| 1. |
- Aguar-Bartolome, P., et al.
(author)
-
Measurement of the gamma p -> K-0 Sigma(+) reaction with the Crystal Ball/TAPS detectors at the Mainz Microtron
- 2013
-
In: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 88:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The gamma p -> K-0 Sigma(+) reaction has been measured from threshold to E-gamma = 1.45 GeV (W-CM = 1.9 GeV) using the Crystal Ball and TAPS multiphoton spectrometers together with the photon tagging facility at the Mainz Microtron MAMI. In the present experiment, this reaction was searched for in the 3 pi(0)p final state, by assuming K-S(0) -> pi(0)pi(0) and Sigma(+) -> pi(0)p. The experimental results include total and differential cross sections as well as the polarization of the recoil hyperon. The new data significantly improve empirical knowledge about the gamma p -> K-0 Sigma(+) reaction in the measured energy range. The results are compared to previous measurements and model predictions. It is demonstrated that adding the present gamma p -> K-0 Sigma(+) results to existing data allowed a better description of this reaction with various models.
|
|
| 2. |
- Banerjee, R., et al.
(author)
-
Structure and Morphology of Organic Semiconductor-Nanoparticle Hybrids Prepared by Soft Deposition
- 2015
-
In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 119:9, s. 5225-5237
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present an extensive structural analysis of hybrid architectures prepared by the soft incorporation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) within an organic semiconductor matrix of diindenoperylene (DIP). Such soft or noninvasive deposition of nanoparticles within organic semiconducting host matrices not only minimizes the influence of the deposition process on the order and properties of the organic host molecules, but also offers additional control in the process of incorporation. The hybrid structures were characterized by X-ray scattering techniques including grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), and complemented by atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. We show that different strategies of incorporating the nanoparticles in the host matrix lead to drastically different structure and morphologies. Particularly remarkable is the morphological change observed in the matrix of DIP as well as the AuNPs due to the influence of organic solvents, as evidenced by TEM tomography measurements, which revealed the exact location of the AuNPs within the organic host. It is also demonstrated that AuNPs can be successfully used as tunable templates for the growth of the organic semiconductors with desired island sizes and distances.
|
|
| 3. |
- Bortz, Robert H., et al.
(author)
-
Single-Dilution COVID-19 Antibody Test with Qualitative and Quantitative Readouts
- 2021
-
In: mSphere. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 2379-5042. ; 6:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to place an immense burden on societies and health care systems. A key component of COVID-19 control efforts is serological testing to determine the community prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and quantify individual immune responses to prior SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination. Here, we describe a laboratory-developed antibody test that uses readily available research-grade reagents to detect SARS-CoV-2 exposure in patient blood samples with high sensitivity and specificity. We further show that this sensitive test affords the estimation of viral spike-specific IgG titers from a single sample measurement, thereby providing a simple and scalable method to measure the strength of an individual's immune response. The accuracy, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness of this test make it an excellent option for clinical deployment in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.IMPORTANCE Serological surveillance has become an important public health tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. Detection of protective antibodies and seroconversion after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination can help guide patient care plans and public health policies. Serology tests can detect antibodies against past infections; consequently, they can help overcome the shortcomings of molecular tests, which can detect only active infections. This is important, especially when considering that many COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic. In this study, we describe an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based qualitative and quantitative serology test developed to measure IgG and IgA antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. The test can be deployed using commonly available laboratory reagents and equipment and displays high specificity and sensitivity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that IgG titers in patient samples can be estimated from a single measurement, enabling the assay's use in high-throughput clinical environments.
|
|
| 4. |
- Megat, Salim, et al.
(author)
-
Integrative genetic analysis illuminates ALS heritability and identifies risk genes
- 2023
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has substantial heritability, in part shared with fronto-temporal dementia (FTD). We show that ALS heritability is enriched in splicing variants and in binding sites of 6 RNA-binding proteins including TDP-43 and FUS. A transcriptome wide association study (TWAS) identified 6 loci associated with ALS, including in NUP50 encoding for the nucleopore basket protein NUP50. Independently, rare variants in NUP50 were associated with ALS risk (P = 3.71.10−03; odds ratio = 3.29; 95%CI, 1.37 to 7.87) in a cohort of 9,390 ALS/FTD patients and 4,594 controls. Cells from one patient carrying a NUP50 frameshift mutation displayed a decreased level of NUP50. Loss of NUP50 leads to death of cultured neurons, and motor defects in Drosophila and zebrafish. Thus, our study identifies alterations in splicing in neurons as critical in ALS and provides genetic evidence linking nuclear pore defects to ALS.
|
|
