Search

In the present investigation, griseofulvin loaded solid dispersion were formulated using mannitol and PVP K30 as the hydrophilic carriers. The best formulation was then loaded in to gel formulation prepared either from carbopol 934P or HPMC. Melting method was adopted to prepare the solid dispersions of griseofulvin. The drug content was found to be highest in the formulation SD6 (94.60±0.7%) and the lowest in formulation SD1 (91.56 ±0.251%). A minimum of 10 fold increase in solubility was witnessed after formulating griseofulvin as SD. The minimum solubility was exhibited by SD1 (0.57±0.04mg/mL) whereas SD6 exhibited the highest solubility (2.09±0.080 mg/mL). SD6 released 47.16±1.167% after 15 min and around 80% drug released at 30 min. Hence SD6 was used for further formulation as gel. The pH value of all gel formulations lies within the 5.29 to 6.81 and they were homogeneous and uniform. The viscosity of the formulations ranged from 491±31 cp to 668±57.5 cp. The maximum amount of drug was released from formulation SDG2 (72.37%) followed by SDG4 (64.91%) by the end of 6th hour of the study. The formulation containing 1.0% of carbopol 934 was the gelling agent was considered to be the best formulation of all the prepared gels.

Amlodipine is a BCS class I oral hypertensive drug widely prescribed for the management of severe hypertension. The need of rapid reduction of elevated blood pressure makes designing of drug delivery systems that can release the drug in systemic circulation in very short span of time very significant. In the present study an endeavor was made to formulate mouth dissolving films (MDFs) containing amlodipine using a natural polymer, xanthan gum as the film forming polymer. Solvent casting method was utilized to formulate the MDFs. A 32 factorial approach was used for preparing the films with concentration of polymer and plasticizer as the independent variables. All the formulations demonstrated quick drug release, rapid disintegration and optimal mechanical strength. The formulations were also found to be able to release almost complete drug content within a period of 10 minutes. The maximum amount of drug was released by AF4 (97%) while AF5 released the lowest amount of drug (90%) in the same period. The results of accelerated stability study exhibited that all the batches of prepared films were stable under the storage conditions.

Buddhism is among the oldest religious traditions of the world. It is based on the life and teachings of Siddharta Gautama. The message of world peace is the greatest contribution of Buddhism to the human civilization. This paper aims to study the spread of Buddhism in the Southeast Asian region and its relations with the ideals of peace in contemporary period. Theoretically paper relies on the post-colonial history writing tradition. It adopts descriptive and analytical method to study the subject matter. Conclusions of the paper are drawn after scrutiny of primary and secondary literatures. A thorough study reveals that Buddhism has a glorious past in the Southeast Asia. The practice of Buddhism in the region was popular even prior to the beginning of recorded history. Different monuments provide tangible evidence, and deep-rooted essence of Buddhism in the socio-cultural practices of the region are intangible testimony to this. Paper argues that inter-religious issues in the region and especially current situation of conflict between people of different faith can be resolved by following philosophy of Buddhism in true sense.

Mangifera indica and Phyllanthus emblica were extracted using 90% ethanol and 1:1, 1:2 and 2:1 ratio of the extract mixture was loaded in to liposomes. These liposomes were formulated as capsule dosage form for use in management of inflammation. The extraction yield for MI and PE were found to be 41.9 and 27.1 % respectively. The total phenolic content in MI and PE extracts were found to be 17.3±0.916 and 34.23±1.908 GAE mg/100g whereas it was found to be 49.2±2.749, 71.76±6.269 and 60.63±4.162 GAE mg/100 g for 1:1, 1:2 and 2:1 ratio mixture of MI and PE respectively. The particle size of the liposomes decreased on increasing the sonication time. The particle size of the liposome formulated using 5 min sonication time was considered optimum and was found to be 3.21 μm for blank liposome. The phenolic content in the liposomes was in harmony with the extract mixture incorporated into the liposome. EL2 exhibited the highest phenolics content. The liposomes were evaluated for stability for a period of 3 months at storage temperature of 4ºC and 40ºC. The liposomes were stable at both the temperature conditions and the particle size of the liposomes did not change significantly over a period of three months. The extract loaded liposomes at 5 min sonication time were blended with magnesium and calcium carbonates to prepare a prefill mixture for the capsules. The prefill blends were evaluated for bulk density, tapped density, angle of repose, Hausner’s ratio and Carr’s Index. All the blends possessed the capability to flow freely and may present no hindrance in capsule filling process. The weight variation of polyherbal liposome filled capsules was between 4.1-4.6 % whereas the disintegration time was found to be between 3.38 to 3.65 min.

This paper seeks to study the India’s security concerns and examines its strategies in the western Indian ocean region. The paper is divided into four parts. The first part defines maritime security. Second part deals with importance of western Indian ocean region for Indian maritime security. The third part undertake India’s strategic interests in the region while fourth part examines how far India has been successful in maintaining security relations with the countries of the region.

The rise in the use of herbal product has also given rise to various forms of abuse and adulteration of the products leading to consumers’ and manufacturers’ disappointment and in some instances fatal consequences. The word “standardized” on a product label is no guarantee of higher product quality, since there is no legal definition of the word “standardized.” Consumers are often left on their own to decide what is safe and effective for them and the lack of consistent labelling on herbal products can be a source of consumer frustration. Certain information such as “the product has been manufactured according to Pharmacopoeia standards,” listing of active ingredients and amounts, directions such as serving quantity (dosage) and frequency of intake of the drug, must be in the label. Herbal drug technology is used for converting botanical materials into medicines, where standardization and quality control with proper integration of modern scientific techniques and traditional knowledge is important. The quality control standards of various medicinal plants used in indigenous system of medicine are becoming more relevant today in view of commercialization of formulations based on medicinal plants. This review seeks to enlighten techniques involved in standardization of crude/finished compound drugs so far, e.g. macroscopic methods, microscopic methods, physical methods, chemical methods, biological methods. Standardization of herbal drugs means confirmation of its identity, quality and purity.

American strategist Alfred Thayer Mahanin his book The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890) argued that ‘the sea power provides the basis of national power’. His conception of naval policy wa...

Development of self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is reported with the aim to achieve enhanced dissolution rate. The optimized composition of liquid SNEDDS (L-SNEDDS) formulation was Labrafil M1944 CS, 47% v/v Tween 80, 27% v/v Transcutol P, and 0.1% v/v DHA. L-SNEDDS were solidified using Syloid XDP 3150 as solid porous carrier. The droplet size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, percentage drug loading, and cloud point for L-SNEDDS were found to be 43.51 ± 1.36 nm, 0.186 ± 0.053, -19.20 ± 1.21 mV, 93.23 ± 1.71, and 88.60 ± 2.54 °C, respectively. Similarly, for solid SNEDDS (S-SNEDDS) the above parameters were found to be 57.32 ± 1.87 nm, 0.261 ± 0.043, -16.60 ± 2.18 mV, 91.23 ± 1.88, and 89.50 ± 1.18 °C, respectively. The formulations (L-SNEDDS, S-SNEDDS powder, and S-SNEDDS tablet) showed significant (

Additive manufacturing is a very popular word in the present day as various researchers are focused on this field all around the world. Every new researcher coming to this field of additive manufacturing is busy in developing new methods and techniques to make it more versatile and efficient in terms of applicability. Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process, a new addition to the AM processes, is growing rapidly in the field of the metal additive manufacturing process because of its high deposition rate, low equipment cost compared to laser and electron beam, saving lead time, high BTF (buy-to-fly) ratio, no limit on part size, and many other advantages. In this study, a wire arc additive manufacturing system based on cold metal transfer gas metal arc welding technology was used to fabricate a solid block component with ER70S6 MS alloy welding wire. This study presents the investigation on anisotropy behavior of resulted microstructure and mechanical properties including tensile, impact, and hardness of the manufactured block component. The samples were taken along the parallel and perpendicular to the welding direction. The tensile properties of the samples were found almost uniform in both the directions with values of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), and elongation (%E) found to be 510 ± 5 MPa, 373 ± 5 MPa, and 37% ± 2%, respectively. The average Vickers hardness values at 10 kg load in parallel and perpendicular directions were found around 80 and 72 kg/mm2. The impact toughness at −30℃ was found to be 148 and 170 J in the parallel and perpendicular direction. The toughness obtained is much higher than the required minimum impact strength of 80 J at the subzero temperature as per the AWS requirement for the used ER70S6 welding wire. The microstructure observed in welded samples is ferrite and bainite which consists inside and along the prior austenite grain boundaries. Mostly grains were elongated in the welding direction. From the present work, it is evident that the near-net-shape component fabricated with the WAAM process has quite acceptable mechanical properties without much effect of directionality.

Poor aqueous solubility and gastrointestinal lability of drugs meant for oral administration are consistent challenges for formulation scientists and regulatory authorities. In view of this, several endeavors have been made in the past, including development of nanosuspension, complexes, solid dispersions, and nanocrystals, to improve oral bioavailability of these drugs. Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) have been extensively explored to improve the dissolution rate limited bioavailability of drugs. The ease of manufacture, use of inexpensive excipients, thermodynamic stability, and permeation of drugs in the nano range through the lymphatic route has made them unique nanocarriers for oral delivery of poorly soluble drugs. The current chapter discusses composition, preparation techniques, characterization, and applications of SNEDDS.

Outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) started in mid of December 2019 and spread very rapidly across the globe within a month of its outbreak. Researchers all across the globe started working to find out its possible treatments. However, most of initiatives taken were based on various hypotheses and till date no successful treatments have been achieved. Some strategies adopted by China where existing antiviral therapy was initially used to treat COVID-19 have not given very successful results. Researchers from Thailand explored the use of combination of anti-influenza drugs such as Oseltamivir, Lopinavir and Ritonavir to treat it. In some cases, combination therapy of antiviral drugs with chloroquine showed better action against COVID-19. Some of the clinical studies showed very good effect of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19, however, they were not recommended due to serious clinical toxicity. In some cases, use of rho kinase inhibitor, fasudil was found very effective.In some of the countries, antibody-based therapies have proved fairly successful. The use of BCG vaccines came in light; however, they were not found successful due to lack of full-proof mechanistic studies. In Israel as well as in other developed countries, pluristems allogeneic placental expanded cell therapy has been found successful. Some phytochemicals and nutraceuticals have also been explored to treat it. In a recent report, the use of dexamethasone was found very effective in patients suffering from COVID-19. Its effect was most striking among patients on ventilator. The research for vaccines that can prevent the diseaseis still going on. In light of the dynamic trends, present review focuses on etiopathogenesis, factors associated with spreading of the virus, and possible strategies to treat this deadly infection. In addition, it attempts to compile the recent updates on development of drugs and vaccines for the dreaded disease., Highlights • Life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 in host cell have been demonstrated. • CT scan and RT-PCR are very helpful in diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. • Antiviral, antimalarial, antimicrobial and ROCK inhibitors were found very effective. • Dietary supplements such as Glucosamine and Vitamin-C were found effective. • Vaccines such as Canine Corona vaccine and BCG have been found promising. • Cell based, Convalescent plasma and Pluristems allogeneic placental expanded cell therapies are being tested.

Aim of this study is to investigate the interface morphology and joint configuration of dissimilar thickness aluminium alloy 5052-H32 sheets during friction stir spot welding. The investigation begins with the optimization of two important process parameters, viz. tool rpm and dwell time, from welding of similar thickness sheets. Further, different combinations of sheet thicknesses were welded using the optimized parameters. Effect of altering sheet thickness on the mechanical and structural properties were compared with welds of similar sheet thickness. For similar thickness welds, maximum failure load of 4020 N was noted at minimum tool rotational speed of 450 rpm and maximum dwell time of 8 s. The obtained weld zones revealed the presence of hook which was found to vary in its pattern and location for different combinations of sheet thicknesses. Minimum hardness of 63 HV was obtained in the periphery of the thermo-mechanically affected zone and heat-affected zone. In addition, welds with thinner top sheets showed higher load-bearing capacity and wider bonded area as compared to thicker and equal thickness top sheet welds. The maximum failure load of 7160 N was obtained for 1.5 and 2.5-mm-thick top and bottom sheets, respectively. Moreover, three fracture modes were observed in tensile/shear tests, namely interfacial, circumferential and nugget pullout fracture mode. Samples which failed in circumferential and nugget pullout fracture mode showed better joint strength.

Thermal analysis of high temperature electrothermal reactor for magnesium production was carried out in full 3D configuration using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). As the temperature inside the reactor reaches to 1200–1500 K, it becomes difficult to understand and control the heat transfer inside the reactor as the thermocouples were embedded in the insulating layers, much away from the core. The present analysis provides a useful tool to correlate the core temperature with experimental thermocouple readings. The transient state CFD simulation is carried out for the actual pilot scale design of the reactor, considering all the modes of heat transfer-conduction, convection and radiation and actual temperature dependent physical properties of the insulating materials. The heat flux and the spatial temperature profile of the various interfaces of insulation layers were also quantified.

In the present investigation, friction stir welding was carried out for plain carbon steel under variable rotational and traversing speed of tool keeping all other welding parameters same. Microstructural characterization was carried out for welded samples along with determination of microhardness distribution and evaluation of mechanical properties. Weld nugget microstructure principally consisted of ferrite-pearlite, however ferrite grain size and pearlite area fraction were varied depending on welding parameters. Substantial grain growth was found in heat affected zone. Sub-size tensile specimens exhibited improvement in strength; whereas, standard tensile samples showed lowering in strength with respect to parent alloy. Ductility of subsize and standard specimens showed smaller value in comparison to parent alloy and dependent on local microstructural characteristics.

Globalisation has brought significant changes in many facets of our life. It has transformed economic, political and socio-cultural aspects of our generation. Those have been much studied and debated. But another important dynamic--changing family relationships--especially in the context of developing societies is often ignored. Traditionally, in the societies of Asia and Africa the role of women was confined to looking after family affairs such as household works, caretaking of minor children and old persons. In the age of globalisation, women are also becoming career oriented, and, in the last three decades, we see a growing proportion of women in the labour force and the narrowing of the gap between male and female in the work force. However, they also continue to undertake their family responsibilities. Thus, women have to balance between their career and family which often creates a tricky and sometimes problematic situation. The 'social cost' of 'work-family interface' has attracted considerable attention of social scientists in the developed societies but there has been scarcity of research in the developing societies like sub-Saharan Africa.This volume is an effort to build a comprehensive understanding on the issue. The book is divided into four parts addressing different aspects of the issue: (a) work-family interface as a policy issue in sub-Saharan Africa; (b) factors underlying work-family conflict in sub-Saharan Africa; (c) impact of work-family conflict on families and (d) current and plausible coping strategies.First part of the book deals with the work-family interface as a policy issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Zitha Mokomane provides a background to the issue arguing that the 'time-money squeeze' between family responsibilities and work demands often leads to considerable stress leading to 'work-family conflict'. According to Mokomane, a variety of socio-economic and demographic transformations--an increase in the proportion of older people; increasing labour force participation of women; increased migration and urbanisation; increased job insecurity; changing marriage patterns and the increasing proportion of female-headed households; and the high prevalence of HIV and AIDS currently taking place in sub-Saharan Africa--provide an interesting case study of the broader issue of the work- family interface in developing countries having important implications for the reconciliation of work and family responsibilities.Francis Annor uses the case of employed parents in Ghana to analyse the experiences of African parents to manage work responsibilities and family commitments. Purpose of his study, he states, was to examine incidences of work-family conflict, identify sources of demands and support resources within the work and family domains and the role these might play in impeding or facilitating participation in the work and family roles. The findings of his study suggest that, for the majority of these parents, boundaries between the work and family domains were permeable. Thus, negative experiences and strains experienced in one role impacted negatively on performance in the other.The next chapter of the volume by Virginia Mapedzahama provides a cross-cultural comparative perspective on the subject by sharing experiences of working mothers in Australia and Zimbabwe. This chapter highlights that regardless of their socio-economic status, or the degree of hardships they endure, working mothers in developing and developed countries experience surprisingly similar everyday work-family realities, although they tend to employ different coping strategies.Second part of the volume takes up some of the key factors underlying work-family conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. First chapter of this part deals with the 'Working Hours and Work-Family Conflict in the Institutional Context of Nigeria'. Based on their empirical quantitative study of Lagos, Chantal Epie and Afam conclude that stress-related problems, work-family conflict, a feeling of loss of control over one's life and a desire to leave the organisation were all associated with excessively long work hours. …