Randomised feasibility study of a novel experience-based internet intervention to support self-management in chronic asthma.

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FORMULATION AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF PIROXICAM MICROSPONGE AS A TABLET

Objective: Piroxicam is a poor water soluble drug; an effort had been made to enhance their dissolution rate through formulating it as a microsponge and then fabricated as a tablet for oral administration. Methods: Piroxicam microsponges were prepared by quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method using Eudragit RS100, RL100, S100 with different drug-polymer ratios, three different types of inner phase solvent were used, along with various volumes of the selected organic solvent, the prepared formulas were examined for it its production yield, loading efficiency, particle size and in vitro drug release for formulas have excellent physical properties. Optimum formula that had fast release profile was further fabricated into a tablet using direct compression method, two types of disintegrants along with two different amounts were used, also the addition of microcrystalline cellulose was examined.Results: The results showed that as the ratio of drug to polymer was increased, the production yield and loading efficiency were enhanced, but the particle size had an inverse relationship. Among the three types of solvent, ethanol was most preferable one; 5 ml of ethanol was most favorable. PF13 (containing Eudragit RS100) have the rapid release profile. No any chemical interaction was observed, microsponge with spherical shape, porous structure was obtained. The prepared tablets have acceptable physical parameters. A dramatic enhancement in the dissolution rate as compared with the pure piroxicam tablet was shown, as well as release profile follows Hixson-Crowell kinetic with non Fickian diffusion.Conclusion: Microsponge may represent a promising way to increase the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drug.Â

Parametric BIM-based Design Review

This research addressed the need for a new design review technology and method to express the tangible and intangible qualities of architectural experience of parametric BIM-based design projects. The research produced an innovative presentation tool by which parametric design is presented systematically. Focus groups provided assessments of the tool to reveal the usefulness of a parametric BIM-based design review method. The way in which we visualize architecture affects the way we design and perceive architectural form and performance. Contemporary architectural forms and systems are very complex, yet most architects who use Building Information Modeling (BIM) and generative design methods still embrace the two-dimensional 15th-century Albertian representational methods to express and review design projects. However, architecture cannot be fully perceived through a set of drawings that mediate our perception and evaluation of the built environment. The systematic and conventional approach of traditional architectural representation, in paper-based and slide-based design reviews, is not able to visualize phenomenal experience nor the inherent variation and versioning of parametric models. Pre-recorded walk-throughs with high quality rendering and imaging have been in use for decades, but high verisimilitude interactive walk-throughs are not commonly used in architectural presentations. The new generations of parametric and BIM systems allow for the quick production of variations in design by varying design parameters and their relationships. However, there is a lack of tools capable of conducting design reviews that engage the advantages of parametric and BIM design projects. Given the multitude of possibilities of in-game interface design, game-engines provide an opportunity for the creation of an interactive, parametric, and performance-oriented experience of architectural projects with multi-design options. This research has produced a concept for a dynamic presentation and review tool and method intended to meet the needs of parametric design, performance-based evaluation, and optimization of multi-objective design options. The concept is illustrated and tested using a prototype (Parametric Design Review, or PDR) based upon an interactive gaming environment equipped with a novel user interface that simultaneously engages the parametric framework, object parameters, multi-objective optimized design options and their performances with diagrammatic, perspectival, and orthographic representations. The prototype was presented to representative users in multiple focus group sessions. Focus group discussion data reveal that the proposed PDR interface was perceived to be useful if used for design reviews in both academic and professional practice settings

Confirmation of the presence of Heniochus acuminatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Chaetodontidae) and Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) (Pomacanthidae) in Iraqi marine waters, Arabian Gulf

Two specimens (116,119 mm TL) of Heniochus acuminatus (Linnaeus, 1758) and four specimens (171–190 mm TL) of Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) were collected from Iraqi marine waters of the Arabian Gulf. These findings confirm the presence of H. acuminatus and establish the first record of P. maculosus from Iraqi waters. The samples were captured by hook and line off the coasts of Al–Fao City Peninsula, southern Iraq. Arabian Gulf. morphometric and meristic data are provided and compared with data from other parts of the world.Confirmació de la presència d’Heniochus acuminatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Chaetodontidae) i primer registre de Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) (Pomacanthidae) en aigües marines de l’Iraq, golf Pèrsic Es van recol·lectar dos espècimens de 116 y 119 mm TL d’Heniochus acuminatus (Linnaeus, 1758) i quatre espècimens de 171 a 190 mm TL de Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) en aigües del golf Pèrsic, la qual cosa confirma la presència d’H. acuminatus i constitueix el primer registre de P. maculosus a les aigües marines de l’Iraq. Els exemplars van ser capturats amb fil i ham a les costes de la península d’Al–Fao, al sud de l’Iraq, al golf Pèrsic. S’aporten les dades morfomètriques i merístiques dels exemplars i es comparen amb les registrades en altres llocs del món.Confirmación de la presencia de Heniochus acuminatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Chaetodontidae) y primer registro de Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) (Pomacanthidae) en aguas marinas de Iraq, golfo Pérsico Se recolectaron dos especímenes de 116 y 119 mm TL de Heniochus acuminatus (Linnaeus, 1758) y cuatro especímenes de 171 a 190 mm TL de Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) en aguas del golfo Pérsico, lo que confirma la presencia de H. acuminatus y constituye el primer registro de P. maculosus en las aguas marinas de Iraq. Los ejemplares fueron capturados con sedal y anzuelo en las costas de la península de Al–Fao, al sur de Iraq, en el golfo Pérsico. Se aportan los datos morfométricos y merísticos de los ejemplares y se comparan con los registrados en otras partes del mundo

First record of Atractoscion aequiden (Sciaenidae) from the Arabian Sea Coasts of Oman and Acanthopagrus catenula (Sparidae) from the Oman Sea (Gulf of Oman), northwestern Indian Ocean (Teleostei, Sciaenidae, Sparidae)

Primer registro de Atractoscion aequidens (Sciaenidae) en las costas del mar de Arabia de Omán y de Acanthopagrus catenula (Sparidae) en el mar de Omán (golfo de Omán), al noroeste del océano Índico (Teleostei, Sciaenidae, Sparidae) Los primeros registros de Atractoscion aequidens en las costas del mar de Arabia de Omán y de Acanthopagrus catenula en las aguas próximas a la ciudad de Muscat, en el mar de Omán, se efectúan a partir de un espécimen de 671 mm de longitud estándar y diez especímenes de 111 a 257 mm de longitud estándar, respectivamente. Este informe da cuenta del segundo registro de A. aequidens en el norte del océano Índico y del registro más septentrional de A. catenula efectuado en dicho océano. Se especifican los datos morfométricos y merísticos de ambas especies y se comparan con los de los especímenes recolectados en otras partes del mundo. En este trabajo se corrige asimismo la distribución meridionThe first record of Atractoscion aequidens from the Arabian Sea coasts of Oman and Acanthopagrus catenula from waters around City of Muscat on the Sea of Oman is reported based on one (671 mm in SL) and ten specimens (111-257 mm SL), respectively. This account represents the second record of A. aequidens in the northern Indian Ocean and the northernmost record of A. catenula in the same ocean. Morphometric and meristic data are provided for the two species and compared with those from specimens collected from other parts of the world. The southern distribution of A. catenula is corrected in this report.Primer registro de Atractoscion aequidens (Sciaenidae) en las costas del mar de Arabia de Omán y de Acanthopagrus catenula (Sparidae) en el mar de Omán (golfo de Omán), al noroeste del océano Índico (Teleostei, Sciaenidae, Sparidae) Los primeros registros de Atractoscion aequidens en las costas del mar de Arabia de Omán y de Acanthopagrus catenula en las aguas próximas a la ciudad de Muscat, en el mar de Omán, se efectúan a partir de un espécimen de 671 mm de longitud estándar y diez especímenes de 111 a 257 mm de longitud estándar, respectivamente. Este informe da cuenta del segundo registro de A. aequidens en el norte del océano Índico y del registro más septentrional de A. catenula efectuado en dicho océano. Se especifican los datos morfométricos y merísticos de ambas especies y se comparan con los de los especímenes recolectados en otras partes del mundo. En este trabajo se corrige asimismo la distribución meridio

Correlation Between Polymer Packing And Gas Transport Properties For Co2/N2 Separation In Glassy Fluorinated Polyimide Membrane

Gas separation performance of a membrane highly hinges on its physical properties. In this study, the interplay between polymer packing of a membrane and its gas transport behaviours (permeability and selectivity) was investigated through a series of 6FDA-DAM:DABA (3:2) polyimide membranes with different polymer compactness. The chemical structure and the polymer packing of the resulting membrane were characterized using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and packing density measurement, respectively. CO2/N2 separation efficiency of the membrane was evaluated at 25oC with feed pressure up to 6 bar. N2 permeability was found to rely on the membrane’s packing density, which signified its greater dependence on molecular sieving. In contrast, sorption showed a more vital role in determining the CO2 permeability. In this work, the membrane with a final thickness of 97±2 μm had successfully surpassed the Robeson’s 2008 upper bound plot with a CO2 permeability of 83 Barrer and CO2/N2 selectivity of 97 at 3 bar permeation

A Low-Loss Coaxial Cavity Microwave Bandpass Filter with Post-Manufacturing Tuning Capabilities

This paper presents a low-loss coaxial cavity microwave bandpass filter with post-manufacturing tuning capabilities. A systematic filter development using a low-pass prototype as the starting point to produce a fourth-degree Chebyshev bandpass response is demonstrated. The coaxial cavity filter based on the transverse electromagnetic mode of the propagation has a center frequency of 2.5 GHz and a bandwidth of 160 MHz. An insertion loss (S21) of 0.15 dB and a return loss (S11) better than 15 dB are obtained, particularly in the passband. An excellent agreement between ideal circuit, EM simulation and measurement results has been achieved. The filter is then modified to have two channels, known as a diplexer, wherein center frequencies are at 2.5 GHz and 2.9 GHz at a bandwidth of 200 MHz. This type of microwave filter will be useful in any microwave system wherein low insertion loss and high selectivity are crucial, such as in base station, radar, and satellite transceivers

Numerical Modeling of a Pile Group Subjected to Seismic Loading Using the Hypoplasticity Model

Various simple and complicated models have been utilized to simulate the stress-strain behavior of the soil. These models are used in Finite Element Modeling (FEM) for geotechnical engineering applications and analysis of dynamic soil-structure interaction problems. These models either can't adequately describe some features, such as the strain-softening of dense sand, or they require several parameters that are difficult to gather by conventional laboratory testing. Furthermore, soils are not completely linearly elastic and perfectly plastic for the whole range of loads. Soil behavior is quite difficult to comprehend and exhibits a variety of behaviors under various circumstances. As a result, a more realistic constitutive model is needed, one that can represent the key aspects of soil behavior using simple parameters. In this regard, the powerful hypoplasticity model is suggested in this paper. It is classified as a non-linear model in which the stress increment is stated in a tonsorial form as a function of strain increment, actual stress, and void ratio. Eight material characteristics are needed for the hypoplastic model. The hypoplastic model has a unique way to keep the state variables and material parameters separated. Because of this property, the model can implement the behavior of soil under a variety of stresses and densities while using the same set of material properties

Endovascular Management of Traumatic Iliac Vessel Disruption—Report of Two Cases

AbstractVascular injuries in a multi-trauma patient are associated with significant cardiovascular instability and organ injury. Injuries with active bleeding are best treated with a quick, safe and the least less invasive procedure available to the trauma surgeon. We report two cases of blunt trauma induced common and external iliac vessel injury, managed by endovascular treatment. In the second case, endovascular treatment prevented histological examination of the artery, which would have revealed an alternative diagnosis