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Mathematic Modelling of Reverse Osmosis System Design for Detection of Estrogens in Water
Siegel, Jan ; Skopalík, Josef (referee) ; Bittner, Michal (advisor)
Estrogen compounds are a subgroup of the environmental pollutants named Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. It is a large group of chemicals which are capable of causing hormonal imbalance of an organism and affecting its reproductive, developmental or behavioral functions. In the environment, they are found in very low concentrations (below ng/l). This makes their detection and elimination highly problematic. The Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX) has been developing an experimental device which employes reverse osmosis (RO) to concentrate the trace amounts of micropollutants (e.g. estrogens). The aim is to lower the detection limit of subsequent analytical methods. RO seems to be a promising alternative to commonly used methods which are more time consuming and costly. The aim of this thesis is to create a mathematical model of RO, which would describe the process of estrogen concentration and therefore could contribute to the optimization of experimental device. The mathematical model was created in MATLAB-simulink and verified by comparison to thirteen experimental results. The solutions used to test the model were NaCl at 0.002–2 g/l and drinking water with 17-ethinylestradiol of 25 ng/l. In order to concentrate the retentate on a flat-sheet RO membrane the model achieves a mean relative error in the range of 0.9–4.9 % for NaCl and drinking water. For the concentration of estrogens the deflection is 3.6 %. Comparing the model and experimental concentration of NaCl on a spiral wound RO-membrane, the deviation is in the range of 5.9–8.7 %. So far, ratio of retentate volume from the beginning to the end of the process has been used to determine the process recovery. However, due to the results obtained in the thesis, this approach appears inaccurate. A more accurate recovery would likely be achieved by using the theoretical concentration value obtained by the proposed mathematical model. However, to increase reliability, the further measurements with estrogens are needed, and also to determine the causes of deflection of model and experimental retentate volume values at the end of the concentration
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Multidisciplinary characterization of interactions between oestrogen hormones and their receptors during sperm capacitation.
Bosáková, Tereza
This doctoral thesis was focused on the multidisciplinary characterizatrion of interactions between hormones and their receptors during sperm capacitation, which is the final step in sperm maturation in mammals and the key event to achieve egg fertilization. Three oestrogenic hormones (17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-estradiol (αE2), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2)), which are part of environmental pollution, were selected for the study. These hormones are called endocrine disruptors as they can cause disorders of the hormonal system in animals, thereby adversely affecting physiological processes, including reproduction. A new analytical HPLC-MS/MS method was developed for monitoring of concentration changes of oestrogens (E2, αE2 and EE2) during time-dependent capacitation of mouse and rat sperm in vitro. For individual oestrogens, the concentration dependences of free, unbound hormone on the capacitation time were measured for three concentrations of individual hormones (200, 20 and 2 μg/L). The obtained concentration data were converted into values of relative concentrations, which were subjected to kinetic analysis. Kinetic models were proposed for the interaction of individual hormones with sperm, which were described by a system of differential equations with optimization of rate constants and molar...
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Analysis of biologically active compounds using high performance separation methods
Adamusová, Hana ; Bosáková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Jelínek, Ivan (referee) ; Tůma, Petr (referee)
In the first part of this doctoral thesis, a new analytical HPLC-MS/MS method for monitoring of concentration changes of 17β-estradiol (βE2) during in vitro mouse sperm capacitation was developed. Capacitation was performed for three initial concentrations of βE2 (200, 20 and 2 μg/L). For all the concentrations a similar trend for the total unbound βE2 was observed. In general, the βE2 concentration decreased to reach its minimum and then increased again. The position of the minimum differed for the individual tested βE2 concentrations. Experimentally obtained results were subjected to the kinetic analysis. The curves fitted through the experimentally determined points displayed an autocatalytic character. For the agreement between the curves obtained by fitting through the experimental points and the theoretical calculated curves, it is necessary to assume that the first step is adsorption of βE2 onto the surface of the sperm controlled by Langmuir isotherm. The kinetic study was also used to study the effects of fluorides and aluminium fluoride complexes on the capacitation of mouse sperm. The experimental points were in very good agreement with the shape of the theoretical curves and this fact verifies the mechanism of the mouse sperm capacitation kinetics. In the second part of this work, two...
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Multidisciplinary characterization of interactions between oestrogen hormones and their receptors during sperm capacitation.
Bosáková, Tereza ; Komrsková, Kateřina (advisor) ; Smrček, Stanislav (referee) ; Postlerová, Pavla (referee)
This doctoral thesis was focused on the multidisciplinary characterizatrion of interactions between hormones and their receptors during sperm capacitation, which is the final step in sperm maturation in mammals and the key event to achieve egg fertilization. Three oestrogenic hormones (17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-estradiol (αE2), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2)), which are part of environmental pollution, were selected for the study. These hormones are called endocrine disruptors as they can cause disorders of the hormonal system in animals, thereby adversely affecting physiological processes, including reproduction. A new analytical HPLC-MS/MS method was developed for monitoring of concentration changes of oestrogens (E2, αE2 and EE2) during time-dependent capacitation of mouse and rat sperm in vitro. For individual oestrogens, the concentration dependences of free, unbound hormone on the capacitation time were measured for three concentrations of individual hormones (200, 20 and 2 μg/L). The obtained concentration data were converted into values of relative concentrations, which were subjected to kinetic analysis. Kinetic models were proposed for the interaction of individual hormones with sperm, which were described by a system of differential equations with optimization of rate constants and molar...
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Analysis of biologically active compounds using high performance separation methods
Adamusová, Hana ; Bosáková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Jelínek, Ivan (referee) ; Tůma, Petr (referee)
In the first part of this doctoral thesis, a new analytical HPLC-MS/MS method for monitoring of concentration changes of 17β-estradiol (βE2) during in vitro mouse sperm capacitation was developed. Capacitation was performed for three initial concentrations of βE2 (200, 20 and 2 μg/L). For all the concentrations a similar trend for the total unbound βE2 was observed. In general, the βE2 concentration decreased to reach its minimum and then increased again. The position of the minimum differed for the individual tested βE2 concentrations. Experimentally obtained results were subjected to the kinetic analysis. The curves fitted through the experimentally determined points displayed an autocatalytic character. For the agreement between the curves obtained by fitting through the experimental points and the theoretical calculated curves, it is necessary to assume that the first step is adsorption of βE2 onto the surface of the sperm controlled by Langmuir isotherm. The kinetic study was also used to study the effects of fluorides and aluminium fluoride complexes on the capacitation of mouse sperm. The experimental points were in very good agreement with the shape of the theoretical curves and this fact verifies the mechanism of the mouse sperm capacitation kinetics. In the second part of this work, two...
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Mathematic Modelling of Reverse Osmosis System Design for Detection of Estrogens in Water
Siegel, Jan ; Skopalík, Josef (referee) ; Bittner, Michal (advisor)
Estrogen compounds are a subgroup of the environmental pollutants named Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. It is a large group of chemicals which are capable of causing hormonal imbalance of an organism and affecting its reproductive, developmental or behavioral functions. In the environment, they are found in very low concentrations (below ng/l). This makes their detection and elimination highly problematic. The Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX) has been developing an experimental device which employes reverse osmosis (RO) to concentrate the trace amounts of micropollutants (e.g. estrogens). The aim is to lower the detection limit of subsequent analytical methods. RO seems to be a promising alternative to commonly used methods which are more time consuming and costly. The aim of this thesis is to create a mathematical model of RO, which would describe the process of estrogen concentration and therefore could contribute to the optimization of experimental device. The mathematical model was created in MATLAB-simulink and verified by comparison to thirteen experimental results. The solutions used to test the model were NaCl at 0.002–2 g/l and drinking water with 17-ethinylestradiol of 25 ng/l. In order to concentrate the retentate on a flat-sheet RO membrane the model achieves a mean relative error in the range of 0.9–4.9 % for NaCl and drinking water. For the concentration of estrogens the deflection is 3.6 %. Comparing the model and experimental concentration of NaCl on a spiral wound RO-membrane, the deviation is in the range of 5.9–8.7 %. So far, ratio of retentate volume from the beginning to the end of the process has been used to determine the process recovery. However, due to the results obtained in the thesis, this approach appears inaccurate. A more accurate recovery would likely be achieved by using the theoretical concentration value obtained by the proposed mathematical model. However, to increase reliability, the further measurements with estrogens are needed, and also to determine the causes of deflection of model and experimental retentate volume values at the end of the concentration
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