Herding cats: managing gold atoms on common transparent dielectrics

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadSimple methods to control the self-organization of gold atoms on commonly employed transparent dielectrics are presented. On one hand, surface diffusion of gold atoms can be suppressed to a sufficient degree as to realize ultra-thin (as low as approximately 5 nm) void-free semi-transparent conducting gold films over macroscopic areas while, on the other hand, their high surface mobility can be harnessed to fabricate large-area substrates compatible with cell culturing and imaging, having widely tunable field-enhancement properties for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.Icelandic Research Fun

Canine respiratory coronavirus employs caveolin-1-mediated pathway for internalization to HRT-18G cells

Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV), identified in 2003, is a member of the Coronaviridae family. The virus is a betacoronavirus and a close relative of human coronavirus OC43 and bovine coronavirus. Here, we examined entry of CRCoV into human rectal tumor cells (HRT-18G cell line) by analyzing co-localization of single virus particles with cellular markers in the presence or absence of chemical inhibitors of pathways potentially involved in virus entry. We also targeted these pathways using siRNA. The results show that the virus hijacks caveolin-dependent endocytosis to enter cells via endocytic internalization

Gold nanoisland substrates for SERS characterization of cultured cells.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadWe demonstrate a simple approach for fabricating cell-compatible SERS substrates, using repeated gold deposition and thermal annealing. The substrates exhibit SERS enhancement up to six orders of magnitude and high uniformity. We have carried out Raman imaging of fixed mesenchymal stromal cells cultured directly on the substrates. Results of viability assays confirm that the substrates are highly biocompatible and Raman imaging confirms that cell attachment to the substrates is sufficient to realize significant SERS enhancement of cellular components. Using the SERS substrates as an in vitro sensing platform allowed us to identify multiple characteristic molecular fingerprints of the cells, providing a promising avenue towards non-invasive chemical characterization of biological samples.Icelandic Centre for Research Haskoli Islands European Research Council (ERC

Nuclear genome stability in long-term cultivated callus lines of Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn

© 2017 Betekhtin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Long-term cultivated Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn. (Tartary buckwheat) morphogenic and non-morphogenic callus lines are interesting systems for gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms that are responsible for the genetic stability and instability of a plant tissue culture. In this work, we used histological sections and transmission electron microscopy to identify and describe the morphology of the nuclei of all of the analysed callus lines. We demonstrated that the embryogenic callus cells had prominent round nuclei that did not contain heterochromatin clumps in contrast to the non-morphogenic callus lines, in which we found nuclei that had multiple lobes. Flow cytometry analysis revealed significant differences in the relative DNA content between the analysed calli. All of the analysed morphogenic callus lines had peaks from 2C to 8C as compared to the nonmorphogenic callus lines, whose peaks did not reflect any regular DNA content and exceeded 8C and 16C for the line 6p1 and 16C and 32C for the callus line 10p2A. The results showed that non-morphogenic calli are of an aneuploid nature. The TUNEL test enabled us to visualise the nuclei that had DNA fragmentation in both the morphogenic and non-morphogenic lines. We revealed significantly higher frequencies of positively labelled nuclei in the non-morphogenic lines than in the morphogenic lines. In the case of the morphogenic lines, the highest observed frequency of TUNEL-positive nuclei was 7.7% for lines 2-3. In the non-morphogenic calli, the highest level of DNA damage (68.5%) was revealed in line 6p1. These results clearly indicate greater genome stability in the morphogenic lines

SPG20 Protein Spartin Associates with Cardiolipin via Its Plant-Related Senescence Domain and Regulates Mitochondrial Ca2+ Homeostasis

Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are a group of neurological disorders characterized clinically by spasticity of lower limbs and pathologically by degeneration of the corticospinal tract. Troyer syndrome is an autosomal recessive HSP caused by a frameshift mutation in the spartin (SPG20) gene. Previously, we established that this mutation results in a lack of expression of the truncated mutant spartin protein. Spartin is involved in many cellular processes and associates with several intracellular organelles, including mitochondria. Spartin contains a conserved plant-related senescence domain at its C-terminus. However, neither the function of this domain nor the roles of spartin in mitochondrial physiology are currently known. In this study, we determined that the plant-related senescence domain of spartin interacts with cardiolipin but not with two other major mitochondrial phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. We also found that knockdown of spartin by small interfering RNA in a human neuroblastoma cell line resulted in depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane. In addition, depletion of spartin resulted in a significant decrease in both mitochondrial calcium uptake and mitochondrial membrane potential in cells treated with thapsigargin. Our results suggest that impairment of mitochondrial calcium uptake might contribute to the neurodegeneration of long corticospinal axons and the pathophysiology of Troyer syndrome

Use of scheduling algorithms for scheduling the work of specialists

W artykule przedstawiono etapy budowy systemu informatycznego wspomagającego zarządzanie pracą specjalistów, umożliwiając zautomatyzowanie procesu decyzyjnego dyspozytora. Autor opracował elementy modelu matematycznego i zdefiniował kryteria optymalizacji harmonogramowania pracy wykwalifikowanych pracowników. Przedstawił również prototyp implementacji systemu.This paper presents the stages of building management system supporting the work of specialists, allowing to automate the decision-making process dispatcher. The author developed a mathematical model elements and scheduling optimization criteria defined skilled labor. She also presented a prototype system implementation

Improving complaints management system manufacturer of fiscal devices

W artykule przedstawiono zagadnienie doskonalenia procesu obsługi zgłoszeń reklamacyjnych dotyczących niezgodności jakościowej urządzeń fiskalnych, wytwarzanych na potrzeby branży handlu detalicznego. Na podstawie obowiązujących przepisów opisano aspekt prawny warunków organizowania działań serwisowych dla kas rejestracyjnych w Polsce. Opracowano modele przepływu informacji wykorzystywanych w procesie obsługi klienta, prowadzonej przez autoryzowany punkt serwisowy urządzeń fiskalnych, z wykorzystaniem notacji BPMN 2.0. Opracowano również modele konceptualny i fizyczny bazy danych umożliwiającej ewidencjonowanie i obsługę zgłoszeń reklamacyjnych przez producenta urządzeń. Wdrożenie implementacji pozwoliło autorowi na wykonanie oceny skuteczności zaprojektowanego rozwiązania.The article discusses the issue of improving handling of complaints concerning the qualitative incompatibility of fiscal devices manufactured for the retail industry. Based on the regulations in force in Poland, the legal aspect of the conditions for organizing service activities for the cash register devices is described. Models of information flow used in the customer service process by an authorized service center of fiscal equipment, developed using the BPMN 2.0 notation. Conceptuals model and structures database, to allows for the recording and application handling by the device manufacturer, have also been developed. Implementation allowed the author to evaluate the effectiveness of the designed solution

Modelowanie procesów biznesowych i analiza systemowa

The paper is characterized by efforts to create a business model of enterprise software and technical documentation. The author points out that the overriding factor is to identify actions to modeling, which defines the scope of the project. In mapping the organization and construction of scenarios of business processes is of paramount importance dictionary of phrases and descriptions of domain rules of correctness for the recording and processing. The author describes the key process models, partial (procedures) and elementary (the workflow map.) This indicates the suitability of BPMN and UML notation in the record of the mapping rules and modalities for the functioning of the organization and in the description of static and dynamic structure of the system. Pointing to the integration of business process management system architecture author assesses the suitability of the chosen modeling notation.Artykuł charakteryzuje działania mające na celu utworzenie biznesowego modelu przedsiębiorstwa oraz dokumentacji technicznej oprogramowania. Autor dowodzi, że nadrzędnym czynnikiem działań jest określenie celu modelowania, który definiuje zakres projektu. W odwzorowaniu organizacji i budowie scenariuszy procesów biznesowych fundamentalne znaczenie ma słownik zwrotów dziedzinowych i opis reguł poprawności dotyczących zapisu i przetwarzania danych. Autor opisuje modele procesów głównych, cząstkowych (procedury) oraz elementarnych (mapę przepływu pracy). Wskazuje na przydatność notacji BPMN i UML w zapisie odwzorowującym zasady i sposoby funkcjonowania organizacji oraz w opisie statycznej i dynamicznej struktury systemu informatycznego. Wskazując na integrację procesu zarządzania biznesowego z architekturą systemu informatycznego, autor dokonuje oceny przydatności wybranych notacji w zakresie modelowania