Development of a design space and predictive statistical model for capsule filling of low-fill-weight inhalation products

The objectives of this study were to develop a predictive statistical model for low-fill-weight capsule filling of inhalation products with dosator nozzles via the quality by design (QbD) approach and based on that to create refined models that include quadratic terms for significant parameters. Various controllable process parameters and uncontrolled material attributes of 12 powders were initially screened using a linear model with partial least square (PLS) regression to determine their effect on the critical quality attributes (CQA; fill weight and weight variability). After identifying critical material attributes (CMAs) and critical process parameters (CPPs) that influenced the CQA, model refinement was performed to study if interactions or quadratic terms influence the model. Based on the assessment of the effects of the CPPs and CMAs on fill weight and weight variability for low-fill-weight inhalation products, we developed an excellent linear predictive model for fill weight (R^2?=?0.96, Q^2?=?0.96 for powders with good flow properties and R^2?=?0.94, Q^2?=?0.93 for cohesive powders) and a model that provides a good approximation of the fill weight variability for each powder group. We validated the model, established a design space for the performance of different types of inhalation grade lactose on low-fill weight capsule filling and successfully used the CMAs and CPPs to predict fill weight of powders that were not included in the development set.     

Effect of heavy cryo-rolling on the evolution of microstructure and texture during annealing of equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy

The effect of cryo-rolling on the evolution of microstructure and texture during annealing was investigated in equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy. For this purpose the alloy was cold- and cryo-rolled to 90% reduction in thickness followed by annealing at temperatures ranging from 700 °C to 1200 °C. The two alloys showed the development of predominantly brass type deformation texture consistent with profuse nano-twin formation reported in this alloy. The cryo-rolled material showed significantly finer grain size after different annealing treatments as compared to the cold-rolled alloy. This could be attributed to finer microstructure in the cryo-rolled material providing greater number of available sites for nucleation. The recrystallization texture of cold- and cryo-rolled materials showed the presence of similar texture components indicating that cryo-rolling had limited effect on the formation of annealing texture. The volume fractions of different texture components did not reveal significant dependence on the annealing temperature. The evolution of texture could be explained on the basis of absence of strong preferential nucleation and growth during annealing.     

黄金制品表层颜色变化的原因分析及处理方法

分析了黄金制品表面红斑与白斑的形成原因,在模拟条件下进行验证,并进行了消除红斑、白斑试验。结果表明,黄金制品表面的红斑可能为杂质氧化形成,可用热稀盐酸清洗去除;黄金制品表面的白斑可能为金汞齐,经450℃/30 min+910℃/10 min热处理可消除。2种处理方法对黄金制品原有表面光泽影响都很小,且都不影响原有成色以及质量。     

Interactivity and memory: Information processing of interactive versus non-interactive content

Existing research on the effects of interactivity tends to treat it as a global characteristic of the interface. However, not all content on an interface is endowed with interactive features. Therefore, it is important to explore how interactivity affects the cognitive processing of those particular content that is presented with interactive features and the surrounding content without these features. With this objective, a between-subjects experiment was conducted to understand how levels of interactivity affect information processing among users of an e-commerce website. The major findings of the study are: 1) Higher interactivity enhances recognition as well as recall memory of interactive content, but diminishes recognition and recall memory of non-interactive content; 2) Individuals spend the least amount of time on the interface with high interactivity, while most of this time is spent on interactive part rather than non-interactive part of the interface; 3) A moderate level of interactivity attracts most user attention to product information. The findings about interactivity’s effect have implications for cue-summation theory and limited capacity theory. The experiment’s results also hold practical implications for e-tailers.     

Multi-scale wavelet transform filtering of non-uniform pavement surface image background for automated pavement distress identification

Non-uniform background of pavement images results in difficulties when segmenting pavement images for pavement distress identification. A novel and fast non-uniform background removal algorithm based on multi-scale wavelet transform is presented. The algorithm uses multi-scale wavelet transform to decompose pavement image and then reconstructs image background using low-wavenumber components through inverse wavelet transform. Brightness of image background is then corrected to achieve uniform background pavement image. The multi-scale wavelet transform algorithm is compared with median filter algorithm and morphological closing algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm possesses the advantage of extracting tiny cracks more effectively than the other two algorithms, demonstrating its suitability to be used in automated pavement distress segmentation and identification.     

Image-based measurement of the dimensions and of the axis straightness of hot forgings

Non-contact measurement of shapes and dimensions is currently quite a common issue. A lot of systems with different speeds and accuracies are in the market. Measurement of high temperature objects is, however, a very special task which ensures a specific solution. This paper presents a measurement system composed of two high resolution single-lens reflex cameras and a software application, which is designed for the fast measurement of shapes and dimensions of rotationally symmetric forgings. The software computes the length, diameter, and straightness of the axis, based on a 3D model constructed from four boundary curves of the forging captured in two images. Experimental measurements have shown an error of up to 2% for the length measurement and 1% for the diameter measurement. Results are available in a few seconds. The proposed measurement approach based on boundary curves shows a great potential for practical use in forging plants.     

Effect of the cooling rate in the corrosion behavior of a hot worked Ti-6Al-4V extra-low interstitial alloy

This work discusses the effect of the cooling rate during a forging process on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of a Ti–6Al–4V extra-low interstitial (ELI) alloy, which is commonly used as biomaterial. The samples were hot forged at two different temperatures, both of them within the dual phase field (α + β) and a constant strain rate of 4 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ was employed during the tests. The samples were cooled in three different cooling media (water, air and clay) and the microstructure was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion resistance was determined by cyclic polarization tests in Ringer’s solution at 37 °C. Comparison between the results obtained for forged and commercial samples allowed to establish some correlations between cooling rate, microstructure and corrosion resistance. It was found that the clay as a cooling medium is a good candidate to obtain a proper microstructure and properties for biomedical applications, eliminating the requirement of subsequent heat treatment and reducing costs.     

Effects of post-annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir processed Al–Mg–TiO2 nanocomposites

Aluminum matrix nanocomposites were fabricated via friction stir processing of an Al–Mg alloy with pre-inserted TiO₂ nanoparticles at different volume fractions of 3%, 5% and 6%. The nanocomposites were annealed at 300–500 °C for 1–5 h in air to study the effect of annealing on the microstructural changes and mechanical properties. Microstructural studies by scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that new phases were formed during friction stir processing due to chemical reactions at the interface of TiO₂ with the aluminum matrix alloy. Reactive annealing completed the solid-state reactions, which led to a significant improvement in the ductility of the nanocomposites (more than three times) without deteriorating their tensile strength and hardness. Evaluation of the grain structure revealed that the presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles refined the grains during friction stir processing while the in situ formed nanoparticles hindered the grain growth upon the post-annealing treatment. Abnormal grain growth was observed after a prolonged annealing at 500 °C. The highest strength and ductility were obtained for the nanocomposites annealed at 400 °C for 3 h.