Effect of Serum and Cellular Proteins on Hybrid Vector Transduction Efficiency

Our study involved formation of hybrid vector complex from viral and synthetic parts and studying the effect of presence of proteins on transduction of the hybrid vector. We separated proteins from virus-like particles and formed complexes to study their transduction. We added proteins to our viral part and formed complexes and studied the transduction efficiency of the hybrid vector. Our experiments showed that removal of proteins decreased the transduction efficiency of the hybrid vector. We also observed changes in the morphology of complex formed from purified VLPs and PEI compared to that formed from unpurified VLPs and PEI. We concluded that proteins have an impact on hybrid vector complex formation and transduction efficiency. Removal of proteins decreased the transduction efficiency of the hybrid vector and changes the morphology of the hybrid vector.School of Chemical Engineerin

Flow visualization through spacer filled channels by computational fluid dynamics I. Pressure drop and shear rate calculations for flat sheet geometry

Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Spectrum of ovarian tumours- a five year study

Background: Ovarian tumor is the seventh most common cause of cancer related deaths in female. The aim of this study is to find the, morphological and clinicopathological correlation, gross, histological pattern, and incidence of age distribution of ovarian tumors.Materials and Methods: This retrospective and prospective study was carried out from January 2011 to December 2015. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination using hematoxylin and eosin stain. Special stains and immunohistochemistry were carried out whenever needed.Results: Out of total 158 cases, 62.65% were benign, 3.79% were borderline, and 33.55% were malignant. Histologically, surface epithelial tumors were the most common (74.06%) followed by germ cell tumours(15.82%) and sex cord–stromal tumors (10.12%).Benign tumors were mostly seen in age group of 20–40 years, borderline 21–40 years, and malignant 50–80 years.Conclusion: Tumors originating from surface epithelium are the most common and their malignant counterparts are more frequent in the elderly age group.</p

Life-course of atopy and allergy-related disease events in tropical sub-Saharan Africa: A birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In high-income countries, allergy-related diseases (ARDs) follow a typical sequence, the 'Atopic March'. Little is known about the life-course of ARDs in the markedly different, low-income, tropical environment. We describe ARDs in a tropical, African birth cohort. METHODS: Ugandan children were followed from birth to 9 years. ISAAC questionnaires were completed at intervals; doctor-diagnosed ARDs were recorded throughout follow-up. Skin prick tests (SPTs) were performed at 3 and 9 years. Atopy was defined as ≥1 positive SPT. RESULTS: Of the 2345 live-born children, 1214 (52%) were seen at 9 years. Wheeze and eczema were common in infancy, but by 9 years, only 4% reported recent wheeze, 5% eczema and 5% rhinitis. Between 3 and 9 years, atopy prevalence increased from 19% to 25%. Atopy at 3 or 9 years was associated with reported ARD events at 9 years, for example OR = 5.2 (95% CI 2.9-10.7) for atopy and recent wheeze at 9 years. Reported or doctor-diagnosed ARD events in early childhood were associated with the same events in later childhood, for example OR = 4.4 (2.3-8.4) for the association between reported wheeze before 3 years with reported recent wheeze at 9 years, but progression from early eczema to later rhinitis or asthma was not observed. CONCLUSION: Allergen sensitization started early in childhood and increased with age. Eczema and wheeze were common in infancy and declined with age. Atopy was strongly associated with ARD among the few affected children. The typical Atopic March did not occur. Environmental exposures during childhood may dissociate atopy and ARD

Investigation into the effectiveness of feed spacer configurations for reverse osmosis membrane modules using Computational Fluid Dynamics

© 2016 Elsevier B.V.Reverse osmosis operations for water treatment are usually energy intensive and responsible for most of the product price. Several studies used flow characteristics to compare different geometries of feed spacers, but these cannot completely explain the effectiveness of feed spacers for promoting mass transfer near membranes. A few recent studies introduced a concept (Spacer Configuration Efficacy, SCE) combining mass transfer and energy consumption, but SCE has been applied only to a limited extent. The present study uses 3-dimensional steady state Computational Fluid Dynamics with mass transfer to compare four channels with feed spacer configurations (Ladder-type, Triple, Wavy and Submerged) and an empty plain channel using SCE and other performance measures. In contrast to previous studies, a saturated concentration boundary condition is employed at the membrane surface and optimised meshing of the domain is discussed. Power law correlations for SCE and other performance measures developed from the simulation results enable quick evaluation of the spacers. Results indicated that the assumed saturated solute concentration at the membrane strongly affects the mass transfer coefficient. Based on SCE, the Wavy spacer configuration showed the highest performance for Re&gt;120 among the obstructed geometries considered, while Ladder-type was better for Re&lt;120

Neutron Reflectivity and Performance of Polyamide Nanofilms for Water Desalination

The structure and hydration of polyamide (PA) membranes are investigated with a combination of neutron and X-ray reflectivity, and their performance is benchmarked in reverse osmosis water desalination. PA membranes are synthesized by the interfacial polymerization of m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC), varying systematically reaction time, concentration, and stoichiometry, to yield large-area exceptionally planar films of ?10 nm thickness. Reflectivity is employed to precisely determine membrane thickness and roughness, as well as the (TMC/MPD) concentration profile, and response to hydration in the vapor phase. PA film thickness is found to increase linearly with reaction time, albeit with a nonzero intercept, and the composition cross-sectional profile is found to be uniform, at the conditions investigated. Vapor hydration with H2O and D2O from 0 to 100% relative humidity results in considerable swelling (up to 20%), but also yields uniform cross-sectional profiles. The resulting film thickness is found to be predominantly set by the MPD concentration, while TMC regulates water uptake. A favorable correlation is found between higher swelling and water uptake with permeance. The data provide quantitative insight into the film formation mechanisms and correlate reaction conditions, cross-sectional nanostructure, and performance of the PA active layer in RO membranes for desalination

Analysis of an ultrafiltration model: Influence of operational conditions

Ultrafiltration is a widely used technique to remove hazardous pollutants from wastewaters. As ultrafiltration is a dynamic process, non steady-state UF models have been widely investigated and described in the literature. The main equations of most dynamic models found in the literature can be rearranged and simplified into a linear equation. In this work, experimental results from UF tests were expressed in terms of TMP2/J(P)(2) as a function of time to check linearity. Transmembrane pressure (TMP), feed concentration (FC), temperature and crossflow velocity (CFV) were varied during the experiments. The feed consisted in an aqueous solution of polyethylene glycol of 35 kg/mol molecular weight. The experimental results confirmed a linear relationship when TMP2/J(P)(2) was plotted vs. time. For severe fouling conditions, the linearity found when plotting experimental values of initial membrane fouling resistance vs. TMP was very high. A linear correlation between the initial membrane fouling resistance and the temperature was also found for the experimental conditions tested. However, it was found that, above 25 degrees C, increasing temperature did not result in a noticeable reduction of the gel layer resistance. The quotient r(c)/r(g) as a function of TMP and CFV was also evaluated to check if it followed any pattern. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Vincent Vela, MC.; Cuartas Uribe, BE.; Alvarez Blanco, S.; Lora García, J. (2012). Analysis of an ultrafiltration model: Influence of operational conditions. Desalination. 284:14-21. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2011.08.030S142128