Modelling Emotion Based Reward Valuation with Computational Reinforcement Learning

We show that computational reinforcement learning can model human decision making in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The IGT is a card game, which tests decision making under uncertainty. In our experiments, we found that modulating learning rate decay in Q-learning, enables the approximation of both the behaviour of normal subjects and those who are emotionally impaired by ventromedial prefrontal lesions. Outcomes observed in impaired subjects are modeled by high learning rate decay, while low learning rate decay replicates healthy subjects under otherwise identical conditions. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex has been associated with emotion based reward valuation, and, the value function in reinforcement learning provides an analogous assessment mechanism. Thus reinforcement learning can provide a good model for the role of emotional reward as a modulator of the learning rate

Antibacterial Activities of Ankaferd Hemostat (Abs) on Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli and Other Pathogens Significant in Foodborne Diseases

Objective: Ankaferd hemostat (Ankaferd Blood Stopper®, ABS)-induced pharmacological modulation of essential erythroid proteins can cause vital erythroid aggregation via acting on fibrinogen gamma. Topical endoscopic ABS application is effective in the controlling of gastrointestinal (GI) system hemorrhages and/or infected GI wounds. Escherichia coli O157:H7, the predominant serotype of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, is a cause of both outbreaks and sporadic cases of hemorrhagic colitis. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of ABS on 6 different Shiga toxigenic E. coli serotypes including O26, O103, O104, O111, O145, and O157 and on other pathogens significant in foodborne diseases, such as Salmonella Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes, were also assessed. Materials and Methods: All strains were applied with different amounts of ABS and antimicrobial effect was screened. S. Typhimurium groups were screened for survival using the fluorescence in situ hybridization technique. Results: The relative efficacy of ABS solutions to achieve significant logarithmic reduction in foodborne pathogens E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 serogroups and other emerging foodborne pathogens is demonstrated in this study. ABS has antibacterial effects. Conclusion: Our present study indicated for the first time that ABS may act against E. coli O157:H7, which is a cause of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, and hemorrhagic colitis. The interrelationships between colitis, infection, and hemostasis within the context of ABS application should be further investigated in future studies.PubMedWoSScopu

Qualitative/Chemical Analyses of Ankaferd Hemostat and Its Antioxidant Content in Synthetic Gastric Fluids

Introduction. Ankaferd hemostat (ABS) is the first topical haemostatic agent involving the red blood cell-fibrinogen interactions. The antihemorrhagic efficacy of ABS has been tested in controlled clinical trials. The drug induces the formation of an encapsulated complex protein web with vital erythroid aggregation. The aim of this study is to detect the essential toxicity profile and the antioxidant molecules inside ABS. Methods. The pesticides were analyzed by GC-MS and LC-MS. The determination by ICP-MS after pressure digestion was performed for the heavy metals. HPLC was used for the detection of mycotoxins. Dioxin Response Chemically Activated Luciferase Gene Expression method was used for the dioxin evaluation. TOF-MS and spectra data were evaluated to detect the antioxidants and other molecules. Results. TOF-MS spectra revealed the presence of several antioxidant molecules (including tocotrienols, vitamin E, tryptophan, estriol, galangin, apigenin, oenin, 3,4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran, TBHQ, thymol, BHA, BHT, lycopene, glycyrrhetinic acid, and tomatine), which may have clinical implications in the pharmacobiological actions of ABS. Conclusion. The safety of ABS regarding the presence of heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, GMO and dioxins, and PCBs was demonstrated. Thus the present toxicological results indicated the safety of ABS. The antioxidant content of ABS should be investigated in future studies.PubMedWoSScopu

Role of House Flies in the Ecology of Enterococcus faecalis from Wastewater Treatment Facilities.

Citation: Doud, C. W., Scott, H. M., & Zurek, L. (2014). Role of House Flies in the Ecology of Enterococcus faecalis from Wastewater Treatment Facilities. Retrieved from http://krex.ksu.eduEnterococci are important nosocomial pathogens, with Enterococcus faecalis most commonly responsible for human infections. In this study, we used several measures to test the hypothesis that house flies, Musca domestica (L.), acquire and disseminate antibiotic-resistant and potentially virulent E. faecalis from wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF) to the surrounding urban environment. House flies and sludge fromfourWWTF (1–4) as well as house flies from three urban sites close to WWTF-1 were collected and cultured for enterococci. Enterococci were identified, quantified, screened for antibiotic resistance and virulence traits, and assessed for clonality. Of the 11 antibiotics tested, E. faecalis was most commonly resistant to tetracycline, doxycycline, streptomycin, gentamicin, and erythromycin, and these traits were intra-species horizontally transferrable by in vitro conjugation. Profiles of E. faecalis (prevalence, antibiotic resistance, and virulence traits) from each of WWTF sludge and associated house flies were similar, indicating that flies successfully acquired these bacteria from this substrate. The greatest number of E. faecalis with antibiotic resistance and virulence factors (i.e., gelatinase, cytolysin, enterococcus surface protein, and aggregation substance) originated from WWTF-1 that processed meat waste from a nearby commercial meat-processing plant, suggesting an agricultural rather than human clinical source of these isolates. E. faecalis from house flies collected from three sites 0.7–1.5 km away from WWTF-1 were also similar in their antibiotic resistance profiles; however, antibiotic resistance was significantly less frequent. Clonal diversity assessment using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed the same clones of E. faecalis from sludge and house flies from WWTF-1 but not from the three urban sites close to WWTF-1. This study demonstrates that house flies acquire antibiotic-resistant enterococci from WWTF and potentially disseminate them to the surrounding environment