Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wheat Straw in a Stirred-Tank Reactor

In an attempt to elucidate the effect of some operating conditions on the rate and extent of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials in a stirred tank reactor, wheat straw was hydrolyzed by mixing with two pitched-blade impellers mounted on a shaft under various atmospheric conditions: static air in headspace, N₂ gas flowing over the surface of the medium, and minimal static air by a lid touching the surface of the medium. The presence of N₂ gas over the reaction medium produced by the highest 6.9 % (w/w) conversion in 36 hours. The initial conversion when N₂ gas flowed in the headspace (2.9 % w/w), and when a lid was used (2.9 % w/w) as compared to conversion in air presence (2.3 % w/w), seems to indicate that the enzyme activity was affected due to oxidation in the presence of air. The observed low conversion yield was probably the result of the non sterile conditions imposed by industrial requirements for the production of biofuel ethanol from agricultural lignocellulosics.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wheat Straw in a Stirred-Tank Reactor

In an attempt to elucidate the effect of some operating conditions on the rate and extent of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials in a stirred tank reactor, wheat straw was hydrolyzed by mixing with two pitched-blade impellers mounted on a shaft under various atmospheric conditions: static air in headspace, N₂ gas flowing over the surface of the medium, and minimal static air by a lid touching the surface of the medium. The presence of N₂ gas over the reaction medium produced by the highest 6.9 % (w/w) conversion in 36 hours. The initial conversion when N₂ gas flowed in the headspace (2.9 % w/w), and when a lid was used (2.9 % w/w) as compared to conversion in air presence (2.3 % w/w), seems to indicate that the enzyme activity was affected due to oxidation in the presence of air. The observed low conversion yield was probably the result of the non sterile conditions imposed by industrial requirements for the production of biofuel ethanol from agricultural lignocellulosics.

Combination of Thermal, Hydrometallurgical and Electrochemical Tannery Waste Treatment for Cr(III) Recovery

A combination of thermal (500–750 °C in air) and hydrometallurgical (acidic) treatments have been applied to dried tannery sludge, resulting in the initial conversion of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) and its subsequent leaching as wastewater with high Cr(VI) concentration content (3000–6000 mg/L), presenting an extraction efficiency over 90%. The optimal electrochemical conditions for the subsequent Cr(VI) reduction with respect to acid concentration and acid kind were established by applying appropriate rotating disc electrode (RDE) experiments, using a glassy carbon (GC) electrode, and found to be equal or higher than 0.5 M H2SO4 (for the respective Cr(III) concentration range studied). The result from leaching Cr(VI) wastewater was further treated in small electrochemical bench-scale reactor for its conversion back to Cr(III) form, potentially reusable in the tanning industry. Ti-based anodes and a reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) cathode were used to treat small (350–800 mL) samples in batch, as well as in batch-recirculation prototype electrochemical reactors, under the application of constant current or appropriately applied potential to achieve Cr(VI) conversion/reduction efficiency over 95%.

Rulers, Missionaries, Popes, and Patriarchs (400–1200)

This chapter examines the contributions of monks, bishops, popes, and kings in spreading Christianity to the emerging kingdoms of Europe. With the exception of Ireland, the conversion of Europe was largely brought about by the mutually reinforcing interactions between missionaries and kings. In this symbiotic relationship, missionaries had something to give—the Christian message—and kings had something to get—the resources, prestige, and ideological underpinnings of the Church as they consolidated their power. The initial conversion of Europe was primarily an institutional or political, not a personal, conversion. Christian influence spread from the “top down,” that is, from rulers and kings and the upper-class and better-educated to the lower-class and less-educated people.

Qiuwen (Bibliomancy): Enlivening the Chinese Union Bible

The production of the Union Bible was designed to provide Chinese Protestants with a standardised sacred text to better understand and approach the Christian faith in their native language. While believers regard the translated Scripture as a moral compass that gives spiritual references to everyday challenges, the methods of acquiring these references point to individual creativity and improvisation. When the Union Bible was banned from circulation in the public domain during the Maoist period (1949–1976), Chinese church leaders were jailed and reading the Bible was deemed to be subversive, how did ordinary Protestants draw on their reading of the Union Bible to sustain their religious commitment beyond initial conversion? How did they construct a biblically-centered faith against the socialist indoctrination? This study investigates the centrality of the Union Bible among Chinese Seventh-day Adventists in Wenzhou from the 1950s to 1970s. In particular, it explores how two female Adventists enmeshed the Chinese mode of divination with their daily Bible reading for spiritual insights as they confronted personal and congregational crises in the Maoist era. It argues that this indigenous mode of Bible reading sheds light on the ways in which Chinese Adventists asserted and empowered their scriptural-textual authority, interpretive agency, and personal piety against the state's relentless atheistic propaganda.

P326 Reasons for and effectiveness of switching back to originator infliximab after a prior switch to CT-P13 biosimilar

Background In current clinical practice, patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with originator infliximab (IFX) have been or are being switched to biosimilar infliximab (CT-P13) because of lower costs and seemingly similar effectiveness of biosimilars. Over a one-year follow-up, 7%-26% of the patients discontinue CT-P13 treatment. Common reasons for CT-P13 discontinuation are (subjective) loss of response or adverse events. As a result of these newly experienced symptoms, patients are occasionally switched back to treatment with originator IFX. However, not much is currently known regarding reverse switching to originator IFX. We aimed to assess the prevalence of and the specific reasons for reverse switching to originator infliximab within 52-weeks after an initial conversion from originator infliximab to CT-P13 in patients with IBD. Additionally, we evaluated whether reinitiating originator infliximab led to the desired favourable effect and sustained infliximab use. Methods In this retrospective, multicentre cohort study, data of IBD patients from eight hospitals in the Netherlands were collected. Adult patients with IBD were eligible for inclusion if they were switched from infliximab originator to CT-P13 and had a follow-up time of at least 52 weeks after initial conversion. Reasons for re-switching were categorised into adverse events or loss of response on the biosimilar. Drug survival was analysed with a time-varying Cox proportional hazards model. Results A total of 684 patients with IBD were switched (516 Crohn’s disease, 168 ulcerative colitis). Reverse switching was seen in 74 (10.8%) patients after a median of 140 days (IQR 86–231). Reverse switchers were more often females (70.3% vs. 49.7%, p < 0.001) and had shorter originator treatment (4.0 [IQR 2.6–6.5] vs. 5.2 [IQR 3.0–7.5] years, p = 0.037) than those who stayed on CT-P13. A total of 105 symptoms for switching were reported. IBD-like symptoms (25.7%) and dermatological symptoms (21.9%) were the most common. Four patients had objectified loss of response. All regained response after switching back. IBD-like symptoms and dermatological symptoms were reversible in 74.1% and 87%, respectively. Overall reversibility of symptoms was 73.3%. Cox proportional hazards model with CT-P13/originator infliximab as time-varying covariate, yielded no difference in survival risk (hazard ratio 1.23, 95% CI 0.65–2.33). Conclusion Switching back to originator infliximab seems effective in patients with IBD, who experience adverse effects or loss of response after switching from originator to CT-P13. Switching patients back to originator infliximab might, therefore, be justified in case patients experience new side effects or loss of response after switching to CT-P13.

Stochastic analysis of optimal production of infectious progeny in Chlamydia

ABSTRACTRecent data collected on the Chlamydia Trachomatis life cycle show an initial period of no RB-to-EB conversion. This and other features of the observed bacterial life cycle are postulated to be consequences of the bacteria’s drive for Darwinian survival. Stochastic optimal control models formulated herein in fact lead to an initial conversion holiday that support this proposition.