Single-use capacitance measurement of cell viability

The biomanufacture of complex biologics continues to expand and develop with no end foreseen and in order to build on the industries rapid adoption of single use technology an ethos of what is measured and controlled in stainless steel can be, and should be transferable to plastic. The realization of this continues to be a challenge but one of the key critical parameters in cell cultivation; in-situ viable biomass is now quantifiable using single use capacitance measurement. A single-use sensor patch is fully integrated in a 5L Rocking Motion Bioreactor bag, gamma sterilized and applied to CHO DG44 and Hybridoma cell cultivations on a Sartorius BIOSTAT® RM Bioreactor. Compensating for the rocking motion, the 14 day capacitance results showed direct correlation with the exponential growth phase and correlation to total viable cell volume rather than viable cell concentration. This data was verified by off-line measurement of cell concentration by Cedex XS® and cell diameter by flow through measurement and microscopic distributions. Additionally, the soluble metabolite concentrations were measured to calculate the cell specific rates. A theoretical value of capacitance can be calculated by the cell diameter with the equation; Ctheor = theoretically measured capacitance [pF*m-2] r = radius of the cell [m] Cm = membrane capacitance [pF*m-2] K = cell constant of the measurement setup [m-1] N = cell count [m-3] This theoretical capacitance measurement, in combination with oxygen uptake rate yields an understanding of the cellular metabolic state and whether the process is in fixed window of glucose/glutamine limitation. With this in mind, it is aimed to automate a fed-batch process where the addition of concentration media is controlled by a SCADA system control loop using Sartorius BioPAT® MFCS/win software and optimize the antibody productivity. Herein, the results and experiences of this work will be presented and discussed

Variation in use of procurement biopsies and its implications for discard of deceased donor kidneys recovered for transplantation

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150616/1/ajt15325.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150616/2/ajt15325_am.pd

Climate change will disproportionally affect the most genetically diverse lineages of a widespread African tree species

Global climate change is proceeding at an alarming rate with major ecological and genetic consequences for biodiversity, particularly in drylands. The response of species to climate change may difer between intraspecifc genetic groups, with major implications for conservation. We used molecular data from 10 nuclear and two chloroplast genomes to identify phylogeographic groups within 746 individuals from 29 populations of Senegalia senegal, a savannah tree species in subSaharan Africa. Three phylogroups are identifed corresponding to Sudano-Sahelian, Zambezian and Southern African biogeographic regions in West, East and Southern Africa. Genetic diversity was highest in Southern and Zambesian and lowest in the Sudano-Sahelian phylogroups. Using species distribution modeling, we infer highly divergent future distributions of the phylogroups under three climate change scenarios. Climate change will lead to severe reductions of distribution area of the genetically diverse Zambezian (−41–− 54%) and Southern (− 63–− 82%) phylogroups, but to an increase for the genetically depauperate Sudano-Sahelian (+ 7– + 26%) phylogroups. This study improves our understanding of the impact of climate change on the future distribution of this species. This knowledge is particularly useful for biodiversity management as the conservation of genetic resources needs to be considered in complementary strategies of in-situ conservation and assisted migration.The German Academic Exchange Service, the German Science Foundation, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and Leipzig University.https://www.nature.com/srepPlant Production and Soil Scienc

Center practice drives variation in choice of US kidney transplant induction therapy: a retrospective analysis of contemporary practice

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141776/1/tri13079_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141776/2/tri13079.pd

Analytical methods and experimental approaches for electrophysiological studies of brain oscillations

Brain oscillations are increasingly the subject of electrophysiological studies probing their role in the functioning and dysfunction of the human brain. In recent years this research area has seen rapid and significant changes in the experimental approaches and analysis methods. This article reviews these developments and provides a structured overview of experimental approaches, spectral analysis techniques and methods to establish relationships between brain oscillations and behaviour

A developmental perspective on the evolution of the nervous system.

The evolution of nervous systems in animals has always fascinated biologists, and thus multiple evolutionary scenarios have been proposed to explain the appearance of neurons and complex neuronal centers. However, the absence of a robust phylogenetic framework for animal interrelationships, the lack of a mechanistic understanding of development, and a recapitulative view of animal ontogeny have traditionally limited these scenarios. Only recently, the integration of advanced molecular and morphological studies in a broad range of animals has allowed to trace the evolution of developmental and neuronal characters on a better-resolved animal phylogeny. This has falsified most traditional scenarios for nervous system evolution, paving the way for the emergence of new testable hypotheses. Here we summarize recent progress in studies of nervous system development in major animal lineages and formulate some of the arising questions. In particular, we focus on how lineage analyses of nervous system development and a comparative study of the expression of neural-related genes has influenced our understanding of the evolution of an elaborated central nervous system in Bilateria. We argue that a phylogeny-guided study of neural development combining thorough descriptive and functional analyses is key to establish more robust scenarios for the origin and evolution of animal nervous systems

De las catacumbas a los últimos confines: violencia, sentido y representación en los periplos del martirio

En este trabajo propongo un análisis transversal de las figuras del mártir y del martirio. Recurriendo a la noción de mediación, en la primera parte analizo el rol protagónico de las representaciones del martirio en las prácticas de la memoria durante la segunda mitad del siglo XVI. Analizo algunas de las condiciones que contribuyeron a la emergencia de una "cultura del martirio" y el rol de las mediaciones en tal surgimiento. En la segunda parte, estudio la forma en que el (re)descubrimiento de las catacumbas romanas, abrió un campo de producción de sentido en torno a la figura del martirio. En la tercera parte, centrándome en la Compañía de Jesús, analizo algunas mediaciones a través de las cuáles las figuras del martirio transgredieron las fronteras de iglesias y conventos para proyectarse a los últimos confines en un mundo en plena expansión.Neste artigo proponho uma análise transversal das figuras do mártir e do martírio. Usando a noção de mediação, na primeira parte eu tento analisar o papel de liderança de representações de martírio em práticas de memória durante a segunda metade do século XVI. Eu analiso algumas das condições que contribuíram para o surgimento de uma "cultura do martírio" e o papel da mediação nesta emergência. Na segunda parte, eu estudo como a (re) descoberta das catacumbas romanas abriu um campo de produção de significados em torno da figura do martírio. Na terceira parte, com foco na Companhia de Jesus, analiso algumas mediações pelas quais as representações do martírio transgrediram as fronteiras de igrejas e conventos para se projetar nas fronteiras de um mundo em plena expansão mundial.This paper proposes a cross-sectional analysis of martyr and martyrdom. Through the notion of mediation, in the first part I analyze the leading role of representations of martyrdom in memory practices during the second half of the sixteenth century. I analyze some of the conditions that contributed to the emergence of a "martyrdom's culture" and the role of mediation in such emergence. The second part studies how the (re)discovery of the Roman catacombs encouraged the production of meanings around the figure of martyrdom. In the third part, focusing on the Society of Jesus, I analyze a few instances of mediation through which the figures of martyrdom transgressed the boundaries of churches and convents to project themselves to the last frontiers of a world in full expansion.Fil: Salamanca Villamizar, Carlos Arturo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Without the blanket of the land: agrarian change and biopolitics in post–Apartheid South Africa

This paper connects Marxist approaches to the agrarian political economy of South Africa with post-Marshallian and Foucauldian analyses of distributional regimes and late capitalist governmentality. Looking at South Africa’s stalled agrarian transition through the lens of biopolitics as well as class analysis can make visible otherwise disregarded connections between processes of agrarian change and broader contests about the terms of social and economic incorporation into the South African social and political order before, during and after Apartheid. This can bring a fresh sense of the broader political implications of the course of agrarian change in South Africa, and helps contextualise the enduring salience of land as a flashpoint within South Africa’s unresolved democratic transition