A program for individual and population optimal design for univariate and multivariate response pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic models

The design of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic experiments concerns a number of issues, among which are the number of observations and the times when they are taken. Often a model is used to describe these data and the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic behavior of a drug. Knowledge of the data analysis model at the design stage is beneficial for collecting patient data for parameter estimation. A number of criteria for model-oriented experiments, which maximize the information content of the data, are available. In this paper we present a program, Popdes, to investigate the D-optimal design of individual and population multivariate response models, such as pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic, physiologically based pharmacokinetic, and parent drug and metabolites models. A pre-clinical and clinical pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model describing the concentration-time profile and effect of an oncology compound in development is used for illustration.     

Detection and Influence of Shrinkage Pores and Nonmetallic Inclusions on Fatigue Life of Cast Aluminum Alloys

In the current study, test bars of cast aluminum alloys EN AC-AlSi8Cu3 and EN AC-AlSi7Mg0.3 were produced with a defined amounts of shrinkage pores and oxides. For this purpose, a permanent mold with heating and cooling devices for the generation of pores was constructed. The oxides were produced by contaminating the melt. The specimens and their corresponding defect distributions were examined and quantified by X-ray computer tomography (CT) and quantitative metallography, respectively. A special test algorithm for the simultaneous image analyses of pores and oxides was developed. Fatigue tests were conducted on the defective samples. It was found that the presence of shrinkage pores lowers the fatigue strength, and only few oxide inclusions were found to initiate fatigue cracks when shrinkage pores are present. The results show that the pore volume is not sufficient to characterize the influence of shrinkage pores on fatigue life. A parametric model for the calculation of fatigue life based on the pore parameters obtained from CT scans was implemented. The model accounts for the combined impact of pore location, size, and shape on fatigue life reduction.     

Forced cycling of the catalytic oxidation of CO over a V2O5 catalyst—II Temperature cycling

An experimental study was made of the effects of temperature cycling on carbon monoxide oxidation over a vanadium pentoxide catalyst. Square-wave temperature cycles at periods above 5 hr provided reaction rates which, when time-averaged, were closely approximated by quasi-steady state reaction rates. As the period decreases, reaction rates fall off indicating that time-average rates under transient conditions are lower than those acheived at quasi-steady state. At a period of one hour, the time-average cycling rate falls below the rate at steady state at the mean temperature of the cycle used.     

Design and applications of an X-band hybrid photoinjector

An INFN-LNF/UCLA/URLS collaboration is developing a hybrid photoinjector in X-band. This device is an integrated structure consisting of initial standing wave gun cells connected at the input coupler to a traveling wave section. This design nearly eliminates RF reflections from the SW section; further, a 90° phase shift in the accelerating field at the coupling cell gives strong velocity bunching. The current initiative in X-band follows an S-band hybrid, now proceeding to construction at LNF and high power testing/beam production measurements at UCLA. This S-band hybrid has 1.5 cell SW and 9 cell TW sections, and produces strongly compressed 3.5 MeV beam. It can be used for novel applications; here we discuss the production of an exponential energy spectrum extending from 1 to 12 MeV to simulate the effects of radiation belt environments on space-craft. It can be optionally used with a 3 m TW linac fed from RF output of the hybrid, to boost the energy to 22 MeV. While scaling the design from S-band to X-band is conceptually simple, practical limits require changes in both RF and magnetostatic designs. As the field is limited by RF breakdown to 200 MV/m peak field, the SW section must be expanded to 2.5 cells to reach 3.5 MeV; this permits flexibility in the solenoid design. We present beam dynamics simulations that show 6D phase space compensation at 7 pC: sub-0.1 mm mrad at the emittance minimum that occurs simultaneously with a longitudinal focus of <20 fs rms. We discuss applications ranging from multi-THz coherent radiation production to ultra-fast electron diffraction.     

Functional properties and retrogradation behaviour of native and chemically modified starch of mucuna bean (Mucuna pruriens)

Mucuna bean (Mucuna pruriens) starch was isolated and subjected to chemical modification by oxidation and acetylation. The proximate analysis of the non‐starch components of the native starch on a dry weight basis was 92 g kg^?1 moisture, 5 g kg^?1 ash, 2 g kg^?1 fat, 7 g kg^?1 crude fibre and 19 g kg^?1 protein. Chemical modification reduced the values for all the non‐starch components except the moisture level. For all the samples, swelling power and solubility increased as the temperature increased in the range 50–90 °C. The swelling power of mucuna native starch (MNS) and mucuna acetylated starch (MAS) increased with increasing acidity and alkalinity, while that of mucuna oxidised starch (MOS) only increased with increasing pH in the acidic range. The maximal solubility of all the starches was observed at pH 12. All the starch samples absorbed more oil than water. The lowest gelation concentration followed the trend MAS < MNS < MOS. Chemical modification reduced the gelatinisation temperature (Tp), while peak viscosity (Pv), hot paste viscosity (Hv) and cold paste viscosity (Cv) decreased after oxidation but increased following acetylation. The setback tendency of the native starch was reduced significantly after chemical modification. However, the breakdown value of MNS, 65 BU (Brabender units), was lower than that of MOS (78 BU) but higher than that of MAS (40 BU). Differential scanning calorimetry studies of gelatinisation and retrogradation revealed that chemical modification reduced the onset temperature (T_o), peak temperature (T_p) and conclusion temperature (T_c). Oxidation and acetylation reduced the gelatinisation and retrogradation enthalpies of the native starch. The enthalpy of retrogradation of the starches increased as the length of storage increased. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mechanical properties of natural fiber hybrid composites based on renewable thermoset resins derived from soybean oil,for use in technical applications

Natural fiber composites are known to have lower mechanical properties than glass or carbon fiber reinforced composites. The hybrid natural fiber composites prepared in this study have relatively good mechanical properties. Different combinations of woven and non‐woven flax fibers were used. The stacking sequence of the fibers was in different orientations, such as 0°, +45°, and 90°. The composites manufactured had good mechanical properties. A tensile strength of about 119 MPa and Young's modulus of about 14 GPa was achieved, with flexural strength and modulus of about 201 MPa and 24 GPa, respectively. For the purposes of comparison, composites were made with a combination of woven fabrics and glass fibers. One ply of a glass fiber mat was sandwiched in the mid‐plane and this increased the tensile strength considerably to 168 MPa. Dynamic mechanical analysis was performed in order to determine the storage and loss modulus and the glass transition temperature of the composites. Microstructural analysis was done with scanning electron microscopy. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Comparative study of MPC and LQC with disturbance rejection control for heavy vehicle rollover prevention in an inclement environment

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - This paper compares the Model predictive control (MPC) and Linear quadratic control (LQC) of heavy vehicles via active front steering for rollover...