Evaluation of electrospray differential mobility analysis for virus particle analysis: Potential applications for biomanufacturing.

The technique of electrospray differential mobility analysis (ES-DMA) was examined as a potential potency assay for routine virus particle analysis in biomanufacturing environments (e.g., evaluation of vaccines and gene delivery products for lot release) in the context of the International Committee of Harmonisation (ICH) Q2 guidelines. ES-DMA is a rapid particle sizing method capable of characterizing certain aspects of the structure (such as capsid proteins) and obtaining complete size distributions of viruses and virus-like particles. It was shown that ES-DMA can distinguish intact virus particles from degraded particles and measure the concentration of virus particles when calibrated with nanoparticles of known concentration. The technique has a measurement uncertainty of ≈20%, is linear over nearly 3 orders of magnitude, and has a lower limit of detection of ≈10(9)particles/mL. This quantitative assay was demonstrated for non-enveloped viruses. It is expected that ES-DMA will be a useful method for applications involving production and quality control of vaccines and gene therapy vectors for human use

Comparisons of optically monitored small-scale stirred tank vessels to optically controlled disposable bag bioreactors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Upstream bioprocesses are extremely complex since living organisms are used to generate active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Cells in culture behave uniquely in response to their environment, thus culture conditions must be precisely defined and controlled in order for productivity and product quality to be reproducible. Thus, development culturing platforms are needed where many experiments can be carried out at once and pertinent scale-up information can be obtained.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we have tested a High Throughput Bioreactor (HTBR) as a scale-down model for a lab-scale wave-type bioreactor (CultiBag). Mass transfer was characterized in both systems and scaling based on volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient (k_La) was sufficient to give similar DO trends. HTBR and CultiBag cell growth and mAb production were highly comparable in the first experiment where DO and pH were allowed to vary freely. In the second experiment, growth and mAb production rates were lower in the HTBR as compared to the CultiBag, where pH was controlled. The differences in magnitude were not considered significant for biological systems.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Similar oxygen delivery rates were achieved in both systems, leading to comparable culture performance (growth and mAb production) across scales and mode of mixing. HTBR model was most fitting when neither system was pH-controlled, providing an information-rich alternative to typically non-monitored mL-scale platforms.</p

How do patients actually experience and use art in hospitals?:The significance of interaction. A user-oriented experimental case study.

This article aims to understand patient wellbeing and satisfaction and to qualify the current guidelines for the application of art in hospitals. Employing anthropological methods, we focus on the interactional aspects of art in health interventions. A user-oriented study ranked 20 paintings, followed by an experiment using paintings in the dayroom of five medical wards. Fieldwork was done over a two-week period. During the first week, dayrooms were configured without the presence of art and in the second week were configured with the artworks. Semi-structured interviews, observation, participant observation and informal conversation were carried out and were informed by thermal cameras, which monitored the usage, patient occupation and flow in two of the dayrooms. The study shows that art contributes to creating an environment and atmosphere where patients can feel safe, socialize, maintain a connection to the world outside the hospital and support their identity. We conclude that the presence of visual art in hospitals contributes to health outcomes by improving patient satisfaction as an extended form of health care. The article draws attention to further research perspectives and methods associated with the development of art in hospitals

Bayesian inference across multiple models suggests a strong increase in lethality of COVID-19 in late 2020 in the UK.

We apply Bayesian inference methods to a suite of distinct compartmental models of generalised SEIR type, in which diagnosis and quarantine are included via extra compartments. We investigate the evidence for a change in lethality of COVID-19 in late autumn 2020 in the UK, using age-structured, weekly national aggregate data for cases and mortalities. Models that allow a (step-like or graded) change in infection fatality rate (IFR) have consistently higher model evidence than those without. Moreover, they all infer a close to two-fold increase in IFR. This value lies well above most previously available estimates. However, the same models consistently infer that, most probably, the increase in IFR preceded the time window during which variant B.1.1.7 (alpha) became the dominant strain in the UK. Therefore, according to our models, the caseload and mortality data do not offer unequivocal evidence for higher lethality of a new variant. We compare these results for the UK with similar models for Germany and France, which also show increases in inferred IFR during the same period, despite the even later arrival of new variants in those countries. We argue that while the new variant(s) may be one contributing cause of a large increase in IFR in the UK in autumn 2020, other factors, such as seasonality, or pressure on health services, are likely to also have contributed

Topotactic Growth of Edge-Terminated MoS₂ from MoO₂Nanocrystals

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides have distinct physicochemical properties at their edge-terminations. The production of an abundant density of edge structures is, however, impeded by the excess surface energy of edges compared to basal planes and would benefit from insight into the atomic growth mechanisms. Here, we show that edge-terminated MoS₂ nanostructures can form during sulfidation of MoO₂ nanocrystals by using <i>in situ</i> transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Time-resolved TEM image series reveal that the MoO₂ surface can sulfide by inward progression of MoO₂(202̅):MoS₂(002) interfaces, resulting in upright-oriented and edge-exposing MoS₂ sheets. This topotactic growth is rationalized in the interplay with density functional theory calculations by successive O–S exchange and Mo sublattice restructuring steps. The analysis shows that formation of edge-terminated MoS₂ is energetically favorable at MoO₂(110) surfaces and provides a necessary requirement for the propensity of a specific MoO₂ surface termination to form edge-terminated MoS₂. Thus, the present findings should benefit the rational development of transition metal dichalcogenide nanomaterials with abundant edge terminations