The most common treatments for rheumatoid arthritis include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and some biological agents. However, none of the treatments available is able to achieve the ultimate goal of treatment, that is, drug-free remission. This limitation has shifted the focus of treatment to delivery strategies ...

Dengue is the current leading cause of death among children in several Latin American and Asian countries. Due to poverty in areas where the disease is prevalent and the high cost of conventional diagnostic systems, low cost devices are needed to reduce the burden caused by dengue infection. Centrifugal microfluidic platforms are an alternative solution to reduce costs and increase the availabi...

The formulation, processing characteristics, microstructure and mechanical properties of a new structural foam, suitable for use at service temperatures up to 200°C, are reported. In each of these respects, the foam is compared to an existing material, called APO-BMI that is currently in use. When these two foams are directly compared, the new foam, called TEPIC, is found to be superior in its ...

Syntactic foams are particulate composite materials that are extensively integrated in naval and aerospace structures as core materials for sandwich panels. While several studies have demonstrated the potential of syntactic foams as energy absorbing materials in impact tests, our understanding of their response to water impact remains elusive. In this work, we attempt a first characterization o...

Feasibility of introducing compositional gradients to the core of a sandwich structure and the resulting fracture behavior under impact loading conditions is the primary focus of the study. Model sandwich structures comprising of graded core with bilinear variation of volume fraction of hollow microballoons are considered for experimental and numerical simulations. Conventional sandwiches with ...

[1] Dust grains have been observed to levitate above the surface of the Moon and as spokes in Saturn’s rings. In order to gain a better understanding of these observations, we have performed levitation experiments on dust grains in a low-density plasma. Plasma sheath potential profiles, measured by an emissive probe, are used to determine the spatial dependence of the electric force on a grain ...

One common approach to generate lightweight materials with high specific strength and stiffness is the incorporation of stiff hollow microparticles (also known as bubbles or microballoons) into a polymeric matrix. The mechanical properties of these composites, also known as syntactic foams, greatly depend on those of the hollow microparticles. It is critical to precisely control the properties ...

The objective of the present investigation was to design a sustained release floating microcapsules of theophylline using two polymers of different permeability characteristics; Eudragit RL 100 (Eu RL) and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) using the oil-in-oil emulsion solvent evaporation method. Polymers were used separately and in combination to prepare different microcapsules. The effect of d...

the objective of the present investigation was to design a sustained release floating microcapsules of theophylline using two polymers of different permeability characteristics; eudragit rl 100 (eu rl) and cellulose acetate butyrate (cab) using the oil-in-oil emulsion solvent evaporation method. polymers were used separately and in combination to prepare different microcapsules. the effect of d...