Reprocessing of Microcrystalline Cellulose Spheres with Low Drug Concentrations

Spherical dosage forms have been reported to be an efficient and effective method for delivering drugs into the body and controlling their dissolution rate. Substantial work has been conducted in these laboratories illustrating the advantages of microcrystalline cellulose-based spheres for these purposes. Through various methodologies, but most routinely the extrusion and marumerization technique, it has been determined by Funck, et al. that not more than 50% drug can be incorporated into a sphere formulation without the addition of other binders.

Because of the nature of the extrusion and marumerization manufacturing process, the type of drug being processed and the resultant particle size requirements of the spheres, the percent of spheres falling outside the desired particle size can range from between 3% and 20%. For this reason and the possibility of operator errors, our objective was to determine the parameters which needed monitoring when reprocessing was necessary.     

Gelling of alginate fibres

Equipment was developed to measure the time for complete gelling of sodium alginate fibres in calcium chloride solution, taken as the time to achieve maximum tensile strength. The effects of fibre diameter, alginate concentration, alginate composition and calcium chloride concentration on gelling time were investigated. A diffusional model, developed to predict the gelling time, agreed with experimental results except for the effect of calcium ion concentration which was modelled empirically.     

Applications of Telos

EuLisp has an integrated object system with reflective capabilities. We discuss some example applications which use these facilities to experiment with some advanced and powerful concepts, namely, finalization, virtual shared memory and persistence. A secondary goal is to attempt to illustrate the additional possibilities of metaobject programming over non-metalevel techniques.     

Natural zeolite utilisation in pollution control: A review of applications to metals' effluents

This paper assesses the potential of natural zeolite utilization as a low-cost ion-exchange and sorbent material in pollution control and recovery of metals. The improvement of the purity of natural zeolites coupled with their chemical modification capabilities in order to provide specific properties may provide a cost-effective alternative for the treatment of heavy metal contaminated soil and water. The application of natural zeolites in industrial pollution control is becoming important and the level of technical effort is increasingly expanding. The extent of application is unlikely to be related solely to their low cost, but also to improved properties and performance characteristics, which will advance the practical implementation of natural zeolites' technology.     

New Directions in Water Research: IWMI at the Threshold of the Twenty-first Century

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has made important changes in the thrust of its research programmesince 1995. These new thrusts include attention to the implications of increasing water scarcity at the global level; the adoption of a river basin paradigm leading to new insights into opportunities for water conservation and productivity; application of new information technologies and quantitative analytical techniques; and a stronger focus on policy, institutional issues, health and environment, and social inequities in access to water. This paper describes these changes and provides an overview of the remaining papers in this special issue of Water Resources Development.     

Effects of growth with ethanol on fermentation and membrane fluidity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae HSc was grown with ethanol at concentrations up to 10% (v/v). The immediate effects of additions of externally added ethanol on CO₂ production and O₂ consumption of washed organisms were studied by stopped-flow membrane inlet quadrupole mass spectrometry. Fermentative activities of organisms grown with ethanol (0–5% v/v) showed similar sensitivities to inhibition by ethanol, whereas those grown with 10% (v/v) ethanol had become protected and were markedly less sensitive. The fluidity of subcellular membrane fractions was measured by determination of the temperature dependence of the rotational order parameter of the spin label 5-doxyl stearic acid (free radical) by electron spin resonance. Mitochondria prepared from yeasts grown with 0, 7 and 9% (v/v) ethanol showed similar overall fluidity, although differences in temperature-dependent behaviour indicate altered lipid composition or lateral phase separations. On the other hand the microsomal fraction from organisms grown with 9% ethanol showed a remarkable increase in fluidity. These data suggest that the protective effects of growth with ethanol near the limit of tolerance on fermentative activities may arise from altered plasma membrane fluidity properties.     

Biochemical activities during lipid accumulation inCandida curvata

Intracellular and extracellular concentrations of citrate and the specific activities of ten different enzymes in Candida curvata D were examined in relation to lipid biosynthesis in batch and continuous culture. Citrate was found to accumulate prior to lipid production and declined markedly as lipid accumulated in batch culture. The cells excreted citrate as the culture became nitrogen-limiting after 30 hr of growth, but little more was expelled after 40 hr when lipid accumulation was more marked. In continuous culture, only low levels of citrate were detected at the lower dilution rates and citrate was completely absent from both the cells and medium above a dilution rate of 0.1/hr. The activity of malic enzyme, malate dehydrogenase and ATP:citrate lyase increased in batch culture on lipid accumulated and, in continuous culture, both malic enzyme and ATP:citrate lyase varied in parallel with the specific rate of lipid synthesis which increased with increasing dilution rate. Activity of malate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase decreased with increasing dilution rate. The regulatory significance of these enzymes in lipid accumulation by C. curvata is discussed.     

Viscosity and Thermal Expansion of Mixed-Alkali Borate Glasses

Transformation-range viscosity and thermal expansion measurements were made for five series (Li-Na, Li-K, Li-Cs, Na-Cs, and K-Rb) of mixed-alkali borate glasses containing 30 mol% total alkali oxide. In each case, negative deviations from additivity were observed in the isokom and glass transformation temperatures. Positive deviations from additivity were observed in the thermal expansion coefficients for the Li-Na, Li-K, and K-Rb glasses, while the Li-Cs and Na-Cs glasses exhibited negative deviations. Maximization of the deviation from additivity in the viscosity and glass transformation temperatures occurred when the radius ratio of the two alkali ions was approximately 1.7 to 1.8. Combination of the results of this study with those of earlier studies indicates that the deviations from additivity observed for these properties are independent of the identity of the glass former.     

Laminated paper-based analytical devices (LPAD): fabrication, characterization, and assays

Paper-based microfluidic devices have recently garnered an increasing interest in the literature. The majority of these devices were produced by patterning hydrophobic zones in hydrophilic paper via photoresist or wax. Others were created by cutting paper using a laser. Here, we present a fabrication method for producing devices by simple craft-cutting and lamination, in a way similar to making an identification (ID) card. The method employs a digital craft cutter and roll laminator to produce laminated paper-based analytical devices (LPAD). Lamination with a plastic backing provides the mechanical strength for a paper device. The approach of using a craft cutter and laminator makes it possible to rapid-prototype LPAD with no more difficulty than producing a typical ID card, at very low cost. Devices constructed using this method have been exploited for simultaneous detection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and glucose in synthetic urine with colorimetric assays. Both BSA and glucose are detectable at clinically relevant concentrations, with the detection limit at 2.5 μM for BSA and 0.5 mM for glucose.