Search

Introduction. The development of the composition of drugs is very difficult and long process. To implement it, it is currently recommended to apply a modern approach – quality through the development of Quality by design. One of the methods for introducing this approach is the use of multifactorial experiments.Aim. The aim of the work was to develop the composition and technology of effervescent tablets using the Minitab program.Materials and methods. For the study used the program Minitab (ver. 18.), Minitab LLC, USA. The program created an experiment plan and evaluated those obtained on the basis of its models using regression analysis.Results and discussion. The composition and technology of effervescent tablets was developed by direct compression using the principles of Quality by design. Algorithms of actions for using the Minitab software package for development are proposed. An experiment plan was constructed and models of the dependence of quality indicators on the composition and technological parameters were generated. The resulting sub-sections were analyzed using regression analysis tools.Conclusion. Based on the results of the work, the composition of effervescent tablets obtained by direct compression technology, as well as the algorithm of drug development in the Minitab program, was proposed.

Numerous natural surfaces possess superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning properties that would be extremely beneficial when applied in industry. Dragonfly wings are one example of such surfaces, and while their general surface structure is known, their precise chemical composition is not. Here, the epicuticular lipids of dragonfly wing membranes were characterized to investigate their significance in contributing to self-cleaning and superhydrophobic properties. After just 10s of lipid extraction using chloroform, the water contact angles exhibited by the wings decreased below the accepted threshold for superhydrophobicity (150°). Infrared spectra collected at the Australian Synchrotron contained characteristic absorption bands of amide, ester and aliphatic hydrocarbons moieties on the wing surfaces, the latter of which was decreased post-extraction with chloroform. GC-MS data analysis revealed that the epicuticular wax components were dominated by n-alkanes with even-numbered carbons, especially n-hexacosane, and palmitic acid. SEM and AFM data analysis conducted on the untreated and chloroform-extracted wing surfaces demonstrated that surface topography changed after extraction; the surface nanostructure was progressively lost with extended extraction times. The data presented here indicate that epicuticular lipids contribute not only to self-cleaning and superhydrophobic properties through their inherent hydrophobic nature, but also by forming the physical structure of the wing surface. This knowledge will be extremely valuable for reconstruction of dragonfly wing structures as a biomimetic template., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)