Investigation of pilot scale manufacturing of polysulfone (PSf) membranes by wet phase inversion method

Membranes are used as a support layer for the fabrication of thin film composite membranes. Sup- port layer properties can affect many performance parameters of TFC membranes such as flux, rejection, morphology and stability against pressure. Although studies in lab scale fabrication exist, investigation the pilot scale polysulfone membrane fabrication has not been done. In this study, opti- mization of polysulfone support membranes fabrication was conducted in pilot scale. Coagulation bath temperature; casting speed and solution content were selected as main parameters for the opti- mization. Membrane surface properties were investigated in details with SEM and pore size dis- tribution. Membrane performance were determined with permeability experiments. Differences in pilot scale and lab scale membrane manufacturing were observed and compared with literature. On the contrary to literature it was found that, coagulation bath temperature has exact opposite effect in pilot scale membrane formation compared to lab scale studies. 10°C drop (from 25°C to 15°C) in coagulation bath temperature decreased mean pore size of membranes from 27 nm to 8 nm and per- meability from 464 l/m2h to 100 l/m2h while everything else was kept constant

Applicability of pressure retarded osmosis power generation technology in Istanbul

In this study, the applicability of pressure retarded osmosis power generation was investigated in order to meet the electricity demand in Turkey. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is a method that converting salinity gradients to power using a semi-permeable membrane against an applied pressure and PRO is one of the promising candidates to reduce fossil fuel dependency. In PRO, water is transported from a low concentrated feed solution to a high-concentrated draw solution. According to the literature findings, in order to produce 1MW of electricity 1m3/s fresh water flow is needed. Turkey is surrounded on three sides by water and has a big potential to develop this technology. Riva River is investigated in the scope this study. Currently Turkey’s total installed power capacity reached 85.200 MW at the end of 2017.Calculations of PRO power generation reveals that it is possible to generate 25,45 MW, If using 5% of total river flow

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Resource Recovery from Waste, Water and Wastewaters with Membrane Technologies

In this study, critical elements (Boron (B) and Rare Earth Elements (REE)) recovery is studied with membrane technologies. Concentrated boron can be recovered by using different technologies. Membrane technologies such as reverse osmosis have a potential to concentrate the boron. pH of the solution is very important if reverse osmosis is applied. Removal of boron at pH levels of 7 and 10 increases from 80% to 97% with reverse osmosis membranes. Another critical element is rare earth elements in the World. Rare earth elements (REE) is a group of elements that involve lanthanides, scandium and yttrium. A successful REE transport for wastewater was observed compared with the concentrate flow of the acidic waste slime.This study was financially supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) (Project no:117Y357), Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Scientific Research Project (Project ID: 41893) and Eti Mining Operations General Directorate. The authors would also like to thank Geochemistry Research Laboratory for XRF analysi

Anomalous Origin of Left Internal Thoracic Artery From The Second Intercostal Artery

Left internal thoracic artery (LITA) has increased importance and common use in coronary bypass grafting because of long-term better patency rate and improvement in both the duration and quality of survival of patients. LITA is a branch of the first part of the subclavian artery. We report a case in which the LITA originated from the second left intercostal artery. A 71-year-old man with a history of angina pectoris for 1 month was admitted to the hospital because of progressive increase in anginal symptoms. During the operation, it was noted that the LITA originated from the second intercostal artery. LITA used as a free graft. LITA was anastomosed to the left anterior descending coronary artery. He was free of symptoms 4 weeks after operation. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of the LITA originating from the second intercostal artery

Extradural hematoma of the posterior cranial fossa

Fourteen cases of an extradural hematoma of the posterior fossa (EDHPF), are presented and the clinical and radiological findings are described. The onset of symptoms was acute in 10 patients and subacute in the other 4. Hematomas occurred in the younger age groups with a clear male predominance. Nine cases had suffered a blow to the head. A fracture of the occipital bone was seen in 86 % of the patients. The bleeder could be identified in 10 cases, and in 6 of these the source was a bleeding transverse sinus. The overall mortality was 14.2 %, but only patients with an acute course died (20 %). All subacute cases survived. This study revealed that the most important factors influencing mortality were late diagnosis and late treatment. Coexisting intracranial lesions had no influence on mortality According to the literature, there has been a certain decrease in mortality in the acute and subacute course patients since the introduction of computed tomography (CT) scanning. Emphasis is placed on the importance of occipital soft-tissue swelling and occipital fracture as clues to the possible presence of extradural hematomas, and of using the CT in all such patients even if no clinical symptoms are present

Lipid peroxidation and oedema in experimental brain injury: comparison of treatment with methylprednisolone, tirilazad mesylate and vitamin E

Trauma-induced lipid peroxidation (LP) is one of the most important factors that produces tissue damage in head trauma. In the present study, the protective effects of free radical suppression with methylprednisolone (MP), tirilazad mesylate (TM) and vitamin E on the development of cerebral LP and oedema resulting from head trauma have been investigated. Rats were divided randomly into four groups. Bolus injections of physiological saline, MP (initial 30 mg/kg for 1 h, continuing administration of 5.4 mg/kg per hour until 24 h), TM (10 mg/kg), or vitamin E (30 mg/kg) were given 1 h after the head trauma. The animals were killed 24 h after the weight-drop injury for removal of the brain, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and water content of the brain were determined. Rats treated with TM had MDA levels which decreased significantly in comparison with the control group (P0.05) that was statistically different. These findings demonstrated the beneficial effect of TM in this model of experimental brain injury