Commencement 2016

Program for the Graduate and Undergraduate ceremonies held May 14-15, 2016.https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/univpub_commencement/1001/thumbnail.jp

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF STARCH MALONATE: DEVELOPMENT OF FAST DISSOLVING TABLETS OF ACECLOFENAC BY 23 FACTORIAL DESIGNS

Objective: The aim of the research work is to develop a new superdisintegrant (starch malonate) which can help in enhancing the solubility and drug dissolution of poorly soluble drugs. Hence, starch malonate (new superdisintegrant) was prepared and has been evaluated for its superdisintegrant property by incorporating it into fast dissolving tablets of Aceclofenac. Methods: Superdisintegrant was developed by using esterification reaction. Prepared starch malonate was then subjected for different characterization tests (solubility, pH, melting point, swelling index, FTIR, DSC studies. 23 factorial design method was used to formulate fast dissolving tablets of aceclofenac employing starch malonate. Two known superdisintegrants croscarmellose sodium and crospovidone have been used along with starch malonate in combinations to develop fast dissolving tablets. Prepared tablets were then subjected to different tests for tablets like hardness, friability, disintegration time, dissolution studies. A stability study was performed to determine the stability of the formulation. Design expert study was conducted to know the interaction between different superdisintegrants and to select best optimized formulation in among all formulations. Results: Starch malonate prepared was found to be fine, free flowing slightly crystalline powder, insoluble in aqueous and organic solvents. Tablets of all formulations were of excellent quality concerning drug content (100±5%), hardness (3.8-4.2 kg/cm2), and friability (less than 0.15%). In all formulations, formulation F2 found to be optimized formulation with least disintegration time 38 S, less wetting time 17±0.08 s and enhanced percent dissolved rate in 5 min i.e., 99.84% as compared to other formulations. Conclusion: From this it was concluded that starch malonate can be used as a novel superdisintegrant to enhance the drug dissolution of poorly soluble drugs. Optimized formulation F2 showed enhanced drug dissolution at 5% concentration as compared to other formulation and showed least disintegration time and enhanced drug dissolution as compared to other formulations and pure drug

Commencement Program: 2016

Deborah Earl and Joseph Klis were student speakers

Chlorogenic Acid Fractionation in Robusta Green Bean Extract as a Combination Agent of Dental Pulp Stem Cells in Periodontal Tissue Engineering

Background: Robusta coffee beans contain very high chlorogenic acid. In the last decade, chlorogenic acid was developed as an adjunct in stem cells to enhance the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of stem cells when used as a therapeutic agent. Chlorogenic acid can increase proliferation and migration and inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in stem cells thereby increasing the ability of stem cells to regenerate tissue. Purpose: To analyze the levels of chlorogenic acid in robusta coffee bean extract which can be used as a combination agent for Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSC) in periodontal tissue engineering therapy. Materials and Methods: Robusta coffee bean extract was obtained from the Coffee and Cocoa Research Center, Jember Regency which was processed and processed using the fractionation method. This study used DPSC with the extraction of premolar teeth of orthodontic patients. The toxicity test was performed on the coffee extract 0.0625%; 0.125%; 0.25%; 0.5% to determine the biocompatible concentration of DPSC. Results: The highest fractionation and measurement of chlorogenic acid content obtained was 30.49%. Robusta coffee bean extract with a chlorogenic acid content of 30.49% at concentrations of 0.125% and 0.0625% did not cause toxicity to DPSC. Conclusion: Chlorogenic acid in robusta coffee bean extract concentrations of 0.125% and 0.0625% are relatively biocompatible as a combination agent for DPSC in periodontal tissue engineering therapy

The Alteration on Malondialdehyde Content on Wistar Rats’ Blood and Lungs Tissue to Ward the Exposure of Electric Cigarette Smoke

The effect of electric cigarette smoke exposure had increased due to the number of electric cigarette smoker that raised every year. The smoke which enters the respiratory tract enhance the free radical inside the body, either in blood or lung tissue. The exceeding amount of free radical could trigger the oxidative stress which causes cell damage. The increase of cell damage within lung tissue is accompanied by the enhancement of malondialdehyde content. Therefore, this study aimed to know the malondialdehyde content alteration on blood and lung tissue against the exposure of electric cigarette smoke. This study used experimental methodology with posttest control group design using male Wistar rats as the sample. Wester rats were divided into groups and examined the cell damage through malondialdehyde content within the blood and the malondialdehyde expression within the lung tissue. The exposure of electric cigarette smoke was given to each group with different amount and duration. The lung tissue damage was measured using malondialdehyde content parameter within the blood and immunohistochemistry (IHC) on lung tissue. The finding showed that there was differentiation on malondialdehyde content within the blood and malondialdehyde expression on lung tissue (p< 0.05). Whereas the relation between two groups showed a strong and significant relationship for (r=0.945) and (p=0.000). The duration of electric cigarette smoke exposure could affect the enhancement of malondialdehyde content within the blood and lung tissue

Analysis of Steel Construction, Construction of a Canopy in the Function of a Facility for Light Industry

Steel is a widely used material in every industry because of its superior strength, versatility, and durability. The properties of steel, including its high tensile strength, ductility, and ability to withstand harsh environmental conditions, make it an ideal choice for a variety of structural applications. Making steel involves extracting iron from iron ore and then refining it to remove impurities and increase its strength. The steel is then formed into various shapes and sizes through a process known as forging. This can involve cutting, welding, bending, and shaping to create the desired structure. Steel structures are applied in various sectors, including residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects. In the housing sector, steel is mostly used in the construction of tall buildings, residential houses, and prefabricated houses. Its strength and lightweight nature allow for taller and more durable structures. In the commercial sector, steel structures are often used for office buildings. Keywords: steel, material, properties, obtaining, steel structures

Commencement 2017

Program for the Graduate and Undergraduate ceremonies held May 13-14 2017.https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/univpub_commencement/1000/thumbnail.jp

Production of hydrogen by photoreforming of formaldehyde containing wastewater over CdO–CuO@exfoliated g–C3N4 nanoheterojunction

Today, population growth and development of industrializations creates huge dilemma by virtue of increasing global energy demand and environmental issues. To overcome the current challenges of fossil fuel depletion and ever–growing water pollution, intensive efforts have been taken towards exploring sustainable pathway to tackle the present problems. In this context, photocatalysis holds great promise as it harvests the widely available renewable source, solar energy to produce hydrogen. Accordingly, photocatalytic reforming or photoreforming of petrochemical wastewaters offers a sustainable routes for dual benefits of green energy production and wastewater remediation. The current research was intended to synthesize highly promising polymeric–based photocatalyst, graphitic carbon nitride (g–C3N4) as the support and further tuned by exfoliating the material and doped with metal oxides such as CdO and CuO. Subsequently, a novel CdO–CuO@exfoliated nanoheterojunction was constructed through a facile wet impregnation technique. From XRD results, the blue–shifting of the bulk g–C3N4 (27.90°) to lower peak of exfoliated g–C3N4 (27.15°), creating more spaces between the inter–planar layers thereby revealing successful distortion of the triazine planar and formation of nanosheets. Moreover, BET results showed large improvement of the specific surface area of exfoliated g–C3N4 (104.4 m2/g) and CdO–CuO@exfoliated g–C3N4 (388.4 m2/g) by 3 and 11 times respectively compared to bulk g–C3N4 (34.5 m2/g). Subsequently, the as–synthesized photocatalysts were tested for the photoreforming activity of hydrogen production in aqueous formaldehyde medium and irradiated under LED light. As an outcome, the activity trend for the hydrogen was in an order of bulk g–C3N4 < exfoliated g–C3N4 < CdO@exfoliated g–C3N4 < CuO@exfoliated g–C3N4< CdO–CuO@exfoliated g–C3N4. An excellent activity of the nanoheterojunction was highly contributed by large surface area caused more active sites available for the redox reactions. Moreover, the tremendous reduction of peak intensity in PL analysis greatly hinders the recombination rate of electron–hole pairs, thereby promoting facile charge separations and migrations, fostering the hydrogen production. Thereafter, CdO–CuO@exfoliated g–C3N4 was further examined to optimize the parameters and study the correlation between different factors. Based on the ANOVA, the model was well–fitted with F–value and p–value of 54.97 and <0.0001 (less than 0.05) respectively. Besides, the interactions between the diverse parameters were investigated and demonstrated via the contour and three–dimensional plots. The maximum hydrogen produced was 9025 μmol/g for following conditions: reaction time of 8 h, catalyst dosage of 0.73 g/L, initial FA–concentration of 573 ppm and light intensity of 152 W/m2. The developed n–n–p heterojunction catalyst demonstrated higher hydrogen yield compared to the existing catalytic systems. By referring to Mott–Schottky analysis and proposed charge transfer mechanism, the formulation of unique band structure of n–n–p CdO–CuO@exfoliated g–C3N4 nanoheterojunction fulfilled the photoreforming reduction and oxidation potentials, subsequently enhancing the charge separation and migrations, thus leading to an efficient hydrogen production performance. From the LSV results and Tafel slopes, CdO–CuO@exfoliated g–C3N4 exhibits best HER activity with smallest Tafel slope value of 53 mV/dec among all the prepared electrodes. Apart from that, an autocatalytic kinetic model was proposed and exhibits excellent fitting for the photoreforming reactions as evidenced from the plot of experimental and theoretical rates as well as high R2 values for all the initial formaldehyde concentrations. Hence, the present research provides meaningful insights for the development of novel photocatalyst by combining different vi junctions and the applications for simultaneous generation of green energy as well as valorization of wastewaters