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This paper investigates the application of online near-infrared measurements as a means to measure blend uniformity in a continuous tableting line. Underlying all the monitoring and control methods is the ability to measure key tablet properties online at a rate suitable for control purposes. The use of NIR to determine any deviations in blend uniformity is demonstrated by interpreting the relevant spectral signature allowing quantitative information to be acquired for process monitoring and quality assurance. In addition to demonstrating the functionality of the NIR probe, the practical issues arising in the application are discussed. The composition of the blend was measured using an NIR probe over a range of concentrations and the results were calculated comparing sub unit dose scale of scrutiny of small populations. This was compared with predicted product quality for whole tablets over the whole production period. This technique has demonstrated how data collected online can be used to successfully predict the quality of the whole production run for the purposes of real-time product quality assurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telerobotic surgery is ideally suited for remote applications in which the instrument control console is stationed separately from the end-effectors at the patient's bedside. However, if the distance between the console and the patient is great enough, a lag effect or latency between end-effector manipulation and the depicted image leads to alterations in movement patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of visual delay on surgical task performance.Methods: At an endoscopic skill station, an analogue delay device was interposed between the surgical field and monitor to delay the transmission of visual information, thus mimicking the distance effect of data transmission. Three surgeons with similar laparoscopic experience participated in the laparoscopic knot tying portion of the study, and seven residents participated in the accuracy and dexterity tasks. The time to complete a single throw was recorded in seconds after adding consecutively increasingly time delay in 50 ms increments. Similar time delay increments were added for the accuracy and dexterity tasks, which involved passing a needle through two adjacent circles and passing a small cylinder through a larger one to reproduce two-handed coordination and spatial resolution. Data were presented as the median time to complete each task.Results: For all three tasks, an incremental increase in time delay was associated with a significant (p < 0.001) increase in the time to complete the task. For dexterity, a statistically significant (p Conclusions: Compensation for visually delayed image perception occurs on several levels. Initial adaptations include slower end-effector manipulation; late adaptive changes include a move-and-wait strategy. Increased time to perform surgical maneuvers as well as diminished accuracy, diminished dexterity, and increasing fatigue represent additional performance encumbrances evoked by visual time delay. The nuances of both human and digital compensatory mechanisms for visual time delay must be defined and enhanced to maximize the potential for telerobotic surgical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on which reported the first empirical demonstration that sex difference in fruit flies is caused by the intensity of selection was variation among males in mate numbers. The study aims to identify the fundamental cause of intramasculine selection which is independent of mating system, and it used different markers in male and female flies. The results of the study were as seen as definitive because certain markers appeared disproportionate among progeny.