Dissolution Characteristics of Pharmaceutical Equivalents

The in-vitro release of diltiazem from pharmaceutical equivalents of sustained release tablets, commercially available in Italy, was studied.

The in-vitro release profiles were determined by means of different methods and apparatus. Paddle, basket, Poole, Diffutest and Stricker methods were compared.

The absorption rates in artificial gastric and enteric juices by means of lipid barriers were calculated.

Some preparations showed a diffusion mechanism, some a first-order release.

The differences among the dissolution profiles of the formulations were enhanced with the Strieker method.     

Limnological characterization of interdune ponds of Curupu Island,Raposa – MA,Brazil

This study was conducted on four freshwater interdune ponds (Jacaré; Grande; Duna; Banho) located on Curupu Island within the municipality of Raposa (Maranhão State, Brazil). It focused on a diagnosis of the physical and chemical characteristics of the water and sediment in these water bodies, while at the same time obtaining basic data and information that could support the adoption of conservation strategies for the rational use of these ecosystems. Seasonal sampling of water from these ponds was conducted during the months of August, September and November 2008 and 2009 (dry period) and February, May, July 2009 and 2010 (rainy period), for the purpose of obtaining data on temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen, ammonium (NH₄), nitrite (NO₂), nitrate (NO₃) and phosphate ion (PO₄) concentrations in the pond water. Sediment sampling also was carried out to determine particle size, carbon, organic matter and phosphorus content. A large variation in most variables, especially the ammonia (NH₄), nitrate (NO₃) and phosphate (PO₄) concentrations, was observed during the study period. The pH values indicated the water in the ponds was mostly alkaline. Based on the average nitrate concentrations (137 μg L^?1 during the dry period; 123 μg L^?1 during the rainy period), the ponds exhibited primarily eutrophic conditions. The sediment samples exhibited a predominance of fine sand with low carbon and organic matter content, able to be classified by their mineral nature. Due to the fragile nature of the studied ecosystems, disciplinary control of grazing activities and tourism in the area is highly recommended, along with adoption of a basic sanitation infrastructure in the community for the purpose of rational and sustainable use of this ecosystem.     

Modification of petroleum coke by different additives and the impact on anode properties

Anodes, which provide the carbon required for aluminum production, are made from dry aggregates (petroleum coke, rejected anodes, and butts) with coal tar pitch as the binder. Good quality anodes require good interaction between coke and pitch, and this relies on good wetting properties. The objectives of this work are to analyze the wetting properties of four different cokes with and without modification using an additive and to test the effect of the modified coke on anode properties. A FTIR study was done to identify functional groups in non‐modified and modified coke samples since they play an important role on coke‐pitch interactions. The wetting tests were done using the sessile‐drop method to measure the contact angle between coke and pitch. The results showed that the additive improved the wettability of all four cokes by pitch. The least wettable coke was chosen to produce anodes. For anode production, the entire dry aggregate is modified. The additive was mixed with the dry aggregate using two different approaches (one day earlier and 5 min before mixing). The anodes were characterized before and after baking. The early treatment with the additive was found to be better for the modification of dry aggregate.

     

A set partitioning based goal programming model for the team formation problem

In this paper, we offer a multi-objective set-partitioning formulation for team formation problems using goal programming. Instead of selecting team members to teams, we select suitable teams from a set of teams. This set is generated using a heuristic algorithm that uses the social network of potential team members. We then utilize the proposed multi-objective formulation to select the desired number of teams from this set that meets the skill requirements. Therefore, we ensure that selected teams include individuals with the required skills and effective communication with each other. Two real datasets are used to test the model. The results obtained with the proposed solution are compared with two well-known approaches: weighted and lexicographic goal programming. Results reveal that weighted and lexicographic goal programming approaches generate almost identical solutions for the datasets tested. Our approach, on the other hand, mostly picks teams with lower communication costs. Even in some cases, better solutions are obtained with the proposed approach. Findings show that the developed solution approach is a promising approach to handle team formation problems.     

Investigation into Coordination States of Diglycolamide and Dioxaoctanediamide Complexes with Lanthanide Elements Using Spectroscopic Methods

The extraction behavior and complexation state of diglycolamide (DGA) and dioxaoctanediamide (DOODA) ligands were investigated for several trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln(III)). The stoichiometry of the extraction of La(III), Nd(III), and Ho(III) with the hydrophobic ligands, N,N,N’,N’-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA) and N,N,N’,N’-tetraoctyl dioxaoctanediamide (DOODA(C8)), was determined by slope analyses in CHCl₃ and CCl₄ system. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy was employed for determination of the stability constants (β) of trivalent lanthanide ion (Ln³⁺) with the hydrophilic ligands, N,N,N’,N’-tetraethyl diglycolamide (TEDGA) and N,N,N’,N’-tetraethyl dioxaoctanediamide (DOODA(C2)). DGA ligands are found to have an affinity of heavier Ln(III), while DOODA ligands prefer to coordinate with lighter Ln(III). Infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic measurements reveal that the carbonyl oxygen atoms of TODGA and DOODA(C8) worked as dominant donors in complexation with La(III). In contrast, the ether oxygen of the hydrophilic ligands makes major contribution to formation of La(III) complex.     

Dynamic analysis of removal and selective oxidation of H2S to elemental sulfur over Cu-V and Cu-V-Mo mixed oxides in a fixed bed reactor

Selective oxidation of H₂S to elemental sulfur was studied using the Cu-V and Cu-V-Mo mixed oxide catalysts with different O₂/H₂S ratios between 0 and 3. High activities and high sulfur selectivities reaching 0.98 were obtained with the Cu-V catalyst. The Cu-V-Mo mixed oxide catalyst showed higher activity with a somewhat less selectivity. The Cu-V catalyst, which was originally in the form of α-Cu₂V₂O₇, was converted to Cu₃VS₄, CuS and VO_x during the initial stages of reaction. Oxidized form of the catalyst resulted in the formation of mostly SO₂. Partially reduced catalyst containing V⁺² and V⁺⁴ was highly selective for the production of elemental sulfur, which was produced by a series of redox reactions involving lattice oxygen.     

Influence of Water Deficit in Bioactive Compounds of Olive Paste and Oil Content

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different deficit irrigation treatments (control, regulated deficit irrigation [RDI]‐1, RDI‐2, and RDI‐3) on the phenolic profile of the olive paste and oil content. Irrigation treatments with more stress water led to a considerable increase in the phenolic compounds of olive paste, especially in oleuropein (60.24%), hydroxytyrosol (82%), tyrosol (195%), and verbascoside (223%) compared to control. A significant increase in the content of total flavonoids and phenolic acids was also observed for these samples. In virgin olive oils (VOO) elaborated from the most stressed olive trees (RDI‐2 and RDI‐3), a noticeable increase in phenolic substances with antioxidant properties (oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, secoiridoid derivatives, and o‐vanillin) was observed. Consequently, water stress conditions improved antioxidant activity of VOO.     

A rationale for introducing a subsidiary fishery in tropical reservoirs and lakes to augment inland fish production: case study from Sri Lanka

An extra 30–40 million tonnes of food fish will be required by 2050 to meet the increasing need for a growing population. In the wake of plateauing of the traditional food fish supplies from marine capture fisheries, the gap in the supplies will have to be met from aquaculture and other plausible strategies, including increased inland fish production. The existing fisheries in tropical reservoirs and lakes traditionally tend to target only table-sized fish, often exotics and/or translocated species, using a single type of gear, mostly gill nets. In such fisheries, many small indigenous species (SIS) are unexploited due to the prohibition of the use of suitable fishing gear. The status of fisheries for small, indigenous species of four Sri Lankan reservoirs was investigated with a view to identifying regulatory constraints to the establishment of SIS fisheries without adversely impacting existing commercial fisheries. It is estimated that a potential of 7.5 t per fisher per annum of SIS through the introduction of a new fishery is obtainable. This study is significant as SIS are recognized as important sources of essential macro- and micronutrients which can play a crucial role in combating malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in rural populations of many South and Southeast Asian countries.     

Simulation of a two-slope pyramid made by SPIF using an adaptive remeshing method with solid-shell finite element

Single point incremental forming (SPIF) is an emerging application in sheet metal prototyping and small batch production, which enables dieless production of sheet metal parts. This research area has grown in the last years, both experimentally and numerically. However, numerical investigations into SPIF process need further improvement to predict the formed shape correctly and faster than current approaches. The current work aims the use of an adaptive remeshing technique, originally developed for shell and later extended to 3D “brick” elements, leading to a Reduced Enhanced Solid-Shell formulation. The CPU time reduction is a demanded request to perform the numerical simulations. A two-slope pyramid shape is used to carry out the numerical simulation and modelling. Its geometric difficulty on the numerical shape prediction and the through thickness stress behaviour are the main analysis targets in the present work. This work confirmed a significant CPU time reduction and an acceptable shape prediction accuracy using an adaptive remeshing method combined with the selected solid-shell element. The stress distribution in thickness direction revealed the occurrence of bending/unbending plus stretching and plastic deformation in regions far from the local deformation in the tool vicinity.     

Microstructural features of dynamic recrystallization in alloy 625 friction surfacing coatings

In friction surfacing (FS), material is deposited onto a substrate in the plasticized state, using frictional heat and shear stresses. The coating material remains in the solid state and undergoes severe plastic deformation (SPD) at high process temperatures (≈0.8 T_melt), followed by high cooling rates in the range of 30?K/s. Dynamic recrystallization and the thermal cycle determine the resulting microstructure. In this study, Ni-based alloy 625 was deposited onto 42CrMo4 substrate, suitable, for instance, for repair welding of corrosion protection layers. Alloy 625 is known to undergo discontinuous dynamic recrystallization under SPD, and the resulting grain size depends on the strain rate. The coating microstructure was studied by microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The coatings exhibit a fully recrystallized microstructure with equiaxed grains (0.5–12?µm) and a low degree of grain average misorientation. Flow lines caused by a localized decrease in grain size and linear alignment of grain boundaries are visible. Grain nucleation and growth were found to be strongly affected by localized shear and nonuniform material flow, resulting in varying amounts of residual strain, twins and low-angle grain boundaries in different regions within a single coating layer’s cross section.

FS can be used to study dynamic recrystallization at high temperatures, strains and strain rates, while at the same time materials with a recrystallization grain size sensitive to the strain rate can be used to study the material flow during the process.