Macrophages were cultured for several hours after a brief exposure to radio-iodinated keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Most of the hemocyanin taken up by the macrophages was rapidly catabolized and eliminated from the cell. A few molecules were retained on the plasma membrane of the cells for prolonged periods and were not subject to endocytosis and catabolism. These few molecules of hemocyanin bound...

It has been proposed that cholesterol in host cell membranes plays a pivotal role for cell entry of HIV. However, it remains largely unknown why virions prefer cholesterol-rich heterogeneous membranes to uniformly fluid membranes for membrane fusion. Using giant plasma membrane vesicles containing cholesterol-rich ordered and cholesterol-poor fluid lipid domains, we demonstrate that the HIV rec...

Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-less organelles, including nucleoli and stress granules, that behave like liquid droplets. Such endogenous condensates often have internal substructure, but how this is established in the absence of membrane encapsulation remains unclear. We find that the N- and C-terminal domains of TDP43, a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein implicated in neurodegenerati...

Hypersaline brines are of growing environmental concern. While high-salinity desalination and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) increasingly attractive treatment options, the high salt scalant contents pose considerable technical difficulties to existing techniques. In this review, we introduce sources hypersaline brines, examine factors driving desalination, present thermodynamic minimum energy ZLD,...

Before discussing clinical application and its complications, it is extremely important to have an understanding of the relevant peritoneal anatomy and physiology. In essence PD involves the transport of solutes and water across a ‘membrane’ that separates two fluid containing compartments: 1. Blood in peritoneal capillaries, which contains uremic toxins 2. Dialysis solution in the peritoneal c...

31 32 A fundamental question in neuroscience is how neurons perform precise operations despite inherent variability. This 33 question also applies to neuromorphic engineering, where low-power microchips emulate the brain using large 34 populations of diverse silicon neurons. Biological neurons in the auditory pathway display precise spike timing— 35 critical for sound localization and interpret...

Tracking fluorescent lipids in cellular membranes has been applied for decades to shed light on membrane trafficking, sorting, endocytosis and exocytosis, viral entry, and to understand the functional relevance of membrane heterogeneity, phase separation and lipid rafts. However, fluorescent probes may display different organizing behaviour from their corresponding endogenous lipids. A full cha...

The desalination of seawater using reverse osmosis membranes is an attractive solution to global freshwater scarcity. However, membrane performance reduced by (bio)fouling. Membrane autopsies are essential for identifying the type fouling material, and applying corrective measures minimize fouling. Information from full-scale guiding improved plant operations scant in formal literature. In this...