Evaluation of pharmaceutical cream production debottlenecking schemes

The main objective of this work is to model and debottleneck a pharmaceutical production of an anti-allergic cream. The base case process has a minimum cycle time of 29 hours which is equivalent to 66 batches/year. Four schemes were proposed for process debottlenecking due to the anticipated increase of the product demand of 150% in the market. By carrying out throughput analysis study, schemes that fulfil the debottlenecking objective were determined. Out of the four debottlenecking schemes, Scheme 4 was chosen, which proposed a new blending tank and intermediate tank, showed a production increase of over 150%

Tourism and Crime: Evidence from the Philippines

Using panel data gathered from 16 regions of the Philippines for the period 2009-11, this paper investigates the relationship between tourism and crime. The findings of the study show that the relation between tourism and crime may largely depend on the characteristics of visitors and the types of crime. For all types of crime and their aggregate, no significant correlation between the crime rate (defined as the number of crime cases divided by population) and total tourist arrivals is found. However, a statistically significant positive relation is found between foreign tourism and robbery and theft cases as well as between overseas Filipino tourism and robbery. On the other hand, domestic tourism is not significantly correlated with any of the four types of crimes. These results, together with a strong evidence of the negative relationship between crime and the crime clearance efficiency, present much opportunity for policy intervention in order to minimize the crime externality of the country\u27s tourism-led development strategy

On eigenvalue bounds for the finite-state birth-death process intensity matrix

The paper sets forth a novel eigenvalue interlacing property across the finite-state birth-death process intensity matrix and two clearly identified submatrices as an extension of Cauchy’s interlace theorem for Hermitian matrix eigenvalues. A supplemental proof involving an examination of probabilities acquired from specific movements across states and a derivation of a form for the eigenpolynomial of the matrix through convolution and Laplace transform is then presented towards uncovering a similar characteristic for the general Markov chain transition rate matrix. Consequently, the proposition generates bounds for each eigenvalue of the original matrix, easing numerical computation. To conclude, the applicability of the property to some real square matrices upon transformation is explored

Fatigue Performance of Glass Fiber/Epoxy Composite at Low Temperature

Due to technological advancement in the manufacturing methods of composites, these materials find a plethora of applications which include but are not limited to wind energy projects in the form of turbine blades. These blades at times are exposed to temperatures as low as -40ᵒC. Therefore, there is a need to study low-temperature effects on such materials under different loading scenarios. This study investigates the possibility of utilizing MAC/GMC as a simulation tool to match trends of mechanical properties such as fatigue performance and stiffness variation of a given Glass fiber/Epoxy composite at 23ᵒC (room temperature) and -40 ᵒC, under fully reversed (R=-1) and tensile (R=0.1) loading cases. The results show remarkable consistency with the published data

Super-resolution Imaging of the T cell Central Supramolecular Signaling Cluster Using Stimulated Emission Depletion Microscopy

Supramolecular signaling assemblies are of interest for their unique signaling properties. A µm scale signaling assembly, the central supramolecular signaling cluster (cSMAC), forms at the center interface of T cells activated by antigen presenting cells (APC). The adaptor protein linker for activation of T cells (LAT) is a key cSMAC component. The cSMAC has widely been studied using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy of CD4(+) T cells activated by planar APC substitutes. Here we provide a protocol to image the cSMAC in its cellular context at the interface between a T cell and an APC. Super resolution stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED) was utilized to determine the localization of LAT, that of its active, phosphorylated form and its entire pool. Agonist peptide-loaded APCs were incubated with TCR transgenic CD4(+) T cells for 4.5 min before fixation and antibody staining. Fixed cell couples were imaged using a 100x 1.4 NA objective on a Leica SP8 AOBS confocal laser scanning microscope. LAT clustered in multiple supramolecular complexes and their number and size distributions were determined. Using this protocol, cSMAC properties in its cellular context at the interface between a T cell and an APC could be quantified

An optimized microarray platform for assaying genomic variation in Plasmodium falciparum field populations

We present an optimized probe design for copy number variation (CNV) and SNP genotyping in the Plasmodium falciparum genome. We demonstrate that variable length and isothermal probes are superior to static length probes. We show that sample preparation and hybridization conditions mitigate the effects of host DNA contamination in field samples. The microarray and workflow presented can be used to identify CNVs and SNPs with 95% accuracy in a single hybridization, in field samples containing up to 92% human DNA contamination

Muscle 4EBP1 activation modifies the structure and function of the neuromuscular junction in mice

Dysregulation of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) activity drives neuromuscular junction (NMJ) structural instability during aging; however, downstream targets mediating this effect have not been elucidated. Here, we investigate the roles of two mTORC1 phosphorylation targets for mRNA translation, ribosome protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1), in regulating NMJ structural instability induced by aging and sustained mTORC1 activation. While myofiber-specific deletion of S6k1 has no effect on NMJ structural integrity, 4EBP1 activation in murine muscle induces drastic morphological remodeling of the NMJ with enhancement of synaptic transmission. Mechanistically, structural modification of the NMJ is attributed to increased satellite cell activation and enhanced post-synaptic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) turnover upon 4EBP1 activation. Considering that loss of post-synaptic myonuclei and reduced NMJ turnover are features of aging, targeting 4EBP1 activation could induce NMJ renewal by expanding the pool of post-synaptic myonuclei as an alternative intervention to mitigate sarcopenia

2D flow around stationary side-by-side square columns at low Reynolds number

Flow over two side-by-side square columns is studied numerically and experimentally at low Reynolds number (Re=100-200) to investigate the effects of the gap distance on the behaviour of the flow. Different gap distances between two square columns are simulated to analyse the interactions of laminar wakes with a gap flow. Four different flow regimes are observed based on different gap distance. Experimental test are performed to validate the simulations. A new water tank has been built specifically for these tests due to the requirements of low Reynolds number and the high sensitivity of the gap flow. Initial experimental flow visualizations of the vortex wake confirm the findings of distinct gap flow regimes

Characterizing expression changes in noncoding RNAs during aging and heterochronic parabiosis across mouse tissues

Molecular mechanisms of organismal and cell aging remain incompletely understood. We, therefore, generated a body-wide map of noncoding RNA (ncRNA) expression in aging (16 organs at ten timepoints from 1 to 27 months) and rejuvenated mice. We found molecular aging trajectories are largely tissue-specifc except for eight broadly deregulated microRNAs (miRNAs). Their individual abundance mirrors their presence in circulating plasma and extracellular vesicles (EVs) whereas tissue-specifc ncRNAs were less present. For miR-29c-3p, we observe the largest correlation with aging in solid organs, plasma and EVs. In mice rejuvenated by heterochronic parabiosis, miR-29c-3p was the most prominent miRNA restored to similar levels found in young liver. miR-29c-3p targets the extracellular matrix and secretion pathways, known to be implicated in aging. We provide a map of organism-wide expression of ncRNAs with aging and rejuvenation and identify a set of broadly deregulated miRNAs, which may function as systemic regulators of aging via plasma and EVs