Predictive Drug Release Modeling Across Dissolution Apparatuses I and II using Computational Fluid Dynamics.

A modeling process is developed and validated with which active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) release is predicted across the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) dissolution apparatuses I and II based on limited experimental dissolution data (at minimum two dissolution profiles at different apparatus settings). The process accounts for formulation-specific drug release behavior and hydrodynamics in the apparatuses over the range of typical agitation rates and medium volumes. This modeling process involves measurement of experimental mass transfer coefficients via a conventional mass balance and the relationship of said mass transfer coefficients to hydrodynamics and apparatus setting via computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A novel 1-D model is hence established, which provided calibration data for a particular formulation, can model mass transfer coefficients and their corresponding drug release at apparatus configurations of interest. Based on validation against experimental data produced from five erosion-based formulations over a range of apparatus configurations, accuracy within 8 %LA (labelled amount of API) and an average root mean square deviation of 3 %LA is achieved. With this predictive capability, minimizing the number of dissolution experiments and the amount of chemical materials needed during method development appears feasible.

Human-robot creative interactions: Exploring creativity in artificial agents using a storytelling game.

Creativity in social robots requires further attention in the interdisciplinary field of human-robot interaction (HRI). This study investigates the hypothesized connection between the perceived creative agency and the animacy of social robots. The goal of this work is to assess the relevance of robot movements in the attribution of creativity to robots. The results of this work inform the design of future human-robot creative interactions (HRCI). The study uses a storytelling game based on visual imagery inspired by the game "Story Cubes" to explore the perceived creative agency of social robots. This game is used to tell a classic story for children with an alternative ending. A 2 × 2 experiment was designed to compare two conditions: the robot telling the original version of the story and the robot plot twisting the end of the story. A Robotis Mini humanoid robot was used for the experiment, and we adapted the Short Scale of Creative Self (SSCS) to measure perceived creative agency in robots. We also used the Godspeed scale to explore different attributes of social robots in this setting. We did not obtain significant main effects of the robot movements or the story in the participants' scores. However, we identified significant main effects of the robot movements in features of animacy, likeability, and perceived safety. This initial work encourages further studies experimenting with different robot embodiment and movements to evaluate the perceived creative agency in robots and inform the design of future robots that participate in creative interactions.

Acidic Polysaccharides as Green Alternatives for Barite Scale Dissolution.

Barium sulfate (barite) scale poses significant challenges for processes ranging from water treatment to fossil fuel production. Here, we identify alginate (a polysaccharide derived from brown algae) as a potent, "green" alternative to commercial barite demineralizing agents. Unlike conventional treatments of inorganic scales that require caustic conditions, alginate polymers dissolve barite at near-neutral conditions. In this study, we benchmark the demineralizing efficacy of alginate against a commercial dissolver, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), using a combination of bulk dissolution assays, scanning probe microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations. Time-resolved rates of dissolution measured in a microfluidic device show that demineralization is enhanced more than an order of magnitude under flow. In situ atomic force microscopy reveals that alginate and DTPA exhibit distinct mechanisms of surface dissolution; and surprisingly, their binary combination in alkaline media results in a synergistic cooperativity that enhances the overall rate of barite dissolution. These studies collectively demonstrate a unique approach to demineralization using an inexpensive and abundant biopolymer that enables environmentally friendly treatment of inorganic scales.

A System-of-Systems Bio-Inspired Design Process: Conceptual Design and Physical Prototype of a Reconfigurable Robot Capable of Multi-Modal Locomotion.

Modern engineering problems require solutions with multiple functionalities in order to meet their practical needs to handle a variety of applications in different scenarios. Conventional design paradigms for single design purpose may not be able to satisfy this requirement efficiently. This paper proposes a novel system-of-systems bio-inspired design method framed in a solution-driven bio-inspired design paradigm. The whole design process consists of eight steps, that is, (1) biological solutions identification, (2) biological solutions definition/champion biological solutions, (3) principle extraction from each champion biological solution, (4) merging of extracted principles, (5) solution reframing, (6) problem search, (7) problem definition, and (8) principles application & implementation. The steps are elaborated and a case study of reconfigurable robots is presented following these eight steps. The design originates from the multimodal locomotion capabilities of two species (i.e., spiders and primates) and is analyzed based on the Pugh analysis. The resulting robotic platform could be potentially used for urban patrolling purposes.

A microfluidic approach for probing hydrodynamic effects in barite scale formation.

Crystallization of mineral scale components ubiquitously plagues industrial systems for water treatment, energy production, and manufacturing. Chemical scale inhibitors and/or dissolvers are often employed to control scale formation, but their efficacy in flow conditions remains incompletely understood. We present a microfluidic platform to elucidate the time-resolved processes controlling crystallization and dissolution of barite, a highly insoluble and chemically resistant component of inorganic scale, in the presence of flow. In a growth environment, increasing the flow rate leads to a crossover from a transport-limited to a reaction-limited kinetic regime. In situ optical microscopy reveals that addition of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), a common dissolution agent, alters the morphology of barite crystals grown under flow. In a dissolution environment (i.e. alkaline solutions without barium sulfate), increasing the flux of DTPA, whether by increasing the flow rate or DTPA concentration, enhances the rate of dissolution of barite. Trends in the rate of barite dissolution with DTPA concentration and flow rate indicate an optimal combination of these parameters. The combined use of microfluidics and optical microscopy provides a robust and broadly-useful platform for capturing crystallization kinetics and morphological transformation under dynamic flow conditions.

Prevalence of caries and malocclusion in an indigenous population in Chiapas, Mexico.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of caries and malocclusion in Mayan Mexican adolescents, 14-20 years of age, living in Chiapas, Mexico. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, population-based, quantitative, epidemiological study. Sites were chosen to capture subjects representative of the state's Mayan population. A total of 354 subjects were recruited. Caries experience was quantified, via visual inspection, using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Surface (DMFS) index. Malocclusion was quantified using the Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON). RESULTS: Our data showed that 99% of the population had caries experience, with a median DMFS score of 8. Of the 99% with caries experience, over half had caries affecting more than five tooth surfaces. Thirty-seven per cent of the students had unmet orthodontic treatment need, and 46.46% presented a Class II, and 39.09% a Class III, anterior-posterior relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Less than 1% of the population had any exposure to orthodontics, demonstrating the lack of access to care. Likewise, only 1% of the population was found to have no caries experience, exhibiting a large unmet treatment need. The median DMFS score of 8 was also high in comparison with the median DMFS in the USA of 6. Our data suggest a correlation between the lack of access to care and high prevalence of caries and malocclusion in Mexican Mayans who inhabit Chiapas, Mexico.

Natural promoters of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystallization.

Crystallization is often facilitated by modifiers that interact with specific crystal surfaces and mediate the anisotropic rate of growth. Natural and synthetic modifiers tend to function as growth inhibitors that hinder solute attachment and impede the advancement of layers on crystal surfaces. There are fewer examples of modifiers that operate as growth promoters, whereby modifier-crystal interactions accelerate the kinetic rate of crystallization. Here, we examine two proteins, lysozyme and lactoferrin, which are observed in the organic matrix of three types of pathological stones: renal, prostatic, and pancreatic stones. This work focuses on the role of these proteins in the crystallization of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM), the most prominent constituent of human kidney stones. Using a combination of experimental techniques, we show that these proteins, which are rich in l-arginine and l-lysine amino acids, promote COM growth. The synthesis and testing of peptides derived from contiguous segments of lysozyme's primary amino acid sequence revealed subdomains within the protein that operate either as an inhibitor or promoter of COM growth, with the latter exhibiting efficacies that nearly match that of the protein. We observed that cationic proteins promote COM growth over a wide range of modifier concentration, which differs from calcification promoters in the literature that exhibit dual roles as promoters and inhibitors at low and high concentration, respectively. This seems to suggest a unique mechanism of action for lysozyme and lactoferrin. Possible explanations for their effects on COM growth and crystal habit are proposed on the basis of classical colloidal theories and the physicochemical properties of peptide subdomains, including the number and spatial location of charged or hydrogen-bonding moieties.

Participación del profesional de enfermería en la Angiotac coronaria como método diagnóstico del síndrome isquémico coronario agudo / Angiotac in acute coronary syndromes

The cardiovascular diseases are at present it firstly reason of death in the world and in Mexico, the detection of the syndrome ischemic coronary and his opportune and suitable treatment needs of diagnostic methods that they offer a result in the minor possible time. The study of coronary Angiotac possesses a high value predictive negatively, contributing the coronary anatomy, perfusion miocardic, function of the left and right ventricle, Scoreboard of calcium. Valuation of hemoductes and endoprosthesis. The method is not invasive, needs administration of contrast for intravenous route and betablockers and vasodilatation; for which the contribution of the professional nurses in the procedure is fundamental offers safety and quality attention to the patient during the study to obtain the ideal images that they allow to diagnose and stably.

[Angiotac in acute coronary syndromes]. / Participación del profesional de enfermería en la Angiotac coronaria como método diagnóstico del síndrome isquémico coronario agudo.

The cardiovascular diseases are at present it firstly reason of death in the world and in Mexico, the detection of the syndrome ischemic coronary and his opportune and suitable treatment needs of diagnostic methods that they offer a result in the minor possible time. The study of coronary Angiotac possesses a high value predictive negatively, contributing the coronary anatomy, perfusion miocardic, function of the left and right ventricle, Scoreboard of calcium. Valuation of hemoductes and endoprosthesis. The method is not invasive, needs administration of contrast for intravenous route and betablockers and vasodilatation; for which the contribution of the professional nurses in the procedure is fundamental offers safety and quality attention to the patient during the study to obtain the ideal images that they allow to diagnose and stably.

Octavo informe del grupo de estudios sobre cáncer del aparato digestivo / The eight inform from the gastrointestinal cancer group

De acuerdo con este estudio de 8 años, podemos apreciar que la frecuencia del carcinoma colo-rectal ha aumentado y en el INNSZ ocupó el primer lugar. En el Hospital General de la SS ocupa un segundo lugar después del carcinoma gástrico y en el Español continua en primer lugar. El carcinoma gástrico continua siendo el primer cáncer en los Hospitales Generales de la SS y 20 de Noviembre del ISSSTE, en cambio en el hospital Juárez de la SS el primer lugar en frecuencia es ocupado por el carcinoma de vesícula y vías biliares en segundo lugar el gástrico y en tercer el de colon. En términos generales no encontramos una explicación para el aumento de cáncer colo-rectal en las instituciones estudiadas. En relación a la dieta, se observó que en los pacientes con carcinoma gástrico la misma era baja en proteínas y en grasas así como en vitaminas A y C, y normal o alta en residuo; mientras que en los pacientes con carcinoma colo-rectal era alta en grasas y en proteínas, baja en residuos y normal en vitaminas. En el Hospital Juárez se encontró que el grupo sanguíneo O era alto en proporción significativa entre los pacientes con carcinoma de vesícula y vías biliares, en comparación con el INNSZ que tuvo una proporción intermedia y el Español que la tuvo baja. En estudios previos realizados por Lisker en el INNSZ se demostró que en los grupos sanguíneos el O predominaba entre los indígenas es un 80 a 90%. Se considera que la raza, el sexo, la edad y los factores dietéticos tienen influencia en la mayor f

Un modelo de programacion en la atencion de la madre y el niño en la Provincia del Chaco

Prioridades en la extension de cobertura a grupos vulnerables:promocion, proteccion y rehabilitacion del binomio madre-niño. Breve introduccion a la demografia y causas de mortalidad materna e infantil, cronograma de actividades

Un modelo de programacion en la atencion de la madre y el niño en la Provincia del Chaco

Prioridades en la extension de cobertura a grupos vulnerables:promocion, proteccion y rehabilitacion del binomio madre-niño. Breve introduccion a la demografia y causas de mortalidad materna e infantil, cronograma de actividades