Saturday, January 25, 2020

Analysis of Solubility and Forming Microemulsions

Analysis of Solubility and Forming Microemulsions Chapter 5 Materials and methods to study  formulation models 5.1. Materials Oils and Surfactants: Ethyl Oleate obtained from Sigma-Aldrich; FK-Sunflower Oil obtained from Fresenius Kabi; FK-MCT Oil obtained from Fresenius Kabi; Miglyol 840 obtained from Sasol; Tween 80 viscous liquid obtained from Sigma-Aldrich; Labrasol obtained from Gattefossà ©; Model API. Devices: Sartorius, Scale Extend, Model ED2245; IKA RET basic, magnetic stirrer; Thermo Electron Corporation, HERAEUS Pico17 centrifuge; UV-spectrophotometer, Eppendorf BioSpectrometer, Kinetic. Other Equipment: Magnetic stir bars; Disposable plastic eppis, Eppendorf, with volume 1.5ml; Disposable plastic cuvettes, Plastibrand, 1.5ml semimicro (12.5 x 12.5 x 45mm); Disposable plastic pipettes, Eppendorf 3ml; Metal spatulas; Glass beakers; Glass bottles with lids; Disposable latex gloves; Protective glasses, shoes and lab coat. Specialized software: Origin Pro 8, by OriginLab Corporation. 5.2. Solubility tests To evaluate which oils and surfactants present better results at forming microemulsions, we pre-selected four different oils and two different surfactants to perform solubility tests with our model API. The oils tested were Ethyl Oleate, FK-Sunflower Oil, FK-MCT Oil, and Miglyol 840. Moreover, the surfactants used were Tween 80 viscous liquid and Labrasol. As shown in Fig. 1 solubility tests were performed using the following method: Firstly, an excessive amount of our API was added with a metal spatula to a concentrate (oil, surfactant or mixture). The chemicals were precisely weighed, and the resulting suspension was mixed, at room temperature, for 16h at 480rpm, at 21 ºC, on the magnetic stirrer. Secondly, the resulting mixed suspension was transferred to disposable plastic eppis and centrifuged at 10000 g for 10min. Thirdly, a new dilution was prepared using the supernatant that resulted from centrifugation. This new dilution must be much less concentrated in order to be measured by UV-Spectrometry. Lastly, the dilution was taken for analytics in a UV-spectrophotometer, where the absorbance values were measured at 425nm, using disposable plastic cuvettes. Other materials used during the procedure were disposable plastic pipettes, small glass beakers and small glass bottles with lids. The method was repeated three times for each oil, surfactant and mixture stock solution. The dilutions were also repeated three times for higher accuracy in the results. Fig. 1. Scheme showing the solubility test procedure. In order to analyze the data, the maximum values of diluted API in the concentrate were calculated from a calibration line for each of the mixtures (API + concentrate) being tested. The UV-spectrometry measurements were repeated three times for more accurate results. 4.3. Emulsifying capacity evaluation by PDMPD method In the second phase of our formulations study, we wanted to evaluate emulsifying capacity. We used the Phase Diagram by Micro Plate Dilution (PDMPD) method that consists in gradually diluting the oil phase with the water phase in a microtitre plate. The PDMPD method is an efficient and innovative approach that allows time and material savings while creating pseudo ternary phase diagrams for microemulsions and nanoemulsions. Compared with the traditional titration method (drop method), the PDMPD method enables a more exact status description of mixtures in pseudo ternary diagrams. It offers as well the possibility of examining the dilution stages simultaneously on just one microplate (Schmidts et al., 2009). Microemulsion assays consisting of a water phase, an oil phase, and a surfactant phase were prepared on microtiter plates (96 wells) as shown in Fig. 1 and described by Maeder, U., et. al in â€Å"Hardware and software system for automatic microemulsion assay evaluation by analysis of optical properties† (2010) with slight modifications. Fig.1. Filling scheme for the microtiter plates. Inside each well, the upper value corresponds to the water phase and the bottom value to the oil plus surfactant phase. The preparation is described bellow: Firstly, the mixtures of oil and surfactants were prepared by weighing (Sartorius, Scale Extend, model ED2245), adding, and magnetically stirring the chosen oil and surfactant. The magnetic stirring process is done using the IKA RET basic, magnetic stirrer, at speed 480rpm, for one hour, at 21 ºC. To evaluate the five different ratios between one oil and one surfactant five different mixtures were prepared, as shown in Table 1. In total 20 mixtures were tested to assess the following mixtures: Tween80+EO; Tween80+MCT; Tween80+Mig840 and Tween80+(MCT,EO). For more accurate results, each was prepared and tested three times making a total of sixty mixtures made. Oil 1 Phase % Surfactant 1 Phase % Mixture 1 50 50 Mixture 2 40 60 Mixture 3 30 70 Mixture 4 20 80 Mixture 5 10 90 Table 1. Oil1/Surfactant1 mixing ratios Secondly, the wells were filled in two steps: In the first phase, starting in A1 and finishing in D4 the mixture is gradually loaded in the wells using a Pipette Research Plus, 200 µl, and disposable plastic pipette tips, Eppendorf, 200 µl. The filling process must be done with care to avoid air bubbles, which is especially hard with the more viscous oils. If air bubbles are present, the plate is not valid for the study and must be thrown away. In the second step, the aqueous phase is added, starting at D5 with 200ÃŽ ¼l up to A2 with 5ÃŽ ¼l. The microtitre plates used were Thermo Scientific* Nunc Flat Bottom 96-well polystyrene transparent plates with lids, 350 µl/well. The wells E1 to H5 of the same plate were loaded following the same procedure, but with a different mixture (different ratio of the surfactant and oil phase). Following this scheme, two fixed surfactant/oil-ratios can be placed on every plate. Table 2, below, illustrates the distribution. Plates Wells Content 1 A1-D5 Mixture 1 + Water 1 E1-H5 Mixture 2 + Water 2 A1-D5 Mixture 3 + Water 2 E1-H5 Mixture 4 + Water 3 A1-D5 Mixture 5 + Water Table 2. Mixtures distribution by plates Finally, the plates were sealed with their respective lids and were set in a Biometra, Rocking Platform, model WT15, for 16h, at maximum speed, with controlled temperature of 21 ºC. At the end of the 16h, the plates were scanned using a RICOH Aficio, scanner, model MP-C2551 with a pre-prepared marked lid. Each plate was repeated a minimum of three times and in different days. From the analysis of the several repetitions, it was determined which combinations resulted in the formation of microemulsion. This study consisted of observing the scans and attributing a 0 when a well showed turbidity and a 1 when was transparent, and it was possible to see clearly the marked dot on the bottom of the well. Two observers did this analysis and the results were crossed checked. When the sum of the three test was 2 or 3, the preparation was considered an emulsion. When the sum was 0 or 1, it was not considered an emulsion as depicted in Table 3. Table 3. Determination of emulsifying capacity of wells A1-A7 of plates 16, 21 and 25 containing a mixture of Tween80% and Mig840 (1:1). After the determination of emulsifying capacity phase diagrams were built. The software used was Origin Pro 8, by OriginLab Corporation. Fig. 2 shows one of the phase diagrams built. Each red point represents an emulsion formulation identified and each white point a non-emulsion. For each line in the diagram 3 plates were prepared and analyzed. Fig. 2 Phase diagram To develop this method, several pre-tests were made in different conditions. In the first experimental setup the vortex was used to shake 2 overlying plates, as shown on Fig.3, at speeds 3, 2 and 1 and then one single plate at speeds 3, 2 and 1, for 16h. These pre-tests showed unrepeatable results and spilling. Therefore, the method was changed: the vortex was substituted by the rocking platform. Different time periods were also pre-tested. Testing plates were set on the rocking platform for 8h, 9h, 16h, 18h, 20h and 22h. The chosen mixing time was 16h as it was the minimum length time tested for which reproducible results were observed, i.e., 18h, 20h and 22h showed the same results as 16h mixing on the Rocket Platform. Fig. 3 – abandoned experimental setup using vortex and two overlying plates

Friday, January 17, 2020

Osmosis Case Study Essay

These two Case Studies come from a National Center on Case Studies. I think that a case study approach is very useful in applying knowledge and this is what makes you learn it better. They may be a little daunting when you read them but I will help you go through them. Please ask for help so this topic becomes more enjoyable for you. Part I—Too Much of a Good Thing Times were difficult in Habersham County. The skyrocketing prices of fuel and food were threatening to bankrupt the Johnson family’s small farm, which was no match for the multi-million-dollar mega-farms that had been popping up all over the southeast. Joseph, the family patriarch, was especially troubled by the farm’s financial circumstances. He knew that this year’s corn crop was his best chance to save the farm, and his distress was evident to his family as they sat around the dinner table. â€Å"Michael, I’m going to need your help tomorrow,† Joseph said to his eldest son. â€Å"I have to go into town to pick up a part for the combine so I can fix it before it’s time to harvest in a few months. I need you to spread the potash and phosphate on the corn because we’re expecting some rain by the end of the week. † Michael, his mouth full of fried chicken, nodded in agreement. He wasn’t all that interested in farming, which over the years had been a point of contention between him and his father. At the moment Michael was thinking more about the time he’d be missing with his friends, but he also realized how vital this chore was to his father and the farm. â€Å"I’ll do it right after school, Dad,† he replied. The following afternoon, Michael was loading heavy bags of fertilizer into the drop spreader on the farm tractor. His father’s cheerless demeanor the previous evening weighed heavily on him. Michael knew that 25 bags of the potassium and phosphorous-based fertilizer was the normal load to cover the 40 acres of corn the family had planted that spring. But as he was emptying the 25th bag into the spreader, an idea flashed through his mind: â€Å"If we need a good corn crop to make it, maybe I should add a little extra fertilizer. † Michael decided that some extra fertilizer couldn’t hurt, so he quickly loaded 15 extra bags. He was certain that adding the extra fertilizer would produce a massive crop when it came time to harvest in a few months. Michael hadn’t told his father about the extra fertilizer he’d added to the corn, wanting to see his father’s surprise over the size of the harvest in a few months. As expected, the rain started Friday afternoon; Michael was certain it would start an incredible growth spurt in the newly fertilized, young corn plants and that his family would hit pay dirt in a few months. He was out of bed early on Saturday morning, taking his four-wheeler down to the cornfields. He expected to see a vibrant green sea of young corn, extra healthy due to the fertilizer â€Å"boost† he had given them. His stomach dropped a bit as he stared out at a field of sickly looking corn plants, their leaves pale green and slightly wilting. â€Å"Maybe it rained too hard and that beat the plants up a little,† thought Michael, trying to be optimistic. â€Å"I’ll check on them again in a few days. I’m sure they’ll have perked up by then! † The next few days didn’t bring the results Michael was hoping for. The corn plants looked even worse! The leaves were beginning to yellow significantly and were continuing to wilt. Having watched his father grow corn for most of his 14 years, Michael knew this crop wasn’t going to make it. A lump was forming in his throat as he made his way back to the house, not sure how to tell his father about the corn. Questions 1. What sort of environment (hypotonic, hypertonic, isotonic) did the extra fertilizer create around the roots of the corn? 2. Keeping in mind your answer to the previous question, what do you believe caused the corn plants to wilt and eventually die? 3. If Michael’s mistake had been caught earlier, is there anything that could have been done to prevent the corn from dying? 4. Generally, people water their plants with 100% H2O—no solutes added. What sort of environment does this create around the roots of the plant? Part II—Too Little, Too Late Meanwhile, elsewhere in Habersham County, Tom was feeling slightly nervous as he exited the staff lounge and entered the hustle and bustle of County Hospital’s ER to begin his first shift as an RN. The first few hours of his shift passed slowly as Tom mostly checked vital signs and listened to patients complain about various aches, pains, coughs, and sniffles. He realized that the attending physician, Dr. Greene, who was rather â€Å"old  school† in general about how he interacted with nursing staff, wanted to start him out slowly. Tom knew, though, that the paramedics could bring in a trauma patient at any time. After his lunch break, Tom didn’t have long to wait before the paramedics burst in through the swinging double-doors of the ambulance bay wheeling in a young man on a gurney. Edward, a veteran EMT, recited the vital signs to Tom and Dr. Greene as they helped push the gurney into the trauma room, â€Å"18-year-old male, GSW to the right abdomen, heart rate 92, respiratory rate 22, blood pressure 95/65, no loss of consciousness. † A gunshot wound! Tom knew that gunshot wounds were sometimes the most difficult traumas to handle. Once inside the trauma room, Dr. Greene began his initial assessment of the patient while Tom got busy organizing the things he knew would be needed. He attached a pulse-ox monitor to the patient’s index finger so Dr. Greene could keep an eye on the O2 levels in the patient’s blood and he inserted a Foley catheter so the patient’s urine output could be monitored. After finishing his initial duties, Tom heard Dr. Greene saying, â€Å"It looks like the bullet missed the liver and kidney, but it may have severed an artery. That’s probably why his BP is a bit low. Tom, grab a liter of saline and start a fast IV drip †¦ we need to increase his blood volume. † Tom grabbed one of the fluid-filled bags from the nearby shelf, attached a 12-gauge IV needle to the plastic tubing, and gently slipped the needle into the patient’s antecubital vein. He then hung the plastic bag on the IV stand and let the fluid quickly start to flow down the tubing and into the patient’s vein. The reaction was quick and violent. The patient’s heart rate began to skyrocket and Tom heard Dr. Greene shouting, â€Å"His O2 saturation is falling! Pulse is quickening! What is going on with this guy?! † Tom stood frozen in place by the fear. He heard Dr. Greene continuing, â€Å"Flatline! We’ve lost a pulse †¦ Tom, get the crash cart, we need to shock this guy to get his heart going again! † Tom broke free from his initial shock and did as Dr. Greene had ordered. He then started CPR as Dr. Greene readied the cardiac defibrillator to shock the patient. They continued to alternate between CPR and defibrillation for almost an hour, but to no avail. As Dr. Greene announced the time of death, Tom felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t believe that he had lost his first trauma patient! Then Tom noticed that the fluid in the Foley catheter bag was bright red. â€Å"Dr. Greene, there’s hemoglobin in the Foley bag,† he said. â€Å"How could that be? † responded Dr. Greene. Tom began to trace back over his steps in the trauma, trying to think of anything that could have caused the hemoglobinuria. His mounting fear turned to outright terror as he looked at the now empty bag on the IV stand. Its label didn’t read â€Å"Saline,† but rather â€Å"Distilled Water. † He looked at Dr. Greene, his heart quickly sinking, and said, â€Å"I think I may have killed the patient. † Questions 1. What problem did the distilled water in the patient’s bloodstream create? 2. What happed to the patient’s blood cells as a result? 3. Considering the function of red blood cells, why did the patient’s oxygen levels fall? 4. After Tom made his error, is there anything that could have been done to save the patient’s life?

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Japanese Hiragana With Audio Files

To learn Hiragana pronunciation, the following tables contains the 46 basic sounds found in Japanese. Click the link to listen the pronunciation of each hiragana character.  If you want to learn more about  Hiragana, have a look at our  lessons, which will teach you each character and the correct stroke order. Learning the stroke order is a great way to remember how to draw each character. (a) (i) (u) (e) (o) (ka) (ki) (ku) (ke) (ko) (sa) (shi) (su) (se) (so) (ta) (chi) (tsu) (te) (to) (na) (ni) (nu) (ne) (no) (ha) (hi) (fu) (he) (ho) (ma) (mi) (mu) (me) (mo) (ya) (yu) (yo) (ra) (ri) (ru) (re) (ro) (wa) (o) (n)

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism - 3181 Words

The â€Å"No Child Left Behind† Act The Effects of â€Å"No Child Left Behind† on Special Education and General Education Collaboration Outcomes: A Qualitative Study The â€Å"No Child Left Behind† Act The Effects of â€Å"No Child Left Behind† on Special Education and General Education Collaboration Outcomes: A Qualitative Study Introduction The primary aim of this research paper will be to determine how NCLB program impacts special education students, general collaboration and educational outcomes. NCLB was introduced by the Bush Administration in 2001 with the intent of improving the performance of sub groups and special populations in educational institutions across the nation. It is a revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,†¦show more content†¦There is however a large body of research available with regard to the controversy that currently exists surrounding the act and the impact it may have on educators and school administrative programs as a whole. The primary reason the researcher has proposed investigating this topic is to test the notion that NCLB unfairly impacts sub-groups including special education. This despite the fact that the act was originally developed to help sub groups and special education students achieve the same or similar proficiency as their peers. During the researchers discourse and meetings with educational administrators, information revealed that the general education staff at many facilities seems to believe the job of fixing the NCLB deficiencies provided there are any rests on the hands of special Education departments and teachers. This idea need be explored, thus this research paper is being proposed. In addition, there is a great deal of debate that currently exists regarding standardized testing and the fairness of such testing relative to special Ed students. Again a gap currently exists in the literature regarding this aspect of NCLB, thus further exploration is required. Research Questions Among the objectives of this paper include examining how NCLB, annual yearly progress and standardized testing statistics pertain to special education students. In addition theShow MoreRelatedFunctionalism, Interactionism and Conflict Theory964 Words   |  4 Pagesknowledge of why people do what they do. The level of study and research on these three differ. Functionalists and conflict theories focus on the macro level; where an extensive large scale comparison of society is examined with others of the same general class. Symbolic interactionist usually focuses on the micro level of social interaction of how people act in the presence of others. Conflict Theory is the perspective of different social classes relating to many dissimilar problems and issues in humanRead MoreFunctionalism, Conflict Theory, And Symbolic Interactionism875 Words   |  4 Pagessociologist’s standpoint, which are, Functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. 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