Laboratory automation —some perspectives on the challenges in the implementation of the technology in pharmaceutical development

The intensifying pressure on reducing the development time for new pharmaceutical products is resulting in an increasing need for laboratory automation. A key element for the successful implementation of robotics for drug product analysis is the establishment of a reliable process for interaction of the automation team with its various customers, for example development product team and manufacturing group. The reduction of cycle time for product development appears to be resulting in more stability studies to support NDA/MAA filings for several reasons. Key clinical information may not be available before initiation of the stability studies and simultaneous world-wide development may result in an increase in the number of product strength and pack options

Introduction to the Douglass C. North Memorial Issue

This is the accepted version of the following article: Geoffrey M. Hodgson, ‘Introduction to the Douglass C. North memorial issue’, Journal of Institutional Economics, (early view) 1 December 2016, which has been published in final form at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744137416000400 ©Cambridge UniversityPress 2016This introduction considers the highly influential contribution of Douglass C. North to economic history and institutional economics, as it developed from the 1960s until his death in 2015. It sketches the evolution of his arguments concerning the roles of institutions, organizations and human agency. North’s conception of the economic actor became progressively more sophisticated, by acknowledging the role of ideology and adopting insights from cognitive science. Eventually he abandoned the proposition that institutions are generally efficient, to propose instead that sub-optimal institutional forms could persist. A few noted criticisms of North’s work are also considered here, ranging from those which are arguably off the mark, to others that retain some force. The contributions to this memorial issue are outlined at the end of this introduction.Peer reviewe

Uv Multiphoton Induced Chemistry of Nitrobenzene in Solution

The technique of Multiphoton Induced Chemistry (MPIC) has been employed to initiate ion-molecule chemistry of organic molecules in solution. We report one of the first examples of the use of liquid phase multiphoton ionization (MPI) to prepare organic cations, which then react with the solvent in ionmolecule processes. The products obtained in this chemical sequence are significantly different from those observed in conventional or multiphoton-induced neutral chemistry in the same solvent. The particular example explored in this work is the reactivity of the nitrobenzene cation in methanol solvent. Products of the ion-molecule chemistry, detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, are phenol and benzyl alcohol. These products depend upon the square of the laser intensity. It is shown by ionization current measurements in a conductance cell, that ionic species are produced as precursors to the observed products. The implications of this application of MPI are briefly discussed. A preliminary report on the unimolecular chemistry of the highly excited neutral molecule is also included. The product of this channel is nitrosobenzene. It is shown, in this case, that the reactive state is most likely a highly vibrationally excited ground state molecule, not the lowest triplet level invoked in conventional photochemistry

Testing the Tools of Development: Credit Programmes, Loan Involvement, and Women's Empowerment

Summary The effectiveness of a credit programme at empowering women depends on the success with which it defines for itself and its workers ways to challenge, while working within, the constraints on women's empowerment that may exist in the borrower's country. Support for this argument is found in the case of rural Bangladesh. Statistical evidence demonstrates the importance of a borrower's involvement in the labour, selling and accounting for the activity funded by her loan for increasing the likelihood that credit leads to empowerment. For organizations that choose to make women's empowerment their guiding goal, borrower involvement in the loan?funded activity is an understandable and measurable goal that has demonstrated impact on women's empowerment. RESUME Tester les outils du développement: les programmes de crédit, la participation aux prêts, et l'habilitation des femmes En termes de l'habilitation des femmes, l'efficacité des programmes de crédit dépend de la mesure dans laquelle ces programmes sont capables de définir, pour eux?mêmes et pour leurs travailleurs, des moyens de contester les contraintes sur l'habilitation des femmes qui existeraient dans le pays emprunteur, tout en évitant ces contraintes au niveau de la pratique. Le cas du Bangladesh rural milite en faveur de cet argument. L'évidence statistique démontre l'importance de la participation d'une emprunteuse dans le travail, les ventes et la comptabilisation même des activités financées par son prêt afin de maximaliser les chances que les crédits mèneront à l'habilitation de cette femme. Chez les organisations qui décident que leur but directeur est effectivement l'habilitation des femmes, la participation des emprunteuses dans l'activité financée par ce prêt représente un objectif à la fois compréhensible et mesurable, dont l'impact sur l'habilitation des femmes ne reste plus à démontrer. RESUMEN Los instrumentos de desarrollo puestos a prueba; programas de crédito, desarrollo y poder de decisión en la mujer La efectividad con que un programa de crédito confiere poder a la mujer depende del éxito con el cual este programa enfrenta, desde adentro, las restricciones que puedan existir en este aspecto en el país prestatario. Una prueba de este argumento se encuentra en la zona rural de Bangladesh. La evidencia estadística demuestra la importancia de la participación de prestatario/a en el proceso de trabajo, venta y contabilización para la actividad respaldada por el préstamo, ya que incrementa la posibilidad de que el otorgamiento de crédito lleve al otorgamiento de poder. Para las organizaciones que tienen como meta principal el otorgamiento de poder a la mujer, esta participación prestataria es un objetivo posible y ha demostrado tener una gran importancia en el proceso

Photodissociation Dynamics of OCS near 214 nm Using Ion Imaging

The OCS photodissociation dynamics of the dominant S(1 D 2) channel near 214 nm have been studied using velocity map ion imaging. We report a CO vibrational branching ratio of 0.79:0.21 for v = 0:v = 1, indicating substantially higher vibrational excitation than that observed at slightly longer wavelengths. The CO rotational distribution is bimodal for both v = 0 and v = 1, although the bimodality is less pronounced than at longer wavelengths. Vector correlations, including rotational alignment, indicate that absorption to both the 21A′ (A) and 11A″ (B) states is important in the lower-j part of the rotational distribution, while only 21A′ state absorption contributes to the upper part; this conclusion is consistent with work at longer wavelengths. Classical trajectory calculations including surface hopping reproduce the measured CO rotational distributions and their dependence on wavelength well, though they underestimate the v = 1 population. The calculations indicate that the higher-j peak in the rotational distribution arises from molecules that begin on the 21A′ state but make nonadiabatic transitions to the 11A′ (X) state during the dissociation, while the lower-j peak arises from direct photodissociation on either the 21A′ or the 11A″ states, as found in previous work

New distance and depth estimates from observations of eclipsing binaries in the SMC

A sample of 33 eclipsing binaries observed in a field of the SMC with FLAMES@VLT is presented. The radial velocity curves obtained, together with existing OGLE light curves, allowed the determination of all stellar and orbital parameters of these binary systems. The mean distance modulus of the observed part of the SMC is 19.05, based on the 26 most reliable systems. Assuming an average error of 0.1 mag on the distance modulus to an individual system, and a gaussian distribution of the distance moduli, we obtain a 2-sigma depth of 0.36 mag or 10.6 kpc. Some results on the kinematics of the binary stars and of the H II gas are also given.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Proc. IAU Symp. No 256, The Magellanic System: Stars, Gas and Galaxies, eds. Jacco Th. van Loon & Joana M. Oliveir