Random sequential adsorption of cuboids.

The subject of this study was random sequential adsorption of cuboids of axes length ratio of : 1 : for ∈ [0.3, 1.0] and ∈ [1.

Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark-Matter-Electron Scattering from the DarkSide-50 Experiment.

We present new constraints on sub-GeV dark-matter particles scattering off electrons based on 6780.0 kg d of data collected with the DarkSide-50 dual-phase argon time projection chamber. This analysis uses electroluminescence signals due to ionized electrons extracted from the liquid argon target.

Low-Mass Dark Matter Search with the DarkSide-50 Experiment.

We present the results of a search for dark matter weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) in the mass range below 20  GeV/c^{2} using a target of low-radioactivity argon with a 6786.0 kg d exposure. The data were obtained using the DarkSide-50 apparatus at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso.

Circulating ectosomes: Determination of angiogenic microRNAs in type 2 diabetes.

Ectosomes () are a subpopulation of extracellular vesicles formed by the process of plasma membrane shedding. In the present study, we profiled ectosome-specific microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and analyzed their pro- and anti-angiogenic potential. We used different approaches for detecting and enumerating , including atomic force microscopy, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis.

Simultaneous determination of aflatoxin B, fumonisin B and deoxynivalenol in beer samples with a label-free monolithically integrated optoelectronic biosensor.

A label-free optical biosensor for the fast simultaneous determination of three mycotoxins, aflatoxin B (AFB), fumonisin B (FB) and deoxynivalenol (DON), in beer samples is presented. The biosensor is based on an array of ten Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) monolithically integrated along with their respective broad-band silicon light sources onto a single chip. Multi-analyte determination is accomplished by functionalizing the sensing arms of individual MZIs with mycotoxin-protein conjugates.

Human melanoma-derived ectosomes are enriched with specific glycan epitopes.

Aims: Numerous studies confirmed the involvement of extracellular vesicles in cancer development and progression. The present study was designed to investigate the glycan composition of ectosomes derived by human cutaneous melanoma (CM) cell lines with the use of lectins.

Main Methods: Ectosomes released by primary (WM115, WM793) and metastatic (WM266-4, WM1205Lu) CM cells were isolated from conditioned media by sequential centrifugation.

Oval Window Size and Shape: a Micro-CT Anatomical Study With Considerations for Stapes Surgery.

Background: The oval window is an important structure with regard to stapes surgeries, including stapedotomy for the treatment of otosclerosis. Recent study of perioperative imaging of the oval window has revealed that oval window niche height can indicate both operative difficulty and subjective discomfort during otosclerosis surgery. With regard to shape, structures incorporated into the oval window niche, such as cartilage grafts, must be compatible with the shape of the oval window.

Atomic-state diagnostics and optimization in cold-atom experiments.

We report on the creation, observation and optimization of superposition states of cold atoms. In our experiments, rubidium atoms are prepared in a magneto-optical trap and later, after switching off the trapping fields, Faraday rotation of a weak probe beam is used to characterize atomic states prepared by application of appropriate light pulses and external magnetic fields. We discuss the signatures of polarization and alignment of atomic spin states and identify main factors responsible for deterioration of the atomic number and their coherence and present means for their optimization, like relaxation in the dark with the strobed probing.

Complete diagrammatics of the single-ring theorem.

Using diagrammatic techniques, we provide explicit functional relations between the cumulant generating functions for the biunitarily invariant ensembles in the limit of large size of matrices. The formalism allows us to map two distinct areas of free random variables: Hermitian positive definite operators and non-normal R-diagonal operators. We also rederive the Haagerup-Larsen theorem and show how its recent extension to the eigenvector correlation function appears naturally within this approach.

Kinetic Energy of a Trapped Fermi Gas at Finite Temperature.

We study the statistics of the kinetic (or, equivalently, potential) energy for N noninteracting fermions in a 1d harmonic trap of frequency ω at finite temperature T. Remarkably, we find an exact solution for the full distribution of the kinetic energy, at any temperature T and for any N, using a nontrivial mapping to an integrable Calogero-Moser-Sutherland model. As a function of temperature T and for large N, we identify (i) a quantum regime, for T∼ℏω, where quantum fluctuations dominate and (ii) a thermal regime, for T∼Nℏω, governed by thermal fluctuations.

Random sequential adsorption of cubes.

Random packings built of cubes are studied numerically using a random sequential adsorption algorithm. To compare the obtained results with previous reports, three different models of cube orientation sampling were used. Also, three different cube-cube intersection algorithms were tested to find the most efficient one.

Visualization of porcine eye anatomy by X-ray microtomography.

The aim of our study is to obtain, as accurately as possible, porcine ocular tissue visualization using microtomography (micro-CT) method. We propose image contrast enhancement by different staining procedures with combination of micro-CT scanning. Porcine eye globes were investigated with Bruker-SkyScan 1172 micro-CT.

Drug interaction at hERG channel: In vitro assessment of the electrophysiological consequences of drug combinations and comparison against theoretical models.

Drugs carry a proarrhythmic risk, which gets even greater when they are used in combination. In vitro assessment of the proarrhythmic potential of drugs is limited to one compound and thus neglects the potential of drug-drug interactions, including those involving active metabolites. Here we present the results of an in vitro study of potential drug-drug interactions at the level of the hERG channel for the combination of up to three compounds: loratadine, desloratadine and ketoconazole.

What drives transient behavior in complex systems?

We study transient behavior in the dynamics of complex systems described by a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Destabilizing nature of transient trajectories is discussed and its connection with the eigenvalue-based linearization procedure. The complexity is realized as a random matrix drawn from a modified May-Wigner model.

Comparative studies of physical properties of kinesiotapes.

Background: Nowadays we observe growing popularity of kinesiotaping as a supportive method in physiotherapy. In documents available on kinesiotaping we can find that mechanical properties of tapes are similar to the ones of a human skin, but usually there is hardly any numerical data characterizing these properties.

Objective: Therefore, testing and comparing physical properties of commercially available kinesiotapes seems to be important.

Adsorption/Desorption Transition of Recombinant Human Neurotrophin 4: Physicochemical Characterization.

Bulk physicochemical properties of neurotrophin 4 (NT-4) in electrolyte solutions and its adsorption/desorption on/from mica surfaces have been studied using dynamic light scattering (DLS), microelectrophoresis, a solution depletion technique (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA), and AFM imaging. Our study presents a determination of the diffusion coefficient, hydrodynamic diameters, electrophoretic mobility, and isoelectric point of the NT-4 under various ionic strength and pH conditions. The size of the NT-4 homodimer for an ionic strength of 0.

Physicochemical characterization of mineral deposits in human ligamenta flava.

The aim of our study was the detailed characterization of calcium deposits in ligamenta flava. The use of microcomputed tomography allowed extending the routine medical investigations to characterize mineral grains in the microscopic scale. A possible connection between spinal stenosis and ligament mineralization was investigated.

Deciphering the role of ectosomes in cancer development and progression: focus on the proteome.

Ectosomes are small heterogeneous membrane vesicles generated by budding from the plasma membrane in a variety of cell types and, more frequently, in tumor cells. They are shed into the extracellular space and are proposed as a novel form of intracellular communication in which information is transmitted from the originating cell to recipient cells without direct cell-to-cell contact. This review focuses on a single population of extracellular vesicles-ectosomes.

Structure-diffusion relationship of polymer membranes with different texture.

Two-dimensional diffusion in heterogenic composite membranes, i.e., materials comprising polymer with dispersed inorganic fillers, composed of ethylcellulose and magnetic powder is studied.

Surface fine structure influence on saturated random packings.

Random packings of disks on a mesh are studied numerically using random sequential adsorption algorithm. The mesh is built of straight horizontal and vertical one-dimensional lines of a given distance between them. The packing fraction and structure as well as the kinetics of packing growth dependence on mesh size are analyzed to provide information, whether surface inhomogeneity will affect the properties of random packings.

Studies of surface and bulk Po in metals using an ultra-low background large surface alpha spectrometer.

First measurements of natural surface and bulk Po specific activities for metals are reported. If covered with protective foils, the surfaces did not show indications of Po and the obtained upper limits are in the range of single mBqm. Weak bulk activities, in the range of 50 - 280mBqkg, were registered for Stainless Steel and Copper, while significant amounts of Po, ∼1.

Application of nano-LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS for proteomic analysis of microvesicles.

Activated platelets and platelet derived microvesicles (PMVs) emerged recently to be promising biomarkers. There is no universal procedure to carry out the proteomic analysis on microvesicles. In this study we proposed a nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC) technique coupled off-line with a spectrometric measurement MALDI-TOF-MS/MS as a throughput and time-saving procedure.

Indirect immunoassay on functionalized silicon surface: Molecular arrangement, composition and orientation examined step-by-step with multi-technique and multivariate analysis.

The arrangement, composition and orientation of immunoreagents employed in an indirect immunoassay for determination of mycotoxin OchraToxin A (OTA) are specified for SiN substrate, aiming to imitate biosensor transducers made of the same material. SiN surfaces are examined after modification with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, spotting with OTA-ovalbumin conjugate (probe), blocking with bovine serum albumin, reaction with a mouse monoclonal antibody against OTA and, finally, reaction with a goat anti-mouse secondary antibody. Atomic force micrographs, their autocorrelation and height histogram parameters, show the stepwise development of a multi-component monolayer covered by groups of secondary antibody molecules.

Exact spectral densities of complex noise-plus-structure random matrices.

We use supersymmetry to calculate exact spectral densities for a class of complex random matrix models having the form M=S+LXR, where X is a random noise part X, and S,L,R are fixed structure parts. This is a certain version of the "external field" random matrix models. We find twofold integral formulas for arbitrary structural matrices.