Reversibility of fouling on ultrafiltration membrane by backwashing and chemical cleaning: differences in organic fractions behaviour

Membrane fouling is an inherent phenomenon in ultrafiltration (UF) membrane processes, making it necessary to periodically perform backwashes (BW) and chemical cleanings in place (CIP) to restore the initial permeability of the membrane. The objective of this study was (1) to explore systematically the effect of distinct BW-related variables (BW transmembrane pressure, duration, frequency and composition) on the reversibility of UF membrane fouling and on the permeate quality (in terms of total organic carbon, turbidity and UV absorbance) over successive filtration/BW cycles; and (2) to identify which organic fractions were most removed by the membrane and, of these, which were most detached after BW, alkaline and oxidant CIP and acid CIP episodes. For this purpose, a bench-scale outside-in hollow fibre module operated under dead-end filtration mode at constant transmembrane pressure and treating settled water from a drinking water treatment plant was employed. Dissolved organic carbon fractionation was performed by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography. Results showed that, in general, the more intensive the BW was (in terms of high transmembrane pressure, shortened frequency and prolonged duration) the more effective it was in removing fouling from the membrane. Concerning the composition of the water used for the BW, the addition of NaClO led to maximum fouling reversibility, closely followed by the combination of NaOH+NaClO, while citric acid and NaOH contributed little compared to water alone. However, results also showed that irreversible fouling was never completely avoided whatever the BW regime applied, leading to a gradual increase in the total resistance over time. Larger differences in the behaviour of the different organic fractions were observed. UF membrane preferentially retained the heaviest fraction of biopolymers (BP), while the intermediate fraction of humic substances (HS) was removed at a lower percentage and the lighter fractions seemed to entirely pass through the UF membrane. The successive application of BW and CIPs resulted in the detachment from the membrane of a significant percentage of the retained BP, whereas only a modest percentage of the retained HS.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Black Cumin Seed Oil Increase Leucocyte and CD4Thelper Number in Sprague-dawley Rats Induced with Dimethylbenzanthracene

Cigarette smoke contains 7, 12 dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA). Metabolic of DMBA is immunosuppressive. Black cumin seed oil (BCSO) is an immunomodulation. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of BCSO on leukocyte, CD4Th and CD4CD25Treg in Sprague-Dawley (SD) mice induced with DMBA. The 96 SD rats were divided into 8 groups of 12. Group I received aquabidest and standard feeding. Groups II, III and IV received BCSO (an equivalent of 6.8, 68 and 136 mg/kg BW / day thymoquinone, respectively). Group V received thymoquinone (50 mg / kg BW / day) and group VI received tamoxifen (60 mg / kg BW). Group VII (DMBA) was induced with DMBA (10x20mg / kg BW for 5 weeks). Group VIII received standard feeding and corn oil treatment. In the third week, all groups began to be induced with DMBA (20 mg/kg BW twice per week for five weeks). Data collection of leukocytes, CD4Th and CD4CD25Treg was performed at week 27th. The mean difference of CD4Th and CD4CD25Treg counts between groups was calculated with one way ANOVA. Results: The administration of BCSO, thymoquinone, and tamoxifen had increased leukocytes and CD4 Th cell count. The CD4Th cell count of the treatment groups was higher than that of the DMBA group (p <0.05). BCSO equivalent doses of 6.8 and 68 mg/kg BW / day thymoquinone showed immunoprotective effects. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the BCSO administration at doses of 6.8 and 68 mg/kg BW / day shows immunoprotective effects due to DMBA induction

Does low-energy sweetener consumption affect energy intake and body weight? A systematic review, including meta-analyses, of the evidence from human and animal studies

By reducing energy density, low-energy sweeteners (LES) might be expected to reduce energy intake (EI) and body weight (BW). To assess the totality of the evidence testing the null hypothesis that LES exposure (versus sugars or unsweetened alternatives) has no effect on EI or BW, we conducted a systematic review of relevant studies in animals and humans consuming LES with ad libitum access to food energy. In 62 of 90 animal studies exposure to LES did not affect or decreased BW. Of 28 reporting increased BW, 19 compared LES with glucose exposure using a specific ‘learning’ paradigm. Twelve prospective cohort studies in humans reported inconsistent associations between LES use and Body Mass Index (-0.002 kg/m2/year, 95%CI -0.009 to 0.005). Meta-analysis of short- term randomized controlled trials (RCTs, 129 comparisons) showed reduced total EI for LES- versus sugar-sweetened food or beverage consumption before an ad libitum meal (-94 kcal, 95%CI -122 to -66), with no difference versus water (-2 kcal, 95%CI -30 to 26). This was consistent with EI results from sustained intervention RCTs (10 comparisons). Meta-analysis of sustained intervention RCTs (4 weeks to 40 months) showed that consumption of LES versus sugar led to relatively reduced BW (nine comparisons; -1.35 kg, 95%CI –2.28 to - 0.42), and a similar relative reduction in BW versus water (three comparisons; -1.24 kg, 95%CI –2.22 to -0.26). Most animal studies did not mimic LES consumption by humans, and reverse causation may influence the results of prospective cohort studies. The preponderance of evidence from all human RCTs indicates that LES do not increase EI or BW, whether compared with caloric or non-caloric (e.g., water) control conditions. Overall, the balance of evidence indicates that use of LES in place of sugar, in children and adults, leads to reduced EI and BW, and possibly also when compared with water

Development of growth rate, body lipid, moisture, and energy models for white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) fed at various feeding rates.

The objectives were to develop and evaluate: 1) growth rate models, 2) body lipid, moisture, and energy models for white sturgeon fed at various feeding rates (FR; % body weight [BW] per day) and then evaluate responses at proportions of optimum feeding rate (OFR) across increasing BW (g). For objective 1, 19 datasets from the literature containing initial BW, FR and specific growth rate (SGR; % BW increase per day) were used. For objective 2, 12 datasets from the literature (11 from objective 1) containing SGR, FR, final BW, body lipid (%), protein (%), ash (%), moisture (%), and energy (kJ/g) were used. The average rearing temperatures was 19.2 ± 1.5 °C (mean ± SD). The average nutrient compositions and gross energy of the diets were 45.7 ± 4.3% protein, 14.8 ± 3.2% lipid, and 20.4 ± 1.3 kJ/g, respectively. The logistic model was used for objectives 1 and 2 to develop a statistical relationship between SGR and FR, then an iterative technique was used to estimate OFR for each dataset. For objective 2, the statistical relationship between body lipid, energy, and moisture and FR was established. Using the OFR estimate, SGR, body lipid, energy and moisture were computed at various FR as a proportion of OFR. Finally, a nonparametric fitting procedure was used to establish relationships between SGR, body lipid, energy and moisture (responses) compared with BW (predictor) at various proportions of OFR. This allows visualization of the effect of under- or over-feeding on the various responses. When examining the differences between OFR at 100% and various proportions of OFR, SGR differences decrease and moisture differences increase as BW increases. Lipid and energy differences decrease as BW increases. To our knowledge, these are the first description of changes in nutrient compositions when white sturgeon are fed at various FR. Because physiological and behavioral properties that are unique to sturgeon, results from this study are specific to sturgeon under the conditions of this study and cannot be compared directly with salmonids even if some of the results are similar. This research provides insight to designing future nutritional studies in sturgeon

The Effects of Temulawak extract and Yoghurt on HDL-LDL mice blood exposed waste cooking oil

Using cooking oil repeatedly in processing the fried foods can cause health problems, especially cholesterol metabolism that affect levels of HDL, LDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol blood that can cause blockage of blood vessels leading to coronary heart disease. This study aimed to determine the effect of temulawak extracts and yoghurt in lowering levels of LDL-HDL mice after given used cooking oil. The Treatments were temulawak extract at a dose of 280 mg/kg bw mice and 560 mg/kg bw mice and yoghurt concentration of 4% of the body weight of mice. Parameters measured were the levels of HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) and LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein). The results showed that temulawak extract 560 mg/kg bw and yoghurt 4 % bw effective in increasing HDL levels and decreasing LDL levels mice blood

Feeding and management practices for racehorses in Turkey

The aim of this study was to gather information on feeding practices, and to identify nutrient imbalances of racehorses in Turkey. 134 racehorses who visited the TJK (Turkish Jockey Club) Racecourse Equine Hospital in Istanbul were referred for professional nutritional advice in 2013. Each horse was examined and body weight (BW), body condition score, exercise level, feeding practices, reasons for the veterinary visit as well as feed and supplement intake were recorded. Intakes of energy, starch, crude nutrients, and minerals were calculated and compared with NRC [15] recommendations. Descriptive data were calculated using commercial statistical software (IBM SPSS Statistics 24, Chicago, IL). The median age of the population was 3 years. The mean BW of the horses was 423.7 ± 38.4 kg and BCSwas 4.4/9 ± 0.7. Nearly all (99.2 %) horses were fed grass hay and 61 % of the horses received alfalfa as well. The average forage intake was 1.08 ± 0.42 % of BW/d. The average intake of concentrate was 1.2 ± 0.46 % of BW. Forty nine percent of the horses were fed supplements and only 12 % received oil. The mean DE intake was 1.03 ± 0.26 MJ DE/kg BW0.75 for thoroughbreds and 0.97 ± 0.19 MJ DE/kg BW0.75 for Arabians. The calculated mean starch intake was 5.0 ± 2.2 g/kg BW and the sugar intake was 1.2 ± 0.4 g/kg BW. Communication between horse owners/trainers and the equine nutritionists is needed with regard to formulating a proper diet for each horse

The Brownian Web: Characterization and Convergence

The Brownian Web (BW) is the random network formally consisting of the paths of coalescing one-dimensional Brownian motions starting from every space-time point in ${\mathbb R}\times{\mathbb R}$. We extend the earlier work of Arratia and of T\'oth and Werner by providing characterization and convergence results for the BW distribution, including convergence of the system of all coalescing random walkssktop/brownian web/finale/arXiv submits/bweb.tex to the BW under diffusive space-time scaling. We also provide characterization and convergence results for the Double Brownian Web, which combines the BW with its dual process of coalescing Brownian motions moving backwards in time, with forward and backward paths ``reflecting'' off each other. For the BW, deterministic space-time points are almost surely of ``type'' $(0,1)$ -- {\em zero} paths into the point from the past and exactly {\em one} path out of the point to the future; we determine the Hausdorff dimension for all types that actually occur: dimension 2 for type $(0,1)$, 3/2 for $(1,1)$ and $(0,2)$, 1 for $(1,2)$, and 0 for $(2,1)$ and $(0,3)$.Comment: 52 pages with 4 figure