Surface Area Of Beads Research Articles

SYNTHESIS OF ACTIVATED CARBON AND CMC BEADS FROM CORN HUSK FOR EFFLUENT TREATMENT

Adsorption of dyes from the effluent is a well-known and feasible method been used in the industry. In the present work we are using corn husk agricultural waste as a sustainable raw material for synthesizing activated carbon using biopolymer carboxyl methyl cellulose for formation of beads. The beads formed are been used for removal of reactive ultra-orange RGB , acid telon yellow FG 01, basic coracryl red C2B. The surface area of beads is 39.87m2/g. The maximum adsorption of reactive orange RGB , acid telon yellow and basic coracryl red is 68.25mg/g, 72.54mg/g and 30.21mg/g for 50ml of dye solution. The stock solution 0.4g/l of dye solution was prepared for each dye respectively. The beads formed shows a variable pH from 2 to 12 which is favourable for textile effluent. This is a green approach to use the agricultural waste for waste water treatment.

Potential contribution of exposed resin to ecosystem emissions of monoterpenes

Conifers, especially pines, produce and store under pressure monoterpene-laden resin in canals located throughout the plant. When the plants are damaged and resin canals punctured, the resin is exuded and the monoterpenes are released into the atmosphere, a process that has been shown to influence ecosystem-level monoterpene emissions. Less attention has been paid to the small amounts of resin that are exuded from branches, expanding needles, developing pollen cones, and terminal buds in the absence of any damage. The goal of this study was to provide the first estimate of the potential of this naturally-exposed resin to influence emissions of monoterpenes from ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) ecosystems. When resin is first exuded as small spherical beads from undamaged tissues it emits monoterpenes to the atmosphere at a rate that is four orders of magnitude greater than needle tissue with an equivalent exposed surface area and the emissions from exuded beads decline exponentially as the resin dries. We made measurements of resin beads on the branches of ponderosa pine trees in the middle of the growing season and found, on average, 0.15 cm2 of exposed resin bead surface area and 1250 cm2 of total needle surface area per branch tip. If the resin emerged over the course of 10 days, resin emissions would make up 10% of the ecosystem emissions each day. Since we only accounted for exposed resin at a single point in time, this is probably an underestimate of how much total resin is exuded from undamaged pine tissues over the course of a growing season. Our observations, however, reveal the importance of this previously unrecognized source of monoterpenes emitted from pine forests and its potential to influence regional atmospheric chemistry dynamics.

Kinetic-exclusion analysis-based immunosensors versus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for measurement of cancer markers in biological specimens

Kinetic exclusion analysis (KinExA)-based immunosensors and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) have been developed and validated for measurement of five different cancer markers in biological specimens. These markers were: 2′-deoxycytidine (dCyd), 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8HdG), carbohydrate antigen (CA15-3), α-fetoprotein (AFP), and β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG). The KinExA-based assays were conducted on the KinExA™ 3200 instrument. The ELISA assays employed the competitive immunoassay format for dCyd and 8HdG, however they employed the direct sandwich-type format for CA15-3, AFP, and β-HCG. Each assay was validated in terms of its limit of detection, working range, precision profile, and accuracy. The analytical performances of the KinExA-based sensors were found to be superior to the ELISA for the five markers. The data demonstrated that the format of the assay may influence its performance characteristics (sensitivity, precision, etc.), even when exactly the same reagents are employed. The superior performance of the KinExA format is most likely due to: (1) the high surface area of beads containing the immobilized capture in the flow cell of the instrument, (2) the high flow rate of the reagents passing through the beads, which minimizes the diffusion limitations at the reaction surface, and (3) the limited time that the antibody is in contact with the capture reagent. The KinExA-based assays exhibited three noteworthy properties compared with ELISA: (1) avoiding the problems of mass transport limitations, and mobility effects, (2) KinExA analysis with automated sampling increase the assay convenience; and (3) providing high sensitivity with a lower limit of detection and better precision than ELISA. The proposed KinExA-based immunosensors are anticipated to have a great value in measurement of the cancer markers where more confident results are needed.

Use of Extracellular Medium Chain Length Polyhydroxyalkanoate Depolymerase for Targeted Binding of Proteins to Artificial Poly[(3-hydroxyoctanoate)-co-(3-hydroxyhexanoate)] Granules

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), which are produced by many microorganisms, are promising polymers for biomedical applications due to their biodegradability and biocompatibility. In this study, we evaluated the suitability of medium chain length (mcl) PHA as surface materials for immobilizing proteins. Self-stabilized, artificial mcl-PHA beads with a size of 200-300 nm were fabricated. Five of six tested proteins adsorbed nonspecifically to mcl-PHA beads in amounts of 0.4-1.8 mg m(-2) bead surface area. The binding capacity was comparable to similar-sized polystyrene particles commonly used for antibody immobilization in clinical diagnostics. A targeted immobilization of fusion proteins was achieved by using inactive extracellular PHA depolymerase (ePHA(mcl)) from Pseudomonas fluorescens as the capture ligand. The N-terminal part of ePhaZ(MCL) preceding the catalytic domain was identified to comprise the substrate binding domain and was sufficient for mediating the binding of fusion proteins to mcl-PHA. We suggest mcl-PHA to be prime candidates for both nonspecific and targeted immobilization of proteins in applications such as drug delivery, protein microarrays, and protein purification.

Studies on in vitro release of CPM from semi-interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) composed of chitosan and glutamic acid

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) beads consisting of chitosan-glutamic acid were prepared for in vitro study of controlled release of chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM). A viscous solution of chitosan-glutamic acid was prepared in 2% acetic acid solution, extruded as droplets through a syringe to alkalimethanol solution and the precipitated beads were crosslinked using glutaraldehyde solution. Swelling and drug release studies were carried out. Transport of release medium through the semi-IPN depended upon its pH and extent of crosslinking. The structural and morphological studies of beads were carried out by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The larger surface area of beads as well as their ease of handling makes them ideal agents of controlled release.

Application of microchip assay system for the measurement of C-reactive protein in human saliva

In the last decade, saliva has been advocated as a non-invasive alternative to blood as a diagnostic fluid. However, use of saliva has been hindered by the inadequate sensitivity of current methods to detect the lower salivary concentrations of many constituents compared to serum. Furthermore, developments in the areas related to lab-on-a-chip systems for saliva-based point of care diagnostics are complicated by the high viscosity and heterogeneous properties associated with this diagnostic fluid. The biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase reactant and a well-accepted indicator of inflammation. Numerous clinical studies have established elevated serum CRP as a strong, independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD has also been associated with oral infections (i.e. periodontal diseases) and there is evidence that systemic CRP may be a link between the two. Clinical measurements of CRP in serum are currently performed with "high sensitivity" CRP (hsCRP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests that lack the sensitivity for the detection of this important biomarker in saliva. Because measurement of salivary CRP may represent a novel approach for diagnosing and monitoring chronic inflammatory disease, including CVD and periodontal diseases, the objective of this study was to apply an ultra-sensitive microchip assay system for the measurement of CRP in human saliva. Here, we describe this novel lab-on-a-chip system in its first application for the measurement of CRP in saliva and demonstrate its advantages over the traditional ELISA method. The increased sensitivity of the microchip system (10 pg ml(-1) of CRP with 1000-fold dilution of saliva sample) is attributed to its inherent increased signal to noise ratio, resulting from the higher bead surface area available for antigen/antibody interactions and the high stringency washes associated with this approach. Finally, the microchip assay system was utilized in this study to provide direct experimental evidence that chronic periodontal disease may be associated with higher levels of salivary CRP.

Drug Release from Film-Coated Chlorpheniramine Maleate Nonpareil Beads: Water Influx and Development of a New Drug Release Model

The purpose of this work was to investigate drug release from film-coated chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) nonpareils (sugar spheres) and the effect of water influx on the drug release mechanism. The methods used in the study involved the layering of CPM onto nonpareil cores using a fluid-bed apparatus. These CPM cores were then coated with an aqueous ethylcellulose dispersion, which was blended with a solution of hydroxylpropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) at different concentrations. The net water influx was determined by measuring water uptake during dissolution. The film surface area was calculated from bead diameters measured with an optical microscope. Drug release profiles were measured using USP dissolution method I (basket). The results showed that significant water influx occurred, which produced an internal liquid phase ranging from 0 to 1.8 × 103 mm3/g of sample. As a result of the water uptake, an increase in bead size was observed. The bead surface area varied over the range of 40–80 × 103 mm2/g sample because of a combined effect of the water uptake and the release of the bead contents. A bead geometry parameter was proposed as the ratio of the bead surface area to the volume of the internal liquid phase. This bead geometry parameter was measured as a function of time and fit to an equation using a computer curve-fitting technique. This equation was substituted into an existing drug release model to give a more appropriate mathematical model describing drug release from this system. The conclusion drawn from these results is that the influx of water during drug dissolution creates a progressive increase in the liquid phase within the nonpareil bead; this causes a corresponding increase in the bead surface area which influences the drug release rate.

Preparation and Characterization of Macroporous Carrageenan Beads for Enhanced Gel Filtration

Macroporous K-carrageenan beads were prepared by two–step emulsion method, chemically cross-linked characterized, and then employed for gel filtration. It has recently been recognized that convection (i.e. bulk fluid movement) through large pores (i.e. macropores ) is an effective way of enhancing the performance of chromatographic separation by improving mass transfer. The aim of our study was to determine if this concept was true for macroporous and carrageenan beads. The pore structure of the beads was analyzed by environmental scanning electronic microscopy and characterized by measuring the total surface area and packing density. An increasing toluene content in the first emulsion was found to play an important role in creating more pores and in determining the pore structure. In addition, heat treatment of the beads was very effective for increasing the cross linking density and reducing the bead volume swelling in saline. However, treatment with steam reduced the bead surface area suggesting a change in pore structure. The cross linked hydrogel beads were stable in the pH range 1-13 and in KCI solutions at a concentration over 0.07 M. The bead size increased with a decrease in ionic strength. At low ionic strength, two of the proteins studied, cytochrome C and lysozyme, were found to adsorb to the carrageenan beads. The ionic stength also affected the fractionation range of the beads for gel filtration. The elution volume of various non-adsorbed proteins was reduced with a decrease in ionic stength. The efficiency (i.e. resolution and reduced plate heights) of carrageenanbeads in chromatographic separation was better than that of commercial Sepharose CL-6B beads , especially at high flow rates.

Characterization of carbonaceous gel beads prepared in presence of polymer using water-in-oil emulsion

Carbonaceous gel beads were prepared by addition of polymers using ammonia water of amphiphilic carbonaceous material through water-in-oil emulsion. By addition of poly(vinylalcohol), carbonaceous gel beads having dimples were obtained, where the number and size of dimples were dependent on the additive amount and molecular weight of poly(vinylalcohol). However, only beads with smooth surfaces were obtained by addition of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and poly(ethyleneglycol). The morphology of beads is significantly influenced by interfacial tension at the water-oil interface. The surface area of beads prepared by addition of polymers remarkably increased by heat treatment from 5 m 2 g −1 to 289 m 2 g −1 and a pore size of about 20 Å was predominantly produced in the case of PVA. In addition, the carbonaceous gel prepared by addition of PVA exhibited a high graphitizability, similar to that of green cokes. Thus, it was found that physicochemical properties of gel beads prepared by addition of PVA are significantly altered.

Phagosomal membrane lipids of LM fibroblasts.

Murine fibroblasts, LM cells, were cultured in suspension or monolayer in a chemically defined medium without serum and exposed to polystyrene beads. The LM cells endocytized the beads in direct proportion to the bead/cell ratio and the bead surface area. However, equal volumes of beads irrespective of size or surface area were internalized. The lipid composition of the phagosome membrane differed significantly from the parent primary membrane in having higher contents of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and sterol but lower contents of sphingomyelin and lysophosphatidylcholine. When phagosomes isolated from suspension-cultured LM fibroblasts were exposed to trinitrobenzene-sulfonic acid at 4 degrees C, 55 +/- 1.6% of the phagosomal membrane phosphatidylethanolamine was trinitrophenylated. The asymmetric distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine across the phagosomal membrane was not affected by the bead/cell ratio, bead diameter, or exposure time of LM fibroblasts to the beads. When cells were reacted with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid at 4 degrees C prior to phagocytosis, the amount of trinitrophenylphosphatidylethanolamine was greater in the isolated phagosomes than in the parent primary plasma membrane. Culturing LM fibroblasts in suspension or monolayer had no effect on the asymmetric distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine across primary plasma membrane bilayers. The data are consistent with the observation that LM fibroblasts grown either in suspension or monolayer internalize polystyrene beads at selective sites in the surface membrane.