Permeability of the healthy and inflamed gut.

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Simple Calibrated Phonocardiography

Abstract Not Provided

ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF A LIGHT INTERVENTION ON SLEEP QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF PENTAGON WATCHSTANDERS

Around the world, watchfloors provide information, intelligence, and technical support to operational commands 24 hours a day. Watchstanders often work long shifts surpassing full time 40-hour work weeks, which include night and weekend shifts. Shiftwork has been associated with a decreased amount of sleep in both quantity and quality, which leads to exhaustion and compromised cognitive function. Exposure to high energy visible (HEV) light at appropriate times has the potential to shift the body’s circadian rhythm to align faster to a new shift schedule. Adjusting to shifting work hours quicker could lead to less sleep loss, enhanced sleep quality, and less severe levels of fatigue. This study aims to assess the impact and potential benefits of intentionally introducing HEV light when watchstanders on a shore-based watchfloor are transitioning to a different work shift. The study will consider how the strategic application of HEV light affects circadian entrainment, thereby impacting sleep, performance, mood, and sleepiness. This work will inform recommendations to other shore-based watchfloors at the Pentagon that require non-traditional work schedules to support watchstanding operations.Naval Medical Research Center – Advanced Medical Development Program Silver Spring, MD 20910Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

A Multimodal Approach to the Management of Neuroendocrine Tumour Liver Metastases

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are often indolent malignancies that commonly present with metastatic disease in the liver. Surgical, locoregional, and systemic treatment modalities are reviewed. A multidisciplinary approach to patient care is suggested to ensure all therapeutic options explored

A moving mesh method for modelling defects in nematic liquid crystals

The properties of liquid crystals can be modelled using an order parameter which describes the variability of the local orientation of rod-like molecules. Defects in the director field can arise due to external factors such as applied electric or magnetic fields, or the constraining geometry of the cell containing the liquid crystal material. Understanding the formation and dynamics of defects is important in the design and control of liquid crystal devices, and poses significant challenges for numerical modelling. In this paper we consider the numerical solution of a Q-tensor model of a nematic liquid crystal, where defects arise through rapid changes in the Q-tensor over a very small physical region in relation to the dimensions of the liquid crystal device. The efficient solution of the resulting six coupled partial differential equations is achieved using a finite element based adaptive moving mesh approach, where an unstructured triangular mesh is adapted towards high activity regions, including those around defects. Spatial convergence studies are presented using a stationary defect as a model test case, and the adaptive method is shown to be optimally convergent using quadratic triangular finite elements. The full effectiveness of the method is then demonstrated using a challenging two-dimensional dynamic Pi-cell problem involving the creation, movement, and annihilation of defects

Stochastic Theories of Participation

A recent mathematical model by Horvath which predicts the process of participation in group discussions is compared to several alternative models. The models can be applied to data for which the basic unit is the act and to data for which the basic unit is a continuous sequence of acts. In both cases, when statistical tests of significance are employed, most of the more restrictive models are rejected

Biofilm-stimulated epithelium modulates the inflammatory responses in co-cultured immune cells

The gingival epithelium is a physical and immunological barrier to the microbiota of the oral cavity, which interact through soluble mediators with the immune cells that patrol the tissue at the gingival epithelium. We sought to develop a three-dimensional gingivae-biofilm interface model using a commercially available gingival epithelium to study the tissue inflammatory response to oral biofilms associated with “health”, “gingivitis” and “periodontitis”. These biofilms were developed by sequential addition of microorganisms to mimic the formation of supra- and sub-gingival plaque in vivo. Secondly, to mimic the interactions between gingival epithelium and immune cells in vivo, we integrated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and CD14+ monocytes into our three-dimensional model and were able to assess the inflammatory response in the immune cells cultured with and without gingival epithelium. We describe a differential inflammatory response in immune cells cultured with epithelial tissue, and more so following incubation with epithelium stimulated by “gingivitis-associated” biofilm. These results suggest that gingival epithelium-derived soluble mediators may control the inflammatory status of immune cells in vitro, and therefore targeting of the epithelial response may offer novel therapies. This multi-cellular interface model, both of microbial and host origin, offers a robust in vitro platform to investigate host-pathogens at the epithelial surface

Implications of antimicrobial combinations in complex wound biofilms containing fungi

Diabetic foot ulcer treatment currently focuses on targeting bacterial biofilms, while dismissing fungi. To investigate this we used an in vitro biofilm model containing bacteria and fungi, reflective of the wound environment, to test the impact of antimicrobials. Here we showed that while mono-treatment approaches influenced biofilm composition it had no discernible effect on overall quantity. Only by combining bacterial and fungal specific antibiotics were we able to decrease the biofilm bioburden, irrespective of composition

Renaissance Re-examined: The Diversification of Scottish Playwriting 1970-2000

The renaissance of theatre and playwriting in Scotland since 1970 is not to be seen as a single undifferentiated phenomenon and has important antecedents which should not be neglected. In the seventies, the dominant modes focussed either on West Scotland urban working class topics or historical themes revisited and interrogated anew. The emergence of women playwrights in the eighties marked a new diversification of theatrical perspective which led thereafter to a general thematic and dramaturgical variety which reflects and reinforced a perception, developed since 1970, of the variousness of “Scotland” and Scottish identities

Development and characterisation of a novel three-dimensional inter-kingdom wound biofilm model

Chronic diabetic foot ulcers are frequently colonised and infected by polymicrobial biofilms that ultimately prevent healing. This study aimed to create a novel in vitro inter-kingdom wound biofilm model on complex hydrogel-based cellulose substrata to test commonly used topical wound treatments. Inter-kingdom triadic biofilms composed of Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus were shown to be quantitatively greater in this model compared to a simple substratum when assessed by conventional culture, metabolic dye and live dead qPCR. These biofilms were both structurally complex and compositionally dynamic in response to topical therapy, so when treated with either chlorhexidine or povidone iodine, principal component analysis revealed that the 3-D cellulose model was minimally impacted compared to the simple substratum model. This study highlights the importance of biofilm substratum and inclusion of relevant polymicrobial and inter-kingdom components, as these impact penetration and efficacy of topical antiseptics