Solid bridge formation between spray-dried sodium carbonate particles

Moisture migration caking of pharmaceutical excipients in the absence of load is a significant quality and stability issue. This study uses Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to examine a solid bridge formed between two 20µm spray-dried sodium carbonate particles. The bridge is grown by repeatedly exposing the system to 70% RH and 30% RH cycles at 25?C. A comparison is made with the idealised bridge model developed by Tanaka (1978) which was previously verified using crystalline systems. The resulting system was found to be more complex and grew in two stages. The first stage consisted of linear growth to 5 cycles, followed by a more gradual expansion and the appearance of crystalline structures.

Developments towards practical free-space quantum cryptography

We describe a free space quantum cryptography system which is designed to allow continuous unattended key exchanges for periods of several days, and over ranges of a few kilometres. The system uses a four-laser faint-pulse transmission system running at a pulse rate of 10MHz to generate the required four alternative polarization states. The receiver module similarly automatically selects a measurement basis and performs polarization measurements with four avalanche photodiodes. The controlling software can implement the full key exchange including sifting, error correction, and privacy amplification required to generate a secure key.

Effects of dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), α-lipoic acid. N-acetyl cysteine and ascorbate on xenobiotic-mediated methaemoglobin formation in human erythrocytes in vitro

α-Lipoic acid, dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), N-acetyl cysteine and ascorbate were compared with methylene blue for their ability to attenuate and/or reduce methaemoglobin formation induced by sodium nitrite, 4-aminophenol and dapsone hydroxylamine in human erythrocytes. Neither α-lipoic acid, DHLA, N-acetyl cysteine nor ascorbate had any significant effects on methaemoglobin formed by nitrite, either from pre-treatment, simultaneous addition or post 30 min addition of the agents up to the 60 min time point, although N-acetyl cysteine did reduce methaemoglobin formation at 120 min (P<0.05). In all three treatment groups at 30, 60 and 120 min, there were no significant effects mediated by DHLA or N-acetyl cysteine on 4-aminophenol (1 mM)-mediated haemoglobin oxidation. Ascorbate caused marked significant reductions in 4-aminophenol methaemoglobin in all treatment groups at 30-120 min except at 30 min in the simultaneous addition group (P<0.0001). Neither α-lipoic acid, nor N-acetyl cysteine showed any effects on hydroxylamine-mediated methaemoglobin formation at 30 and 60 in all treatment groups. In contrast, DHLA significantly reduced hydroxylamine-mediated methaemoglobin formation at all three time points after pre-incubation and simultaneous addition (P<0.001), while ascorbate was ineffective. Compared with methylene blue, which was effective in reducing methaemoglobin formation by all three toxins (P<0.01), ascorbate was only highly effective against 4-aminophenol mediated methaemoglobin, whilst the DHLA-mediated attenuation of dapsone hydroxylamine-mediated methaemoglobin formation indicates a possible clinical application in high-dose dapsone therapy. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sobre Κρῆτες de Sófocles

En este artículo se estudia una obra atribuida a Sófocles titulada Κρῆτες (Los cretenses), una tragedia sólo conocida por dos dudosos testimonios de Hesiquio y Ateneo de Náucratis. A finales del siglo xviii una nueva lectura de ambos los adscribía a otra tragedia, con lo que se negaba la existencia de Κρῆτες. A pesar de esto, este título se sigue manteniendo en las ediciones de la obra sofoclea, ahora relacionado con nuevos hallazgos de fragmentos papiráceos del autor. Nuestro objetivo es el de analizar los testimonios en profundidad para concluir si la obra pudo o no haberse escrito.

The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey. XV. VFTS 822: A candidate Herbig B[e] star at low metallicity

We report the discovery of the B[e] star VFTS 822 in the 30 Doradus star-forming region of the Large Magellanic Cloud, classified by optical spectroscopy from the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey and complementary infrared photometry. VFTS 822 is a relatively low-luminosity (log L = 4.04 ± 0.25 L_·) B8[e] star. In this Letter, we evaluate the evolutionary status of VFTS 822 and discuss its candidacy as a Herbig B[e] star. If the object is indeed in the pre-main sequence phase, it would present an exciting opportunity to spectroscopically measure mass accretion rates at low metallicity, to probe the effect of metallicity on accretion rates. 

Le d��sir d'éternité : réflexion autour de la notion de plénitude chez Charles Taylor

Ce mémoire engage une réflexion sur la plénitude dans la pensée de Charles Taylor, et plus particulièrement dans son maître ouvrage L’âge séculier. L’id��e de plénitude y est intimement liée à celles de modernité, de croyance et d���incroyance. C’est que, pour Taylor, comprendre la modernité implique de saisir le changement qui nous a permis de passer d���un contexte dans lequel il était impensable de ne pas croire en Dieu à un contexte dans lequel la croyance n’est qu’une option. Ce changement tourne essentiellement autour d���une modification de notre représentation de la plénitude. Qu’est-ce que la plénitude pour notre auteur ? Elle est la condition à laquelle tend tout homme et implique une réponse, tacite ou pas, à la question du sens de la vie. Mon principal objectif sera de saisir la nature de la plénitude telle que la conçoit Taylor. Je montrerai que la double d��finition de la plénitude dans L’âge séculier génère une certaine tension entre la plénitude conçue comme un événement unique et comme une aspiration constante vers le sens (qui correspond aussi au bien). Je proposerai une résolution de cette tension à travers une compréhension de la plénitude qui vise à en restituer l’unité fondamentale, l’id��e étant de saisir la plénitude comme événement unique et comme aspiration constante au sens, non pas séparément, mais dans leur relation. Ce mod��le d���interprétation, fourni par l’id��e d���éternité, que l’on retrouve aussi dans L’âge séculier, me conduira à établir une coïncidence entre la poursuite de la plénitude et le d��sir d���éternité. Tous deux ont le même but fondamental : à travers l’inscription de moments qualitativement privilégiés et uniques, constitutifs de la vie, dans la totalité de cette vie, ils visent à en d��voiler le sens et à lui conférer une certaine pérennité. À plus forte raison, ce que j’entends montrer à travers la coïncidence entre plénitude et éternité, c’est que la quête de plénitude n’engage pas nécessairement la perspective religieuse d��ployée dans L’âge séculier, mais plutôt une forme de transcendance que l’on pourrait qualifier de « temporelle ».

1.3 John D. Taylor, Democrat, MO House of Representatives, 39th District

However, the State of Missouri was not going to go down without a fight. In mid- January, 1939, John D. Taylor, a representative from Keytesville, MO, introduced a bill in the Missouri legislature designed to postpone integration of the University. Taylor, chairman of the House Appropriations committee, proudly called himself “an unreconstructed rebel.” Taylor’s proposal, House Bill No. 195, authorized Lincoln University to “establish whatever graduate and professional schools are necessary to the equivalent of the University of Missouri.”