Ketoprofen Spray-dried Microspheres Based on Eudragit® RS and RL: Study of the Manufacturing Parameters

The preparation of ketoprofen spray-dried microspheres can be affected by the long drug recrystallization time. Polymer type and drug–polymer ratio as well as manufacturing parameters affect the preparation. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the possibility to obtain ketoprofen spray-dried microspheres using the Eudragit® RS and RL; the influence of the spray-drying parameters on morphology, dimension, and physical stability of microspheres was studied. Ketoprofen microspheres based on Eudragit® blend can be prepared by spray-drying and the nebulization parameters do not influence significantly particle properties; nevertheless, they can be affected by drying and storage methods. No effect of the container material is found.     

Inferences about the location of food in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) in two sensory modalities.

The authors tested the ability of capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) to make inferences about hidden food. In Experiment 1, we showed the content of 2 boxes, 1 of which was baited (visual condition, VC) or we shook both boxes producing noise from the baited box (auditory condition, AC). Seven subjects (out of 8) were above chance in the VC, whereas only 1 was above chance in AC. During treatment, by manipulating empty and filled objects subjects experienced the relation between noise and content. When tested again, 7 capuchins were above chance in the VC and 3 in AC. In Experiment 2, we gave visual or auditory information only about the empty box and, consequently, successful choice implied inferential reasoning. All subjects (out of 4) were above chance in the VC, and 2 in the AC. Control tests ruled out the possibility that success resulted from simply avoiding the shaken noiseless box, or from the use of arbitrary auditory information. Similar to apes (Call, 2004), capuchins were capable of inferential reasoning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of milk high pressure homogenization on biogenic amine accumulation during ripening of ovine and bovine Italian cheeses

The aim of this work was to evaluate the biogenic amine (BA) content during the ripening of both bovine and ovine cheeses obtained using milk subjected to a homogenization treatment at 100 MPa before cheese-making. The data obtained were compared with those from cheeses produced by the same milks without any treatment or thermized. The results showed that both microbial ecology and BA concentrations of cheeses during ripening were significantly influenced by the type of milk used for cheese-making and by the treatment applied to the raw materials. In particular, the microbial counts found in Caciotta indicated that the high pressure homogenization (HPH) of milk significantly reduced the presence of the yeasts, Micrococcaceae and lactobacilli at the end of ripening. On the other hand, the HPH treatment of milk favoured the proliferation of yeasts in ovine cheese. Moreover, the ovine cheeses were characterized by a remarkably higher accumulation of BA than bovine cheeses. However, the HPH treatment of milk was able to drastically reduce the biogenic amine concentrations in both cheese typologies at the end of ripening.     

On the main flow features and instabilities in an unbaffled vessel agitated with an eccentrically located impeller

The hydrodynamics of an unbaffled vessel stirred by an eccentrically located Rushton turbine is investigated with both Laser Doppler Anemometry and flow visualisation techniques. The flow field is shown to be characterised by a strong circumferential motion which develops itself around two main vortices, one above and one below the impeller, both inclined with respect to the vertical plane. Such vortices are not steady but move periodically very slowly in comparison to the impeller rotational timescale. Accordingly, two low frequency components, whose values are linearly dependent on the impeller rotational speed, are identified across the vessel. The energetic contribution to the turbulent kinetic energy of such flow instabilities is significant so that they should be taken into account when evaluating micro-mixing information from turbulence quantities. Besides, an additional low frequency component is observed and related to vortex shedding phenomena from the flow-shaft interaction which occur in eccentric agitation operation. The flow discharged from the impeller is also measured and discussed.     

Role of surface-inoculated Debaryomyces hansenii and Yarrowia lipolytica strains in dried fermented sausage manufacture. Part 2: Evaluation of their effects on sensory quality and biogenic amine content

The aim was to study the effects of Debaryomyces hansenii and Yarrowia lipolytica strains, used with lactic acid starter cultures (Lactobacillus plantarum), in the manufacture of dried fermented sausages in order to understand their effects on volatile profile, biogenic amine content and sensory properties. The experimental data showed that every yeast strain produced a specific profile of volatile metabolic products. The yeasts also gave sausages with distinctive sensory properties. The degree of mincing also influenced these properties, but none of these factors had significant influence upon the accumulation of biogenic amines.     

An experimental comparison of a graphite electrode and a gas diffusion electrode for the cathodic production of hydrogen peroxide

This work studies the production of hydrogen peroxide through the cathodic reduction of oxygen in acidic medium, by comparing the results obtained using a commercial graphite and a gas diffusion electrode. A low pH was required to allow the application of hydrogen peroxide generation to an electro-Fenton process. The influence of applied potential and the gas flow composition were investigated. The gas diffusion electrode demonstrates a higher selectivity for hydrogen peroxide production, without significantly compromising the iron regeneration, thus making its successful application to a cathodic Fenton-like treatment, possible. Unlike the graphite cathode, the gas diffusion cathode also proved to be effective in the air flow.     

Shielding calculations for a 100 MeV 30 mA proton beam

The Study and Production of Exotic Species (SPES) project employs a 100 MeV, 30 mA proton beam that strikes a primary target. The resulting high-energy neutron flux impinges on a secondary target of depleted uranium to produce, through fission, beams of short-lived, neutron-rich nuclei. This paper deals with some of the preliminary shielding calculations for the bunker. Monte Carlo is employed with MCNPX and, because of the deep penetrations involved, the in-house variance reduction optimiser, the direct statistical approach. The calculations exhibited a number of typical features that are addressed and discussed.