Inhibition of attachment of oral bacteria to immortalized human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1) by tea extracts and tea components

Background: Tea has been suggested to promote oral health by inhibiting bacterial attachment to the oral cavity. Most studies have focused on prevention of bacterial attachment to hard surfaces such as enamel. Findings: This study investigated the effect of five commercial tea (green, oolong, black, pu-erh and chrysanthemum) extracts and tea components (epigallocatechin gallate and gallic acid) on the attachment of five oral pathogens (Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175, Streptococcus mutans ATCC 35668, Streptococcus mitis ATCC 49456, Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 13419 and Actinomyces naeslundii ATCC 51655) to the HGF-1 gingival cell line. Extracts of two of the teas (pu-erh and chrysanthemum) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced attachment of all the Streptococcus strains by up to 4 log CFU/well but effects of other teas and components were small. Conclusions: Pu-erh and chrysanthemum tea may have the potential to reduce attachment of oral pathogens to gingival tissue and improve the health of oral soft tissues

The d' dibaryon in the quark-delocalization, color-screening model

We study the questions of the existence and mass of the proposed $d' (IJ^P=00^-)$ dibaryon in the quark-delocalization, color-screening model (QDCSM). The transformation between physical and symmetry bases has been extended to the cases beyond the SU(2) orbital symmetry. Using parameters fixed by baryon properties and $NN$ scattering, we find a mild attraction in the $IJ^P=00^-$ channel, but it is not strong enough to form a deeply bound state as proposed for the $d'$ state. Nor does the (isospin) I=2 N$\Delta$ configuration have a deeply bound state. These results show that if a narrow dibaryon $d'$ state does exist, it must have a more complicated structure.Comment: 12 pp. latex, no figs., 2 tables, additional refs., Report-no was adde

Penetration Enhancement Effect of Turpentine Oil on Transdermal Film of Ketorolac

Purpose: To prepare transdermal films of ketorolac tromethamine (KT) and study the effect of turpentine oil as a penetration enhancer for the drug.Methods: Transdermal films of KT were prepared with Carbopol-934 and ethyl cellulose, with turpentine oil as the penetration enhancer, using solvent evaporation method. The films were characterized for physicochemical properties, ex vivo permeation, as well as in vivo anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in Wistar rats. Results: The transdermal films were uniform in weight and thickness, flat, with high drug content (93.9 to 98.5 %) and of high folding endurance (134.0 to 180.0). Drug permeation through excised rat abdominal skin was prolonged, with the total drug release ranging from 58.88 to 88.98 % in 24 h. The films containing penetration enhancer showed higher drug permeation than the one without the enhancer; furthermore, drug permeation increased with increase in the concentration of the enhancer. The films were non-irritant to the skin. The transdermal films prepared with permeation enhancers showed greater anti-inflammatory activity (87.55 ± 2.50 and 83.24 ± 2.29 % inhibition of rat paw edema at the end of 12 h for formulations F2 and F3, respectively, compared to that of the formulation without enhancer with 69.99 %) as well as greater analgesic activity (quicker onset of analgesia in 1.5 h with longer duration of 10 to 12 h).Conclusion: Transdermal films of ketorolac have a potential for use in the treatment of pain andinflammation. Incorporation of turpentine oil in the films enhances not only drug flux but also analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in rats

Resonant Subband Landau Level Coupling in Symmetric Quantum Well

Subband structure and depolarization shifts in an ultra-high mobility GaAs/Al_{0.24}Ga_{0.76}As quantum well are studied using magneto-infrared spectroscopy via resonant subband Landau level coupling. Resonant couplings between the 1st and up to the 4th subbands are identified by well-separated anti-level-crossing split resonance, while the hy-lying subbands were identified by the cyclotron resonance linewidth broadening in the literature. In addition, a forbidden intersubband transition (1st to 3rd) has been observed. With the precise determination of the subband structure, we find that the depolarization shift can be well described by the semiclassical slab plasma model, and the possible origins for the forbidden transition are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

An Extension of the Fractional Parentage Expansion to Nonrelativistic and Relativistic SU(3)fSU(3)_{f} Dibaryon Calculations

The fractional parentage expansion method is extended from $SU(2)_{f}$ nonrelativistic to $SU(3)_{f}$ and relativistic dibaryon calculations. A transformation table between physical bases and symmetry bases for the $SU(3)_{f}$ dibaryon is provided. A program package has been written for dibaryon calculation based on the fractional parentage expansion method.Comment: 15 pages text plus 18 pages tables, latex, no figure

The d* dibaryon in the extended quark-delocalization, color-screening model

The quark-delocalization, color-screening model, extended by inclusion of a one-pion-exchange (OPE) tail, is applied to the study of the deuteron and the d* dibaryon. The results show that the properties of the deuteron (an extended object) are well reproduced, greatly improving the agreement with experimental data as compared to our previous study (without OPE). At the same time, the mass and decay width of the d* (a compact object) are, as expected, not altered significantly.Comment: 9 pages, no figures, LaTeX, subm. to Phys. Rev.

Electrohydrodynamic printing of a dielectric elastomer actuator and its application in tunable lenses

Optical lenses driven by dielectric elastomer (DE) actuators with tunable focal lengths are presented here. They are inspired by the architecture of the crystalline lens and the ciliary muscle of the human eye and have prompted a growing interest. The most commonly used DEs in tunable lenses have often required highly transparent films and also the need to encapsulate clear liquid silicone to act as the lens. There is a restriction on the properties of the tunable lens imposed by materials limitations. Here, the fabrication of a fully 3D printed tunable lens with an inhomogeneous structure is described. It exhibited a 29% change in focal length from 33.6 mm to 26.1 mm under a dynamic driving voltage signal control. Furthermore, it displayed excellent stability when the focal length was tuned from far to near (30.1 mm to 25.3 mm) for 200 cycles. The tunable lens obtained mimics the working principle of the human eye in auto adjusting the focal length and has evident potential applications in imaging, information storage, beam steering and bifocal technology

Co-seismic ground deformation of Yushu Earthquake detected with D-InSAR technique

An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 suddenly occurred in Yushu county of Qinghai province on April 14, 2010. This paper presents the studies of using the data of Advanced Land Observing Satellite-Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS-PALSAR) before and after the earthquake to examine and calculate the co-seismic ground deformation. The differential SAR interferometry (D-InSAR) technique is used. The results show that the earthquake caused the ground deformation over a large area. The extension of the ground deformation followed the south-east to east direction and along the Yushu-Ganzi fault zone. The largest deformation was found about 350 mm at 33.7°N 96.81°E. It is along the line of sight (LOS) of SAR and can be detected with D-InSAR technique. The detected ground deformation was mainly uplifting. The detected ground deformation has an important value for evaluating the extent of ground damage and seismicity in Yushu after earthquake, inferring the nature of the quake faulting, and studying characteristics of seismic deformation. 2010-04-14青海玉树发生7.1级地震后, 作者利用震前和震后获取的日本ALOS卫星PALSAR遥感数据, 开展了差分干涉雷达(D-InSAR)地震同震形变测量与分析。结果表明: 玉树地震引起较大范围地表变形, 地震变形沿玉树—甘孜断裂带向南东东方向扩展, 在N33.7°, E96.81°附近达到最大形变量, D-InSAR监测到雷达视向上的最大形变量为35cm。地表形变特征对于评价玉树地震破坏程度、推断断层性质、研究地震形变和地震孕育特征具有重要的参考价值