Inducing subwavelength periodic nanostructures on multilayer NiPd thin film by low-fluence femtosecond laser beam

During femtosecond interaction with surfaces, the processes of liquid and solid-state dewetting could be responsible for the generation and regrouping of nanoparticles and nanoparticle clusters. The occurrence of surface plasmon polariton most probably induces the LIPSS arrangement. We have used low-fluence scanning femtosecond beam to generate sub-wavelength periodic structures on multilayer Ni/Pd thin films on Si. The spatial period of LIPSS increases with the change of scanning directions in respect to the polarization direction due to the phase difference increase between the incoming and induced oscillations. (c) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.10th International Conference on Photo-Excited Processes and Applications (ICPEPA), Aug 29-Sep 02, 2016, Transilvania Univ Brasov, Brasov, Romani

Harmonized Seismic Hazard Maps for the Western Balkan Countries

The Harmonization of Seismic Hazard Maps in the Western Balkan Countries Project (BSHAP) was funded for 7 years by NATO-Science for Peace Program to support the preparation of new seismic hazard maps of the Western Balkan Region using modern scientific tools. One of the most important outputs of the BSHAP is an updated and unified BSHAP earthquake catalogue that is compiled directly from the datasets of earthquake data providers of the region. In the framework of BSHAP, the regional free field strong motion network capacity was increased significantly by the purchased and installed recorders and the BSHAP strong motion database that includes both pre-BSHAP (mostly analog) and post-BSHAP (all digital) recordings was compiled. The BSHAP strong motion database is used for proper selection of the ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) by comparing the compiled strong ground motions with the predictions of candidate global, European, and Euro-Med GMPEs in a systematic manner. BSHAP collected relevant knowledg

Design of co-existence parallel periodic surface structure induced by picosecond laser pulses on the Al/Ti multilayers

Formation of periodic nanostructures on the Ti/5x(Al/Ti)/Si multilayers induced by picosecond laser pulses is studied in order to better understand the formation of a laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS). At fluence slightly below the ablation threshold, the formation of low spatial frequency-LIPSS (LSFL) oriented perpendicular to the direction of the laser polarization is observed on the irradiated area. Prolonged irradiation while scanning results in the formation of a high spatial frequency-LIPSS (HSFL), on top of the LSFLs, creating a co-existence parallel periodic structure. HSFL was oriented parallel to the incident laser polarization. Intermixing between the Al and Ti layers with the formation of Al-Ti intermetallic compounds was achieved during the irradiation. The intermetallic region was formed mostly within the heat affected zone of the sample. Surface segregation of aluminium with partial ablation of the top layer of titanium was followed by the formation of an ultra-thin Al2O3 film on the surface of the multi-layered structure. Published by AIP Publishing

Different Patterns of Mental Health Outcomes among Road Traffic Crash Survivors: A Prospective Cohort Study

This study aimed to investigate factors associated with the symptoms of mental disorders following a road traffic crash (RTC). A prospective cohort of 200 people was followed for 6 months after experiencing an RTC. The cohort was comprised of uninjured survivors and injured victims with all levels of road traffic injury (RTI) severity. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between the symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and anxiety one and six months after the RTC, along with sociodemographic factors, health status before and after the RTC, factors related to the RTI and factors related to the RTC. The results showed associations of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms with sociodemographic factors, factors related to the health status before and after the RTC and factors related to the RTC. Factors related to the RTI showed associations only with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Identifying factors associated with mental disorders following an RTC is essential for establishing screening of vulnerable individuals at risk of poor mental health outcomes after an RTC. All RTC survivors, regardless of their RTI status, should be screened for factors associated with mental disorders in order to successfully prevent them

Electrostatically driven coassembly of a diblock copolymer and an oppositely charged homopolymer in aqueous solutions

Voets IJK, van der Burgh S, Farago B, et al. Electrostatically driven coassembly of a diblock copolymer and an oppositely charged homopolymer in aqueous solutions. Macromolecules. 2007;40(23):8476-8482.Electrostatically driven coassembly of poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(acrylamide), PAA-b-PAAm, and poly(2-methylvinylpyridinium iodide), P2MVP, leads to formation of micelles in aqueous solutions. Light scattering and small angle neutron scattering experiments have been performed to study the effect of concentration and length of the corona block (N-PAAm = 97, 208, and 417) on micellar characteristics. Small angle neutron scattering curves were analyzed by generalized indirect Fourier transformation and model fitting. All scattering curves could be well described with a combination of a form factor for polydisperse spheres in combination with a hard sphere structure factor for the highest concentrations. Micellar aggregation numbers, shape, and internal structure are relatively independent of concentration for C-p < 23.12 g L-1. The Guinier radius, average micellar radius, hydrodynamic radius, and polydispersity were found to increase with increasing N-PAAm. Micellar mass and aggregation number were found to decrease with increasing N-PAAm

Reply to "Comment to BSHAP project strong ground motion database and selection of suitable ground motion models for the Western Balkan Region" by Carlo Cauzzi and Ezio Faccioli

This article is reply to the comment sent by Carlo Cauzzi and Ezio Faccioli related to the published article "BSHAP project strong ground motion database and selection of suitable ground motion models for the Western Balkan Region" by Salic et al. (2016)

BSHAP project strong ground motion database and selection of suitable ground motion models for the Western Balkan Region

The Harmonization of Seismic Hazard Maps in the Western Balkan Countries Project (BSHAP) was funded for 7 years by NATO Science for Peace and Security Program to support the preparation of new seismic hazard maps of the Western Balkan Region. In the framework of BSHAP, the regional free field strong motion network capacity was significantly increased by deployed recorders (Gulerce et al. in Final report of improvements in the Harmonized Seismic Hazard Maps for the Western Balkan Countries (BSHAP-2) Project, NATO SfP-984374. http://wbalkanscimicmaps.org, 2015) and the BSHAP strong motion database that includes both pre-BSHAP (mostly analogue) and post-BSHAP (all digital) recordings was compiled. The BSHAP strong motion database includes uniformly processed strong motions along with the related earthquake metadata and station information; therefore, it provides a solid base for the ground motion characterization studies in the region. The established database is used for selection of the ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) to be employed in the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment by comparing the compiled strong ground motions with the predictions of candidate global and Euro-Mediterranean GMPEs in a systematic manner. Details of the selection strategy including the analysis of model predictions for ground motion scaling, data testing to evaluate the model performance, and ranking is provided here along with the GMPE logic tree used in the proposed seismic hazard maps by Kuka et al. (Bull Earthq Eng, under review)

Reply to “Comment to BSHAP project strong ground motion database and selection of suitable ground motion models for the Western Balkan Region” by Carlo Cauzzi and Ezio Faccioli

This article is reply to the comment sent by Carlo Cauzzi and Ezio Faccioli related to the published article "BSHAP project strong ground motion database and selection of suitable ground motion models for the Western Balkan Region" by Salic et al. (2016)

Germline AGO2 mutations impair RNA interference and human neurological development

ARGONAUTE-2 and associated miRNAs form the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), which targets mRNAs for translational silencing and degradation as part of the RNA interference pathway. Despite the essential nature of this process for cellular function, there is little information on the role of RISC components in human development and organ function. We identify 13 heterozygous mutations in AGO2 in 21 patients affected by disturbances in neurological development. Each of the identified single amino acid mutations result in impaired shRNA-mediated silencing. We observe either impaired RISC formation or increased binding of AGO2 to mRNA targets as mutation specific functional consequences. The latter is supported by decreased phosphorylation of a C-terminal serine cluster involved in mRNA target release, increased formation of dendritic P-bodies in neurons and global transcriptome alterations in patient-derived primary fibroblasts. Our data emphasize the importance of gene expression regulation through the dynamic AGO2-RNA association for human neuronal development.</p