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Sustained delivery of protein therapeutics remains a largely unsolved problem across anatomic locations. Miniaturized devices that can provide sustained delivery of protein formulations have the potential to address this challenge via minimally invasive administration. In particular, methodologies that can optimize protein formulation independent of device manufacture have the greatest potential to provide a platform suitable for wide applications. The techniques developed here demonstrate the fabrication of tubular devices for sustained release of protein therapeutics. Utilizing a dip-casting process, fine-scale tubes can be reliably produced with wall thickness down to 30 μm. Techniques were developed that enabled effective loading of either solid or liquid formulations, while maintaining a cylindrical form-factor compatible with placement in a 22-gauge needle. Further, highly compacted protein pellets that approach the expected density of the raw materials were produced with a diameter (∼300 μm) suitable for miniaturized devices. Release from a solid-loaded device was capable of sustaining release of a model protein in excess of 400 days. Given significant interest in ocular applications, intravitreal injection was demonstrated in a rabbit model with these devices. In addition, to simulate repeated injections in ocular applications, serial intravitreal injection of two devices in a rabbit model demonstrated acceptable ocular safety without significant intraocular inflammation from clinical exam and histology.

Facing rapid growth in air cargo demand within the global supply chain and limitations of traditional storage location allocation methods, this study proposes an intelligent optimization strategy for storage location allocation. The strategy considers key factors like flight schedules, cargo collection and delivery data, cargo terminal topology, and in-and-out paths. It intelligently allocates each cargo batch to the most suitable location, assigning more flights' cargo to locations near the exit, thereby reducing cargo handling distance and offloading time, and enhancing operational efficiency and cargo handling capacity in the air freight sector. The algorithm, based on the latest optimization theories and techniques, seeks optimal solutions under various constraints. The model and algorithm’s effectiveness is validated through simulation experiments using actual flight data. The results indicate that, compared to traditional strategies, the optimized strategy reduces response time by 62%.

Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) laminated glass is widely used in architectural structures and automotive glass due to its remarkable cushioning and cohesive properties, and its lamination thickness has a significant effect on the overall impact resistance of the glass. In this paper, two conventional laminated glass thicknesses of 0.76 mm and 1.52 mm were selected to study the dynamic performance and damage morphology of laminated glass under three different impact velocities using light gas gun impact tests combined with industrial CT scanning-3D reconstruction techniques. The results showed that the PVB sandwich thickness had a significant positive correlation with the energy absorption effect, but under different impact velocities and glass thickness, the sandwich thickness and impact resistance showed a differentiated "marginal effect". At moderate impact velocities, the impact resistance was most sensitive to the change in sandwich thickness. With the increase in glass thickness, the sensitivity of impact resistance to the change of sandwich thickness decreased. According to the characterization of full-dimensional cracks under medium-velocity impact conditions, it could be seen that the sandwich had the function of buffering dissipation and gathering recovery in different stress directions, and the thickness of the sandwich was a key functional parameter to reduce the flying of glass fragments. Therefore, the results of this study can provide a reference for the analysis and design of the impact resistance of PVB laminated glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For explosion-proof and effective suppression measures in treating magnesium–aluminum alloy, it is of great importance to study the suppression of Mg–Al alloy dust explosions to prevent explosion disasters. The addition of inert solid substances to combustible dust is a measure aimed at preventing and reducing dust explosions. The explosion characteristics and flame propagation characteristics of Mg–Al alloy powder were studied using the Hartmann tube 20 L spherical explosion experimental system. The mechanism for removing sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) during the Mg–Al alloy powder explosion was further studied. The results show that the explosion pressure, the height of the deflagration flame, and the speed at which the flame propagates can be effectively reduced by increasing the percentage of NaHCO3. After the addition of 80% NaHCO3, the flame was suppressed, and the maximum explosion pressure decreased to less than 0.1 MPa, causing a 93% decrease in the maximum flame propagation speed. The process of suppressing NaHCO3 powder on magnesium aluminum alloy dust explosion is relatively complex, starting primarily with physical and chemical suppression. NaHCO3 realizes physical inhibition by reducing ambient temperature and oxygen concentration through the H2O and CO2 generated by decomposition. At the same time, through the cycle of NaO ↔ Na, the transformation from highly active oxygen to low active oxygen is realized. This reduces the activity of the explosive combustion response of Mg–Al alloy powder. At the same time, sodium ions can capture free radicals in explosive responses, reducing the number of free radicals in the reaction system and terminating the combustion reaction chain in advance. The research findings are of great importance for the safety of Mg–Al alloy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]