A solution containing appreciable amounts of a weak conjugate acid-base pair is called a buffer solution, or a buffer. Buffer solutions resist a change in pH when small amounts of a strong acid or a strong base are added. A solution of acetic acid and sodium acetate is an example of a buffer that consists of a weak acid and its salt: CH3COOH (aq) + CH3COONa (aq). An example of a buffer that consists of a weak base and its salt is a solution of ammonia and ammonium chloride: NH3 (aq) + NH4Cl...

Health literacy is an individual's or a community's capacity to comprehend, receive, read, and use relevant healthcare information and services. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2018) defines health literacy as the cognitive and social skills that determine the ability of individuals to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways that promote and maintain good health. As a result, the WHO helps individuals manage long-term health concerns, participate in preventative programs,...

Buffer capacity is the quantitative measure of a buffer to resist the change in pH. As shown in the following equation, the buffer capacity, denoted by 'beta', is expressed as the number of moles of acid or base needed to change the pH of a one-liter buffer solution by 1 unit. Here, Ca and Cb indicate the number of moles of acid and base, respectively. Note that dpH represents the change in pH.
In the graph, pH is plotted as a function of the number of moles of base (Cb) added to a weak acid...

Some researchers gain access to large amounts of data without interacting with a single research participant. Instead, they use existing records to answer various research questions. This type of research approach is known as archival research. Archival research relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships. For example, a researcher might access the academic records of all individuals who enrolled in college within the past ten years and...

Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends, or RACE, is one of the most effective methods to obtain a full-length cDNA from an mRNA sequence between a known internal region to the unknown sequence at the 5’ or 3’ end. The unknown region is cloned in the cDNA by a gene-specific primer that binds the known end, and a hybrid primer that attaches a predefined anchor sequence to the unknown end of the cDNA. The sequence in between is amplified by PCR with an anchor primer and a gene-specific primer.
Since the...