Search results for " microscopy"
showing 10 items of 1617 documents
Theoretical and experimental evaluation of decypolyglucoside vesicles as potential drug delivery systems
2006
The aim of this work was to ascertain the capability of a commercial mixture of decylpolyglucoside (Orami.x NS10) to form vesicle structures in water, either alone or in association with cholesterol. To this purpose, we compared results obtained from a theoretical model with those acquired from the experimental characterization of different Orami.x NS10/cliolesterol mixtures. The germen vesicular formation theory was used to predict the formation process of vesicular structures. To this purpose, the energy balance involved in the vesicle formation was calculated using critical concentration for vesicle formation (ccf), surface tension and molecular area of decylpolyglucoside. The ccf was me…
Contactus adherens, a special type of plaque-bearing adhering junction containing M-cadherin, in the granule cell layer of the cerebellar glomerulus.
1995
In the glomeruli of the granule cell layer of mammalian cerebellum, neuronal extensions are interconnected by numerous small, nearly isodiametric (diameters up to 0.1 micron), junctions previously classified as puncta adherentia related to the vinculin-containing, actin microfilament-anchoring junctions of the zonula adherens of epithelial and certain other cells. Using immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy, we have found, however, that these junctions are negative for E- and VE-cadherin, for desmosomal cadherins, and also for vinculin, alpha-actinin, and desmoplakin, but they do contain, in addition to the protein plakoglobin common to all forms of adhering junctions, the plaque…
Unisexual flowers as a robust synapomorphy in Cariceae (Cyperaceae)? Evidence for bisexual flowers in Schoenoxiphium
2012
Abstract Cariceae, the largest tribe within Cyperaceae, comprises about 2000 species in five genera. Cariceae is usually considered to be distinct from other Cyperaceae by the presence of exclusively unisexual flowers and by the arrangement of the pistillate flowers in single-flowered spikelets that are enclosed by the flask-like spikelet prophyll (utricle or perigynium). The nature of several morphological features of the Cariceae inflorescence remains controversial. The staminate reproductive units, as well as earlier reported bisexual reproductive units in Schoenoxiphium have been considered to be reduced partial inflorescences, or flowers. Aims of this study are to test both interpretat…
Changes in the Three Dimensional Structure of Synaptic Ribbons in the Pineal Gland of the Guinea-Pig Caused by Constant Light
1997
Synaptic bodies (SBs) are dynamic synaptic organelles of afferent synapses of the retina, inner ear, lateral line organ and pineal gland in vertebrates. When investigated in a transmission electron microscope, their electron-dense rod-like, round or irregular profiles are surrounded by electron-lucent vesicles. The three-dimensional structure of pineal SBs is not precisely known. Pineal glands of two guinea-pigs (one kept under an LD cycle of 12:12 h; one kept in constant light for 8 weeks) were investigated. SBs were reconstructed in three dimensions to visualise morphological changes in constant light. Transmission electron microscope micrographs from up to 18 serial sections with a known…
Axial superresolution by synthetic aperture generation
2008
The use of tilted illumination onto the input object in combination with time multiplexing is a useful technique to overcome the Abbe diffraction limit in imaging systems. It is based on the generation of an expanded synthetic aperture that improves the cutoff frequency (and thus the resolution limit) of the imaging system. In this paper we present an experimental validation of the fact that the generation of a synthetic aperture improves not only the lateral resolution but also the axial one. Thus, it is possible to achieve higher optical sectioning of three-dimensional (3D) objects than that defined by the theoretical resolution limit imposed by diffraction. Experimental results are provi…
Electrochemical Characterization of Egyptian Blue Pigment in Wall Paintings Using the Voltammetry of Microparticles Methodology
2013
The solid state voltammetric response of Egypt blue, Han blue and ploss blue pigments upon attachment to graphite electrodes in contact with aqueous phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 is studied by voltammetry of microparticles and scanning electrochemical microscopy. Such voltammetric responses, combined with those for synthetic specimens consisting of binary mixtures of the pigment and SiO2 or CaCO3 as well as ternary ones of CaCO3 and SiO2 mixtures allow for the identification of the pigment and the support in samples from wall paintings using different electrochemical parameters, in particular upon performing the Tafel and modified Tafel analysis of voltammetric peaks. Identification of Egypt b…
Fibronectin-bound α5β1 integrins sense load and signal to reinforce adhesion in less than a second
2017
Integrin-mediated mechanosensing of the extracellular environment allows cells to control adhesion and signalling. Whether cells sense and respond to force immediately upon ligand-binding is unknown. Here, we report that during adhesion initiation, fibroblasts respond to mechanical load by strengthening integrin-mediated adhesion to fibronectin (FN) in a biphasic manner. In the first phase, which depends on talin and kindlin as well as on the actin nucleators Arp2/3 and mDia, FN-engaged α5β1 integrins activate focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and c-Src in less than 0.5 s to steeply strengthen α5β1- and αV-class integrin-mediated adhesion. When the mechanical load exceeds a certain threshold, fib…
Tarantula hemocyanins imaged by atomic force microscopy
2004
Individual 4 x 6-meric tarantula hemocyanins and dissociation products were imaged by AFM in the non-contact mode. Although the resolution was low, the hexamers and topological arrangement within the oligomers can be seen. However, the relative humidity seems to affect the height profiles.
Stigma morphology inAylosterasubg.Mediolobivia(Cactaceae) and its importance for systematic investigation
2013
The stigma of 31 taxa of Aylostera (Cactaceae) was studied using environmental scanning electron microscopy. Seven stigma types could be defined, based on the degree of fusion of the stigmatic lobes and, when these are completely separated (types I and II), their orientation. Four types (types IV, V, VI and VII) are present only in Aylostera subg. Mediolobivia, two of which (types IV and VII) are species-specific. Stigma morphology was found to be a good diagnostic character in Aylostera subg. Mediolobivia, allowing in some cases to distinguish species that had been confused previously. The stigmatic types here defined seem apt to characterize natural groups within the subgenus and are usef…
Interfacial Self-Assembly to Spatially Organize Graphene Oxide Into Hierarchical and Bioactive Structures
2020
Multicomponent self-assembly holds great promise for the generation of complex and functional biomaterials with hierarchical microstructure. Here, we describe the use of supramolecular co-assembly between an elastin-like recombinamer (ELR5) and a peptide amphiphile (PA) to organize graphene oxide (GO) flakes into bioactive structures across multiple scales. The process takes advantage of a reaction—diffusion mechanism to enable the incorporation and spatial organization of GO within multiple ELR5/PA layers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ImageJ software were used to demonstrate the hierarchical organization of GO flakes within the ELR5/PA lay…