A Novel Formulation for Mebeverine Hydrochloride

The antispasmodic drug mebeverine hydrochloride was formulated into a film-forming gel to be used as a topical local anesthetic. A mixture of cellulose derivatives was used as a base. Additives were used to enhance the release as well as the residence time. Formulations were characterized in terms of drug release, mucoadhesion and rheology. Clinically, the selected formula has shown faster onset (p?=?0.0156), longer duration (p?=?0.0313), better film residence (p?=?0.0313), and no foreign body sensation (p?=?0.0313) in comparison to Solcoseryl® dental paste. Histopathological examination showed no change in inflammatory cells count, concluding that this topical anesthetic is efficacious and safe orally.     

A survey of ‘young social’ and ‘professional’ users of location-based services in the UK

The objective of this study was to assess the response to location-based services (LBS) by three key demographic groups within the United Kingdom. This study took the form of a survey of relevant demographics, attitudes and consumer behaviour undertaken via a web-based survey. Results are based on over 1200 respondents, filtered and segmented into three demographic groups who are typically early adopters of new technology. There were positive attitudes towards a range of LBS, with the major exception being location-based advertising. There were mixed views towards location-based gaming and safety camera information. There were low levels of awareness of many services. The levels of use were typically under 20% for all types of LBS.     

Thermodynamic studies of a HAT cycle and its components

The electric power grid contains more and more renewable power production such as wind and solar power. The use of renewable power sources increases the fluctuations in the power grid which increase the demand for highly efficient, fast-starting power-producing units that can cope with sudden production losses. One of the more innovative power plant cycles, that have the potential of competing with conventional combined power plants in efficiency but has a higher availability and faster start up time, is the Evaporative Gas Turbine (EvGT) or Humid Air Turbine (HAT). A thermodynamic evaluation of different HAT cycle layouts has been done in this paper. Each layout is evaluated separately which makes it possible to study different components individual contribution to the efficiency and specific power. The thermodynamic evaluation also shows that it is important to look at different cool-flow extracting positions. The effect of water temperature entering the cycle, called make-up water, and where it is introduced into the cycle has been evaluated. The make-up water temperature also affects the optimal pressure level for intercooling and it is shown that an optimal position can be decided considering design parameters of the compressor and the water circuit.     

2-HEMA-g-Na-PCMS: A Novel Polymeric Matrix for the Controlled Release of Paracetamol

2-hydoxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA) was graft copolymerized with sodium salt of partially carboxymethylated starch (Na-PCMS). Thus prepared, graft copolymer (2-HEMA-g-Na-PCMS) was used as a polymeric matrix for preparing controlled-release tablets of paracetamol. Tablets of standard specification were prepared using the wet granulation method. Ingredients utilized for tablet preparation were 2-HEMA-g-Na-PCMS graft copolymer, paracetamol and excipients. Tablets were characterized for disintegration time (min), hardness, angle of repose and percent friability. It was found that tablets prepared by the compression of graft copolymer, excipients and drug in specified ratios resulted in an excellent controlled-release tendency of paracetamol.     

Evaluating Intrusion‐Tolerant Certification Authority Systems

Various intrusion‐tolerant certification authority (CA) systems have been proposed to provide attack resilient certificate signing (or update) services. However, it is difficult to compare them against each other directly, due to the diversity in system organizations, threshold signature schemes, protocols and usage scenarios. We present a framework for intrusion‐tolerant CA system evaluation, which consists of three components, namely, an intrusion‐tolerant CA model, a threat model and a metric for comparative evaluation. The evaluation framework covers system organizations, protocols, usage scenarios, the period of certificate validity, the revocation rate and the mean time to recovery. Based on the framework, four representative systems are evaluated and compared in three typical usage scenarios, producing reasonable and insightful results. The interdependence between usage scenarios and system characteristics is investigated, providing a guideline to design better systems for different usage scenarios. The proposed framework provides an effective and practicable method to evaluate intrusion‐tolerant CA systems quantitatively, and helps customers to choose and configure an intrusion‐tolerant CA system. Moreover, the comparison results offer valuable insights to further improve the attack resilience of intrusion‐tolerant CA systems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Avocado by-products: Nutritional and functional properties

BackgroundAvocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a tropical and subtropical fruit that is native to Mexico and Central America; avocado is gaining increasing worldwide acceptance and has received extensive marketing and a wide distribution due to its relevant nutritional benefits for human health. Mexico harvests more than 30% of avocados worldwide, representing the main producer and exporter of avocado, which has become a crop of high interest and has great economic impact on Mexico.Scope and approachIn this paper, we describe relevant information on the production, composition and application of avocado, with an emphasis on its by-products, focusing on the proper use of waste and the possibility of monetizing waste for nutritional and environmental purposes. The entire avocado is rich in biocompounds (pulp, seed and peel) and has many health benefits, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activities, as well as dermatological uses and others. In this paper, we demonstrate the current panorama of production, exportation and uses of avocado in Mexico.Key findings and conclusionsSeveral food grade ingredients can be obtained from avocado wastes, particularly premium-grade fats or extracts with a high functional power. Studies should continue to identify the profiles and phytochemicals available to the business sector, which can also be implemented to valorize the nutritional and functional potential of avocado seeds and peels.     

What drives smartwatch purchase intention? Perspectives from hardware,software, design,and value

Although wearable devices are popular in recent years, the market share of smartwatches is relatively low. The main goal of this research is to investigate the antecedents of the intention to purchase a smartwatch. This research develops a conceptual model and hypotheses based on the theory of reasoned action and perceived values from the perspectives of software, hardware, and aesthetic design. An online questionnaire was developed and distributed on popular websites to collect data, and 260 usable responses are collected from the potential users of the Apple Watch in Taiwan. The thirteen hypotheses were validated by using partial least squares (PLS) techniques. Among the antecedents of purchase intention in the model, the attitude towards using smartwatches was found to have the strongest direct effect. Among the factors of the attitude, design aesthetics have the most significant effect. The results also show that all of the factors about smartwatch attributes directly affected the related perceived values. However, social value and performance/quality value did not affect the intention. The model demonstrated relatively good explanatory power for purchase intention in the context of smartwatches. The proposed model can provide insights to smartwatch vendors to develop their new products and marketing strategies.     

拍式浮体闸门充压水封仿真计算研究

为了得到充压伸缩框型水封在不同线荷载下运行时水封背腔所需的充压值及相应的水封变形断面和封头接触属性,首先通过一种非线性近似方法得到各工况下框形水封各段的线压力,将三维问题转化为平面问题;然后通过仿真计算求得各充压值下的水封线压力和变形属性,反过来便是所求结果。计算结果表明,拍门充压水封较传统挤压水封在中低水头(一般水头)下具有更好的封水性能,又因其利于拍门缓冲和人为控制,因此具备较好的应用前景。     

Techno-economic assessment of gas pressure-based electricity generation (A case study of Iran)

The pipeline gas pressure can be recovered as electricity by installing a turbo-expander in parallel with throttle valves at pressure reduction stations. This paper aims to provide a techno-economic assessment of electricity generation at a gas pressure reduction station. Owing to the gas flow rate of the station, technical assessment showed two installation capacities of 2853 kw (Case I) and 4169 kw (Case II). As a result, NPV and IRR for Case I is calculated €1,669,623.93 and 28.95%; and for Case II, NPV and IRR is €1,393,871.91 and 23.91% respectively. The analysis indicated case I is more profitable than case II.