Novel pervasive scenarios for home management: the Butlers architecture.

Many efforts today aim to energy saving, promoting the user's awareness and virtuous behavior in a sustainability perspective. Our houses, appliances, energy meters and devices are becoming smarter and connected, domotics is increasing possibilities in house automation and control, and ambient intelligence and assisted living are bringing attention onto people's needs from different viewpoints. Our assumption is that considering these aspects together allows for novel intriguing possibilities.

Applications of bioreactors in medicine.

The use of immobilized enzymes, antibodies or reactive proteins was recently considered as a promising approach for detoxification purposes. The appropriate solutions of some specific problems were described and discussed. An hollow fiber haemodialyzer with a membrane surface area of 0.

Use of uncoated activated carbon hemoperfusion in acute poisoning: in vitro studies.

In acute poisoning the main purpose of any therapeutic approach is a rapid removal of the drug or poison from body tissues. This approach suggested to undertake a study for the development of an uncoated activated carbon hemoperfusion column suitable for acute poisoning. Th clearances were significantly superior compared with a similar device manufactured using coated carbon.

Evaluation of novel sorbent systems for joint hemodialysis and hemoperfusion.

Hemodialysis is not very effective at removing middle molecular weight species and certain drugs such as salicylates and barbiturates. Carbon hemoperfusion is ineffective in removing urea and water, even when coated microparticles can be generated. To use the advantages of hemodialysis and carbon hemoperfusion without their disadvantages, cuprophan tubular membranes and fibers containing activated carbon have been manufactured.

Adsorption characteristics of cellulose acetate coated charcoals.

The permeability of cellulose triacetate membrane coated activated charcoal is enhanced by treatment with KOH. The adsorption data for creatinine in aqueous solution before and after deacetylation are given. In order to study the usefulness of hemoperfusion associated with dialysis for removal of uremic toxins, some experiments were performed on the adsorption by coated and deacetylated charcoal of molecules of various molecular weights (from 113 to 40,000).