Estudi de la distribució de components i recobriment en comprimits farmacèutics mitjançant NIR-CI

La qualitat d’un producte elaborat és un factor important, tant pels consumidors, com pels òrgans reguladors que en defineixen normatives cada cop més estrictes. Iniciatives com la del PAT (Process Analytical Technology) en el sector farmacèutic, responen a aquestes necessitats. El PAT afavoreix la implantació de noves tècniques analítiques que facilitin el monitoratge i el control de paràmetres clau in-/on-line durant els processos de producció. En aquest sentit, el NIR-CI (Near Infrarred-Chemical Imaging) podria ser una eina molt útil en la millora de la qualitat de la indústria farmacèutica, ja que aprofita les avantatges del NIR com a tècnica analítica (ràpid, no invasiu, no destructiu) i les aplica a tota la superfície espacial de la mostra. És una tècnica capaç de proporcionar una gran quantitat d’informació, tant espectral com espacial, en una sola imatge. L’objectiu d’aquest treball és avaluar la capacitat de la tècnica NIR-CI, com a eina pel control de paràmetres de qualitat de comprimits farmacèutics. Concretament, s’han analitzat quantitativament la concentració i la distribució dels components (principi actiu i excipients) d’un comprimit farmacèutic amb i sense recobriment. A més, també s’ha determinat el gruix de la pel·lícula de laca de recobriment i la seva distribució a la superfície del comprimit. Per obtenir aquesta informació, es parteix d’imatges NIR-CI hiperespectrals dels comprimits. Per a l’extracció de les dades d’interès s’ha usat l’algoritme PLS en les diferents versions dels softwares Isys 5.0 i Unscrambler 9.8. La versió de l’Isys permet determinar la contribució de cada component pur a cada punt de la imatge, emprant únicament l’espectre del component en estudi. Amb la de l’Unscrambler, en canvi, es construeix un model de calibratge que, a partir d’unes mostres de referència, prediu la distribució del gruix de recobriment sobre la superfície del comprimit.

Technology Catching-up and the Role of Institutions

The aim of the paper is to investigate the role played by differences in Institutional Quality on the process of technology catch-up across countries. Empirical evidence shows how countries endowed with better institutions are those experiencing higher TFP growth rates, faster rates of technology adoption and hence being those more rapidly closing the gap with the frontier. Conversely, countries lacking some minimum institutional level are shown to diverge in the long run and not to catch-up. Some institutions, however, play an ambiguous role in the creation and adoption of technology. We find that the tightening of Intellectual Property Rights reduces the ability of followers to freely imitate technology slowing down their catchup rate. This negative effect is stronger the farther the countriesare found from the frontier. Other institutional categories such as openness to trade, instead, benefit both leaders and followers.

Technologies de procédé et de contrôle pour réduire la teneur en sel du jambon sec et des saucissons

Dans certains pays européens, les produits carnés élaborés peuvent représenter près de 20% de la consommation journalière de sodium. De ce fait, les industries de la viande tentent de réduire la teneur en sel dans les produits carnés pour répondre, d’une part aux attentes des consommateurs et d’autre part aux demandes des autorités sanitaires. Le système Quick‐Dry‐Slice process (QDS®), couplé avec l’utilisation de sels substituant le chlorure de sodium (NaCl), a permis de fabriquer, avec succès, des saucisses fermentées à basse teneur en sel en réduisant le cycle de fabrication et sans ajout de NaCl supplémentaire. Les technologies de mesure en ligne non destructives, comme les rayons X et l’induction électromagnétique, permettent de classifier les jambons frais suivant leur teneur en gras, un paramètre crucial pour adapter la durée de l’étape de salaison. La technologie des rayons X peut aussi être utilisée pour estimer la quantité de sel incorporée pendant la salaison. L’information relative aux teneurs en sel et en gras est importante pour optimiser le processus d’élaboration du jambon sec en réduisant la variabilité de la teneur en sel entre les lots et dans un même lot, mais aussi pour réduire la teneur en sel du produit final. D’autres technologies comme la spectroscopie en proche infrarouge (NIRS) ou spectroscopie microondes sont aussi utiles pour contrôler le processus d’élaboration et pour caractériser et classifier les produits carnés élaborés, selon leur teneur en sel. La plupart de ces technologies peuvent être facilement appliquées en ligne dans l’industrie afin de contrôler le processus de fabrication et d’obtenir ainsi des produits carnés présentant les caractéristiques recherchées.

Transferring QTL technology to the pig breeding industry (PigQTech) - a demonstration project

The aim of the project has been to demonstrate how the farm animal breeding industry can utilise gene mapping technology to accelerate genetic improvement. Previous theoretical studies had suggested that the use of marker assisted selection could potentially increase the annual improvement for quantitative traits like backfat with about 10% and for more difficult traits such as meat quality and reproduction by as much as 40-60% compared with existing technology. The work has comprised two major tasks: 1. Commercially relevant populations have been screened for segregation at QTLs identified in experimental populations. The aim has been to establish optimal strategies for QTL detection in commercial pig populations and the extent to which QTLs explaining major phenotypic differences between divergent lines used in experimental studies also explain quantitative variation within commercial lines. The results are important for specifying future strategies for finding economically valuable QTLs. 2. Marker assisted backcrossing has been used to demonstrate how a QTL allele can be introgressed from one breed to another. The work has focused on the major fatness QTL on pig chromosome 4 previously identified in a wild pig/Large White intercross. The end result was not designed to be a commercially viable product in its own right, but the process has validated a number of points of major importance for the exploitation of QTLs in livestock.

Interlinkages and forecasting made possible by the use of the DECOIN analytical tool kit

This technical report is a document prepared as a deliverable [D4.3 Report of the Interlinkages and forecasting prototype tool] of a EU project – DECOIN Project No. 044428 - FP6-2005-SSP-5A. The text is divided into 4 sections: (1) this short introductory section explains the purpose of the report; (2) the second section provides a general discussion of a systemic problem found in existing quantitative analysis of sustainability. It addresses the epistemological implications of complexity, which entails the need of dealing with the existence of Multiple-Scales and non-equivalent narratives (multiple dimensions/attributes) to be used to define sustainability issues. There is an unavoidable tension between a “steady-state view” (= the perception of what is going on now – reflecting a PAST --& PRESENT view of the reality) versus an “evolutionary view” (= the unknown transformation that we have to expect in the process of becoming of the observed reality and in the observer – reflecting a PRESENT --& FUTURE view of the reality). The section ends by listing the implications of these points on the choice of integrated packages of sustainability indicators; (3) the third section illustrates the potentiality of the DECOIN toolkit for the study of sustainability trade-offs and linkages across indicators using quantitative examples taken from cases study of another EU project (SMILE). In particular, this section starts by addressing the existence of internal constraints to sustainability (economic versus social aspects). The narrative chosen for this discussion focuses on the dark side of ageing and immigration on the economic viability of social systems. Then the section continues by exploring external constraints to sustainability (economic development vs the environment). The narrative chosen for this discussion focuses on the dark side of current strategy of economic development based on externalization and the “bubbles-disease”; (4) the last section presents a critical appraisal of the quality of energy data found in energy statistics. It starts with a discussion of the general goal of statistical accounting. Then it introduces the concept of multipurpose grammars. The second part uses the experience made in the activities of the DECOIN project to answer the question: how useful are EUROSTAT energy statistics? The answer starts with an analysis of basic epistemological problems associated with accounting of energy. This discussion leads to the acknowledgment of an important epistemological problem: the unavoidable bifurcations in the mechanism of accounting needed to generate energy statistics. By using numerical example the text deals with the following issues: (i) the pitfalls of the actual system of accounting in energy statistics; (ii) a critical appraisal of the actual system of accounting in BP statistics; (iii) a critical appraisal of the actual system of accounting in Eurostat statistics. The section ends by proposing an innovative method to represent energy statistics which can result more useful for those willing develop sustainability indicators.

Incentives in university technology transfers

There are two main ways in which the knowledge created in universities has been transferred to firms: licensing agreements and the creation of spin-offs. In this paper, we describe the main steps in the transfer of university innovations, the main incentive issues that appear in this process, and the contractual solutions proposed to address them.

Analysing the innovation process in the EU Integrated Programme, ISAFRUIT

ISAFRUIT is an integrated European Union Project focussed on increasing fruit consumption as a means to improve human health, through evaluating the fruit chain and addressing bottlenecks therein.The innovations which are being developed throughout the ISAFRUIT Project have been analysed to determine both the success factors and the obstacles in reaching the commercialisation stage. Only 9.58% of the deliverables planned within the Project were focussed on developing technological innovations.There is evidence, however, of successes in the development of new innovations arising from the ISAFRUIT Project, with several other potential innovations in the pipeline. Of the technologies identified, 67% are still at the “invention stage”; that is, the stage prior to bridging the so-called “valley of death”, the stage between an invention and an innovation. Those which are considered to have moved over the “valley of death” either had industry partners included in the Project, or had consulted with industry to ensure that the technology was relevant, or met a recognised industry need. Many of the technologies which made less progress did not have the same interactions with industry. A number of other issues were identified which prevented further progress towards innovation. The need for scientists to publish scientific papers, both for their career pathways and to increase their chances of future funding, was identified as one issue, although the filing of patents is now becoming more accepted and recognised. The patenting system is considered complex by many scientists and is not well-understood. Finally, agreements between partners on the sharing of intellectual property rights can cause a delay in the innovation process.

Productivity in southern European small firms: When and how work organization complements process innovation

The aim of this paper is to analyse the effects of human capital, advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT), and new work organizational practices on firm productivity, while taking into account the synergies existing between them. This study expands current knowledge in this area in two ways. First, in contrast with previous works, we focus on AMT and not ICT (information and communication technologies). Second, we use a unique employer-employee data set for small firms in a particular area of southern Europe (Catalonia, Spain). Using a small firm data set, allows us to analyse the particular case of small and medium enterprises, since we cannot assume they have the same characteristics as large firms. The results provide evidence in favor of the complementarity hypothesis between human capital, advanced manufacturing technologies, and new work organization practices, although we show that the complementarity effects depend on what type of work organization practices are used by a firm. For small and medium Catalan firms, the only set of work organization practices that improve the benefits of human capital and technology investment are those practices which are more quality oriented, such as quality circles, problem-solving groups or total quality management.

PERSONAL(ONTO) : Personalizing the Learning Process in Virtual Environments by means of Adaptive Formative Itineraries based on Reusable Learning Objects and Ontologies TIN2006-15107-C02

Personalization in e-learning allows the adaptation of contents, learning strategiesand educational resources to the competencies, previous knowledge or preferences of the student. This project takes a multidisciplinary perspective for devising standards-based personalization capabilities into virtual e-learning environments, focusing on the conceptof adaptive learning itinerary, using reusable learning objects as the basis of the system and using ontologies and semantic web technologies.

Use of NIR spectroscopy and multivariate process spectra calibration methodology for pharmaceutical solid samples analysis

Accomplish high quality of final products in pharmaceutical industry is a challenge that requires the control and supervision of all the manufacturing steps. This request created the necessity of developing fast and accurate analytical methods. Near infrared spectroscopy together with chemometrics, fulfill this growing demand. The high speed providing relevant information and the versatility of its application to different types of samples lead these combined techniques as one of the most appropriated. This study is focused on the development of a calibration model able to determine amounts of API from industrial granulates using NIR, chemometrics and process spectra methodology.

Spanish unemployment : normative versus analytical regionalisation procedures

In applied regional analysis, statistical information is usually published at different territorial levels with the aim providing inforamtion of interest for different potential users. When using this information, there are two different choices: first, to use normative regions ( towns, provinces, etc.) or, second, to design analytical regions directly related with the analysed phenomena. In this paper, privincial time series of unemployment rates in Spain are used in order to compare the results obtained by applying yoy analytical regionalisation models ( a two stages procedure based on cluster analysis and a procedure based on mathematical programming) with the normative regions available at two different scales: NUTS II and NUTS I. The results have shown that more homogeneous regions were designed when applying both analytical regionalisation tools. Two other obtained interesting results are related with the fact that analytical regions were also more estable along time and with the effects of scales in the regionalisation process

Thermal modeling and management in ultrathin chip stack technology

This paper presents a thermal modeling for power management of a new three-dimensional (3-D) thinned dies stacking process. Besides the high concentration of power dissipating sources, which is the direct consequence of the very interesting integration efficiency increase, this new ultra-compact packaging technology can suffer of the poor thermal conductivity (about 700 times smaller than silicon one) of the benzocyclobutene (BCB) used as both adhesive and planarization layers in each level of the stack. Thermal simulation was conducted using three-dimensional (3-D) FEM tool to analyze the specific behaviors in such stacked structure and to optimize the design rules. This study first describes the heat transfer limitation through the vertical path by examining particularly the case of the high dissipating sources under small area. First results of characterization in transient regime by means of dedicated test device mounted in single level structure are presented. For the design optimization, the thermal draining capabilities of a copper grid or full copper plate embedded in the intermediate layer of stacked structure are evaluated as a function of the technological parameters and the physical properties. It is shown an interest for the transverse heat extraction under the buffer devices dissipating most the power and generally localized in the peripheral zone, and for the temperature uniformization, by heat spreading mechanism, in the localized regions where the attachment of the thin die is altered. Finally, all conclusions of this analysis are used for the quantitative projections of the thermal performance of a first demonstrator based on a three-levels stacking structure for space application.

Residual Stress Measurement on a MEMS Structure With High-Spatial Resolution

A new approach to the local measurement of residual stress in microstructures is described in this paper. The presented technique takes advantage of the combined milling-imaging features of a focused ion beam (FIB) equipment to scale down the widely known hole drilling method. This method consists of drilling a small hole in a solid with inherent residual stresses and measuring the strains/displacements caused by the local stress release, that takes place around the hole. In the presented case, the displacements caused by the milling are determined by applying digital image correlation (DIC) techniques to high resolution micrographs taken before and after the milling process. The residual stress value is then obtained by fitting the measured displacements to the analytical solution of the displacement fields. The feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated on a micromachined silicon nitride membrane showing that this method has high potential for applications in the field of mechanical characterization of micro/nanoelectromechanical systems.