Daylight spectrum and intensity reduction and its impact on melatonin, cortisol, alpha-amylase, sleep parameters and sleepiness in humans.

Light serves as the main synchroniser of the circadian system. The amount of light and its spectral distribution throughout the day influence hormonal secretion and sleep-wake regulation. There is a knowledge gap regarding the impact of the spectrum and intensity reduction of short-wavelength light during the day on circadian system outputs.

Interplay of oxidative stress and antioxidant mechanisms in cancer development and progression.

Cellular systems responsible for the formation and removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS), functioning within physiological limits, are essential for maintaining intracellular redox balance. This state is known as oxidative eustress. Key redox signaling molecules, such as superoxide anion radical (O) and hydrogen peroxide (HO), operate at nanomolar concentrations and are produced by NADPH oxidases (regulated by various factors), the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), and numerous enzymes.

Metal-metal interactions in an open d-shell system with cuprite structure.

The formation of directional metal-metal interactions and multicenter bonds is for the first time revealed in a cuprite structure of PdO with a partially open d shell employing Density Functional Theory with evolutionary algorithms for crystal structure prediction. Two PdO forms, featuring arrays of parallel zigzag Pd chains and a 2D network of corner-shared Pd clusters, respectively, with appreciable thermodynamic stability, are predicted to compete for the ground state structure. This study presents the first detailed description of Pd(I)-Pd(I) bonding in an inorganic compound.

Mn(III)-porphyrins in battle against neurodegenerative and cancer diseases.

Manganese(III)-porphyrins - Mn(III)P-exhibit remarkable redox activity, influencing oxidative and antioxidative processes in biological systems. In this study, we explore the dual roles of Mn(III)-2-TE-PyP and Mn(III)-4-TE-PyP in modulating hyaluronan degradation, a key factor in both neuroprotection and cancer therapy. While Mn(III)-2-TE-PyP enhances oxidative degradation of high-molecular weight hyaluronan, facilitating immune recognition of cancer cells, its structural isomer Mn(III)-4-TE-PyP acts as a potent antioxidant, safeguarding neuronal integrity against oxidative stress.

Protein Adsorption on a Multimodal Cation Exchanger: Effect of pH, Salt Type and Concentration, and Elution Conditions.

This study investigates key factors affecting the adsorption behavior of proteins on the multimodal chromatographic adsorbent Capto MMC, aiming to enhance selective protein separation strategies. Batch equilibrium experiments were conducted using six model proteins to explore the combined effects of pH, ionic strength, and the nature of salts (kosmotropic and chaotropic) on protein-ligand interactions. Given that the Capto MMC ligand supports multiple interaction modes beyond cation exchange, particular focus was placed on acidic proteins (pI 4-5), which exhibited binding even at moderately elevated pH values-conditions ineffective for conventional cation exchangers.

Characterization of Hard Coatings Using Acoustic Emission.

Acoustic emission (AE) testing is a non-destructive method used in various applications. In our work we demonstrate its capabilities and potential in studying the functional properties of physical vapor deposited (PVD) coatings. The goal was to classify the coating damage during indentation testing more objectively by quantifying specific imprint features.

Effect of Carbon and Nitrogen Concentrations on the Superconducting Properties of (NbMoTaW)CN Carbonitride Films.

We report about the effect of nitrogen and carbon concentration on the superconducting transition temperature of (NbMoTaW)CN carbonitride films deposited using reactive DC magnetron sputtering. By measuring the temperature dependence of electrical resistance and magnetization of these carbonitrides, with 0.20 ≤ ≤ 1.

Correction: Vitazkova et al. Transforming Sleep Monitoring: Review of Wearable and Remote Devices Advancing Home Polysomnography and Their Role in Predicting Neurological Disorders. 2025, , 117.

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Material survey in the modern and contemporary collections of Slovak National Gallery using non-destructive techniques of infrared spectroscopy.

FTIR-spectroscopy is an analytical technique widely applied to the analysis of cultural heritage, as it offers the possibility of fast and reliable identification of a wide range of materials with little to no sampling required. In this work, two different techniques of FTIR spectroscopy - ATR-FTIR and external reflectance FTIR (ER-FTIR) spectroscopy in the mid-infrared range were employed for the material survey of the collection of modern and contemporary art of the Slovak National Gallery. A selection of 58 gallery items made fully or partially from synthetic polymers (plastics) was analysed to compare the applicability of the two FTIR techniques and their effectiveness for in-situ identification.

Redox-innocent scandium(III) as the sole catalyst in visible light photooxidations.

In recent years, the catalytic activity of scandium triflate Sc(OTf) has attracted significant attention due to its robust Lewis acidity and the oxophilicity of Sc. These features have led to impressive progress in developing diverse organic reactions, including C-C bond formation. The Sc also facilitates single electron transfer in photoinduced reactions either by coordination to an organophotoredox catalyst, which modifies its redox reactivity, or by the formation of a scandium-superoxide anion complex after electron transfer from a light-absorbing redox-active compound.

The profiling of phenolic compounds in archive Tokaj wines using liquid chromatography and antioxidant activity analysis.

Archive Tokaj wines from the vineyards in the Slovak part of the Tokaj region have been characterized in terms of the content of phenolic compounds specific to that type of botrytized wine. More than 60 archive samples (1959-2017) were evaluated in terms of phenolic profile. Eighteen individual phenolic compounds were quantified by UHPLC-DAD method.

Valley Engineering of Monolayer MoS via Substitutional Cr and V Dopants and the Mechanistic Insights.

MoS monolayers (MS) having magnetic impurities as dopants can bring about time-reversal asymmetry and hence room temperature magnetism. Here, we demonstrated the synthesis of Cr substitutionally doped (∼1%) MS (CrMS) along with its vanadium-doped MS counterpart (VMS) and investigated their suitability for valleytronics by studies based on chirality-selective photoluminescence, time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy, and spin Hall effect of light (SHEL). While VMS showed room temperature valley splitting, no such shift was observed in CrMS although with their expected similarity.

Advanced biomaterials in tissue engineering: A critical review of nanocomposites based on bacterial cellulose, MXenes, hydroxyapatite, and metal particles for regenerative medicine.

Soft and hard tissues have limited regenerative potential that fuels the search for advanced biomaterials able to mimic their complex dynamics better. Individually, bacterial cellulose (BC) provides excellent biocompatibility but lacks inherent bioactivity and functional properties needed to promote tissue regeneration. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) offers osteoconductivity but shows brittleness.

Research and Developments of Heterogeneous Catalytic Technologies.

This review outlines a comprehensive methodology for the research and development of heterogeneous catalytic technologies (R&D_HeCaTe). Emphasis is placed on the fundamental interactions between reactants, solvents, and heterogeneous catalysts-specifically the roles of catalytic centers and support materials (e.g.

Microstructural Characterisation of Bi-Ag-Ti Solder Alloy and Evaluation of Wettability on Ceramic and Composite Substrates Joined via Indirect Electron Beam Heating in Vacuum.

This paper examines the wettability and interactions between ceramic and composite materials soldered with Bi-based solder containing 11 wt.% of silver and 3 wt.% titanium using indirect electron beam soldering technology.

Optimal impulsive disturbance rejection in linear systems with application to diabetes treatment.

Background And Objective: This study introduces a novel mathematical framework for optimizing the rejection of impulsive disturbances by adjusting the parameters of compensating impulses. This is motivated by the need of optimizing the glycemia response in diabetic patients under insulin bolus treatment. The methodology aims to ensure general applicability by formulating the optimization problem using a continuous-time linear state-space model.

Differential UVC radiation sensitivity in multidrug-resistant l1210 cells: Insights into p53 and Bcl-XL expression/function.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) variants of L1210 cells, selected for resistance to vincristine (R) or doxorubicin (D), exhibit elevated ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein) expression but differ in UVC sensitivity. D cells resemble parental L1210 (S) cells, whereas R cells are significantly more UVC vulnerable. To investigate this, we analyzed the expression of genes involved in DNA damage response, Trp53 family members, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (p15, p21), Bcl-2 family genes, and DNA repair genes in S, R, and D cells before and after UVC irradiation.

Methodology and pilot implementation of modular educational-development platform for Interoperable Digital Twin.

The development of Industry 4.0, especially in the areas of interoperability and the design, implementation and use of digital twins (DT), has been enormous in recent years. This article discusses three key aspects that Industry 4.

Effect of Polymer Grafting on the Tribological Performance of Graphene Oxide under Ambient Air and Vacuum.

Graphene is known to be an excellent lubricant in a dry air or vacuum environment; however, the modification of its surface chemistry and friction properties is a challenging task. In contrast, mono- and few-layered graphene oxide (GO) offers easier modulation of its surface properties, but its tribological properties under vacuum are currently unknown. In this work, the impact of GO modification by poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(trifluoroethyl methacrylate) (PTFEMA) on the friction in ambient air and vacuum conditions has been investigated.

-Derived Biochars for Metribuzin Removal: Influence of Thermal Processing Pathways on Sorption Properties.

Carbonaceous sorbents were prepared from via hydrothermal carbonization (200 °C and 250 °C) and slow pyrolysis (300-500 °C) to assess their effectiveness in removing the herbicide metribuzin from water. The biomass was cultivated under controlled laboratory conditions, allowing for consistent feedstock quality and traceability throughout processing. Using a single microalgal feedstock for both thermal methods enabled a direct comparison of hydrochar and pyrochar properties and performance, eliminating variability associated with different feedstocks and allowing for a clearer assessment of the influence of thermal conversion pathways.

Sex-Specific Cardiovascular Protection in Developing Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of AMPK.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease development, with sex differences playing a significant role. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key regulator of cellular energy homeostasis, becomes dysregulated in MetS, making it a potential therapeutic target. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of AMPK in the development of cardiovascular comorbidities in male and female rats with MetS.

Identity of Oxygen-Rich Nickel Oxides as Oxosuperoxides and Oxoperoxides and Their Heterostructures.

The chemical identity of oxygen-rich nickel oxides was investigated employing Density Functional Theory calculations performed for Ni-substituted transition-metal pentoxides MO, which have the potential to host M species, while the ground-state structure was predicted using evolutionary algorithms for crystal structure prediction. Our results have shown that Ni is unlikely to stabilize in the oxide environment and will immediately reduce to more stable nickel oxidation states (Ni-Ni) through the formation of molecular oxygen species, while both superoxide and peroxide species are equally likely. The resulting oxoperoxide and oxosuperoxide phases represent oxygen-enriched versions of the already well-known or long-suspected binary nickel oxides (NiO, NiO, NiO) and their heterostructures including O-decorated rock salt NiO, O-enriched layered CdI-type NiO, a der Waals heterostructure of NiO and NiO(O) as well as the monoclinic 2/ form (high-pressure VO type structure), which is common to all known pentoxides, and in the case of nickel takes the form of oxosuperoxide NiO(O).

Highly effective Ru(II) and Os(II) half-sandwich complexes induce cytotoxicity in cancer cells through combined mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

A series of ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) half-sandwich complexes was synthesized and characterized for its potential as a new class of anticancer agents. The complexes feature polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-substituted Schiff bases and were rationally designed to combine the redox-modulating MoA of half-sandwich Ru, Rh, Os and Ir complexes, connected with their ability to induce the formation of various reactive oxygen species (ROS), with the ability of PAH-substituents to target and disrupt DNA. The complexes [Ru(η-pcym)Cl(L)]PF (1-4) and [Os(η-pcym)Cl(L)]PF (5-8) were stable in aqueous environments, in contrast to the rapid degradation observed for the co-studied rhodium(III) (9-12) and iridium(III) (13-16) [M(η-Cp∗)Cl(L)]PF complexes; L = ethane-1,2-diamine-based Schiff bases (L1-L4) bearing two terminal PAH substituents 2-naphtyl (for L1), 9-anthracenyl (for L2), 9-phenanthrenyl (L3) or 1-pyrenyl (L4); pcym = 1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)benzene (p-cymene), Cp∗ = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl.

Interfacial Engineering of Degenerately Doped VMoS for Improved Contacts in MoS Field Effect Transistors.

2D transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors such as MoS are identified as a platform for next-generation electronic circuitries. However, the progress toward industrial applications is still lagging due to imperfections of wafer-scale deposition techniques and in-contact parasitic impedance affecting device integration in large circuits and systems. Here, on contact engineering of large-scale, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown monolayer MoS films is reported, leading to improved performance of field effect transistors.

A novel electrochemical method for detecting synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette and biological samples using a lab-made electrode.

Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists (SCRAs) are a class of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) that interact with the same receptors (CB1 and CB2) as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The identification of SCRAs, such as AB-CHMINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA, is of significant forensic and toxicological interest due to their widespread consumption in several countries and their potential involvement in overdose cases resulting from their high potency, posing a serious public health and safety concern. Currently, no standardized screening methods exist for the detection of SCRAs in forensic and toxicological contexts.