The antimicrobial activity of oil-in-water microemulsions is predicted by their position within the microemulsion stability zone

It has been shown previously that thermodynamically stable oil-in-water microemulsions have significant antimicrobial activity against planktonic cells and biofilm cells over short periods of exposure. It was the aim of this study to identify whether the position of the microemulsion within the microemulsion stability zone of the pseudo-ternary phase structure predicts the efficiency of the antimicrobial action of the microemulsion. Microemulsions were formulated at different points within the microemulsion stability zone. Experiments were performed to observe the kinetics of killing of these microemulsions against selected test microorganisms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404). The results indicated that the antimicrobial activity of the microemulsion is dependant upon its position within the zone of stability and is greater nearer the centre of that zone. The results indicate that significant antimicrobial activity can be observed at all points within the zone of microemulsion stability, but that maximal activity is to be found at the centre of that area

Magnetically-driven electronic phase separation in the semimetallic ferromagnet EuB6_6

From measurements of fluctuation spectroscopy and weak nonlinear transport on the semimetallic ferromagnet EuB$_6$ we find direct evidence for magnetically-driven electronic phase separation consistent with the picture of percolation of magnetic polarons (MP), which form highly conducting magnetically-ordered clusters in a paramagnetic and 'poorly conducting' background. These different parts of the conducting network are probed separately by the noise spectroscopy/nonlinear transport and the conventional linear resistivity. We suggest a comprehensive and 'universal' scenario for the MP percolation, which occurs at a critical magnetization either induced by ferromagnetic order at zero field or externally applied magnetic fields in the paramagentic region

Searching for configurations in clone evaluation - A replication study

Clone detection is the process of finding duplicated code within a software code base in an automated manner. It is useful in several areas of software development such as code quality analysis, bug detection, and program understanding.We replicate a study of a geneticalgorithm based framework that optimises parameters for clone agreement (EvaClone). We apply the framework to 14 releases of Mockito, a Java mocking framework. We observe that the optimised parameters outperform the tools’ default parameters in term of clone agreement by 19.91% to 66.43 %. However, the framework gives undesirable results in term of clone quality. EvaClone either maximises or minimises a number of clones in order to achieve the highest agreement resulting in more false positives or false negatives introduced consequently

Profile of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital, 2010

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common head and neck Malignancy in Indonesia. NPCpresents numerous challenges from non-specific signs and symptoms until lack of awareness from generalpractitioners (GP), which lead to late or missed diagnosis. Early diagnosis and prevention are proposedas the best solutions for this problem. In order to do that, we need a complete and well-managed patients’data. This study aims to reveal the demographic, clinical and histopathologic characteristics of NPC inIndonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted by collecting medical records of all NPC patients in 2010from Otorhinolaryngology Department of Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital. The extracted datawere then analyzed to describe the problem of NPC in Indonesia. Out of 167 patients, 68.3% of the patientsare male and most of them are Sundanese and Javanese. Palpable lump in the neck is the most commoncomplaint in presentation (58.1%), followed by nasal congestion (49.1%). Salted fish consumption was themost prevalent risk factor (29.9%). Based on the histopathologic findings, 75.4% of the cases were classifiedas WHO-3 and around half of the patients (51%) were in stage IV upon diagnosis. Studying demographic andclinical characteristics of NPC patients is the first step to overcome problems caused by NPC in Indonesia

Elimination of Metastatic Melanoma Using Gold Nanoshell-Enabled Photothermal Therapy and Adoptive T Cell Transfer

Ablative treatments such as photothermal therapy (PTT) are attractive anticancer strategies because they debulk accessible tumor sites while simultaneously priming antitumor immune responses. However, the immune response following thermal ablation is often insufficient to treat metastatic disease. Here we demonstrate that PTT induces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines and promotes the maturation of dendritic cells within tumor-draining lymph nodes, thereby priming antitumor T cell responses. Unexpectedly, however, these immunomodulatory effects were not beneficial to overall antitumor immunity. We found that PTT promoted the infiltration of secondary tumor sites by CD11b+Ly-6G/C+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells, consequently failing to slow the growth of poorly immunogenic B16-F10 tumors and enhancing the growth of distant lung metastases. To exploit the beneficial effects of PTT activity against local tumors and on antitumor immunity whilst avoiding the adverse consequences, we adoptively transferred gp100-specific pmel T cells following PTT. The combination of local control by PTT and systemic antitumor immune reactivity provided by adoptively transferred T cells prevented primary tumor recurrence post-ablation, inhibited tumor growth at distant sites, and abrogated the outgrowth of lung metastases. Hence, the combination of PTT and systemic immunotherapy prevented the adverse effects of PTT on metastatic tumor growth and optimized overall tumor control

Performing the Egyptian revolution : origins of collective restraint action in the Midan

This research was supported by a Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland grant.In January/February 2011, the world watched with admiration the Egyptian revolution that toppled President Housni Mubarak. The demonstration in Midan al-Tahrir (Liberation Square in central Cairo), which was the nucleus of the revolution, highlighted a largely spontaneous, civil and peaceful political performance. However, this performance was temporary, contradicting subsequent bloody conflicts in post-revolutionary Egypt. This article examines the socio-political origins of the Midan performance. It argues that the demonstrators exercised collective restraint, which was temporary but necessary, in order to topple Mubarak. Building on Norbert Elias’ civilising process theory and social movements literature, it is argued that the origins of this performance are found in a collective knowledge of regime strategy and narrative, Egyptian socio-political values and existing repertoires of contention. Drawing on primary sources and semi-structured interviews, the article contends that the demonstrators exercised collective restraint to reframe regime narrative and draw public support for the revolution.PostprintPeer reviewe

T Cells as Vehicles for Cancer Vaccination

The success of cancer vaccines is dependent on the delivery of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) within lymphoid tissue in the context of costimulatory molecules and immune stimulatory cytokines. Dendritic cells (DCs) are commonly utilized to elicit antitumor immune responses due to their attractive costimulatory molecule and cytokine expression profile. However, the efficacy of DC-based vaccines is limited by the poor viability and lymph-node migration of exogenously generated DCs in vivo. Alternatively, adoptively transferred T cells persist for long periods of time in vivo and readily migrate between the lymphoid and vascular compartments. In addition, T cells may be genetically modified to express both TAA and DC-activating molecules, suggesting that T cells may be ideal candidates to serve as cellular vehicles for antigen delivery to lymph node-resident DCs in vivo. This paper discusses the concept of using T cells to induce tumor-specific immunity for vaccination against cancer

Gold Nanoparticle Delivery of Modified CpG Stimulates Macrophages and Inhibits Tumor Growth for Enhanced Immunotherapy

Gold nanoparticle accumulation in immune cells has commonly been viewed as a side effect for cancer therapeutic delivery; however, this phenomenon can be utilized for developing gold nanoparticle mediated immunotherapy. Here, we conjugated a modified CpG oligodeoxynucleotide immune stimulant to gold nanoparticles using a simple and scalable selfassembled monolayer scheme that enhanced the functionality of CpG in vitro and in vivo. Nanoparticles can attenuate systemic side effects by enhancing CpG delivery passively to innate effector cells. The use of a triethylene glycol (TEG) spacer on top of the traditional poly-thymidine spacer increased CpG macrophage stimulatory effects without sacrificing DNA content on the nanoparticle, which directly correlates to particle uptake. In addition, the immune effects of modified CpGAuNPs were altered by the core particle size, with smaller 15 nm AuNPs generating maximum immune response. These TEG modified CpG-AuNP complexes induced macrophage and dendritic cell tumor infiltration, significantly inhibited tumor growth, and promoted survival in mice when compared to treatments with free CpG

Internalisasi Budaya Sekolah 3S (Senyum, Sapa dan Salam) dalam Meningkatkan Nilai Kesopanan di MTsN 2 Ponorogo

The background of this study originated from the found lack of politeness value of students in class IX MTsN 2 Ponorogo. From the results of observations that have been carried out previously, researchers found several students who behave rudely and speak impolitely, ethics in madrasa students have not been fully implemented, lack of friendly attitudes and respectful attitudes, some students lack a caring attitude towards their surroundings. This study aims to describe the internalization of the 3S school culture (Senyum, Sapa, and Salam) in increasing the value of politeness at MTsN 2 Ponorogo. This research uses a qualitative approach with a case study research type. While the data analysis technique used is the Miles, Huberman, and Saldana method which consists of 4 stages, namely data collection, data condensation, data presentation, and verification. The results of the study found that 1) the internalization of 3S culture at MTsN 2 Ponorogo begins with habituation. All madrasah residents are accustomed to implementing a culture of smiles, greetings, and greetings while in the madrasah environment. 2) The inhibiting factors for the internalization of the 3S culture are the effectiveness of teachers who are not optimal, environmental factors and peers. While the supporting factors are cooperation and support from madrasah stakeholders and parents who participate in assisting in the implementation of the program. 3) The impact of internalizing the 3S culture is the behavior of madrasah residents who increasingly show exemplary and as expected. ABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan internalisasi budaya sekolah 3S (Senyum, Sapa, dan Salam) dalam meningkatkan nilai kesopanan di MTsN 2 Ponorogo. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan jenis penelitian studi kasus. Sementara teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah dengan metode Miles, Huberman, dan Saldana yang terdiri dari 4 tahap yakni pengumpulan data, kondensasi data, penyajian data, dan verifikasi. Hasil penelitian ditemukan bahwa 1) internalisasi budaya 3S di MTsN 2 Ponorogo dimulai dengan pembiasaan. Seluruh warga madrasah dibiasakan untuk menerapkan budaya senyum, sapa, dan salam selama dilingkungan madrasah. 2) faktor penghambat internalisasi budaya 3S yakni efektifitas guru yang belum maksimal, faktor lingkungan dan teman sebaya. Sedangkan faktor pendukung nya yakni kerja sama dan dukungan dari para stakeholder madrasah dan orangtua yang turut serta membantu dalam pelaksanaan program. 3) dampak internalisasi budaya 3S adalah perilaku warga madrasah yang semakin menunjukkan keteladanan dan sesuai dengan yang diharapkan

Designing carbon nanotube-based oil absorbing membranes from gamma irradiated and electrospun polystyrene nanocomposites

Carbon-based materials are outstanding candidates for oil spill clean-ups due to their superhydrophobicity, high surface area, chemical inertness, low density, recyclability, and selectivity. The current work deals with the fabrication of membrane oil absorbents based on carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites by electrospinning technique. The spun membranes are also irradiated with the gamma radiation to induce enough crosslinks and thus good polymer-filler interactions. The structural, morphological, and surface properties in addition to the oil/water separation efficiency were investigated by varying the concentration of CNT and the dose of γ-irradiation. Fabricated nanofiber membranes show superior hydrophobicity and selective oil absorption at 0.5 wt.% of CNT concentration. The best mechanical properties are also obtained at this particular concentration and at 15 KGy optimum γ-irradiation dosage. The gamma irradiated PS/0.5 wt.% CNT membrane also exhibits good antibacterial effects against the bacteria, Escherichia coli, in the form of bacterial inhibition rings around the membranes. The present study thus shows the environmental applicability of the fabricated PS/CNT membranes in treating oil-contaminated water