Membrane

The contributions of Biophysics scientists measuring aspects of the membrane electricity have been so well thought of that multiple prizes have been given out in this field. The field has generated quantitative findings based on the Goldman field equation and the Nernst equation that provide understanding into the importance of sodium and potassium in cell signaling. The graded and action potentials that bring information in the interior the cell and all over the body are central in the considerations of the brain and the activities of muscle. This work covers the biophysics essential of these process.

In order to develop efficient photocatalytic TiO2 films and membranes for application in water and wastewater treatment and reuse systems, there is a great need to tailor-design the structural properties of TiO2 material and enhance its photocatalytic activity. Through a ...

A micro-gas analysis system, μGAS, is proposed here for the continuous and highly sensitive on-site measurement of atmospheric trace gases. The μGAS presented here is comprised of a microchannel scrubber and a high-sensitivity small fluorescence detector. The key to the μGAS is the fabrication of a good gas permeable membrane on a shallow channel to allow for the efficient accumulation of the analyte into the absorbing solution. The channel is formed by micromachining, and a gas permeable membrane of any desired thickness is formed by spin-coating on a fluorosilane-treated substrate. In this work, polydimethylsiloxane was used for both the channel block and the gas permeable membrane, and were easily tightly bonded. The microchannel structure ensures a high sensitivity, and the sensitivity is inversely proportional to the membrane thickness. The device, including the air supply function, is set in only 30-mm-cube. The performance of the μGAS has been demonstrated as a H2S gas sensor. The μGAS consumes only 1ml of the reagent solution in 8h of operation with a detection limit of 1ppbv.

Much attention has recently been devoted to the life and behaviour of pharmaceuticals in the water cycle. In this study the behaviour of several pharmaceutical products in different therapeutic categories (analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, lipid regulators, antibiotics, etc.) was monitored during treatment of wastewater in a laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR). The results were compared with removal in a conventional activated-sludge (CAS) process in a wastewater-treatment facility. The performance of an MBR was monitored for approximately two months to investigate the long-term operational stability of the system and possible effects of solids retention time on the efficiency of removal of target compounds. Pharmaceuticals were, in general, removed to a greater extent by the MBR integrated system than during the CAS process. For most of the compounds investigated the performance of MBR treatment was better (removal rates >80%) and effluent concentrations of, e.g., diclofenac, ketoprofen, ranitidine, gemfibrozil, bezafibrate, pravastatin, and ofloxacin were steadier than for the conventional system. Occasionally removal efficiency was very similar, and high, for both treatments (e.g. for ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, paroxetine, and hydrochlorothiazide). The antiepileptic drug carbamazepine was the most persistent pharmaceutical and it passed through both the MBR and CAS systems untransformed. Because there was no washout of biomass from the reactor, high-quality effluent in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium content (N-NH4), total suspended solids (TSS), and total organic carbon (TOC) was obtained.

Particulate matter (PM) is classified as one of the most dangerous air pollutants which cause numerous adverse health effects. Prolonged exposure to high PM concentrations can lead to se-rious health complications and severe chronic conditions. Our research work is focused on the concentration of PM particles in ambient air. We studied how the concentration changes with different seasons (summer and autumn). The results of our experimental work show that the concentration of PM in the air increased during the colder period of the year. In autumn, the av-erage daily mass concentration was determined at 0.85 μg/m3, which means it was over the daily limit set by the WHO. These results indicate that the level of air pollution has a detrimental im-pact on human health in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. Due to strong impacts of PM par-ticles on our body, we further studied the impact of PM10 particles on human blood erythrocytes, with the aim of interdisciplinary synthesis of kno...

This paper describes the performance of a novel bio-reactor system, the membrane-integrated fermentation reactor (MFR), for efficient continuous fermentation. The MFR, equipped with an autoclavable polyvinylidene difluoride membrane, has normally been used for biological wastewater treatment. The productivity of the MFR system, applied to the continuous production of pyruvic acid by the yeast Torulopsis glabrata, was remarkably high. The volumetric

An integrated micro/nano-fluidic system is presented for protein analysis. It is comprised of an integrated micromixer (IMM) and a preconcentrator with a separation column. The passive and planar type of IMM is based on an unbalanced split and the cross collision of the fluidic streams. The IMM can be easily fabricated and integrated to the microfluidic system. The preconcentrator has nanochannels formed by the electrical breakdown of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane by applying a high electrical shock, but without any nano-lithography. The integrated microdevice was used for sample preparation (mixing with tagging molecules) and subsequent concentration of proteins. Proteins were electrokinetically trapped near the junction of the micro/nanochannels. We show a conceptual design and a simple microfluidic system for purposes of mixing and preconcentration. Figure Mixing and preconcentration of dissolved proteins using an integrated micro/nano-fluidic system