Differentiation between the terms ”confined masonry“ and ”infill masonry“

This publication concerns the differentiation between the terms ”confined masonry“ and ”infill masonry“ using the example of the national technical approval Z‐17.1‐1145 – POROTON S9 MW –vertically perforated clay units with integrated thermal insulation using thin layer mortar [1].     

“Style” and technology

A rational approach to dealing with the problems created by developing technologies requires a new account of what is involved in proper management. A tripartite distinction is introduced between being reasonable, being rational, and having style. These notions are based on the commonsense principle of rationality (CPR), to be rational one must learn from experience. The proper management of technology requires more than learning from experience (being rational) and having the proper goals (being reasonable); it requires style, which entails being reasonable and acting in accordance with a given standard systematically over time.     

A Rebuttal to The “Reply”

At the outset a brief background from a pharmaceutics perspective is presented here. Pharmaceutical industry is one of the most tightly regulated industries. Statistics naturally plays an important role in the implementation of the compendial, regulatory and in-house requirements. The minimal requirement consists of a set of basic statistics, such as mean and standard deviation (SD), associated with each group of sample experimental data intended for submission. However, not only each statistic is individually subjected to a set of compendial, regulatory and in-house specifications, but also the individual observation is required to be within specific range for compliance (e.g. content uniformity). Hence these basic statistics are often referred to as the stand-alone sample (SAS) statistics, meaning that each statistic has to meet its own requirements. In this context, the geometric mean is indeed a SAS statistic. It is meaningful and interpretable directly from its face value. The geometric standard deviation (GSD) as derived in ref(B) is also a (SAS) statistic. It is meaningful and easily interpretable directly from its face value. It has the same sample information and the same interpretation as that of the regular SD. Sometimes, it shares essentially the same magnitude as the regular SD. Besides, it also has essentially the same magnitude as that of the jackknife GSD statistic, GSD(JK). For decades, these geometric statistics have been in practice, particulary, since the author of ref(B) was a member of the USP In-Vitro Bioavailability Testing Subcommittee (1970-1975). It has also been accepted fully and freely by the above-mentioned over-sight agencies.     

Nano “Chocolate Waffle” for near‐IR Responsive Drug Releasing System

A majority of the photo‐responsive drug‐delivery systems that are currently being studied require a complicated synthesis method. Here, we prepare a near‐infrared responsive, photothermally controllable, drug‐delivery carrier by a simple mixing and extraction process without the incorporation of toxic chemicals. A blend of doxorubicin (DOX), an anticancer drug, and a phase‐change material (PCM) are loaded onto the mesoporous structure of silica‐coated graphene oxide (GO@MS) to form a waffle‐like structure, which is confirmed by various physicochemical analyses. The cytotoxicity of DOX/PCM‐loaded GO@MS (DOX/PCM‐GO@MS) against HeLa cells is 50 times higher than that of free DOX, and this improved activity can be attributed to the photothermal effectiveness of GO@MS. Additionally, the cytotoxicity and uptake mechanism of the PCM‐based material are analyzed by flow cytometry. Taken together, our results suggest an enormous potential for spatio‐temporal control in photothermally responsive drug‐delivery systems.     

“Smart” Surface Capsules for Delivery Devices

This review describes emerging trends, basic principles, applications, and future challenges for designing next generation responsive “smart” surface capsules. Advances and importance of “surface” capsules which are not deposited onto the surface but are built into the surface are highlighted for selective applications with specific examples of surface sponge structures formed by high intensity ultrasonic surface treatment (HIUS). Surface capsules can be adapted for biomedical applications, membrane materials, lab‐on‐chip, organ‐on‐chip, and for template synthesis. They provide attractive self‐healing anticorrosion and antifouling prospects. Nowadays delivery systems are built from inorganic, organic, hybrid, biological materials to deliver various drugs from low molecular weight substances to large protein molecules and even live cells. It is important that capsules are designed to have time prolonged release features. Available stimuli to control capsule opening are physical, chemical and biological ones. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of capsule opening by different stimuli is essential for developing new methods of encapsulation, release, and targeting. Development of “smart” surface capsules is preferable to respond to multiple stimuli. More and more often a new generation of “smart” capsules is designed by a bio‐inspired approach.     

Testing of “In Vitro” Dissolution Behaviour of Microparticulate Drug Delivery Systems

No official dissolution method exists concerning microparticulate drug delivery systems. The purpose of this work is the evaluation of different dissolution methods commonly used to test the in vitro release behaviour of microparticulate drug delivery systems. The influence of different environmental conditions, as stirring speed, ionic strength and presence of surfactant, on drug release is also evaluated.

Four dissolution methods, based on different equipments (USP dissolution test apparatus, rotating bottle apparatus, shaker incubator, recycling flow through cell), are performed on the same batch of indomethacin loaded poly-D, L-lactide (PDLLA) microspheres prepared by spray drying. The results obtained with the methods tested show the influence of in vitro dissolution method employed and of the environmental conditions on drug release profile.     

Preliminary dust-impact risk study for the “Solar Probe” spacecraft

Solar Probe is a mission currently under study, funded by the NASA's Office of Space Science—Sun–Earth Connection theme. This mission seeks to achieve the first visit to the Sun to explore the physical phenomenon that occurs at close proximity to our star. The mission requires the spacecraft to follow a polar orbit around the Sun with a perihelion of four (4) solar radii. A flyby at this close distance from the Sun will put the spacecraft under extraordinary environmental loads. One of the concerns is the effect that interplanetary and interstellar dust will have on the integrity of the spacecraft. The maximum dust impact velocity is expected to be around 500 km/s. This velocity is well above current experimental capabilities—more than an order of magnitude higher. For this reason, numerical simulations appear to be the best tool to determine the expected level of damage generated by the solar dust on the structural components and instruments of the Solar Probe spacecraft. Presented here are the results of the analysis of the dust environment to be experienced by the spacecraft and the shielding design parameters for different components. The design parameters of various structural components and instruments were used to conduct computer simulations using CTH to study shielding concepts.     

Interfacing the Cell with “Biomimetic Membrane Proteins”

Integral membrane proteins mediate a myriad of cellular processes and are the target of many therapeutic drugs. Enhancement and extension of the functional scope of membrane proteins can be realized by membrane incorporation of engineered nanoparticles designed for specific diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In contrast to hydrophobic insertion of small amphiphilic molecules, delivery and membrane incorporation of particles on the nanometric scale poses a crucial barrier for technological development. In this perspective, the transformative potential of biomimetic membrane proteins (BMPs), current state of the art, and the barriers that need to be overcome in order to advance the field are discussed.