Search results for "Branes"
showing 10 items of 525 documents
Optimization of net power density in Reverse Electrodialysis
2019
Abstract Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) extracts electrical energy from the salinity difference between two solutions using selective ion exchange membranes. In RED, conditions yielding a large net power density (NPD) are generally desired, due to the still large cost of the membranes. NPD depends on a large number of physical and geometric parameters. Some of these, for example the inlet concentrations of concentrate and diluate, can be regarded as “scenario” variables, imposed by external constraints (e.g., availability) or chosen by different criteria than NPD maximization. Others, namely the thicknesses HCONC, HDIL and the velocities UCONC, UDIL in the concentrate and diluate channels, c…
Severe pre-eclampsia is associated with alterations in cytotrophoblasts of the smooth chorion.
2016
Pre-eclampsia (PE), which affects ∼8% of first pregnancies, is associated with faulty placentation. Extravillous cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) fail to differentiate properly, contributing to shallow uterine invasion and deficient spiral artery remodeling. We studied the effects of severe PE (sPE) on the smooth chorion portion of the fetal membranes. The results showed a significant expansion of the CTB layer. The cells displayed enhanced expression of stage-specific antigens that extravillous CTBs normally upregulate as they exit the placenta. Transcriptomics revealed the dysregulated expression of many genes (e.g. placental proteins, markers of oxidative stress). We confirmed an sPE-related incr…
Performance of a membrane-coupled high-rate algal pond for urban wastewater treatment at demonstration scale
2020
[EN] The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of an outdoor membrane-coupled high-rate algal pond equipped with industrial-scale membranes for treating urban wastewater. Decoupling biomass retention time (BRT) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) by membrane filtration resulted in improved process efficiencies, with higher biomass productivities and nutrient removal rates when operating at low HRTs. At 6 days of BRT, biomass productivity increased from 30 to 66 and to 95 g.m(-3).d(-1) when operating at HRTs of 6, 4 and 2.5 days, respectively. The corresponding nitrogen removal rates were 4, 8 and 11 g N.m(-3).d(-1) and the phosphorous removal rates were 0.5, 1.3 and 1.6 g P…
Performance of polyester-based electrospun scaffolds under in vitro hydrolytic conditions: From short-term to long-term applications
2019
The evaluation of the performance of polyesters under in vitro physiologic conditions is essential to design scaffolds with an adequate lifespan for a given application. In this line, the degradation-durability patterns of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), polydioxanone (PDO), polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) scaffolds were monitored and compared giving, as a result, a basis for the specific design of scaffolds from short-term to long-term applications. For this purpose, they were immersed in ultra-pure water and phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at 37 °
Extracellular vesicles from parasitic helminths contain specific excretory/secretory proteins and are internalized in intestinal host cells.
2012
The study of host-parasite interactions has increased considerably in the last decades, with many studies focusing on the identification of parasite molecules (i.e. surface or excretory/secretory proteins (ESP)) as potential targets for new specific treatments and/or diagnostic tools. In parallel, in the last few years there have been significant advances in the field of extracellular vesicles research. Among these vesicles, exosomes of endocytic origin, with a characteristic size ranging from 30-100 nm, carry several atypical secreted proteins in different organisms, including parasitic protozoa. Here, we present experimental evidence for the existence of exosome-like vesicles in parasitic…
Combination of supported liquid membrane and solid-phase extraction for sample pretreatment of triazine herbicides in juice prior to capillary electr…
2002
A possibility of a combination of supported liquid membrane (SLM) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the determination of atrazine at microgram level in different type of fruit juices is presented. In comparison to SPE extraction from juice samples, the application of SLM-SPE enrichment provides much cleaner extracts and the possibility of lowering the limit of detection as low as 30 microg/l. However, it was also shown that by appropriate manipulation of SLM extraction conditions mainly flow-rate of donor phase and volume ratio between donor and acceptor phase, the level of detection can be further decreased to 10 microg/l. The results suggest that the application of SLM extraction prior…
Pulmonary surfactant protein C containing lipid films at the air-water interface as a model for the surface of lung alveoli.
1995
The pulmonary surfactant lines as a complex monolayer of lipids and proteins the alveolar epithelial surface. The monolayer dynamically adapts the surface tension of this interface to the varying surface areas during inhalation and exhalation. Its presence in the alveoli is thus a prerequisite for a proper lung function. The lipid moiety represents about 90% of the surfactant and contains mainly dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). The surfactant proteins involved in the surface tension adaption are called SP-A, SP-B and SP-C. The aim of the present investigation is to analyse the properties of monolayer films made from pure SP-C and from mixtures of DPPC, DP…
P20Early membrane funnelling may occur from 16 weeks onwards and carries a worse prognosis
2000
Background Sonographic screening for cervical incompetence during pregnancy is currently a routine procedure. However, no consensus exists on the optimal gestational age to perform such screening. Method Serial transvaginal ultrasound examinations of the uterine cervix were routinely performed from 12 weeks onwards. The screening was considered positive when membrane funnelling was present or the cervical length was < 2 cm. Therapeutic measures included bed rest, antibiotics, tocolytic treatment and a modified McDonald's cervical suture (up to 25 weeks). Results Membrane funnelling was detected between 16 and 22 weeks (group A) in 9 women (31%); between 23 and 28 weeks (group B) in 11 women…
Position paper - progress towards standards in integrated (aerobic) MBR modelling.
2020
Membrane bioreactor (MBR) models are useful tools for both design and management. The system complexity is high due to the involved number of processes which can be clustered in biological and physical ones. Literature studies are present and need to be harmonized in order to gain insights from the different studies and allow system optimization by applying a control. This position paper aims at defining the current state of the art of the main integrated MBR models reported in the literature. On the basis of a modelling review, a standardized terminology is proposed to facilitate the further development and comparison of integrated membrane fouling models for aerobic MBRs. ispartof: WATER …
Engineered Membranes for Residual Cell Trapping on Microfluidic Blood Plasma Separation Systems: A Comparison between Porous and Nanofibrous Membranes
2021
Blood-based clinical diagnostics require challenging limit-of-detection for low abundance, circulating molecules in plasma. Micro-scale blood plasma separation (BPS) has achieved remarkable results in terms of plasma yield or purity, but rarely achieving both at the same time. Here, we proposed the first use of electrospun polylactic-acid (PLA) membranes as filters to remove residual cell population from continuous hydrodynamic-BPS devices. The membranes hydrophilicity was improved by adopting a wet chemistry approach via surface aminolysis as demonstrated through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Water Contact Angle analysis. The usability of PLA-membranes was assessed through de…