The aim of the present investigation was to develop a microsponge delivery system of acyclovir to control its release when applied topically thereby reducing dosing frequency and enhancement patient compliance. The microsponges were produced by the oil in oil emulsion solvent diffusion method. The effect of different formulation and process variables such as internal phase volume, polymer type, drug-polymer ratio, stirring speed and stirring duration on microsponge production yield, loading efficiency, particle size and in-vitro drug release was evaluated. The result showed that the microsponge F2 prepared from Eudrajet RS polymer had optimum physical properties regarding the loading efficiency of 99.71_+ 0.7% and product

Trajectory tracking and vibration suppression are essential objectives in a flexible joint manipulator control. The flexible joint manipulator is an under-actuated system, in which the number of control actions is less than the degree of freedom to be controlled. It is very challenging to control the underactuated nonlinear system with two degree of freedom. This paper presents a hierarchical sliding mode control (HSMC) for a rotary flexible joint manipulator (RFJM). Firstly, the rotary flexible joint manipulator is modeled by two subsystems. Secondly, the sliding surfaces for both subsystems are constructed. Finally, the control action is designed based on the Lyapunov function. Computer simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of

The free piston engine linear generator (FPELG) is a simple engine structure with few components, making it a promising power generation system. However, because the engine works without a crankshaft, the handling of the piston motion control (PMC) is the main challenge influencing the stability and performance of FPELGs. In this article, the optimal operating parameters of FPELG for maximising engine performance and reducing exhaust gas emissions were studied. Moreover, the influence of adding hydrogen (H2) to compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel on FPELG performance was investigated. The influence of operating parameters on in-cylinder pressure was also analysed. The single-piston FPELG fuelled by CNG blended with H2 was used to run the expe

This paper studies the effect of contact areas on the transient response of mechanical structures. Precisely, it investigates replacing the ordinary beam of a structure by two beams of half the thickness, which are joined by bolts. The response of these beams is controlled by adjusting the tightening of the connecting bolts and hence changing the magnitude of the induced frictional force between the two beams which affect the beams damping capacity. A cantilever of two beams joined together by bolts has been investigated numerically and experimentally. The numerical analysis was performed using ANSYS-Workbench version 17.2. A good agreement between the numerical and experimental results has been obtained. In general, results s

ABSTRACT:. The Lower Cretaceous Zubair formation is comprised of sandstones intercalated with shale sequences. The main challenges that were encountered while drilling into this formation included severe wellbore instability-related issues across the weaker formations overlaying the reservoir section (pay zone). These issues have a significant impact on well costs and timeline. In this paper, a comprehensive geomechanical study was carried out to understand the causes of the wellbore failure and to improve drilling design and drilling performance on further development wells in the field. Failure criteria known as Mogi-Coulomb was used to determine an operating mud weight window required for safe drilling. The accuracy of the geomechanical

 Anew mathematical formula was proposed to describe the behavior of the extinction coefficient as a function of ambient temperature and wavelengths for some of infrared materials. This formula was derived depending on some experimental data of transmittance spectrum versus wavelengths for many ambient temperatures. The extensive study of the spectrum characteristics and depending on Bose-Einstein distribution led to derive an equation connecting the extinction coefficient or the absorption coefficient with the ambient temperature and wavelengths of the incident rays. The basic assumption in deriving process is the decreasing in transmittance value with the increasing temperature which is only due to the changing in extinction coeffi

The influence of different thickness (500, 1000, 1500, and 2000) nm on the electrical conductivity and Hall effect measurements have been investigated on the films of copper indium gallium selenide CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS) for x= 0.6.The films were produced using thermal evaporation technique on glass substrates at R.T from (CIGS) alloy. The electrical conductivity (σ), the activation energies (Ea1, Ea2), Hall mobility and the carrier concentration are investigated and calculated as function of thickness. All films contain two types of transport mechanisms of free carriers, and increases films thickness was fond to increase the electrical cAnductivity whereas the activation energy (Ea) would vary with films thickness. Hall Effect analysis resu

   The influence of different thickness (500, 1000, 1500, and 2000) nm on the electrical conductivity and Hall effect measurements have been investigated on the films of copper indium gallium selenide CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS) for x= 0.6.The films were produced using thermal evaporation technique on glass substrates at R.T from (CIGS) alloy.     The electrical conductivity (σ), the activation energies (Ea1, Ea2), Hall mobility and the carrier concentration are investigated and calculated as function of thickness. All films contain two types of transport mechanisms of free carriers, and increase films thickness was fond to increase the electrical conductivity whereas the activation energy (Ea) would vary with f

The present study devoted to determine the ultimate lateral carrying capacity of piles foundation in contaminated clayey soils and subjected to lateral cyclical loading. Two methods have been used to calculate the lateral carrying capacity of piles foundation; the first one is two-line slopes intersection method (TLSI) and the second method is a modified model of soil degradation. The model proposed by Heerama and then developed by Smith has been modified to take into consideration the effects of heavy loads and soil contamination. The ultimate lateral carrying capacity of single pile and piles group (2×2) driven into samples of contaminated clayey soils have been calculated by using the two methods. Clayey soil samples are contami