Design and Simulation of a Honeycomb Sandwich Panel as a Heat-resistant and Durable Construction Material
One of the main factors that contribute to fire incidents and the excessive heat people feel during a heat wave is the building materials used, and one such material that possesses durable and heat-resistant properties is sandwich panels. A possible structure that can be used to model sandwich panels is honeycomb structures; however, further research has yet to be conducted on its applications as a heat-resistant urban construction material. This study aims to design a three-dimensional model of a honeycomb sandwich panel and simulate its performance under different thermal and structural stressors. A 3D model of the honeycomb sandwich panel was generated using Autodesk Fusion 360. Then, multiple versions of the panel were generated with varying heat-resistant core materials—namely, aluminum, nickel, nickel-copper alloy 400, and copper—along with polystyrene as the core material for the control model. The following properties of every panel were assessed using finite element analysis (FEA): static deformation, stress distribution, strain distribution, total heat flux, and thermal gradient. Results showed that when subjected to varying structural loads (2 kN, 5 kN, 7 kN), the nickel-core panel demonstrated the best results in terms of static deformation and strain distribution due to its relatively lower deformation and elongation values, respectively. Meanwhile, under the same structural loads, the aluminum-core panel performed better than other core materials in terms of stress distribution due to it having the relatively highest difference between its simulated von Mises stress and its yield strength. The honeycomb sandwich panels have also shown to possess heat-resistivity when subjected to a thermal load of 90°C, with polystyrene being the most promising material overall in terms of heat-resistance due to its relatively lower heat flux and thermal gradient. The results from this study would contribute to future research on honeycomb sandwich panels and may be used in real-life applications.
Flavored Nanofiber Strips Loaded with Amoxicillin as an Alternative Method for Treating Bacterial Infections in Children
Semisynthetic penicillin, Amoxicillin, is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is widely used to treat bacterial infections in children suffering ear, nose, and throat infections, genitourinary tract infections, skin infections, and lower respiratory tract infections1. This antibiotic works against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Haemophilus influenza, Streptococcus pneumonia , Streptococcus pyogene and Escherichia coli1,2. It shows antibacterial activity by inhibiting dd-transpeptidase, which maintains the integrity of the bacterial cell wall which results in bacterial cell death due to a fragile cell wall3. Nonadherence to medication was associated with 50% of drug-related hospitalizations in children4. In order to improve adherence and influence clinical outcome, it is important to acknowledge the importance of drug palatability to children4–6. The currently available liquid suspension form of this antibiotic is administered to patients through oral/GI routes. It is also available in capsules or tablets for adults7–9. In the gastrointestinal tract, the drug has to withstand variable pH conditions and enzymatic degradation , mucus and mucosal barriers to survive resulting in limiting drug bioavailability10,11. In addition to conventional drug delivery formulations, nanofibers can be used to deliver drugs orally, topically, and through buccal or transdermal routes12. Drug-loaded nanofibers offer many advantages as a delivery system, including their porous structure and their efficient delivery of various drugs and bioactive molecules including hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs12–14. Considering that amoxicillin palatability can affect children patients’ compliance and due to the advantages of both nanofiber drug delivery system and drug delivery through buccal routes, hence, this project aims to prepare flavored electrospun nanofibers loaded with amoxicillin to mask the unpleasant taste of the drug for treating children with bacterial infection. Nanofibers loaded with amoxicillin can be applied between the child's gum and cheek, allowing the fibers to dissolve in mucus and penetrate directly into the bloodstream.