FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF LIQUISOLID COMPACTS OF OLANZAPINE

The Main objective of the present study was to enhance the dissolution rate of olanzapine by liquisolid compact method. Olanzapine is practically insoluble in water. Solubility of olanzapine was estimated in different nonvolatile solvents. The study was designed to evaluate the effect of various formulation parameters like Drug concentration and Excipient ratio on angle of repose and % drug release using 32  full factorial design. Quality control tests were done to evaluate each batch of tablets.  Liquisolid compact powder was subjected to angle of repose, Carr’s index, and hausner’s ratio to determine flow property. Hardness, friability, disintegration time, drug content, dissolution rate are determined. Fourier transforms infrared analysis, x-ray diffraction studies also performed. All the formulations showed acceptable flow property and better drug release. The optimized batch was subjected to stability studies for 30 days. The dissolution profile of optimized batch was compared with direct compressed tablet and with marketed preparation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy conformed that drug does not interact with excipients which are added in the formulation. X-ray diffraction study proved that olanzapine (crystalline form) converted into amorphous form. From this study it was concluded that liquisolid compact technique improves dissolution rate of olanzapine

Investigation into the G1 Geomagnetic Storm of January 31st, 2019 through GNSS data processing.

Ionospheric scintillation are signal perturbations caused by the interaction between the Earth’s geomagnetic field and the Sun’s activity and are apparent through rapid modifications in radio waves. Such perturbations are the most prevalent source of uncertainties in the position solution for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Since GNSS provide essential services for multiple industries and even everyday life, understanding ionospheric scintillation is essential. Geomagnetic storms are known to create disturbances in the ionosphere by increasing the total electron content (TEC). Therefore, this project highlights the relationship between geomagnetic storms and ionospheric scintillation through the analysis of processed GNSS data and proposes techniques for the identification and classification of scintillation in the mid-latitude region. Utilizing phase and amplitude data collected from two GPS Receivers installed in Daytona Beach, FL, possible events that correlate with scintillation observed during the storm were studied. A GI minor geomagnetic storm, measured to be -10 nanoTesla, that took place on January 31st, 2019 was studied because a significant spike in both phase and amplitude was observed. The implementation of machine learning is also explored through the development of an unsupervised k-means clustering algorithm that will identify the distribution of data points and classify scintillation

VIRTUAL REALITY AS A TRAINING TOOL FOR BUILDING OPERATIONS

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2017-03Virtual Reality (VR) applications within the AEC industry have seen a significant rise over the past couple of years. People within the AEC industry have started to realize the benefits and capabilities of VR. The most common use case of VR has been its use as a spatial visualization tool. Immersion and Interactivity have been at the forefront of what VR should offer. This thesis aims at exploring of the one of the many use cases of VR for the AEC industry. This research project aimed at using VR as a training tool for building operations. This meant for outlining what type of building operations training to do, development of an interactive Virtual environment that operators can train on and finally recording their outputs in the form of a written survey. A case study form of research methodology was used to document the findings of this research project. Operators were asked to experience the VR training themselves and provide a feedback in the way of answering a survey form which aimed at documenting their understanding of the system and process knowledge with regards to the training. The findings from this study showed that VR as a training tool has a bright future and that the knowledge transfer through VR training is much more efficient. Looking ahead this research project explored a relatively new use case of VR especially for the conventional construction industry and it can be hoped that such efforts to explore other use cases can make the construction industry’s existing work flow more efficient

Estrogen mediated protection of cytoskeleton against oxidative stress

Background & objectives: Cytoskeletal proteins are deregulated during oxidative stress and cataract formation. However, estrogen which protects against cataract formation and harmful effects of oxidative stress has not been tested on the cytoskeleton of lens epithelial cells (LECs). The current study was undertaken to assess if the protection rendered to LECs by estrogen was mediated by preserving the cytoskeletal proteins. Methods: Oxidative stress was induced by 50 μM of H 2 O 2 in cultured goat LECs (gLECs) and effect of 1 μM 17β-estradiol (E 2 ) was tested. After treatment, morphological analysis of cells was carried out using haematoxylin-eosin staining and cell density was also quantified. Cell viability was determined using Hoechst (Ho), YO-Pro (YP) and propidium iodide (PI). F-actin and vimentin were localized using phalloidin and anti-vimentin antibody, respectively, and viewed under fluorescence microscopy. Vimentin was further analysed at protein level by Western blotting. Results: H 2 O 2 led to increased condensation of nucleus, cell death and apoptosis but these were prevented with pre- and co-treatment of E 2 with increase in cell viability (P<0.001). E 2 also prevented H 2 O 2 mediated depolymerization of cytoskeleton but was not able to reverse the changes when given after induction of oxidative stress. Interpretation & conclusions: Our findings showed that E 2 helped in preventing deteriorating effect of H 2 O 2 , inhibited cell death, apoptosis and depolymerisation of cytoskeletal proteins in LECs. However, the exact mechanism by which estrogen renders this protection to cytoskeleton of lens epithelial cells remains to be determined