Development of a thermodynamic model for CH₄, CO₂, CH₄-CO₂ gas hydrate systems

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2005An equation of state (EOS) software module was developed for CH4, CO2, and CH4-CO2 gas hydrates using the van der Waals-Platteeuw model. The model is based on classical thermodynamics and is used to predict the thermodynamic behavior of gas hydrates including the pressure and temperature at which gas hydrates form. A numerical scheme was developed for solving I-H-V, Lw-H-V, and Lw-H-Lhc equilibrium conditions for bulk hydrate formation from pure water and hydrocarbon. The model was further extended to determine hydrate equilibrium conditions in the presence of porous media of different radii. The numerical scheme was modified to account for the effect of salt on hydrate phase equilibrium. The results obtained from the model were in close agreement with the experimental data reported in literature. The main contribution of this work is that the proposed model can predict hydrate dissociation pressures at temperatures above 285 K more accurately than any of the available models

An Investigation On Novel Combination For Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetes is a multifaceted metabolic illness. When it is a chronic ailment, it severely damages several organs, including the kidneys, heart, eyes, blood arteries, and nerves. This further leads to difficulties with the macro and microvascular systems. Although there are currently enough medications to manage diabetes, there is a significant danger and death rate associated with the disease. One of the biggest problems facing medical and healthcare professionals is the reported partial relief and ongoing pain of their patients.  A parallel epidemic of complications from diabetes and prediabetes has been brought on by the global epidemics of these conditions.While the last ten years have seen a significant advancement in our knowledge of the intricacies of diabetic neuropathy, the unique processes behind neuropathy in type 1 and type 2 diabetes are still unknown. To effectively treat and prevent diabetic neuropathy, further research on the disease's pathophysiology will be essential. People with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) have a much lower quality of life when they have painful diabetic neuropathy. The development of tolerance is a constraint and the efficacy of currently available pharmaceutical medicines is restricted. We shall talk about an Investigation on Novel Combination for Diabetic Neuropathy in this paper

Silymarin Loaded Novel Drug Delivery for Oral and Topical Administration

Silymarin is polyphenolic flavonoid obtained from the seeds of silybum marianum plant. It has various pharmacological properties such as hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, hypolipidemic properties. Silymarin has recently reported to be neuroprotective agent against neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer, Parkinson’s and cerebral ischemia. It contains eight active components, among which silibinin is the most active component. However, silymarin is BCS class II drug which having poor bioavailability due to extensive phase II metabolism, poor aqueous solubility, low permeability across intestinal epithelial cells and rapid excretion in bile and urine.  Therefore, it is necessary to understand all formulations and analytical aspects including all possible future prospects. In this review a potential approach to enhance solubility, bioavailability and to develop a robust formulation is studied. The number of studies describes novel drug delivery system (NDDS) based formulations have been significantly increased. The raise in novel drug delivery exploitation is essentially due to defeated barriers within technological process of lipid based nanoparticles formulations and increased knowledge of underlying mechanisms of transport of NDDS via different route of administration. This review focuses on pharmacological properties of silymarin, challenges, benefits and application of novel drug delivery system. To reduce the adverse effects and toxicities novel drug delivery will be an attractive approach of current therapies. Keywords: Silymarin, route of administration, novel drug delivery, bioavailability, solubilit

Nasal In Situ Gel: Novel Approach for Nasal Drug Delivery

Nasal delivery is an alternative to oral or parenteral administration due to certain limitations such as absorption of the drug, drug targeting to particular organs can cause a problem for administration through oral route.  The nasal route has also been successfully used for bypassing the blood-brain barrier and afterword delivering drug molecules to the central nervous system. Also, lag time related to oral drug delivery is reduces by this route and offers noninvasiveness, self-medication, patient comfort, and patient compliance. Extend drug delivery can be attained by different new dosage forms like in situ gel. In situ formulations are drug delivery systems. The in-situ gelling system is a process in which the solution forms of a gel before administration in the body, but once administrated, it undergoes gelation in-situ, to form a gel. In situ gelling system becomes very popular nowadays because of their several advantages over conventional drug delivery systems like a sustained and prolonged release of a drug, reduced Frequency of administration, improved patient compliance and comfort. Approaches towards the various formulation of in-situ gel concerning temperature, pH, and physicochemical conditions. The in situ gel-forming polymeric formulations offer several advantages like sustained and prolonged action reduced Frequency of administration, in comparison to conventional drug delivery systems.  From a manufacturing point of view, the production of such systems is less complex and thus lowers the investment and manufacturing cost. Various evaluation parameters are considered during the preparation of In-Situ gel. Keywords: Nasal Drug Delivery, In Situ gel, gelation, polymers, et

Scale‐dependent strategies for coexistence of mesocarnivores in human‐dominated landscapes

publishedVersio

Additional records of the Schneider's Toad Duttaphrynus scaber (Anura: Bufonidae) from India, with notes on its natural history

n/

Detection and Risk Stratification of Women at High Risk of Preterm Birth in Rural Communities near Nagpur, India

Background: Presently, preterm birth is globally the leading cause of neonatal mortality. Prompt community based identification of women at high risk for preterm births (HRPB) can either help to avert preterm births or avail effective interventions to reduce neonatal mortality due to preterm births. We evaluated the performance of a package to train community workers to detect the presence of signs or symptoms of HRPB. Methods: Pregnant women enrolled in the intervention arm of a cluster randomized trial of Antenatal Corticosteroids (ACT Trial) conducted at Nagpur, India were informed about 4 directly observable signs and symptoms of preterm labor. Community health workers actively monitored these women from 24 to 36 weeks of gestation for these signs or symptoms. If they were present (HRPB positive) the identified women were brought to government health facilities for assessment and management. HRPB positive could also be determined by the provider if the woman presented directly to the facility. Risk stratification was based on the number of signs or symptoms present. The outcome of preterm birth was based on the clinical assessment of gestational age \u3c 37 weeks at delivery or a birth weight of \u3c2000 g. Results: Between July 1, 2012 and 30 November, 2013, 686 of 7050 (9.7%) pregnant women studied, delivered preterm. 732 (10.4%) women were HRPB positive, of whom 333 (45.5%) delivered preterm. Of the remaining 6318(89.6%) HRPB negative women 353 (5.6%) delivered preterm. The likelihood ratio (LR) of a preterm birth in the HRPB positives was 8.14 (95% confidence interval 7.16-9.26). The LR of a preterm birth increased in women who had more signs or symptoms of HRBP (p \u3c 0.00001). More signs or symptoms of HRPB were also associated with a shorter time to delivery, lower birth weight and higher rates of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and postnatal complications. Addition of risk stratification improved the prediction of preterm delivery (Integrated Discrimination Improvement 17% (95% CI 15-19%)). Conclusions: The package for detection of signs and symptoms of HRPB is feasible, promising and likely to improve management of preterm labor. Trial registration: NCT01073475 on February 21, 2010 and NCT01084096 on March 9, 2010

A comparative study of effect of fluoroquinolones on blood glucose levels in rats

Background: Fluoroquinolones (FQ) are frequently prescribed because of their broad-spectrum applicability in treatment of community acquired pneumonia and urinary tract infections. Increased use has raised some concerns regarding side effects like dysglycaemia, tendon rupture and QT interval prolongation. Gatifloxacin was banned in India in 2011 for causing fatal hypoglycemia. This study compares the effect of different fluoroquinolones on blood glucose levels in rats.Methods: 24 rats were divided into four study groups. Each group was administered one fluoroquinolone namely levofloxacin 9 mg, moxifloxacin 7.2 mg, ciprofloxacin 18 mg and ofloxacin 14.4 mg respectively for five days. The changes in blood glucose levels were observed for 10 days.Results: The mean blood glucose levels in all the four groups dropped below the baseline by day five. A statistically significant reduction in mean glucose levels was found in the moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin group. Among the rats that were given ofloxacin, the reduction in the mean blood glucose levels was not statistically significant. After stopping the drugs, the blood glucose levels in all the four groups returned near to the baseline within five days.Conclusions: The use of fluoroquinolones causes hypoglycemia in rats. The blood glucose level reduction associated with moxifloxacin was maximum, whereas ofloxacin appeared to have the minimum effect on blood glucose levels. These effects do not appear to be permanent and the dysglycaemia subsided after the drugs were stopped

Characterization of Al2O3 reinforced Al 6061 metal matrix composite

Composites are a class of materials that give the desired individual tribological and mechanical characteristics. In composite materials, more than two materials are combined to provide a unique combination of properties. This article describes the tribological and mechanical properties of Al6061 reinforced with Al2O3, found experimentally. This article describes the preparation of Al6061 composites with 5 % Al2O3 (size 50 microns) by stir casting process. The hardness of Al6061 with and without amplification was found out with the help of Rockwell hardness tester for 10 seconds at a load of 100 kg. It was found that the hardness of Al2O3 reinforced Al6061 increases compared to unreinforced Al6061. The characteristics related to wear of Al6061 and the new composite material Al6061+Al2O3 were studied. The “pin on disk” method was used with the variation of load varying from 5N-200N and a speed range of 200-1500. An analysis of the sensitivity of key parameters such as load and speed is also described. The results show that the newly developed composite material has a lesser specific rate of wear