Enhancement from plasmonic-molecular coupling for mass transduction

The plasmon-mechanical resonators are frequently used in the development of sensors. Active frameworks impose mechanical motion into the lasing dynamics through the use of an optical gain and achieve better sensitivity. Here plasmon-mechanical coupling is demonstrated in a multilayer when a surface plasmon polariton/Fabry-P\'erot hybrid mode is excited in a Kretschmann configuration, while it is observed that the strong plasmonic dispersion allows the deformation of the mechanical domain at several frequencies. After a dye is adsorbed on the surface of the cavity, the layout of the optomechanics is schematized by a spring-mass oscillator mounted onto the surface of the cavity-end mirror. The system is defined by its capability to determine the experimental settings with the best resolution before a controlled experiment in which the oscillator senses a mass. The advantages and disadvantages of the procedure are presented once the data have been assessed and modeled.Comment: non

Trends of biosensing: plasmonics through miniaturization and quantum sensing

Despite being extremely old concepts, plasmonics and surface plasmon resonance-based biosensors have been increasingly popular in the recent two decades due to the growing interest in nanooptics and are now of relevant significance in regards to applications associated with human health. Plasmonics integration into point-of-care devices for health surveillance has enabled significant levels of sensitivity and limit of detection to be achieved and has encouraged the expansion of the fields of study and market niches devoted to the creation of quick and incredibly sensitive label-free detection. The trend reflects in wearable plasmonic sensor development as well as point-of-care applications for widespread applications, demonstrating the potential impact of the new generation of plasmonic biosensors on human well-being through the concepts of personalized medicine and global health. In this context, the aim here is to discuss the potential, limitations, and opportunities for improvement that have arisen as a result of the integration of plasmonics into microsystems and lab-on-chip over the past five years. Recent applications of plasmonic biosensors in microsystems and sensor performance are analyzed. The final analysis focuses on the integration of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip with quantum plasmonics technology prospecting it as a promising solution for chemical and biological sensing. Here it is underlined how the research in the field of quantum plasmonic sensing for biological applications has flourished over the past decade with the aim to overcome the limits given by quantum fluctuations and noise. The significant advances in nanophotonics, plasmonics and microsystems used to create increasingly effective biosensors would continue to benefit this field if harnessed properly

Tuning the phase in asymmetric multilayers

Phase modulation has come to be recognized as a fundamental paradigm for optical device design in applications involving the spatiotemporal control of optical wavefronts. Here, asymmetric resonant multilayer cavities based on the inclusion of absorptive and lossless layers combined with the ideal conductive metal allow for reflection and phase shift control in analogy with the Fabry-Perot system, which in its basic configuration has zero reflection and perfect transmission., the reflectivity of multilayers activated in a prism-coupled geometry and composed of numerous stack layers but built in different sequences has been examined. The layer's different arrangements, resulting in open and closed asymmetric multilayers, display reflectance spectra with distinct features as well as phase changes. For one of the studied multilayer arrangements, two hybridized resonance modes form a strong coupling with the exciton available from the red dye. As a result, energy-based topological considerations identify a correlation between exciton/polariton strong coupling, topological darkness, and phase tuning.Comment: N

Proof of enantioselectivity in a multilayer with a strong exciton polariton coupling and through asymmetric polarization

The plasmonic investigation involves activating a multilayer consisting of silver, platinum, silica, and silicon. Hybrid waveguide and surface plasmon polariton modes define the device plasmonic activity. The presence of micrometric features on the multilayer surface facilitates the formation of the waveguide mode. Moreover, they produce a transmitted signal that is associated with localized surface plasmon resonance. A red dye adsorbed onto a multilayer surface causes a strong coupling between excitons and polaritons. This coupling increases the radiation force, and the dye-induced enhancement of radiation force supports the use of passive chirality spectroscopy to measure the optical forces acting on enantiomers. In conclusion, when a Kretschmann scheme is combined with the de-polarization, a built-in asymmetry results in a different optical flux of spectrum photons, resulting in distinct, enantioselective, and solely polarization-dependent spectral contrast, and the enantioselectivity is demonstrated for the D and L penicillamine.Comment: 14 pages, 6 Figure

COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH: HEALTH BUDGETS IN A MULTIFACTORIAL CONTEXT

In the last three years the Department of Mental Health of the ASP (Provincial Health Company) Agrigento (Italy) has become the protagonist of an attempt to change the cultural reality of mental health in its own territory, to ready local communities to overcome the prejudices linked to the stigma connected to psychiatric pathology through the implementation of an experimental project funded by the Sicily Region, the PON (National Operational Plan) 19.2. At the same time, the Department of Mental Health of the Provincial Health Authority (ASP) has experimented with the introduction of flexibility in care pathways for serious patients so as to pursue a model of integrated intervention combining the efforts public health, private social, citizens (training / work, residential care) in which public health continues to respect the responsibility and ownership of the service but is enriched with new human resources to promote patient citizenship itineraries. All this is in order to prevent mental health problems, stimulate the inclusion and active participation of those suffering from mental health problems - recognizing the experience and skills of patients and caregivers as an essential basis for the planning and development of mental health services. The goal of the project was to reduce the isolation of psychiatric patients by adopting new methods that determined an economic saving and a higher quality in therapeutic results: tools within the Health Budget  &nbsp

The effects of Silymarin on ovarian activity and productivity of laying hens

In a previous work we evaluated the effects of Silymarin, a natural antioxidant and hepatoprotective polyphenolic compound, on laying hens performances and health status. The aim of the present work was to further confirm the previous results and to investigate the effects of Silymarin on ovarian endocrine activity and productivity of laying hens as well as on egg traits. Eighteen laying hens were randomly allotted into 3 groups and observed for 20 weeks: control hens were fed control diet, while treated groups received supplementations of 200 (S200) and 400 (S400) ppm of Silymarin. S200 group showed improved eggs laying rate (+2.91%), feed conversion rate (-4.52%) and a significant (P<0.05) increase of dry matter content (+0.54%), total lipids (+0.72%) and total sterols (0.02%) of the eggs. Any significant difference was shown for Silymarin at the highest dose (400 mg/kg of feed). At the end of the trial the hens were sacrificed and hierarchical follicles were removed and cultured for 48h. Media were assayed for progesterone (P4) and estradiol-17 beta (E2). Average E2 production in- creased (P<0.05) from F5 (follicles with initial development) to F3 (follicles with intermediate develop- ment), then decreased (P<0.05) from F3 to F1 (pre-ovulatory follicles). Basal P4 production augmented (P<0.05) throughout all follicle growth. Both Silymarin treatment inhibited (P<0.05) steroidogenesis. Silymarin may act as an endocrine-modulating chemical affecting hen performances

Effect of proliferating cell nuclear antigen ubiquitination and chromatin structure on the dynamic properties of the Y-family DNA polymerases

Y-family DNA polymerases carry out translesion synthesis past damaged DNA. DNA polymerases (pol) η and ι are usually uniformly distributed through the nucleus but accumulate in replication foci during S phase. DNA-damaging treatments result in an increase in S phase cells containing polymerase foci. Using photobleaching techniques, we show that polη is highly mobile in human fibroblasts. Even when localized in replication foci, it is only transiently immobilized. Although ubiquitination of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is not required for the localization of polη in foci, it results in an increased residence time in foci. polι is even more mobile than polη, both when uniformly distributed and when localized in foci. Kinetic modeling suggests that both polη and polι diffuse through the cell but that they are transiently immobilized for ∼150 ms, with a larger proportion of polη than polι immobilized at any time. Treatment of cells with DRAQ5, which results in temporary opening of the chromatin structure, causes a dramatic immobilization of polη but not polι. Our data are consistent with a model in which the polymerases are transiently probing the DNA/chromatin. When DNA is exposed at replication forks, the polymerase residence times increase, and this is further facilitated by the ubiquitination of PCNA

Evaluation of triclosan effects on cultured swine luteal cells

Triclosan is a chlorinated phenolic, used in many personal and home care products for its powerful antimicrobial effect. Several studies have shown triclosan toxicity and the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016 has limited its use. It has been recently included in endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), a list of chemicals known for their ability to interfere with hormonal signaling with particular critical effects on reproduction both in animals and humans. In order to deepen the knowledge in this specific field, the present study was undertaken to explore the effect of different concentrations of triclosan (1, 10, and 50 µM) on cultured luteal cells, isolated from swine ovaries, evaluating effects on growth Bromodeoxyuridine (BrDU) incorporation and Adenosine TriPhosphate (ATP) production, steroidogenesis (progesterone secretion) and redox status (superoxide and nitric oxide production, enzymatic and non-enzymatic scavenging activity). A biphasic effect was exerted by triclosan on P4 production. In fact, the highest concentration inhibited, while the others stimulated P4 production (p &lt; 0.05). Triclosan significantly inhibited cell proliferation, metabolic activity, and enzymatic scavenger activity (p &lt; 0.05). On the contrary, nitric oxide production was significantly increased by triclosan (p &lt; 0.01), while superoxide anion generation and non-enzymatic scavenging activity were unaffected