Release Property of Progesterone from a Mixed-Base Suppository Consisting of Witepsol® W35 and Witepsol® E85

The mechanism of drug release from progesterone suppositories that consist of two types of hard fat (Witepsol® W35 and Witepsol® E85) was investigated. The strength, the thermodynamic characteristics, the surface structures, the drug release property, methylene blue penetration into suppositories, and change of surface structure after the dissolution test were employed for detecting characteristics of progesterone suppositories. The formulation with a mixing ratio of Witepsol W35 and Witepsol E85 at a 1:1 ratio showed the maximum strength value. The peak temperature of the suppositories showed a tendency to increase with increases in the ratio of Witepsol E85. The maximum height of the profiles measured with laser microscopy, from 20.8 μm to 29.2 μm, reached a maximum after 3 h of the dissolution test. When the suppositories were immersed in pH 7.4 phosphate buffer containing 0.5% methylene blue at 37°C, the penetrating area increased with time. The weight of the suppositories also increased with time. According to these findings, it was suggested that the release of drug from a mixed type of suppository containing progesterone was via the matrix and pores.     

Effect of reaction temperature on Fe–Al analcime formation

The effects of reaction period, temperature, and iron species on the zeolite framework type were studied in this work. Gismondine (GIS) is usually synthesized by hydrothermal method at 80°C from sodium metasilicate and aluminum nitrate as starting materials preferentially independent of the presence/absence of iron source. However, the present work revealed that pure analcime (ANA) could be formed at temperatures more than 120°C. A large polyhedral ANA crystal with a diameter of 180 μm was obtained even at a comparatively low temperature such as 150°C at a short reaction period of 1 week. The presence of iron source promoted the formation of pure ANA. Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ICP-OES analysis suggested that the iron component added as a reactant was incorporated into the ANA framework through the isomorphous substitution for Al.     

Statistical failure analysis of adhesive resin cement bonded dental ceramics

The goal of this work is to quantitatively examine the effect of adhesive resin cement on the probability of crack initiation from the internal surface of ceramic dental restorations. The possible crack bridging mechanism and residual stress effect of the resin cement on the ceramic surface are examined. Based on the fracture-mechanics-based failure probability model, we predict the failure probability of glass-ceramic disks bonded to simulated dentin subjected to indentation loads. The theoretical predictions match experimental data suggesting that both resin bridging and shrinkage plays an important role and need to be considered for accurate prognostics to occur.     

Size exclusion chromatography to characterize DOC removal in drinking water treatment

A full-scale (110 ML/d) potable water treatment plant (WTP) based on the MIEX process, an innovative new process based on a strong base anion-exchange resin with magnetic properties, has been operating in Perth Western Australia since 2001. This plant has been configured so that a combined MIEX-coagulation (MIEX-C) process can be operated in parallel with a conventional enhanced coagulation (EC) process, allowing comparison of the performance of the two processes. Here, we report the use of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to compare the removal of different apparent molecular weight (AMW) fractions of DOC by the two processes. Water was sampled from five key locations within the WTP, and SEC was carried out using three different on-line detector systems, DOC-specific detection, UV absorbance detection at lambda = 254 nm, and fluorescence detection (lambda(ex) = 282 nm; lambda(em) = 353 nm). This approach provided information on the chemical nature of the DOC comprising the various AMW fractions. The study showed that the MIEX-C process outperformed the EC process with greater removal of DOC in each of the eight separate AMW fractions identified. While EC preferentially removed the fractions of highest AMW, and those exhibiting the greatest aromatic (humic) character, MIEX-C removed DOC across all AMW fractions and did not appear to discriminate as strongly on the basis of differences in aromatic character or AMW. The results demonstrate the benefits of combining these complementary treatment processes. The study also demonstrates the utility of SEC coupled with multiple detection systems in determining the characteristics of various AMW components of DOC.     

Pharmaceutical quantification with univariate analysis using transmission Raman spectroscopy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the quantification performance of transmission Raman spectroscopy with univariate analysis. Model dosage forms containing acetaminophen and an excipient, lactose monohydrate, were prepared. The Raman spectra of the tablets were obtained using the modes of transmission, backscattering micro-spectroscopy, and wide area illumination. Calibration curves for quantification of acetaminophen in the tablets were created using peak heights of the Raman spectra. Of the three modes of measurement, the quantitative results by transmission had the highest correlation with those by conventional UV–vis methods. In the validation of quantification by the transmission mode with univariate analysis, a certain degree of daily variation was confirmed. Additionally, quantitative results using peak heights were compared with those of partial least squares (PLSs) multivariate analysis. The root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) suggested that quantification using PLS provided better precision than the peak height method as expected. However, content uniformity test using large sample sizes by the Raman spectra is not required to be very highly predictive because they usually employ non-parametric criteria and include wide specification ranges. Therefore, univariate analysis using transmission Raman spectroscopy was a suitable quantitative method for conducting content uniformity tests of large sample sizes.     

Human tracking with variable prediction steps based on Kullback-Leibler divergence

This article deals with a path-planning problem in tracking humans in order to obtain detailed information about human behavior and characteristics. In our method, path planning is performed based on Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence between the predicted distribution of all human positions and the intensity of the field of view of the agents. The number of steps predicted is determined according to the consistency of the prediction. Experimental results show that when the prediction of human movement is accurate, long-term prediction is useful for path planning. On the other hand, when prediction is inaccurate, long-term prediction might not be useful. Our path-planning method works well even under changing circumstances by changing the length of the predictions.