In Vitro Evaluation of Eslicarbazepine Delivery via Enteral Feeding Tubes

Purpose: The feasibility of preparing an eslicarbazepine acetate suspension using Aptiom tablets for administration via enteral feeding tubes was evaluated. Methods: Eslicarbazepine acetate suspension (40 mg/mL) was prepared using Aptiom tablets after optimizing the tablet crushing methods and the vehicle composition. A stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed to monitor the eslicarbazepine stability in the prepared suspension. Three enteric feeding tubes of various composition and dimensions were evaluated for the delivery of the suspensions. The suspension was evaluated for the physical and chemical stability for 48 hours. Results: The reproducibility and consistency of particle size reduction was found to be best with standard mortar/pestle. The viscosity analysis and physical stability studies showed that ORA-Plus:water (50:50 v/v) was optimal for suspending ability and flowability of suspension through the tubes. The developed HPLC method was found to be stability indicating and suitable for the assay of eslicarbazepine acetate in the prepared suspension. The eslicarbazepine concentrations in separately prepared suspensions were within acceptable range (±3%), indicating accuracy and reproducibility of the procedure. The eslicarbazepine concentrations in suspensions before and after delivery through the enteric feeding tubes were within acceptable range (±4%), indicating absence of any physical/chemical interactions of eslicarbazepine with the tubes and a successful delivery of eslicarbazepine dosage via enteric feeding tubes. The stability study results showed that eslicarbazepine concentration in the suspension remained unchanged when stored at room temperature for 48 hours. Conclusion: The study presents a convenient procedure for the preparation of a stable suspension of eslicarbazepine acetate (40 mg/mL) using Aptiom tablets, for administration via enteral feeding tubes

Developing an Empirical Basis for Selecting a Strategic-Planning Team from Among Likely Candidates Based on Desired Emotional Intelligence Competencies

Problem. Corporate teams are often established to complete assigned tasks as they would relate to planning, product development, process improvements, etc. There seems to be a lack of effective means for selecting team members based on objective criteria. Team-member selection is typically a process based only on the selector\u27s judgment. While testing is a typical way to make hiring decisions, the same process is not used for creating teams. Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to explore a way of using identified competencies of emotional intelligence to objectively select team members for a strategic-planning initiative. Method. For this study, I used two testing mechanisms that measure emotional-intelligence competencies and personal traits: (a) EQ Map, a self-assessment tool, and (b) Selectform, a performance evaluation completed by the subjects\u27 supervisors. I used a sample of 30 supervisors for this study. The scores for two EQ Map emotional-intelligence competencies, creativity and intuition, were correlated with two Selectform-based personal traits : innovation and judgment. I used two dissimilar tests and conducted analyses using Spearman\u27s rho test and Pearson\u27s test to establish correlations between the variables. With the correlation testing suggesting that the relationships did exist, I was then in a position to pair the EQ Map and Selectform results back to the individual respondents. Finally, I employed an objective selection process, based on the individual scores, to achieve the desired outcome of the composition of a strategic-planning team. Prior to having the final objective scores, I created a subjective list of candidates for the team based on the person\u27s role within the company, previous demonstrations of creativity and intuition as I saw them, and their personalities. I then compared the objective to the subjective to reach the study results. Results. There were statistically significant correlations between creativity and innovation, and between intuition and judgment. The study supported the idea that differing testing mechanisms can be used to derive meaningful data for team-member selection decisions. With the results the tests generated, I was able to select the members of the team in a seemingly objective manner without personality bias. I also discovered that while certain individuals had high scores on the objective portion, the subjective selections included individuals with low scores, resulting in the suggestion that the objective testing is a better determinant of possible team member inclusion. The methodology I employed created a means to select team members other than by conventional subjective processes for corporate-team composition charged with accomplishing established objectives including strategic planning, product development, and process improvements. Conclusions. Objective means can be employed to create teams based on pre-determined criteria and then matched to individual testing results. In the case of this study, individuals exhibiting high correlations from the emotional intelligence self-assessment and the performance evaluation are deemed to possess the desired competencies for a successful strategic-planning initiative

An Exploratory Study of Suboxone (Buprenorphine/ Naloxone) Film Splitting: Cutting Methods, Content Uniformity, and Stability

Suboxone films are U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved to treat opioid dependence. While the package insert states that films should not be cut, physicians often prescribe film fractions for treatment and tapering. There is no data to support this practice, and this study was initiated to evaluate cutting methods, content uniformity, and stability of split films. Suboxone 8-mg buprenorphine/2-mg naloxone films were split using four methods: 1) ruler/razor cut, 2) scissor cut, 3) fold/rip, and 4) fold/scissor cut. United States Pharmacopeia Chapter \u3c905\u3e was used to evaluate the weight variation and content uniformity of split films. The stability of split films stored in polybags was evaluated over 7 days. A stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method was used for content uniformity and stability evaluation. The weight variation results were acceptable for the half films from all four cutting methods, but this was not true for the quarter films. The method of ruler/razor cut was determined most favorable and used for the content uniformity test. Based on the high-performance liquid chromatography results, the half films from the ruler/razor cut method met the passing criteria of United States Pharmacopeia Chapter \u3c905\u3e with acceptance values of 9.8 to 10.4 for buprenorphine and 8.4 to 11.5 for naloxone (≤15 is considered passing). The stability results indicated that both actives retained \u3e97.7% of initial strength. Four cutting methods were found to be acceptable for splitting Suboxone films into half but not quarter fractions. The half films from the ruler/razor cut method also passed United States Pharmacopeia Chapter \u3c905\u3e content uniformity test. Both actives remained stable for 7 days when the half films were stored in polybags at room temperature

The benefits and costs of explainable artificial intelligence in visual quality control: Evidence from fault detection performance and eye movements

Visual inspection tasks often require humans to cooperate with AI-based image classifiers. To enhance this cooperation, explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) can highlight those image areas that have contributed to an AI decision. However, the literature on visual cueing suggests that such XAI support might come with costs of its own. To better understand how the benefits and cost of XAI depend on the accuracy of AI classifications and XAI highlights, we conducted two experiments that simulated visual quality control in a chocolate factory. Participants had to decide whether chocolate moulds contained faulty bars or not, and were always informed whether the AI had classified the mould as faulty or not. In half of the experiment, they saw additional XAI highlights that justified this classification. While XAI speeded up performance, its effects on error rates were highly dependent on (X)AI accuracy. XAI benefits were observed when the system correctly detected and highlighted the fault, but XAI costs were evident for misplaced highlights that marked an intact area while the actual fault was located elsewhere. Eye movement analyses indicated that participants spent less time searching the rest of the mould and thus looked at the fault less often. However, we also observed large interindividual differences. Taken together, the results suggest that despite its potentials, XAI can discourage people from investing effort into their own information analysis

Archäologisches Projekt „Guadalupe: Kulturelle Interaktion und vorspanische Siedlungsgeschichte im Nordosten von Honduras“

Im Frühjahr 2016 wurden erstmals Grabungen in Guadalupe an der Nordostküste von Honduras durchgeführt. Das Projekt fand unter der Leitung von Markus Reindel (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Bonn) und Peter Fux (Museum Rietberg, Zürich) statt und wurde maßgeblich von der Schweizerisch-Liechtensteinischen Stiftung für archäologische Forschungen im Ausland finanziert. Das Projekt wurde in Kooperation mit der Altertumsbehörde in Honduras (Instituto Hondureño de Antropología e Historia, IHAH), sowie der Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) durchgeführt, mit denen entsprechende Kooperationsvereinbarungen geschlossen wurden. Franziska Fecher koordinierte als wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin die Vorbereitungen, die Grabungsarbeiten und die anschließende Materialbearbeitung. Als Ko-Direktor fungierte der Leiter der archäologischen Abteilung der Denkmalbehörde IHAH, Oscar Neil Cruz. Weiterhin waren der Archäologe Marcel Müller (Universität Bonn) sowie die Studentinnen Fiama Hernández und Raquel Otto (Universität Tegucigalpa, UNAH) an den Feldarbeiten beteiligt. Ziel des Projektes ist es, einen Beitrag zur archäologischen Erforschung einer bisher kaum untersuchten Region zwischen den Kulturräumen Mesoamerika und dem Südlichen Zentralamerika zu liefern und grundlegende Fragen zu deren Besiedlungsgeschichte zu klären. Der Arbeitsschwerpunkt der Feldkampagne 2016 lag auf der administrativen und organisatorischen Einrichtung des Projektes, der Vermessung des Fundortes und der Anlage eines ersten Profilschnittes

Una tumba Paracas Temprano en Mollake Chico, valle de Palpa, costa sur del Perú

Las evidencias relacionadas con la ocupación de la cultura Paracas en los valles de Palpa y Nasca hasta el momento son muy escasas y su presencia, por lo general, sólo ha sido identificada en base a materiales de superficie y muchas veces fuera de contexto. No obstante, recientes investigaciones desarrolladas por el Proyecto Arqueológico Nasca-Palpa en los valles de Palpa, están aportando nuevas evidencias sobre la ocupación Paracas en la zona, con lo cual poco a poco se están llenando los vacíos aún existentes para reconstruir la historia cultural de la región y en especial sobre el Período Formativo. En este contexto, en el presente artículo se presentan y describen los materiales encontrados en una tumba de la época Paracas Temprano (fase Ocucaje 3) descubierta en un sitio del sector Mollake Chico, en el valle medio de Palpa, los cuales constituyen las primeras evidencias de ese tiempo que se han documentado en excavaciones arqueológicas. En el artículo se discute la naturaleza de este hallazgo y se analizan sus implicancias en el contexto cultural de la región, en particular con el desarrollo de la cultura Paracas y las influencias de la cultura Chavín en la costa sur peruana

Physical and Chemical Stability of Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Intravenous Admixtures Used to Prevent Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

Purpose: Dilute intravenous (IV) admixtures of dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) are becoming increasingly used in antiemetic regimens to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Based on its chemical structure and previous studies, DSP is known to be susceptible to hydrolysis and oxidation under certain conditions. There are limited data to directly support the selection of IV diluents, storage conditions, and beyond-use dates for the dilute IV solutions of DSP used in the antiemetic regimens. This study was designed to investigate these parameters. Methods: A stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was first developed for the analysis of DSP. Commercially available 100 mg/10 mL DSP injection vials were used to prepare the IV admixtures of DSP in 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection. The final DSP concentrations were 0.08 or 0.4 mg/mL, which bracketed the range commonly used in antiemetic regimens. These admixtures were packaged in 50-mL polyvinylchloride (PVC) bags and stored at room temperature or under refrigeration for 14 days. Samples from each IV bag underwent visual, pH, and HPLC assessments on days 0, 1, 3, 7, and 14. Results: Immediately after preparation, the IV admixtures of DSP appeared clear, colorless, and free of particulate matters. The initial pH values were 6.4 to 6.8 and 7.0 to 7.8 for samples in 0.9% sodium chloride and 5% dextrose, respectively. The initial DSP concentrations of all samples were within 96% to 100% of the expected values. Over the 14 days of storage at room temperature or refrigeration, no significant change was observed for the visual appearance of any IV bags. The pH of all samples remained within one pH unit from the initial values. The HPLC results confirmed that all samples retained 94% to 100% of original drug concentrations and that no significant degradation products were observed. Conclusions: Intravenous admixtures of DSP at 0.08 to 0.4 mg/mL are compatible with 0.9% sodium chloride and 5% dextrose in PVC bags. These admixtures are also chemically and physically stable when stored at room temperature or under refrigeration for up to 14 days