Capillary electrophoresis for automated on-line monitoring of suspension cultures: Correlating cell density,nutrients and metabolites in near real-time

Increasingly stringent demands on the production of biopharmaceuticals demand monitoring of process parameters that impact on their quality. We developed an automated platform for on-line, near real-time monitoring of suspension cultures by integrating microfluidic components for cell counting and filtration with a high-resolution separation technique. This enabled the correlation of the growth of a human lymphocyte cell line with changes in the essential metabolic markers, glucose, glutamine, leucine/isoleucine and lactate, determined by Sequential Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis (SI-CE). Using 8.1 mL of media (41 μL per run), the metabolic status and cell density were recorded every 30 min over 4 days. The presented platform is flexible, simple and automated and allows for fast, robust and sensitive analysis with low sample consumption and high sample throughput. It is compatible with up- and out-scaling, and as such provides a promising new solution to meet the future demands in process monitoring in the biopharmaceutical industry.     

Influence of eddies on heat transfer in Couette flow

Under creeping flow conditions, we consider the steady Couette flow of a Newtonian fluid between two plates, one of them planar, the other one with a sinusoidal profile. Recent analytical studies on the velocity field revealed the formation of kinematically induced eddies in the valleys of the plate topography and the influence of these eddies on drag force and flow rate. The influence of these eddies on the convective heat transfer is the subject of our paper. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Spin-echo small-angle neutron scattering device: Test experiment using SiO2 colloidal particles

The results of the first experiments with a spin-echo small-angle neutron scattering (SESANS) device built at the VVR-M reactor at the St. Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics (Gatchina) are presented. SESANS utilizes the possibilities of the spin-echo method for determining the structural characteristics of materials in real space with on the 10–10⁴-nm length scale. Validation measurements are conducted using SiO₂ colloidal particles. Samples of SiO₂ spheres with a diameter determined through scanning electron microscopy and synchrotron-radiation ultra-small-angle scattering are used for calibration of the device. Approximation of the data obtained with the SESANS device was conducted using the autocorrelation function for dilute monodisperse spheres. The sizes of the spheres determined via SESANS are in agreement with those determined by other methods within the experimental error.     

Solubilities in the Na,Ca‖SO4,F-H2O system at 0°C

Solubilities at invariant points of the Na,Ca‖SO₄,F-H₂O system at 0°C was studied, and a phase diagram of this system at 0°C was constructed.     

Effects of inertia and surface tension on a power-law fluid flowing down a wavy incline

We consider a thin film of a power-law liquid flowing down an inclined wall with sinusoidal topography. Based on the von Kármán–Pohlhausen method an integral boundary-layer model for the film thickness and the flow rate is derived. This allows us to study the influence of the non-Newtonian properties on the steady free surface deformation. For weakly undulated walls we solve the governing equation analytically by a perturbation approach and find a resonant interaction of the free surface with the wavy bottom. Furthermore, the analytical approximation is validated by numerical simulations. Increasing the steepness of the wall reveals that nonlinear effects like the resonance of higher harmonics grow in importance. We find that shear-thickening flows lead to a decrease while shear thinning flows lead to an amplification of the steady free surface. A linear stability analysis of the steady state shows that the bottom undulation has in most cases a stabilizing influence on the free surface. Shear thickening fluids enhance this effect. The open questions which occurred in the linear analysis are then clarified by a nonlinear stability analysis. Finally, we show the important role of capillarity and discuss its influence on the steady solution and on the stability.     

Ab initio studies of NMR chemical shifts for calix[4]arene and its derivatives

Ab initio calculations are performed for the calix[4]arene (1) and its derivatives (2 and 3), in this study. ¹H and ¹³C NMR measured spectral data given in our previous work are used to elucidate the structures of the prepared calix[4]arenes (1–3). The molecular geometry and chemical shift are calculated by using ab initio calculations based on the Hartree-Fock (HF) and the density functional theory (DFT) in the ground state. The results obtained from both methods are in agreement with the experimental results. The results of molecular geometry and chemical shifts show that DFT approach is closer to the experimental data than HF method.     

A method for solving differential equations of fractional order

In this paper, we consider Caputo type fractional differential equations of order 0<α<1$0<\alpha <1$ with initial condition x(0)=_x0$x\left(0\right)=x_0$. We introduce a technique to find the exact solutions of fractional differential equations by using the solutions of integer order differential equations. Generalization of the technique to finite systems is also given. Finally, we give some examples to illustrate the applications of our results.     

Profiling the Effects of Repetitive Morphine Administration on Motor Behavior in Rats

Efficient repetitive clinical use of morphine is limited by its numerous side effects, whereas analgesic tolerance necessitates subsequent increases in morphine dose to achieve adequate levels of analgesia. While many studies focused on analgesic tolerance, the effect of morphine dosing on non-analgesic effects has been overlooked. This study aimed to characterize morphine-induced behavior and the development and progression of morphine-induced behavioral tolerance. Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were repetitively treated with subcutaneous morphine for 14 days in two dose groups (A: 5 mg/kg/day (b.i.d.) → 10 mg/kg/day; B: 10 mg/kg/day (b.i.d.) → 20 mg/kg/day). Motor behavior was assessed daily (distance traveled, speed, moving time, rearing, rotation) in an open-field arena, before and 30 min post-injections. Antinociception was measured using tail-flick and hot-plate assays. All measured parameters were highly suppressed in both dosing groups on the first treatment day, followed by a gradual manifestation of behavioral tolerance as the treatment progressed. Animals in the high-dose group showed increased locomotor activity after 10 days of morphine treatment. This excitatory phase converted to an inhibition of behavior when a higher morphine dose was introduced. We suggest that the excitatory locomotor effects of repetitive high-dose morphine exposure represent a signature of its behavioral and antinociceptive tolerance.     

Voltammetric determination of boron by using Alizarin Red S

Cordycepin is the main active metabolite of Cordyceps militaris extracts; according to recent studies it has interesting therapeutic activities. A new capillary electrophoresis (CE) procedure with UV detection at 254 nm for determination of cordycepin was developed and optimized. Optimal conditions found were 20 mM sodium borate buffer with 28.6% methanol, pH 9.5, separation voltage 20 kV, hydrodynamic injection time 10 s and temperature 25 °C. Linearity was found over the 20-100 μg/mL concentration ranges of cordycepin. The developed method has been applied for determination of cordycepin in various pharmaceutical products. A comparison was made between CE and a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Both of these methods gave comparable results. The shorter analysis time and low running cost are the main advantages of CE method.