309 research outputs found
Application of Texture Analysis technique in formulation development of lyophilized orally disintegrating tablets containing mannitol, polyvinylpyrrolidone and amino acids
The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) attract a great attention as this easy swallowing dosage form often improves patient compliance. In the current work, orally disintegrating tablets comprising mannitol, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and an amino acid (alanine, glycine or serine) with various PVP-to-amino acid ratios were formulated. The combination of mannitol and an amino acid was aimed to use the advantages of mannitol, the matrix-supporting and disintegration agent, and to reduce the total amount of sugar/polyol in tablets. Tablets were manufactured by freeze-drying and their properties (appearance, internal structure, disintegration, mechanical and texture properties, moisture uptake, shrinkage, thermal properties) were assessed. In the work, great emphasis was placed on illustrating the applicability of the Texture Analysis of the freeze-dried cakes directly in vials in formulation development. The results show that the appearance, mechanical properties, disintegration and shrinkage of the freeze-dried ODTs depend significantly on the excipient composition with PVP playing the leading role. Partial mannitol replacement with an amino acid has a limited impact on the tablet properties. The presence of an amino acid also has no impact on the PVP-mannitol interaction. The mechanical and texture properties of freeze-dried ODTs depend non-linearly on the PVP content. The transition between the different types of textures occurs in a narrow range of PVP concentrations regardless of the type of amino acid in a formulation. The non-linear effect of PVP on various tablet properties should be taken into account when designing ODT formulations as it can compromise the robustness of the manufacturing process
Topological phase transition in a RNA model in the de Gennes regime
We study a simplified model of the RNA molecule proposed by G. Vernizzi, H.
Orland and A. Zee in the regime of strong concentration of positive ions in
solution. The model considers a flexible chain of equal bases that can pairwise
interact with any other one along the chain, while preserving the property of
saturation of the interactions. In the regime considered, we observe the
emergence of a critical temperature T_c separating two phases that can be
characterized by the topology of the predominant configurations: in the large
temperature regime, the dominant configurations of the molecule have very large
genera (of the order of the size of the molecule), corresponding to a complex
topology, whereas in the opposite regime of low temperatures, the dominant
configurations are simple and have the topology of a sphere. We determine that
this topological phase transition is of first order and provide an analytic
expression for T_c. The regime studied for this model exhibits analogies with
that for the dense polymer systems studied by de GennesComment: 15 pages, 4 figure
High-field muSR studies of superconducting and magnetic correlations in cuprates above Tc
The advent of high transverse-field muon spin rotation (TF-muSR) has led to
recent muSR investigations of the magnetic-field response of cuprates above the
superconducting transition temperature T_c. Here the results of such
experiments on hole-doped cuprates are reviewed. Although these investigations
are currently ongoing, it is clear that the effects of high field on the
internal magnetic field distribution of these materials is dependent upon a
competition between superconductivity and magnetism. In La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 the
response to the external field above Tc is dominated by heterogeneous spin
magnetism. However, the magnetism that dominates the observed inhomogeneous
line broadening below x ~ 0.19 is overwhelmed by the emergence of a completely
different kind of magnetism in the heavily overdoped regime. The origin of the
magnetism above x ~ 0.19 is currently unknown, but its presence hints at a
competition between superconductivity and magnetism that is reminiscent of the
underdoped regime. In contrast, the width of the internal field distribution of
underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_y above Tc is observed to track Tc and the density of
superconducting carriers. This observation suggests that the magnetic response
above Tc is not dominated by electronic moments, but rather inhomogeneous
fluctuating superconductivity.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures, 104 reference
A study of the superconducting gap in RNiBC (R = Y, Lu) single crystals by inelastic light scattering
Superconductivity-induced changes in the electronic Raman scattering response
were observed for the RNiBC (R = Y, Lu) system in different scattering
geometries. In the superconducting state, 2-like peaks were observed in
A, B, and B spectra from single crystals. The peaks in
A and B symmetries are significantly sharper and stronger than
the peak in B symmetry. The temperature dependence of the frequencies of
the 2-like peaks shows typical BCS-type behavior, but the apparent
values of the gap are strongly anisotropic for both systems. In
addition, for both YNiBC and LuNiBC systems, there exists
reproducible scattering strength below the gap which is roughly
linear to the frequency in B and B symmetries. This discovery of
scattering below the gap in non-magnetic borocarbide superconductors, which are
thought to be conventional BCS-type superconductors, is a challenge for current
understanding of superconductivity in this system.Comment: Added text, changed a figure, and added references. Will appear in
Phys. Rev.
Inelastic Light Scattering From Correlated Electrons
Inelastic light scattering is an intensively used tool in the study of
electronic properties of solids. Triggered by the discovery of high temperature
superconductivity in the cuprates and by new developments in instrumentation,
light scattering both in the visible (Raman effect) and the X-ray part of the
electromagnetic spectrum has become a method complementary to optical
(infrared) spectroscopy while providing additional and relevant information.
The main purpose of the review is to position Raman scattering with regard to
single-particle methods like angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES),
and other transport and thermodynamic measurements in correlated materials.
Particular focus will be placed on photon polarizations and the role of
symmetry to elucidate the dynamics of electrons in different regions of the
Brillouin zone. This advantage over conventional transport (usually measuring
averaged properties) indeed provides new insights into anisotropic and complex
many-body behavior of electrons in various systems. We review recent
developments in the theory of electronic Raman scattering in correlated systems
and experimental results in paradigmatic materials such as the A15
superconductors, magnetic and paramagnetic insulators, compounds with competing
orders, as well as the cuprates with high superconducting transition
temperatures. We present an overview of the manifestations of complexity in the
Raman response due to the impact of correlations and developing competing
orders. In a variety of materials we discuss which observations may be
understood and summarize important open questions that pave the way to a
detailed understanding of correlated electron systems.Comment: 62 pages, 48 figures, to appear in Rev. Mod. Phys. High-resolution
pdf file available at http://onceler.uwaterloo.ca/~tpd/RMP.pd
Comments on the d-wave pairing mechanism for cuprate high superconductors: Higher is different?
The question of pairing glue for the cuprate superconductors (SC)is revisited
and its determination through the angle resolved photo-emission spectroscopy
(ARPES) is discussed in detail. There are two schools of thoughts about the
pairing glue question: One argues that superconductivity in the cuprates
emerges out of doping the spin singlet resonating valence bond (RVB) state.
Since singlet pairs are already formed in the RVB state there is no need for
additional boson glue to pair the electrons. The other instead suggests that
the d-wave pairs are mediated by the collective bosons like the conventional
low SC with the alteration that the phonons are replaced by another kind
of bosons ranging from the antiferromagnetic (AF) to loop current fluctuations.
An approach to resolve this dispute is to determine the frequency and momentum
dependences of the diagonal and off-diagonal self-energies directly from
experiments like the McMillan-Rowell procedure for the conventional SC. In that
a simple d-wave BCS theory describes superconducting properties of the cuprates
well, the Eliashberg analysis of well designed high resolution experimental
data will yield the crucial frequency and momentum dependences of the
self-energies. This line of approach using ARPES are discussed in more detail
in this review, and some remaining problems are commented.Comment: Invited review article published in the Journal of Korean Physical
Society; several typos corrected and a few comments and references adde
PathOrganic – Risks and Recommendations Regarding Human Pathogens in Organic Vegetable Production Chains
PathOrganic assesses risks associated with the consumption of fresh and minimally
processed vegetables due to the prevalence of bacterial human pathogens in plant
produce. The project evaluates whether organic production poses a risk on food safety,
taking into consideration sources of pathogen transmission (e.g. animal manure).
The project also explores whether organic versus conventional production practices
may reduce the risk of pathogen manifestation. In Europe, vegetable-linked outbreaks
are not well investigated. A conceptual model together with novel sampling strategies
and specifically adjusted methods provides the basis for large-scale surveys of organically
grown plant produce in five European countries. Critical control points are
determined and evaluated and factors contributing to a food safety problem are analyzed
in greenhouse and field experiments. The project aims at developing a quantitative
risk assessment model and at formulating recommendations for improving food
safety in organic vegetable production
Stripe order and quasiparticle Nernst effect in cuprate superconductors
After a brief review of current ideas on stripe order in cuprate
high-temperature superconductors, we discuss the quasiparticle Nernst effect in
the cuprates, with focus on its evolution in non-superconducting stripe and
related nematic states. In general, we find the Nernst signal to be strongly
enhanced by nearby van-Hove singularities and Lifshitz transitions in the band
structure, implying that phases with translation symmetry breaking often lead
to a large quasiparticle Nernst effect due to the presence of multiple small
Fermi pockets. Open orbits may contribute to the Nernst signal as well, but do
so in a strongly anisotropic fashion. We discuss our results in the light of
recent proposals for a specific Lifshitz transition in underdoped YBCO and make
predictions for the doping dependence of the Nernst signal.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figs, article prepared for a special issue of New J Phy
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