Potential contribution of high strength, high modulus aramid fibers to the commercial feasibility of lighter than air craft

Kevlar aramid fiber, fabric, rope and cable performance are reviewed along with the economics relevant to the material, structural, and reliability aspects of lighter than air craft

SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION OF ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM AND PITAVASTATIN CALCIUM THROUGH ION-PAIR COMPLEX FORMATION USING ACID DYES IN PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATIONS AND HUMAN URINE SAMPLES

Objective: The main objective was to develop simple, cost-effective, rapid and selective spectrophotometric methods for the determination of atorvastatin calcium and pitavastatin calcium in pure and pharmaceutical formulations using acid dyes like bromothymol blue, bromocresol purple and bromocresol green and also in human urine samples. Methods: The developed methods were based on the formation of ion-pair complexes between statin drugs and acid dyes after studying the optimization conditions. The association constants of the developed ion-pair complexes were evaluated using Benesi–Hildebrand equation. The methods were validated according to ICH guidelines. Results: The formed ion-pair complexes showed maximum absorbance which was measured at 637 nm for both methods A and D, 601 nm, 606 nm for methods B and E and 631 nm for both methods C and F respectively with correlation coefficients 0.999. The analytical parameters and their effects in the developed methods were investigated. The ion-pair complexes were stable up to 24 h and showed good linearity. The molar absorptivity, Sandell sensitivity, detection, and quantification limits were also calculated. The stoichiometry ratio in all the cases was 1:2 by using Job’s method of continuous variation. The recovery studies again showed good results because co-formulated substances did not interfere for the determination of ATC and PTC in the developed methods. Conclusion: The developed methods were applicable for routine quality control analysis of ATC and PTC in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms. Good results were obtained when the developed methods were applied in healthy human urine samples

Effect of Trade Liberalization on Low-Carbon Energy Technology Dissemination in Asia

The production and use of low-carbon energy technology and services, such as renewable energy, are imperative for Asia’s emerging economies (which are heavily dependent on imported energy and resources) to tackle global environmental issues like climate change. Acknowledging this fact, recently, governments in the Asian region individually have been taking effective actions in the form of voluntary targets and policy commitments to improve the production and use of low-carbon technology, such as solar, wind, geo-thermal, and so forth. Nevertheless, the diffusion of these technologies has been through liberalized trade, which has been low compared with trade and investment in other energy intensive sectors. Though effective tariffs are low, non-tariff barriers or behind-the-border constraints are very high. In this exploratory study, the potential for increased exports in low-carbon technology and services under a grand regional coalition, partial regional coalition, and stand alone scenarios is studied. We find that production, trade, and investment in renewable energy technologies are very low regionally. There is a large gap between the demand for and the supply of low-carbon energy technology and associated pollution abatement services. Behind-the-border constraints that exist within the exporting country, such as poor infrastructure and inefficient institutions, create this gap between actually realized and potentially possible exports. This supply gap provides an opportunity for those emerging Asian economies, which have the potential to contribute to the manufacturing of such technologies individually and collectively pooling their physical and human capital

Pharmacokinetics of articaine hydrochloride and its metabolite articainic acid after subcutaneous administration in red deer (Cervus elaphus)

“This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in New Zealand Veterinary Journal on 23 October 2017, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00480169.2017.1391141”Publishe

Self-assembled nanoparticle spirals from two-dimensional compositional banding in thin films

A self-assembly process is reported in which spiral patterns of goldnanoparticles form on siliconsurfaces during the epitaxial crystallization of thin gold-silicon alloy layers. This behavior is observed only for gold concentrations above a critical value and is shown to result from two-dimensional compositional banding of a liquid alloy layer during the crystallization process. The compositional banding consists of alternate gold-rich and silicon-rich alloy bands, which are shown to be a direct consequence of free energy minimization, the band spacing being that which gives the maximum diffusive composition-separation rate. Goldnanoparticles subsequently form by Ostwald ripening on the surface of the gold-rich bands to give rise to the observed spiral patterns.We thank P. Evans and D. Button for MEVVA implantation at Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organization under an AINSE Grant No. AINGRA05155P. We thank S.K. Bhargava at RMIT University for the financial support to D.K.V. to carry out initial stages of this research

Standardisation and Validation of Cytogenetic Markers to Quantify Radiation Absorbed Dose

The amounts of radiation exposure received by radiation workers are monitored generally by physical dosimeters like thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD) and film badge. However, in practice the over-exposure recorded by physical dosimeters need to be confirmed with biological dosimeters. In addition to confirming the dose recorded by physical dosimeters, biological dosimeters play an important role in estimating the doses received during accidental exposures. Exposure to high levels of radiation induces certain  biochemical, biophysical, and immunological changes (biomarkers) in a cell. Measurement of these changes are generally precise but cannot be effectively used to assess the dose, as the level of these changes return to normalcy within hours to months after exposure. Thus, among various biological indicators, cytogenetic indicators are considered practical and reliable for dose estimation. The paper highlights the importance and establishment of biodosimetry facility using genetic markers such as the sensitive dicentric chromosomes, rapid micronucleus assay and stable translocations measured using fluorescence in situ hybridisation and GTG banding for retrospective dose estimation. Finally, the development of gH2AX assay, as a potential marker of triage dosimeter, is discussed.Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(2), pp.125-132, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.83

Rapid, substrate-independent thickness determination of large area graphene layers

Phase-shifting interferometric imaging is shown to be a powerful analytical tool for studying graphene films, providing quantitative analysis of large area samples with an optical thickness resolution of ≤0.05 nm. The technique is readily able to identify single sheets of graphene and to quantitatively distinguish between layers composed of multiple graphene sheets. The thickness resolution of the technique is shown to result from the phase shift produced by a graphene film as incident and reflected light pass through it, rather than from path-length differences produced by surface height variations. This is enhanced by the high refractive index of graphene, estimated in this work to be nG = 2.99 ± 0.18.The authors wish to acknowledge the Australian Research Council for financial support

Simulation of various DC-DC converters for photovoltaic system

This work explains the comparison of various dc-dc converters for photovoltaic systems. In recent day insufficient energy and continues increasing in fuel cost, exploration on renewable energy system becomes more essential. For high and medium power applications, high input source from renewable systems like photovoltaic and wind energy system turn into difficult one, which leads to increase of cost for installation process. So the generated voltage from PV system is boosted with help various boost converter depends on the applications. Here the various converters are like boost converter, buck converter, buck-boost converter, cuk converter, sepic converter and zeta converter are analysed for photovoltaic system, which are verified using matlab / simulink