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Sample records for model membranes consisting

  1. Mathematical modelling of membrane separation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vinther, Frank

    This thesis concerns mathematical modelling of membrane separation. The thesis consists of introductory theory on membrane separation, equations of motion, and properties of dextran, which will be the solute species throughout the thesis. Furthermore, the thesis consist of three separate mathemat......This thesis concerns mathematical modelling of membrane separation. The thesis consists of introductory theory on membrane separation, equations of motion, and properties of dextran, which will be the solute species throughout the thesis. Furthermore, the thesis consist of three separate...... mathematical models, each with a different approach to membrane separation. The first model is a statistical model investigating the interplay between solute shape and the probability of entering the membrane. More specific the transition of solute particles from being spherical to becoming more elongated...

  2. Modeling and Analysis of Wrinkled Membranes: An Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, B.; Ding, H.; Lou, M.; Fang, H.; Broduer, Steve (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Thin-film membranes are basic elements of a variety of space inflatable/deployable structures. Wrinkling degrades the performance and reliability of these membrane structures, and hence has been a topic of continued interest. Wrinkling analysis of membranes for general geometry and arbitrary boundary conditions is quite challenging. The objective of this presentation is two-fold. Firstly, the existing models of wrinkled membranes and related numerical solution methods are reviewed. The important issues to be discussed are the capability of a membrane model to characterize taut, wrinkled and slack states of membranes in a consistent and physically reasonable manner; the ability of a wrinkling analysis method to predict the formation and growth of wrinkled regions, and to determine out-of-plane deformation and wrinkled waves; the convergence of a numerical solution method for wrinkling analysis; and the compatibility of a wrinkling analysis with general-purpose finite element codes. According to this review, several opening issues in modeling and analysis of wrinkled membranes that are to be addressed in future research are summarized, The second objective of this presentation is to discuss a newly developed membrane model of two viable parameters (2-VP model) and associated parametric finite element method (PFEM) for wrinkling analysis are introduced. The innovations and advantages of the proposed membrane model and PFEM-based wrinkling analysis are: (1) Via a unified stress-strain relation; the 2-VP model treat the taut, wrinkled, and slack states of membranes consistently; (2) The PFEM-based wrinkling analysis has guaranteed convergence; (3) The 2-VP model along with PFEM is capable of predicting membrane out-of-plane deformations; and (4) The PFEM can be integrated into any existing finite element code. Preliminary numerical examples are also included in this presentation to demonstrate the 2-VP model and PFEM-based wrinkling analysis approach.

  3. Mesoscopic models of biological membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Venturoli, M.; Sperotto, Maria Maddalena; Kranenburg, M.

    2006-01-01

    Phospholipids are the main components of biological membranes and dissolved in water these molecules self-assemble into closed structures, of which bilayers are the most relevant from a biological point of view. Lipid bilayers are often used, both in experimental and by theoretical investigations...... to coarse grain a biological membrane. The conclusion of this comparison is that there can be many valid different strategies, but that the results obtained by the various mesoscopic models are surprisingly consistent. A second objective of this review is to illustrate how mesoscopic models can be used...

  4. Simple membrane-based model of the Min oscillator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrášek, Zdeněk; Schwille, Petra

    2015-01-01

    Min proteins in E. coli bacteria organize into a dynamic pattern oscillating between the two cell poles. This process identifies the middle of the cell and enables symmetric cell division. In an experimental model system consisting of a flat membrane with effectively infinite supply of proteins and energy source, the Min proteins assemble into travelling waves. Here we propose a simple one-dimensional model of the Min dynamics that, unlike the existing models, reproduces the sharp decrease of Min concentration when the majority of protein detaches from the membrane, and even the narrow MinE maximum immediately preceding the detachment. The proposed model thus provides a possible mechanism for the formation of the MinE ring known from cells. The model is restricted to one dimension, with protein interactions described by chemical kinetics allowing at most bimolecular reactions, and explicitly considering only three, membrane-bound, species. The bulk solution above the membrane is approximated as being well-mixed, with constant concentrations of all species. Unlike other models, our proposal does not require autocatalytic binding of MinD to the membrane. Instead, it is assumed that two MinE molecules are necessary to induce the dissociation of the MinD dimer and its subsequent detachment from the membrane. We investigate which reaction schemes lead to unstable homogeneous steady states and limit cycle oscillations, and how diffusion affects their stability. The suggested model qualitatively describes the shape of the Min waves observed on flat membranes, and agrees with the experimental dependence of the wave period on the MinE concentration. These results highlight the importance of MinE presence on the membrane without being bound to MinD, and of the reactions of Min proteins on the membrane. (paper)

  5. Dynamic modeling of ultrafiltration membranes for whey separation processes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Saltik, M.B.; Ozkan, L.; Jacobs, M.; van der Padt, A.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we present a control relevant rigorous dynamic model for an ultrafiltration membrane unit in a whey separation process. The model consists of a set of differential algebraic equations and is developed for online model based applications such as model based control and process

  6. Model cell membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Günther-Pomorski, Thomas; Nylander, Tommy; Cardenas Gomez, Marite

    2014-01-01

    The high complexity of biological membranes has motivated the development and application of a wide range of model membrane systems to study biochemical and biophysical aspects of membranes in situ under well defined conditions. The aim is to provide fundamental understanding of processes control...

  7. Membrane-elasticity model of Coatless vesicle budding induced by ESCRT complexes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bartosz Różycki

    Full Text Available The formation of vesicles is essential for many biological processes, in particular for the trafficking of membrane proteins within cells. The Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT directs membrane budding away from the cytosol. Unlike other vesicle formation pathways, the ESCRT-mediated budding occurs without a protein coat. Here, we propose a minimal model of ESCRT-induced vesicle budding. Our model is based on recent experimental observations from direct fluorescence microscopy imaging that show ESCRT proteins colocalized only in the neck region of membrane buds. The model, cast in the framework of membrane elasticity theory, reproduces the experimentally observed vesicle morphologies with physically meaningful parameters. In this parameter range, the minimum energy configurations of the membrane are coatless buds with ESCRTs localized in the bud neck, consistent with experiment. The minimum energy configurations agree with those seen in the fluorescence images, with respect to both bud shapes and ESCRT protein localization. On the basis of our model, we identify distinct mechanistic pathways for the ESCRT-mediated budding process. The bud size is determined by membrane material parameters, explaining the narrow yet different bud size distributions in vitro and in vivo. Our membrane elasticity model thus sheds light on the energetics and possible mechanisms of ESCRT-induced membrane budding.

  8. Structure and physical properties of bio membranes and model membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tibor Hianik

    2006-01-01

    Bio membranes belong to the most important structures of the cell and the cell organelles. They play not only structural role of the barrier separating the external and internal part of the membrane but contain also various functional molecules, like receptors, ionic channels, carriers and enzymes. The cell membrane also preserves non-equilibrium state in a cell which is crucial for maintaining its excitability and other signaling functions. The growing interest to the bio membranes is also due to their unique physical properties. From physical point of view the bio membranes, that are composed of lipid bilayer into which are incorporated integral proteins and on their surface are anchored peripheral proteins and polysaccharides, represent liquid s crystal of smectic type. The bio membranes are characterized by anisotropy of structural and physical properties. The complex structure of bio membranes makes the study of their physical properties rather difficult. Therefore several model systems that mimic the structure of bio membranes were developed. Among them the lipid monolayers at an air-water interphase, bilayer lipid membranes, supported bilayer lipid membranes and liposomes are most known. This work is focused on the introduction into the physical word of the bio membranes and their models. After introduction to the membrane structure and the history of its establishment, the physical properties of the bio membranes and their models are stepwise presented. The most focus is on the properties of lipid monolayers, bilayer lipid membranes, supported bilayer lipid membranes and liposomes that were most detailed studied. This lecture has tutorial character that may be useful for undergraduate and graduate students in the area of biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology and bioengineering, however it contains also original work of the author and his co-worker and PhD students, that may be useful also for specialists working in the field of bio membranes and model

  9. Consistent model driven architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niepostyn, Stanisław J.

    2015-09-01

    The goal of the MDA is to produce software systems from abstract models in a way where human interaction is restricted to a minimum. These abstract models are based on the UML language. However, the semantics of UML models is defined in a natural language. Subsequently the verification of consistency of these diagrams is needed in order to identify errors in requirements at the early stage of the development process. The verification of consistency is difficult due to a semi-formal nature of UML diagrams. We propose automatic verification of consistency of the series of UML diagrams originating from abstract models implemented with our consistency rules. This Consistent Model Driven Architecture approach enables us to generate automatically complete workflow applications from consistent and complete models developed from abstract models (e.g. Business Context Diagram). Therefore, our method can be used to check practicability (feasibility) of software architecture models.

  10. Membrane fouling mechanism of biofilm-membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR): Pore blocking model and membrane cleaning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Yi; Zhang, Wenxiang; Tang, Bing; Ding, Jie; Zheng, Yi; Zhang, Zhien

    2018-02-01

    Biofilm membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) is considered as an important wastewater treatment technology that incorporates advantages of both biofilm and MBR process, as well as can alleviate membrane fouling, with respect to the conventional activated sludge MBR. But, to be efficient, it necessitates the establishment of proper methods for the assessment of membrane fouling. Four Hermia membrane blocking models were adopted to quantify and evaluate the membrane fouling of BF-MBR. The experiments were conducted with various operational conditions, including membrane types, agitation speeds and transmembrane pressure (TMP). Good agreement between cake formation model and experimental data was found, confirming the validity of the Hermia models for assessing the membrane fouling of BF-MBR and that cake layer deposits on membrane. Moreover, the influences of membrane types, agitation speeds and transmembrane pressure on the Hermia pore blocking coefficient of cake layer were investigated. In addition, the permeability recovery after membrane cleaning at various operational conditions was studied. This work confirms that, unlike conventional activated sludge MBR, BF-MBR possesses a low degree of membrane fouling and a higher membrane permeability recovery after cleaning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Drug-model membrane interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deniz, Usha K.

    1994-01-01

    In the present day world, drugs play a very important role in medicine and it is necessary to understand their mode of action at the molecular level, in order to optimise their use. Studies of drug-biomembrane interactions are essential for gaining such as understanding. However, it would be prohibitively difficult to carry out such studies, since biomembranes are highly complex systems. Hence, model membranes (made up of these lipids which are important components of biomembranes) of varying degrees of complexity are used to investigate drug-membrane interactions. Bio- as well as model-membranes undergo a chain melting transition when heated, the chains being in a disordered state above the transition point, T CM . This transition is of physiological importance since biomembranes select their components such that T CM is less than the ambient temperature but not very much so, so that membrane flexibility is ensured and porosity, avoided. The influence of drugs on the transition gives valuable clues about various parameters such as the location of the drug in the membrane. Deep insights into drug-membrane interactions are obtained by observing the effect of drugs on membrane structure and the mobilities of the various groups in lipids, near T CM . Investigation of such changes have been carried out with several drugs, using techniques such as DSC, XRD and NMR. The results indicate that the drug-membrane interaction not only depends on the nature of drug and lipids but also on the form of the model membrane - stacked bilayer or vesicles. The light that these results shed on the nature of drug-membrane interactions is discussed. (author). 13 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab

  12. Antimicrobial mechanism of flavonoids against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 by model membrane study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Mengying; Wu, Ting; Pan, Siyi; Xu, Xiaoyun

    2014-01-01

    Antimicrobial mechanism of four flavonoids (kaempferol, hesperitin, (+)-catechin hydrate, biochanin A) against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was investigated through cell membranes and a liposome model. The release of bacterial protein and images from transmission electron microscopy demonstrated damage to the E. coli ATCC 25922 membrane. A liposome model with dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) (0.6 molar ratio) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) (0.4 molar ratio), representative of the phospholipid membrane of E. coli ATCC 25922, was used to specify the mode of action of four selected flavonoids through Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. It is suggested that for flavonoids, to be effective antimicrobials, interaction with the polar head-group of the model membrane followed by penetration into the hydrophobic regions must occur. The antimicrobial efficacies of the flavonoids were consistent with liposome interaction activities, kaempferol > hesperitin > (+)-catechin hydrate > biochanin A. This study provides a liposome model capable of mimicking the cell membrane of E. coli ATCC 25922. The findings are important in understanding the antibacterial mechanism on cell membranes.

  13. Antimicrobial mechanism of flavonoids against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 by model membrane study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Mengying; Wu, Ting; Pan, Siyi; Xu, Xiaoyun, E-mail: xiaoyunxu88@gmail.com

    2014-06-01

    Antimicrobial mechanism of four flavonoids (kaempferol, hesperitin, (+)-catechin hydrate, biochanin A) against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was investigated through cell membranes and a liposome model. The release of bacterial protein and images from transmission electron microscopy demonstrated damage to the E. coli ATCC 25922 membrane. A liposome model with dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) (0.6 molar ratio) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) (0.4 molar ratio), representative of the phospholipid membrane of E. coli ATCC 25922, was used to specify the mode of action of four selected flavonoids through Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. It is suggested that for flavonoids, to be effective antimicrobials, interaction with the polar head-group of the model membrane followed by penetration into the hydrophobic regions must occur. The antimicrobial efficacies of the flavonoids were consistent with liposome interaction activities, kaempferol > hesperitin > (+)-catechin hydrate > biochanin A. This study provides a liposome model capable of mimicking the cell membrane of E. coli ATCC 25922. The findings are important in understanding the antibacterial mechanism on cell membranes.

  14. Signature of a Nonharmonic Potential as Revealed from a Consistent Shape and Fluctuation Analysis of an Adherent Membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Schmidt

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The interaction of fluid membranes with a scaffold, which can be a planar surface or a more complex structure, is intrinsic to a number of systems from artificial supported bilayers and vesicles to cellular membranes. In principle, these interactions can be either discrete and protein mediated, or continuous. In the latter case, they emerge from ubiquitous intrinsic surface interaction potentials as well as nature-designed steric contributions of the fluctuating membrane or from the polymers of the glycocalyx. Despite the fact that these nonspecific potentials are omnipresent, their description has been a major challenge from experimental and theoretical points of view. Here, we show that a full understanding of the implications of the continuous interactions can be achieved only by expanding the standard superposition models commonly used to treat these types of systems, beyond the usual harmonic level of description. Supported by this expanded theoretical framework, we present three independent, yet mutually consistent, experimental approaches to measure the interaction potential strength and the membrane tension. Upon explicitly taking into account the nature of shot noise as well as the nature of finite experimental resolution, excellent agreement with the augmented theory is obtained, which finally provides a coherent view of the behavior of the membrane in the vicinity of a scaffold.

  15. Mass and Heat Transfer Analysis of Membrane Humidifier with a Simple Lumped Mass Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Young Duk; Bae, Ho June; Ahn, Kook Young; Yu, Sang Seok; Hwang, Joon Young

    2009-01-01

    The performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is seriously changed by the humidification condition which is intrinsic characteristics of the PEMFC. Typically, the humidification of fuel cell is carried out with internal or external humidifier. A membrane humidifier is applied to the external humidification of residential power generation fuel cell due to its convenience and high performance. In this study, a simple static model is constructed to understand the physical phenomena of the membrane humidifier in terms of geometric parameters and operating parameters. The model utilizes the concept of shell and tube heat exchanger but the model is also able to estimate the mass transport through the membrane. Model is constructed with FORTRAN under Matlab/Simulink □ environment to keep consistency with other components model which we already developed. Results shows that the humidity of wet gas and membrane thickness are critical parameters to improve the performance of the humidifier

  16. Giant plasma membrane vesicles: models for understanding membrane organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levental, Kandice R; Levental, Ilya

    2015-01-01

    The organization of eukaryotic membranes into functional domains continues to fascinate and puzzle cell biologists and biophysicists. The lipid raft hypothesis proposes that collective lipid interactions compartmentalize the membrane into coexisting liquid domains that are central to membrane physiology. This hypothesis has proven controversial because such structures cannot be directly visualized in live cells by light microscopy. The recent observations of liquid-liquid phase separation in biological membranes are an important validation of the raft hypothesis and enable application of the experimental toolbox of membrane physics to a biologically complex phase-separated membrane. This review addresses the role of giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) in refining the raft hypothesis and expands on the application of GPMVs as an experimental model to answer some of key outstanding problems in membrane biology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Pulse radiolysis studies of model membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heijman, M.G.J.

    1984-01-01

    In this thesis the influence of the structure of membranes on the processes in cell membranes were examined. Different models of the membranes were evaluated. Pulse radiolysis was used as the technique to examine the membranes. (R.B.)

  18. Membrane Compartmentalization Reducing the Mobility of Lipids and Proteins within a Model Plasma Membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koldsø, Heidi; Reddy, Tyler; Fowler, Philip W; Duncan, Anna L; Sansom, Mark S P

    2016-09-01

    The cytoskeleton underlying cell membranes may influence the dynamic organization of proteins and lipids within the bilayer by immobilizing certain transmembrane (TM) proteins and forming corrals within the membrane. Here, we present coarse-grained resolution simulations of a biologically realistic membrane model of asymmetrically organized lipids and TM proteins. We determine the effects of a model of cytoskeletal immobilization of selected membrane proteins using long time scale coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. By introducing compartments with varying degrees of restraints within the membrane models, we are able to reveal how compartmentalization caused by cytoskeletal immobilization leads to reduced and anomalous diffusional mobility of both proteins and lipids. This in turn results in a reduced rate of protein dimerization within the membrane and of hopping of membrane proteins between compartments. These simulations provide a molecular realization of hierarchical models often invoked to explain single-molecule imaging studies of membrane proteins.

  19. A general model for membrane-based separation processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Soni, Vipasha; Abildskov, Jens; Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

    2009-01-01

    behaviour will play an important role. In this paper, modelling of membrane-based processes for separation of gas and liquid mixtures are considered. Two general models, one for membrane-based liquid separation processes (with phase change) and another for membrane-based gas separation are presented....... The separation processes covered are: membrane-based gas separation processes, pervaporation and various types of membrane distillation processes. The specific model for each type of membrane-based process is generated from the two general models by applying the specific system descriptions and the corresponding...

  20. Evolution and development of model membranes for physicochemical and functional studies of the membrane lateral heterogeneity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morigaki, Kenichi; Tanimoto, Yasushi

    2018-03-14

    One of the main questions in the membrane biology is the functional roles of membrane heterogeneity and molecular localization. Although segregation and local enrichment of protein/lipid components (rafts) have been extensively studied, the presence and functions of such membrane domains still remain elusive. Along with biochemical, cell observation, and simulation studies, model membranes are emerging as an important tool for understanding the biological membrane, providing quantitative information on the physicochemical properties of membrane proteins and lipids. Segregation of fluid lipid bilayer into liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) phases has been studied as a simplified model of raft in model membranes, including giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs), and supported lipid bilayers (SLB). Partition coefficients of membrane proteins between Lo and Ld phases were measured to gauze their affinities to lipid rafts (raftophilicity). One important development in model membrane is patterned SLB based on the microfabrication technology. Patterned Lo/Ld phases have been applied to study the partition and function of membrane-bound molecules. Quantitative information of individual molecular species attained by model membranes is critical for elucidating the molecular functions in the complex web of molecular interactions. The present review gives a short account of the model membranes developed for studying the lateral heterogeneity, especially focusing on patterned model membranes on solid substrates. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Linking lipid architecture to bilayer structure and mechanics using self-consistent field modelling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pera, H.; Kleijn, J. M.; Leermakers, F. A. M., E-mail: Frans.leermakers@wur.nl [Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Colloid Science, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 6, 6307 HB Wageningen (Netherlands)

    2014-02-14

    To understand how lipid architecture determines the lipid bilayer structure and its mechanics, we implement a molecularly detailed model that uses the self-consistent field theory. This numerical model accurately predicts parameters such as Helfrichs mean and Gaussian bending modulus k{sub c} and k{sup ¯} and the preferred monolayer curvature J{sub 0}{sup m}, and also delivers structural membrane properties like the core thickness, and head group position and orientation. We studied how these mechanical parameters vary with system variations, such as lipid tail length, membrane composition, and those parameters that control the lipid tail and head group solvent quality. For the membrane composition, negatively charged phosphatidylglycerol (PG) or zwitterionic, phosphatidylcholine (PC), and -ethanolamine (PE) lipids were used. In line with experimental findings, we find that the values of k{sub c} and the area compression modulus k{sub A} are always positive. They respond similarly to parameters that affect the core thickness, but differently to parameters that affect the head group properties. We found that the trends for k{sup ¯} and J{sub 0}{sup m} can be rationalised by the concept of Israelachivili's surfactant packing parameter, and that both k{sup ¯} and J{sub 0}{sup m} change sign with relevant parameter changes. Although typically k{sup ¯}<0, membranes can form stable cubic phases when the Gaussian bending modulus becomes positive, which occurs with membranes composed of PC lipids with long tails. Similarly, negative monolayer curvatures appear when a small head group such as PE is combined with long lipid tails, which hints towards the stability of inverse hexagonal phases at the cost of the bilayer topology. To prevent the destabilisation of bilayers, PG lipids can be mixed into these PC or PE lipid membranes. Progressive loading of bilayers with PG lipids lead to highly charged membranes, resulting in J{sub 0}{sup m}≫0, especially at low ionic

  2. Simulation Model of Membrane Gas Separator Using Aspen Custom Modeler

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Dong-keun [Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Gahui; Yun, Jinwon; Yu, Sangseok [Chungnam Nat’l Univ., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-12-15

    Membranes are used to separate pure gas from gas mixtures. In this study, three different types of mass transport through a membrane were developed in order to investigate the gas separation capabilities of a membrane. The three different models typically used are a lumped model, a multi-cell model, and a discretization model. Despite the multi-cell model producing similar results to a discretization model, the discretization model was selected for this investigation, due to the cell number dependence of a multi-cell model. The mass transport model was then used to investigate the effects of pressure difference, flow rate, total exposed area, and permeability. The results showed that the pressure difference increased with the stage cut, but the selectivity was a trade-off for the increasing pressure difference. Additionally, even though permeability is an important parameter, the selectivity and stage cut of the membrane converged as permeability increased.

  3. Distribution of macular xanthophylls between domains in a model of photoreceptor outer segment membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisniewska, Anna; Subczynski, Witold K

    2006-10-15

    A model of photoreceptor outer segment (POS) membranes has been proposed, consisting of an equimolar ternary mixture of 1-palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatidylcholine/distearoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol. It was shown that, as in membranes made from the raft-forming mixture, in the model of POS membranes, two domains are formed: the raft domain (detergent resistant membranes, DRM), and the bulk domain (detergent soluble membranes, DSM). Saturation-recovery EPR discrimination by oxygen transport method also demonstrated the presence of two domains in this model system in situ at a wide range of temperatures (10-55 degrees C), showing additionally that neither lutein nor zeaxanthin at 1 mol% affect the formation of these domains. These membrane domains have been separated using cold Triton X-100 extraction from a model of POS membranes containing 1 mol% of either lutein or zeaxanthin. The results indicated that the macular xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin are substantially excluded from DRM and remain concentrated in DSM, a domain enriched in highly unsaturated docosahexaenoyl acid which is abundant in retina membranes. The concentration of xanthophylls in DRM and DSM calculated as the mol ratio of either xanthophyll to total lipid (phospholipid+cholesterol) was 0.0028 and 0.0391, respectively. Thus, xanthophylls are about 14 times more concentrated in DSM than in DRM. No significant difference in the distribution of lutein and zeaxanthin was found. The obtained results suggest that in POS membranes macular xanthophylls should also be concentrated in domains enriched in polyunsaturated chains.

  4. Linking lipid architecture to bilayer structure and mechanics using self-consistent field modelling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pera, H.; Kleijn, J. M.; Leermakers, F. A. M.

    2014-01-01

    To understand how lipid architecture determines the lipid bilayer structure and its mechanics, we implement a molecularly detailed model that uses the self-consistent field theory. This numerical model accurately predicts parameters such as Helfrichs mean and Gaussian bending modulus k c and k ¯ and the preferred monolayer curvature J 0 m , and also delivers structural membrane properties like the core thickness, and head group position and orientation. We studied how these mechanical parameters vary with system variations, such as lipid tail length, membrane composition, and those parameters that control the lipid tail and head group solvent quality. For the membrane composition, negatively charged phosphatidylglycerol (PG) or zwitterionic, phosphatidylcholine (PC), and -ethanolamine (PE) lipids were used. In line with experimental findings, we find that the values of k c and the area compression modulus k A are always positive. They respond similarly to parameters that affect the core thickness, but differently to parameters that affect the head group properties. We found that the trends for k ¯ and J 0 m can be rationalised by the concept of Israelachivili's surfactant packing parameter, and that both k ¯ and J 0 m change sign with relevant parameter changes. Although typically k ¯ 0 m ≫0, especially at low ionic strengths. We anticipate that these changes lead to unstable membranes as these become vulnerable to pore formation or disintegration into lipid disks

  5. A Coarse Grained Model for a Lipid Membrane with Physiological Composition and Leaflet Asymmetry.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satyan Sharma

    Full Text Available The resemblance of lipid membrane models to physiological membranes determines how well molecular dynamics (MD simulations imitate the dynamic behavior of cell membranes and membrane proteins. Physiological lipid membranes are composed of multiple types of phospholipids, and the leaflet compositions are generally asymmetric. Here we describe an approach for self-assembly of a Coarse-Grained (CG membrane model with physiological composition and leaflet asymmetry using the MARTINI force field. An initial set-up of two boxes with different types of lipids according to the leaflet asymmetry of mammalian cell membranes stacked with 0.5 nm overlap, reliably resulted in the self-assembly of bilayer membranes with leaflet asymmetry resembling that of physiological mammalian cell membranes. Self-assembly in the presence of a fragment of the plasma membrane protein syntaxin 1A led to spontaneous specific positioning of phosphatidylionositol(4,5bisphosphate at a positively charged stretch of syntaxin consistent with experimental data. An analogous approach choosing an initial set-up with two concentric shells filled with different lipid types results in successful assembly of a spherical vesicle with asymmetric leaflet composition. Self-assembly of the vesicle in the presence of the synaptic vesicle protein synaptobrevin 2 revealed the correct position of the synaptobrevin transmembrane domain. This is the first CG MD method to form a membrane with physiological lipid composition as well as leaflet asymmetry by self-assembly and will enable unbiased studies of the incorporation and dynamics of membrane proteins in more realistic CG membrane models.

  6. Finsler Geometry Modeling of Phase Separation in Multi-Component Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satoshi Usui

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available A Finsler geometric surface model is studied as a coarse-grained model for membranes of three components, such as zwitterionic phospholipid (DOPC, lipid (DPPC and an organic molecule (cholesterol. To understand the phase separation of liquid-ordered (DPPC rich L o and liquid-disordered (DOPC rich L d , we introduce a binary variable σ ( = ± 1 into the triangulated surface model. We numerically determine that two circular and stripe domains appear on the surface. The dependence of the morphological change on the area fraction of L o is consistent with existing experimental results. This provides us with a clear understanding of the origin of the line tension energy, which has been used to understand these morphological changes in three-component membranes. In addition to these two circular and stripe domains, a raft-like domain and budding domain are also observed, and the several corresponding phase diagrams are obtained.

  7. Modelling of proteins in membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sperotto, Maria Maddalena; May, S.; Baumgaertner, A.

    2006-01-01

    This review describes some recent theories and simulations of mesoscopic and microscopic models of lipid membranes with embedded or attached proteins. We summarize results supporting our understanding of phenomena for which the activities of proteins in membranes are expected to be significantly ...

  8. Spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis of a thin film composite membrane consisting of polysulfone on a porous α-alumina support.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogieglo, Wojciech; Wormeester, Herbert; Wessling, Matthias; Benes, Nieck E

    2012-02-01

    Exposure of a thin polymer film to a fluid can affect properties of the film such as the density and thickness. In particular in membrane technology, these changes can have important implications for membrane performance. Spectroscopic ellipsometry is a convenient technique for in situ studies of thin films, because of its noninvasive character and very high precision. The applicability of spectroscopic ellipsometry is usually limited to samples with well-defined interfacial regions, whereas in typical composite membranes, often substantial and irregular intrusion of the thin film into the pores of a support exists. In this work, we provide a detailed characterization of a polished porous alumina membrane support, using variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry in combination with atomic force microscopy and mercury porosimetry. Two Spectroscopic ellipsometry optical models are presented that can adequately describe the surface roughness of the support. These models consider the surface roughness as a distinct layer in which the porosity gradually increases toward the outer ambient interface. The first model considers the porosity profile to be linear; the second model assumes an exponential profile. It is shown that the models can be extended to account for a composite membrane geometry, by deposition of a thin polysulfone film onto the support. The developed method facilitates practicability for in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of nonequilibrium systems, i.e., membranes under actual permeation conditions.

  9. Modeling electrically active viscoelastic membranes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sitikantha Roy

    Full Text Available The membrane protein prestin is native to the cochlear outer hair cell that is crucial to the ear's amplification and frequency selectivity throughout the whole acoustic frequency range. The outer hair cell exhibits interrelated dimensional changes, force generation, and electric charge transfer. Cells transfected with prestin acquire unique active properties similar to those in the native cell that have also been useful in understanding the process. Here we propose a model describing the major electromechanical features of such active membranes. The model derived from thermodynamic principles is in the form of integral relationships between the history of voltage and membrane resultants as independent variables and the charge density and strains as dependent variables. The proposed model is applied to the analysis of an active force produced by the outer hair cell in response to a harmonic electric field. Our analysis reveals the mechanism of the outer hair cell active (isometric force having an almost constant amplitude and phase up to 80 kHz. We found that the frequency-invariance of the force is a result of interplay between the electrical filtering associated with prestin and power law viscoelasticity of the surrounding membrane. Paradoxically, the membrane viscoelasticity boosts the force balancing the electrical filtering effect. We also consider various modes of electromechanical coupling in membrane with prestin associated with mechanical perturbations in the cell. We consider pressure or strains applied step-wise or at a constant rate and compute the time course of the resulting electric charge. The results obtained here are important for the analysis of electromechanical properties of membranes, cells, and biological materials as well as for a better understanding of the mechanism of hearing and the role of the protein prestin in this mechanism.

  10. Interaction of Defensins with Model Cell Membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Lori K.; Schmidt, Nathan W.; Yang, Lihua; Mishra, Abhijit; Gordon, Vernita D.; Selsted, Michael E.; Wong, Gerard C. L.

    2009-03-01

    Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) comprise a key component of innate immunity for a wide range of multicellular organisms. For many AMPs, activity comes from their ability to selectively disrupt and lyse bacterial cell membranes. There are a number of proposed models for this action, but the detailed molecular mechanism of selective membrane permeation remains unclear. Theta defensins are circularized peptides with a high degree of selectivity. We investigate the interaction of model bacterial and eukaryotic cell membranes with theta defensins RTD-1, BTD-7, and compare them to protegrin PG-1, a prototypical AMP, using synchrotron small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The relationship between membrane composition and peptide induced changes in membrane curvature and topology is examined. By comparing the membrane phase behavior induced by these different peptides we will discuss the importance of amino acid composition and placement on membrane rearrangement.

  11. Electrodiffusion of lipids on membrane surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Y C

    2012-05-28

    Lateral translocation of lipids and proteins is a universal process on membrane surfaces. Local aggregation or organization of lipids and proteins can be induced when the random lateral motion is mediated by the electrostatic interactions and membrane curvature. Although the lateral diffusion rates of lipids on membranes of various compositions are measured and the electrostatic free energies of predetermined protein-membrane-lipid systems can be computed, the process of the aggregation and the evolution to the electrostatically favorable states remain largely undetermined. Here we propose an electrodiffusion model, based on the variational principle of the free energy functional, for the self-consistent lateral drift-diffusion of multiple species of charged lipids on membrane surfaces. Finite sizes of lipids are modeled to enforce the geometrical constraint of the lipid concentration on membrane surfaces. A surface finite element method is developed to appropriate the Laplace-Beltrami operators in the partial differential equations of the model. Our model properly describes the saturation of lipids on membrane surfaces, and correctly predicts that the MARCKS peptide can consistently sequester three multivalent phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate lipids through its basic amino acid residues, regardless of a wide range of the percentage of monovalent phosphatidylserine in the membrane.

  12. Atomistic simulations of anionic Au-144(SR)(60) nanoparticles interacting with asymmetric model lipid membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heikkila, E.; Martinez-Seara, H.; Gurtovenko, A. A.

    2014-01-01

    whose lipid composition and transmembrane distribution are to a large extent consistent with real plasma membranes of eukaryotic cells. To this end, we use a model system which comprises two cellular compartments, extracellular and cytosolic, divided by two asymmetric lipid bilayers. The simulations...... clearly show that AuNP- attaches to the extracellular membrane surface within a few tens of nanoseconds, while it avoids contact with the membrane on the cytosolic side. This behavior stems from several factors. In essence, when the nanoparticle interacts with lipids in the extracellular compartment...

  13. Lipid organization of the plasma membrane

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ingólfsson, Helgi I; Melo, Manuel N; van Eerden, Floris J; Arnarez, Clément; Lopez, Cesar A; Wassenaar, Tsjerk A; Periole, Xavier; de Vries, Alex H; Tieleman, D Peter; Marrink, Siewert J

    2014-01-01

    The detailed organization of cellular membranes remains rather elusive. Based on large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, we provide a high-resolution view of the lipid organization of a plasma membrane at an unprecedented level of complexity. Our plasma membrane model consists of 63 different

  14. Flow and fouling in membrane filters: Effects of membrane morphology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanaei, Pejman; Cummings, Linda J.

    2015-11-01

    Membrane filters are widely-used in microfiltration applications. Many types of filter membranes are produced commercially, for different filtration applications, but broadly speaking the requirements are to achieve fine control of separation, with low power consumption. The answer to this problem might seem obvious: select the membrane with the largest pore size and void fraction consistent with the separation requirements. However, membrane fouling (an inevitable consequence of successful filtration) is a complicated process, which depends on many parameters other than membrane pore size and void fraction; and which itself greatly affects the filtration process and membrane functionality. In this work we formulate mathematical models that can (i) account for the membrane internal morphology (internal structure, pore size & shape, etc.); (ii) fouling of membranes with specific morphology; and (iii) make some predictions as to what type of membrane morphology might offer optimum filtration performance.

  15. Self-consistent asset pricing models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malevergne, Y.; Sornette, D.

    2007-08-01

    We discuss the foundations of factor or regression models in the light of the self-consistency condition that the market portfolio (and more generally the risk factors) is (are) constituted of the assets whose returns it is (they are) supposed to explain. As already reported in several articles, self-consistency implies correlations between the return disturbances. As a consequence, the alphas and betas of the factor model are unobservable. Self-consistency leads to renormalized betas with zero effective alphas, which are observable with standard OLS regressions. When the conditions derived from internal consistency are not met, the model is necessarily incomplete, which means that some sources of risk cannot be replicated (or hedged) by a portfolio of stocks traded on the market, even for infinite economies. Analytical derivations and numerical simulations show that, for arbitrary choices of the proxy which are different from the true market portfolio, a modified linear regression holds with a non-zero value αi at the origin between an asset i's return and the proxy's return. Self-consistency also introduces “orthogonality” and “normality” conditions linking the betas, alphas (as well as the residuals) and the weights of the proxy portfolio. Two diagnostics based on these orthogonality and normality conditions are implemented on a basket of 323 assets which have been components of the S&P500 in the period from January 1990 to February 2005. These two diagnostics show interesting departures from dynamical self-consistency starting about 2 years before the end of the Internet bubble. Assuming that the CAPM holds with the self-consistency condition, the OLS method automatically obeys the resulting orthogonality and normality conditions and therefore provides a simple way to self-consistently assess the parameters of the model by using proxy portfolios made only of the assets which are used in the CAPM regressions. Finally, the factor decomposition with the

  16. Transferable coarse-grained model for perfluorosulfonic acid polymer membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, An-Tsung; Okazaki, Susumu; Shinoda, Wataru

    2017-09-01

    Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymer membranes are widely used as proton exchange membranes. Because the structure of the aqueous domain within the PFSA membrane is expected to directly influence proton conductance, many coarse-grained (CG) simulation studies have been performed to investigate the membrane morphology; these studies mostly used phenomenological models, such as dissipative particle dynamics. However, a chemically accurate CG model is required to investigate the morphology in realistic membranes and to provide a concrete molecular design. Here, we attempt to construct a predictive CG model for the structure and morphology of PFSA membranes that is compatible with the Sinoda-DeVane-Klein (SDK) CG water model [Shinoda et al., Mol. Simul. 33, 27 (2007)]. First, we extended the parameter set for the SDK CG force field to examine a hydrated PFSA membrane based on thermodynamic and structural data from experiments and all-atom (AA) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. However, a noticeable degradation of the morphology motivated us to improve the structural properties by using the iterative Boltzmann inversion (IBI) approach. Thus, we explored a possible combination of the SDK and IBI approaches to describe the nonbonded interaction. The hybrid SDK/IBI model improved the structural issues of SDK, showing a better agreement with AA-MD in the radial distribution functions. The hybrid SDK/IBI model was determined to reasonably reproduce both the thermodynamic and structural properties of the PFSA membrane for all examined water contents. In addition, the model demonstrated good transferability and has considerable potential for application to realistic long-chained PFSA membranes.

  17. An Equivalent Electrical Circuit Model of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Based on Mathematical Modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dinh An Nguyen

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Many of the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC models proposed in the literature consist of mathematical equations. However, they are not adequately practical for simulating power systems. The proposed model takes into account phenomena such as activation polarization, ohmic polarization, double layer capacitance and mass transport effects present in a PEM fuel cell. Using electrical analogies and a mathematical modeling of PEMFC, the circuit model is established. To evaluate the effectiveness of the circuit model, its static and dynamic performances under load step changes are simulated and compared to the numerical results obtained by solving the mathematical model. Finally, the applicability of our model is demonstrated by simulating a practical system.

  18. N-3 fatty acids and membrane microdomains: from model membranes to lymphocyte function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaikh, Saame Raza; Teague, Heather

    2012-12-01

    This article summarizes the author's research on fish oil derived n-3 fatty acids, plasma membrane organization and B cell function. We first cover basic model membrane studies that investigated how docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) targeted the organization of sphingolipid-cholesterol enriched lipid microdomains. A key finding here was that DHA had a relatively poor affinity for cholesterol. This work led to a model that predicted DHA acyl chains in cells would manipulate lipid-protein microdomain organization and thereby function. We then review how the predictions of the model were tested with B cells in vitro followed by experiments using mice fed fish oil. These studies reveal a highly complex picture on how n-3 fatty acids target lipid-protein organization and B cell function. Key findings are as follows: (1) n-3 fatty acids target not just the plasma membrane but also endomembrane organization; (2) DHA, but not eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), disrupts microdomain spatial distribution (i.e. clustering), (3) DHA alters protein lateral organization and (4) changes in membrane organization are accompanied by functional effects on both innate and adaptive B cell function. Altogether, the research over the past 10 years has led to an evolution of the original model on how DHA reorganizes membrane microdomains. The work raises the intriguing possibility of testing the model at the human level to target health and disease. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Empirical membrane lifetime model for heavy duty fuel cell systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macauley, Natalia; Watson, Mark; Lauritzen, Michael; Knights, Shanna; Wang, G. Gary; Kjeang, Erik

    2016-12-01

    Heavy duty fuel cells used in transportation system applications such as transit buses expose the fuel cell membranes to conditions that can lead to lifetime-limiting membrane failure via combined chemical and mechanical degradation. Highly durable membranes and reliable predictive models are therefore needed in order to achieve the ultimate heavy duty fuel cell lifetime target of 25,000 h. In the present work, an empirical membrane lifetime model was developed based on laboratory data from a suite of accelerated membrane durability tests. The model considers the effects of cell voltage, temperature, oxygen concentration, humidity cycling, humidity level, and platinum in the membrane using inverse power law and exponential relationships within the framework of a general log-linear Weibull life-stress statistical distribution. The obtained model is capable of extrapolating the membrane lifetime from accelerated test conditions to use level conditions during field operation. Based on typical conditions for the Whistler, British Columbia fuel cell transit bus fleet, the model predicts a stack lifetime of 17,500 h and a membrane leak initiation time of 9200 h. Validation performed with the aid of a field operated stack confirmed the initial goal of the model to predict membrane lifetime within 20% of the actual operating time.

  20. High-performance speech recognition using consistency modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Digalakis, Vassilios; Murveit, Hy; Monaco, Peter; Neumeyer, Leo; Sankar, Ananth

    1994-12-01

    The goal of SRI's consistency modeling project is to improve the raw acoustic modeling component of SRI's DECIPHER speech recognition system and develop consistency modeling technology. Consistency modeling aims to reduce the number of improper independence assumptions used in traditional speech recognition algorithms so that the resulting speech recognition hypotheses are more self-consistent and, therefore, more accurate. At the initial stages of this effort, SRI focused on developing the appropriate base technologies for consistency modeling. We first developed the Progressive Search technology that allowed us to perform large-vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) experiments. Since its conception and development at SRI, this technique has been adopted by most laboratories, including other ARPA contracting sites, doing research on LVSR. Another goal of the consistency modeling project is to attack difficult modeling problems, when there is a mismatch between the training and testing phases. Such mismatches may include outlier speakers, different microphones and additive noise. We were able to either develop new, or transfer and evaluate existing, technologies that adapted our baseline genonic HMM recognizer to such difficult conditions.

  1. Meso-scale Modeling of Block Copolymers Self-Assembly in Casting Solutions for Membrane Manufacture

    KAUST Repository

    Moreno Chaparro, Nicolas

    2016-05-01

    Isoporous membranes manufactured from diblock copolymer are successfully produced at laboratory scale under controlled conditions. Because of the complex phenomena involved, membrane preparation requires trial and error methodologies to find the optimal conditions, leading to a considerable demand of resources. Experimental insights demonstrate that the self-assembly of the block copolymers in solution has an effect on the final membrane structure. Nevertheless, the complete understanding of these multi-scale phenomena is elusive. Herein we use the coarse-grained method Dissipative Particle Dynamics to study the self-assembly of block copolymers that are used for the preparation of the membranes. To simulate representative time and length scales, we introduce a framework for model reduction of polymer chain representations for dissipative particle dynamics, which preserves the properties governing the phase equilibria. We reduce the number of degrees of freedom by accounting for the correlation between beads in fine-grained models via power laws and the consistent scaling of the simulation parameters. The coarse-graining models are consistent with the experimental evidence, showing a morphological transition of the aggregates as the polymer concentration and solvent affinity change. We show that hexagonal packing of the micelles can occur in solution within different windows of polymer concentration depending on the solvent affinity. However, the shape and size dispersion of the micelles determine the characteristic arrangement. We describe the order of crew-cut micelles using a rigid-sphere approximation and propose different phase parameters that characterize the emergence of monodisperse-spherical micelles in solution. Additionally, we investigate the effect of blending asymmetric diblock copolymers (AB/AC) over the properties of the membranes. We observe that the co-assembly mechanism localizes the AC molecules at the interface of A and B domains, and induces

  2. Simulations of simple linoleic acid-containing lipid membranes and models for the soybean plasma membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhuang, Xiaohong; Ou, Anna; Klauda, Jeffery B

    2017-06-07

    The all-atom CHARMM36 lipid force field (C36FF) has been tested with saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated lipids; however, it has not been validated against the 18:2 linoleoyl lipids with an unsaturated sn-1 chain. The linoleoyl lipids are common in plants and the main component of the soybean membrane. The lipid composition of soybean plasma membranes has been thoroughly characterized with experimental studies. However, there is comparatively less work done with computational modeling. Our molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results show that the pure linoleoyl lipids, 1-stearoyl-2-linoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (18:0/18:2) and 1,2-dilinoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (di-18:2), agree very well with the experiments, which demonstrates the accuracy of the C36FF for the computational study of soybean membranes. Based on the experimental composition, the soybean hypocotyl and root plasma membrane models are developed with each containing seven or eight types of linoleoyl phospholipids and two types of sterols (sitosterol and stigmasterol). MD simulations are performed to characterize soybean membranes, and the hydrogen bonds and clustering results demonstrate that the lipids prefer to interact with the lipids of the same/similar tail unsaturation. All the results suggest that these two soybean membrane models can be used as a basis for further research in soybean and higher plant membranes involving membrane-associated proteins.

  3. Modeling and Testing Legacy Data Consistency Requirements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nytun, J. P.; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

    2003-01-01

    An increasing number of data sources are available on the Internet, many of which offer semantically overlapping data, but based on different schemas, or models. While it is often of interest to integrate such data sources, the lack of consistency among them makes this integration difficult....... This paper addresses the need for new techniques that enable the modeling and consistency checking for legacy data sources. Specifically, the paper contributes to the development of a framework that enables consistency testing of data coming from different types of data sources. The vehicle is UML and its...... accompanying XMI. The paper presents techniques for modeling consistency requirements using OCL and other UML modeling elements: it studies how models that describe the required consistencies among instances of legacy models can be designed in standard UML tools that support XMI. The paper also considers...

  4. Performance modeling of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) seawater desalination process using a commercial composite membrane

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Junggil

    2015-01-10

    This paper presents the development of a rigorous theoretical model to predict the transmembrane flux of a flat sheet hydrophobic composite membrane, comprising both an active layer of polytetrafluoroethylene and a scrim-backing support layer of polypropylene, in the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process. An integrated model includes the mass, momentum, species and energy balances for both retentate and permeate flows, coupled with the mass transfer of water vapor through the composite membrane and the heat transfer across the membrane and through the boundary layers adjacent to the membrane surfaces. Experimental results and model predictions for permeate flux and performance ratio are compared and shown to be in good agreement. The permeate flux through the composite layer can be ignored in the consideration of mass transfer pathways at the composite membrane. The effect of the surface porosity and the thickness of active and support layers on the process performance of composite membrane has also been studied. Among these parameters, surface porosity is identified to be the main factor significantly influencing the permeate flux and performance ratio, while the relative influence of the surface porosity on the performance ratio is less than that on flux.

  5. Two-dimensional stochastic modeling of membrane fouling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wessling, Matthias

    2001-01-01

    The phenomenon of fouling of microfiltration membranes by much smaller particles such as proteins is described by a new developed simulation algorithm based on diffusion limited aggregation simulation techniques. The model specifies the membrane morphology explicitly and allows to (a) characterize

  6. Polyether sulfone membrane modeling and construction for the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Polyether sulfone membrane modeling and construction for the removal of nitrate from water using ion interference sulfate and iron nano-particle. ... The aim of this study was constructed the polyether sulfone membrane and modelling it, and for checking impact pressure, the amount of iron nanoparticles and sulfate iron ...

  7. Interaction of elaiophylin with model bilayer membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Genova, J.; Dencheva-Zarkova, M.

    2017-01-01

    Elaiophylin is a new macrodiolide antibiotic, which is produced by the Streptomyces strains [1]. It displays biological activities against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. The mode of action of this antibiotic has been attributed to an alteration of the membrane permeability. When this antibiotic is inserted into the bilayer membranes destabilization of the membrane and formation of ion-penetrable channels is observed. The macrodiolide antibiotic forms stable cation selective ion channels in synthetic lipid bilayer membranes. The aim of this work was to study the interactions of Elaiophylin with model bilayer membranes and to get information on the mechanical properties of lipid bilayers in presence of this antibiotic. Patch-clamp technique [2] were used in the study

  8. Performance modeling of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) seawater desalination process using a commercial composite membrane

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Junggil; Kim, Youngdeuk; Kim, Wooseung; Francis, Lijo; Amy, Gary L.; Ghaffour, NorEddine

    2015-01-01

    membrane and the heat transfer across the membrane and through the boundary layers adjacent to the membrane surfaces. Experimental results and model predictions for permeate flux and performance ratio are compared and shown to be in good agreement

  9. An Integrated Framework Advancing Membrane Protein Modeling and Design.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca F Alford

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Membrane proteins are critical functional molecules in the human body, constituting more than 30% of open reading frames in the human genome. Unfortunately, a myriad of difficulties in overexpression and reconstitution into membrane mimetics severely limit our ability to determine their structures. Computational tools are therefore instrumental to membrane protein structure prediction, consequently increasing our understanding of membrane protein function and their role in disease. Here, we describe a general framework facilitating membrane protein modeling and design that combines the scientific principles for membrane protein modeling with the flexible software architecture of Rosetta3. This new framework, called RosettaMP, provides a general membrane representation that interfaces with scoring, conformational sampling, and mutation routines that can be easily combined to create new protocols. To demonstrate the capabilities of this implementation, we developed four proof-of-concept applications for (1 prediction of free energy changes upon mutation; (2 high-resolution structural refinement; (3 protein-protein docking; and (4 assembly of symmetric protein complexes, all in the membrane environment. Preliminary data show that these algorithms can produce meaningful scores and structures. The data also suggest needed improvements to both sampling routines and score functions. Importantly, the applications collectively demonstrate the potential of combining the flexible nature of RosettaMP with the power of Rosetta algorithms to facilitate membrane protein modeling and design.

  10. Development of a mechanistic model for prediction of CO2 capture from gas mixtures by amine solutions in porous membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghadiri, Mehdi; Marjani, Azam; Shirazian, Saeed

    2017-06-01

    A mechanistic model was developed in order to predict capture and removal of CO 2 from air using membrane technology. The considered membrane was a hollow-fiber contactor module in which gas mixture containing CO 2 was assumed as feed while 2-amino-2-metyl-1-propanol (AMP) was used as an absorbent. The mechanistic model was developed according to transport phenomena taking into account mass transfer and chemical reaction between CO 2 and amine in the contactor module. The main aim of modeling was to track the composition and flux of CO 2 and AMP in the membrane module for process optimization. For modeling of the process, the governing equations were computed using finite element approach in which the whole model domain was discretized into small cells. To confirm the simulation findings, model outcomes were compared with experimental data and good consistency was revealed. The results showed that increasing temperature of AMP solution increases CO 2 removal in the hollow-fiber membrane contactor.

  11. Model of SNARE-mediated membrane adhesion kinetics.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason M Warner

    Full Text Available SNARE proteins are conserved components of the core fusion machinery driving diverse membrane adhesion and fusion processes in the cell. In many cases micron-sized membranes adhere over large areas before fusion. Reconstituted in vitro assays have helped isolate SNARE mechanisms in small membrane adhesion-fusion and are emerging as powerful tools to study large membrane systems by use of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs. Here we model SNARE-mediated adhesion kinetics in SNARE-reconstituted GUV-GUV or GUV-supported bilayer experiments. Adhesion involves many SNAREs whose complexation pulls apposing membranes into contact. The contact region is a tightly bound rapidly expanding patch whose growth velocity v(patch increases with SNARE density Gamma(snare. We find three patch expansion regimes: slow, intermediate, fast. Typical experiments belong to the fast regime where v(patch ~ (Gamma(snare(2/3 depends on SNARE diffusivities and complexation binding constant. The model predicts growth velocities ~10 - 300 microm/s. The patch may provide a close contact region where SNAREs can trigger fusion. Extending the model to a simple description of fusion, a broad distribution of fusion times is predicted. Increasing SNARE density accelerates fusion by boosting the patch growth velocity, thereby providing more complexes to participate in fusion. This quantifies the notion of SNAREs as dual adhesion-fusion agents.

  12. Modeling and optimization of membrane lifetime in dead-end ultra filtration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zondervan, E.; Roffel, B.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, a membrane lifetime model is developed and experimentally validated. The lifetime model is based on the Weibull probability density function. The lifetime model can be used to determine an unambiguous characteristic membrane lifetime. Experimental results showed that membrane lifetime

  13. Modeling of Multicomponent Mixture Separation Processes Using Hollow fiber Membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Sin-Ah; Kim, Jin-Kuk; Lee, Young Moo; Yeo, Yeong-Koo [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-02-15

    So far, most of research activities on modeling of membrane separation processes have been focused on binary feed mixture. But, in actual separation operations, binary feed is hard to find and most separation processes involve multicomponent feed mixture. In this work models for membrane separation processes treating multicomponent feed mixture are developed. Various model types are investigated and validity of proposed models are analysed based on experimental data obtained using hollowfiber membranes. The proposed separation models show quick convergence and exhibit good tracking performance.

  14. Interaction of Mastoparan with Model Membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haloot, Justin

    2010-10-01

    The use of antimicrobial agents began during the 20th century to reduce the effects of infectious diseases. Since the 1990s, antimicrobial resistance has become an ever-increasing global problem. Our laboratory recently found that small antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have potent antimicrobial activity against a wide range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms including antibiotic resistant organisms. These AMPs are potential therapeutic agents against the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. AMPs are small peptides produced by plants, insects and animals. Several hypotheses concede that these peptides cause some type of structural perturbations and increased membrane permeability in bacteria however, how AMPs kill bacteria remains unclear. The goal of this study was to design an assay that would allow us to evaluate and monitor the pore forming ability of an AMP, Mastoparan, on model membrane structures called liposomes. Development of this model will facilitate the study of how mastoparan and related AMPs interact with the bacterial membrane.

  15. Analysis of Protein-Membrane Interactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kemmer, Gerdi Christine

    Cellular membranes are complex structures, consisting of hundreds of different lipids and proteins. These membranes act as barriers between distinct environments, constituting hot spots for many essential functions of the cell, including signaling, energy conversion, and transport. These functions....... Discovered interactions were then probed on the level of the membrane using liposome-based assays. In the second part, a transmembrane protein was investigated. Assays to probe activity of the plasma membrane ATPase (Arabidopsis thaliana H+ -ATPase isoform 2 (AHA2)) in single liposomes using both giant...... are implemented by soluble proteins reversibly binding to, as well as by integral membrane proteins embedded in, cellular membranes. The activity and interaction of these proteins is furthermore modulated by the lipids of the membrane. Here, liposomes were used as model membrane systems to investigate...

  16. Mathematical model of a PEMFC using a PBI membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheddie, Denver; Munroe, Norman

    2006-01-01

    Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) operating with Nafion[reg] membranes have encountered numerous problems associated with water management and CO poisoning because of their low temperature of operation. Alternative high temperature membranes have been investigated, one such membrane being polybenzimidazole (PBI). This paper presents a one dimensional mathematical model, which predicts the polarization performance of a PEMFC using a PBI membrane. Peak power densities in the same order as Nafion[reg] are predicted. Results indicate that the greatest scope for improving PBI PEMFC performance is increasing the membrane conductivity and improving the catalyst performance as it interfaces with the PBI membrane

  17. Membrane filtration device for studying compression of fouling layers in membrane bioreactors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mads Koustrup Jørgensen

    Full Text Available A filtration devise was developed to assess compressibility of fouling layers in membrane bioreactors. The system consists of a flat sheet membrane with air scouring operated at constant transmembrane pressure to assess the influence of pressure on resistance of fouling layers. By fitting a mathematical model, three model parameters were obtained; a back transport parameter describing the kinetics of fouling layer formation, a specific fouling layer resistance, and a compressibility parameter. This stands out from other on-site filterability tests as model parameters to simulate filtration performance are obtained together with a characterization of compressibility. Tests on membrane bioreactor sludge showed high reproducibility. The methodology's ability to assess compressibility was tested by filtrations of sludges from membrane bioreactors and conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants from three different sites. These proved that membrane bioreactor sludge showed higher compressibility than conventional activated sludge. In addition, detailed information on the underlying mechanisms of the difference in fouling propensity were obtained, as conventional activated sludge showed slower fouling formation, lower specific resistance and lower compressibility of fouling layers, which is explained by a higher degree of flocculation.

  18. Modeling of Hollow-Fiber Membrane System During Ultrafiltration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    EI-Bialy, S.H.

    2004-01-01

    The present study aims to evaluate the performance of hollow fiber membrane module during ultrafiltration of aqueous solutions. The model is represented by a set of differential equations for permeate and residue pressure drop and volumetric flow rates in the axial direction, beside the principle equations of both solvent and solute fluxes through the membrane, while osmotic pressure was neglected in model equations. The shell and tube module type was considered where feed pass in the shell and permeate in the bore side. Tortousily factor of membrane pores in addition to concentration polarization modulus were taken into account in calculations. The model was solved numerically with the help of suitable program in both co current and countercurrent flow pattern and comparison of results were carried out

  19. A theoretical model for gas permeability in a composite membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serrano, D. A

    2009-01-01

    We present in this work an analytical expression for permeability in a two-layer composite membrane, which was derived assuming the same hypothesis as those of Adzumi model for permeability in a homogeneous membrane. Whereas in Adzumi model permeability shows a linear dependence on the mean pressure, our model for a composite membrane related permeability to pressure through a rather complex expression, which covers the whole range of flow, from molecular-Knudsen to viscous-Poiseuille regimes. The expression obtained for permeability contained information of membrane structural properties as pore size, porosity and thickness of each layer, as well as gas nature and operational conditions. Our two-layer-model expression turns into Adzumi formula when the structure of the layers approach to each other. [es

  20. Consistency of the MLE under mixture models

    OpenAIRE

    Chen, Jiahua

    2016-01-01

    The large-sample properties of likelihood-based statistical inference under mixture models have received much attention from statisticians. Although the consistency of the nonparametric MLE is regarded as a standard conclusion, many researchers ignore the precise conditions required on the mixture model. An incorrect claim of consistency can lead to false conclusions even if the mixture model under investigation seems well behaved. Under a finite normal mixture model, for instance, the consis...

  1. Interactions of Model Cell Membranes with Nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Angelo, S. M.; Camesano, T. A.; Nagarajan, R.

    2011-12-01

    The same properties that give nanoparticles their enhanced function, such as high surface area, small size, and better conductivity, can also alter the cytotoxicity of nanomaterials. Ultimately, many of these nanomaterials will be released into the environment, and can cause cytotoxic effects to environmental bacteria, aquatic organisms, and humans. Previous results from our laboratory suggest that nanoparticles can have a detrimental effect on cells, depending on nanoparticle size. It is our goal to characterize the properties of nanomaterials that can result in membrane destabilization. We tested the effects of nanoparticle size and chemical functionalization on nanoparticle-membrane interactions. Gold nanoparticles at 2, 5,10, and 80 nm were investigated, with a concentration of 1.1x1010 particles/mL. Model cell membranes were constructed of of L-α-phosphatidylcholine (egg PC), which has negatively charged lipid headgroups. A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was used to measure frequency changes at different overtones, which were related to mass changes corresponding to nanoparticle interaction with the model membrane. In QCM-D, a lipid bilayer is constructed on a silicon dioxide crystal. The crystals, oscillate at different harmonic frequencies depending upon changes in mass or energy dissipation. When mass is added to the crystal surface, such as through addition of a lipid vesicle solution, the frequency change decreases. By monitoring the frequency and dissipation, we could verify that a supported lipid bilayer (SLB) formed on the silica surface. After formation of the SLB, the nanoparticles can be added to the system, and the changes in frequency and dissipation are monitored in order to build a mechanistic understanding of nanoparticle-cell membrane interactions. For all of the smaller nanoparticles (2, 5, and 10 nm), nanoparticle addition caused a loss of mass from the lipid bilayer, which appears to be due to the formation of holes

  2. Modeling a Consistent Behavior of PLC-Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. V. Kuzmin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article extends the cycle of papers dedicated to programming and verificatoin of PLC-programs by LTL-specification. This approach provides the availability of correctness analysis of PLC-programs by the model checking method.The model checking method needs to construct a finite model of a PLC program. For successful verification of required properties it is important to take into consideration that not all combinations of input signals from the sensors can occur while PLC works with a control object. This fact requires more advertence to the construction of the PLC-program model.In this paper we propose to describe a consistent behavior of sensors by three groups of LTL-formulas. They will affect the program model, approximating it to the actual behavior of the PLC program. The idea of LTL-requirements is shown by an example.A PLC program is a description of reactions on input signals from sensors, switches and buttons. In constructing a PLC-program model, the approach to modeling a consistent behavior of PLC sensors allows to focus on modeling precisely these reactions without an extension of the program model by additional structures for realization of a realistic behavior of sensors. The consistent behavior of sensors is taken into account only at the stage of checking a conformity of the programming model to required properties, i. e. a property satisfaction proof for the constructed model occurs with the condition that the model contains only such executions of the program that comply with the consistent behavior of sensors.

  3. Membrane biofilm communities in full-scale membrane bioreactors are not randomly assembled and consist of a core microbiome

    KAUST Repository

    Matar, Gerald Kamil

    2017-06-21

    Finding efficient biofouling control strategies requires a better understanding of the microbial ecology of membrane biofilm communities in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). Studies that characterized the membrane biofilm communities in lab-and pilot-scale MBRs are numerous, yet similar studies in full-scale MBRs are limited. Also, most of these studies have characterized the mature biofilm communities with very few studies addressing early biofilm communities. In this study, five full-scale MBRs located in Seattle (Washington, U.S.A.) were selected to address two questions concerning membrane biofilm communities (early and mature): (i) Is the assembly of biofilm communities (early and mature) the result of random immigration of species from the source community (i.e. activated sludge)? and (ii) Is there a core membrane biofilm community in full-scale MBRs? Membrane biofilm (early and mature) and activated sludge (AS) samples were collected from the five MBRs, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing was applied to investigate the bacterial communities of AS and membrane biofilms (early and mature). Alpha and beta diversity measures revealed clear differences in the bacterial community structure between the AS and biofilm (early and mature) samples in the five full-scale MBRs. These differences were mainly due to the presence of large number of unique but rare operational taxonomic units (∼13% of total reads in each MBR) in each sample. In contrast, a high percentage (∼87% of total reads in each MBR) of sequence reads was shared between AS and biofilm samples in each MBR, and these shared sequence reads mainly belong to the dominant taxa in these samples. Despite the large fraction of shared sequence reads between AS and biofilm samples, simulated biofilm communities from random sampling of the respective AS community revealed that biofilm communities differed significantly from the random assemblages (P < 0.001 for each MBR), indicating that the biofilm communities (early

  4. Stochastic lattice model of synaptic membrane protein domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yiwei; Kahraman, Osman; Haselwandter, Christoph A

    2017-05-01

    Neurotransmitter receptor molecules, concentrated in synaptic membrane domains along with scaffolds and other kinds of proteins, are crucial for signal transmission across chemical synapses. In common with other membrane protein domains, synaptic domains are characterized by low protein copy numbers and protein crowding, with rapid stochastic turnover of individual molecules. We study here in detail a stochastic lattice model of the receptor-scaffold reaction-diffusion dynamics at synaptic domains that was found previously to capture, at the mean-field level, the self-assembly, stability, and characteristic size of synaptic domains observed in experiments. We show that our stochastic lattice model yields quantitative agreement with mean-field models of nonlinear diffusion in crowded membranes. Through a combination of analytic and numerical solutions of the master equation governing the reaction dynamics at synaptic domains, together with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we find substantial discrepancies between mean-field and stochastic models for the reaction dynamics at synaptic domains. Based on the reaction and diffusion properties of synaptic receptors and scaffolds suggested by previous experiments and mean-field calculations, we show that the stochastic reaction-diffusion dynamics of synaptic receptors and scaffolds provide a simple physical mechanism for collective fluctuations in synaptic domains, the molecular turnover observed at synaptic domains, key features of the observed single-molecule trajectories, and spatial heterogeneity in the effective rates at which receptors and scaffolds are recycled at the cell membrane. Our work sheds light on the physical mechanisms and principles linking the collective properties of membrane protein domains to the stochastic dynamics that rule their molecular components.

  5. There Is No Simple Model of the Plasma Membrane Organization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernardino de la Serna, Jorge; Schütz, Gerhard J.; Eggeling, Christian; Cebecauer, Marek

    2016-01-01

    Ever since technologies enabled the characterization of eukaryotic plasma membranes, heterogeneities in the distributions of its constituents were observed. Over the years this led to the proposal of various models describing the plasma membrane organization such as lipid shells, picket-and-fences, lipid rafts, or protein islands, as addressed in numerous publications and reviews. Instead of emphasizing on one model we in this review give a brief overview over current models and highlight how current experimental work in one or the other way do not support the existence of a single overarching model. Instead, we highlight the vast variety of membrane properties and components, their influences and impacts. We believe that highlighting such controversial discoveries will stimulate unbiased research on plasma membrane organization and functionality, leading to a better understanding of this essential cellular structure. PMID:27747212

  6. A Membrane Model from Implicit Elasticity Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freed, A. D.; Liao, J.; Einstein, D. R.

    2014-01-01

    A Fungean solid is derived for membranous materials as a body defined by isotropic response functions whose mathematical structure is that of a Hookean solid where the elastic constants are replaced by functions of state derived from an implicit, thermodynamic, internal-energy function. The theory utilizes Biot’s (1939) definitions for stress and strain that, in 1-dimension, are the stress/strain measures adopted by Fung (1967) when he postulated what is now known as Fung’s law. Our Fungean membrane model is parameterized against a biaxial data set acquired from a porcine pleural membrane subjected to three, sequential, proportional, planar extensions. These data support an isotropic/deviatoric split in the stress and strain-rate hypothesized by our theory. These data also demonstrate that the material response is highly non-linear but, otherwise, mechanically isotropic. These data are described reasonably well by our otherwise simple, four-parameter, material model. PMID:24282079

  7. Antimicrobial Nanoplexes meet Model Bacterial Membranes: the key role of Cardiolipin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marín-Menéndez, Alejandro; Montis, Costanza; Díaz-Calvo, Teresa; Carta, Davide; Hatzixanthis, Kostas; Morris, Christopher J.; McArthur, Michael; Berti, Debora

    2017-01-01

    Antimicrobial resistance to traditional antibiotics is a crucial challenge of medical research. Oligonucleotide therapeutics, such as antisense or Transcription Factor Decoys (TFDs), have the potential to circumvent current resistance mechanisms by acting on novel targets. However, their full translation into clinical application requires efficient delivery strategies and fundamental comprehension of their interaction with target bacterial cells. To address these points, we employed a novel cationic bolaamphiphile that binds TFDs with high affinity to form self-assembled complexes (nanoplexes). Confocal microscopy revealed that nanoplexes efficiently transfect bacterial cells, consistently with biological efficacy on animal models. To understand the factors affecting the delivery process, liposomes with varying compositions, taken as model synthetic bilayers, were challenged with nanoplexes and investigated with Scattering and Fluorescence techniques. Thanks to the combination of results on bacteria and synthetic membrane models we demonstrate for the first time that the prokaryotic-enriched anionic lipid Cardiolipin (CL) plays a key-role in the TFDs delivery to bacteria. Moreover, we can hypothesize an overall TFD delivery mechanism, where bacterial membrane reorganization with permeability increase and release of the TFD from the nanoplexes are the main factors. These results will be of great benefit to boost the development of oligonucleotides-based antimicrobials of superior efficacy.

  8. Expansion of thermodynamic model of solute permeation through reverse osmosis membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimaki, Kenzo; Koyama, Akio

    1994-01-01

    Many studies have been performed on permeation mechanism of solute and solvent in membrane separation process like reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration, and several models of solute/solvent permeation through membrane are proposed. Among these models, Kedem and Katchalsky, based on the theory of thermodynamics of irreversible processes, formulated the one-solute permeation process in their mathematical model, which treats membrane as a black box, not giving consideration to membrane structure and to interaction between membrane material and permeates, viz. solute and solvent. According to this theory, the driving force of solute/solvent permeation through membrane is the difference of their chemical potential between both sides of membrane, and the linear phenomenological equation is applied to describing the relation between driving force and flux of solute/solvent. This equation can be applied to the irreversible process only when the process is almost in equilibrium. This condition is supposed to be satisfied in the solute/solvent permeation process through compact membrane with fine pores like reverse osmosis membrane. When reverse osmosis is applied to treatment process for liquid waste, which usually contains a lot of solutes as contaminants, we can not predict the behavior of contaminants by the above one-solute process model. In the case of multi-solutes permeation process for liquid waste, the number of parameter in thermodynamic model increases rapidly with the number of solute, because of coupling phenomenon among solutes. In this study, we expanded the above thermodynamic model to multi-solute process applying operational calculus to the differential equations which describe the irreversible process of the system, and expressed concisely solute concentration vector as a matrix product. In this way, we predict the behavior of solutes in multi-solutes process, using values of parameters obtained in two-solutes process. (author)

  9. Dynamic behaviour of a flexible membrane tsunami Barrier with Dyneema®

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hofland, B.; Marissen, R.; Bergsma, O.K.

    2016-01-01

    Proof-of-concept model tests on a novel self-deploying on-shore tsunami barrier were executed. The tsunami barrier consists of a membrane, floater and cables that are stored underground. Due to buoyancy the barrier self-deploys when struck by a tsunami. The membrane and cables consist of the strong,

  10. CFD modelling of a membrane reactor for hydrogen production from ammonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shwe Hla, San; Dolan, Michael D.

    2018-01-01

    Despite the growing use of hydrogen (H2) as a transport fuel, one of the major barriers still remaining is efficient and inexpensive fuel distribution and storage. Current approaches, such as compression, liquefaction or metal hydride formation, incur a significant energy penalty. Ammonia (NH3) has long been considered a prospective H2 medium, exhibiting a higher volumetric H2 density than liquid H2, through liquid-phase storage at mild pressure. Decomposition of NH3 into H2 and N2 can be achieved via use of catalytic reactors and fuel-cell-grade H2 can be produced using metal membranes at H2 distribution sites.In this study, a 3-Dimensional (3D) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model has been developed to understand the performance of the H2 separation process in gas mixtures derived from an NH3-cracking reaction. The reactor consists of 19 tubular membrane tubes, each 470 mm long, inside a tubular shell with an inner diameter of 130 mm. Standard transport and energy equations governing a 3D, pressure-based, steady-state model were derived from the laws of conservation of mass, momentum and energy. The governing equations were solved using commercial CFD software ANSYS Fluent 18.0. Gas flow and mixing were modelled by the two-equation standard k-epsilon model for closure. Coupled solver was used for pressure-velocity coupling, enabling a pseudo-transient option with pseudo time steps of 0.01 s. To estimate H2 permeation through the metal membrane, a constant H2 permeability of 3.0E-07 mol.m-1 s-1 Pa-0.5 derived from series of experiments tested under a range of industrial conditions, was used. Model simulations were conducted for an adiabatic temperature of 300 °C, a feed-side pressure of 7.8 bara and a permeate side pressure of 0.1 bara. A parametric analysis was carried out to explore the effects of variation in total feed-gas flow and effects of changes in NH3-cracking efficiency on H2 production rates and H2 yields. The model estimated that 4.6-11.6 kg H2

  11. Consistent Estimation of Partition Markov Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesús E. García

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The Partition Markov Model characterizes the process by a partition L of the state space, where the elements in each part of L share the same transition probability to an arbitrary element in the alphabet. This model aims to answer the following questions: what is the minimal number of parameters needed to specify a Markov chain and how to estimate these parameters. In order to answer these questions, we build a consistent strategy for model selection which consist of: giving a size n realization of the process, finding a model within the Partition Markov class, with a minimal number of parts to represent the process law. From the strategy, we derive a measure that establishes a metric in the state space. In addition, we show that if the law of the process is Markovian, then, eventually, when n goes to infinity, L will be retrieved. We show an application to model internet navigation patterns.

  12. Multi-layer membrane model for mass transport in a direct ethanol fuel cell using an alkaline anion exchange membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahrami, Hafez; Faghri, Amir

    2012-11-01

    A one-dimensional, isothermal, single-phase model is presented to investigate the mass transport in a direct ethanol fuel cell incorporating an alkaline anion exchange membrane. The electrochemistry is analytically solved and the closed-form solution is provided for two limiting cases assuming Tafel expressions for both oxygen reduction and ethanol oxidation. A multi-layer membrane model is proposed to properly account for the diffusive and electroosmotic transport of ethanol through the membrane. The fundamental differences in fuel crossover for positive and negative electroosmotic drag coefficients are discussed. It is found that ethanol crossover is significantly reduced upon using an alkaline anion exchange membrane instead of a proton exchange membrane, especially at current densities higher than 500 A m

  13. Interaction of Clostridium perfringens epsilon-toxin with biological and model membranes: A putative protein receptor in cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manni, Marco M; Sot, Jesús; Goñi, Félix M

    2015-03-01

    Epsilon-toxin (ETX) is a powerful toxin produced by some strains of Clostridium perfringens (classified as types B and D) that is responsible for enterotoxemia in animals. ETX forms pores through the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells, consisting of a β-barrel of 14 amphipathic β-strands. ETX shows a high specificity for certain cell lines, of which Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) is the first sensitive cell line identified and the most studied one. The aim of this study was to establish the role of lipids in the toxicity caused by ETX and the correlation of its activity in model and biological membranes. In MDCK cells, using cell counting and confocal microscopy, we have observed that the toxin causes cell death mediated by toxin binding to plasma membrane. Moreover, ETX binds and permeabilizes the membranes of giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMV). However, little effect is observed on protein-free vesicles. The data suggest the essential role of a protein receptor for the toxin in cell membranes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Physical model for membrane protrusions during spreading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chamaraux, F; Ali, O; Fourcade, B; Keller, S; Bruckert, F

    2008-01-01

    During cell spreading onto a substrate, the kinetics of the contact area is an observable quantity. This paper is concerned with a physical approach to modeling this process in the case of ameboid motility where the membrane detaches itself from the underlying cytoskeleton at the leading edge. The physical model we propose is based on previous reports which highlight that membrane tension regulates cell spreading. Using a phenomenological feedback loop to mimic stress-dependent biochemistry, we show that the actin polymerization rate can be coupled to the stress which builds up at the margin of the contact area between the cell and the substrate. In the limit of small variation of membrane tension, we show that the actin polymerization rate can be written in a closed form. Our analysis defines characteristic lengths which depend on elastic properties of the membrane–cytoskeleton complex, such as the membrane–cytoskeleton interaction, and on molecular parameters, the rate of actin polymerization. We discuss our model in the case of axi-symmetric and non-axi-symmetric spreading and we compute the characteristic time scales as a function of fundamental elastic constants such as the strength of membrane–cytoskeleton adherence

  15. Carbon dioxide (hydrogen sulfide) membrane separations and WGS membrane reactor modeling for fuel cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jin

    Acid-gas removal is of great importance in many environmental or energy-related processes. Compared to current commercial technologies, membrane-based CO2 and H2S capture has the advantages of low energy consumption, low weight and space requirement, simplicity of installation/operation, and high process flexibility. However, the large-scale application of the membrane separation technology is limited by the relatively low transport properties. In this study, CO2 (H2S)-selective polymeric membranes with high permeability and high selectivity have been studied based on the facilitated transport mechanism. The membrane showed facilitated effect for both CO2 and H2S. A CO2 permeability of above 2000 Barrers, a CO2/H2 selectivity of greater than 40, and a CO2/N2 selectivity of greater than 200 at 100--150°C were observed. As a result of higher reaction rate and smaller diffusing compound, the H2S permeability and H2S/H2 selectivity were about three times higher than those properties for CO2. The novel CO2-selective membrane has been applied to capture CO 2 from flue gas and natural gas. In the CO2 capture experiments from a gas mixture with N2 and H2, a permeate CO 2 dry concentration of greater than 98% was obtained by using steam as the sweep gas. In CO2/CH4 separation, decent CO 2 transport properties were obtained with a feed pressure up to 500 psia. With the thin-film composite membrane structure, significant increase on the CO2 flux was achieved with the decrease of the selective layer thickness. With the continuous removal of CO2, CO2-selective water-gas-shift (WGS) membrane reactor is a promising approach to enhance CO conversion and increase the purity of H2 at process pressure under relatively low temperature. The simultaneous reaction and transport process in the countercurrent WGS membrane reactor was simulated by using a one-dimensional non-isothermal model. The modeling results show that a CO concentration of less than 10 ppm and a H2 recovery of greater

  16. Novel thermal efficiency-based model for determination of thermal conductivity of membrane distillation membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vanneste, Johan; Bush, John A.; Hickenbottom, Kerri L.; Marks, Christopher A.; Jassby, David

    2017-01-01

    Development and selection of membranes for membrane distillation (MD) could be accelerated if all performance-determining characteristics of the membrane could be obtained during MD operation without the need to recur to specialized or cumbersome porosity or thermal conductivity measurement techniques. By redefining the thermal efficiency, the Schofield method could be adapted to describe the flux without prior knowledge of membrane porosity, thickness, or thermal conductivity. A total of 17 commercially available membranes were analyzed in terms of flux and thermal efficiency to assess their suitability for application in MD. The thermal-efficiency based model described the flux with an average %RMSE of 4.5%, which was in the same range as the standard deviation on the measured flux. The redefinition of the thermal efficiency also enabled MD to be used as a novel thermal conductivity measurement device for thin porous hydrophobic films that cannot be measured with the conventional laser flash diffusivity technique.

  17. A Model of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation of Black Currant Juice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Morten Busch; Christensen, Knud Villy; Andrésen, René

    2011-01-01

    A numerical model to describe a direct contact membrane distillation proces has been developed. Said model is based on the Dusty Gas model and shell mass and energy balances over a tubular membrane module.  "The solution is applicable to laminar, incompressible and continuous flow in shell......-side spacing of tubular-type unit."  Turtuosity and porosity are characteristics of the membrane in use and have been estimated base don eksperimental studies on destillation of pure water. The fitted model shows a good fit to experimental data obtained by destillation of black currant juice....

  18. Membrane Modeling, Simulation and Optimization for Propylene/Propane Separation

    KAUST Repository

    Alshehri, Ali

    2015-06-01

    Energy efficiency is critical for sustainable industrial growth and the reduction of environmental impacts. Energy consumption by the industrial sector accounts for more than half of the total global energy usage and, therefore, greater attention is focused on enhancing this sector’s energy efficiency. It is predicted that by 2020, more than 20% of today’s energy consumption can be avoided in countries that have effectively implemented an action plan towards efficient energy utilization. Breakthroughs in material synthesis of high selective membranes have enabled the technology to be more energy efficient. Hence, high selective membranes are increasingly replacing conventional energy intensive separation processes, such as distillation and adsorption units. Moreover, the technology offers more special features (which are essential for special applications) and its small footprint makes membrane technology suitable for platform operations (e.g., nitrogen enrichment for oil and gas offshore sites). In addition, its low maintenance characteristics allow the technology to be applied to remote operations. For these reasons, amongst other, the membrane technology market is forecast to reach $16 billion by 2017. This thesis is concerned with the engineering aspects of membrane technology and covers modeling, simulation and optimization of membranes as a stand-alone process or as a unit operation within a hybrid system. Incorporating the membrane model into a process modeling software simplifies the simulation and optimization of the different membrane processes and hybrid configurations, since all other unit operations are pre-configured. Various parametric analyses demonstrated that only the membrane selectivity and transmembrane pressure ratio parameters define a membrane’s ability to accomplish a certain separation task. Moreover, it was found that both membrane selectivity and pressure ratio exhibit a minimum value that is only defined by the feed composition

  19. Modeling of hydrodynamics in hollow fiber membrane bioreactor for mammalian cells cultivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. V. Menshutina

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The mathematical modelling in CFD-packages are powerfull instrument for design and calculation of any engineering tasks. CFD-package contains the set of programs that allow to model the different objects behavior based on the mathematical lows. ANSYS Fluent are widely used for modelling of biotechnological and chemical-technological processes. This package is convenient to describe their hydrodynamics. As cell cultivation is one of the actual scientific direction in modern biotechnology ANSYS Fluent was used to create the model of hollow fiber membrane bioreactor. The fibers are hollow cylindrical membrane to be used for cell cultivation. The criterion of process effectiveness for cell growth is full filling of the membrane surface by cells in the bioreactor. While the cell growth the fiber permeability is decreased which effects to feed flow through membrane pores. The specific feature of this process is to ensure such feed flow to deliver the optimal nutrition for the cells on the external membrane surface. The velocity distribution inside the fiber and in all bioreactor as a whole has been calculated based on mass an impulse conservation equations taking into account the mathematical model assumptions. The hydrodynamics analysis in hollow fiber membrane bioreactor is described by the three-dimensional model created in ANSYS Fluent. The specific features of one membrane model are considered and for whole bioreactor too.

  20. Financial model calibration using consistency hints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu-Mostafa, Y S

    2001-01-01

    We introduce a technique for forcing the calibration of a financial model to produce valid parameters. The technique is based on learning from hints. It converts simple curve fitting into genuine calibration, where broad conclusions can be inferred from parameter values. The technique augments the error function of curve fitting with consistency hint error functions based on the Kullback-Leibler distance. We introduce an efficient EM-type optimization algorithm tailored to this technique. We also introduce other consistency hints, and balance their weights using canonical errors. We calibrate the correlated multifactor Vasicek model of interest rates, and apply it successfully to Japanese Yen swaps market and US dollar yield market.

  1. Pore-scale modeling and simulation of flow, transport, and adsorptive or osmotic effects in membranes: the influence of membrane microstructure

    KAUST Repository

    Calo, Victor M.

    2015-07-17

    The selection of an appropriate membrane for a particular application is a complex and expensive process. Computational modeling can significantly aid membrane researchers and manufacturers in this process. The membrane morphology is highly influential on its efficiency within several applications, but is often overlooked in simulation. Two such applications which are very important in the provision of clean water are forward osmosis and filtration using functionalized micro/ultra/nano-filtration membranes. Herein, we investigate the effect of the membrane morphology in these two applications. First we present results of the separation process using resolved finger- and sponge-like support layers. Second, we represent the functionalization of a typical microfiltration membrane using absorptive pore walls, and illustrate the effect of different microstructures on the reactive process. Such numerical modeling will aid manufacturers in optimizing operating conditions and designing efficient membranes.

  2. Development of permeate flux model for municipal wastewater treatment using membrane bioreactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geissler, S.; Zhou, H.; Zytner, R.; Melin, T.

    2002-01-01

    In municipal wastewater treatment, membrane filtration technologies receive great attention because they usually produce the better quality effluent, generate less sludge and require a smaller aeration tank volume. However, one main challenge of using membranes is membrane fouling, which results in a permeate flux decrease or transmembrane pressure increase over the time. Many efforts have been directed to develop the mechanistic permeate flux model to correlate the permeate flux with process parameters. However, their applicability has been largely thwarted due to complicated membrane fouling mechanisms and the interactions of many factors affecting the membrane bioreactor. This paper proposes a semi-empirical permeate flux model for the membrane bioreactor (MBR) process using ZENON immersed hollow fibre membrane modules. The semi-empirical model was proposed by assuming that the permeate flux is equal to transmembrane pressure divided by total resistance. The total resistance is divided into two components: an inside membrane resistance and an outer fouling layer resistance. These membrane resistances are then related to the ageing of membrane used. Good correlation was found between the predicted and measured flux, with the mean absolute deviation being less than 4%. The observations also identified some general rules for operating membrane systems. Ideally, it is advisable that high pressure periods be avoided as this leads to a faster increase of non-reversal membrane resistance. It was also observed that membrane preservatives should be washed out carefully prior to use. (author)

  3. Effect of Amphotericin B antibiotic on the properties of model lipid membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiryakova, S; Dencheva-Zarkova, M; Genova, J

    2014-01-01

    Model membranes formed from natural and synthetic lipids are an interesting object for scientific investigations due to their similarity to biological cell membrane and their simple structure with controlled composition and properties. Amphotericin B is an important polyene antifungal antibiotic, used for treatment of systemic fungal infections. It is known from the literature that the studied antibiotic has a substantial effect on the transmembrane ionic channel structures. When applied to the lipid membranes it has the tendency to create pores and in this way to affect the structure and the properties of the membrane lipid bilayer. In this work the thermally induced shape fluctuations of giant quasi-spherical liposomes have been used to study the influence of polyene antibiotic amphotericin B on the elastic properties of model lipid membranes. It have been shown experimentally that the presence of 3 mol % of AmB in the lipid membrane reduces the bending elasticity of the lipid membrane for both studied cases: pure SOPC membrane and mixed SOPC-Cholesterol membrane. Interaction of the amphotericin B with bilayer lipid membranes containing channels have been studied in this work. Model membranes were self-assembled using the patch-clamp and tip-dip patch clamp technique. We have found that amphotericin B is an ionophore and reduces the resistance of the lipid bilayer

  4. Modeling cell membrane transport: interaction of guanidinylated poly(propylene imine) dendrimers with a liposomal membrane consisting of phosphate-based lipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsogas, Ioannis; Tsiourvas, Dimitris; Nounesis, George; Paleos, Constantinos M

    2006-12-19

    Mixed anionic liposomes consisting of dihexadecyl phosphate, phosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol were employed as model systems for assessing the ability of a series of functionalized dendrimers, bearing a varying number of guanidinium groups at their surface, to translocate across the liposomal bilayers. At low guanidinium/phosphate molar ratios or when weakly guanidinylated dendrimeric derivatives were employed, the dendrimeric derivative acted as a kind of "molecular glue" leading to a simple adhesion of the liposomes. Liposomal fusion occurred to a certain extent at high guanidinium/phosphate molar ratios or when highly guanidinylated dendrimeric derivatives were employed. Furthermore, translocation of these dendrimeric derivatives to the liposomal core was observed for low to medium guanidinylation and at low guanidinium/phosphate molar ratios which was, however, enhanced when the lipid bilayer was in its fluid liquid-crystalline phase. Thus, an optimum balance is required between the binding strength of guanidinium with the phosphate groups and the degree of hydrophilicity of the guanidinylated dendrimers for the transport of the latter to the liposomal core to occur.

  5. Temperature driven annealing of perforations in bicellar model membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nieh, Mu-Ping; Raghunathan, V A; Pabst, Georg; Harroun, Thad; Nagashima, Kazuomi; Morales, Hannah; Katsaras, John; Macdonald, Peter

    2011-04-19

    Bicellar model membranes composed of 1,2-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and 1,2-dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC), with a DMPC/DHPC molar ratio of 5, and doped with the negatively charged lipid 1,2-dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG), at DMPG/DMPC molar ratios of 0.02 or 0.1, were examined using small angle neutron scattering (SANS), (31)P NMR, and (1)H pulsed field gradient (PFG) diffusion NMR with the goal of understanding temperature effects on the DHPC-dependent perforations in these self-assembled membrane mimetics. Over the temperature range studied via SANS (300-330 K), these bicellar lipid mixtures exhibited a well-ordered lamellar phase. The interlamellar spacing d increased with increasing temperature, in direct contrast to the decrease in d observed upon increasing temperature with otherwise identical lipid mixtures lacking DHPC. (31)P NMR measurements on magnetically aligned bicellar mixtures of identical composition indicated a progressive migration of DHPC from regions of high curvature into planar regions with increasing temperature, and in accord with the "mixed bicelle model" (Triba, M. N.; Warschawski, D. E.; Devaux, P. E. Biophys. J.2005, 88, 1887-1901). Parallel PFG diffusion NMR measurements of transbilayer water diffusion, where the observed diffusion is dependent on the fractional surface area of lamellar perforations, showed that transbilayer water diffusion decreased with increasing temperature. A model is proposed consistent with the SANS, (31)P NMR, and PFG diffusion NMR data, wherein increasing temperature drives the progressive migration of DHPC out of high-curvature regions, consequently decreasing the fractional volume of lamellar perforations, so that water occupying these perforations redistributes into the interlamellar volume, thereby increasing the interlamellar spacing. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  6. Modeling hydrogen starvation conditions in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ohs, Jan Hendrik; Sauter, Ulrich; Maass, Sebastian [Robert Bosch GmbH, Robert-Bosch-Platz 1, 70839 Gerlingen-Schillerhoehe (Germany); Stolten, Detlef [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, IEF-3: Fuel Cells, 52425 Juelich (Germany)

    2011-01-01

    In this study, a steady state and isothermal 2D-PEM fuel cell model is presented. By simulation of a single cell along the channel and in through-plane direction, its behaviour under hydrogen starvation due to nitrogen dilution is analysed. Under these conditions, carbon corrosion and water electrolysis are observed on the cathode side. This phenomenon, causing severe cell degradation, is known as reverse current decay mechanism in literature. Butler-Volmer equations are used to model the electrochemical reactions. In addition, we account for permeation of gases through the membrane and for the local water content within the membrane. The results show that the membrane potential locally drops in areas starved from hydrogen. This leads to potential gradients >1.2 V between electrode and membrane on the cathode side resulting in significant carbon corrosion and electrolysis reaction rates. The model enables the analysis of sub-stoichiometric states occurring during anode gas recirculation or load transients. (author)

  7. Modeling of a membrane bioreactor for production of biodiesel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solano, Paola Andrea; Moncada, Jorge Andres; Cardona, Carlos Ariel; Ruiz, Orlando Simon

    2008-01-01

    Through the use of an enzymatic catalyst lipase, produced by Candida Antarctica a membrane bioreactor was modeled and simulated to obtain biodiesel from palm oil and ethanol. A conversion of 0.97 was reached for a residence time of 10.64 min. The membrane bioreactor was compared to a CSTR reactor, where a conversion of 0.76 was obtained. It was concluded that the membrane bioreactor is a better way of producing biodiesel than the CSTR

  8. Modeling and Simulation for Fuel Cell Polymer Electrolyte Membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takahiro Hayashi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We have established methods to evaluate key properties that are needed to commercialize polyelectrolyte membranes for fuel cell electric vehicles such as water diffusion, gas permeability, and mechanical strength. These methods are based on coarse-graining models. For calculating water diffusion and gas permeability through the membranes, the dissipative particle dynamics–Monte Carlo approach was applied, while mechanical strength of the hydrated membrane was simulated by coarse-grained molecular dynamics. As a result of our systematic search and analysis, we can now grasp the direction necessary to improve water diffusion, gas permeability, and mechanical strength. For water diffusion, a map that reveals the relationship between many kinds of molecular structures and diffusion constants was obtained, in which the direction to enhance the diffusivity by improving membrane structure can be clearly seen. In order to achieve high mechanical strength, the molecular structure should be such that the hydrated membrane contains narrow water channels, but these might decrease the proton conductivity. Therefore, an optimal design of the polymer structure is needed, and the developed models reviewed here make it possible to optimize these molecular structures.

  9. A REMARK ON FORMAL MODELS FOR NONLINEARLY ELASTIC MEMBRANE SHELLS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2001-01-01

    This paper gives all the two-dimensional membrane models obtained from formal asymptotic analysis of the three-dimensional geometrically exact nonlinear model of a thin elastic shell made with a Saint Venant-Kirchhoff material. Therefore, the other models can be quoted as flexural nonlinear ones. The author also gives the formal equations solved by the associated stress tensor and points out that only one of those models leads, by linearization, to the “classical” linear limiting membrane model, whose juetification has already been established by a convergence theorem.

  10. Modelling and sequential simulation of multi-tubular metallic membrane and techno-economics of a hydrogen production process employing thin-layer membrane reactor

    KAUST Repository

    Shafiee, Alireza

    2016-09-24

    A theoretical model for multi-tubular palladium-based membrane is proposed in this paper and validated against experimental data for two different sized membrane modules that operate at high temperatures. The model is used in a sequential simulation format to describe and analyse pure hydrogen and hydrogen binary mixture separations, and then extended to simulate an industrial scale membrane unit. This model is used as a sub-routine within an ASPEN Plus model to simulate a membrane reactor in a steam reforming hydrogen production plant. A techno-economic analysis is then conducted using the validated model for a plant producing 300 TPD of hydrogen. The plant utilises a thin (2.5 μm) defect-free and selective layer (Pd75Ag25 alloy) membrane reactor. The economic sensitivity analysis results show usefulness in finding the optimum operating condition that achieves minimum hydrogen production cost at break-even point. A hydrogen production cost of 1.98 $/kg is estimated while the cost of the thin-layer selective membrane is found to constitute 29% of total process capital cost. These results indicate the competiveness of this thin-layer membrane process against conventional methods of hydrogen production. © 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC

  11. Self-consistent model of confinement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swift, A.R.

    1988-01-01

    A model of the large-spatial-distance, zero--three-momentum, limit of QCD is developed from the hypothesis that there is an infrared singularity. Single quarks and gluons do not propagate because they have infinite energy after renormalization. The Hamiltonian formulation of the path integral is used to quantize QCD with physical, nonpropagating fields. Perturbation theory in the infrared limit is simplified by the absence of self-energy insertions and by the suppression of large classes of diagrams due to vanishing propagators. Remaining terms in the perturbation series are resummed to produce a set of nonlinear, renormalizable integral equations which fix both the confining interaction and the physical propagators. Solutions demonstrate the self-consistency of the concepts of an infrared singularity and nonpropagating fields. The Wilson loop is calculated to provide a general proof of confinement. Bethe-Salpeter equations for quark-antiquark pairs and for two gluons have finite-energy solutions in the color-singlet channel. The choice of gauge is addressed in detail. Large classes of corrections to the model are discussed and shown to support self-consistency

  12. Critical Review of Membrane Bioreactor Models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Naessens, W.; Maere, T.; Ratkovich, Nicolas Rios

    2012-01-01

    Membrane bioreactor technology exists for a couple of decades, but has not yet overwhelmed the market due to some serious drawbacks of which operational cost due to fouling is the major contributor. Knowledge buildup and optimisation for such complex systems can heavily benefit from mathematical...... modelling. In this paper, the vast literature on hydrodynamic and integrated modelling in MBR is critically reviewed. Hydrodynamic models are used at different scales and focus mainly on fouling and only little on system design/optimisation. Integrated models also focus on fouling although the ones...

  13. Computer-aided modeling framework – a generic modeling template for catalytic membrane fixed bed reactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fedorova, Marina; Sin, Gürkan; Gani, Rafiqul

    2013-01-01

    and users to generate and test models systematically, efficiently and reliably. In this way, development of products and processes can be faster, cheaper and very efficient. In this contribution, as part of the framework a generic modeling template for the systematic derivation of problem specific catalytic...... membrane fixed bed models is developed. The application of the modeling template is highlighted with a case study related to the modeling of a catalytic membrane reactor coupling dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with hydrogenation of nitrobenzene....

  14. Mimicking the effect of gravity using an elastic membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yecun; Zhu, Changqing; Wang, Yijun; Shi, Qingfan

    2014-01-01

    Comparing astrospace with an elastic membrane is an interesting analogy but it lacks a theoretical basis and experimental support. We develop a theoretical model that brings to light the relationship between the conceptual model of a gravity well and an elastic deformation equation of a membrane supporting a heavy ball, and further derive the ‘gravitational constant’ for such a small ‘elastic space’. The experimental data obtained are consistent with the prediction of our model, in mimicking the revolution of a small planet. Teaching practice shows that using an elastic membrane is a simple, intuitive and reliable method to enhance the quality of learning about the effect of gravity. (paper)

  15. Model-Based Control of a Continuous Coating Line for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Electrode Assembly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vikram Devaraj

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The most expensive component of a fuel cell is the membrane electrode assembly (MEA, which consists of an ionomer membrane coated with catalyst material. Best-performing MEAs are currently fabricated by depositing and drying liquid catalyst ink on the membrane; however, this process is limited to individual preparation by hand due to the membrane’s rapid water absorption that leads to shape deformation and coating defects. A continuous coating line can reduce the cost and time needed to fabricate the MEA, incentivizing the commercialization and widespread adoption of fuel cells. A pilot-scale membrane coating line was designed for such a task and is described in this paper. Accurate process control is necessary to prevent manufacturing defects from occurring in the coating line. A linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG controller was developed based on a physics-based model of the coating process to optimally control the temperature and humidity of the drying zones. The process controller was implemented in the pilot-scale coating line proving effective in preventing defects.

  16. Advanced Wastewater Treatment Engineering—Investigating Membrane Fouling in both Rotational and Static Membrane Bioreactor Systems Using Empirical Modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parneet Paul

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Advanced wastewater treatment using membranes are popular environmental system processes since they allow reuse and recycling. However, fouling is a key limiting factor and so proprietary systems such as Avanti’s RPU-185 Flexidisks membrane bioreactor (MBR use novel rotating membranes to assist in ameliorating it. In earlier research, this rotating process was studied by creating a simulation model based on first principles and traditional fouling mechanisms. In order to directly compare the potential benefits of this rotational system, this follow-up study was carried out using Avanti’s newly developed static (non-rotating Flexidisks MBR system. The results from operating the static pilot unit were simulated and modelled using the rotational fouling model developed earlier however with rotational switching functions turned off and rotational parameters set to a static mode. The study concluded that a rotating MBR system could increase flux throughput when compared against a similar static system. It is thought that although the slowly rotating spindle induces a weak crossflow shear, it is still able to even out cake build up across the membrane surface, thus reducing the likelihood of localised critical flux being exceeded at the micro level and lessening the potential of rapid trans-membrane pressure increases at the macro level.

  17. A layer model of ethanol partitioning into lipid membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nizza, David T; Gawrisch, Klaus

    2009-06-01

    The effect of membrane composition on ethanol partitioning into lipid bilayers was assessed by headspace gas chromatography. A series of model membranes with different compositions have been investigated. Membranes were exposed to a physiological ethanol concentration of 20 mmol/l. The concentration of membranes was 20 wt% which roughly corresponds to values found in tissue. Partitioning depended on the chemical nature of polar groups at the lipid/water interface. Compared to phosphatidylcholine, lipids with headgroups containing phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin showed enhanced partitioning while headgroups containing phosphatidylethanolamine resulted in a lower partition coefficient. The molar partition coefficient was independent of a membrane's hydrophobic volume. This observation is in agreement with our previously published NMR results which showed that ethanol resides almost exclusively within the membrane/water interface. At an ethanol concentration of 20 mmol/l in water, ethanol concentrations at the lipid/water interface are in the range from 30-15 mmol/l, corresponding to one ethanol molecule per 100-200 lipids.

  18. Consistent spectroscopy for a extended gauge model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira Neto, G. de.

    1990-11-01

    The consistent spectroscopy was obtained with a Lagrangian constructed with vector fields with a U(1) group extended symmetry. As consistent spectroscopy is understood the determination of quantum physical properties described by the model in an manner independent from the possible parametrizations adopted in their description. (L.C.J.A.)

  19. Models of dynamic extraction of lipid tethers from cell membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nowak, Sarah A; Chou, Tom

    2010-01-01

    When a ligand that is bound to an integral membrane receptor is pulled, the membrane and the underlying cytoskeleton can deform before either the membrane delaminates from the cytoskeleton or the ligand detaches from the receptor. If the membrane delaminates from the cytoskeleton, it may be further extruded and form a membrane tether. We develop a phenomenological model for this process by assuming that deformations obey Hooke's law up to a critical force at which the cell membrane locally detaches from the cytoskeleton and a membrane tether forms. We compute the probability of tether formation and show that tethers can be extruded only within an intermediate range of force loading rates and pulling velocities. The mean tether length that arises at the moment of ligand detachment is computed as are the force loading rates and pulling velocities that yield the longest tethers

  20. CONSISTENCY UNDER SAMPLING OF EXPONENTIAL RANDOM GRAPH MODELS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shalizi, Cosma Rohilla; Rinaldo, Alessandro

    2013-04-01

    The growing availability of network data and of scientific interest in distributed systems has led to the rapid development of statistical models of network structure. Typically, however, these are models for the entire network, while the data consists only of a sampled sub-network. Parameters for the whole network, which is what is of interest, are estimated by applying the model to the sub-network. This assumes that the model is consistent under sampling , or, in terms of the theory of stochastic processes, that it defines a projective family. Focusing on the popular class of exponential random graph models (ERGMs), we show that this apparently trivial condition is in fact violated by many popular and scientifically appealing models, and that satisfying it drastically limits ERGM's expressive power. These results are actually special cases of more general results about exponential families of dependent random variables, which we also prove. Using such results, we offer easily checked conditions for the consistency of maximum likelihood estimation in ERGMs, and discuss some possible constructive responses.

  1. Membrane models and generalized Z2 gauge theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lowe, M.J.; Wallace, D.J.

    1980-01-01

    We consider models of (d-n)-dimensional membranes fluctuating in a d-dimensional space under the action of surface tension. We investigate the renormalization properties of these models perturbatively and in 1/n expansion. The potential relationships of these models to generalized Z 2 gauge theories are indicated. (orig.)

  2. Ice formation in model biological membranes in the presence of cryoprotectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kiselev, M.A. E-mail: kiselev@nf.jinr.ru; Lesieur, P.; Kisselev, A.M.; Ollivon, M

    2000-06-21

    Ice formation in model biological membranes is studied by SAXS and WAXS in the presence of cryoprotectors: dimethyl sulfoxide and glycerol. Three types of phospholipid membranes: DPPC, DMPC, DSPC are chosen for the investigation as well-studied model biological membranes. A special cryostat is used for sample cooling from 14.1 deg. C to -55.4 deg. C. The ice formation is detected only by WAXS in binary phospholipid/water and ternary phospholipid/cryoprotector/water systems in the condition of excess solvent. Ice formation in a binary phospholipid/water system creates an abrupt decrease of the membrane repeat distance by {delta}d, the so-called ice-induced dehydration of intermembrane space. The value of {delta}d decreases as the cryoprotector concentration increases. The formation of ice does not influence the membrane structure ({delta}d=0) for cryoprotector mole fractions higher than 0.05.

  3. There Is No Simple Model of the Plasma Membrane Organization

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    de la serna, J. B.; Schütz, G.; Eggeling, Ch.; Cebecauer, Marek

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 4, SEP 2016 (2016), 106 ISSN 2296-634X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-06989S Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : plasma membrane * membrane organization models * heterogeneous distribution Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry

  4. Mathematical models of membrane fouling in cross-flow micro-filtration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mónica Jimena Ortíz Jerez

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The greatest difficulty arising during cross-flow micro-filtration is the formation of a cake layer on the membrane sur-face (also called fouling, thereby affecting system performance. Fouling has been related to permeate flux decay re-sulting from changes in operating variables. Many articles have been published in an attempt to explain this phe-nomenon but it has not yet been fully understood because it depends on specific solution/membrane interactions and differing parameters. This work was aimed at presenting an analytical review of recently published mathematical models to explain fouling. Although the reviewed models can be adjusted to any type of application, a simple “con-centration polarisation” model is advisable in the particular case of tropical fruit juices for describing the insoluble solids being deposited on membrane surface.

  5. Study of Separation and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes during Model Hydrolysate Solution Filtration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ajao, Olumoye; Rahni, Mohamed; Marinova, Mariya; Chadjaa, Hassan; Savadogo, Oumarou

    2017-12-15

    Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.

  6. Study of Separation and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes during Model Hydrolysate Solution Filtration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olumoye Ajao

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.

  7. Consistent Stochastic Modelling of Meteocean Design Parameters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Sterndorff, M. J.

    2000-01-01

    Consistent stochastic models of metocean design parameters and their directional dependencies are essential for reliability assessment of offshore structures. In this paper a stochastic model for the annual maximum values of the significant wave height, and the associated wind velocity, current...

  8. Consistency and Reconciliation Model In Regional Development Planning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dina Suryawati

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to identify the problems and determine the conceptual model of regional development planning. Regional development planning is a systemic, complex and unstructured process. Therefore, this study used soft systems methodology to outline unstructured issues with a structured approach. The conceptual models that were successfully constructed in this study are a model of consistency and a model of reconciliation. Regional development planning is a process that is well-integrated with central planning and inter-regional planning documents. Integration and consistency of regional planning documents are very important in order to achieve the development goals that have been set. On the other hand, the process of development planning in the region involves technocratic system, that is, both top-down and bottom-up system of participation. Both must be balanced, do not overlap and do not dominate each other. regional, development, planning, consistency, reconciliation

  9. Consistent three-equation model for thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richard, Gael; Gisclon, Marguerite; Ruyer-Quil, Christian; Vila, Jean-Paul

    2017-11-01

    Numerical simulations of thin films of newtonian fluids down an inclined plane use reduced models for computational cost reasons. These models are usually derived by averaging over the fluid depth the physical equations of fluid mechanics with an asymptotic method in the long-wave limit. Two-equation models are based on the mass conservation equation and either on the momentum balance equation or on the work-energy theorem. We show that there is no two-equation model that is both consistent and theoretically coherent and that a third variable and a three-equation model are required to solve all theoretical contradictions. The linear and nonlinear properties of two and three-equation models are tested on various practical problems. We present a new consistent three-equation model with a simple mathematical structure which allows an easy and reliable numerical resolution. The numerical calculations agree fairly well with experimental measurements or with direct numerical resolutions for neutral stability curves, speed of kinematic waves and of solitary waves and depth profiles of wavy films. The model can also predict the flow reversal at the first capillary trough ahead of the main wave hump.

  10. Effects of phenylpropanolamine (PPA) on in vitro human erythrocyte membranes and molecular models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suwalsky, Mario, E-mail: msuwalsk@udec.cl [Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Concepcion, Concepcion (Chile); Zambrano, Pablo; Mennickent, Sigrid [Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Concepcion, Concepcion (Chile); Villena, Fernando [Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Concepcion, Concepcion (Chile); Sotomayor, Carlos P.; Aguilar, Luis F. [Instituto de Quimica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso (Chile); Bolognin, Silvia [CNR-Institute for Biomedical Technologies, University of Padova, Padova (Italy)

    2011-03-18

    Research highlights: {yields} PPA is a common ingredient in cough-cold medication and appetite suppressants. {yields} Reports on its effects on human erythrocytes are very scarce. {yields} We found that PPA induced in vitro morphological changes to human erythrocytes. {yields} PPA interacted with isolated unsealed human erythrocyte membranes. {yields} PPA interacted with class of lipid present in the erythrocyte membrane outer monolayer. -- Abstract: Norephedrine, also called phenylpropanolamine (PPA), is a synthetic form of the ephedrine alkaloid. After reports of the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage and other adverse effects, including several deaths, PPA is no longer sold in USA and Canada. Despite the extensive information about PPA toxicity, reports on its effects on cell membranes are scarce. With the aim to better understand the molecular mechanisms of the interaction of PPA with cell membranes, ranges of concentrations were incubated with intact human erythrocytes, isolated unsealed human erythrocyte membranes (IUM), and molecular models of cell membranes. The latter consisted in bilayers built-up of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DMPE), phospholipid classes present in the outer and inner monolayers of most plasmatic cell membranes, respectively. The capacity of PPA to perturb the bilayer structures of DMPC and DMPE was assessed by X-ray diffraction, DMPC large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) and IUM were studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, and intact human erythrocytes were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This study presents evidence that PPA affects human red cell membranes as follows: (a) in SEM studies on human erythrocytes it was observed that 0.5 mM PPA induced shape changes; (b) in IUM PPA induced a sharp decrease in the fluorescence anisotropy in the lipid bilayer acyl chains in a concentration range lower than 100 {mu}M; (c) X-ray diffraction studies showed that PPA in the 0.1-0.5 m

  11. Analysis of mass transfer characteristics in a tubular membrane using CFD modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jixiang; Vedantam, Sreepriya; Spanjers, Henri; Nopens, Ingmar; van Lier, Jules B

    2012-10-01

    In contrast to the large amount of research into aerobic membrane bioreactors, little work has been reported on anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AMBRs). As to the application of membrane bioreactors, membrane fouling is a key issue. Membrane fouling generally occurs more seriously in AMBRs than in aerobic membrane bioreactors. However, membrane fouling could be managed through the application of suitable shear stress that can be introduced by the application of a two-phase flow. When the two-phase flow is applied in AMBRs, little is known about the mass transfer characteristics, which is of particular importance, in tubular membranes of AMBRs. In our present work, we have employed fluid dynamic modeling to analyze the mass transfer characteristics in the tubular membrane of a side stream AMBR in which, gas-lift two-phase flow was applied. The modeling indicated that the mass transfer capacity at the membrane surface at the noses of gas bubbles was higher than the mass transfer capacity at the tails of the bubbles, which is in contrast to the results when water instead of sludge is applied. At the given mass transfer rate, the filterability of the sludge was found to have a strong influence on the transmembrane pressure at a steady flux. In addition, the model also showed that the shear stress in the internal space of the tubular membrane was mainly around 20 Pa but could be as high as about 40 Pa due to gas bubble movements. Nonetheless, at these shear stresses a stable particle size distribution was found for sludge particles. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Understanding Detergent Effects on Lipid Membranes: A Model Study of Lysolipids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Jonas Rosager; Andresen, Thomas Lars; Feldborg, Lise Nørkjær

    2010-01-01

    Lysolipids and fatty acids are the natural products formed by the hydrolysis of phospholipids. Lysolipids and fatty acids form micelles in solution and acts as detergents in the presence of lipid membranes. In this study, we investigate the detergent strength of a homologous series of lyso......-chain mismatch between LPC and POPC determines the magnitude of the membrane mechanical perturbation per LPC molecule in the membrane. Finally, the three-stage model describing detergent membrane interaction has been extended by a parameter D-MCI, which governs the membrane curvature stability in the detergent...

  13. Investigation of membrane mechanics using spring networks: application to red-blood-cell modelling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Mingzhu; Boyle, Fergal J

    2014-10-01

    In recent years a number of red-blood-cell (RBC) models have been proposed using spring networks to represent the RBC membrane. Some results predicted by these models agree well with experimental measurements. However, the suitability of these membrane models has been questioned. The RBC membrane, like a continuum membrane, is mechanically isotropic throughout its surface, but the mechanical properties of a spring network vary on the network surface and change with deformation. In this work spring-network mechanics are investigated in large deformation for the first time via an assessment of the effect of network parameters, i.e. network mesh, spring type and surface constraint. It is found that a spring network is conditionally equivalent to a continuum membrane. In addition, spring networks are employed for RBC modelling to replicate the optical tweezers test. It is found that a spring network is sufficient for modelling the RBC membrane but strain-hardening springs are required. Moreover, the deformation profile of a spring network is presented for the first time via the degree of shear. It is found that spring-network deformation approaches continuous as the mesh density increases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Consistent biokinetic models for the actinide elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leggett, R.W.

    2001-01-01

    The biokinetic models for Th, Np, Pu, Am and Cm currently recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) were developed within a generic framework that depicts gradual burial of skeletal activity in bone volume, depicts recycling of activity released to blood and links excretion to retention and translocation of activity. For other actinide elements such as Ac, Pa, Bk, Cf and Es, the ICRP still uses simplistic retention models that assign all skeletal activity to bone surface and depicts one-directional flow of activity from blood to long-term depositories to excreta. This mixture of updated and older models in ICRP documents has led to inconsistencies in dose estimates and interpretation of bioassay for radionuclides with reasonably similar biokinetics. This paper proposes new biokinetic models for Ac, Pa, Bk, Cf and Es that are consistent with the updated models for Th, Np, Pu, Am and Cm. The proposed models are developed within the ICRP's generic model framework for bone-surface-seeking radionuclides, and an effort has been made to develop parameter values that are consistent with results of comparative biokinetic data on the different actinide elements. (author)

  15. Human Lipoproteins at Model Cell Membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Browning, K L; Lind, T K; Maric, S

    2017-01-01

    High and low density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL) are thought to play vital roles in the onset and development of atherosclerosis; the biggest killer in the western world. Key issues of initial lipoprotein (LP) interactions at cellular membranes need to be addressed including LP deposition and lipid...... exchange. Here we present a protocol for monitoring the in situ kinetics of lipoprotein deposition and lipid exchange/removal at model cellular membranes using the non-invasive, surface sensitive methods of neutron reflection and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation. For neutron reflection, lipid...... support the notion of HDL acting as the 'good' cholesterol, removing lipid material from lipid-loaded cells, whereas LDL acts as the 'bad' cholesterol, depositing lipid material into the vascular wall....

  16. Standard Model Vacuum Stability and Weyl Consistency Conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Antipin, Oleg; Gillioz, Marc; Krog, Jens

    2013-01-01

    At high energy the standard model possesses conformal symmetry at the classical level. This is reflected at the quantum level by relations between the different beta functions of the model. These relations are known as the Weyl consistency conditions. We show that it is possible to satisfy them...... order by order in perturbation theory, provided that a suitable coupling constant counting scheme is used. As a direct phenomenological application, we study the stability of the standard model vacuum at high energies and compare with previous computations violating the Weyl consistency conditions....

  17. A membrane model for cytosolic calcium oscillations. A study using Xenopus oocytes.

    OpenAIRE

    Jafri, M S; Vajda, S; Pasik, P; Gillo, B

    1992-01-01

    Cytosolic calcium oscillations occur in a wide variety of cells and are involved in different cellular functions. We describe these calcium oscillations by a mathematical model based on the putative electrophysiological properties of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. The salient features of our membrane model are calcium-dependent calcium channels and calcium pumps in the ER membrane, constant entry of calcium into the cytosol, calcium dependent removal from the cytosol, and buffering ...

  18. Fish skin as a model membrane: structure and characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konrádsdóttir, Fífa; Loftsson, Thorsteinn; Sigfússon, Sigurdur Dadi

    2009-01-01

    Synthetic and cell-based membranes are frequently used during drug formulation development for the assessment of drug availability. However, most of the currently used membranes do not mimic mucosal membranes well, especially the aqueous mucous layer of the membranes. In this study we evaluated catfish (Anarichas lupus L) skin as a model membrane. Permeation of hydrocortisone, lidocaine hydrochloride, benzocaine, diethylstilbestrol, naproxen, picric acid and sodium nitrate through skin from a freshly caught catfish was determined in Franz diffusion cells. Both lipophilic and hydrophilic molecules permeate through catfish skin via hydrated channels or aqueous pores. No correlation was observed between the octanol/water partition coefficient of the permeating molecules and their permeability coefficient through the skin. Permeation through catfish skin was found to be diffusion controlled. The results suggest that permeation through the fish skin proceeds via a diffusion-controlled process, a process that is similar to drug permeation through the aqueous mucous layer of a mucosal membrane. In addition, the fish skin, with its collagen matrix structure, appears to possess similar properties to the eye sclera.

  19. Surface pH controls purple-to-blue transition of bacteriorhodopsin. A theoretical model of purple membrane surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szundi, I; Stoeckenius, W

    1989-08-01

    We have developed a surface model of purple membrane and applied it in an analysis of the purple-to-blue color change of bacteriorhodopsin which is induced by acidification or deionization. The model is based on dissociation and double layer theory and the known membrane structure. We calculated surface pH, ion concentrations, charge density, and potential as a function of bulk pH and concentration of mono- and divalent cations. At low salt concentrations, the surface pH is significantly lower than the bulk pH and it becomes independent of bulk pH in the deionized membrane suspension. Using an experimental acid titration curve for neutral, lipid-depleted membrane, we converted surface pH into absorption values. The calculated bacteriohodopsin color changes for acidification of purple, and titrations of deionized blue membrane with cations or base agree well with experimental results. No chemical binding is required to reproduce the experimental curves. Surface charge and potential changes in acid, base and cation titrations are calculated and their relation to the color change is discussed. Consistent with structural data, 10 primary phosphate and two basic surface groups per bacteriorhodopsin are sufficient to obtain good agreement between all calculated and experimental curves. The results provide a theoretical basis for our earlier conclusion that the purple-to-blue transition must be attributed to surface phenomena and not to cation binding at specific sites in the protein.

  20. An in vitro model of the glomerular capillary wall using electrospun collagen nanofibres in a bioartificial composite basement membrane.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sadie C Slater

    Full Text Available The filtering unit of the kidney, the glomerulus, contains capillaries whose walls function as a biological sieve, the glomerular filtration barrier. This comprises layers of two specialised cells, glomerular endothelial cells (GEnC and podocytes, separated by a basement membrane. Glomerular filtration barrier function, and dysfunction in disease, remains incompletely understood, partly due to difficulties in studying the relevant cell types in vitro. We have addressed this by generation of unique conditionally immortalised human GEnC and podocytes. However, because the glomerular filtration barrier functions as a whole, it is necessary to develop three dimensional co-culture models to maximise the benefit of the availability of these cells. Here we have developed the first two tri-layer models of the glomerular capillary wall. The first is based on tissue culture inserts and provides evidence of cell-cell interaction via soluble mediators. In the second model the synthetic support of the tissue culture insert is replaced with a novel composite bioartificial membrane. This consists of a nanofibre membrane containing collagen I, electrospun directly onto a micro-photoelectroformed fine nickel supporting mesh. GEnC and podocytes grew in monolayers on either side of the insert support or the novel membrane to form a tri-layer model recapitulating the human glomerular capillary in vitro. These models will advance the study of both the physiology of normal glomerular filtration and of its disruption in glomerular disease.

  1. Modeling the ion transfer and polarization of ion exchange membranes in bioelectrochemical systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harnisch, Falk; Warmbier, Robert; Schneider, Ralf; Schröder, Uwe

    2009-06-01

    An explicit numerical model for the charge balancing ion transfer across monopolar ion exchange membranes under conditions of bioelectrochemical systems is presented. Diffusion and migration equations have been solved according to the Nernst-Planck Equation and the resulting ion concentrations, pH values and the resistance values of the membrane for different conditions were computed. The modeling results underline the principle limitations of the application of ion exchange membranes in biological fuel cells and electrolyzers, caused by the inherent occurrence of a pH-gradient between anode and cathode compartment, and an increased ohmic membrane resistance at decreasing electrolyte concentrations. Finally, the physical and numerical limitations of the model are discussed.

  2. Nuclide separation modeling through reverse osmosis membranes in radioactive liquid waste

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byung-Sik Lee

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work is to investigate the transport mechanism of radioactive nuclides through the reverse osmosis (RO membrane and to estimate its effectiveness for nuclide separation from radioactive liquid waste. An analytical model is developed to simulate the RO separation, and a series of experiments are set up to confirm its estimated separation behavior. The model is based on the extended Nernst–Plank equation, which handles the convective flux, diffusive flux, and electromigration flux under electroneutrality and zero electric current conditions. The distribution coefficient which arises due to ion interactions with the membrane material and the electric potential jump at the membrane interface are included as boundary conditions in solving the equation. A high Peclet approximation is adopted to simplify the calculation, but the effect of concentration polarization is included for a more accurate prediction of separation. Cobalt and cesium are specifically selected for the experiments in order to check the separation mechanism from liquid waste composed of various radioactive nuclides and nonradioactive substances, and the results are compared with the estimated cobalt and cesium rejections of the RO membrane using the model. Experimental and calculated results are shown to be in excellent agreement. The proposed model will be very useful for the prediction of separation behavior of various radioactive nuclides by the RO membrane.

  3. Nuclide separation modeling through reverse osmosis membranes in radioactive liquid waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Byung Sik [KEPCO Engineering and Construction, Gimcheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-12-15

    The aim of this work is to investigate the transport mechanism of radioactive nuclides through the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane and to estimate its effectiveness for nuclide separation from radioactive liquid waste. An analytical model is developed to simulate the RO separation, and a series of experiments are set up to confirm its estimated separation behavior. The model is based on the extended Nernst-Plank equation, which handles the convective flux, diffusive flux, and electromigration flux under electroneutrality and zero electric current conditions. The distribution coefficient which arises due to ion interactions with the membrane material and the electric potential jump at the membrane interface are included as boundary conditions in solving the equation. A high Peclet approximation is adopted to simplify the calculation, but the effect of concentration polarization is included for a more accurate prediction of separation. Cobalt and cesium are specifically selected for the experiments in order to check the separation mechanism from liquid waste composed of various radioactive nuclides and nonradioactive substances, and the results are compared with the estimated cobalt and cesium rejections of the RO membrane using the model. Experimental and calculated results are shown to be in excellent agreement. The proposed model will be very useful for the prediction of separation behavior of various radioactive nuclides by the RO membrane.

  4. Modeling CO2-facilitated transport across a diethanolamine liquid membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lihong Bao; Michael C. Trachtenberg [Carbozyme Inc., Monmouth Junction, NJ (United States)

    2005-12-15

    We compared experimental and model data for the facilitated transport of CO2 from a CO2-air mixture across an aqueous solution of diethanolamine (DEA) via a hollow fiber, contained liquid membrane (HFCLM) permeator. A two-step carbamate formation model was devised to analyze the data instead of the one-step mechanism used by previous investigators. The effects of DEA concentration, liquid membrane thickness and feed CO2 concentration were also studied. With a 20% (wt) DEA liquid membrane and feed of 15% CO2 in CO2-air mixture at atmosphere pressure, the permeance reached 1.51E-8 mol/m{sup 2} s Pa with a CO2/N2 selectivity of 115. Model predictions compared well with the experimental results at CO2 concentrations of industrial importance. Short-term stability of the HFCLM permeator performance was examined. The system was stable during 5-days of testing.

  5. Modeling of air-gap membrane distillation process: A theoretical and experimental study

    KAUST Repository

    Alsaadi, Ahmad Salem

    2013-06-03

    A one dimensional (1-D) air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) model for flat sheet type modules has been developed. This model is based on mathematical equations that describe the heat and mass transfer mechanisms of a single-stage AGMD process. It can simulate AGMD modules in both co-current and counter-current flow regimes. The theoretical model was validated using AGMD experimental data obtained under different operating conditions and parameters. The predicted water vapor flux was compared to the flux measured at five different feed water temperatures, two different feed water salinities, three different air gap widths and two MD membranes with different average pore sizes. This comparison showed that the model flux predictions are strongly correlated with the experimental data, with model predictions being within +10% of the experimentally determined values. The model was then used to study and analyze the parameters that have significant effect on scaling-up the AGMD process such as the effect of increasing the membrane length, and feed and coolant flow rates. The model was also used to analyze the maximum thermal efficiency of the AGMD process by tracing changes in water production rate and the heat input to the process along the membrane length. This was used to understand the gain in both process production and thermal efficiency for different membrane surface areas and the resultant increases in process capital and water unit cost. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

  6. Finsler Geometry Modeling of an Orientation-Asymmetric Surface Model for Membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Proutorov, Evgenii; Koibuchi, Hiroshi

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, a triangulated surface model is studied in the context of Finsler geometry (FG) modeling. This FG model is an extended version of a recently reported model for two-component membranes, and it is asymmetric under surface inversion. We show that the definition of the model is independent of how the Finsler length of a bond is defined. This leads us to understand that the canonical (or Euclidean) surface model is obtained from the FG model such that it is uniquely determined as a trivial model from the viewpoint of well definedness.

  7. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in model bacterial membranes - Langmuir monolayer studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broniatowski, Marcin; Binczycka, Martyna; Wójcik, Aneta; Flasiński, Michał; Wydro, Paweł

    2017-12-01

    High molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW-PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants which due to their limited biodegradability accumulate in soils where their increased presence can lead to the impoverishment of the decomposer organisms. As very hydrophobic PAHs easily penetrate cellular membranes of soil bacteria and can be incorporated therein, changing the membrane fluidity and other functions which in consequence can lead to the death of the organism. The structure and size of PAH molecule can be crucial for its membrane activity; however the correlation between PAH structure and its interaction with phospholipids have not been investigated so far. In our studies we applied phospholipid Langmuir monolayers as model bacterial membranes and investigated how the incorporation of six structurally different PAH molecules change the membrane texture and physical properties. In our studies we registered surface pressure and surface potential isotherms upon the monolayer compression, visualized the monolayer texture with the application of Brewster angle microscopy and searched the ordering of the film-forming molecules with molecular resolution with the application of grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) method. It turned out that the phospholipid-PAH interactions are strictly structure dependent. Four and five-ring PAHs of the angular or cluster geometry can be incorporated into the model membranes changing profoundly their textures and fluidity; whereas linear or large cluster PAHs cannot be incorporated and separate from the lipid matrix. The observed phenomena were explained based on structural similarities of the applied PAHs with membrane steroids and hopanoids. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Diffusive Silicon Nanopore Membranes for Hemodialysis Applications.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven Kim

    Full Text Available Hemodialysis using hollow-fiber membranes provides life-sustaining treatment for nearly 2 million patients worldwide with end stage renal disease (ESRD. However, patients on hemodialysis have worse long-term outcomes compared to kidney transplant or other chronic illnesses. Additionally, the underlying membrane technology of polymer hollow-fiber membranes has not fundamentally changed in over four decades. Therefore, we have proposed a fundamentally different approach using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS fabrication techniques to create thin-flat sheets of silicon-based membranes for implantable or portable hemodialysis applications. The silicon nanopore membranes (SNM have biomimetic slit-pore geometry and uniform pores size distribution that allow for exceptional permeability and selectivity. A quantitative diffusion model identified structural limits to diffusive solute transport and motivated a new microfabrication technique to create SNM with enhanced diffusive transport. We performed in vitro testing and extracorporeal testing in pigs on prototype membranes with an effective surface area of 2.52 cm2 and 2.02 cm2, respectively. The diffusive clearance was a two-fold improvement in with the new microfabrication technique and was consistent with our mathematical model. These results establish the feasibility of using SNM for hemodialysis applications with additional scale-up.

  9. Diffusive Silicon Nanopore Membranes for Hemodialysis Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Steven; Feinberg, Benjamin; Kant, Rishi; Chui, Benjamin; Goldman, Ken; Park, Jaehyun; Moses, Willieford; Blaha, Charles; Iqbal, Zohora; Chow, Clarence; Wright, Nathan; Fissell, William H.; Zydney, Andrew; Roy, Shuvo

    2016-01-01

    Hemodialysis using hollow-fiber membranes provides life-sustaining treatment for nearly 2 million patients worldwide with end stage renal disease (ESRD). However, patients on hemodialysis have worse long-term outcomes compared to kidney transplant or other chronic illnesses. Additionally, the underlying membrane technology of polymer hollow-fiber membranes has not fundamentally changed in over four decades. Therefore, we have proposed a fundamentally different approach using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication techniques to create thin-flat sheets of silicon-based membranes for implantable or portable hemodialysis applications. The silicon nanopore membranes (SNM) have biomimetic slit-pore geometry and uniform pores size distribution that allow for exceptional permeability and selectivity. A quantitative diffusion model identified structural limits to diffusive solute transport and motivated a new microfabrication technique to create SNM with enhanced diffusive transport. We performed in vitro testing and extracorporeal testing in pigs on prototype membranes with an effective surface area of 2.52 cm2 and 2.02 cm2, respectively. The diffusive clearance was a two-fold improvement in with the new microfabrication technique and was consistent with our mathematical model. These results establish the feasibility of using SNM for hemodialysis applications with additional scale-up. PMID:27438878

  10. Solving Problem of Graph Isomorphism by Membrane-Quantum Hybrid Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Artiom Alhazov

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This work presents the application of new parallelization methods based on membrane-quantum hybrid computing to graph isomorphism problem solving. Applied membrane-quantum hybrid computational model was developed by authors. Massive parallelism of unconventional computing is used to implement classic brute force algorithm efficiently. This approach does not suppose any restrictions of considered graphs types. The estimated performance of the model is less then quadratic that makes a very good result for the problem of \\textbf{NP} complexity.

  11. Stability of model membranes in extreme environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Namani, Trishool; Deamer, David W

    2008-08-01

    The first forms of cellular life required a source of amphiphilic compounds capable of assembling into stable boundary structures. Membranes composed of fatty acids have been proposed as model systems of primitive membranes, but their bilayer structure is stable only within a narrow pH range and low ionic strength. They are particularly sensitive to aggregating effects of divalent cations (Mg+2, Ca+2, Fe+2) that would be present in Archaean sea water. Here we report that mixtures of alkyl amines and fatty acids form vesicles at strongly basic and acidic pH ranges which are resistant to the effects of divalent cations up to 0.1 M. Vesicles formed by mixtures of decylamine and decanoic acid (1:1 mole ratio) are relatively permeable to pyranine, a fluorescent anionic dye, but permeability could be reduced by adding 2 mol% of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon such as pyrene. Permeability to the dye was also reduced by increasing the chain length of the amphiphiles. For instance, 1:1 mole ratio mixtures of dodecylamine and dodecanoic acid were able to retain pyranine dye during and following gel filtration. We conclude that primitive cell membranes were likely to be composed of mixtures of amphiphilic and hydrophobic molecules that manifested increased stability over pure fatty acid membranes.

  12. Mathematical modelling of dextran filtration through hollow fibre membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vinther, Frank; Pinelo, Manuel; Brøns, Morten

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we present a mathematical model of an ultrafiltration process. The results of the model are produced using standard numerical techniques with Comsol Multiphysics. The model describes the fluid flow and separation in hollow fibre membranes. The flow of solute and solvent within the h...

  13. Consistent Partial Least Squares Path Modeling via Regularization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Sunho; Park, JaeHong

    2018-01-01

    Partial least squares (PLS) path modeling is a component-based structural equation modeling that has been adopted in social and psychological research due to its data-analytic capability and flexibility. A recent methodological advance is consistent PLS (PLSc), designed to produce consistent estimates of path coefficients in structural models involving common factors. In practice, however, PLSc may frequently encounter multicollinearity in part because it takes a strategy of estimating path coefficients based on consistent correlations among independent latent variables. PLSc has yet no remedy for this multicollinearity problem, which can cause loss of statistical power and accuracy in parameter estimation. Thus, a ridge type of regularization is incorporated into PLSc, creating a new technique called regularized PLSc. A comprehensive simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of regularized PLSc as compared to its non-regularized counterpart in terms of power and accuracy. The results show that our regularized PLSc is recommended for use when serious multicollinearity is present.

  14. Consistent Partial Least Squares Path Modeling via Regularization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunho Jung

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Partial least squares (PLS path modeling is a component-based structural equation modeling that has been adopted in social and psychological research due to its data-analytic capability and flexibility. A recent methodological advance is consistent PLS (PLSc, designed to produce consistent estimates of path coefficients in structural models involving common factors. In practice, however, PLSc may frequently encounter multicollinearity in part because it takes a strategy of estimating path coefficients based on consistent correlations among independent latent variables. PLSc has yet no remedy for this multicollinearity problem, which can cause loss of statistical power and accuracy in parameter estimation. Thus, a ridge type of regularization is incorporated into PLSc, creating a new technique called regularized PLSc. A comprehensive simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of regularized PLSc as compared to its non-regularized counterpart in terms of power and accuracy. The results show that our regularized PLSc is recommended for use when serious multicollinearity is present.

  15. Multienzyme Immobilized Polymeric Membrane Reactor for the Transformation of a Lignin Model Compound

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rupam Sarma

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available We have developed an integrated, multienzyme functionalized membrane reactor for bioconversion of a lignin model compound involving enzymatic catalysis. The membrane bioreactors were fabricated through the layer-by-layer assembly approach to immobilize three different enzymes (glucose oxidase, peroxidase and laccase into pH-responsive membranes. This novel membrane reactor couples the in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide (by glucose oxidase to oxidative conversion of a lignin model compound, guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether (GGE. Preliminary investigation of the efficacy of these functional membranes towards GGE degradation is demonstrated under convective flow mode. Over 90% of the initial feed could be degraded with the multienzyme immobilized membranes at a residence time of approximately 22 s. GGE conversion product analysis revealed the formation of oligomeric oxidation products upon reaction with peroxidase, which may be a potential hazard to membrane bioreactors. These oxidation products could further be degraded by laccase enzymes in the multienzymatic membranes, explaining the potential of multi enzyme membrane reactors. The multienzyme incorporated membrane reactors were active for more than 30 days of storage time at 4 °C. During this time span, repetitive use of the membrane reactor was demonstrated involving 5–6 h of operation time for each cycle. The membrane reactor displayed encouraging performance, losing only 12% of its initial activity after multiple cycles of operation.

  16. Modelling of a tubular membrane contactor for pre-combustion CO2 capture using ionic liquids: Influence of the membrane configuration, absorbent properties and operation parameters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongde Dai

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available A membrane contactor using ionic liquids (ILs as solvent for pre-combustion capture CO2 at elevated temperature (303–393 K and pressure (20 bar has been studied using mathematic model in the present work. A comprehensive two-dimensional (2D mass-transfer model was developed based on finite element method. The effects of liquid properties, membrane configurations, as well as operation parameters on the CO2 removal efficiency were systematically studied. The simulation results show that CO2 can be effectively removed in this process. In addition, it is found that the liquid phase mass transfer dominated the overall mass transfer. Membranes with high porosity and small thickness could apparently reduce the membrane resistance and thus increase the separation efficiency. On the other hand, the membrane diameter and membrane length have a relatively small influence on separation performance within the operation range. Keywords: CO2 capture, Pre-combustion, Membrane contactor, Ionic liquids, Modelling

  17. [Computer modeling the hydrostatic pressure characteristics of the membrane potential for polymeric membrane, separated non-homogeneous electrolyte solutions].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slezak, Izabella H; Jasik-Slezak, Jolanta; Rogal, Mirosława; Slezak, Andrzej

    2006-01-01

    On the basis of model equation depending the membrane potential deltapsis, on mechanical pressure difference (deltaP), concentration polarization coefficient (zetas), concentration Rayleigh number (RC) and ratio concentration of solutions separated by membrane (Ch/Cl), the characteristics deltapsis = f(deltaP)zetas,RC,Ch/Cl for steady values of zetas, RC and Ch/Cl in single-membrane system were calculated. In this system neutral and isotropic polymeric membrane oriented in horizontal plane, the non-homogeneous binary electrolytic solutions of various concentrations were separated. Nonhomogeneity of solutions is results from creations of the concentration boundary layers on both sides of the membrane. Calculations were made for the case where on a one side of the membrane aqueous solution of NaCl at steady concentration 10(-3) mol x l(-1) (Cl) was placed and on the other aqueous solutions of NaCl at concentrations from 10(-3) mol x l(-1) to 2 x 10(-2) mol x l(-1) (Ch). Their densities were greater than NaCl solution's at 10(-3) mol x l(-1). It was shown that membrane potential depends on hydrodynamic state of a complex concentration boundary layer-membrane-concentration boundary layer, what is controlled by deltaP, Ch/Cl, RC and zetas.

  18. Membrane Systems Engineering for Post-combustion Carbon Capture

    KAUST Repository

    Alshehri, Ali; Khalilpour, Rajab; Abbas, Ali; Lai, Zhiping

    2013-01-01

    This study proposes a strategy for optimal design of hollow fiber membrane networks for post combustion carbon capture from power plant multicomponent flue gas. A mathematical model describing multicomponent gas permeation through a separation membrane was customized into the flowsheet modeling package ASPEN PLUS. An N-stage membrane network superstructure was defined considering all possible flowsheeting configurations. An optimization formulation was then developed and solved using an objective function that minimizes the costs associated with operating and capital expenses. For a case study of flue gas feed flow rate of 298 m3/s with 13% CO2 and under defined economic parameters, the optimization resulted in the synthesis of a membrane network structure consisting of two stages in series. This optimal design was found while also considering feed and permeate pressures as well as recycle ratios between stages. The cost of carbon capture for this optimal membrane network is estimated to be $28 per tonne of CO2 captured, considering a membrane permeance of 1000 GPU and membrane selectivity of 50. Following this approach, a reduction in capture cost to less than $20 per tonne CO2 captured is possible if membranes with permeance of 2000 GPU and selectivity higher than 70 materialize.

  19. Membrane Systems Engineering for Post-combustion Carbon Capture

    KAUST Repository

    Alshehri, Ali

    2013-08-05

    This study proposes a strategy for optimal design of hollow fiber membrane networks for post combustion carbon capture from power plant multicomponent flue gas. A mathematical model describing multicomponent gas permeation through a separation membrane was customized into the flowsheet modeling package ASPEN PLUS. An N-stage membrane network superstructure was defined considering all possible flowsheeting configurations. An optimization formulation was then developed and solved using an objective function that minimizes the costs associated with operating and capital expenses. For a case study of flue gas feed flow rate of 298 m3/s with 13% CO2 and under defined economic parameters, the optimization resulted in the synthesis of a membrane network structure consisting of two stages in series. This optimal design was found while also considering feed and permeate pressures as well as recycle ratios between stages. The cost of carbon capture for this optimal membrane network is estimated to be $28 per tonne of CO2 captured, considering a membrane permeance of 1000 GPU and membrane selectivity of 50. Following this approach, a reduction in capture cost to less than $20 per tonne CO2 captured is possible if membranes with permeance of 2000 GPU and selectivity higher than 70 materialize.

  20. Prevention of intra-abdominal adhesion by bi-layer electrospun membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Shichao; Wang, Wei; Yan, Hede; Fan, Cunyi

    2013-06-04

    The aim of this study was to compare the anti-adhesion efficacy of a bi-layer electrospun fibrous membrane consisting of hyaluronic acid-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibrous membrane as the inner layer and PCL fibrous membrane as the outer layer with a single-layer PCL electrospun fibrous membrane in a rat cecum abrasion model. The rat model utilized a cecal abrasion and abdominal wall insult surgical protocol. The bi-layer and PCL membranes were applied between the cecum and the abdominal wall, respectively. Control animals did not receive any treatment. After postoperative day 14, a visual semiquantitative grading scale was used to grade the extent of adhesion. Histological analysis was performed to reveal the features of adhesion tissues. Bi-layer membrane treated animals showed significantly lower adhesion scores than control animals (p compared with the PCL membrane. Histological analysis of the bi-layer membrane treated rat rarely demonstrated tissue adhesion while that of the PCL membrane treated rat and control rat showed loose and dense adhesion tissues, respectively. Bi-layer membrane can efficiently prevent adhesion formation in abdominal cavity and showed a significantly decreased adhesion tissue formation compared with the control.

  1. Induced mitochondrial membrane potential for modeling solitonic conduction of electrotonic signals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R R Poznanski

    Full Text Available A cable model that includes polarization-induced capacitive current is derived for modeling the solitonic conduction of electrotonic potentials in neuronal branchlets with microstructure containing endoplasmic membranes. A solution of the nonlinear cable equation modified for fissured intracellular medium with a source term representing charge 'soakage' is used to show how intracellular capacitive effects of bound electrical charges within mitochondrial membranes can influence electrotonic signals expressed as solitary waves. The elastic collision resulting from a head-on collision of two solitary waves results in localized and non-dispersing electrical solitons created by the nonlinearity of the source term. It has been shown that solitons in neurons with mitochondrial membrane and quasi-electrostatic interactions of charges held by the microstructure (i.e., charge 'soakage' have a slower velocity of propagation compared with solitons in neurons with microstructure, but without endoplasmic membranes. When the equilibrium potential is a small deviation from rest, the nonohmic conductance acts as a leaky channel and the solitons are small compared when the equilibrium potential is large and the outer mitochondrial membrane acts as an amplifier, boosting the amplitude of the endogenously generated solitons. These findings demonstrate a functional role of quasi-electrostatic interactions of bound electrical charges held by microstructure for sustaining solitons with robust self-regulation in their amplitude through changes in the mitochondrial membrane equilibrium potential. The implication of our results indicate that a phenomenological description of ionic current can be successfully modeled with displacement current in Maxwell's equations as a conduction process involving quasi-electrostatic interactions without the inclusion of diffusive current. This is the first study in which solitonic conduction of electrotonic potentials are generated by

  2. Analysis and optimization of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell using modeling techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torre Valdés, Ing. Raciel de la; García Parra, MSc. Lázaro Roger; González Rodríguez, MSc. Daniel

    2015-01-01

    This paper proposes a three-dimensional, non-isothermal and steady-state model of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell using Computational Fluid Dynamic techniques, specifically ANSYS FLUENT 14.5. It's considered multicomponent diffusion and two-phasic flow. The model was compared with experimental published data and with another model. The operation parameters: reactants pressure and temperature, gases flow direction, gas diffusion layer and catalyst layer porosity, reactants humidification and oxygen concentration are analyzed. The model allows the fuel cell design optimization taking in consideration the channels dimensions, the channels length and the membrane thickness. Furthermore, fuel cell performance is analyzed working with SPEEK membrane, an alternative electrolyte to Nafion. In order to carry on membrane material study, it's necessary to modify the expression that describes the electrolyte ionic conductivity. It's found that the device performance has got a great sensibility to pressure, temperature, reactant humidification and oxygen concentration variations. (author)

  3. Interaction of multiple biomimetic antimicrobial polymers with model bacterial membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baul, Upayan, E-mail: upayanb@imsc.res.in; Vemparala, Satyavani, E-mail: vani@imsc.res.in [The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, C.I.T. Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600113 (India); Kuroda, Kenichi, E-mail: kkuroda@umich.edu [Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)

    2014-08-28

    Using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, interaction of multiple synthetic random copolymers based on methacrylates on prototypical bacterial membranes is investigated. The simulations show that the cationic polymers form a micellar aggregate in water phase and the aggregate, when interacting with the bacterial membrane, induces clustering of oppositely charged anionic lipid molecules to form clusters and enhances ordering of lipid chains. The model bacterial membrane, consequently, develops lateral inhomogeneity in membrane thickness profile compared to polymer-free system. The individual polymers in the aggregate are released into the bacterial membrane in a phased manner and the simulations suggest that the most probable location of the partitioned polymers is near the 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG) clusters. The partitioned polymers preferentially adopt facially amphiphilic conformations at lipid-water interface, despite lacking intrinsic secondary structures such as α-helix or β-sheet found in naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides.

  4. Role of myristoylation in membrane attachment and function of G alpha i-3 on Golgi membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brand, S H; Holtzman, E J; Scher, D A; Ausiello, D A; Stow, J L

    1996-05-01

    Heterotrimeric G protein alpha-subunits localized on the cytoplasmic face of Golgi membranes are involved in regulating vesicle trafficking and protein secretion. We investigated the role of myristoylation in attachment of the G alpha i-3 subunit to Golgi membranes. G alpha i-3 was epitope-tagged by insertion of a FLAG sequence at an NH2-terminal site predicted to interfere with myristoylation, and the resulting NT-alpha i-3 construct was stably transfected and expressed in polarized epithelial LLC-PK1 cells. Metabolic labeling confirmed that the translation product of NT-alpha i-3 was not myristoylated. In contrast to endogenous G alpha 1-3, which is tightly bound to Golgi membranes, the unmyristoylated FLAG-tagged NT-alpha i-3 did not attach to membranes; it was localized by immunofluorescence in the cytoplasm of LLC-PK1 cells and was detected only in the cytosol fraction of cell homogenates. Pertussis toxin-dependent ADP-ribosylation was used to test the ability of NT-alpha i-3 to interact with membrane-bound beta gamma-subunits. In both in vitro and in vivo assays, cytosolic NT-alpha i-3 alone was not ADP-ribosylated, although in the presence of membranes it could interact with G beta gamma-subunits to form heterotrimers. The expression of NT-alpha i-3 in LLC-PK1 cells altered the rate of basolateral secretion of sulfated proteoglycans, consistent with the demonstrated function of endogenous G alpha i-3. These data are consistent with a model in which G alpha i-3 utilizes NH2-terminal myristoylation to bind to Golgi membranes and to maximize its interaction with G beta gamma-subunits. Furthermore, our results show that stable attachment of G alpha i-3 to Golgi membranes is not required for it to participate as a regulatory element in vesicle trafficking in the secretory pathway.

  5. On the study of catalytic membrane reactor for water detritiation: Modeling approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liger, Karine, E-mail: karine.liger@cea.fr [CEA, DEN, DTN/SMTA/LIPC Cadarache, Saint Paul-lez-Durance F-13108 (France); Mascarade, Jérémy [CEA, DEN, DTN/SMTA/LIPC Cadarache, Saint Paul-lez-Durance F-13108 (France); Joulia, Xavier; Meyer, Xuan-Mi [Université de Toulouse, INPT, UPS, Laboratoire de Génie Chimique, 4, Allée Emile Monso, Toulouse F-31030 (France); CNRS, Laboratoire de Génie Chimique, Toulouse F-31030 (France); Troulay, Michèle; Perrais, Christophe [CEA, DEN, DTN/SMTA/LIPC Cadarache, Saint Paul-lez-Durance F-13108 (France)

    2016-11-01

    Highlights: • Experimental results for the conversion of tritiated water (using deuterium as a simulant of tritium) by means of a catalytic membrane reactor in view of tritium recovery. • Phenomenological 2D model to represent catalytic membrane reactor behavior including the determination of the compositions of gaseous effluents. • Good agreement between the simulation results and experimental measurements performed on the dedicated facility. • Explanation of the unexpected behavior of the catalytic membrane reactor by the modeling results and in particular the gas composition estimation. - Abstract: In the framework of tritium recovery from tritiated water, efficiency of packed bed membrane reactors have been successfully demonstrated. Thanks to protium isotope swamping, tritium bonded water can be recovered under the valuable Q{sub 2} form (Q = H, D or T) by means of isotope exchange reactions occurring on catalyst surface. The use of permselective Pd-based membrane allows withdrawal of reactions products all along the reactor, and thus limits reverse reaction rate to the benefit of the direct one (shift effect). The reactions kinetics, which are still little known or unknown, are generally assumed to be largely greater than the permeation ones so that thermodynamic equilibriums of isotope exchange reactions are generally assumed. This paper proposes a new phenomenological 2D model to represent catalytic membrane reactor behavior with the determination of gas effluents compositions. A good agreement was obtained between the simulation results and experimental measurements performed on a dedicated facility. Furthermore, the gas composition estimation permits to interpret unexpected behavior of the catalytic membrane reactor. In the next future, further sensitivity analysis will be performed to determine the limits of the model and a kinetics study will be conducted to assess the thermodynamic equilibrium of reactions.

  6. On the study of catalytic membrane reactor for water detritiation: Modeling approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liger, Karine; Mascarade, Jérémy; Joulia, Xavier; Meyer, Xuan-Mi; Troulay, Michèle; Perrais, Christophe

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Experimental results for the conversion of tritiated water (using deuterium as a simulant of tritium) by means of a catalytic membrane reactor in view of tritium recovery. • Phenomenological 2D model to represent catalytic membrane reactor behavior including the determination of the compositions of gaseous effluents. • Good agreement between the simulation results and experimental measurements performed on the dedicated facility. • Explanation of the unexpected behavior of the catalytic membrane reactor by the modeling results and in particular the gas composition estimation. - Abstract: In the framework of tritium recovery from tritiated water, efficiency of packed bed membrane reactors have been successfully demonstrated. Thanks to protium isotope swamping, tritium bonded water can be recovered under the valuable Q_2 form (Q = H, D or T) by means of isotope exchange reactions occurring on catalyst surface. The use of permselective Pd-based membrane allows withdrawal of reactions products all along the reactor, and thus limits reverse reaction rate to the benefit of the direct one (shift effect). The reactions kinetics, which are still little known or unknown, are generally assumed to be largely greater than the permeation ones so that thermodynamic equilibriums of isotope exchange reactions are generally assumed. This paper proposes a new phenomenological 2D model to represent catalytic membrane reactor behavior with the determination of gas effluents compositions. A good agreement was obtained between the simulation results and experimental measurements performed on a dedicated facility. Furthermore, the gas composition estimation permits to interpret unexpected behavior of the catalytic membrane reactor. In the next future, further sensitivity analysis will be performed to determine the limits of the model and a kinetics study will be conducted to assess the thermodynamic equilibrium of reactions.

  7. Tethered and Polymer Supported Bilayer Lipid Membranes: Structure and Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jakob Andersson

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Solid supported bilayer lipid membranes are model systems to mimic natural cell membranes in order to understand structural and functional properties of such systems. The use of a model system allows for the use of a wide variety of analytical tools including atomic force microscopy, impedance spectroscopy, neutron reflectometry, and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Among the large number of different types of model membranes polymer-supported and tethered lipid bilayers have been shown to be versatile and useful systems. Both systems consist of a lipid bilayer, which is de-coupled from an underlying support by a spacer cushion. Both systems will be reviewed, with an emphasis on the effect that the spacer moiety has on the bilayer properties.

  8. Diagnosing a Strong-Fault Model by Conflict and Consistency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wenfeng; Zhao, Qi; Zhao, Hongbo; Zhou, Gan; Feng, Wenquan

    2018-03-29

    The diagnosis method for a weak-fault model with only normal behaviors of each component has evolved over decades. However, many systems now demand a strong-fault models, the fault modes of which have specific behaviors as well. It is difficult to diagnose a strong-fault model due to its non-monotonicity. Currently, diagnosis methods usually employ conflicts to isolate possible fault and the process can be expedited when some observed output is consistent with the model's prediction where the consistency indicates probably normal components. This paper solves the problem of efficiently diagnosing a strong-fault model by proposing a novel Logic-based Truth Maintenance System (LTMS) with two search approaches based on conflict and consistency. At the beginning, the original a strong-fault model is encoded by Boolean variables and converted into Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF). Then the proposed LTMS is employed to reason over CNF and find multiple minimal conflicts and maximal consistencies when there exists fault. The search approaches offer the best candidate efficiency based on the reasoning result until the diagnosis results are obtained. The completeness, coverage, correctness and complexity of the proposals are analyzed theoretically to show their strength and weakness. Finally, the proposed approaches are demonstrated by applying them to a real-world domain-the heat control unit of a spacecraft-where the proposed methods are significantly better than best first and conflict directly with A* search methods.

  9. Superdiffusive motion of membrane-targeting C2 domains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campagnola, Grace; Nepal, Kanti; Schroder, Bryce W.; Peersen, Olve B.; Krapf, Diego

    2015-12-01

    Membrane-targeting domains play crucial roles in the recruitment of signalling molecules to the plasma membrane. For most peripheral proteins, the protein-to-membrane interaction is transient. After proteins dissociate from the membrane they have been observed to rebind following brief excursions in the bulk solution. Such membrane hops can have broad implications for the efficiency of reactions on membranes. We study the diffusion of membrane-targeting C2 domains using single-molecule tracking in supported lipid bilayers. The ensemble-averaged mean square displacement (MSD) exhibits superdiffusive behaviour. However, traditional time-averaged MSD analysis of individual trajectories remains linear and does not reveal superdiffusion. Our observations are explained in terms of bulk excursions that introduce jumps with a heavy-tail distribution. These hopping events allow proteins to explore large areas in a short time. The experimental results are shown to be consistent with analytical models of bulk-mediated diffusion and numerical simulations.

  10. Parametric Study of the Effect of Membrane Tension on Sunshield Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Brian; Johnston, John D.; Smith, James

    2002-01-01

    The NGST sunshield is a lightweight, flexible structure consisting of pretensioned membranes supported by deployable booms. The structural dynamic behavior of the sunshield must be well understood in order to predict its influence on observatory performance. A 1/10th scale model of the sunshield has been developed for ground testing to provide data to validate modeling techniques for thin film membrane structures. The validated models can then be used to predict the behaviour of the full scale sunshield. This paper summarizes the most recent tests performed on the 1/10th scale sunshield to study the effect of membrane preload on sunshield dynamics. Topics to be covered include the test setup, procedures, and a summary of results.

  11. A Finite Element Solution of Lateral Periodic Poisson–Boltzmann Model for Membrane Channel Proteins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jingjie; Lu, Benzhuo

    2018-01-01

    Membrane channel proteins control the diffusion of ions across biological membranes. They are closely related to the processes of various organizational mechanisms, such as: cardiac impulse, muscle contraction and hormone secretion. Introducing a membrane region into implicit solvation models extends the ability of the Poisson–Boltzmann (PB) equation to handle membrane proteins. The use of lateral periodic boundary conditions can properly simulate the discrete distribution of membrane proteins on the membrane plane and avoid boundary effects, which are caused by the finite box size in the traditional PB calculations. In this work, we: (1) develop a first finite element solver (FEPB) to solve the PB equation with a two-dimensional periodicity for membrane channel proteins, with different numerical treatments of the singular charges distributions in the channel protein; (2) add the membrane as a dielectric slab in the PB model, and use an improved mesh construction method to automatically identify the membrane channel/pore region even with a tilt angle relative to the z-axis; and (3) add a non-polar solvation energy term to complete the estimation of the total solvation energy of a membrane protein. A mesh resolution of about 0.25 Å (cubic grid space)/0.36 Å (tetrahedron edge length) is found to be most accurate in linear finite element calculation of the PB solvation energy. Computational studies are performed on a few exemplary molecules. The results indicate that all factors, the membrane thickness, the length of periodic box, membrane dielectric constant, pore region dielectric constant, and ionic strength, have individually considerable influence on the solvation energy of a channel protein. This demonstrates the necessity to treat all of those effects in the PB model for membrane protein simulations. PMID:29495644

  12. Electrical Thermal Network for Direct Contact Membrane Distillation Modeling and Analysis

    KAUST Repository

    Karam, Ayman M.

    2015-02-04

    Membrane distillation is an emerging water distillation technology that offers several advantages compared to conventional water desalination processes. Although progress has been made to model and understand the physics of the process, many studies are based on steady-state assumptions or are computationally not appropriate for real time control. This paper presents the derivation of a novel dynamical model, based on analogy between electrical and thermal systems, for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The proposed model captures the dynamics of temperature distribution and distilled water flux. To demonstrate the adequacy of the proposed model, validation with transient and steady-state experimental data is presented.

  13. Self-consistent one-gluon exchange in soliton bag models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dodd, L.R.; Adelaide Univ.; Williams, A.G.

    1988-01-01

    The treatment of soliton bag models as two-point boundary value problems is extended to include self-consistent one-gluon exchange interactions. The colour-magnetic contribution to the nucleon-delta mass splitting is calculated self-consistently in the mean-field, one-gluon-exchange approximation for the Friedberg-Lee and Nielsen-Patkos models. Small glueball mass parameters (m GB ∝ 500 MeV) are favoured. Comparisons with previous calculations are made. (orig.)

  14. Converting differential-equation models of biological systems to membrane computing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muniyandi, Ravie Chandren; Zin, Abdullah Mohd; Sanders, J W

    2013-12-01

    This paper presents a method to convert the deterministic, continuous representation of a biological system by ordinary differential equations into a non-deterministic, discrete membrane computation. The dynamics of the membrane computation is governed by rewrite rules operating at certain rates. That has the advantage of applying accurately to small systems, and to expressing rates of change that are determined locally, by region, but not necessary globally. Such spatial information augments the standard differentiable approach to provide a more realistic model. A biological case study of the ligand-receptor network of protein TGF-β is used to validate the effectiveness of the conversion method. It demonstrates the sense in which the behaviours and properties of the system are better preserved in the membrane computing model, suggesting that the proposed conversion method may prove useful for biological systems in particular. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Electrostatic models of electron-driven proton transfer across a lipid membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smirnov, Anatoly Yu; Nori, Franco [Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN, Wako-shi, Saitama, 351-0198 (Japan); Mourokh, Lev G [Department of Physics, Queens College, The City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367 (United States)

    2011-06-15

    We present two models for electron-driven uphill proton transport across lipid membranes, with the electron energy converted to the proton gradient via the electrostatic interaction. In the first model, associated with the cytochrome c oxidase complex in the inner mitochondria membranes, the electrostatic coupling to the site occupied by an electron lowers the energy level of the proton-binding site, making proton transfer possible. In the second model, roughly describing the redox loop in a nitrate respiration of E. coli bacteria, an electron displaces a proton from the negative side of the membrane to a shuttle, which subsequently diffuses across the membrane and unloads the proton to its positive side. We show that both models can be described by the same approach, which can be significantly simplified if the system is separated into several clusters, with strong Coulomb interaction inside each cluster and weak transfer couplings between them. We derive and solve the equations of motion for the electron and proton creation/annihilation operators, taking into account the appropriate Coulomb terms, tunnel couplings, and the interaction with the environment. For the second model, these equations of motion are solved jointly with a Langevin-type equation for the shuttle position. We obtain expressions for the electron and proton currents and determine their dependence on the electron and proton voltage build-ups, on-site charging energies, reorganization energies, temperature, and other system parameters. We show that the quantum yield in our models can be up to 100% and the power-conversion efficiency can reach 35%.

  16. Electrostatic models of electron-driven proton transfer across a lipid membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smirnov, Anatoly Yu; Nori, Franco; Mourokh, Lev G

    2011-01-01

    We present two models for electron-driven uphill proton transport across lipid membranes, with the electron energy converted to the proton gradient via the electrostatic interaction. In the first model, associated with the cytochrome c oxidase complex in the inner mitochondria membranes, the electrostatic coupling to the site occupied by an electron lowers the energy level of the proton-binding site, making proton transfer possible. In the second model, roughly describing the redox loop in a nitrate respiration of E. coli bacteria, an electron displaces a proton from the negative side of the membrane to a shuttle, which subsequently diffuses across the membrane and unloads the proton to its positive side. We show that both models can be described by the same approach, which can be significantly simplified if the system is separated into several clusters, with strong Coulomb interaction inside each cluster and weak transfer couplings between them. We derive and solve the equations of motion for the electron and proton creation/annihilation operators, taking into account the appropriate Coulomb terms, tunnel couplings, and the interaction with the environment. For the second model, these equations of motion are solved jointly with a Langevin-type equation for the shuttle position. We obtain expressions for the electron and proton currents and determine their dependence on the electron and proton voltage build-ups, on-site charging energies, reorganization energies, temperature, and other system parameters. We show that the quantum yield in our models can be up to 100% and the power-conversion efficiency can reach 35%.

  17. Analysis of the Durability of PEM FC Membrane Electrode Assemblies in Automotive Applications through the Fundamental Understanding of Membrane and MEA Degradation Pathways

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perry, Randal L. [DuPont

    2013-10-31

    The Project focused on mitigation of degradation processes on membrane electrode assemblies. The approach was to develop a model to improve understanding of the mechanisms, and to use it to focus mitigation strategies. The detailed effects of various accelerated stress tests (ASTs) were evaluated to determine the best subset to use in model development. A combination of ASTs developed by the Fuel Cell Commercialization Conference of Japan and the Fuel Cell Tech Team were selected for use. The ASTs were compared by measuring effects on performance, running in-situ diagnostics, and performing microscopic analyses of the membrane electrode assemblies after the stress tests were complete. Nissan ran FCCJ AST protocols and performed in situ and ex-situ electrochemical testing. DuPont ran FCTT and USFCC AST protocols, performed scanning and transmission electron microscopy and ran in-situ electrochemical tests. Other ex-situ testing was performed by IIT, along with much of the data analysis and model development. These tests were then modified to generate time-dependent data of the degradation mechanisms. Three different catalyst types and four membrane variants were then used to generate data for a theoretically-based degradation model. An important part of the approach was to use commercially available materials in the electrodes and membranes made in scalable semiworks processes rather than lab-based materials. This constraint ensured all materials would be practicable for full-scale testing. The initial model for the electrode layer was tested for internal consistency and agreement with the data. A Java-based computer application was developed to analyze the time-dependent AST data using polarization curves with four different cathode gas feeds and generate model parameters. Data showed very good reproducibility and good consistency as cathode catalyst loadings were varied. At the point of termination of the project, a basic electrode model was in hand with several

  18. Aroma Stripping under various Forms of Membrane Distillation Processes: Experiments and modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

    Concentration of fruit juices by membrane distillation is an interesting process as it can be done at low temperature giving a gentle concentration process with little deterioration of the juices. Since the juices contains many different aroma compounds with a wide range of chemical properties...... such as volatility, activity coefficient and vapor pressure, it is important to know how these aroma compounds will eventually pass through the membrane. Experiments have been made on an aroma model solution and on black currant juice in a lab scale membrane distillation set up which can be operated in various types...... of MD configurations: Vacuum Membrane Distillation , Sweeping Gas Membrane Distillation , Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Osmotic Membrane Distillation. The influence of feed temperature and feed flow rate on the permeate flux and concentration factor for different types of aroma compounds have...

  19. Membrane dynamics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bendix, Pól Martin

    2015-01-01

    Current topics include membrane-protein interactions with regard to membrane deformation or curvature sensing by BAR domains. Also, we study the dynamics of membrane tubes of both cells and simple model membrane tubes. Finally, we study membrane phase behavior which has important implications...... for the lateral organization of membranes as wells as for physical properties like bending, permeability and elasticity...

  20. Modeling Of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Mads Pagh

    The objective of this doctoral thesis was to develop reliable steady-state and transient component models suitable to asses-, develop- and optimize proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems. Several components in PEM fuel cell systems were characterized and modeled. The developed component...... cell systems. Consequences of indirectly fueling PEM stacks with hydrocarbons using reforming technology were investigated using a PEM stack model including CO poisoning kinetics and a transient Simulink steam reforming system model. Aspects regarding the optimization of PEM fuel cell systems...

  1. Two-dimensional analytical model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Jia Xing; Guo, Hang; Ye, Fang; Ma, Chong Fang

    2017-01-01

    In this study, a two-dimensional full cell analytical model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is developed. The analytical model describes electrochemical reactions on the anode and cathode catalyst layer, reactants diffusion in the gas diffusion layer, and gases flow in the gas channel, etc. The analytical solution is derived according to the basic physical equations. The performance predicted by the model is in good agreement with the experimental data. The results show that the polarization mainly occurs in the cathode side of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The anodic overpotential cannot be neglected. The hydrogen and oxygen concentrations decrease along the channel flow direction. The hydrogen and oxygen concentrations in the catalyst layer decrease with the current density. As predicted by the model, concentration polarization mainly occurs in the cathode side. - Highlights: • A 2D full cell analytical model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is developed. • The analytical solution is deduced according to the basic equations. • The anode overpotential is not so small that it cannot be neglected. • Species concentration distributions in the fuel cell is obtained and analyzed.

  2. Diagnosing a Strong-Fault Model by Conflict and Consistency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenfeng Zhang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The diagnosis method for a weak-fault model with only normal behaviors of each component has evolved over decades. However, many systems now demand a strong-fault models, the fault modes of which have specific behaviors as well. It is difficult to diagnose a strong-fault model due to its non-monotonicity. Currently, diagnosis methods usually employ conflicts to isolate possible fault and the process can be expedited when some observed output is consistent with the model’s prediction where the consistency indicates probably normal components. This paper solves the problem of efficiently diagnosing a strong-fault model by proposing a novel Logic-based Truth Maintenance System (LTMS with two search approaches based on conflict and consistency. At the beginning, the original a strong-fault model is encoded by Boolean variables and converted into Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF. Then the proposed LTMS is employed to reason over CNF and find multiple minimal conflicts and maximal consistencies when there exists fault. The search approaches offer the best candidate efficiency based on the reasoning result until the diagnosis results are obtained. The completeness, coverage, correctness and complexity of the proposals are analyzed theoretically to show their strength and weakness. Finally, the proposed approaches are demonstrated by applying them to a real-world domain—the heat control unit of a spacecraft—where the proposed methods are significantly better than best first and conflict directly with A* search methods.

  3. Consistent model reduction of polymer chains in solution in dissipative particle dynamics: Model description

    KAUST Repository

    Moreno Chaparro, Nicolas; Nunes, Suzana Pereira; Calo, Victor M.

    2015-01-01

    considerations we explicitly account for the correlation between beads in fine-grained DPD models and consistently represent the effect of these correlations in a reduced model, in a practical and simple fashion via power laws and the consistent scaling

  4. Yeast Mitochondrial Interactosome Model: Metabolon Membrane Proteins Complex Involved in the Channeling of ADP/ATP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Clémençon

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available The existence of a mitochondrial interactosome (MI has been currently well established in mammalian cells but the exact composition of this super-complex is not precisely known, and its organization seems to be different from that in yeast. One major difference is the absence of mitochondrial creatine kinase (MtCK in yeast, unlike that described in the organization model of MI, especially in cardiac, skeletal muscle and brain cells. The aim of this review is to provide a detailed description of different partner proteins involved in the synergistic ADP/ATP transport across the mitochondrial membranes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and to propose a new mitochondrial interactosome model. The ADP/ATP (Aacp and inorganic phosphate (PiC carriers as well as the VDAC (or mitochondrial porin catalyze the import and export of ADP, ATP and Pi across the mitochondrial membranes. Aacp and PiC, which appear to be associated with the ATP synthase, consist of two nanomotors (F0, F1 under specific conditions and form ATP synthasome. Identification and characterization of such a complex were described for the first time by Pedersen and co-workers in 2003.

  5. A new k-epsilon model consistent with Monin-Obukhov similarity theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van der Laan, Paul; Kelly, Mark C.; Sørensen, Niels N.

    2017-01-01

    A new k-" model is introduced that is consistent with Monin–Obukhov similarity theory (MOST). The proposed k-" model is compared with another k-" model that was developed in an attempt to maintain inlet profiles compatible with MOST. It is shown that the previous k-" model is not consistent with ...

  6. Actin filaments growing against an elastic membrane: Effect of membrane tension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadhu, Raj Kumar; Chatterjee, Sakuntala

    2018-03-01

    We study the force generation by a set of parallel actin filaments growing against an elastic membrane. The elastic membrane tries to stay flat and any deformation from this flat state, either caused by thermal fluctuations or due to protrusive polymerization force exerted by the filaments, costs energy. We study two lattice models to describe the membrane dynamics. In one case, the energy cost is assumed to be proportional to the absolute magnitude of the height gradient (gradient model) and in the other case it is proportional to the square of the height gradient (Gaussian model). For the gradient model we find that the membrane velocity is a nonmonotonic function of the elastic constant μ and reaches a peak at μ =μ* . For μ membrane energy keeps increasing with time. For the Gaussian model, the system always reaches a steady state and the membrane velocity decreases monotonically with the elastic constant ν for all nonzero values of ν . Multiple filaments give rise to protrusions at different regions of the membrane and the elasticity of the membrane induces an effective attraction between the two protrusions in the Gaussian model which causes the protrusions to merge and a single wide protrusion is present in the system. In both the models, the relative time scale between the membrane and filament dynamics plays an important role in deciding whether the shape of elasticity-velocity curve is concave or convex. Our numerical simulations agree reasonably well with our analytical calculations.

  7. Transmembrane helices can induce domain formation in crowded model membranes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Domanski, Jan; Marrink, Siewert J.; Schäfer, Lars V.

    We studied compositionally heterogeneous multi-component model membranes comprised of saturated lipids, unsaturated lipids, cholesterol, and a-helical TM protein models using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Reducing the mismatch between the length of the saturated and unsaturated

  8. Relating transport modeling to nanofiltration membrane fabrication: Navigating the permeability-selectivity trade-off in desalination pretreatment

    OpenAIRE

    Labban, Omar; Lienhard, John H

    2018-01-01

    Faced with a pressing need for membranes with a higher permeability and selectivity, the field of membrane technology can benefit from a systematic framework for designing membranes with the necessary physical characteristics. In this work, we present an approach through which transport modeling is employed in fabricating specialized nanofiltration membranes, that experimentally demonstrate enhanced selectivity. Specifically, the Donnan-Steric Pore Model with dielectric exclusion (DSPM-DE) is...

  9. Thermodynamically consistent model calibration in chemical kinetics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goutsias John

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The dynamics of biochemical reaction systems are constrained by the fundamental laws of thermodynamics, which impose well-defined relationships among the reaction rate constants characterizing these systems. Constructing biochemical reaction systems from experimental observations often leads to parameter values that do not satisfy the necessary thermodynamic constraints. This can result in models that are not physically realizable and may lead to inaccurate, or even erroneous, descriptions of cellular function. Results We introduce a thermodynamically consistent model calibration (TCMC method that can be effectively used to provide thermodynamically feasible values for the parameters of an open biochemical reaction system. The proposed method formulates the model calibration problem as a constrained optimization problem that takes thermodynamic constraints (and, if desired, additional non-thermodynamic constraints into account. By calculating thermodynamically feasible values for the kinetic parameters of a well-known model of the EGF/ERK signaling cascade, we demonstrate the qualitative and quantitative significance of imposing thermodynamic constraints on these parameters and the effectiveness of our method for accomplishing this important task. MATLAB software, using the Systems Biology Toolbox 2.1, can be accessed from http://www.cis.jhu.edu/~goutsias/CSS lab/software.html. An SBML file containing the thermodynamically feasible EGF/ERK signaling cascade model can be found in the BioModels database. Conclusions TCMC is a simple and flexible method for obtaining physically plausible values for the kinetic parameters of open biochemical reaction systems. It can be effectively used to recalculate a thermodynamically consistent set of parameter values for existing thermodynamically infeasible biochemical reaction models of cellular function as well as to estimate thermodynamically feasible values for the parameters of new

  10. Impact of two different saponins on the organization of model lipid membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korchowiec, Beata; Gorczyca, Marcelina; Wojszko, Kamila; Janikowska, Maria; Henry, Max; Rogalska, Ewa

    2015-10-01

    Saponins, naturally occurring plant compounds are known for their biological and pharmacological activity. This activity is strongly related to the amphiphilic character of saponins that allows them to aggregate in aqueous solution and interact with membrane components. In this work, Langmuir monolayer techniques combined with polarization modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and Brewster angle microscopy were used to study the interaction of selected saponins with lipid model membranes. Two structurally different saponins were used: digitonin and a commercial Merck Saponin. Membranes of different composition, namely, cholesterol, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine or 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol) were formed at the air/water and air/saponin solution interfaces. The saponin-lipid interaction was characterized by changes in surface pressure, surface potential, surface morphology and PM-IRRAS signal. Both saponins interact with model membranes and change the physical state of membranes by perturbing the lipid acyl chain orientation. The changes in membrane fluidity were more significant upon the interaction with Merck Saponin. A higher affinity of saponins for cholesterol than phosphatidylglycerols was observed. Moreover, our results indicate that digitonin interacts strongly with cholesterol and solubilize the cholesterol monolayer at higher surface pressures. It was shown, that digitonin easily penetrate to the cholesterol monolayer and forms a hydrogen bond with the hydroxyl groups. These findings might be useful in further understanding of the saponin action at the membrane interface and of the mechanism of membrane lysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Models of plasma membrane organization can be applied to mitochondrial membranes to target human health and disease with polyunsaturated fatty acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raza Shaikh, Saame; Brown, David A

    2013-01-01

    Bioactive n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), abundant in fish oil, have potential for treating symptoms associated with inflammatory and metabolic disorders; therefore, it is essential to determine their fundamental molecular mechanisms. Recently, several labs have demonstrated the n-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) exerts anti-inflammatory effects by targeting the molecular organization of plasma membrane microdomains. Here we briefly review the evidence that DHA reorganizes the spatial distribution of microdomains in several model systems. We then emphasize how models on DHA and plasma membrane microdomains can be applied to mitochondrial membranes. We discuss the role of DHA acyl chains in regulating mitochondrial lipid-protein clustering, and how these changes alter several aspects of mitochondrial function. In particular, we summarize effects of DHA on mitochondrial respiration, electron leak, permeability transition, and mitochondrial calcium handling. Finally, we conclude by postulating future experiments that will augment our understanding of DHA-dependent membrane organization in health and disease. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Modeling of the axon membrane skeleton structure and implications for its mechanical properties.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yihao Zhang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Super-resolution microscopy recently revealed that, unlike the soma and dendrites, the axon membrane skeleton is structured as a series of actin rings connected by spectrin filaments that are held under tension. Currently, the structure-function relationship of the axonal structure is unclear. Here, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM to show that the stiffness of the axon plasma membrane is significantly higher than the stiffnesses of dendrites and somata. To examine whether the structure of the axon plasma membrane determines its overall stiffness, we introduced a coarse-grain molecular dynamics model of the axon membrane skeleton that reproduces the structure identified by super-resolution microscopy. Our proposed computational model accurately simulates the median value of the Young's modulus of the axon plasma membrane determined by atomic force microscopy. It also predicts that because the spectrin filaments are under entropic tension, the thermal random motion of the voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav, which are bound to ankyrin particles, a critical axonal protein, is reduced compared to the thermal motion when spectrin filaments are held at equilibrium. Lastly, our model predicts that because spectrin filaments are under tension, any axonal injuries that lacerate spectrin filaments will likely lead to a permanent disruption of the membrane skeleton due to the inability of spectrin filaments to spontaneously form their initial under-tension configuration.

  13. Modeling of the axon membrane skeleton structure and implications for its mechanical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yihao; Abiraman, Krithika; Li, He; Pierce, David M; Tzingounis, Anastasios V; Lykotrafitis, George

    2017-02-01

    Super-resolution microscopy recently revealed that, unlike the soma and dendrites, the axon membrane skeleton is structured as a series of actin rings connected by spectrin filaments that are held under tension. Currently, the structure-function relationship of the axonal structure is unclear. Here, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to show that the stiffness of the axon plasma membrane is significantly higher than the stiffnesses of dendrites and somata. To examine whether the structure of the axon plasma membrane determines its overall stiffness, we introduced a coarse-grain molecular dynamics model of the axon membrane skeleton that reproduces the structure identified by super-resolution microscopy. Our proposed computational model accurately simulates the median value of the Young's modulus of the axon plasma membrane determined by atomic force microscopy. It also predicts that because the spectrin filaments are under entropic tension, the thermal random motion of the voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav), which are bound to ankyrin particles, a critical axonal protein, is reduced compared to the thermal motion when spectrin filaments are held at equilibrium. Lastly, our model predicts that because spectrin filaments are under tension, any axonal injuries that lacerate spectrin filaments will likely lead to a permanent disruption of the membrane skeleton due to the inability of spectrin filaments to spontaneously form their initial under-tension configuration.

  14. Three-dimensional dynamic modelling of Polymer-Electrolyte-Membrane-Fuel-Cell-Systems; Dreidimensionale dynamische Modellierung und Berechnung von Polymer-Elektrolyt-Membran-Brennstoffzellen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vath, Andreas

    2008-12-15

    This thesis deals with dynamic and multi-dimensional modelling of Polymer- Electrolyte-Membrane-Fuel-Cells (PEMFC). The developed models include all the different layers of the fuel cell e.g. flow field, gas diffusion layer, catalyst layer and membrane with their particular physical, chemical and electrical characteristics. The simulation results have been verified by detailed measurements performed at the research centre for hydrogen and solar energy in Ulm (ZSW Ulm). The developed three dimensional model describes the time- and spatial-dependent charge and mass transport in a fuel cell. Additionally, this model allows the analysis of critical operating conditions. For example, the current density distribution for different membranes is shown during insufficient humidification which results in local overstraining and degradation. The model also allows to analyse extreme critical operating conditions, e.g. short time breakdown of the humidification. Furthermore, the model shows the available potential of improvement opportunities in power density and efficiency of PEMFC due to optimisation of the gas diffusion layer, the catalyst and membrane. In the second part of the work the application of PEMFC systems for combined heat and power units is described by one-dimensional models for an electrical power range between 1 kW and 5 kW. This model contains the necessary components, e.g. gas processing, humidification, gas supply, fuel cell stack, heat storage, pumps, auxiliary burner, power inverter und additional aggregates. As a main result, it is possible to distinctly reduce the energy demand and the carbon dioxide exhaust for different load profiles. Today the costs for fuel cell systems are considerably higher than that of the conventional electrical energy supply. (orig.)

  15. Ion-conducting membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masel, Richard I.; Sajjad, Syed Dawar; Gao, Yan; Liu, Zengcai; Chen, Qingmei

    2017-12-26

    An anion-conducting polymeric membrane comprises a terpolymer of styrene, vinylbenzyl-R.sub.s and vinylbenzyl-R.sub.x. R.sub.s is a positively charged cyclic amine group. R.sub.x is at least one constituent selected from the group consisting Cl, OH and a reaction product between an OH or Cl and a species other than a simple amine or a cyclic amine. The total weight of the vinylbenzyl-R.sub.x groups is greater than 0.3% of the total weight of the membrane. In a preferred embodiment, the membrane is a Helper Membrane that increases the faradaic efficiency of an electrochemical cell into which the membrane is incorporated, and also allows product formation at lower voltages than in cells without the Helper Membrane.

  16. Scale-Up Design Analysis and Modelling of Cobalt Oxide Silica Membrane Module for Hydrogen Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guozhao Ji

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available This work shows the application of a validated mathematical model for gas permeation at high temperatures focusing on demonstrated scale-up design for H2 processing. The model considered the driving force variation with spatial coordinates and the mass transfer across the molecular sieve cobalt oxide silica membrane to predict the separation performance. The model was used to study the process of H2 separation at 500 °C in single and multi-tube membrane modules. Parameters of interest included the H2 purity in the permeate stream, H2 recovery and H2 yield as a function of the membrane length, number of tubes in a membrane module, space velocity and H2 feed molar fraction. For a single tubular membrane, increasing the length of a membrane tube led to higher H2 yield and H2 recovery, owing to the increase of the membrane area. However, the H2 purity decreased as H2 fraction was depleted, thus reducing the driving force for H2 permeation. By keeping the membrane length constant in a multi-tube arrangement, the H2 yield and H2 recovery increase was attributed to the higher membrane area, but the H2 purity was again compromised. Increasing the space velocity avoided the reduction of H2 purity and still delivered higher H2 yield and H2 recovery than in a single membrane arrangement. Essentially, if the membrane surface is too large, the driving force becomes lower at the expense of H2 purity. In this case, the membrane module is over designed. Hence, maintaining a driving force is of utmost importance to deliver the functionality of process separation.

  17. Dimer-based model for heptaspanning membrane receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franco, Rafael; Casadó, Vicent; Mallol, Josefa; Ferré, Sergi; Fuxe, Kjell; Cortés, Antonio; Ciruela, Francisco; Lluis, Carmen; Canela, Enric I

    2005-07-01

    The existence of intramembrane receptor-receptor interactions for heptaspanning membrane receptors is now fully accepted, but a model considering dimers as the basic unit that binds to two ligand molecules is lacking. Here, we propose a two-state-dimer model in which the ligand-induced conformational changes from one component of the dimer are communicated to the other. Our model predicts cooperativity in binding, which is relevant because the other current models fail to address this phenomenon satisfactorily. Our two-state-dimer model also predicts the variety of responses elicited by full or partial agonists, neutral antagonists and inverse agonists. This model can aid our understanding of the operation of heptaspanning receptors and receptor channels, and, potentially, be important for improving the treatment of cardiovascular, neurological and neuropsychyatric diseases.

  18. Smart membranes for monitoring membrane based desalination processes

    KAUST Repository

    Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

    2017-10-12

    Various examples are related to smart membranes for monitoring membrane based process such as, e.g., membrane distillation processes. In one example, a membrane, includes a porous surface and a plurality of sensors (e.g., temperature, flow and/or impedance sensors) mounted on the porous surface. In another example, a membrane distillation (MD) process includes the membrane. Processing circuitry can be configured to monitor outputs of the plurality of sensors. The monitored outputs can be used to determine membrane degradation, membrane fouling, or to provide an indication of membrane replacement or cleaning. The sensors can also provide temperatures or temperature differentials across the porous surface, which can be used to improve modeling or control the MD process.

  19. Quantification of functional groups and modeling of their ionization behavior in the active layer of FT30 reverse osmosis membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coronell, Orlando; Mariñas, Benito J; Zhang, Xijing; Cahill, David G

    2008-07-15

    A new experimental approach was developed to measure the concentration of charged functional groups (FGs) in the active layer of thin-film composite reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes as a function of solution pH. FT30 RO membrane, with a fully aromatic polyamide (PA) active layer sandwiched between a polysulfone support and a coating layer, was used. The experiments consisted of saturating charged FGs with heavy ion probes, and determining the ion probe concentration by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Deprotonated carboxylic groups were saturated with Ag+, and protonated amine groups with W04(2-). The ionization behavior of carboxylic and amine groups was modeled based on acid-base equilibrium theory. While the ionization behavior of amine groups was satisfactorily described by one dissociation constant (pKa = 4.74), two pKa values (5.23 and 8.97) were necessary to describe the titration curve of carboxylic groups. These results were consistent with the bimodal pore size distribution (PSD) of FT30 active layer reported in the literature. The calculated total concentrations of carboxylic and amine groups in the active layer of the FT30 RO membrane studied were 0.432 and 0.036 M, respectively, and the isoelectric point (IEP) was 4.7. The total concentration of carboxylic and amine groups revealed that the degree of cross-linking of the PA active layer of the FT30 RO membrane studied was 94%.

  20. Consistent Conformal Extensions of the Standard Model arXiv

    CERN Document Server

    Loebbert, Florian; Plefka, Jan

    The question of whether classically conformal modifications of the standard model are consistent with experimental obervations has recently been subject to renewed interest. The method of Gildener and Weinberg provides a natural framework for the study of the effective potential of the resulting multi-scalar standard model extensions. This approach relies on the assumption of the ordinary loop hierarchy $\\lambda_\\text{s} \\sim g^2_\\text{g}$ of scalar and gauge couplings. On the other hand, Andreassen, Frost and Schwartz recently argued that in the (single-scalar) standard model, gauge invariant results require the consistent scaling $\\lambda_\\text{s} \\sim g^4_\\text{g}$. In the present paper we contrast these two hierarchy assumptions and illustrate the differences in the phenomenological predictions of minimal conformal extensions of the standard model.

  1. Modeling self-consistent multi-class dynamic traffic flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Hsun-Jung; Lo, Shih-Ching

    2002-09-01

    In this study, we present a systematic self-consistent multiclass multilane traffic model derived from the vehicular Boltzmann equation and the traffic dispersion model. The multilane domain is considered as a two-dimensional space and the interaction among vehicles in the domain is described by a dispersion model. The reason we consider a multilane domain as a two-dimensional space is that the driving behavior of road users may not be restricted by lanes, especially motorcyclists. The dispersion model, which is a nonlinear Poisson equation, is derived from the car-following theory and the equilibrium assumption. Under the concept that all kinds of users share the finite section, the density is distributed on a road by the dispersion model. In addition, the dynamic evolution of the traffic flow is determined by the systematic gas-kinetic model derived from the Boltzmann equation. Multiplying Boltzmann equation by the zeroth, first- and second-order moment functions, integrating both side of the equation and using chain rules, we can derive continuity, motion and variance equation, respectively. However, the second-order moment function, which is the square of the individual velocity, is employed by previous researches does not have physical meaning in traffic flow. Although the second-order expansion results in the velocity variance equation, additional terms may be generated. The velocity variance equation we propose is derived from multiplying Boltzmann equation by the individual velocity variance. It modifies the previous model and presents a new gas-kinetic traffic flow model. By coupling the gas-kinetic model and the dispersion model, a self-consistent system is presented.

  2. Interaction pathways between soft lipid nanodiscs and plasma membranes: A molecular modeling study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shixin; Luo, Zhen; Xu, Yan; Ren, Hao; Deng, Li; Zhang, Xianren; Huang, Fang; Yue, Tongtao

    2017-10-01

    Lipid nanodisc, a model membrane platform originally synthesized for study of membrane proteins, has recently been used as the carrier to deliver amphiphilic drugs into target tumor cells. However, the central question of how cells interact with such emerging nanomaterials remains unclear and deserves our research for both improving the delivery efficiency and reducing the side effect. In this work, a binary lipid nanodisc is designed as the minimum model to investigate its interactions with plasma membranes by using the dissipative particle dynamics method. Three typical interaction pathways, including the membrane attachment with lipid domain exchange of nanodiscs, the partial membrane wrapping with nanodisc vesiculation, and the receptor-mediated endocytosis, are discovered. For the first pathway, the boundary normal lipids acting as ligands diffuse along the nanodisc rim to gather at the membrane interface, repelling the central bola lipids to reach a stable membrane attachment. If bola lipids are positioned at the periphery and act as ligands, they diffuse to form a large aggregate being wrapped by the membrane, leaving the normal lipids exposed on the membrane exterior by assembling into a vesicle. Finally, by setting both central normal lipids and boundary bola lipids as ligands, the receptor-mediated endocytosis occurs via both deformation and self-rotation of the nanodiscs. All above pathways for soft lipid nanodiscs are quite different from those for rigid nanoparticles, which may provide useful guidelines for design of soft lipid nanodiscs in widespread biomedical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Membrane paradigm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Price, R.H.; Thorne, K.S.

    1986-01-01

    The membrane paradigm is a modified frozen star approach to modeling black holes, with particles and fields assuming a complex, static, boundary-layer type structure (membrane) near the event horizon. The membrane has no effects on the present or future evolution of particles and fields above itself. The mathematical representation is a combination of a formalism containing terms for the shear and bulk viscosity, surface pressure, momentum, temperature, entropy, etc., of the horizon and the 3+1 formalism. The latter model considers a family of three-dimensional spacelike hypersurfaces in one-dimensional time. The membrane model considers a magnetic field threading the hole and undergoing torque from the hole rotation. The field is cleaned by the horizon and distributed over the horizon so that ohmic dissipation is minimized. The membrane paradigm is invalid inside the horizon, but is useful for theoretically probing the properties of slowly evolving black holes

  4. A co-cultured skin model based on cell support membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, N.-T.; Yeh, M.-K.; Liu, Demeral David; Adams, E.F.; Chiang, C.-H.; Yen, C.-Y.; Shih, C.-M.; Sytwu, H.-K.; Chen, Tim-Mo; Wang, H.-J.; Williamson, M.R.; Coombes, A.G.A.

    2005-01-01

    Tissue engineering of skin based on collagen: PCL biocomposites using a designed co-culture system is reported. The collagen: PCL biocomposites having collagen: PCL (w/w) ratios of 1:4, 1:8, and 1:20 have been proven to be biocompatible materials to support both adult normal human epidermal Keratinocyte (NHEK) and mouse 3T3 fibroblast growth in cell culture, respectively, by Dai, Coombes, et al. in 2004. Films of collagen: PCL biocomposites were prepared using non-crosslinking method by impregnation of lyophilized collagen mats with PCL/dichloromethane solutions followed by solvent evaporation. To mimic the dermal/epidermal structure of skin, the 1:20 collagen: PCL biocomposites were selected for a feasibility study of a designed co-culture technique that would subsequently be used for preparing fibroblast/biocomposite/keratinocyte skin models. A 55.3% increase in cell number was measured in the designed co-culture system when fibroblasts were seeded on both sides of a biocomposite film compared with cell culture on one surface of the biocomposite in the feasibility study. The co-culture of human keratinocytes and 3T3 fibroblasts on each side of the membrane was therefore studied using the same co-culture system by growing keratinocytes on the top surface of membrane for 3 days and 3T3 fibroblasts underneath the membrane for 6 days. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and immunohistochemistry assay revealed good cell attachment and proliferation of both human keratinocytes and 3T3 fibroblasts with these two types of cells isolated well on each side of the membrane. Using a modified co-culture technique, a co-cultured skin model presenting a confluent epidermal sheet on one side of the biocomposite film and fibroblasts populated on the other side of the film was developed successfully in co-culture system for 28 days under investigations by SEM and immunohistochemistry assay. Thus, the design of a co-culture system based on 1:20 (w/w) collagen: PCL biocomposite

  5. Research on Biomimetic Models and Nanomechanical Behaviour of Membranous Wings of Chinese Bee Apis cerana cerana Fabricius

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanru Zhao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The structures combining the veins and membranes of membranous wings of the Chinese bee Apis cerana cerana Fabricius into a whole have excellent load-resisting capacity. The membranous wings of Chinese bees were taken as research objects and the mechanical properties of a biomimetic model of membranous wings as targets. In order to understand and learn from the biosystem and then make technical innovation, the membranous wings of Chinese bees were simulated and analysed with reverse engineering and finite element method. The deformations and stress states of the finite element model of membranous wings were researched under the concentrated force, uniform load, and torque. It was found that the whole model deforms evenly and there are no unusual deformations arising. The displacements and deformations are small and transform uniformly. It was indicated that the veins and membranes combine well into a whole to transmit loads effectively, which illustrates the membranous wings of Chinese bees having excellent integral mechanical behaviour and structure stiffness. The realization of structure models of the membranous wings of Chinese bees and analysis of the relativity of structures and performances or functions will provide an inspiration for designing biomimetic thin-film materials with superior load-bearing capacity.

  6. Control-oriented model of a membrane humidifier for fuel cell applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solsona, Miguel; Kunusch, Cristian; Ocampo-Martinez, Carlos

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A control-oriented model of a Nafion® membrane gas humidifier has been developed. • The control-oriented model has been experimentally validated. • A non-linear control strategy has been used to test its suitability for control purposes. - Abstract: Improving the humidification of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel-cells (PEMFC) is essential to optimize its performance and stability. Therefore, this paper presents an experimentally validated model of a low temperature PEMFC cathode humidifier for control/observation design purposes. A multi-input/multi-output non-linear fourth order model is derived, based on the mass and heat dynamics of circulating air. In order to validate the proposed model and methodology, experimental results are provided. Finally, a non-linear control strategy based on second order sliding mode is designed and analyzed in order to show suitability and usefulness of the approach.

  7. Global Proteomic Analysis Reveals an Exclusive Role of Thylakoid Membranes in Bioenergetics of a Model Cyanobacterium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liberton, Michelle; Saha, Rajib; Jacobs, Jon M.; Nguyen, Amelia Y.; Gritsenko, Marina A.; Smith, Richard D.; Koppenaal, David W.; Pakrasi, Himadri B.

    2016-04-07

    Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microbes with highly differentiated membrane systems. These organisms contain an outer membrane, plasma membrane, and an internal system of thylakoid membranes where the photosynthetic and respiratory machinery are found. This existence of compartmentalization and differentiation of membrane systems poses a number of challenges for cyanobacterial cells in terms of organization and distribution of proteins to the correct membrane system. Proteomics studies have long sought to identify the components of the different membrane systems, and to date about 450 different proteins have been attributed to either the plasma membrane or thylakoid membrane. Given the complexity of these membranes, many more proteins remain to be identified in these membrane systems, and a comprehensive catalog of plasma membrane and thylakoid membrane proteins is needed. Here we describe the identification of 635 proteins in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by quantitative iTRAQ isobaric labeling; of these, 459 proteins were localized to the plasma membrane and 176 were localized to the thylakoid membrane. Surprisingly, we found over 2.5 times the number of unique proteins identified in the plasma membrane compared to the thylakoid membrane. This suggests that the protein composition of the thylakoid membrane is more homogeneous than the plasma membrane, consistent with the role of the plasma membrane in diverse cellular processes including protein trafficking and nutrient import, compared to a more specialized role for the thylakoid membrane in cellular energetics. Overall, the protein composition of the Synechocystis 6803 plasma membrane and thylakoid membrane is quite similar to the E.coli plasma membrane and Arabidopsis thylakoid membrane, respectively. Synechocystis 6803 can therefore be described as a gram-negative bacterium that has an additional internal membrane system that fulfils the energetic requirements of the cell.

  8. Global Proteomic Analysis Reveals an Exclusive Role of Thylakoid Membranes in Bioenergetics of a Model Cyanobacterium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liberton, Michelle; Saha, Rajib; Jacobs, Jon M.; Nguyen, Amelia Y.; Gritsenko, Marina A.; Smith, Richard D.; Koppenaal, David W.; Pakrasi, Himadri B.

    2016-04-07

    Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microbes with highlydifferentiated membrane systems. These organisms contain an outer membrane, plasma membrane, and an internal system of thylakoid membranes where the photosynthetic and respiratory machinery are found. This existence of compartmentalization and differentiation of membrane systems poses a number of challenges for cyanobacterial cells in terms of organization and distribution of proteins to the correct membrane system. Proteomics studies have long sought to identify the components of the different membrane systems in cyanobacteria, and to date about 450 different proteins have been attributed to either the plasma membrane or thylakoid membrane. Given the complexity of these membranes, many more proteins remain to be identified, and a comprehensive catalogue of plasma membrane and thylakoid membrane proteins is needed. Here we describe the identification of 635 differentially localized proteins in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by quantitative iTRAQ isobaric labeling; of these, 459 proteins were localized to the plasma membrane and 176 were localized to the thylakoid membrane. Surprisingly, we found over 2.5 times the number of unique proteins identified in the plasma membrane compared with the thylakoid membrane. This suggests that the protein composition of the thylakoid membrane is more homogeneous than the plasma membrane, consistent with the role of the plasma membrane in diverse cellular processes including protein trafficking and nutrient import, compared with a more specialized role for the thylakoid membrane in cellular energetics. Thus, our data clearly define the two membrane systems with distinct functions. Overall, the protein compositions of the Synechocystis 6803 plasma membrane and thylakoid membrane are quite similar to that of the plasma membrane of Escherichia coli and thylakoid membrane of Arabidopsis chloroplasts, respectively. Synechocystis 6803 can therefore be described as a Gram

  9. Modeling and Simulation of Membrane-Based Dehumidification and Energy Recovery Process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Zhiming [ORNL; Abdelaziz, Omar [ORNL; Qu, Ming [ORNL

    2017-01-01

    This paper introduces a first-order physics-based model that accounts for the fundamental heat and mass transfer between a humid-air vapor stream on feed side to another flow stream on permeate side. The model comprises a few optional submodels for membrane mass transport; and it adopts a segment-by-segment method for discretizing heat and mass transfer governing equations for flow streams on feed and permeate sides. The model is able to simulate both dehumidifiers and energy recovery ventilators in parallel-flow, cross-flow, and counter-flow configurations. The predicted tresults are compared reasonably well with the measurements. The open-source codes are written in C++. The model and open-source codes are expected to become a fundament tool for the analysis of membrane-based dehumidification in the future.

  10. Anode partial flooding modelling of proton exchange membrane fuel cells: Model development and validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xing, Lei; Du, Shangfeng; Chen, Rui; Mamlouk, Mohamed; Scott, Keith

    2016-01-01

    A two-dimensional along-the-channel CFD (computational fluid dynamic) model, coupled with a two-phase flow model of liquid water and gas transport for a PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell is described. The model considers non-isothermal operation and thus the non-uniform temperature distribution in the cell structure. Water phase-transfer between the vapour, liquid water and dissolved phase is modelled with the combinational transport mechanism through the membrane. Liquid water saturation is simulated inside the electrodes and channels at both the anode and cathode sides. Three types of models are compared for the HOR (hydrogen oxidation reaction) and ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) in catalyst layers, including Butler–Volmer (B–V), liquid water saturation corrected B–V and agglomerate mechanisms. Temperature changes in MEA (membrane electrode assembly) and channels due to electrochemical reaction, ohmic resistance and water phase-transfer are analysed as a function of current density. Nonlinear relations of liquid water saturations with respect to current densities at both the anode and cathode are regressed. At low and high current densities, liquid water saturation at the anode linearly increases as a consequence of the linear increase of liquid water saturation at the cathode. In contrast, exponential relation is found to be more accurate at medium current densities. - Highlights: • A fully coupled 2D, along-the-channel, two-phase flow, non-isothermal, CFD model is developed. • Temperature rise due to electrochemical reactions, ohmic resistance and water phase-transfer is analysed. • Mathematical expressions of liquid water saturation against current density at anode and cathode are regressed. • Relationship between the liquid water saturation at anode and cathode is built.

  11. [Computer modeling the dependences of the membrane potential for polymeric membrane separated non-homogeneous electrolyte solutions on concentration Rayleigh number].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slezak, Izabella H; Jasik-Slezak, Jolanta; Bilewicz-Wyrozumska, Teresa; Slezak, Andrzej

    2006-01-01

    On the basis of model equation describing the membrane potential delta psi(s) on concentration Rayleigh number (R(C)), mechanical pressure difference (deltaP), concentration polarization coefficient (zeta s) and ratio concentration of solutions separated by membrane (Ch/Cl), the characteristics delta psi(s) = f(Rc)(delta P, zeta s, Ch/Cl) for steady values of zeta s, R(C) and Ch/Cl in single-membrane system were calculated. In this system neutral and isotropic polymeric membrane oriented in horizontal plane, the non-homogeneous binary electrolytic solutions of various concentrations were separated. Nonhomogeneity of solutions is results from creations of the concentration boundary layers on both sides of the membrane. Calculations were made for the case where on a one side of the membrane aqueous solution of NaCl at steady concentration 10(-3) mol x l(-1) (Cl) was placed and on the other aqueous solutions of NaCl at concentrations from 10(-3) mol x l(-1) to 2 x 10(-2) mol x l(-1) (Ch). Their densities were greater than NaCl solution's at 10(-3) mol x l(-1). It was shown that membrane potential depends on hydrodynamic state of a complex concentration boundary layer-membrane-concentration boundary layer, what is controlled by deltaP, Ch/Cl, Rc and Zeta(s).

  12. SC lipid model membranes designed for studying impact of ceramide species on drug diffusion and permeation--part II: diffusion and permeation of model drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochalek, M; Podhaisky, H; Ruettinger, H-H; Wohlrab, J; Neubert, R H H

    2012-10-01

    The barrier function of two quaternary stratum corneum (SC) lipid model membranes, which were previously characterized with regard to the lipid organization, was investigated based on diffusion studies of model drugs with varying lipophilicities. Diffusion experiments of a hydrophilic drug, urea, and more lipophilic drugs than urea (i.e. caffeine, diclofenac sodium) were conducted using Franz-type diffusion cells. The amount of permeated drug was analyzed using either HPLC or CE technique. The subjects of interest in the present study were the investigation of the influence of physicochemical properties of model drugs on their diffusion and permeation through SC lipid model membranes, as well as the study of the impact of the constituents of these artificial systems (particularly ceramide species) on their barrier properties. The diffusion through both SC lipid model membranes and the human SC of the most hydrophilic model drug, urea, was faster than the permeation of the more lipophilic drugs. The slowest rate of permeation through SC lipid systems occurred in the case of caffeine. The composition of SC lipid model membranes has a significant impact on their barrier function. Model drugs diffused and permeated faster through Membrane II (presence of Cer [EOS]). In terms of the barrier properties, Membrane II is much more similar to the human SC than Membrane I. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Topologically Consistent Models for Efficient Big Geo-Spatio Data Distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jahn, M. W.; Bradley, P. E.; Doori, M. Al; Breunig, M.

    2017-10-01

    Geo-spatio-temporal topology models are likely to become a key concept to check the consistency of 3D (spatial space) and 4D (spatial + temporal space) models for emerging GIS applications such as subsurface reservoir modelling or the simulation of energy and water supply of mega or smart cities. Furthermore, the data management for complex models consisting of big geo-spatial data is a challenge for GIS and geo-database research. General challenges, concepts, and techniques of big geo-spatial data management are presented. In this paper we introduce a sound mathematical approach for a topologically consistent geo-spatio-temporal model based on the concept of the incidence graph. We redesign DB4GeO, our service-based geo-spatio-temporal database architecture, on the way to the parallel management of massive geo-spatial data. Approaches for a new geo-spatio-temporal and object model of DB4GeO meeting the requirements of big geo-spatial data are discussed in detail. Finally, a conclusion and outlook on our future research are given on the way to support the processing of geo-analytics and -simulations in a parallel and distributed system environment.

  14. Membrane interaction of antimicrobial peptides using E. coli lipid extract as model bacterial cell membranes and SFG spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soblosky, Lauren; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy; Chen, Zhan

    2015-04-01

    Supported lipid bilayers are used as a convenient model cell membrane system to study biologically important molecule-lipid interactions in situ. However, the lipid bilayer models are often simple and the acquired results with these models may not provide all pertinent information related to a real cell membrane. In this work, we use sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy to study molecular-level interactions between the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) MSI-594, ovispirin-1 G18, magainin 2 and a simple 1,2-dipalmitoyl-d62-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (dDPPG)/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (POPG) bilayer. We compared such interactions to those between the AMPs and a more complex dDPPG/Escherichia coli (E. coli) polar lipid extract bilayer. We show that to fully understand more complex aspects of peptide-bilayer interaction, such as interaction kinetics, a heterogeneous lipid composition is required, such as the E. coli polar lipid extract. The discrepancy in peptide-bilayer interaction is likely due in part to the difference in bilayer charge between the two systems since highly negative charged lipids can promote more favorable electrostatic interactions between the peptide and lipid bilayer. Results presented in this paper indicate that more complex model bilayers are needed to accurately analyze peptide-cell membrane interactions and demonstrates the importance of using an appropriate lipid composition to study AMP interaction properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A Comparison of Water Diffusion in Polymer Based Fuel Cell and Reverse Osmosis Membrane Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soles, Christopher; Frieberg, Bradley; Tarver, Jacob; Tyagi, Madhusudan; Jeong, Cheol; Chan, Edwin; Stafford, Christopher

    Hydrated polymer membranes are critical in both fuel cells and water filtration and desalination. In both of these applications the membrane function (selectively transporting or separating ions) is coupled with the transport of water through the membrane. There is a significant need to understand the nature by which the water and ions distribute and move through these membranes. This presentation compares the transport mechanisms in in an ion containing block copolymer alkaline fuel cell membrane with that of a polyamide membrane that is used as the active layer in a reverse osmosis water desalination membrane. Small angle neutron scattering measurements are used to locally probe how water swells the different materials and quantitatively describe the distribution of water within the membrane microstructures. Quasielastic neutron scattering measurements are then used to separate the polymer dynamics of the host membranes from the dynamics of the water inside the membranes. This reveals that water moves at least an order of magnitude slower through the ion containing fuel cell membrane materials, consistent with a solution-diffusion model, while the water in the polyamide membranes moves faster, consistent with a pore-flow diffusion mechanism. These insights will be discussed in terms of a coupling of the water and polymer dynamics and design cues for high performance membrane materials.

  16. Air gap membrane distillation. 2. Model validation and hollow fibre module performance analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Guijt, C.M.; Meindersma, G.W.; Reith, T.; de Haan, A.B.

    2005-01-01

    In this paper the experimental results of counter current flow air gap membrane distillation experiments are presented and compared with predictive model calculations. Measurements were carried out with a cylindrical test module containing a single hollow fibre membrane in the centre and a

  17. α-Synuclein oligomers induced by docosahexaenoic acid affect membrane integrity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiara Fecchio

    Full Text Available A key feature of Parkinson disease is the aggregation of α-synuclein and its intracellular deposition in fibrillar form. Increasing evidence suggests that the pathogenicity of α-synuclein is correlated with the activity of oligomers formed in the early stages of its aggregation process. Oligomers toxicity seems to be associated with both their ability to bind and affect the integrity of lipid membranes. Previously, we demonstrated that α-synuclein forms oligomeric species in the presence of docosahexaenoic acid and that these species are toxic to cells. Here we studied how interaction of these oligomers with membranes results in cell toxicity, using cellular membrane-mimetic and cell model systems. We found that α-synuclein oligomers are able to interact with large and small unilamellar negatively charged vesicles acquiring an increased amount of α-helical structure, which induces small molecules release. We explored the possibility that oligomers effects on membranes could be due to pore formation, to a detergent-like effect or to fibril growth on the membrane. Our biophysical and cellular findings are consistent with a model where α-synuclein oligomers are embedded into the lipid bilayer causing transient alteration of membrane permeability.

  18. Toward a consistent model for glass dissolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strachan, D.M.; McGrail, B.P.; Bourcier, W.L.

    1994-01-01

    Understanding the process of glass dissolution in aqueous media has advanced significantly over the last 10 years through the efforts of many scientists around the world. Mathematical models describing the glass dissolution process have also advanced from simple empirical functions to structured models based on fundamental principles of physics, chemistry, and thermodynamics. Although borosilicate glass has been selected as the waste form for disposal of high-level wastes in at least 5 countries, there is no international consensus on the fundamental methodology for modeling glass dissolution that could be used in assessing the long term performance of waste glasses in a geologic repository setting. Each repository program is developing their own model and supporting experimental data. In this paper, we critically evaluate a selected set of these structured models and show that a consistent methodology for modeling glass dissolution processes is available. We also propose a strategy for a future coordinated effort to obtain the model input parameters that are needed for long-term performance assessments of glass in a geologic repository. (author) 4 figs., tabs., 75 refs

  19. Silicon Micropore-Based Parallel Plate Membrane Oxygenator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dharia, Ajay; Abada, Emily; Feinberg, Benjamin; Yeager, Torin; Moses, Willieford; Park, Jaehyun; Blaha, Charles; Wright, Nathan; Padilla, Benjamin; Roy, Shuvo

    2018-02-01

    Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life support system that circulates the blood through an oxygenating system to temporarily (days to months) support heart or lung function during cardiopulmonary failure until organ recovery or replacement. Currently, the need for high levels of systemic anticoagulation and the risk for bleeding are main drawbacks of ECMO that can be addressed with a redesigned ECMO system. Our lab has developed an approach using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication techniques to create novel gas exchange membranes consisting of a rigid silicon micropore membrane (SμM) support structure bonded to a thin film of gas-permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This study details the fabrication process to create silicon membranes with highly uniform micropores that have a high level of pattern fidelity. The oxygen transport across these membranes was tested in a simple water-based bench-top set-up as well in a porcine in vivo model. It was determined that the mass transfer coefficient for the system using SµM-PDMS membranes was 3.03 ± 0.42 mL O 2 min -1 m -2 cm Hg -1 with pure water and 1.71 ± 1.03 mL O 2 min -1 m -2 cm Hg -1 with blood. An analytic model to predict gas transport was developed using data from the bench-top experiments and validated with in vivo testing. This was a proof of concept study showing adequate oxygen transport across a parallel plate SµM-PDMS membrane when used as a membrane oxygenator. This work establishes the tools and the equipoise to develop future generations of silicon micropore membrane oxygenators. © 2017 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Model-based fault detection for proton exchange membrane fuel cell ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this paper, an intelligent model-based fault detection (FD) is developed for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) dynamic systems using an independent radial basis function (RBF) networks. The novelty is that this RBF networks is used to model the PEMFC dynamic systems and residuals are generated based ...

  1. A distributed dynamic model of a monolith hydrogen membrane reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michelsen, Finn Are; Wilhelmsen, Øivind; Zhao, Lei; Aasen, Knut Ingvar

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► We model a rigorous distributed dynamic model for a HMR unit. ► The model includes enough complexity for steady-state and dynamic analysis. ► Simulations show that the model is non-linear within the normal operating range. ► The model is useful for studying and handling disturbances such as inlet changes and membrane leakage. - Abstract: This paper describes a distributed mechanistic dynamic model of a hydrogen membrane reformer unit (HMR) used for methane steam reforming. The model is based on a square channel monolith structure concept, where air flows adjacent to a mix of natural gas and water distributed in a chess pattern of channels. Combustion of hydrogen gives energy to the endothermic steam reforming reactions. The model is used for both steady state and dynamic analyses. It therefore needs to be computationally attractive, but still include enough complexity to study the important steady state and dynamic features of the process. Steady-state analysis of the model gives optimum for the steam to carbon and steam to oxygen ratios, where the conversion of methane is 92% and the hydrogen used as energy for the endothermic reactions is 28% at the nominal optimum. The dynamic analysis shows that non-linear control schemes may be necessary for satisfactory control performance

  2. Free and membrane-bound calcium in microgravity and microgravity effects at the membrane level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belyavskaya, N. A.

    The changes of [Ca^2+]_i controlled is known to play a key regulatory role in numerous cellular processes especially associated with membranes. Previous studies from our laboratory have demonstrated an increase in calcium level in root cells of pea seedlings grown aboard orbital station ``Salyut 6'' /1/. These results: 1) indicate that observed Ca^2+-binding sites of membranes also consist in proteins and phospholipids; 2) suggest that such effects of space flight in membrane Ca-binding might be due to the enhancement of Ca^2+ influx through membranes. In model presented, I propose that Ca^2+-activated channels in plasma membrane in response to microgravity allow the movement of Ca^2+ into the root cells, causing a rise in cytoplasmic free Ca^2+ levels. The latter, in its turn, may induce the inhibition of a Ca^2+ efflux by Ca^2+-activated ATPases and through a Ca^2+/H^+ antiport. It is possible that increased cytosolic levels of Ca^2+ ions have stimulated hydrolysis and turnover of phosphatidylinositols, with a consequent elevation of cytosolic [Ca^2+]_i. Plant cell can response to such a Ca^2+ rise by an enhancement of membranous Ca^2+-binding activities to rescue thus a cell from an abundance of a cytotoxin. A Ca^2+-induced phase separation of membranous lipids assists to appear the structure nonstable zones with high energy level at the boundary of microdomains which are rich by some phospholipid components; there is mixing of molecules of the membranes contacted in these zones, the first stage of membranous fusion, which was found in plants exposed to microgravity. These results support the hypothesis that a target for microgravity effect is the flux mechanism of Ca^2+ to plant cell.

  3. Molecular dynamics study of lipid bilayers modeling the plasma membranes of mouse hepatocytes and hepatomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andoh, Yoshimichi; Aoki, Noriyuki; Okazaki, Susumu

    2016-02-28

    Molecular dynamics (MD) calculations of lipid bilayers modeling the plasma membranes of normal mouse hepatocytes and hepatomas in water have been performed under physiological isothermal-isobaric conditions (310.15 K and 1 atm). The changes in the membrane properties induced by hepatic canceration were investigated and were compared with previous MD calculations included in our previous study of the changes in membrane properties induced by murine thymic canceration. The calculated model membranes for normal hepatocytes and hepatomas comprised 23 and 24 kinds of lipids, respectively. These included phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophospholipids, and cholesterol. We referred to previously published experimental values for the mole fraction of the lipids adopted in the present calculations. The calculated structural and dynamic properties of the membranes such as lateral structure, order parameters, lateral self-diffusion constants, and rotational correlation times all showed that hepatic canceration causes plasma membranes to become more ordered laterally and less fluid. Interestingly, this finding contrasts with the less ordered structure and increased fluidity of plasma membranes induced by thymic canceration observed in our previous MD study.

  4. The problem of fouling in submerged membrane bioreactors - Model validation and experimental evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsibranska, Irene; Vlaev, Serafim; Tylkowski, Bartosz

    2018-01-01

    Integrating biological treatment with membrane separation has found a broad area of applications and industrial attention. Submerged membrane bioreactors (SMBRs), based on membrane modules immersed in the bioreactor, or side stream ones connected in recycle have been employed in different biotechnological processes for separation of thermally unstable products. Fouling is one of the most important challenges in the integrated SMBRs. A number of works are devoted to fouling analysis and its treatment, especially exploring the opportunity for enhanced fouling control in SMBRs. The main goal of the review is to provide a comprehensive yet concise overview of modeling the fouling in SMBRs in view of the problematics of model validation, either by real system measurements at different scales or by analysis of the obtained theoretical results. The review is focused on the current state of research applying computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling techniques.

  5. Adjoint-consistent formulations of slip models for coupled electroosmotic flow systems

    KAUST Repository

    Garg, Vikram V

    2014-09-27

    Background Models based on the Helmholtz `slip\\' approximation are often used for the simulation of electroosmotic flows. The objectives of this paper are to construct adjoint-consistent formulations of such models, and to develop adjoint-based numerical tools for adaptive mesh refinement and parameter sensitivity analysis. Methods We show that the direct formulation of the `slip\\' model is adjoint inconsistent, and leads to an ill-posed adjoint problem. We propose a modified formulation of the coupled `slip\\' model, which is shown to be well-posed, and therefore automatically adjoint-consistent. Results Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the computation and use of the adjoint solution in two-dimensional microfluidics problems. Conclusions An adjoint-consistent formulation for Helmholtz `slip\\' models of electroosmotic flows has been proposed. This formulation provides adjoint solutions that can be reliably used for mesh refinement and sensitivity analysis.

  6. Consistency in Estimation and Model Selection of Dynamic Panel Data Models with Fixed Effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangjie Li

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available We examine the relationship between consistent parameter estimation and model selection for autoregressive panel data models with fixed effects. We find that the transformation of fixed effects proposed by Lancaster (2002 does not necessarily lead to consistent estimation of common parameters when some true exogenous regressors are excluded. We propose a data dependent way to specify the prior of the autoregressive coefficient and argue for comparing different model specifications before parameter estimation. Model selection properties of Bayes factors and Bayesian information criterion (BIC are investigated. When model uncertainty is substantial, we recommend the use of Bayesian Model Averaging to obtain point estimators with lower root mean squared errors (RMSE. We also study the implications of different levels of inclusion probabilities by simulations.

  7. CO2 adsorption using TiO2 composite polymeric membranes: A kinetic study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafeez, Sarah; Fan, X; Hussain, Arshad; Martín, C F

    2015-09-01

    CO2 is the main greenhouse gas which causes global climatic changes on larger scale. Many techniques have been utilised to capture CO2. Membrane gas separation is a fast growing CO2 capture technique, particularly gas separation by composite membranes. The separation of CO2 by a membrane is not just a process to physically sieve out of CO2 through the controlled membrane pore size. It mainly depends upon diffusion and solubility of gases, particularly for composite dense membranes. The blended components in composite membranes have a high capability to adsorb CO2. The adsorption kinetics of the gases may directly affect diffusion and solubility. In this study, we have investigated the adsorption behaviour of CO2 in pure and composite membranes to explore the complete understanding of diffusion and solubility of CO2 through membranes. Pure cellulose acetate (CA) and cellulose acetate-titania nanoparticle (CA-TiO2) composite membranes were fabricated and characterised using SEM and FTIR analysis. The results indicated that the blended CA-TiO2 membrane adsorbed more quantity of CO2 gas as compared to pure CA membrane. The high CO2 adsorption capacity may enhance the diffusion and solubility of CO2 in the CA-TiO2 composite membrane, which results in a better CO2 separation. The experimental data was modelled by Pseudo first-order, pseudo second order and intra particle diffusion models. According to correlation factor R(2), the Pseudo second order model was fitted well with experimental data. The intra particle diffusion model revealed that adsorption in dense membranes was not solely consisting of intra particle diffusion. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Self-consistent mean-field models for nuclear structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bender, Michael; Heenen, Paul-Henri; Reinhard, Paul-Gerhard

    2003-01-01

    The authors review the present status of self-consistent mean-field (SCMF) models for describing nuclear structure and low-energy dynamics. These models are presented as effective energy-density functionals. The three most widely used variants of SCMF's based on a Skyrme energy functional, a Gogny force, and a relativistic mean-field Lagrangian are considered side by side. The crucial role of the treatment of pairing correlations is pointed out in each case. The authors discuss other related nuclear structure models and present several extensions beyond the mean-field model which are currently used. Phenomenological adjustment of the model parameters is discussed in detail. The performance quality of the SCMF model is demonstrated for a broad range of typical applications

  9. Interaction of arsenic compounds with model phospholipid membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jemiola-Rzeminska, Malgorzata; Rivera, Cecilia; Suwalsky, Mario; Strzalka, Kazimierz

    2007-01-01

    This study is part of a project aimed at examining the influence of arsenic on biological membranes. By the use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) we have followed the thermotropic behavior of multilamellar vesicles prepared from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DMPE) upon incorporation of sodium arsenite (AsI), disodium arsenate (AsII), cacodylic acid (AsIII) and disodium methyl arsenate (AsIV). The effectiveness of perturbations exerted by various arsenic compounds on thermotropic phase transition was further analysed in terms of thermodynamic parameters: transition temperature, enthalpy and molar heat capacity, determined for lipid/As systems on the basis of heating and cooling scans. It is found that while it only has a slight influence on the thermotropic properties of DMPC, arsenic is able to significantly modify DMPE model membranes

  10. Ion transport Modeling in a Bipolar Membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jung Soo; Park, Kwang Heon; Kim, Kwang Wook

    2010-01-01

    The COL(Carbonate-based Oxidative Leaching) process is an environmentally-friendly technique for collecting only uranium from spent fuel with oxidation leaching/ precipitation of carbonate solution. The bipolar membrane used for the electrolyte circulation of the salt used in the COL process is a special form of ion exchange membrane which combines CEM(cation exchange membrane) and AEM(anion exchange membrane). After arranging positive ion exchange layer toward negative terminal and positive ion exchange layer toward positive terminal, then supply electricity, water molecules are decomposed into protons and hydroxyl ions by a strong electric field in the transition region inside bipolar membrane.1) In this study, a theoretical approach to increase the efficiency of Na + and NO3 - ion collecting device using bipolar membrane was taken and simulating using the COMSOL program was tried. The details of results are also discussed

  11. Adrenal Chromaffin Cells Exposed to 5-ns Pulses Require Higher Electric Fields to Porate Intracellular Membranes than the Plasma Membrane: An Experimental and Modeling Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaklit, Josette; Craviso, Gale L; Leblanc, Normand; Yang, Lisha; Vernier, P Thomas; Chatterjee, Indira

    2017-10-01

    Nanosecond-duration electric pulses (NEPs) can permeabilize the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), causing release of Ca 2+ into the cytoplasm. This study used experimentation coupled with numerical modeling to understand the lack of Ca 2+ mobilization from Ca 2+ -storing organelles in catecholamine-secreting adrenal chromaffin cells exposed to 5-ns pulses. Fluorescence imaging determined a threshold electric (E) field of 8 MV/m for mobilizing intracellular Ca 2+ whereas whole-cell recordings of membrane conductance determined a threshold E-field of 3 MV/m for causing plasma membrane permeabilization. In contrast, a 2D numerical model of a chromaffin cell, which was constructed with internal structures representing a nucleus, mitochondrion, ER, and secretory granule, predicted that exposing the cell to the same 5-ns pulse electroporated the plasma and ER membranes at the same E-field amplitude, 3-4 MV/m. Agreement of the numerical simulations with the experimental results was obtained only when the ER interior conductivity was 30-fold lower than that of the cytoplasm and the ER membrane permittivity was twice that of the plasma membrane. A more realistic intracellular geometry for chromaffin cells in which structures representing multiple secretory granules and an ER showed slight differences in the thresholds necessary to porate the membranes of the secretory granules. We conclude that more sophisticated cell models together with knowledge of accurate dielectric properties are needed to understand the effects of NEPs on intracellular membranes in chromaffin cells, information that will be important for elucidating how NEPs porate organelle membranes in other cell types having a similarly complex cytoplasmic ultrastructure.

  12. Aroma Stripping under various Forms of Membrane Distillation Processes: Experiments and modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

    the large different in permeate flux and concentration factor that was observed for the different MD configurations. This is highly related to the heat and mass transfer resistances in the membrane as well as in the boundary layers adjacent to the membrane surface and how the driving force develops along......Concentration of fruit juices by membrane distillation is an interesting process as it can be done at low temperature giving a gentle concentration process with little deterioration of the juices. Since the juices contains many different aroma compounds with a wide range of chemical properties...... such as volatility, activity coefficient and vapor pressure, it is important to know how these aroma compounds will eventually pass through the membrane. Experiments have been made on an aroma model solution and on black currant juice in a lab scale membrane distillation set up which can be operated in various types...

  13. Thermodynamically Consistent Algorithms for the Solution of Phase-Field Models

    KAUST Repository

    Vignal, Philippe

    2016-01-01

    of thermodynamically consistent algorithms for time integration of phase-field models. The first part of this thesis focuses on an energy-stable numerical strategy developed for the phase-field crystal equation. This model was put forward to model microstructure

  14. Neutrons and model membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fragneto, G.

    2012-11-01

    Current research in membrane protein biophysics highlights the emerging role of lipids in shaping membrane protein function. Cells and organisms have developed sophisticated mechanisms for controlling the lipid composition and many diseases are related to the failure of these mechanisms. One of the recent advances in the field is the discovery of the existence of coexisting micro-domains within a single membrane, important for regulating some signaling pathways. Many important properties of these domains remain poorly characterized. The characterization and analysis of bio-interfaces represent a challenge. Performing measurements on these few nanometer thick, soft, visco-elastic and dynamic systems is close to the limits of the available tools and methods. Neutron scattering techniques including small angle scattering, diffraction, reflectometry as well as inelastic methods are rapidly developing for these studies and are attracting an increasing number of biologists and biophysicists at large facilities. This manuscript will review some recent progress in the field and provide perspectives for future developments. It aims at highlighting neutron reflectometry as a versatile method to tackle questions dealing with the understanding and function of biomembranes and their components. The other important scattering methods are only briefly introduced.

  15. Shuttling of G protein subunits between the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chisari, Mariangela; Saini, Deepak Kumar; Kalyanaraman, Vani; Gautam, Narasimhan

    2007-08-17

    Heterotrimeric G proteins (alphabetagamma) mediate the majority of signaling pathways in mammalian cells. It is long held that G protein function is localized to the plasma membrane. Here we examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of G protein localization using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, fluorescence loss in photobleaching, and a photoswitchable fluorescent protein, Dronpa. Unexpectedly, G protein subunits shuttle rapidly (t1/2 plasma membrane and intracellular membranes. We show that consistent with such shuttling, G proteins constitutively reside in endomembranes. Furthermore, we show that shuttling is inhibited by 2-bromopalmitate. Thus, contrary to present thought, G proteins do not reside permanently on the plasma membrane but are constantly testing the cytoplasmic surfaces of the plasma membrane and endomembranes to maintain G protein pools in intracellular membranes to establish direct communication between receptors and endomembranes.

  16. Mathematical modeling of liquid/liquid hollow fiber membrane contactor accounting for interfacial transport phenomena: Extraction of lanthanides as a surrogate for actinides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rogers, J.D.

    1994-01-01

    This report is divided into two parts. The second part is divided into the following sections: experimental protocol; modeling the hollow fiber extractor using film theory; Graetz model of the hollow fiber membrane process; fundamental diffusive-kinetic model; and diffusive liquid membrane device-a rigorous model. The first part is divided into: membrane and membrane process-a concept; metal extraction; kinetics of metal extraction; modeling the membrane contactor; and interfacial phenomenon-boundary conditions-applied to membrane transport

  17. Aggregated wind power plant models consisting of IEC wind turbine models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Altin, Müfit; Göksu, Ömer; Hansen, Anca Daniela

    2015-01-01

    The common practice regarding the modelling of large generation components has been to make use of models representing the performance of the individual components with a required level of accuracy and details. Owing to the rapid increase of wind power plants comprising large number of wind...... turbines, parameters and models to represent each individual wind turbine in detail makes it necessary to develop aggregated wind power plant models considering the simulation time for power system stability studies. In this paper, aggregated wind power plant models consisting of the IEC 61400-27 variable...... speed wind turbine models (type 3 and type 4) with a power plant controller is presented. The performance of the detailed benchmark wind power plant model and the aggregated model are compared by means of simulations for the specified test cases. Consequently, the results are summarized and discussed...

  18. Analysis of coupled proton and water transport in a PEM fuel cell using the binary friction membrane model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carnes, B.; Djilali, N.

    2006-01-01

    Transport of liquid water within a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) is critical to the operation of a PEM fuel cell, due to the strong dependence of the membrane transport coefficients on water content. In addition, enhanced predictive abilities are particularly significant in the context of passive air breathing fuel cell designs where lower water contents will prevail in the membrane. We investigate and analyze the numerical predictions of a recently proposed rational model for transport of protons and water in a PEM, when compared to a widely used empirical model. While the performance is similar for a saturated membrane, for PEMs with low water content, the difference in computed current density and membrane water crossover can be substantial. The effects of coupling partially saturated gas diffusion electrodes (GDLs) with the membrane are studied in both a 1D and 2D context. In addition, a simplified 1D analytical membrane water transport model is validated against the complete 1D model predictions. Our numerical results predict a higher current density and more uniform membrane hydration using a dry cathode instead of a dry anode, and illustrate that the strongest 2D effects are for water vapor transport

  19. Numerical simulation of bubble induced shear in membrane bioreactors: effects of mixed liquor rheology and membrane configuration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xuefei; Wang, Yuan; Waite, T David; Leslie, Greg

    2015-05-15

    A CFD model, incorporating an empirically determined rheology model and a porous media model, was developed to simulate bubble induced surface shear in membrane bioreactors configured with hollow fibre membranes with outer diameters ranging from 1.3 to 2.4 mm, arranged in vertically orientated modules with packing density from 200 to 560 m(2)/m(3). The rheology model was developed for mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentrations of 3 to 16 gL(-1) in the presence and absence of coagulant (generated by addition of a ferrous salt) for shear rates ranging from 0 to 500 s(-1). Experimentally determined particle relaxation times for the biological flocs in the mixed liquor, both in the absence and presence of iron, were negligible, consistent with an environment where positive buoyancy forces were greater than negative settling forces thereby allowing the sludge mixture to be modelled as a single continuous phase. The non-Newtonian behaviour of the mixed liquor was incorporated into the CFD simulations using an Ostwald-de Waele rheology model. Interactions between mixed liquor and hollow fibre membranes of different fibre size and packing density were described using a porous media model that was calibrated by empirical measurement of inertial loss coefficients over a range of viscosities (0.8 × 10(-3) to 2.1 × 10(-3) Pa.s) and velocities (0 to 0.35 m/s) typically encountered in full scale MBRs. Experimental results indicated that addition of iron salts resulted in an increase in MLSS and sludge viscosity. Shear stress is affected by both velocity and viscosity. The increase in sludge viscosity resulted in an increase in resistance to flow through the hollow fibre membrane bundles and, as a result, decreased the liquid flow velocities. CFD simulations provided insight on the effects of point of coagulant addition and MLSS concentration on bubble-induced shear over a range of industrially relevant conditions. A 12% increase in shear stress was observed when

  20. Structural models of the membrane anchors of envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 from pestiviruses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Jimin; Li, Yue; Modis, Yorgo

    2014-01-01

    The membrane anchors of viral envelope proteins play essential roles in cell entry. Recent crystal structures of the ectodomain of envelope protein E2 from a pestivirus suggest that E2 belongs to a novel structural class of membrane fusion machinery. Based on geometric constraints from the E2 structures, we generated atomic models of the E1 and E2 membrane anchors using computational approaches. The E1 anchor contains two amphipathic perimembrane helices and one transmembrane helix; the E2 anchor contains a short helical hairpin stabilized in the membrane by an arginine residue, similar to flaviviruses. A pair of histidine residues in the E2 ectodomain may participate in pH sensing. The proposed atomic models point to Cys987 in E2 as the site of disulfide bond linkage with E1 to form E1–E2 heterodimers. The membrane anchor models provide structural constraints for the disulfide bonding pattern and overall backbone conformation of the E1 ectodomain. - Highlights: • Structures of pestivirus E2 proteins impose constraints on E1, E2 membrane anchors. • Atomic models of the E1 and E2 membrane anchors were generated in silico. • A “snorkeling” arginine completes the short helical hairpin in the E2 membrane anchor. • Roles in pH sensing and E1–E2 disulfide bond formation are proposed for E1 residues. • Implications for E1 ectodomain structure and disulfide bonding pattern are discussed

  1. Structural models of the membrane anchors of envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 from pestiviruses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Jimin, E-mail: jimin.wang@yale.edu; Li, Yue; Modis, Yorgo, E-mail: yorgo.modis@yale.edu

    2014-04-15

    The membrane anchors of viral envelope proteins play essential roles in cell entry. Recent crystal structures of the ectodomain of envelope protein E2 from a pestivirus suggest that E2 belongs to a novel structural class of membrane fusion machinery. Based on geometric constraints from the E2 structures, we generated atomic models of the E1 and E2 membrane anchors using computational approaches. The E1 anchor contains two amphipathic perimembrane helices and one transmembrane helix; the E2 anchor contains a short helical hairpin stabilized in the membrane by an arginine residue, similar to flaviviruses. A pair of histidine residues in the E2 ectodomain may participate in pH sensing. The proposed atomic models point to Cys987 in E2 as the site of disulfide bond linkage with E1 to form E1–E2 heterodimers. The membrane anchor models provide structural constraints for the disulfide bonding pattern and overall backbone conformation of the E1 ectodomain. - Highlights: • Structures of pestivirus E2 proteins impose constraints on E1, E2 membrane anchors. • Atomic models of the E1 and E2 membrane anchors were generated in silico. • A “snorkeling” arginine completes the short helical hairpin in the E2 membrane anchor. • Roles in pH sensing and E1–E2 disulfide bond formation are proposed for E1 residues. • Implications for E1 ectodomain structure and disulfide bonding pattern are discussed.

  2. Estimating long-term volatility parameters for market-consistent models

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Contemporary actuarial and accounting practices (APN 110 in the South African context) require the use of market-consistent models for the valuation of embedded investment derivatives. These models have to be calibrated with accurate and up-to-date market data. Arguably, the most important variable in the valuation of ...

  3. Computational simulation of water transport in PEM fuel cells using an improved membrane model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, J.; Djilali, N.

    2000-01-01

    Computational models and simulation tools can provide valuable insight and guidance for design, performance optimization, and cost reduction of fuel cells. In proton-exchange membrane fuel cells it is particularly important to maintain appropriate water content and temperature in the electrolyte membrane. In this paper we describe a mathematical model for the membrane that takes into account the diffusion of water, the pressure variation, and the electro-osmotic drag in the membrane. Applying conservation laws for water and current and using an empirical relationship between electro-osmotic drag and water content, we obtain a transport equation for water molar concentration and derive a new equation for the electric potential that accounts for variable water content and is more accurate than the conventionally employed Laplace's equation does. The model is coupled with a computational fluid dynamics model for diffusive transport in the electrodes and convective transport in the reactant flow channels. Simulations for a two-dimensional cell are performed over nominal current densities ranging form i=0.1 A/cm≅ to 1.2 A/cm≅. The impact and importance of temperature and pressure non-uniformity, and of two-dimensionality are assessed and discussed. (author)

  4. Nonreutilizaton of adrenal chromaffin granule membranes following secretion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nobiletti, J.B.

    1985-01-01

    The intracellular postexocytotic fate of the adrenal chromaffin granule membrane (reutilization vs. nonreutilization) was addressed through two experimental approaches. First, ( 3 H) leucine pulse-chase labeling experiments were conducted in two systems - the isolated retrograde perfused cat adrenal gland and cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells to compare chromaffin granule soluble dopamine-B-hydroxylase (DBH) turnover (marker for granule soluble content turnover) to that of membrane-bound DBH (marker for granule membrane turnover). Experiments in cat adrenal glands showed that at all chase periods the granule distribution of radiolabeled DBH was in agreement with the DBH activity distribution (73% membrane-bound/27% soluble) - a result consistent with parallel turnover of soluble and membrane-bound DBH. Experiments in cultured bovine cells showed that labeled soluble and membrane-bound DBH had parallel turnover patterns and at all chase period, the distribution of radiolabeled DBH between the soluble contents and membranes was similar to the DBH activity distribution (50% soluble/50% membrane-bound). The above experiments showed that the soluble contents and membranes turnover in parallel and are consistent with nonreutilization of chromaffin granule membranes following exocytosis. Isolated retrograde perfused bovine adrenal glands were subjected to repetitive acetylcholine stimulation to induce exocytosis and then the dense and less-dense chromaffin granule fractions were isolated. Since both approaches gave results consistent with membrane nonreutilization, the authors conclude that once a chromaffin granule is involved in exocytosis, its membrane is not reutilized for the further synthesis, storage, and secretion of catecholamines

  5. Cyto-Sim: a formal language model and stochastic simulator of membrane-enclosed biochemical processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sedwards, Sean; Mazza, Tommaso

    2007-10-15

    Compartments and membranes are the basis of cell topology and more than 30% of the human genome codes for membrane proteins. While it is possible to represent compartments and membrane proteins in a nominal way with many mathematical formalisms used in systems biology, few, if any, explicitly model the topology of the membranes themselves. Discrete stochastic simulation potentially offers the most accurate representation of cell dynamics. Since the details of every molecular interaction in a pathway are often not known, the relationship between chemical species in not necessarily best described at the lowest level, i.e. by mass action. Simulation is a form of computer-aided analysis, relying on human interpretation to derive meaning. To improve efficiency and gain meaning in an automatic way, it is necessary to have a formalism based on a model which has decidable properties. We present Cyto-Sim, a stochastic simulator of membrane-enclosed hierarchies of biochemical processes, where the membranes comprise an inner, outer and integral layer. The underlying model is based on formal language theory and has been shown to have decidable properties (Cavaliere and Sedwards, 2006), allowing formal analysis in addition to simulation. The simulator provides variable levels of abstraction via arbitrary chemical kinetics which link to ordinary differential equations. In addition to its compact native syntax, Cyto-Sim currently supports models described as Petri nets, can import all versions of SBML and can export SBML and MATLAB m-files. Cyto-Sim is available free, either as an applet or a stand-alone Java program via the web page (http://www.cosbi.eu/Rpty_Soft_CytoSim.php). Other versions can be made available upon request.

  6. Theoretical modeling and experimental validation of transport and separation properties of carbon nanotube electrospun membrane distillation

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Jung Gil; Lee, Eui-Jong; Jeong, Sanghyun; Guo, Jiaxin; An, Alicia Kyoungjin; Guo, Hong; Kim, Joonha; Leiknes, TorOve; Ghaffour, NorEddine

    2016-01-01

    Developing a high flux and selective membrane is required to make membrane distillation (MD) a more attractive desalination process. Amongst other characteristics membrane hydrophobicity is significantly important to get high vapor transport and low wettability. In this study, a laboratory fabricated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite electrospun (E-CNT) membrane was tested and has showed a higher permeate flux compared to poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PH) electrospun membrane (E-PH membrane) in a direct contact MD (DCMD) configuration. Only 1% and 2% of CNTs incorporation resulted in an enhanced permeate flux with lower sensitivity to feed salinity while treating a 35 and 70 g/L NaCl solutions. Experimental results and the mechanisms of E-CNT membrane were validated by a proposed new step-modeling approach. The increased vapor transport in E-CNT membranes could not be elucidated by an enhancement of mass transfer only at a given physico-chemical properties. However, the theoretical modeling approach considering the heat and mass transfers simultaneously enabled to explain successfully the enhanced flux in the DCMD process using E-CNT membranes. This indicates that both mass and heat transfers improved by CNTs are attributed to the enhanced vapor transport in the E-CNT membrane.

  7. Theoretical modeling and experimental validation of transport and separation properties of carbon nanotube electrospun membrane distillation

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Jung Gil

    2016-12-27

    Developing a high flux and selective membrane is required to make membrane distillation (MD) a more attractive desalination process. Amongst other characteristics membrane hydrophobicity is significantly important to get high vapor transport and low wettability. In this study, a laboratory fabricated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite electrospun (E-CNT) membrane was tested and has showed a higher permeate flux compared to poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PH) electrospun membrane (E-PH membrane) in a direct contact MD (DCMD) configuration. Only 1% and 2% of CNTs incorporation resulted in an enhanced permeate flux with lower sensitivity to feed salinity while treating a 35 and 70 g/L NaCl solutions. Experimental results and the mechanisms of E-CNT membrane were validated by a proposed new step-modeling approach. The increased vapor transport in E-CNT membranes could not be elucidated by an enhancement of mass transfer only at a given physico-chemical properties. However, the theoretical modeling approach considering the heat and mass transfers simultaneously enabled to explain successfully the enhanced flux in the DCMD process using E-CNT membranes. This indicates that both mass and heat transfers improved by CNTs are attributed to the enhanced vapor transport in the E-CNT membrane.

  8. Biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal in membrane bioreactors: model development and parameter estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cosenza, Alida; Mannina, Giorgio; Neumann, Marc B; Viviani, Gaspare; Vanrolleghem, Peter A

    2013-04-01

    Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are being increasingly used for wastewater treatment. Mathematical modeling of MBR systems plays a key role in order to better explain their characteristics. Several MBR models have been presented in the literature focusing on different aspects: biological models, models which include soluble microbial products (SMP), physical models able to describe the membrane fouling and integrated models which couple the SMP models with the physical models. However, only a few integrated models have been developed which take into account the relationships between membrane fouling and biological processes. With respect to biological phosphorus removal in MBR systems, due to the complexity of the process, practical use of the models is still limited. There is a vast knowledge (and consequently vast amount of data) on nutrient removal for conventional-activated sludge systems but only limited information on phosphorus removal for MBRs. Calibration of these complex integrated models still remains the main bottleneck to their employment. The paper presents an integrated mathematical model able to simultaneously describe biological phosphorus removal, SMP formation/degradation and physical processes which also include the removal of organic matter. The model has been calibrated with data collected in a UCT-MBR pilot plant, located at the Palermo wastewater treatment plant, applying a modified version of a recently developed calibration protocol. The calibrated model provides acceptable correspondence with experimental data and can be considered a useful tool for MBR design and operation.

  9. Transport parameters for the modelling of water transport in ionomer membranes for PEM-fuel cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meier, Frank; Eigenberger, Gerhart

    2004-01-01

    The water transport number (drag coefficient) and the hydraulic permeability were measured for Nafion. The results show a significant increase of both parameters with increasing water content indicating that they are strongly influenced by the membrane microstructure. Based on these experimental studies a new model approach to describe water transport in the H 2 -PEFC membrane is presented. This approach considers water transport by electro-osmosis caused by the proton flux through the membrane and by osmosis caused by a gradient in the chemical potential of water. It is parametrized by the measured data for the water transport number and the hydraulic permeability of Nafion. First simulation results applying this approach to a one-dimensional model of the H 2 -PEFC show good agreement with experimental data. Therefore, the developed model can be used for a new insight into the dominating mechanisms of water transport in the membrane

  10. Modeling of interactions between nanoparticles and cell membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ban, Young-Min

    Rapid development of nanotechnology and ability to manufacture materials and devices with nanometer feature size leads to exciting innovations in many areas including the medical and electronic fields. However, the possible health and environmental impacts of manufactured nanomaterials are not fully known. Recent experimental reports suggest that some of the manufactured nanomaterials, such as fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, are highly toxic even in small concentrations. The goal of the current work is to understand the mechanisms responsible for the toxicity of nanomaterials. In the current study coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are employed to investigate the interactions between NPs and cellular membranes at a molecular level. One of the possible toxicity mechanisms of the nanomaterials is membrane disruption. Possibility of membrane disruption exposed to the manufactured nanomaterials are examined by considering chemical reactions and non-reactive physical interactions as chemical as well as physical mechanisms. Mechanisms of transport of carbon-based nanoparticles (fullerene and its derivative) across a phospholipid bilayer are investigated. The free energy profile is obtained using constrained simulations. It is shown that the considered nanoparticles are hydrophobic and therefore they tend to reside in the interior of the lipid bilayer. In addition, the dynamics of the membrane fluctuations is significantly affected by the nanoparticles at the bilayer-water interface. The hydrophobic interaction between the particles and membrane core induces the strong coupling between the nanoparticle motion and membrane deformation. It is observed that the considered nanoparticles affect several physical properties of the membrane. The nanoparticles embedded into the membrane interior lead to the membrane softening, which becomes more significant with increase in CNT length and concentration. The lateral pressure profile and membrane energy in the membrane

  11. Structural models of the membrane anchors of envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 from pestiviruses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jimin; Li, Yue; Modis, Yorgo

    2014-01-01

    The membrane anchors of viral envelope proteins play essential roles in cell entry. Recent crystal structures of the ectodomain of envelope protein E2 from a pestivirus suggest that E2 belongs to a novel structural class of membrane fusion machinery. Based on geometric constraints from the E2 structures, we generated atomic models of the E1 and E2 membrane anchors using computational approaches. The E1 anchor contains two amphipathic perimembrane helices and one transmembrane helix; the E2 anchor contains a short helical hairpin stabilized in the membrane by an arginine residue, similar to flaviviruses. A pair of histidine residues in the E2 ectodomain may participate in pH sensing. The proposed atomic models point to Cys987 in E2 as the site of disulfide bond linkage with E1 to form E1–E2 heterodimers. The membrane anchor models provide structural constraints for the disulfide bonding pattern and overall backbone conformation of the E1 ectodomain. PMID:24725935

  12. An articulated predictive model for fluid-free artificial basilar membrane as broadband frequency sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Riaz; Banerjee, Sourav

    2018-02-01

    In this article, an extremely versatile predictive model for a newly developed Basilar meta-Membrane (BM2) sensors is reported with variable engineering parameters that contribute to it's frequency selection capabilities. The predictive model reported herein is for advancement over existing method by incorporating versatile and nonhomogeneous (e.g. functionally graded) model parameters that could not only exploit the possibilities of creating complex combinations of broadband frequency sensors but also explain the unique unexplained physical phenomenon that prevails in BM2, e.g. tailgating waves. In recent years, few notable attempts were made to fabricate the artificial basilar membrane, mimicking the mechanics of the human cochlea within a very short range of frequencies. To explain the operation of these sensors a few models were proposed. But, we fundamentally argue the "fabrication to explanation" approach and proposed the model driven predictive design process for the design any (BM2) as broadband sensors. Inspired by the physics of basilar membrane, frequency domain predictive model is proposed where both the material and geometrical parameters can be arbitrarily varied. Broadband frequency is applicable in many fields of science, engineering and technology, such as, sensors for chemical, biological and acoustic applications. With the proposed model, which is three times faster than its FEM counterpart, it is possible to alter the attributes of the selected length of the designed sensor using complex combinations of model parameters, based on target frequency applications. Finally, the tailgating wave peaks in the artificial basilar membranes that prevails in the previously reported experimental studies are also explained using the proposed model.

  13. A semi-nonparametric mixture model for selecting functionally consistent proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Lianbo; Doerge, Rw

    2010-09-28

    High-throughput technologies have led to a new era of proteomics. Although protein microarray experiments are becoming more common place there are a variety of experimental and statistical issues that have yet to be addressed, and that will carry over to new high-throughput technologies unless they are investigated. One of the largest of these challenges is the selection of functionally consistent proteins. We present a novel semi-nonparametric mixture model for classifying proteins as consistent or inconsistent while controlling the false discovery rate and the false non-discovery rate. The performance of the proposed approach is compared to current methods via simulation under a variety of experimental conditions. We provide a statistical method for selecting functionally consistent proteins in the context of protein microarray experiments, but the proposed semi-nonparametric mixture model method can certainly be generalized to solve other mixture data problems. The main advantage of this approach is that it provides the posterior probability of consistency for each protein.

  14. Development of a Comprehensive Fouling Model for a Rotating Membrane Bioreactor System Treating Wastewater

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parneet Paul

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Membrane bioreactors (MBRs are now main stream wastewater treatment technologies. In recent times, novel pressure driven rotating membrane disc modules have been specially developed that induce high shear on the membrane surface, thereby reducing fouling. Previous research has produced dead-end filtration fouling model which combines all three classical mechanisms that was later used by another researcher as a starting point for a greatly refined model of a cross flow side-stream MBR that incorporated both hydrodynamics and soluble microbial products’ (SMP effects. In this study, a comprehensive fouling model was created based on this earlier work that incorporated all three classical fouling mechanisms for a rotating MBR system. It was tested and validated for best fit using appropriate data sets. The initial model fit appeared good for all simulations, although it still needs to be calibrated using further appropriate data sets.

  15. Kinetic models of controllable pore growth of anodic aluminum oxide membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yan; Zeng, Hong-yan; Zhao, Ce; Qu, Ye-qing; Zhang, Pin

    2012-06-01

    An anodized Al2O3 (AAO) membrane with apertures about 72 nm in diameter was prepared by two-step anodic oxidation. The appearance and pore arrangement of the AAO membrane were characterized by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was confirmed that the pores with high pore aspect ratio were parallel, well-ordered, and uniform. The kinetics of pores growth in the AAO membrane was derived, and the kinetic models showed that pores stopped developing when the pressure ( σ) trended to equal the surface tension at the end of anodic oxidation. During pore expansion, the effects of the oxalic acid concentration and expansion time on the pore size were investigated, and the kinetic behaviors were explained with two kinetic models derived in this study. They showed that the pore size increased with extended time ( r= G· t+ G'), but decreased with increased concentration ( r = - K·ln c- K') through the derived mathematic formula. Also, the values of G, G', K, and K' were derived from our experimental data.

  16. Key factors regulating the mass delivery of macromolecules to model cell membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Campbell, Richard A.; Watkins, Erik B.; Jagalski, Vivien

    2014-01-01

    We show that both gravity and electrostatics are key factors regulating interactions between model cell membranes and self-assembled liquid crystalline aggregates of dendrimers and phospholipids. The system is a proxy for the trafficking of reservoirs of therapeutic drugs to cell membranes for slow...... of the aggregates to activate endocytosis pathways on specific cell types is discussed in the context of targeted drug delivery applications....

  17. Modeling electrochemical performance in large scale proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, J H [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); Lalk, T R [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Appleby, A J [Center for Electrochemical Studies and Hydrogen Research, Texas Engineering Experimentation Station, Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

    1998-02-01

    The processes, losses, and electrical characteristics of a Membrane-Electrode Assembly (MEA) of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) are described. In addition, a technique for numerically modeling the electrochemical performance of a MEA, developed specifically to be implemented as part of a numerical model of a complete fuel cell stack, is presented. The technique of calculating electrochemical performance was demonstrated by modeling the MEA of a 350 cm{sup 2}, 125 cell PEMFC and combining it with a dynamic fuel cell stack model developed by the authors. Results from the demonstration that pertain to the MEA sub-model are given and described. These include plots of the temperature, pressure, humidity, and oxygen partial pressure distributions for the middle MEA of the modeled stack as well as the corresponding current produced by that MEA. The demonstration showed that models developed using this technique produce results that are reasonable when compared to established performance expectations and experimental results. (orig.)

  18. Modelling the transport of carbonic acid anions through anion-exchange membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikonenko, V.; Lebedev, K.; Manzanares, J.A.; Pourcelly, G.

    2003-01-01

    Electrodiffusion of carbonate and bicarbonate anions through anion-exchange membranes (AEM) is described on the basis of the Nernst-Planck equations taking into account coupled hydrolysis reactions in the external diffusion boundary layers (DBLs) and internal pore solution. The model supposes local electroneutrality as well as chemical and thermodynamic equilibrium. The transport is considered in three layers being an anion exchange membrane and two adjoining diffusion layers. A mechanism of competitive transport of HCO 3 - and CO 3 2- anions through the membrane which takes into account Donnan exclusion of H + ions is proposed. It is predicted that the pH of the depleting solution decreases and that of the concentrating solution increases during electrodialysis (ED). Eventual deviations from local electroneutrality and local chemical equilibrium are discussed

  19. Validation of kinetic modeling of progesterone release from polymeric membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Analia Irma Romero

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Mathematical modeling in drug release systems is fundamental in development and optimization of these systems, since it allows to predict drug release rates and to elucidate the physical transport mechanisms involved. In this paper we validate a novel mathematical model that describes progesterone (Prg controlled release from poly-3-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB membranes. A statistical analysis was conducted to compare the fitting of our model with six different models and the Akaike information criterion (AIC was used to find the equation with best-fit. A simple relation between mass and drug released rate was found, which allows predicting the effect of Prg loads on the release behavior. Our proposed model was the one with minimum AIC value, and therefore it was the one that statistically fitted better the experimental data obtained for all the Prg loads tested. Furthermore, the initial release rate was calculated and therefore, the interface mass transfer coefficient estimated and the equilibrium distribution constant of Prg between the PHB and the release medium was also determined. The results lead us to conclude that our proposed model is the one which best fits the experimental data and can be successfully used to describe Prg drug release in PHB membranes.

  20. Rubber particle proteins, HbREF and HbSRPP, show different interactions with model membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berthelot, Karine; Lecomte, Sophie; Estevez, Yannick; Zhendre, Vanessa; Henry, Sarah; Thévenot, Julie; Dufourc, Erick J; Alves, Isabel D; Peruch, Frédéric

    2014-01-01

    The biomembrane surrounding rubber particles from the hevea latex is well known for its content of numerous allergen proteins. HbREF (Hevb1) and HbSRPP (Hevb3) are major components, linked on rubber particles, and they have been shown to be involved in rubber synthesis or quality (mass regulation), but their exact function is still to be determined. In this study we highlighted the different modes of interactions of both recombinant proteins with various membrane models (lipid monolayers, liposomes or supported bilayers, and multilamellar vesicles) to mimic the latex particle membrane. We combined various biophysical methods (polarization-modulation-infrared reflection-adsorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS)/ellipsometry, attenuated-total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), plasmon waveguide resonance (PWR), fluorescence spectroscopy) to elucidate their interactions. Small rubber particle protein (SRPP) shows less affinity than rubber elongation factor (REF) for the membranes but displays a kind of "covering" effect on the lipid headgroups without disturbing the membrane integrity. Its structure is conserved in the presence of lipids. Contrarily, REF demonstrates higher membrane affinity with changes in its aggregation properties, the amyloid nature of REF, which we previously reported, is not favored in the presence of lipids. REF binds and inserts into membranes. The membrane integrity is highly perturbed, and we suspect that REF is even able to remove lipids from the membrane leading to the formation of mixed micelles. These two homologous proteins show affinity to all membrane models tested but neatly differ in their interacting features. This could imply differential roles on the surface of rubber particles. © 2013.

  1. Biophysical studies of cholesterol in unsaturated phospholipid model membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Justin Adam

    Cellular membranes contain a staggering diversity of lipids. The lipids are heterogeneously distributed to create regions, or domains, whose physical properties differ from the bulk membrane and play an essential role in modulating the function of resident proteins. Many basic questions pertaining to the formation of these lateral assemblies remain. This research employs model membranes of well-defined composition to focus on the potential role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their interaction with cholesterol (chol) in restructuring the membrane environment. Omega-3 (n-3) PUFAs are the main bioactive components of fish oil, whose consumption alleviates a variety of health problems by a molecular mechanism that is unclear. We hypothesize that the incorporation of PUFAs into membrane lipids and the effect they have on molecular organization may be, in part, responsible. Chol is a major constituent in the plasma membrane of mammals. It determines the arrangement and collective properties of neighboring lipids, driving the formation of domains via differential affinity for different lipids. The molecular organization of 1-[2H31]palmitoyl-2-eicosapentaenoylphosphatidylcholine (PEPC-d31) and 1-[2H31]palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatidylcholine (PDPC-d31) in membranes with sphingomyelin (SM) and chol (1:1:1 mol) was compared by solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy. Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids are the two major n-3 PUFAs found in fish oil, while PEPC-d31 and PDPC-d31 are phospholipids containing the respective PUFAs at the sn-2 position and a perdeuterated palmitic acid at the sn-1 position. Analysis of spectra recorded as a function of temperature indicates that in both cases, formation of PUFA-rich (less ordered) and SM-rich (more ordered) domains occurred. A surprisingly substantial proportion of PUFA was found to infiltrate the more ordered domain. There was almost twice as much DHA (65%) as EPA (30%). The implication is that n-3

  2. A Mathematical Model of Membrane Gas Separation with Energy Transfer by Molecules of Gas Flowing in a Channel to Molecules Penetrating this Channel from the Adjacent Channel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Szwast Maciej

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the mathematical modelling of selected isothermal separation processes of gaseous mixtures, taking place in plants using membranes, in particular nonporous polymer membranes. The modelling concerns membrane modules consisting of two channels - the feeding and the permeate channels. Different shapes of the channels cross-section were taken into account. Consideration was given to co-current and counter-current flows, for feeding and permeate streams, respectively, flowing together with the inert gas receiving permeate. In the proposed mathematical model it was considered that pressure of gas changes along the length of flow channels was the result of both - the drop of pressure connected with flow resistance, and energy transfer by molecules of gas flowing in a given channel to molecules which penetrate this channel from the adjacent channel. The literature on membrane technology takes into account only the drop of pressure connected with flow resistance. Consideration given to energy transfer by molecules of gas flowing in a given channel to molecules which penetrate this channel from the adjacent channel constitute the essential novelty in the current study. The paper also presents results of calculations obtained by means of a computer program which used equations of the derived model. Physicochemical data concerning separation of the CO2/CH4 mixture with He as the sweep gas and data concerning properties of the membrane made of PDMS were assumed for calculations.

  3. Lipid clustering correlates with membrane curvature as revealed by molecular simulations of complex lipid bilayers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heidi Koldsø

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Cell membranes are complex multicomponent systems, which are highly heterogeneous in the lipid distribution and composition. To date, most molecular simulations have focussed on relatively simple lipid compositions, helping to inform our understanding of in vitro experimental studies. Here we describe on simulations of complex asymmetric plasma membrane model, which contains seven different lipids species including the glycolipid GM3 in the outer leaflet and the anionic lipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphophate (PIP2, in the inner leaflet. Plasma membrane models consisting of 1500 lipids and resembling the in vivo composition were constructed and simulations were run for 5 µs. In these simulations the most striking feature was the formation of nano-clusters of GM3 within the outer leaflet. In simulations of protein interactions within a plasma membrane model, GM3, PIP2, and cholesterol all formed favorable interactions with the model α-helical protein. A larger scale simulation of a model plasma membrane containing 6000 lipid molecules revealed correlations between curvature of the bilayer surface and clustering of lipid molecules. In particular, the concave (when viewed from the extracellular side regions of the bilayer surface were locally enriched in GM3. In summary, these simulations explore the nanoscale dynamics of model bilayers which mimic the in vivo lipid composition of mammalian plasma membranes, revealing emergent nanoscale membrane organization which may be coupled both to fluctuations in local membrane geometry and to interactions with proteins.

  4. Probing the interaction of brain fatty acid binding protein (B-FABP with model membranes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fábio Dyszy

    Full Text Available Brain fatty acid-binding protein (B-FABP interacts with biological membranes and delivers polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs via a collisional mechanism. The binding of FAs in the protein and the interaction with membranes involve a motif called "portal region", formed by two small α-helices, A1 and A2, connected by a loop. We used a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electron spin resonance to probe the changes in the protein and in the membrane model induced by their interaction. Spin labeled B-FABP mutants and lipidic spin probes incorporated into a membrane model confirmed that B-FABP interacts with micelles through the portal region and led to structural changes in the protein as well in the micelles. These changes were greater in the presence of LPG when compared to the LPC models. ESR spectra of B-FABP labeled mutants showed the presence of two groups of residues that responded to the presence of micelles in opposite ways. In the presence of lysophospholipids, group I of residues, whose side chains point outwards from the contact region between the helices, had their mobility decreased in an environment of lower polarity when compared to the same residues in solution. The second group, composed by residues with side chains situated at the interface between the α-helices, experienced an increase in mobility in the presence of the model membranes. These modifications in the ESR spectra of B-FABP mutants are compatible with a less ordered structure of the portal region inner residues (group II that is likely to facilitate the delivery of FAs to target membranes. On the other hand, residues in group I and micelle components have their mobilities decreased probably as a result of the formation of a collisional complex. Our results bring new insights for the understanding of the gating and delivery mechanisms of FABPs.

  5. Critical review of membrane bioreactor models--part 2: hydrodynamic and integrated models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naessens, W; Maere, T; Ratkovich, N; Vedantam, S; Nopens, I

    2012-10-01

    Membrane bioreactor technology exists for a couple of decades, but has not yet overwhelmed the market due to some serious drawbacks of which operational cost due to fouling is the major contributor. Knowledge buildup and optimisation for such complex systems can heavily benefit from mathematical modelling. In this paper, the vast literature on hydrodynamic and integrated MBR modelling is critically reviewed. Hydrodynamic models are used at different scales and focus mainly on fouling and only little on system design/optimisation. Integrated models also focus on fouling although the ones including costs are leaning towards optimisation. Trends are discussed, knowledge gaps identified and interesting routes for further research suggested. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Pore surface fractal analysis of palladium-alumina ceramic membrane using Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, A L; Mustafa, N N N

    2006-09-15

    The alumina ceramic membrane has been modified by the addition of palladium in order to improve the H(2) permeability and selectivity. Palladium-alumina ceramic membrane was prepared via a sol-gel method and subjected to thermal treatment in the temperature range 500-1100 degrees C. Fractal analysis from nitrogen adsorption isotherm is used to study the pore surface roughness of palladium-alumina ceramic membrane with different chemical composition (nitric acid, PVA and palladium) and calcinations process in terms of surface fractal dimension, D. Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) model was used to determine the D value of palladium-alumina membrane. Following FHH model, the D value of palladium-alumina membrane increased as the calcinations temperature increased from 500 to 700 degrees C but decreased after calcined at 900 and 1100 degrees C. With increasing palladium concentration from 0.5 g Pd/100 ml H(2)O to 2 g Pd/100 ml H(2)O, D value of membrane decreased, indicating to the smoother surface. Addition of higher amount of PVA and palladium reduced the surface fractal of the membrane due to the heterogeneous distribution of pores. However, the D value increased when nitric acid concentration was increased from 1 to 15 M. The effect of calcinations temperature, PVA ratio, palladium and acid concentration on membrane surface area, pore size and pore distribution also studied.

  7. Slowing down and stretching DNA with an electrically tunable nanopore in a p–n semiconductor membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melnikov, Dmitriy V; Gracheva, Maria E; Leburton, Jean-Pierre

    2012-01-01

    We have studied single-stranded DNA translocation through a semiconductor membrane consisting of doped p and n layers of Si forming a p–n-junction. Using Brownian dynamics simulations of the biomolecule in the self-consistent membrane–electrolyte potential obtained from the Poisson–Nernst–Planck model, we show that while polymer length is extended more than when its motion is constricted only by the physical confinement of the nanopore. The biomolecule elongation is particularly dramatic on the n-side of the membrane where the lateral membrane electric field restricts (focuses) the biomolecule motion more than on the p-side. The latter effect makes our membrane a solid-state analog of the α-hemolysin biochannel. The results indicate that the tunable local electric field inside the membrane can effectively control dynamics of a DNA in the channel to either momentarily trap, slow down or allow the biomolecule to translocate at will. (paper)

  8. (CryoTransmission Electron Microscopy of Phospholipid Model Membranes Interacting with Amphiphilic and Polyphilic Molecules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annette Meister

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Lipid membranes can incorporate amphiphilic or polyphilic molecules leading to specific functionalities and to adaptable properties of the lipid bilayer host. The insertion of guest molecules into membranes frequently induces changes in the shape of the lipid matrix that can be visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM techniques. Here, we review the use of stained and vitrified specimens in (cryoTEM to characterize the morphology of amphiphilic and polyphilic molecules upon insertion into phospholipid model membranes. Special emphasis is placed on the impact of novel synthetic amphiphilic and polyphilic bolalipids and polymers on membrane integrity and shape stability.

  9. Consistency checks in beam emission modeling for neutral beam injectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Punyapu, Bharathi; Vattipalle, Prahlad; Sharma, Sanjeev Kumar; Baruah, Ujjwal Kumar; Crowley, Brendan

    2015-01-01

    In positive neutral beam systems, the beam parameters such as ion species fractions, power fractions and beam divergence are routinely measured using Doppler shifted beam emission spectrum. The accuracy with which these parameters are estimated depend on the accuracy of the atomic modeling involved in these estimations. In this work, an effective procedure to check the consistency of the beam emission modeling in neutral beam injectors is proposed. As a first consistency check, at a constant beam voltage and current, the intensity of the beam emission spectrum is measured by varying the pressure in the neutralizer. Then, the scaling of measured intensity of un-shifted (target) and Doppler shifted intensities (projectile) of the beam emission spectrum at these pressure values are studied. If the un-shifted component scales with pressure, then the intensity of this component will be used as a second consistency check on the beam emission modeling. As a further check, the modeled beam fractions and emission cross sections of projectile and target are used to predict the intensity of the un-shifted component and then compared with the value of measured target intensity. An agreement between the predicted and measured target intensities provide the degree of discrepancy in the beam emission modeling. In order to test this methodology, a systematic analysis of Doppler shift spectroscopy data obtained on the JET neutral beam test stand data was carried out

  10. Membrane domains and polarized trafficking of sphingolipids

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maier, O; Slimane, TA; Hoekstra, D

    The plasma membrane of polarized cells consists of distinct domains, the apical and basolateral membrane that are characterized by a distinct lipid and protein content. Apical protein transport is largely mediated by (glyco)sphingolipid-cholesterol enriched membrane microdomains, so called rafts. In

  11. The practical use of resistance modelling to interpret the gas separation properties of hollow fiber membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad Fauzi Ismail; Shilton, S.J.

    2000-01-01

    A simple resistance modelling methodology is presented for gas transport through asymmetric polymeric membranes. The methodology allows fine structural properties such as active layer thickness and surface porosity, to be determined from experimental gas permeation data. This paper, which could be regarded as a practical guide, shows that resistance modeling, if accompanied by realistic working assumptions, need not be difficult and can provide a valuable insight into the relationships between the membrane fabrication conditions and performance of gas separation membranes. (Author)

  12. Modeling water flux and salt rejection of mesoporous γ-alumina and microporous organosilica membranes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Farsi, A.; Boffa, V.; Qureshi, H.F.; Nijmeijer, Arian; Winnubst, Aloysius J.A.; Lykkegaard Christensen, M.

    2014-01-01

    The water and ion transport through a mesoporous γ-alumina membrane and a microporous organosilica membrane was simulated using the extended Nernst Planck equation combined with models for Donnan, steric and dielectric interfacial exclusion mechanisms. Due to the surface charge within the pore, the

  13. Light radiation pressure upon a wrinkled membrane – parametrization of an optically orthotropic model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nerovny, N. A.; Zimin, V. N.

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, the problem of representing the light pressure force upon the surface of a thin wrinkled film is discussed. The common source of wrinkles is the shear deformation of the membrane sample. The optical model of such a membrane is assumed to be optically orthotropic and an analytic equation for infinitesimal light pressure force is written. A linear regression model in the case of wrinkle geometry, where a surface element can have different optical parameters, is constructed and the Bayesian approach is used to calculate the parameters of this model.

  14. Reduced-Order Dynamic Modeling, Fouling Detection, and Optimal Control of Solar-Powered Direct Contact Membrane Distillation

    KAUST Repository

    Karam, Ayman M.

    2016-12-01

    Membrane Distillation (MD) is an emerging sustainable desalination technique. While MD has many advantages and can be powered by solar thermal energy, its main drawback is the low water production rate. However, the MD process has not been fully optimized in terms of its manipulated and controlled variables. This is largely due to the lack of adequate dynamic models to study and simulate the process. In addition, MD is prone to membrane fouling, which is a fault that degrades the performance of the MD process. This work has three contributions to address these challenges. First, we derive a mathematical model of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD), which is the building block for the next parts. Then, the proposed model is extended to account for membrane fouling and an observer-based fouling detection method is developed. Finally, various control strategies are implemented to optimize the performance of the DCMD solar-powered process. In part one, a reduced-order dynamic model of DCMD is developed based on lumped capacitance method and electrical analogy to thermal systems. The result is an electrical equivalent thermal network to the DCMD process, which is modeled by a system of nonlinear differential algebraic equations (DAEs). This model predicts the water-vapor flux and the temperature distribution along the module length. Experimental data is collected to validate the steady-state and dynamic responses of the proposed model, with great agreement demonstrated in both. The second part proposes an extension of the model to account for membrane fouling. An adaptive observer for DAE systems is developed and convergence proof is presented. A method for membrane fouling detection is then proposed based on adaptive observers. Simulation results demonstrate the performance of the membrane fouling detection method. Finally, an optimization problem is formulated to maximize the process efficiency of a solar-powered DCMD. The adapted method is known as Extremum

  15. Self-consistent modeling of amorphous silicon devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hack, M.

    1987-01-01

    The authors developed a computer model to describe the steady-state behaviour of a range of amorphous silicon devices. It is based on the complete set of transport equations and takes into account the important role played by the continuous distribution of localized states in the mobility gap of amorphous silicon. Using one set of parameters they have been able to self-consistently simulate the current-voltage characteristics of p-i-n (or n-i-p) solar cells under illumination, the dark behaviour of field-effect transistors, p-i-n diodes and n-i-n diodes in both the ohmic and space charge limited regimes. This model also describes the steady-state photoconductivity of amorphous silicon, in particular, its dependence on temperature, doping and illumination intensity

  16. Interplay of electrostatics and lipid packing determines the binding of charged polymer coated nanoparticles to model membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biswas, Nupur; Bhattacharya, Rupak; Saha, Arindam; Jana, Nikhil R; Basu, Jaydeep K

    2015-10-07

    Understanding of nanoparticle-membrane interactions is useful for various applications of nanoparticles like drug delivery and imaging. Here we report on the studies of interaction between hydrophilic charged polymer coated semiconductor quantum dot nanoparticles with model lipid membranes. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray reflectivity measurements suggest that cationic nanoparticles bind and penetrate bilayers of zwitterionic lipids. Penetration and binding depend on the extent of lipid packing and result in the disruption of the lipid bilayer accompanied by enhanced lipid diffusion. On the other hand, anionic nanoparticles show minimal membrane binding although, curiously, their interaction leads to reduction in lipid diffusivity. It is suggested that the enhanced binding of cationic QDs at higher lipid packing can be understood in terms of the effective surface potential of the bilayers which is tunable through membrane lipid packing. Our results bring forth the subtle interplay of membrane lipid packing and electrostatics which determine nanoparticle binding and penetration of model membranes with further implications for real cell membranes.

  17. Modeling and Optimization of NLDH/PVDF Ultrafiltration Nanocomposite Membrane Using Artificial Neural Network-Genetic Algorithm Hybrid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arefi-Oskoui, Samira; Khataee, Alireza; Vatanpour, Vahid

    2017-07-10

    In this research, MgAl-CO 3 2- nanolayered double hydroxide (NLDH) was synthesized through a facile coprecipitation method, followed by a hydrothermal treatment. The prepared NLDHs were used as a hydrophilic nanofiller for improving the performance of the PVDF-based ultrafiltration membranes. The main objective of this research was to obtain the optimized formula of NLDH/PVDF nanocomposite membrane presenting the best performance using computational techniques as a cost-effective method. For this aim, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for modeling and expressing the relationship between the performance of the nanocomposite membrane (pure water flux, protein flux and flux recovery ratio) and the affecting parameters including the NLDH, PVP 29000 and polymer concentrations. The effects of the mentioned parameters and the interaction between the parameters were investigated using the contour plot predicted with the developed model. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and water contact angle techniques were applied to characterize the nanocomposite membranes and to interpret the predictions of the ANN model. The developed ANN model was introduced to genetic algorithm (GA) as a bioinspired optimizer to determine the optimum values of input parameters leading to high pure water flux, protein flux, and flux recovery ratio. The optimum values for NLDH, PVP 29000 and the PVDF concentration were determined to be 0.54, 1, and 18 wt %, respectively. The performance of the nanocomposite membrane prepared using the optimum values proposed by GA was investigated experimentally, in which the results were in good agreement with the values predicted by ANN model with error lower than 6%. This good agreement confirmed that the nanocomposite membranes prformance could be successfully modeled and optimized by ANN-GA system.

  18. Development of organic membrane and biosensor. ; Artificial membrane chemical sensor on the model of olfactory cells. Seitaimaku to bio sensor no hatten. ; Kyusaibo wo model to shita jinkomaku kagaku sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Enomoto, S; Kashiwayanagi, M; Kurihara, K [Hokkaido University, Sapporo (Japan). Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science

    1991-05-05

    The olfactory cell is the most prominent chemical sensor to detect various kinds of external chemical substances with high sensibility. Consequently, on the model of such an organic chemical sensor mechanism, an artificial membrane with functions to detect and distinguish various chemical substances has been developed. In this study, a test using a lipid bimolecular membrane was carried out. As a result, it was found that the lipid bimolecular membrane showed membrane potential changes responding to various odorants. The mambrane with proper lipid composition presented almost the same sensibility to odorants as an olfactory organ. Response characteristic against various odors changed greatly due to the lipid composition and the addition of protein. It was also found that various odors can be discriminated by analyzing response information obtained from a lot of mambranes with different compositions Such ideas can be applied to the odor discrimination of the artificial membrane sensor. 14 refs., 13 figs.

  19. Degradation mechanisms of sulfonated poly-aromatic membranes in fuel cell; Mecanismes de degradation des membranes polyaromatiques sulfonees en pile a combustible

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perrot, C

    2006-11-15

    Fuel cell development requires an improvement in the electrode-membrane assembly durability which depends on both the polymer used and the fuel cell operating conditions. The origin of the degradation can be either electrochemical, chemical and/or mechanical. This study deals with the understanding of alternative membranes ageing mechanisms, i.e. non fluorinated membranes, such as sPEEK and sPI. For this kind of membranes, the first process is chemical. Understanding these mechanisms is the first essential step to develop more stable structures. An original approach is developed to overcome the analytical difficulties encountered with polymers. It consists in studying the degradation mechanism on model structures. Ageing are carried out in water, with H{sub 2}O{sub 2} in some cases (identified as a cause of membrane chemical ageing in the fuel cell system), and at different temperatures. The approach consists in separating the different products formed by chromatography. Then they are identified (NMR, IR, MS) and quantified. This method allows us to establish the ageing mechanism. We show that the ageing of a sPEEK structure mainly results from an attack by end chains which spreads to the whole. This mechanism is confirmed on ex-situ and in-situ aged membranes. These two kinds of ageing lead to an important decrease in polymerisation degree (determined by SEC). Formation of the same degradation products is observed. In fuel cells, a heterogeneous degradation is noticed. It takes place mainly on the cathode side. sPI are known for their high sensitivity to hydrolysis. Nevertheless, we highlight a limited degradation at 80 Celsius degrees due to the recombination of hydrolyzed species at this temperature. (author)

  20. Electrical equivalent thermal network for direct contact membrane distillation modeling and analysis

    KAUST Repository

    Karam, Ayman M.

    2016-09-19

    Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging water desalination technology that offers several advantages compared to conventional desalination methods. Although progress has been made to model the physics of the process, there are two common limitations of existing models. Firstly, many of the models are based on the steady-state analysis of the process and secondly, some of the models are based on partial differential equations, which when discretized introduce many states which are not accessible in practice. This paper presents the derivation of a novel dynamic model, based on the analogy between electrical and thermal systems, for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). An analogous electrical thermal network is constructed and its elements are parameterized such that the response of the network models the DCMD process. The proposed model captures the spatial and temporal responses of the temperature distribution along the flow direction and is able to accurately predict the distilled water flux output. To demonstrate the adequacy of the proposed model, validation with time varying and steady-state experimental data is presented. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Modeling of air-gap membrane distillation process: A theoretical and experimental study

    KAUST Repository

    Alsaadi, Ahmad Salem; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Li, Junde; Gray, Stephen R.; Francis, Lijo; Maab, Husnul; Amy, Gary L.

    2013-01-01

    A one dimensional (1-D) air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) model for flat sheet type modules has been developed. This model is based on mathematical equations that describe the heat and mass transfer mechanisms of a single-stage AGMD process

  2. Atmospheric-pressure guided streamers for liposomal membrane disruption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Svarnas, P.; Aleiferis, Sp.; Matrali, S. H.; Gazeli, K.; Clément, F.; Antimisiaris, S. G.

    2012-01-01

    The potential to use liposomes (LIPs) as a cellular model in order to study interactions of cold atmospheric-pressure plasma with cells is herein investigated. Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma is formed by a dielectric-barrier discharge reactor. Large multilamellar vesicle liposomes, consisted of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, are prepared by the thin film hydration technique, to encapsulate a small hydrophilic dye, i.e., calcein. The plasma-induced release of calcein from liposomes is then used as a measure of liposome membrane integrity and, consequently, interaction between the cold atmospheric plasma and lipid bilayers. Physical mechanisms leading to membrane disruption are suggested, based on the plasma characterization including gas temperature calculation.

  3. Function and failure of the fetal membrane: Modelling the mechanics of the chorion and amnion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefaan W Verbruggen

    Full Text Available The fetal membrane surrounds the fetus during pregnancy and is a thin tissue composed of two layers, the chorion and the amnion. While rupture of this membrane normally occurs at term, preterm rupture can result in increased risk of fetal mortality and morbidity, as well as danger of infection in the mother. Although structural changes have been observed in the membrane in such cases, the mechanical behaviour of the human fetal membrane in vivo remains poorly understood and is challenging to investigate experimentally. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop simplified finite element models to investigate the mechanical behaviour and rupture of the fetal membrane, particularly its constituent layers, under various physiological conditions. It was found that modelling the chorion and amnion as a single layer predicts remarkably different behaviour compared with a more anatomically-accurate bilayer, significantly underestimating stress in the amnion and under-predicting the risk of membrane rupture. Additionally, reductions in chorion-amnion interface lubrication and chorion thickness (reported in cases of preterm rupture both resulted in increased membrane stress. Interestingly, the inclusion of a weak zone in the fetal membrane that has been observed to develop overlying the cervix would likely cause it to fail at term, during labour. Finally, these findings support the theory that the amnion is the dominant structural component of the fetal membrane and is required to maintain its integrity. The results provide a novel insight into the mechanical effect of structural changes in the chorion and amnion, in cases of both normal and preterm rupture.

  4. Pore-scale modeling and simulation of flow, transport, and adsorptive or osmotic effects in membranes: the influence of membrane microstructure

    KAUST Repository

    Calo, Victor M.; Iliev, Oleg; Lakdawala, Z.; Leonard, K. H. L.; Printsypar, Galina

    2015-01-01

    typical microfiltration membrane using absorptive pore walls, and illustrate the effect of different microstructures on the reactive process. Such numerical modeling will aid manufacturers in optimizing operating conditions and designing efficient

  5. Comparison of the Modeling Approach between Membrane Bioreactor and Conventional Activated Sludge Processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jiang, Tao; Sin, Gürkan; Spanjers, Henri

    2009-01-01

    Activated sludge models (ASM) have been developed and largely applied in conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems. The applicability of ASM to model membrane bioreactors (MBR) and the differences in modeling approaches have not been studied in detail. A laboratory-scale MBR was modeled using ASM...

  6. Instabilities and diffusion in a hydrodynamic model of a fluid membrane coupled to a thin active fluid layer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, N; Basu, A

    2012-11-01

    We construct a coarse-grained effective two-dimensional (2d hydrodynamic theory as a theoretical model for a coupled system of a fluid membrane and a thin layer of a polar active fluid in its ordered state that is anchored to the membrane. We show that such a system is prone to generic instabilities through the interplay of nonequilibrium drive, polar order and membrane fluctuation. We use our model equations to calculate diffusion coefficients of an inclusion in the membrane and show that their values depend strongly on the system size, in contrast to their equilibrium values. Our work extends the work of S. Sankararaman and S. Ramaswamy (Phys. Rev. Lett., 102, 118107 (2009)) to a coupled system of a fluid membrane and an ordered active fluid layer. Our model is broadly inspired by and should be useful as a starting point for theoretical descriptions of the coupled dynamics of a cell membrane and a cortical actin layer anchored to it.

  7. In an in-vitro model using human fetal membranes, 17-α hydroxyprogesterone caproate is not an optimal progestogen for inhibition of fetal membrane weakening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Deepak; Moore, Robert M; Mercer, Brian M; Mansour, Joseph M; Mesiano, Sam; Schatz, Frederick; Lockwood, Charles J; Moore, John J

    2017-12-01

    The progestogen 17-α hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) is 1 of only 2 agents recommended for clinical use in the prevention of spontaneous preterm delivery, and studies of its efficacy have been conflicting. We have developed an in-vitro model to study the fetal membrane weakening process that leads to rupture in preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes (pPROM). Inflammation/infection associated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) induction and decidual bleeding/abruption associated thrombin release are leading causes of preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes. Both agents (TNF-α and thrombin) cause fetal membrane weakening in the model system. Furthermore, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a critical intermediate for both TNF-α and thrombin-induced fetal membrane weakening. In a previous report, we demonstrated that 3 progestogens, progesterone, 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), each inhibit both TNF-α- and thrombin-induced fetal membrane weakening at 2 distinct points of the fetal membrane weakening pathway. Each block both the production of and the downstream action of the critical intermediate granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The objective of the study was to characterize the inhibitory effects of 17-OHPC on TNF-α- and thrombin-induced fetal membrane weakening in vitro. Full-thickness human fetal membrane fragments from uncomplicated term repeat cesarean deliveries were mounted in 2.5 cm Transwell inserts and cultured with/without 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate (10 -9 to 10 -7 M). After 24 hours, medium (supernatant) was removed and replaced with/without the addition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (20 ng/mL) or thrombin (10 U/mL) or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (200 ng/mL). After 48 hours of culture, medium from the maternal side compartment of the model was assayed for granulocyte-macrophage colony

  8. Modelling and analysis of CVD processes for ceramic membrane preparation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brinkman, H.W.; Cao, G.Z.; Meijerink, J.; de Vries, Karel Jan; Burggraaf, Anthonie

    1993-01-01

    A mathematical model is presented that describes the modified chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process (which takes place in advance of the electrochemical vapour deposition (EVD) process) to deposit ZrO2 inside porous media for the preparation and modification of ceramic membranes. The isobaric

  9. Nanodisc-solubilized membrane protein library reflects the membrane proteome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marty, Michael T; Wilcox, Kyle C; Klein, William L; Sligar, Stephen G

    2013-05-01

    The isolation and identification of unknown membrane proteins offers the prospect of discovering new pharmaceutical targets and identifying key biochemical receptors. However, interactions between membrane protein targets and soluble ligands are difficult to study in vitro due to the insolubility of membrane proteins in non-detergent systems. Nanodiscs, nanoscale discoidal lipid bilayers encircled by a membrane scaffold protein belt, have proven to be an effective platform to solubilize membrane proteins and have been used to study a wide variety of purified membrane proteins. This report details the incorporation of an unbiased population of membrane proteins from Escherichia coli membranes into Nanodiscs. This solubilized membrane protein library (SMPL) forms a soluble in vitro model of the membrane proteome. Since Nanodiscs contain isolated proteins or small complexes, the SMPL is an ideal platform for interactomics studies and pull-down assays of membrane proteins. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of the protein population before and after formation of the Nanodisc library indicates that a large percentage of the proteins are incorporated into the library. Proteomic identification of several prominent bands demonstrates the successful incorporation of outer and inner membrane proteins into the Nanodisc library.

  10. Membrane order in the plasma membrane and endocytic recycling compartment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iaea, David B; Maxfield, Frederick R

    2017-01-01

    The cholesterol content of membranes plays an important role in organizing membranes for signal transduction and protein trafficking as well as in modulating the biophysical properties of membranes. While the properties of model or isolated membranes have been extensively studied, there has been little evaluation of internal membranes in living cells. Here, we use a Nile Red based probe, NR12S, and ratiometric live cell imaging, to analyze the membrane order of the plasma membrane and endocytic recycling compartment. We find that after a brief incubation to allow endocytosis, NR12S is distributed between the plasma membrane and the endocytic recycling compartment. The NR12S reports that the endocytic recycling compartment is more highly ordered than the plasma membrane. We also find that the plasma membrane and the endocytic recycling compartment are differentially affected by altering cellular cholesterol levels. The membrane order of the plasma membrane, but not the endocytic recycling compartment, is altered significantly when cellular cholesterol content is increased or decreased by 20%. These results demonstrate that changes in cellular cholesterol differentially alter membrane order within different organelles.

  11. A study for the research trends of membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sener, T.

    2004-01-01

    'Full text:' A single PEM fuel cell is comprised of a membrane electrode assembly, two bipolar plates and two fields. Membrane electrode assembly is the basic component of PEM fuel cell due to its cost and function, and it consists a membrane sandwiched between two electrocatalyst layers/electrodes and two gas diffusion layers. Increasing the PEM fuel cell operation temperature from 80 o C to 150-200 o C will prevent electrocatalysts CO poisoning and increase the fuel cell performance. Therefore, membranes must have chemical and mechanical resistance and must keep enough water at high temperatures. The aim of membrane studies through fuel cell commercialization is to produce a less expensive thin membrane with high operation temperature, chemical and mechanical resistance and water adsorption capacity. Within this frame, alternative membrane materials, membrane electrode assembly manufacture and evaluation methods are being studied. In this paper, recent studies are reviewed to give a conclusion for research trends. (author)

  12. Modeling the improvement of ultrafiltration membrane mass transfer when using biofiltration pretreatment in surface water applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Netcher, Andrea C; Duranceau, Steven J

    2016-03-01

    In surface water treatment, ultrafiltration (UF) membranes are widely used because of their ability to supply safe drinking water. Although UF membranes produce high-quality water, their efficiency is limited by fouling. Improving UF filtrate productivity is economically desirable and has been attempted by incorporating sustainable biofiltration processes as pretreatment to UF with varying success. The availability of models that can be applied to describe the effectiveness of biofiltration on membrane mass transfer are lacking. In this work, UF water productivity was empirically modeled as a function of biofilter feed water quality using either a quadratic or Gaussian relationship. UF membrane mass transfer variability was found to be governed by the dimensionless mass ratio between the alkalinity (ALK) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). UF membrane productivity was optimized when the biofilter feed water ALK to DOC ratio fell between 10 and 14. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Consistency Across Standards or Standards in a New Business Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, Dane M.

    2010-01-01

    Presentation topics include: standards in a changing business model, the new National Space Policy is driving change, a new paradigm for human spaceflight, consistency across standards, the purpose of standards, danger of over-prescriptive standards, a balance is needed (between prescriptive and general standards), enabling versus inhibiting, characteristics of success-oriented standards, characteristics of success-oriented standards, and conclusions. Additional slides include NASA Procedural Requirements 8705.2B identifies human rating standards and requirements, draft health and medical standards for human rating, what's been done, government oversight models, examples of consistency from anthropometry, examples of inconsistency from air quality and appendices of government and non-governmental human factors standards.

  14. The influence of NBD fluorescent probe on model membranes containing POPC and DPPC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Chi-Jung; Wu, Ju-Ping; Kuo, Ming-Yen; Hsueh, Ya-Wei

    2016-03-01

    To investigate the effect of fluorescent probe on the properties of membranes, we studied model membranes composed of 1,2- dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and 1-palmitoyl 2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) in the presence and absence of fluorescent probe. The morphology of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) has been observed as a function of temperature and composition by fluorescence microscopy using NBD-DOPE or C 6 -NBD-PC as the probe. The phase behavior of model membranes containing no fluorescent probe was investigated by 2 H-NMR spectroscopy. We found that the bright phase observed on GUVs was the fluid phase enriched in POPC and the dark phase was the gel phase enriched in DPPC. NBD-DOPE and C 6 -NBD-PC preferentially participated in the fluid-phase domains when GUVs were in the gel + fluid phase coexistence. Inclusion of both fluorescent probes (1 mol%) lowered the transition temperature of POPC/DPPC membranes. In addition, C 6 -NBD-PC exhibited a stronger effect than NBD-DOPE, which was considered to be associated with the structures of fluorescent molecules.

  15. Influence of membrane phospholipid composition and structural organization on spontaneous lipid transfer between membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pankov, R; Markovska, T; Antonov, P; Ivanova, L; Momchilova, A

    2006-09-01

    Investigations were carried out on the influence of phospholipid composition of model membranes on the processes of spontaneous lipid transfer between membranes. Acceptor vesicles were prepared from phospholipids extracted from plasma membranes of control and ras-transformed fibroblasts. Acceptor model membranes with manipulated levels of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), sphingomyelin and phosphatidic acid were also used in the studies. Donor vesicles were prepared of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and contained two fluorescent lipid analogues, NBD-PC and N-Rh-PE, at a self-quenching concentration. Lipid transfer rate was assessed by measuring the increase of fluorescence in acceptor membranes due to transfer of fluorescent lipid analogues from quenched donor to unquenched acceptor vesicles. The results showed that spontaneous NBD-PC transfer increased upon fluidization of acceptor vesicles. In addition, elevation of PE concentration in model membranes was also accompanied by an increase of lipid transfer to all series of acceptor vesicles. The results are discussed with respect to the role of lipid composition and structural order of cellular plasma membranes in the processes of spontaneous lipid exchange between membrane bilayers.

  16. High pressure modulated transport and signaling functions of membrane proteins in models and in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vogel, R F; Linke, K; Teichert, H; Ehrmann, M A

    2008-01-01

    Cellular membranes serve in the separation of compartments, recognition of the environment, selective transport and signal transduction. Membrane lipids and membrane proteins play distinct roles in these processes, which are affected by environmental chemical (e. g. pH) or physical (e. g. pressure and temperature) changes. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) affects fluidity and integrity of bacterial membranes instantly during the ramp, resulting in a loss of membrane potential and vital membrane protein functions. We have used the multiple drug transporter LmrA from Lactococcus lactis and ToxR, a membrane protein sensor from Photobacterium profundum, a deep-sea bacterium, and Vibrio cholerae to study membrane protein interaction and functionality in proteolioposomes and by the use of in vivo reporter systems, respectively. Both proteins require dimerization in the phospholipid bilayer for their functionality, which was favoured in the liquid crystalline lipid phase with ToxR and LmrA. Whereas LmrA, which resides in liposomes consisting of DMPC, DMPC/cholesterol or natural lipids, lost its ATPase activity above 20 or 40 MPa, it maintained its active dimeric structure in DOPC/DPPC/cholesterol liposomes up to 120 MPa. By using a specific indicator strain in which the dimerisation of ToxR initiates the transcription of lacZ it was demonstrated, that the amino acid sequence of the transmembrane domain influences HHP stability of ToxR dimerization in vivo. Thus, both the lipid structure and the nature of the protein affect membrane protein interaction. It is suggested that the protein structure determines basic functionality, e.g. principle ability or kinetics to dimerize to a functional complex, while the lipid environment modulates this property

  17. High pressure modulated transport and signaling functions of membrane proteins in models and in vivo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vogel, R F; Linke, K; Teichert, H; Ehrmann, M A [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Technische Mikrobiologie, Weihenstephaner Steig 16, 85350 Freising (Germany)], E-mail: rudi.vogel@wzw.tum.de

    2008-07-15

    Cellular membranes serve in the separation of compartments, recognition of the environment, selective transport and signal transduction. Membrane lipids and membrane proteins play distinct roles in these processes, which are affected by environmental chemical (e. g. pH) or physical (e. g. pressure and temperature) changes. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) affects fluidity and integrity of bacterial membranes instantly during the ramp, resulting in a loss of membrane potential and vital membrane protein functions. We have used the multiple drug transporter LmrA from Lactococcus lactis and ToxR, a membrane protein sensor from Photobacterium profundum, a deep-sea bacterium, and Vibrio cholerae to study membrane protein interaction and functionality in proteolioposomes and by the use of in vivo reporter systems, respectively. Both proteins require dimerization in the phospholipid bilayer for their functionality, which was favoured in the liquid crystalline lipid phase with ToxR and LmrA. Whereas LmrA, which resides in liposomes consisting of DMPC, DMPC/cholesterol or natural lipids, lost its ATPase activity above 20 or 40 MPa, it maintained its active dimeric structure in DOPC/DPPC/cholesterol liposomes up to 120 MPa. By using a specific indicator strain in which the dimerisation of ToxR initiates the transcription of lacZ it was demonstrated, that the amino acid sequence of the transmembrane domain influences HHP stability of ToxR dimerization in vivo. Thus, both the lipid structure and the nature of the protein affect membrane protein interaction. It is suggested that the protein structure determines basic functionality, e.g. principle ability or kinetics to dimerize to a functional complex, while the lipid environment modulates this property.

  18. High pressure modulated transport and signaling functions of membrane proteins in models and in vivo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogel, R. F.; Linke, K.; Teichert, H.; Ehrmann, M. A.

    2008-07-01

    Cellular membranes serve in the separation of compartments, recognition of the environment, selective transport and signal transduction. Membrane lipids and membrane proteins play distinct roles in these processes, which are affected by environmental chemical (e. g. pH) or physical (e. g. pressure and temperature) changes. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) affects fluidity and integrity of bacterial membranes instantly during the ramp, resulting in a loss of membrane potential and vital membrane protein functions. We have used the multiple drug transporter LmrA from Lactococcus lactis and ToxR, a membrane protein sensor from Photobacterium profundum, a deep-sea bacterium, and Vibrio cholerae to study membrane protein interaction and functionality in proteolioposomes and by the use of in vivo reporter systems, respectively. Both proteins require dimerization in the phospholipid bilayer for their functionality, which was favoured in the liquid crystalline lipid phase with ToxR and LmrA. Whereas LmrA, which resides in liposomes consisting of DMPC, DMPC/cholesterol or natural lipids, lost its ATPase activity above 20 or 40 MPa, it maintained its active dimeric structure in DOPC/DPPC/cholesterol liposomes up to 120 MPa. By using a specific indicator strain in which the dimerisation of ToxR initiates the transcription of lacZ it was demonstrated, that the amino acid sequence of the transmembrane domain influences HHP stability of ToxR dimerization in vivo. Thus, both the lipid structure and the nature of the protein affect membrane protein interaction. It is suggested that the protein structure determines basic functionality, e.g. principle ability or kinetics to dimerize to a functional complex, while the lipid environment modulates this property.

  19. Analysis of direct contact membrane distillation based on a lumped-parameter dynamic predictive model

    KAUST Repository

    Karam, Ayman M.; Alsaadi, Ahmad Salem; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

    2016-01-01

    Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging technology that has a great potential for sustainable water desalination. In order to pave the way for successful commercialization of MD-based water desalination techniques, adequate and accurate dynamical models of the process are essential. This paper presents the predictive capabilities of a lumped-parameter dynamic model for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) and discusses the results under wide range of steady-state and dynamic conditions. Unlike previous studies, the proposed model captures the time response of the spacial temperature distribution along the flow direction. It also directly solves for the local temperatures at the membrane interfaces, which allows to accurately model and calculate local flux values along with other intrinsic variables of great influence on the process, like the temperature polarization coefficient (TPC). The proposed model is based on energy and mass conservation principles and analogy between thermal and electrical systems. Experimental data was collected to validated the steady-state and dynamic responses of the model. The obtained results shows great agreement with the experimental data. The paper discusses the results of several simulations under various conditions to optimize the DCMD process efficiency and analyze its response. This demonstrates some potential applications of the proposed model to carry out scale up and design studies. © 2016

  20. Analysis of direct contact membrane distillation based on a lumped-parameter dynamic predictive model

    KAUST Repository

    Karam, Ayman M.

    2016-10-03

    Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging technology that has a great potential for sustainable water desalination. In order to pave the way for successful commercialization of MD-based water desalination techniques, adequate and accurate dynamical models of the process are essential. This paper presents the predictive capabilities of a lumped-parameter dynamic model for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) and discusses the results under wide range of steady-state and dynamic conditions. Unlike previous studies, the proposed model captures the time response of the spacial temperature distribution along the flow direction. It also directly solves for the local temperatures at the membrane interfaces, which allows to accurately model and calculate local flux values along with other intrinsic variables of great influence on the process, like the temperature polarization coefficient (TPC). The proposed model is based on energy and mass conservation principles and analogy between thermal and electrical systems. Experimental data was collected to validated the steady-state and dynamic responses of the model. The obtained results shows great agreement with the experimental data. The paper discusses the results of several simulations under various conditions to optimize the DCMD process efficiency and analyze its response. This demonstrates some potential applications of the proposed model to carry out scale up and design studies. © 2016

  1. Finite element method (FEM) model of the mechanical stress on phospholipid membranes from shock waves produced in nanosecond electric pulses (nsEP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Ronald; Roth, Caleb C.; Shadaram, Mehdi; Beier, Hope; Ibey, Bennett L.

    2015-03-01

    The underlying mechanism(s) responsible for nanoporation of phospholipid membranes by nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsEP) remains unknown. The passage of a high electric field through a conductive medium creates two primary contributing factors that may induce poration: the electric field interaction at the membrane and the shockwave produced from electrostriction of a polar submersion medium exposed to an electric field. Previous work has focused on the electric field interaction at the cell membrane, through such models as the transport lattice method. Our objective is to model the shock wave cell membrane interaction induced from the density perturbation formed at the rising edge of a high voltage pulse in a polar liquid resulting in a shock wave propagating away from the electrode toward the cell membrane. Utilizing previous data from cell membrane mechanical parameters, and nsEP generated shockwave parameters, an acoustic shock wave model based on the Helmholtz equation for sound pressure was developed and coupled to a cell membrane model with finite-element modeling in COMSOL. The acoustic structure interaction model was developed to illustrate the harmonic membrane displacements and stresses resulting from shockwave and membrane interaction based on Hooke's law. Poration is predicted by utilizing membrane mechanical breakdown parameters including cortical stress limits and hydrostatic pressure gradients.

  2. Detection and quantification of flow consistency in business process models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burattin, Andrea; Bernstein, Vered; Neurauter, Manuel; Soffer, Pnina; Weber, Barbara

    2018-01-01

    Business process models abstract complex business processes by representing them as graphical models. Their layout, as determined by the modeler, may have an effect when these models are used. However, this effect is currently not fully understood. In order to systematically study this effect, a basic set of measurable key visual features is proposed, depicting the layout properties that are meaningful to the human user. The aim of this research is thus twofold: first, to empirically identify key visual features of business process models which are perceived as meaningful to the user and second, to show how such features can be quantified into computational metrics, which are applicable to business process models. We focus on one particular feature, consistency of flow direction, and show the challenges that arise when transforming it into a precise metric. We propose three different metrics addressing these challenges, each following a different view of flow consistency. We then report the results of an empirical evaluation, which indicates which metric is more effective in predicting the human perception of this feature. Moreover, two other automatic evaluations describing the performance and the computational capabilities of our metrics are reported as well.

  3. The fractal dimension of cell membrane correlates with its capacitance: A new fractal single-shell model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xujing; Becker, Frederick F.; Gascoyne, Peter R. C.

    2010-01-01

    The scale-invariant property of the cytoplasmic membrane of biological cells is examined by applying the Minkowski–Bouligand method to digitized scanning electron microscopy images of the cell surface. The membrane is found to exhibit fractal behavior, and the derived fractal dimension gives a good description of its morphological complexity. Furthermore, we found that this fractal dimension correlates well with the specific membrane dielectric capacitance derived from the electrorotation measurements. Based on these findings, we propose a new fractal single-shell model to describe the dielectrics of mammalian cells, and compare it with the conventional single-shell model (SSM). We found that while both models fit with experimental data well, the new model is able to eliminate the discrepancy between the measured dielectric property of cells and that predicted by the SSM. PMID:21198103

  4. Polyamide Thin-Film Composite Membranes for Potential Raw Biogas Purification: Experiments and Modelling.

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šimčík, Miroslav; Růžička, Marek; Kárászová, Magda; Sedláková, Zuzana; Vejražka, Jiří; Veselý, M.; Čapek, P.; Friess, K.; Izák, Pavel

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 167, JUL 14 (2016), s. 163-173 ISSN 1383-5866 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA14-12695S; GA TA ČR TE01020080; GA MŠk(CZ) LD13018; GA MŠk LH14006 Institutional support: RVO:67985858 Keywords : thin film composite membrane * biogas membrane separation * transport modeling Subject RIV: CI - Industrial Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Impact factor: 3.359, year: 2016

  5. Process modeling of the impedance characteristics of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rezaei Niya, Seyed Mohammad; Phillips, Ryan K.; Hoorfar, Mina

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The impedance of the PEM fuel cell is analytically calculated. • The measured impedances are presented for different operating conditions. • The high frequency arc in the measured Nyquist plot is related to the anode. • The intermediate frequency arc is related to the cathode. • The low frequency arc and high frequency resistance are related to the membrane. - Abstract: A complete process modeling of the impedance characteristics of the proton exchange membrane fuel cells is presented. The impedance of the cell is determined analytically and the resultant equivalent circuit is calculated. The model predictions are then compared against the measured impedances in different current densities, operating temperatures and anode and cathode relative humidities. It is shown that the model predicts the Nyquist plots in all different operating conditions extremely well. Next, the trends observed in the Nyquist plots reported in the literature are compared against the model predictions. The result of this comparison confirms the accuracy of the model. Using the verified model, various arcs in the Nyquist plots are separated and related to the fuel cell physical parameters.

  6. Consistency of the tachyon warm inflationary universe models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xiao-Min; Zhu, Jian-Yang

    2014-01-01

    This study concerns the consistency of the tachyon warm inflationary models. A linear stability analysis is performed to find the slow-roll conditions, characterized by the potential slow-roll (PSR) parameters, for the existence of a tachyon warm inflationary attractor in the system. The PSR parameters in the tachyon warm inflationary models are redefined. Two cases, an exponential potential and an inverse power-law potential, are studied, when the dissipative coefficient Γ = Γ 0 and Γ = Γ(φ), respectively. A crucial condition is obtained for a tachyon warm inflationary model characterized by the Hubble slow-roll (HSR) parameter ε H , and the condition is extendable to some other inflationary models as well. A proper number of e-folds is obtained in both cases of the tachyon warm inflation, in contrast to existing works. It is also found that a constant dissipative coefficient (Γ = Γ 0 ) is usually not a suitable assumption for a warm inflationary model

  7. Consistency, Verification, and Validation of Turbulence Models for Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rumsey, Christopher L.

    2009-01-01

    In current practice, it is often difficult to draw firm conclusions about turbulence model accuracy when performing multi-code CFD studies ostensibly using the same model because of inconsistencies in model formulation or implementation in different codes. This paper describes an effort to improve the consistency, verification, and validation of turbulence models within the aerospace community through a website database of verification and validation cases. Some of the variants of two widely-used turbulence models are described, and two independent computer codes (one structured and one unstructured) are used in conjunction with two specific versions of these models to demonstrate consistency with grid refinement for several representative problems. Naming conventions, implementation consistency, and thorough grid resolution studies are key factors necessary for success.

  8. Electrically Driven Ion Separations in Permeable Membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bruening, Merlin [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)

    2017-04-21

    Membranes are attractive for a wide range of separations due to their low energy costs and continuous operation. To achieve practical fluxes, most membranes consist of a thin, selective skin on a highly permeable substrate that provides mechanical strength. Thus, this project focused on creating new methods for forming highly selective ultrathin skins as well as modeling transport through these coatings to better understand their unprecedented selectivities. The research explored both gas and ion separations, and the latter included transport due to concentration, pressure and electrical potential gradients. This report describes a series of highlights of the research and then provides a complete list of publications supported by the grant. These publications have been cited more than 4000 times. Perhaps the most stunning finding is the recent discovery of monovalent/divalent cation and anion selectivities around 1000 when modifying cation- and anion-exchange membranes with polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs). This discovery builds on many years of exciting research. (Citation numbers refer to the journal articles in the bibliography.)

  9. Pretreatment of agriculture field water for improving membrane flux during pesticide removal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, Romil; Saha, N. K.; Bhattacharya, A.

    2017-10-01

    Pretreatment of feed water to improve membrane flux during filtration of agriculture field water containing substituted phenyl urea pesticide diuron has been reported. Laboratory-made reverse osmosis membrane was used for filtration. Preliminary experiments were conducted with model solution containing natural organic matter extracted from commercial humic acids, divalent ions Ca2+, Mg2+. Membrane fouling was characterized by pure water flux decline, change in membrane hydrophilicity and infrared spectroscopy. Natural organic matter present in field water causes severe membrane fouling. The presence of divalent cations further aggravated fouling. Use of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and polyacrylic acids (PAA) in feed resulted in the decrease in membrane fouling. Pretreatment of field water is a must if it is contaminated with micro-organism having membrane fouling potential. Feed water pretreatment and use of PAA restricted membrane fouling to 16 % after 60 h of filtration. Membrane permeate flux decline was maximum at the first 12 h and thereafter remained steady at around 45-46 lm-2h-1 till the end of 60 h. Diuron rejection remained consistently greater than 93 % throughout the experiment. Diuron rejection was found to be unaffected by membrane fouling.

  10. Numerical Model on Sound-Solid Coupling in Human Ear and Study on Sound Pressure of Tympanic Membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yao Wen-juan

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Establishment of three-dimensional finite-element model of the whole auditory system includes external ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The sound-solid-liquid coupling frequency response analysis of the model was carried out. The correctness of the FE model was verified by comparing the vibration modes of tympanic membrane and stapes footplate with the experimental data. According to calculation results of the model, we make use of the least squares method to fit out the distribution of sound pressure of external auditory canal and obtain the sound pressure function on the tympanic membrane which varies with frequency. Using the sound pressure function, the pressure distribution on the tympanic membrane can be directly derived from the sound pressure at the external auditory canal opening. The sound pressure function can make the boundary conditions of the middle ear structure more accurate in the mechanical research and improve the previous boundary treatment which only applied uniform pressure acting to the tympanic membrane.

  11. Probing lipid membrane electrostatics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yi

    The electrostatic properties of lipid bilayer membranes play a significant role in many biological processes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is highly sensitive to membrane surface potential in electrolyte solutions. With fully characterized probe tips, AFM can perform quantitative electrostatic analysis of lipid membranes. Electrostatic interactions between Silicon nitride probes and supported zwitterionic dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) bilayer with a variable fraction of anionic dioleoylphosphatidylserine (DOPS) were measured by AFM. Classical Gouy-Chapman theory was used to model the membrane electrostatics. The nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation was numerically solved with finite element method to provide the potential distribution around the AFM tips. Theoretical tip-sample electrostatic interactions were calculated with the surface integral of both Maxwell and osmotic stress tensors on tip surface. The measured forces were interpreted with theoretical forces and the resulting surface charge densities of the membrane surfaces were in quantitative agreement with the Gouy-Chapman-Stern model of membrane charge regulation. It was demonstrated that the AFM can quantitatively detect membrane surface potential at a separation of several screening lengths, and that the AFM probe only perturbs the membrane surface potential by external field created by the internai membrane dipole moment. The analysis yields a dipole moment of 1.5 Debye per lipid with a dipole potential of +275 mV for supported DOPC membranes. This new ability to quantitatively measure the membrane dipole density in a noninvasive manner will be useful in identifying the biological effects of the dipole potential. Finally, heterogeneous model membranes were studied with fluid electric force microscopy (FEFM). Electrostatic mapping was demonstrated with 50 nm resolution. The capabilities of quantitative electrostatic measurement and lateral charge density mapping make AFM a unique and powerful

  12. A Generic Model for Prediction of Separation Performance of Olefin/Paraffin Mixture by Glassy Polymer Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.A. Ghoreyshi

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available The separation of olefin/paraffin mixtures is an important process in petrochemical industries, which is traditionally performed by low temperature distillation with a high-energy consumption, or complex extractive distillationand adsorption techniques. Membrane separation process is emerging as an alternative for traditional separation processes with respect to low energy and simple operation. Investigations made by various researchers on polymeric membranes it is found that special glassy polymers render them as suitable materials for olefin/paraffin mixture separation. In this regard, having some knowledge on the possible transport mechanism of these processes would play a significant role in their design and applications. In this study, separation behavior of olefin/paraffin mixtures through glassy polymers was modeled by three different approaches: the so-called dual transport model, the basic adsorption-diffusion theory and the general Maxwell-Stefan formulation. The systems chosen to validate the developed transport models are separation of ethane-ethylene mixture by 6FDA-6FpDA polyimide membrane and propane-propylene mixture by 6FDA-TrMPD polyimide membrane for which the individual sorption and permeation data are available in the literature. Acritical examination of dual transport model shows that this model fails clearly to predict even the proper trend for selectivities. The adjustment of pemeabilities by accounting for the contribution of non-selective bulk flow in the transport model introduced no improvement in the predictability of the model. The modeling results based on the basic adsorption-diffusion theory revealed that in this approach only using mixed permeability data, an acceptable result is attainable which fades out the advantages of predictibility of multicomponent separation performance from pure component data. Finally, the results obtained from the model developed based on Maxwell-Stefan formulation approach show a

  13. Unconditionally energy stable numerical schemes for phase-field vesicle membrane model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guillén-González, F.; Tierra, G.

    2018-02-01

    Numerical schemes to simulate the deformation of vesicles membranes via minimizing the bending energy have been widely studied in recent times due to its connection with many biological motivated problems. In this work we propose a new unconditionally energy stable numerical scheme for a vesicle membrane model that satisfies exactly the conservation of volume constraint and penalizes the surface area constraint. Moreover, we extend these ideas to present an unconditionally energy stable splitting scheme decoupling the interaction of the vesicle with a surrounding fluid. Finally, the well behavior of the proposed schemes are illustrated through several computational experiments.

  14. Experimental investigation and modeling of industrial oily wastewater treatment using modified polyethersulfone ultrafiltration hollow fiber membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salahi, Abdolhamid; Mohammadi, Toraj; Behbahani, Reza Mosayebi; Hemmati, Mahmood

    2015-01-01

    Hollow fiber membranes were prepared from polyethersulfone/additives/NMP and DMSO system via phase inversion induced by precipitation in non-solvent coagulation bath. The interaction effects of polyethylene-glycol (PEG), propionic-acid (PA), Tween-20, PEG molecular weight and polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (PVP) on morphology and performance of synthesized membranes were investigated. Taguchi method (L 16 orthogonal array) was used initially to plan a minimum number of experiments. 32 membranes were synthesized (with two replications) and their permeation flux and TOC rejection properties to oily wastewater treatment were studied. The obtained results indicated that addition of PA to spinning dope decreases flux while it increases TOC rejection of prepared membranes. Also, the result shows that addition of PVP, Tween-20 and PEG content in spinning dope enhances permeation flux while reducing TOC rejection. The obtained results indicated that the synthesized membranes was effective and suitable for treatment of the oily wastewater to achieve up to 92.6, 98.2, and 98.5% removal of TOC, TSS, and OGC, respectively with a flux of 247.19 L/(m 2 h). Moreover, Hermia's models were used for permeation flux decline prediction. Experimental data and models predictions were compared. The results showed that there is reasonable agreement between experimental data and the cake layer model followed by the intermediate blocking model

  15. Experimental investigation and modeling of industrial oily wastewater treatment using modified polyethersulfone ultrafiltration hollow fiber membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salahi, Abdolhamid; Mohammadi, Toraj [Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Behbahani, Reza Mosayebi [Petroleum University of Technology (PUT), Ahwaz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hemmati, Mahmood [Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2015-06-15

    Hollow fiber membranes were prepared from polyethersulfone/additives/NMP and DMSO system via phase inversion induced by precipitation in non-solvent coagulation bath. The interaction effects of polyethylene-glycol (PEG), propionic-acid (PA), Tween-20, PEG molecular weight and polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (PVP) on morphology and performance of synthesized membranes were investigated. Taguchi method (L{sub 16} orthogonal array) was used initially to plan a minimum number of experiments. 32 membranes were synthesized (with two replications) and their permeation flux and TOC rejection properties to oily wastewater treatment were studied. The obtained results indicated that addition of PA to spinning dope decreases flux while it increases TOC rejection of prepared membranes. Also, the result shows that addition of PVP, Tween-20 and PEG content in spinning dope enhances permeation flux while reducing TOC rejection. The obtained results indicated that the synthesized membranes was effective and suitable for treatment of the oily wastewater to achieve up to 92.6, 98.2, and 98.5% removal of TOC, TSS, and OGC, respectively with a flux of 247.19 L/(m{sup 2}h). Moreover, Hermia's models were used for permeation flux decline prediction. Experimental data and models predictions were compared. The results showed that there is reasonable agreement between experimental data and the cake layer model followed by the intermediate blocking model.

  16. Self-consistent assessment of Englert-Schwinger model on atomic properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehtomäki, Jouko; Lopez-Acevedo, Olga

    2017-12-01

    Our manuscript investigates a self-consistent solution of the statistical atom model proposed by Berthold-Georg Englert and Julian Schwinger (the ES model) and benchmarks it against atomic Kohn-Sham and two orbital-free models of the Thomas-Fermi-Dirac (TFD)-λvW family. Results show that the ES model generally offers the same accuracy as the well-known TFD-1/5 vW model; however, the ES model corrects the failure in the Pauli potential near-nucleus region. We also point to the inability of describing low-Z atoms as the foremost concern in improving the present model.

  17. Full self-consistency versus quasiparticle self-consistency in diagrammatic approaches: exactly solvable two-site Hubbard model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutepov, A L

    2015-08-12

    Self-consistent solutions of Hedin's equations (HE) for the two-site Hubbard model (HM) have been studied. They have been found for three-point vertices of increasing complexity (Γ = 1 (GW approximation), Γ1 from the first-order perturbation theory, and the exact vertex Γ(E)). Comparison is made between the cases when an additional quasiparticle (QP) approximation for Green's functions is applied during the self-consistent iterative solving of HE and when QP approximation is not applied. The results obtained with the exact vertex are directly related to the present open question-which approximation is more advantageous for future implementations, GW + DMFT or QPGW + DMFT. It is shown that in a regime of strong correlations only the originally proposed GW + DMFT scheme is able to provide reliable results. Vertex corrections based on perturbation theory (PT) systematically improve the GW results when full self-consistency is applied. The application of QP self-consistency combined with PT vertex corrections shows similar problems to the case when the exact vertex is applied combined with QP sc. An analysis of Ward Identity violation is performed for all studied in this work's approximations and its relation to the general accuracy of the schemes used is provided.

  18. Introducing Membrane Charge and Membrane Potential to T Cell Signaling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuanqing Ma

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available While membrane models now include the heterogeneous distribution of lipids, the impact of membrane charges on regulating the association of proteins with the plasma membrane is often overlooked. Charged lipids are asymmetrically distributed between the two leaflets of the plasma membrane, resulting in the inner leaflet being negatively charged and a surface potential that attracts and binds positively charged ions, proteins, and peptide motifs. These interactions not only create a transmembrane potential but they can also facilitate the formation of charged membrane domains. Here, we reference fields outside of immunology in which consequences of membrane charge are better characterized to highlight important mechanisms. We then focus on T cell receptor (TCR signaling, reviewing the evidence that membrane charges and membrane-associated calcium regulate phosphorylation of the TCR–CD3 complex and discuss how the immunological synapse exhibits distinct patterns of membrane charge distribution. We propose that charged lipids, ions in solution, and transient protein interactions form a dynamic equilibrium during T cell activation.

  19. Analytic Intermodel Consistent Modeling of Volumetric Human Lung Dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilegbusi, Olusegun; Seyfi, Behnaz; Neylon, John; Santhanam, Anand P

    2015-10-01

    Human lung undergoes breathing-induced deformation in the form of inhalation and exhalation. Modeling the dynamics is numerically complicated by the lack of information on lung elastic behavior and fluid-structure interactions between air and the tissue. A mathematical method is developed to integrate deformation results from a deformable image registration (DIR) and physics-based modeling approaches in order to represent consistent volumetric lung dynamics. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation assumes the lung is a poro-elastic medium with spatially distributed elastic property. Simulation is performed on a 3D lung geometry reconstructed from four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) dataset of a human subject. The heterogeneous Young's modulus (YM) is estimated from a linear elastic deformation model with the same lung geometry and 4D lung DIR. The deformation obtained from the CFD is then coupled with the displacement obtained from the 4D lung DIR by means of the Tikhonov regularization (TR) algorithm. The numerical results include 4DCT registration, CFD, and optimal displacement data which collectively provide consistent estimate of the volumetric lung dynamics. The fusion method is validated by comparing the optimal displacement with the results obtained from the 4DCT registration.

  20. Dynamic shaping of cellular membranes by phospholipids and membrane-deforming proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suetsugu, Shiro; Kurisu, Shusaku; Takenawa, Tadaomi

    2014-10-01

    All cellular compartments are separated from the external environment by a membrane, which consists of a lipid bilayer. Subcellular structures, including clathrin-coated pits, caveolae, filopodia, lamellipodia, podosomes, and other intracellular membrane systems, are molded into their specific submicron-scale shapes through various mechanisms. Cells construct their micro-structures on plasma membrane and execute vital functions for life, such as cell migration, cell division, endocytosis, exocytosis, and cytoskeletal regulation. The plasma membrane, rich in anionic phospholipids, utilizes the electrostatic nature of the lipids, specifically the phosphoinositides, to form interactions with cytosolic proteins. These cytosolic proteins have three modes of interaction: 1) electrostatic interaction through unstructured polycationic regions, 2) through structured phosphoinositide-specific binding domains, and 3) through structured domains that bind the membrane without specificity for particular phospholipid. Among the structured domains, there are several that have membrane-deforming activity, which is essential for the formation of concave or convex membrane curvature. These domains include the amphipathic helix, which deforms the membrane by hemi-insertion of the helix with both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, and/or the BAR domain superfamily, known to use their positively charged, curved structural surface to deform membranes. Below the membrane, actin filaments support the micro-structures through interactions with several BAR proteins as well as other scaffold proteins, resulting in outward and inward membrane micro-structure formation. Here, we describe the characteristics of phospholipids, and the mechanisms utilized by phosphoinositides to regulate cellular events. We then summarize the precise mechanisms underlying the construction of membrane micro-structures and their involvements in physiological and pathological processes. Copyright © 2014 the

  1. Mechanics and dynamics of triglyceride-phospholipid model membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pakkanen, Kirsi I.; Duelund, Lars; Qvortrup, Klaus

    2011-01-01

    We demonstrate here that triolein alters the mechanical properties of phospholipid membranes and induces extraordinary conformational dynamics. Triolein containing membranes exhibit fluctuations up to size range of 100µm and with the help of these are e.g. able to squeeze through narrow passages...... with larger lamellar distances observed in the TOPOPC membranes. These findings suggest repulsion between adjacent membranes. We provide a comprehensive discussion on the possible explanations for the observed mechanics and dynamics in the TOPOPC system and on their potential cellular implications....

  2. Chitosan derivatives targeting lipid bilayers: Synthesis, biological activity and interaction with model membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins, Danubia Batista; Nasário, Fábio Domingues; Silva-Gonçalves, Laiz Costa; de Oliveira Tiera, Vera Aparecida; Arcisio-Miranda, Manoel; Tiera, Marcio José; Dos Santos Cabrera, Marcia Perez

    2018-02-01

    The antimicrobial activity of chitosan and derivatives to human and plant pathogens represents a high-valued prospective market. Presently, two low molecular weight derivatives, endowed with hydrophobic and cationic character at different ratios were synthesized and characterized. They exhibit antimicrobial activity and increased performance in relation to the intermediate and starting compounds. However, just the derivative with higher cationic character showed cytotoxicity towards human cervical carcinoma cells. Considering cell membranes as targets, the mode of action was investigated through the interaction with model lipid vesicles mimicking bacterial, tumoral and erythrocyte membranes. Intense lytic activity and binding are demonstrated for both derivatives in anionic bilayers. The less charged compound exhibits slightly improved selectivity towards bacterial model membranes, suggesting that balancing its hydrophobic/hydrophilic character may improve efficiency. Observing the aggregation of vesicles, we hypothesize that the "charge cluster mechanism", ascribed to some antimicrobial peptides, could be applied to these chitosan derivatives. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Simulation of CO2 Removal by Using Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Mesbah

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In this study, a mathematical model is proposed for CO2 separation from N2/CO2 mixtureusing a hollow fiber membrane contactor by various absorbents. The contactor assumed as non-wetted membrane; radial and axial diffusions were also considered in the model development. The governing equations of the model are solved via the finite element method (FEM. To ensure the accuracy of the developed model, the simulation results were validated using the reported experimental data for potassium glycinate (PG, monoethanol amine (MEA, and methyldiethanol amine (MDEA. The results of the proposed model indicated that PG absorbent has the highest removal efficiency of CO2, followed by potassium threonate (PT, MEA, amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP, diethanol amine (DEA, and MDEA in sequence. In addition, the results revealed that the CO2 removal efficiency was favored by absorbent flow rate and liquid temperature, while the gas flow rate has a reverse effect. The simulation results proved that the hollow fiber membrane contactors have a good potential in the area of CO2 capture.

  4. Data supporting the validation of a simulation model for multi-component gas separation in polymeric membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giordano, Lorena; Roizard, Denis; Bounaceur, Roda; Favre, Eric

    2016-12-01

    The article describes data concerning the separation performances of polymeric hollow-fiber membranes. The data were obtained using a model for simulating gas separation, described in the research article entitled "Interplay of inlet temperature and humidity on energy penalty for CO 2 post-combustion capture: rigorous analysis and simulation of a single stage gas permeation process" (L. Giordano, D. Roizard, R. Bounaceur, E. Favre, 2016) [1]. The data were used to validate the model by comparison with literature results. Considering a membrane system based on feed compression only, data from the model proposed and that from literature were compared with respect to the molar composition of permeate stream, the membrane area and specific energy requirement, varying the feed pressure and the CO 2 separation degree.

  5. Adjoint-consistent formulations of slip models for coupled electroosmotic flow systems

    KAUST Repository

    Garg, Vikram V; Prudhomme, Serge; van der Zee, Kris G; Carey, Graham F

    2014-01-01

    Models based on the Helmholtz `slip' approximation are often used for the simulation of electroosmotic flows. The objectives of this paper are to construct adjoint-consistent formulations of such models, and to develop adjoint

  6. Toward a consistent modeling framework to assess multi-sectoral climate impacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monier, Erwan; Paltsev, Sergey; Sokolov, Andrei; Chen, Y-H Henry; Gao, Xiang; Ejaz, Qudsia; Couzo, Evan; Schlosser, C Adam; Dutkiewicz, Stephanie; Fant, Charles; Scott, Jeffery; Kicklighter, David; Morris, Jennifer; Jacoby, Henry; Prinn, Ronald; Haigh, Martin

    2018-02-13

    Efforts to estimate the physical and economic impacts of future climate change face substantial challenges. To enrich the currently popular approaches to impact analysis-which involve evaluation of a damage function or multi-model comparisons based on a limited number of standardized scenarios-we propose integrating a geospatially resolved physical representation of impacts into a coupled human-Earth system modeling framework. Large internationally coordinated exercises cannot easily respond to new policy targets and the implementation of standard scenarios across models, institutions and research communities can yield inconsistent estimates. Here, we argue for a shift toward the use of a self-consistent integrated modeling framework to assess climate impacts, and discuss ways the integrated assessment modeling community can move in this direction. We then demonstrate the capabilities of such a modeling framework by conducting a multi-sectoral assessment of climate impacts under a range of consistent and integrated economic and climate scenarios that are responsive to new policies and business expectations.

  7. Simplified models for dark matter face their consistent completions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonçalves, Dorival; Machado, Pedro A. N.; No, Jose Miguel

    2017-03-01

    Simplified dark matter models have been recently advocated as a powerful tool to exploit the complementarity between dark matter direct detection, indirect detection and LHC experimental probes. Focusing on pseudoscalar mediators between the dark and visible sectors, we show that the simplified dark matter model phenomenology departs significantly from that of consistent ${SU(2)_{\\mathrm{L}} \\times U(1)_{\\mathrm{Y}}}$ gauge invariant completions. We discuss the key physics simplified models fail to capture, and its impact on LHC searches. Notably, we show that resonant mono-Z searches provide competitive sensitivities to standard mono-jet analyses at $13$ TeV LHC.

  8. Consistent model reduction of polymer chains in solution in dissipative particle dynamics: Model description

    KAUST Repository

    Moreno Chaparro, Nicolas

    2015-06-30

    We introduce a framework for model reduction of polymer chain models for dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations, where the properties governing the phase equilibria such as the characteristic size of the chain, compressibility, density, and temperature are preserved. The proposed methodology reduces the number of degrees of freedom required in traditional DPD representations to model equilibrium properties of systems with complex molecules (e.g., linear polymers). Based on geometrical considerations we explicitly account for the correlation between beads in fine-grained DPD models and consistently represent the effect of these correlations in a reduced model, in a practical and simple fashion via power laws and the consistent scaling of the simulation parameters. In order to satisfy the geometrical constraints in the reduced model we introduce bond-angle potentials that account for the changes in the chain free energy after the model reduction. Following this coarse-graining process we represent high molecular weight DPD chains (i.e., ≥200≥200 beads per chain) with a significant reduction in the number of particles required (i.e., ≥20≥20 times the original system). We show that our methodology has potential applications modeling systems of high molecular weight molecules at large scales, such as diblock copolymer and DNA.

  9. Critical review of membrane bioreactor models--part 1: biokinetic and filtration models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naessens, W; Maere, T; Nopens, I

    2012-10-01

    Membrane bioreactor technology exists for a couple of decades, but has not yet overwhelmed the market due to some serious drawbacks of which operational cost due to fouling is the major contributor. Knowledge buildup and optimisation for such complex systems can significantly benefit from mathematical modelling. In this paper, the vast literature on modelling MBR biokinetics and filtration is critically reviewed. It was found that models cover the wide range of empirical to detailed mechanistic descriptions and have mainly been used for knowledge development and to a lesser extent for system optimisation/control. Moreover, studies are still predominantly performed at lab or pilot scale. Trends are discussed, knowledge gaps identified and interesting routes for further research suggested. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Ultrathin Ceramic Membranes as Scaffolds for Functional Cell Coculture Models on a Biomimetic Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jud, Corinne; Ahmed, Sher; Müller, Loretta; Kinnear, Calum; Vanhecke, Dimitri; Umehara, Yuki; Frey, Sabine; Liley, Martha; Angeloni, Silvia; Petri-Fink, Alke; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Epithelial tissue serves as an interface between biological compartments. Many in vitro epithelial cell models have been developed as an alternative to animal experiments to answer a range of research questions. These in vitro models are grown on permeable two-chamber systems; however, commercially available, polymer-based cell culture inserts are around 10 μm thick. Since the basement membrane found in biological systems is usually less than 1 μm thick, the 10-fold thickness of cell culture inserts is a major limitation in the establishment of realistic models. In this work, an alternative insert, accommodating an ultrathin ceramic membrane with a thickness of only 500 nm (i.e., the Silicon nitride Microporous Permeable Insert [SIMPLI]-well), was produced and used to refine an established human alveolar barrier coculture model by both replacing the conventional inserts with the SIMPLI-well and completing it with endothelial cells. The structural–functional relationship of the model was evaluated, including the translocation of gold nanoparticles across the barrier, revealing a higher translocation if compared to corresponding polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes. This study demonstrates the power of the SIMPLI-well system as a scaffold for epithelial tissue cell models on a truly biomimetic scale, allowing construction of more functionally accurate models of human biological barriers. PMID:26713225

  11. Axionic membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aurilia, A.; Spallucci, E.

    1992-01-01

    A metal ring removed from a soap-water solution encloses a film of soap which can be mathematically described as a minimal surface having the ring as its only boundary. This is known to everybody. In this letter we suggest a relativistic extension of the above fluidodynamic system where the soap film is replaced by a Kalb-Ramand gauge potential B μν (x) and the ring by a closed string. The interaction between the B μν field and the string current excites a new configuration of the system consisting of a relativistic membrane bounded by the string. We call such a classical solution of the equation of motion an axionic membrane. As a dynamical system, the axionic membrane admits a Hamilton-Jacobi formulation which is an extension of the HJ theory of electromagnetic strings. (orig.)

  12. A self-consistent upward leader propagation model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becerra, Marley; Cooray, Vernon

    2006-01-01

    The knowledge of the initiation and propagation of an upward moving connecting leader in the presence of a downward moving lightning stepped leader is a must in the determination of the lateral attraction distance of a lightning flash by any grounded structure. Even though different models that simulate this phenomenon are available in the literature, they do not take into account the latest developments in the physics of leader discharges. The leader model proposed here simulates the advancement of positive upward leaders by appealing to the presently understood physics of that process. The model properly simulates the upward continuous progression of the positive connecting leaders from its inception to the final connection with the downward stepped leader (final jump). Thus, the main physical properties of upward leaders, namely the charge per unit length, the injected current, the channel gradient and the leader velocity are self-consistently obtained. The obtained results are compared with an altitude triggered lightning experiment and there is good agreement between the model predictions and the measured leader current and the experimentally inferred spatial and temporal location of the final jump. It is also found that the usual assumption of constant charge per unit length, based on laboratory experiments, is not valid for lightning upward connecting leaders

  13. [Effect of solution environments on ceramic membrane microfiltration of model system of Chinese medicines].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lianjun; Lu, Jin; Le, Kang; Fu, Tingming; Guo, Liwei

    2010-07-01

    To investigate the effect of differents solution environments on the ceramic membrane microfiltration of model system of Chinese medicines. Taking binary system of soybean protein-berberine as the research object, flux, transmittance of berberine and traping rate of protein as indexes, different solution environment on membrane process were investigated. When the concentration of soybean protein was under 1 g x L(-1), the membrane flux was minimum with the traping of berberine decreased slightly as the concentration increased. When pH was 4, the flux was maximum with the traping rate of protein was 99%, and the transmittance of berberine reached above 60%. The efficiency of membrane separation can be improved by optimizing the solution environment of water-extraction of chinese medicines. The efficiency of membrane separation is the best when adjust the pH to the isoelectric point of proteins for the proteins as the main pollutant in aqueous solution.

  14. Structure and properties of cell membranes. Volume 3: Methodology and properties of membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benga, G.

    1985-01-01

    This book covers the topics: Quantum chemical approach to study the mechanisms of proton translocation across membranes through protein molecules; monomolecular films as biomembrane models; planar lipid bilayers in relation to biomembranes; relation of liposomes to cell membranes; reconstitution of membrane transport systems; structure-function relationships in cell membranes as revealed by X-ray techniques; structure-function relationships in cell membranes as revealed by spin labeling ESR; structure and dynamics of cell membranes as revealed by NMR techniques; the effect of dietary lipids on the composition and properties of biological membranes and index

  15. Cholesterol depletion induces dynamic confinement of the G-protein coupled serotonin(1A) receptor in the plasma membrane of living cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pucadyil, Thomas J; Chattopadhyay, Amitabha

    2007-03-01

    Cholesterol is an essential constituent of eukaryotic membranes and plays a crucial role in membrane organization, dynamics, function, and sorting. It is often found distributed non-randomly in domains or pools in biological and model membranes and is thought to contribute to a segregated distribution of membrane constituents. Signal transduction events mediated by seven transmembrane domain G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the primary means by which cells communicate with and respond to their external environment. We analyzed the role of cholesterol in the plasma membrane organization of the G-protein coupled serotonin(1A) receptor by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements with varying bleach spot sizes. Our results show that lateral diffusion parameters of serotonin(1A) receptors in normal cells are consistent with models describing diffusion of molecules in a homogenous membrane. Interestingly, these characteristics are altered in cholesterol-depleted cells in a manner that is consistent with dynamic confinement of serotonin(1A) receptors in the plasma membrane. Importantly, analysis of ligand binding and downstream signaling of the serotonin(1A) receptor suggests that receptor function is affected in a significantly different manner when intact cells or isolated membranes are depleted of cholesterol. These results assume significance in the context of interpreting effects of cholesterol depletion on diffusion characteristics of membrane proteins in particular, and cholesterol-dependent cellular processes in general.

  16. Effect of phospholipid metabolites on model membrane fusion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shragin, A.S.; Vasilenko, I.A.; Selishcheva, A.A.; Shvets, V.I.

    1985-01-01

    /sup 31/P-NMR spectroscopy and formation of fluorescent complexes between Tb/sup 3 +/ and dipicolinic acid were used to monitor liposome fusion and the effects of phospholipases C and D on the process. Phospholipase C was found highly efficient in initiating liposomal fusion, regardless of the phospholipid composition of the bilayer membranes. However, phospholipase D promoted liposomal fusion only in cases in which the membranes contained high concentrations of phospholipids incapable of forming bilayer membranes, such as phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin. The mechanism of action of both enzymes in promoting liposomal fusion was ascribed to the generation of a metastable state in the membranes as a result of enzymatic formation of lipophilic metabolites 1,2-diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. The perturbation, or fluidity, of the liposomal membranes favored fusion on contact. 21 references, 4 figures.

  17. EM Task 9 - Centrifugal membrane filtration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stepan, Daniel J.; Stevens, Bradley G.; Hetland, Melanie D.

    1999-01-01

    The overall project consists of several integrated research phases related to the applicability, continued development, demonstration, and commercialization of the SpinTek centrifugal membrane filtration process. Work performed during this reporting period consisted of Phase 2 evaluation of the SpinTek centrifugal membrane filtration technology and Phase 3, Technology Partnering. During Phase 1 testing conducted at the EERC using the SpinTek ST-IIL unit operating on a surrogate tank waste, a solids cake developed on the membrane surface. The solids cake was observed where linear membrane velocities were less than 17.5 ft/s and reduced the unobstructed membrane surface area up to 25%, reducing overall filtration performance. The primary goal of the Phase 2 research effort was to enhance filtration performance through the development and testing of alternative turbulence promoter designs. The turbulence promoters were designed to generate a shear force across the entire membrane surface sufficient to maintain a self-cleaning membrane capability and improve filtration efficiency and long-term performance. Specific Phase 2 research activities included the following: System modifications to accommodate an 11-in.-diameter, two-disk rotating membrane assembly; Development and fabrication of alternative turbulence promoter designs; Testing and evaluation of the existing and alternative turbulence promoters under selected operating conditions using a statistically designed test matrix; and Data reduction and analysis; The objective of Phase 3 research was to demonstrate the effectiveness of SpinTek's centrifugal membrane filtration as a pretreatment to remove suspended solids from a liquid waste upstream of 3M's WWL cartridge technology for the selective removal of technetium (Tc)

  18. The role of hydrophobic interactions in positioning of peripheral proteins in membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lomize Mikhail A

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Three-dimensional (3D structures of numerous peripheral membrane proteins have been determined. Biological activity, stability, and conformations of these proteins depend on their spatial positions with respect to the lipid bilayer. However, these positions are usually undetermined. Results We report the first large-scale computational study of monotopic/peripheral proteins with known 3D structures. The optimal translational and rotational positions of 476 proteins are determined by minimizing energy of protein transfer from water to the lipid bilayer, which is approximated by a hydrocarbon slab with a decadiene-like polarity and interfacial regions characterized by water-permeation profiles. Predicted membrane-binding sites, protein tilt angles and membrane penetration depths are consistent with spin-labeling, chemical modification, fluorescence, NMR, mutagenesis, and other experimental studies of 53 peripheral proteins and peptides. Experimental membrane binding affinities of peripheral proteins were reproduced in cases that did not involve a helix-coil transition, specific binding of lipids, or a predominantly electrostatic association. Coordinates of all examined peripheral proteins and peptides with the calculated hydrophobic membrane boundaries, subcellular localization, topology, structural classification, and experimental references are available through the Orientations of Proteins in Membranes (OPM database. Conclusion Positions of diverse peripheral proteins and peptides in the lipid bilayer can be accurately predicted using their 3D structures that represent a proper membrane-bound conformation and oligomeric state, and have membrane binding elements present. The success of the implicit solvation model suggests that hydrophobic interactions are usually sufficient to determine the spatial position of a protein in the membrane, even when electrostatic interactions or specific binding of lipids are substantial. Our

  19. Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 Membrane for H2/CO2 Separation: Experimental and Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, L. S.; Yeong, Y. F.; Lau, K. K.; Azmi, M. S.; Chew, T. L.

    2018-03-01

    In this work, ZIF-8 membrane synthesized through solvent evaporation secondary seeded growth was tested for single gas permeation and binary gases separation of H2 and CO2. Subsequently, a modified mathematical modeling combining the effects of membrane and support layers was applied to represent the gas transport properties of ZIF-8 membrane. Results showed that, the membrane has exhibited H2/CO2 ideal selectivity of 5.83 and separation factor of 3.28 at 100 kPa and 303 K. Besides, the experimental results were fitted well with the simulated results by demonstrating means absolute error (MAE) values ranged from 1.13 % to 3.88 % for single gas permeation and 10.81 % to 21.22 % for binary gases separation. Based on the simulated data, most of the H2 and CO2 gas molecules have transported through the molecular pores of membrane layer, which was up to 70 %. Thus, the gas transport of the gases is mainly dominated by adsorption and diffusion across the membrane.

  20. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RESPONSE SURFACE MODELING OF PI/PES-ZEOLITE 4A MIXED MATRIX MEMBRANE FOR CO2 SEPARATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. D. KUSWORO

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the effect of preparation of polyimide/polyethersulfone (PI/PES blending-zeolite mixed matrix membrane through the manipulation of membrane production variables such as polymer concentration, blending composition and zeolite loading. Combination of central composite design and response surface methodology were applied to determine the main effect and interaction effects of these variables on membrane separation performance. The quadratic models between each response and the independent parameters were developed and the response surface models were tested with analysis of variance (ANOVA. In this study, PI/ (PES–zeolite 4A mixed matrix membranes were casted using dry/wet phase inversion technique. The separation performance of mixed matrix membrane had been tested using pure gases such as CO2 and CH4. The results showed that zeolite loading was the most significant variable that influenced the CO2/CH4 selectivity among three variables and the experimental results were in good agreement with those predicted by the proposed regression models. The gas separation performance of the membrane was relatively higher as compare to polymeric membrane. Therefore, combination of central composite design and response surface methodology can be used to prepare optimal condition for mixed matrix membrane fabrication. The incorporation of 20 wt% zeolite 4A into 25 wt% of PI/PES matrix had resulted in a high separation performance of membrane material.

  1. Membrane Contact Sites: Complex Zones for Membrane Association and Lipid Exchange

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quon, Evan; Beh, Christopher T.

    2015-01-01

    Lipid transport between membranes within cells involves vesicle and protein carriers, but as agents of nonvesicular lipid transfer, the role of membrane contact sites has received increasing attention. As zones for lipid metabolism and exchange, various membrane contact sites mediate direct associations between different organelles. In particular, membrane contact sites linking the plasma membrane (PM) and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) represent important regulators of lipid and ion transfer. In yeast, cortical ER is stapled to the PM through membrane-tethering proteins, which establish a direct connection between the membranes. In this review, we consider passive and facilitated models for lipid transfer at PM–ER contact sites. Besides the tethering proteins, we examine the roles of an additional repertoire of lipid and protein regulators that prime and propagate PM–ER membrane association. We conclude that instead of being simple mediators of membrane association, regulatory components of membrane contact sites have complex and multilayered functions. PMID:26949334

  2. Two-Phase Contiguous Supported Lipid Bilayer Model for Membrane Rafts via Polymer Blotting and Stenciling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, Mark J; Daniel, Susan

    2017-02-07

    The supported lipid bilayer has been portrayed as a useful model of the cell membrane compatible with many biophysical tools and techniques that demonstrate its appeal in learning about the basic features of the plasma membrane. However, some of its potential has yet to be realized, particularly in the area of bilayer patterning and phase/composition heterogeneity. In this work, we generate contiguous bilayer patterns as a model system that captures the general features of membrane domains and lipid rafts. Micropatterned polymer templates of two types are investigated for generating patterned bilayer formation: polymer blotting and polymer lift-off stenciling. While these approaches have been used previously to create bilayer arrays by corralling bilayers patches with various types of boundaries impenetrable to bilayer diffusion, unique to the methods presented here, there are no physical barriers to diffusion. In this work, interfaces between contiguous lipid phases define the pattern shapes, with continuity between them allowing transfer of membrane-bound biomolecules between the phases. We examine effectors of membrane domain stability including temperature and cholesterol content to investigate domain dynamics. Contiguous patterning of supported bilayers as a model of lipid rafts expands the application of the SLB to an area with current appeal and brings with it a useful toolset for characterization and analysis. These combined tools should be helpful to researchers investigating lipid raft dynamics and function and biomolecule partitioning studies. Additionally, this patterning technique may be useful for applications such as bioseparations that exploit differences in lipid phase partitioning or creation of membranes that bind species like viruses preferentially at lipid phase boundaries, to name a few.

  3. Self-consistent atmosphere modeling with cloud formation for low-mass stars and exoplanets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juncher, Diana; Jørgensen, Uffe G.; Helling, Christiane

    2017-12-01

    Context. Low-mass stars and extrasolar planets have ultra-cool atmospheres where a rich chemistry occurs and clouds form. The increasing amount of spectroscopic observations for extrasolar planets requires self-consistent model atmosphere simulations to consistently include the formation processes that determine cloud formation and their feedback onto the atmosphere. Aims: Our aim is to complement the MARCS model atmosphere suit with simulations applicable to low-mass stars and exoplanets in preparation of E-ELT, JWST, PLATO and other upcoming facilities. Methods: The MARCS code calculates stellar atmosphere models, providing self-consistent solutions of the radiative transfer and the atmospheric structure and chemistry. We combine MARCS with a kinetic model that describes cloud formation in ultra-cool atmospheres (seed formation, growth/evaporation, gravitational settling, convective mixing, element depletion). Results: We present a small grid of self-consistently calculated atmosphere models for Teff = 2000-3000 K with solar initial abundances and log (g) = 4.5. Cloud formation in stellar and sub-stellar atmospheres appears for Teff day-night energy transport and no temperature inversion.

  4. Theory of Ion and Water Transport in Reverse-Osmosis Membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oren, Y. S.; Biesheuvel, P. M.

    2018-02-01

    We present a theory for ion and water transport through reverse-osmosis (RO) membranes based on a Maxwell-Stefan framework combined with hydrodynamic theory for the reduced motion of particles in thin pores. We take into account all driving forces and frictions both on the fluid (water) and on the ions including ion-fluid friction and ion-wall friction. By including the acid-base characteristic of the carbonic acid system, the boric acid system, H3O+/OH- , and the membrane charge, we locally determine p H , the effective charge of the membrane, and the dissociation degree of carbonic acid and boric acid. We present calculation results for an experiment with fixed feed concentration, where effluent composition is a self-consistent function of fluxes through the membrane. A comparison with experimental results from literature for fluid flow vs pressure, and for salt and boron rejection, shows that our theory agrees very well with the available data. Our model is based on realistic assumptions for the effective size of the ions and makes use of a typical pore size of a commercial RO membrane.

  5. Emulsification using microporous membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goran T. Vladisavljević

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Membrane emulsification is a process of injecting a pure dispersed phase or pre-emulsion through a microporous membrane into the continuous phase. As a result of the immiscibility of the two phases, droplets of the dispersed phase are formed at the outlets of membrane pores. The droplets formed in the process are removed from the membrane surface by applying cross-flow or stirring of the continuous phase or using a dynamic (rotating or vibrating membrane. The most commonly used membrane for emulsification is the Shirasu Porous Glass (SPG membrane, fabricated through spinodal decomposition in a melt consisting of Japanese volcanic ash (Shirasu, boric acid and calcium carbonate. Microsieve membranes are increasingly popular as an alternative to highly tortuous glass and ceramic membranes. Microsieves are usually fabricated from nickel by photolithography and electroplating or they can be manufactured from silicon nitride via Reactive Ion Etching (RIE. An advantage of microsieves compared to the SPG membrane is in much higher transmembrane fluxes and higher tolerance to fouling by the emulsion ingredients due to the existence of short, straight through pores. Unlike conventional emulsification devices such as high-pressure valve homogenisers and rotor-stator devices, membrane emulsification devices permit a precise control over the mean pore size over a wide range and during the process insignificant amount of energy is dissipated as heat. The drop size is primarily determined by the pore size, but it depends also on other parameters, such as membrane wettability, emulsion formulation, shear stress on the membrane surface, transmembrane pressure, etc.

  6. Conformational study of melectin and antapin antimicrobial peptides in model membrane environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocourková, Lucie; Novotná, Pavlína; Čujová, Sabína; Čeřovský, Václav; Urbanová, Marie; Setnička, Vladimír

    2017-01-01

    Antimicrobial peptides have long been considered as promising compounds against drug-resistant pathogens. In this work, we studied the secondary structure of antimicrobial peptides melectin and antapin using electronic (ECD) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopies that are sensitive to peptide secondary structures. The results from quantitative ECD spectral evaluation by Dichroweb and CDNN program and from the qualitative evaluation of the VCD spectra were compared. The antimicrobial activity of the selected peptides depends on their ability to adopt an amphipathic α-helical conformation on the surface of the bacterial membrane. Hence, solutions of different zwitterionic and negatively charged liposomes and micelles were used to mimic the eukaryotic and bacterial biological membranes. The results show a significant content of α-helical conformation in the solutions of negatively charged liposomes mimicking the bacterial membrane, thus correlating with the antimicrobial activity of the studied peptides. On the other hand in the solutions of zwitterionic liposomes used as models of the eukaryotic membranes, the fraction of α-helical conformation was lower, which corresponds with their moderate hemolytic activity.

  7. Saponin Interactions with Model Membrane Systems - Langmuir Monolayer Studies, Hemolysis and Formation of ISCOMs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Groot, Carolin; Müller-Goymann, Christel C

    2016-12-01

    Saponins are used in medicine due to their pharmacological and immunological effects. To better understand interactions of saponins with model membranes and natural membranes of, for example, erythrocytes, Langmuir film balance experiments are well established. For most saponins, a strong interaction with cholesterol was demonstrated in dependence of both the aglycone part and the sugar moieties and is suggested to be correlated with a strong hemolytic activity, high toxicity, and high surface activity, as was demonstrated for the steroid saponin digitonin. In general, changes in the sugar chain or in substituents of the aglycone result in a modification of the saponin properties. A promising saponin with regard to fairly low hemolytic activity and high adjuvant effect is α -tomatine, which still shows a high affinity for cholesterol. An interaction with cholesterol and lipids has also been proven for the Quillaja saponin from the bark of Quillaja saponaria Molina. This triterpene saponin was approved in marketed vaccines as an adjuvant due to the formation of immunostimulating complexes. Immunostimulating complexes consist of a Quillaja saponin, cholesterol, phospholipids, and a corresponding antigen. Recently, another saponin from Quillaja brasiliensis was successfully tested in immunostimulating complexes, too. Based on the results of interaction studies, the formation of drug delivery systems such as immunostimulating complexes or similar self-assembled colloids is postulated for a variety of saponins. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  8. Mixing characterisation of full-scale membrane bioreactors: CFD modelling with experimental validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brannock, M; Wang, Y; Leslie, G

    2010-05-01

    Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) have been successfully used in aerobic biological wastewater treatment to solve the perennial problem of effective solids-liquid separation. The optimisation of MBRs requires knowledge of the membrane fouling, biokinetics and mixing. However, research has mainly concentrated on the fouling and biokinetics (Ng and Kim, 2007). Current methods of design for a desired flow regime within MBRs are largely based on assumptions (e.g. complete mixing of tanks) and empirical techniques (e.g. specific mixing energy). However, it is difficult to predict how sludge rheology and vessel design in full-scale installations affects hydrodynamics, hence overall performance. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) provides a method for prediction of how vessel features and mixing energy usage affect the hydrodynamics. In this study, a CFD model was developed which accounts for aeration, sludge rheology and geometry (i.e. bioreactor and membrane module). This MBR CFD model was then applied to two full-scale MBRs and was successfully validated against experimental results. The effect of sludge settling and rheology was found to have a minimal impact on the bulk mixing (i.e. the residence time distribution).

  9. Development of a Consistent and Reproducible Porcine Scald Burn Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kempf, Margit; Kimble, Roy; Cuttle, Leila

    2016-01-01

    There are very few porcine burn models that replicate scald injuries similar to those encountered by children. We have developed a robust porcine burn model capable of creating reproducible scald burns for a wide range of burn conditions. The study was conducted with juvenile Large White pigs, creating replicates of burn combinations; 50°C for 1, 2, 5 and 10 minutes and 60°C, 70°C, 80°C and 90°C for 5 seconds. Visual wound examination, biopsies and Laser Doppler Imaging were performed at 1, 24 hours and at 3 and 7 days post-burn. A consistent water temperature was maintained within the scald device for long durations (49.8 ± 0.1°C when set at 50°C). The macroscopic and histologic appearance was consistent between replicates of burn conditions. For 50°C water, 10 minute duration burns showed significantly deeper tissue injury than all shorter durations at 24 hours post-burn (p ≤ 0.0001), with damage seen to increase until day 3 post-burn. For 5 second duration burns, by day 7 post-burn the 80°C and 90°C scalds had damage detected significantly deeper in the tissue than the 70°C scalds (p ≤ 0.001). A reliable and safe model of porcine scald burn injury has been successfully developed. The novel apparatus with continually refreshed water improves consistency of scald creation for long exposure times. This model allows the pathophysiology of scald burn wound creation and progression to be examined. PMID:27612153

  10. A study of the isobutane dehydrogenation in a porous membrane catalytic reactor: design, use and modelling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Casanave, D

    1996-01-26

    The aim of this study was to set up and model a catalytic fixed-bed membrane reactor for the isobutane dehydrogenation. The catalyst, developed at Catalysis Research Institute (IRC), was a silicalite-supported Pt-based catalyst. Their catalytic performances (activity, selectivity, stability) where found better adapted to the membrane reactor, when compared with commercial Pt or Cr based catalysts. The kinetic study of the reaction has been performed in a differential reactor and led to the determination of a kinetic law, suitable when the catalyst is used near thermodynamic equilibrium. The mass transfer mechanisms were determined in meso-porous and microporous membranes through both permeability and gas mixtures (iC{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/N{sub 2}) separation measurements. For the meso-porous {gamma}-alumina, the mass transfer is ensured by a Knudsen diffusion mechanism which can compete with surface diffusion for condensable gas like isobutane. The resulting permselectivity H{sub 2}/iC4 of this membrane is low ({approx} 4). For the microporous zeolite membrane, molecular sieving occurs due to steric hindrance, leading to higher permselectivity {approx}14. Catalyst/membrane associations were compared in terms of isobutane dehydrogenation performances, for both types of membranes (meso-porous and microporous) and for two different reactor configurations (co-current and counter-current sweep gas flow). The best experimental results were obtained with the zeolite membrane, when sweeping the outer compartment in a co-current flow. The equilibrium displacement observed with the {gamma}-alumina membrane was lower and mainly due to a dilution effect of the reaction mixture by the sweep gas. A mathematical model was developed, which correctly describes all the experimental results obtained with the zeolite membrane, when the co-current mode is used. (Abstract Truncated)

  11. Mathematical Modeling for the Extraction of Uranium and Molybdenum with Emulsion Liquid Membrane, Including Industrial Application and Cost Evaluation of the Uranium Recovery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kris Tri Basuki

    2008-01-01

    Emulsion liquid membrane systems are double emulsion drops. Two immiscible phases are separated by a third phase which is immiscible with the other two phases. The liquid membrane systems were classified into two types: (1) carrier mediated mass transfer, (2) mass transfer without any reaction involved. Uranium extraction, molybdenum extraction and solvent extraction were used as purposed elements for each type of the membrane systems in the derivation of their mathematical models. Mass transfer in emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) systems has been modeled by several differential and algebraic equations. The models take into account the following : mass transfer of the solute from the bulk external phase to the external phase-membrane interface; an equilibrium reaction between the solute and the carrier to form the solute-carrier complex at the interface; mass transfer by diffusion of the solute-carrier complex in the membrane phase to the membrane-internal phase interface; another equilibrium reaction of the solute-carrier complex to release the solute at the membrane-internal phase interface into the internal phase. Models with or without the consideration of film resistances were developed and compared. The models developed in this study can predict the extraction rate through emulsion liquid membranes theoretically. All parameters required in the models can be determined before an experimental extraction run. Experimental data from literature (uranium extraction) and (molybdenum extraction and solvent extraction) were used to test the models. The agreements between the theoretical predictions and the experimental data were very good. The advantages of emulsion liquid membrane systems over traditional methods were discussed. The models developed in this research can be used directly for the design of emulsion liquid membrane systems. The results of this study represent a very significant step toward the practical applications of the emulsion liquid membrane

  12. Performances of nanofiltration and low pressure reverse osmosis membranes for desalination: characterization and modelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boussouga, Y. A.; Lhassani, A.

    2017-03-01

    The nanofiltration and the reverse osmosis processes are the most common techniques for the desalination of water contaminated by an excess of salts. In this present study, we were interested in the characterization of commercial, composite and asymmetric membranes of nanofiltration (NF90, NF270) and low pressure reverse osmosis (BW30LE). The two types of characterization that we opted for our study: (i) characterization of electrical proprieties, in terms of the surface charge of various membranes studied by the measurement of the streaming potential, (ii) hydrodynamic characterization in terms of hydraulic permeability with pure water, mass transfer and phenomenological parameters for each system membrane/salt using hydrodynamic approaches. The irreversible thermodynamics allowed us to model the observed retention Robs of salts (NaCl and Na2SO4) for the different membranes studied, to understand and to predict a good filtration with a membrane. A study was conducted on the type of mass transfer for each system membrane/salt: convection and diffusion. The results showed that all tested membranes are negatively charged for the solutions at neutral pH, this is explained by their material composition. The results also showed competitiveness between the different types of membranes. In view of that the NF remains effective in terms of selective retention with less energy consumption than LPRO.

  13. Inflation and Instability of a Polymeric Membrane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hassager, Ole; Kristensen, Susanne Brogaard; Larsen, Johannes Ruben

    1999-01-01

    We consider an axisymmetric polymeric membrane inflated by a uniform pressure difference acting across the membrane. The polymeric material is described by an arbitrary combination of a viscoelastic and a purely viscous component to the stress. Some viscoelastic materials described by a Mooney......-Rivlin model show a monotone increasing pressure during inflation of a spherical membrane. These materials develop a homogeneous membrane thickness in agreement with the Considere-Pearson condition. Molecularly based models such as the neo-Hookean, Doi-Edwards or Tom-Pom model show a pressure maximum when...... inflated. Membranes described by these models develop a local thinning of the membrane which may lead to bursting in finite time. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved....

  14. Deformation of Two-Dimensional Nonuniform-Membrane Red Blood Cells Simulated by a Lattice Boltzmann Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hua-Bing, Li; Li, Jin; Bing, Qiu

    2008-01-01

    To study two-dimensional red blood cells deforming in a shear Bow with the membrane nonuniform on the rigidity and mass, the membrane is discretized into equilength segments. The fluid inside and outside the red blood cell is simulated by the D2Q9 lattice Boltzmann model and the hydrodynamic forces exerted on the membrane from the inner and outer of the red blood cell are calculated by a stress-integration method. Through the global deviation from the curvature of uniform-membrane, we find that when the membrane is nonuniform on the rigidity, the deviation first decreases with the time increases and implies that the terminal profile of the red blood cell is static. To a red blood cell with the mass nonuniform on the membrane, the deviation becomes more large, and the mass distribution affects the profile of the two sides of the flattened red blood cell in a shear flow. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

  15. Assembly of the membrane domain of ATP synthase in human mitochondria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Jiuya; Ford, Holly C; Carroll, Joe; Douglas, Corsten; Gonzales, Evvia; Ding, Shujing; Fearnley, Ian M; Walker, John E

    2018-03-20

    The ATP synthase in human mitochondria is a membrane-bound assembly of 29 proteins of 18 kinds. All but two membrane components are encoded in nuclear genes, synthesized on cytoplasmic ribosomes, and imported into the matrix of the organelle, where they are assembled into the complex with ATP6 and ATP8, the products of overlapping genes in mitochondrial DNA. Disruption of individual human genes for the nuclear-encoded subunits in the membrane portion of the enzyme leads to the formation of intermediate vestigial ATPase complexes that provide a description of the pathway of assembly of the membrane domain. The key intermediate complex consists of the F 1 -c 8 complex inhibited by the ATPase inhibitor protein IF 1 and attached to the peripheral stalk, with subunits e, f, and g associated with the membrane domain of the peripheral stalk. This intermediate provides the template for insertion of ATP6 and ATP8, which are synthesized on mitochondrial ribosomes. Their association with the complex is stabilized by addition of the 6.8 proteolipid, and the complex is coupled to ATP synthesis at this point. A structure of the dimeric yeast F o membrane domain is consistent with this model of assembly. The human 6.8 proteolipid (yeast j subunit) locks ATP6 and ATP8 into the membrane assembly, and the monomeric complexes then dimerize via interactions between ATP6 subunits and between 6.8 proteolipids (j subunits). The dimers are linked together back-to-face by DAPIT (diabetes-associated protein in insulin-sensitive tissue; yeast subunit k), forming long oligomers along the edges of the cristae.

  16. Structural aspects of the antioxidant activity of lutein in a model of photoreceptor membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisniewska-Becker, Anna; Nawrocki, Grzegorz; Duda, Mariusz; Subczynski, Witold K.

    2014-01-01

    It was shown that in membranes containing raft domains, the macular xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin are not distributed uniformly, but are excluded from saturated raft domains and about ten times more concentrated in unsaturated bulk lipids. The selective accumulation of lutein and zeaxanthin in direct proximity to unsaturated lipids, which are especially susceptible to lipid peroxidation, could be very important as far as their antioxidant activity is concerned. Therefore, the protective role of lutein against lipid peroxidation was investigated in membranes made of raft-forming mixtures and in models of photoreceptor outer segment membranes and compared with their antioxidant activity in homogeneous membranes composed of unsaturated lipids. Lipid peroxidation was induced by photosensitized reactions using rose Bengal and monitored by an MDA-TBA test, an iodometric assay, and oxygen consumption (using EPR spectroscopy and the mHCTPO spin label as an oxygen probe). The results show that lutein protects unsaturated lipids more effectively in membranes made of raft-forming mixtures than in homogeneous membranes. This suggests that the selective accumulation of macular xanthophylls in the most vulnerable regions of photoreceptor membranes may play an important role in enhancing their antioxidant properties and ability to prevent age-related macular diseases (such as age-related macular degeneration [AMD]). PMID:22428148

  17. Degradation mechanisms of sulfonated poly-aromatic membranes in fuel cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perrot, C.

    2006-11-01

    Fuel cell development requires an improvement in the electrode-membrane assembly durability which depends on both the polymer used and the fuel cell operating conditions. The origin of the degradation can be either electrochemical, chemical and/or mechanical. This study deals with the understanding of alternative membranes ageing mechanisms, i.e. non fluorinated membranes, such as sPEEK and sPI. For this kind of membranes, the first process is chemical. Understanding these mechanisms is the first essential step to develop more stable structures. An original approach is developed to overcome the analytical difficulties encountered with polymers. It consists in studying the degradation mechanism on model structures. Ageing are carried out in water, with H 2 O 2 in some cases (identified as a cause of membrane chemical ageing in the fuel cell system), and at different temperatures. The approach consists in separating the different products formed by chromatography. Then they are identified (NMR, IR, MS) and quantified. This method allows us to establish the ageing mechanism. We show that the ageing of a sPEEK structure mainly results from an attack by end chains which spreads to the whole. This mechanism is confirmed on ex-situ and in-situ aged membranes. These two kinds of ageing lead to an important decrease in polymerisation degree (determined by SEC). Formation of the same degradation products is observed. In fuel cells, a heterogeneous degradation is noticed. It takes place mainly on the cathode side. sPI are known for their high sensitivity to hydrolysis. Nevertheless, we highlight a limited degradation at 80 Celsius degrees due to the recombination of hydrolyzed species at this temperature. (author)

  18. Fabrication of bioinspired composite nanofiber membranes with robust superhydrophobicity for direct contact membrane distillation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Yuan; Wang, Rong; Fane, Anthony G

    2014-06-03

    The practical application of membrane distillation (MD) for water purification is hindered by the absence of desirable membranes that can fulfill the special requirements of the MD process. Compared to the membranes fabricated by other methods, nanofiber membranes produced by electrospinning are of great interest due to their high porosity, low tortuosity, large surface pore size, and high surface hydrophobicity. However, the stable performance of the nanofiber membranes in the MD process is still unsatisfactory. Inspired by the unique structure of the lotus leaf, this study aimed to develop a strategy to construct superhydrophobic composite nanofiber membranes with robust superhydrophobicity and high porosity suitable for use in MD. The newly developed membrane consists of a superhydrophobic silica-PVDF composite selective skin formed on a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) porous nanofiber scaffold via electrospinning. This fabrication method could be easily scaled up due to its simple preparation procedures. The effects of silica diameter and concentration on membrane contact angle, sliding angle, and MD performance were investigated thoroughly. For the first time, the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) tests demonstrate that the newly developed membranes are able to present stable high performance over 50 h of testing time, and the superhydrophobic selective layer exhibits excellent durability in ultrasonic treatment and a continuous DCMD test. It is believed that this novel design strategy has great potential for MD membrane fabrication.

  19. Global sensitivity analysis of a filtration model for submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robles, A; Ruano, M V; Ribes, J; Seco, A; Ferrer, J

    2014-04-01

    The results of a global sensitivity analysis of a filtration model for submerged anaerobic MBRs (AnMBRs) are assessed in this paper. This study aimed to (1) identify the less- (or non-) influential factors of the model in order to facilitate model calibration and (2) validate the modelling approach (i.e. to determine the need for each of the proposed factors to be included in the model). The sensitivity analysis was conducted using a revised version of the Morris screening method. The dynamic simulations were conducted using long-term data obtained from an AnMBR plant fitted with industrial-scale hollow-fibre membranes. Of the 14 factors in the model, six were identified as influential, i.e. those calibrated using off-line protocols. A dynamic calibration (based on optimisation algorithms) of these influential factors was conducted. The resulting estimated model factors accurately predicted membrane performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Open circuit voltage durability study and model of catalyst coated membranes at different humidification levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kundu, Sumit; Fowler, Michael W.; Simon, Leonardo C. [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada); Abouatallah, Rami; Beydokhti, Natasha [Hydrogenics Corporation, 5985 McLaughlin Road, Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)

    2010-11-01

    Fuel cell material durability is an area of extensive research today. Chemical degradation of the ionomer membrane is one important degradation mechanism leading to overall failure of fuel cells. This study examined the effects of relative humidity on the chemical degradation of the membrane during open circuit voltage testing. Five Gore trademark PRIMEA {sup registered} series 5510 catalyst coated membranes were degraded at 100%, 75%, 50%, and 20% RH. Open circuit potential and cumulative fluoride release were monitored over time. Additionally scanning electron microscopy images were taken at end of the test. The results showed that with decreasing RH fluoride release rate increased as did performance degradation. This was attributed to an increase in gas crossover with a decrease in RH. Further, it is also shown that interruptions in testing may heavily influence cumulative fluoride release measurements where frequent stoppages in testing will cause fluoride release to be underestimated. SEM analysis shows that degradation occurred in the ionomer layer close to the cathode catalyst. A chemical degradation model of the ionomer membrane was used to model the results. The model was able to predict fluoride release trends, including the effects of interruptions, showing that changes in gas crossover with RH could explain the experimental results. (author)

  1. Consistent partnership formation: application to a sexually transmitted disease model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Artzrouni, Marc; Deuchert, Eva

    2012-02-01

    We apply a consistent sexual partnership formation model which hinges on the assumption that one gender's choices drives the process (male or female dominant model). The other gender's behavior is imputed. The model is fitted to UK sexual behavior data and applied to a simple incidence model of HSV-2. With a male dominant model (which assumes accurate male reports on numbers of partners) the modeled incidences of HSV-2 are 77% higher for men and 50% higher for women than with a female dominant model (which assumes accurate female reports). Although highly stylized, our simple incidence model sheds light on the inconsistent results one can obtain with misreported data on sexual activity and age preferences. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Self-consistent approach for neutral community models with speciation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haegeman, Bart; Etienne, Rampal S.

    2010-03-01

    Hubbell’s neutral model provides a rich theoretical framework to study ecological communities. By incorporating both ecological and evolutionary time scales, it allows us to investigate how communities are shaped by speciation processes. The speciation model in the basic neutral model is particularly simple, describing speciation as a point-mutation event in a birth of a single individual. The stationary species abundance distribution of the basic model, which can be solved exactly, fits empirical data of distributions of species’ abundances surprisingly well. More realistic speciation models have been proposed such as the random-fission model in which new species appear by splitting up existing species. However, no analytical solution is available for these models, impeding quantitative comparison with data. Here, we present a self-consistent approximation method for neutral community models with various speciation modes, including random fission. We derive explicit formulas for the stationary species abundance distribution, which agree very well with simulations. We expect that our approximation method will be useful to study other speciation processes in neutral community models as well.

  3. Self-consistent modeling of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Girard, A.; Hitz, D.; Melin, G.; Serebrennikov, K.; Lecot, C.

    2004-01-01

    In order to predict the performances of electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS), it is necessary to perfectly model the different parts of these sources: (i) magnetic configuration; (ii) plasma characteristics; (iii) extraction system. The magnetic configuration is easily calculated via commercial codes; different codes also simulate the ion extraction, either in two dimension, or even in three dimension (to take into account the shape of the plasma at the extraction influenced by the hexapole). However the characteristics of the plasma are not always mastered. This article describes the self-consistent modeling of ECRIS: we have developed a code which takes into account the most important construction parameters: the size of the plasma (length, diameter), the mirror ratio and axial magnetic profile, whether a biased probe is installed or not. These input parameters are used to feed a self-consistent code, which calculates the characteristics of the plasma: electron density and energy, charge state distribution, plasma potential. The code is briefly described, and some of its most interesting results are presented. Comparisons are made between the calculations and the results obtained experimentally

  4. Self-consistent modeling of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girard, A.; Hitz, D.; Melin, G.; Serebrennikov, K.; Lécot, C.

    2004-05-01

    In order to predict the performances of electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS), it is necessary to perfectly model the different parts of these sources: (i) magnetic configuration; (ii) plasma characteristics; (iii) extraction system. The magnetic configuration is easily calculated via commercial codes; different codes also simulate the ion extraction, either in two dimension, or even in three dimension (to take into account the shape of the plasma at the extraction influenced by the hexapole). However the characteristics of the plasma are not always mastered. This article describes the self-consistent modeling of ECRIS: we have developed a code which takes into account the most important construction parameters: the size of the plasma (length, diameter), the mirror ratio and axial magnetic profile, whether a biased probe is installed or not. These input parameters are used to feed a self-consistent code, which calculates the characteristics of the plasma: electron density and energy, charge state distribution, plasma potential. The code is briefly described, and some of its most interesting results are presented. Comparisons are made between the calculations and the results obtained experimentally.

  5. Double layer mixed matrix membrane adsorbers improving capacity and safety hemodialysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saiful; Borneman, Z.; Wessling, M.

    2018-05-01

    Double layer mixed matrix membranes adsorbers have been developed for blood toxin removal by embedding activated carbon into cellulose acetate macroporous membranes. The membranes are prepared by phase inversion method via water vapor induced phase separation followed by an immersion precipitation step. Double layer MMM consisting of an active support and a separating layer. The active support layer consists of activated carbon particles embedded in macroporous cellulose acetate; the separating layer consists of particle free cellulose acetate. The double layer membrane possess an open and interconnected macroporous structure with a high loading of activated carbon available for blood toxins removal. The MMM AC has a swelling degree of 6.5 %, porosity of 53 % and clean water flux of 800 Lm-2h-1bar-1. The prepared membranes show a high dynamic Creatinine (Crt) removal during hemodilysis process. The Crt removal by adsorption contributes to amore than 83 % of the total removal. The double layer adsorptive membrane proves hemodialysis membrane can integrated with adsorption, in which blood toxins are removed in one step.

  6. Magnetic characterization of superparamagnetic nanoparticles pulled through model membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Allison L; Wassel, Ronald A; Mondalek, Fadee; Chen, Kejian; Dormer, Kenneth J; Kopke, Richard D

    2007-01-04

    To quantitatively compare in-vitro and in vivo membrane transport studies of targeted delivery, one needs characterization of the magnetically-induced mobility of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION). Flux densities, gradients, and nanoparticle properties were measured in order to quantify the magnetic force on the SPION in both an artificial cochlear round window membrane (RWM) model and the guinea pig RWM. Three-dimensional maps were created for flux density and magnetic gradient produced by a 24-well casing of 4.1 kilo-Gauss neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) disc magnets. The casing was used to pull SPION through a three-layer cell culture RWM model. Similar maps were created for a 4 inch (10.16 cm) cube 48 MGOe NdFeB magnet used to pull polymeric-nanoparticles through the RWM of anesthetized guinea pigs. Other parameters needed to compute magnetic force were nanoparticle and polymer properties, including average radius, density, magnetic susceptibility, and volume fraction of magnetite. A minimum force of 5.04 x 10(-16) N was determined to adequately pull nanoparticles through the in-vitro model. For the guinea pig RWM, the magnetic force on the polymeric nanoparticles was 9.69 x 10-20 N. Electron microscopy confirmed the movement of the particles through both RWM models. As prospective carriers of therapeutic substances, polymers containing superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were succesfully pulled through the live RWM. The force required to achieve in vivo transport was significantly lower than that required to pull nanoparticles through the in-vitro RWM model. Indeed very little force was required to accomplish measurable delivery of polymeric-SPION composite nanoparticles across the RWM, suggesting that therapeutic delivery to the inner ear by SPION is feasible.

  7. Inducing morphological changes in lipid bilayer membranes with microfabricated substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Fangjie; Collins, Liam F.; Ashkar, Rana; Heberle, Frederick A.; Srijanto, Bernadeta R.; Collier, C. Patrick

    2016-11-01

    Lateral organization of lipids and proteins into distinct domains and anchoring to a cytoskeleton are two important strategies employed by biological membranes to carry out many cellular functions. However, these interactions are difficult to emulate with model systems. Here we use the physical architecture of substrates consisting of arrays of micropillars to systematically control the behavior of supported lipid bilayers - an important step in engineering model lipid membrane systems with well-defined functionalities. Competition between attractive interactions of supported lipid bilayers with the underlying substrate versus the energy cost associated with membrane bending at pillar edges can be systematically investigated as functions of pillar height and pitch, chemical functionalization of the microstructured substrate, and the type of unilamellar vesicles used for assembling the supported bilayer. Confocal fluorescent imaging and AFM measurements highlight correlations that exist between topological and mechanical properties of lipid bilayers and lateral lipid mobility in these confined environments. This study provides a baseline for future investigations into lipid domain reorganization on structured solid surfaces and scaffolds for cell growth.

  8. Hybrid Filter Membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laicer, Castro; Rasimick, Brian; Green, Zachary

    2012-01-01

    Cabin environmental control is an important issue for a successful Moon mission. Due to the unique environment of the Moon, lunar dust control is one of the main problems that significantly diminishes the air quality inside spacecraft cabins. Therefore, this innovation was motivated by NASA s need to minimize the negative health impact that air-suspended lunar dust particles have on astronauts in spacecraft cabins. It is based on fabrication of a hybrid filter comprising nanofiber nonwoven layers coated on porous polymer membranes with uniform cylindrical pores. This design results in a high-efficiency gas particulate filter with low pressure drop and the ability to be easily regenerated to restore filtration performance. A hybrid filter was developed consisting of a porous membrane with uniform, micron-sized, cylindrical pore channels coated with a thin nanofiber layer. Compared to conventional filter media such as a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, this filter is designed to provide high particle efficiency, low pressure drop, and the ability to be regenerated. These membranes have well-defined micron-sized pores and can be used independently as air filters with discreet particle size cut-off, or coated with nanofiber layers for filtration of ultrafine nanoscale particles. The filter consists of a thin design intended to facilitate filter regeneration by localized air pulsing. The two main features of this invention are the concept of combining a micro-engineered straight-pore membrane with nanofibers. The micro-engineered straight pore membrane can be prepared with extremely high precision. Because the resulting membrane pores are straight and not tortuous like those found in conventional filters, the pressure drop across the filter is significantly reduced. The nanofiber layer is applied as a very thin coating to enhance filtration efficiency for fine nanoscale particles. Additionally, the thin nanofiber coating is designed to promote capture of

  9. Modeling and parametric analysis of hollow fiber membrane system for carbon capture from multicomponent flue gas

    KAUST Repository

    Khalilpour, Rajab

    2011-08-12

    The modeling and optimal design/operation of gas membranes for postcombustion carbon capture (PCC) is presented. A systematic methodology is presented for analysis of membrane systems considering multicomponent flue gas with CO 2 as target component. Simplifying assumptions is avoided by namely multicomponent flue gas represented by CO 2/N 2 binary mixture or considering the co/countercurrent flow pattern of hollow-fiber membrane system as mixed flow. Optimal regions of flue gas pressures and membrane area were found within which a technoeconomical process system design could be carried out. High selectivity was found to not necessarily have notable impact on PCC membrane performance, rather, a medium selectivity combined with medium or high permeance could be more advantageous. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

  10. Mean-field theory and self-consistent dynamo modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshizawa, Akira; Yokoi, Nobumitsu

    2001-12-01

    Mean-field theory of dynamo is discussed with emphasis on the statistical formulation of turbulence effects on the magnetohydrodynamic equations and the construction of a self-consistent dynamo model. The dynamo mechanism is sought in the combination of the turbulent residual-helicity and cross-helicity effects. On the basis of this mechanism, discussions are made on the generation of planetary magnetic fields such as geomagnetic field and sunspots and on the occurrence of flow by magnetic fields in planetary and fusion phenomena. (author)

  11. Classical and Quantum Consistency of the DGP Model

    CERN Document Server

    Nicolis, A; Nicolis, Alberto; Rattazzi, Riccardo

    2004-01-01

    We study the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati model by the method of the boundary effective action. The truncation of this action to the bending mode \\pi consistently describes physics in a wide range of regimes both at the classical and at the quantum level. The Vainshtein effect, which restores agreement with precise tests of general relativity, follows straightforwardly. We give a simple and general proof of stability, i.e. absence of ghosts in the fluctuations, valid for most of the relevant cases, like for instance the spherical source in asymptotically flat space. However we confirm that around certain interesting self-accelerating cosmological solutions there is a ghost. We consider the issue of quantum corrections. Around flat space \\pi becomes strongly coupled below a macroscopic length of 1000 km, thus impairing the predictivity of the model. Indeed the tower of higher dimensional operators which is expected by a generic UV completion of the model limits predictivity at even larger length scales. We outline ...

  12. Inflation and Instability of a Polymeric Membrane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Neergaard, Jesper; Hassager, Ole

    1999-01-01

    We consider an axisymmetric polymeric membrane inflated by a uniform pressure difference acting across the membrane. The polymeric materialis described by an arbitrary combination of a viscoelastic and a purely viscous component to the stress. Some viscoelastic materials described by a Mooney......-Rivlin model show a monotone increasingpressure during inflation of a spherical membrane. These materials develop a homogeneous membrane thickness in agreement with the Considere-Pearson condition. Molecularly based models such as the neo-Hookean, Doi-Edwards or Tom-Pom model show a pressure maximum when...... inflated. Membranesdescribed by these models develop a local thinning of the membrane which may lead to bursting in finite time....

  13. Palladium alloy membrane process for the treatment of hydrogen isotopes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Hongsuk; Paek, Seungwoo; Lee, Minsoo; Kim, Kwangrag; Yim, Sungpaal; Ahn, Dohee [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Shim, Myunghwa [Univ. of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-11-15

    Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen and it has a half-life of 12.3 years; it decays to He-3 by emitting a low energy beta radiation with an average energy of 5.7 keV and a maximum energy of 18.6 keV. Transfer of environmentally tritiated water to humans takes place via an inhalation, diffusion through the skin and ingestion. Radioactive waste containing tritium is continuously generated by the nuclear industry in, for example, nuclear reactor operations and a radioisotope production, as well as in medical research. Methods for removing tritium from liquid waste provide an alternative to the control of tritium emissions and a personnel exposure. A combined electrolysis and catalytic exchange process is a very effective method to remove small quantities of tritium from light or heavy waste water streams. The process consists of three main steps: (a) A front end step that exchanges the tritium to a less toxic hydrogen phase. This can be performed either through a chemical exchange in the presence of a platinum supported catalyst or through the decomposition of water. (b) A back end process that purifies the tritiated hydrogen gas which evolved from the electrolysis. This can be performed through a palladium alloy membrane separator. (c) A means of storing the concentrated gas safely. Uranium is used if the storage is temporary; titanium is usually employed for long term storage. To gain a better understanding of the tritiated hydrogen gas purification process, a mathematical model of the palladium alloy membrane has been used. This model is described herein, and the representative results of the model calculations are presented. The authors selected the palladium alloy membrane for the hydrogen purification process by considering the membrane properties, such as a chemical resistance, mechanical stability, thermal stability, high permeability, and a stable operation. The solution-diffusion model can be a useful tool for designing a membrane permeator. The

  14. Palladium alloy membrane process for the treatment of hydrogen isotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Hongsuk; Paek, Seungwoo; Lee, Minsoo; Kim, Kwangrag; Yim, Sungpaal; Ahn, Dohee; Shim, Myunghwa

    2005-01-01

    Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen and it has a half-life of 12.3 years; it decays to He-3 by emitting a low energy beta radiation with an average energy of 5.7 keV and a maximum energy of 18.6 keV. Transfer of environmentally tritiated water to humans takes place via an inhalation, diffusion through the skin and ingestion. Radioactive waste containing tritium is continuously generated by the nuclear industry in, for example, nuclear reactor operations and a radioisotope production, as well as in medical research. Methods for removing tritium from liquid waste provide an alternative to the control of tritium emissions and a personnel exposure. A combined electrolysis and catalytic exchange process is a very effective method to remove small quantities of tritium from light or heavy waste water streams. The process consists of three main steps: (a) A front end step that exchanges the tritium to a less toxic hydrogen phase. This can be performed either through a chemical exchange in the presence of a platinum supported catalyst or through the decomposition of water. (b) A back end process that purifies the tritiated hydrogen gas which evolved from the electrolysis. This can be performed through a palladium alloy membrane separator. (c) A means of storing the concentrated gas safely. Uranium is used if the storage is temporary; titanium is usually employed for long term storage. To gain a better understanding of the tritiated hydrogen gas purification process, a mathematical model of the palladium alloy membrane has been used. This model is described herein, and the representative results of the model calculations are presented. The authors selected the palladium alloy membrane for the hydrogen purification process by considering the membrane properties, such as a chemical resistance, mechanical stability, thermal stability, high permeability, and a stable operation. The solution-diffusion model can be a useful tool for designing a membrane permeator. The

  15. Dependence of Shear and Concentration on Fouling in a Membrane Bioreactor with Rotating Membrane Discs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Mads Koustrup; Pedersen, Malene Thostrup; Christensen, Morten Lykkegaard

    2014-01-01

    Rotating ceramic membrane discs were fouled with lab-scale membrane bioreactors (MBR) sludge. Sludge filtrations were performed at varying rotation speeds and in different concentric rings of the membranes on different sludge concentrations. Data showed that the back transport expressed by limiting...... flux increased with rotation speed and distance from membrane center as an effect of shear. Further, the limiting flux decreased with increasing sludge concentration. A model was developed to link the sludge concentration and shear stress to the limiting flux. The model was able to simulate the effect...... of shear stress and sludge concentration on the limiting flux. The model was developed by calculating the shear rate at laminar flow regime at different rotation speeds and radii on the membrane. Furthermore, through the shear rate and shear stress, the non-Newtonian behavior of MBR sludge was addressed...

  16. A CVAR scenario for a standard monetary model using theory-consistent expectations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juselius, Katarina

    2017-01-01

    A theory-consistent CVAR scenario describes a set of testable regularities capturing basic assumptions of the theoretical model. Using this concept, the paper considers a standard model for exchange rate determination and shows that all assumptions about the model's shock structure and steady...

  17. High Performance Thin-Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membrane

    KAUST Repository

    Yip, Ngai Yin; Tiraferri, Alberto; Phillip, William A.; Schiffman, Jessica D.; Elimelech, Menachem

    2010-01-01

    obstacle hindering further advancements of this technology. This work presents the development of a high performance thin-film composite membrane for forward osmosis applications. The membrane consists of a selective polyamide active layer formed

  18. Consistency maintenance for constraint in role-based access control model

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    韩伟力; 陈刚; 尹建伟; 董金祥

    2002-01-01

    Constraint is an important aspect of role-based access control and is sometimes argued to be the principal motivation for role-based access control (RBAC). But so far few authors have discussed consistency maintenance for constraint in RBAC model. Based on researches of constraints among roles and types of inconsistency among constraints, this paper introduces corresponding formal rules, rule-based reasoning and corresponding methods to detect, avoid and resolve these inconsistencies. Finally, the paper introduces briefly the application of consistency maintenance in ZD-PDM, an enterprise-oriented product data management (PDM) system.

  19. Consistency maintenance for constraint in role-based access control model

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    韩伟力; 陈刚; 尹建伟; 董金祥

    2002-01-01

    Constraint is an important aspect of role-based access control and is sometimes argued to be the principal motivation for role-based access control (RBAC). But so far'few authors have discussed consistency maintenance for constraint in RBAC model. Based on researches of constraints among roles and types of inconsistency among constraints, this paper introduces correaponding formal rules, rulebased reasoning and corresponding methods to detect, avoid and resolve these inconsistencies. Finally,the paper introduces briefly the application of consistency maintenance in ZD-PDM, an enterprise-ori-ented product data management (PDM) system.

  20. Drug Release from ß-Cyclodextrin Complexes and Drug Transfer into Model Membranes Studied by Affinity Capillary Electrophoresis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darwish, Kinda A; Mrestani, Yahya; Rüttinger, Hans-Hermann; Neubert, Reinhard H H

    2016-05-01

    Is to characterize the drug release from the ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) cavity and the drug transfer into model membranes by affinity capillary electrophoresis. Phospholipid liposomes with and without cholesterol were used to mimic the natural biological membrane. The interaction of cationic and anionic drugs with ß-CD and the interaction of the drugs with liposomes were detected separately by measuring the drug mobility in ß-CD containing buffer and liposome containing buffer; respectively. Moreover, the kinetics of drug release from ß-CD and its transfer into liposomes with or without cholesterol was studied by investigation of changes in the migration behaviours of the drugs in samples, contained drug, ß-CD and liposome, at 1:1:1 molar ratio at different time intervals; zero time, 30 min, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 24 h. Lipophilic drugs such as propranolol and ibuprofen were chosen for this study, because they form complexes with ß-CD. The mobility of the both drug liposome mixtures changed with time to a final state. For samples of liposomal membranes with cholesterol the final state was faster reached than without cholesterol. The study confirmed that the drug release from the CD cavity and its transfer into the model membrane was more enhanced by the competitive displacement of the drug from the ß-CD cavity by cholesterol, the membrane component. The ACE method here developed can be used to optimize the drug release from CD complexes and the drug transfer into model membranes.

  1. NOVEL CERAMIC MEMBRANE FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE CARBON DIOXIDE SEPARATION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ida, Jun-ichi; Yang, Zhaohui; Lin, Jerry Y.S.

    2002-01-01

    A new CO 2 semi-permeable dense inorganic membrane consisting of a porous metal phase and molten carbonate was proposed. A simple direct infiltration method was used to synthesize the metal-carbonate dual-phase membrane. Hermetic (gas-tight) dual phase membrane was successfully obtained. Permeation data showed that nitrogen or helium is not permeable through the membrane (only CO 2 , with O 2 can permeate through the membrane based on transport mechanism)

  2. A Theoretically Consistent Framework for Modelling Lagrangian Particle Deposition in Plant Canopies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Brian N.; Stoll, Rob; Pardyjak, Eric R.

    2018-06-01

    We present a theoretically consistent framework for modelling Lagrangian particle deposition in plant canopies. The primary focus is on describing the probability of particles encountering canopy elements (i.e., potential deposition), and provides a consistent means for including the effects of imperfect deposition through any appropriate sub-model for deposition efficiency. Some aspects of the framework draw upon an analogy to radiation propagation through a turbid medium with which to develop model theory. The present method is compared against one of the most commonly used heuristic Lagrangian frameworks, namely that originally developed by Legg and Powell (Agricultural Meteorology, 1979, Vol. 20, 47-67), which is shown to be theoretically inconsistent. A recommendation is made to discontinue the use of this heuristic approach in favour of the theoretically consistent framework developed herein, which is no more difficult to apply under equivalent assumptions. The proposed framework has the additional advantage that it can be applied to arbitrary canopy geometries given readily measurable parameters describing vegetation structure.

  3. [Adsorption characteristics of proteins on membrane surface and effect of protein solution environment on permeation behavior of berberine].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yi-Qun; Xu, Li; Zhu, Hua-Xu; Tang, Zhi-Shu; Li, Bo; Pan, Yong-Lan; Yao, Wei-Wei; Fu, Ting-Ming; Guo, Li-Wei

    2017-10-01

    In order to explore the adsorption characteristics of proteins on the membrane surface and the effect of protein solution environment on the permeation behavior of berberine, berberine and proteins were used as the research object to prepare simulated solution. Low field NMR, static adsorption experiment and membrane separation experiment were used to study the interaction between the proteins and ceramic membrane or between the proteins and berberine. The static adsorption capacity of proteins, membrane relative flux, rejection rate of proteins, transmittance rate of berberine and the adsorption rate of proteins and berberine were used as the evaluation index. Meanwhile, the membrane resistance distribution, the particle size distribution and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) were determined to investigate the adsorption characteristics of proteins on ceramic membrane and the effect on membrane separation process of berberine. The results showed that the ceramic membrane could adsorb the proteins and the adsorption model was consistent with Langmuir adsorption model. In simulating the membrane separation process, proteins were the main factor to cause membrane fouling. However, when the concentration of proteins was 1 g•L⁻¹, the proteins had no significant effect on membrane separation process of berberine. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  4. Development and Testing of a Fully Adaptable Membrane Bioreactor Fouling Model for a Sidestream Configuration System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parneet Paul

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available A dead-end filtration model that includes the three main fouling mechanisms mentioned in Hermia (i.e., cake build-up, complete pore blocking, and pore constriction and that was based on a constant trans-membrane pressure (TMP operation was extensively modified so it could be used for a sidestream configuration membrane bioreactor (MBR situation. Modifications and add-ons to this basic model included: alteration so that it could be used for varying flux and varying TMP operations; inclusion of a backwash mode; it described pore constriction (i.e., irreversible fouling in relation to the concentration of soluble microbial products (SMP in the liquor; and, it could be used in a cross flow scenario by the addition of scouring terms in the model formulation. The additional terms in this modified model were checked against an already published model to see if they made sense, physically speaking. Next this modified model was calibrated and validated in Matlab© using data collected by carrying out flux stepping tests on both a pilot sidestream MBR plant, and then a pilot membrane filtration unit. The model fit proved good, especially for the pilot filtration unit data. In conclusion, this model formulation is of the right level of complexity to be used for most practical MBR situations.

  5. Mathematical Modelling of Nitrate Removal from Water Using a Submerged Membrane Adsorption Hybrid System with Four Adsorbents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahatheva Kalaruban

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Excessive concentrations of nitrate in ground water are known to cause human health hazards. A submerged membrane adsorption hybrid system that includes a microfilter membrane and four different adsorbents (Dowex 21K XLT ion exchange resin (Dowex, Fe-coated Dowex, amine-grafted (AG corn cob and AG coconut copra operated at four different fluxes was used to continuously remove nitrate. The experimental data obtained in this study was simulated mathematically with a homogeneous surface diffusion model that incorporated membrane packing density and membrane correlation coefficient, and applied the concept of continuous flow stirred tank reactor. The model fit with experimental data was good. The surface diffusion coefficient was constant for all adsorbents and for all fluxes. The mass transfer coefficient increased with flux for all adsorbents and generally increased with the adsorption capacity of the adsorbents.

  6. Development of a dynamic model for cleaning ultra filtration membranes fouled by surface water

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zondervan, Edwin; Betlem, Ben H.L.; Roffel, Brian

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, a dynamic model for cleaning ultra filtration membranes fouled by surface water is proposed. A model that captures the dynamics well is valuable for the optimization of the cleaning process. The proposed model is based on component balances and contains three parameters that can be

  7. Optimization of a membrane reactor for hydrogen production with genetic algorithms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raceanu, Mircea; Iordache, Ioan; Curuia, Marian; Rasoi, Gabriel; Patularu, Laurentiu; Enache, Adrian

    2009-01-01

    Full text: Hydrogen is produced via steam reforming of hydrocarbons such as natural gas or methane by using conventional systems. Unfortunately, these systems need at least four different stages, consisting of three reactors and a purification system. Moreover, the steam reforming reaction is an endothermic thermodynamically limited system, meaning that high temperature energy supply is needed for complete conversion. Among different technologies related to production, separation and purification of H 2 , membrane technologies seem to really play a fundamental role. The specific thermodynamic limits are overcome using the so-called membrane reactors, systems in which both reaction and separation occur simultaneously. The hydrogen is driven across the membrane by the pressure difference, depending on the temperature, pressure and reactor length the methane can be completely converted and consequently very pure hydrogen is produced. A membrane reactor has two components which can be optimized namely, the membrane and the reactor dimensions. This paper presents a study on optimization of membrane reactor for enhancing the overall production. A mathematical heterogeneous model of the reactor was used for optimization of reactor performance. Genetic algorithms were used as powerful methods for optimization of complex problems. (authors)

  8. Confining Domains Lead to Reaction Bursts: Reaction Kinetics in the Plasma Membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalay, Ziya; Fujiwara, Takahiro K.; Kusumi, Akihiro

    2012-01-01

    Confinement of molecules in specific small volumes and areas within a cell is likely to be a general strategy that is developed during evolution for regulating the interactions and functions of biomolecules. The cellular plasma membrane, which is the outermost membrane that surrounds the entire cell, was considered to be a continuous two-dimensional liquid, but it is becoming clear that it consists of numerous nano-meso-scale domains with various lifetimes, such as raft domains and cytoskeleton-induced compartments, and membrane molecules are dynamically trapped in these domains. In this article, we give a theoretical account on the effects of molecular confinement on reversible bimolecular reactions in a partitioned surface such as the plasma membrane. By performing simulations based on a lattice-based model of diffusion and reaction, we found that in the presence of membrane partitioning, bimolecular reactions that occur in each compartment proceed in bursts during which the reaction rate is sharply and briefly increased even though the asymptotic reaction rate remains the same. We characterized the time between reaction bursts and the burst amplitude as a function of the model parameters, and discussed the biological significance of the reaction bursts in the presence of strong inhibitor activity. PMID:22479350

  9. Confining domains lead to reaction bursts: reaction kinetics in the plasma membrane.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziya Kalay

    Full Text Available Confinement of molecules in specific small volumes and areas within a cell is likely to be a general strategy that is developed during evolution for regulating the interactions and functions of biomolecules. The cellular plasma membrane, which is the outermost membrane that surrounds the entire cell, was considered to be a continuous two-dimensional liquid, but it is becoming clear that it consists of numerous nano-meso-scale domains with various lifetimes, such as raft domains and cytoskeleton-induced compartments, and membrane molecules are dynamically trapped in these domains. In this article, we give a theoretical account on the effects of molecular confinement on reversible bimolecular reactions in a partitioned surface such as the plasma membrane. By performing simulations based on a lattice-based model of diffusion and reaction, we found that in the presence of membrane partitioning, bimolecular reactions that occur in each compartment proceed in bursts during which the reaction rate is sharply and briefly increased even though the asymptotic reaction rate remains the same. We characterized the time between reaction bursts and the burst amplitude as a function of the model parameters, and discussed the biological significance of the reaction bursts in the presence of strong inhibitor activity.

  10. Final Report Fermionic Symmetries and Self consistent Shell Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zamick, Larry

    2008-01-01

    In this final report in the field of theoretical nuclear physics we note important accomplishments.We were confronted with 'anomoulous' magnetic moments by the experimetalists and were able to expain them. We found unexpected partial dynamical symmetries--completely unknown before, and were able to a large extent to expain them. The importance of a self consistent shell model was emphasized.

  11. High performance thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yip, Ngai Yin; Tiraferri, Alberto; Phillip, William A; Schiffman, Jessica D; Elimelech, Menachem

    2010-05-15

    Recent studies show that osmotically driven membrane processes may be a viable technology for desalination, water and wastewater treatment, and power generation. However, the absence of a membrane designed for such processes is a significant obstacle hindering further advancements of this technology. This work presents the development of a high performance thin-film composite membrane for forward osmosis applications. The membrane consists of a selective polyamide active layer formed by interfacial polymerization on top of a polysulfone support layer fabricated by phase separation onto a thin (40 mum) polyester nonwoven fabric. By careful selection of the polysulfone casting solution (i.e., polymer concentration and solvent composition) and tailoring the casting process, we produced a support layer with a mix of finger-like and sponge-like morphologies that give significantly enhanced membrane performance. The structure and performance of the new thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane are compared with those of commercial membranes. Using a 1.5 M NaCl draw solution and a pure water feed, the fabricated membranes produced water fluxes exceeding 18 L m(2-)h(-1), while consistently maintaining observed salt rejection greater than 97%. The high water flux of the fabricated thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes was directly related to the thickness, porosity, tortuosity, and pore structure of the polysulfone support layer. Furthermore, membrane performance did not degrade after prolonged exposure to an ammonium bicarbonate draw solution.

  12. High Performance Thin-Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membrane

    KAUST Repository

    Yip, Ngai Yin

    2010-05-15

    Recent studies show that osmotically driven membrane processes may be a viable technology for desalination, water and wastewater treatment, and power generation. However, the absence of a membrane designed for such processes is a significant obstacle hindering further advancements of this technology. This work presents the development of a high performance thin-film composite membrane for forward osmosis applications. The membrane consists of a selective polyamide active layer formed by interfacial polymerization on top of a polysulfone support layer fabricated by phase separation onto a thin (40 μm) polyester nonwoven fabric. By careful selection of the polysulfone casting solution (i.e., polymer concentration and solvent composition) and tailoring the casting process, we produced a support layer with a mix of finger-like and sponge-like morphologies that give significantly enhanced membrane performance. The structure and performance of the new thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane are compared with those of commercial membranes. Using a 1.5 M NaCl draw solution and a pure water feed, the fabricated membranes produced water fluxes exceeding 18 L m2-h-1, while consistently maintaining observed salt rejection greater than 97%. The high water flux of the fabricated thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes was directly related to the thickness, porosity, tortuosity, and pore structure of the polysulfone support layer. Furthermore, membrane performance did not degrade after prolonged exposure to an ammonium bicarbonate draw solution. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  13. A self-consistent spin-diffusion model for micromagnetics

    KAUST Repository

    Abert, Claas; Ruggeri, Michele; Bruckner, Florian; Vogler, Christoph; Manchon, Aurelien; Praetorius, Dirk; Suess, Dieter

    2016-01-01

    We propose a three-dimensional micromagnetic model that dynamically solves the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation coupled to the full spin-diffusion equation. In contrast to previous methods, we solve for the magnetization dynamics and the electric potential in a self-consistent fashion. This treatment allows for an accurate description of magnetization dependent resistance changes. Moreover, the presented algorithm describes both spin accumulation due to smooth magnetization transitions and due to material interfaces as in multilayer structures. The model and its finite-element implementation are validated by current driven motion of a magnetic vortex structure. In a second experiment, the resistivity of a magnetic multilayer structure in dependence of the tilting angle of the magnetization in the different layers is investigated. Both examples show good agreement with reference simulations and experiments respectively.

  14. A self-consistent spin-diffusion model for micromagnetics

    KAUST Repository

    Abert, Claas

    2016-12-17

    We propose a three-dimensional micromagnetic model that dynamically solves the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation coupled to the full spin-diffusion equation. In contrast to previous methods, we solve for the magnetization dynamics and the electric potential in a self-consistent fashion. This treatment allows for an accurate description of magnetization dependent resistance changes. Moreover, the presented algorithm describes both spin accumulation due to smooth magnetization transitions and due to material interfaces as in multilayer structures. The model and its finite-element implementation are validated by current driven motion of a magnetic vortex structure. In a second experiment, the resistivity of a magnetic multilayer structure in dependence of the tilting angle of the magnetization in the different layers is investigated. Both examples show good agreement with reference simulations and experiments respectively.

  15. Experimental Validation of a Permeability Model for Enrichment Membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orellano, Pablo; Brasnarof, Daniel; Florido Pablo

    2003-01-01

    An experimental loop with a real scale diffuser, in a single enrichment-stage configuration, was operated with air at different process conditions, in order to characterize the membrane permeability.Using these experimental data, an analytical geometric-and-morphologic-based model was validated.It is conclude that a new set of independent measurements, i.e. enrichment, is necessary in order to fully characterize diffusers, because of its internal parameters are not univocally determinated with permeability experimental data only

  16. In-line measurement of transparent micro membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fugl, Jimmy; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; De Chiffre, Leonardo

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this work has been to develop a new measuring principle to bring down the time for quality assurance, and obtain larger uniformity of the end product, in a specific production line. The production concerns thin transparent micro membranes (approx 35 micron thickness) dispensed...... in micro cavities, each membrane consisting of several membrane layers. A quality control should be performed every time a new layer is dispensed. The paper describes a new way of measuring membrane thickness. The method was achieved through the use of a vision system, whereby the thickness of the thin...... transparent micro membrane is determined in terms of the light absorbance of the membrane substrate. The new and faster measuring method makes is possible to measure the thickness of individual membranes and perform a 100% quality control....

  17. Characterization of fouling of membrane contactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ciurkot, Kaludia; Zarebska, Agata; Christensen, Knud Villy

    2013-01-01

    of ammonia and membrane fouling tendency. The surface morphology of both clean and fouled membranes by model manure solution and undigested pig manure has been studied by: Optical and Atomic Force Microscopy and contact angle measurements. Based on the experimental results, it is concluded that real manure...... achieved higher ammonia removal than the synthetic model manure solution. This might be due to the larger particle size of the milled straw in the model solution compared to the size of suspended solids present in real manure. From the fouling autopsy, it was found that PTFE membranes are more prone...... to fouling than PP membranes. In both membranes the hydrophobicity decreased after running the process for 30 h, especially when undigested pig manure was used....

  18. Neutrophil glycoprotein Mo1 is an integral membrane protein of plasma membranes and specific granules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stevenson, K.B.; Nauseef, W.M.; Clark, R.A.

    1987-01-01

    The glucoprotein Mo1 has previously been demonstrated to be on the cell surface and in the specific granule fraction of neutrophils and to be translocated to the cell surface during degranulation. It is not known, however, whether Mo1 is an integral membrane protein or a soluble, intragranular constituent loosely associated with the specific granule membrane. Purified neutrophils were disrupted by nitrogen cavitation and separated on Percoll density gradients into four fractions enriched for azurophilic granules, specific granules, plasma membrane, and cytosol, respectively. The glycoproteins in these fractions were labeled with 3 H-borohydride reduction, extracted with Triton X-114, and immunoprecipitated with 60.3, an anti-Mo1 monoclonal antibody. Mo1 was detected only in the specific granule and plasma membrane fractions and partitioned exclusively into the detergent-rich fraction consistent with Mo1 being an integral membrane protein. In addition, treatment of specific granule membranes with a high salt, high urea buffer to remove adsorbed or peripheral proteins failed to dissociate Mo1. These data support the hypothesis that Mo1 is an integral membrane protein of plasma and specific granule membranes in human neutrophils

  19. Solution structure and elevator mechanism of the membrane electron transporter CcdA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yunpeng; Bushweller, John H

    2018-02-01

    Membrane oxidoreductase CcdA plays a central role in supplying reducing equivalents from the bacterial cytoplasm to the envelope. It transports electrons across the membrane using a single pair of cysteines by a mechanism that has not yet been elucidated. Here we report an NMR structure of the Thermus thermophilus CcdA (TtCcdA) in an oxidized and outward-facing state. CcdA consists of two inverted structural repeats of three transmembrane helices (2 × 3-TM). We computationally modeled and experimentally validated an inward-facing state, which suggests that CcdA uses an elevator-type movement to shuttle the reactive cysteines across the membrane. CcdA belongs to the LysE superfamily, and thus its structure may be relevant to other LysE clan transporters. Structure comparisons of CcdA, semiSWEET, Pnu, and major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporters provide insights into membrane transporter architecture and mechanism.

  20. DMFC Performance of Polymer Electrolyte Membranes Prepared from a Graft-Copolymer Consisting of a Polysulfone Main Chain and Styrene Sulfonic Acid Side Chains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nobutaka Endo

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC applications were prepared from a graft-copolymer (PSF-g-PSSA consisting of a polysulfone (PSF main chain and poly(styrene sulfonic acid (PSSA side chains with various average distances between side chains (Lav and side chain lengths (Lsc. The polymers were synthesized by grafting ethyl p-styrenesulfonate (EtSS on macro-initiators of chloromethylated polysulfone with different contents of chloromethyl (CM groups, and by changing EtSS content in the copolymers by using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP. The DMFC performance tests using membrane electrode assemblis (MEAs with the three types of the PEMs revealed that: a PSF-g-PSSA PEM (SF-6 prepared from a graft copolymer with short average distances between side chains (Lav and medium Lsc had higher DMFC performance than PEMs with long Lav and long Lsc or with short Lav and short Lsc. SF-6 had about two times higher PDmax (68.4 mW/cm2 than Nafion® 112 at 30 wt % of methanol concentration. Furthermore, it had 58.2 mW/cm2 of PDmax at 50 wt % of methanol concentration because of it has the highest proton selectivity during DMFC operation of all the PSF-g-PSSA PEMs and Nafion® 112.

  1. Effect of Extracellular Matrix Membrane on Bone Formation in a Rabbit Tibial Defect Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Wook Hwang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Absorbable extracellular matrix (ECM membrane has recently been used as a barrier membrane (BM in guided tissue regeneration (GTR and guided bone regeneration (GBR. Absorbable BMs are mostly based on collagen, which is more biocompatible than synthetic materials. However, implanted absorbable BMs can be rapidly degraded by enzymes in vivo. In a previous study, to delay degradation time, collagen fibers were treated with cross-linking agents. These compounds prevented the enzymatic degradation of BMs. However, cross-linked BMs can exhibit delayed tissue integration. In addition, the remaining cross-linker could induce inflammation. Here, we attempted to overcome these problems using a natural ECM membrane. The membrane consisted of freshly harvested porcine pericardium that was stripped from cells and immunoreagents by a cleaning process. Acellular porcine pericardium (APP showed a bilayer structure with a smooth upper surface and a significantly coarser bottom layer. APP is an ECM with a thin layer (0.18–0.35 mm but with excellent mechanical properties. Tensile strength of APP was 14.15±2.24 MPa. In in vivo experiments, APP was transplanted into rabbit tibia. The biocompatible material was retained for up to 3 months without the need for cross-linking. Therefore, we conclude that APP could support osteogenesis as a BM for up to 3 months.

  2. Nuclide separation modeling through reverse osmosis membranes in radioactive liquid waste

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Byung-Sik

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this work is to investigate the transport mechanism of radioactive nuclides through the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane and to estimate its effectiveness for nuclide separation from radioactive liquid waste. An analytical model is developed to simulate the RO separation, and a series of experiments are set up to confirm its estimated separation behavior. The model is based on the extended Nernst–Plank equation, which handles the convective flux, diffusive flux, and electromigration f...

  3. A heat pump driven and hollow fiber membrane-based liquid desiccant air dehumidification system: Modeling and experimental validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Li-Zhi; Zhang, Ning

    2014-01-01

    A compression heat pump driven and membrane-based liquid desiccant air dehumidification system is presented. The dehumidifier and the regenerator are made of two hollow fiber membrane bundles packed in two shells. Water vapor can permeate through these membranes effectively, while the liquid desiccant droplets are prevented from cross-over. Simultaneous heating and cooling of the salt solution are realized with a heat pump system to improve energy efficiency. In this research, the system is built up and a complete modeling is performed for the system. Heat and mass transfer processes in the membrane modules, as well as in the evaporator, the condenser, and other key components are modeled in detail. The whole model is validated by experiment. The performances of SDP (specific dehumidification power), dehumidification efficiency, EER (energy efficiency ratio) of heat pump, and the COP (coefficient of performance) of the system are investigated numerically and experimentally. The results show that the model can predict the system accurately. The dehumidification capabilities and the energy efficiencies of the system are high. Further, it performs well even under the harsh hot and humid South China weather conditions. - Highlights: • A membrane-based and heat pump driven air dehumidification system is proposed. • A real experimental set up is built and used to validate the model for the whole system. • Performance under design and varying operation conditions is investigated. • The system performs well even under harsh hot and humid conditions

  4. Conformational study of melectin and antapin antimicrobial peptides in model membrane environments

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kocourková, L.; Novotná, P.; Čujová, Sabína; Čeřovský, Václav; Urbanová, M.; Setnička, V.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 170, Jan 5 (2017), s. 247-255 ISSN 1386-1425 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : antimicrobial peptides * conformation * liposomes * model membranes * circular dichroism * infrared spectroscopy Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation OBOR OECD: Analytical chemistry Impact factor: 2.536, year: 2016

  5. A Time consistent model for monetary value of man-sievert

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Na, S.H.; Kim, Sun G.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: Performing a cost-benefit analysis to establish optimum levels of radiation protection under the ALARA principle, we introduce a discrete stepwise model to evaluate man-sievert monetary value of Korea. The model formula, which is unique and country-specific, is composed of GDP, the nominal risk coefficient for cancer and hereditary effects, the aversion factor against radiation exposure, and the average life expectancy. Unlike previous researches on alpha-value assessment, we showed different alpha values optimized with respect to various ranges of individual dose, which would be more realistic and applicable to the radiation protection area. Employing economically constant term of GDP we showed the real values of man-sievert by year, which should be consistent in time series comparison even under price level fluctuation. GDP deflators of an economy have to be applied to measure one's own consistent value of radiation protection by year. In addition, we recommend that the concept of purchasing power parity should be adopted if it needs international comparison of alpha values in real terms. Finally, we explain the way that this stepwise model can be generalized simply to other countries without normalizing any country-specific factors. (author)

  6. A model for cytoplasmic rheology consistent with magnetic twisting cytometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, J P; Kelly, S M

    1998-01-01

    Magnetic twisting cytometry is gaining wide applicability as a tool for the investigation of the rheological properties of cells and the mechanical properties of receptor-cytoskeletal interactions. Current technology involves the application and release of magnetically induced torques on small magnetic particles bound to or inside cells, with measurements of the resulting angular rotation of the particles. The properties of purely elastic or purely viscous materials can be determined by the angular strain and strain rate, respectively. However, the cytoskeleton and its linkage to cell surface receptors display elastic, viscous, and even plastic deformation, and the simultaneous characterization of these properties using only elastic or viscous models is internally inconsistent. Data interpretation is complicated by the fact that in current technology, the applied torques are not constant in time, but decrease as the particles rotate. This paper describes an internally consistent model consisting of a parallel viscoelastic element in series with a parallel viscoelastic element, and one approach to quantitative parameter evaluation. The unified model reproduces all essential features seen in data obtained from a wide variety of cell populations, and contains the pure elastic, viscoelastic, and viscous cases as subsets.

  7. A link between mitotic entry and membrane growth suggests a novel model for cell size control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anastasia, Steph D; Nguyen, Duy Linh; Thai, Vu; Meloy, Melissa; MacDonough, Tracy; Kellogg, Douglas R

    2012-04-02

    Addition of new membrane to the cell surface by membrane trafficking is necessary for cell growth. In this paper, we report that blocking membrane traffic causes a mitotic checkpoint arrest via Wee1-dependent inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdk1. Checkpoint signals are relayed by the Rho1 GTPase, protein kinase C (Pkc1), and a specific form of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A(Cdc55)). Signaling via this pathway is dependent on membrane traffic and appears to increase gradually during polar bud growth. We hypothesize that delivery of vesicles to the site of bud growth generates a signal that is proportional to the extent of polarized membrane growth and that the strength of the signal is read by downstream components to determine when sufficient growth has occurred for initiation of mitosis. Growth-dependent signaling could explain how membrane growth is integrated with cell cycle progression. It could also control both cell size and morphogenesis, thereby reconciling divergent models for mitotic checkpoint function.

  8. Interaction of Soybean 7S Globulin Peptide with Cell Membrane Model via Isothermal Titration Calorimetry, Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation, and Langmuir Monolayer Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Yuan; Pan, Runting; Ruan, Qijun; Wan, Zhili; Guo, Jian; Yang, Xiaoquan

    2018-05-16

    To understand the underlying molecular mechanism of the cholesterol-lowering effect of soybean 7S globulins, the interactions of their pepsin-released peptides (7S-peptides) with cell membrane models consisting of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), and cholesterol (CHOL) were systematically studied. The results showed that 7S-peptides were bound to DPPC/DOPC/CHOL liposomes mainly through van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds, and the presence of higher CHOL concentrations enhanced the binding affinity (e.g., DPPC/DOPC/CHOL = 1:1:0, binding ratio = 0.114; DPPC/DOPC/CHOL = 1:1:1, binding ratio = 2.02). Compression isotherms indicated that the incorporation of 7S-peptides increased the DPPC/DOPC/CHOL monolayer fluidity and the lipid raft size. The presence of CHOL accelerated the 7S-peptide accumulation on lipid rafts, which could serve as platforms for peptides to develop into β-sheet rich structures. These results allow us to hypothesize that 7S-peptides may indirectly influence membrane protein functions via altering the membrane organization in the enterocytes.

  9. New geometric design consistency model based on operating speed profiles for road safety evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camacho-Torregrosa, Francisco J; Pérez-Zuriaga, Ana M; Campoy-Ungría, J Manuel; García-García, Alfredo

    2013-12-01

    To assist in the on-going effort to reduce road fatalities as much as possible, this paper presents a new methodology to evaluate road safety in both the design and redesign stages of two-lane rural highways. This methodology is based on the analysis of road geometric design consistency, a value which will be a surrogate measure of the safety level of the two-lane rural road segment. The consistency model presented in this paper is based on the consideration of continuous operating speed profiles. The models used for their construction were obtained by using an innovative GPS-data collection method that is based on continuous operating speed profiles recorded from individual drivers. This new methodology allowed the researchers to observe the actual behavior of drivers and to develop more accurate operating speed models than was previously possible with spot-speed data collection, thereby enabling a more accurate approximation to the real phenomenon and thus a better consistency measurement. Operating speed profiles were built for 33 Spanish two-lane rural road segments, and several consistency measurements based on the global and local operating speed were checked. The final consistency model takes into account not only the global dispersion of the operating speed, but also some indexes that consider both local speed decelerations and speeds over posted speeds as well. For the development of the consistency model, the crash frequency for each study site was considered, which allowed estimating the number of crashes on a road segment by means of the calculation of its geometric design consistency. Consequently, the presented consistency evaluation method is a promising innovative tool that can be used as a surrogate measure to estimate the safety of a road segment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Behavioral Consistency of C and Verilog Programs Using Bounded Model Checking

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Clarke, Edmund; Kroening, Daniel; Yorav, Karen

    2003-01-01

    .... We describe experimental results on various reactive present an algorithm that checks behavioral consistency between an ANSI-C program and a circuit given in Verilog using Bounded Model Checking...

  11. Antimycotic activity of fengycin C biosurfactant and its interaction with phosphatidylcholine model membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Jaramillo, Lina María; Aranda, Francisco José; Teruel, José Antonio; Villegas-Escobar, Valeska; Ortiz, Antonio

    2017-08-01

    Lipopeptide biosurfactants constitute one of the most promising groups of compounds for the treatment and prevention of fungal diseases in plants. Bacillus subtilis strain EA-CB0015 produces iturin A, fengycin C and surfactin and it has been proven useful for the treatment of black Sigatoka disease in banana plants, an important pathology caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis (Morelet). We have found that B. subtilis EA-CB0015 cell free supernatants and purified fractions inhibit M. fijiensis cellular growth. The effect of the purified lipopeptides mentioned above on fungal growth has been also evaluated, observing that iturin A and fengycin C inhibit mycelial growth and ascospore germination, whereas surfactin is not effective. On the hypothesis that the antifungal action of the lipopeptides is associated to their incorporation into biological membranes, ultimately leading to membrane permeabilization, a detailed biophysical study on the interaction of a new isoform of fengycin C with model dipalmitoyphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) membranes has been carried out. Differential scanning calorimetry shows that fengycin C alters the thermotropic phase transitions of DPPC, and is laterally segregated in the fluid bilayer forming domains. Fluorescent probe polarization measurements show that fengycin C does not affect the hydrophobic interior of the membrane. This latter perturbation is concomitant with a strong dehydration of the polar region of DPPC, as shown by FTIR. Fengycin-rich domains, where the surrounding DPPC molecules are highly dehydrated, may well constitute sites of membrane permeabilization leading to a leaky target membrane. These results are a solid support to explain the membrane perturbing action of fengycin, which has been related to its antifungal activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Modeling and simulation of the dynamic behavior of portable proton exchange membrane fuel cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ziegler, C.

    2005-07-01

    In order to analyze the operational behavior, a mathematical model of planar self-breathing fuel cells is developed and validated in Chapter 3 of this thesis. The multicomponent transport of the species is considered as well as the couplings between the transport processes of heat, charge, and mass and the electrochemical reactions. Furthermore, to explain the oxygen mass transport limitation in the porous electrode of the cathode side an agglomerate model for the oxygen reduction reaction is developed. In Chapter 4 the important issue of liquid water generation and transport in PEMFCs is addressed. One of the major tasks when operating this type of fuel cell is avoiding the complete flooding of the PEMFC during operation. A one-dimensional and isothermal model is developed that is based on a coupled system of partial differential equations. The model contains a dynamic and two-phase description of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The mass transport in the gas phase and in the liquid phase is considered as well as the phase transition between liquid water and water vapor. The transport of charges and the electrochemical reactions are part of the model. Flooding effects that are caused by liquid water accumulation are described by this model. Moreover, the model contains a time-dependent description of the membrane that accounts for Schroeder's paradox. The model is applied to simulate cyclic voltammograms. Chapter 5 is focused on the dynamic investigation of PEMFC stacks. Understanding the dynamic behavior of fuel cell stacks is important for the operation and control of fuel cell stacks. Using the single cell model of Chapter 3 and the dynamic model of Chapter 4 as basis, a mathematical model of a PEMFC stack is developed. However, due to the complexity of a fuel cell stack, the spatial resolution and dynamic description of the liquid water transport are not accounted for. These restrictions allow for direct comparison between the solution variables of

  13. A consistency assessment of coupled cohesive zone models for mixed-mode debonding problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Dimitri

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Due to their simplicity, cohesive zone models (CZMs are very attractive to describe mixed-mode failure and debonding processes of materials and interfaces. Although a large number of coupled CZMs have been proposed, and despite the extensive related literature, little attention has been devoted to ensuring the consistency of these models for mixed-mode conditions, primarily in a thermodynamical sense. A lack of consistency may affect the local or global response of a mechanical system. This contribution deals with the consistency check for some widely used exponential and bilinear mixed-mode CZMs. The coupling effect on stresses and energy dissipation is first investigated and the path-dependance of the mixed-mode debonding work of separation is analitically evaluated. Analytical predictions are also compared with results from numerical implementations, where the interface is described with zero-thickness contact elements. A node-to-segment strategy is here adopted, which incorporates decohesion and contact within a unified framework. A new thermodynamically consistent mixed-mode CZ model based on a reformulation of the Xu-Needleman model as modified by van den Bosch et al. is finally proposed and derived by applying the Coleman and Noll procedure in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. The model holds monolithically for loading and unloading processes, as well as for decohesion and contact, and its performance is demonstrated through suitable examples.

  14. A new self-consistent model for thermodynamics of binary solutions

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Svoboda, Jiří; Shan, Y. V.; Fischer, F. D.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 108, NOV (2015), s. 27-30 ISSN 1359-6462 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-24252S Institutional support: RVO:68081723 Keywords : Thermodynamics * Analytical methods * CALPHAD * Phase diagram * Self-consistent model Subject RIV: BJ - Thermodynamics Impact factor: 3.305, year: 2015

  15. Hydrogen Selective Exfoliated Zeolite Membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsapatsis, Michael [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Daoutidis, Prodromos [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Elyassi, Bahman [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Lima, Fernando [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Iyer, Aparna [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Agrawal, Kumar [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Sabnis, Sanket [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

    2015-04-06

    The objective of this project was to develop and evaluate an innovative membrane technology at process conditions that would be representative of Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) advanced power generation with pre-combustion capture of carbon dioxide (CO2). This research focused on hydrogen (H2)-selective zeolite membranes that could be utilized to separate conditioned syngas into H2-rich and CO2-rich components. Both experiments and process design and optimization calculations were performed to evaluate the concept of ultra-thin membranes made from zeolites nanosheets. In this work, efforts in the laboratory were made to tackle two fundamental challenges in application of zeolite membranes in harsh industrial environments, namely, membrane thickness and membrane stability. Conventional zeolite membranes have thicknesses in the micron range, limiting their performance. In this research, we developed a method for fabrication of ultimately thin zeolite membranes based on zeolite nanosheets. A range of layered zeolites (MWW, RWR, NSI structure types) suitable for hydrogen separation was successfully exfoliated to their constituent nanosheets. Further, membranes were made from one of these zeolites, MWW, to demonstrate the potential of this group of materials. Moreover, long-term steam stability of these zeolites (up to 6 months) was investigated in high concentrations of steam (35 mol% and 95 mole%), high pressure (10 barg), and high temperatures (350 °C and 600 °C) relevant to conditions of water-gas-shift and steam methane reforming reactions. It was found that certain nanosheets are stable, and that stability depends on the concentration of structural defects. Additionally, models that represent a water-gas-shift (WGS) membrane reactor equipped with the zeolite membrane were developed for systems studies. These studies had the aim of analyzing the effect of the membrane reactor integration into IGCC plants

  16. A review on the performance and modelling of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boucetta, A., E-mail: abirboucetta@yahoo.fr; Ghodbane, H., E-mail: h.ghodbane@mselab.org; Bahri, M., E-mail: m.bahri@mselab.org [Department of Electrical Engineering, MSE Laboratory, Mohamed khider Biskra University (Algeria); Ayad, M. Y., E-mail: ayadmy@gmail.com [R& D, Industrial Hybrid Vehicle Applications (France)

    2016-07-25

    Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC), are energy efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional energy conversion for various applications in stationary power plants, portable power device and transportation. PEM fuel cells provide low operating temperature and high-energy efficiency with near zero emission. A PEM fuel cell is a multiple distinct parts device and a series of mass, energy, transport through gas channels, electric current transport through membrane electrode assembly and electrochemical reactions at the triple-phase boundaries. These processes play a decisive role in determining the performance of the Fuel cell, so that studies on the phenomena of gas flows and the performance modelling are made deeply. This paper gives a comprehensive overview of the state of the art on the Study of the phenomena of gas flow and performance modelling of PEMFC.

  17. Modeling error and stability of endothelial cytoskeletal membrane parameters based on modeling transendothelial impedance as resistor and capacitor in series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodmer, James E; English, Anthony; Brady, Megan; Blackwell, Ken; Haxhinasto, Kari; Fotedar, Sunaina; Borgman, Kurt; Bai, Er-Wei; Moy, Alan B

    2005-09-01

    Transendothelial impedance across an endothelial monolayer grown on a microelectrode has previously been modeled as a repeating pattern of disks in which the electrical circuit consists of a resistor and capacitor in series. Although this numerical model breaks down barrier function into measurements of cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix adhesion, and membrane capacitance, such solution parameters can be inaccurate without understanding model stability and error. In this study, we have evaluated modeling stability and error by using a chi(2) evaluation and Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear least-squares (LM-NLS) method of the real and/or imaginary data in which the experimental measurement is compared with the calculated measurement derived by the model. Modeling stability and error were dependent on current frequency and the type of experimental data modeled. Solution parameters of cell-matrix adhesion were most susceptible to modeling instability. Furthermore, the LM-NLS method displayed frequency-dependent instability of the solution parameters, regardless of whether the real or imaginary data were analyzed. However, the LM-NLS method identified stable and reproducible solution parameters between all types of experimental data when a defined frequency spectrum of the entire data set was selected on the basis of a criterion of minimizing error. The frequency bandwidth that produced stable solution parameters varied greatly among different data types. Thus a numerical model based on characterizing transendothelial impedance as a resistor and capacitor in series and as a repeating pattern of disks is not sufficient to characterize the entire frequency spectrum of experimental transendothelial impedance.

  18. Inflation and Failure of Polymeric Membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hassager, Ole; Neergaard, Jesper

    2000-01-01

    We consider the inflation of an axisymmetric polymeric membrane.Some membranes composed of viscoelastic materialsdescribed by a Mooney-Rivlin model show a monotone increasingpressure during inflation. These materialsdevelop a homogeneous membrane thickness in agreement with the Considere...... is found to stabilize the inflated polymer membrane....

  19. [Effects of silver nitrate on the phase state of model multibilayer membranes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vashchenko, O V; Iermak, Yu L; Krasnikova, A O; Lisetski, L N

    2015-01-01

    In order to study the effects caused by silver nitrate (AgNO3) on model lipid membranes, we studied multibilayer membranes based on L-α-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and AgNO3 aqueous soluitions in a wide concentration range (up to 30 wt%) by means of differential scanning calorimetry. It has been shown that the presence of AgNO3 leads both to an increase in the main phase transition temperature (T(m)) and appearance of an additional phase transition peak (T(m)), suggesting increasing of both density and heterogeneity of the lipid membrane. The effect of nitrate ions (NO ) was shown to be of the opposite nature (bilayer fluidizing), so the integral densifying effect of AgNO3 can be referred solely to the action of silver ions (Ag(+)). With increasing AgNO3 concentration, the tendency was observed to opposite changes in T(m) and T'(m) peaks intensity, thereby at about 26. wt% of AgNO3 the initial peak (T(m)) disappeared. In the range of Ag+ therapeutic concentrations (up to 2 wt%) no significant changes in the DPPC membrane were revealed. This can be one of the reasons of the absence of a damaging effect of silver drugs on a host organism with simultaneous pronounced bactericidal effect.

  20. Degradation of organic pollutants by an integrated photo-Fenton-like catalysis/immersed membrane separation system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Yuanyuan, E-mail: jiedeng05@sina.com [School of Environment, Guang Xi University, Nanning 530004 (China); School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Xiong, Ya [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Tang, Yankui; Wang, Yinghui [School of Environment, Guang Xi University, Nanning 530004 (China)

    2013-01-15

    Highlights: ► The photo-Fenton-like reaction and membrane separation was coupled. ► FeVO{sub 4} was used as catalyst in the PFM reactor. ► Dynamics simulation would direct the actual application of the reactor. -- Abstract: To resolve the continuously reuse problem of fine catalysts, a new reactor was investigated by coupling the heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like oxidation with membrane separation. The reactor consisted of a Xe lamp, a submerged membrane module and FeVO{sub 4} as catalyst with high activity. Results showed that the catalyst was successfully left in the reactor. It was proved by the kinetics study of membrane fouling that the avoidless membrane fouling was brought mainly by surface cake, at catalyst concentration of 4 g/L, it accounted for more than 90% of the total resistance. The kinetics study of catalytic degradation of AO II under sub-critical flux showed the optimal concentration of catalyst was 0.5 g/L and under this concentration the membrane fouling was negligible. For a residence time of 60 min, the degradation efficiency of AO II reached more than 99% and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was as high as 91%. The model of continuous stirred tank reactor could predict well for the degradation which was consistent with hydrodynamics study. Moreover, the PFM reactor shows a long-term behavior with both membrane and catalyst in it and merits consideration for scaled-up trials.

  1. Preparation of thermo-responsive membranes. II.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nozawa, I; Suzuki, Y; Sato, S; Sugibayashi, K; Morimoto, Y

    1991-05-01

    Two types of liquid crystal (LC)-immobilized membranes were prepared by a soaking method and sandwich method to control the permeation of indomethacin, as a model drug, in response to local and systemic fever. Monooxyethylene trimethylolpropane tristearate (MTTS) was used as a model LC because it has a gel-liquid crystal phase transition temperature near the body temperature, 39-40 degrees C in phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4). Two porous polypropylene (PP) membranes were soaked into 20% MTTS chloroform solution in the soaking method, and two PP membranes were poured with the melted MTTS and pressed in the sandwich method. Thermo-response efficacy of the soaked membrane was dependent upon the content of MTTS in MTTS membrane, and the MTTS content above the void volume of PP membrane (38%) was needed for high efficacy. On the other hand, the sandwich membrane exhibited higher thermo-response efficacy than the soaked membrane, because more LC was embedded in the pores of sandwich membrane than that of the soaked membrane. The sandwich membrane permeation of indomethacin was sharply controlled by temperature changes between 32 and 38 degrees C.

  2. Self-consistent nonlinearly polarizable shell-model dynamics for ferroelectric materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mkam Tchouobiap, S.E.; Kofane, T.C.; Ngabireng, C.M.

    2002-11-01

    We investigate the dynamical properties of the polarizable shellmodel with a symmetric double Morse-type electron-ion interaction in one ionic species. A variational calculation based on the Self-Consistent Einstein Model (SCEM) shows that a theoretical ferroelectric (FE) transition temperature can be derive which demonstrates the presence of a first-order phase transition for the potassium selenate (K 2 SeO 4 ) crystal around Tc 91.5 K. Comparison of the model calculation with the experimental critical temperature yields satisfactory agreement. (author)

  3. A consistent modelling methodology for secondary settling tanks in wastewater treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bürger, Raimund; Diehl, Stefan; Nopens, Ingmar

    2011-03-01

    The aim of this contribution is partly to build consensus on a consistent modelling methodology (CMM) of complex real processes in wastewater treatment by combining classical concepts with results from applied mathematics, and partly to apply it to the clarification-thickening process in the secondary settling tank. In the CMM, the real process should be approximated by a mathematical model (process model; ordinary or partial differential equation (ODE or PDE)), which in turn is approximated by a simulation model (numerical method) implemented on a computer. These steps have often not been carried out in a correct way. The secondary settling tank was chosen as a case since this is one of the most complex processes in a wastewater treatment plant and simulation models developed decades ago have no guarantee of satisfying fundamental mathematical and physical properties. Nevertheless, such methods are still used in commercial tools to date. This particularly becomes of interest as the state-of-the-art practice is moving towards plant-wide modelling. Then all submodels interact and errors propagate through the model and severely hamper any calibration effort and, hence, the predictive purpose of the model. The CMM is described by applying it first to a simple conversion process in the biological reactor yielding an ODE solver, and then to the solid-liquid separation in the secondary settling tank, yielding a PDE solver. Time has come to incorporate established mathematical techniques into environmental engineering, and wastewater treatment modelling in particular, and to use proven reliable and consistent simulation models. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Detecting consistent patterns of directional adaptation using differential selection codon models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parto, Sahar; Lartillot, Nicolas

    2017-06-23

    Phylogenetic codon models are often used to characterize the selective regimes acting on protein-coding sequences. Recent methodological developments have led to models explicitly accounting for the interplay between mutation and selection, by modeling the amino acid fitness landscape along the sequence. However, thus far, most of these models have assumed that the fitness landscape is constant over time. Fluctuations of the fitness landscape may often be random or depend on complex and unknown factors. However, some organisms may be subject to systematic changes in selective pressure, resulting in reproducible molecular adaptations across independent lineages subject to similar conditions. Here, we introduce a codon-based differential selection model, which aims to detect and quantify the fine-grained consistent patterns of adaptation at the protein-coding level, as a function of external conditions experienced by the organism under investigation. The model parameterizes the global mutational pressure, as well as the site- and condition-specific amino acid selective preferences. This phylogenetic model is implemented in a Bayesian MCMC framework. After validation with simulations, we applied our method to a dataset of HIV sequences from patients with known HLA genetic background. Our differential selection model detects and characterizes differentially selected coding positions specifically associated with two different HLA alleles. Our differential selection model is able to identify consistent molecular adaptations as a function of repeated changes in the environment of the organism. These models can be applied to many other problems, ranging from viral adaptation to evolution of life-history strategies in plants or animals.

  5. Detection and quantification of flow consistency in business process models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burattin, Andrea; Bernstein, Vered; Neurauter, Manuel

    2017-01-01

    , to show how such features can be quantified into computational metrics, which are applicable to business process models. We focus on one particular feature, consistency of flow direction, and show the challenges that arise when transforming it into a precise metric. We propose three different metrics......Business process models abstract complex business processes by representing them as graphical models. Their layout, as determined by the modeler, may have an effect when these models are used. However, this effect is currently not fully understood. In order to systematically study this effect......, a basic set of measurable key visual features is proposed, depicting the layout properties that are meaningful to the human user. The aim of this research is thus twofold: first, to empirically identify key visual features of business process models which are perceived as meaningful to the user and second...

  6. Fouling distribution in forward osmosis membrane process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Junseok; Kim, Bongchul; Hong, Seungkwan

    2014-06-01

    Fouling behavior along the length of membrane module was systematically investigated by performing simple modeling and lab-scale experiments of forward osmosis (FO) membrane process. The flux distribution model developed in this study showed a good agreement with experimental results, validating the robustness of the model. This model demonstrated, as expected, that the permeate flux decreased along the membrane channel due to decreasing osmotic pressure differential across the FO membrane. A series of fouling experiments were conducted under the draw and feed solutions at various recoveries simulated by the model. The simulated fouling experiments revealed that higher organic (alginate) fouling and thus more flux decline were observed at the last section of a membrane channel, as foulants in feed solution became more concentrated. Furthermore, the water flux in FO process declined more severely as the recovery increased due to more foulants transported to membrane surface with elevated solute concentrations at higher recovery, which created favorable solution environments for organic adsorption. The fouling reversibility also decreased at the last section of the membrane channel, suggesting that fouling distribution on FO membrane along the module should be carefully examined to improve overall cleaning efficiency. Lastly, it was found that such fouling distribution observed with co-current flow operation became less pronounced in counter-current flow operation of FO membrane process. Copyright © 2014 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Investigation of Dendrimer-Membrane Interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mecke, Almut; Hessler, Jessica; Lee, Inhan; Banaszak Holl, Mark; Orr, Bradford; Patri, Anil K.; Baker, J. R.

    2003-03-01

    Modified Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers show great promise as targeted drug transport agents. Current research efforts point to the possibility of dramatic improvements to conventional chemotherapy by selectively delivering a therapeutic to antigen bearing tumor cells. In order to better understand the uptake mechanism of such devices into cells we are investigating dendrimer-surface adsorption and dendrimer-membrane interactions using atomic force microscopy, light scattering and computer simulations. Model systems consisting of supported DMPC lipid bilayers have shown interesting results suggesting the shape and architecture of nano-devices play an important role for their biologic activity. We are also investigating the effect of targeted drug vehicles on cells in vitro.

  8. Transport phenomena and fouling in vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation: Experimental and modelling

    KAUST Repository

    Naidu, Gayathri

    2016-08-27

    The application of vacuum to direct contact membrane distillation (vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation, V-DCMD) removed condensable gasses and reduced partial pressure in the membrane pores, achieving 37.6% higher flux than DCMD at the same feed temperature. Transfer mechanism and temperature distribution profile in V-DCMD were studied. The empirical flux decline (EFD) model represented fouling profiles of V-DCMD. In a continuous V-DCMD operation with moderate temperature (55 degrees C) and permeate pressure (300 mbar) for treating wastewater ROC, a flux of 16.0 +/- 0.3 L/m(2) h and high quality distillate were achieved with water flushing, showing the suitability of V-DCMD for ROC treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Transport phenomena and fouling in vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation: Experimental and modelling

    KAUST Repository

    Naidu, Gayathri; Shim, Wang Geun; Jeong, Sanghyun; Choi, YoungKwon; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuthu

    2016-01-01

    The application of vacuum to direct contact membrane distillation (vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation, V-DCMD) removed condensable gasses and reduced partial pressure in the membrane pores, achieving 37.6% higher flux than DCMD at the same feed temperature. Transfer mechanism and temperature distribution profile in V-DCMD were studied. The empirical flux decline (EFD) model represented fouling profiles of V-DCMD. In a continuous V-DCMD operation with moderate temperature (55 degrees C) and permeate pressure (300 mbar) for treating wastewater ROC, a flux of 16.0 +/- 0.3 L/m(2) h and high quality distillate were achieved with water flushing, showing the suitability of V-DCMD for ROC treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Propagation-of-uncertainty from contact angle and streaming potential measurements to XDLVO model assessments of membrane-colloid interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muthu, Satish; Childress, Amy; Brant, Jonathan

    2014-08-15

    Membrane fouling assessed from a fundamental standpoint within the context of the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) model. The DLVO model requires that the properties of the membrane and foulant(s) be quantified. Membrane surface charge (zeta potential) and free energy values are characterized using streaming potential and contact angle measurements, respectively. Comparing theoretical assessments for membrane-colloid interactions between research groups requires that the variability of the measured inputs be established. The impact that such variability in input values on the outcome from interfacial models must be quantified to determine an acceptable variance in inputs. An interlaboratory study was conducted to quantify the variability in streaming potential and contact angle measurements when using standard protocols. The propagation of uncertainty from these errors was evaluated in terms of their impact on the quantitative and qualitative conclusions on extended DLVO (XDLVO) calculated interaction terms. The error introduced into XDLVO calculated values was of the same magnitude as the calculated free energy values at contact and at any given separation distance. For two independent laboratories to draw similar quantitative conclusions regarding membrane-foulant interfacial interactions the standard error in contact angle values must be⩽2.5°, while that for the zeta potential values must be⩽7 mV. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Strong Static Magnetic Fields Increase the Gel Signal in Partially Hydrated DPPC/DMPC Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer Tang

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available NIt was recently reported that static magnetic fields increase lipid order in the hydrophobic membrane core of dehydrated native plant plasma membranes [Poinapen, Soft Matter 9:6804-6813, 2013]. As plasma membranes are multicomponent, highly complex structures, in order to elucidate the origin of this effect, we prepared model membranes consisting of a lipid species with low and high melting temperature. By controlling the temperature, bilayers coexisting of small gel and fluid domains were prepared as a basic model for the plasma membrane core. We studied molecular order in mixed lipid membranes made of dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC and dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC using neutron diffraction in the presence of strong static magnetic fields up to 3.5 T. The contribution of the hydrophobic membrane core was highlighted through deuterium labeling the lipid acyl chains. There was no observable effect on lipid organization in fluid or gel domains at high hydration of the membranes. However, lipid order was found to be enhanced at a reduced relative humidity of 43%: a magnetic field of 3.5 T led to an increase of the gel signal in the diffraction patterns of 5%. While all biological materials have weak diamagnetic properties, the corresponding energy is too small to compete against thermal disorder or viscous effects in the case of lipid molecules. We tentatively propose that the interaction between the fatty acid chains’ electric moment and the external magnetic field is driving the lipid tails in the hydrophobic membrane core into a better ordered state.

  12. Strong Static Magnetic Fields Increase the Gel Signal in Partially Hydrated DPPC/DMPC Membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Jennifer; Alsop, Richard J; Schmalzl, Karin; Epand, Richard M; Rheinstädter, Maikel C

    2015-09-29

    NIt was recently reported that static magnetic fields increase lipid order in the hydrophobic membrane core of dehydrated native plant plasma membranes [Poinapen, Soft Matter 9:6804-6813, 2013]. As plasma membranes are multicomponent, highly complex structures, in order to elucidate the origin of this effect, we prepared model membranes consisting of a lipid species with low and high melting temperature. By controlling the temperature, bilayers coexisting of small gel and fluid domains were prepared as a basic model for the plasma membrane core. We studied molecular order in mixed lipid membranes made of dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) using neutron diffraction in the presence of strong static magnetic fields up to 3.5 T. The contribution of the hydrophobic membrane core was highlighted through deuterium labeling the lipid acyl chains. There was no observable effect on lipid organization in fluid or gel domains at high hydration of the membranes. However, lipid order was found to be enhanced at a reduced relative humidity of 43%: a magnetic field of 3.5 T led to an increase of the gel signal in the diffraction patterns of 5%. While all biological materials have weak diamagnetic properties, the corresponding energy is too small to compete against thermal disorder or viscous effects in the case of lipid molecules. We tentatively propose that the interaction between the fatty acid chains' electric moment and the external magnetic field is driving the lipid tails in the hydrophobic membrane core into a better ordered state.

  13. Viscoelastic properties of the human tympanic membrane studied with stroboscopic holography and finite element modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Greef, Daniel; Aernouts, Jef; Aerts, Johan; Cheng, Jeffrey Tao; Horwitz, Rachelle; Rosowski, John J; Dirckx, Joris J J

    2014-06-01

    A new anatomically-accurate Finite Element (FE) model of the tympanic membrane (TM) and malleus was combined with measurements of the sound-induced motion of the TM surface and the bony manubrium, in an isolated TM-malleus preparation. Using the results, we were able to address two issues related to how sound is coupled to the ossicular chain: (i) Estimate the viscous damping within the tympanic membrane itself, the presence of which may help smooth the broadband response of a potentially highly resonant TM, and (ii) Investigate the function of a peculiar feature of human middle-ear anatomy, the thin mucosal epithelial fold that couples the mid part of the human manubrium to the TM. Sound induced motions of the surface of ex vivo human eardrums and mallei were measured with stroboscopic holography, which yields maps of the amplitude and phase of the displacement of the entire membrane surface at selected frequencies. The results of these measurements were similar, but not identical to measurements made in intact ears. The holography measurements were complemented by laser-Doppler vibrometer measurements of sound-induced umbo velocity, which were made with fine-frequency resolution. Comparisons of these measurements to predictions from a new anatomically accurate FE model with varied membrane characteristics suggest the TM contains viscous elements, which provide relatively low damping, and that the epithelial fold that connects the central section of the human manubrium to the TM only loosely couples the TM to the manubrium. The laser-Doppler measurements in two preparations also suggested the presence of significant variation in the complex modulus of the TM between specimens. Some animations illustrating the model results are available at our website (www.uantwerp.be/en/rg/bimef/downloads/tympanic-membrane-motion). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Self-consistent collisional-radiative model for hydrogen atoms: Atom–atom interaction and radiation transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colonna, G.; Pietanza, L.D.; D’Ammando, G.

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Self-consistent coupling between radiation, state-to-state kinetics, electron kinetics and fluid dynamics. Highlight: ► A CR model of shock-wave in hydrogen plasma has been presented. ► All equations have been coupled self-consistently. ► Non-equilibrium electron and level distributions are obtained. ► The results show non-local effects and non-equilibrium radiation. - Abstract: A collisional-radiative model for hydrogen atom, coupled self-consistently with the Boltzmann equation for free electrons, has been applied to model a shock tube. The kinetic model has been completed considering atom–atom collisions and the vibrational kinetics of the ground state of hydrogen molecules. The atomic level kinetics has been also coupled with a radiative transport equation to determine the effective adsorption and emission coefficients and non-local energy transfer.

  15. Selective Interaction of a Cationic Polyfluorene with Model Lipid Membranes: Anionic versus Zwitterionic Lipids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zehra Kahveci

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the interaction mechanism between the conjugated polyelectrolyte {[9,9-bis(6'-N,N,N-trimethylammoniumhexyl]fluorene-phenylene}bromide (HTMA-PFP and model lipid membranes. The study was carried out using different biophysical techniques, mainly fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy. Results show that despite the preferential interaction of HTMA-PFP with anionic lipids, HTMA-PFP shows affinity for zwitterionic lipids; although the interaction mechanism is different as well as HTMA-PFP’s final membrane location. Whilst the polyelectrolyte is embedded within the lipid bilayer in the anionic membrane, it remains close to the surface, forming aggregates that are sensitive to the physical state of the lipid bilayer in the zwitterionic system. The different interaction mechanism is reflected in the polyelectrolyte fluorescence spectrum, since the maximum shifts to longer wavelengths in the zwitterionic system. The intrinsic fluorescence of HTMA-PFP was used to visualize the interaction between polymer and vesicles via fluorescence microscopy, thanks to its high quantum yield and photostability. This technique allows the selectivity of the polyelectrolyte and higher affinity for anionic membranes to be observed. The results confirmed the appropriateness of using HTMA-PFP as a membrane fluorescent marker and suggest that, given its different behaviour towards anionic and zwitterionic membranes, HTMA-PFP could be used for selective recognition and imaging of bacteria over mammalian cells.

  16. Bioelectrochemistry II membrane phenomena

    CERN Document Server

    Blank, M

    1987-01-01

    This book contains the lectures of the second course devoted to bioelectro­ chemistry, held within the framework of the International School of Biophysics. In this course another very large field of bioelectrochemistry, i. e. the field of Membrane Phenomena, was considered, which itself consists of several different, but yet related subfields. Here again, it can be easily stated that it is impossible to give a complete and detailed picture of all membrane phenomena of biological interest in a short course of about one and half week. Therefore the same philosophy, as the one of the first course, was followed, to select a series of lectures at postgraduate level, giving a synthesis of several membrane phenomena chosen among the most'important ones. These lectures should show the large variety of membrane-regulated events occurring in living bodies, and serve as sound interdisciplinary basis to start a special­ ized study of biological phenomena, for which the investigation using the dual approach, physico-che...

  17. Requirements for UML and OWL Integration Tool for User Data Consistency Modeling and Testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nytun, J. P.; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard; Oleshchuk, V. A.

    2003-01-01

    The amount of data available on the Internet is continuously increasing, consequentially there is a growing need for tools that help to analyse the data. Testing of consistency among data received from different sources is made difficult by the number of different languages and schemas being used....... In this paper we analyze requirements for a tool that support integration of UML models and ontologies written in languages like the W3C Web Ontology Language (OWL). The tool can be used in the following way: after loading two legacy models into the tool, the tool user connects them by inserting modeling......, an important part of this technique is attaching of OCL expressions to special boolean class attributes that we call consistency attributes. The resulting integration model can be used for automatic consistency testing of two instances of the legacy models by automatically instantiate the whole integration...

  18. Model-based analysis of the effect of different operating conditions on fouling mechanisms in a membrane bioreactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabia, Gianpaolo; Ferraris, Marco; Spagni, Alessandro

    2016-01-01

    This study proposes a model-based evaluation of the effect of different operating conditions with and without pre-denitrification treatment and applying three different solids retention times on the fouling mechanisms involved in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). A total of 11 fouling models obtained from literature were used to fit the transmembrane pressure variations measured in a pilot-scale MBR treating real wastewater for more than 1 year. The results showed that all the models represent reasonable descriptions of the fouling processes in the MBR tested. The model-based analysis confirmed that membrane fouling started by pore blocking (complete blocking model) and by a reduction of the pore diameter (standard blocking) while cake filtration became the dominant fouling mechanism over long-term operation. However, the different fouling mechanisms occurred almost simultaneously making it rather difficult to identify each one. The membrane "history" (i.e. age, lifespan, etc.) seems the most important factor affecting the fouling mechanism more than the applied operating conditions. Nonlinear regression of the most complex models (combined models) evaluated in this study sometimes demonstrated unreliable parameter estimates suggesting that the four basic fouling models (complete, standard, intermediate blocking and cake filtration) contain enough details to represent a reasonable description of the main fouling processes occurring in MBRs.

  19. Molecular organization in bacterial cell membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larraga, V.; Munoz, E.

    1975-01-01

    The paper reports about an investigation into the question of the specific labelling and topological distribution of glycoproteins and proteins in Streptomyces albus membranes. The method of sample preparation is described: Tritium labelling of glycoproteins in protoplasts and membranes, iodination of proteins, trypsin treatment and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The findings suggest an asymmetrical distribution of the glycoproteins in membranes and a weak accessibility to iodine label. A structural model of the plasma membranes of Streptomyces albus is proposed similar to the general 'fluid mosaic' model of Singer and Nicholson. (BSC) [de

  20. Adsorption of amylase enzyme on ultrafiltration membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beier, Søren; Enevoldsen, Ann Dorrit; Kontogeorgis, Georgios

    2007-01-01

    A method to measure the static adsorption on membrane surfaces has been developed and described. The static adsorption of an amylase-F has been measured on two different ultrafiltration membranes, both with a cut-off value of 10 kDa (a PES membrane and the ETNA10PP membrane, which is a surface......-modified PVDF membrane). The adsorption follows the Langmuir adsorption theory. Thus, the static adsorption consists of monolayer coverage. The static adsorption is expressed both as a permeability drop and an adsorption resistance. From the adsorption isotherms the maximum static permeability drops...... and the maximum static adsorption resistances are determined. The maximum static permeability drop for the hydrophobic PES membrane is 75 % and the maximum static adsorption resistance is 0.014 m2hbar/L. The maximum static permeability drop for the hydrophilic surface-modified PVDF membrane (ETNA10PP) is 23...

  1. Modelling and sequential simulation of multi-tubular metallic membrane and techno-economics of a hydrogen production process employing thin-layer membrane reactor

    KAUST Repository

    Shafiee, Alireza; Arab, Mobin; Lai, Zhiping; Liu, Zongwen; Abbas, Ali

    2016-01-01

    reforming hydrogen production plant. A techno-economic analysis is then conducted using the validated model for a plant producing 300 TPD of hydrogen. The plant utilises a thin (2.5 μm) defect-free and selective layer (Pd75Ag25 alloy) membrane reactor

  2. Modeling and simulation of ammonia removal from purge gases of ammonia plants using a catalytic Pd-Ag membrane reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahimpour, M.R.; Asgari, A.

    2008-01-01

    In this work, the removal of ammonia from synthesis purge gas of an ammonia plant has been investigated. Since the ammonia decomposition is thermodynamically limited, a membrane reactor is used for complete decomposition. A double pipe catalytic membrane reactor is used to remove ammonia from purge gas. The purge gas is flowing in the reaction side and is converted to hydrogen and nitrogen over nickel-alumina catalyst. The hydrogen is transferred through the Pd-Ag membrane of tube side to the shell side. A mathematical model including conservation of mass in the tube and shell side of reactor is proposed. The proposed model was solved numerically and the effects of different parameters on the rector performance were investigated. The effects of pressure, temperature, flow rate (sweep ratio), membrane thickness and reactor diameter have been investigated in the present study. Increasing ammonia conversion was observed by raising the temperature, sweep ratio and reducing membrane thickness. When the pressure increases, the decomposition is gone toward completion but, at low pressure the ammonia conversion in the outset of reactor is higher than other pressures, but complete destruction of the ammonia cannot be achieved. The proposed model can be used for design of an industrial catalytic membrane reactor for removal of ammonia from ammonia plant and reducing NO x emissions

  3. Infrared emission of a freestanding plasmonic membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monshat, Hosein; Liu, Longju; McClelland, John; Biswas, Rana; Lu, Meng

    2018-01-01

    This paper reports a free-standing plasmonic membrane as a thermal emitter in the near- and mid-infrared regions. The plasmonic membrane consists of an ultrathin gold film perforated with a two-dimensional array of holes. The device was fabricated using an imprint and transfer process and fixed on a low-emissivity metal grid. The thermal radiation characteristics of the plasmonic membrane can be engineered by controlling the array period and the thickness of the gold membrane. Plasmonic membranes with two different periods were designed using electromagnetic simulation and then characterized for their transmission and infrared radiation properties. The free-standing membranes exhibit extraordinary optical transmissions with the resonant transmission coefficient as high as 76.8%. After integration with a customized heater, the membranes demonstrate narrowband thermal emission in the wavelength range of 2.5 μm to 5.5 μm. The emission signatures, including peak emission wavelength and bandwidth, are associated with the membrane geometry. The ultrathin membrane infrared emitter can be adopted in applications, such as chemical analysis and thermal imaging.

  4. A Consistent Pricing Model for Index Options and Volatility Derivatives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kokholm, Thomas

    to be priced consistently, while allowing for jumps in volatility and returns. An affine specification using Lévy processes as building blocks leads to analytically tractable pricing formulas for volatility derivatives, such as VIX options, as well as efficient numerical methods for pricing of European options...... on the underlying asset. The model has the convenient feature of decoupling the vanilla skews from spot/volatility correlations and allowing for different conditional correlations in large and small spot/volatility moves. We show that our model can simultaneously fit prices of European options on S&P 500 across...

  5. A Consistent Pricing Model for Index Options and Volatility Derivatives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cont, Rama; Kokholm, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    to be priced consistently, while allowing for jumps in volatility and returns. An affine specification using Lévy processes as building blocks leads to analytically tractable pricing formulas for volatility derivatives, such as VIX options, as well as efficient numerical methods for pricing of European options...... on the underlying asset. The model has the convenient feature of decoupling the vanilla skews from spot/volatility correlations and allowing for different conditional correlations in large and small spot/volatility moves. We show that our model can simultaneously fit prices of European options on S&P 500 across...

  6. Development of a Model for Dynamic Recrystallization Consistent with the Second Derivative Criterion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Imran

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Dynamic recrystallization (DRX processes are widely used in industrial hot working operations, not only to keep the forming forces low but also to control the microstructure and final properties of the workpiece. According to the second derivative criterion (SDC by Poliak and Jonas, the onset of DRX can be detected from an inflection point in the strain-hardening rate as a function of flow stress. Various models are available that can predict the evolution of flow stress from incipient plastic flow up to steady-state deformation in the presence of DRX. Some of these models have been implemented into finite element codes and are widely used for the design of metal forming processes, but their consistency with the SDC has not been investigated. This work identifies three sources of inconsistencies that models for DRX may exhibit. For a consistent modeling of the DRX kinetics, a new strain-hardening model for the hardening stages III to IV is proposed and combined with consistent recrystallization kinetics. The model is devised in the Kocks-Mecking space based on characteristic transition in the strain-hardening rate. A linear variation of the transition and inflection points is observed for alloy 800H at all tested temperatures and strain rates. The comparison of experimental and model results shows that the model is able to follow the course of the strain-hardening rate very precisely, such that highly accurate flow stress predictions are obtained.

  7. Self-consistent model calculations of the ordered S-matrix and the cylinder correction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Millan, J.

    1977-11-01

    The multiperipheral ordered bootstrap of Rosenzweig and Veneziano is studied by using dual triple Regge couplings exhibiting the required threshold behavior. In the interval -0.5 less than or equal to t less than or equal to 0.8 GeV 2 self-consistent reggeon couplings and propagators are obtained for values of Regge slopes and intercepts consistent with the physical values for the leading natural-parity Regge trajectories. Cylinder effects on planar pole positions and couplings are calculated. By use of an unsymmetrical planar π--rho reggeon loop model, self-consistent solutions are obtained for the unnatural-parity mesons in the interval -0.5 less than or equal to t less than or equal to 0.6 GeV 2 . The effects of other Regge poles being neglected, the model gives a value of the π--eta splitting consistent with experiment. 24 figures, 1 table, 25 references

  8. Thermodynamically consistent model of brittle oil shales under overpressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izvekov, Oleg

    2016-04-01

    The concept of dual porosity is a common way for simulation of oil shale production. In the frame of this concept the porous fractured media is considered as superposition of two permeable continua with mass exchange. As a rule the concept doesn't take into account such as the well-known phenomenon as slip along natural fractures, overpressure in low permeability matrix and so on. Overpressure can lead to development of secondary fractures in low permeability matrix in the process of drilling and pressure reduction during production. In this work a new thermodynamically consistent model which generalizes the model of dual porosity is proposed. Particularities of the model are as follows. The set of natural fractures is considered as permeable continuum. Damage mechanics is applied to simulation of secondary fractures development in low permeability matrix. Slip along natural fractures is simulated in the frame of plasticity theory with Drucker-Prager criterion.

  9. A consistent modelling methodology for secondary settling tanks: a reliable numerical method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bürger, Raimund; Diehl, Stefan; Farås, Sebastian; Nopens, Ingmar; Torfs, Elena

    2013-01-01

    The consistent modelling methodology for secondary settling tanks (SSTs) leads to a partial differential equation (PDE) of nonlinear convection-diffusion type as a one-dimensional model for the solids concentration as a function of depth and time. This PDE includes a flux that depends discontinuously on spatial position modelling hindered settling and bulk flows, a singular source term describing the feed mechanism, a degenerating term accounting for sediment compressibility, and a dispersion term for turbulence. In addition, the solution itself is discontinuous. A consistent, reliable and robust numerical method that properly handles these difficulties is presented. Many constitutive relations for hindered settling, compression and dispersion can be used within the model, allowing the user to switch on and off effects of interest depending on the modelling goal as well as investigate the suitability of certain constitutive expressions. Simulations show the effect of the dispersion term on effluent suspended solids and total sludge mass in the SST. The focus is on correct implementation whereas calibration and validation are not pursued.

  10. Physics of biological membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mouritsen, Ole G.

    The biological membrane is a complex system consisting of an aqueous biomolecular planar aggregate of predominantly lipid and protein molecules. At physiological temperatures, the membrane may be considered a thin (˜50Å) slab of anisotropic fluid characterized by a high lateral mobility of the various molecular components. A substantial fraction of biological activity takes place in association with membranes. As a very lively piece of condensed matter, the biological membrane is a challenging research topic for both the experimental and theoretical physicists who are facing a number of fundamental physical problems including molecular self-organization, macromolecular structure and dynamics, inter-macromolecular interactions, structure-function relationships, transport of energy and matter, and interfacial forces. This paper will present a brief review of recent theoretical and experimental progress on such problems, with special emphasis on lipid bilayer structure and dynamics, lipid phase transitions, lipid-protein and lipid-cholesterol interactions, intermembrane forces, and the physical constraints imposed on biomembrane function and evolution. The paper advocates the dual point of view that there are a number of interesting physics problems in membranology and, at the same time, that the physical properties of biomembranes are important regulators of membrane function.

  11. Surface pH controls purple-to-blue transition of bacteriorhodopsin. A theoretical model of purple membrane surface

    OpenAIRE

    Szundi, I.; Stoeckenius, W.

    1989-01-01

    We have developed a surface model of purple membrane and applied it in an analysis of the purple-to-blue color change of bacteriorhodopsin which is induced by acidification or deionization. The model is based on dissociation and double layer theory and the known membrane structure. We calculated surface pH, ion concentrations, charge density, and potential as a function of bulk pH and concentration of mono- and divalent cations. At low salt concentrations, the surface pH is significantly lowe...

  12. Design of membrane pressure indicators with strain gages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haberzettl, G.

    1979-01-01

    A special type of pressure indicators, more or less well known under the name of 'membrane pressure indicators' is dealt with. In principle, they consist of a pipe socket which is open at one end and sealed by the 'membrane' at the other end. In case of internal pressure from the open side, the membrane will begin to arch. This arch, which is proportional to the internal pressure, is measured by suitable methods. A special form of strain ganges, so-called 'membrane pressure roses' have turned out to be particularly suitable here. The article gives general guidelines for the construction of membrane pressure indicators. (orig./HT) [de

  13. Permeation of supercritical carbon dioxide through polymeric hollow fiber membranes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Patil, V.E.; Broeke, van den L.J.P.; Vercauteren, F.F.; Keurentjes, J.T.F.

    2006-01-01

    Permeation of carbon dioxide was measured for two types of composite polymeric hollow fiber membranes for feed pressures up to 18 MPa at a temp. of 313 K. support membrane. The membranes consist of a polyamide copolymer (IPC) layer or a poly(vinyl alc.) (PVA) layer on top of a polyethersulfone

  14. Oxygen permeation in thin, dense Ce0.9Gd0.1O 1.95- membranes I. Model study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chatzichristodoulou, Christodoulos; Søgaard, Martin; Hendriksen, Peter Vang

    2011-01-01

    at the feed and permeate side of the membrane, related to the gaseous oxygen reduction and fuel oxidation, respectively, as well as the gas conversion and gas diffusion resistances in the porous support structure at the permeate side. The temperature and oxygen activity dependence of the oxide ionic...... was analyzed by a separation of the various losses. The chemical expansion of Ce 0.9Gd0.1O1.95-δ under operation was estimated from the calculated oxygen activity and nonstoichiometry profiles inside the membrane. © 2011 The Electrochemical Society.......A model of a supported planar Ce0.9Gd0.1O 1.95-δ oxygen membrane in a plug-flow setup was constructed and a sensitivity analysis of its performance under varying operating conditions and membrane parameters was performed. The model takes into account the driving force losses at the catalysts...

  15. Monomeric RC-LH1 core complexes retard LH2 assembly and intracytoplasmic membrane formation in PufX-minus mutants of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Peter G; Mothersole, David J; Ng, Irene W; Olsen, John D; Hunter, C Neil

    2011-09-01

    In the model photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides domains of light-harvesting 2 (LH2) complexes surround and interconnect dimeric reaction centre-light-harvesting 1-PufX (RC-LH1-PufX) 'core' complexes, forming extensive networks for energy transfer and trapping. These complexes are housed in spherical intracytoplasmic membranes (ICMs), which are assembled in a stepwise process where biosynthesis of core complexes tends to dominate the early stages of membrane invagination. The kinetics of LH2 assembly were measured in PufX mutants that assemble monomeric core complexes, as a consequence of either a twelve-residue N-terminal truncation of PufX (PufXΔ12) or the complete removal of PufX (PufX(-)). Lower rates of LH2 assembly and retarded maturation of membrane invagination were observed for the larger and less curved ICM from the PufX(-) mutant, consistent with the proposition that local membrane curvature, initiated by arrays of bent RC-LH1-PufX dimers, creates a favourable environment for stable assembly of LH2 complexes. Transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution atomic force microscopy were used to examine ICM morphology and membrane protein organisation in these mutants. Some partitioning of core and LH2 complexes was observed in PufX(-) membranes, resulting in locally ordered clusters of monomeric RC-LH1 complexes. The distribution of core and LH2 complexes in the three types of membrane examined is consistent with previous models of membrane curvature and domain formation (Frese et al., 2008), which demonstrated that a combination of crowding and asymmetries in sizes and shapes of membrane protein complexes drives membrane organisation. 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Data supporting the validation of a simulation model for multi-component gas separation in polymeric membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorena Giordano

    2016-12-01

    The data were obtained using a model for simulating gas separation, described in the research article entitled “Interplay of inlet temperature and humidity on energy penalty for CO2 post-combustion capture: rigorous analysis and simulation of a single stage gas permeation process” (L. Giordano, D. Roizard, R. Bounaceur, E. Favre, 2016 [1]. The data were used to validate the model by comparison with literature results. Considering a membrane system based on feed compression only, data from the model proposed and that from literature were compared with respect to the molar composition of permeate stream, the membrane area and specific energy requirement, varying the feed pressure and the CO2 separation degree.

  17. Membrane potentials of membranes with fixed ionic sites

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Berg, Albert; van der Wal, P.D.; van der Wal, P.D.; Skowronska-ptasinska, M.; Sudhölter, E.J.R.; Sudholter, Ernst; Bergveld, Piet; Reinhoudt, David

    1990-01-01

    A theoretical model has been developed to simulate the formation of a membrane potential as a function of physically accessible parameters. The description is an extension of the well-known Teorell-Meyer-Sievers (TMS) model, now including free and fixed ionic sites and free and fixed neutral

  18. Creation of Consistent Burn Wounds: A Rat Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elijah Zhengyang Cai

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Background Burn infliction techniques are poorly described in rat models. An accurate study can only be achieved with wounds that are uniform in size and depth. We describe a simple reproducible method for creating consistent burn wounds in rats. Methods Ten male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized and dorsum shaved. A 100 g cylindrical stainless-steel rod (1 cm diameter was heated to 100℃ in boiling water. Temperature was monitored using a thermocouple. We performed two consecutive toe-pinch tests on different limbs to assess the depth of sedation. Burn infliction was limited to the loin. The skin was pulled upwards, away from the underlying viscera, creating a flat surface. The rod rested on its own weight for 5, 10, and 20 seconds at three different sites on each rat. Wounds were evaluated for size, morphology and depth. Results Average wound size was 0.9957 cm2 (standard deviation [SD] 0.1845 (n=30. Wounds created with duration of 5 seconds were pale, with an indistinct margin of erythema. Wounds of 10 and 20 seconds were well-defined, uniformly brown with a rim of erythema. Average depths of tissue damage were 1.30 mm (SD 0.424, 2.35 mm (SD 0.071, and 2.60 mm (SD 0.283 for duration of 5, 10, 20 seconds respectively. Burn duration of 5 seconds resulted in full-thickness damage. Burn duration of 10 seconds and 20 seconds resulted in full-thickness damage, involving subjacent skeletal muscle. Conclusions This is a simple reproducible method for creating burn wounds consistent in size and depth in a rat burn model.

  19. Facilitated transport of HNO3 through a supported liquid membrane containing a tertiary amine as carrier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cianetti, C.; Danesi, P.R.

    1983-01-01

    The facilitated transport of HNO 3 through a supported liquid membrane consisting of a porous polypropylene film containing a solution of trilaurylamine in diethylbenzene as carrier was studied as a function of the stirring speed of the aqueous solutions and the membrane composition. A physico-chemical model which takes into account diffusion through an aqueous boundary layer, a fast interfacial chemical reaction leading to the formation of a membrane soluble alkylammonium salt and diffusion through the membrane was proposed. In this way, equations were derived which describe how composition changes, occurring in the course of the permeation process, influence the membrane permeability. The experimental data were quantitatively explained by the derived equations. The results indicate that the monomeric form of the trilaurylammonium nitrate salt is the species which is mainly responsible for the acid transport through the membrane. The diffusion coefficient of the permeating species and the order of magnitude of the thickness of the aqueous boundary layer were evaluated. 8 figures

  20. S-layer and cytoplasmic membrane – exceptions from the typical archaeal cell wall with a focus on double membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas eKlingl

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The common idea of typical cell wall architecture in archaea consists of a pseudo-crystalline proteinaceous surface layer (S-layer, situated upon the cytoplasmic membrane. This is true for the majority of described archaea, hitherto. Within the crenarchaea, the S-layer often represents the only cell wall component, but there are various exceptions from this wall architecture. Beside (glycosylated S-layers in (hyperthermophilic cren- and euryarchaea as well as halophilic archaea, one can find a great variety of other cell wall structures like proteoglycan-like S-layers (Halobacteria, glutaminylglycan (Natronococci, methanochondroitin (Methanosarcina or double layered cell walls with pseudomurein (Methanothermus and Methanopyrus. The presence of an outermost cellular membrane in the crenarchaeal species Ignicoccus hospitalis already gave indications for an outer membrane similar to Gram-negative bacteria. Although there is just limited data concerning their biochemistry and ultrastructure, recent studies on the euryarchaeal methanogen Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis, cells of the ARMAN group, and the SM1 euryarchaeon delivered further examples for this exceptional cell envelope type consisting of two membranes.

  1. A consistent transported PDF model for treating differential molecular diffusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haifeng; Zhang, Pei

    2016-11-01

    Differential molecular diffusion is a fundamentally significant phenomenon in all multi-component turbulent reacting or non-reacting flows caused by the different rates of molecular diffusion of energy and species concentrations. In the transported probability density function (PDF) method, the differential molecular diffusion can be treated by using a mean drift model developed by McDermott and Pope. This model correctly accounts for the differential molecular diffusion in the scalar mean transport and yields a correct DNS limit of the scalar variance production. The model, however, misses the molecular diffusion term in the scalar variance transport equation, which yields an inconsistent prediction of the scalar variance in the transported PDF method. In this work, a new model is introduced to remedy this problem that can yield a consistent scalar variance prediction. The model formulation along with its numerical implementation is discussed, and the model validation is conducted in a turbulent mixing layer problem.

  2. Environment-sensitive ion-track membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Masaru

    1996-01-01

    Development of an environment-sensitive porous membrane from ion-track membranes may realize by combining the techniques of ion beam radiation and those of molecular designing and synthesis for intelligent materials. Now, the development of such membrane is progressing with an aim at selecting some specific substances and accurately control its pore size in response to any small environmental stimulus such as temperature change. The authors have been studying the molecular design, synthesis and functional expression of intelligent materials, which are called here as environment-sensitive gels. In this report, the outlines of the apparatus for the production of such porous membrane was described. An organic polymer membrane was irradiated with an ion beam and followed by chemical etching to make ion track pores. Scanning electron microscopic observation for the cross section of the membrane showed that the pore shape varies greatly depending on the ion nuclide used. The characteristics of newly produced porous membranes consisting of CR-30/A-ProDMe and polyethylene-telephtharate were investigated in respect of pore size change responding to temperature. These studies of design, synthesis and functions of such gels would enable to substitute artificial materials for the functions of human sensors. (M.N.). 54 refs

  3. A continuum membrane model for small deformations of a spider orb-web

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morassi, Antonino; Soler, Alejandro; Zaera, Ramón

    2017-09-01

    In this paper we propose a continuum membrane model for the infinitesimal deformation of a spider web. The model is derived in the simple context of axially-symmetric webs formed by radial threads connected with circumferential threads belonging to concentric circles. Under suitable assumption on the tensile pre-stress acting in the referential configuration, the out-of-plane static equilibrium and the free transverse and in-plane vibration of a supported circular orb-web are studied in detail. The accuracy of the model in describing a discrete spider web is numerically investigated.

  4. Development of a living membrane comprising a functional human renal proximal tubule cell monolayer on polyethersulfone polymeric membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schophuizen, Carolien M S; De Napoli, Ilaria E; Jansen, Jitske; Teixeira, Sandra; Wilmer, Martijn J; Hoenderop, Joost G J; Van den Heuvel, Lambert P W; Masereeuw, Rosalinde; Stamatialis, Dimitrios

    2015-03-01

    The need for improved renal replacement therapies has stimulated innovative research for the development of a cell-based renal assist device. A key requirement for such a device is the formation of a "living membrane", consisting of a tight kidney cell monolayer with preserved functional organic ion transporters on a suitable artificial membrane surface. In this work, we applied a unique conditionally immortalized proximal tubule epithelial cell (ciPTEC) line with an optimized coating strategy on polyethersulfone (PES) membranes to develop a living membrane with a functional proximal tubule epithelial cell layer. PES membranes were coated with combinations of 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine and human collagen IV (Coll IV). The optimal coating time and concentrations were determined to achieve retention of vital blood components while preserving high water transport and optimal ciPTEC adhesion. The ciPTEC monolayers obtained were examined through immunocytochemistry to detect zona occludens 1 tight junction proteins. Reproducible monolayers were formed when using a combination of 2 mg ml(-1) 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (4 min coating, 1h dissolution) and 25 μg ml(-1) Coll IV (4 min coating). The successful transport of (14)C-creatinine through the developed living membrane system was used as an indication for organic cation transporter functionality. The addition of metformin or cimetidine significantly reduced the creatinine transepithelial flux, indicating active creatinine uptake in ciPTECs, most likely mediated by the organic cation transporter, OCT2 (SLC22A2). In conclusion, this study shows the successful development of a living membrane consisting of a reproducible ciPTEC monolayer on PES membranes, an important step towards the development of a bioartificial kidney. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Micro pore arrays in free standing cyclic olefin copolymer membranes: fabrication and surface functionalization strategies for in-vitro barrier tissue models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gel, M.; Kandasamy, S.; Cartledge, K.; Be, C. L.; Haylock, D.

    2013-12-01

    In recent years there has been growing interest in micro engineered in-vitro models of tissues and organs. These models are designed to mimic the in-vivo like physiological conditions with a goal to study human physiology in an organ-specific context or to develop in-vitro disease models. One of the challenges in the development of these models is the formation of barrier tissues in which the permeability is controlled locally by the tissues cultured at the interface. In-vitro models of barrier tissues are typically created by generating a monolayer of cells grown on thin porous membranes. This paper reports a robust preparation method for free standing porous cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) membranes. We also demonstrate that gelatin coated membranes facilitate formation of highly confluent monolayer of HUVECs. Membranes with thickness in the range of 2-3 um incorporating micro pores with diameter approximately 20 um were fabricated and integrated with microfluidic channels. The performance of the device was demonstrated with a model system mimicking the endothelial barrier in bone marrow sinusoids.

  6. A self-consistent model of an isothermal tokamak

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNamara, Steven; Lilley, Matthew

    2014-10-01

    Continued progress in liquid lithium coating technologies have made the development of a beam driven tokamak with minimal edge recycling a feasibly possibility. Such devices are characterised by improved confinement due to their inherent stability and the suppression of thermal conduction. Particle and energy confinement become intrinsically linked and the plasma thermal energy content is governed by the injected beam. A self-consistent model of a purely beam fuelled isothermal tokamak is presented, including calculations of the density profile, bulk species temperature ratios and the fusion output. Stability considerations constrain the operating parameters and regions of stable operation are identified and their suitability to potential reactor applications discussed.

  7. Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Modelling Using Moving Least Squares Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radu Tirnovan

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Proton exchange membrane fuel cell, with low polluting emissions, is a great alternative to replace the traditional electrical power sources for automotive applications or for small stationary consumers. This paper presents a numerical method, for the fuel cell modelling, based on moving least squares (MLS. Experimental data have been used for developing an approximated model of the PEMFC function of the current density, air inlet pressure and operating temperature of the fuel cell. The method can be applied for modelling others fuel cell sub-systems, such as the compressor. The method can be used for off-line or on-line identification of the PEMFC stack.

  8. Integrating solid-state NMR and computational modeling to investigate the structure and dynamics of membrane-associated ghrelin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerrit Vortmeier

    Full Text Available The peptide hormone ghrelin activates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a, also known as the ghrelin receptor. This 28-residue peptide is acylated at Ser3 and is the only peptide hormone in the human body that is lipid-modified by an octanoyl group. Little is known about the structure and dynamics of membrane-associated ghrelin. We carried out solid-state NMR studies of ghrelin in lipid vesicles, followed by computational modeling of the peptide using Rosetta. Isotropic chemical shift data of isotopically labeled ghrelin provide information about the peptide's secondary structure. Spin diffusion experiments indicate that ghrelin binds to membranes via its lipidated Ser3. Further, Phe4, as well as electrostatics involving the peptide's positively charged residues and lipid polar headgroups, contribute to the binding energy. Other than the lipid anchor, ghrelin is highly flexible and mobile at the membrane surface. This observation is supported by our predicted model ensemble, which is in good agreement with experimentally determined chemical shifts. In the final ensemble of models, residues 8-17 form an α-helix, while residues 21-23 and 26-27 often adopt a polyproline II helical conformation. These helices appear to assist the peptide in forming an amphipathic conformation so that it can bind to the membrane.

  9. Modelling multiphase flow inside the porous media of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berning, Torsten; Kær, Søren Knudsen

    2011-01-01

    Transport processes inside polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC’s) are highly complex and involve convective and diffusive multiphase, multispecies flow through porous media along with heat and mass transfer and electrochemical reactions in conjunction with water transport through...... an electrolyte membrane. We will present a computational model of a PEMFC with focus on capillary transport of water through the porous layers and phase change and discuss the impact of the liquid phase boundary condition between the porous gas diffusion layer and the flow channels, where water droplets can...

  10. Modelling of air gap membrane distillation and its application in heavy metals removal

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Attia, H

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available membranes. These parameters include feed, cooling water temperature and feed flow rate. Analytical models were used, with the aid of MATLAB, to predict the permeate flux of AGMD based on heat and mass transfer. Heat transfer was used to predict...

  11. Diffusion of Integral Membrane Proteins in Protein-Rich Membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Javanainen, Matti; Martinez-Seara, Hector; Metzler, Ralf

    2017-01-01

    of being protein-poor, native cell membranes are extremely crowded with proteins. On the basis of extensive molecular simulations, we here demonstrate that protein crowding of the membrane at physiological levels leads to deviations from the SD relation and to the emergence of a stronger Stokes......-like dependence D ∝ 1/R. We propose that this 1/R law mainly arises due to geometrical factors: smaller proteins are able to avoid confinement effects much better than their larger counterparts. The results highlight that the lateral dynamics in the crowded setting found in native membranes is radically different......The lateral diffusion of embedded proteins along lipid membranes in protein-poor conditions has been successfully described in terms of the Saffman-Delbrück (SD) model, which predicts that the protein diffusion coefficient D is weakly dependent on its radius R as D ∝ ln(1/R). However, instead...

  12. Towards an Information Model of Consistency Maintenance in Distributed Interactive Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin Zhang

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available A novel framework to model and explore predictive contract mechanisms in distributed interactive applications (DIAs using information theory is proposed. In our model, the entity state update scheme is modelled as an information generation, encoding, and reconstruction process. Such a perspective facilitates a quantitative measurement of state fidelity loss as a result of the distribution protocol. Results from an experimental study on a first-person shooter game are used to illustrate the utility of this measurement process. We contend that our proposed model is a starting point to reframe and analyse consistency maintenance in DIAs as a problem in distributed interactive media compression.

  13. A Consistent Pricing Model for Index Options and Volatility Derivatives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cont, Rama; Kokholm, Thomas

    observed properties of variance swap dynamics and allows for jumps in volatility and returns. An affine specification using L´evy processes as building blocks leads to analytically tractable pricing formulas for options on variance swaps as well as efficient numerical methods for pricing of European......We propose and study a flexible modeling framework for the joint dynamics of an index and a set of forward variance swap rates written on this index, allowing options on forward variance swaps and options on the underlying index to be priced consistently. Our model reproduces various empirically...... options on the underlying asset. The model has the convenient feature of decoupling the vanilla skews from spot/volatility correlations and allowing for different conditional correlations in large and small spot/volatility moves. We show that our model can simultaneously fit prices of European options...

  14. Hexavalent Chromium Removal from Model Water and Car Shock Absorber Factory Effluent by Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amine Mnif

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are investigated as a possible alternative to the conventional methods of Cr(VI removal from model water and industrial effluent. The influences of feed concentration, water recovery, pH, and the coexisting anions were studied. The results have shown that retention rates of hexavalent chromium can reach 99.7% using nanofiltration membrane (NF-HL and vary from 85 to 99.9% using reverse osmosis membrane (RO-SG depending upon the composition of the solution and operating conditions. This work was also extended to investigate the separation of Cr(VI from car shock absorber factory effluent. The use of these membranes is very promising for Cr(VI water treatment and desalting industry effluent. Spiegler-Kedem model was applied to experimental results in the aim to determine phenomenological parameters, the reflection coefficient of the membrane (σ, and the solute permeability coefficient (Ps. The convective and diffusive parts of the mass transfer were quantified with predominance of the diffusive contribution.

  15. A non-parametric consistency test of the ΛCDM model with Planck CMB data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aghamousa, Amir; Shafieloo, Arman [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Hamann, Jan, E-mail: amir@aghamousa.com, E-mail: jan.hamann@unsw.edu.au, E-mail: shafieloo@kasi.re.kr [School of Physics, The University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052 (Australia)

    2017-09-01

    Non-parametric reconstruction methods, such as Gaussian process (GP) regression, provide a model-independent way of estimating an underlying function and its uncertainty from noisy data. We demonstrate how GP-reconstruction can be used as a consistency test between a given data set and a specific model by looking for structures in the residuals of the data with respect to the model's best-fit. Applying this formalism to the Planck temperature and polarisation power spectrum measurements, we test their global consistency with the predictions of the base ΛCDM model. Our results do not show any serious inconsistencies, lending further support to the interpretation of the base ΛCDM model as cosmology's gold standard.

  16. Electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous membranes with varied fiber diameters and different membrane porosities as lithium-ion battery separators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Xiaojing; Kolla, Praveen; Yang, Ruidong; Wang, Zhao; Zhao, Yong; Smirnova, Alevtina L.; Fong, Hao

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Nine types of electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous membranes were prepared. • These membranes had varied fiber diameters and different membrane porosities. • The membranes were explored as innovative Li-ion battery (LIB) separators. • The hot-pressed membrane with thin fibers had superior performance as LIB separator. - Abstract: In this study, nine types of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous membranes with varied fiber diameters and different membrane porosities are prepared by electrospinning followed by hot-pressing. Subsequently, these membranes are explored as Li-ion battery (LIB) separators. The impacts of fiber diameter and membrane porosity on electrolyte uptake, Li"+ ion transport through the membrane, electrochemical oxidation potential, and membrane performance as LIB separator (during charge/discharge cycling and rate capability tests of a cathodic half-cell) have been investigated. When compared to commercial Celgard PP separator, hot-pressed electrospun PAN nanofibrous membranes exhibit larger electrolyte uptake, higher thermal stability, wider electrochemical potential window, higher Li"+ ion permeability, and better electrochemical performance in LiMn_2O_4/separator/Li half-cell. The results also indicate that the PAN-based membrane/separator with small fiber diameters of 200–300 nm and hot-pressed under high pressure of 20 MPa surpasses all other membranes/separators and demonstrates the best performance, leading to the highest discharge capacity (89.5 mA h g"−"1 at C/2 rate) and cycle life (with capacity retention ratio being 97.7%) of the half-cell. In summary, this study has revealed that the hot-pressed electrospun PAN nanofibrous membranes (particularly those consisting of thin nanofibers) are promising as high-performance LIB separators.

  17. BSM-MBR: a benchmark simulation model to compare control and operational strategies for membrane bioreactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maere, Thomas; Verrecht, Bart; Moerenhout, Stefanie; Judd, Simon; Nopens, Ingmar

    2011-03-01

    A benchmark simulation model for membrane bioreactors (BSM-MBR) was developed to evaluate operational and control strategies in terms of effluent quality and operational costs. The configuration of the existing BSM1 for conventional wastewater treatment plants was adapted using reactor volumes, pumped sludge flows and membrane filtration for the water-sludge separation. The BSM1 performance criteria were extended for an MBR taking into account additional pumping requirements for permeate production and aeration requirements for membrane fouling prevention. To incorporate the effects of elevated sludge concentrations on aeration efficiency and costs a dedicated aeration model was adopted. Steady-state and dynamic simulations revealed BSM-MBR, as expected, to out-perform BSM1 for effluent quality, mainly due to complete retention of solids and improved ammonium removal from extensive aeration combined with higher biomass levels. However, this was at the expense of significantly higher operational costs. A comparison with three large-scale MBRs showed BSM-MBR energy costs to be realistic. The membrane aeration costs for the open loop simulations were rather high, attributed to non-optimization of BSM-MBR. As proof of concept two closed loop simulations were run to demonstrate the usefulness of BSM-MBR for identifying control strategies to lower operational costs without compromising effluent quality. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Computational molecular modeling and structural rationalization for the design of a drug-loaded PLLA/PVA biopolymeric membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sibeko, B; Pillay, V; Choonara, Y E; Khan, R A; Danckwerts, M P; Modi, G; Iyuke, S E; Naidoo, D

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to design, characterize and assess the influence of triethanolamine (TEA) on the physicomechanical properties and release of methotrexate (MTX) from a composite biopolymeric membrane. Conjugated poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were prepared by immersion precipitation with and without the addition of TEA. Drug entrapment efficiency (DEE) and release studies were performed in phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4, 37 deg. C). Scanning electron microscopy elucidated the membrane surface morphology. Computational and structural molecular modeling rationalized the potential mechanisms of membrane formation and MTX release. Bi-axial force-distance (F-D) extensibility profiles were generated to determine the membrane toughness, elasticity and fracturability. Membranes were significantly toughened by the addition of TEA as a discrete rubbery phase within the co-polymer matrix. MTX-TEA-PLLA-PVA membranes were tougher (F = 89 N) and more extensible (D = 8.79 mm) compared to MTX-PLLA-PVA (F = 35 N, D = 3.7 mm) membranes as a greater force of extension and fracture distance were required (N = 10). DEE values were relatively high (>80%, N = 5) for both formulations. Photomicrographs revealed distinct crystalline layered morphologies with macro-pores. MTX was released by tri-phasic kinetics with a lower fractional release of MTX from MTX-TEA-PLLA-PVA membranes compared to MTX-PLLA-PVA. TEA provided a synergistic approach to improving the membrane physicomechanical properties and modulation of MTX release. The composite biopolymeric membrane may therefore be suitable for the novel delivery of MTX in the treatment of chronic primary central nervous system lymphoma.

  19. Mass transfer modeling on the separation of tantalum and niobium from dilute hydrofluoric media through a hollow fiber supported liquid membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buachuang, Duenphen; Ramakul, Prakorn; Leepipatpiboon, Natchanun; Pancharoen, Ura

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Simultaneous separation of tantalum and niobium from the mixture solution. → An extraction through a hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM). → The effect on tantalum removal found from Aliquat 336. → The mathematical model focusing on the extraction side of the liquid membrane system was presented. → The mass transfer coefficients of the aqueous feed (k i ) and the organic membrane phase (k m ) for the system were estimated as 1.19 x 10 -5 and 1.39 x 10 -7 cm/s, respectively. → Experimental data and theoretical values were found to be in good agreement when the concentration of Aliquat336 in the membrane phase was below 4% (v/v). - Abstract: The separation of a mixture of tantalum and niobium in dilute hydrofluoric media via hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) was examined. Quaternary ammonium salt (Aliquat336) diluted in kerosene was used as a carrier. The various effects on the transport and separation of tantalum and niobium were studied: concentration of hydrofluoric acid in the feed solution, concentration of the carrier (Aliquat336) in the membrane phase, types of stripping solutions (NaClO 4 , thiourea and HCl) and their concentration. The extraction of tantalum in the membrane phase from 0.3 M hydrofluoric acid (HF) by 3% (v/v) Aliquat336 was achieved by leaving niobium in the feed solution. Quantitative recovery of tantalum was achieved by 0.2 M NaClO 4 . Furthermore, a mathematical model focusing on the extraction side of the liquid membrane system was presented in order to predict the concentration of tantalum at different times. The mass transfer coefficients of the aqueous feed (k i ) and the organic membrane phase (k m ) were estimated as 1.19 x 10 -5 and 1.39 x 10 -7 cm/s, respectively. Therefore, the mass transfer limiting step is the diffusion of tantalum-Aliquat336 through the liquid membrane. Moreover, mass transfer modeling was performed and the validity of the developed model evaluated. Experimental

  20. Mass transfer modeling on the separation of tantalum and niobium from dilute hydrofluoric media through a hollow fiber supported liquid membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buachuang, Duenphen [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Ramakul, Prakorn [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000 (Thailand); Leepipatpiboon, Natchanun [Chromatography and Separation Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Pancharoen, Ura, E-mail: ura.p.@chula.ac.th [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand)

    2011-09-29

    Highlights: > Simultaneous separation of tantalum and niobium from the mixture solution. > An extraction through a hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM). > The effect on tantalum removal found from Aliquat 336. > The mathematical model focusing on the extraction side of the liquid membrane system was presented. > The mass transfer coefficients of the aqueous feed (k{sub i}) and the organic membrane phase (k{sub m}) for the system were estimated as 1.19 x 10{sup -5} and 1.39 x 10{sup -7} cm/s, respectively. > Experimental data and theoretical values were found to be in good agreement when the concentration of Aliquat336 in the membrane phase was below 4% (v/v). - Abstract: The separation of a mixture of tantalum and niobium in dilute hydrofluoric media via hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) was examined. Quaternary ammonium salt (Aliquat336) diluted in kerosene was used as a carrier. The various effects on the transport and separation of tantalum and niobium were studied: concentration of hydrofluoric acid in the feed solution, concentration of the carrier (Aliquat336) in the membrane phase, types of stripping solutions (NaClO{sub 4}, thiourea and HCl) and their concentration. The extraction of tantalum in the membrane phase from 0.3 M hydrofluoric acid (HF) by 3% (v/v) Aliquat336 was achieved by leaving niobium in the feed solution. Quantitative recovery of tantalum was achieved by 0.2 M NaClO{sub 4}. Furthermore, a mathematical model focusing on the extraction side of the liquid membrane system was presented in order to predict the concentration of tantalum at different times. The mass transfer coefficients of the aqueous feed (k{sub i}) and the organic membrane phase (k{sub m}) were estimated as 1.19 x 10{sup -5} and 1.39 x 10{sup -7} cm/s, respectively. Therefore, the mass transfer limiting step is the diffusion of tantalum-Aliquat336 through the liquid membrane. Moreover, mass transfer modeling was performed and the validity of the

  1. Pervaporation : membranes and models for the dehydration of ethanol

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spitzen, Johannes Wilhelmus Franciscus

    1988-01-01

    In this thesis the dehydration of ethanol/water mixtures by pervaporation using homogeneous membranes is studied. Both the general transport mechanism as well as the development of highly selective membranes for ethanol/water separation are investigated.

  2. Myosin IIA interacts with the spectrin-actin membrane skeleton to control red blood cell membrane curvature and deformability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Alyson S; Nowak, Roberta B; Zhou, Sitong; Giannetto, Michael; Gokhin, David S; Papoin, Julien; Ghiran, Ionita C; Blanc, Lionel; Wan, Jiandi; Fowler, Velia M

    2018-05-08

    The biconcave disk shape and deformability of mammalian RBCs rely on the membrane skeleton, a viscoelastic network of short, membrane-associated actin filaments (F-actin) cross-linked by long, flexible spectrin tetramers. Nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) motors exert force on diverse F-actin networks to control cell shapes, but a function for NMII contractility in the 2D spectrin-F-actin network of RBCs has not been tested. Here, we show that RBCs contain membrane skeleton-associated NMIIA puncta, identified as bipolar filaments by superresolution fluorescence microscopy. MgATP disrupts NMIIA association with the membrane skeleton, consistent with NMIIA motor domains binding to membrane skeleton F-actin and contributing to membrane mechanical properties. In addition, the phosphorylation of the RBC NMIIA heavy and light chains in vivo indicates active regulation of NMIIA motor activity and filament assembly, while reduced heavy chain phosphorylation of membrane skeleton-associated NMIIA indicates assembly of stable filaments at the membrane. Treatment of RBCs with blebbistatin, an inhibitor of NMII motor activity, decreases the number of NMIIA filaments associated with the membrane and enhances local, nanoscale membrane oscillations, suggesting decreased membrane tension. Blebbistatin-treated RBCs also exhibit elongated shapes, loss of membrane curvature, and enhanced deformability, indicating a role for NMIIA contractility in promoting membrane stiffness and maintaining RBC biconcave disk cell shape. As structures similar to the RBC membrane skeleton exist in many metazoan cell types, these data demonstrate a general function for NMII in controlling specialized membrane morphology and mechanical properties through contractile interactions with short F-actin in spectrin-F-actin networks.

  3. Structure, Dynamics, and Phase Behavior of DOPC/DSPC Mixture Membrane Systems: Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Seonghan; Chang, Rakwoo [Kwangwoon University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-07-15

    Full atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for model mixture bilayer membrane systems consisting of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) phospholipids to understand the effects of two essential parameters such as lipid composition and temperature on the structural, dynamical, and phase behavior of mixture membrane systems. Although pure DSPC membranes are in the gel-like (L{sub β}' or P{sub β}') phase at 323 K, raising the temperature by only 10 K or replacing 20% of DSPC lipids by DOPC lipids can change the gel-like phase into the completely liquid-crystalline phase (L{sub α}). This phase change is accompanied by dramatic change in both structural properties such as area per lipid, membrane thickness, deuterium order parameter, and tail angle distribution, and dynamics properties such as mobility map. We also observe that the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) data of tail angle distribution as well as area per lipid (or membrane thickness)can be used as order parameters for the membrane phase transition.

  4. Structure, Dynamics, and Phase Behavior of DOPC/DSPC Mixture Membrane Systems: Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Seonghan; Chang, Rakwoo

    2016-01-01

    Full atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for model mixture bilayer membrane systems consisting of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) phospholipids to understand the effects of two essential parameters such as lipid composition and temperature on the structural, dynamical, and phase behavior of mixture membrane systems. Although pure DSPC membranes are in the gel-like (L_β' or P_β') phase at 323 K, raising the temperature by only 10 K or replacing 20% of DSPC lipids by DOPC lipids can change the gel-like phase into the completely liquid-crystalline phase (L_α). This phase change is accompanied by dramatic change in both structural properties such as area per lipid, membrane thickness, deuterium order parameter, and tail angle distribution, and dynamics properties such as mobility map. We also observe that the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) data of tail angle distribution as well as area per lipid (or membrane thickness)can be used as order parameters for the membrane phase transition.

  5. Structure and organization of nanosized-inclusion-containing bilayer membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Chun-Lai; Ma, Yu-Qiang

    2009-07-01

    Based on a considerable amount of experimental evidence for lateral organization of lipid membranes which share astonishingly similar features in the presence of different inclusions, we use a hybrid self-consistent field theory (SCFT)/density-functional theory (DFT) approach to deal with bilayer membranes embedded by nanosized inclusions and explain experimental findings. Here, the hydrophobic inclusions are simple models of hydrophobic drugs or other nanoparticles for biomedical applications. It is found that lipid/inclusion-rich domains are formed at moderate inclusion concentrations and disappear with the increase in the concentration of inclusions. At high inclusion content, chaining of inclusions occurs due to the effective depletion attraction between inclusions mediated by lipids. Meanwhile, the increase in the concentration of inclusions can also cause thickening of the membrane and the distribution of inclusions undergoes a layering transition from one-layer structure located in the bilayer midplane to two-layer structure arranged into the two leaflets of a bilayer. Our theoretical predictions address the complex interactions between membranes and inclusions suggesting a unifying mechanism which reflects the competition between the conformational entropy of lipids favoring the formation of lipid- and inclusion-rich domains in lipids and the steric repulsion of inclusions leading to the uniform dispersion.

  6. Design and simulation of the surface shape control system for membrane mirror

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Gengsheng; Tang, Minxue

    2009-11-01

    The surface shape control is one of the key technologies for the manufacture of membrane mirror. This paper presents a design of membrane mirror's surface shape control system on the basis of fuzzy logic control. The system contains such function modules as surface shape design, surface shape control, surface shape analysis, and etc. The system functions are realized by using hybrid programming technology of Visual C# and MATLAB. The finite element method is adopted to simulate the surface shape control of membrane mirror. The finite element analysis model is established through ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL). ANSYS software kernel is called by the system in background running mode when doing the simulation. The controller is designed by means of controlling the sag of the mirror's central crosssection. The surface shape of the membrane mirror and its optical aberration are obtained by applying Zernike polynomial fitting. The analysis of surface shape control and the simulation of disturbance response are performed for a membrane mirror with 300mm aperture and F/2.7. The result of the simulation shows that by using the designed control system, the RMS wavefront error of the mirror can reach to 142λ (λ=632.8nm), which is consistent to the surface accuracy of the membrane mirror obtained by the large deformation theory of membrane under the same condition.

  7. Dynamic Model of the High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack Temperature

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreasen, Søren Juhl; Kær, Søren Knudsen

    2009-01-01

    The present work involves the development of a model for predicting the dynamic temperature of a high temperature proton exchange membrane (HTPEM) fuel cell stack. The model is developed to test different thermal control strategies before implementing them in the actual system. The test system co...... elements for start-up, heat conduction through stack insulation, cathode air convection, and heating of the inlet gases in the manifold. Various measurements are presented to validate the model predictions of the stack temperatures....

  8. Membrane topology analysis of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp41

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao Dan

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The gp41 subunit of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env has been widely regarded as a type I transmembrane protein with a single membrane-spanning domain (MSD. An alternative topology model suggested multiple MSDs. The major discrepancy between the two models is that the cytoplasmic Kennedy sequence in the single MSD model is assigned as the extracellular loop accessible to neutralizing antibodies in the other model. We examined the membrane topology of the gp41 subunit in both prokaryotic and mammalian systems. We attached topological markers to the C-termini of serially truncated gp41. In the prokaryotic system, we utilized a green fluorescent protein (GFP that is only active in the cytoplasm. The tag protein (HaloTag and a membrane-impermeable ligand specific to HaloTag was used in the mammalian system. Results In the absence of membrane fusion, both the prokaryotic and mammalian systems (293FT cells supported the single MSD model. In the presence of membrane fusion in mammalian cells (293CD4 cells, the data obtained seem to support the multiple MSD model. However, the region predicted to be a potential MSD is the highly hydrophilic Kennedy sequence and is least likely to become a MSD based on several algorithms. Further analysis revealed the induction of membrane permeability during membrane fusion, allowing the membrane-impermeable ligand and antibodies to cross the membrane. Therefore, we cannot completely rule out the possible artifacts. Addition of membrane fusion inhibitors or alterations of the MSD sequence decreased the induction of membrane permeability. Conclusions It is likely that a single MSD model for HIV-1 gp41 holds true even in the presence of membrane fusion. The degree of the augmentation of membrane permeability we observed was dependent on the membrane fusion and sequence of the MSD.

  9. Ultrafiltration by gyroid nanoporous polymer membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Li; Szewczykowski, Piotr Przemyslaw; Clausen, Lydia D.

    2011-01-01

    the effect of membrane fouling on the flux decline and rejection profiles. Significant fouling occurred in the case of hydrophobic membranes in contact with water solutions, while in the presence of high concentration of ethanol in the filtration solution and in the case of hydrophilized membranes...... the fouling was reduced. The observed rejection of PEG was compared with theoretic predictions, as described by the Bungay–Brenner model. The model satisfactorily described the rejection profile of PEG up to 12kg/mol through hydrophobic membranes in the presence of excess ethanol. A significantly reduced......Gyroid nanoporous cross-linked 1,2-polybutadiene membranes with uniform pores were developed for ultrafiltration applications. The gyroid porosity has the advantage of isotropic percolation with no need for structure pre-alignment. The effects of solvent and surface photo...

  10. Possible world based consistency learning model for clustering and classifying uncertain data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Han; Zhang, Xianchao; Zhang, Xiaotong

    2018-06-01

    Possible world has shown to be effective for handling various types of data uncertainty in uncertain data management. However, few uncertain data clustering and classification algorithms are proposed based on possible world. Moreover, existing possible world based algorithms suffer from the following issues: (1) they deal with each possible world independently and ignore the consistency principle across different possible worlds; (2) they require the extra post-processing procedure to obtain the final result, which causes that the effectiveness highly relies on the post-processing method and the efficiency is also not very good. In this paper, we propose a novel possible world based consistency learning model for uncertain data, which can be extended both for clustering and classifying uncertain data. This model utilizes the consistency principle to learn a consensus affinity matrix for uncertain data, which can make full use of the information across different possible worlds and then improve the clustering and classification performance. Meanwhile, this model imposes a new rank constraint on the Laplacian matrix of the consensus affinity matrix, thereby ensuring that the number of connected components in the consensus affinity matrix is exactly equal to the number of classes. This also means that the clustering and classification results can be directly obtained without any post-processing procedure. Furthermore, for the clustering and classification tasks, we respectively derive the efficient optimization methods to solve the proposed model. Experimental results on real benchmark datasets and real world uncertain datasets show that the proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art uncertain data clustering and classification algorithms in effectiveness and performs competitively in efficiency. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. A photo-tunable membrane based on inter-particle crosslinking for decreasing diffusion rates

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Song

    2015-01-01

    Functional polymeric membranes are widely used to adjust and control the diffusion of molecules. Herein, photosensitive poly(hydroxycinnamic acid) (PHCA) microspheres, which were fabricated by an emulsification solvent-evaporation method, were embedded into an ethyl cellulose matrix to fabricate composite membranes with a photo-tunable property. The photoreaction of PHCA is based on the [2 + 2] cycloaddition of cinnamic moieties upon irradiation with 365 nm light. Intra-particle crosslinking in PHCA microspheres was confirmed in the solution phase, while inter-particle crosslinking between adjacent PHCA microspheres dominated the solid membrane phase. The inter-particle crosslinking turned down the permeability of the composite membranes by 74%. To prove the applicability of the designed system, the composite membrane was coated on a model drug reservoir tablet. Upon irradiating the tablet with UV light, the original permeability decreased by 57%, and consequently the diffusion rate of the cargo (Rhodamine B) from the tablet slowed down. Most importantly, the tablet showed sustained release for over 10 days. This controllability can be further tuned by adjusting the membrane thickness. Composite membranes showed excellent processing reproducibility together with consistent mechanical properties. These results demonstrate that the incorporation of photosensitive PHCA microspheres in polymeric membranes provides a promising photo-tunable material for different applications including coating and separation. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015.

  12. Membrane alterations induced by nonstructural proteins of human norovirus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvie Y Doerflinger

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Human noroviruses (huNoV are the most frequent cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis worldwide, particularly genogroup II genotype 4 (GII.4 variants. The viral nonstructural (NS proteins encoded by the ORF1 polyprotein induce vesical clusters harboring the viral replication sites. Little is known so far about the ultrastructure of these replication organelles or the contribution of individual NS proteins to their biogenesis. We compared the ultrastructural changes induced by expression of norovirus ORF1 polyproteins with those induced upon infection with murine norovirus (MNV. Characteristic membrane alterations induced by ORF1 expression resembled those found in MNV infected cells, consisting of vesicle accumulations likely built from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER which included single membrane vesicles (SMVs, double membrane vesicles (DMVs and multi membrane vesicles (MMVs. In-depth analysis using electron tomography suggested that MMVs originate through the enwrapping of SMVs with tubular structures similar to mechanisms reported for picornaviruses. Expression of GII.4 NS1-2, NS3 and NS4 fused to GFP revealed distinct membrane alterations when analyzed by correlative light and electron microscopy. Expression of NS1-2 induced proliferation of smooth ER membranes forming long tubular structures that were affected by mutations in the active center of the putative NS1-2 hydrolase domain. NS3 was associated with ER membranes around lipid droplets (LDs and induced the formation of convoluted membranes, which were even more pronounced in case of NS4. Interestingly, NS4 was the only GII.4 protein capable of inducing SMV and DMV formation when expressed individually. Our work provides the first ultrastructural analysis of norovirus GII.4 induced vesicle clusters and suggests that their morphology and biogenesis is most similar to picornaviruses. We further identified NS4 as a key factor in the formation of membrane alterations of huNoV and

  13. Direct quantification of negatively charged functional groups on membrane surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Tiraferri, Alberto; Elimelech, Menachem

    2012-01-01

    groups at the surface of dense polymeric membranes. Both techniques consist of associating the membrane surface moieties with chemical probes, followed by quantification of the bound probes. Uranyl acetate and toluidine blue O dye, which interact

  14. Preparation of bipolar membranes by electrospinning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Jiefeng; Hou, Linxiao; Wang, Qiuyue; He, Yubin; Wu, Liang; Mondal, Abhishek N.; Xu, Tongwen

    2017-01-01

    A new preparative pathway for the bipolar membranes was initiated via the electrospinning and hot-press process. The prepared bipolar membrane was consisting of sulfonated poly (phenylene oxide), polyethylene glycol, and quaternized poly (phenylene oxide). The above mentioned membrane was fabricated by the continuous electrospinning of the respective layer, followed by the solvent atmosphere treatment and hot-pressing, to obtain a transparent and dense structure. The thickness of each layer can be easily tuned by controlling the electrospinning parameters. The clear interfacial structure was observed and confirmed by the scanning electron microscope. The bipolar performance is evaluated by the current–voltage curves and production yield of acid and base. The final optimized bipolar membrane had similar yield of acid and base as the casting membrane. However, extremely lower potential drop value was observed when they are applied for the production of acid and base. The experimental results showed that, electrospinning is an effective and well controlled way to fabricate bipolar membranes, in which anion or cation exchange layer as well as interfacial layer can be easily changed or added as requested. - Highlights: • Bipolar membranes were prepared through electrospinning followed by post-treatment. • As-prepared membranes were successfully applied in electrodialysis for production of acid and base. • Electrospun membranes exhibit better performance than the casting ones.

  15. Preparation of bipolar membranes by electrospinning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pan, Jiefeng; Hou, Linxiao; Wang, Qiuyue; He, Yubin; Wu, Liang; Mondal, Abhishek N.; Xu, Tongwen, E-mail: twxu@ustc.edu.cn

    2017-01-15

    A new preparative pathway for the bipolar membranes was initiated via the electrospinning and hot-press process. The prepared bipolar membrane was consisting of sulfonated poly (phenylene oxide), polyethylene glycol, and quaternized poly (phenylene oxide). The above mentioned membrane was fabricated by the continuous electrospinning of the respective layer, followed by the solvent atmosphere treatment and hot-pressing, to obtain a transparent and dense structure. The thickness of each layer can be easily tuned by controlling the electrospinning parameters. The clear interfacial structure was observed and confirmed by the scanning electron microscope. The bipolar performance is evaluated by the current–voltage curves and production yield of acid and base. The final optimized bipolar membrane had similar yield of acid and base as the casting membrane. However, extremely lower potential drop value was observed when they are applied for the production of acid and base. The experimental results showed that, electrospinning is an effective and well controlled way to fabricate bipolar membranes, in which anion or cation exchange layer as well as interfacial layer can be easily changed or added as requested. - Highlights: • Bipolar membranes were prepared through electrospinning followed by post-treatment. • As-prepared membranes were successfully applied in electrodialysis for production of acid and base. • Electrospun membranes exhibit better performance than the casting ones.

  16. Molecular dynamics study of lipid bilayers modeling the plasma membranes of normal murine thymocytes and leukemic GRSL cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andoh, Yoshimichi; Okazaki, Susumu; Ueoka, Ryuichi

    2013-04-01

    Molecular dynamics (MD) calculations for the plasma membranes of normal murine thymocytes and thymus-derived leukemic GRSL cells in water have been performed under physiological isothermal-isobaric conditions (310.15K and 1 atm) to investigate changes in membrane properties induced by canceration. The model membranes used in our calculations for normal and leukemic thymocytes comprised 23 and 25 kinds of lipids, respectively, including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophospholipids, and cholesterol. The mole fractions of the lipids adopted here were based on previously published experimental values. Our calculations clearly showed that the membrane area was increased in leukemic cells, and that the isothermal area compressibility of the leukemic plasma membranes was double that of normal cells. The calculated membranes of leukemic cells were thus considerably bulkier and softer in the lateral direction compared with those of normal cells. The tilt angle of the cholesterol and the conformation of the phospholipid fatty acid tails both showed a lower level of order in leukemic cell membranes compared with normal cell membranes. The lateral radial distribution function of the lipids also showed a more disordered structure in leukemic cell membranes than in normal cell membranes. These observations all show that, for the present thymocytes, the lateral structure of the membrane is considerably disordered by canceration. Furthermore, the calculated lateral self-diffusion coefficient of the lipid molecules in leukemic cell membranes was almost double that in normal cell membranes. The calculated rotational and wobbling autocorrelation functions also indicated that the molecular motion of the lipids was enhanced in leukemic cell membranes. Thus, here we have demonstrated that the membranes of thymocyte leukemic cells are more disordered and more fluid than normal cell membranes. Copyright © 2013

  17. The outer membrane protein assembly machinery of Neisseria meningitidis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Volokhina, E.B.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304837202

    2009-01-01

    Gram-negative bacteria are characterized by a cell envelope consisting of an inner membrane (IM) and an outer membrane (OM), which are separated by the peptidoglycan-containing periplasm. While the integral IM proteins are alpha-helical, all but one known integral OM proteins (OMPs) are

  18. Direct quantification of negatively charged functional groups on membrane surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Tiraferri, Alberto

    2012-02-01

    Surface charge plays an important role in membrane-based separations of particulates, macromolecules, and dissolved ionic species. In this study, we present two experimental methods to determine the concentration of negatively charged functional groups at the surface of dense polymeric membranes. Both techniques consist of associating the membrane surface moieties with chemical probes, followed by quantification of the bound probes. Uranyl acetate and toluidine blue O dye, which interact with the membrane functional groups via complexation and electrostatic interaction, respectively, were used as probes. The amount of associated probes was quantified using liquid scintillation counting for uranium atoms and visible light spectroscopy for the toluidine blue dye. The techniques were validated using self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols with known amounts of charged moieties. The surface density of negatively charged functional groups of hand-cast thin-film composite polyamide membranes, as well as commercial cellulose triacetate and polyamide membranes, was quantified under various conditions. Using both techniques, we measured a negatively charged functional group density of 20-30nm -2 for the hand-cast thin-film composite membranes. The ionization behavior of the membrane functional groups, determined from measurements with toluidine blue at varying pH, was consistent with published data for thin-film composite polyamide membranes. Similarly, the measured charge densities on commercial membranes were in general agreement with previous investigations. The relative simplicity of the two methods makes them a useful tool for quantifying the surface charge concentration of a variety of surfaces, including separation membranes. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

  19. Integrating Solid-State NMR and Computational Modeling to Investigate the Structure and Dynamics of Membrane-Associated Ghrelin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Els-Heindl, Sylvia; Chollet, Constance; Scheidt, Holger A.; Beck-Sickinger, Annette G.; Meiler, Jens; Huster, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    The peptide hormone ghrelin activates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a, also known as the ghrelin receptor. This 28-residue peptide is acylated at Ser3 and is the only peptide hormone in the human body that is lipid-modified by an octanoyl group. Little is known about the structure and dynamics of membrane-associated ghrelin. We carried out solid-state NMR studies of ghrelin in lipid vesicles, followed by computational modeling of the peptide using Rosetta. Isotropic chemical shift data of isotopically labeled ghrelin provide information about the peptide’s secondary structure. Spin diffusion experiments indicate that ghrelin binds to membranes via its lipidated Ser3. Further, Phe4, as well as electrostatics involving the peptide’s positively charged residues and lipid polar headgroups, contribute to the binding energy. Other than the lipid anchor, ghrelin is highly flexible and mobile at the membrane surface. This observation is supported by our predicted model ensemble, which is in good agreement with experimentally determined chemical shifts. In the final ensemble of models, residues 8–17 form an α-helix, while residues 21–23 and 26–27 often adopt a polyproline II helical conformation. These helices appear to assist the peptide in forming an amphipathic conformation so that it can bind to the membrane. PMID:25803439

  20. Anandamide-ceramide interactions in a membrane environment: Molecular dynamic simulations data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Scala, Coralie; Mazzarino, Morgane; Yahi, Nouara; Varini, Karine; Garmy, Nicolas; Fantini, Jacques; Chahinian, Henri

    2017-10-01

    Anandamide is a lipid neurotransmitter that interacts with various plasma membrane lipids. The data here consists of molecular dynamics simulations of anandamide, C18-ceramide and cholesterol performed in vacuo and within a hydrated palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC)/cholesterol membrane. Several models of anandamide/cholesterol and anandamide/ceramide complexes are presented. The energy of interaction and the nature of the intermolecular forces involved in each of these complexes are detailed. The impact of water molecules hydrating the POPC/cholesterol membrane for the stability of the anandamide/cholesterol and anandamide/ceramide complexes is also analyzed. From a total number of 1920 water molecules stochatiscally merged with the lipid matrix, 48 were eventually redistributed around the polar head groups of the anandamide/ceramide complex, whereas only 15 reached with the anandamide/cholesterol complex. The interpretation of this dataset is presented in the accompanying article "Ceramide binding to anandamide increases its half-life and potentiates its cytotoxicity in human neuroblastoma cells" [1].

  1. Genetic Algorithm-Based Model Order Reduction of Aeroservoelastic Systems with Consistant States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jin; Wang, Yi; Pant, Kapil; Suh, Peter M.; Brenner, Martin J.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a model order reduction framework to construct linear parameter-varying reduced-order models of flexible aircraft for aeroservoelasticity analysis and control synthesis in broad two-dimensional flight parameter space. Genetic algorithms are used to automatically determine physical states for reduction and to generate reduced-order models at grid points within parameter space while minimizing the trial-and-error process. In addition, balanced truncation for unstable systems is used in conjunction with the congruence transformation technique to achieve locally optimal realization and weak fulfillment of state consistency across the entire parameter space. Therefore, aeroservoelasticity reduced-order models at any flight condition can be obtained simply through model interpolation. The methodology is applied to the pitch-plant model of the X-56A Multi-Use Technology Testbed currently being tested at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center for flutter suppression and gust load alleviation. The present studies indicate that the reduced-order model with more than 12× reduction in the number of states relative to the original model is able to accurately predict system response among all input-output channels. The genetic-algorithm-guided approach exceeds manual and empirical state selection in terms of efficiency and accuracy. The interpolated aeroservoelasticity reduced order models exhibit smooth pole transition and continuously varying gains along a set of prescribed flight conditions, which verifies consistent state representation obtained by congruence transformation. The present model order reduction framework can be used by control engineers for robust aeroservoelasticity controller synthesis and novel vehicle design.

  2. From shell to membrane theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Destuynder, P.

    1981-02-01

    A new formulation of the membrane theory is presented in this paper. The assumptions which allow the Budiansky-Sanders' model or the membrane theory to be deduced from the three-dimensional case are pointed out [fr

  3. Membrane transport of anandamide through resealed human red blood cell membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bojesen, I.N.; Hansen, Harald S.

    2005-01-01

    The use of resealed red blood cell membranes (ghosts) allows the study of the transport of a compound in a nonmetabolizing system with a biological membrane. Transmembrane movements of anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine, arachidonoylethanolamide) have been studied by exchange efflux experiments...... at 0°C and pH 7.3 with albumin-free and albumin-filled human red blood cell ghosts. The efflux kinetics is biexponential and is analyzed in terms of compartment models. The distribution of anandamide on the membrane inner to outer leaflet pools is determined to be 0.275 ± 0.023, and the rate constant...... of unidirectional flux from inside to outside is 0.361 ± 0.023 s. The rate constant of unidirectional flux from the membrane to BSA in the medium ([BSA]) increases with the square root of [BSA] in accordance with the theory of an unstirred layer around ghosts. Anandamide passed through the red blood cell membrane...

  4. Fabrication of electrospun polyacrylonitrile ion-exchange membranes for application in lysozyme adsorption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Ion exchange (IEX chromatography is commonly used in separation and purification systems. However, micropore blockage within its resin structure can easily lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of purification. To tackle this problem, we adopted the concept of membrane separation by combining electrospinning techniques with rapid alkaline hydrolysis to prepare a weak acid IEX nanofibrous membrane (AEA-COOH, consisting of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET meltblown fabric as a supporting layer, with upper and lower IEX layers consisting of polyacrylonitrile (PAN nanofibrous membranes. To determine the characteristics of the AEA-COOH membrane, we used the commercial product Sartobind© C IEX membrane as the standard of comparison. Results showed that the base weight and thickness of AEACOOH were 33 and 64%, relative to Sartobind© C membrane. The thermo-degradable temperature of AEA-COOH membrane (320°C was far higher than that of Sartobind© C (115°C, indicating high thermal stability. Finally, comparisons between the lysozyme adsorption rates and capacity of various IEX membranes confirmed that AEA-COOH was lighter, thinner, faster, possessing higher protein adsorption efficiency than Sartobind© C membrane.

  5. Interaction of a peptide derived from C-terminus of human TRPA1 channel with model membranes mimicking the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witschas, Katja; Jobin, Marie-Lise; Korkut, Dursun Nizam; Vladan, Maria Magdalena; Salgado, Gilmar; Lecomte, Sophie; Vlachova, Viktorie; Alves, Isabel D

    2015-05-01

    The transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 channel (TRPA1) belongs to the TRP cation channel superfamily that responds to a panoply of stimuli such as changes in temperature, calcium levels, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and lipid mediators among others. The TRP superfamily has been implicated in diverse pathological states including neurodegenerative disorders, kidney diseases, inflammation, pain and cancer. The intracellular C-terminus is an important regulator of TRP channel activity. Studies with this and other TRP superfamily members have shown that the C-terminus association with lipid bilayer alters channel sensitivity and activation, especially interactions occurring through basic residues. Nevertheless, it is not yet clear how this process takes place and which regions in the C-terminus would be responsible for such membrane recognition. With that in mind, herein the first putative membrane interacting region of the C-terminus of human TRPA1, (corresponding to a 29 residue peptide, IAEVQKHASLKRIAMQVELHTSLEKKLPL) named H1 due to its potential helical character was chosen for studies of membrane interaction. The affinity of H1 to lipid membranes, H1 structural changes occurring upon this interaction as well as effects of this interaction in lipid organization and integrity were investigated using a biophysical approach. Lipid models systems composed of zwitterionic and anionic lipids, namely those present in the lipid membrane inner leaflet, where H1 is prone to interact, where used. The study reveals a strong interaction and affinity of H1 as well as peptide structuration especially with membranes containing anionic lipids. Moreover, the interactions and peptide structure adoption are headgroup specific. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Ceramic membranes for high temperature hydrogen separation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fain, D.E.; Roettger, G.E. [Oak Ridge K-25 Site, TN (United States)

    1996-08-01

    Ceramic gas separation membranes can provide very high separation factors if the pore size is sufficiently small to separate gas molecules by molecular sieving and if oversized pores are adequately limited. Ceramic membranes typically have some pores that are substantially larger than the mean pore size and that should be regarded as defects. To assess the effects of such defects on the performance of ceramic membranes, a simple mathematical model has been developed to describe flow through a gas separation membrane that has a primary mode of flow through very small pores but that has a secondary mode of flow through undesirably large pores. This model permits separation factors to be calculated for a specified gas pair as a function of the molecular weights and molecular diameters of the gases, the membrane pore diameter, and the diameter and number of defects. This model will be described, and key results from the model will be presented. The separation factors of the authors membranes continue to be determined using a permeance test system that measures flows of pure gases through a membrane at temperatures up to 275{degrees}C. A primary goal of this project for FY 1996 is to develop a mixed gas separation system for measuring the separation efficiency of membranes at higher temperatures. Performance criteria have been established for the planned mixed gas separation system and design of the system has been completed. The test system is designed to measure the separation efficiency of membranes at temperatures up to 600{degrees}C and pressures up to 100 psi by separating the constituents of a gas mixture containing hydrogen. The system will accommodate the authors typical experimental membrane that is tubular and has a diameter of about 9 mm and a length of about 23 cm. The design of the new test system and its expected performance will be discussed.

  7. Interactions of a Photochromic Spiropyran with Liposome Model Membranes

    KAUST Repository

    Jonsson, Fabian; Beke-Somfai, Tamá s; André asson, Joakim; Nordé n, Bengt

    2013-01-01

    by shear flow, further insight is obtained about interaction and binding geometry of the spiropyran at the lipid membranes. We show that the membrane interactions differ between the two types of liposomes used as well as the isomeric forms of the spiropyran

  8. Molecular Interactions at Membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jagalski, Vivien

    . Today, we know more than ever before about the properties of biological membranes. Advanced biophysical techniques and sophisticated membrane models allow us to answer specific questions about the structure of the components within membranes and their interactions. However, many detailed structural...... the surface-immobilization of LeuT by exchanging the detergent with natural phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids. Various surface sensitive techniques, including neutron reflectometry (NR), are employed and finally enabled us to confirm the gross structure of LeuT in a lipid environment as predicted by molecular...... dynamic simulations. In a second study, the co-localization of three toxic plant-derived diterpene resin acids (RAs) within DPPC membranes was investigated. These compounds are reported to disrupt the membrane and increase its fluidity. The RAs used in this study vary in their toxicity while...

  9. "A Simplified 'Benchmark” Stock-flow Consistent (SFC) Post-Keynesian Growth Model"

    OpenAIRE

    Claudio H. Dos Santos; Gennaro Zezza

    2007-01-01

    Despite being arguably one of the most active areas of research in heterodox macroeconomics, the study of the dynamic properties of stock-flow consistent (SFC) growth models of financially sophisticated economies is still in its early stages. This paper attempts to offer a contribution to this line of research by presenting a simplified Post-Keynesian SFC growth model with well-defined dynamic properties, and using it to shed light on the merits and limitations of the current heterodox SFC li...

  10. The ELBA force field for coarse-grain modeling of lipid membranes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Orsi

    Full Text Available A new coarse-grain model for molecular dynamics simulation of lipid membranes is presented. Following a simple and conventional approach, lipid molecules are modeled by spherical sites, each representing a group of several atoms. In contrast to common coarse-grain methods, two original (interdependent features are here adopted. First, the main electrostatics are modeled explicitly by charges and dipoles, which interact realistically through a relative dielectric constant of unity (ε(r = 1. Second, water molecules are represented individually through a new parametrization of the simple Stockmayer potential for polar fluids; each water molecule is therefore described by a single spherical site embedded with a point dipole. The force field is shown to accurately reproduce the main physical properties of single-species phospholipid bilayers comprising dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC and dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE in the liquid crystal phase, as well as distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC in the liquid crystal and gel phases. Insights are presented into fundamental properties and phenomena that can be difficult or impossible to study with alternative computational or experimental methods. For example, we investigate the internal pressure distribution, dipole potential, lipid diffusion, and spontaneous self-assembly. Simulations lasting up to 1.5 microseconds were conducted for systems of different sizes (128, 512 and 1058 lipids; this also allowed us to identify size-dependent artifacts that are expected to affect membrane simulations in general. Future extensions and applications are discussed, particularly in relation to the methodology's inherent multiscale capabilities.

  11. A computer simulation approach to quantify the true area and true area compressibility modulus of biological membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chacón, Enrique; Tarazona, Pedro; Bresme, Fernando

    2015-01-01

    We present a new computational approach to quantify the area per lipid and the area compressibility modulus of biological membranes. Our method relies on the analysis of the membrane fluctuations using our recently introduced coupled undulatory (CU) mode [Tarazona et al., J. Chem. Phys. 139, 094902 (2013)], which provides excellent estimates of the bending modulus of model membranes. Unlike the projected area, widely used in computer simulations of membranes, the CU area is thermodynamically consistent. This new area definition makes it possible to accurately estimate the area of the undulating bilayer, and the area per lipid, by excluding any contributions related to the phospholipid protrusions. We find that the area per phospholipid and the area compressibility modulus features a negligible dependence with system size, making possible their computation using truly small bilayers, involving a few hundred lipids. The area compressibility modulus obtained from the analysis of the CU area fluctuations is fully consistent with the Hooke’s law route. Unlike existing methods, our approach relies on a single simulation, and no a priori knowledge of the bending modulus is required. We illustrate our method by analyzing 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine bilayers using the coarse grained MARTINI force-field. The area per lipid and area compressibility modulus obtained with our method and the MARTINI forcefield are consistent with previous studies of these bilayers

  12. Molecular organization in bacterial cell membranes. Specific labelling and topological distribution of glycoproteins and proteins in Streptomyces albus membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Larraga, V; Munoz, E [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Madrid (Spain). Instituto de Biologia Celular

    1975-05-01

    The paper reports about an investigation into the question of the specific labelling and topological distribution of glycoproteins and proteins in Streptomyces albus membranes. The method of sample preparation is described: Tritium labelling of glycoproteins in protoplasts and membranes, iodination of proteins, trypsin treatment and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The findings suggest an asymmetrical distribution of the glycoproteins in membranes and a weak accessibility to iodine label. A structural model of the plasma membranes of Streptomyces albus is proposed similar to the general 'fluid mosaic' model of Singer and Nicholson.

  13. Microbial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation on Microfiltration Membranes: A Detailed Characterization Using Model Organisms with Increasing Complexity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Vanysacker

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Since many years, membrane biofouling has been described as the Achilles heel of membrane fouling. In the present study, an ecological assay was performed using model systems with increasing complexity: a monospecies assay using Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Escherichia coli separately, a duospecies assay using both microorganisms, and a multispecies assay using activated sludge with or without spiked P. aeruginosa. The microbial adhesion and biofilm formation were evaluated in terms of bacterial cell densities, species richness, and bacterial community composition on polyvinyldifluoride, polyethylene, and polysulfone membranes. The data show that biofouling formation was strongly influenced by the kind of microorganism, the interactions between the organisms, and the changes in environmental conditions whereas the membrane effect was less important. The findings obtained in this study suggest that more knowledge in species composition and microbial interactions is needed in order to understand the complex biofouling process. This is the first report describing the microbial interactions with a membrane during the biofouling development.

  14. Microbial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation on Microfiltration Membranes: A Detailed Characterization Using Model Organisms with Increasing Complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanysacker, L.; Denis, C.; Declerck, P.; Piasecka, A.; Vankelecom, I. F. J.

    2013-01-01

    Since many years, membrane biofouling has been described as the Achilles heel of membrane fouling. In the present study, an ecological assay was performed using model systems with increasing complexity: a monospecies assay using Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Escherichia coli separately, a duospecies assay using both microorganisms, and a multispecies assay using activated sludge with or without spiked P. aeruginosa. The microbial adhesion and biofilm formation were evaluated in terms of bacterial cell densities, species richness, and bacterial community composition on polyvinyldifluoride, polyethylene, and polysulfone membranes. The data show that biofouling formation was strongly influenced by the kind of microorganism, the interactions between the organisms, and the changes in environmental conditions whereas the membrane effect was less important. The findings obtained in this study suggest that more knowledge in species composition and microbial interactions is needed in order to understand the complex biofouling process. This is the first report describing the microbial interactions with a membrane during the biofouling development. PMID:23986906

  15. Application of the mass-based UNIQUAC model to membrane systems: A critical revision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chovau, S.; Van der Bruggen, B.; Luis, P.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► UNIQUAC model in mass-based terms is considered for the description of sorption equilibria in membrane systems. ► Model validation of molar and mass-based model is performed on simple (vapor + liquid) equilibrium. ► Discrepancy is found between molar and mass-based model, which is attributed to an incorrect conversion. ► Novel model based on correct thermodynamics is provided for future research. - Abstract: The UNIQUAC model is very suitable in describing (liquid + liquid) as well as (vapor + liquid) equilibrium for a wide range of systems. It can be extended to (solvent + polymer) systems for describing sorption equilibria. The original model is expressed in molar-based terms, but requires knowledge of structural parameters and molar masses of all components. Since these cannot always be easily determined for membranes, a conversion to mass-based terms is often performed, which eliminates this issue. Many studies use this model to calculate sorption equilibria in (solvent + polymer) systems. Nevertheless, in this work the conversion from molar to mass-based parameters is postulated to be erroneous. This even leads to an incorrect description of simple (vapor + liquid) equilibrium of pure liquid mixtures and hence it is advised not to use this model for further modeling of sorption equilibrium in (solvent + polymer) systems. In this paper, the errors in the conversion are pinpointed, and the effects it can have on the description of (vapor + liquid) equilibrium, if used improvident, are demonstrated. Furthermore, it is shown that in fact a simple and straightforward conversion can be performed. Finally, in the case when polymers are involved, an adaption and simplification to the model was successfully applied.

  16. Cell-element simulations to optimize the performance of osmotic processes in porous membranes

    KAUST Repository

    Calo, Victor M.

    2018-05-11

    We present a new module of the software tool PoreChem for 3D simulations of osmotic processes at the cell-element scale. We consider the most general fully coupled model (see e.g., Sagiv and Semiat (2011)) in 3D to evaluate the impact on the membrane performance of both internal and external concentration polarization, which occurs in a cell-element for different operational conditions. The model consists of the Navier–Stokes–Brinkman system to describe the free fluid flow and the flow within the membrane with selective and support layers, a convection–diffusion equation to describe the solute transport, and nonlinear interface conditions to fully couple these equations. First, we briefly describe the mathematical model and discuss the discretization of the continuous model, the iterative solution, and the software implementation. Then, we present the analytical and numerical validation of the simulation tool. Next, we perform and discuss numerical simulations for a case study. The case study concerns the design of a cell element for the forward osmosis experiments. Using the developed software tool we qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the performance of a cell element that we designed for laboratory experiments of forward osmosis, and discuss the differences between the numerical solutions obtained with the full 3D and reduced 2D models. Finally, we demonstrate how the software enables investigating membrane heterogeneities.

  17. Picornavirus RNA is protected from cleavage by ribonuclease during virion uncoating and transfer across cellular and model membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groppelli, Elisabetta; Levy, Hazel C; Sun, Eileen; Strauss, Mike; Nicol, Clare; Gold, Sarah; Zhuang, Xiaowei; Tuthill, Tobias J; Hogle, James M; Rowlands, David J

    2017-02-01

    Picornaviruses are non-enveloped RNA viruses that enter cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Because they lack an envelope, picornaviruses face the challenge of delivering their RNA genomes across the membrane of the endocytic vesicle into the cytoplasm to initiate infection. Currently, the mechanism of genome release and translocation across membranes remains poorly understood. Within the enterovirus genus, poliovirus, rhinovirus 2, and rhinovirus 16 have been proposed to release their genomes across intact endosomal membranes through virally induced pores, whereas one study has proposed that rhinovirus 14 releases its RNA following disruption of endosomal membranes. For the more distantly related aphthovirus genus (e.g. foot-and-mouth disease viruses and equine rhinitis A virus) acidification of endosomes results in the disassembly of the virion into pentamers and in the release of the viral RNA into the lumen of the endosome, but no details have been elucidated as how the RNA crosses the vesicle membrane. However, more recent studies suggest aphthovirus RNA is released from intact particles and the dissociation to pentamers may be a late event. In this study we have investigated the RNase A sensitivity of genome translocation of poliovirus using a receptor-decorated-liposome model and the sensitivity of infection of poliovirus and equine-rhinitis A virus to co-internalized RNase A. We show that poliovirus genome translocation is insensitive to RNase A and results in little or no release into the medium in the liposome model. We also show that infectivity is not reduced by co-internalized RNase A for poliovirus and equine rhinitis A virus. Additionally, we show that all poliovirus genomes that are internalized into cells, not just those resulting in infection, are protected from RNase A. These results support a finely coordinated, directional model of viral RNA delivery that involves viral proteins and cellular membranes.

  18. Picornavirus RNA is protected from cleavage by ribonuclease during virion uncoating and transfer across cellular and model membranes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elisabetta Groppelli

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Picornaviruses are non-enveloped RNA viruses that enter cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Because they lack an envelope, picornaviruses face the challenge of delivering their RNA genomes across the membrane of the endocytic vesicle into the cytoplasm to initiate infection. Currently, the mechanism of genome release and translocation across membranes remains poorly understood. Within the enterovirus genus, poliovirus, rhinovirus 2, and rhinovirus 16 have been proposed to release their genomes across intact endosomal membranes through virally induced pores, whereas one study has proposed that rhinovirus 14 releases its RNA following disruption of endosomal membranes. For the more distantly related aphthovirus genus (e.g. foot-and-mouth disease viruses and equine rhinitis A virus acidification of endosomes results in the disassembly of the virion into pentamers and in the release of the viral RNA into the lumen of the endosome, but no details have been elucidated as how the RNA crosses the vesicle membrane. However, more recent studies suggest aphthovirus RNA is released from intact particles and the dissociation to pentamers may be a late event. In this study we have investigated the RNase A sensitivity of genome translocation of poliovirus using a receptor-decorated-liposome model and the sensitivity of infection of poliovirus and equine-rhinitis A virus to co-internalized RNase A. We show that poliovirus genome translocation is insensitive to RNase A and results in little or no release into the medium in the liposome model. We also show that infectivity is not reduced by co-internalized RNase A for poliovirus and equine rhinitis A virus. Additionally, we show that all poliovirus genomes that are internalized into cells, not just those resulting in infection, are protected from RNase A. These results support a finely coordinated, directional model of viral RNA delivery that involves viral proteins and cellular membranes.

  19. Modeling and simulation of anion-exchange membrane chromatography for purification of Sf9 insect cell-derived virus-like particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladd Effio, Christopher; Hahn, Tobias; Seiler, Julia; Oelmeier, Stefan A; Asen, Iris; Silberer, Christine; Villain, Louis; Hubbuch, Jürgen

    2016-01-15

    Recombinant protein-based virus-like particles (VLPs) are steadily gaining in importance as innovative vaccines against cancer and infectious diseases. Multiple VLPs are currently evaluated in clinical phases requiring a straightforward and rational process design. To date, there is no generic platform process available for the purification of VLPs. In order to accelerate and simplify VLP downstream processing, there is a demand for novel development approaches, technologies, and purification tools. Membrane adsorbers have been identified as promising stationary phases for the processing of bionanoparticles due to their large pore sizes. In this work, we present the potential of two strategies for designing VLP processes following the basic tenet of 'quality by design': High-throughput experimentation and process modeling of an anion-exchange membrane capture step. Automated membrane screenings allowed the identification of optimal VLP binding conditions yielding a dynamic binding capacity of 5.7 mg/mL for human B19 parvovirus-like particles derived from Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 insect cells. A mechanistic approach was implemented for radial ion-exchange membrane chromatography using the lumped-rate model and stoichiometric displacement model for the in silico optimization of a VLP capture step. For the first time, process modeling enabled the in silico design of a selective, robust and scalable process with minimal experimental effort for a complex VLP feedstock. The optimized anion-exchange membrane chromatography process resulted in a protein purity of 81.5%, a DNA clearance of 99.2%, and a VLP recovery of 59%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Improving the performance of water desalination through ultra-permeable functionalized nanoporous graphene oxide membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosseini, Mostafa; Azamat, Jafar; Erfan-Niya, Hamid

    2018-01-01

    Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the water desalination performance of nanoporous graphene oxide (NPGO) membranes. The simulated systems consist of a NPGO as a membrane with a functionalized pore in its center immersed in an aqueous ionic solution and a graphene sheet as a barrier. The considered NPGO membranes are involved four types of pore with different size and chemistry. The results indicated that the NPGO membrane has effective efficiency in salt rejection as well as high performance in water flux. For all types of pore with the radius size of 2.9-4.5 Å, the NPGO shows salt rejection of >89%. Functional groups on the surface and edge of pores have a great effect on water flux. To precisely understand the effect of functional groups on the surface of nanostructured membranes, nanoporous graphene was simulated under the same condition for comparison. Hydrophilic groups on the surface make the NPGO as an ultra-permeable membrane. As a result, the obtained water flux for NPGO was about 77% greater than graphene. Also, it was found that the water flux of NPGO is 2-5 orders of magnitude greater than other existing reverse osmosis membranes. Therefore, the investigated systems can be recommended as a model for the water desalination.