Articles Archive for December 2011

At some point in our lives, many of us will have experienced indigestion, acid reflux or heartburn – often after a period of over-indulgence – the symptoms of which are not pleasant!
Recent research suggests that in some people acid reflux disease can be caused by abnormal movements of the muscles in the esophagus.
Formulating the perfect remedy
When faced with this situation, many turn to over-the-counter liquid indigestion remedies for relief. These formulations typically contain antacids that neutralize stomach acid and alginates that sooth the pain by coating the walls of the …

This Christmas, I will be travelling back to my homecountyof Cornwall to spend time with my parents. When I arrive, a large proportion of the main living space in their house will be taken up by a huge Christmas tree, under which will be stacked all the presents we’ve bought for each other. Following our traditional Christmas dinner, we’ll start the excited process of unwrapping everything!
Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree!
The origin of the Christmas tree is an interesting one. It is thought to relate back to the medieval mystery plays, …

Hi, my name is Renate and I’m Marketing Manager Europe at Malvern Instruments GmbH. Based in our German headquarters in Herrenberg, I also take care of Malvern’s Facebook page.
This year I find myself wondering which is stronger; my passion for Christmas cookies or for our new Mastersizer 3000.
Christmas cookies are delicious…
Christmas starts for me end of November when I start to bake a lot of typical German Christmas cookies. I admit I can never wait to taste them. Besides, they are always at their best when warm out of the …

As a committee member of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Particle Characterization Interest Group (PCIG), I look forward to attending the triannual Particulate Systems Analysis (PSA) conference. As event sponsors, the PCIG aim to promote diverse particle and powder technological applications.
Malvern participation
PSA 2011 was the UK’s biggest particle characterization conference this year and, in addition to presentations given by other Malvern colleagues, I presented a paper, a poster and chaired two sessions. Malvern exhibited with Debbie Huck, Lisa Makin, and Andrew Lake manning our stand.
I presented a paper on NIST gold …

Recently a customer pointed to USP <729> GLOBULE SIZE DISTRIBUTION IN LIPID INJECTABLE EMULSIONS. Can Light Scattering help elucidate particle size in parenterals?
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is an official public standards-setting authority. Their document USP <729> describes two methods for determining the mean droplet size and size distribution of injectable, oil-in-water, parenteral nutrition emulsions:

Method—I Light Scattering Method; subdivided into
(1) dynamic light scattering (DLS), also known as photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS)
(2) classical light scattering, based on Mie scattering theory
Method II—Measurement of large globule content by Light Obscuration (LO) or Extinction Method

Method I-1 is primarily of …

With thoughts turning to the perfect gift in many nations across the world it’s a stretch to suggest that many will have an on-line particle size analyzer at the top of their list!
What is interesting though, is that when I explain about real-time particle sizing and what manufacturers achieve when they use it,  a typical response is: ‘Why hasn’t everyone got one?’ This certainly suggests a product with wide appeal.
What’s stopping you?
The more successful implementations I uncover the more I struggle to understand what is preventing wider adoption of real-time process monitoring. What am I …

With Christmas approaching, I’ve recently had the opportunity to watch my children act out the nativity story. The usual characters were there: Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus centre stage with a whole host of angels, shepherds, donkeys and other farm animals in attendance. Of course, the story ends with the appearance of a star, and the arrival of the wise men from The Orient.
Well, this year I’ve had the opportunity to reverse the story. As part of the continued roll out of the Mastersizer 3000 particle size analyzer, I’ve headed out …

In the world of polymer research nothing stands still for very long. The number of applications and new polymers being developed every day is just astounding. Just look at the world around you and everything will have some sort of polymer or resin component: your car, your computer, your iPod – even your teeth.
Custom-made polymer characterization
One of the biggest areas of advancement for polymers has got to be in medicine With their inertness, porosity and biocompatibility, they are ideal for producing medical devices and drug delivery systems. Take for example …

As we come to the end of another fascinating and truly illuminating Drug Delivery to the Lungs conference here in Edinburgh, I’m delighted to report that this year the snow has stayed on the hills, but it has been rather windy. I’m very much hoping it will calm down so I have  a trouble-free trip as I head south this afternoon.
Imaging in OINDP
Anne Virden and I love coming to DDL as there are so many opportunities to talk to people who are doing really interesting work in inhaled product development. Many people …

You’ve heard a lot about the performance of the new Mastersizer 3000, but many of the design features that I personally like are the small touches that make your life in the lab a whole lot easier. One of these is the new cell window design, that makes it extremely easy to remove these and clean them as part of your routine system maintenance. But don’t take my word for it, please take a look at the short video below……
http://youtu.be/lNUV4dZpX-g