Charles Eggeling First World War Correspondence #15

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/ceggeling_collection/1014/thumbnail.jp

The new manufacturing paradigm: Challenges and opportunities of integrated continuous bioprocessing

Biologic therapies offer hope to many patients who previously had no effective treatment options for their disease. Whether for treatment of thousands of patients with a rare genetic disease or a rare blood disorder or for millions of patients with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the number of patients treated with approved biologic drugs continues to increase worldwide. The uninterrupted supply of these lifesaving medicines depends on the strong expertise and technical and scientific understanding of individuals from many disciplines – molecular genetics and cell biology, upstream and downstream scientists and engineers, bioanalytical scientists, process and plant design engineers, etc. As production technology and process knowledge has advanced, the opportunity to implement process intensification has likewise increased. While there are many advantages to drug substance process intensification – including opportunities for improve costs – another advantage is the possibility for smaller drug substance manufacturing footprints. This talk will survey where the industry is heading as well as implementation of integrated continuous processing in a digitally-enabled facility designed for intensified drug substance processes

Effects of Diverting Activities on Recovery from Repeated Maximum Voluntary Contractions

Previous investigations have demonstrated that diverting activities (e.g., contralateral exercise and pinching one’s fingers together) can minimize the severity of muscle fatigue that occurs during exercise. In addition to their ability to resist fatigue during exercise, diverting activities may help subjects recover between work bouts. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of mental and physical diverting activities on recovery from fatiguing isometric muscle actions. On three separate occasions, twelve men (mean ± SD age = 22 ± 1 years) and nine women (age = 22 ± 2 years) performed ten repeated, ten-second isometric maximum voluntary contractions (MVCs) of the dominant leg extensors with ten seconds of rest between each attempt (i.e., ten seconds “on,” ten seconds “off”). Following this fatiguing protocol, the subjects performed math problems (mental diverting activity), five, 20-second isometric muscle actions with the non-dominant leg extensors at a force corresponding to 50% MVC (physical diverting activity), or rested quietly (control). Immediately following this intervention period, the subjects performed a final three-second MVC, which assessed how well the leg extensors recovered from the fatiguing protocol (Post-Recovery MVC). These three data collection trials were randomly performed, and separated by at least 48 hours of rest. A two-way (time [Pre-Fatigue MVC, MVC #1-10, Post-Fatigue MVC, Post-Recovery MVC] × intervention [math problems, contralateral, and control]) repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine the isometric force data. The mean ± SD Post-Recovery MVC values were as follows: mental diverting activities =765 ± 210 N; physical diverting activities = 797 ± 235 N; control = 790 ± 258 N. There was no significant time × intervention interaction (partial eta squared = .072), no main effect for intervention, but there was a main effect for time. The marginal mean pairwise comparisons indicated: Pre-Fatigue MVC \u3e MVC#1 – Post-Fatigue MVC; MVC #4 – Post-Fatigue MVC \u3c Post-Recovery MVC. In contrast to the results from previous studies, our results indicated that performing mental and physical diverting activities did not help the subjects recover from fatigue

Relationship Between One Repetition Maximum Strength and Peak Power Output for the Free-Weight Bench Press Exercise

Strength and conditioning coaches are often interested in improving power output in their athletes. As many coaches are aware that power is the product of force and velocity, an emphasis is often placed on training with loads that correspond to peak mechanical power output (e.g., 30-50% of the one repetition maximum [1RM]). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between 1RM strength and peak power output during the free-weight bench press exercise. Twenty-one healthy, recreationally resistance-trained men (mean ± SD age = 24 ± 3 years; body mass = 90.5 ± 14.6 kg; 1RM bench press = 125.4 ± 18.4 kg) volunteered for this investigation. A minimum of 48 hours following a maximal strength testing and familiarization session, the subjects performed a single repetition of the bench press using 50% of the 1RM. For each repetition, the subjects were instructed press the weight explosively throughout the concentric portion of the range of motion. A Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer was used to assess peak power output for each repetition. A linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between 1RM strength and peak power output. The results indicated that the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.697, suggesting that 1RM strength explained roughly 70% of the variance in peak power output. The linear slope coefficient was 5.94 W/kg, and the y-intercept was 110.2 W. These findings demonstrated that 1RM strength and peak power output were highly correlated. Although explosive training with light loads is often stressed in strength and conditioning programs, for the free-weight bench press exercise, a relatively small degree of variance in peak power output can be explained by factors other than 1RM strength

Creatine Kinase, Lactate Dehydrogenase, and Myoglobin Responses Following Repeated Wingate Anaerobic Tests Versus Barbell Back Squats: a Pilot Study

The results from many previous studies have demonstrated that muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness are due primarily to high force, eccentric muscle actions. However, the majority of investigators have examined these responses following single-joint, isokinetic assessments. The purpose of this study was to examine creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and myoglobin responses following repeated Wingate anaerobic tests versus multiple sets of the barbell back squat exercise. Six recreationally resistance-trained men (mean ± SD age = 23 ± 2 years, body mass = 88.0 ± 17.8 kg, one repetition-maximum [1RM] back squat = 150.0 ± 28.3 kg) volunteered for this investigation, and visited the laboratory on five separate occasions. For the back squat protocol, the subjects performed six sets until volitional exhaustion using 75% of the 1RM with two minutes of rest between each set. For all repetitions, the subjects squatted to the parallel position. For the Wingate protocol, the subjects performed three tests with a 10 minute recovery period between each attempt. The order of these two protocols was randomized, and all testing for the study occurred at the same time of day. The subjects were required to refrain from vigorous physical activity during the study. Immediately prior to and 24 hours following each protocol, the subjects provided a venous blood sample from a superficial forearm vein. At the conclusion of the study, all samples were processed for CK, LDH, and myoglobin analyses. Three separate two-way (time [Pre versus Post] × protocol [squats versus Wingate anaerobic tests]) repeated measures analyses of variance were used to examine the CK, LDH, and myoglobin data. For CK, there was a significant time × protocol interaction (partial eta squared = .761). Follow-up paired samples t-tests indicated that the mean CK values increased following the squat protocol (Pre mean ± SD = 233.2 ± 97.4; Post = 457.0 ± 119.9 IU/L), but not the Wingate anaerobic tests (Pre = 218.5 ± 103.9; Post = 231.7 ± 65.3 IU/L). There was no mean difference between the protocols for both LDH and myoglobin. The primary finding from this pilot study was that performing six sets of barbell back squats using 75% of the 1RM significantly increased blood CK levels in resistance-trained men. Although additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our findings, CK appears to be a more sensitive measure of muscle damage than both LDH and myoglobin

Technical Report: Distributed Parallel Computing Using Windows Desktop Systems

See also: http://sbml.org/Main_PageLike many large institutions, Indiana University has thousands of desktop computers devoted primarily to running office productivity applications on the Windows operating system, tasks which are necessary but that do not use the computers’ full capacity. This is a resource worth pursuing. However, the individual desktop systems do not offer enough processing power for a long enough period of time to complete large scientific computing applications. Some form of distributed, parallel programming is required, to make them worth the chase. They must be instantly available to their primary users, so they are available only intermittently. This has been a serious stumbling block: currently available communications libraries for distributed computing do not support such a dynamic communications world well. This paper introduces Simple Message Broker Library (SMBL), which provides the flexibility needed to take advantage of such ephemeral resources

The Influence of Microbial Metabolites in the Gastrointestinal Microenvironment on Anticancer Immunity

The gastrointestinal (GI) tumour microenvironment is characterised by its unique colonisation with bacteria that are estimated to match the total number of cells in our body. It is becoming increasingly clear that the microbiome and its metabolites are important orchestrators of local and systemic immune responses, anticancer immunity and the host response to cancer therapy. Apart from their role as an energy source, metabolites have been shown to modulate inflammation, immune cell function and cancer cell survival. The polarisation of immune cell subsets by microbial metabolites towards either pro- or antitumorigenic functions strongly affects cancer progression and outcomes. In this chapter, we will discuss the link between microbial metabolites in the GI tumour microenvironment, anticancer immune responses and cancer progression

The X-ray spectra and spectral variability of intermediate type Seyfert galaxies: ASCA observations of NGC 4388 and ESO 103-G35

The X-ray spectra of two intermediate type Seyfert galaxies are investigated using ASCA observations separated by more than a year. Both NGC 4388 and ESO 103-G35 exhibit strong, narrow Fe K alpha line emission and absorption by cold neutral gas with a column density ~ 10^23 cm^-2, characteristic of the X-ray spectra of type 2 Seyfert galaxies. The power law continuum flux has changed by a factor of 2 over a time-scale of ~ 2 years for both objects, declining in the case of NGC 4388 and rising in ESO 103-G35. No variation was observed in the equivalent width of the Fe K alpha line in the spectra of NGC 4388, implying that the line flux declined with the continuum. We find that the strength of the line cannot be accounted for by fluorescence in line-of-sight material with the measured column density unless a `leaky-absorber' model of the type favored for IRAS 04575-7537 is employed. The equivalent width of the Fe K alpha emission line is seen to decrease between the observations of ESO 103-G35 while the continuum flux increased. The 1996 observation of ESO 103-G35 can also be fitted with an absorption edge at 7.4 $\pm$ 0.2 keV due to partially ionized iron, and when an ionized absorber model is fitted to the data it is found that the equivalent column of neutral hydrogen rises to 3.5 x 10^23 cm^-2. The Fe K alpha line flux can be accounted by fluorescence in this material alone and this model is also a good representation of the 1988 and 1991 Ginga observations. There is then no requirement for a reflection component in the ASCA spectra of ESO 103-G35 or NGC 4388.Comment: 45 pages, 5 tables, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Design for On-Site Hydrogen Production for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Refueling Station at University of Birmingham, U.K.

In April 2008, the University of Birmingham launched the first permanent Hydrogen Refuelling Station in the UK. This enabled the refuelling of the only at the time fleet of Hydrogen Hybrid Fuel Cell Vehicles (HHFCV) in the UK. To maintain the low emissions ethos, the ultra-high purity “Green” hydrogen for the refuelling station was supplied off site, from a third party contractor. The University aims to be the first campus in the UK that is carbon neutral and this project scopes to produce “Green” hydrogen on-site to power the fleet of HHFCVs. Electrolysis is currently the only commercial method for producing ultra-high purity hydrogen without the need for, what could prove to be very costly, additional purification steps. Working in collaboration with ITM Power, a HPac Model electrolyser has been installed to produce electrolytic hydrogen on-site (up to 1.25 kgH2/day). The HPac uses PEM technology, which eliminates the need for hazardous alkaline substances, to produce hydrogen. The input requirements are ASTM Type 2 de-ionised (DI), water and 240 V power supply. Hydrogen is produced at pressures up to 15 bar [1]. However, there is a need to incorporate this unit within the existing hydrogen infrastructure incorporating 350 bar Air Product refuelling station. An integrated delivery system has been designed and initial results are presented herein

Unveiling the broad band X-ray continuum and iron line complex in Mkr 841

Mkr 841 is a bright Seyfert 1 galaxy known to harbor a strong soft excess and a variable K$\alpha$ iron line. It has been observed during 3 different periods by XMM for a total cumulated exposure time of $\sim$108 ks. We present in this paper a broad band spectral analysis of the complete EPIC-pn data sets. We were able to test two different models for the soft excess, a relativistically blurred photoionized reflection (\r model) and a relativistically smeared ionized absorption (\a model). The continuum is modeled by a simple cut-off power law and we also add a neutral reflection. These observations reveal the extreme and puzzling spectral and temporal behaviors of the soft excess and iron line. The 0.5-3 keV soft X-ray flux decreases by a factor 3 between 2001 and 2005 and the line shape appears to be a mixture of broad and narrow components. We succeed in describing this complex broad-band 0.5-10 keV spectral variability using either \r or \a to fit the soft excess. Both models give statistically equivalent results even including simultaneous BeppoSAX data up to 200 keV. Both models are consistent with the presence of remote reflection characterized by a constant narrow component in the data. However they differ in the presence of a broad line component present in \r but not needed in \a. This study also reveals the sporadic presence of relativistically redshifted narrow iron lines.Comment: Accepted in A&A. 17 pages and 21 figure