Characterizing the structure of pharmaceutical granules obtained by wet granulation with varying amounts of water via Raman chemical imaging

A pharmaceutical formulation containing metformin hydrochloride (MET), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was wet granulated with varying amounts of water and the structure of the obtained granules was characterized by Raman chemical mapping. Univariate Raman mapping was found to be satisfactory for producing the images of the two components of interest (HPC and MCC). In addition to the images, the average Raman spectra from the maps as well as the micro-Raman spectra from the hot pixels were analyzed. HPC is found to strongly respond to the addition of water, with its domain dissipating and Raman bands becoming weaker as the water addition increases. MCC is also responsive to water, reacting similarly to HPC but to a much smaller extent and only for the largest amounts of water. Granules made with increasing water content also have improved tabletting properties and flow.     

Anthropogenic and natural radionuclides in caribou and muskoxen in the western Alaskan Arctic and marine fish in the Aleutian Islands in the first half of 2000s

A number of caribou and muskoxen samples from the western Alaskan Arctic and fish samples from the Aleutian Islands were collected between 1998 and 2006 and analyzed for anthropogenic (⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs) and natural radionculides (⁴⁰ K, ²¹⁰Pb and ²²⁶Ra), as part of the radiological assessment for the regional subsistence hunting communities in the first half of 2000s. We examined the relationship between the activities of these nuclides with the size of the fish. In caribou samples, concentration of ⁹⁰Sr in muscle was below the detection limit of 0.14 Bq kg^− 1 and ¹³⁷Cs concentration in bones was below the detection limit of 0.15 Bq kg^− 1.¹³⁷Cs activity varied over an order of magnitude in caribou muscle samples with an average value of 2.5 Bq/kg wet wt. Average ¹³⁷Cs activity in muskoxen muscle was found to be 9.7 Bq/kg wet wt. However, there were a little variation (less than 60%) in ²¹⁰Pb, ⁴⁰ K, and ²²⁶Ra in both muscle and bone of both caribou and muskoxen. The activities of total ²¹⁰Pb in caribou and muskox bones were found to be 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than that of parent-supported ²¹⁰Pb indicating the potential for dating of bones of terrestrial mammals (time elapsed since the death of the animal) based on the excess ²¹⁰Pb method exists. In fish muscle samples, ¹³⁷Cs activity varied from below detection limit to 154 mBq/kg wet wt. and its content increased with the size of the fish due to its transfer through the food chain. Among the seven fish species investigated, ²¹⁰Pb activities varied almost an order of magnitude; however, ⁴⁰K and ²²⁶Ra activities varied less than a factor of two. Total annual effective dose due to ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs from the ingestion of those terrestrial and marine meats was estimated to be negligible (ca. 9 μSV/a) compared to the natural radionuclides present thus posing negligible radiological threat to humans.     

Guided Jury Discretion in Capital Murder Cases: The Role of Declarative and Procedural Knowledge.

This article analyzes whether state-approved jury instructions adequately guide jury discretion in the penalty phase of first-degree murder trials. It examines Eighth Amendment jurisprudence regarding guided jury discretion, emphasizing the use of "empirical factors" to examine the quality of state-approved instructions. Psychological research and testimony on the topic of the comprehensibility of jury logical instructions are reviewed. Data from a recently completed simulation with 80 deliberating juries showed that current instructions do not adequately convey the concepts and processes essential to guiding penalty phase judgments. An additional simulation with 20 deliberating juries demonstrated that deliberation alone does not correct for jurors' errors in comprehension. The article concludes with recommendations for policy and future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brittle-1, an adenylate translocator, facilitates transfer of extraplastidial synthesized ADP--glucose into amyloplasts of maize endosperms

Amyloplasts of starchy tissues such as those of maize (Zea mays L.) function in the synthesis and accumulation of starch during kernel development. ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) is known to be located in chloroplasts, and for many years it was generally accepted that AGPase was also localized in amyloplasts of starchy tissues. Recent aqueous fractionation of young maize endosperm led to the conclusion that 95% of the cellular AGPase was extraplastidial, but immunolocalization studies at the electron- and light-microscopic levels supported the conclusion that maize endosperm AGPase was localized in the amyloplasts. We report the results of two nonaqueous procedures that provide evidence that in maize endosperms in the linear phase of starch accumulation, 90% or more of the cellular AGPase is extraplastidial. We also provide evidence that the brittle-1 protein (BT1), an adenylate translocator with a KTGGL motif common to the ADP-glucose-binding site of starch synthases and bacterial glycogen synthases, functions in the transfer of ADP-glucose into the amyloplast stroma. The importance of the BT1 translocator in starch accumulation in maize endosperms is demonstrated by the severely reduced starch content in bt1 mutant kernels.     

Effects of the M1 agonist xanomeline on processing of human beta-amyloid precursor protein (FAD, Swedish mutant) transfected into Chinese hamster ovary-m1 cells

1. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the diurnal variation of blood viscosity in broilers. In experiment 1 food and water were supplied freely at 20 degrees C (20-FW). In experiment 2 food and water were withdrawn at 20 degrees C (20-NFW), while in experiment 3 food and water were withdrawn at 30 degrees C (30-NFW). 2. Blood sampling time points were 09.00 h, 15.00 h, 21.00 h, 03.00 h and 09.00 h the next day in each experiment. 3. In all experiments, whole blood viscosity (WBV), red blood cell count (RBC) and haematocrit (HCT) were greater during the dark (21.00 h and 03.00 h) than during the light period. During the dark period, there were no differences in WBV, RBC and HCT between 20-FW and 20-NFW, or between 20-NFW and 30-NFW. At 09.00 h, WBV and HCT were higher in 20-FW than in 20-NFW. At 15.00 h and 09.00 h (day 2), WBV and HCT were greater in 20-NFW than in 30-NFW. 4. There were no light-dark differences in plasma viscosity (PV), plasma protein concentration (PPC) or mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in any experiment. However, 20-NFW birds had a lower PPC and higher MCV compared with 20-FW, and a higher PPC and lower MCV compared with 30-NFW, while no difference was found in PV. 5. WBV increased linearly with RBC and HCT. PV increased with PPC, while MCV decreased. 6. These results indicate that there is diurnal variation in whole blood viscosity, which is greater during the dark than during the light period. During the light period it is strongly influenced by high environmental temperature and food and water withdrawal.     

Simulation: A Survey with Research Suggestions

Simulation is one of the most powerful analysis tools available to those responsible for the design and/or operation of complex processes or systems. It is heavily based upon computer science, mathematics, probability theory and statistics; yet the process of simulation modeling and experimentation remains very much an intuitive art. This paper attempts to survey selected aspects and point out areas needing additional research. Among the topics discussed are: random variate generation, programming languages, starting conditions, sample size, variance reduction, design of experiments and validation.