Nuclear structure of Au-181 studied via beta(+)/EC decay of Hg-181 at ISOLDE

The $\beta ^+$/EC decay of mass separated samples of $^{181}$Hg was studied employing the TATRA spectrometer at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. The decay scheme was constructed for the first time. A Broad Energy Germanium detector was used to achieve this by combination of high-gain $\gamma$-ray singles spectroscopy and $\gamma$–$\gamma$ coincidences. The systematics of excited states associated with the 1$h_{11/2}$ proton-hole configuration in odd-Au isotopes was extended

Cutaneous Bacteria of the Redback Salamander Prevent Morbidity Associated with a Lethal Disease

Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is an infectious disease that causes population declines of many amphibians. Cutaneous bacteria isolated from redback salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, and mountain yellow-legged frogs, Rana muscosa, inhibit the growth of Bd in vitro. In this study, the bacterial community present on the skin of P. cinereus individuals was investigated to determine if it provides protection to salamanders from the lethal and sub-lethal effects of chytridiomycosis. When the cutaneous bacterial community was reduced prior to Bd exposure, salamanders experienced a significantly greater decrease in body mass, which is a symptom of the disease, when compared to infected individuals with a normal bacterial community. In addition, a greater proportion of infected individuals with a reduced bacterial community experienced limb-lifting, a behavior seen only in infected individuals. Overall, these results demonstrate that the cutaneous bacterial community of P. cinereus provides protection to the salamander from Bd and that alteration of this community can change disease resistance. Therefore, symbiotic microbes associated with this species appear to be an important component of its innate skin defenses

Raman Spectroscopy and Regenerative Medicine: A Review

The field of regenerative medicine spans a wide area of the biomedical landscape—from single cell culture in laboratories to human whole-organ transplantation. To ensure that research is transferrable from bench to bedside, it is critical that we are able to assess regenerative processes in cells, tissues, organs and patients at a biochemical level. Regeneration relies on a large number of biological factors, which can be perturbed using conventional bioanalytical techniques. A versatile, non-invasive, non-destructive technique for biochemical analysis would be invaluable for the study of regeneration; and Raman spectroscopy is a potential solution. Raman spectroscopy is an analytical method by which chemical data are obtained through the inelastic scattering of light. Since its discovery in the 1920s, physicists and chemists have used Raman scattering to investigate the chemical composition of a vast range of both liquid and solid materials. However, only in the last two decades has this form of spectroscopy been employed in biomedical research. Particularly relevant to regenerative medicine are recent studies illustrating its ability to characterise and discriminate between healthy and disease states in cells, tissue biopsies and in patients. This review will briefly outline the principles behind Raman spectroscopy and its variants, describe key examples of its applications to biomedicine, and consider areas of regenerative medicine that would benefit from this non-invasive bioanalytical tool

New systematic features in the neutron-deficient Au isotopes

A recently developed portable, on-line capability for γ-ray and conversion-electron spectroscopy, HIGH-TATRA is demonstrated with its application to the study of 183Hg $\to$ 183Au at ISOLDE. Key details of the low-energy level scheme of the neutron-deficient nuclide 183Au populated in this decay are presented. A broad energy germanium detector is employed to achieve this (the first-ever use of such a device in decay-scheme spectroscopy), by way of a combination of high-gain γ-ray singles spectroscopy and γ–γ coincidence spectroscopy. Further, by combining the γ-ray detectors with a liquid-nitrogen-cooled Si(Li) detector operated under high vacuum, conversion-electron singles and e–γ coincidences are obtained. These data lead to the determination of transition multipolarities and the location of a highly converted (E0 + M1 + E2) transition in the 183Au decay scheme, suggesting a possible new shape coexisting structure in this nucleus. Identification of new intruder and normal states fixes their relative energies in 183Au for the first time. New systematic features in the odd-Au isotopes are presented

Protein disulphide isomerase-assisted functionalization of proteinaceous substrates

Protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) is an enzyme that catalyzes thiol-disulphide exchange reactions among a broad spectrum of substrates, including proteins and low-molecular thiols and disulphides. As the first protein-folding catalyst reported, the study of PDI has mainly involved the correct folding of several cysteine-containing proteins. Its application on the functionalization of protein-based materials has not been extensively reported. Herein, we review the applications of PDI on the modification of proteinaceous substrates and discuss its future potential. The mechanism involved in PDI functionalization of fibrous protein substrates is discussed in detail. These approaches allow innovative applications in textile dyeing and finishing, medical textiles, controlled drug delivery systems and hair or skin care products.We thank to FCT 'Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia' (scholarship SFRH/BD/38363/2007) for providing Margarida Fernandes the grant for PhD studies

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Cognitive Function: Are Prostaglandins at the Heart of Cognitive Impairment in Dementia and Delirium ?

Studies of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in rheumatoid arthritis imply that inflammation is important in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, these drugs have not alleviated the symptoms of AD in those who have already developed dementia. This suggests that the primary mediator targeted by these drugs, PGE2, is not actively suppressing memory function in AD. Amyloid-β oligomers appear to be important for the mild cognitive changes seen in AD transgenic mice, yet amyloid immunotherapy has also proven unsuccessful in clinical trials. Collectively, these findings indicate that NSAIDs may target a prodromal process in mice that has already passed in those diagnosed with AD, and that synaptic and neuronal loss are key determinants of cognitive dysfunction in AD. While the role of inflammation has not yet become clear, inflammatory processes definitely have a negative impact on cognitive function during episodes of delirium during dementia. Delirium is an acute and profound impairment of cognitive function frequently occurring in aged and demented patients exposed to systemic inflammatory insults, which is now recognised to contribute to long-term cognitive decline. Recent work in animal models is beginning to shed light on the interactions between systemic inflammation and CNS pathology in these acute exacerbations of dementia. This review will assess the role of prostaglandin synthesis in the memory impairments observed in dementia and delirium and will examine the relative contribution of amyloid, synaptic and neuronal loss. We will also discuss how understanding the role of inflammatory mediators in delirious episodes will have major implications for ameliorating the rate of decline in the demented population

New collective structures in 179Au^179Au and their implications for the triaxial deformation of the 178Pt^178Pt core

The extremely neutron-deficient isotope Au179 has been studied by a combination of in-beam γ-ray and isomeric-decay spectroscopy. For in-beam spectroscopy, the recoil-isomer tagging technique was employed, using the known 3/2-, T1/2=328 ns isomer. A new rotational band, associated with the unfavored signature band of the 1h9/2?2f7/2 proton-intruder configuration, was revealed. A previously unknown, high-spin isomeric state with an excitation energy of 1743(17) keV and T1/2=2.16(8)μs was discovered. Five decay paths were identified, some of them feeding previously unknown non-yrast excited states, associated with the 1i13/2 proton-intruder configuration. Calculations based on the particle-plus-triaxial-rotor model were performed to interpret the data. On the basis of these calculations, the new 1h9/2?2f7/2 rotational band is interpreted as due to triaxial deformation of the underlying configuration with β2≈0.26 and γ≈27?. Observed non-yrast states of the positive-parity 1i13/2 intruder configuration are interpreted as due to triaxial deformation with β2≈0.26 and γ≈20?

Measurement and interpretation of same-sign W boson pair production in association with two jets in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents the measurement of fducial and diferential cross sections for both the inclusive and electroweak production of a same-sign W-boson pair in association with two jets (W±W±jj) using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis is performed by selecting two same-charge leptons, electron or muon, and at least two jets with large invariant mass and a large rapidity diference. The measured fducial cross sections for electroweak and inclusive W±W±jj production are 2.92 ± 0.22 (stat.) ± 0.19 (syst.)fb and 3.38±0.22 (stat.)±0.19 (syst.)fb, respectively, in agreement with Standard Model predictions. The measurements are used to constrain anomalous quartic gauge couplings by extracting 95% confdence level intervals on dimension-8 operators. A search for doubly charged Higgs bosons H±± that are produced in vector-boson fusion processes and decay into a same-sign W boson pair is performed. The largest deviation from the Standard Model occurs for an H±± mass near 450 GeV, with a global signifcance of 2.5 standard deviations

Combination of searches for heavy spin-1 resonances using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A combination of searches for new heavy spin-1 resonances decaying into different pairings of W, Z, or Higgs bosons, as well as directly into leptons or quarks, is presented. The data sample used corresponds to 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at = 13 TeV collected during 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Analyses selecting quark pairs (qq, bb, , and tb) or third-generation leptons (τν and ττ) are included in this kind of combination for the first time. A simplified model predicting a spin-1 heavy vector-boson triplet is used. Cross-section limits are set at the 95% confidence level and are compared with predictions for the benchmark model. These limits are also expressed in terms of constraints on couplings of the heavy vector-boson triplet to quarks, leptons, and the Higgs boson. The complementarity of the various analyses increases the sensitivity to new physics, and the resulting constraints are stronger than those from any individual analysis considered. The data exclude a heavy vector-boson triplet with mass below 5.8 TeV in a weakly coupled scenario, below 4.4 TeV in a strongly coupled scenario, and up to 1.5 TeV in the case of production via vector-boson fusion