Pressure-driven membrane inflation through nanopores on the cell wall

Walled cells,such as in plants and fungi,compose an important part of the model systems in biology.The cell wall primarily prevents the cell from over-expansion when exposed to water,and is a porous material distributed with nanosized pores on it.In this paper,we study the deformation of a membrane patch by an osmotic pressure through a nanopore on the cell wall.We find that there exists a critical pore size or a critical pressure beyond which the membrane cannot stand against the pressure and would inflate out through the pore and further expand.The critical pore size scales linearly with the membrane tension and quadratically with the spontaneous curvature.The critical pressure is inversely proportional to the pore radius.Our results also show that the fluid membrane expansion by pressure is mechanically different from the solid balloon expansion,and predict that the bending rigidity of the membrane in walled cells should be much larger than that of the mammalian cells so as to prevent membrane inflation through the pores on the cell wall.

Filtering Surface Water with a Polyurethane-based Hollow Fiber Membrane: Effects of Operating Pressure on Membrane Fouling

Membrane fouling seriously restricts applications of membrane technology. A novel strategy was applied in this study to retard membrane fouling by changing operating pressure with the pressure responsibility membrane. A polyurethane-based hollow fiber membrane was used to treat surface water for evaluating the effect of operating pressure on membrane fouling. Some bench-scale tests in dead-end mode were carried out. In the experiments without backwashing, as operating pressure increased, severe membrane fouling occurred on membrane surface, while the permeate quality was improved obviously, which is considered to be due to shrinkage deformation. The total resistance, irreversible resistance and reversible resistance under different backwash pressures were determined in filtration/backwashing test. With the increase of backwash pressure, the total resistance decreased, and more importantly, the irreversible resistance also decreased, which implies that small particles deposited inside membrane pores and cake layers on membrane surface are effectively removed. Similar results could be obtained in mass balance tests. The results of the present study indicate that the application of pressure responsibility membrane in surface water treatment may be an effective strategy for reducing membrane fouling.

Hydrogen Permeation Characteristics of Pd-CuMembrane in Plasma Membrane Reactor

Hydrogen is an alternative energy source that has the potential to replace fossil fuels.One of the hydrogen applications is as a material for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells(PEMFC)in fuel cell vehicles.High-purity hydrogen can be obtained using a hydrogen separation membrane to prevent unwanted contaminants from potentially harming the PEMFC components.In this study,we fabricated a plasma membrane reactor and investigated the permeation performance of a hydrogen separation membrane in a plasma membrane reactor utilizing atmospheric pressure plasma.The result showed the hydrogen permeation rate increasing with time as reactor temperature is increased through joule heating.By decreasing the gap length of the reactor from 2 to 1 mm,the hydrogen permeation rate increases by up to 40%.The hydrogen permeation rate increases by 30%when pressure is applied to the plasma membrane reactor by up to 100 kPa.

Drift characteristics and the multi-field coupling stress mechanism of the pantograph-catenary arc under low air pressure

The fault caused by a pantograph-catenary arc is the main factor that threatens the stability of high-speed railway energy transmission.Pantograph-catenary arc vertical drift is more severe than the case under normal pressure,as it is easy to develop the rigid busbar,which may lead to the flashover occurring around the support insulators.We establish a pantograph-catenary arc experiment and diagnosis platform to simulate low pressure and strong airflow environment.Meanwhile,the variation law of arc drift height with time under different air pressures and airflow velocities is analyzed.Moreover,arc drift characteristics and influencing factors are explored.The physical process of the arc column drifting to the rigid busbar with the jumping mechanism of the arc root on the rigid busbar is summarized.In order to further explore the mechanism of the above physical process,a multi-field stress coupling model is built,as the multi-stress variation law of arc is quantitatively evaluated.The dynamic action mechanism of multi-field stress on arc drifting characteristics is explored,as the physical mechanism of arc drifting under low pressure is theoretically explained.The research results provide theoretical support for arc suppression in high-altitude areas.

Oxidation of Fe-Cr-Ni Alloys in a Low Oxygen Partial Pressure Atmosphere to Mitigate Coke Formation

Anti-coking oxide films were prepared on a 25Cr35Ni and 35Cr45Ni alloy surface under the low oxygen partialpressure atmosphere of a H2-H2O mixture. The composition and phase structure of the oxide films were analyzed by energydispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The anti-cokingperformance of a mini tube made of a HP40 (25Cr35Ni) alloy was evaluated on a bench scale pyrolysis and coking test unit.The results showed that the surface Fe and Ni content decreased after the oxidation of the two alloys in a low oxygen partialpressure atmosphere. The oxide films were mainly composed of MnCr_(2)O_(4) and Cr_(2)O_(3). The average mass of coke in the minitube with oxide film decreased by 87% relative to that of a tube without an oxide film when the cracking temperature was 900℃. The ethylene, propylene, and butadiene yields in the pyrolysis tests were almost the same for the mini tubes withand without an oxide film. The oxide film on the alloy surface effectively inhibited catalytic filamentous coke formation.An industrial test showed that the run length of the cracking furnace with the in-situ coating technology was significantlyextended.

Correlation between choroidal thickness and intraocular pressure after 23-gauge vitrectomy for idiopathic epiretinal membrane

AIM： To determine the relationship between the subfoveal choroidal thickness（CT） and intraocular pressure（IOP） following idiopathic epiretinal membrane（ERM） surgery.METHODS： Retrospective observational case series of patients who had undergone 23-gauge vitrectomy for an ERM. The measurements of CT and IOP were done at the baseline and 1 d, 1 wk, 1, 3, 6, and 12 mo after the surgery.RESULTS： Forty-four eyes of 43 patients with a mean age of 69.8±9.5 y were studied. The CT was 200.8±86.3 μm at the baseline, 210.1±83.5 μm at 1 d, 213.2±85.4 μm at 1 wk, 203.1±84.0 μm at 1 mo, 197.5±85.5 μm at 3 mo, 197.7±84.0 μm at 6 mo, and 191.2±86.8 μm at 12 mo after surgery. The CT on day 1 and week 1 after the surgery was significantly thicker than that at the baseline CT（P=0.0023 and P〈0.0001）. The CT at 12 mo after surgery was significantly thinner than the baseline（P=0.0062）. The IOP on day 1 and week 1 were significantly lower than the baseline（P〈0.0001 and P=0.0042）. The IOP at 1, 3, 6, and 12 mo after surgery were significantly higher than the baseline IOP（P=0.0087, P=0.0023, P〈0.00051, and P〈0.0001）. The rates of changes in the CT between baseline and day 1 and week 1 were significantly and negatively correlated with the rates of change in the IOP（P〈0.0001 and P=0.046）. In the group with the IOP change rate of-30% or less at 1 d postoperatively, the change rate of CT was-21.1% to 31.2%（9.8%±12.4%） and in the group of-29% or more, it was-8.9% to 28.0%（2.6%±8.9%）. The change rate of CT in the group with the IOP change rate of-30% or less was significantly higher than the group of-29% or more（P=0.016）.CONCLUSION： CT increases soon after the ERM surgery which is probably due to the transient hypotony, showing that IOP may be a significant confounding factor for CT.

Fluctuation pressure on a bio-membrane confined within a parabolic potential well

A compliant bio-membrane with a nominally fiat reference configuration is prone to random transverse deflections when placed in water, due primarily to the Brownian motion of the water molecules. On the average, these fluctuations result in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium between the entropic energy of the water and the total free en- ergy of the membrane. When the membrane is in close proximity to a parallel surface, that surface restricts the fluctuations of the membrane which, in turn, results in an increase in its free energy. The amount of that increase depends on the degree of confinement, and the resulting gradient in free energy with degree of confinement implies the existence of a confining pressure. In the present study, we assume that the confinement is in the form of a continuous parabolic po- tential well resisting fluctuation. Analysis leads to a closed form expression for the mean pressure resulting from this confinement, and the results are discussed within the broader context of results in this area. In particular, the results provide insights into the roles of membrane stiffness, number of degrees of freedom in the model of the membrane and other system parameters.

Inflation analyses of a circular elastomeric membrane with hydrostatic pressure

Composite diaphragm inflation （CDI） experiment is a useful methodology for exploring the mechanics relation of cell-cell junctions within a living epithelial sheet. In this paper, a new methodology of CDI experiment has been put forward. The finite deformation of a circular polydimezhylsiloxane elastomeric membrane, which is used as the substrate for the culture of epithelial cells, under hydrostatic pressure is explored by the theory of non-linear continuum mechanics. The simplified governing equations with minimum amount of differential equations and boundary conditions are obtained and solved by multiple shooting method. The influences on the membrane by hydrostatic pressure have been discussed.

Surface Modification of Polypropylene Microporous Membrane by Atmospheric-pressure Plasma Induced N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone Graft Polymerization

Membrane surfaces modified with poly（N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone） （PNVP） can be endowed with hydrophilicity, biocompatibility and functionality. In this work, atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma graft polymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone （NVP） onto polypropylene （PP） microporous membrane surface was studied. The experimental results reveal that plasma treatment conditions, such as discharge power, treatment time and adsorbed NVP amount, have remarkable effects on the grafting degree of NVP. Structural and morphological changes on the membrane surfaces were characterized by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR/ATR）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope （XPS） and field emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM）. Water contact angles of the membrane surfaces were also measured by the sessile drop method. Water contact angles on the membrane surfaces decrease with the increase of NVP grafting degree, which indicates an enhanced hydrophilicity for the modified membranes. The effects of grafting degrees on pure water fluxes were also measured. It is shown that pure water fluxes increase with grafting degree firstly and then decrease adversely. Finally, filtration of bovine serum albumin （BSA） solution and platelets adhesion of the PNVP modified membranes show good protein resistance and potential biocompatibility due to the enhancement of surface hydrophilicity.

Application of High-pressure Flat Membranes in Coal Chemical Wastewater Treatment

In the process of using high-pressure flat membranes to treat coal chemical wastewater,the effects of high-pressure flat membranes on the concentration of salt ions and the removal of pollutants were studied under the conditions of different concentrations of influent TDS,COD and silicon dioxide.The results showed that when the concentration of influent TDS was 35 000-55 000 mg/L,the economic benefit of high-pressure flat membrane operation was the best,and the concentration ratio of high-pressure flat membranes was stable,varying from 3.3 to 3.6.As the concentration of influent organic matter ranged from 100 to 1 800 mg/L,the removal rate of organic matter ranged from 60% to 79%.In addition,the retention rate of high-pressure flat membranes to silicon dioxide was more than 90%.

Pilot-plant Study of Anoxic-aerobic Membrane Bioreactor （AO-MBR） on the Changes of Membrane Flux under Constant Pressure

Under a constant pressure, a pilot-plant test was conducted through the use of anoxic-aerobic membrane bioreactor （AO-MBR）, and this test operated steadily for 251 days. During the experiment, there were a total of four membrane cleaning processes, for the 90th day, the 150th day, the 210th day and the 240th day, respectively （The cleaning cycle was 90 days, 60 days, 60 days and 30 days, respectively）. From the initial 33.26 L/m^2.b dropped to 20.03 L/m^2.h after the fourth membrane cleaning, membrane flux reduced to 60.22% of the initial flux. During the 180 thd-210 thd of the experiment, the powdered activated carbon （PAC）, the segment size of which is 80-100, was put into anoxic reactor. Membrane flux decreased from 16.02 L/m^2·h to 15.29 L/m^2·h, and then rose to 15.65L/m^2·h. The dosing of PAC had a significant effect on the maintenance of a high membrane flux and extending running time. Before several membrane cleanings, a wire of membrane was intercepted from membrane module. It was found that the membrane surface sediments seemed to the inorganic colloid formed by Fe^2＋, Ca^2＋ and biofilm formed by some micro-organisms after the membrane surface pollutants were analyzed preliminarily with scanning electron microscopy （SEM）.

The Mechanical Environment of the Cells in a Membrane Pressure-tension Compound Loading System:An Experimental and Theoretical Study

A quasi-static/dynamic pressure-tension compound loading system was established in this paper for the research of cellular mechanical circumstances. Both radical and circumferential strain of the basement membrane were studied and compared in theoretical calculations by using the FEA Software ABAQUS and experimental measurements. The tension of the basement membrane was studied both in ABUQUES results and experimental results, the relation between the height of the concave cavity, the radius of the membrane and the strain of the membrane were studied in details.

Utilization of deep neuromuscular blockade combined with reduced abdominal pressure in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer:An academic perspective

BACKGROUND Few studies have examined the specific efficacy of deep neuromuscular blockade(NMB)combined with pneumoperitoneal pressure reduction in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy(LRG)in the elderly.AIM To investigate the application effect of deep neuromuscular blockade(NMB)combined with reduced pneumoperitoneum pressure in LRG for gastric cancer(GC)in elderly patients and its influence on inflammation.METHODS Totally 103 elderly patients with GC treated in our hospital between January 2020 and January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.Among them,45 patients treated with surgery based on deep NMB and conventional pneumoperitoneum pressure were assigned to the control group,while the rest of the 58 patients who underwent surgery based on deep NMB and reduced pneumoperitoneum pressure were assigned to the observation group.The two groups were compared in the changes of the Leiden-surgical rating scale score,serum tumor necrosis fact-α(TNF-α)and interleukin 6(IL-6)before and after therapy.The visual analogue scale(VAS)was adopted for evaluating the shoulder pain of patients at 8 h,24 h and 48 h after the operation.The driving pressure of the two groups at different time points was also compared.Additionally,the operation time,pneumoperitoneum time,infusion volume,blood loss,extubation time after surgery,residence time in the resuscitation room,TOF%=90%time and post-anesthetic recovery room(PACU)stay time were all recorded,and adverse PACU-associated respiratory events were also recorded.The postoperative hospitalization time and postoperative expenses of the two groups were counted and compared.RESULTS No significant difference was found between the two groups at the time of skin incision,60 minutes since the operation and abdominal closure after surgery(P>0.05).The observation group exhibited significantly lower VAS scores than the control group at 24 and 48h after surgery(P<0.05).Additionally,the observation group had significantly lower driving pressure than the control group at 5 min and 60 min after the establishment of pneumoperitoneum(P<0.05).Additionally,the two groups were similar in terms of the operation time,pneumoperitoneum time,infusion volume,blood loss,extubation time after surgery,residence time in the resuscitation room and TOF%=90%time(P>0.05),and the observation group showed significantly lower TNF-αand IL-6 Levels than the control group at 24 h after therapy(P<0.05).Moreover,the incidence of adverse events was not significantly different between the two groups(P>0.05),and the observation group experienced significantly less hospitalization time and postoperative expenses than the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Deep NMB combined with reduced pneumoperitoneum pressure can decrease the VAS score of shoulder pain and inflammatory reaction,without hindering the surgical vision and increasing adverse PACU-associated respiratory events,and can thus shorten the hospitalization time and treatment cost for patient.

Preparation of Cellulose Acetate Butyrate Porous Micro/Nanofibrous Membranes and Their Properties

Cellulose acetate butyrate(CAB)is a cellulose ester that is commonly used in applications such as coatings and leather brighteners.However,its appearance in a fibrous form is rarely reported.CAB porous micro/nanofibrous membranes with a large number of nanopores on the fiber surface were successfully prepared by electrospinning with dichloromethane(DCM)/acetone(AC)as the mixed solvent.Apparent morphology,porosity,moisture permeability,air permeability,static water contact angles,and thermal conductivity of the fibrous membranes were investigated at different spinning voltages.The results showed that with the increase of the spinning voltage,the average fiber diameter of the CAB porous micro/nanofibrous membranes gradually decreased and the fiber diameter distribution was more uniform.When the spinning voltage reached 40 kV,the porosity reached 91.38%,the moisture permeability was up to 7430 g/(m^(2)·d),the air permeability was up to 36.289 mm/s,the static water contact angle was up to 145.0°,while the thermal conductivity of the fibrous membranes reached 0.030 W/(m·K).The material can be applied as thermal-insulation,waterproof and moisture-permeable membranes.

Controlled low central venous pressure reduces blood loss and transfusion requirements in hepatectomy

AIM: To evaluate the effect of low central venous pressure (LCVP) on blood loss and blood transfusion in patients undergoing hepatectomy.

Gating system optimization of low pressure casting A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold based on numerical simulation

To eliminate the shrinkage porosity in low pressure casting of an A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold casting, numerical simulation on fi lling and solidifi cation processes of the casting was carried out using the ProCAST software. The gating system of the casting is optimized according to the simulation results. Results show that when the gating system consists of only one sprue, the fi lling of the molten metal is not stable; and the casting does not follow the sequence solidifi cation, and many shrinkage porosities are observed through the casting. After the gating system is improved by adding one runner and two in-gates, the fi lling time is prolonged from 4.0 s to 4.5 s, the fi lling of molten metal becomes stable, but this casting does not follow the sequence solidifi cation either. Some shrinkage porosity is also observed in the hot spots of the casting. When the gating system was further improved by adding risers and chill to the hot spots of the casting, the shrinkage porosity defects were eliminated completely. Finally, by using the optimized gating system the A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold casting with integrated shape and smooth surface as well as dense microstructure was successfully produced.

Numerical simulation of low pressure die-casting aluminum wheel

The FDM numerical simulation software,ViewCast system,was employed to simulate the low pressure die casting(LPDC)of an aluminum wheel.By analyzing the mold-filling and solidification stage of the LPDC process,the distribution of liquid fraction,temperature field and solidification pattern of castings were studied.The potential shrinkage defects were predicted to be formed at the rim/spoke junctions,which is in consistence with the X-ray detection result.The distribution pattern of the defects has also been studied.A solution towards reducing such defects has been presented.The cooling capacity of the mold was improved by installing water pipes both in the side mold and the top mold.Analysis on the shrinkage defects under forced cooling mode proved that adding the cooling system in the mold is an effective method for reduction of shrinkage defects.

Pressurization System in Low Pressure Tube Hydroforming

Advanced high strength steels are the group of material with high strength and good formability, because high strength lesser gauge thickness can be used without compromising the function of component. In terms of economic forming process, hydroforming is the manufacturing option which uses a fluid medium to form a component by using high internal pressure. This process gained steep interest in the automotive and aerospace industries because of its many advantages such as part consolidation, good quality of the formed part etc. The main advantage is that the uniform pressure can be transferred to whole projected part at the same time. Low pressure tube hydroforming considered an inexpensive option for forming these advanced high strength steel. This paper investigates the pressurization system used during the low pressure tube hydroforming cycle. It is observed that the usage of ramp pressure cycle during forming the part from low pressure tube hydroforming results in lesser die holding force. Also, the stress, strain and thickness distribution of the part during low pressure tube hydroforming are critically analysed.

Mechanism of burst feeding in ZL205A casting under mechanical vibration and low pressure

The burst feeding behavior of ZL205 A casting under mechanical vibration and low pressure was investigated by casting experiment and physical model. Experimental results indicated that the burst feeding appeared repeatedly during solidification and left a shrinkage cavity with layered structure under mechanical vibration. The castings with less shrinkage and higher density could be achieved through the vibration. The calculation results of physical model showed that the burst feeding could perform spontaneously under vibration while difficultly without vibration in low-pressure die casting. The obstruction of a casting could be broken and the grains could be rearranged by the vibration. And the obstruction could be carried away due to the inner and outer pressure difference, causing a burst feeding.

Study of vortex in flow fields induced by surface dielectric barrier discharge actuator at low pressure based on Q criterion

Flow fields induced by a surface dielectric barrier discharge actuator at low pressure of 7 kPa are measured by particle image velocimetry. The distribution of local vortices in the flow field is revealed by the Q criterion. The reason for the generation of vortices is analyzed and the influence of pulse frequency and duty cycle on vortices is studied. The results show that the Q criterion can reveal the small-scale vortices, which cannot be indicated by the streamline. The direction transition zone where the induced jet moves from the vertical to the tangential and the shear layer between the jet and stationary air are prone to the generation of strong vortices. The influence of pulse frequency on vortices is not obvious, but the variation of duty cycle can significantly affect the strength and distribution of vortices.