Viscoelastic properties of woody hemp core

Holzforschung ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahime Bag ◽  
Johnny Beaugrand ◽  
Patrice Dole ◽  
Bernard Kurek

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the effect of removing extractives from the woody core of hemp (chènevotte) on the chain mobility of hemicelluloses and lignins, which can react during technological transformation such as de-fibering and/or composite materials production. Extractives are molecules with low molecular weight, which are present in the cell wall matrix and can be readily removed by solvents. In the present paper, the nature and amounts of extractives, removed under different conditions and with solvents of different polarities, were determined. The mobility and structural relaxations of lignins and hemicelluloses were stu-died in situ by dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric analysis under controlled moisture content. Extractions at low temperature led to rigidification of lignins and plasticizing of hemicelluloses, probably due to local changes by the selective removal of molecules interacting with the polymers. Probably, the accessibility of hemicelluloses to plasticizing water was increased at controlled humidity. In contrast, hot extractions including water induced rigidification of the hemi-celluloses and plasticizing of lignins. This could be related to a combination of molecule extractions and chemical modi-fications of both polymers. This interpretation is supported by the variation of activation energy for relaxation of hemi-celluloses. It can be concluded that each type of extraction has a clear specific effect on the relaxation properties of the amorphous cell wall polymers.

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (40) ◽  
pp. 1097-1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kantesh Balani ◽  
Flavia C. Brito ◽  
Lidia Kos ◽  
Arvind Agarwal

Pigmentation of murine cardiac tricuspid valve leaflet is associated with melanocyte concentration, which affects its stiffness. Owing to its biological and viscoelastic nature, estimation of the in situ stiffness measurement becomes a challenging task. Therefore, quasi-static and nanodynamic mechanical analysis of the leaflets of the mouse tricuspid valve is performed in the current work. The mechanical properties along the leaflet vary with the degree of pigmentation. Pigmented regions of the valve leaflet that contain melanocytes displayed higher storage modulus (7–10 GPa) than non-pigmented areas (2.5–4 GPa). These results suggest that the presence of melanocytes affects the viscoelastic properties of the mouse atrioventricular valves and are important for their proper functioning in the organism.


1992 ◽  
Vol 269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray J. King ◽  
Michael J. Werner ◽  
Guillermo D. Mayorga

ABSTRACTMicrowave reflection resonator sensors have been developed to monitor the dynamic, in situ real and imaginary dielectric components (ε′, ε″) of thermoset polymer matrix composites and thermoplastics. These reusable and noninvasive sensors are conformably mounted in the autoclave mold in such a manner that the EM fields are strongly coupled to the resin. Tracking of (ε′, ε″) during the cure provides information about the chemical kinetics such as timing the point of minimum viscosity and monitoring the relative cure index. The sensor is readily adjustable for optimum coupling to the type of material being tested and is rated for temperatures up to 250°C (480*F). The technique is complementary to other analysis techniques such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). A prototype software and electronics package has been developed to support the sensor.


Planta ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 228 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony W. Blake ◽  
Susan E. Marcus ◽  
James E. Copeland ◽  
Richard S. Blackburn ◽  
J. Paul Knox

1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 670-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S Whiting ◽  
W M Ingledew ◽  
Sun Y Lee ◽  
Barry Ziola

Fourteen monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) were isolated that react with surface antigens of Pediococcus beer spoilage organisms, including P. damnosus, P. pentosaceous, P. acidilactici, and unspeciated isolates. Immunoblotting, enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) of protease- and neuraminidase-treated surface antigen extracts, carbohydrate competition EIAs, and cardiolipin EIAs were used to characterize the bacterial antigens involved in Mab binding. Antigen stability in situ was tested by protease treatment or surface antigen extraction of washed bacteria. In most cases, the Mabs bind to Pediococcus surface antigens that appear to be covalently bound cell wall polymers resistant to alteration or removal from the bacterial surface. These bacterial surface antigen reactive Mabs show good potential for rapid, sensitive, and specific immunoassay detection of Pediococcus beer spoilage organisms.Key words: beer spoilage organism, immunoassay, monoclonal antibodies, Pediococcus, surface antigens.


Author(s):  
D. Reis ◽  
B. Vian ◽  
J. C. Roland

Wall morphogenesis in higher plants is a problem still open to controversy. Until now the possibility of a transmembrane control and the involvement of microtubules were mostly envisaged. Self-assembly processes have been observed in the case of walls of Chlamydomonas and bacteria. Spontaneous gelling interactions between xanthan and galactomannan from Ceratonia have been analyzed very recently. The present work provides indications that some processes of spontaneous aggregation could occur in higher plants during the formation and expansion of cell wall.Observations were performed on hypocotyl of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) for which growth characteristics and wall composition have been previously defined.In situ, the walls of actively growing cells (primary walls) show an ordered three-dimensional organization (fig. 1). The wall is typically polylamellate with multifibrillar layers alternately transverse and longitudinal. Between these layers intermediate strata exist in which the orientation of microfibrils progressively rotates. Thus a progressive change in the morphogenetic activity occurs.


Author(s):  
S. Pramod ◽  
M. Anju ◽  
H. Rajesh ◽  
A. Thulaseedharan ◽  
Karumanchi S. Rao

AbstractPlant growth regulators play a key role in cell wall structure and chemistry of woody plants. Understanding of these regulatory signals is important in advanced research on wood quality improvement in trees. The present study is aimed to investigate the influence of exogenous application of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) and brassinosteroid inhibitor, brassinazole (BRZ) on wood formation and spatial distribution of cell wall polymers in the xylem tissue of Leucaena leucocephala using light and immuno electron microscopy methods. Brassinazole caused a decrease in cambial activity, xylem differentiation, length and width of fibres, vessel element width and radial extent of xylem suggesting brassinosteroid inhibition has a concomitant impact on cell elongation, expansion and secondary wall deposition. Histochemical studies of 24-epibrassinolide treated plants showed an increase in syringyl lignin content in the xylem cell walls. Fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies revealed the inhomogenous pattern of lignin distribution in the cell corners and middle lamellae region of BRZ treated plants. Immunolocalization studies using LM10 and LM 11 antibodies have shown a drastic change in the micro-distribution pattern of less substituted and highly substituted xylans in the xylem fibres of plants treated with EBR and BRZ. In conclusion, present study demonstrates an important role of brassinosteroid in plant development through regulating xylogenesis and cell wall chemistry in higher plants.


2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 1524-1533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Helbig ◽  
Jörg Steighardt ◽  
Werner Roos

ABSTRACT On searching for endogenous, low-molecular-weight effectors of benzodiazepine alkaloid biosynthesis in Penicillium cyclopium uric acid was isolated from ethanolic or autoclaved mycelial extracts of this fungus. The isolation was based on a three-step high-pressure liquid chromatography procedure guided by a microplate bioassay, and uric acid was identified by mass spectrometry and the uricase reaction. Conidiospore suspensions that were treated with this compound during the early phase of outgrowth developed emerged cultures with an enhanced rate of alkaloid production. Uric acid treatment did not increase the in vitro measurable activity of the rate-limiting biosynthetic enzyme, cyclopeptine synthetase. However, these cultures displayed a reduced rate of uptake of the alkaloid precursor l-phenylalanine into the vacuoles of the hyphal cells as assayed in situ. It is suggested that the depressed capacity of vacuolar uptake caused by the contact of outgrowing spores with uric acid liberated from hyphal cells results in an enhanced availability of the precursor l-phenylalanine in the cytoplasm and thus accounts at least in part for the increase in alkaloid production.


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