Search Results (42)

Background/Objective: The CamPROBE device offers a simple, low-cost method to facilitate double-free-hand local anaesthetic transperineal prostate biopsies (LATPBx). Here we present data from prospective implementation of its use for first biopsy cancer detection. Methods: The outcomes of two centres who adopted the CamPROBE were compared to a retrospective series of biopsies using an in-line (single-free-hand) device. All biopsies were done by clinicians new to the device. Outcomes were the detection of any cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) defined as ≥Grade Group 2 and ≥Grade Group 3 (GG2/3) and composite ≥NICE Cambridge Prognostic Group 2 and 3 (CPG2/3), as well as sampling accuracy of MRI-defined lesions. Results: Device cohorts were well matched for pre-biopsy PSA, T stage, and MRI visibility in both centres. In centre 1 (100 CamPROBE vs. 97 in-line biopsies), there were no differences in detection of any cancer or csPCa: ≥GG2 60.0% vs. 56.7% (p = 0.64), ≥GG3 31% vs. 20.6% (p = 0.09), ≥CPG2 62.0% vs. 60.8% (p = 0.86), and ≥CPG3 (p = 0.55). There were also no differences between devices in target biopsy positivity: 67.4% vs. 63.5% (p = 0.59). Data from centre 2 (38 CamPROBE vs. 44 in-line) re-capitulated these findings. The MRI target detection rate of the CamPROBE (assessed in Centre 1) was not affected by prostate volume, lesion laterality, anatomical position, or lesion size. Limitations include modest sample sizes, lack of randomization, and patient-reported outcomes. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the CamPROBE device is a highly effective method of performing prostate biopsies with excellent cancer detection rates and accuracy, supporting its wider dissemination and use. Full article

Bedaquiline is known to shorten the duration of therapy of tuberculosis but has limitations, e.g., poor solubility and adverse effects such as prolongation of the QT interval. In this study, bedaquiline was incorporated into an inherently targeted nanosystem for improved permeation of the drug, with ex vivo diffusion studies performed to investigate its penetration. The bedaquiline-loaded mannan–chitosan oligosaccharide lactate nanoparticles were prepared by a one-step ionic gelation probe sonication method. A PermeGear 7-in-line flow-through diffusion system was used for the ex vivo diffusion studies across porcine and human pericardia. Bedaquiline-loaded nanoparticles with a particle size and potential of 192.4 nm and 40.5 mV, respectively, were obtained. The drug-loaded mannan–chitosan nanoparticles had an encapsulation efficacy of 98.7% and drug loading of 0.6%. Diffusion data indicated a steady-state flux of 2.889 and 2.346 µg.cm⁻².min⁻¹ for porcine and human pericardia, respectively. The apparent permeability coefficients were calculated to be 2.66 × 10⁻⁴ cm.min⁻¹ and 2.16 × 10⁻⁴ cm.min⁻¹ for porcine and human pericardia, respectively. The lag phases were 52.72 min and 0 min for porcine and human pericardia, respectively. The drug permeation indicated a consistent and linear diffusion pattern across both porcine and human pericardia, additionally approving the porcine pericardium as a great comparable tissue to human tissue for pericardial studies. This study is the first to demonstrate ex vivo diffusion of bedaquiline-loaded, macrophage-targeted chitosan–mannan nanoparticles across both human and porcine pericardia, representing a novel platform for disease-targeted, localized treatment of TB pericarditis. Full article

Background: The pharmaceutical industry is shifting from end-product testing towards real-time release testing. This approach is based on the continuous collection of process data and product information, which is finally utilized for the release decision. For continuous direct compression, spectroscopic technologies are preferred due to their short acquisition time and non-destructive nature. Methods: Here, the feasibility of the CIELAB color space was demonstrated for porosity and tensile strength. Five different formulations were processed, varying in particle size and deformation behavior. The compression forces were varied from 3 to 18 kN and the CIELAB color space was measured in-line using a UV/Vis probe implemented in the ejection position of the tablet machine. Results: Increasing the main compression force during tableting decreases the tablet surface roughness and porosity. In addition, the tablet tensile strength increases. These changes affected the reflection behavior of radiation on the tablet surface, resulting in a change in the chroma value C*. These dependencies were utilized for the in-line monitoring of porosity and tensile strength. Linear relations were observed for all formulations as exemplary, indicated by sufficient coefficients of determination and verification runs. Conclusions: Finally, UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in combination with a CIELAB color space transformation was demonstrated to be a suitable real-time release tool. Full article

At Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany, a new turbomachinery test facility has been built over the last few years. A major part of this facility is a new 6 MW compressor station, which is connected to a large piping system, both designed and built by AERZEN. This system provides air supply to several wind tunnel and turbomachinery test rigs, e.g., axial turbines and axial compressors. These test rigs are designed to conduct high-quality aerodynamic, aeroelastic, and aeroacoustic measurements to increase physical understanding of steady and unsteady effects in turbomachines. One primary purpose of these investigations is the validation of aerodynamic and aeroacoustic numerical methods. To provide precise boundary conditions for the validation process, extremely high homogeneity of the inflow to the investigated experimental setup is imminent. Thus, customized settling chambers have been developed using analytical and numerical design methods. The authors have chosen to follow basic aerodynamic design steps, using analytical assumptions for the inlet section, the “mixing” area of a settling chamber, and the outlet nozzle in combination with state-of-the-art numerical investigations. In early 2020, the first settling chamber was brought into operation for the acceptance tests. In order to collect high-resolution flow field data during the tests, Leibniz University and AERZEN have designed a unique measurement device for robust and fast in-line flow field measurements. For this measurement device, total pressure and total-temperature rake probes, as well as traversing multi-hole probes, have been used in combination to receive high-resolution flow field data at the outlet section of the settling chamber. The paper provides information about the design process of the settling chamber, the developed measurement device, and measurement data gained from the acceptance tests. Full article

Current systems that allow inline pH control in the fermented dairy industry have drawbacks, such as protein adhesion on the non-glass pH probes, measurement distortion, frequent recalibration needs, and sensitivity to extreme pH conditions encountered during clean-in-place operations. Therefore, the objective of this study was to validate the feasibility of estimating the pH of milk during the yogurt making process by using a NIR light backscatter sensor measuring under different fermentation temperatures and milk protein concentrations using a mathematical model that correlates the light scatter signal with pH. Three replications of the experiment with two protein concentrations (3.5 and 4.0%) and two fermentation temperatures (43 and 46 °C) were used to validate this inline pH prediction model. Continuous and discontinuous measurements of pH were collected as a reference during fermentation, simultaneously with the light backscatter data acquisition. Also, the effect of adjusting the initial voltage gain of the light scatter device on the accuracy of the pH prediction model was evaluated. Temperature and initial voltage were the main factors affecting the fitting accuracy of the model. The adjustment of the initial voltage gain improved the pH prediction model fit. The model has been successfully validated for both continuous and discontinuous measurements of pH, with SEP values < 0.09 pH units and CV < 1.78%. The proposed optical inline and non-destructive method was feasible for inline pH monitoring of milk fermentation, avoiding traditional manual pH measurement. Full article

A scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) system is a common non-destructive instrument which is used to evaluate the material quality in scientific and industrial applications. Technically, the tested sample is immersed in water during the scanning process. Therefore, a robot arm is incorporated into the SAM system to transfer the sample for in-line inspection, which makes the system complex and increases time consumption. The main aim of this study is to develop a novel water probe for the SAM system, that is, a waterstream. During the scanning process, water was supplied using a waterstream instead of immersing the sample in the water, which leads to a simple design of an automotive SAM system and a reduction in time consumption. In addition, using a waterstream in the SAM system can avoid contamination of the sample due to immersion in water for long-time scanning. Waterstream was designed based on the measured focal length calculation of the transducer and simulated to investigate the internal flow characteristics. To validate the simulation results, the waterstream was prototyped and applied to the TSAM-400 and W-FSAM traditional and fast SAM systems to successfully image some samples such as carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, a printed circuit board, and a 6-inch wafer. These results demonstrate the design method of the water probe applied to the SAM system. Full article

In this paper, we propose an in-line fiber sensor probe based on UV-glue-assisted cascaded Fabry–Perot cavities for temperature measurement. The UV-curable adhesive in the sensing cavity plays an important role due to its high thermo-optic coefficient. We show that the temperature sensitivity depends on the optical path length difference between both cavities. We report a maximum value of 12.57 nm/°C in the range of 20 to 30 °C. This original sensor architecture features a low cost and simple structure that can be straightforwardly manufactured with readily available materials and a short production time. Full article

This study aims to provide the dairy industry with a direct control model focused on milk coagulation by using multifiber probes to determine parameters in the curding process, such as cutting time, at a lower cost. The main objective of the research is to confirm that a multifiber NIR light scattering probe can be used to predict the elastic modulus of curd during milk coagulation in cheese production. Two randomized complete block designs were used with a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of three protein levels (3%, 3.5% and 4%) and three wavelengths (870 nm, 880 nm and 890 nm). Using a multifiber probe at a wavelength of 880 nm allowed obtaining a better optical response of the sensor during enzymatic milk coagulation than the 870 nm. It showed greater sensitivity to variations in the protein content of the milk and lower variation in the response. The multifiber probe at a wavelength of 880 nm generated a NIR light backscatter profile like those obtained with other systems. The results showed that the prediction model parameters had a variation as a function of the protein content, which opens the possibility of improving the prediction model’s performance substantially. Furthermore, the initial voltage obtained with the probe responded linearly to the different protein levels in milk. This fact would make it possible, at least theoretically, to estimate protein concentration with the same inline probe for G’ determination, facilitating the incorporation of a corrective protein factor in the prediction models using a single instrument. Full article

The development of upstream bioprocesses necessitates small, instrumented bioreactors for investigating and optimizing production processes in a cost-effective manner. Due to advances in both the equipment and the materials used in additive manufacturing, 3D printing of customized bioreactors is now in the realm of possibilities. In this study, a small-scale 3D printed bioreactor suitable for mammalian and microbial cultivations was developed, featuring a working volume of 90 mL, inline pH and dissolved oxygen probes and a levitating magnetic stirrer. Aeration channels and a sampling port were printed directly into the vessel walls. Additionally, the vessel was equipped with a 3D printed customizable optical biomass-sensor. The bioreactor’s performance was evaluated through technical characterization and proof of concept cultivations, demonstrating that mixing time and oxygen mass transfer were sufficient for cultivating mammalian as well as microbial cells at high cell densities. Specifically, an Escherichia coli fed-batch cultivation achieved a maximum OD₆₀₀ of 204. Furthermore, a fed-batch cultivation of an IgG antibody-producing Chinese hamster ovary cell line reached a peak viable cell density of 10.2 × 10⁶ cells mL⁻¹ and a maximum product titer of 2.75 g L⁻¹. Using a three-parameter fit, the inline biomass signal could be correlated to the corresponding offline values with satisfactory accuracy, making it possible to monitor cell growth in real-time. Full article

DNA synthesis catalyzed by DNA polymerase is essential for all life forms, and phosphodiester bond formation with phosphorus center inversion is a key step in this process. Herein, by using a single-selenium-atom-modified dNTP probe, we report a novel strategy to visualize the reaction stereochemistry and catalysis. We capture the before- and after-reaction states and provide explicit evidence of the center inversion and in-line attacking S_N2 mechanism of DNA polymerization, while solving the diastereomer absolute configurations. Further, our kinetic and thermodynamic studies demonstrate that in the presence of Mg²⁺ ions (or Mn²⁺), the binding affinity (K_m) and reaction selectivity (k_cat/K_m) of dGTPαSe-Rp were 51.1-fold (or 19.5-fold) stronger and 21.8-fold (or 11.3-fold) higher than those of dGTPαSe-Sp, respectively, indicating that the diastereomeric Se-Sp atom was quite disruptive of the binding and catalysis. Our findings reveal that the third metal ion is much more critical than the other two metal ions in both substrate recognition and bond formation, providing insights into how to better design the polymerase inhibitors and discover the therapeutics. Full article

The integration of spray drying and agglomeration offers significant advantages, such us continuous production with lower energy consumption. However, it is a knife-edge process with a narrow operating window and limited degrees of freedom that decide between successful agglomeration and fluidized bed blockage due to excessive moisture. In this contribution, factors influencing the spray-through agglomeration process of skim milk powder as a model system were investigated via a design of experiments. Three in-line monitoring methods were applied and tested to observe the most important parameters in the agglomeration process—the product moisture and particle size distribution. Regarding the moisture content, a capacitive moisture sensor was calibrated with linear regression and a near-infrared sensor with partial least squares regression. Near-infrared spectroscopy was found to be the suitable method for determining the moisture content, while the capacitive moisture sensor mainly provides information on the bulk density, filling level, or fluidization state in the fluidized bed. Additionally, particle size distribution data were extracted from the spectral data using in-line data from a spatial filter velocimetry probe in the fluidized bed. This opens the potential to monitor both parameters in real time with a single non-invasive sensor. Full article

A statistical design of experiments for a rotary fluidized bed agglomeration process is performed to improve both the knowledge of the process and the influence of the process parameters. Agglomerates of a pharmaceutical formulation are manufactured in a laboratory fluidized bed rotor apparatus with a tangential spray nozzle. Particle size is measured in-line over the entire agglomeration process with a spatial filter velocimetry probe installed directly in the process chamber and off-line with dynamic image analysis for comparison. The influence of the process parameters spray rate, spray pressure, rotor speed, and process air temperature on the fluidized bed is investigated using a central composite design. In-line measurement of particle size is possible over the entire rotor process. Spray pressure, spray rate, square of process air temperature, and some interactions proved to be statistically significant. Particle size measured with spatial filter velocimetry and dynamic image analysis indicates good agreement and a similar trend. The successful application of particle size measurement in a fluidized bed rotor agglomeration at a laboratory scale using spatial filter velocimetry to improve process control and reduce the risk of failed batches serves as the basis for transferring to a production scale. Full article

With the goal to better process the monitoring of occurring fouling, a backscatter probe was developed to perform in-line measurements in a half-shell reactor during the reaction of N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) to polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The measurement technique detects the changes of bands in the UV range, which allows a direct correlation with the concentration. Thus, the measured absorbance signal allows a conclusion on the accumulation of fouling in the reactor and on changes in the conversion at the measurement location. Full article

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was established to quantify diverse cellular characteristics. This technique has been widely used in various species, such as fish, poultry, and humans for compositional analysis. This technology was limited to offline quality assurance/detection of woody breast (WB); however, inline technology that can be retrofitted on the conveyor belt would be more helpful to processors. Freshly deboned (n = 80) chicken breast fillets were collected from a local processor and analyzed by hand-palpation for different WB severity levels. Data collected from both BIA setups were subjected to supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms. The modified BIA showed better detection ability for regular fillets than the probe BIA setup. In the plate BIA setup, fillets were 80.00% for normal, 66.67% for moderate (data for mild and moderate merged), and 85.00% for severe WB. However, hand-held BIA showed 77.78, 85.71, and 88.89% for normal, moderate, and severe WB, respectively. Plate BIA setup is more effective in detecting WB myopathies and could be installed without slowing the processing line. Breast fillet detection on the processing line can be significantly improved using a modified automated plate BIA. Full article

Many industrial processes make use of sodium because sodium is the fifth most abundant metal and the seventh most abundant element on Earth. Consequently, there are many sodium-containing industrial wastes that could potentially be used for carbon capture, paving the way towards a circular and biobased economy. For example, a common industrial chemical is NaOH, which is found in black liquor, a by-product of the paper and pulp industry. Nonetheless, the literature available on CO₂ absorption capacity of aqueous NaOH is scarce for making a fair comparison with sodium-containing waste. Therefore, to fill this gap and set the foundation for future research on carbon capture, the CO₂ absorption capacity of NaOH solutions in a concentration range of 1–8 w/w% was evaluated, a wider range compared with currently available data. The data set presented here enables evaluating the performance of sodium-based wastes, which are complex mixtures and might contain other compounds that enhance or worsen their carbon capture capacity. We designed a customized reactor using a 3D-printer to facilitate in-line measurements and proper mixing between phases without the energy of stirring. The mixing performance was confirmed by computational fluid dynamics simulations. The CO₂ absorption capacity was measured via weight analysis and the progress of carbonation using a pH meter and an FTIR probe in-line. At 5 w/w% NaOH and higher, the reaction resulted in precipitation. The solids were analyzed with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, and nahcolite and natrite were identified. With our setup, we achieved absorption capacities in the range of 9.5 to 78.9 g CO₂/L for 1 w/w% and 8 w/w% of NaOH, respectively. The results are in fair agreement with previously reported literature, suggesting that non-forced mixing reactors function for carbon capture without the need of stirring equipment and a possible lower energy consumption. Full article