Experimental analysis, modeling, and theoretical design of McMaster pore-filled nanofiltration membranes

A side-by-side comparison of the performance of McMaster pore-filled (MacPF) and commercial nanofiltration (NF) membranes is presented here. The single-salt and multi-component performance of these membranes is studied using experimental data and using a mathematical model. The pseudo two-dimensional model is based on the extended Nernst–Planck equation, a modified Poisson–Boltzmann equation, and hydrodynamic calculations. The model includes four structural properties of the membrane: pore radius, pure water permeability, surface charge density and the ratio of effective membrane thickness to water content. The analysis demonstrates that the rejection and transport mechanisms are the same in the commercial and MacPF membranes with different contributions from each type of mechanism (convection, diffusion and electromigration). Solute rejection in NF membranes is determined primarily by a combination of steric and electrostatic effects. The selectivity of MacPF membranes is primarily determined by electrostatic effects with a significantly smaller contribution of steric effects compared to commercial membranes. Hence, these membranes have the ability to reject ions while remaining highly permeable to low molecular weight organics. Additionally, a new theoretical membrane design approach is presented. This design procedure potentially offers the optimization of NF membrane performance by tailoring the membrane structure and operating variables to the specific process, simultaneously. The procedure is validated at the laboratory scale.     

The role of myeloperoxidase and superoxide anion in the luminol- and lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence of human neutrophils

The amount of chemiluminescence (CL) or light that is emitted from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) during phagocytosis or activation by soluble stimuli is dependent on the emission of photons from the oxidation of particulate or bystander molecules. Because the compounds luminol and lucigenin yield photons with high quantum efficiency these agents have been introduced to sensitively assess PMN-CL. Since there is limited information about the pathways involved in the chemiluminescence of these compounds, we investigated the role of both myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide anion (· O₂^?) in luminol-and lucigenin-PMN-CL. We compared the CL between normal and MPO- deficient PMN using zymosan for phagocytosis and N-formylmethionyleucylphenylalanine (FMLP) as a soluble stimulus. Our data demonstrated that luminol-CL was dependent on the presence of MPO and independent of · O₂^? generation during phagocytosis but independent of MPO during FMLP activation. In contrast lucigenin-CL was independent of MPO during both phagocytosis and FMLP activation and appeared to reflect · O₂^? production. Consequently, dependent on the type of activation, it appears that luminol- and lucigenin-CL are generated via different oxidative pathways and may serve as potentially useful tools to differentiate the redox activity of phagocytic cells.