Critical points in the formulation of pharmaceutical swellable controlled release dosage forms-Influence of particle size

Swellable matrix represents one of the most employed controlled release systems. These dosage forms provide slow release of drugs to reduce the fluctuation of drug concentration in plasma in order to improve the efficiency of treatment and/or to reduce adverse effects. The application of the concepts of statistical physics has allowed discovering the existence of critical points in the formulation of swellable matrices. These points, representing the volume fractions of the tablet components where the properties of the matrix diverge or change suddenly, provide important knowledge of how to rationalize the design of swellable matrices. The critical points are generally related to the percolation threshold of one of the components of the formulation, which corresponds to a geometrical phase transition of this component, passing from isolation to spanning the whole system. The last section of the paper is devoted to more recent findings concerning the influence of particle size of the components on the percolation threshold of the matrix forming polymer, and therefore on the release behaviour of the matrix. Knowledge of the excipient percolation threshold allows a more rational design of swellable matrices, according to the guidelines of the regulatory authorities concerning science-based formulation and quality by design.     

ELECTRIC FIELD EFFECTS ON YOUNG＇S MOLULUS OF NANOWIRES

As an important component of nanodevices and nanomachine constructions, the mechanical performance of nanowires （NWs） has been a subject of intense research efforts due to gaining relevance in controlling functionality of nanoelectromechanical systems （NEMS）; meanwhile, one of the characteristics of the NEMS is the dependence of the functionality of the systems upon the applied electric field. The study of the electric effects on the Young＇s modulus of nanostructures is of certain usefulness in the design of NEMS and the precise measurement of mechanical properties of one-dimensional nanostructures. This paper reviews the origin of the size-dependence of the elastic property of NWs and the factors influencing the discrepancies and inconsistencies in the measured values of the Young＇s modulus for the NW, besides the surface effects, nonlinear effects, the electromechanical coupling effects as a possible effect responsible for the differences in quantitative and qualitative performance of the measured Young＇s modulus for the NWs versus the diameter are clarified.     

Synchronization of two coupled exciters in a vibrating system of spatial motion

The paper proposes an analytical approach to investigate the synchronization of the two coupled exciters in a vibrating system of spatial motion. Introducing the distur- bance parameters for average angular velocity of two excit- ers, we deduce the non-dimensional coupling equations of angular velocities of two exciters, in which the inertia cou- pling matrix is symmetric and the stiffness coupling matrix is antisymmetric in a non-resonant vibrating system. The analysis of the coupling dynamic characteristic shows that the coupled cosine effect of the phase angles will cause the torque acting on two motors to limit the increase of phase difference between two exciters as well as sustain its sym- metry of two exciters during the running process. It physi- cally explains the peculiarity of self-synchronization of two exciters. The cosine effect of phase angles of the vibrations excited by each exciter will decrease its moment of inertia. The residual moment of inertia of each exciter represents its relative moment of inertia. The stability condition of synchro- nization of two exciters is that the relative non-dimensional moments of inertia of two exciters are all greater than zero and four times their product is greater than the square of their coefficient of coupled cosine effect of phase angles, which is equivalent to that the inertia coupling matrix is positive definite and all its elements are positive. The numeric results show that the structure of the vibrating system can ensure the stability condition of synchronous operation.     

Simulation-supported measurements in large circulating fluidized bed combustors

The concept of simulation-supported measurement is suggested for the elucidation of processes occurring in the combustion chambers of large-scale circulating fluidized bed combustors where the desired information cannot be obtained by direct measurements. The concept is illustrated with the example of secondary air injection where the way the air is released, the penetration depth and the evenness of air distribution over the cross-sectional area of the combustion chamber are of interest. The measured information consists of lateral profiles of oxygen concentrations measured with gas sampling probes at two ports which were located 5 and 9 m, respectively, above the level of secondary air injection. The simulation is carried out on the basis of a 3D semi-empirical fluid-mechanical model of the circulating fluidized bed which is combined with models of gas and solids mixing, fuel distribution, devolatilization and combustion of char and volatiles. The combination of the simulation with the measurements yields a clear picture of the mechanism of secondary air injection, its penetration into the combustion chamber and its effect on the local combustion processes. The results confirm the usefulness of the concept of simulation-supported measurement for this application.     

Computational dynamics of soft machines

Soft machine refers to a kind of mechanical system made of soft materials to complete sophisticated mis-sions, such as handling a fragile object and crawling along a narrow tunnel corner, under low cost control and actuation. Hence, soft machines have raised great challenges to compu-tational dynamics. In this review article, recent studies of the authors on the dynamic modeling, numerical simulation, and experimental validation of soft machines are summarized in the framework of multibody system dynamics. The dynamic modeling approaches are presented first for the geometric nonlinearities of coupled overall motions and large deforma-tions of a soft component, the physical nonlinearities of a soft component made of hyperelastic or elastoplastic mate-rials, and the frictional contacts/impacts of soft components, respectively. Then the computation approach is outlined for the dynamic simulation of soft machines governed by a set of differential-algebraic equations of very high dimensions, with an emphasis on the efficient computations of the non-linear elastic force vector of finite elements. The validations of the proposed approaches are given via three case stud-ies, including the locomotion of a soft quadrupedal robot, the spinning deployment of a solar sail of a spacecraft, and the deployment of a mesh reflector of a satellite antenna, as well as the corresponding experimental studies. Finally, some remarks are made for future studies.     

Law of nonlinear flow in saturated clays and radial consolidation

It was derived that micro-scale amount level of average pore radius of clay changed from 0.01 to 0.1 micron by an equivalent concept of flow in porous media.There is good agreement between the derived results and test ones.Results of experiments show that flow in micro-scale pore of saturated clays follows law of nonlinear flow.Theoretical analyses demonstrate that an interaction of solid-liquid interfaces varies inversely with permeability or porous radius.The interaction is an important reason why nonlinear flow in saturated clays occurs.An exact mathematical model was presented for nonlinear flow in micro-scaie pore of saturated clays.Dimension and physical meanings of parameters of it are definite.A new law of nonlinear flow in saturated clays was established.It can describe characteristics of flow curve of the whole process of the nonlinear flow from low hydraulic gradient to high one.Darcy law is a special case of the new law.A math- ematical model was presented for consolidation of nonlinear flow in radius direction in saturated clays with constant rate based on the new law of nonlinear flow.Equations of average mass conservation and moving boundary,and formula of excess pore pressure distribution and average degree of consolidation for nonlinear flow in saturated clay were derived by using an idea of viscous boundary layer,a method of steady state in stead of transient state and a method of integral of an equation.Laws of excess pore pressure distribution and changes of average degree of consolidation with time were obtained.Re- suits show that velocity of moving boundary decreases because of the nonlinear flow in saturated clay.The results can provide geology engineering and geotechnical engineering of saturated clay with new scientific bases.Calculations of average degree of consolidation of the Darcy flow are a special case of that of the nonlinear flow.     

Nanoparticle nucleation and coagulation in a mixing layer

Numerical simulation of nanoparticle nucleation and coagulation in a mixing layer with sulfuric acid vapor binary system is performed using the large eddy simulation and the direct quadrature method of moment. The distributions of number concentration, volume concentration, and average diameter of nanoparticles are obtained. The results show that the coherent structures have an important effect on the distributions of number concentration, volume concentration and average diameter of nanoparticles via continuously transporting and diffusing the nanoparticles to the area of low particle concentration. In the streamwise direction, the number concentration of nanoparticles decreases, while the volume concentration and the average diameter increase. The distributions of number concentration, volume concentration and average diameter of nanoparticles are spatially inhomogeneous. The characteristic time of nucleation is shorter than that of coagulation. The nucleation takes place more easily in the area of low temperature because where the number concentration of nanoparticles is high, while the intensity of coagulation is mainly affected by the number concentration. Both nucleation and coagulation result in the variation of average diameter of nanoparticles.     

Neurodynamics analysis of brain information transmission

This paper proposes a model of neural networks consisting of populations of perceptive neurons, inter-neurons, and motor neurons according to the theory of stochastic phase resetting dynamics. According to this model, the dynamical characteristics of neural networks are studied in three coupling cases, namely, series and parallel coupling, series coupling, and unilateral coupling. The results show that the indentified structure of neural networks enables the basic characteristics of neural information processing to be described in terms of the actions of both the optional motor and the reflected motor. The excitation of local neural networks is caused by the action of the optional motor. In particular, the excitation of the neural population caused by the action of the optional motor in the motor cortex is larger than that caused by the action of the reflected motor. This phenomenon indicates that there are more neurons participating in the neural information processing and the excited synchronization motion under the action of the optional motor.     

Preface: Orbits around asteroid

One of the core issues in modern celestial mechanics is the orbital dynamics in the near-regime gravitational field of as- teroids, which provides deep insights into the mathematical nature of a class of nonlinear systems, and plays as a critical basis for in situ explorations of different science goals. Lots of efforts have been made to reveal the characteristics of orbital motion in the vicinity of asteroids, and to improve the skills of asteroid research in methodology.     

STABILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF SINGLE-LAYERED ZINC OXIDE NANOSHEETS UNDER UNIAXIAL LOADING

This paper is aimed to propose a three-dimensional model which would be used for investigation on the mechanical behavior of single-layered zinc oxide nanosheets. To develop this model, molecular mechanics is coupled with the density functional theory. Simulating the hexagonal lattices of nanosheets as a hexagonal mechanical structure composed of structural beam elements, the buckling behavior of zinc oxide nanosheets is studied. Effects of different parameters on the stability of armchair and zigzag nanosheets are examined. It is shown that the buckling forces of zigzag nanosheets are slightly greater than those of armchair ones. However, with increasing size of nanosheets the effect of atomic structure on the stability of nanosheets diminishes.By studying the effect of end conditions on the buckling behavior of nanosheets, it is shown the stability of nanosheets is affected significantly by boundary conditions.     

Reflection and transmission of elastic waves at five types of possible interfaces between two dipolar gradient elastic half-spaces

Reflection and transmission of an incident plane wave at five types of possible interfaces between two dipo-lar gradient elastic solids are studied in this paper. First, the explicit expressions of monopolar tractions and dipolar trac-tions are derived from the postulated function of strain energy density. Then, the displacements, the normal derivative of displacements, monopolar tractions, and dipolar tractions are used to create the nontraditional interface conditions. There are five types of possible interfaces based on all possible combinations of the displacements and the normal derivative of displacements. These interfacial conditions with consid-eration of microstructure effects are used to determine the amplitude ratio of the reflection and transmission waves with respect to the incident wave. Further, the energy ratios of the reflection and transmission waves with respect to the incident wave are calculated. Some numerical results of the reflection and transmission coefficients are given in terms of energy flux ratio for five types of possible interfaces. The influences of the five types of possible interfaces on the energy parti-tion between the refection waves and the transmission waves are discussed, and the concept of double channels of energy transfer is first proposed to explain the different influences of five types of interfaces.     

Stability of a cubic functional equation in intuitionistic random normed spaces

In this paper, the stability of a cubic functional equation in the setting of intuitionistic random normed spaces is proved. We first introduce the notation of intuitionistic random normed spaces. Then, by virtue of this notation, we study the stability of a cubic functional equation in the setting of these spaces under arbitrary triangle norms. Furthermore, we present the interdisciplinary relation among the theory of random spaces, the theory of intuitionistic spaces, and the theory of functional equations.     

An analytical expression of reliability solution for Druker-Prager criterion

Strength parameters of rock mass are taken as random variables. Based on the reliability theory, an analytical expression of reliability solution for Drucker-Prager criterion is given. The Monte-Carlo method and FORM （first order reliability method） are used to test the correctness of the solution. Some influences of variation of strength parameters on the judging results of Drucker-Prager criterion are discussed by the use of the solution. Conclusions of discussion show that variations of strength parameters have different influences on the reliability probability of Drucker-Prager criterion. When the coefficients of variation of strength parameters are great, their influences on the reliability probability of Drucker-Prager criterion are obvious and can not be neglected. The conclusions of this paper provide a new way for the reliability judgment of yield on rock m＇ass.     

AN ACCURATE TWO-DIMENSIONAL THEORY OF VIBRATIONS OF ISOTROPIC,ELASTIC PLATES

An infinite system of two-dimensional equations of motion of isotropic elastic plates with edge and corner conditions are deduced from the three-dimensional equations of elasticity by expansion of displacements in a series of trigonometrical functions and a linear function of the thickness coordinate of the plate. The linear term in the expansion is to accommodate the in-plane displacements induced by the rotation of the plate normal in low-frequency flexural motions. A system of first-order equations of flexural motions and accompanying boundary conditions are extracted from the infinite system. It is shown that the present system of equations is equivalent to the Mindlin’s first-order equations, and the dispersion relation of straight-crested waves of the present theory is identical to that of the Mindlin’s without introducing any corrections. Reduction of present equations and boundary conditions to those of classical plate theories of flexural motions is also presented.     

Size effect of lattice material and minimum weight design

The size effects of microstructure of lattice materials on structural analysis and minimum weight design are studied with extented multiscale finite element method（EMsFEM） in the paper. With the same volume of base material and configuration, the structural displacement and maximum axial stress of micro-rod of lattice structures with different sizes of microstructure are analyzed and compared.It is pointed out that different from the traditional mathematical homogenization method, EMsFEM is suitable for analyzing the structures which is constituted with lattice materials and composed of quantities of finite-sized micro-rods.The minimum weight design of structures composed of lattice material is studied with downscaling calculation of EMsFEM under stress constraints of micro-rods. The optimal design results show that the weight of the structure increases with the decrease of the size of basic sub-unit cells. The paper presents a new approach for analysis and optimization of lattice materials in complex engineering constructions.     

Laboratory of Solid Lubrication in Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences(A Brief Introduction)

Laboratory of solid lubrication was established in Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences with the ratification of Chinese Academy of Sciences in August 1987. Research Professor Yan Dongsheng, specially invited consultant and the member of the division of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the honorary director of this laboratory. Associate research professors Xue Qunji and Gu Zeming of Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics are the head and the deputy head of this laboratory. The academic committee of the laboratory consists of 18 scientists at home and abroad (cf. appendix 1). Research professor Dang Hongxin, the vice-chairman of Chinese Society of Tribology of CMES, is the head of this committee.     

Dynamic torsional response of pre-strained end bearing pile embedded in pre-strained isotropic saturated soil medium

The influence of initial strain state on the dynamic response of an end bearing pile embedded in isotropic saturated soil is investigated through the linearized theory of small elastic perturbation superposed on largely stressed bodies. The governing equations for soil, based on Blot＇s poroelasticity theory, are derived in the cylindrical coordinates, and the pile is modeled by using the one-dimensional elastic theory. The analytical solutions of pile impedance, frequency response of both twist angle and time history of velocity response are obtained by using of separation of variables technique. Finally, a parametric study of the influence of initial strains on the torsional impedance, twist angle, and velocity response at the top of the pile is carried out.     

Characteristic fractional step finite difference method for nonlinear section coupled system

For the section coupled system of multilayer dynamics of fluids in porous media, a parallel scheme modified by the characteristic finite difference fractional steps is proposed for a complete point set consisting of coarse and fine partitions. Some tech- niques, such as calculus of variations, energy method, twofold-quadratic interpolation of product type, multiplicative commutation law of difference operators, decomposition of high order difference operators, and prior estimates, are used in theoretical analysis. Optimal order estimates in 12 norm are derived to show accuracy of the second order approximation solutions. These methods have been used to simulate the problems of migration-accumulation of oil resources.     

Transition sets of bifurcations of dynamical systems with two state variables with constraints

Bifurcation of periodic solutions widely exists in nonlinear dynamical systems.In this paper, categories of bifurcations of systems with two state variables with differenttypes of constraints are discussed, where some new types of transition sets are added.Additionally, the bifurcation properties of two-dimensional systems without constraintsare compared with the ones with constraints. The results obtained in this paper can beused by engineers for the choice of the structural parameters of the systems.     

Nonlinear aeroelastic analysis of a two-dimensional wing with control surface in supersonic flow

Based on the piston theory of supersonic flow and the energy method, a two dimensional wing with a control surface in supersonic flow is theoretically modeled, in which the cubic stiffness in the torsional direction of the control surface is considered. An approximate method of the cha- otic response analysis of the nonlinear aeroelastic system is studied, the main idea of which is that under the condi- tion of stable limit cycle flutter of the aeroelastic system, the vibrations in the plunging and pitching of the wing can approximately be considered to be simple harmonic excita- tion to the control surface. The motion of the control surface can approximately be modeled by a nonlinear oscillation of one-degree-of-freedom. The range of the chaotic response of the aeroelastic system is approximately determined by means of the chaotic response of the nonlinear oscillator. The rich dynamic behaviors of the control surface are represented as bifurcation diagrams, phase-plane portraits and PS diagrams. The theoretical analysis is verified by the numerical results.