A semigroup characterization of well-posed linear control systems

We study the well-posedness of a linear control system Σ(A,B,C,D) with unbounded control and observation operators. To this end we associate to our system an operator matrix $\mathcal{A}$ on a product space $\mathcal{X}^{p}$ and call it p-well-posed if $\mathcal{A}$ generates a strongly continuous semigroup on $\mathcal{X}^{p}$ . Our approach is based on the Laplace transform and Fourier multipliers. The results generalize and complement those of Curtain and Weiss (Int. Ser. Numer. Math. vol. 91. Birkhäuser, Basel, 1989), Staffans and Weiss (Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 354:3229–3262, 2002) and are illustrated by a heat equation with boundary control and point observation.     

On conditional extreme values of random vectors with polar representation

An effective approach for studying the asymptotics of bivariate random vectors is to search for the limits of conditional probabilities where the conditioning variable becomes large. In this context, elliptical and related distributions have been extensively investigated. A quite general model was presented by Fougères and Soulier (Limit conditional distributions for bivariate vectors with polar representation in Stochastic Models, 2010), who derived a conditional limit theorem for random vectors (X, Y) with a polar representation R · (u(T), v(T)), where R, T are stochastically independent and R is in the Gumbel max-domain of attraction. We reformulate their assumptions, such that they have a simpler structure, display more clearly the geometry of the curves (u(t), v(t)) and allow us to deduce interesting generalizations into two directions:

u has several global maxima instead of only one,

the curve (u(t), v(t)) is no longer differentiable, but forms a “cusp”.

The latter generalization yields results where only random norming leads to a non-degenerate limit statement. Ideas and results are elucidated by several figures.     

Insight into the Interaction of Furfural with Metallic Surfaces in the Electrochemical Hydrogenation Process

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of furfural on metal surfaces has become an important research subject due to the potential of the reaction product 2-methylfuran as a renewable energy resource. Identifying effective determinants in this reaction process requires a thorough investigation of the complex electrode-electrolyte interactions, which considers a variety of the influential components. In this work, in operando electrochemical Raman Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics simulations were utilized to investigate different characteristics of the interface layer in the electrocatalytic hydrogenation of furfural. Hereby, the influence of applied potentials, electrode material, and electrolyte composition were investigated in detail. The studied parameters give an insight into furfural's binding situation, molecular orientation, and reaction mechanism.     

Electrophoretic characterization of LNP/AAV-encapsulated nucleic acids: Strengths and weaknesses

The use of nucleic acids (NAs) has revolutionized medical approaches and ushered in a new era of combating various diseases. Accordingly, there is an increasing demand for accurate identification, localization, quantification, and characterization of NAs encapsulated in nonviral or viral vectors. The vast spectrum of molecular dimensions and intra- and intermolecular interactions presents a formidable obstacle for NA analytical development. Typically, the comprehensive analysis of encapsulated NAs, free NAs, and their spatial distribution poses a challenge that is seldom tackled in its complete complexity. The identification of appropriate physicochemical methodologies for large nonencapsulated or encapsulated NAs is particularly intricate and necessitates an evaluation of the analytical outcomes and their appropriateness in addressing critical quality attributes. In this work, we examine the analytics of non-encapsulated or encapsulated large NAs (>500 nucleotides) utilizing capillary electrophoresis (CE) and liquid chromatography (LC) methodologies such as free zone CE, gel CE, affinity CE, and ion pair high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These methodologies create a complete picture of the NA's critical quality attributes, including quantity, identity, purity, and content ratio.     

Dihydroxy(4-thiomorpholinomethyl)benzoic acid: from molecular asymmetry to diode characteristics

One of the challenges in molecular electronics is to design molecules which can be used as functional units in electronic devices. The subject of our investigations is an asymmetrical molecule, dihydroxy(4-thiomorpholinomethyl)benzoic acid (TMBA), whose structural and electronic properties are characterized. The self-assembly behavior of TMBA on Au(111) surfaces resulting in highly ordered monolayers is obtained using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Furthermore, investigations on the electronic properties of the combined metal/molecule system reveal an orbital mediated tunneling process and tunneling decay constants for the carboxylic and thiomorpholino group. Thus, a diode-like character of TMBA is shown to be caused by intrinsic electronic properties of different molecular moieties.     

Anti-Proliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Effects of Digested Aglianico Grape Pomace Extract in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells

Grape pomace (GP)—the major by-product of winemaking processes—still contains bioactive molecules with known beneficial properties for human health, such as an antiradical scavenging activity or an antiproliferative activity of tumors. In vitro studies have demonstrated that GP polyphenols specifically influence colon cancer cell proliferation. In addition to previously published work, we tested the phenolic compounds of Aglianico GP following an in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion on colorectal cancer cell lines at different degrees of differentiation. Our experiments, using HT29 and SW480 cells, confirmed the anti-proliferative effect of GP gastrointestinal digested extract and provided intriguing insights on the way it influences the cancer cell features (i.e., viability, proliferation, and apoptosis). We observed that Aglianico GP extract showed a great ability to affect cell proliferation and apoptosis. Interestingly, both HT29 and SW480 cells produced a significant increase in Bax, and a significant increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3. The gastrointestinal digested GP extract was previously characterized both for antioxidant activity and phenolic composition. As a result, the TPC and the antioxidant activity reached high values in the Aglianico GP digested extract, and the main compounds assessed by UHPLC-DAD were anthocyanins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. This work shed light on the use of digested GP extract as a dietary ingredient, a very sustainable source of nutritional compounds with potential health benefits for colon cancer cell proliferation.