[en] Rate equations for the plasma species in a thermal barrier end plug establish an upper bound on the neutral pressure (P) external to the plasma. For the Tandem Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U), this bound is P less than or equal to 0.5 - 1.0 x 10^-6 Torr. Initially TMX-U did not satisfy this criterion, and axial end plugging of plasma losses seemed limited by the excessive pressure. Subsequently, we modified the machine to improve the vacuum conditions, decreasing P to the desired range. At the same time axial end plugging of plasma losses increased to the duration of neutral beam injection and ECRH heating. Here we summarize our experimental measurements of gas input