Geopolymers as membrane filtration materials

Abstract. The aim of this thesis was to study the suitability of geopolymers as membrane filtration materials. In the thesis, the properties alkali-activated metakaolin- and blast furnace slag -based geopolymer membranes were investigated with a variety of characterization methods, and a set of filtration experiments was conducted to determine the separation performance of the membranes. In the first stage of the thesis, geopolymer membranes were prepared and the properties, such as mineralogy, structure, porosity, zeta potential, and mechanical durability, of the membrane materials were studied. The effects of sintering at different temperatures and hydrothermal treatment on the material were also investigated. In the second stage of the work, the prepared membranes were used for membrane filtration, and the goal was to separate humic acid and ammonium ions from aqueous solutions. The effect of temperature and pressure on the water flux through the membranes was also investigated in the filtration experiments. The main finding of the filtration experiments was that geopolymer membranes can be used in ultrafiltration. Both metakaolin, and metakaolin- and blast furnace slag -based membranes were able to separate ammonium ions from aqueous solutions. In humic acid filtrations, it was observed that the permeate samples were contaminated from the membrane or the filtration unit, and clear conclusions from the applicability of the membranes to separation of organic matter cannot be drawn.Tiivistelmä. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli tutkia geopolymeerien soveltuvuutta kalvosuodatusmateriaaliksi. Työssä tutkittiin alkaliaktivoidusta metakaoliinista sekä masuunikuonasta valmistettujen geopolymeerikalvojen ominaisuuksia erilaisin karakterisointimenetelmin ja suoritettiin suodatuskokeita kalvojen erotuskyvyn määrittämiseksi. Työn ensimmäisessä vaiheessa valmistettiin geopolymeerikalvoja, ja tutkittiin kalvomateriaalin ominaisuuksia, kuten mineralogiaa, rakennetta, huokoisuutta, zeta-potentiaalia sekä mekaanista kestävyyttä. Työssä tutkittiin myös eri lämpötiloissa suoritettujen lämpökäsittelyiden sekä hydrotermisen käsittelyn vaikutusta kalvomateriaalin rakenteeseen. Työn toisessa vaiheessa valmistettuja kalvoja käytettiin ultrasuodatuskalvoina, ja niillä pyrittiin erottamaan vesiliuoksesta humushappoa ja ammoniumioneja. Suodatuskokeissa selvitettiin myös lämpötilan ja paineen vaikutusta kalvon läpäisevään vesivuohon. Suodatuskokeissa havaittiin, että geopolymeerikalvoja voidaan käyttää ultrasuodatuksen kalvomateriaaleina. Sekä metakaoliini- että masuunikuona- ja metakaoliinipohjaisilla geopolymeerikalvoilla onnistuttiin erottamaan ammoniumioneja vesiliuoksesta. Humushapposuodatuksissa havaittiin, että kalvon läpäisevät permeaattinäytteet kontaminoituvat kalvosta tai suodatuslaitteistosta, eikä selkeitä johtopäätöksiä kalvojen soveltuvuudesta orgaanisen aineksen erottamiseen voida tehdä

Common Genetic Variation And Age at Onset Of Anorexia Nervosa

Background Genetics and biology may influence the age at onset of anorexia nervosa (AN). The aims of this study were to determine whether common genetic variation contributes to AN age at onset and to investigate the genetic associations between age at onset of AN and age at menarche. Methods A secondary analysis of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium genome-wide association study (GWAS) of AN was performed which included 9,335 cases and 31,981 screened controls, all from European ancestries. We conducted GWASs of age at onset, early-onset AN (< 13 years), and typical-onset AN, and genetic correlation, genetic risk score, and Mendelian randomization analyses. Results Two loci were genome-wide significant in the typical-onset AN GWAS. Heritability estimates (SNP-h2) were 0.01-0.04 for age at onset, 0.16-0.25 for early-onset AN, and 0.17-0.25 for typical-onset AN. Early- and typical-onset AN showed distinct genetic correlation patterns with putative risk factors for AN. Specifically, early-onset AN was significantly genetically correlated with younger age at menarche, and typical-onset AN was significantly negatively genetically correlated with anthropometric traits. Genetic risk scores for age at onset and early-onset AN estimated from independent GWASs significantly predicted age at onset. Mendelian randomization analysis suggested a causal link between younger age at menarche and early-onset AN. Conclusions Our results provide evidence consistent with a common variant genetic basis for age at onset and implicate biological pathways regulating menarche and reproduction.Peer reviewe

Shared genetic risk between eating disorder- and substance-use-related phenotypes:Evidence from genome-wide association studies

First published: 16 February 202

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Fifth European Dirofilaria and Angiostrongylus Days (FiEDAD) 2016

Peer reviewe

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Measurement of t(t)over-bar normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV, and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Peer reviewe

An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe