Collision Dynamics of Two Bose-Einstein Condensates in the Presence of Raman Coupling

A collision of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates in the presence of Raman coupling is proposed and studied by numerical simulations. Raman transitions are found to be able to reduce collision-produced irregular excitations by forming a time-averaged attractive optical potential. Raman transitions also support a kind of dark soliton pairs in two-component Bose-Einstein condensates. Soliton pairs and their remnant single solitons are shown to be controllable by adjusting the initial relative phase between the two colliding condensates or the two-photon detuning of Raman transitions.Comment: 5 figure

Preparation of multiple emulsions using SPG membranes: factors influencing droplet size distribution, dispersed phase flux and encapsulation yield

Preparation of multiple emulsions using SPG membranes: factors influencing droplet size distribution, dispersed phase flux and encapsulation yiel

Preparation of monodisperse multiple emulsions at high production rates by multi-stage premix membrane emulsification

Multiple W/O/W emulsions have been prepared by multi-stage (repeated) premix membrane emulsification using Shirasu-porous-glass (SPG) membrane with a mean pore size of 10.7 μm. A coarse emulsion containing droplets with a mean particle size of about 100 μm was homogenized 5-6 times through the same membrane at a constant pressure difference of 20-300 kPa to achieve additional droplet homogenization and size reduction. The optimum conditions with regard to particle size uniformity were 3 homogenization cycles at a pressure difference of 100 kPa, under which the mean size of outer W/O particles was 9 μm and the span of particle size distribution was as low as 0.28. The optimum pressure difference in a single-stage process was higher, but the particle size distribution of prepared emulsions was broader than in a multi-stage process at smaller pressures. The transmembrane flux was in the range of 1.8-37 m3/(m2h) and increased with increasing pressure difference and decreasing the content of W/O particles. The mean size of W/O particles in each cycle was remarkably constant over a wide range of their concentration of 1-60 vol. %

Production of multiple emulsions for drug delivery systems by repeated SPG membrane homogenization: Influence of mean pore size, interfacial tension and continuous phase viscosity

Multiple water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions for drug delivery systems were produced by extruding a coarse W/O/W emulsion 5 times under pressure of 70-150 kPa through Shirasu Porous Glass (SPG) membrane with a mean pore size of 5.4, 7.6, 10.7, 14.8, and 20.3 μm. The encapsulation efficiency of a marker (CaNa2-EDTA) determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) emission spectrophotometer was 83-85 % in the emulsion products containing 30 vol% of inner droplets and 30-50 vol% of outer drops. The ratio of mean particle size to the mean pore size after five extrusions decreased from 1.25 to 0.68 as the pore size increased from 5.4 to 20.3 μm at the wall shear stress of continuous phase in the pores of 200 Pa. The mean particle size of the resultant droplets decreased with increasing the continuous phase viscosity and with decreasing the pore size. The ratio of mean particle size to the mean pore size for the same multiple emulsions prepared by direct extrusion of W/O emulsions through SPG membrane into stirring continuous phase was 3.46 and was independent on the pore size. At low continuous phase viscosity, uniform droplets with a span values of 0.28- 0.34 were produced at very high transmembrane fluxes exceeding 200 m3m-2h-1

Permeability of hydrophilic and hydrophobic Shirasu-porous-glass (SPG) membranes to pure liquids and its microstructure

Morphological properties of hydrophilic and hydrophobic Shirasu-porous-glass (SPG) membranes were investigated over a wide range of mean pore sizes (0.252–20.3 μm) by liquid permeability measurements, scanning electron microscopy and Hg porosimetry. Hydrophobic modification of membrane surface was made by surface coating with silicone resin. The results are discussed using the non-uniform capillary bundle model of membrane permeability. The mean pore tortuosity of 1.28 was kept constant over the whole range of mean pore sizes investigated. The SEM images confirmed that the geometry of pore network was similar for all SPG membranes, irrespective of their mean pore size. The span of pore size distribution ranged from 0.28 to 0.68 and the number of pores per unit cross-sectional membrane area from 109 to 1013 m−2. The membrane resistance was unchanged after surface treatment with silicone resin, which means that the pores were not plugged by the resin, even in the submicron range of mean pore sizes

Direct observation of droplet formation in membrane emulsification

Direct observation of droplet formation in membrane emulsificatio

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Shirasu Porous Glass membrane emulsification: characterisation of membrane structure by high-resolution X-ray microtomography and microscopic observation of droplet formation in real time

The microstructure of ShirasuPorousGlass (SPG) membrane has been investigated using metallographic microscope and high-resolutionX-raymicrotomography (XMT) and the obtained results are compared with Hg-porosimetry data. The porosity in 600 cross sections analysed by high-resolution XMT was found to vary in a narrow range between 52.5 and 57.4% with a mean value of 55.1%. The membrane microstructure looks similar on SEM and XMT images with tortuous, interconnected cylindrical pores extending in all directions within the membrane. The formation of O/W and W/O/W emulsion droplets have been observed in real time using SPG or Microporous Glass (MPG) membrane disks with a mean pore size between 10.2 and 16.2 μm. The quality of video recordings was much better when membrane surface was finely polished with diamond paste, although it did not affect the droplet formation behaviour. The droplets formed at the same pore were highly monodispersed and detached in regular time intervals, but this time interval showed significant variations for different pores. The SDS-stabilised droplets were detached from the pores as soon as they were formed, due to strong electrostatic repulsions between anionic droplets and negatively charged SPG surface. The Tween 80-stabilised droplets were kept attached to the membrane surface after formation, before being pushed away by the next droplet formed at the same pore. Under the same conditions the SDS-stabilised droplets were smaller than the droplets stabilised by Tween 80

The effect of anastrozole on bone mineral density during the first 5 years of adjuvant treatment in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer

PURPOSE: The administration of aromatase inhibitors is associated with bone loss in postmenopausal women. We assessed changes in bone mineral density (BMD) from baseline to 60 months of treatment in patients receiving anastrozole as initial adjuvant therapy. METHODS: Postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer receiving anastrozole as adjuvant therapy at our center since 2004 were enrolled in this study. BMD was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and after 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months. Oral bisphosphonate (Bis) treatment was initiated when patients were diagnosed with osteoporosis having a T-score of −2.5 or lower. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients were enrolled in the study between 2004 and 2011, and the mean follow-up period was 53.6 months. Thirty-five patients were administered Bis (risedronate in 27 patients, alendronate in 8 patients). After 6 months of hormone therapy, BMD decreased by 0.5% from baseline at the lumbar spine (LS) and BMD decreased by 1.5% at the femoral neck (FN). However, BMD increased by 1.9% at the LS and BMD decreased by 1.5% at the FN for 60 months of treatment. In patients treated with upfront Bis (n = 19), 5.4% BMD increase from baseline was noted at the LS whereas in those without Bis (n = 21) BMD decreased by 4.3% from baseline within 24 months (P < 0.0001). Fractures were observed in 4 patients (7.3%), and 1 patient (1.8%) had a fragility fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Upfront treatment of Bis with anastrozole significantly increased BMD at the LS and an optimal use of Bis would not increase bone fractures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000001757