280 research outputs found
Effect of permeation enhancers on the penetration mechanism of transfersomal gel of ketoconazole
No full textThe aim of the present research work was to investigate the potential of transfersome formulations for transdermal delivery of Ketoconazole (KTZ). KTZ is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that is active against a wide variety of fungi and yeasts. It is readily but incompletely absorbed after oral dosing and is highly variable. The transfersomes were formulated by lipid film hydration technique using Rotary vacuum Evaporator. The prepared transfersomes were converted into suitable gel formulation and is evaluated for their gel characteristics like pH, viscosity, spreadability, extrudability, homogeneity, drug content, etc. Suitable essential oils acting as natural permeation enhancers were added to the transfersomal formulation of KTZ for their release studies. Studies proved that addition of suitable permeation enhancers to the transfersomal formulation improved the release and permeation of KTZ, which showed that the permeation enhancers modify the barrier to penetration present in skin without itself undergoing any change. From the various essential oils which are used as permeation enhancers, the formulation containing Eucalyptus oil showed better in vitro release and permeation as compared with other formulations containing different permeation enhancers
Computational chemistry and molecular modeling : principles and applications / K.I. Ramachandran, G. Deepa, K. Namboori.
No full text"An exclusive URL (http://www.amrita.edu/cen/ccmm/) for this book with the required support materials has been provided for readers ..."--Preface.pharmacy bookfair2015Includes bibliographical references and index.xxi, 397 pages
Micro-raman spectroscopy of caries lesion formation in dental enamel
No full textCaries lesions form by a complex process of chemical interactions between dental enamel and its environment. They can cause cavities and pain, and are expensive to fix. Lesions form by slow demineralization over many months, even years. It is hard to characterize in vivo as a result of environmental factors and remineralization by ions in the oral cavity. In this thesis the process of demineralization was carried out in vitro and micro-Raman spectroscopy used to investigate and characterize the lesion's chemistry. Demineralization occurs by diffusion across the depth of the lesion of mineral ions via interstitial spaces in the dental enamel. Hydroxyl ions are initially lost by acidic attack, which increases the interstitial space. The demineralization is retarded by diffusion processes in the opposite direction, and a balance in the charges of the ions must be maintained. Having multiple ions diffusing simultaneously is termed “coupled diffusion”. A subsurface highly demineralized region is formed, but this can be remineralized.
Micro-Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying material composition by exciting chemical bonds in the sample. Using micro-Raman to characterize the chemical composition of lesions may help in developing preventative measures to stop their formation. Raman (λ=785 nm) was used to characterize lesions grown over 5, 7, 9, 11 and 14 days. The amide I peak at ~1605 cm-1, which has not been observed previously, was seen in the maturing lesions. The extreme demineralization in these lesions enables the organic peaks to be seen rather than the normally stronger mineral peaks. Analysis of crystallinity shows that there is always a reduction in mineral content with distance below the enamel surface, but this becomes magnified as the lesion matures. Type B carbonate substitution for phosphate ions can also be examined with Raman. Correcting for crystallinity shows that both carbonate and phosphate ions are lost at the same rate during demineralization.
In summary, micro-Raman is an effective and relatively easy tool to use in lesion characterization. It also has the advantage that it can be used to identify changes in both the mineral and protein phases of enamel.M.S.Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-55)
Cyclostationarity Based Sonar Signal Processing
No full textAbstractThis paper presents a reliable method for target vessel identification in passive sonar by exploiting the underlying periodicity of propeller noise signal, using the principles of cyclostationarity. In conventional signal processing methods, random signals are treated as statistically stationary and the parameters of the underlying physical mechanism that generates the signal would not vary in time. However, for most manmade signals, some parameters vary periodically with time and this requires that random signals be modeled as cyclostationary. In the field of sonar, the propeller noise signal generated by underwater vessels is cyclostationary. As a ship propagates in the sea, noise generated during the collapse of cavitation-induced bubbles are modulated by the rotating propeller shaft and this results in characteristic amplitude modulated random noise signal, which can be detected using passive sonar. Processing these signals, the number of blades and the shaft frequency of the propeller can be identified. In this work, cyclostationary processing technique is introduced for processing propeller noise signal and it is observed to provide better noise immunity. A detailed comparison with the conventional DEMON processing is also presented
Analysis of regulatory mechanisms of genes controlled by the transcription factor NF-kappaB
No full textNF-kappaB transcription factors are central to the regulation of many vital processes including immune response. It is known from microarray measurements and clustering methods that NF-kappaB dependent genes in humans are expressed in functionally distinct "waves". This research helps determine how the expression of these sequences is a consequence of their structure, molecular constitution and evolution. This thesis identifies location of TF-binding sites and consensus regions in the DNA sequences that are upregulated by NF-kappaB and examines their structure.
This project uses a variety of tools and databases available for sequence analysis including Blast, BLAT, MATCH, GeneBee, BioProspector and MEME. This analysis is one aspect of the larger 'Investigation of NF-kappaB Pathways' project underway at UTMB, Galveston and Rice University. Future promoter analysis of these results will verify the location of functional regulatory sites, thereby enabling us to postulate and verify a model governing expression of NF-kappaB dependent genes
Sepsis prediction in ICU patients using deep learning
No full textRESEARCH QUESTIONS
• How does the performance of the CNN-LSTM model compare to traditional machine learning models (e.g., Decision Tree, Random Forest, SVM) in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score for early sepsis detection?
• What is the minimum subset of clinical features (e.g., heart rate, temperature, lactate levels) required to maintain a high-performing prediction model with reduced computational cost?
• How do SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values contribute to the interpretability of the CNN-LSTM model and support clinical decision-making in ICU environments?
• What are the limitations of using synthetic oversampling techniques such as SMOTE in the context of highly imbalanced clinical datasets, and how do they affect the model’s generalizability?
ABSTRACT
Sepsis, the most lethal cause of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, is a life-threatening condition. Early and correct diagnosis is key in improving survival. The conventional tools, like SOFA and SIRS scores, are static and retrospective, thereby resulting into a delayed identifying of the condition, and also to false positive detection. This is a pilot study aimed to solve this set of challenging questions by a novel approach of deep learning based early sepsis prediction using multi-variate time-series lab test, vital sign, and electronic health record (EHR) data.
The proposed approach leverages Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for automatic data feature extraction, combined with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to identify temporal progressions in patients’ data. Database preprocessing by normalisation, imputation, and the Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) is utilized to correctly handle common issues, e.g., noise, missing values, and class imbalance. Interpretability is strengthened by explanations generated via Shapley Additive explanations (SHAP), thus promoting clinical use and enabling clear interpretation of model predictions.
Our CNN-LSTM model also performed well in 22,824 test samples, with the training data consisting of almost 58,000 hourly CCU data: accuracy 95.63%, precision 97.6%, recall 93.5%, F1-score 95.5% for sepsis classification. The high NPV for excluding non-sepsis was similarly established. The attention mechanism allowed the model to be significantly more interpretable by focusing on key prediction characteristics.
Together, this work shows that deep learning can predict sepsis with high accuracy well in advance of the manifestation of clinical symptoms and may be used as a practical way to trigger early intervention and improve outcomes in the ICU
Corrections to “An Improved Harmonics Mitigation Scheme for a Modular Multilevel Converter” [2019 147244-147255]
No full textIn the above-named work, T. Deepa should have been listed as the second co-author of the article with the affiliation of (1): School of Electrical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai 600127, India. The author's biography is also provided within this correction. Additionally, the correct zip code of affiliation (1) should be 600127, and the correct statement on financial support acknowledgement should be as follows: "This work was funded by the Renewable Energy Laboratory, Department of Communications and Networks Engineering, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia." It is necessary to mention the nature of funding provided by Prince Sultan University and to note the correction in the spelling of the university in the same statement in the published manuscript
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Monoclonal antibody therapy of rheumatoid arthritis
No full textObjectives. To (a) determine the immunological effects of a PRIMATIZED® anti-CD4 antibody alone or in combination with methotrexate in RA patients, (b) determine the immunological effects of a chimeric anti-CD25 antibody in RA patients who are partially refractive to methotrexate and (c) compare interleukin-15 levels in the serum of RA patients and healthy controls and determine if there is a correlation between this cytokine and serum TNF-α, CD 122 expression, and disease activity. Patients and methods. (a) Eight RA patients were selected, four received anti-CD4+ placebo and the other four received anti-CD4+ methotrexate for 4 weeks. The immunological effects were assessed on peripheral blood by flow cytometry and thymidine incorporation assays. (b) Six RA patients were given anti-CD25 antibody (0.02-60mg) along with methotrexate for 26 days. The immunological effects were assessed on peripheral blood by flow cytometry, thymidine assays, and ELISA. (c) Blood and disease activity from twenty-one RA patients were obtained and serum IL-15 and TNF-α levels were measured by ELISA. IL-15R β chain (CD 122) expression was measured by flow cytometry. Results. (a) The anti-CD4 antibody caused a selective and significant decrease in the number of CD4+ T cells. No inhibition of PHA or mitogenic antibody stimulated proliferation was observed. (b) The anti-CD25 antibody caused a significant decrease in the percent CD25+ cells. The antibody bound CD25 and prevented interaction of IL-2 and IL-2R. Anti-CD25 antibody caused a significant decrease in PHA or mitogenic antibody stimulated proliferation. Clinically, the anti-CD25 antibody caused a significant decrease in the number of tender and swollen joints. (c) Elevated serum IL-15 was measured in 10 out of 21 RA patients but not in controls. No correlation was observed between IL-15 and TNF-α, CD122 expression or disease activity. Conclusions. (a) Methotrexate did not alter the effects of the PRIMATIZED® anti-CD4 antibody. Changes in antibody development processes have yielded two antibodies with different functions. (b) Anti-CD25 induced decrease in CD25+ T cells was associated with clinical benefit. The exact mechanisms of action are not clear. (c) Serum IL-15 levels in RA may be a more sensitive indicator of inflammation than TNF-α and may be a valuable tool in diagnosis.This item was digitized from a paper original and/or a microfilm copy. If you need higher-resolution images for any content in this item, please contact us at [email protected] file replaced with corrected file August 2023
Creating Value Through Design: Company and Country Perspectives from East Asia
No full textFor the final Y.B. Min lecture of the semester, the Center for Asian Business welcomed Deepa Prahalad, an author and business strategist specializing in opportunities at the intersection of consumer experience, technology and strategy. In her presentation, titled “Creating Value through Design: Company and Country Perspectives from East Asia,” Prahalad discussed the role of design in creating value, the ingredients of good design and how this applies to Asian countries in particular.
Prahalad discussed the success of great brands such as Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola and Samsung and how they have created awareness of the value of design to business. Design today is an important source of strategic advantage for entrepreneurs, established companies and countries. Her talk focused on case studies of how companies and countries have used design to build brands and create a sphere of influence.
According to Prahalad, strategic challenges such as co-creation, customer experience, globalization, innovation and new business model creation all require design. Today, we’re seeing a convergence of brand and design. Leading brands such as Nike, Apple, McDonald’s and Mercedes are all identifiable by their logo alone. These brands have a distinct look, feel and experience, and the experience must be valued by the consumers. Prahalad went on to address how emotional connections often lead to business results.
At the conclusion of her lecture, she highlighted the following points: Behavior is as important as income There is a convergence of quantitative and qualitative data Looking at emotions creates obligations for companies A great design still needs a great business model
Passionate about emerging markets and innovation, Prahalad has worked as a management consultant with firms from start-ups to large multinationals. She researched and co-authored the book, Predictable Magic: Unleash the Power of Design Strategy to Transform Your Business. Prahalad speaks on design strategy and emerging markets at business schools and at global and government forums on the importance of design as a competitive innovation. Prahalad received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ybminlectureseries/1003/thumbnail.jp
Are there synergies between World Bank partial credit guarantees and private lending?
No full textSince 1994, the World Bank has provided partial credit guarantees to private financiers of several large infrastructure projects in developing countries. A major objective of the partial guarantee program is to leverage Bank resources so as to provide developing countries with better private credit terms. A real test of the efficacy of World Bank partial credit guarantees is whether they also lower the interest rate and lengthen the effective maturity of the part of the credit not covered by the World Bank guarantee. On the basis of deals closed so far, the author finds no evidence that guarantees have affected nonguaranteed interest rates favorably, while the duration of the nonguaranteed credits remains relatively short.International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Strategic Debt Management,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Strategic Debt Management,Insurance&Risk Mitigation
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