Grafting of sulfamethoxazole on acrylic acid−vinyl methyl ketone copolymer using the schiff base reaction−application as a drug delivery system

A series of poly(acrylic acid-co-methylvinylketone–graft–sulfamethoxazole)(AVMDS) species was synthesized for drug carrier applications. The synthesis involved two steps: copolymerization of acrylic acid(AA) with methyl vinyl ketone(MVK) through the free radical route and subsequent grafting of the sulfamethoxazole (SMX) onto the copolymer via the Schiff base reaction of the primary amine of SMX with the carbonyl groups of the MVK units. The structures and properties of the materials were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR), X-ray diffraction(XRD), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). An in-vitro cytotoxicity test of the drug-carrier systems via MTT assay revealed no significant cytotoxic effect at concentrations up to 100?µg?·?ml^?1. The dynamic release of SMX from these systems through a retro-imidation reaction (inverse Schiff base reaction) was investigated in depth, where the diffusion through the polymer matrix, the enhancement of the water solubility of SMX, the influence of the initial drug concentration, the pH of the medium, and the effect of the degree of swelling of the polymer matrix on the release dynamics were evaluated. The AVMGS4 and AVMGS1 drug carrier systems containing 3.58 and 1.18?wt% of SMX were the best performing systems.     

Predicting Truck Load Spectra under Weight Limit Changes and Its Application to Steel Bridge Fatigue Assessment

Truck weight-limit regulations have significant influence on truck operating weights. These regulations directly influence loads applied to highway facilities, such as bridges and pavements. “Truck weight” herein collectively refers to a vehicle’s gross weight, axle weights, and axle configuration. Truck load spectra as a result of truck weight limits are important to bridge engineering in many respects, such as that of determining requirements for evaluation and design of bridges for both strength and fatigue. This paper’s objective is to present a new method for predicting truck weight spectra resulting from a change in truck weight limits. This method is needed to estimate impacts of the change on highway bridges such as accelerated fatigue accumulation. Historical and recent truck weight data are used to test and illustrate the proposed method, and the results show its good prediction capability. This method is also applied here to an example of estimating the impact on steel bridge fatigue due to a possible increase in the gross-vehicle-weight limit from 356 kN (80 kips) on five axles to 431 kN (97 kips) on six axles. Also included is an investigation of the AASHTO fatigue truck model for steel bridge evaluation. Results show that the current fatigue truck model may become invalid under the studied scenario of truck weight-limit increase.     

Impact of Commercial Vehicle Weight Change on Highway Bridge Infrastructure

Heavy trucks represent a major load to highway bridges in the transportation infrastructure system. These loads are directly related to the truck weight limits of the jurisdiction, and largely determine the standard loads for bridge design and evaluation. Thus, truck weight limit is one of the major factors affecting bridge deterioration and expenditure for maintenance, repair, and/or replacement. Truck weight in this paper not only refers to the truck gross weight but also to the axle weights and spacings that affect load effects. This paper presents the concepts of a new methodology for estimating cost effects of truck weight limit changes on bridges in a transportation infrastructure network. The methodology can serve as a tool for studying impacts of such changes. The resulting knowledge is needed when examining new truck weight limits, several of which have been and are still being debated at both the state and federal levels in the United States. The development of this estimation method has considered maximizing the use of available data (such as the bridge inventory) at the state infrastructure system level. In application examples completed (but not reported herein), the costs for relatively inadequate strength of existing bridges and for increased design requirement for new bridges were found dominant in the total impact cost.