Preliminary Investigation on the Effect of Production Parameters on the Strength of Large Tablets

A case study of large tablet manufacturing in the chemical industry is presented. Since the tablets are much larger than the usual scale in the pharmaceutical industry, common practice that was developed mainly for pharmaceutical tablets could not be applied directly. Customer complaints concerning damaged tablets were the reason for this comprehensive study, which was aimed first at evaluating a testing method for process control, then to provide some hints for stabilizing the manufacturing process and for producing stronger tablets. Three test methods were evaluated: measuring compression and tension crush strengths and wear tests in a rotating drum. It was shown that the wear test provides sufficient results faster and easier than the other methods. By testing hundreds of tablets, produced in various batches, production parameters such as granule aging, surrounding humidity, tableting pressure and tablet aging were evaluated in order to provide stronger tablets. The strongest tablets were achieved by using fresh granules at very high humidity and compacting pressure and by allowing the tablets to age for at least 2 weeks.     

The Metabolostasis Network and the Cellular Depository of Aggregation-Prone Metabolites

The vital role of metabolites across all branches of life and their involvement in various disorders have been investigated for decades. Many metabolites are poorly soluble in water or in physiological buffers and tend to form supramolecular aggregates. On the other hand, in the cell, they should be preserved in a pool and be readily available for the execution of biochemical functions. We thus propose that a quality-control network, termed “metabolostasis”, has evolved to regulate the storage and retrieval of aggregation-prone metabolites. Such a system should control metabolite concentration, subcellular localization, supramolecular arrangement, and interaction in dynamic environments, thus enabling normal cellular physiology, healthy development, and preventing disease onset. The paradigm-shifting concept of metabolostasis calls for a reevaluation of the traditional view of metabolite storage and dynamics in physiology and pathology and proposes unprecedented directions for therapeutic targets under conditions where metabolostasis is imbalanced.     

Polyimide Compounds For Post-Lithium Energy Storage Applications

The exploration of cathode and anode materials that enable reversible storage of mono and multivalent cations has driven extensive research on organic compounds. In this regard, polyimide (PI)-based electrodes have emerged as a promising avenue for the development of post-lithium energy storage systems. This review article provides a comprehensive summary of the syntheses, characterizations, and applications of PI compounds as electrode materials capable of hosting a wide range of cations. Furthermore, the review also delves into the advancements in PI based solid state batteries, PI-based separators, current collectors, and their effectiveness as polymeric binders. By highlighting the key findings in these areas, this review aims at contributing to the understanding and advancement of PI-based structures paving the way for the next generation of energy storage systems.     

Methodology and first-order algorithms for solving nonsmooth and non-strongly convex bilevel optimization problems

Mathematical Programming - Simple bilevel problems are optimization problems in which we want to find an optimal solution to an inner problem that minimizes an outer objective function. Such...