Enalapril-induced renal artery thrombosis in unilateral renal artery stenosis

Intravascular adhesion of leucocytes plays a role in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic vascular disease. Regular aerobic exercise seems to protect against vascular disease. Since leucocyte adhesion is mediated by integrins, we tested the hypothesis that surface expression of the integrin adhesive receptors LFA-1 (cd11a/cd18), MAC-1 (cd11b/cd18), gp 150/95 (cd11c/cd18), and VLA-4 (cd29/cd49) is decreased by moderate endurance exercise. Surface expression of integrins was measured by FACS analysis in 19 healthy subjects (16 males, 3 females, 36.6 +/- 8.7 years, 177.1 +/- 7.5 cm, 70.3 +/- 8.1 kg) before and after submaximal exercise (3 h run) using monoclonal antibodies against cd11a, cd11b, cd11c, cd18, cd29 and cd49. In addition, we compared resting integrin expression in this group with a group of sedentary subjects (19 males, 6 females, 29.3 +/- 5.3 years). White blood cell count increased from 5300 ml(-1) to 9740 ml(-1) during exercise (P < 0.001). Nevertheless, the expression (indicated by the mean log fluorescence) of cd11a (94 +/- 24 vs. 78 +/- 14) and cd18 (128 +/- 31 vs. 102 +/- 21) on lymphocytes and of cd11a (104 +/- 25 vs. 85 +/- 16), cd11c (497 +/- 171 vs. 408 +/- 126) cd29 (109 +/- 16 vs. 89 +/- 16), cd49 (69 +/- 8 vs. 54 +/- 11) on monocytes was decreased after exercise (all P < 0.05). In contrast, integrin expression on granulocytes was not altered by exercise. Comparison of exercising and sedentary subjects showed a significantly decreased expression of integrins in exercising subjects. Our results demonstrate that moderate exercise leads to decreased expression of integrin receptors on leucocytes. This decreased expression of adhesion molecules may result in decreased adhesion and infiltration of leucocytes into the vessel wall. This phenomenon may play a role in the beneficial effect of moderate exercise in prevention of acute and chronic vascular disease.     

Nano ZnO grafted on MAA/BA/MMA copolymer: An additive for hygienic coating

Nano ZnO particles were synthesized by treating zinc oxalate with glycol and amines. The treated nano particles were in-situ grafted on methacrylic acid/butyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate via solution polymerization technique to prevent aggregation in the coating. The characterizations of grafted and treated nano ZnO particles were performed by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and particle size analysis. The outcome of this surface modification and varying concentrations of nano ZnO has helped in establishing it as an antibacterial additive in hygienic coating.     

Evaluation of the physical and mechanical properties of high drug load formulations: Wet granulation vs. novel foam granulation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influences of intrinsic drug mechanical properties and different granulation binder delivery processes on the physical and mechanical properties of high drug load granulations after wet granulation. Formulations (80% w/w) of acetaminophen (APAP), metformin and aspirin, which are brittle, viscoelastic, and ductile, respectively; were granulated by high-shear wet granulation. Two modes of binder delivery for wet granulation, either conventional or binder foam, were investigated. Particle size, surface area and pore size of the granulations were characterized. Compacts were prepared at a solid fraction of 0.9 under tri-axial decompression and Hiestand indices (worst-case bonding index (BI_w) and brittle fracture index (BFI)) of the compacts were determined. APAP formulations exhibited the smallest geometric mean particle sizes (d_g) and showed only slight differences in d_g values between the two granulation processes. Binder delivery mode affected mechanical properties of the granulated model drugs differently. Foam granulation appeared to enhance the granule plasticity for APAP while aspirin showed a mixed deformation mechanism based on both its high BI_w and high BFI values. The higher BI_w value for aspirin after foam granulation may be attributed to improved binder distribution among particles during granulation. On the other hand, conventional wet granulation improved the plasticity of metformin as measured by the higher BI_w and lower BFI values. Therefore, conventional wet granulation process conferred advantages in manufacturability and product quality for metformin; as compared to foam granulation which did not enhance plasticity for metformin. Based on this study, a wet granulation process can be selected based on knowledge of the intrinsic drug mechanical properties.     

A Review of Wind-Resource-Assessment Technology

Generation of electrical energy from wind can be economically achieved only where a significant wind resource exists. Because of the cubic relationship between wind velocity and output energy, sites with small percentage differences in average wind speeds can have substantial differences in available energy. Therefore, accurate and thorough monitoring of wind resource at potential sites is a critical factor in the siting of wind turbines. An accurately measured wind-speed frequency spectrum at a site is another important factor. For assessment of the wind-power potential of a site, most investigators have used simple wind-speed distributions that are parametrized solely by the arithmetic mean of the wind speed. Assessment of power output of a wind turbine will be accurate if the wind speeds measured at the hub height (30–50 m) of a wind turbine-generator are known. However, the existing wind data available at most of the meteorological stations worldwide is measured at a height of 10 or 20 m above the ground. Therefore, wind speeds measured at anemometer heights are extrapolated to the hub height of the wind turbine. Many investigators have proposed simple expressions for height extrapolation of wind speeds. This paper reviews wind-speed prediction and forecasting, and development of techniques for accurate assessment of wind-power potential. Also, the need of wind-resource assessment and the techniques and methods used for it are highlighted.     

Correlation Between Tablet Disintegration and In Vitro Dissolution

The effect of aging on the mechanical properties of tablets has not been thoroughly investigated in the past. A recent article (1) addresses this problem in respect to tries Icium phosphate tablets and exhibits the parameters of importance in tablet storage. Two of the aspects studied were dissolution and disintegration.     

Methyl acrylate/1‐octene copolymers: Lewis acid‐mediated polymerization

Copolymerization of methyl acrylate (MA) with 1‐octene (1‐Oct) was conducted in the presence of free radical initiator, 2,2′‐azobis(2‐methylpropionitrile) (AIBN) using heterogeneous Lewis acid, acidic alumina. The polymers obtained were transparent and highly viscous liquids. The copolymer composition calculated from ¹H NMR showed alkene incorporation in the range of 10–61%. The monomodal nature of chromatographic curves corresponding to the molecular weight distribution in gel permeation chromatography (GPC) further confirmed that the polymers obtained are true copolymers. The number–average molecular weights (M_n) of the copolymers were in the range of 1.1 × 10⁴–1.6 × 10⁴ with polydispersity index of 1.75–2.29. The effects of varying the acidic alumina amount, time of polymerization, and monomer infeed on the incorporation of 1‐Oct in the polymer chain were studied. Increased 1‐Oct infeed led to its higher inclusion in the copolymer chain as elucidated by NMR. DEPT‐135 NMR spectral analysis was used to explicate the nature of arrangement of monomer sequences in the copolymer chain. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Dual Wide Band Circularly Polarized Microstrip Patch Antenna with Offset Feed

Wireless Personal Communications - A compact, dual band circularly polarized antenna has been proposed and investigated. It has been designed with single feed and has simple structure. The antenna...     

Heat insulation characteristics of high bulk nonwovens

The insulation layer is a vital component in cold weather clothing. Majority of the heat loss from the body is restricted by the insulation layer. Hence, the design of insulation layer is critical for the performance of extreme cold weather clothing. The factors which influence the thermal resistance of nonwovens’ layer are fibre denier, fibre cross-section and bulk density, porosity and thickness of nonwovens. In this study, we try to optimize these parameters for high-bulk thermal bonded nonwovens using solid and hollow polyester fibres of different deniers. The effect of these parameters and their interdependency has been evaluated by suitable statistical analysis with the help of Design expert software. Contribution analysis has been carried out to ascertain the importance of thickness, areal density and fibre denier and shape. Finer and hollow fibres give better thermal insulation than the coarser and solid fibres. Nonwovens have very high porosity, especially the lighter and thinner ones have poor thermal resistance. Finer and hollow fibres due to their superior thermal insulation are ideal choice for making thinner and lightweight extreme cold weather clothing.     

On the Fundamental Solutions of Generalized Thermoelasticity with Three Phase-Lags

The aim of the present work is to derive the fundamental solutions in the linear theory of generalized thermoelasticity with three phase-lags, recently introduced by Roychoudhuri (2007). We consider the case of homogeneous and isotropic bodies and present a solution of the Galerkin-type of field equations. The solution is then used to determine the effects of concentrated loads and heat sources in an unbounded medium. The fundamental solutions of the field equations in case of steady vibrations are also derived.     

A Problem on Elastic Half Space Under Fractional Order Theory of Thermoelasticity

The present work is concerned with the solution of a problem on fractional order theory of thermoelasticity for an elastic medium. We investigate the thermoelastic interactions inside the medium by employing the fractional order theory of thermoelasticity, recently advocated by Sherief et al. (Int. J. Solids Struct., 47, 269–275, 2010). State space approach together with the Laplace transform technique is used to obtain the general solution of the problem. The general solution is then applied to three specific problems on an elastic half space, whose boundary is subjected to (i) a thermal shock (i.e., a step input in temperature and zero stress), (ii) a normal load (i.e., a step input in stress and zero temperature change) and (iii) a ramp type increase in temperature and zero stress. To observe the variations of displacement, temperature and stress inside the half-space we compute the numerical values of the field variables for a particular material by utilizing a numerical method of Laplace inversion. The effects of fractional order parameter on the variations of different fields inside the medium are analyzed graphically.