Pharmaceutical Evaluation of Multipurpose Excipients for Direct Compressed Tablet Manufacture: Comparisons of the Capabilities of Multipurpose Excipients with Those in General Use

Recently, a novel type of multipurpose excipient (MPE) with high binding characteristics and high fluidity has been developed. In this study, the capabilities of MPEs (Ludipress and Microcelac) were compared with those of excipients in general use. Also, the effects on powder and tableting characteristics of the physical properties and contents of active ingredients were examined in tablets prepared with these MPEs by the direct compression method. Multipurpose excipients mixed with adjuvants such as fillers, binders, lubricants, disintegrants, and the like show superior fluidity and compressibility. Tablets containing very small amounts of highly active ingredients with little dispersion were prepared. However, with increases in active ingredient content, each of the physical properties was affected strongly by the properties of the active ingredient. Tablets with appropriate hardness and disintegration characteristics could be prepared by mixing of different types of MPEs.     

An explanation of the wetting and the mutual diffusion mechanisms of liquid metals using ab-initio atomic orbital calculation

In this report, in order to clarify fundamentally the wetting phenomenon between pure material surfaces, we propose a new method for the experimental evaluation and consider quantitatively the wetting mechanism from the microscopic standpoint of the chemical reaction between interfacial atoms. Ab-initio molecular orbital calculation was performed to explain the wetting and the mutual diffusion mechanisms. It was found that the calculated binding energies were in good agreement with the interaction energies estimated from measured contact angles, and it was also cleared that the hybridization of the interfacial d-orbitals was one of the most important elements of the mutual diffusion.     

Effect of loading type on S-N fatigue behavior of SPRC340 steel sheet

In the present study, the effect of loading type on S-N fatigue behavior was examined using a 0.7 mm thick SPRC340 (Fe-0.08C-0.7Mn-0.5Si-0.12P-0.03S) steel sheet product. In contrast with the commonly held belief that the apparent fatigue resistance under bending is higher than that under uniaxial loading, the present specimens tended to show lower fatigue resistance under bending than under uniaxial loading. This trend appeared to be associated with several factors, including multi-site crack initiation on both sides of the specimen in bending, increasing error in the elastic bending stress calculation, and cyclic hardening during fatigue. The effects of loading type, including uniaxial loading and bending, on the S-N fatigue behavior are discussed.     

Geometrical effect in submicrometer channel organic field effect transistors

The electrical behaviors of submicrometer bottom-gate bottom-contact organic field effect transistors (OFETs) with submicrometer channel lengths and channel widths were investigated. Short-channel effects (SCEs) were observed for devices with shorter channel lengths and wider channel widths. The SCEs were effectively suppressed by reducing the channel width to 50 nm. The relationship between the drain current density and the drain voltage normalized by their respective channel lengths revealed that the drain current characteristics of shorter length channels fall into two types: parasitic contact resistances at lower drain voltage and SCEs caused by the space charge limiting current at higher drain voltages. The carrier mobility was also investigated, and found to be enhanced in the narrower channel width.     

Prototype development of a roller imprint system and its application to large area polymer replication for a microstructured optical device

In this study, the prototype of a thermal roller imprint lithography (RIL) system was developed and applied to RIL tests to evaluate its feasibility for the large area replication of an optical micro device. The developed system adapts an automatic stamp releasing mechanism and has the capacity to replicate ultra-precision structures on an area of 100 mm × 100 mm at the scanning speed range of 0.1–10 mm/s. For RIL tests, 1 mm-thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic plates and 100 μm-thick cycloolefin resin films were used as imprint materials. All samples were 100 mm × 100 mm in size. The combination of a thin and flexible polymer film and an elastomeric adhesive sheet was effective for both rapid processing and uniform replication. For given RIL conditions (700 N press force and T_g + 50 °C roller temperature), the complete filling for a 1 mm-thick PET sample was achieved at the roller scan speeds of 0.1 mm/s, whereas that for a 100 μm-thick cycloolefin sample could be obtained at the roller scan speeds of <2 mm/s with much better replication uniformity over a whole surface area. Finally, a light guide plate (LGP) for a back light panel was fabricated by RIL.     

Effects of thermo-mechanical processing and trace amount of carbon addition on tensile properties of Cu–2.5Fe–0.1P alloys

The effects of thermo-mechanical processing, including intermediate aging treatment and/or solution heat treatment, and a trace amount of carbon (C) addition were studied on tensile behavior of Cu–2.5Fe–0.1P alloys. In this study, Cu–2.5Fe–0.1P alloy sheets without and with a carbon content of 0.05 wt.% were cast and subsequently rolled and thermo-mechanically treated following various processing routes. The introduction of intermediate aging treatment between cold rolling improved the tensile strength of Cu–2.5Fe–0.1P alloys. Solution heat treatment prior to aging was proved to be detrimental on the tensile strength, probably due to recovery and recrystallization causing the complete loss of work hardening during previous cold rolling. The present study also suggested that two-step aging is more effective in improving the strength of Cu–2.5Fe–0.1P alloys than one-step aging. The effect of C addition on improving the tensile strength of Cu–2.5Fe–0.1P alloys was real but marginal, probably due to the limited solubility of C in Cu–2.5Fe matrix. The effects of intermediate heat treatments between cold-rolling processes on tensile properties of Cu–2.5Fe–0.1P specimens with and without C addition are discussed based on optical, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrographs, and SEM fractographs.     

Optimum contouring of industrial robot arms under assigned velocityand torque constraints

Presents a general solution to the contouring problem of industrial robot arms, under the constraints of assigned Cartesian velocity and joint torque/acceleration. The proposed solution is an off-line trajectory generation algorithm and, therefore, it possesses significant industrial implications, as no hardware changes are needed for its implementation. According to the proposed method, the maximum utility of joint torque/acceleration is guaranteed to be bound to the assigned velocity constraint. In the proposed method, a realizable trajectory is generated from the objective trajectory and its delay dynamics are compensated for by using a forward compensator. The proposed method has been experimented with using a Performer MK-3s (PMK-3s) industrial robot arm, and optimum contouring has been realized     

Trickle bed reactor diluted with fine particles and coiled tubular flow-type reactor for kinetic measurements without external effects

Gas and liquid velocities in laboratory scale trickle bed reactors are one or two orders of magnitude lower than those in commercial reactors. Then, the kinetic data may include the external effects. This shortcoming of laboratory scale trickle bed reactor can be resolved by diluting the catalyst bed with fine inert particles. The catalyst bed dilution increases dynamic liquid holdup, pressure drop, gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient. Hydrogenation of 2-phenylpropene on Pd/Al₂O₃ was performed with the trickle bed reactor diluted with fine inert particles and the coiled tubular flow-type reactor to compare the kinetics with that of the basket type batch reactor. The trickle bed reactor diluted with fine inert particles is suitable to obtain the reaction rate without external effects even if the liquid velocity is low. The coiled tubular flow-type reactor should be used at high gas velocities.     

Enhanced contour control of SCARA robot under torque saturationconstraint

Contour control of a robot arm is an act of the end-effector tip being moved along a reference Cartesian path, with an assigned velocity. When torque saturation occurs, and lasts for some time, contour deteriorations result. In addition, system delay dynamics also causes contour deteriorations. In this paper, an offline trajectory generation algorithm is described, which achieves both optimum avoidance of torque saturation and delay dynamics compensation