Technoeconomic Evaluation of Multiple Mixed Suspension-Mixed Product Removal (MSMPR) Crystallizer Configurations for Continuous Cyclosporine Crystallization

Continuous crystallization using Mixed Suspension-Mixed Product Removal (MSMPR) crystallizers has been demonstrated as a feasible method for implementing continuous separations in pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. This work conducts a steady-state process modeling and simulation study of the continuous cooling crystallization of cyclosporine, comparing processes with and without solids recycle for their technoeconomic viability. The model describes population balance equations, crystallization kinetics, and process mass balances to compare attainable crystallization and plantwide yields of different process configurations. Total cost components using an established economic analysis methodology are compared for varying numbers of crystallizers, operating temperatures, total crystallizer cascade residence times and API feed concentrations. Economic analyses and the calculation of normalized cost components with respect to total crystallizer volumes identify the process without recycle as the most economically viable option, achieving the lowest total costs and low <i>E</i>-factors for pharmaceutical processes. The sensitivity of total costs to the selected total residence times for economic analyses highlights the need for rigorous comparison methodologies. This work identifies the need for technoeconomic optimization studies of continuous crystallization processes to establish the optimal design of manufacturing campaigns prior to further development

A cryogenic surface-electrode elliptical ion trap for quantum simulation

Two-dimensional crystals of trapped ions are a promising system with which to implement quantum simulations of challenging problems such as spin frustration. Here, we present a design for a surface-electrode elliptical ion trap which produces a 2-D ion crystal and is amenable to microfabrication, which would enable higher simulated coupling rates, as well as interactions based on magnetic forces generated by on-chip currents. Working in an 11 K cryogenic environment, we experimentally verify to within 5% a numerical model of the structure of ion crystals in the trap. We also explore the possibility of implementing quantum simulation using magnetic forces, and calculate J-coupling rates on the order of 10^3 / s for an ion crystal height of 10 microns, using a current of 1 A

SemEval-2017 Task 1: semantic textual similarity - multilingual and cross-lingual focused evaluation

Semantic Textual Similarity (STS) measures the meaning similarity of sentences. Applications include machine translation (MT), summarization, generation, question answering (QA), short answer grading, semantic search, dialog and conversational systems. The STS shared task is a venue for assessing the current state-of-the-art. The 2017 task focuses on multilingual and cross-lingual pairs with one sub-track exploring MT quality estimation (MTQE) data. The task obtained strong participation from 31 teams, with 17 participating in all language tracks. We summarize performance and review a selection of well performing methods. Analysis highlights common errors, providing insight into the limitations of existing models. To support ongoing work on semantic representations, the STS Benchmark is introduced as a new shared training and evaluation set carefully selected from the corpus of English STS shared task data (2012-2017)

Changes in student perceptions after a semester-long interprofessional education activity in Qatar

AbstractObjectivesInterprofessional education (IPE) is rapidly becoming integrated into university accreditation standards worldwide. However, the impact of IPE on student learning and practice is largely unknown in the Middle East. This report describes a semester-long IPE course-based activity and evaluates student perceptions towards professional roles.MethodsPharmacy and Human Nutrition students from Qatar University completed a 15-week IPE activity that required students to work in groups to complete two assignments after an introductory event. The data were collected during meetings with students and faculty about their overall experience and course assignments. Perceptions regarding professional roles were determined by a pre- and post-reflection questionnaire.ResultsAfter completion of the assignments, fourteen students (37%) noted changed perceptions of themselves, as well as of the other healthcare profession. Twelve of fourteen (86%) noted changes regarding perceptions of the roles of the other healthcare profession, while 2/14 (14%) noted changes regarding perception of their own professional roles. Three of fourteen (21%) reported that their changed perceptions towards IPE were unfavourable. These changed perceptions largely focused on specialised roles of the respective professions.ConclusionsA semester-long IPE experience was deemed beneficial in a Middle Eastern context. Future events and research should focus on fostering collaboration and interprofessional communication to enhance student attitudes and eventual preparation for interprofessional practice