Mucous filaments

Mucous filaments appear as thin threadlike structures crossing the colonic lumen or lying upon one... 

Fig. 4.17.a Supine view of the transverse colon showing a mucous filament (white arrowhead) attached to a prominent semicircular fold (white arrow), mimicking a stalked polyp. Some partially tagged foam (black arrowhead), b Corresponding endolu-minal view showing the filament mimicking the stalk of a polyp (white arrows). The filament has an irregular shape. The foam is also visible (black arrows)... 

This layer appears to be unique to H. nana. It forms a layer between the oncospheral membrane and the oncosphere (Fig. 7.11). It is apparently formed by the delamination of the epithelial covering of the oncosphere into two layers, separated from each other by membranes - the outer polar filament layer and the inner embryonic epithelium. It has been suggested that the polar filaments in H. nana are reminiscent of the tendrils of the egg cases of elasmobranchs and may serve to delay expulsion of the oncosphere from the mammalian intestine by becoming entangled amongst the intestinal villi or mucous lining of the gut. This may further serve to bring the oncosphere into close contact with the gut wall for successful penetration to take place (204). 

Microbial mats are communities in surface water ecosystems where bacteria and bacterial processes dominate. In microbial mats dissolved nutrients and metabolites are transformed by one-dimensional (vertical) molecular diffusion. The distinction between microbial mats and biofilms is not sharp. By definition (Fenchel et al, 1998), microbial mats are typically stratified vertically with respect to different functional types of bacteria. Microbial mats are thicker (often several millimeters) than biofilms. In microbial mats various types of filamentous prokaryotes are the most conspicuous part and they are responsible for the mechanical coherence of the mat. The mechanical stability of microbial mats is reinforced by the bacterial excretion of mucous polymers, producing a gelatinous matrix. 

It is preferably supplied to market end-uses (textile products and nonwovens) where the hydrophilic (moisture absorbing) properties of the material, for instance in direct contact with the skin or with mucous membranes, are relevant. Currently (2005), about 85 % of the total viscose fibre production is produced as staple fibres and about 15 % as filaments. 

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