Characterization of a 200-nF unipolar, high current, low inductance capacitor switch assembly.

Capacitor switch assemblies (CSAs) are a viable alternative to the standard Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) brick-the prime power "building block" in LTD-based high current drivers. In a CSA, the geometrical advantages combined with the switch's placement within a CSA produce a significantly lower inductance structure compared to the LTD brick. Lower inductances enable higher peak currents and faster rise times when all other parameters are held constant, thus making low inductance a crucial feature in high current systems.

Simultaneous streak and frame interferometry for electron density measurements of laser produced plasmas.

A system of two collinear probe beams with different wavelengths and pulse durations was used to capture simultaneously snapshot interferograms and streaked interferograms of laser produced plasmas. The snapshots measured the two dimensional, path-integrated, electron density on a charge-coupled device while the radial temporal evolution of a one dimensional plasma slice was recorded by a streak camera. This dual-probe combination allowed us to select plasmas that were uniform and axisymmetric along the laser direction suitable for retrieving the continuous evolution of the radial electron density of homogeneous plasmas.

Biosafety and product release testing issues relevant to replication-competent oncolytic viruses.

Replication competent oncolytic viruses, like other biological products, are at risk from contamination by bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma and viruses that must be eliminated from the final product. This article reviews the regulatory guidance for the manufacture and testing for oncolytic virus products. A testing strategy covering the testing of cell lines, virus banks, virus harvests and purified product is described.

Reduction of the infectivity of scrapie agent as a model for BSE in the manufacturing process of Trasylol.

The Trasylol manufacturing process was investigated with respect to its capacity for the inactivation/removal of infectivity causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Four process steps were selected for this investigation and scaled down to laboratory scale. Authentic samples of bovine lungs used in the Trasylol manufacturing plant were taken and spiked in laboratory scale experiments with high infectious titres of the rodent adapted scrapie strain ME 7 which served as model for BSE.

Regions of an Eimeria tenella antigen contain sequences which are conserved in circumsporozoite proteins from Plasmodium spp. and which are related to the thrombospondin gene family.

Coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria spp., is a major disease of economic importance to the poultry industry. The cloning and characterisation of genes coding for antigens of those species infecting chickens is an initial step in the identification of protective antigens suitable for the development of a genetically engineered vaccine.