Influence of ultrafiltration membrane characteristics on adsorptive fouling with dextrans

This paper presents a detailed investigation of fouling mechanisms for ultrafiltration membranes with polysaccharides obtained by studying membrane–solute (static adsorption) and membrane–solute–solute interactions (ultrafiltration (UF)). Two polyethersulfone (PES) membranes and one stabilized cellulose (cellulosic) membrane with a nominal cut-off of 10 kg/mol and dextrans with average molar mass (M) of 4, 10 and 15 kg/mol were used. The membranes before and after static adsorption of dextran were characterized by captive bubble contact angle and tangential streaming potential measurements as well as ultrafiltration sieving curves for polyethylene glycols. Significant water flux reductions (4–15%), which also correlated with dextran molar mass, and changes of the other membrane characteristics occurred after static dextran adsorption for the PES membranes. An empirical model to describe the correlation between the relative water flux reduction and the concentration of solute had also been proposed. In contrast, no significant changes could be detected for the cellulosic membrane. Significant membrane–solute interactions had also been confirmed in the ultrafiltration experiments with dextrans where irreversible fouling had been observed for the PES but not for the cellulosic membranes. The results provide fundamental information for a better understanding of fouling by polysaccharides. In particular, it had been confirmed that hydrophilic and neutral dextrans can significantly foul PES membranes via adsorption to the surface of the membrane polymer. On this basis, methods for control of this fouling can be properly developed

Solitons in a parametrically driven damped discrete nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation

We consider a parametrically driven damped discrete nonlinear Schr\"odinger (PDDNLS) equation. Analytical and numerical calculations are performed to determine the existence and stability of fundamental discrete bright solitons. We show that there are two types of onsite discrete soliton, namely onsite type I and II. We also show that there are four types of intersite discrete soliton, called intersite type I, II, III, and IV, where the last two types are essentially the same, due to symmetry. Onsite and intersite type I solitons, which can be unstable in the case of no dissipation, are found to be stabilized by the damping, whereas the other types are always unstable. Our further analysis demonstrates that saddle-node and pitchfork (symmetry-breaking) bifurcations can occur. More interestingly, the onsite type I, intersite type I, and intersite type III-IV admit Hopf bifurcations from which emerge periodic solitons (limit cycles). The continuation of the limit cycles as well as the stability of the periodic solitons are computed through the numerical continuation software Matcont. We observe subcritical Hopf bifurcations along the existence curve of the onsite type I and intersite type III-IV. Along the existence curve of the intersite type I we observe both supercritical and subcritical Hopf bifurcations.Comment: to appear in "Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking, Self-Trapping, and Josephson Oscillations in Nonlinear Systems", B.A. Malomed, ed. (Springer, Berlin, 2012

Gereja sebagai Umat Allah dan Rekan Negara

Tulisan ini menguraikan posisi gereja sebagai umat Allah dan warga negara berdasarkan tinjauan Injil Lukas, dan Kisah Para Rasul. Kemudian melihat relevansinya bagi gereja di Indonesia, untuk mencari pendirian yang tepat terkait sikap umat Kristen terhadap negara. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan analisis naratif yang dipadukan dengan analisis sosial oleh Philip F. Esler. Tulisan ini akan meninjau interaksi Paulus dengan petinggi-petinggi Romawi. Berdasarkan asumsi kesatuan teks yang merupakan karakteristik analisis naratif, pembahasan tentang interaksi tersebut akan dihubungkan dengan dimensi sosial dalam keseluruhan tulisan Lukas. Hasil analisis teks dijelaskan bahwa gereja bukanlah oposisi bagi negara, melainkan rekan yang memiliki tanggung jawab sosial untuk mengaktualkan shalom bagi warga gereja, dan masyarakat yang lebih luas

Gereja yang Berfokus pada Gerakan Misioner

Eklesiologi adalah bagian dari teologi sistematika yang mempelajari tentang gereja. Gereja pada masa kini terus berkembang dan berwujud dalam berbagai format. Pada Kenyataannya gereja-gereja cenderung membangun kekuasaannya sendiri dan kerajaannya. Dalam artikel ini, akan diuraikan tentang betapa pentingnya sebagai sebuah gereja untuk tetap berpusat kepada Kristus dan menyadari tanggungjawab utamanya adalah mewartakan Injil sebagai sebuah Missio Dei (misi dari Tuhan). Metode penulisan yang digunakan adalah meninjau melalui pendekatan sejarah gereja sebagaimana ditunjukkan dalam Alkitab, khususnya di dalam Kisah Para Rasul. Tantangan yang dihadapi gereja masa kini adalah bagaimana gereja tetap bekerja di tengah masyarakat post modern melalui misi yang kontekstual. Masyarakat memiliki keyakinannya masing-masing dana pa yang bisa diperbuat adalah menjadi bagian dari dunia dengan paradigma seperti Allah melihat yaitu untuk mendirikan Kerajaan-Nya dibumi seperti di surga. Kesimpulannya mengatakan bahwa gereja seharusnya tidak hanya focus pada hal-hal di dalam (internal) tapi tetap melakukan penjangkauan sampai ke seluruh dunia. Gereja harus berpusat pada Kristus dan misi sebagai organisme yang hidup. Gereja adalah sebuah gerakan yang terjadi terus menerus dan progresif

Pluralitas Agama Dalam Perspektif Permainan: Dialog Antaragama Dalam Hermenutika HG Gadamer

The writer tries to analyze the problem of religious plurality through HG Gadamer's hermeneutical analysis. In the article, the writer starts his analysis from the phenomenon of interreligious relationship happens in the world. In the writer's opinion -based on HG Gadamer's analysis-, that human look lost in the phenomenon of hard interreligious relation, on contrary it suggests that the interdependent among religious people. The two categories above don't mean the relation of win or loss, or domination relation, but it is better to say "belonging relation ". Moreover the writer specifies that communicative attitude for knowing the others which together with knowing himself could solve all problems of interreligious relationship with some consensus obtained without any pressure. Knowing the others doesn't mean following other i attitude, but influencing or influenced. Thus, the critical and innovative attitude are needed. Life is just a game

Kematian yang Nir Batas

This project is a result of a variety of work done in the previous, the main themes for the variety of work were varied. They were about body illusion instution with its multi and complicated problem, and other problems, and other problems reated to gender aspect, political aspect, social aspect, tradition, religion, and many other. The purpose of the project was to recognize the true meaning of the borderless life after death. In order to recognized its true meaning, the traditional rituals and religion body management were used as the bases to analyze the idea of borderless life after death was perceived as a social-cultural phenomenon and as a tradition.In this project, death is defined as the borderline between theIn this project, a painting –as the artwork – was chossen to express the idea of borderless life after death visually. The basic idea of borderless life after death itself was analize using relevant methodology, theories, and empirical studies. In contrast, the concept of the artwork expressing the ideas such as borderless life after death, the life of soul in the erternal realm, the travel of soul to its original realm, an death as the borderline between the zone of worldly life and the borderless borderless life after death. The use of idioms in painting such as foggy white colour, smoky white colour, and some objects are for the aesthetic purpose where as the dances in the painting symbolize the aesthetical purpose where as the dances in the painting symbolize the aesthetical values, not sadness, Altogether, these elements construct the idea of borderless life after death.In conclusion, death should not be preceive as a frightening phenomenon but as a sacred, religious, and aesthetic celebration.worldly life zone and the zone of the borderless life after death. From this pont of view tradition, death is regarded as an event to celebrete the return of the soul to the eternal realm. It can be verivied by the fact that  there are many artistic symbols representing death , thus making it as new realty