Alginates are abundant linear polysaccharides produced by brown algae and some bacteria. They have multiple biological roles and important medical and commercial uses. Alginates are comprised of D-mannuronic acid (M) and L-guluronic acid (G) and the ratios and distribution patterns of M and G profoundly impact their physiological and rheological properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Electronic cigarette use (vaping) has increased rapidly among adolescents globally. Most electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) contain nicotine, which is addictive and can cause behaviour problems and mood dysregulation. We sought to assess whether an educational intervention increased knowledge about vaping-related health risks and desire to quit among high school students.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSARS-CoV-2 is the viral pathogen responsible for COVID-19. Although morbidity and mortality frequently occur as a result of lung disease, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is recognized as a primary location for SARS-CoV-2. Connections and interactions between the microbiome of the gut and respiratory system have been linked with viral infections via what has been referred to as the 'gut-lung axis' with potential aerodigestive communication in health and disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe consider a numerical framework tailored to identifying optimal parameters in the context of modelling disease propagation. Our focus is on understanding the behaviour of optimisation algorithms for such problems, where the dynamics are described by a system of ordinary differential equations associated with the epidemiological SIRD model. Applying an optimise-then-discretise approach, we examine properties of the solution operator and determine existence of optimal parameters for the problem considered.
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