Ion Transport through C-butyl-pyrogallol[4]arene-loaded Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Membranes

The present paper studies the natural diffusion and migration of monovalent aqueous ions through pyrogallol[4]arene cavitand-loaded poly(vinyl chloride) solid-state membranes exposed to concentration gradients, and electric fields using electrodes coated with such membranes. We have observed that ion flux through these semipermeable membranes is directly proportional to the amount of macrocycle they contain. Ion size, in this particular case, is not the most important factor to limit ion flux, but solvation numbers and energies seem to play a much more important role in the whole process.

Microcontact Printing of Cholinergic Neurons in Organotypic Brain Slices

Alzheimer's disease is a severe neurodegenerative disorder of the brain, characterized by beta-amyloid plaques, tau pathology, and cell death of cholinergic neurons, resulting in loss of memory. The reasons for the damage of the cholinergic neurons are not clear, but the nerve growth factor (NGF) is the most potent trophic factor to support the survival of these neurons. In the present study we aim to microprint NGF onto semipermeable 0.4 μm pore membranes and couple them with organotypic brain slices of the basal nucleus of Meynert and to characterize neuronal survival and axonal growth. The brain slices were prepared from postnatal day 10 wildtype mice (C57BL6), cultured on membranes for 2–6 weeks, stained, and characterized for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). The NGF was microcontact printed in 28 lines, each with 35 μm width, 35 μm space between them, and with a length of 8 mm. As NGF alone could not be printed on the membranes, NGF was embedded into collagen hydrogels and the brain slices were placed at the center of the microprints and the cholinergic neurons that survived. The ChAT+ processes were found to grow along with the NGF microcontact prints, but cells also migrated. Within the brain slices, some form of re-organization along the NGF microcontact prints occurred, especially the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)+ astrocytes. In conclusion, we provided a novel innovative microcontact printing technique on semipermeable membranes which can be coupled with brain slices. Collagen was used as a loading substance and allowed the microcontact printing of nearly any protein of interest.

EVALUATION OF THIN FILM COMPOSITE FORWARD OSMOSIS MEMBRANES: EFFECT OF POLYMER TYPE

In the forward osmosis (FO) processes, the semipermeable membranes are used. These membranes are prepared from several types of polymers. In this research, the characterizations of each polymer were studied to conversance the effect of polymer type on the efficiency of the forward osmosis process. The prepared membrane’s roughness was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to compare the formation of the TFC polyamide selective layer on each polymer type. Also, SEM images showed the distribution of pores on the prepared membrane. Contact angle (CA) measurements explained the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of membrane types. Finally, Energy dispersion spectrometry (EDS) was tested to determine the type, amount, and distribution of atoms in the prepared membranes. All of these characterizations proved that the Polysulfone (PSU) polymer was the best choice in the FO process. It can be proved that by test results, the PSU membrane gave the optimal water flux and salt rejection.

Modeling and Optimization of Membrane Process for Salinity Gradient Energy Production

When hydraulic pressure was added on the feed side of the membrane in the otherwise conventional pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process, the production rate of the salinity gradient energy could be significantly increased by manipulating the hydraulic pressures on both sides of the membrane. With hydraulic pressure added on the feed side of the membrane, much higher water flux could be obtained than that under the osmotic pressure of the same value. The osmotic pressure of the draw solution, instead of drawing water through the membrane, was mainly reserved to increase the hydraulic pressure of the permeate. In this way, orders of magnitude higher power density than that in the conventional PRO can be obtained with the same salinity gradient. At the optimal conditions, it was demonstrated that the energy production rates that were much higher than the economical breakeven point could be obtained from the pair of seawater and freshwater with the currently available semipermeable membranes.

Cellulose Triacetate (CTA) Hollow-Fiber (HF) Membranes for Sustainable Seawater Desalination: A Review

Cellulose triacetate (CTA)-based hollow fiber (HF) membrane is one of the commercially successful semipermeable membranes that has had a long progress since the time the excellent semi-permeable feature of cellulose-based polymers was found in 1957. Because of the reliable and excellent performances, especially for drinking water production from seawater, CTA-HFs have been widely used as reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, especially in arid regions. In this review, recent developments and research trends on CTA-HF membranes for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants were presented. A flux analytical model, an optimization strategy for chlorine injection without losing salt rejection performance, and a module of current high performance CTA RO membranes along with its plant operation data were updated in this paper. Furthermore, a newly developed CTA-HF membrane for brine concentration (BC) application (called BC membrane) was also addressed. Finally, RO/BC hybrid operation was introduced as an effective SWRO desalination technique that enables minimizing the volume of brine disposal from the RO plant by increasing the recovery ratio and the subsequent amount of produced freshwater, without an additional energy input.

Remodelling of Nucleus-Vacuole Junctions During Metabolic and Proteostatic Stress

Cellular adaptation to stress and metabolic cues requires a coordinated response of different intracellular compartments, separated by semipermeable membranes. One way to facilitate interorganellar communication is via membrane contact sites, physical bridges between opposing organellar membranes formed by an array of tethering machineries. These contact sites are highly dynamic and establish an interconnected organellar network able to quickly respond to external and internal stress by changing size, abundance and molecular architecture. Here, we discuss recent work on nucleus-vacuole junctions, connecting yeast vacuoles with the nucleus. Appearing as small, single foci in mitotic cells, these contacts expand into one enlarged patch upon nutrient exhaustion and entry into quiescence or can be shaped into multiple large foci essential to sustain viability upon proteostatic stress at the nuclear envelope. We highlight the remarkable plasticity and rapid remodelling of these contact sites upon metabolic or proteostatic stress and their emerging importance for cellular fitness.

Preparation of Semipermeable polyvinylpyrrolidone Membranes and Study Their Chemical, Physical and Mechanical Properties: تحضير أغشية نصف نفوذة من بولي فينيل بيروليدون ودراسة خواصها الكيميائية والفيزيائية والميكانيكية

Been we had prepared three semipermeable membranes with different concentration of polyvinylpyrrolidone by the phase inversion process. This way is a basic method to get flat membranes. the membranes were tested for chemical properties (pH rang), and physical properties (viscosity and porosity), and mechanical properties (tensile strength and strain), The results showed that polyvinylpyrrolidone (8%, 12%,15%) membrane having the higher pH range, while the polyvinylpyrrolidone (15%) membrane having the higher tensile strength and strain, but it was having the lowest porosity, viscosity was measured in low concentration was showed that polyvinylpyrrolidone (2%) solution having the higher viscosity.

Design of a Well-Defined Poly(Dimethylsiloxane)-Based Microbial Nanoculture System

<p>Organosilanes contain hydrocarbon-like backbones, allowing them to react with silicone-based agents in the presence of a catalyst and polymerize into membranes with tunable transport and mechanical properties. Owing to their high hydrophobicity, Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membranes, and more particularly, Sylgard® 184, have been used for applications including drug delivery, gas separation, and microfluidics fabrication. However, the undefined composition of the material and its ability to leach out uncured oligomers make its functionalization and usage challenging for many biological applications. This article presents the design of a novel culture system generated using PDMS-based membranes to study microbial dynamics. The microbial culture system that is referred to as “nanoculture” serves to encapsulate and grow microbes in semipermeable membranes. The mechanical properties of the membranes are reinforced through osmotic annealing, which enable the nanocultures to withstand high shear stress similar to environmental conditions while maintaining transport properties essential to microbial communication and growth. The present study lays the foundation for a novel microbial culture system that would enable the cultivation of microorganisms in environments other than laboratory conditions.</p>

Design of a Well-Defined Poly(Dimethylsiloxane)-Based Microbial Nanoculture System

<p>Organosilanes contain hydrocarbon-like backbones, allowing them to react with silicone-based agents in the presence of a catalyst and polymerize into membranes with tunable transport and mechanical properties. Owing to their high hydrophobicity, Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membranes, and more particularly, Sylgard® 184, have been used for applications including drug delivery, gas separation, and microfluidics fabrication. However, the undefined composition of the material and its ability to leach out uncured oligomers make its functionalization and usage challenging for many biological applications. This article presents the design of a novel culture system generated using PDMS-based membranes to study microbial dynamics. The microbial culture system that is referred to as “nanoculture” serves to encapsulate and grow microbes in semipermeable membranes. The mechanical properties of the membranes are reinforced through osmotic annealing, which enable the nanocultures to withstand high shear stress similar to environmental conditions while maintaining transport properties essential to microbial communication and growth. The present study lays the foundation for a novel microbial culture system that would enable the cultivation of microorganisms in environments other than laboratory conditions.</p>