Search results for " Size"
showing 10 items of 2281 documents
Phospholipid-polyaspartamide micelles for pulmonary delivery of corticosteroids
2011
A novel drug delivery system for beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) has been constructed through self-assembly of a pegylated phospholipid-polyaminoacid conjugate. This copolymer was obtained by chemical reaction of α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHEA) with 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[amino(polyethyleneglycol)2000] (DSPE-PEG(2000)-NH(2)). Benefiting from the amphiphilic structure with the hydrophilic shell based on both PHEA and PEG and many hydrophobic stearoyl tails, PHEA-PEG(2000)-DSPE copolymer was able to self assemble into micelles in aqueous media above a concentration of 1.23 × 10(-7)M, determined by fluorescence studies. During the self-assembling …
Oligomerization and hemolytic properties of the C-terminal domain of pyolysin, a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin
2013
Pyolysin (PLO) belongs to the homologous family of the cholesterol- dependent cytolysins (CDCs), which bind to cell membranes containing cholesterol to form oligomeric pores of large size. The CDC monomer structure consists of 4 domains. Among these, the C-terminal domain 4 has been implicated in membrane binding of the monomer, while the subsequent processes of oligomerization and membrane insertion have primarily been assigned to other domains of the molecule. Recombinantly expressed or proteolytic fragments that span domain 4 of the CDCs streptolysin O and perfringolysin O bind to membranes but fail to oligomerize, and they inhibit the activity of the respective wild-type toxins. We repo…
Swellable microparticles containing Suprofen: evaluation of in vitro release and photochemical behaviour
1998
Suprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug was incorporated in polymer networks based on biocompatible macromolecules, such as alpha,beta-polyasparthydrazide (PAHy) and alpha,beta-poly(N-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHEA) crosslinked by glutaraldehyde or gamma-rays, respectively. Swelling tests carried out in aqueous media showed that pH value affects the swelling degree of the prepared hydrogels. In vitro release tests were performed in simulated gastrointestinal fluids (pH 1/6.8) using the pH variation method and in phosphate-buffered saline, pH 7.4. Experimental data indicated that Suprofen was released in a sustained way both from PAHy and PHEA microparticles. Further, incorporation of Suprof…
Estrategias para la elaboración de modelos estadísticos de regresión
2011
Multivariable regression models are widely used in health science research, mainly for two purposes: prediction and effect estimation. Various strategies have been recommended when building a regression model: a) use the right statistical method that matches the structure of the data; b) ensure an appropriate sample size by limiting the number of variables according to the number of events; c) prevent or correct for model overfitting; d) be aware of the problems associated with automatic variable selection procedures (such as stepwise), and e) always assess the performance of the final model in regard to calibration and discrimination measures. If resources allow, validate the prediction mo…
ModEst - Precise estimation of genome size from NGS data
2021
AbstractPrecise estimates of genome sizes are important parameters for both theoretical and practical biodiversity genomics. We present here a fast, easy-to-implement and precise method to estimate genome size from the number of bases sequenced and the mean sequence coverage. To estimate the latter, we take advantage of the fact that a precise estimation of the Poisson distribution parameter lambda is possible from truncated data, restricted to the part of the coverage distribution representing the true underlying distribution. With simulations we could show that reasonable genome size estimates can be gained even from low-coverage (10X), highly discontinuous genome drafts. Comparison of es…
Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction of polyphenols from Quercus bark
2015
Abstract Box–Behnken response surface methodology was used to investigate and optimize microwave assisted extraction (MAE) (treatment power and time) of antioxidant compounds, especially polyphenols, from bark extracts. Moreover, the effects of solvent composition (methanol and ethanol) particle size, and pH conditions were evaluated and optimized. In addition, the effects of MAE were compared to conventional solvent extraction at room temperature and reflux extraction (at 100 °C). The results indicated that all process variables had a significant effect on polyphenol and antioxidant recovery, except for methanol (p > 0.05). For instance, TPC and antioxidant activity were increased when hig…
Local Extinction of Dragonfly and Damselfly Populations in Low- and High-Quality Habitat Patches
2010
Understanding the risk of extinction of a single population is an important problem in both theoretical and applied ecology. Local extinction risk depends on several factors, including population size, demographic or environmental stochasticity, natural catastrophe, or the loss of genetic diversity. The probability of local extinction may also be higher in low-quality sink habitats than in high-quality source habitats. We tested this hypothesis by comparing local extinction rates of 15 species of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) between 1930-1975 and 1995-2003 in central Finland. Local extinction rates were higher in low-quality than in high-quality habitats. Nevertheless, for the thre…
Micro and macro mechanical characterization of friction stir welded Ti–6Al–4V lap joints through experiments and numerical simulation
2013
Abstract Lap joints of Ti–6Al–4V were produced and the effect of the main process parameters was studied through macro and micro investigations highlighting mechanical resistance, microhardness profiles, grain size and phase distributions. A dedicated numerical model was used to link the input process parameters to temperature and strain distributions and to the final microstructure in the welded joint. It is found that the strain produced in the stir zone by proper combination of process parameters plays a fundamental role in the final microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints.
CDRX modelling in friction stir welding of AA7075-T6 aluminum alloy: analytical approaches
2007
Abstract Friction stir welding (FSW) is an energy efficient and environmentally “friendly” (no fumes, noise, or sparks) welding process, during which the workpiece are welded together in a solid-state joining process at a temperature below the melting point of the workpiece material under a combination of extruding and forging. Significant microstructural evolution takes place during FSW: in particular continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) phenomena result in a highly refined grain structure in the weld nugget and strongly affect the final joint resistance. In the paper two different analytical models aimed to the determination of the average grain size due to continuous dynamic recry…
Structural bias in population-based algorithms
2014
Abstract Challenging optimisation problems are abundant in all areas of science and industry. Since the 1950s, scientists have responded to this by developing ever-diversifying families of ‘black box’ optimisation algorithms. The latter are designed to be able to address any optimisation problem, requiring only that the quality of any candidate solution can be calculated via a ‘fitness function’ specific to the problem. For such algorithms to be successful, at least three properties are required: (i) an effective informed sampling strategy, that guides the generation of new candidates on the basis of the fitnesses and locations of previously visited candidates; (ii) mechanisms to ensure eff…