Issues in Physics Practicals in an Open and Distance Learning Environment

This paper reviews the objectives of physics practicals in physics education in relation to the hilosophy of open and distance learning programme. The various issues that arise in the implementation of physics experiment based on an existing practical model are presented. Two major concerns are the effectiveness of the practical sessions and sustaining the fundamentals of the open and distance learning programme. A new practical physics model is then proposed, which enables students to experience physics experiments without violating the open and distance learning programme fundamentals. (Authors' abstract

Synthesis and Characterization of Iron Oxide-Gold Core-Shell Nanoparticles in Different Shapes

Hybrid nanomaterials possessing dual magnetic/optical properties are of considerable interest to many areas, ranging from material science to medicine and biology. They are promising for a broad range of applications including catalysis, energy conversion, biological separation, medical diagnosis and treatment. Anisotropic magnetic-optical nanoparticles give better or new properties compared to spherical ones due to their high curvature and polarization-sensitive geometry. However, the engineering of compact and uniform anisotropic magnetic-optical core-shell nanoparticles remains a major challenge. The work in this thesis is aimed at the preparation and characterization of magnetic-optical core-shell hybrid NPs in different shapes and sizes. Iron oxide-gold core-shell nanoparticles in spherical, oval and pin shapes were prepared. Our studies have shown that iron oxide-gold core-shell nanoparticles, despite the shapes, exhibit 10 times better absorption properties compared to solid gold nanoparticles. The availability of these nanoparticles would make an important impact in biomedicine, material science and other fields

Nanocolloids for Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery

This Special Issue highlights novel nanocolloids like magnetic nanoparticles, nanomicelles, nanoliposomes, nanocapsules, and nanoclays, stimulating novel interests and ideas in research groups involved in the development of novel nanotools within the different areas of nanomaterials. The publication of original articles contributes to scientific progress in the area of personalized medicine and further stimulates the entering into clinical praxis of such new nanosystems

Delivering the Goods: Public Works Technologies, Management, and Financing

This report identifies several immediate steps the Federal Government could take. First, new environmental standards, population shifts, and industrial changes have transformed the nature of many public works problems, and Federal programs must be refocused to fit the new circumstances. Second, if we expect to maintain our economic health, the Nation must increase its investment in public works, despite budget dilemmas

A metaheuristic approach to optimizing a multimodal truck and drone delivery system

Thesis: M. Eng. in Supply Chain Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Supply Chain Management Program, 2019Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 50-51).The success of e-commerce continues to push the bounds of delivery services as customers expect near instant fulfillment at little additional cost. This demand for delivery performance and operational cost efficiency has led to the exploration of the last-mile delivery problem using creative multimodal delivery systems. One promising system consists of a truck that can carry and deploy multiple autonomous drones to assist in the fulfillment of customer demand. The contribution of this thesis is towards furthering the understanding of the application of autonomous flying drones in such a system and improve parcel delivery performance within the constraint of the current state of technology. This thesis explores the feasibility of deploying drones in last-mile delivery by modeling and then optimizing the cost of serving customers with a system consisting of one truck and multiple drones under multiple customer demand scenarios. While this optimization problem can be solved with mixed integer linear programming (MILP), the computation requirement is such that MILP is inefficient for real world scenarios with 100 or more customers. This research applies metaheuristic methodology to solve the truck-and-drone problem for scenarios with up to 158 customers in approximately 30 minutes of computation time. The test results confirm an average of 7% to 9% in savings opportunity for a 2-drone baseline over traditional single truck delivery tours. This savings opportunity is shown to vary with customer density, number of drones carried, range of drone flight, and speed of drone relative to speed of truck.by Yue Kuang.M. Eng. in Supply Chain ManagementM.Eng.inSupplyChainManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Supply Chain Management Progra

Engineering a versatile dendrimer-based nanomedicine platform for the development of advanced drug delivery for inflammation and pain

This thesis presents the design and optimization of a dendrimer-based cationic nanoparticle system tailored for versatile applications, ranging from anti-inflammatory scavenging to targeted pain relief through endosomal delivery. By harnessing the unique attributes of this platform, various strategies were devised to overcome hurdles in drug delivery, offering promising avenues for nanomedicine in anti-inflammatory and nociceptive treatments. In our scavenging screening project, we rigorously screened various materials to find the best universal anti-inflammatory carrier. We started by exploring the potential of dendrimer-based materials as scavengers of inflammatory signals and studied how they could be used to develop therapeutic carriers. With intrinsic therapeutic properties and the ability to create tunable nanocarriers, dendrimer-based delivery systems are powerful multimodal delivery systems. The dendrimer base of our delivery system, cationic PAMAM Generation 3 dendrimer (PAMAM-G3), was selected due to its efficient scavenging ability and low biotoxicity. Conjugation with cholesterol facilitated the formation of polymeric micelles, exhibiting a cationic and hydrophilic exterior coupled with a hydrophobic interior, resulting in a high drug-loading capacity. Among the developed scavengers, PAMAM-Cholesterol (PAMAM-Chol) nanoparticles demonstrated a potent reduction in toll-like receptor activation with minimal toxicity and extended endosomal retention. We then exploited the endosomal retention of PAMAM-Chol nanoparticles to target the activated PAR2 receptor within endosomes of relevant cancer cells, aiming to alleviate oral cancer-induced nociception. Extensive characterization confirmed the platform's stability, physical attributes, and ability to encapsulate PAR2 inhibitor, AZ3451. The platform exhibited high drug loading capacity and sustained release profiles across various pHs. Cellular uptake studies demonstrated efficient endosomal targeting, with subsequent modulation of PAR2 signaling pathways. Preclinical studies in oral cancer pain models revealed a significant and prolonged reduction in nociception for over 24 hours, surpassing the efficacy of free drugs. Further diversification of the PAMAM-Chol platform explored its potential as a "Push" chemotherapy carrier and a "Pull" cfDNA scavenger against chemotherapy-induced neurological and neuropathic side effects. Evaluation in wild-type mice demonstrated the platform's effectiveness in mitigating chemobrain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, highlighting its translational potential for multimodal cancer therapy. We found that NPs loaded with chemotherapy significantly reduced the painful effects of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and decreased recovery times. Collectively, this body of work underscores the potential of PAMAM-Chol as a versatile tool in drug delivery and endosome-localized pain therapeutics. It contributes to the evolving landscape of precision medicine through tailored therapeutic approaches for minimizing side effects and enhancing patient well-being. The innate therapeutic properties coupled with efficient and sustained drug delivery mechanisms position the PAMAM-Chol platform as a foundational element for the development and delivery of next-generation therapeutics