1,181 research outputs found
Medium-chain fatty acids released from polymeric electrospun patches inhibit Candida albicans growth and reduce the biofilm viability
Oral candidiasis is a very common oral condition among susceptible individuals, with the main causative organism being the fungus Candida albicans. Current drug delivery systems to the oral mucosa are often ineffective because of short drug/tissue contact times as well as increased prevalence of drug-resistant Candida strains. We evaluated the potency of saturated fatty acids as antifungal agents and investigated their delivery by novel electrospun mucoadhesive oral patches using agar disk diffusion and biofilm assays. Octanoic (C8) and nonanoic (C9) acids were the most effective at inhibiting C. albicans growth on disk diffusion assays, both in solution or when released from polycaprolactone (PCL) or polyvinylpyrrolidone/RS100 (PVP/RS100) electrospun patches. In contrast, dodecanoic acid (C12) displayed the most potent antifungal activity against pre-existing C. albicans biofilms in solution or when released by PCL or PVP/RS100 patches. Both free and patch-released saturated fatty acids displayed a significant toxicity to wild-type and azole-resistant strains of C. albicans. These data not only provide evidence that certain saturated fatty acids have the potential to be used as antifungal agents but also demonstrate that this therapy could be delivered directly to Candida-infected sites using electrospun mucoadhesive patches, demonstrating a potential new therapeutic approach to treat oral thrush
Dynamical and Stationary Properties of On-line Learning from Finite Training Sets
The dynamical and stationary properties of on-line learning from finite
training sets are analysed using the cavity method. For large input dimensions,
we derive equations for the macroscopic parameters, namely, the student-teacher
correlation, the student-student autocorrelation and the learning force
uctuation. This enables us to provide analytical solutions to Adaline learning
as a benchmark. Theoretical predictions of training errors in transient and
stationary states are obtained by a Monte Carlo sampling procedure.
Generalization and training errors are found to agree with simulations. The
physical origin of the critical learning rate is presented. Comparison with
batch learning is discussed throughout the paper.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figure
Effect of time-correlation of input patterns on the convergence of on-line learning
We studied the effects of time correlation of subsequent patterns on the
convergence of on-line learning by a feedforward neural network with
backpropagation algorithm. By using chaotic time series as sequences of
correlated patterns, we found that the unexpected scaling of converging time
with learning parameter emerges when time-correlated patterns accelerate
learning process.Comment: 8 pages(Revtex), 5 figure
Fatty acid 16:4(n-3) stimulates a GPR120-induced signaling cascade in splenic macrophages to promote chemotherapy resistance
Although chemotherapy is designed to eradicate tumor cells, it also has significant effects on normal tissues. The platinum-induced fatty acid 16:4(n-3) (hexadeca-4,7,10,13-tetraenoic acid) induces systemic resistance to a broad range of DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics. We show that 16:4(n-3) exerts its effect by activating splenic F4/80+/CD11blow macrophages, which results in production of chemoprotective lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs). Pharmacologic studies, together with analysis of expression patterns, identified GPR120 on F4/80+/CD11blow macrophages as the relevant receptor for 16:4(n-3). Studies that used splenocytes from GPR120-deficient mice have confirmed this conclusion. Activation of the 16:4(n-3)-GPR120 axis led to enhanced cPLA2 activity in these splenic macrophages and secretion of the resistance-inducing lipid mediator, lysophosphatidylcholine(24:1). These studies identify a novel and unexpected function for GPR120 and suggest that antagonists of this receptor might be effective agents to limit development of chemotherapy resistance.—Houthuijzen, J. M., Oosterom, I., Hudson, B. D., Hirasawa, A., Daenen, L. G. M., McLean, C. M., Hansen, S. V. F., van Jaarsveld, M. T. M., Peeper, D. S., Jafari Sadatmand, S., Roodhart, J. M. L., van de Lest, C. H. A., Ulven, T., Ishihara, K., Milligan, G., Voest, E. E. Fatty acid 16:4(n-3) stimulates a GPR120-induced signaling cascade in splenic macrophages to promote chemotherapy resistance
Sensitive Observations of Radio Recombination Lines in Orion and W51: The Data and Detection of Systematic Recombination Line Blueshifts Proportional to Impact Broadening
Sensitive spectral observations made in two frequency bands near 6.0 and 17.6
GHz are described for Orion and W51. Using frequency switching we were able to
achieve a dynamic range in excess of 10,000 without fitting sinusoidal or
polynomial baselines. This enabled us to detect lines as weak as T\Delta n$ as
high as 25 have been detected in Orion. In the Orion data, where the lines are
stronger, we have also detected a systematic shift in the line center
frequencies proportional to linewidth that cannot be explained by normal
optical depth effects.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
Kvalitetsindikatoren 30 dagers reinnleggelse etter sykehusopphold. Resultater for sykehus og kommuner 2014: Kvalitetsmåling
Folkehelseinstituttet beregner kvalitetsindikatorer for risikojustert sannsynlighet for reinnleggelse innen 30 dager etter utskrivning fra sykehus for eldre pasienter. Indikatorene inngår i det nasjonale kvalitetsindikatorsystemet som forvaltes av Helsedirektoratet
Anomalous Effects of "Guest" Charges Immersed in Electrolyte: Exact 2D Results
We study physical situations when one or two "guest" arbitrarily-charged
particles are immersed in the bulk of a classical electrolyte modelled by a
Coulomb gas of positive/negative unit point-like charges, the whole system
being in thermal equilibrium. The models are treated as two-dimensional with
logarithmic pairwise interactions among charged constituents; the
(dimensionless) inverse temperature is considered to be smaller than 2
in order to ensure the stability of the electrolyte against the collapse of
positive-negative pairs of charges. Based on recent progress in the integrable
(1+1)-dimensional sine-Gordon theory, exact formulas are derived for the
chemical potential of one guest charge and for the asymptotic large-distance
behavior of the effective interaction between two guest charges. The exact
results imply, under certain circumstances, anomalous effects such as an
effective attraction (repulsion) between like-charged (oppositely-charged)
guest particles and the charge inversion in the electrolyte vicinity of a
highly-charged guest particle. The adequacy of the concept of renormalized
charge is confirmed in the whole stability region of inverse temperatures and
the related saturation phenomenon is revised.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figur
UN plastic treaty must mind the people: Citizen science can assist citizen involvement in plastic policymaking
By 2024, the United Nations treaty to end all plastic pollution is set to join multilateral forces to act on plastic pollution. While involving citizens has the potential to improve policy implementation, legitimacy, and relevance, effective measures are currently lacking in plastic pollution policy. Here, we aim to build on existing praxis in the European Union and analyze current initiatives engaging citizens. We discuss these in a citizen science context and provide recommendations for an effective treaty. We find that current measures are inadequate, that policy impact is contingent on the policy phases and the input type, and we highlight opportunities for citizen science to support public access to policy influence. We recommend that the upcoming treaty ensures access throughout the policy process, that inputs are systematized and harmonized to increase application and policy uptake, and finally, consistent equity in participation for citizens affected by plastic pollution
Matrix Model as a Mirror of Chern-Simons Theory
Using mirror symmetry, we show that Chern-Simons theory on certain manifolds
such as lens spaces reduces to a novel class of Hermitian matrix models, where
the measure is that of unitary matrix models. We show that this agrees with the
more conventional canonical quantization of Chern-Simons theory. Moreover,
large N dualities in this context lead to computation of all genus A-model
topological amplitudes on toric Calabi-Yau manifolds in terms of matrix
integrals. In the context of type IIA superstring compactifications on these
Calabi-Yau manifolds with wrapped D6 branes (which are dual to M-theory on G2
manifolds) this leads to engineering and solving F-terms for N=1 supersymmetric
gauge theories with superpotentials involving certain multi-trace operators.Comment: harvmac, 54 pages, 13 figure
A Fermi Surface study of BaKBiO
We present all electron computations of the 3D Fermi surfaces (FS's) in
BaKBiO for a number of different compositions based on the
selfconsistent Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential-approximation
(KKR-CPA) approach for incorporating the effects of Ba/K substitution. By
assuming a simple cubic structure throughout the composition range, the
evolution of the nesting and other features of the FS of the underlying
pristine phase is correlated with the onset of various structural transitions
with K doping. A parameterized scheme for obtaining an accurate 3D map of the
FS in BaKBiO for an arbitrary doping level is developed. We
remark on the puzzling differences between the phase diagrams of
BaKBiO and BaPbBiO by comparing aspects
of their electronic structures and those of the end compounds BaBiO,
KBiO and BaPbO. Our theoretically predicted FS's in the cubic phase are
relevant for analyzing high-resolution Compton scattering and
positron-annihilation experiments sensitive to the electron momentum density,
and are thus amenable to substantial experimental verification.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
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