RESUMO
This note addresses the important role of undergraduate research journals in the undergraduate research experience. Peer review by professional researchers is identified as the most essential ingredient in establishing the relevance of these journals as venues for research dissemination. Included are examples of three such journals-Spora, SIAM Undergraduate Research Online, and the American Journal of Undergraduate Research-with demonstrated success in supporting the undergraduate research experience.
Assuntos
Conceitos Matemáticos , Publicações Periódicas como Assunto , Relatório de Pesquisa , Estudantes , Humanos , Revisão por Pares , Publicações Periódicas como Assunto/normas , Publicações Periódicas como Assunto/tendências , Relatório de Pesquisa/normas , Estados UnidosRESUMO
The human body's immune response to bacterial challenge, even when successful in controlling the infection, can result in negative consequences for the host, including reduced functionality of associated tissues. We present and analyze a low-dimensional mathematical model of this immune response to pathogen invasion, incorporating the coordinated actions of active immune cells, and both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The model simulates both the positive (pathogen reduction) and negative (local tissue dysfunction) effects of the immune response and includes the important role of immunologic memory in the process of a return to stasis. This differential equation-based model is sufficiently general to be applicable to a wide range of human tissues and organs.
Assuntos
Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno/imunologia , Inflamação/imunologia , Modelos Imunológicos , Animais , Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Anti-Inflamatórios não Esteroides/uso terapêutico , Bactérias/imunologia , Bactérias/patogenicidade , Infecções Bacterianas/tratamento farmacológico , Infecções Bacterianas/imunologia , Citocinas/metabolismo , Citocinas/uso terapêutico , Interações entre Hospedeiro e Microrganismos/efeitos dos fármacos , Interações entre Hospedeiro e Microrganismos/imunologia , Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Memória Imunológica , Inflamação/tratamento farmacológico , Mediadores da Inflamação/metabolismo , Conceitos MatemáticosRESUMO
As the battle continues against hospital-acquired infections and the concurrent rise in antibiotic resistance among many of the major causative pathogens, there is a dire need to conduct controlled experiments, in order to compare proposed control strategies. However, cost, time, and ethical considerations make this evaluation strategy either impractical or impossible to implement with living patients. This paper presents a multi-scale model that offers promise as the basis for a tool to simulate these (and other) controlled experiments. This is a "unified" model in two important ways: (i) It combines inter-host and in-host dynamics into a single model, and (ii) it links two very different modeling approaches - agent-based modeling and differential equations - into a single model. The potential of this model as an instrument to combat antibiotic resistance in hospitals is demonstrated with numerical examples.
Assuntos
Infecções Bacterianas/transmissão , Infecção Hospitalar , Resistência Microbiana a Medicamentos , Modelos Teóricos , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Infecções Bacterianas/tratamento farmacológico , Simulação por Computador , Hospitais , HumanosRESUMO
The human immune response to bacterial pathogens is a remarkably complex process, involving many different cell types, chemical signals, and extensive lines of communication. Mathematical models of this system have become increasingly high-dimensional and complicated, as researchers seek to capture many of the major dynamics. In this paper, we argue that, in some important instances, preference should be given to low-dimensional models of immune response, as opposed to their high-dimensional counterparts. One such model is analyzed and shown to reflect many of the key phenomenological properties of the immune response in humans. Notably, this model includes a single parameter that, when combined with a single set of reference parameter values, may be used to quantify the overall immunocompetence of individual hosts.
Assuntos
Bactérias/imunologia , Bactérias/patogenicidade , Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno/imunologia , Modelos Imunológicos , Bactérias/efeitos dos fármacos , Infecções Bacterianas/tratamento farmacológico , Infecções Bacterianas/imunologia , Biologia Computacional , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana , Humanos , Conceitos MatemáticosRESUMO
Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was not only good science but also good science that motivated and informed course development. Here, we describe four recent undergraduate research projects involving students and faculty in biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science and how each contributed in significant ways to the conception and implementation of our new Integrated Quantitative Science course, a course for first-year students that integrates the material in the first course of the major in each of biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and physics.
