Nanoparticle drug delivery systems for inner ear therapy: An overview

open7noembargoed_20180701Valente, Filippo; Astolfi, Laura; Simoni, Edi; Danti, Serena; Franceschini, Valeria; Chicca, Milvia; Martini, AlessandroValente, Filippo; Astolfi, Laura; Simoni, Edi; Danti, Serena; Franceschini, Valeria; Chicca, Milvia; Martini, Alessandr

Wild birds as carriers of antimicrobial-resistant and ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae

open6noopenDotto, G.; Menandro, M.L.; Mondin, A.; Martini, M.; Tonellato, F.R.; Pasotto, D.Dotto, Giorgia; Menandro, MARIA LUISA; Mondin, Alessandra; Martini, Marco; Tonellato, F. R.; Pasotto, Daniel

Evaluation of pet animals involved in assisted interventions (AAI) as potential carriers of bacteria resistant to antimicrobials: Preliminary data

open8noopenDotto, G.; Pasotto, D.; Poser, H.; Menandro, M.L.; Berlanda, M.; Falomo, M.E.; Mondin, A.; Martini, M.Dotto, Giorgia; Pasotto, Daniela; Poser, Helen; Menandro, MARIA LUISA; Berlanda, Michele; Falomo, MARIA ELENA; Mondin, Alessandra; Martini, Marc

Exact critical points of the O(nn) loop model on the martini and the 3-12 lattices

We derive the exact critical line of the O($n$) loop model on the martini lattice as a function of the loop weight $n$.A finite-size scaling analysis based on transfer matrix calculations is also performed.The numerical results coincide with the theoretical predictions with an accuracy up to 9 decimal places. In the limit $n\to 0$, this gives the exact connective constant $\mu=1.7505645579...$ of self-avoiding walks on the martini lattice. Using similar numerical methods, we also study the O($n$) loop model on the 3-12 lattice. We obtain similarly precise agreement with the exact critical points given by Batchelor [J. Stat. Phys. 92, 1203 (1998)].Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 2 table

The Ten Martini Problem

We prove the conjecture (known as the ``Ten Martini Problem'' after Kac and Simon) that the spectrum of the almost Mathieu operator is a Cantor set for all non-zero values of the coupling and all irrational frequencies.Comment: 31 pages, no figure

Modeling elastic properties of polystyrene through coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations

This paper presents an extended coarse-grained investigation of the elastic properties of polystyrene. In particular, we employ the well-known MARTINI force field and its modifications to perform extended molecular dynamics simulations at the $\mu$s timescale, which take slow relaxation processes of polystyrene into account, such that the simulations permit analyzing the bulk modulus, the shear modulus, and the Poisson ratio. We show that through the iterative modification of MARTINI force field parameters it turns out to be possible to affect the shear modulus and the bulk modulus of the system, making them closer to those values reported in the experiment.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figure

Disentangling the influence of urbanization and invasion on endemic geckos in tropical biodiversity hot spots : a case study of Phyllodactylus martini (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) along an Urban Gradient in Curaçao

Author Posting. © Peabody Museum of Natural History, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of Peabody Museum of Natural History for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 57(2016): 147–164, doi:10.3374/014.057.0209.Predicting the response of endemic species to urbanization has emerged as a fundamental challenge in 21st century conservation biology. The factors that underlie population declines of reptiles are particularly nebulous, as these are often the least understood class of vertebrates in a given community. In this study, we assess correlations between feeding ecology and phenotypic traits of the Lesser Antillean endemic Dutch leaf-toed gecko, Phyllodactylus martini, along an urban gradient in the Caribbean island of Curaçao. There has been a marked decline of this species in developed habitats associated with the invasive tropical house gecko Hemidactylus mabouia. We find a correlation between aspects of locomotor morphology and prey in undeveloped habitats that is absent in developed habitats. Analyses of stomach contents further suggest that Phyllodactylus martini alters primary prey items in developed areas. However, changes in prey promote the overlap in foraging niches between Phyllodactylus martini and Hemidactylus mabouia, suggesting that direct resource competition is contributing to the decline of Phyllodactylus martini. In addition to competitive exclusion, we suggest that the urban extirpation of Phyllodactylus martini could also be attributed to a top-down control on population growth by Hemidactylus mabouia. Colonizations of walls put Phyllodactylus martini in direct contact with Hemidactylus mabouia increasing the chances for predation events, as evidenced by our observation of a predation event on a Phyllodactylus martini juvenile by an adult Hemidactylus mabuoia. In total, our results add to a growing body of literature demonstrating the threat that invasive synanthropic reptiles pose to endemics that might otherwise be able to cope with increased urbanization pressures