Oil storage tanks and their pipelines are mostly constructed under the ground. If the leaches are occurred, the soil pollution and the contamination of groundwater quality will influenced seriously. The soil of oil polluted sites is usually containing the huge amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other organics. These VOCs is uncomfortable on physical body when they spread into atmosphere not only to cause the harm of human health but also to react into photochemical smog. Besides, the VOCs are probably reacting with nitrogen oxides into the problems of high concentrations of ozone. In this study, we used a regenerative catalytic oxidizer (RCO) to deal with VOCs in soil of the oil polluted sites. The RCO system was packed with self-made catalyst of 20 wt%CuMn/£^-Al2O3. Experimental results revealed 90¡Ó5% of the influent VOCs (C0=450-10,000 ppm) was thermally destruction with no catalyst in beds operated with a valve shifting time (ts) of 2 min, superficial gas velocities (Ug) of 0.37 m/s (evaluated at an influent air temperature of around 30¢J) and present maximum destruction temperature (TS) of 800-900¢J. With the catalyst packings and operation conditions of Ug=0.37 m/s and C0=450~10,000 ppm, the destruction efficiency of 93.35 and 96.5% were observed, respectively in average at TS of 600 and 650¢J. When Ug=1.11 m/s and C0=450-10,000 ppm, the destruction efficiency of 87.51 and 93.75% were observed, respectively in average at TS of 600 and 650¢J. The destruction efficiency of RCO is high at higher influent concentration of VOCs and low gas velocities at TS=600-650¢J.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) hold great promise for treatment of degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The ability of ESCs to differentiate to all somatic cell types suggests that they may serve as a robust cell source for production of differentiated cells for regenerative medicine and other cell-based therapeutics. In order for ESCs to be used effectively in clinical settings, efficient and reproducible differentiation to targeted cell types must be demonstrated. The overall objective of this project was to engineer microenvironmental control over differentiating ESCs through the formation of embryoid bodies (EBs) uniform in size and shape, and through the incorporation of morphogen-containing polymer microspheres within the interior of EBs. The central hypothesis was that morphogen delivery through incorporated polymer microspheres within a uniform population of EBs will induce controlled and uniform differentiation of ESCs. Rotary suspension culture was developed in order to efficiently produce uniform EBs in high yield. Compared to static suspension culture, rotary suspension significantly improved the production of differentiating cells and EBs over the course of 7 days, while simultaneously improving the homogeneity of EB size and shape compared to both hanging drop and static EBs. The diffusive transport properties of EBs formed via rotary suspension were investigated using a fluorescent, cell permeable dye to model the movement of small morphogenic molecules within EBs. Confocal microscopy, cryosections and EB dissociation all demonstrated that the dye was not able to fully penetrate EB, and that the larger EBs at later time points (7 days) retarded dye movement to a greater extent than earlier EBs (days 2 and 4). Polymer microspheres capable of encapsulating morphogenic factors were incorporated into EBs in order to overcome the diffusional limitations of traditional soluble delivery. The size of microspheres, microsphere coating, microsphere to cell ratio, and rotary mixing speed were all observed to influence incorporation within EBs. The use of microsphere-mediated delivery within EBs to direct cell differentiation was examined. Microsphere-mediated delivery of retinoic acid (RA) induced formation of uniquely cystic spheroids with a visceral endoderm layer enveloping a pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium, and with spatial localization of transcriptional profiles similar to the early primitive streak stage of mouse development. Continued differentiation of RA MS EBs in defined media conditions was assessed. Gene expression demonstrated that regular serum enhanced endoderm induction, serum-free media supported ectoderm differentiation, while mesoderm was most prominent in untreated EBs in full serum. In summary, this work has realized a unique approach for stem cell differentiation through modification of the internal microenvironment of ESC spheroids. This novel inside-out method toward engineering EBs demonstrated that the mode of morphogen delivery significantly affected the course of differentiation. These studies provide the basis for ongoing work, which will utilize the choice of microsphere material, coating, and morphogen in order to uniquely study mechanisms of ESC differentiation and achieve unparalleled engineering of the EB microenvironment.

It has been shown that stem cells exist within adult adipose tissue. These stem cells are named adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs), are derived from the mesoderm, and can differentiate into a number of cells including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. However, before these cells can be used clinically it is important that we understand how factors like age, sex, and ethnicity affect ASC number and potential. Additionally, since men and women vary in their distribution of adipose tissue, it will be important to see if the ideal source of ASCs is different for each sex. The goal of this study was to assess how age and sex affects ASCs. We used flow cytometry to investigate how age and sex affected the number of ASCs in adipose tissue. Additionally, we plated these cells in culture and treated them with an osteogenic media (OM) with the intention of pushing them towards osteoblast differentiation. The purpose of this was to see if age or sex affected the potential of the ASCs to undergo osteogenesis in culture. For this study we used real-time PCR and biochemical assays to look at markers of early and late osteogenic differentiation. Finally, we used immunohistochemistry to demonstrate where in adipose tissue the CD73 and CD271 positive cell population exists. It is our hope that this work will shed light on how age and sex affect ASCs so that clinicians can optimize their ASC harvest depending on the patient's physiology.

Bone defects caused by trauma, tumor resection or disease present a significant clinical problem. Failures in 'high risk' fractures and large bone defects have been reported to be as high as 30-50%. The drawbacks associated with current bone grafting procedures have stimulated the search for improved techniques for bone repair. Tissue engineering/regenerative medicine approaches promote tissue repair by providing a combination of physical and biological cues through structural scaffolds and bioactive agents. Though they have demonstrated significant promise for bone regeneration, very little has been translated to clinical practice. The goal of this thesis was to investigate the potential of electrospun nanofiber mesh scaffolds for bone regeneration. Nanofiber meshes were utilized in a three-pronged approach. First, we validated their ability to robustly support osteogenic cell functions, including proliferation and matrix mineralization. We also demonstrated their efficacy as a cell delivery vehicle. Second, we investigated the effects of modulating nanofiber bioactivity and orientation on stem cell programming. Our results indicate that functionalization of nanofiber meshes with a collagen-mimetic peptide enhanced the migration, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of cells. Fiber alignment improved cell migration along the direction of fiber orientation. Finally, a nanofiber mesh based hybrid system for growth factor delivery was developed for bone repair and tested in a challenging animal model. The delivery of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) via this system resulted in the functional restoration of limb function, and in fact proved more efficacious than the current clinical standard for BMP delivery. The studies performed in this thesis have suggested novel techniques for improving the repair of clinically challenging bone defects. They indicate that the delivery of BMP via the hybrid system may reduce the dose and side effects of BMP, thereby broadening the use of BMP based bone augmentation procedures. Therefore, this nanofiber mesh based system has the potential to become the standard of care for clinically challenging bone defects, including large bone defects, open tibial fractures, and nonunions.

Die Untersuchungen zur Nutzung der Solarenergie werden für die klimatischen Bedingungen von Vietnam durchgeführt. Um das Problem der Elektroenergieversorgung in Vietnam zu verringern und um speziell den Lebensstandard in den ländlichen Gebieten zu erhöhen, werden Anstrengungen unternommen, um Anwendungen der Solarenergie zu entwickeln. Es wäre erstrebenswert, wenn ein komplettes Solartechniksystem zur Hausversorgung zur Verfügung stehen würde. Der Konzipierung und Auslegung der Solartechnik wird ein sog. Referenzhaus zugrunde gelegt, das hinsichtlich seiner Bauweise und Größe typisch für die ländlichen Gegenden in Mittel- und Südvietnam ist. Der Gesamtenergiebedarf orientiert sich an der Lebensweise und der Anzahl der Hausbewohner. Erforderlich ist die Bereitstellung von Warmwasser am Tage sowie von Kälte, die für Frischhaltung von Nahrungsmitteln auch nachts erzeugt werden kann. Dies wird als solares Warmwasser- und Kälteerzeugungssystem bezeichnet. Für die Überwindung von Höhenunterschieden bei der Wasserförderung wird ein solarer Stirlingmotor als Pumpenantrieb in Betracht gezogen. Zur Warmwasserbereitung sollen geeignete Solarkollektoren verwendet werden. Zur Kälteerzeugung scheint sich ein Adsorptionskälteaggregat vorteilhaft in das Gesamtsystem einzuordnen.

Techn. Univ., Diss.--Dresden, 2007.

Univ., Diss.--St. Gallen, 2006. / Zsfassung in dt. Sprache.

Univ., Diss.--Oldenburg, 2006.

Zugl.: Würzburg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2009.

Zugl.: Potsdam, Universiẗat, Diss., 2009.