, however, poorly understood, especially regarding the influence of hydrodynamic parameters, which make it difficult to promote best management practice of these systems. We have assessed the influence of three of these parameters (speed of the surface water flow, submergence, and geometrical characteristics of the bed forms) on the transfer and adsorption of selected pesticides (isoproturon, diuron, tebuconazole, and azoxystrobin) into the bed substrate by performing experiments with a tilted experimental flume, using hemp fibers as a standard of natural organic substrates that are found at the bottom of agricultural ditches. Results show the transfer of pesticides from surface water flow into bed substrate is favored, both regarding the amounts transferred into the bed substrate and the kinetics of the transfer, when the surface water speed and the submergence increase and when the bed forms are made of rectangular shapes. Extrapolation of flume data over a distance of several hundred meters suggests that an interesting possibility for improving the mitigation of pesticides in ditches would be to increase the submergence and to favor bed forms that tend to enhance perturbations and subsequent infiltration of the surface water flow.

Emerging organic contaminants in vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands: influence of media size, loading frequency and use of active aeration.

PubMed

Avila, Cristina; Nivala, Jaime; Olsson, Linda; Kassa, Kinfe; Headley, Tom; Mueller, Roland A; Bayona, Josep Maria; García, Joan

2014-10-01

Four side-by-side pilot-scale vertical flow (VF) constructed wetlands of different designs were evaluated for the removal of eight widely used emerging organic contaminants from municipal wastewater (i.e. ibuprofen, acetaminophen, diclofenac, tonalide, oxybenzone, triclosan, ethinylestradiol, bisphenol A). Three of the systems were free-draining, with one containing a gravel substrate (VGp), while the other two contained sand substrate (VS1p and VS2p). The fourth system had a saturated gravel substrate and active aeration supplied across the bottom of the bed (VAp). All beds were pulse-loaded on an hourly basis, except VS2p, which was pulse-loaded every 2h. Each system had a surface area of 6.2m(2), received a hydraulic loading rate of 95 mm/day and was planted with Phragmites australis. The beds received an organic loading rate of 7-16 gTOC/m(2)d. The sand-based VF (VS1p) performed significantly better (p<0.05) than the gravel-based wetland (VGp) both in the removal of conventional water quality parameters (TSS, TOC, NH4-N) and studied emerging organic contaminants except for diclofenac (85 ± 17% vs. 74 ± 15% average emerging organic contaminant removal for VS1p and VGp, respectively). Although loading frequency (hourly vs. bi-hourly) was not observed to affect the removal efficiency of the cited conventional water quality parameters, significantly lower removal efficiencies were found for tonalide and bisphenol A for the VF wetland that received bi-hourly dosing (VS2p) (higher volume per pulse), probably due to the more reducing conditions observed in that system. However, diclofenac was the only contaminant showing an opposite trend to the rest of the compounds, achieving higher elimination rates in the wetlands that exhibited less-oxidizing conditions (VS2p and VGp). The use of active aeration in the saturated gravel bed (VAp) generally improved the treatment performance compared to the free-draining gravel bed (VGp) and achieved a similar performance to the free-draining sand-based VF wetlands (VS1p). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pre-Steady State Kinetic Analysis of cis-3-Chloroacrylic Acid Dehalogenase: Analysis and Implications†

PubMed Central

Robertson, Brooklyn A.; Schroeder, Gottfried K.; Jin, Zhinan; Johnson, Kenneth A.; Whitman, Christian P.

2009-01-01

Isomer-specific 3-chloroacrylic acid dehalogenases catalyze the hydrolytic dehalogenation of the cis- and trans-isomers of 3-chloroacrylate to yield malonate semialdehyde. These reactions represent key steps in the degradation of the nematocide, 1,3-dichloropropene. The kinetic mechanism of cis-3-chloroacrylic acid dehalogenase (cis-CaaD) has now been examined using stopped-flow and chemical-quench techniques. Stopped-flow analysis of the reaction, following the fluorescence of an active site tryptophan, is consistent with a minimal three-step model involving substrate binding, chemistry, and product release. Chemical quench experiments show burst kinetics, indicating that product release is at least partially rate limiting. Global fitting of all of the kinetic results by simulation is best accommodated by a four-step mechanism. In the final kinetic model, the enzyme binds substrate and isomerizes to an alternate fluorescent form, chemistry occurs, and is followed by the ordered release of two products, with the release of the first product as the rate-limiting step. Bromide ion is a competitive inhibitor of the reaction indicating that it binds to the free enzyme rather than to the enzyme with one product still bound. This observation suggests that malonate semialdehyde is the first product released by the enzyme (rate limiting), followed by halide. A comparison of the unliganded cis-CaaD crystal structure with that of an inactivated cis-CaaD where the prolyl nitrogen of Pro-1 is covalently attached to (R)-2-hydroxypropanoate provides a possible explanation for the isomerization step. The structure of the covalently modified enzyme shows that a 7-residue loop comprised of residues 32-38 is closed down on the active site cavity where the backbone amides of two residues (Phe-37 and Leu-38) interact with the carboxylate group of the adduct. In the unliganded form, the same loop points away from the active site cavity. Similarly, substrate binding may cause this loop to close down on the active site and sequester the reaction from the external environment. PMID:19856961

Influence of neighboring adherent cells on laminar flow induced shear stress in vitro—A systematic study

PubMed Central

Djukelic, Mario; Westerhausen, Christoph

2017-01-01

Cells experience forces if subjected to laminar flow. These forces, mostly of shear force character, are strongly dependent not only on the applied flow field itself but also on hydrodynamic effects originating from neighboring cells. This particularly becomes important for the interpretation of data from in vitro experiments in flow chambers without confluent cell layers. By employing numerical Finite Element Method simulations of such assemblies of deformable objects under shear flow, we investigate the occurring stress within elastic adherent cells and the influence of neighboring cells on these quantities. For this, we simulate single and multiple adherent cells of different shapes fixed on a solid substrate under laminar flow parallel to the substrate for different velocities. We determine the local stress within the cells close to the cell-substrate-interface and the overall stress of the cells by surface integration over the cell surface. Comparing each measurand in the case of a multiple cell situation with the corresponding one of single cells under identical conditions, we introduce a dimensionless influence factor. The systematic variation of the distance and angle between cells, where the latter is with respect to the flow direction, flow velocity, Young's modulus, cell shape, and cell number, enables us to describe the actual influence on a cell. Overall, we here demonstrate that the cell density is a crucial parameter for all studies on flow induced experiments on adherent cells in vitro. PMID:28798851

Controlled placement and orientation of nanostructures

DOEpatents

Zettl, Alex K; Yuzvinsky, Thomas D; Fennimore, Adam M

2014-04-08

A method for controlled deposition and orientation of molecular sized nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) on substrates is disclosed. The method comprised: forming a thin layer of polymer coating on a substrate; exposing a selected portion of the thin layer of polymer to alter a selected portion of the thin layer of polymer; forming a suspension of nanostructures in a solvent, wherein the solvent suspends the nanostructures and activates the nanostructures in the solvent for deposition; and flowing a suspension of nanostructures across the layer of polymer in a flow direction; thereby: depositing a nanostructure in the suspension of nanostructures only to the selected portion of the thin layer of polymer coating on the substrate to form a deposited nanostructure oriented in the flow direction. By selectively employing portions of the method above, complex NEMS may be built of simpler NEMSs components.

Numerical simulations of epitaxial growth process in MOVPE reactor as a tool for design of modern semiconductors for high power electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skibinski, Jakub; Caban, Piotr; Wejrzanowski, Tomasz; Kurzydlowski, Krzysztof J.

2014-10-01

In the present study numerical simulations of epitaxial growth of gallium nitride in Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy reactor AIX-200/4RF-S is addressed. Epitaxial growth means crystal growth that progresses while inheriting the laminar structure and the orientation of substrate crystals. One of the technological problems is to obtain homogeneous growth rate over the main deposit area. Since there are many agents influencing reaction on crystal area such as temperature, pressure, gas flow or reactor geometry, it is difficult to design optimal process. According to the fact that it's impossible to determine experimentally the exact distribution of heat and mass transfer inside the reactor during crystal growth, modeling is the only solution to understand the process precisely. Numerical simulations allow to understand the epitaxial process by calculation of heat and mass transfer distribution during growth of gallium nitride. Including chemical reactions in numerical model allows to calculate the growth rate of the substrate and estimate the optimal process conditions for obtaining the most homogeneous product.

Fermentative hydrogen production from soybean protein processing wastewater in an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) using anaerobic mixed consortia.

PubMed

Zhu, Ge-fu; Li, Jian-zheng; Liu, Chao-xiang

2012-09-01

Fermentative H(2) production from soybean protein processing wastewater (SPPW) was investigated in a four-compartment anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) using anaerobic mixed cultures under continuous flow condition in the present study. After being inoculated with aerobic activated sludge and operated at the inoculants of 5.98 gVSS L(-1), COD of 5000 mg L(-1), HRT of 16 h and temperature of (35 ± 1) °C for 22 days, the ABR achieved stable ethanol-type fermentation. The specific hydrogen production rate of anaerobic activated sludge was 165 LH(2)kg MLVSS(-1) day(-1), the substrate conversion rate was 600.83 LH(2)kg COD(-1)and the COD removal efficiency was 44.73% at the stable operation status. The ABR system exhibited a better stability and higher hydrogen yields than continuous stirring tank reactor under the same operational condition. The experimental data documented the feasibility of substrate degradation along with molecular H(2) generation utilizing SPPW as primary carbon source in the ABR system.

Nitrogen removal performance and functional genes distribution patterns in solid-phase denitrification sub-surface constructed wetland with micro aeration.

PubMed

Sun, Haimeng; Yang, Zhongchen; Wei, Caijie; Wu, Weizhong

2018-04-26

An up-flow vertical flow constructed wetland (AC-VFCW) filled with ceramsite and 5% external carbon source poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) as substrate was set for nitrogen removal with micro aeration. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process was observed with 90.4% NH 4 + -N and 92.1% TN removal efficiencies. Nitrification and denitrification genes were both preferentially enriched on the surface of PHBV. Nitrogen transformation along the flow direction showed that NH 4 + -N was oxidized to NO 3 - -N at the lowermost 10 cm of the substrate and NO 3 - -N gradually degraded over the depth. AmoA gene was more enriched at -10 and -50 cm layers. NirS gene was the dominant functional gene at the bottom layer with the abundance of 2.05 × 10 7  copies g -1 substrate while nosZ gene was predominantly abundant with 7.51 × 10 6 and 2.64 × 10 6  copies g -1 substrate at the middle and top layer, respectively, indicating that functional division of dominant nitrogen functional genes forms along the flow direction in AC-VFCW. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An innovative wood-chip-framework substrate used as slow-release carbon source to treat high-strength nitrogen wastewater.

PubMed

Li, Huai; Chi, Zifang; Yan, Baixing; Cheng, Long; Li, Jianzheng

2017-01-01

Removal of nitrogen in wastewater before discharge into receiving water courses is an important consideration in treatment systems. However, nitrogen removal efficiency is usually limited due to the low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio. A common solution is to add external carbon sources, but amount of liquid is difficult to determine. Therefore, a combined wood-chip-framework substrate (with wood, slag and gravel) as a slow-release carbon source was constructed in baffled subsurface-flow constructed wetlands to overcome the problem. Results show that the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 + -N), total nitrogen (TN) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) could reach 37.5%-85%, 57.4%-86%, 32.4%-78%, respectively, indicating the combined substrate could diffuse sufficient oxygen for the nitrification process (slag and gravel zone) and provide carbon source for denitrification process (wood-chip zone). The nitrification and denitrification were determined according to the location of slag/gravel and wood-chip, respectively. Nitrogen removal was efficient at the steady phase before a shock loading using slag-wood-gravel combined substrate because of nitrification-denitrification process, while nitrogen removal was efficient under a shock loading with wood-slag-gravel combined substrate because of ANAMMOX process. This study provides a new idea for wetland treatment of high-strength nitrogen wastewater. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Dip-Coating Fabrication of Solar Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koepke, B.; Suave, D.

1982-01-01

Inexpensive silicon solar cells made by simple dip technique. Cooling shoes direct flow of helium on graphite-coated ceramic substrate to solidify film of liquid silicon on graphite surface as substrate is withdrawn from molten silicon. After heaters control cooling of film and substrate to prevent cracking. Gas jets exit at points about 10 mm from substrate surfaces and 6 to 10 mm above melt surface.

Method for preparation of thermally and mechanically stable metal/porous substrate composite membranes

DOEpatents

Damle, Ashok S.

2004-07-13

A method is provided for the preparation of metal/porous substrate composite membranes by flowing a solution of metal to be plated over a first surface of a porous substrate and concurrently applying a pressure of gas on a second surface of the porous substrate, such that the porous substrate separates the solution of metal from the gas, and the use of the resulting membrane for the production of highly purified hydrogen gas.

Role of litter decomposition sensitivity to water content in non-additive litter mixture effect: theoretical demonstration and validation with a peatland litter experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogo, Sébastien; Leroy, Fabien; Zoccatelli, Renata; Bernard-Jannin, Léonard; Laggoun-Défarge, Fatima

2017-04-01

In this work, we showed theoretically that differences in litter water content, evaporation rate and reaction rate sensitivity to water content can give account of non-additive litter mixture effect. More specifically two litters with the same dependence to litter water content and contrasted water content, and 2 litters with contrasted decomposition sensitivity to litter water content can exert synergistic mixture effect on decomposition when the 2 litters interact. In these situations, water can flow from the wettest to the driest litter, changing the whole reaction rate without changing the whole litter water content. The reaction rate increase of the litter receiving the water was relatively more important than the reaction rate decrease of the litter supplying the water. These theoretical considerations were validated with experimental data. Sphagnum rubellum and Molinia caerulea decompose faster in measured mixture than expected from the rates obtained in monoculture incubation. Sphagnum rubellum litter can contain more water, which evaporates at a slower rate than Molinia caerulea. It is thus proposed that water flowed from Sphagnum rubellum litter to the Molinia caerulea litter, with a substantial increase of the decomposition of the latter. The physical and biochemical litter characteristics towards water explains a fraction of the synergistic effect of mixing the 2 litters, which suggests that other factors intervene in this effect, such as the carbon substrate.

Moving zone Marangoni drying of wet objects using naturally evaporated solvent vapor

DOEpatents

Britten, Jerald A.

1997-01-01

A surface tension gradient driven flow (a Marangoni flow) is used to remove the thin film of water remaining on the surface of an object following rinsing. The process passively introduces by natural evaporation and diffusion of minute amounts of alcohol (or other suitable material) vapor in the immediate vicinity of a continuously refreshed meniscus of deionized water or another aqueous-based, nonsurfactant rinsing agent. Used in conjunction with cleaning, developing or wet etching application, rinsing coupled with Marangoni drying provides a single-step process for 1) cleaning, developing or etching, 2) rinsing, and 3) drying objects such as flat substrates or coatings on flat substrates without necessarily using heat, forced air flow, contact wiping, centrifugation or large amounts of flammable solvents. This process is useful in one-step cleaning and drying of large flat optical substrates, one-step developing/rinsing and drying or etching/rinsing/drying of large flat patterned substrates and flat panel displays during lithographic processing, and room-temperature rinsing/drying of other large parts, sheets or continuous rolls of material.

Moving zone Marangoni drying of wet objects using naturally evaporated solvent vapor

DOEpatents

Britten, J.A.

1997-08-26

A surface tension gradient driven flow (a Marangoni flow) is used to remove the thin film of water remaining on the surface of an object following rinsing. The process passively introduces by natural evaporation and diffusion of minute amounts of alcohol (or other suitable material) vapor in the immediate vicinity of a continuously refreshed meniscus of deionized water or another aqueous-based, nonsurfactant rinsing agent. Used in conjunction with cleaning, developing or wet etching application, rinsing coupled with Marangoni drying provides a single-step process for (1) cleaning, developing or etching, (2) rinsing, and (3) drying objects such as flat substrates or coatings on flat substrates without necessarily using heat, forced air flow, contact wiping, centrifugation or large amounts of flammable solvents. This process is useful in one-step cleaning and drying of large flat optical substrates, one-step developing/rinsing and drying or etching/rinsing/drying of large flat patterned substrates and flat panel displays during lithographic processing, and room-temperature rinsing/drying of other large parts, sheets or continuous rolls of material. 5 figs.

Dissolved phosphorus retention of light-weight expanded shale and masonry sand used in subsurface flow treatment wetlands.

PubMed

Forbes, Margaret G; Dickson, Kenneth R; Golden, Teresa D; Hudak, Paul; Doyle, Robert D

2004-02-01

Using surface flow constructed wetlands for long-term phosphorus (P) retention presents a challenge due to the fact that P is stored primarily in the sediments. Subsurface flow wetlands have the potential to greatly increase P retention; however, the substrate needs to have both high hydraulic conductivity and high P sorption capacity. The objective of our study was to assess the P retention capacity of two substrates, masonry sand and lightweight expanded shale. We used sorption/desorption isotherms, flow-through column experiments, and pilot-scale wetlands to quantify P retained from treated municipal wastewater. Langmuir sorption isotherms predicted that the expanded shale has a maximum sorption capacity of 971 mg/kg and the masonry sand 58.8 mg/kg. In column desorption and column flow-through experiments, the masonry sand desorbed P when exposed to dilute P solutions. The expanded shale, however, had very little desorption and phosphorus did not break through the columns during our experiment. In pilot cells, masonry sand retained (mean +/- standard deviation) 45 +/- 62 g P/m2/yr and expanded shale retained 164 +/- 110 g P/m2/yr. We conclude that only the expanded shale would be a suitable substrate for retaining P in a subsurface flow wetland.

Simulation of High-Speed Droplet Impact Against Dry Substrates with Partial Velocity Slip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondo, Tomoki; Ando, Keita

2017-11-01

High-speed droplet impact can be used to clean substrates such as silicon wafers. Radially spreading shear flow after the impact may allow for mechanically removing contaminant particles at substrate surfaces. Since it is a big challenge to experimentally explore such complicated flow that exhibits contact line motion and water hammer, its flow feature is not well understood. Here, we aim to numerically evaluate shear flow caused by the impact of a spherical water droplet (of submillimeter sizes) at high speed (up to 50 m/s) against a dry rigid wall. We model the flow based on compressible Navier-Stokes equations with Stokes' hypothesis and solve them by a high-order-accurate finite volume method equipped with shock and interface capturing. To treat the motion of a contact line between the three phases (the droplet, the rigid wall, and the ambient air) in a robust manner, we permit velocity slip at the wall with Navier's model, for wall slip is known to come into play under steep velocity gradients that can arise from high-speed droplet impact. In our presentation, we will examine radially spreading flow after the droplet impact and the resulting wall shear stress generation from the simulation. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17J02211.

Flagellar generated flow mediates attachment of Giardia Lamblia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picou, Theodore; Polackwich, Jamie; Burrola Gabilondo, Beatriz; McAllister, Ryan; Powers, Tom; Elmendorf, Heidi; Urbach, Jeff

2011-11-01

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite responsible for widespread diarrheal disease in humans and animals worldwide. Attachment to the host intestinal mucosa and resistance to peristalsis is necessary for establishing infection, but the physical basis for this attachment is poorly understood. We report results from confocal fluorescence microscopy that demonstrate that the regular beating of the posterior flagella generate a flow through the ventral disk, a suction-cup shaped structure that is against the substrate during attachment. Finite element simulations show that the negative pressure generated by the flow is consistent with the measured force of attachement between the parasite and its substrate.

Ion Beam Analysis of the Thermal Stability of Hydrogenated Diamond-Like Carbon Thin Films on Si Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandasiri, M. I.; Moore, A.; Garratt, E.; Wickey, K. J.; AlFaify, S.; Gao, X.; Kayani, A.; Ingram, D.

2009-03-01

Unbalanced magnetron sputtering deposition of C-H films has been performed with various levels of negative substrate bias and with a fixed flow rate of hydrogen. Argon was used as a sputtering gas and formed the majority of the gas in the plasma. The effect of hydrogenation on the final concentration of trapped elements and their thermal stability with respect to hydrogen content is studied using ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques. The elemental concentrations of the films were measured in the films deposited on silicon substrates with a 2.5 MeV of H+ beam, which is used to perform Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Non-Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry (NRBS) and with 16 MeV of O5+ beam, used to perform Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA). Effect of bias on the thermal stability of trapped hydrogen in the films has been studied. As the films were heated in-situ in vacuum using a non-gassy button heater, hydrogen was found to be decreasing around 400° C.

Thermochromic VO2 Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering Using V2O3 or V2O5 Targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shigesato, Yuzo; Enomoto, Mikiko; Odaka, Hidehumi

2000-10-01

Thermochromic monoclinic-tetragonal VO2 films were successfully deposited on glass substrates with high reproducibility by rf magnetron sputtering using V2O3 or V2O5 targets. In the case of reactive sputtering using a V-metal target, the VO2 films could be obtained only under the very narrow deposition conditions of the “transition region” where the deposition rate decreases drastically with increasing oxygen gas flow rate. In the case of a V2O3 target, polycrystalline VO2 films with a thickness of 400 to 500 nm were obtained by the introduction of oxygen gas [O2/(Ar+O2)=1--1.5%], whereas hydrogen gas [H2/(Ar+H2)=2.5--10%] was introduced in the case of a V2O5 target. Furthermore, the VO2 films were successfully grown heteroepitaxially on a single-crystal sapphire [α-Al2O3(001)] substrate, where the epitaxial relationship was confirmed to be VO2(010)[100]\\parallelAl2O3(001)[100], [010], [\\bar{1}\\bar{1}0] by an X-ray diffraction pole figure measurement. The resistivity ratio between semiconductor and metal phases for the heteroepitaxial VO2 films was much larger than the ratio of the polycrystalline films on glass substrates under the same deposition conditions.

Study on the Enhanced Operation of Self-Ventilation-Based Coupling System for Domestic Wastewater Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Lingwei; Wang, Lu; Zhang, Yi; Mei, Rongwu; Zhang, Yu

2018-06-01

In this study, a new coupling system of biological filter bed and subsurface-flow constructed wetland based on the self-ventilation network was proposed, and the comparative pollutant removal efficiency at low and high influent concentration of the pilot coupling system with different substrates configurations were investigated. The study found that: The comparison system (b) had better removal rates than that of the original system (a), and the removal rate when treating low influent concentration was 74.10%, 94.14%, 73.57% and 69.53%, while in high influent concentration case was 81.30%, 90.28%, 88.57% and 75.36% for CODCr , NH4+ -N, TN and TP, respectively. The removal of the above main water indexes of the comparison system (b) promoted by 11.00%, 11.55%, 2.69% and 8.09% respectively in low influent concentration case and 4.20%, 9.20%, 7.66% and 13.61% respectively in high influent concentration case when comparing to the original system (a), which showed that the optimized configuration of various kinds of substrates was significant and was more beneficial to the degradation and removal of pollutants. The adsorption and interception function of substrates in the constructed wetland was the main way of phosphorus removal. The function of self-ventilation ensured the amount of DO in the coupling system, making the phosphorus removal was less affected comparing to structure of traditional wetland.

Physical and physiological impacts of different foam control strategies during a process involving hydrophobic substrate for the lipase production by Yarrowia lipolytica.

PubMed

Kar, Tambi; Destain, Jacqueline; Thonart, Philippe; Delvigne, Frank

2012-05-01

The potentialities for the intensification of the process of lipase production by the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica on a renewable hydrophobic substrate (methyl oleate) have to be investigated. The key factor governing the lipase yield is the intensification of the oxygen transfer rate, considering the fact that Y. lipolytica is a strict aerobe. However, considering the nature of the substrate and the capacity for protein excretion and biosurfactant production of Y. lipolytica, intensification of oxygen transfer rate is accompanied by an excessive formation of foam. Two different foam control strategies have thus been implemented: a classical chemical foam control strategy and a mechanical foam control (MFM) based on the Stirring As Foam Disruption principle. The second strategy allows foam control without any modifications of the physico-chemical properties of the broth. However, the MFM system design induced the formation of a persistent foam layer in the bioreactor. This phenomenon has led to the segregation of microbial cells between the foam phase and the liquid phase in the case of the bioreactors operated with MFM control, and induced a reduction at the level of the lipase yield. More interestingly, flow cytometry experiments have shown that the residence time of microbial cells in the foam phase tends to induce a dimorphic transition which could potentially explain the reduction of lipase excretion.

Coordination of contractility, adhesion and flow in migrating Physarum amoebae.

PubMed

Lewis, Owen L; Zhang, Shun; Guy, Robert D; del Álamo, Juan C

2015-05-06

This work examines the relationship between spatio-temporal coordination of intracellular flow and traction stress and the speed of amoeboid locomotion of microplasmodia of Physarum polycephalum. We simultaneously perform particle image velocimetry and traction stress microscopy to measure the velocity of cytoplasmic flow and the stresses applied to the substrate by migrating Physarum microamoebae. In parallel, we develop a mathematical model of a motile cell which includes forces from the viscous cytosol, a poro-elastic, contractile cytoskeleton and adhesive interactions with the substrate. Our experiments show that flow and traction stress exhibit back-to-front-directed waves with a distinct phase difference. The model demonstrates that the direction and speed of locomotion are determined by this coordination between contraction, flow and adhesion. Using the model, we identify forms of coordination that generate model predictions consistent with experiments. We demonstrate that this coordination produces near optimal migration speed and is insensitive to heterogeneity in substrate adhesiveness. While it is generally thought that amoeboid motility is robust to changes in extracellular geometry and the nature of extracellular adhesion, our results demonstrate that coordination of adhesive forces is essential to producing robust migration. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

The fast release of sticky protons: Kinetics of substrate binding and proton release in a multidrug transporter

PubMed Central

Adam, Yoav; Tayer, Naama; Rotem, Dvir; Schreiber, Gideon; Schuldiner, Shimon

2007-01-01

EmrE is an Escherichia coli H+-coupled multidrug transporter that provides a unique experimental paradigm because of its small size and stability, and because its activity can be studied in detergent solution. In this work, we report a study of the transient kinetics of substrate binding and substrate-induced proton release in EmrE. For this purpose, we measured transient changes in the tryptophan fluorescence upon substrate binding and the rates of substrate-induced proton release. The fluorescence of the essential and fully conserved Trp residue at position 63 is sensitive to the occupancy of the binding site with either protons or substrate. The maximal rate of binding to detergent-solubilized EmrE of TPP+, a high-affinity substrate, is 2 × 107 M−1·s−1, a rate typical of diffusion-limited reactions. Rate measurements with medium- and low-affinity substrates imply that the affinity is determined mainly by the koff of the substrate. The rates of substrate binding and substrate-induced release of protons are faster at basic pHs and slower at lower pHs. These findings imply that the substrate-binding rates are determined by the generation of the species capable of binding; this is controlled by the high affinity to protons of the glutamate at position 14, because an Asp replacement with a lower pK is faster at the same pHs. PMID:17984053

Flow Visualization in Evaporating Liquid Drops and Measurement of Dynamic Contact Angles and Spreading Rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Neng-Li; Chao, David F.

2001-01-01

A new hybrid optical system, consisting of reflection-refracted shadowgraphy and top-view photography, is used to visualize flow phenomena and simultaneously measure the spreading and instant dynamic contact angle in a volatile-liquid drop on a nontransparent substrate. Thermocapillary convection in the drop, induced by evaporation, and the drop real-time profile data are synchronously recorded by video recording systems. Experimental results obtained from this unique technique clearly reveal that thermocapillary convection strongly affects the spreading process and the characteristics of dynamic contact angle of the drop. Comprehensive information of a sessile drop, including the local contact angle along the periphery, the instability of the three-phase contact line, and the deformation of the drop shape is obtained and analyzed.

Development of flow systems by direct-milling on poly(methyl methacrylate) substrates using UV-photopolymerization as sealing process.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Eunice R G O; Lapa, Rui A S

2009-03-01

An alternative process for the design and construction of fluidic devices is presented. Several sealing processes were studied, as well as the hydrodynamic characteristics of the proposed fluidic devices. Manifolds were imprinted on polymeric substrates by direct-write milling, according to Computer Assisted Design (CAD) data. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was used as substrate due to its physical and chemical properties. Different bonding approaches for the imprinted channels were evaluated and UV-photopolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) was selected. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the proposed flow devices were assessed and compared to those obtained in similar flow systems using PTFE reactors and micro-pumps as propulsion units (multi-pumping approach). The applicability of the imprinted reactors was evaluated in the sequential determination of calcium and magnesium in water samples. Results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by the reference procedure.

Patterned-wettability-induced alteration of electro-osmosis over charge-modulated surfaces in narrow confinements.

PubMed

Ghosh, Uddipta; Chakraborty, Suman

2012-04-01

In the present study, we focus on alterations in flow physics as a consequence of interactions between patterned-wettability gradients on microfluidic substrates with modulated surface charge distributions, giving rise to an intricate electrohydrodynamic coupling over small scales. We demonstrate that by exploiting such intricate coupling, it may be possible to pattern vortices occurring in the fluidic confinement by exploiting an interplay between the Navier slip and electro-osmotic transport. Our studies do reveal that the resultant flow structure originating out of the spatially periodic variations in the surface charge and surface wettability may depend critically on several independently tunable controlling parameters, such as the amplitudes and frequencies of the respective patterning functions, the phase shift between the two, an asymmetry factor, and the channel height to Debye length ratio. We show that judicious choices with regard to the combinations of these parameters may result in significant augmentations in the corresponding mixing efficiency without any appreciable compromise in the net microfluidic throughput. Furthermore, our studies reveal an optimum patterning frequency, which results in the most efficient microfluidic mixing within the constraints of achieving a desired volumetric flow rate. Our results also demonstrate that the net flow rate is maximized when the surface wettability variation functions and surface charge-density functions are in phase, whereas mixing is best facilitated when they are in opposite phase. In practice, therefore, one may select an intermediate value of the phase angle depending on the extent of compromise necessary between flow rate and mixing characteristics, yielding far-ranging scientific and technological advances toward an improved design of miniaturized fluidic devices of practical relevance.

Effect of vegetated filter strips on transport and deposition rates of Escherichia coli in overland flow in the eastern escarpments of the Mau Forest, Njoro River Watershed, Kenya

PubMed Central

Onyando, J. O.; Moturi, W. N.; Muia, A. W.; Ombui, P.; Shivoga, W. A.; Roegner, A. F.

2016-01-01

The fate and transport of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in lotic waters through vegetated filter strips (VFSs) was evaluated in a field model pasture, utilizing VFSMOD Windows along with direct pathogen testing. This study assessed effects of VFS on transport and deposition rates of E. coli in lotic overland flow waters. The VFS measured 44 m long by 40 m wide, covering an area of 1584 m2 and land slope of 15 %. Cowpat was applied onto the model pasture and washed by overland flow into the VFS. The 4-methylumbelliferyl β-D-glucuronide substrate confirmed the identity of E. coli prior to cowpat application and after isolating them from soil using centrifugation and membrane filtration techniques. Napier grass root system recorded the highest recovery rates of E. coli at 99.9 % along the length of VFS III. This efficiency reduced significantly (p < 0.05; df = 29) to 95 % in Kikuyu grass and 75 % in Couch grass–Buffer grass. The data demonstrated similarity in transport of manure-borne E. coli and organic carbon (OC) through all the simulated VFS. These results indicated that OC could be used as a true natural tracer of manure-borne E. coli, a pollution indicator organism of lentic and lotic surface waters provided the OC release kinetics from cowpat were similar to that of E. coli kinetics. Thus, efficient filtering to reduce E. coli concentrations and load in overland flows requires managing combined grass species, agro-pastoral systems models and dispersed or preferential flows to enhance surface water quality standards. PMID:28393102

Epitaxy of boron phosphide on AlN, 4H-SiC, 3C-SiC and ZrB2 substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padavala, Balabalaji

The semiconductor boron phosphide (BP) has many outstanding features making it attractive for developing various electronic devices, including neutron detectors. In order to improve the efficiency of these devices, BP must have high crystal quality along with the best possible electrical properties. This research is focused on growing high quality crystalline BP films on a variety of superior substrates like AlN, 4H-SiC, 3C-SiC and ZrB2 by chemical vapor deposition. In particular, the influence of various parameters such as temperature, reactant flow rates, and substrate type and its crystalline orientation on the properties of BP films were studied in detail. Twin-free BP films were produced by depositing on off-axis 4H-SiC(0001) substrate tilted 4° toward [11¯00] and crystal symmetry matched zincblende 3C-SiC. BP crystalline quality improved at higher deposition temperature (1200°C) when deposited on AlN, 4H-SiC, whereas increased strain in 3C-SiC and increased boron segregation in ZrB2 at higher temperatures limited the best deposition temperature to below 1200°C. In addition, higher flow ratios of PH 3 to B2H6 resulted in smoother films and improved quality of BP on all substrates. The FWHM of the Raman peak (6.1 cm -1), XRD BP(111) peak FWHM (0.18°) and peak ratios of BP(111)/(200) = 5157 and BP(111)/(220) = 7226 measured on AlN/sapphire were the best values reported in the literature for BP epitaxial films. The undoped films on AlN/sapphire were n-type with a highest electron mobility of 37.8 cm2/V˙s and a lowest carrier concentration of 3.15x1018 cm -3. Raman imaging had lower values of FWHM (4.8 cm-1 ) and a standard deviation (0.56 cm-1) for BP films on AlN/sapphire compared to 4H-SiC, 3C-SiC substrates. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy revealed residual tensile strain in BP on 4H-SiC, 3C-SiC, ZrB2/4H-SiC, bulk AlN substrates while compressive strain was evident on AlN/sapphire and bulk ZrB2 substrates. Among the substrates studied, AlN/sapphire proved to be the best choice for BP epitaxy, even though it did not eliminate rotational twinning in BP. The substrates investigated in this work were found to be viable for BP epitaxy and show promising potential for further enhancement of BP properties.

Method and apparatus for removing and preventing window deposition during photochemical vapor deposition (photo-CVD) processes

DOEpatents

Tsuo, S.; Langford, A.A.

1989-03-28

Unwanted build-up of the film deposited on the transparent light-transmitting window of a photochemical vacuum deposition (photo-CVD) chamber is eliminated by flowing an etchant into the part of the photolysis region in the chamber immediately adjacent the window and remote from the substrate and from the process gas inlet. The respective flows of the etchant and the process gas are balanced to confine the etchant reaction to the part of the photolysis region proximate to the window and remote from the substrate. The etchant is preferably one that etches film deposit on the window, does not etch or affect the window itself, and does not produce reaction by-products that are deleterious to either the desired film deposited on the substrate or to the photolysis reaction adjacent the substrate. 3 figs.

Method and apparatus for removing and preventing window deposition during photochemical vapor deposition (photo-CVD) processes

DOEpatents

Tsuo, Simon; Langford, Alison A.

1989-01-01

Unwanted build-up of the film deposited on the transparent light-transmitting window of a photochemical vacuum deposition (photo-CVD) chamber is eliminated by flowing an etchant into the part of the photolysis region in the chamber immediately adjacent the window and remote from the substrate and from the process gas inlet. The respective flows of the etchant and the process gas are balanced to confine the etchant reaction to the part of the photolysis region proximate to the window and remote from the substrate. The etchant is preferably one that etches film deposit on the window, does not etch or affect the window itself, and does not produce reaction by-products that are deleterious to either the desired film deposited on the substrate or to the photolysis reaction adjacent the substrate.

Integration of a Graphite/PMMA CompositeElectrode into a Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) Substrate for Electrochemical Detection in Microchips

PubMed Central

Regel, Anne; Lunte, Susan

2013-01-01

Traditional fabrication methods for polymer microchips, the bonding of two substrates together to form the microchip, can make the integration of carbon electrodes difficult. We have developed a simple and inexpensive method to integrate graphite/PMMA composite electrodes (GPCEs) into a PMMA substrate. These substrates can be bonded to other PMMA layers using a solvent-assisted thermal bonding method. The optimal composition of the GPCEs for electrochemical detection was determined using cyclic voltammetry with dopamine as a test analyte. Using the optimized GPCEs in an all-PMMA flow cell with flow injection analysis, it was possible to detect 50 nM dopamine under the best conditions. These electrodes were also evaluated for the detection of dopamine and catechol following separation by microchip electrophoresis (ME). PMID:23670816

Detection of endogenous alkaline phosphatase activity in intact cells by flow cytometry using the fluorogenic ELF-97 phosphatase substrate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Telford, W. G.; Cox, W. G.; Stiner, D.; Singer, V. L.; Doty, S. B.

1999-01-01

BACKGROUND: The alkaline phosphatase (AP) substrate 2-(5'-chloro-2'-phosphoryloxyphenyl)-6-chloro-4-(3H)-quinazolinone (ELF((R))-97 for enzyme-labeled fluorescence) has been found useful for the histochemical detection of endogenous AP activity and AP-tagged proteins and oligonucleotide probes. In this study, we evaluated its effectiveness at detecting endogenous AP activity by flow cytometry. METHODS: The ELF-97 phosphatase substrate was used to detect endogenous AP activity in UMR-106 rat osteosarcoma cells and primary cultures of chick chondrocytes. Cells were labeled with the ELF-97 reagent and analyzed by flow cytometry using an argon ultraviolet (UV) laser. For comparison purposes, cells were also assayed for AP using a Fast Red Violet LB azo dye assay previously described for use in detecting AP activity by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The ELF-97 phosphatase substrate effectively detected endogenous AP activity in UMR-106 cells, with over 95% of the resulting fluorescent signal resulting from AP-specific activity (as determined by levamisole inhibition of AP activity). In contrast, less than 70% of the fluorescent signal from the Fast Red Violet LB (FRV) assay was AP-dependent, reflecting the high intrinsic fluorescence of the unreacted components. The ELF-97 phosphatase assay was also able to detect very low AP activity in chick chondrocytes that was undetectable by the azo dye method. CONCLUSIONS: The ELF-97 phosphatase assay was able to detect endogenous AP activity in fixed mammalian and avian cells by flow cytometry with superior sensitivity to previously described assays. This work also shows the applicability of ELF-97 to flow cytometry, supplementing its previously demonstrated histochemical applications. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The Role of Subsurface Water in Carving Hesperian Amphitheater-Headed Valleys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapotre, M. G. A.; Lamb, M. P.

2017-12-01

Groundwater sapping may play a role in valley formation in rare cases on Earth, typically in sand or weakly cemented sandstones. Small-scale valleys resulting from groundwater seepage in loose sand typically have amphitheater-shaped canyon heads with roughly uniform widths. By analogy to terrestrial sapping valleys, Hesperian-aged amphitheater canyons on Mars have been interpreted to result from groundwater sapping, with implications for subsurface and surface water flows on ancient Mars. However, other studies suggest that martian amphitheater canyons carved in fractured rock may instead result from large overland floods, by analogy to dry cataracts in scabland terrains in the northwestern U.S. Understanding the formation of bedrock canyons is critical to our understanding of liquid water reservoirs on ancient Mars. Can groundwater sapping carve canyons in substrates other than sand? There is currently no model to predict the necessary conditions for groundwater to carve canyons in substrates ranging from loose sediment of various sizes to competent rock. To bridge this knowledge gap, we formulate a theoretical model coupling equations of groundwater flow and sediment transport that can be applied to a wide range of substrates. The model is used to infer whether groundwater sapping could have carved canyons in the absence of overland flows, and requires limited inputs that are measureable in the field or from orbital images. Model results show that sapping erosion is capable of forming canyons, but only in loose well-sorted sand. Coarser sediment is more permeable, but more difficult to transport. Finer sediment is more easily transported, but lower permeability precludes the necessary seepage discharge. Finally, fractured rock is highly permeable, but seepage discharges are far below those required to transport typical talus boulders. Using orbiter-based lithological constraints, we conclude that canyons near Echus Chasma are carved into bedrock and therefore required high-discharge overland flow during formation. These results have implications for Hesperian hydrology; while water volumes to carve sapping versus flood canyons need not be significantly different, erosion rates are orders of magnitude faster in the flood scenario, implying brief periods of abundant surface water on Hesperian Mars.

Formation of Nanoparticle Stripe Patterns via Flexible-Blade Flow Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Dong Yun; Kim, Hyun Suk; Parkos, Cassandra; Lee, Cheol Hee; Emrick, Todd; Crosby, Alfred

2011-03-01

We present the controlled formation of nanostripe patterns of nanoparticles on underlying substrates by flexible-blade flow coating. This technique exploits the combination of convective flow of confined nanoparticle solutions and programmed translation of a substrate to fabricate nanoparticle-polymer line assemblies with width below 300 nm, thickness of a single nanoparticle, and lengths exceeding 10 cm. We demonstrate how the incorporation of a flexible blade into this technique allows capillary forces to self-regulate the uniformity of convective flow processes across large lateral lengths. Furthermore, we exploit solvent mixture dynamics to enhance intra-assembly particle packing and dimensional range. This facile technique opens up a new paradigm for integration of nanoscale patterns over large areas for various applications.

Power Flow Angles for Slanted Finger Surface Acoustic Wave Filters on Langasite Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goto, Mikihiro; Yatsuda, Hiromi; Chiba, Takao

2007-07-01

Power flow angles (PFAs) on a langasite (LGS) substrate with Euler angles of (0{\\degree}, 138.5{\\degree}, \\psi), \\psi=25.7 to 27.7° are investigated for slanted finger interdigital transducer (SFIT) surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters by an electrical and optical methods. In the electrical method, several tilted SFIT SAW filters with different tilt angles for (0{\\degree}, 138.5{\\degree}, \\psi) LGS substrates were designed, and the frequency responses of the filters were measured. In the optical method, the PFAs were directly measured by optical probing for a parallel interdigital transducer (IDT) with wide propagation area on the substrate. As a result, a good correlation between electrical and optical measurements of the PFAs is obtained, but the calculated PFAs are slightly different from the measured PFAs. A good frequency response of a tilted 380 MHz SFIT SAW filter with an appropriate tilt angle corresponding to the PFA on the substrate is obtained even though the aperture is small.

An electrochemical and high-speed imaging study of micropore decontamination by acoustic bubble entrapment.

PubMed

Offin, Douglas G; Birkin, Peter R; Leighton, Timothy G

2014-03-14

Electrochemical and high-speed imaging techniques are used to study the abilities of ultrasonically-activated bubbles to clean out micropores. Cylindrical pores with dimensions (diameter × depth) of 500 μm × 400 μm (aspect ratio 0.8), 125 μm × 350 μm (aspect ratio 2.8) and 50 μm × 200 μm (aspect ratio 4.0) are fabricated in glass substrates. Each pore is contaminated by filling it with an electrochemically inactive blocking organic material (thickened methyl salicylate) before the substrate is placed in a solution containing an electroactive species (Fe(CN)6(3-)). An electrode is fabricated at the base of each pore and the Faradaic current is used to monitor the decontamination as a function of time. For the largest pore, decontamination driven by ultrasound (generated by a horn type transducer) and bulk fluid flow are compared. It is shown that ultrasound is much more effective than flow alone, and that bulk fluid flow at the rates used cannot decontaminate the pore completely, but that ultrasound can. In the case of the 125 μm pore, high-speed imaging is used to elucidate the cleaning mechanisms involved in ultrasonic decontamination and reveals that acoustic bubble entrapment is a key feature. The smallest pore is used to explore the limits of decontamination and it is found that ultrasound is still effective at this size under the conditions employed.

Kinetics of Mixed Microbial Assemblages Enhance Removal of Highly Dilute Organic Substrates

PubMed Central

Lewis, David L.; Hodson, Robert E.; Hwang, Huey-Min

1988-01-01

Our experiments with selected organic substrates reveal that the rate-limiting process governing microbial degradation rates changes with substrate concentration, S, in such a manner that substrate removal is enhanced at lower values of S. This enhancement is the result of the dominance of very efficient systems for substrate removal at low substrate concentrations. The variability of dominant kinetic parameters over a range of S causes the kinetics of complex assemblages to be profoundly dissimilar to those of systems possessing a single set of kinetic parameters; these findings necessitate taking a new approach to predicting substrate removal rates over wide ranges of S. PMID:16347715

Nanofiber electrode and method of forming same

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

Pintauro, Peter N.; Zhang, Wenjing

In one aspect, a method of forming an electrode for an electrochemical device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of mixing at least a first amount of a catalyst and a second amount of an ionomer or uncharged polymer to form a solution and delivering the solution into a metallic needle having a needle tip. The method further includes the steps of applying a voltage between the needle tip and a collector substrate positioned at a distance from the needle tip, and extruding the solution from the needle tip at a flow rate such as tomore » generate electrospun fibers and deposit the generated fibers on the collector substrate to form a mat with a porous network of fibers. Each fiber in the porous network of the mat has distributed particles of the catalyst. The method also includes the step of pressing the mat onto a membrane.« less

Reduced Sampling Size with Nanopipette for Tapping-Mode Scanning Probe Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging

PubMed Central

Kohigashi, Tsuyoshi; Otsuka, Yoichi; Shimazu, Ryo; Matsumoto, Takuya; Iwata, Futoshi; Kawasaki, Hideya; Arakawa, Ryuichi

2016-01-01

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) with ambient sampling and ionization can rapidly and easily capture the distribution of chemical components in a solid sample. Because the spatial resolution of MSI is limited by the size of the sampling area, reducing sampling size is an important goal for high resolution MSI. Here, we report the first use of a nanopipette for sampling and ionization by tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization (t-SPESI). The spot size of the sampling area of a dye molecular film on a glass substrate was decreased to 6 μm on average by using a nanopipette. On the other hand, ionization efficiency increased with decreasing solvent flow rate. Our results indicate the compatibility between a reduced sampling area and the ionization efficiency using a nanopipette. MSI of micropatterns of ink on a glass and a polymer substrate were also demonstrated. PMID:28101441

Preparation of composite micro/nano structure on the silicon surface by reactive ion etching: Enhanced anti-reflective and hydrophobic properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Yu; Fan, Xiaoli; Chen, Jiajia; He, Siyu; Yi, Zao; Ye, Xin; Yi, Yougen

2018-05-01

A silicon substrate with micro-pyramid structure (black silicon) is prepared by wet chemical etching and then subjected to reactive ion etching (RIE) in the mixed gas condition of SF6, CHF3 and He. We systematically study the impacts of flow rates of SF6, CHF3 and He, the etching pressure and the etching time on the surface morphology and reflectivity through various characterizations. Meanwhile, we explore and obtain the optimal combination of parameters for the preparation of composite structure that match the RIE process based on the basis of micro-pyramid silicon substrate. The composite sample prepared under the optimum parameters exhibits excellent anti-reflective performance, hydrophobic, self-cleaning and anti-corrosive properties. Based on the above characteristics, the composite micro/nano structure can be applied to solar cells, photodetectors, LEDs, outdoor devices and other important fields.

Methodology to set up nozzle-to-substrate gap for high resolution electrohydrodynamic jet printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jaehong; Park, Ji-Woon; Nasrabadi, Ali Mohamadi; Hwang, Jungho

2016-09-01

Several efforts have been made for the prediction of jet diameter in electrohydrodynamic jet printing; however, not much attention has been paid to the jet length, which is the distance from the cone apex to the location where the jet is unstable and is broken into atomized droplets. In this study, we measured both the cone length and the jet length using a high-speed camera, and measured the line pattern width with an optical microscope to investigate the effects of cone length and jet length on the pattern quality. Measurements were carried out with variations in nozzle diameter, flow rate, and applied voltage. The pattern width was theoretically predicted for the case when the nozzle-to-substrate distance was more than the cone length, and smaller than the summation of the cone and jet lengths (which is the case when there is no jet breakup).

Multilayer coating of optical substrates by ion beam sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, M. V.; Demmler, M.

2017-10-01

Ion beam sputtering is well established in research and industry, despite its relatively low deposition rates compared to electron beam evaporation. Typical applications are coatings of precision optics, like filters, mirrors and beam splitter. Anti-reflective or high-reflective multilayer stacks benefit from the high mobility of the sputtered particles on the substrate surface and the good mechanical characteristics of the layers. This work gives the basic route from single layer optimization of reactive ion beam sputtered Ta2O5 and SiO2 thin films towards complex multilayer stacks for high-reflective mirrors and anti-reflective coatings. Therefore films were deposited using different oxygen flow into the deposition chamber Afterwards, mechanical (density, stress, surface morphology, crystalline phases) and optical properties (reflectivity, absorption and refractive index) were characterized. These knowledge was used to deposit a multilayer coating for a high reflective mirror.

Rational selection of substrates to improve color intensity and uniformity on microfluidic paper-based analytical devices.

PubMed

Evans, Elizabeth; Gabriel, Ellen Flávia Moreira; Coltro, Wendell Karlos Tomazelli; Garcia, Carlos D

2014-05-07

A systematic investigation was conducted to study the effect of paper type on the analytical performance of a series of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) fabricated using a CO2 laser engraver. Samples included three different grades of Whatman chromatography paper, and three grades of Whatman filter paper. According to the data collected and the characterization performed, different papers offer a wide range of flow rate, thickness, and pore size. After optimizing the channel widths on the μPAD, the focus of this study was directed towards the color intensity and color uniformity formed during a colorimetric enzymatic reaction. According to the results herein described, the type of paper and the volume of reagents dispensed in each detection zone can determine the color intensity and uniformity. Therefore, the objective of this communication is to provide rational guidelines for the selection of paper substrates for the fabrication of μPADs.

Electrical characteristics of silicon nanowire CMOS inverters under illumination.

PubMed

Yoo, Jeuk; Kim, Yoonjoong; Lim, Doohyeok; Kim, Sangsig

2018-02-05

In this study, we examine the electrical characteristics of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) inverters with silicon nanowire (SiNW) channels on transparent substrates under illumination. The electrical characteristics vary with the wavelength and power of light due to the variation in the generation rates of the electric-hole pairs. Compared to conventional optoelectronic devices that sense the on/off states by the variation in the current, our device achieves the sensing of the on/off states with more precision by using the voltage variation induced by the wavelength or intensity of light. The device was fabricated on transparent substrates to maximize the light absorption using conventional CMOS technologies. The key difference between our SiNW CMOS inverters and conventional optoelectronic devices is the ability to control the flow of charge carriers more effectively. The improved sensitivity accomplished with the use of SiNW CMOS inverters allows better control of the on/off states.

Stability of boron-doped graphene/copper interface: DFT, XPS and OSEE studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boukhvalov, D. W.; Zhidkov, I. S.; Kukharenko, A. I.; Slesarev, A. I.; Zatsepin, A. F.; Cholakh, S. O.; Kurmaev, E. Z.

2018-05-01

Two different types of boron-doped graphene/copper interfaces synthesized using two different flow rates of Ar through the bubbler containing the boron source were studied. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and optically stimulated electron emission (OSEE) measurements have demonstrated that boron-doped graphene coating provides a high corrosion resistivity of Cu-substrate with the light traces of the oxidation of carbon cover. The density functional theory calculations suggest that for the case of substitutional (graphitic) boron-defect only the oxidation near boron impurity is energetically favorable and creation of the vacancies that can induce the oxidation of copper substrate is energetically unfavorable. In the case of non-graphitic boron defects oxidation of the area, a nearby impurity is metastable that not only prevent oxidation but makes boron-doped graphene. Modeling of oxygen reduction reaction demonstrates high catalytic performance of these materials.

Optimization of a growth process for as-grown 2D materials-based devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindquist, Miles; Khadka, Sudiksha; Aleithan, Shrouq; Blumer, Ari; Wickramasinghe, Thushan; Thorat, Ruhi; Kordesch, Martin; Stinaff, Eric

We will present the effects of varying key parameters of a deterministic growth method for producing self-contacted 2D transition metal dichalcogenides. Chemical vapor deposition is used to grow a film of 2D material nucleated around and seeded from metallic features prepared by photolithography and sputtering on a Si/SiO2 substrate prior to growth. We will focus on a particular method of growing variable MoS2 based device structures. The goal of this work is to arrive at robust platform for growing a variety of device structures by systematically altering parameters such as the amount of reactants used, the heat of the substrate and oxide powder, and the flow rate of argon gas used. These results will help advance a comprehensive process for the scalable production of as-grown, complex, 2D materials-based device architectures.

Powder Flux Regulation in the Laser Material Deposition Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arrizubieta, Jon Iñaki; Wegener, Maximiliam; Arntz, Kristian; Lamikiz, Aitzol; Ruiz, Jose Exequiel

In the present research work a powder flux regulation system has been designed, developed and validated with the aim of improving the Laser Material Deposition (LMD) process. In this process, the amount of deposited material per substrate surface unit area depends on the real feed rate of the nozzle. Therefore, a regulation system based on a solenoid valve has been installed at the nozzle entrance in order to control the powder flux. The powder flux control has been performed based on the machine real feed rate, which is compared with the programmed feed rate. An instantaneous velocity error is calculated and the powder flow is controlled as a function of this variation using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signals. Thereby, in zones where the Laser Material Deposition machine reduces the feed rate due to a trajectory change, powder accumulation can be avoided and the generated clads would present a homogeneous shape.

Silicon etching of difluoromethane atmospheric pressure plasma jet combined with its spectroscopic analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Yu-Ching; Wei, Ta-Chin; Liu, You-Chia; Huang, Chun

2018-06-01

A capacitivly coupled radio-frequency double-pipe atmospheric-pressure plasma jet is used for etching. An argon carrier gas is supplied to the plasma discharge jet; and CH2F2 etch gas is inserted into the plasma discharge jet, near the silicon substrate. Silicon etchings rate can be efficiently-controlled by adjusting the feeding etching gas composition and plasma jet operating parameters. The features of silicon etched by the plasma discharge jet are discussed in order to spatially spreading plasma species. Electronic excitation temperature and electron density are detected by increasing plasma power. The etched silicon profile exhibited an anisotropic shape and the etching rate was maximum at the total gas flow rate of 4500 sccm and CH2F2 concentration of 11.1%. An etching rate of 17 µm/min was obtained at a plasma power of 100 W.

The Application of Deterministic Spectral Domain Method to the Analysis of Planar Circuit Discontinuities on Open Substrates

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-01

the spectral domain is extended to include the effects of two-dimensional, two-component current flow in planar transmission line discontinuities 6n...PROFESSOR: Tatsuo Itoh A deterministic formulation of the method of moments carried out in the spectral domain is extended to include the effects of...two-dimensional, two- component current flow in planar transmission line discontinuities on open substrates. The method includes the effects of space

Microfabricated thermoelectric power-generation devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleurial, Jean-Pierre (Inventor); Phillips, Wayne (Inventor); Borshchevsky, Alex (Inventor); Kolawa, Elizabeth A. (Inventor); Ryan, Margaret A. (Inventor); Caillat, Thierry (Inventor); Mueller, Peter (Inventor); Snyder, G. Jeffrey (Inventor); Kascich, Thorsten (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A device for generating power to run an electronic component. The device includes a heat-conducting substrate (composed, e.g., of diamond or another high thermal conductivity material) disposed in thermal contact with a high temperature region. During operation, heat flows from the high temperature region into the heat-conducting substrate, from which the heat flows into the electrical power generator. A thermoelectric material (e.g., a BiTe alloy-based film or other thermoelectric material) is placed in thermal contact with the heat-conducting substrate. A low temperature region is located on the side of the thermoelectric material opposite that of the high temperature region. The thermal gradient generates electrical power and drives an electrical component.

Microfabricated thermoelectric power-generation devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleurial, Jean-Pierre (Inventor); Ryan, Margaret A. (Inventor); Borshchevsky, Alex (Inventor); Phillips, Wayne (Inventor); Kolawa, Elizabeth A. (Inventor); Snyder, G. Jeffrey (Inventor); Caillat, Thierry (Inventor); Kascich, Thorsten (Inventor); Mueller, Peter (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A device for generating power to run an electronic component. The device includes a heat-conducting substrate (composed, e.g., of diamond or another high thermal conductivity material) disposed in thermal contact with a high temperature region. During operation, heat flows from the high temperature region into the heat-conducting substrate, from which the heat flows into the electrical power generator. A thermoelectric material (e.g., a BiTe alloy-based film or other thermoelectric material) is placed in thermal contact with the heat-conducting substrate. A low temperature region is located on the side of the thermoelectric material opposite that of the high temperature region. The thermal gradient generates electrical power and drives an electrical component.

Non-permeable substrate carrier for electroplating

DOEpatents

Abas, Emmanuel Chua; Chen, Chen-An; Ma, Diana Xiaobing; Ganti, Kalyana Bhargava

2012-11-27

One embodiment relates to a substrate carrier for use in electroplating a plurality of substrates. The substrate carrier comprises a non-conductive carrier body on which the substrates are to be held. Electrically-conductive lines are embedded within the carrier body, and a plurality of contact clips are coupled to the electrically-conductive lines embedded within the carrier body. The contact clips hold the substrates in place and electrically couple the substrates to the electrically-conductive lines. The non-conductive carrier body is continuous so as to be impermeable to flow of electroplating solution through the non-conductive carrier body. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Non-permeable substrate carrier for electroplating

DOEpatents

Abas, Emmanuel Chua; Chen, Chen-an; Ma, Diana Xiaobing; Ganti, Kalyana; Divino, Edmundo Anida; Ermita, Jake Randal G.; Capulong, Jose Francisco S.; Castillo, Arnold Villamor

2015-12-29

One embodiment relates to a substrate carrier for use in electroplating a plurality of substrates. The substrate carrier comprises a non-conductive carrier body on which the substrates are to be held. Electrically-conductive lines are embedded within the carrier body, and a plurality of contact clips are coupled to the electrically-conductive lines embedded within the carrier body. The contact clips hold the substrates in place and electrically couple the substrates to the electrically-conductive lines. The non-conductive carrier body is continuous so as to be impermeable to flow of electroplating solution through the non-conductive carrier body. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Slow-moving and far-travelled dense pyroclastic flows during the Peach Spring super-eruption

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roche, Olivier; Buesch, David C.; Valentine, Greg A.

2016-01-01

Explosive volcanic super-eruptions of several hundred cubic kilometres or more generate long run-out pyroclastic density currents the dynamics of which are poorly understood and controversial. Deposits of one such event in the southwestern USA, the 18.8 Ma Peach Spring Tuff, were formed by pyroclastic flows that travelled >170 km from the eruptive centre and entrained blocks up to ~70–90 cm diameter from the substrates along the flow paths. Here we combine these data with new experimental results to show that the flow’s base had high-particle concentration and relatively modest speeds of ~5–20 m s−1, fed by an eruption discharging magma at rates up to ~107–108 m3 s−1 for a minimum of 2.5–10 h. We conclude that sustained high-eruption discharge and long-lived high-pore pressure in dense granular dispersion can be more important than large initial velocity and turbulent transport with dilute suspension in promoting long pyroclastic flow distance.

Partial liquid-penetration inside a deep trench by film flowing over it

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Phuc-Khanh; Dimakopoulos, Yiannis; Tsamopoulos, John

2014-11-01

Liquid film flow along substrates featuring a deep trench may not wet the trench floor, but create a second gas-liquid interface inside the trench. The liquid penetration inside the trench depends on the location and shape of this inner interface. The penetration increases by decreasing the two three-phase contact lines between the inner interface and the two side-walls or the flow rate and depends on the liquid properties. This partial-penetration is studied by employing the Galerkin / finite element method to solve the two-dimensional steady-state Navier-Stokes equations in a physical domain that is adaptively remeshed. Multiple branches of steady solutions connected via turning points are revealed by pseudo arc-length continuation. Flow hysteresis may occur in a certain range of liquid penetration depth, when the interaction of the two interfaces changes qualitatively. This induces an abrupt jump of penetration distance and deformation amplitude of the outer interface. Work supported by the General Secretariat of Research & Technology of Greece through the program ``Excellence'' (Grant No. 1918) in the framework ``Education and Lifelong Learning'' co-funded by the ESF.

Atmospheric pulsed laser deposition of plasmonic nanoparticle films of silver with flowing gas and flowing atmospheric plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, T. M.; Pokle, A.; Lunney, J. G.

2018-04-01

Two methods of atmospheric pulsed laser deposition of plasmonic nanoparticle films of silver are described. In both methods the ablation plume, produced by a 248 nm, 20 ns excimer laser in gas, is strongly confined near the target and forms a nanoparticle aerosol. For both the flowing gas, and the atmospheric plasma from a dielectric barrier discharge plasma source, the aerosol is entrained in the flow and carried to a substrate for deposition. The nanoparticle films produced by both methods were examined by electron microscopy and optical absorption spectroscopy. With plasma assistance, the deposition rate was significantly enhanced and the film morphology altered. With argon gas, isolated nanoparticles of 20 nm size were obtained, whereas in argon plasma, the nanoparticles are aggregated in clusters of 90 nm size. Helium gas also leads to the deposition of isolated nanoparticles, but with helium plasma, two populations of nanoparticles are observed: one of rounded particles with a mean size of 26 nm and the other of faceted particles with a mean size 165 nm.

Microscale out-of-plane anemometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Chang (Inventor); Chen, Jack (Inventor)

2005-01-01

A microscale out-of-plane thermal sensor. A resistive heater is suspended over a substrate by supports raised with respect to the substrate to provide a clearance underneath the resistive heater for fluid flow. A preferred fabrication process for the thermal sensor uses surface micromachining and a three-dimensional assembly to raise the supports and lift the resistive heater over the substrate.

ANAEROBIC BIOTRANSFORMATION OF 2,4-DINITROTOLUENE WITH ETHANOL AS PRIMARY SUBSTRATE: MUTUAL EFFECT OF THE SUBSTRATES ON THEIR BIOTRANSFORMATION

EPA Science Inventory

The effect of the initial concentration of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) on its biotransformation and on the microbial utilization of ethanol was investigated. The culture used in this study was acclimated in a continuous flow laboratory fermentor with 2,4-DNT and ethanol as substrat...

Effects of flow scarcity on leaf-litter processing under oceanic climate conditions in calcareous streams.

PubMed

Martínez, Aingeru; Pérez, Javier; Molinero, Jon; Sagarduy, Mikel; Pozo, Jesús

2015-01-15

Although temporary streams represent a high proportion of the total number and length of running waters, historically the study of intermittent streams has received less attention than that of perennial ones. The goal of the present study was to assess the effects of flow cessation on litter decomposition in calcareous streams under oceanic climate conditions. For this, leaf litter of alder was incubated in four streams (S1, S2, S3 and S4) with different flow regimes (S3 and S4 with zero-flow periods) from northern Spain. To distinguish the relative importance and contribution of decomposers and detritivores, fine- and coarse-mesh litter bags were used. We determined processing rates, leaf-C, -N and -P concentrations, invertebrate colonization in coarse bags and benthic invertebrates. Decomposition rates in fine bags were similar among streams. In coarse bags, only one of the intermittent streams, S4, showed a lower rate than that in the other ones as a consequence of lower invertebrate colonization. The material incubated in fine bags presented higher leaf-N and -P concentrations than those in the coarse ones, except in S4, pointing out that the decomposition in this stream was driven mainly by microorganisms. Benthic macroinvertebrate and shredder density and biomass were lower in intermittent streams than those in perennial ones. However, the bags in S3 presented a greater amount of total macroinvertebrates and shredders comparing with the benthos. The most suitable explanation is that the fauna find a food substrate in bags less affected by calcite precipitation, which is common in the streambed at this site. Decomposition rate in coarse bags was positively related to associated shredder biomass. Thus, droughts in streams under oceanic climate conditions affect mainly the macroinvertebrate detritivore activity, although macroinvertebrates may show distinct behavior imposed by the physicochemical properties of water, mainly travertine precipitation, which can override the flow intermittence effects. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Turbine component having surface cooling channels and method of forming same

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

Miranda, Carlos Miguel; Trimmer, Andrew Lee; Kottilingam, Srikanth Chandrudu

2017-09-05

A component for a turbine engine includes a substrate that includes a first surface, and an insert coupled to the substrate proximate the substrate first surface. The component also includes a channel. The channel is defined by a first channel wall formed in the substrate and a second channel wall formed by at least one coating disposed on the substrate first surface. The component further includes an inlet opening defined in flow communication with the channel. The inlet opening is defined by a first inlet wall formed in the substrate and a second inlet wall defined by the insert.

Multi-layer micro/nanofluid devices with bio-nanovalves

DOEpatents

Li, Hao; Ocola, Leonidas E.; Auciello, Orlando H.; Firestone, Millicent A.

2013-01-01

A user-friendly multi-layer micro/nanofluidic flow device and micro/nano fabrication process are provided for numerous uses. The multi-layer micro/nanofluidic flow device can comprise: a substrate, such as indium tin oxide coated glass (ITO glass); a conductive layer of ferroelectric material, preferably comprising a PZT layer of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) positioned on the substrate; electrodes connected to the conductive layer; a nanofluidics layer positioned on the conductive layer and defining nanochannels; a microfluidics layer positioned upon the nanofluidics layer and defining microchannels; and biomolecular nanovalves providing bio-nanovalves which are moveable from a closed position to an open position to control fluid flow at a nanoscale.

Dynamic Seeding of Perfusing Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) onto Dual-Function Cell Adhesion Ligands: Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-Streptavidin and Biotinylated Fibronectin

PubMed Central

Anamelechi, Charles C.; Clermont, Edward C.; Novak, Matthew T.; Reichert, William M.

2014-01-01

Surfaces decorated with high affinity ligands can be used to facilitate rapid attachment of endothelial cells; however, standard equilibrium cell detachment studies are poorly suited for assessing these initial adhesion events. Here, a dynamic seeding and cell retention method was used to examine the initial attachment of perfusing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to bare Teflon-AF substrates, substrates pre-adsorbed with fibronectin alone, or substrates co-pre-adsorbed with two dual-function cell-adhesion ligands: biotinylated fibronectin (bFN) and RGD-streptavidin mutant (RGD-SA). Cell attachment was evaluated as a function of cell trypsinization (integrin digestion), surface protein formulation, and cell perfusion rate. Surfaces co-pre-adsorbed with bFN and RGD-SA showed the highest density of attached cells after 8 min of perfusion and the highest percent retention when subjected to shear flow at 60 dynes/cm2 for 2 min. Surfaces with no ligand treatment showed the lowest cell attachment and retention under flow in all cases. HUVECs trypsinized with mild 0.025% trypsin/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) showed greater cell adhesion after perfusion and higher percent retention after shear flow than those trypsinized using harsher 0.05% trypsin/EDTA. The preferential affinities of the two dual-function ligands for α5β1 and αvβ3 integrins were also examined by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy. The dynamic cell seeding studies confirmed that the dual-function ligand system promotes HUVEC adhesion and retention at short time points when tested using a perfusion assay. SPR studies showed that the two ligands exhibited equal affinity for both α5β1 and αvβ3 integrins but that the combined ligands bound more total integrins than the two ligands tested separately. PMID:19348476

Porosity modification during and following deposition of deep-water sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butler, R. W.; McCaffrey, W. D.; Haughton, P.; del Pino Sanchez, A.; Barker, S.; Hailwood, E.; Hakes, B.

2005-12-01

Deposition and early burial of sediments, especially sandy turbidites, are commonly accompanied by the reorganization of porosity structure through the localized expulsion of interstitial fluid. Fluid escape structures are preserved as thin sheets and pipes. Coeval sediment remobilization may be represented by shear structures, commonly taken to indicate down-slope creep and slumping. The history of shearing vs dewatering may be established from cross-cutting structures preserved in outcrop and/or core. Although these relationships are known for gravity-driven soft-sediment deformation on submarine slopes, they can also develop during deposition itself due to shear from the over-riding flow. Such deformation features, including pseudo s-c fabrics and distributed shear, together may previously have been misinterpreted as indicators of palaeoslope (slumps) or even of tectonic deformation. Progressive aggradation of sandy turbidites can show complex banded facies within which soft-sediment deformation is tiered. Syn-deposition micro-growth strata testify to ongoing seabed deformation occurring beneath active flows, while the bedforms themselves provide direct measurements of the magnitude of shear stresses imparted into the seabed and estimates of the shear strength of this substrate. Such banded facies may be interpreted in terms of cyclic partitioning of shear stress into the flow and the substrate. The modified porosity structures and related heterogeneities in permeability of such materials may persist during deeper burial, influencing the rheology of the sediment. These bed-scale processes are reflected in the quality and flow rates of hydrocarbon reservoirs. The reorganization of sand-body architecture through remobilization, by traction and/or down-slope failure, also has a strong impact on the permeability on the multi-bed scale (10s-100s m). Examples will be presented from hydrocarbon reservoirs in the subsurface and from outcrops of Tertiary turbidites in the Alpine-Apennine orogenic system.

Investigating the chemical mist deposition technique for poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) on textured crystalline-silicon for organic/crystalline-silicon heterojunction solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Jaker; Ohki, Tatsuya; Ichikawa, Koki; Fujiyama, Kazuhiko; Ueno, Keiji; Fujii, Yasuhiko; Hanajiri, Tatsuro; Shirai, Hajime

2016-03-01

Chemical mist deposition (CMD) of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was investigated in terms of cavitation frequency f, solvent, flow rate of nitrogen, substrate temperature Ts, and substrate dc bias Vs as variables for efficient PEDOT:PSS/crystalline silicon (c-Si) heterojunction solar cells. The high-speed-camera and differential mobility analysis characterizations revealed that the average size and flux of PEDOT:PSS mist depend on f, type of solvent, and Vs. Film deposition occurred when positive Vs was applied to the c-Si substrate at Ts of 30-40 °C, whereas no deposition of films occurred with negative Vs, implying that the film is deposited mainly from negatively charged mist. The uniform deposition of PEDOT:PSS films occurred on textured c-Si(100) substrates by adjusting Ts and Vs. The adhesion of CMD PEDOT:PSS film to c-Si was greatly enhanced by applying substrate dc bias Vs compared with that of spin-coated film. The CMD PEDOT:PSS/c-Si heterojunction solar cell devices on textured c-Si(100) in 2 × 2 cm2 exhibited a power conversion efficiency η of 11.0% with better uniformity of the solar cell parameters. Furthermore, η was increased to 12.5% by adding an AR coating layer of molybdenum oxide MoOx formed by CMD. These findings suggest that CMD with negatively charged mist has great potential for the uniform deposition of organic and inorganic materials on textured c-Si substrates by suitably adjusting Ts and Vs.

Shift from slow- to fast-water habitats accelerates lineage and phenotype evolution in a clade of Neotropical suckermouth catfishes (Loricariidae: Hypoptopomatinae).

PubMed

Roxo, Fábio F; Lujan, Nathan K; Tagliacollo, Victor A; Waltz, Brandon T; Silva, Gabriel S C; Oliveira, Claudio; Albert, James S

2017-01-01

Identifying habitat characteristics that accelerate organismal evolution is essential to understanding both the origins of life on Earth and the ecosystem properties that are most critical to maintaining life into the future. Searching for these characteristics on a large scale has only recently become possible via advances in phylogenetic reconstruction, time-calibration, and comparative analyses. In this study, we combine these tools with habitat and phenotype data for 105 species in a clade of Neotropical suckermouth catfishes commonly known as cascudinhos. Our goal was to determine whether riverine mesohabitats defined by different flow rates (i.e., pools vs. rapids) and substrates (plants vs. rocks) have affected rates of cascudinho cladogenesis and morphological diversification. In contrast to predictions based on general theory related to life in fast-flowing, rocky riverine habitats, Neoplecostomini lineages associated with these habitats exhibited increased body size, head shape diversity, and lineage and phenotype diversification rates. These findings are consistent with a growing understanding of river rapids as incubators of biological diversification and specialization. They also highlight the urgent need to conserve rapids habitats throughout the major rivers of the world.

Modeling of InP metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, Linda R.; Clark, Ivan O.; Kui, J.; Jesser, William A.

1991-01-01

The growth of InP by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) in a horizontal reactor is being modeled with a commercially available computational fluid dynamics modeling code. The mathematical treatment of the MOCVD process has four primary areas of concern: 1) transport phenomena, 2) chemistry, 3) boundary conditions, and 4) numerical solution methods. The transport processes involved in CVD are described by conservation of total mass, momentum, energy, and atomic species. Momentum conservation is described by a generalized form of the Navier-Stokes equation for a Newtonian fluid and laminar flow. The effect of Soret diffusion on the transport of particular chemical species and on the predicted deposition rate is examined. Both gas-phase and surface chemical reactions are employed in the model. Boundary conditions are specified at the inlet and walls of the reactor for temperature, fluid flow and chemical species. The coupled set of equations described above is solved by a finite difference method over a nonuniform rectilinear grid in both two and three dimensions. The results of the 2-D computational model is presented for gravity levels of zero- and one-g. The predicted growth rates at one-g are compared to measured growth rates on fused silica substrates.

Samaria-doped Ceria Modified Ni/YSZ Anode for Direct Methane Fuel in Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells by Impregnation Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Long-shan; Gao, Jian-feng; Tian, Rui-fen; Xia, Chang-rong

2009-08-01

A porous NiO/yttria-stabilized zirconia anode substrate for tubular solid oxide fuel cells was prepared by gel casting technique. Nano-scale samaria-doped ceria (SDC) particles were formed onto the anode substrate to modify the anode microstructure by the impregnation of solution of Sm(NO3)3 and Ce(NO3)3. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, current-voltage and current-powder curves of the cells were measured using an electrochemical workstation. Scanning electron microcopy was used to observe the microstructure. The results indicate that the stability of the performance of the cell operated on humidified methane can be significantly improved by incorporating the nano-structured SDC particles, compared with the unmodified cell. This verifies that the coated SDC electrodes are very effective in suppressing catalytic carbon formation by blocking methane from approaching the Ni, which is catalytically active towards methane pyrolysis. In addition, it was found that a small amount of deposited carbon is beneficial to the performance of the anode. The cell showed a peak power density of 225 mW/cm2 when it was fed with H2 fuel at 700 °C, but the power density increased to 400 mW/cm2 when the fuel was switched from hydrogen to methane at the same flow rate. Methane conversion achieved about 90%, measured by gas chromatogram with a 10.0 mL/min flow rate of fuel at 700 °C. Although the carbon deposition was not suppressed absolutely, some deposited carbon was beneficial for performance improvement.

A continuous flow microfluidic calorimeter: 3-D numerical modeling with aqueous reactants.

PubMed

Sen, Mehmet A; Kowalski, Gregory J; Fiering, Jason; Larson, Dale

2015-03-10

A computational analysis of the reacting flow field, species diffusion and heat transfer processes with thermal boundary layer effects in a microchannel reactor with a coflow configuration was performed. Two parallel adjacent streams of aqueous reactants flow along a wide, shallow, enclosed channel in contact with a substrate, which is affixed to a temperature controlled plate. The Fluent computational fluid dynamics package solved the Navier-Stokes, mass transport and energy equations. The energy model, including the enthalpy of reaction as a nonuniform heat source, was validated by calculating the energy balance at several control volumes in the microchannel. Analysis reveals that the temperature is nearly uniform across the channel thickness, in the direction normal to the substrate surface; hence, measurements made by sensors at or near the surface are representative of the average temperature. Additionally, modeling the channel with a glass substrate and a silicone cover shows that heat transfer is predominantly due to the glass substrate. Finally, using the numerical results, we suggest that a microcalorimeter could be based on this configuration, and that temperature sensors such as optical nanohole array sensors could have sufficient spatial resolution to determine enthalpy of reaction.

A continuous flow microfluidic calorimeter: 3-D numerical modeling with aqueous reactants

PubMed Central

Sen, Mehmet A.; Kowalski, Gregory J.; Fiering, Jason; Larson, Dale

2015-01-01

A computational analysis of the reacting flow field, species diffusion and heat transfer processes with thermal boundary layer effects in a microchannel reactor with a coflow configuration was performed. Two parallel adjacent streams of aqueous reactants flow along a wide, shallow, enclosed channel in contact with a substrate, which is affixed to a temperature controlled plate. The Fluent computational fluid dynamics package solved the Navier–Stokes, mass transport and energy equations. The energy model, including the enthalpy of reaction as a nonuniform heat source, was validated by calculating the energy balance at several control volumes in the microchannel. Analysis reveals that the temperature is nearly uniform across the channel thickness, in the direction normal to the substrate surface; hence, measurements made by sensors at or near the surface are representative of the average temperature. Additionally, modeling the channel with a glass substrate and a silicone cover shows that heat transfer is predominantly due to the glass substrate. Finally, using the numerical results, we suggest that a microcalorimeter could be based on this configuration, and that temperature sensors such as optical nanohole array sensors could have sufficient spatial resolution to determine enthalpy of reaction. PMID:25937678

Study on bi-directional pedestrian movement using ant algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibel, Gokce; Ozhan, Kayacan

2016-01-01

A cellular automata model is proposed to simulate bi-directional pedestrian flow. Pedestrian movement is investigated by using ant algorithms. Ants communicate with each other by dropping a chemical, called a pheromone, on the substrate while crawling forward. Similarly, it is considered that oppositely moving pedestrians drop ‘visual pheromones’ on their way and the visual pheromones might cause attractive or repulsive interactions. This pheromenon is introduced into modelling the pedestrians’ walking preference. In this way, the decision-making process of pedestrians will be based on ‘the instinct of following’. At some densities, the relationships of velocity-density and flux-density are analyzed for different evaporation rates of visual pheromones. Lane formation and phase transition are observed for certain evaporation rates of visual pheromones.

Liquid flow cells having graphene on nitride for microscopy

DOEpatents

Adiga, Vivekananda P.; Dunn, Gabriel; Zettl, Alexander K.; Alivisatos, A. Paul

2016-09-20

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to liquid flow cells for microscopy. In one aspect, a device includes a substrate having a first and a second oxide layer disposed on surfaces of the substrate. A first and a second nitride layer are disposed on the first and second oxide layers, respectively. A cavity is defined in the first oxide layer, the first nitride layer, and the substrate, with the cavity including a third nitride layer disposed on walls of the substrate and the second oxide layer that define the cavity. A channel is defined in the second oxide layer. An inlet port and an outlet port are defined in the second nitride layer and in fluid communication with the channel. A plurality of viewports is defined in the second nitride layer. A first graphene sheet is disposed on the second nitride layer covering the plurality of viewports.

Removal and factors influencing removal of sulfonamides and trimethoprim from domestic sewage in constructed wetlands.

PubMed

Dan A; Yang, Yang; Dai, Yu-Nv; Chen, Chun-Xing; Wang, Su-Yu; Tao, Ran

2013-10-01

Twelve pilot-scale constructed wetlands with different configurations were set up in the field to evaluate the removal and factors that influence removal of sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfapyridine, sulfacetamide, sulfamethazine and sulfamethoxazole) and trimethoprim from domestic sewage. The treatments included four flow types, three substrates, two plants and three hydraulic loading rates across two seasons (summer and winter). Most target antibiotics were efficiently removed by specific constructed wetlands; in particular, all types of constructed wetlands performed well for the degradation of sulfapyridine. Flow types were the most important influencing factor in this study, and the best removal of sulfonamides was achieved in vertical subsurface-flow constructed wetlands; however, the opposite phenomenon was found with trimethoprim. Significant relationships were observed between antibiotic degradation and higher temperature and redox potential, which indicated that microbiological pathways were the most probable degradation route for sulfonamides and trimethoprim in constructed wetlands. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surface chemistry associated with the cooling and subaerial weathering of recent basalt flows

USGS Publications Warehouse

White, A.F.; Hochella, M.F.

1992-01-01

The surface chemistry of fresh and weathered historical basalt flows was characterized using surface-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Surfaces of unweathered 1987-1990 flows from the Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, exhibited variable enrichment in Al, Mg, Ca, and F due to the formation of refractory fluoride compounds and pronounced depletion in Si and Fe from the volatilization of SiF4 and FeF3 during cooling. These reactions, as predicted from shifts in thermodynamic equilibrium with temperature, are induced by diffusion of HF from the flow interiors to the cooling surface. The lack of Si loss and solid fluoride formation for recent basalts from the Krafla Volcano, Iceland, suggest HF degassing at higher temperatures. Subsequent short-term subaerial weathering reactions are strongly influenced by the initial surface composition of the flow and therefore its cooling history. Successive samples collected from the 1987 Kilauea flow demonstrated that the fluoridated flow surfaces leached to a predominantly SiO2 composition by natural weathering within one year. These chemically depleted surfaces were also observed on Hawaiian basalt flows dating back to 1801 AD. Solubility and kinetic models, based on thermodynamic and kinetic data for crystalline AlF3, MgF2, and CaF2, support observed elemental depletion rates due to chemical weathering. Additional loss of alkalis from the Hawaiian basalt occurs from incongruent dissolution of the basalt glass substrate during weathering. ?? 1992.

A technique for measurement of instantaneous heat transfer in steady-flow ambient-temperature facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Brien, James E.

1990-01-01

An experimental technique is described for obtaining time-resolved heat flux measurements with high-frequency response (up to 100 kHz) in a steady-flow ambient-temperature facility. The heat transfer test object is preheated and suddenly injected into an established steady flow. Thin-film gages deposited on the test surface detect the unsteady substrate surface temperature. Analog circuitry designed for use in short-duration facilities and based on one-dimensional semiinfinite heat conduction is used to perform the temperature/heat flux transformation. A detailed description of substrate properties, instrumentation, experimental procedure, and data reduction is given, along with representative results obtained in the stagnation region of a circular cylinder subjected to a wake-dominated unsteady flow. An in-depth discussion of related work is also provided.

Carbon nanotubes on a substrate

DOEpatents

Gao, Yufei [Kennewick, WA; Liu, Jun [West Richland, WA

2002-03-26

The present invention includes carbon nanotubes whose hollow cores are 100% filled with conductive filler. The carbon nanotubes are in uniform arrays on a conductive substrate and are well-aligned and can be densely packed. The uniformity of the carbon nanotube arrays is indicated by the uniform length and diameter of the carbon nanotubes, both which vary from nanotube to nanotube on a given array by no more than about 5%. The alignment of the carbon nanotubes is indicated by the perpendicular growth of the nanotubes from the substrates which is achieved in part by the simultaneous growth of the conductive filler within the hollow core of the nanotube and the densely packed growth of the nanotubes. The present invention provides a densely packed carbon nanotube growth where each nanotube is in contact with at least one nearest-neighbor nanotube. The substrate is a conductive substrate coated with a growth catalyst, and the conductive filler can be single crystals of carbide formed by a solid state reaction between the substrate material and the growth catalyst. The present invention further provides a method for making the filled carbon nanotubes on the conductive substrates. The method includes the steps of depositing a growth catalyst onto the conductive substrate as a prepared substrate, creating a vacuum within a vessel which contains the prepared substrate, flowing H2/inert (e.g. Ar) gas within the vessel to increase and maintain the pressure within the vessel, increasing the temperature of the prepared substrate, and changing the H2/Ar gas to ethylene gas such that the ethylene gas flows within the vessel. Additionally, varying the density and separation of the catalyst particles on the conductive substrate can be used to control the diameter of the nanotubes.

Method of making carbon nanotubes on a substrate

DOEpatents

Gao, Yufei; Liu, Jun

2006-03-14

The present invention includes carbon nanotubes whose hollow cores are 100% filled with conductive filler. The carbon nanotubes are in uniform arrays on a conductive substrate and are well-aligned and can be densely packed. The uniformity of the carbon nanotube arrays is indicated by the uniform length and diameter of the carbon nanotubes, both which vary from nanotube to nanotube on a given array by no more than about 5%. The alignment of the carbon nanotubes is indicated by the perpendicular growth of the nanotubes from the substrates which is achieved in part by the simultaneous growth of the conductive filler within the hollow core of the nanotube and the densely packed growth of the nanotubes. The present invention provides a densely packed carbon nanotube growth where each nanotube is in contact with at least one nearest-neighbor nanotube. The substrate is a conductive substrate coated with a growth catalyst, and the conductive filler can be single crystals of carbide formed by a solid state reaction between the substrate material and the growth catalyst. The present invention further provides a method for making the filled carbon nanotubes on the conductive substrates. The method includes the steps of depositing a growth catalyst onto the conductive substrate as a prepared substrate, creating a vacuum within a vessel which contains the prepared substrate, flowing H2/inert (e.g. Ar) gas within the vessel to increase and maintain the pressure within the vessel, increasing the temperature of the prepared substrate, and changing the H2/Ar gas to ethylene gas such that the ethylene gas flows within the vessel. Additionally, varying the density and separation of the catalyst particles on the conductive substrate can be used to control the diameter of the nanotubes.

Low temperature deposition of polycrystalline silicon thin films on a flexible polymer substrate by hot wire chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sang-hoon; Jung, Jae-soo; Lee, Sung-soo; Lee, Sung-bo; Hwang, Nong-moon

2016-11-01

For the applications such as flexible displays and solar cells, the direct deposition of crystalline silicon films on a flexible polymer substrate has been a great issue. Here, we investigated the direct deposition of polycrystalline silicon films on a polyimide film at the substrate temperature of 200 °C. The low temperature deposition of crystalline silicon on a flexible substrate has been successfully made based on two ideas. One is that the Si-Cl-H system has a retrograde solubility of silicon in the gas phase near the substrate temperature. The other is the new concept of non-classical crystallization, where films grow by the building block of nanoparticles formed in the gas phase during hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD). The total amount of precipitation of silicon nanoparticles decreased with increasing HCl concentration. By adding HCl, the amount and the size of silicon nanoparticles were reduced remarkably, which is related with the low temperature deposition of silicon films of highly crystalline fraction with a very thin amorphous incubation layer. The dark conductivity of the intrinsic film prepared at the flow rate ratio of RHCl=[HCl]/[SiH4]=3.61 was 1.84×10-6 Scm-1 at room temperature. The Hall mobility of the n-type silicon film prepared at RHCl=3.61 was 5.72 cm2 V-1s-1. These electrical properties of silicon films are high enough and could be used in flexible electric devices.

Hydrostatic and Flow Measurements on Wrinkled Membrane Walls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozsun, Ozgur; Ekinci, Kamil

2013-03-01

In this study, we investigate structural properties of wrinkled silicon nitride (SiN) membranes, under both hydrostatic perturbations and flow conditions, through surface profile measurements. Rectangular SiN membranes with linear dimensions of 15 mm × 1 . 5 mm × 1 μ m are fabricated on a 500 - μ m-thick silicon substrate using standard lithography techniques. These thin, initially flat, tension-dominated membranes are wrinkled by bending the silicon substrate. The wrinkled membranes are subsequently incorporated as walls into rectangular micro-channels, which allow both hydrostatic and flow measurements. The structural response of the wrinkles to hydrostatic pressure provides a measure of the various energy scales in the problem. Flow experiments show that the elastic properties and the structural undulations on a compliant membrane completely dominate the flow, possibly providing drag reduction. These measurements pave the way for building and using compliant walls for drag reduction in micro-channels.

More than just slippery: the impact of biofilm on the attachment of non-sessile freshwater mayfly larvae.

PubMed

Ditsche, Petra; Michels, Jan; Kovalev, Alexander; Koop, Jochen; Gorb, Stanislav

2014-03-06

While terrestrial insects can usually attach directly to a substrate, for aquatic insects the situation is more complicated owing to the presence of a biofilm on the primary substrates. This important fact has been neither the subject of investigation nor commonly taken into account in the interpretation of functional aspects of attachment in mobile freshwater animals. In this study, we investigate the impact of a biofilm on the attachment of living mayfly larvae. We performed in vivo attachment experiments in a flow channel using different substrates with defined surface roughness. Additionally, we measured friction forces directly generated by dissected tarsal claws on the same substrates. On substrates with smooth or slightly rough surfaces, which have little or no surface irregularities large enough for the claws to grasp, the presence of a biofilm significantly increases the friction force of claws. Consequently, larvae can endure higher flow velocities on these smooth substrates. The opposite effect takes place on rough substrates, where the friction force of claws decreases in the presence of a biofilm. Consequently, a biofilm is a critical ecological structure for these larvae, and other aquatic organisms, not only as a food source but also as a factor influencing attachment ability.

Primary Succession on a Hawaiian Dryland Chronosequence

DOE PAGES

Kinney, Kealohanuiopuna M.; Asner, Gregory P.; Cordell, Susan; ...

2015-06-12

We used measurements from airborne imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR to quantify the biophysical structure and composition of vegetation on a dryland substrate age gradient in Hawaii. Both vertical stature and species composition changed during primary succession, and reveal a progressive increase in vertical stature on younger substrates followed by a collapse on Pleistocene-aged flows. Tall-stature Metrosideros polymorpha woodlands dominated on the youngest substrates (hundreds of years), and were replaced by the tall-stature endemic tree species Myoporum sandwicense and Sophora chrysophylla on intermediate-aged flows (thousands of years). The oldest substrates (tens of thousands of years) were dominated by the short-stature nativemore » shrub Dodonaea viscosa and endemic grass Eragrostis atropioides. We excavated 18 macroscopic charcoal fragments from Pleistocene-aged substrates. Mean radiocarbon age was 2,002 years and ranged from < 200 to 7,730. Genus identities from four fragments indicate that Osteomeles spp. or M. polymorpha once occupied the Pleistocene-aged substrates, but neither of these species is found there today. These findings indicate the existence of fires before humans are known to have occupied the Hawaiian archipelago, and demonstrate that a collapse in vertical stature is prevalent on the oldest substrates. In conclusion, this work contributes to our understanding of prehistoric fires in shaping the trajectory of primary succession in Hawaiian drylands.« less

Primary Succession on a Hawaiian Dryland Chronosequence

PubMed Central

Kinney, Kealohanuiopuna M.; Asner, Gregory P.; Cordell, Susan; Chadwick, Oliver A.; Heckman, Katherine; Hotchkiss, Sara; Jeraj, Marjeta; Kennedy-Bowdoin, Ty; Knapp, David E.; Questad, Erin J.; Thaxton, Jarrod M.; Trusdell, Frank; Kellner, James R.

2015-01-01

We used measurements from airborne imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR to quantify the biophysical structure and composition of vegetation on a dryland substrate age gradient in Hawaii. Both vertical stature and species composition changed during primary succession, and reveal a progressive increase in vertical stature on younger substrates followed by a collapse on Pleistocene-aged flows. Tall-stature Metrosideros polymorpha woodlands dominated on the youngest substrates (hundreds of years), and were replaced by the tall-stature endemic tree species Myoporum sandwicense and Sophora chrysophylla on intermediate-aged flows (thousands of years). The oldest substrates (tens of thousands of years) were dominated by the short-stature native shrub Dodonaea viscosa and endemic grass Eragrostis atropioides. We excavated 18 macroscopic charcoal fragments from Pleistocene-aged substrates. Mean radiocarbon age was 2,002 years and ranged from < 200 to 7,730. Genus identities from four fragments indicate that Osteomeles spp. or M. polymorpha once occupied the Pleistocene-aged substrates, but neither of these species is found there today. These findings indicate the existence of fires before humans are known to have occupied the Hawaiian archipelago, and demonstrate that a collapse in vertical stature is prevalent on the oldest substrates. This work contributes to our understanding of prehistoric fires in shaping the trajectory of primary succession in Hawaiian drylands. PMID:26066334

Alternating SiCl4/O2 passivation steps with SF6 etch steps for silicon deep etching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duluard, C. Y.; Ranson, P.; Pichon, L. E.; Pereira, J.; Oubensaid, E. H.; Lefaucheux, P.; Puech, M.; Dussart, R.

2011-06-01

Deep etching of silicon has been investigated in an inductively coupled plasma etch reactor using short SiCl4/O2 plasma steps to passivate the sidewalls of the etched structures. A study was first carried out to define the appropriate parameters to create, at a substrate temperature of -20 °C, a passivation layer by SiCl4/O2 plasma that resists lateral chemical etching in SF6 plasma. The most efficient passivation layer was obtained for a SiCl4/O2 gas flow ratio of 2:1, a pressure of 1 Pa and a source power of 1000 W. Ex situ analyses on a film deposited with these parameters show that it is very rich in oxygen. Silicon etching processes that alternate SF6 plasma etch steps with SiCl4/O2 plasma passivation steps were then developed. Preliminary tests in pulsed-mode conditions have enabled etch rates greater than 2 µm min-1 with selectivities higher than 220. These results show that it is possible to develop a silicon deep etching process at substrate temperatures around -20 °C that uses low SiCl4 and O2 gas flows instead of conventional fluorocarbon gases for sidewall protection.

Power density measurements to optimize AC plasma jet operation in blood coagulation.

PubMed

Ahmed, Kamal M; Eldeighdye, Shaimaa M; Allam, Tarek M; Hassanin, Walaa F

2018-06-14

In this paper, the plasma power density and corresponding plasma dose of a low-cost air non-thermal plasma jet (ANPJ) device are estimated at different axial distances from the nozzle. This estimation is achieved by measuring the voltage and current at the substrate using diagnostic techniques that can be easily made in laboratory; thin wire and dielectric probe, respectively. This device uses a compressed air as input gas instead of the relatively-expensive, large-sized and heavy weighed tanks of Ar or He gases. The calculated plasma dose is found to be very low and allows the presented device to be used in biomedical applications (especially blood coagulation). While plasma active species and charged-particles are found to be the most effective on blood coagulation formation, both air flow and UV, individually, do not have any effect. Moreover, optimal conditions for accelerating blood coagulation are studied. Results showed that, the power density at the substrate is shown to be decreased with increasing the distance from the nozzle. In addition, both distances from nozzle and air flow rate play an important role in accelerating blood coagulation process. Finally, this device is efficient, small-sized, safe enough, of low cost and, hence, has its chances to be wide spread as a first aid and in ambulance.

Surface nanodroplets for highly efficient liquid-liquid microextraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Miaosi; Lu, Ziyang; Yu, Haitao; Zhang, Xuehua

2016-11-01

Nanoscale droplets on a substrate are an essential element for a wide range of applications, such as laboratory-on-chip devices, simple and highly efficient miniaturized reactors for concentrating products, high-throughput single-bacteria or single-biomolecular analysis, encapsulation, and high-resolution imaging techniques. The solvent exchange process is a simple bottom-up approach for producing droplets at solid-liquid interfaces that are only several tens to hundreds of nanometers in height, or a few femtoliters in volume Oil nanodroplets can be produced on a substrate by solvent exchange in which a good solvent of oil is displaced by a poor solvent. Our previous work has significantly advanced understanding of the principle of solvent exchange, and the droplet size can be well-controlled by several parameters, including flow rates, flow geometry, gravitational effect and composition of solutions. In this work, we studied the microextraction effect of surface nanodroplets. Oil nanodroplets have been demonstrated to provide highly-efficient liquid-liquid microextraction of hydrophobic solute in a highly diluted solution. This effect proved the feasibility of nanodroplets as a platform for preconcentrating compounds for in situ highly sensitive microanalysis without further separation. Also the long lifetime and temporal stability of surface nanodroplets allow for some long-term extraction process and extraction without addition of stabilisers.

Influence of nanostructural environment and fluid flow on osteoblast-like cell behavior: a model for cell-mechanics studies.

PubMed

Prodanov, L; Semeins, C M; van Loon, J J W A; te Riet, J; Jansen, J A; Klein-Nulend, J; Walboomers, X F

2013-05-01

Introducing nanoroughness on various biomaterials has been shown to profoundly effect cell-material interactions. Similarly, physical forces act on a diverse array of cells and tissues. Particularly in bone, the tissue experiences compressive or tensile forces resulting in fluid shear stress. The current study aimed to develop an experimental setup for bone cell behavior, combining a nanometrically grooved substrate (200 nm wide, 50 nm deep) mimicking the collagen fibrils of the extracellular matrix, with mechanical stimulation by pulsatile fluid flow (PFF). MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells were assessed for morphology, expression of genes involved in cell attachment and osteoblastogenesis and nitric oxide (NO) release. The results showed that both nanotexture and PFF did affect cellular morphology. Cells aligned on nanotexture substrate in a direction parallel to the groove orientation. PFF at a magnitude of 0.7 Pa was sufficient to induce alignment of cells on a smooth surface in a direction perpendicular to the applied flow. When environmental cues texture and flow were interacting, PFF of 1.4 Pa applied parallel to the nanogrooves initiated significant cellular realignment. PFF increased NO synthesis 15-fold in cells attached to both smooth and nanotextured substrates. Increased collagen and alkaline phosphatase mRNA expression was observed on the nanotextured substrate, but not on the smooth substrate. Furthermore, vinculin and bone sialoprotein were up-regulated after 1 h of PFF stimulation. In conclusion, the data show that interstitial fluid forces and structural cues mimicking extracellular matrix contribute to the final bone cell morphology and behavior, which might have potential application in tissue engineering. Copyright © 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flow-through SIP - A novel stable isotope probing approach limiting cross-feeding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mooshammer, Maria; Kitzinger, Katharina; Schintlmeister, Arno; Kjedal, Henrik; Nielsen, Jeppe Lund; Nielsen, Per; Wagner, Michael

2017-04-01

Stable isotope probing (SIP) is a widely applied tool to link specific microbial populations to metabolic processes in the environment without the prerequisite of cultivation, which has greatly advanced our understanding of the role of microorganisms in biogeochemical cycling. SIP relies on tracing specific isotopically labeled substrates (e.g., 13C, 15N, 18O) into cellular biomarkers, such as DNA, RNA or phospholipid fatty acids, and is considered to be a robust technique to identify microbial populations that assimilate the labeled substrate. However, cross-feeding can occur when labeled metabolites are released from a primary consumer and then used by other microorganisms. This leads to erroneous identification of organisms that are not directly responsible for the process of interest, but are rather connected to primary consumers via a microbial food web. Here, we introduce a new approach that has the potential to eliminate the effect of cross-feeding in SIP studies and can thus also be used to distinguish primary consumers from other members of microbial food webs. In this approach, a monolayer of microbial cells are placed on a filter membrane, and labeled substrates are supplied by a continuous flow. By means of flow-through, labeled metabolites and degradation products are constantly removed, preventing secondary consumption of the substrate. We present results from a proof-of-concept experiment using nitrifiers from activated sludge as model system, in which we used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes for identification of nitrifiers in combination with nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) for visualization of isotope incorporation at the single-cell level. Our results show that flow-through SIP is a promising approach to significantly reduce cross-feeding and secondary substrate consumption in SIP experiments.

Quantification and significance of fluid shear stress field in biaxial cell stretching device.

PubMed

Thompson, Mark S; Abercrombie, Stuart R; Ott, Claus-Eric; Bieler, Friederike H; Duda, Georg N; Ventikos, Yiannis

2011-07-01

A widely used commercially available system for the investigation of mechanosensitivity applies a biaxial strain field to cells cultured on a compliant silicone substrate membrane stretched over a central post. As well as intended substrate strain, this device also provides a fluid flow environment for the cultured cells. In order to interpret the relevance of experiments using this device to the in vivo and clinical situation, it is essential to characterise both substrate and fluid environments. While previous work has detailed the substrate strain, the fluid shear stresses, to which bone cells are known to be sensitive, are unknown. Therefore, a fluid structure interaction computational fluid dynamics model was constructed, incorporating a finite element technique capable of capturing the contact between the post and the silicone substrate membrane, to the underside of which the pump control pressure was applied. Flow verification experiments using 10-μm-diameter fluorescent microspheres were carried out. Fluid shear stress increased approximately linearly with radius along the on-post substrate membrane, with peak values located close to the post edge. Changes in stimulation frequency and culture medium viscosity effected proportional changes in the magnitude of the fluid shear stress (peak fluid shear stresses varied in the range 0.09-3.5 Pa), with minor effects on temporal and spatial distribution. Good agreement was obtained between predicted and measured radial flow patterns. These results suggest a reinterpretation of previous data obtained using this device to include the potential for a strong role of fluid shear stress in mechanosensitivity.

Single-molecule tracking studies of flow-induced microdomain alignment in cylinder-forming polystyrene-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer films.

PubMed

Tran-Ba, Khanh-Hoa; Higgins, Daniel A; Ito, Takashi

2014-09-25

Flow-based approaches are promising routes to preparation of aligned block copolymer microdomains within confined spaces. An in-depth characterization of such nanoscale morphologies within macroscopically nonuniform materials under ambient conditions is, however, often challenging. In this study, single-molecule tracking (SMT) methods were employed to probe the flow-induced alignment of cylindrical microdomains (ca. 22 nm in diameter) in polystyrene-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer (PS-b-PEO) films. Films of micrometer-scale thicknesses were prepared by overlaying a benzene solution droplet on a glass coverslip with a rectangular glass plate, followed by solvent evaporation under a nitrogen atmosphere. The microdomain alignment was quantitatively assessed from SMT data exhibiting the diffusional motions of individual sulforhodamine B fluorescent probes that preferentially partitioned into cylindrical PEO microdomains. Better overall microdomain orientation along the flow direction was observed near the substrate interface in films prepared at a higher flow rate, suggesting that the microdomain alignment was primarily induced by shear flow. The SMT data also revealed the presence of micrometer-scale grains consisting of highly ordered microdomains with coherent orientation. The results of this study provide insights into shear-based preparation of aligned cylindrical microdomains in block copolymer films from solutions within confined spaces.

Direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow over a liquid-infused micro-grooved surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Jaehee; Jung, Taeyong; Choi, Haecheon; Kim, John

2016-11-01

Recently a superhydrophobic surface has drawn much attention as a passive device to achieve high drag reduction. Despite the high performance promised at ideal conditions, maintaining the interface in real flow conditions is an intractable problem. A non-wetting surface, known as the slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) or the lubricant-impregnated surface (LIS), has shown a potential for drag reduction, as the working fluid slips at the interface but cannot penetrate into the lubricant layer. In the present study, we perform direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow over a liquid-infused micro-grooved surface to investigate the effects of this surface on the interfacial slip and drag reduction. The flow rate of water is maintained constant corresponding to Reτ 180 in a fully developed turbulent channel flow, and the lubricant layer is shear-driven by the turbulent water flow. The lubricant layer is also simulated with the assumption that the interface is flat (i.e. the surface tension effect is neglected). The solid substrate in which the lubricant is infused is modelled as straight ridges using an immersed boundary method. DNS results show that drag reduction by the liquid-infused surface is highly dependent on the viscosity of the lubricant.

Microscale shock tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirshekari, Gholamreza

This project aims at the simulation, design, fabrication and testing of a microscale shock tube. A step by step procedure has been followed to develop the different components of the microscale shock tube and then combine them together to realize the final device. The document reports on the numerical simulation of flows in a microscale shock tube, the experimental study of gas flow in microchannels, the design, microfabrication, and the test of a microscale shock tube. In the first step, a one-dimensional numerical model for simulation of transport effects at small-scale, appeared in low Reynolds number shock tubes is developed. The conservation equations have been integrated in the lateral directions and three-dimensional effects have been introduced as carefully controlled sources of mass, momentum and energy, into the one-dimensional model. The unsteady flow of gas behind the shock wave is reduced to a quasi-steady laminar flow solution, similar to the Blasius solution. The resulting one-dimensional equations are solved numerically and the simulations are performed for previously reported low Reynolds number shock tube experiments. Good agreement between the shock structure simulation and the attenuation due to the boundary layers has been observed. The simulation for predicting the performance of a microscale shock tube shows the large attenuation of shock wave at low pressure ratios. In the next step the steady flow inside microchannels has been experimentally studied. A set of microchannels with different geometries were fabricated. These microchannels have been used to measure the pressure drop as a function of flow rate in a steady compressible flow. The results of the experiments confirm that the flow inside the microscale shock tube follows the laminar model over the experiment's range of Knudsen number. The microscale shock tube is fabricated by deposition and patterning of different thin layers of selected materials on the silicon substrate. The direct sensing piezoelectric sensors were fabricated and integrated with microchannels patterned on the substrate. The channels were then covered with another substrate. This shock tube is 2000 mum long and it has a 2000 mum wide and 17 mum high rectangular cross section equipped with 5 piezoelectric sensors along the tube. The packaged microscale shock tube was installed in an ordinary shock tube and shock waves with different Mach numbers were directed into the channel. A one-dimensional inviscid calculation as well as viscous simulation using the one-dimensional model have also been performed for the above mentioned geometry. The comparison of results with those of the same geometry for an inviscid flow shows the considerable attenuation of shock strength and deceleration of the shock wave for both incident and reflected shock waves in the channel. The comparison of results with numerically generated results with the one-dimensional model presents good agreement for incident shock waves. Keywords. Shock wave, Shock tube, MEMS, Microfluidic, Piezoelectric sensor, Microchannel, Transport phenomena.

Effects of near-bed turbulence and micro-topography on macroinvertebrate movements across contrasting gravel-bed surfaces (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buffin-Belanger, T. K.; Rice, S. P.; Reid, I.; Lancaster, J.

2009-12-01

Fluvial habitats can be described from a series of physical variables but to adequately address the habitat quality it becomes necessary to develop an understanding that combines the physical variables with the behaviour of the inhabitating organisms. The hypothesis of flow refugia provide a rational that can explain the persistence of macroinvertebrate communities in gravel-bed rivers when spates occur. The movement behaviour of macroinvertebrates is a key element to the flow refugia hypothesis, but little is known about how local near-bed turbulence and bed microtopography may affect macroinvertebrate movements. We reproduced natural gravel-bed substrates with contrasting gravel bed textures in a large flume where we were able to document the movement behaviour of the cased caddisfly Potamophylax latipennis for a specific discharge. The crawling paths and drift events of animals were analysed from video recordings. Characteristics of movements differ from one substrate to another. The crawling speed is higher for the small grain-size substrates but the mean travel distance remains approximately the same between substrates. For each substrate, the animals tended to follow consistent paths across the surface. The number of drift events and mean distance drifted is higher for the small grain-size substrate. ADV measurements close to the boundary allow detailed characterisation of near-bed hydraulic variables, including : skewness coefficients, TKE, UV correlation coefficients and integral time scales from autocorrelation analysis. For these variables, the vertical patterns of turbulence parameters are similar between the substrates but the amplitude of the average values and standard errors vary significantly. The spatial distribution of this variability is considered in relation to the crawling paths. It appears that the animals tend to crawl within areas of the substrate where low flow velocities and low turbulent kinetic energies are found, while sites that insects avoided were characterised by higher elevations, velocities and turbulence.

Surface reaction rate and probability of ozone and alpha-terpineol on glass, polyvinyl chloride, and latex paint surfaces.

PubMed

Shu, Shi; Morrison, Glenn C

2011-05-15

Ozone can react homogeneously with unsaturated organic compounds in buildings to generate undesirable products. However, these reactions can also occur on indoor surfaces, especially for low-volatility organics. Conversion rates of ozone with α-terpineol, a representative low-volatility compound, were quantified on surfaces that mimic indoor substrates. Rates were measured for α-terpineol adsorbed to beads of glass, polyvinylchloride (PVC), and dry latex paint, in a plug flow reactor. A newly defined second-order surface reaction rate coefficient, k(2), was derived from the flow reactor model. The value of k(2) ranged from 0.68 × 10(-14) cm(4)s(-1)molecule(-1) for α-terpineol adsorbed to PVC to 3.17 × 10(-14) cm(4)s(-1)molecule(-1) for glass, but was insensitive to relative humidity. Further, k(2) is only weakly influenced by the adsorbed mass but instead appears to be more strongly related to the interfacial activity α-terpineol. The minimum reaction probability ranged from 3.79 × 10(-6) for glass at 20% RH to 6.75 × 10(-5) for PVC at 50% RH. The combination of high equilibrium surface coverage and high reactivity for α-terpineol suggests that surface conversion rates are fast enough to compete with or even overwhelm other removal mechanisms in buildings such as gas-phase conversion and air exchange.

Selective etching of silicon carbide films

DOEpatents

Gao, Di; Howe, Roger T.; Maboudian, Roya

2006-12-19

A method of etching silicon carbide using a nonmetallic mask layer. The method includes providing a silicon carbide substrate; forming a non-metallic mask layer by applying a layer of material on the substrate; patterning the mask layer to expose underlying areas of the substrate; and etching the underlying areas of the substrate with a plasma at a first rate, while etching the mask layer at a rate lower than the first rate.

Growth and characteristics of p-type doped GaAs nanowire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bang; Yan, Xin; Zhang, Xia; Ren, Xiaomin

2018-05-01

The growth of p-type GaAs nanowires (NWs) on GaAs (111) B substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) has been systematically investigated as a function of diethyl zinc (DEZn) flow. The growth rate of GaAs NWs was slightly improved by Zn-doping and kink is observed under high DEZn flow. In addition, the I–V curves of GaAs NWs has been measured and the p-type dope concentration under the II/III ratio of 0.013 and 0.038 approximated to 1019–1020 cm‑3. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61376019, 61504010, 61774021) and the Fund of State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications), China (Nos. IPOC2017ZT02, IPOC2017ZZ01).

Effects of long-term microgravitation exposure on cell respiration of the rat musculus soleus fibers.

PubMed

Veselova, O M; Ogneva, I V; Larina, I M

2011-07-01

Cell respiration of the m. soleus fibers was studied in Wistar rats treated with succinic acid and exposed to microgravitation for 35 days. The results indicated that respiration rates during utilization of endogenous and exogenous substrates and the maximum respiration rate decreased in animals subjected to microgravitation without succinate treatment. The respiration rate during utilization of exogenous substrate did not increase in comparison with that on endogenous substrates. Succinic acid prevented the decrease in respiration rate on endogenous substrates and the maximum respiration rate. On the other hand, the respiration rate on exogenous substrates was reduced in vivarium control rats receiving succinate in comparison with intact control group. That could indicate changed efficiency of complex I of the respiratory chain due to reciprocal regulation of the tricarbonic acid cycle.

Enhanced biodegradation of methylhydrazine and hydrazine contaminated NASA wastewater in fixed-film bioreactor.

PubMed

Nwankwoala, A U; Egiebor, N O; Nyavor, K

2001-01-01

The aerobic biodegradation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wastewater that contains mixtures of highly concentrated methylhydrazine/hydrazine, citric acid and their reaction product was studied on a laboratory-scale fixed film trickle-bed reactor. The degrading organisms, Achromobacter sp., Rhodococcus B30 and Rhodococcus J10, were immobilized on coarse sand grains used as support-media in the columns. Under continuous flow operation, Rhodococcus sp. degraded the methylhydrazine content of the wastewater from a concentration of 10 to 2.5 mg/mL within 12 days and the hydrazine from approximately 0.8 to 0.1 mg/mL in 7 days. The Achromobacter sp. was equally efficient in degrading the organics present in the wastewater, reducing the concentration of the methylhydrazine from 10 to approximately 5 mg/mL within 12 days and that of the hydrazine from approximately 0.8 to 0.2 mg/mL in 7 days. The pseudo first-order rate constants of 0.137 day(-1) and 0.232 day(-1) were obtained for the removal of methylhydrazine and hydrazine, respectively, in wastewater in the reactor column. In the batch cultures, rate constants for the degradation were 0.046 and 0.079 day(-1) for methylhydrazine and hydrazine respectively. These results demonstrate that the continuous flow bioreactor afford greater degradation efficiencies than those obtained when the wastewater was incubated with the microbes in growth-limited batch experiments. They also show that wastewater containing hydrazine is more amenable to microbial degradation than one that is predominant in methylhydrazine, in spite of the longer lag period observed for hydrazine containing wastewater. The influence of substrate concentration and recycle rate on the degradation efficiency is reported. The major advantages of the trickle-bed reactor over the batch system include very high substrate volumetric rate of turnover, higher rates of degradation and tolerance of the 100% concentrated NASA wastewater. The results of the present laboratory scale study will be of great importance in the design and operation of an industrial immobilized biofilm reactor for the treatment of methylhydrazine and hydrazine contaminated NASA wastewater.

Enzymatic synthesis of ethyl esters from waste oil using mixtures of lipases in a plug-flow packed-bed continuous reactor.

PubMed

Kathiele Poppe, Jakeline; Matte, Carla Roberta; Olave de Freitas, Vitória; Fernandez-Lafuente, Roberto; Rodrigues, Rafael C; Záchia Ayub, Marco Antônio

2018-04-30

This work describes the continuous synthesis of ethyl esters via enzymatic catalysis on a packed-bed continuous reactor, using mixtures of immobilized lipases (combi-lipases) of Candida antarctica (CALB), Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL), and Rhizomucor miehei (RML). The influence of the addition of glass beads to the reactor bed, evaluation of the use of different solvents, and flow rate on reaction conditions were studied. All experiments were conducted using the best combination of lipases according to the fatty acid composition of the waste oil (combi-lipase composition: 40% of TLL, 35% of CALB, and 25% of RML), and soybean oil (combi-lipase composition: 22.5% of TLL, 50% of CALB, and 27.5% of RML). The best general reaction conditions were found to be using tert-butanol as solvent, and the flow rate of 0.08 mL min -1 . The combi-lipase reactors operating at steady state for over 30 days (720 h), kept conversion yields of approximately 50%, with average productivity of 1.94 g ethyl esters g substrate -1 h -1 , regardless of the type of oil in use. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

High current densities enable exoelectrogens to outcompete aerobic heterotrophs for substrate.

PubMed

Ren, Lijiao; Zhang, Xiaoyuan; He, Weihua; Logan, Bruce E

2014-11-01

In mixed-culture microbial fuel cells (MFCs), exoelectrogens and other microorganisms compete for substrate. It has previously been assumed that substrate losses to other terminal electron acceptors over a fed-batch cycle, such as dissolved oxygen, are constant. However, a constant rate of substrate loss would only explain small increases in coulombic efficiencies (CEs, the fraction of substrate recovered as electrical current) with shorter cycle times, but not the large increases in CE that are usually observed with higher current densities and reduced cycle times. To better understand changes in CEs, COD concentrations were measured over time in fed-batch, single-chamber, air-cathode MFCs at different current densities (external resistances). COD degradation rates were all found to be first-order with respect to COD concentration, even under open circuit conditions with no current generation (first-order rate constant of 0.14 ± 0.01 h(-1) ). The rate of COD removal increased when there was current generation, with the highest rate constant (0.33 ± 0.02 h(-1) ) obtained at the lowest external resistance (100 Ω). Therefore, as the substrate concentration was reduced more quickly due to current generation, the rate of loss of substrate to non-exoelectrogens decreased due to this first-order substrate-concentration dependence. As a result, coulombic efficiencies rapidly increased due to decreased, and not constant, removal rates of substrate by non-exoelectrogens. These results show that higher current densities (lower resistances) redirect a greater percentage of substrate into current generation, enabling large increase in CEs with increased current densities. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 2163-2169. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Patterns of Carbon Nanotubes by Flow-Directed Deposition on Substrates with Architectured Topographies.

PubMed

K Jawed, M; Hadjiconstantinou, N G; Parks, D M; Reis, P M

2018-03-14

We develop and perform continuum mechanics simulations of carbon nanotube (CNT) deployment directed by a combination of surface topography and rarefied gas flow. We employ the discrete elastic rods method to model the deposition of CNT as a slender elastic rod that evolves in time under two external forces, namely, van der Waals (vdW) and aerodynamic drag. Our results confirm that this self-assembly process is analogous to a previously studied macroscopic system, the "elastic sewing machine", where an elastic rod deployed onto a moving substrate forms nonlinear patterns. In the case of CNTs, the complex patterns observed on the substrate, such as coils and serpentines, result from an intricate interplay between van der Waals attraction, rarefied aerodynamics, and elastic bending. We systematically sweep through the multidimensional parameter space to quantify the pattern morphology as a function of the relevant material, flow, and geometric parameters. Our findings are in good agreement with available experimental data. Scaling analysis involving the relevant forces helps rationalize our observations.

Acoustic emission during fatigue of porous-coated Ti-6Al-4V implant alloy.

PubMed

Kohn, D H; Ducheyne, P; Awerbuch, J

1992-01-01

Acoustic emission (AE) events and event intensities (e.g., event amplitude, counts, duration, and energy counts) were recorded and analyzed during fatigue loading of uncoated and porous-coated Ti-6Al-4V. AE source location, spatial filtering, event, and event intensity distributions were used to detect, monitor, analyze, and predict failures. AE provides the ability to spatially and temporally locate multiple fatigue cracks, in real time. Fatigue of porous-coated Ti-6Al-4V is governed by a sequential, multimode fracture process of: transverse fracture in the porous coating; sphere/sphere and sphere/substrate debonding; substrate fatigue crack initiation; slow and rapid substrate fatigue crack propagation. Because of the porosity of the coating, the different stages of fracture within the coating occur in a discontinuous fashion. Therefore, the AE events generated are intermittent and the onset of each mode of fracture in the porous coating can be detected by increases in AE event rate. Changes in AE event rate also correspond to changes in crack extension rate, and may therefore be used to predict failure. AE offers two distinct advantages over conventional optical and microscopic methods of analyzing fatigue cracks--it is more sensitive and it can determine the time history of damage progression. The magnitude of the AE event intensities increased with increasing stress. Failure mechanisms are best differentiated by analyzing AE event amplitudes. Intergranular fracture and microvoid coalescence generated the highest AE event amplitudes (100 dB), whereas, plastic flow and friction generated the lowest AE event amplitudes (55-65 dB). Fractures in the porous coating were characterized by AE event amplitudes of less than 80 dB.

Power inverters

DOEpatents

Miller, David H [Redondo Beach, CA; Korich, Mark D [Chino Hills, CA; Smith, Gregory S [Woodland Hills, CA

2011-11-15

Power inverters include a frame and a power module. The frame has a sidewall including an opening and defining a fluid passageway. The power module is coupled to the frame over the opening and includes a substrate, die, and an encasement. The substrate includes a first side, a second side, a center, an outer periphery, and an outer edge, and the first side of the substrate comprises a first outer layer including a metal material. The die are positioned in the substrate center and are coupled to the substrate first side. The encasement is molded over the outer periphery on the substrate first side, the substrate second side, and the substrate outer edge and around the die. The encasement, coupled to the substrate, forms a seal with the metal material. The second side of the substrate is positioned to directly contact a fluid flowing through the fluid passageway.

Effects of Combinations of Substrates on Maximum Growth Rates of Several Rumen Bacteria

PubMed Central

Russell, James B.; Delfino, Frank J.; Baldwin, R. L.

1979-01-01

Five rumen bacteria, Selenomonas ruminantium, Bacteroides ruminicola, Megasphaera elsdenii, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, and Streptococcus bovis were grown in media containing nonlimiting concentrations of glucose, sucrose, maltose, cellobiose, xylose and/or lactate. Each bacterium was grown with every substrate that it could ferment in every possible two-way combination. Only once did a combination of substrates result in a higher maximum growth rate than that observed with either substrate alone. Such stimulations of growth rate would be expected if specific factors unique to individual substrates (transport proteins and/or enzymes) were limiting. Since such synergisms were rare, it was concluded that more general factors limit maximum growth rates in these five bacteria. PMID:16345360

Influence of oxygen concentration, fuel composition, and strain rate on synthesis of carbon nanomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Shuhn-Shyurng; Huang, Wei-Cheng

2015-02-01

This paper investigates the influence of flame parameters including oxygen concentration, fuel composition, and strain rate on the synthesis of carbon nanomaterials in opposed-jet ethylene diffusion flames with or without rigid-body rotation. In the experiments, a mixture of ethylene and nitrogen was introduced from the upper burner; meanwhile, a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen was supplied from the lower burner. A nascent nickel mesh was used as the catalytic metal substrate to collect deposited materials. With non-rotating opposed-jet diffusion flames, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were successfully produced for oxygen concentrations in the range of 21-50 % at a fixed ethylene concentration of 20 %, and for ethylene concentrations ranging from 14 to 24 % at a constant oxygen concentration of 40 %. With rotating opposed-jet diffusion flames, the strain rate was varied by adjusting the angular velocities of the upper and lower burners. The strain rate governed by flow rotation greatly affects the synthesis of carbon nanomaterials [i.e., CNTs and carbon nano-onions (CNOs)] either through the residence time or carbon sources available. An increase in the angular velocity lengthened the residence time of the flow and thus caused the diffusion flame to experience a decreased strain rate, which in turn produced more carbon sources. The growth of multi-walled CNTs was achieved for the stretched flames experiencing a higher strain rate [i.e., angular velocity was equal to 0 or 1 rotations per second (rps)]. CNOs were synthesized at a lower strain rate (i.e., angular velocity was in the range of 2-5 rps). It is noteworthy that the strain rate controlled by flow rotation greatly influences the fabrication of carbon nanostructures owing to the residence time as well as carbon source. Additionally, more carbon sources and higher temperature are required for the synthesis of CNOs compared with those required for CNTs (i.e., about 605-625 °C for CNTs and 700-800 °C for CNOs).

Mechanotransduction in bone: osteoblasts are more responsive to fluid forces than mechanical strain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owan, I.; Burr, D. B.; Turner, C. H.; Qiu, J.; Tu, Y.; Onyia, J. E.; Duncan, R. L.

1997-01-01

Mechanical force applied to bone produces two localized mechanical signals on the cell: deformation of the extracellular matrix (substrate strain) and extracellular fluid flow. To study the effects of these stimuli on osteoblasts, MC3T3-E1 cells were grown on type I collagen-coated plastic plates and subjected to four-point bending. This technique produces uniform levels of physiological strain and fluid forces on the cells. Each of these parameters can be varied independently. Osteopontin (OPN) mRNA expression was used to assess the anabolic response of MC3T3-E1 cells. When fluid forces were low, neither strain magnitude nor strain rate was correlated with OPN expression. However, higher-magnitude fluid forces significantly increased OPN message levels independently of the strain magnitude or rate. These data indicate that fluid forces, and not mechanical stretch, influence OPN expression in osteoblasts and suggest that fluid forces induced by extracellular fluid flow within the bone matrix may play an important role in bone formation in response to mechanical loading.

Chemical shift and surface characteristics of Al-doped ZnO thin film on SiOC dielectrics.

PubMed

Oh, Teresa; Lee, Sang Yeol

2013-10-01

Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were fabricated on SiOC/p-Si wafer and SiOC film was prepared on a p-type Si substrate with the SiC target at oxygen ambient with the gas flow rate of 5-30 sccm by a RF magnetron sputter. C-V curve of SiOC/Si wafer was measured to observe the relationship between the polarity of SiOC dielectrics and the change of capacitance depending on oxygen gas flow rate. The SiOC film could be controlled to be polar or nonpolar, and their surface energy was changed depending on the polarity. Smooth surface is essential to improve the TFT performance. AZO-TFTs used smooth SiOC film with low polarity as a gate insulator was observed to show low leakage current (IL) and low subthreshold voltage swing. It is proposed that SiOC film with high degree amorphous structure as a gate insulator between AZO and Si wafer could solve problems of the mismatched interfaces, which was originated from the electron scattering due to the grain boundary.

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

Allendorf, M.D.; Arsenlis, A.; Bastasz, R.

Titanium nitride (TiN) films deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques are of interest for a wide range of commercial applications. In this report, the authors describe a mechanism that predicts Tin film growth rates from TiCl{sub 4}/NH{sub 3} mixtures as a function of process parameters, including inlet reactant concentrations, substrate temperatures, reactor pressures, and total gas flow rates. Model predictions were verified by comparison with the results of TiN deposition experiments in the literature and with measurements made in a new stagnation-flow reactor developed for the purpose of testing deposition mechanisms such as this. In addition, they describe abmore » initio calculations that predict thermodynamic properties for titanium-containing compounds. The results of calculations using Moeller-Plesset perturbation theory, density functional theory, and coupled cluster theory are encouraging and suggest that these methods can be used to estimate thermodynamic data that are essential for the development of CVD models involving transition-metal compounds. Finally, measurements of the adsorption and desorption kinetics of NH{sub 3} on TiN films using temperature-programmed desorption are described and their relevance to TiN CVD and mechanism development are discussed.« less

Catalytic growth of vertically aligned SnS/SnS2 p-n heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degrauw, Aaron; Armstrong, Rebekka; Rahman, Ajara A.; Ogle, Jonathan; Whittaker-Brooks, Luisa

2017-09-01

Nanowire arrays of SnS/SnS2 p-n heterojunctions are grown on transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) coated-glass and Si/SiO2 substrates via chemical vapor transport (CVT). The nanowire arrays are comprised of individual SnS/SnS2 heterostructures that are highly oriented with their lengths and morphologies controlled by the CVT conditions (i.e. reaction temperature, flow rate, and reaction time). The growth and optoelectronic characterization of these well-defined SnS/SnS2 p-n heterostructures pave the way for the fabrication of highly efficient solar cell devices.

Undercooled water in basaltic regoliths and implications for fluidized debris flows on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gooding, James L.

1987-01-01

Pursuant to the past attribution of many geomorphic features on Mars to the movements of water- or ice-lubricated debris, experiments have been conducted for water freezing in wet, sand-like basaltic substrates. It is found that substantial undercooling can be achieved under Martian conditions, independently of freezing-point depressions due to soluble salts. Attention is given to results for a clay-poor soil with negligible salinity from Mauna Kea, Hawaii, which demonstrate that the degree of undercooling is essentially independent of both soil particle size and water/soil mass ratio, albeit with cooling rate variations.

Development of chemically vapor deposited rhenium emitters of (0001) preferred crystal orientation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, L.; Hudson, R. G.

1973-01-01

Rhenium thermionic emitters were prepared by the pyrolysis of rhenium chlorides formed by the chlorination of rhenium pellets. The impurity contents, microstructures, degrees of (0001) preferred crystal orientation, and vacuum electron work functions of these emitters were determined as a function of deposition parameters, such as substrate temperature, rhenium pellet temperature and chlorine flow rate. A correlation between vacuum electron work function and degree of (0001) preferred crystal orientation was established. Conditions for depositing porosity-free rhenium emitters of high vacuum electron work functions were defined. Finally, three cylindrical rhenium emitters were prepared under the optimum deposition conditions.

The pathway to intelligent implants: osteoblast response to nano silicon-doped hydroxyapatite patterning

PubMed Central

Munir, G.; Koller, G.; Di Silvio, L.; Edirisinghe, M. J.; Bonfield, W.; Huang, J.

2011-01-01

Bioactive hydroxyapatite (HA) with addition of silicon (Si) in the crystal structure (silicon-doped hydroxyapatite (SiHA)) has become a highly attractive alternative to conventional HA in bone replacement owing to the significant improvement in the in vivo bioactivity and osteoconductivity. Nanometre-scaled SiHA (nanoSiHA), which closely resembles the size of bone mineral, has been synthesized in this study. Thus, the silicon addition provides an extra chemical cue to stimulate and enhance bone formation for new generation coatings, and the next stage in metallic implantation design is to further improve cellular adhesion and proliferation by control of cell alignment. Topography has been found to provide a powerful set of signals for cells and form contact guidance. Using the recently developed novel technique of template-assisted electrohydrodynamic atomization (TAEA), patterns of pillars and tracks of various dimensions of nanoSiHA were achieved. Modifying the parameters of TAEA, the resolution of pattern structures was controlled, enabling the topography of a substrate to be modified accordingly. Spray time, flow rate and distance between the needle and substrate were varied to improve the pattern formation of pillars and tracks. The 15 min deposition time provided the most consistent patterned topography with a distance of 50 mm and flow rate of 4 µl min−1. A titanium substrate was patterned with pillars and tracks of varying widths, line lengths and distances under the optimized TAEA processing condition. A fast bone-like apatite formation rate was found on nanoSiHA after immersion in simulated body fluid, thus demonstrating its high in vitro bioactivity. Primary human osteoblast (HOB) cells responded to SiHA patterns by stretching of the filopodia between track and pillar, attaching to the apex of the pillar pattern and stretching between two. HOB cells responded to the track pattern by elongating along and between the track, and the length of HOB cells was proportional to the gaps between track patterns, but this relationship was not observed on the pillar patterns. The study has therefore provided an insight for future design of next generation implant surfaces to control and guide cellular responses, while TAEA patterning provides a controllable technique to provide topography to medical implants. PMID:21208969

Structure, adhesive strength and electrochemical performance of nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon thin films deposited via DC magnetron sputtering.

PubMed

Khun, N W; Liu, E; Krishna, M D

2010-07-01

Nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon (DLC:N) thin films were deposited on p-Si (100) substrates by DC magnetron sputtering with different nitrogen flow rates at a substrate temperature of about 100 degrees C. The chemical bonding structure of the films was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The adhesive strength and surface morphology of the films were studied using micro-scratch tester and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The electrochemical performance of the films was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization testing and linear sweep voltammetry. The electrolytes used for the electrochemical tests were deaerated and unstirred 0.47 M KCl aqueous solution for potentiodynamic polarization testing and 0.2 M KOH and 0.1 M KCl solutions for voltammetric analysis. It was found that the DLC:N films could well passivate the underlying substrates though the corrosion resistance of the films decreased with increased nitrogen content in the films. The DLC:N films showed wide potential windows in the KOH solution, in which the detection ability of the DLC:N films to trace lead of about 1 x 10(-3) M Pb(2+) was also tested.

Tribological Testing, Analysis and Characterization of D.C. Magnetron Sputtered Ti-Nb-N Thin Film Coatings on Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Prathmesh

To enhance the surface properties of stainless steel, the substrate was coated with a 1μm thick coating of Ti-Nb-N by reactive DC magnetron sputtering at different N2 flow rates, substrate biasing and Nb-Ti ratio. The characterization of the coated samples was performed by the following techniques: hardness by Knoop micro-hardness tester, phase analysis by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), compositional analysis by Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and adhesion by scratch test. The tribology testing was performed on linearly reciprocating ball-on-plate wear testing machine and wear depth and wear volume were evaluated by white light interferometer. The micro-hardness test yielded appreciable enhancement in the surface hardness with the highest value being 1450 HK. Presence of three prominent phases namely NbN, Nb2N3 and TiN resulted from the XRD analysis. EDS analysis revealed the presence of Ti, Nb and Nitrogen. Adhesion was evaluated on the basis of critical loads for cohesive (Lc1) and adhesive (Lc2) failures with values varying between 7-12 N and 16-25 N respectively, during scratch test for coatings on SS substrates.

Optimal flow for brown trout: Habitat - prey optimization.

PubMed

Fornaroli, Riccardo; Cabrini, Riccardo; Sartori, Laura; Marazzi, Francesca; Canobbio, Sergio; Mezzanotte, Valeria

2016-10-01

The correct definition of ecosystem needs is essential in order to guide policy and management strategies to optimize the increasing use of freshwater by human activities. Commonly, the assessment of the optimal or minimum flow rates needed to preserve ecosystem functionality has been done by habitat-based models that define a relationship between in-stream flow and habitat availability for various species of fish. We propose a new approach for the identification of optimal flows using the limiting factor approach and the evaluation of basic ecological relationships, considering the appropriate spatial scale for different organisms. We developed density-environment relationships for three different life stages of brown trout that show the limiting effects of hydromorphological variables at habitat scale. In our analyses, we found that the factors limiting the densities of trout were water velocity, substrate characteristics and refugia availability. For all the life stages, the selected models considered simultaneously two variables and implied that higher velocities provided a less suitable habitat, regardless of other physical characteristics and with different patterns. We used these relationships within habitat based models in order to select a range of flows that preserve most of the physical habitat for all the life stages. We also estimated the effect of varying discharge flows on macroinvertebrate biomass and used the obtained results to identify an optimal flow maximizing habitat and prey availability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On controlling the flow behavior driven by induction electrohydrodynamics in microfluidic channels.

PubMed

Li, Yanbo; Ren, Yukun; Liu, Weiyu; Chen, Xiaoming; Tao, Ye; Jiang, Hongyuan

2017-04-01

In this study, we develop a nondimensional physical model to demonstrate fluid flow at the micrometer dimension driven by traveling-wave induction electrohydrodynamics (EHD) through direct numerical simulation. In order to realize an enhancement in the pump flow rate as well as a flexible adjustment of anisotropy of flow behavior generated by induction EHD in microchannels, while not adding the risk of causing dielectric breakdown of working solution and material for insulation, a pair of synchronized traveling-wave voltage signals are imposed on double-sided electrode arrays that are mounted on the top and bottom insulating substrate, respectively. Accordingly, we present a model evidence, that not only the pump performance is improved evidently, but a variety of flow profiles, including the symmetrical and parabolic curve, plug-like shape and even biased flow behavior of quite high anisotropy are produced by the device design of "mix-type", "superimposition-type" and "adjustable-type" proposed herein as well, with the resulting controllable fluid motion being able to greatly facilitate an on-demand transportation mode of on-chip bio-microfluidic samples. Besides, automatic conversion in the direction of pump flow is achievable by switching on and off a second voltage wave. Our results provide utilitarian guidelines for constructing flexible electrokinetic framework useful in controllable transportation of particle and fluid samples in modern microfluidic systems. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Synthesis of ACNT on quartz substrate with catalytic decomposition reaction from Cinnamomum camphora by using FC-CVD method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wulan, Praswasti P. D. K.; Silaen, Toni Partogi Johannes

2017-05-01

Camphor is a renewable carbon source that can be used as raw material for synthesizing Carbon Nanotube (CNT). Camphor is a substance that can be found on the Cinnamomum camphora tree. In this research, the method used to synthesize Aligned Carbon Nanotube (ACNT) from camphor is Floating Catalyst Chemical Vapor Deposition (FC-CVD) with Ferrocene as catalyst at temperature of 800°C, hydrogen gas as the co-reactant and argon gas as carrier gas. This method is the most popular method of synthesizing ACNT which oriented and have a high density. Camphor decomposes into benzene, toluene, and xylene at a temperature of 800°C. By using GC-FID for characterization test, the results showed decomposition at a temperature of 800°C camphor dominated by benzene with a concentration of 92.422 to 97.656%. The research was conducted by varying the flow rate of carrier gas such as argon at 40, 55, 70, 85 and 100 mL / min at a temperature of 800°C for 60 minutes of reaction time. Argon carrier gas flow rate of 70 mL / min producing CNT with the highest yield, but this is not followed by best quality of CNT. CNT with best quality is obtained at a flow rate of argon carrier gas at 55 mL / min based on test results characterization by using SEM, EDX, Mapping, and RAMAN Spectroscopy. This research have not obtained CNT with aligned structured.

Method for fabricating a microscale anemometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Chang (Inventor); Chen, Jack (Inventor)

2008-01-01

Method for fabricating a microscale anemometer on a substrate. A sacrificial layer is formed on the substrate, and a metal thin film is patterned to form a sensing element. At least one support for the sensing element is patterned. The sacrificial layer is removed, and the sensing element is lifted away from the substrate by raising the supports, thus creating a clearance between the sensing element and the substrate to allow fluid flow between the sensing element and the substrate. The supports are raised preferably by use of a magnetic field applied to magnetic material patterned on the supports.

Convective flow reversal in self-powered enzyme micropumps.

PubMed

Ortiz-Rivera, Isamar; Shum, Henry; Agrawal, Arjun; Sen, Ayusman; Balazs, Anna C

2016-03-08

Surface-bound enzymes can act as pumps that drive large-scale fluid flows in the presence of their substrates or promoters. Thus, enzymatic catalysis can be harnessed for “on demand” pumping in nano- and microfluidic devices powered by an intrinsic energy source. The mechanisms controlling the pumping have not, however, been completely elucidated. Herein, we combine theory and experiments to demonstrate a previously unreported spatiotemporal variation in pumping behavior in urease-based pumps and uncover the mechanisms behind these dynamics. We developed a theoretical model for the transduction of chemical energy into mechanical fluid flow in these systems, capturing buoyancy effects due to the solution containing nonuniform concentrations of substrate and product. We find that the qualitative features of the flow depend on the ratios of diffusivities δ=D(P)/D(S) and expansion coefficients β=β(P)/β(S) of the reaction substrate (S) and product (P). If δ>1 and δ>β (or if δ<1 and δ<β ), an unexpected phenomenon arises: the flow direction reverses with time and distance from the pump. Our experimental results are in qualitative agreement with the model and show that both the speed and direction of fluid pumping (i) depend on the enzyme activity and coverage, (ii) vary with the distance from the pump, and (iii) evolve with time. These findings permit the rational design of enzymatic pumps that accurately control the direction and speed of fluid flow without external power sources, enabling effective, self-powered fluidic devices.

Convective flow reversal in self-powered enzyme micropumps

PubMed Central

Ortiz-Rivera, Isamar; Shum, Henry; Agrawal, Arjun; Sen, Ayusman; Balazs, Anna C.

2016-01-01

Surface-bound enzymes can act as pumps that drive large-scale fluid flows in the presence of their substrates or promoters. Thus, enzymatic catalysis can be harnessed for “on demand” pumping in nano- and microfluidic devices powered by an intrinsic energy source. The mechanisms controlling the pumping have not, however, been completely elucidated. Herein, we combine theory and experiments to demonstrate a previously unreported spatiotemporal variation in pumping behavior in urease-based pumps and uncover the mechanisms behind these dynamics. We developed a theoretical model for the transduction of chemical energy into mechanical fluid flow in these systems, capturing buoyancy effects due to the solution containing nonuniform concentrations of substrate and product. We find that the qualitative features of the flow depend on the ratios of diffusivities δ=DP/DS and expansion coefficients β=βP/βS of the reaction substrate (S) and product (P). If δ>1 and δ>β (or if δ<1 and δ<β), an unexpected phenomenon arises: the flow direction reverses with time and distance from the pump. Our experimental results are in qualitative agreement with the model and show that both the speed and direction of fluid pumping (i) depend on the enzyme activity and coverage, (ii) vary with the distance from the pump, and (iii) evolve with time. These findings permit the rational design of enzymatic pumps that accurately control the direction and speed of fluid flow without external power sources, enabling effective, self-powered fluidic devices. PMID:26903618

Manufacturing and testing VLPC hybrids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adkins, L. R.; Ingram, C. M.; Anderson, E. J.

1998-11-01

To insure that the manufacture of VLPC devices is a reliable, cost-effective technology, hybrid assembly procedures and testing methods suitable for large scale production have been developed. This technology has been developed under a contract from Fermilab as part of the D-Zero upgrade program. Each assembled hybrid consists of a VLPC chip mounted on an AlN substrate. The VLPC chip is provided with bonding pads (one connected to each pixel) which are wire bonded to gold traces on the substrate. The VLPC/AlN hybrids are mated in a vacuum sealer using solder preforms and a specially designed carbon boat. After mating, the VLPC pads are bonded to the substrate with an automatic wire bonder. Using this equipment we have achieved a thickness tolerance of ±0.0007 inches and a production rate of 100 parts per hour. After assembly the VLPCs are tested for optical response at an operating temperature of 7K. The parts are tested in a custom designed continuous-flow dewar with a capacity 15 hybrids, and one Lake Shore DT470-SD-11 calibrated temperature sensor mounted to an AlN substrate. Our facility includes five of these dewars with an ultimate test capacity of 75 parts per day. During the course of the Dzero program we have assembled more than 4,000 VLPC hybrids and have tested more than 2,500 with a high yield.

Process for the deposition of high temperature stress and oxidation resistant coatings on silicon-based substrates

DOEpatents

Sarin, V.K.

1991-07-30

A process is disclosed for depositing a high temperature stress and oxidation resistant coating on a silicon nitride- or silicon carbide-based substrate body. A gas mixture is passed over the substrate at about 900--1500 C and about 1 torr to about ambient pressure. The gas mixture includes one or more halide vapors with other suitable reactant gases. The partial pressure ratios, flow rates, and process times are sufficient to deposit a continuous, fully dense, adherent coating. The halide and other reactant gases are gradually varied during deposition so that the coating is a graded coating of at least two layers. Each layer is a graded layer changing in composition from the material over which it is deposited to the material of the layer and further to the material, if any, deposited thereon, so that no clearly defined compositional interfaces exist. The gases and their partial pressures are varied according to a predetermined time schedule and the halide and other reactant gases are selected so that the layers include (a) an adherent, continuous intermediate layer about 0.5-20 microns thick of an aluminum nitride or an aluminum oxynitride material, over and chemically bonded to the substrate body, and (b) an adherent, continuous first outer layer about 0.5-900 microns thick including an oxide of aluminum or zirconium over and chemically bonded to the intermediate layer.

Process for the deposition of high temperature stress and oxidation resistant coatings on silicon-based substrates

DOEpatents

Sarin, Vinod K.

1991-01-01

A process for depositing a high temperature stress and oxidation resistant coating on a silicon nitride- or silicon carbide-based substrate body. A gas mixture is passed over the substrate at about 900.degree.-1500.degree. C. and about 1 torr to about ambient pressure. The gas mixture includes one or more halide vapors with other suitable reactant gases. The partial pressure ratios, flow rates, and process times are sufficient to deposit a continuous, fully dense, adherent coating. The halide and other reactant gases are gradually varied during deposition so that the coating is a graded coating of at least two layers. Each layer is a graded layer changing in composition from the material over which it is deposited to the material of the layer and further to the material, if any, deposited thereon, so that no clearly defined compositional interfaces exist. The gases and their partial pressures are varied according to a predetermined time schedule and the halide and other reactant gases are selected so that the layers include (a) an adherent, continuous intermediate layer about 0.5-20 microns thick of an aluminum nitride or an aluminum oxynitride material, over and chemically bonded to the substrate body, and (b) an adherent, continuous first outer layer about 0.5-900 microns thick including an oxide of aluminum or zirconium over and chemically bonded to the intermediate layer.

A Wearable Microfluidic Sensing Patch for Dynamic Sweat Secretion Analysis.

PubMed

Nyein, Hnin Yin Yin; Tai, Li-Chia; Ngo, Quynh Phuong; Chao, Minghan; Zhang, George B; Gao, Wei; Bariya, Mallika; Bullock, James; Kim, Hyungjin; Fahad, Hossain M; Javey, Ali

2018-05-25

Wearable sweat sensing is a rapidly rising research area driven by its promising potential in health, fitness, and diagnostic applications. Despite the growth in the field, major challenges in relation to sweat metrics remain to be addressed. These challenges include sweat rate monitoring for its complex relation with sweat compositions and sweat sampling for sweat dynamics studies. In this work, we present a flexible microfluidic sweat sensing patch that enhances real-time electrochemical sensing and sweat rate analysis via sweat sampling. The device contains a spiral-patterned microfluidic component that is embedded with ion-selective sensors and an electrical impedance-based sweat rate sensor on a flexible plastic substrate. The patch is enabled to autonomously perform sweat analysis by interfacing the sensing component with a printed circuit board that is capable of on-site signal conditioning, analysis, and transmission. Progressive sweat flow in the microfluidic device, governed by the pressure induced by the secreted sweat, enhances sweat sampling and electrochemical detection via a defined sweat collection chamber and a directed sweat route. The characteristic of the sweat rate sensor is validated through a theoretical simulation, and the precision and accuracy of the flow rate is verified with a commercial syringe pump and a Macroduct sweat collector. On-body simultaneous monitoring of ion (H + , Na + , K + , Cl - ) concentration and sweat rate is also demonstrated for sensor functionality. This sweat sensing patch provides an integrated platform for a comprehensive sweat secretion analysis and facilitates physiological and clinical investigations by closely monitoring interrelated sweat parameters.

Substrate reactivity as a function of the extent of reaction in the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose

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

Desai, S.G.; Converse, A.O.

1997-12-20

In an effort to better understand the role of the substrate in the rapid fall off in the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose with conversion, substrate reactivity was measured as a function of conversion. These measurements were made by interrupting the hydrolysis of pretreated wood at various degrees of conversion; and, after boiling and washing, restarting the hydrolysis in fresh butter with fresh enzyme. The comparison of the restart rate per enzyme adsorbed with the initial rate per enzyme adsorbed, both extrapolated back to zero conversion, provides a measurement of the substrate reactivity without the complications of product inhibitionmore » or cellulase inactivation. The results indicate that the substrate reactivity falls only modestly as conversion increases. However, the restart rate is still higher than the rate of the uninterrupted hydrolysis, particularly at high conversion. Hence the authors conclude that the loss of substrate reactivity is not the principal cause for the long residence time required for complete conversion.« less

Numerical Simulation of Nanostructure Growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

2004-01-01

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

Method of fabricating high-density hermetic electrical feedthroughs

DOEpatents

Shah, Kedar G.; Pannu, Satinderpall S.; Delima, Terri L.

2015-06-02

A method of fabricating electrical feedthroughs selectively removes substrate material from a first side of an electrically conductive substrate (e.g. a bio-compatible metal) to form an array of electrically conductive posts in a substrate cavity. An electrically insulating material (e.g. a bio-compatible sealing glass) is then flowed to fill the substrate cavity and surround each post, and solidified. The solidified insulating material is then exposed from an opposite second side of the substrate so that each post is electrically isolated from each other as well as the bulk substrate. In this manner a hermetic electrically conductive feedthrough construction is formed having an array of electrical feedthroughs extending between the first and second sides of the substrate from which it was formed.

Identification of ribozymes within a ribozyme library that efficiently cleave a long substrate RNA.

PubMed Central

Campbell, T B; Cech, T R

1995-01-01

Positions 2-6 of the substrate-binding internal guide sequence (IGS) of the L-21 Sca I form of the Tetrahymena thermophila intron were mutagenized to produce a GN5 IGS library. Ribozymes within the GN5 library capable of efficient cleavage of an 818-nt human immunodeficiency virus type 1 vif-vpr RNA, at 37 degrees C, were identified by ribozyme-catalyzed guanosine addition to the 3' cleavage product. Three ribozymes (IGS = GGGGCU, GGCUCC, and GUGGCU) within the GN5 library that actively cleaved the long substrate were characterized kinetically and compared to the wild-type ribozyme (GGAGGG) and two control ribozymes (GGAGUC and GGAGAU). The two control ribozymes have specific sites within the long substrate, but were not identified during screening of the library. Under single-turnover conditions, ribozymes GGGGCU, GGCUCC, and GUGGCU cleaved the 818-nt substrate 4- to 200-fold faster than control ribozymes. Short cognate substrates, which should be structureless and therefore accessible to ribozyme binding, were cleaved at similar rates by all ribozymes except GGGGCU, which showed a fourfold rate enhancement. The rate of cleavage of long relative to short substrate under single-turnover conditions suggests that GGCUCC and GUGGCU were identified because of accessibility to their specific cleavage sites within the long substrate (substrate-specific effects), whereas GGGGCU was identified because of an enhanced rate of substrate binding despite a less accessible site in the long substrate. Even though screening was performed with 100-fold excess substrate (relative to total ribozyme), the rate of multiple-turnover catalysis did not contribute to identification of trans-cleaving ribozymes in the GN5 library. PMID:7489519

Simulation of cooling efficiency via miniaturised channels in multilayer LTCC for power electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietrikova, Alena; Girasek, Tomas; Lukacs, Peter; Welker, Tilo; Müller, Jens

2017-03-01

The aim of this paper is detailed investigation of thermal resistance, flow analysis and distribution of coolant as well as thermal distribution inside multilayer LTCC substrates with embedded channels for power electronic devices by simulation software. For this reason four various structures of internal channels in the multilayer LTCC substrates were designed and simulated. The impact of the volume flow, structures of channels, and power loss of chip was simulated, calculated and analyzed by using the simulation software Mentor Graphics FloEFDTM. The structure, size and location of channels have the significant impact on thermal resistance, pressure of coolant as well as the effectivity of cooling power components (chips) that can be placed on the top of LTCC substrate. The main contribution of this paper is thermal analyze, optimization and impact of 4 various cooling channels embedded in LTCC multilayer structure. Paper investigate, the effect of volume flow in cooling channels for achieving the least thermal resistance of LTCC substrate that is loaded by power thermal chips. Paper shows on the impact of the first chips thermal load on the second chip as well as. This possible new technology could ensure in the case of practical realization effective cooling and increasing reliability of high power modules.

The Summer 1997 Eruption at Pillan Patera on Io: Implications for Ultrabasic Lava Flow Emplacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David A.; Davies, Ashley G.; Keszthelyi, Laszlo; Greeley, Ronald

2001-01-01

Galileo data and numerical modeling were used to investigate the summer 1997 eruption at Pillan Patera on Io. This event, now defined as 'Pillanian' eruption style, included a high-temperature (greater than 1600 C), possibly ultrabasic, 140-km-high plume eruption that deposited dark, orthopyroxene-rich pyroclastic material over greater than 125,000 sq km, followed by emplacement of dark flow-like material over greater than 3100 sq km to the north of the caldera. We estimate that the high-temperature, energetic episode of this eruption had a duration of 52- 167 days between May and September 1997, with peak eruption temperatures around June 28, 1997. Galileo 20 m/pixel images of part of the Pillan flow field show a widespread, rough, pitted surface that is unlike any flow surface we have seen before. We suggest that th.s surface may have resulted from (1) a fractured lava crust formed during rapid, low-viscosity lava surging, perhaps including turbulent flow emplacement; (2) disruption of the lava flow by explosive interaction with a volatile-rich substrate: or (3) a combination of 1 and 2 with or without accumulation of pyroclastic materials on the surface. Well-developed flow lobes are observed, suggesting that this is a relatively distal part of the flow field. Shadow measurements at flow margins indicate a thickness of approx. 8-10 m. We have modeled the emplacement of putative ultrabasic flows from the summer 1997 Pillan eruption using constraints from new Galileo data. Results suggest that either laminar sheet flows or turbulent channelized flows could have traveled 50-150 km on a flat. unobstructed surface, which is consistent with the estimated length of the Pillan flow field (approx. 60 km). Our modeling suggests low thermal erosion rates (less than 0.1 m/d), and that the formation of deep (greater than 20 m) erosion channels was unlikely, especially distal to the source. We calculate a volumetric flow rate of approx. 2-7 x l0(exp 3) cu m/s, which is greater than those for typical Mauna Loa/Kilauea flows but comparable to those for the (1783) Laki eruption and the inferred flow rates of the Roza flows in the Columbia River flood basalts. The differences in ultrabasic eruption styles on Earth and Io appear to be controlled by the different eruption environments: Plumes at sites of ultrabasic eruptions on Io suggest strong magma-volatile: interactions on a low-gravity body lacking an atmosphere, whereas the geology at sites of komatiite eruptions on Earth suggest mostly submarine emplacement of thick flows with a pronounced lack of subaerial explosive activity.

The Summer 1997 Eruption at Pillan Patera on Io: Implications for Ultrabasic Lava Flow Emplacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David A.; Davies, Ashley G.; Keszthelyi, Laszlo P.; Greeley, Ronald

2001-01-01

Galileo data and numerical modeling were used to investigate the summer 1977 eruption at Pillan Patera on Io. This event, now defined as "Pillanian" eruption style, included a high-temperature (greater than 1600 C), possible ultrabasic , 140-km-high plume eruption that deposited dark, orthopyroxene-rich pyroclastic material over greater than 125,000 sq km, followed by emplacement of dark flow-like material over greater than 3100 sq km to the north of the caldera. We estimate that the high-temperature, energetic episode of this eruption had a duration of 52 - 167 days between May and September 1997, with peak eruption temperatures around June 28, 1997. Galileo 20 m/pixel images of part of the Pillan flow field show a wide-spread, rough, pitted surface that is unlike any flow surface we have seen before. We suggest that this surface may have resulted from: 1. A fractured lava crust formed during rapid, low-viscosity lava surging, perhaps including turbulent flow emplacement. 2. Disruption of the lava flow by explosive interaction with a volatile-rich substrate. or 3. A combination of 1 and 2 with or without accumulation of pyroclastic material on the surface. Well-developed flow lobes are observed, suggesting that this is a relatively distant part of the flow field.Shadow measurements at flow margins indicate a thickness of-8 - 10 m. We have modeled the emplacement of putative ultrabasic flow from the summer 1997 Pillan eruption using constraints from new Galileo data. Results suggest that either laminar sheet flows or turbulent channelized flows could have traveled 50 - 150 km on a flat, unobstructed surface, which is consistent with the estimated length of the Pillan flow field (approx. 60 km). Our modeling suggests low thermal erosion rates (less than 4.1 m/d), and that the formation of deep (greater than 20 m) erosion channels was unlikely, especially distal to the source. We calculate a volumetric flow rate of approx. 2 - 7 x 10(exp 3)cu m/s, which is greater than those for typical Mauna Loa/Kilaueaq flows but comparable to those for the (1783) Laki eruption and the inferred flow rates of the Roza flows in the Columbia River flood basalts. The differences in ultrabasic eruption styles on Earth and Io appear to be controlled by the different eruption environments; Plumes at sites of ultrabasic eruptions on Io suggest strong magma-volatile interactions on a low-gravity body lacking an atmosphere, whereas the geology at sites of komatiite eruptions on Earth suggest mostly submarine emplacement of thick flows with a pronounced lack of subaerial explosive activity.

Coupled Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Solute Transport, Metabolism and Nutrient Uptake in Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, M. J.; Schmidt, C.

2017-12-01

Slower flow velocities and longer residence times within stream transient storage (TS) zones facilitate interaction between solutes and microbial communities, potentially increasing local rates of metabolic activity. Multiple factors, including channel morphology and substrate, variable hydrology, and seasonal changes in biological and physical parameters, result in changes in the solute transport dynamics and reactivity of TS zones over time and space. These changes would be expected to, in turn, influence rates of whole-stream ecosystem functions such as metabolism and nutrient uptake. However, the linkages between solute transport and ecosystem functioning within TS zones, and the contribution of TS zones to whole-stream functioning, are not always so straight forward. This may be due, in part, to methodological challenges. In this study we investigated the influence of stream channel hydro-morphology and substrate type on reach (103 m) and sub-reach (102 m) scale TS and ecosystem functioning. Patterns in solute transport, metabolism and nitrate uptake were tracked from April through October in two contrasting upland streams using several methods. The two streams, located in the Harz Mountains, Germany, are characterized by differing size (0.02 vs. 0.3 m3/s), dominant stream channel substrate (bedrock vs. alluvium) and sub-reach morphology (predominance of pools, riffles and glides). Solute transport parameters and respiration rates at the reach and sub-reach scale were estimated monthly from coupled pulse injections of the reactive tracer resazurin (Raz) and conservative tracers uranine and salt. Raz, a weakly fluorescent dye, irreversibly transforms to resorufin (Rru) under mildly reducing conditions, providing a proxy for aerobic respiration. Daily rates of primary productivity, respiration and nitrate retention at the reach scale were estimated using the diel cycles in dissolved oxygen and nitrate concentrations measured by in-situ sensors. Preliminary results indicate distinct differences in common metrics of TS and Raz transformation rates within and between the two streams. However, transformation rates and TS metrics are not well correlated, indicating complexities in the relationship between solute transport dynamics and metabolism in streams.

Dissipative-particle-dynamics model of biofilm growth

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

Xu, Zhijie; Meakin, Paul; Tartakovsky, Alexandre M.

2011-06-13

A dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) model for the quantitative simulation of biofilm growth controlled by substrate (nutrient) consumption, advective and diffusive substrate transport, and hydrodynamic interactions with fluid flow (including fragmentation and reattachment) is described. The model was used to simulate biomass growth, decay, and spreading. It predicts how the biofilm morphology depends on flow conditions, biofilm growth kinetics, the rheomechanical properties of the biofilm and adhesion to solid surfaces. The morphology of the model biofilm depends strongly on its rigidity and the magnitude of the body force that drives the fluid over the biofilm.

Single-molecule enzymology of steroid transforming enzymes: Transient kinetic studies and what they tell us.

PubMed

Penning, Trevor M

2016-07-01

Structure-function studies on steroid transforming enzymes often use site-directed mutagenesis to inform mechanisms of catalysis and effects on steroid binding, and data are reported in terms of changes in steady state kinetic parameters kcat, Km and kcat/Km. However, this dissection of function is limited since kcat is governed by the rate-determining step and Km is a complex macroscopic kinetic constant. Often site-directed mutagenesis can lead to a change in the rate-determining step which cannot be revealed by just reporting a decrease in kcat alone. These issues are made more complex when it is considered that many steroid transforming enzymes have more than one substrate and product. We present the case for using transient-kinetics performed with stopped-flow spectrometry to assign rate constants to discrete steps in these multi-substrate reactions and their use to interpret enzyme mechanism and the effects of disease and engineered mutations. We demonstrate that fluorescence kinetic transients can be used to measure ligand binding that may be accompanied by isomerization steps, revealing the existence of new enzyme intermediates. We also demonstrate that single-turnover reactions can provide a klim for the chemical step and Ks for steroid-substrate binding and that when coupled with kinetic isotope effect measurements can provide information on transition state intermediates. We also demonstrate how multiple turnover experiments can provide evidence for either "burst-phase" kinetics, which can reveal a slow product release step, or linear-phase kinetics, in which the chemical step can be rate-determining. With these assignments it becomes more straightforward to analyze the effects of mutations. We use examples from the hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (AKR1Cs) and human steroid 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) to illustrate the utility of the approach, which are members of the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) superfamily. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A nutrient injection scheme for in situ bio-remediation.

PubMed

Lin, C H; Kuo, M C Tom; Su, C Y; Liang, K F; Han, Y L

2012-01-01

Geological layers often have different hydraulic conductivities. This paper presents an innovative design for delivering aqueous substrates and nutrients to various stratified layers at desired rates during in-situ bio-stimulation. The new delivery system consists of intermittent porous tubes connected in series with impermeable polyethylene tubes that run horizontally in each stratified layer of a contaminated aquifer. Results of the tracer test indicated that the distribution of tritium through each porous tube was fairly uniform. A mathematical model was also developed to calculate the distribution of water flow through each porous tube. By controlling the permeability and the length of porous tubes placed in stratified layers, the new design provides a means to selectively deliver nutrients to various layers at desired rates according to aquifer heterogeneity.

Boundary conditions for a one-sided numerical model of evaporative instabilities in sessile drops of ethanol on heated substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semenov, Sergey; Carle, Florian; Medale, Marc; Brutin, David

2017-12-01

The work is focused on obtaining boundary conditions for a one-sided numerical model of thermoconvective instabilities in evaporating pinned sessile droplets of ethanol on heated substrates. In the one-sided model, appropriate boundary conditions for heat and mass transfer equations are required at the droplet surface. Such boundary conditions are obtained in the present work based on a derived semiempirical theoretical formula for the total droplet's evaporation rate, and on a two-parametric nonisothermal approximation of the local evaporation flux. The main purpose of these boundary conditions is to be applied in future three-dimensional (3D) one-sided numerical models in order to save a lot of computational time and resources by solving equations only in the droplet domain. Two parameters, needed for the nonisothermal approximation of the local evaporation flux, are obtained by fitting computational results of a 2D two-sided numerical model. Such model is validated here against parabolic flight experiments and the theoretical value of the total evaporation rate. This study combines theoretical, experimental, and computational approaches in convective evaporation of sessile droplets. The influence of the gravity level on evaporation rate and contributions of different mechanisms of vapor transport (diffusion, Stefan flow, natural convection) are shown. The qualitative difference (in terms of developing thermoconvective instabilities) between steady-state and unsteady numerical approaches is demonstrated.

Acute low-intensity cycling with blood-flow restriction has no effect on metabolic signaling in human skeletal muscle compared to traditional exercise.

PubMed

Smiles, William J; Conceição, Miguel S; Telles, Guilherme D; Chacon-Mikahil, Mara P T; Cavaglieri, Cláudia R; Vechin, Felipe C; Libardi, Cleiton A; Hawley, John A; Camera, Donny M

2017-02-01

Autophagy is an intracellular degradative system sensitive to hypoxia and exercise-induced perturbations to cellular bioenergetics. We determined the effects of low-intensity endurance-based exercise performed with blood-flow restriction (BFR) on cell signaling adaptive responses regulating autophagy and substrate metabolism in human skeletal muscle. In a randomized cross-over design, nine young, healthy but physically inactive males completed three experimental trials separated by 1 week of recovery consisting of either a resistance exercise bout (REX: 4 × 10 leg press repetitions, 70% 1-RM), endurance exercise (END: 30 min cycling, 70% VO 2peak ), or low-intensity cycling with BFR (15 min, 40% VO 2peak ). A resting muscle biopsy was obtained from the vastus lateralis 2 weeks prior to the first exercise trial and 3 h after each exercise bout. END increased ULK1 Ser757 phosphorylation above rest and BFR (~37 to 51%, P < 0.05). Following REX, there were significant elevations compared to rest (~348%) and BFR (~973%) for p38γ MAPK Thr180/Tyr182 phosphorylation (P < 0.05). Parkin content was lower following BFR cycling compared to REX (~20%, P < 0.05). There were no exercise-induced changes in select markers of autophagy following BFR. Genes implicated in substrate metabolism (HK2 and PDK4) were increased above rest (~143 to 338%) and BFR cycling (~212 to 517%) with END (P < 0.001). A single bout of low-intensity cycling with BFR is insufficient to induce intracellular "stress" responses (e.g., high rates of substrate turnover and local hypoxia) necessary to activate skeletal muscle autophagy signaling.

Continuum simulations of acetylcholine consumption by acetylcholinesterase: a Poisson-Nernst-Planck approach.

PubMed

Zhou, Y C; Lu, Benzhuo; Huber, Gary A; Holst, Michael J; McCammon, J Andrew

2008-01-17

The Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) equation provides a continuum description of electrostatic-driven diffusion and is used here to model the diffusion and reaction of acetylcholine (ACh) with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymes. This study focuses on the effects of ion and substrate concentrations on the reaction rate and rate coefficient. To this end, the PNP equations are numerically solved with a hybrid finite element and boundary element method at a wide range of ion and substrate concentrations, and the results are compared with the partially coupled Smoluchowski-Poisson-Boltzmann model. The reaction rate is found to depend strongly on the concentrations of both the substrate and ions; this is explained by the competition between the intersubstrate repulsion and the ionic screening effects. The reaction rate coefficient is independent of the substrate concentration only at very high ion concentrations, whereas at low ion concentrations the behavior of the rate depends strongly on the substrate concentration. Moreover, at physiological ion concentrations, variations in substrate concentration significantly affect the transient behavior of the reaction. Our results offer a reliable estimate of reaction rates at various conditions and imply that the concentrations of charged substrates must be coupled with the electrostatic computation to provide a more realistic description of neurotransmission and other electrodiffusion and reaction processes.

Use of repeat surveys and flow and sediment transport modeling to support fish spawning reef placement in the Detroit River, MI

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinzel, Paul J.; Nelson, Jonathan M.; Kennedy, Gregory W.; Bennion, David

2016-01-01

The introduction of rock-rubble substrate in rivers, to enhance fish spawning habitat, represents a significant investment in planning, permitting and construction. Where river processes deposit sediment and cover the substrate, its value as fish spawning habitat can be diminished. Therefore, it is crucial in the site se-lection process, that substrate be placed in locations that benefit the fish species of concern and, to the extent possible, ensure its longevity and ecological function. Changes in river bed elevation in these locations due to infilling by bedload sediment can be determined through serial hydrographic surveys. However, in cases where this information is sparse or unavailable, flow and sediment transport modeling can be used to calcu-late sediment mobility in the rock placement locations. In this paper we will demonstrate how these tech-niques are applied in the process of planning for the placement of rock-rubble substrate (reefs) in the Detroit River, Michigan.

Cellular Links between Neuronal Activity and Energy Homeostasis.

PubMed

Shetty, Pavan K; Galeffi, Francesca; Turner, Dennis A

2012-01-01

Neuronal activity, astrocytic responses to this activity, and energy homeostasis are linked together during baseline, conscious conditions, and short-term rapid activation (as occurs with sensory or motor function). Nervous system energy homeostasis also varies during long-term physiological conditions (i.e., development and aging) and with adaptation to pathological conditions, such as ischemia or low glucose. Neuronal activation requires increased metabolism (i.e., ATP generation) which leads initially to substrate depletion, induction of a variety of signals for enhanced astrocytic function, and increased local blood flow and substrate delivery. Energy generation (particularly in mitochondria) and use during ATP hydrolysis also lead to considerable heat generation. The local increases in blood flow noted following neuronal activation can both enhance local substrate delivery but also provides a heat sink to help cool the brain and removal of waste by-products. In this review we highlight the interactions between short-term neuronal activity and energy metabolism with an emphasis on signals and factors regulating astrocyte function and substrate supply.

Quantitative framework for ordered degradation of APC/C substrates.

PubMed

Lu, Dan; Girard, Juliet R; Li, Weihan; Mizrak, Arda; Morgan, David O

2015-11-16

During cell-cycle progression, substrates of a single master regulatory enzyme can be modified in a specific order. Here, we used experimental and computational approaches to dissect the quantitative mechanisms underlying the ordered degradation of the substrates of the ubiquitin ligase APC/C(Cdc20), a key regulator of chromosome segregation in mitosis. We show experimentally that the rate of catalysis varies with different substrates of APC/C(Cdc20). Using a computational model based on multi-step ubiquitination, we then show how changes in the interaction between a single substrate and APC/C(Cdc20) can alter the timing of degradation onset relative to APC/C(Cdc20) activation, while ensuring a fast degradation rate. Degradation timing and dynamics depend on substrate affinity for the enzyme as well as the catalytic rate at which the substrate is modified. When two substrates share the same pool of APC/C(Cdc20), their relative enzyme affinities and rates of catalysis influence the partitioning of APC/C(Cdc20) among substrates, resulting in substrate competition. Depending on how APC/C(Cdc20) is partitioned among its substrates, competition can have minor or major effects on the degradation of certain substrates. We show experimentally that increased expression of the early APC/C(Cdc20) substrate Clb5 does not delay the degradation of the later substrate securin, arguing against a role for competition with Clb5 in establishing securin degradation timing. The degradation timing of APC/C(Cdc20) substrates depends on the multi-step nature of ubiquitination, differences in substrate-APC/C(Cdc20) interactions, and competition among substrates. Our studies provide a conceptual framework for understanding how ordered modification can be established among substrates of the same regulatory enzyme, and facilitate our understanding of how precise temporal control is achieved by a small number of master regulators to ensure a successful cell division cycle.

Deep-Reaching Hydrodynamic Flow Confinement: Micrometer-Scale Liquid Localization for Open Substrates With Topographical Variations.

PubMed

Oskooei, Ali; Kaigala, Govind V

2017-06-01

We present a method for nonintrusive localization and reagent delivery on immersed biological samples with topographical variation on the order of hundreds of micrometers. Our technique, which we refer to as the deep-reaching hydrodynamic flow confinement (DR-HFC), is simple and passive: it relies on a deep-reaching hydrodynamic confinement delivered through a simple microfluidic probe design to perform localized microscale alterations on substrates as deep as 600 μm. Designed to scan centimeter-scale areas of biological substrates, our method passively prevents sample intrusion by maintaining a large gap between the probe and the substrate. The gap prevents collision of the probe and the substrate and reduces the shear stress experienced by the sample. We present two probe designs: linear and annular DR-HFC. Both designs comprise a reagent-injection aperture and aspiration apertures that serve to confine the reagent. We identify the design parameters affecting reagent localization and depth by DR-HFC and study their individual influence on the operation of DR-HFC numerically. Using DR-HFC, we demonstrate localized binding of antihuman immunoglobulin G (IgG) onto an activated substrate at various depths from 50 to 600 μm. DR-HFC provides a readily implementable approach for noninvasive processing of biological samples applicable to the next generation of diagnostic and bioanalytical devices.

Micro-Columnated Loop Heat Pipe: The Future of Electronic Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhillon, Navdeep Singh

The modern world is run by semiconductor-based electronic systems. Due to continuous improvements in semiconductor device fabrication, there is a clear trend in the market towards the development of electronic devices and components that not only deliver enhanced computing power, but are also more compact. Thermal management has emerged as the primary challenge in this scenario where heat flux dissipation of electronic chips is increasing exponentially, but conventional cooling solutions such as conduction and convection are no longer feasible. To keep device junction temperatures within the safe operating limit, there is an urgent requirement for ultra-high-conductivity thermal substrates that not only absorb and transport large heat fluxes, but can also provide localized cooling to thermal hotspots. This dissertation describes the design, modeling, and fabrication of a phase change-based, planar, ultra-thin, passive thermal transport system that is inspired by the concept of loop heat pipes and capillary pumped loops. Fabricated on silicon and Pyrex wafers using microfabrication techniques, the micro-columnated loop heat pipe (muCLHP) can be integrated directly with densely packed or multiply-stacked electronic substrates, to provide localized high-heat-flux thermal management. The muCLHP employs a dual-scale coherent porous silicon(CPS)-based micro-columnated wicking structure, where the primary CPS wick provides large capillary forces for fluid transport, while a secondary surface-wick maximizes the rate of thin-film evaporation. To overcome the wick thickness limitation encountered in conventional loop heat pipes, strategies based on MEMS surface micromachining techniques were developed to reduce parasitic heat flow from the evaporator to the compensation chamber of the device. Finite element analysis was used to confirm this reduction in a planar evaporator design, thus enabling the generation of a large motive temperature head for continuous device operation. To predict the overall heat carrying capacity of the muCLHP in the capillary pumping limit, an analytical model was developed to account for a steady state pressure balance in the device flow loop. Based on this model, a design optimization study, employing monotonicity analysis and numerical optimization techniques, was undertaken. It was found that an optimized muCLHP device can absorb heat fluxes as large as 1293 W/cm2 when water is used as a working fluid. A finite volume method-based numerical model was also developed to compute the rates of thin-film evaporation from the patterned surface of the secondary wick. The numerical results indicated that, by properly optimizing the dual-scale wick topology, allowable evaporative heat fluxes can be made commensurate with the heat flux performance predicted by the capillary pumping limit. The latter part of the dissertation deals with the fabrication, packaging, and experimental testing of several in-plane-wicking micro loop heat pipe (muLHP) prototypes. These devices were fabricated on silicon and Pyrex substrates and closely resemble the muCLHP design philosophy, with the exception that the CPS wick is substituted with an easier to fabricate in-plane wick. A novel thermal-flux method was developed for the degassing and fluid charging of the muLHP prototypes. Experiments were conducted to study the process of evaporation and dynamics of the liquid and vapor phases in the device flow loop. Using these results, the overall device and individual component topologies critical to the operation of the two-phase flow loop were identified. A continuous two-phase device flow loop was demonstrated for applied evaporator heat fluxes as high as 41 W/cm2. The performance of these devices, currently found to be limited by the motive temperature head requirement, can be significantly improved by implementing the parasitic heat flow-reduction strategies developed in this work. The 3-D thin-film evaporation model, when integrated into the overall device modeling framework, will enable a design optimization of the micro-columnated wick for further device performance enhancements.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Oil-Detachment from the Hydroxylated Silica Surface: Effects of Surfactants, Electrostatic Interactions, and Water Flows on the Water Molecular Channel Formation.

PubMed

Tang, Jian; Qu, Zhou; Luo, Jianhui; He, Lanyan; Wang, Pingmei; Zhang, Ping; Tang, Xianqiong; Pei, Yong; Ding, Bin; Peng, Baoliang; Huang, Yunqing

2018-02-15

The detachment process of an oil molecular layer situated above a horizontal substrate was often described by a three-stage process. In this mechanism, the penetration and diffusion of water molecules between the oil phase and the substrate was proposed to be a crucial step to aid in removal of oil layer/drops from substrate. In this work, the detachment process of a two-dimensional alkane molecule layer from a silica surface in aqueous surfactant solutions is studied by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. By tuning the polarity of model silica surfaces, as well as considering the different types of surfactant molecules and the water flow effects, more details about the formation of water molecular channel and the expansion processes are elucidated. It is found that for both ionic and nonionic type surfactant solutions, the perturbation of surfactant molecules on the two-dimensional oil molecule layer facilitates the injection and diffusion of water molecules between the oil layer and silica substrate. However, the water channel formation and expansion speed is strongly affected by the substrate polarity and properties of surfactant molecules. First, only for the silica surface with relative stronger polarity, the formation of water molecular channel is observed. Second, the expansion speed of the water molecular channel upon the ionic surfactant (dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide, DTAB and sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate, SDBS) flooding is more rapidly than the nonionic surfactant system (octylphenol polyoxyethylene(10) ether, OP-10). Third, the water flow speed may also affect the injection and diffusion of water molecules. These simulation results indicate that the water molecular channel formation process is affected by multiple factors. The synergistic effects of perturbation of surfactant molecules and the electrostatic interactions between silica substrate and water molecules are two key factors aiding in the injection and diffusion of water molecules and helpful for the oil detachment from silica substrate.

Nitrification in a zeoponic substrate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGilloway, R. L.; Weaver, R. W.; Ming, D. W.; Gruener, J. E.

2003-01-01

Clinoptilolite is a zeolite mineral with high cation exchange capacity used in zeoponic substrates that have been proposed as a solid medium for growing plants or as a fertilizer material. The kinetics of nitrification has not been measured for NH4+ saturated zeoponic substrate. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the production of NO2- and NO3-, and nitrifier populations in zeoponic substrates. Small columns were filled with zeoponic substrate inoculated with a commercial inoculum or soil enrichment culture of nitrifying bacteria. In addition to column studies, a growth chamber study was conducted to evaluate the kinetics of nitrification in zeoponic substrates used to grow radishes (Raphanus sativus L.). The zeoponic substrate provided a readily available source of NH4+, and nitrifying bacteria were active in the substrate. Ammonium oxidation rates in column studies ranged from 5 to 10 micrograms N g-1 substrate h-1, and NO2- oxidation rates were 2 to 9.5 micrograms N g-1 substrate h-1. Rates determined from the growth chamber study were approximately 1.2 micrograms N g-1 substrate h-1. Quantities of NH4+ oxidized to NO2- and NO3- in inoculated zeoponic substrate were in excess of plant up-take. Acidification as a result of NH4+ oxidation resulted in a pH decline, and the zeoponic substrate showed limited buffering capacity.

An Acrobatic Substrate Metamorphosis Reveals a Requirement for Substrate Conformational Dynamics in Trypsin Proteolysis*

PubMed Central

Kayode, Olumide; Wang, Ruiying; Pendlebury, Devon F.; Cohen, Itay; Henin, Rachel D.; Hockla, Alexandra; Soares, Alexei S.; Papo, Niv; Caulfield, Thomas R.; Radisky, Evette S.

2016-01-01

The molecular basis of enzyme catalytic power and specificity derives from dynamic interactions between enzyme and substrate during catalysis. Although considerable effort has been devoted to understanding how conformational dynamics within enzymes affect catalysis, the role of conformational dynamics within protein substrates has not been addressed. Here, we examine the importance of substrate dynamics in the cleavage of Kunitz-bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor protease inhibitors by mesotrypsin, finding that the varied conformational dynamics of structurally similar substrates can profoundly impact the rate of catalysis. A 1.4-Å crystal structure of a mesotrypsin-product complex formed with a rapidly cleaved substrate reveals a dramatic conformational change in the substrate upon proteolysis. By using long all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of acyl-enzyme intermediates with proteolysis rates spanning 3 orders of magnitude, we identify global and local dynamic features of substrates on the nanosecond-microsecond time scale that correlate with enzymatic rates and explain differential susceptibility to proteolysis. By integrating multiple enhanced sampling methods for molecular dynamics, we model a viable conformational pathway between substrate-like and product-like states, linking substrate dynamics on the nanosecond-microsecond time scale with large collective substrate motions on the much slower time scale of catalysis. Our findings implicate substrate flexibility as a critical determinant of catalysis. PMID:27810896

Effects of Experimental High Flow Releases and Increased Fluctuations in Flow from Glen Canyon Dam on Abundance, Growth, and Survival Rates of Early Life Stages of Rainbow Trout in the Lee's Ferry Reach of the Colorado River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korman, Josh

2010-05-01

The abundance of adult fish populations is controlled by the growth and survival rates of early life stages. Evaluating the effects of flow regimes on early life stages is therefore critical to determine how these regimes affect the abundance of adult populations. Experimental high flow releases from Glen Canyon Dam, primarily intended to conserve fine sediment and improve habitat conditions for native fish in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, AZ, have been conducted in 1996, 2004, and 2008. These flows potentially affect the Lee's Ferry reach rainbow trout population, located immediately downstream of the dam, which supports a highly valued fishery and likely influences the abundance of rainbow trout in Grand Canyon. Due to concerns about negative effects of high trout abundance on endangered native fish, hourly variation in flow from Glen Canyon Dam was experimentally increased between 2003 and 2005 to reduce trout abundance. This study reports on the effects of experimental high flow releases and fluctuating flows on early life stages of rainbow trout in the Lee's Ferry reach based on monthly sampling of redds (egg nests) and the abundance and growth of age-0 trout between 2003 and 2009. Data on spawn timing, spawning elevations, and intergravel temperatures were integrated in a model to estimate the magnitude and seasonal trend in incubation mortality resulting from redd dewatering due to fluctuations in flow. Experimental fluctuations from January through March promoted spawning at higher elevations where the duration of dewatering was longer and intergravel temperatures exceeded lethal thresholds. Flow-dependent incubation mortality rates were 24% (2003) and 50% (2004) in years with higher flow fluctuations, compared to 5-11% under normal operations (2006-2009). Spatial and temporal predictions of mortality were consistent with direct observations of egg mortality determined from the excavation of 125 redds. The amount of variation in backcalculated hatch date distributions predicted by flow-independent (84-93%) and flow-dependent (82-91%) incubation loss models were similar. Age-0 abundance was generally independent of viable egg deposition, except in one year when egg deposition was 10-fold lower due to reduced spawning activity. There was no evidence from the hatch date or stock-recruitment analysis that flow-dependent incubation losses, although large in experimental years, affected the abundance of the age-0 population. The data indicate that strong compensation in survival rates shortly after emergence mitigated the impact of flow-dependent losses. Multiple lines of evidence demonstrated that the March 2008 high flow experiment (HFE) resulted in a large increase in early survival rates (fertilization to ~1-2 months from emergence) of age-0 trout due an improvement in habitat conditions. A stock-recruitment analysis indicated that age-0 abundance in July 2008 was over four-fold higher than expected given the number of viable redds that produced these fish. A hatch date analysis indicated that early survival rates were much higher for cohorts that emerged about two months after the HFE. These cohorts, which were fertilized after the HFE, were not exposed to high flows and emerged into better quality habitat. Inter annual differences in growth of age-0 trout based on otolith microstructure support this hypothesis. Growth rates in the summer and fall of 2008 (0.44 mm·day-1) were virtually the same as in 2006 (0.46 mm·day-1), the highest recorded over six years, even though abundance was eight-fold greater in 2008. I speculate that high flows in 2008 increased interstitial spaces in the substrate and food availability or quality, leading to higher early survival of recently emerged trout and better growth during summer and fall. Abundance in 2009 was over two-fold higher than expected, possibly indicating that the effect of the HFE on early life stages was somewhat persistent.

Stepwise Hydrogen Atom and Proton Transfers in Dioxygen Reduction by Aryl-Alcohol Oxidase.

PubMed

Carro, Juan; Ferreira, Patricia; Martínez, Angel T; Gadda, Giovanni

2018-03-20

The mechanism of dioxygen reduction by the flavoenzyme aryl-alcohol oxidase was investigated with kinetic isotope, viscosity, and pL (pH/pD) effects in rapid kinetics experiments by stopped-flow spectrophotometry of the oxidative half-reaction of the enzyme. Double mixing of the enzyme in a stopped-flow spectrophotometer with [α- 2 H 2 ]- p-methoxybenzyl alcohol and oxygen at varying aging times established a slow rate constant of 0.0023 s -1 for the wash-out of the D atom from the N5 atom of the reduced flavin. Thus, the deuterated substrate could be used to probe the cleavage of the N-H bond of the reduced flavin in the oxidative half-reaction. A significant and pH-independent substrate kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of 1.5 between pH 5.0 and 8.0 demonstrated that H transfer is partially limiting the oxidative half-reaction of the enzyme; a negligible solvent KIE of 1.0 between pD 5.0 and 8.0 proved a fast H + transfer reaction that does not contribute to determining the flavin oxidation rates. Thus, a mechanism for dioxygen reduction in which the H atom originating from the reduced flavin and a H + from a solvent exchangeable site are transferred in separate kinetic steps is proposed. The spectroscopic and kinetic data presented also showed a lack of stabilization of transient flavin intermediates. The substantial differences in the mechanistic details of O 2 reduction by aryl-alcohol oxidase with respect to other alcohol oxidases like choline oxidase, pyranose 2-oxidase, and glucose oxidase further demonstrate the high level of versatility of the flavin cofactor in flavoenzymes.

Polysaccharides and Proteins Added to Flowing Drinking Water at Microgram-per-Liter Levels Promote the Formation of Biofilms Predominated by Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria

PubMed Central

Sack, Eveline L. W.; van der Kooij, Dick

2014-01-01

Biopolymers are important substrates for heterotrophic bacteria in (ultra)oligotrophic freshwater environments, but information about their utilization at microgram-per-liter levels by attached freshwater bacteria is lacking. This study aimed at characterizing biopolymer utilization in drinking-water-related biofilms by exposing such biofilms to added carbohydrates or proteins at 10 μg C liter−1 in flowing tap water for up to 3 months. Individually added amylopectin was not utilized by the biofilms, whereas laminarin, gelatin, and caseinate were. Amylopectin was utilized during steady-state biofilm growth with simultaneously added maltose but not with simultaneously added acetate. Biofilm formation rates (BFR) at 10 μg C liter−1 per substrate were ranked as follows, from lowest to highest: blank or amylopectin (≤6 pg ATP cm−2 day−1), gelatin or caseinate, laminarin, maltose, acetate alone or acetate plus amylopectin, and maltose plus amylopectin (980 pg ATP cm−2 day−1). Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses revealed that the predominant maltose-utilizing bacteria also dominated subsequent amylopectin utilization, indicating catabolic repression and (extracellular) enzyme induction. The accelerated BFR with amylopectin in the presence of maltose probably resulted from efficient amylopectin binding to and hydrolysis by inductive enzymes attached to the bacterial cells. Cytophagia, Flavobacteriia, Gammaproteobacteria, and Sphingobacteriia grew during polysaccharide addition, and Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria, Cytophagia, Flavobacteriia, and Sphingobacteriia grew during protein addition. The succession of bacterial populations in the biofilms coincided with the decrease in the specific growth rate during biofilm formation. Biopolymers can clearly promote biofilm formation at microgram-per-liter levels in drinking water distribution systems and, depending on their concentrations, might impair the biological stability of distributed drinking water. PMID:24487544