Optimization of insect cell based protein production processes - online monitoring, expression systems, scale-up

Due to the increasing use of insect cell based expression systems in research and industrial recombinant protein production, the development of efficient and reproducible production processes remains a challenging task. In this context, the application of online monitoring techniques is intended to ensure high and reproducible product qualities already during the early phases of process development. In the following chapter, the most common transient and stable insect cell based expression systems are briefly introduced. Novel applications of insect cell based expression systems for the production of insect derived antimicrobial peptides/proteins (AMPs) are discussed using the example of G. mellonella derived gloverin. Suitable in situ sensor techniques for insect cell culture monitoring in disposable and common bioreactor systems are outlined with respect to optical and capacitive sensor concepts. Since scale-up of production processes is one of the most critical steps in process development, a conclusive overview is given about scale up aspects for industrial insect cell culture processes

Al-Wasatiyya - medelvägen som teologiskt program i sydeuropeisk (bosnisk) och sydostasiatisk (malaysisk) kontext

Al-Wasatiyya - The Middle Path as theological program in Southern European (Bosnian) and Southeast Asian (Malaysian) contexts. This study examines the neglected phenomenon of al-wasitiyyah and how it relates to an Islamic theological context. This study focuses on the religious aspect of al-wasatiyyah, specifically in beliefs, actions, rituals and ethics perspective, social and interpersonal relationships. The main purpose of this study is to describe, clarify and critically examine the phenomenon of al-wasatiyya as a theological program, and practices in Europe, namely in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Southeast Asia, Malaysia. The material for the investigation consists of some relevant literature, scientific articles, and open-ended interviews with prominent researchers in al-wasatiyya from the chosen countries of research. The methodology used in the study is a qualitative textual analysis of the open individual interviews. The analysis and its results provide us with specific answers to the following question: how the concept of al-wasatiyya can be understood in an Islamic theological context, and then displays its scale, interpretations and practices. There are similarities as well as differences between the Southern European and Southeast Asian perspectives on the field of al-wasatiyya. Lastly, the critical objections against al-wasatiyya are examined, and ultimately the results of the study are compared to previous research on the field.  The results show that the neglected phenomenon of al-wasatiyya returned back to the Islamic discourse in the early 2000s, especially after the tragic events of 9/11 in the US. Thus, the result of the study indicates that al-wasatiyya occurs as a reaction to extremism and radicalism in Islam. Finally, the results of the study demonstrate that the concept of al-wasatiyya, except for religious purposes, can be used as well in other areas and socio-political systems in the contemporary world

Al-Wasatiyya - medelvägen som teologiskt program i sydeuropeisk (bosnisk) och sydostasiatisk (malaysisk) kontext

Al-Wasatiyya - The Middle Path as theological program in Southern European (Bosnian) and Southeast Asian (Malaysian) contexts. This study examines the neglected phenomenon of al-wasitiyyah and how it relates to an Islamic theological context. This study focuses on the religious aspect of al-wasatiyyah, specifically in beliefs, actions, rituals and ethics perspective, social and interpersonal relationships. The main purpose of this study is to describe, clarify and critically examine the phenomenon of al-wasatiyya as a theological program, and practices in Europe, namely in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Southeast Asia, Malaysia. The material for the investigation consists of some relevant literature, scientific articles, and open-ended interviews with prominent researchers in al-wasatiyya from the chosen countries of research. The methodology used in the study is a qualitative textual analysis of the open individual interviews. The analysis and its results provide us with specific answers to the following question: how the concept of al-wasatiyya can be understood in an Islamic theological context, and then displays its scale, interpretations and practices. There are similarities as well as differences between the Southern European and Southeast Asian perspectives on the field of al-wasatiyya. Lastly, the critical objections against al-wasatiyya are examined, and ultimately the results of the study are compared to previous research on the field.  The results show that the neglected phenomenon of al-wasatiyya returned back to the Islamic discourse in the early 2000s, especially after the tragic events of 9/11 in the US. Thus, the result of the study indicates that al-wasatiyya occurs as a reaction to extremism and radicalism in Islam. Finally, the results of the study demonstrate that the concept of al-wasatiyya, except for religious purposes, can be used as well in other areas and socio-political systems in the contemporary world

Al-Wasatiyya - medelvägen som teologiskt program i sydeuropeisk (bosnisk) och sydostasiatisk (malaysisk) kontext

Al-Wasatiyya - The Middle Path as theological program in Southern European (Bosnian) and Southeast Asian (Malaysian) contexts. This study examines the neglected phenomenon of al-wasitiyyah and how it relates to an Islamic theological context. This study focuses on the religious aspect of al-wasatiyyah, specifically in beliefs, actions, rituals and ethics perspective, social and interpersonal relationships. The main purpose of this study is to describe, clarify and critically examine the phenomenon of al-wasatiyya as a theological program, and practices in Europe, namely in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Southeast Asia, Malaysia. The material for the investigation consists of some relevant literature, scientific articles, and open-ended interviews with prominent researchers in al-wasatiyya from the chosen countries of research. The methodology used in the study is a qualitative textual analysis of the open individual interviews. The analysis and its results provide us with specific answers to the following question: how the concept of al-wasatiyya can be understood in an Islamic theological context, and then displays its scale, interpretations and practices. There are similarities as well as differences between the Southern European and Southeast Asian perspectives on the field of al-wasatiyya. Lastly, the critical objections against al-wasatiyya are examined, and ultimately the results of the study are compared to previous research on the field.  The results show that the neglected phenomenon of al-wasatiyya returned back to the Islamic discourse in the early 2000s, especially after the tragic events of 9/11 in the US. Thus, the result of the study indicates that al-wasatiyya occurs as a reaction to extremism and radicalism in Islam. Finally, the results of the study demonstrate that the concept of al-wasatiyya, except for religious purposes, can be used as well in other areas and socio-political systems in the contemporary world

Optical carbon dioxide sensor based on fluorescent capillary array

A novel carbon dioxide (CO2) gas sensor based on capillary array is presented. The capillary array is composed of 51 capillaries and modified by fluorescent dye 8-hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS, PTS−) and tetraoctylammonium cation (TOA+) doped porous ethyl cellulose. A Y-fiber is used to transmit exciting light and fluorescence. A fiber optic pigtail-contained spectrophotometer is used to collect and deal with optical signals. Due to its structural features, each capillary has the two rolling-up layers of inner and outer sensing films, which make the 2 cm long capillary array has large sensing area about 12.81 cm2 and the fluorescence signal easily be collected. The sensing probe has advantages such as small volume, compact structure and large sensing area. The results demonstrate that the sensor has a linear response in the CO2 volume ratio range from 0 to 10%. Keywords: Carbon dioxide chemical sensor, Fluorescence sensor, Capillary arra

A Polynomial-Exponent Model for Calibrating the Frequency Response of Photoluminescence-Based Sensors

This work has been partly supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (CTQ2014-53442-P, Grant BES-2009-026919 and Torres Quevedo Grants PTQ-15-07922 and PTQ-15-07912), and the CEI BioTic Granada Campus (Project CEIbioTIC14-2015).In this work, we propose a new model describing the relationship between the analyte concentration and the instrument response in photoluminescence sensors excited with modulated light sources. The concentration is modeled as a polynomial function of the analytical signal corrected with an exponent, and therefore the model is referred to as a polynomial-exponent (PE) model. The proposed approach is motivated by the limitations of the classical models for describing the frequency response of the luminescence sensors excited with a modulated light source, and can be considered as an extension of the Stern–Volmer model. We compare the calibration provided by the proposed PE-model with that provided by the classical Stern–Volmer, Lehrer, and Demas models. Compared with the classical models, for a similar complexity (i.e., with the same number of parameters to be fitted), the PE-model improves the trade-off between the accuracy and the complexity. The utility of the proposed model is supported with experiments involving two oxygen-sensitive photoluminescence sensors in instruments based on sinusoidally modulated light sources, using four different analytical signals (phase-shift, amplitude, and the corresponding lifetimes estimated from them).Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness CTQ2014-53442-P BES-2009-026919 PTQ-15-07922 PTQ-15-07912CEI BioTic Granada Campus CEIbioTIC14-201

Increased adipose tissue oxygen tension in obese compared with lean men is accompanied by insulin resistance, impaired adipose tissue capillarization, and inflammation

Background- Adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction in obesity contributes to chronic, low-grade inflammation that predisposes to type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Recent in vitro studies suggest that AT hypoxia may induce inflammation. We hypothesized that adipose tissue blood flow (ATBF) regulates AT oxygen partial pressure (AT Po(2)), thereby affecting AT inflammation and insulin sensitivity. Methods and Results- We developed an optochemical measurement system for continuous monitoring of AT Po(2) using microdialysis. The effect of alterations in ATBF on AT Po(2) was investigated in lean and obese subjects with both pharmacological and physiological approaches to manipulate ATBF. Local administration of angiotensin II (vasoconstrictor) in abdominal subcutaneous AT decreased ATBF and AT Po(2), whereas infusion of isoprenaline (vasodilator) evoked opposite effects. Ingestion of a glucose drink increased ATBF and AT Po(2) in lean subjects, but these responses were blunted in obese individuals. However, AT Po(2) was higher (hyperoxia) in obese subjects despite lower ATBF, which appears to be explained by lower AT oxygen consumption. This was accompanied by insulin resistance, lower AT capillarization, lower AT expression of genes encoding proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and function, and higher AT gene expression of macrophage infiltration and inflammatory markers. Conclusions- Our findings establish ATBF as an important regulator of AT Po(2). Nevertheless, obese individuals exhibit AT hyperoxia despite lower ATBF, which seems to be explained by lower AT oxygen consumption. This is accompanied by insulin resistance, impaired AT capillarization, and higher AT gene expression of inflammatory cell markers. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.trialregister.nl. Unique identifier: NTR2451