Search results for "Microscopy."
showing 10 items of 3331 documents
Soluble guanylyl cyclase appears in a specific subset of periglomerular cells in the olfactory bulb
2005
In the brain, nitric oxide acts as an atypical messenger in cellular nonsynaptic transmission. In the olfactory bulb, this gas is produced at the level of the olfactory glomeruli by a subpopulation of periglomerular cells that participates in the first synaptic relay of the olfactory information between the olfactory nerve and the dendritic tufts of principal cells. It has been proposed that nitric oxide modulates intraglomerular synaptic integration of sensory inputs, but its specific role in the glomerular circuitry remains to be understood. In this article, we demonstrate that, in the glomerular circuits, a specific subset of periglomerular cells, most of them expressing the calcium bind…
VIP-containing deep short-axon cells of the olfactory bulb innervate interneurons different from granule cells
2003
This study investigates the targets of the population of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-containing deep short-axon cells of the rat olfactory bulb (OB), combining single- and double-immunocytochemical approaches under light and electron microscopy. It has been assumed that deep short-axon cells innervate granule cells in the mammalian OB, but their synaptic connectivity has not been demonstrated to date. Our results indicate that, instead of the accepted scheme of the bulbar circuitry, VIP-containing deep short-axon cells are gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic interneurons specialized in the selective innervation of other GABAergic deep short-axon cells. Their axons contact with t…
Where Is the Most Hydrophobic Region? Benzopurpurine Self-Assembly at the Calcite–Water Interface
2017
Control of molecular self-assembly at solid–liquid interfaces is challenging due to the complex interplay between molecule–molecule, molecule–surface, molecule–solvent, surface–solvent, and solvent–solvent interactions. Here, we use in-situ dynamic atomic force microscopy to study the self-assembly of Benzopurpurine 4B into oblong islands with a highly ordered inner structure yet incommensurate with the underlying calcite (10.4) surface. Molecular dynamics and free energy calculations provide insights by showing that Benzopurpurine 4B molecules do not anchor to the surface directly but instead assemble on top of the second hydration layer. This seemingly peculiar behavior was then rationali…
Stabilization of Polar Step Edges on Calcite (10.4) by the Adsorption of Congo Red
2015
In this work, we present the stabilization of polar step edges along the [010] direction of calcite (10.4) by the presence of a water-soluble organic molecule, namely Congo Red. While characteristic etch pits are observed on the surface in the absence of the additive, no etch pits can be found in the presence of the additive. Using atomic force microscopy, we can directly follow the restructuring of the surface. Upon addition of Congo Red, the charge-neutral step edges confining the characteristic etch pits vanish, while polar step edges along the [010] direction appear on the surface, which are entirely decorated by well-ordered molecular islands of the additive. After the restructuring ha…
Structure-Dependent Dissolution and Restructuring of Calcite Surfaces by Organophosphonates
2017
Organophosphonates are well-known to strongly interact with the surfaces of various minerals, such as brucite, gypsum, and barite. In this work, we study the influence of six systematically varied organophosphonate molecules (tetraphosphonates and diphosphonates) on the dissolution process of the (10.4) surface of calcite. In order to pursue a systematic study, we have selected organophosphonates that exhibit similar structural features, but also systematic architectural differences. The effect of this class of additives on the dissolution process of the calcite (10.4) surface is evaluated using in situ dynamic atomic force microscopy. For all of the six organophosphonate derivatives, we ob…
Reactivity of gypsum faces according to the relative humidity by scanning force microscopy
1997
Abstract This article reports the experimental observation of the stability of the different faces of calcium sulphate dihydrate (gypsum CaSO 4 .2H 2 O) according to the relative humidity. Scanning Force Microscopy experiments were carried out with a view to discerning the topography of the surfaces, the chemical compositional domains, and in an attempt to evaluate the friction and viscoelastic properties of the surface. Our results indicate that the (010) face of gypsum is hydrophilic and very reactive contrary to the less hydrophilic (120) and (101) faces which remain stable depending on the relative humidity. It is clear from our results that a precipitation like process can be induced b…
Flexible minerals: self-assembled calcite spicules with extreme bending strength.
2013
Flexi-Fibers Glass or metal fibers can show incredible flexibility. Natalio et al. (p. 1298 ; see the Perspective by Sethmann ) used the protein silicatein-α, which is responsible for the biomineralization of silicates in sponges, to guide the formation of spicules made of calcite. These synthetic spicules could be bent to a high degree because of their inherent elasticity, whilst retaining the ability to guide light.
Deposition order controls the first stages of a metal-organic coordination network on an insulator surface
2016
| openaire: EC/FP7/610446/EU//PAMS We report on first stages toward the formation of a surface-confined metal-organic coordination network (MOCN) by sequential deposition of biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid and iron atoms on the surface of a bulk insulator, calcite (10.4). The influence of the deposition order on the structure formation is studied by noncontact atomic force microscopy operated in ultrahigh vacuum at room temperature. It is found that sequential deposition facilitates MOCN formation when the organic linker molecules are first adsorbed on the surface, followed by iron deposition. This observation is explained by first-principles computations, indicating that the metal-molecule…
Clear signature of the (2 x 1) reconstruction of calcite (1014).
2010
Calcite is a mineral of fundamental importance that plays a crucial role in many fields of research such as biomineralization, biomolecule adsorption, and reactivity as well as industrial and daily life applications. Consequently, the most stable cleavage plane of calcite has been studied extensively using both direct imaging techniques such as atomic force microscopy as well as spectroscopic and diffraction techniques. Several surface structures have been reported for the (10 (1) over bar4) cleavage plane of calcite differing from the simple bulk-truncated structure and an ongoing controversy exists in literature whether the cleavage plane exhibits a (2 x 1) reconstruction or not. We study…
Crystallized nano-sized alpha-tricalcium phosphate from amorphous calcium phosphate: microstructure, cementation and cell response
2015
New insight on the conversion of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) to nano-sized alpha tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) provides a faster pathway to calcium phosphate bone cements. In this work, synthesized ACP powders were treated with either water or ethanol, dried, crystallized between 700 and 800 °C, and then cooled at different cooling rates. Particle size was measured in a scanning electron microscope, but crystallite size calculated by Rietveld analysis. Phase composition and bonding in the crystallized powder was assessed by x-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that 50 nm sized α-TCP formed after crystallization of lyophilized powders. Water trea…