No description available.

Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs) is a well-known treatment program that consists of four exercises, in which the first and fourth tasks require maximally sustained phonation. However, the active ingredients responsible for treatment efficacy are still unknown. The primary purpose of this investigation was the explore the effects of maximally sustained phonation on the VFE outcome measure of maximum phonation time (MPT) in individuals between the ages of 18-40 with normal voice. Participants were randomized into three experimental groups that completed VFEs for six weeks. The baseline group sustained tasks one and four for as long as was achieved at the baseline session; The three-week group sustained the exercises for as long as possible the first three weeks, then to their three-week MPT average for the remaining three weeks of the program; The standard group maximally sustained phonation for all six weeks. Results indicated significant improvement in percent to MPT goal attainment in the standard group and three-week group. The baseline group did not result in significant change. Including maximally sustained phonation throughout the course of VFEs is essential to producing substantial improvements in voice production, in terms of percent to MPT goal.

<p>Cilj ove doktorske disertacije je dobijanje vi&scaron;estrukih V₁/U/V₂ emulzija kao nosača aktivnih materija u dvostepenom postupku, pri čemu se za drugi korak pripreme koristi tehnika membranskog emulgovanja (ME), na membrani od sinterovanog stakla implementiranoj u ćeliju sa me&scaron;anjem. Proces ME koristi se u svrhu unapređenja karakteristika formiranih emulzija, u smislu bolje kontrole veličine i raspodele veličina formiranih kapi, koje mogu da dovedu do razlika u stepenu inkapsulacije aktivnih materija u unutra&scaron;njoj vodenoj fazi, u odnosu na proces u kome se za drugi korak pripreme emulzija koristi tehnika homogenizacije.<br />Kompletna optimizacija sastava V₁/U emulzija, koja obuhvata određivanje koncentracije hidrofobnog emulgatora (PGPR), lipofobne materije (NaCl) i tikvinog ulja kao sekundarne aktivne komponente, rezultirala je formiranjem stabilnih nanoemulzija sa pobolj&scaron;anim nutritivnim svojstvima. Nutritivno unapređeni emulzioni sistemi optimizovanog sastava kori&scaron;ćeni su za inkapsulaciju primarnih aktivnih komponenata (vodenog i etanolnog ekstrakata belog luka) u cilju za&scaron;tite bioaktivnih sastojaka i maskiranja neprijatnog mirisa i ukusa. Nakon definisanja sastava svih faza vi&scaron;estrukih emulzija, koje ukljuĉuje određivanje tipa hidrofilnog emulgatora i njegove koncentracije, kao i ispitivanja uticaja dodavanja osmotskog regulatora (glukoze) u spolja&scaron;nju vodenu fazu na stabilnost sistema i difuziju lipofoba, formirane su vi&scaron;estruke emulzije sa unetim aktivnim komponentama membranskim emulgovanjem u ćeliji sa me&scaron;anjem. Sistematiĉna karakterizacija membrane od sinter stakla kao ekonomski opravdanog membranskog materijala, dala je mogućnost njegove primene u procesu. Detaljno ispitivanje uticaja procesnih parametara (transmembranskog pritiska i brzine me&scaron;anja) i vi&scaron;ekriterijumska optimizacija procesa ME, dovela su do formiranja vi&scaron;estrukih emulzija sa užom raspodelom veličina kapi, koja je indirektno uticala i na pobolj&scaron;anje zadržavanja inkapsuliranog materijala u unutra&scaron;njosti emulzija tokom vremena, u odnosu na emulzije pripremljene u postupku homogenizacije.</p> / <p style="text-align: justify;">The aim of this doctoral thesis was to prepare multiple W/O/W emulsions with encapsulated active substances in both phases, by a two-step process, where the stirred cell membrane emulsification (ME) process, with a sintered glass filter disk as a membrane, was used as the second step, instead of conventional process (homogenization). The ME process was employed in order to improve the characteristics of the formed emulsions, in terms of better control of the size and droplet size distribution, that can change the encapsulation degree of active ingredients in the internal aqueous phase.<br />The complete optimization of W/O emulsion composition, which includes determination of optimal contents of a hydrophobic emulsifier (PGPR), a lipophobic substance (NaCl) and pumpkin seed oil as an active component of the oil phase, resulted in the formation of stable nanoemulsions with improved nutritional properties. This nutritionally enhanced emulsion was used to encapsulate primary active ingredients (aqueous and ethanol garlic extract), in order to protect instable bioactive compounds of the extracts and mask the unpleasant smell and taste. After defining the composition of all phases of multiple emulsions, which includes determination of a suitable hydrophilic emulsifier and its optimal content, as well as examining the effect of addition of an osmotic regulator (glucose) in the external aqueous phase on the emulsion stability and lipophobe diffusion, multiple emulsions with encapsulated active components were formed by membrane emulsification in the stirred cell. The complete characterization of the sintered glass as an economically favourable membrane material, gave the possibility of its application in the process. Investigation of the influence of process parameters (transmembrane pressure and impeller rotation speed) and multiobjective optimization of ME, led to the formation of the multiple emulsions with a narrow droplet size distribution, which had improved retention of encapsulated material in the internal water phase over time, relative to the emulsions prepared by the homogenization process.</p>

No description available.

Le Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission (LAEC) poursuit un programme de développement des techniques analytiques pour compléter l’analyse par faisceau d’ions (IBA). Il a décidé de s’équiper d’un spectromètre de masse couplée à l’imagerie 2D puis récemment 3D avec l’acquisition d’un spectromètre de masse IONTOF V™ équipé de deux colonnes ioniques délivrant des faisceaux d’agrégats de bismuth et d’argon. Dans ce cadre, mon sujet de thèse a porté sur l'optimisation de l’instrument nouvellement acquis pour l’analyse d’échantillons contenant des composés organiques. Les premiers sujets de recherche sont la mise au point du protocole d’analyse quantitative de médicaments en utilisant la technique « cluster-SIMS-imaging » et l’analyse de la météorite Paris pour localiser la matière organique et déterminer sa composition. Dans les deux cas une approche multi-technique a été utilisée : IBA au LAEC, µ-Raman et µ-IR autour des équipements de Soleil et µPIXE réalisée auprès de l’accélérateur AGLAE (Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France, C2RMF).L’analyse de médicaments a été initiée au Liban en collaboration avec un fabricant local de produits pharmaceutiques (Mediphar Laboratories) dans le but d’établir de nouveaux procédés de contrôle qualité de produits finis. Mon étude a montré la complexité du dosage de médicament due à la présence de plusieurs molécules actives (Principe Actif, PA) et de substances organiques et minérales inactives (excipients) mélangées dans des conditions secrètes. Les effets de matrice sont dominants et modifient l’émission ionique conduisant à des erreurs systématiques importantes. Cette complexité a été analysée avec l’étude du Fludinium™ possédant deux PAs. Les résultats de cette étude ont permis d’obtenir la première courbe d’étalonnage du rapport des deux PAs et de quantifier ceux-ci dans les conditions du médicament commercial. Le protocole pour effectuer cette courbe d’étalonnage et les contrôles « qualité » ont été déterminés. Ceux-ci incorporeront une analyse en profil pour contrôler l’homogénéité des échantillons et l’obtention d’étalons produits par le fabricant en suivant ses processus de fabrication. En effet, les expériences ont montré que la réalisation du médicament en laboratoire à partir de ses éléments (PAs et excipients) ne donnait pas la même réponse ionique que le médicament commercial. L’analyse de la météorite Paris a été initiée par une collaboration avec une équipe de l’Institut d’Astrophysique Spatial d’Orsay impliquée dans l’exobiologie et la recherche des premières molécules pré-biotiques dans des échantillons extraterrestres. Le but des recherches est de caractériser la matière organique représentant quelques pourcents en poids dans une matrice minérale complexe, sans utiliser des méthodes chimiques pouvant induire une modification de ces molécules. Cette étude a démontré l’intérêt de l’approche multi-technique centrée autour de la spectrométrie de masse couplée à l’imagerie ionique pour déterminer les éléments principaux de la matrice minérale et organique. L’analyse par µPIXE avec une cartographie micrométrique a permis d’attribuer les distributions d’ions moléculaires et agrégats des spectres de masse aux différents composés minéraux. Ces attributions se poursuivent avec la constitution d’une base de données de spectres de référence. La composante organique a été extraite et les premières hypothèses de composition ont été envisagées autour des HAPs (Hydrocarbure Aromatique Polycyclique), MOI (Matière Organique Insoluble) et analogues de carbone amorphe produits par irradiation UV de glaces dont les compositions en gaz représentent différentes hypothèses pour les nuages interstellaires. Les protocoles d’analyses multi-techniques établis (incorporant un suivi de l’échantillon par spectrométrie de masse et imagerie ionique) permettent le démarrage d’analyse d’autres échantillons extra-terrestres collectés sur terre ou dans l’espace. / The Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission (LAEC) is incorporated in a development program of the analytical techniques in order to complete the Ion Beam Analysis (IBA). It was decided to get a mass spectrometer coupled to 2D and recently to 3D imaging, by acquiring an ION TOFVTM system equipped with two ionic columns delivering bismuth and argon cluster beams.In this context, my thesis is focused on the optimization of the instrument, recently purchased, for the analysis of samples containing organic compounds. The first subjects of research are the development of a protocol for quantitative analysis of drugs using the « cluster-SIMS-imaging » technique and the Paris meteorite analysis to determine its composition and to localize the organic matter. In the last case a multi-techniques approach was used : IBA in LAEC, µ-Raman et µ-IR around the Soleil synchrotron equipments and µPIXE carried with the AGLAE accelerator (Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France, C2RMF).The drug analysis was initiated in Lebanon in collaboration with a local pharmaceutical manufacturer (Mediphar Laboratories) in order to establish new processes for quality control of the final products. My study showed the complexity of the drug quantification which is due to the presence of several active ingredients (AI) and inactive organic and minerals components (excipients) mixed in secret conditions. Matrix effects are dominant and modify the ionic emission leading to significant systematic errors. This complexity has been analyzed with the study of FludiniumTM with two active ingredients. The results of this study allowed to obtain the first calibration curves of the ratio between the two AIs and to quantify them in the commercial drug. The protocol to perform the calibration curve and the « quality» controls were determined. These incorporate a profile analysis to control the homogeneity of the samples and the obtaining standards produced by the pharmaceutical manufacturer following the same process used for the commercial drug. Indeed, the experiments have shown that the preparation of the drug in the laboratory from its elements (AIs and excipients) doesn’t give the same ionic emission as for the commercial drug.The Paris meteorite analysis was initiated by a collaboration with the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale d’Orsay team involved in the exobiology and the research of the first prebiotic molecules in the extraterrestrial samples. The work objective is to characterize the organic matter representing few percents in mass in a complex mineral matrix, without any chemical extraction that can induce a modification of these molecules. This study has demonstrated the interest of the multi-techniques approach centered on the mass spectrometry coupled to the ionic imaging for the determination of the main mineral and organic elements of the matrix. µPIXE analysis coupled to the micrometric mapping permits to attribute the distribution of molecular ions and clusters of the mass spectra with different mineral compounds. These attributions continue with the creation of the data base of standard spectra. The organic component was determined and the first hypotheses were considered concerning PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon), IOM (Insoluble Organic Matter) and analogues of amorphous carbon produced par UV irradiation of ices with a gas composition representing different hypotheses for the interstellar clouds. The establish protocols for multi-techniques (incorporating a follow of the sample by mass spectrometry and ion imaging) permits to start the analysis of other extra terrestrial samples collected on earth or in space.