Gelatin-Acacia Complex Coacervation as a Method for Ketoprofen Microencapsulation

Ketoprofen microcapsules were prepared by complex coacervation between gelatin and acacia, and dried with different methods: isopropanol addition, spray-drying, and freeze-drying, Successively, microparticles were analyzed by infrared thembalance, ultraviolet spectroscopy, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and sieves; and subjected to dissolution studies in order to examine parameters such as yield, moisture content, encapsulation percentage, morphology of solid particles, particle size, and dissolution behavior. Provided that encapsulation and drying methods did not affect ketoprofen dissolution profiles, the most appropriate drying method for industrial purposes was spray-drying.     

Temperament, activity, and expectations for later personality development.

Temperament is assumed to be the biologically based, emotional core of personality. Adult personality is presumed to emerge developmentally from temperament. One mechanism that may link temperament to subsequent personality development involves caregiver expectancies. Stability in personality may be associated with caregiver expectancies about the meaning of temperament-based behavior. The expectancies, in combination with implicit theories of personality development, support stability and patterned change. This multimethod study examined the relations among motor activity differences, temperament, and expectations about future personality characteristics in preschool children. It was hypothesized that motor activity and temperament differences would be linked to teachers' expectations about later personality development. The hypothesis that expectations about such links would be moderated by the sex of the child was also examined. Outcomes generally corroborated hypotheses. Results are discussed in terms of personality development and age-related adaptations to social contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hemoglobin adducts of benzo[a]pyrene diolepoxide in newspaper vendors: association with traffic exhaust

Benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide adducts with hemoglobin (Hb) were measured to detect human exposure to environmental benzo[a]pyrene from traffic exhaust. Benzo[a]pyrene tetrahydrotetrols (BPTs) released from Hb after acid hydrolysis were quantitated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after immunoaffinity chromatography. Fifty three newspaper vendors were enrolled. The median adduct concentration was 0.3 fmol BPTs/mg Hb in high density traffic-exposed vendors and < or = 0.1 fmol BPTs/mg Hb in those exposed to low density traffic; the difference was not significant (P = 0.09). Among non-smokers, adducts were detectable in 60% of high exposure subjects (median 0.3 fmol BPTs/mg Hb) and in 28% of those with low exposure (median < or = 0.1 fmol/mg Hb). This difference was significant (P = 0.02). In low exposure smokers the median of adducts was 0.26 fmol BPTs/mg Hb, while in low exposure non-smokers it was < or = 0.1 fmol BPTs/mg Hb (P = 0.08, not significant). Adduct concentration was no different for low and high density traffic-exposed smokers (P = 0.82). The data indicate a significant difference in adduct concentration related to traffic exhaust exposure among non-smokers.     

Quantitative Insight into the Design of Compounds Recognized by the L‐Type Amino Acid Transporter 1 (LAT1)

L ‐Type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is a transmembrane protein expressed abundantly at the blood–brain barrier (BBB), where it ensures the transport of hydrophobic acids from the blood to the brain. Due to its unique substrate specificity and high expression at the BBB, LAT1 is an intriguing target for carrier‐mediated transport of drugs into the brain. In this study, a comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) model with considerable statistical quality (Q²=0.53, R²=0.75, Q² SE=0.77, R² SE=0.57) and good external predictivity (CCC=0.91) was generated. The model was used to guide the synthesis of eight new prodrugs whose affinity for LAT1 was tested by using an in situ rat brain perfusion technique. This resulted in the creation of a novel LAT1 prodrug with L ‐tryptophan as the promoiety; it also provided a better understanding of the molecular features of LAT1‐targeted high‐affinity prodrugs, as well as their promoiety and parent drug. The results obtained will be beneficial in the rational design of novel LAT1‐binding prodrugs and other compounds that bind to LAT1.     

Boundary Conditions at the Bulk–Aerogel Interface of Superfluid 3He-B

We study the interface between bulk and aerogel impregnated with ³ He-B. The magnetic susceptibility at the interface determines a boundary condition for the texture, which can be parameterized by the orbital vector L. We use Ginzburg–Landau theory to calculate the boundary condition assuming homogeneous aerogel and a sharp interface. Recent NMR measurements give reason to conjecture that L tends to be parallel to interface. Our numerical calculations confirm this conjecture in the Ginzburg–Landau (GL) regime. However, the orienting energy is one order of magnitude smaller than at a solid wall, and therefore can easily be overshadowed by a nearby wall.     

Basic characterization of U: Determination of age and U content using sector field ICP-MS, gamma spectrometry and alpha spectrometry

The possibility to determine the age, i.e. the time since the last chemical separation, of ²³³U was studied using two fundamentally different measurement techniques: inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and gamma spectrometry. Moreover, the isotope ratio ²³²U/²³³U was measured using both alpha spectrometry and gamma spectrometry. For the two materials analysed, all measurement results were in agreement, i.e. consistent within the combined uncertainties. One of the materials was also measured using gamma spectrometry under field conditions. This measurement was also in agreement with the other results on this material.     

Propagation of sech-type solitary waves in hierarchical KdV-type systems

A hierarchical Korteweg–de Vries-type evolution equation is applied for modelling wave propagation in dilatant granular materials. The model equation is integrated numerically under sech²-type initial conditions using the Fourier transform-based pseudospectral method. Numerical simulations are carried out over a wide range of material parameters (two dispersion parameters and one microstructure parameter) and amplitudes of the initial wave. The analysis of the time–space behaviour of solutions results in five solution types. Besides typical KdV-like solitonic structures, wave packets were detected for some domains of material parameters.     

Densification and Mechanical Behavior of HfC and HfB2 Fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering

Hafnium diboride (HfB₂)- and hafnium carbide (HfC)-based materials containing MoSi₂ as sintering aid in the volumetric range 1%–9% were densified by spark plasma sintering at temperatures between 1750° and 1950°C. Fully dense samples were obtained with an initial MoSi₂ content of 3 and 9 vol% at 1750°–1800°C. When the doping level was reduced, it was necessary to raise the sintering temperature in order to obtain samples with densities higher than 97%. Undoped powders had to be sintered at 2100°–2200°C. For doped materials, fine microstructures were obtained when the thermal treatment was lower than 1850°C. Silicon carbide formation was observed in both carbide- and boride-based materials. Nanoindentation hardness values were in the range of 25–28 GPa and were independent of the starting composition. The nanoindentation Young's modulus and the fracture toughness of the HfB₂-based materials were higher than those of the HfC-based materials. The flexural strength of the HfB₂-based material with 9 vol% of MoSi₂ was higher at 1500°C than at room temperature.     

Hot isostatic pressing of optically active Nd:YAG powders doped by a colloidal processing route

In this work, 1 at.% Nd doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG) nano-sized powder prepared by colloidal route was investigated thoroughly concerning agglomeration control and preparation of transparent ceramic by post-HIP. Electrostatic and mechanical deagglomeration process followed by freeze-drying turned out to be an effective method to alleviate agglomeration, yielding a powder with a homogeneous particle size distribution around 100 nm. Transparent Nd:YAG ceramic samples have been successfully prepared by post-HIP without the aid of sintering additives. The optical properties varied markedly with the sintering and hot isostatic pressing conditions used. In-line transmittance values of 56% at 680 nm and close to 80% in the infrared region were recorded.     

Diamond tips for automated electrical probing inside a scanning electron microscopy system

Pyramidal tips made from boron doped diamond have become the ultimate choice for electrically measuring semiconductor device structures in electrical atomic force microscopy (AFM). An advanced measurement setup with diamond probing units directly integrated inside a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) system is highly wanted as this allows for accurate tip positioning compared to the optical microscope of a standard AFM and enables also multiple tip measurements. Therefore, we have developed highly conductive in-plane diamond tips with a triangular shape and attached them to Ni cantilevers. We have established a LabVIEW-based setup enabling automated electrical measurements inside a SEM system using stick-and-slip motion nanomanipulators and a parameter analyzer system. To our best knowledge, this paper presents first 1- and 2-tip electrical measurements of microfabricated diamond probes inside a SEM system. Measurements of Si staircase and Ge structures are shown and compared to scanning spreading resistance (SSRM) results. Our work demonstrates that doped diamond tips clearly outperform common tungsten probe needles enabling nanoprobing experiments which were impossible so far. Based on our results, we predict that doped diamond is going to be the standard tip material not only for electrical AFM but also for nanoprobing of semiconductor materials.