Fabrication and Characterization of 3D Micro- and Nanoelectrodes for Neuron Recordings

In this paper we discuss the fabrication and characterization of three dimensional (3D) micro- and nanoelectrodes with the goal of using them for extra- and intracellular studies. Two different types of electrodes will be described: high aspect ratio microelectrodes for studying the communication between cells and ultimately for brain slice recordings and small nanoelectrodes for highly localized measurements and ultimately for intracellular studies. Electrical and electrochemical characterization of these electrodes as well as the results of PC12 cell differentiation on chip will be presented and discussed

Genetic association study of QT interval highlights role for calcium signaling pathways in myocardial repolarization.

The QT interval, an electrocardiographic measure reflecting myocardial repolarization, is a heritable trait. QT prolongation is a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) and could indicate the presence of the potentially lethal mendelian long-QT syndrome (LQTS). Using a genome-wide association and replication study in up to 100,000 individuals, we identified 35 common variant loci associated with QT interval that collectively explain ∼8-10% of QT-interval variation and highlight the importance of calcium regulation in myocardial repolarization. Rare variant analysis of 6 new QT interval-associated loci in 298 unrelated probands with LQTS identified coding variants not found in controls but of uncertain causality and therefore requiring validation. Several newly identified loci encode proteins that physically interact with other recognized repolarization proteins. Our integration of common variant association, expression and orthogonal protein-protein interaction screens provides new insights into cardiac electrophysiology and identifies new candidate genes for ventricular arrhythmias, LQTS and SCD

Sub-100 nm Nanoparticle Upconcentration in Flow by Dielectrophoretic Forces

This paper presents a novel microfluidic chip for upconcentration of sub–100 nm nanoparticles in a flow using electrical forces generated by a DC or AC field. Two electrode designs were optimized using COMSOL Multiphysics and tested using particles with sizes as low as 47 nm. We show how inclined electrodes with a zig-zag three-tooth configuration in a channel of 20 µm width are the ones generating the highest gradient and therefore the largest force. The design, based on AC dielectrophoresis, was shown to upconcentrate sub–100 nm particles by a factor of 11 using a flow rate of 2–25 µL/h. We present theoretical and experimental results and discuss how the chip design can easily be massively parallelized in order to increase throughput by a factor of at least 1250

The empress with two heads

In my paper I discuss the story associated with the head of the statue of Empress Livia from a temple dedicated to the emperor’s cult in Roman Narona (the present-day Vid). The head is kept in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. While in the main gallery of the museum its plaster cast is exhibited with a note explaining that the original head is currently on permanent loan in the Archaeological Museum of Split, but in the gallery with Roman antiquities the original head of the statue is displayed with a note explaining that it was obtained by a famous archaeologist Arthur John Evans during his travels to Dalmatia.Not just the head of Livia’s statue, but also her body has been preserved. It is ‘temporarily’ kept in a huge wooden box in the public library of Opuzen while the main piazza is being reconstructed to realise Opuzen’s hundred-year long dream which will culminate in the opening of a new museum dedicated to Livia.***V prispevku obravnavam zgodbo, povezano z glavo kipa cesarice Livije iz templja, posvečenega cesarskemu kultu, v antični Naroni (današnji Vid). Glava je danes v hrambi Ashmolejevega muzeja v Oxfordu. V glavni dvorani stoji njen mavčni odlitek s pripisom, da je izvirna glava v Arheološkem muzeju Split na posodo za nedoločen čas, medtem ko je v prostoru z rimskimi starinami stoji posebej razstavljena izvirna glava Livijinega kipa, s pripisom, da jo je pridobil znameniti arheolog Arthur John Evans med svojimi potovanji po Dalmaciji.Poleg glave Livijinega kipa je ohranjeno tudi njeno telo, za katero v mestu Opuzen pripravljajo poseben muzej, ki naj bi predstavljal uresničitev stoletnih sanj njegovih prebivalcev. Stoletne sanje se, razumljivo, uresničujejo počasi, tako tudi v tem primeru. Tako je telo Livijinega kipa zdaj »začasno« shranjeno v velikem lesenem zaboju, postavljenem v prostorih mestne knjižnice