Multilayered feed forward Artificial Neural Network model to predict the average summer-monsoon rainfall in India

In the present research, possibility of predicting average summer-monsoon rainfall over India has been analyzed through Artificial Neural Network models. In formulating the Artificial Neural Network based predictive model, three layered networks have been constructed with sigmoid non-linearity. The models under study are different in the number of hidden neurons. After a thorough training and test procedure, neural net with three nodes in the hidden layer is found to be the best predictive model.Comment: 19 pages, 1 table, 3 figure

Development and evaluation of ofloxacin orally disintegrating tablets

Bitter taste of ofloxacin, a broad spectrum bactericidal agent, is masked and orally disintegrating tablets were formulated. The bitter taste is masked by forming complex between drug and weak cation exchange resins, Tulsion 335 and Indion 204. Effect of pH and drug:resin ratio on the drug loading was studied. Maximum drug loading was observed at pH 6. Ratio of 1:2 of drug:resin masked almost complete bitterness of ofloxacin. Formation of complexes was confirmed by IR spectroscopy. Physical characterization of taste masked complexes was carried out. Present work envisages the taste masking of ofloxacin and development of orally disintegrating tablets. The effect of pH and resin quantities on drug loading were studied to find the optimum conditions of drug loading for complete taste masking. Effect of superdisintegrants like sodium starch glycolate, croscarmellose sodium and polyplasdone XL at varying level on physical parameters of compressed tablets was also assessed. The formulations containing 5 % w/w polyplasdone XL showed about 90 % of drug release within 5 minutes. No significant differences were observed in the physical parameters of resinates as well as tablets prepared from Tulsion 335 and Indion 204.O gosto amargo de ofloxacina, agente bactericida de largo espectro, é mascarado e formularam-se comprimidos dispersíveis. O sabor amargo é mascarado pela formação de complexo entre o fármaco e resinas de troca catiônica fraca, Tulsion 335 e Indion 204. Efeito do pH e da proporção fármaco: resina sobre a carga de fármaco foi estudada. Carga de fármaco máxima foi observada em pH 6. Proporção 1:2 do fármaco: resina mascarou quase completamente o gosto amargo de ofloxacina. A formação de complexos foi confirmada por espectroscopia no IV. Caracterização física dos complexos de sabor mascarado foi realizada. O presente trabalho preconiza o mascaramento do gosto de ofloxacina e desenvolvimento decomprimidos por via oral, se desintegrando. O efeito do pH e da resina quantidades de carga de fármaco foram estudadas paraencontrar as condições óptimas de carga de fármaco para dissimulação do saborcompleto. Efeito da superdisintegrants como amido glicolato de sódio, croscarmelose sódica e Polyplasdone XL em diferentes níveis de parâmetros físicos de comprimidos também avaliados foi avaliada. As formulações contendo 5 %w/w Polyplasdone XL mostraram cerca de 90% de libertação do fármaco no prazo de 5 minutos. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas nos parâmetros físicos de resinatosbem como comprimidos preparados a partir de Tulsion 335 e Indion 204

Non-local rheology in dense granular flows -- Revisiting the concept of fluidity

Granular materials belong to the class of amorphous athermal systems, like foams, emulsion or suspension they can resist shear like a solid, but flow like a liquid under a sufficiently large applied shear stress. They exhibit a dynamical phase transition between static and flowing states, as for phase transitions of thermodynamic systems, this rigidity transition exhibits a diverging length scales quantifying the degree of cooperatively. Several experiments have shown that the rheology of granular materials and emulsion is non-local, namely that the stress at a given location does not depend only on the shear rate at this location but also on the degree of mobility in the surrounding region. Several constitutive relations have recently been proposed and tested successfully against numerical and experimental results. Here we use discrete elements simulation of 2D shear flows to shed light on the dynamical mechanism underlying non-locality in dense granular flows

Soluble forms of tau are toxic in Alzheimer's disease

Accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), intracellular inclusions of fibrillar forms of tau, is a hallmark of Alzheimer Disease. NFT have been considered causative of neuronal death, however, recent evidence challenges this idea. Other species of tau, such as soluble misfolded, hyperphosphorylated, and mislocalized forms, are now being implicated as toxic. Here we review the data supporting soluble tau as toxic to neurons and synapses in the brain and the implications of these data for development of therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies