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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Novel Core-Shell Metal Oxide Nanofibers with Advanced Optical and Magnetic Properties Deposited by Co-Axial Electrospinning.

Co-axial electrospinning is one of the facile methods for the fabrication of core-shell metal oxides for environmental applications. Indeed, core-shell architectures featuring a magnetic core and a photocatalytic shell represent a novel approach to catalytic nanostructures in applications such as water treatment and pollutant removal via magnetic separation. This study focuses on the fabrication of novel FeO-FeNiO/NiO core-shell nanofibers with enhanced optical and magnetic properties using co-axial electrospinning.

Swarm Control with RRT-APF Planning and FNN Task Allocation Tested on Mobile Differential Platform.

This paper presents a novel method for centralized robotic swarm control that integrates path planning and task allocation subsystems. A swarm of agents is managed using various evaluation methods to assess performance. A feedforward neural network was developed to assign tasks to swarm agents in real time by predicting a suitability score.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in sediments in Africa: Status, ecological risks, extraction and analytical techniques.

This review synthesized literature (2012-2024) about the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in sediments from waterbodies in Africa while highlighting the sources and analytical techniques used. A total of 35 PPCP classes constituting 142 compounds were identified. Eastern Africa reported 21 classes with 60 compounds, Western Africa 17 classes with 69 compounds, Southern Africa 18 classes with 19 compounds, and Northern Africa 1 class with 19 compounds.

Optimal model-based insulin bolus advisor for subjects with type 1 diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring.

This paper presents an optimal model-based bolus advisor aimed at improving insulin therapy for individuals with type 1 diabetes who actively utilize continuous glucose monitoring systems. The proposed approach serves as an advanced advisory system, facilitating decision-making for insulin administration. Unlike traditional artificial pancreas systems, which rely on continuous insulin delivery and equidistant control decisions at each sampling interval, this bolus advisor considers sparse and impulse-like insulin administration without the basal component, solely disturbance-triggered to optimally reject the carbohydrate intake.

The Cross-Infectious Degradation of Plasticized Poly (Vinyl Chloride) and Cellulosic Materials.

Plasticized poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC-P), widely used in the 20th century, poses significant risks to numerous artifacts preserved in cultural heritage institutions due to the release of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and plasticizers. While previous studies have examined the impact of PVC-P emissions on cellulose, this study is the first to investigate cross-infectious degradation in systems where PVC-P is in direct contact with cellulosic materials. The interaction between PVC-P and two types of cellulosic materials-pure cellulose paper (Whatman paper) and lignin-containing acidic paper (NOVO paper)-under accelerated aging at 90 °C is examined.

Copper(II) complex with a redox-noninnocent Schiff base bearing a tetraphenyldisiloxane unit: synthesis, structure and catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane.

An organic-inorganic diamine, 1,3-bis(aminopropyl)tetraphenyldisiloxane, was prepared and introduced as a flexible spacer into the structure of a salen-type Schiff base (H2L7) extending the available small library of similar compounds derived from 1,3-bis(aminopropyl)tetramethyldisiloxane and substituted 2-hydroxybenzaldehydes (H2L1-H2L6). Like the previously reported mononuclear copper(II) complexes [CuL1]-[CuL6], the new copper(II) complex [CuL7], obtained by reaction of Cu(OAc)·HO with H2L7 in a mixture of organic solvents, has a tetrahedrally distorted square-planar (NO) coordination geometry. X-ray crystallography has shown that compared to [CuL1]-[CuL6] the Si-O-Si angle in [CuL7] is even closer to linear due to stronger intramolecular interactions between Ph groups than between Me groups in the central-RSi-O-SiR- fragment (R = Ph and Me, respectively).

Wettability Study of Soldered Joints in SiC Ceramics and Combined Ni-SiC Using SnSbTi-Based Solder and Electron Beam Heating.

The reactive soldering of silicon-carbide (SiC) ceramics to a Ni-SiC composite was investigated using an Sn-5Sb-3Ti active solder and electron-beam heating at 750 °C, 850 °C and 950 °C. Wettability: The average contact angle decreased from 94 ± 4° (750 °C) to 60 ± 3° (850 °C) and further to 24 ± 2° (950 °C), demonstrating progressively improved spreading of the filler with increasing temperature. Interfacial reactions: Continuous layers of Ni(Sn,Sb) and Ti(Sn,Sb) formed along the Ni-SiC/filler interface, the latter confirming Ti diffusion that activates the wetting of the composite surface.

Adaptation Under Pressure: Resistance and Stress Response Interplay in Clinical Isolates.

Understanding the interplay between antifungal resistance, stress adaptation, and virulence in is critical for more effective treatment outcomes. In this study, we investigate six clinical isolates of from the hospitals of the Czech Republic, focusing on their resistance profiles, stress responses, and survival mechanisms under antifungal pressure. Notably, we have shown that azole-susceptible strains were able to form persister cells under supra-MIC concentrations, highlighting an emerging non-genetic survival mechanism.

Agar Composition Modulates Production of Trichoderma Peptaibols, Affecting Antibacterial and Antiproliferative Activity.

Current antibiotics and chemotherapeutics are becoming ineffective because pathogenic bacteria and tumor cells have developed multiple drug resistance. Therefore, it is necessary to find new substances that can be used in treatment, either alone or as sensitizing molecules in combination with existing drugs. Peptaibols are bioactive, membrane-active peptides of non-ribosomal origin, mainly produced by filamentous fungi such as Trichoderma spp.

Bio-Based Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Blends for 3D Printing: Rheological, Mechanical, Biocompatibility, and Biodegradation Properties.

This study develops highly flexible, biodegradable polymer blends using bio-based polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing. A Design of Experiment (DoE) approach optimized blend compositions by varying crystallinity levels of three PHAs, processed via twin-screw extrusion. Rheological analysis revealed that PHA blends exhibited 30-50% lower viscosity than PLA at low shear rates, ensuring improved processability.