5,554 research outputs found
Spectroscopic diagnostics of dust formation and evolution in classical nova ejecta
A fraction of classical novae form dust during the early stages of their
outbursts. The classical CO nova V5668 Sgr (Nova Sgr. 2015b) underwent a deep
photometric minimum about 100 days after outburst that was covered across the
spectrum. A similar event was observed for an earlier CO nova, V705 Cas (Nova
Cas 1993) and a less optically significant event for the more recent CO nova
V339 Del (Nova Del 2013). This study provides a "compare and contrast" of these
events to better understand the very dynamical event of dust formation. We show
the effect of dust formation on multiwavelength high resolution line profiles
in the interval 1200\AA\ - 9200\AA\ using a biconical ballistic structure that
has been applied in our previous studies of the ejecta. We find that both V5668
Sgr and V339 Del can be modeled using a grey opacity for the dust, indicating
fairly large grains (at least 0.1 micron) and that the persistent asymmetries
of the line profiles in late time spectra, up to 650 days after the event for
V5668 Sgr and 866 days for V339 Del, point to the survival of the dust well
into the transparent, nebular stage of the ejecta evolution. This is a general
method for assessing the properties of dust forming novae well after the
infrared is completely transparent in the ejecta.Comment: 15 pages 14 figures, accepted for publication in A&A, 2018 June 2
Tuning and Switching a Plasmonic Quantum Dot Sandwich in a Nematic Line Defect
We study the quantum-mechanical effects arising in a single semiconductor
core/shell quantum dot controllably sandwiched between two plasmonic nanorods.
Control over the position and the sandwich confinement structure is achieved by
the use of a linear-trap, liquid-crystal line defect and laser tweezers that
push the sandwich together. This arrangement allows for the study of exciton
plasmon interactions in a single structure, unaltered by ensemble effects or
the complexity of dielectric interfaces. We demonstrate the effect of plasmonic
confinement on the photon-antibunching behavior of the quantum dot and its
luminescence lifetime. The quantum dot behaves as a single emitter when
nanorods are far away from the quantum dot but shows possible multiexciton
emission and a significantly decreased lifetime when tightly confined in a
plasmonic sandwich. These findings demonstrate that liquid crystal defects,
combined with laser tweezers, enable a versatile platform to study plasmonic
coupling phenomena in a nanoscale laboratory, where all elements can be
arranged almost at will.Comment: Supporting information at the en
Supplementary material for the article: Cvijetić, I. N.; Verbić, T. Ž.; Ernesto de Resende, P.; Stapleton, P.; Gibbons, S.; Juranić, I. O.; Drakulić, B. J.; Zloh, M. Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Aryldiketo Acids with Enhanced Antibacterial Activity against Multidrug Resistant Bacterial Strains. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2018, 143, 1474–1488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.10.045
Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.10.045]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2075
Compatibility assessment of a temperature-controlled radiofrequency catheter with a novel electroanatomical mapping system
BackgroundThe novel DiamondTemp ablation system (DTA) and EnSiteX mapping System (EAM) are both CE-Marked and FDA approved medical devices. The DTA has been validated by its manufacturer only in combination with previous version of EnSite System—EnSite Precision. The aim of this study was to evaluate compatibility of DTA with EnSite X with a previously developed protocol.MethodsThree configurations were tested: 3.1. Medtronic Generator connection Box (GCB) and AmpereConnect cable; 3.2. the Medtronic GCB-E and electrogram out cable from GCB to EAM; 3.3. Direct connection of DTA to EAM using intracardiac out cable with no GCB.ResultsThe previously developed universal method for compatibility assessment of ablation catheters and navigation systems was used with success for assessing DTA and EnSite X EAM compatibility, with reproducible results. Accuracy of DTA visualization with different setups was evaluated with a phantom model measuring distances between DTA and reference points. DTA is compatible with EnSiteX EAM with a safety and reliability profile guaranteed, if within the described specifications. In particular, careful setup is mandatory to achieve good clinical outcomes as only setup 3.2 is viable for both NavX and Voxel Mode and demonstrated satisfactory results and accuracy. Setup 3.3 showed a significant shift immediately after catheter insertion. Catheter position was away from baseline points and the dislocation increased during the radiofrequency delivery.ConclusionsPreviously developed method for compatibility assessment of ablation catheters and navigation systems has been used for a new EAM. DTA is compatible with EnSiteX EAM with proper configuration
Comment on "Evidence for dark matter in the inner Milky Way"
This is a brief rebuttal to arXiv:1502.03821, which claims to provide the
first observational proof of dark matter interior to the solar circle. We point
out that this result is not new, and can be traced back at least a quarter
century.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. In this version we add a figure from a 1998 paper
that shows the same result that arXiv:1502.03821 claims to be novel. We also
add a short note rebutting arXiv:1503.08784 which was written in response to
the first versio
Using the Electronic Nose to Identify Airway Infection During COPD Exacerbations
Background The electronic nose (e-nose) detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled air. We hypothesized that the exhaled VOCs print is different in stable vs. exacerbated patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly if the latter is associated with airway bacterial infection, and that the e-nose can distinguish them. Methods Smell-prints of the bacteria most commonly involved in exacerbations of COPD (ECOPD) were identified in vitro. Subsequently, we tested our hypothesis in 93 patients with ECOPD, 19 of them with pneumonia, 50 with stable COPD and 30 healthy controls in a cross-sectional case-controlled study. Secondly, ECOPD patients were re-studied after 2 months if clinically stable. Exhaled air was collected within a Tedlar bag and processed by a Cynarose 320 e-nose. Breath-prints were analyzed by Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) with "One Out" technique and Sensor logic Relations (SLR). Sputum samples were collected for culture. Results ECOPD with evidence of infection were significantly distinguishable from non-infected ECOPD (p = 0.018), with better accuracy when ECOPD was associated to pneumonia. The same patients with ECOPD were significantly distinguishable from stable COPD during follow-up (p = 0.018), unless the patient was colonized. Additionally, breath-prints from COPD patients were significantly distinguished from healthy controls. Various bacteria species were identified in culture but the e-nose was unable to identify accurately the bacteria smell-print in infected patients. Conclusion E-nose can identify ECOPD, especially if associated with airway bacterial infection or pneumonia
Healthy and diseased placental barrier on-a-chip models suitable for standardized studies
Pathologies associated with uteroplacental hypoxia, such as preeclampsia are among the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity in the world. Its fundamental mechanisms are yet poorly understood due to a lack of good experimental models. Here we report an in vitro model of the placental barrier, based on co-culture of trophoblasts and endothelial cells against a collagen extracellular matrix in a microfluidic platform. The model yields a functional syncytium with barrier properties, polarization, secretion of relevant extracellular membrane components, thinning of the materno-fetal space, hormone secretion, and transporter function. The model is exposed to low oxygen conditions and perfusion flow is modulated to induce a pathological environment. This results in reduced barrier function, hormone secretion, and microvilli as well as an increased nuclei count, characteristics of preeclamptic placentas. The model is implemented in a titer plate-based microfluidic platform fully amenable to high-throughput screening. We thus believe this model could aid mechanistic understanding of preeclampsia and other placental pathologies associated with hypoxia/ischemia, as well as support future development of effective therapies through target and compound screening campaigns.Statement of Significance: The human placenta is a unique organ sustaining fetus growth but is also the source of severe pathologies, such as Preeclampsia. Though leading cause of perinatal mortality in the world, preeclampsia remains untreatable due to a lack of relevant in vitro placenta models. To better understand the pathology, we have developed 3D placental barrier models in a microfluidic device. The platform allows parallel culture of 40 perfused physiological miniaturized placental barriers, comprising a differentiated syncytium and endothelium that have been validated for transporter functions. Exposure to a hypoxic and ischemic environment enabled the mimicking of preeclamptic characteristics in high-throughput, which we believe could lead to a better understanding of the pathology as well as support future effective therapies development.</p
Biochemical characterization of protease activity of Nsp3 from SARS-CoV-2 and its inhibition by nanobodies
Of the 16 non-structural proteins (Nsps) encoded by SARS CoV-2, Nsp3 is the largest and plays important roles in the viral life cycle. Being a large, multidomain, transmembrane protein, Nsp3 has been the most challenging Nsp to characterize. Encoded within Nsp3 is the papain-like protease domain (PLpro) that cleaves not only the viral polypeptide but also K48-linked polyubiquitin and the ubiquitin-like modifier, ISG15, from host cell proteins. We here compare the interactors of PLpro and Nsp3 and find a largely overlapping interactome. Intriguingly, we find that near full length Nsp3 is a more active protease compared to the minimal catalytic domain of PLpro. Using a MALDI-TOF based assay, we screen 1971 approved clinical compounds and identify five compounds that inhibit PLpro with IC50s in the low micromolar range but showed cross reactivity with other human deubiquitinases and had no significant antiviral activity in cellular SARS-CoV-2 infection assays. We therefore looked for alternative methods to block PLpro activity and engineered competitive nanobodies that bind to PLpro at the substrate binding site with nanomolar affinity thus inhibiting the enzyme. Our work highlights the importance of studying Nsp3 and provides tools and valuable insights to investigate Nsp3 biology during the viral infection cycle
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