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Partially-etched V2Al1-xCTz ceramic with the average particle of ∼400 nm was synthesized by etching submicro-sized V2AlC with 40 wt% HF at room temperature (RT) for 48 h and 72 h, respectively. V2Al1-xCTz etched for 72 h has exhibited higher charge-discharge property, with an average reversible discharge capacity of 349.2 mAh·g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 in the 120 cycles for lithium-ion batteries. The electrochemical performances of V2Al1-xCTz could be improved by the addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene (GF) and titanium suboxides (Ti4O7) conductive additives, among which CNTs exhibit the best effectiveness with a capacity of ∼460 mAh·g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 in the 140 cycles and a capacity retention of ∼72% at 0.5 A g-1 after 400 cycles.

High-purity and fine CrB powders are firstly synthesized from Cr and B powders in (Na, K)Cl molten salt at 850 °C for 2 h. Then the as-achieved CrB powders are used as precursors to synthesize homogeneous and size-controlled Cr2AlB2 powders in (Na, K)Cl molten salt at 900 °C for 2 h. Additionally, the formation mechanisms of CrB and Cr2AlB2 in (Na, K)Cl molten salt are also investigated. Results show that the Cr atom, formed by disproportionation of Cr2+ ions in molten salt, reacts in-situ with B powders to form CrB. For the formation of Cr2AlB2, Al and CrB migrate mutually and assemble firstly in the molten salt, and then Al intercalates into CrB to generate Cr2AlB2.

The corrosion of metallic bipolar plates in the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) anode environment would degrade the performance and shorten the lifespan of the fuel cell. Hence, it is essential to develop a conductive coating with good corrosion resistance. Herein we demonstrate a dense, defect-free, and well-adhered nanocrystalline β-Nb2N coating prepared on 430 ferritic stainless steel (430 FSS) via disproportionation of Nb(Ⅳ) species in molten salts. The corrosion mechanism of bare and β-Nb2N coated 430 FSS in the simulated PEMFC anode environment is also studied by electrochemical techniques including potentiodynamic polarization, potentiostatic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results show that β-Nb2N coating can significantly improve the corrosion resistance of the steel alloy with acceptable contact resistance. In addition, no obvious degradation is observed for the β-Nb2N coating after potentiostatic polarization measurement for 500 h. This work offers a promising strategy to develop the corrosion protective coating on metallic bipolar plates for PEMFCs.

Herein we report a method for rapid synthesis of Cr2AlB2 from Cr, Al, and B elemental powders. Effects of Cr/Al/B molar ratio in precursors, temperature, duration and mass ratio of the salt to precursors on Cr2AlB2 formation are investigated. Additionally, the synthesis process of Cr2AlB2 is also discussed. Results show that the temperature plays a key role in the formation of Cr2AlB2. Well crystalline Cr2AlB2 powders are successfully synthesized from 2Cr/2Al/2B precursors and NaCl-KCl molten salt with their mass ratio of 1:1 at 1100 °C within 0.5 h. Cr2AlB2 exhibits nanolaminated structure with plate-like grain morphology. The particle size of the obtained Cr2AlB2 powder is dramatically decreased with the addition of NaCl-KCl molten salt in precursors.

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A mixture of D. officinale and American ginseng has been shown to enhance cell-mediated immunity, humoral immunity, and monocyte/macrophage functions in mice. Here, the effects of a D. officinale and American ginseng mixture on the structure of gut microbial community in dogs were examined using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The data revealed that while the mixture did not change the diversity of gut microbial community significantly, differences among individuals were significantly reduced. Furthermore, the mixture-responsive operational taxonomic units (OTUs) exhibited a phase-dependent expression pattern. Fifty-five OTUs were found to exhibit a mixture-induced expression pattern, among which one third were short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing genera and the others were probiotic genera included Lactobacillus spp., Sutterella, Alistipes, Anaerovorax, Bilophila, Coprococcus, Gordonibacter, Oscillibacter, among others. By contrast, 36% of the OTUs exhibiting a mixture-repressed expression pattern were disease-associated microorganisms, and six genera, namely Actinomyces, Escherichia/Shigella, Fusobacterium, Slackia, Streptococcus and Solobacterium, were associated with cancer. In addition, five genera were closely associated with diabetes, namely Collinsella, Rothia, Howardella, Slackia and Intestinibacter. Our results indicate that this D. officinale and American ginseng mixture may be used as a prebiotic agent to enhance SCFA-producing genera and prevent gut dysbiosis.

β-Nb2N, a transition metal nitride, has attracted significant interest due to its high hardness, high electrical conductivity, as well as its good corrosion and wear resistance. Herein, a simple novel method to prepare nanocrystalline β-Nb2N coating on 430 stainless steel substrate by disproportionation of Nb(IV) ions in molten salt is developed and presented. Through this method, a dense, crack-free, uniform, and well-adhered nanocrystalline β-Nb2N coating is obtained in NaCl–KCl–NaF–NbCl5–Nb melt at 850 °C for 5 h. Additionally, effects of temperature and duration on β-Nb2N coating formation are also investigated. Results indicate that higher temperature and longer duration are more favorable for β-Nb2N coating formation. Furthermore, the corrosion behavior of the coating was studied by potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5% NaCl solution. Result suggests that the β-Nb2N coating can significantly improve the pitting corrosion resistance of 430 FSS substrate.

Pure metastable tetragonal (t’) phase 4YSZ top coats with thickness of 100 and 200 μm were deposited on NiCoCrAlY-coated second generation single crystal superalloy by air plasma spray (APS). The two thermal barrier coatings were evaluated under gradient thermal cycling test using gas mixture of propane and oxygen. After flame shock test, the values of Young's modulus, hardness and degree of densification all exhibited a gradient distribution across YSZ thickness. In contrast to intensive sintering at surface of 200 μm 4YSZ coating, the TBC sample with 4YSZ layer of 100 μm underwent poor oxidation at interface of YSZ and bond coat, forming a duplex oxide scale: (Ni,Co)(Cr,Al)2O4 spinel over Al2O3, which promoted the delamination at the top-coat/bond-coat interface. The resistance against gradient thermal cycling, the phase stability of 4YSZ and the failure mechanism of the TBCs, were discussed correlating to the effects of YSZ thickness.

Nanosized niobium carbide (NbC) powder was successfully synthesized by disproportionation reaction of Nb(IV) species in NaCl-KCl molten salt at 800–900 °C for 0.5–5 h by using a mixture of Nb, NbCl5, and acetylene black as raw materials. Effects of molar ratio of NbCl5/Nb, temperature, and reaction time on NbC preparation were also investigated. The composition and microstructure of the product were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Homogenous NbC powder with a particle size of ~50 nm is in-situ synthesized on template of acetylene black by disproportionation reaction of Nb(IV) species in NaCl-KCl molten salt. In addition, NbC formation is dramatically influenced by molar ratio of NbCl5/Nb and temperature, a higher temperature and higher molar ratio of NbCl5/Nb are more preferable for nanosized NbC powder formation.

A rotating packed bed (RPB) is a new type of process intensification equipment. Its packing zone is an important mass transfer zone. However, the issue of liquid flow in the RPB remains unclear. In this work, the effects of rotational speed, liquid initial velocity in the cavity, and the packing zone of a countercurrent rotating bed on liquid phase flow patterns, droplet velocity, average droplet diameter, and droplet size distribution were measured using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera in the air–water system. Experimental results show the influence of rotational speed and liquid initial velocity on fluid flow characteristics. Computational fluid dynamics modeling was employed to analyze the characteristics of liquid flow. Two-dimensional numerical simulation of gas–liquid two-phase flow was achieved using the volume of fluid model in the multiphase flow model and the Reynolds stress model in the turbulence model. Simulation results are consistent with the experimental rules. In addition, correlations were established to predict the average droplet diameter, the rotational speed, and the liquid initial velocity. The predicted values were in agreement with the experimental values, with deviations generally within ±15%.

The slow kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remain the primary problem impeding the commercialization of zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, we demonstrate a hybrid composite consisting of multivalent CoSx nanoparticles and nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes catalytically active-nickel (NCNTs/Ni) as an advanced ORR/OER electrocatalyst with excellent electrocatalytic activity. The Co-N bonds in the hybrid catalyst effectively enhance interfacial charge transfer, resulting in synergetic effects for enhanced oxygen electrochemistry. The optimized hybrid, CoSx/NCNTs/Ni-2, affords excellent performance in an alkaline ZAB, achieving a high-power density of 131 mW cm−2, and the voltage gap remained at only 0.87 V after 200 h of continuous charge–discharge at 5 mA cm−2. This study provides a facile strategy for the construction of bifunctional hybrids with non-precious metals for potential application in ZABs and other sustainable energy conversion devices.

Vanadium-based MXenes are prospective as anode materials in energy-storage devices including lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) but limited by their charge-discharge capacities. Herein, partially-etched V2AlxCTz with the average particle size of ~400 nm was synthesized using 40 wt% HF or mixed NaF+HCl solutions as etchants, respectively. V2AlxCTz etched by 40 wt% HF for 96 h at room temperature (RT) has more exceptional charge-discharge performances against mixed NaF+HCl solutions, with an average reversible capacity of ~450 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 in the 120 cycles and ~301.2 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 200 cycles in LIBs. The effect of etchants on electrochemical performances and lithium-ion (Li-ion) storage mechanism of V2AlxCTz was discussed comprehensively. Additionally, a Li-ion full cell using LiFePO4 as cathode has exhibited excellent electrochemical performance (150.4 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C). This work illustrates that partially-etched V2AlxCTz with the submicro-sized distribution is also a promising anode material for LIBs.

Nanosized VC with an average particle size of ∼40 nm was synthesized by disproportionation of V(IV) ions on acetylene black template in molten (Na,K)Cl at 950 °C holding for 5 h. The as-synthesized VC has exhibited desirable electrochemical performances as an anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), delivered a reversible discharge capacity of 597.8 mAh•g−1 at 0.1 A•g−1 and ∼397.8 mAh•g−1 at 0.5 A•g−1 in 200 consecutive cycles. It is noteworthy that nanosized VC also displayed impressive charge-discharge capacities in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), released ∼252.5 mAh•g−1 at 0.1 A•g−1. This work provides a new insight into the preparation of high-performance carbide ceramics as anodes in metal-ion batteries.

A static hydrothermal approach was adopted to synthesize nanosized SiO2-ZSM-5 zeolite in the media of F−-OH− with double mineralizers, using tetraethoxysilane, sodium aluminate, and tetrapropylammonium hydroxide as the silicon source, aluminum source, and template agent, respectively. The physical and chemical properties of the synthesized ZSM-5 zeolites were characterized and their catalytic performance was evaluated in the conversion methanol to propene (MTP); the effect of F−/Al2O3 molar ratio on the catalytic performance of synthesized H-ZSM-5 was investigated. The results indicate that an increase in the F−/Al2O3 molar ratio of the synthesis mixture leads to an increase in the surface content of microcrystalline SiO2, accompanying with a decrease in the relative crystallinity, surface area, pore volume, and acid strength and density. With a F−/Al2O3 molar ratio of 12, the SiO2-ZSM-5 zeolite exhibits the best catalytic performance in MTP, with a selectivity of 45% to propene and a propene/ethene (P/E) ratio of greater than 10. It is further hypothesized that the transition state shape selectivity plays an important role in determining the product selectivity in MTP.

Titanium alloys are widely used in cryogenic engineering due to their excellent mechanical properties. In this paper, through optimizing the alloying elements and proper thermomechanical treatments, an adjustable zero thermal expansion in Ti alloy is obtained. The achieved materials show a very low coefficient of linear thermal expansion in a wide temperature region (100–623 K). Our study indicated that the thermal expansion property of the Ti alloys can be tuned by cold rolling and the thermal history. This unique alloy may potentially be developed to prepare the important parts for cryogenic practical applications as a controllable zero thermal expansion material.

Ferritic stainless steels are promising materials for application in interconnects of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The present problems to be solved urgently for using ferritic stainless steels as interconnects are their rapid increase in electrical resistance and the cathode poisoning caused by evaporation of chromia. In the present study, the Ni Fe and NiFe CeO2 alloy coatings have been electro-deposited onto 430 stainless steels (430SS). During oxidation at 800 °C in air, an outer dense NiFe2O4 layer and an inner protective Cr2O3 layer have thermally grown on the coated samples. The NiFe2O4 layer retards the outward migration of chromium effectively. The addition of CeO2 reduces the growth rate of Cr2O3 and decreases the number of pores near the oxide scale/alloy interface. Moreover, a higher electrical conductivity has been achieved by the addition of CeO2.

Nitrogen is one of the most important essential macronutrients, which acts on a physiological basis as a key limiting factor for plant productivity and crop yield. As the primary source of inorganic nitrogen, ammonium is the preferential source for root uptake, especially in nitrogen-deficient plants, because its assimilation requires less energy than nitrate. To date, several ammonium transporter (AMT) genes have been isolated and partially characterized from plants other than walnut. The growth and yield of walnut trees require abundant nitrogen because of its large size. For the purpose of decreasing production costs and reducing environmental pollution, higher nitrogen utilization of walnut rootstock is desirable. In this study, an ammonium transporter gene, encoding a 52.39 kDa poly-peptide of 461 amino acids, designated JrAMT2, was isolated from walnut. JrAMT2 was expressed in all tissues of tissue cultured walnut shoots, with the highest expression in roots. Overexpression of JrAMT2 in walnut shoots resulted in darker green foliage and higher nitrogen concentration. In vitro graft experiments showed overexpression JrAMT2 rootstock can significantly increase the nitrogen level in the WT scion. This result indicates a potential approach to development of better nitrogen utilization rootstocks for walnut and other tree crops.

A zirconium diboride coating on 201 stainless steel prepared by electrodeposition in NaCl-KCl-K 2 ZrF 6 -KBF 4 molten salts and the stability and corrosion mechanism of the stainless steel with and without ZrB 2 coating in molten aluminum alloy at 800 °C are investigated by immersion tests. The results show that the stainless steels suffer severe corrosion by aluminum after only 2 h immersion, while the ZrB 2 -coated stainless steels show high corrosion resistance to aluminum attacks after 120 h immersion. It can be inferred that surface modification of stainless steel by electrodepositing ZrB 2 coating in molten salts is an effective way to protect substrate materials from degeneration in molten aluminum.

The corrosion of cast coarse grain and laser-remelting fine grain Ni-Cr alloys in molten (Li,Na,K)F at 700 °C under Ar has been investigated by electrochemical and thermogravimetric methods with an attempt to understand the effect of grain refinement on the corrosion of the alloys. The results indicate that grain refinement remarkably accelerates the dissolution of Cr, leading to the formation of a wider Cr-depleted zone. The enhanced corrosion of fine grain Ni-Cr alloys could be ascribed to the laser remelting treatment decreasing greatly the grain size of the alloys, and thus significantly increasing the overall effective diffusion coefficient of Cr.

The effects of two oxidizing species, H2O and CrF3, on the corrosion of pure metals Ni, Fe and Cr in molten (Li,Na,K)F at 700 °C were investigated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicated that Ni, Fe and Cr were all in active dissolution state at the corrosion potential and the corrosion current densities were significantly increased when 2% H2O was introduced. However, the addition of CrF3 only accelerated the dissolution of Cr and Fe. Based on the impedance results, the diffusion coefficient of Cr3+ in the melt has been calculated to be 6.25 × 10−4 cm2 s−1.

It has been attempted to prepare niobium coating for AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel (430 FSS) as bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) by disproportionation reaction of Nb(IV) ions in molten NaCl-KCl-NaF under Ar atmosphere, aiming to decrease its corrosion rate and interfacial contact resistance (ICR). Results suggest unexpectedly that the as-deposited coating is composed of nanocrystalline β-Nb2N instead of metallic Nb. The coating is of great effectiveness in decreasing both the corrosion rate and ICR of 430 FSS, which will be a promising candidate for low cost AISI 430 FSS as bipolar plate of PEMFCs.

A low-diffusion (Ni,Pt)Al coating with Re-base diffusion barrier was prepared on a second-generation single-crystal superalloy via electroplating and gaseous aluminizing, in which the electroplating consisted of depositing Ni-Re and Pt, sequentially. Compared with normal (Ni,Pt)Al, cyclic and isothermal oxidation performances of the coating with Re-base DB were evaluated at 1100 °C in static air. It is indicated that the Re-base DB contributed to better oxidation resistance and lower inter-diffusion extent, where the thickness of secondary reaction zone decreased by 49 % after 1000 h isothermal oxidation. Mechanisms responsible for the improved oxidation performance and the role of Re-base DB are discussed.

Acidic and basic single-phase β-(Ni,Pt)Al coatings were prepared by Pt electroplating (employing acidic and alkaline Pt-plating baths, respectively) and gaseous phase aluminizing. In both isothermal and cyclic oxidation tests at 1100 °C, the acidic (Ni,Pt)Al coating showed inferior oxidation resistance compared to the basic coating. The poorer oxidation performance and higher scale spallation tendency of the acidic (Ni,Pt)Al coating was attributed to the presence of excess S, which deteriorated oxide scale adherence by promoting the formation of pores and cracks under Al2O3 scale. The void formation mechanism and detrimental role of excess S in state-of-the-art Pt-modified aluminide coatings are discussed.

Epidemiological data indicate an increasing incidence of asthma in the obese individuals recent decades, while very little is known about the possible association between them. Here, we compared the roles of adipocyte-derived factors, including leptin, adiponectin and resistin on proliferation, wound repair and apoptosis in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) which play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. The results showed that exogenous globular adiponectin (gAd) promoted proliferation, cell-cycle and wound repair of HBECs. This effect may be relevant to Ca(2+)/calmodulin signal pathway. Besides, gAd inhibited apoptosis induced by ozone and release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of HBECs via regulated adipoR1 and reactive oxygen species. No effects of leptin or resistin on proliferation, wound repair and apoptosis of HBECs were detectable. These data indicate that airway epithelium is the direct target of gAd which plays an important role in protecting HBECs from mechanical or oxidant injuries and may have therapeutic implications in the treatment of asthma.

Two new Λ-shaped fluorene-based Troger’s base (TB) analogues with aryl substitutions are successfully synthesized and their photophysical and electroluminescent properties are examined in detail. Both compounds exhibit strong fluorescence emission in dilute solutions and aggregated states. Some abnormal photophysical behaviors have been observed; that is, the amorphous films of the two TB analogues show multiple blue–green emissions similar to the emissions of some polyfluorenes and oligofluorenes, while both the dilute solutions and the polycrystalline powders of two compounds show single blue–violet emission. Furthermore, the emissions of the amorphous film are obviously red-shifted in comparison with the polycrystalline powders. Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) using the two compounds as non-doped emitters with device structure of ITO/NPB (30 nm)/TBFB-BP or TBFB-FB (40 nm)/TPBI (40 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (80 nm) were fabricated and high brightness (22047 cd/m2 for TBFB-BP and 13434 cd/m2 for TBFB-FB), high efficiency (2.78 cd/A, 1.82 lm/W for TBFB-BP and 2.76 cd/A, 1.93 lm/W for TBFB-FB) and low turn-on voltage (4.6 V for TBFB-BP and 4.5 V for TBFB-FB) were obtained. Our studies suggest that TB analogues could be excellent light emitting materials for OLED applications.

Racemic product of metolachlor contains two R enantiomers and two S enantiomers. S-metolachlor is now widely used instead of rac-metolachlor because the former is more effective in herbicidal activity than the latter. The acute and chronic toxicities of rac- and S-metolachlor to Daphnia magna were determined and compared in this study. The acute 24-h LC50s for rac- and S-metolachlor to D. magna were 69.4 and 51.2 mg L−1, respectively, indicating that the acute toxicity of S-metolachlor is slightly higher than that of rac-metolachlor. In chronic test, lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC), no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC), days to first brood, length, longevity, number of broods per female, number of young per female, and the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) were determined. The results showed that the LOEC and NOEC of rac-metolachlor were 0.01 and 0.001 mg L−1, while those of S-metolachlor were 0.5 and 0.1 mg L−1, respectively. The first brood day of D. magna was not affected by rac- or S-metolachlor. Longevity and the number of broods per female were significantly ( P 0.05 ) affected when rac-metolachlor concentration was higher than 1.0 mg L−1 but were not significantly affected until S-metolachlor concentration was higher than 10 mg L−1. The length was affected at the same concentration of rac- and S-metolachlor. Number of brood per female was significantly reduced when rac-metolachlor concentration was higher than 0.01 mg L−1 but not significantly reduced until S-metolachlor concentration was higher than 0.5 mg L−1. The r values were significantly reduced when the rac-metolachlor concentrations were above 0.01 mg L−1 but not reduced only when S-metolachlor concentration was higher than 0.5 mg L−1. The results of chronic toxicity indicated that rac-metolachlor was significantly ( P 0.05 ) more toxic than S-metolachlor to D. magna.

The metallurgical microstructure, crystal-structure and electrochemical properties of Laves phase Zr–V–Mn–Ni system alloys (modified with Ti, Co, Sn, etc.) were investigated systematically in the present paper. Conventional polycrystalline Zr-based alloys, which consist of cubic C15 Laves phase, hexagonal C14 Laves phase and non-Laves phase (such as Zr7Ni10, Zr9Ni11, Zr(NiMn)Sn0.35), show the highest discharge capacity of 342 mAh g−1 (at 60 mA g−1 charge–discharge current), which decreases by 7.8% after 300 cycles. Amorphous phase alloys in melt-spun alloys exhibit poor electrochemical properties. Advanced nanocrystalline C15-Laves single-phase alloys were prepared by completely crystallizing the melt-spun amorphous Zr1−xTix[(NiVMnCo)1−ySny]2+α alloys. These alloys have a special microstructure composed of high-density interface phase and random-oriented grains varying from several nanometres to several dozens of nanometres. It was found that these materials had high discharge capacity (the maximum capacity is up to 379 mAh g−1) and long cycle life (the capacity only decreases 3% after 300 cycles). The maximum discharge capacities were found in the metallurgical microstructure and crystal-structure in Zr-based AB2 alloys. The maximum discharge capacity increases in regular nanocrystalline/C15-Laves single-phase>polycrystalline/multi-phase (Laves and non-Laves)>comorphous state/C15-Laves single-phase. It was shown that the complete crystallization method from amorphous solids is an effective way to greatly improve the electrochemical performance of Zr-based AB2 hydrogen storage electrode materials, which is not only significant for academic research but also valuable for practical applications in the NiMH battery system for pure electric vehicles (PEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV).

The influence of initial glucose concentrations on the production of biomass and lutein by Chlorella protothecoides CS-41 was investigated in batch cultures using both shake flasks and fermentors. The maximum biomass concentration increased from 4·9 to 31·2 g litre −1 dry cells with an increase in initial glucose concentration from 10 to 80 g litre −1 . An even higher initial glucose concentration (100 g litre −1 ) resulted in a lower biomass concentration, a lower specific growth rate, a lower growth yield coefficient and a considerably longer lag phase, which might be due to substrate inhibition. The initial glucose level also had a significant effect on the production of lutein. In a 3·7-litre fermentor an increase in lutein production from 19·39 to 76·56 mg litre −1 was obtained with an increase in initial glucose concentration from 10 to 40 g litre −1 , within which range, lutein yield coefficient was constant ( Y Itn =1·90±0·02 mg g −1 ). A simple substrate inhibition model was developed, which fitted the experimental data better than the classical Haldane model. A group of time-dependent kinetic models for algal cultivation in fermentors were also constructed, which were in good agreement with the experimental results and could be employed to predict the production of biomass and lutein, and the consumption of glucose in fermentor cultures.