In situ gelling pectin formulations for oral sustained delivery of paracetamol

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of a pectin formulation with in situ gelling properties for the oral sustained delivery of paracetamol (acetaminophen). The formulations consisted of dilute aqueous solutions (1% to 2% w/v) of low methoxy pectin containing calcium ions in complexed form, which on release in the acidic environment of the stomach caused gelation of the pectin. In vitro studies demonstrated diffusion-controlled release of paracetamol from the gels over a period of 6 h. A bioavailability of approximately 96% of that of a paracetamol solution could be achieved from gels containing an identical dose of drug formed in situ in the stomachs of rats, with appreciably lower peak plasma levels and a sustained release of drug over a period of at least 6 h.     

Shell side heat transfer characteristics with an eggcrate support plate for water in parallel flow

The shell side heat transfer and pressure drop for water in parallel flow with an eggcrate support plate were experimentally investigated in order to obtain higher performance for the heat exchanger in a boiling water reactor power plant. The following three conclusions were reached. (1) The shell side heat transfer characteristics with the eggcrate support plate were twice as large as those of the shell side parallel flow. An equation using the Reynolds number of the eggcrate support plate could predict the heat transfer coefficient. (2) The shell side pressure drop characteristics with the eggcrate support plate were about five to six times as large as those of shell side parallel flow. (3) The enhancement constant of heat transfer with the eggcrate support plate, using Colburn's j‐factor and friction factor f, was the same as that of the ROD‐baffle type, and was about two times as large as that of the segmental baffle type. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 29(2): 91–112, 2000     

Capillary interaction between inclusion particles on the 16Cr stainless steel melt surface

Both in situ observational and theoretical analyses were carried out for inclusion particle behavior on a 16Cr stainless steel melt surface by paying special attention to the phase classification of inclusions and to the differences in interaction due to the type of phase (solid, liquid, or complex). The interaction was attractive between pairs of particles of the same kind, such as between solid-solid, complex-complex, liquid-liquid, or solid-complex particles, but it was repulsive for pairs of particles of different kinds, such as between solid-liquid or complex-liquid particles. As a result, this reverse phenomenon leads to selective interaction among various inclusions. The origin of attraction or repulsion between inclusion particles is the capillary force. This capillary interaction is strongly influenced by the particle size and shape, and by the contact angle of a particle with steel melt; it is less influenced by the particle density and shape, and by the interfacial tension. In particular, the degree of attractive or repulsive force strongly depends on the contact angle of a particle. Thus, some chalcogen elements should strongly affect the interaction of particles.     

Generation and control of electrolyte cathode atmospheric glow discharge using miniature gas flow

Stable electrolyte cathode atmospheric DC glow microdischarges were generated by using a miniature helium gas flow from a nozzle electrode in air. We developed two schemes to control the temporal evolution of the discharge and the interaction between the discharge column and the ambient air. The vaporization of electrolyte solutions takes place and affects the discharge characteristics. This takes time from the start of the discharge. Therefore, the discharge was controlled by applying pulse‐modulated DC voltages. If the voltage was dropped down to zero before the vaporization, the gas discharge developed without the ionization of the solution components. A helium gas discharge without air developed when the nozzle electrode was placed in a glass capillary. This was confirmed by examining the change in pH of the solution, which usually decreased owing to the generation of nitrogen oxides in the discharge in air. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 178(4): 8–15, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21222     

Estimation of the current peak value distribution of all lightning to the ground by electro‐geometric model

When we examine the lightning frequency and the lightning shielding e?ect of the electro‐geometric model (EGM), we need the current distribution of all lightning to the ground. The distribution of lightning current to structures is di?erent from this distribution, but it has been used in EGM conventionally. We assumed the lightning striking distance coe?cient related to the height of structures in order to obtain a result which corresponds to the observed frequency of lightning to structures, and estimated the current distribution of all lightning to the ground from data listed in the IEC 62305 series of EGM. The estimated distribution adjusted by the LLS detection e?ciency agreed well with the distribution observed by LLS. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 184(3): 14–26, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.22356     

Object discrimination learning in aged Japanese monkeys.

The authors investigated the behavioral aging effects of Japanese macaques in 3-object discrimination learning tasks: learning-set (LS) formation, go/no-go discrimination learning, and multiple discrimination reversals. Aged monkeys showed deteriorated performance in these tasks compared with younger controls. Hypothesis analysis of LS showed that aged monkeys had difficulty learning the lose-shift component of the hypothesis win-stay-lose-shift with respect to object. Deficits in go/no-go successive discrimination were clear in no-go trials only in the first 2 pairs of 5 tasks. Performance of aged monkeys was severely disturbed from a chance to criterion level in discrimination reversals. These results are attributed not only to increased tendency for perseveration but also to difficulty in associating the reward and the object in aged monkeys and may be related to the decline in the functions of the ventral frontal cortex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tensile elongation measurement device with in-plane bimorph actuation mechanism

This paper describes the development of a bimorph-actuated twin-probe device utilized for uniaxial tensile test to measure tensile elongation of a film specimen. The device consists of two sets of microscale cantilever probes with piezoresistive sensor to detect the position of two gauge marks on a specimen, and multiple pairs of bimorph actuators to produce in-plane motion for scanning those marks. By Joule's heating, the bimorph actuators connecting two cantilever probes are able to move along the tensile direction. When those probes climb the gauge marks having convex line structure, the sensor signals originating from the piezoresistive effect are output by the cantilever's deflection. The elongation of a tensile specimen can be calculated from the moving velocity of cantilever probes and the time difference between two sensor signals. The performance of the device produced through conventional micromachining technologies was investigated. Elongation of single-crystal silicon (SCS) film specimen was measured during uniaxial tensile loading. The mean Young's modulus of 165.1 GPa which was measured by using the device was in good agreement with the analytical value. The proposed bimorph-actuated twin-probe device would be useful for measuring elongation of a film specimen during the tensile test.     

iTRAQ-Based Proteomic Analysis of APP Transgenic Mouse Urine Exosomes

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common dementia disease in the elderly. To get a better understanding of the pathophysiology, we performed a proteomic analysis of the urine exosomes (U-exo) in AD model mice (J20). The polymer precipitation method was used to isolate U-exo from the urine of 3-month-old J20 and wild-type (WT) mice. Neuron-derived exosome (N-exo) was isolated from U-exo by immunoprecipitation. iTRAQ-based MALDI TOF MS/MS was used for proteomic analysis. The results showed that compared to WT, the levels of 61 and 92 proteins were increased in the J20 U-exo and N-exo, respectively. Gene ontology enrichment analysis demonstrated that the sphingolipid catabolic process, ceramide catabolic process, membrane lipid catabolic process, Aβ clearance, and Aβ metabolic process were highly enriched in U-exo and N-exo. Among these, Asah1 was shown to be the key protein in lipid metabolism, and clusterin, ApoE, neprilysin, and ACE were related to Aβ metabolism and clearance. Furthermore, protein–protein interaction analysis identified four protein complexes where clusterin and ApoE participated as partner proteins. Thus, J20 U-exo and N-exo contain proteins related to lipid- and Aβ-metabolism in the early stages of AD, providing a new insight into the underlying pathological mechanism of early AD.     

Development of weatherproof mobile impulse voltage generator and its application to experiments on nonlinearity of grounding resistance

This paper describes a newly developed impulse voltage generator (IG). It has the following features: (1) The IG consists of three components (a 1.6 MV unit, a 1.4-MV unit and a base box); this facilitates mounting on 10-ton trucks, therefore making it easier to move to a test field. (2) Capacitors, discharge gaps and a control unit are enclosed in fiber-reinforced plastics, making it possible to use the IG in all weather. (3) The IG can generate several ten kA when a load is a few ten Ω. (4) Composition of the circuits for lightning/switching impulse voltage/current tests can be easily done by changing the damping and discharge resistance cassettes. Control and data acquisition are made by personal computer. For IG application during an outdoor test, this paper presents the characteristics of resistances of a 77-kV substation grounding and a concrete pole when applying a high impulse current. The resistances are dependent on the crest value of the applied current.