Empowerment: Freud, Canguilhem and Lacan on the ideal of health promotion

Empowerment is a prominent ideal in health promotion. However, the exact meaning of this ideal is often not made explicit. In this paper, we outline an account of empowerment grounded in the human capacity to adapt and adjust to environmental and societal norms without being completely determined by those norms. Our account reveals a tension at the heart of empowerment between (a) the ability of self-governance and (b) the need to adapt and adjust to environmental and societal norms. We address this tension by drawing from the work of Freud, Canguilhem, and Lacan. First, we clarify through a discussion of Freud's notion of sublimation that it is difficult to assess empowerment independent of any social valuations, but also that it is no less problematic to make it dependent on social valuations alone. Second, we draw from the work of Canguilhem to show how empowerment can be understood in terms of the individual's capacity to tolerate the aggressions of a multiplicity of environments. Third, using Lacan, we show how empowerment requires incorporation of social and symbolic norms, without necessarily rendering ourselves a mere product of these norms. Finally, we demonstrate how the views of these authors can complement one another, resulting in a more sophisticated understanding of empowerment.

The effect of particle size on the sublimation behavior of butylhydroxytoluene as antioxidant in tablets during storage and coating

The effect of particle size on the sublimation behavior of butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) was investigated when BHT was included as antioxidant in tablets. Sublimation of pure BHT was found to be independent of its particle size, with pore formation on the surface of all tablets after storage at room temperature and above. Moreover, a higher residual BHT content after storage was detected in tablets containing a larger size fraction. X-ray µCT scans revealed the formation of peripherally larger pores at higher BHT particle sizes, implying a slower sublimation rate in the tablet core. A stability study indicated an increase in the extent of BHT sublimation at higher temperature and longer exposure time for all size fractions. The influence of BHT particle size was more pronounced when the tablets were stored at higher temperature, but the effect receded with longer exposure time. Similar trends were seen in film-coated tablets. Due to the short exposure time to elevated temperatures, a gradient in pore size was also observed at smaller particle sizes, with peripheral pores being larger in uncoated tablets. Superficial pores disappeared when a film coating was deposited onto the tablets. After storage of the film-coated tablets, less BHT had sublimated compared to the uncoated tablet. The coating layer did not prevent sublimation, but the process was slowed down.

Inhibiting Sublimation of Thymol by Cocrystallization

A thymol:4,4'-dipyridyl (2:1) cocrystal (Form I) is reported to suppress thymol sublimation. The cocrystal was prepared via solution-mediated phase transformation and its structure is sustained by O-H (phenol) ··· N (pyridyl) hydrogen bonds between two individual components. A cocrystal polymorph (Form II) was formed via solid state transformation or via vapor phase upon heating. Using gravimetry analysis, it was demonstrated that cocrystal Form I decreased the sublimation rate of thymol by 38-fold. This study demonstrates that cocrystallization is an effective approach to reduce vapor pressure and sublimation of solids, thus achieving odor-masking.

The Principles of Freeze-Drying and Application of Analytical Technologies

Freeze-drying is a complex process despite the relatively small number of steps involved, since the freezing, sublimation, desorption, and reconstitution processes all play a part in determining the success or otherwise of the final product qualities, and each stage can impose different stresses on a product. This is particularly the case with many fragile biological samples, which require great care in the selection of formulation additives such as protective agents and other stabilizers. Despite this, the process is widely used, not least because once any such processing stresses can be overcome, the result is typically a significantly more stable product than was the case with the starting material. Indeed, lyophilization may be considered a gentler method than conventional air-drying methods, which tend to apply heat to the product rather than starting by removing heat as is the case here. Additionally, due to the high surface area to volume ratio, freeze-dried materials tend to be drier than their conventionally dried counterparts and also rehydrate more rapidly. This chapter provides an overview of freeze-drying (lyophilization) of biological specimens with particular reference to the importance of formulation development, characterization, and cycle development factors necessary for the commercial exploitation of freeze-dried products, and reviews the recent developments in analytical methods which have come to underpin modern freeze-drying practice.

[COVID-19 victims: To be or not to be ?]

Dans le cadre du présent travail, nous proposons d’appréhender l’épidémie mondiale de coronavirus de type COVID-19, en tant que phénomène sociobiologique. Pour mener à bien notre réflexion, nous nous appuierons sur une expérience d’écoute psychologique d’orientation psychanalytique menée lors des attentats de Nice ayant eu lieu en 2016, et poursuivie ce jour dans le contexte pandémique actuel. Plus précisément, nous nous pencherons sur le signifiant « victime », avec tout ce qu’il engage comme questionnements quant au sujet. Notre proposition sera de considérer le statut de victime comme une traversée. Au cours de cette dernière, il est important que la souffrance des sujets soit écoutée, reconnue, jugée et indemnisée. Et cela, afin que chacun puisse trouver sa façon singulière de donner sa réponse au réel du virus, tel qu’il s’est imposé à nous ; mais, nous verrons aussi que l’une des conclusions possibles de cette traversée consiste à passer par des formes diverses de sublimation.

Thermal picks for anchoring on icy moons

Europa, Enceladus, and other icy moons are exciting science targets, but our capabilities to adequately explore these planetary bodies needs to be developed. Gripping the surface ice may aid the stability and mobility of surface landers and mobile explorers that are sent to the surface of an icy moon. This paper presents an approach to anchoring into the surface of an icy moon using a heated pick.

The proposed thermodynamic approach contrasts with the traditional mechanical approach to inserting terrestrial ice anchors. This thermodynamic approach maintains the ice structure to provide a reliable hold. The low temperatures and lack of a significant atmosphere on most of the icy moons cause surface conditions to stay below the triple point of water, the primary constituent of the surface ice for both Europa and Enceladus. Under these conditions the surface water ice will sublimate when sufficiently heated. The thermal pick concept presented in this paper is used to study the nature of the sublimation that results from forced insertion of an object into ice, which could then be used as an anchor for stability and mobility.

While the surfaces of the icy moons are composed primarily of water ice at cryogenic and vacuum conditions, the nature of a sublimation process can be more readily examined with frozen CO2, which sublimates under atmospheric conditions. This paper explores the physical phenomena and thermodynamic design considerations of a heated device that uses a sublimation based insertion into frozen CO2 under atmospheric conditions. This approach was found to allow for proper insertion of thermal picks with energetic efficiencies of up to 90%.

Preparation and evaluation of captopril loaded gastro-retentive zein based porous floating tablets

In this study, gastro-retentive porous floating tablets of captopril based on zein are reported using l-menthol as a porogen. Tablets were prepared by the direct compression method. Removing of l-menthol through sublimation process generated pores in tablets, which decreased the density to promote floating over gastric fluid. Prepared tablets showed no floating lag time and prolong total floating time (>24 h). Drug release was found dependent upon porosity of tablets, an increase in porosity of tablets resulted in increased drug release, so it can be tuned by varying concentration of l-menthol. In addition to floating and sustained release properties, porous tablets showed robust mechanical behavior in wet conditions, which can enable them to withstand real gastric environment stress. In vivo studies using New Zealand rabbits also confirmed the prolonged gastric retention (24 h) and plasma drug concentration-time profile showed sustained release of captopril with higher T_max and MRT as compared to marketed immediate-release tablets. Overall, it was concluded that effective gastric retention can be achieved using porous zein tablets using l-menthol as a porogen.

Electrical discharge machining of ceramic nanocomposites: sublimation phenomena and adaptive control

The productivity of electrical discharge machining (EDM) is relatively low owing to the natural laws of electrical erosion. Precise EDM demands uninterrupted control of the discharge gap and adjustment of process parameters. It is particularly critical for processing large workpieces with complex linear surfaces and for materials with threshold conductivities such as the new advanced ceramic nanocomposites Al₂O₃+TiC and Al₂O₃+SiC_w+TiC(30–40%). In these cases, adequate flushing of erosion products is hampered by the geometry of the working space or by the small value of the required discharge gap, which does not exceed 2.2–2.5 μm. The methods of adaptive control in modern computer numerical control systems of EDM equipment based on measuring the electrical parameters in the working zone have been shown to be ineffective in the cases described above. This study aims to investigate the natural phenomena of material sublimation under discharge pulses for conductive ceramics and nanocomposites. The measured conductivities of the samples are higher than the percolation threshold. However, the question of machinability remains open owing to detected processing interruptions and poor quality of machined surfaces. New knowledge on EDM of conductive ceramics and nanocomposites can improve the final quality of the machined surfaces and productivity of the method by the introduction of advanced monitoring and control methods based on acoustic emissions. The manuscript presents an up-to-date overview and current state of the research on the subject area. The obtained morphology of the samples and discussion of the findings complete the experimental part of the study. The scientific basis for a new type of adaptive control system is provided. This can improve the effectiveness of parameter control for machining conductive ceramics and nanocomposites and contribute to an increase in the EDM performance for the most critical cases.

Comparison and evaluation of the quick purification methods of methamphetamine hydrochloride from dimethyl sulfone for spectroscopic identification

Methods to quickly purify methamphetamine hydrochloride from the cutting agent dimethyl sulfone for subsequent identification of confiscated crystalline samples using infrared absorption spectroscopy were compared and evaluated. Although sequential solvation and reprecipitation methods were simple, spectral contamination from dimethyl sulfone was inevitable and might affect the interpretation of the spectra. In addition, methamphetamine hydrochloride and dimethyl sulfone could form a solid solution because of solvation of both crystals into a single solution layer. By contrast, sublimation was an effective method for separation of methamphetamine hydrochloride and dimethyl sulfone. Sublimation combined with infrared absorption spectroscopy enabled rapid identification of crystalline methamphetamine hydrochloride.

Transfer of Asymmetry between Proteinogenic Amino Acids under Harsh Conditions

The heating above 400 °C of serine, cysteine, selenocysteine and threonine leads to a complete decomposition of the amino acids and to the formation in low yields of alanine for the three formers and of 2-aminobutyric acid for the latter. At higher temperature, this amino acid is observed only when sublimable α-alkyl-α-amino acids are present, and with an enantiomeric excess dependent on several parameters. Enantiopure or enantioenriched Ser, Cys, Sel or Thr is not able to transmit its enantiomeric excess to the amino acid formed during its decomposition. The presence during the sublimation-decomposition of enantioenriched valine or isoleucine leads to the enantioenrichment of all sublimable amino acids independently of the presence of many decomposition products coming from the unstable derivative. All these studies give information on a potentially prebiotic key-reaction of abiotic transformations between α-amino acids and their evolution to homochirality.

Study on the volatility of halogenated fluorenes

This work reports the experimental determination of relevant thermophysical properties of five halogenated fluorenes. The vapor pressures of the compounds studied were measured at different temperatures using two different experimental techniques. The static method was used for studying 2-fluorofluorene (liquid and crystal vapor pressures between 321.04 K and 411.88 K), 2-iodofluorene (liquid and crystal vapor pressures between 362.63 K and 413.86 K), and 2,7-dichlorofluorene (crystal vapor pressures between 364.64 K and 394.22 K). The Knudsen effusion method was employed to determine the vapor pressures of 2,7-difluorofluorene (crystal vapor pressures between 299.17 K and 321.19 K), 2,7-diiodofluorene (crystal vapor pressures between 393.19 K and 415.14 K), and (again) 2-iodofluorene (crystal vapor pressures between 341.16 K and 361.12 K). The temperatures and the molar enthalpies of fusion of the five compounds were determined using differential scanning calorimetry. The application to halogenated fluorenes of recently developed methods for predicting vapor pressures and enthalpies of sublimation and vaporization of substituted benzenes is also discussed.

Reliable synthesis of self-running Ga droplets on GaAs (001) in MBE using RHEED patterns

Self-running Ga droplets on GaAs (001) surfaces are repeatedly and reliably formed in a molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) chamber despite the lack of real-time imaging capability of a low-energy electron microscope (LEEM) which has so far dominated the syntheses and studies of the running droplets phenomenon. Key to repeatability is the observation and registration of an appropriate reference point upon which subsequent sublimation conditions are based. The reference point is established using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), not the noncongruent temperature used in LEEM where temperature discrepancies up to 25°C against MBE is measured. Our approach removes instrumental barriers to the observation and control of this complex dynamical system and may extend the usefulness of many droplet-related processes.

Assessment of conventional and novel extraction techniques on extraction efficiency of five anthraquinones from Rheum emodi

Rheum emodi is principally known to consist 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinones (DHAQs) that find immense use in the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic industries and in herbal medication and food sector. The aim of this study was to compare non-conventional and classical methods for extraction of anthraquinones from R. emodi. Optimisation of the extraction parameters for various methods was done and their extraction efficiency was evaluated. In preliminary screening experiments, choice of solvent and solid : solvent ratio was optimised. Comparison of extraction efficiency for classical methods like maceration, heat-reflux, soxhletion and non-conventional methods like ultra-sonication and sublimation was done for five DHAQs - aloe emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion using HPLC-UV and fluorescence detection in native and acid hydrolysed samples. It was observed that ethanol was the best solvent for extraction of anthraquinones with a solid : solvent ratio of 1:20. A prior acid hydrolysis led to significant increase in anthraquinone extraction. Among the extraction methods heat reflux for 45 min was the most prominent extraction method with highest recovery of the DHAQs. In ultrasonic assisted extraction, an increase in the anthraquinone extraction was seen till 45 min after which the concentration declined. A novel, solvent-free, green and selective method of extraction by sublimation was found to be effective for extraction of anthraquinones.

Formulation and optimization of orodispersible tablets of flutamide

The present study aimed to formulate orodispersible tablets of flutamide (FTM) to increase its bioavailability. Orodispersible tablets were prepared by direct compression technique using three different approaches namely; super-disintegration, effervescence and sublimation. Different combined approaches were proposed and evaluated to optimize tablet characteristics. Sodium starch glycolate (SSG) was used as the superdisintegrant. The prepared powder mixtures were subjected to both pre and post compression evaluation parameters including; IR spectroscopy, micromeritics properties, tablet hardness, friability, wetting time, disintegration time and in-vitro drug release. IR studies indicated that there was no interaction between the drug and the excipients used except Ludipress. The results of micromeritics studies revealed that all formulations were of acceptable to good flowability. Tablet hardness and friability indicated good mechanical strength. Wetting and dispersion times decreased from 46 to 38 s by increasing the SSG concentration from 3.33 to 6.66% w/w in tablets prepared by superdisintegration method. The F8 formulation which was prepared by combined approaches of effervescence and superdisintegrant addition gave promising results for tablet disintegration and wetting times but failed to give faster dissolution rate. The incorporation of 1:5 solid dispersion of FTM: PEG 6000 instead of the pure drug in the same formulation increased the drug release rate from 73.12 to 96.99% after 15 min. This increase in the dissolution rate may be due to the amorphization of the drug during the solid dispersion preparation. The presence of the amorphous form of the drug was shown in the IR spectra.