AIMS To develop an in vitro model (Colony/drip-flow reactor - C/DFR) for the growth and analysis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) biofilms. METHODS AND RESULTS Using the C/DFR model, biofilms were grown on the top of polycarbonate filter membranes inoculated with a clinical isolate of MRSA, placed on absorbent pads in the DFR and harvested after 72 h. The biofilms varied ...

An iodoplumbate-based hybrid crystal [C2-Apy][PbI3] (1) (C2-Apy+ = 1-ethyl-4-aminopyridinium) was synthesized and characterized structurally. Single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that 1 crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with the space group Pnma at 150 K. Inorganic components form straight and face-sharing octahedral [PbI3]∞ chains and organic components form C2-Apy+ cations that are...

We explore the collective electromagnetic response in atomic clusters of various sizes and geometries. Our aim is to understand, and hence to control, their dielectric response based on a fully quantum-mechanical description which captures accurately their relevant collective modes. The electronic energy levels and wave functions, calculated within the tight-binding model, are used to determine...

Life-threatening acute liver failure can be triggered by a variety of factors, including common drugs such as acetaminophen. Positron emission tomography (PET) is rarely used to monitor liver function, in part because of a lack of specific imaging agents for liver function. Here we report a new PET probe, 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluororibose ([(18)F]-2-DFR), for use in imaging liver function. [(18)F]-...

In this paper, we present a novel packet forwarding scheme for wireless ad hoc networks --“Direction” Forwarding (DFR). Popular routing protocols such as DSDV and AODV use “predecessor” based forwarding, namely, the packet is forwarded to the predecessor on the shortest path from the destination, as advertised during the last update. Predecessor forwarding may fail in large scale networks where...