Search results for "Microscopy"
showing 10 items of 3390 documents
Initial chemical transport of reducing elements and chemical reactions in oxide cathode base metal
2002
Abstract In the present work, the formation of compounds associated to the diffusion of reducing elements (Mg and Al) to the nickel surface of a one-piece oxide cathode has been studied. Those compounds have been evidenced after the annealing steps at high temperature performed on cathode base metal prior to the emitting coating deposition. Therefore, they form the “initial” interface between the nickel and the coating, in other words, the interface existing at the beginning of cathode life. Extensive analysis to characterize the nickel base prior to coating deposition has been performed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), …
Diamond nucleation on iridium: local variations of structure and density within the BEN layer
2009
Abstract The diamond nuclei generated by the bias enhanced nucleation (BEN) on iridium are gathered in well defined areas (“domains”). In atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements they become manifest in a 1 nm downward step. The fine structure of the carbon layer inside and outside these domains has been studied by small spot Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), AFM and lateral force microscopy (LFM). The Auger spectra of the carbon KLL peak taken in an ultra high vacuum setup revealed diamond features inside and more graphitic features outside the domains. The comparison with the intensity of the Auger signal originating from the un…
Starvation-induced expression of autophagy-related genes in Arabidopsis
2005
Background information. Autophagy is a catabolic process for degradation of cytoplasmic components in the vacuolar apparatus. A genome-wide survey recently showed evolutionary conservation among autophagy genes in yeast, mammals and plants. To elucidate the molecular and subcellular machinery responsible for the sequestration and subsequent digestion of intracellular material in plants, we utilized a combination of morphological and molecular methods (confocal laser-scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and real-time PCR respectively). Results. Autophagy in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension-cultured cells was induced by carbon starvation, which triggered an immediate arrest of…
Different roles for KIF17 and kinesin II in photoreceptor development and maintenance.
2009
Kinesin 2 family members are involved in transport along ciliary microtubules. In Caenorhabditis elegans channel cilia, kinesin II and OSM-3 cooperate along microtubule doublets of the axoneme middle segment, whereas OSM-3 alone works on microtubule singlets to elongate the distal segment. Among sensory cilia, vertebrate photoreceptors share a similar axonemal structure with C. elegans channel cilia, and deficiency in either kinesin II or KIF17, the homologue of OSM-3, results in disruption of photoreceptor organization. However, direct comparison of the two effects is confounded by the use of different species and knockdown strategies in prior studies. Here, we directly compare the effects…
Generic Method for Modular Surface Modification of Cellulosic Materials in Aqueous Medium by Sequential Click-Reaction and Adsorption
2012
A generic approach for heterogeneous surface modification of cellulosic materials in aqueous medium, applicable for a wide range of functionalizations, is presented. In the first step, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) modified with azide or alkyne functionality, was adsorbed on a cellulosic substrate, thus, providing reactive sites for azide–alkyne cycloaddition click reactions. In the second step, functional units with complementary click units were reacted on the cellulose surface, coated by the click-modified CMC. Selected model functionalizations on diverse cellulosic substrates are shown to demonstrate the generality of the approach. The concept by sequentially combining the robust physic…
Folate-targeted supramolecular vesicular aggregates based on polyaspartyl-hydrazide copolymers for the selective delivery of antitumoral drugs.
2010
Supramolecular vesicular aggregates (SVAs) have the advantage of combining the safe and biocompatible properties of colloidal vesicular carriers based on phospholipids with those of polymeric materials, i.e. polyaspartyl-hydrazide (PAHy) copolymers. To provide SVAs with a certain tumour selectivity, folate moieties were chemically conjugated to PAHy copolymers. Physicochemical properties (mean sizes, polydispersity index and zeta potential) of folate-targeted SVAs (FT-SVAs) loaded with gemcitabine were evaluated. The antiproliferative and anticancer activity of gemcitabine-loaded FT-SVAs was evaluated against two cancer cell lines, i.e. MCF-7 cells which over-express the folate receptor and…
Green composites based on biodegradable polymers and anchovy (Engraulis Encrasicolus) waste suitable for 3D printing applications
2022
Every day large amounts of fish waste are produced and grossly discarded in markets around the world causing environmental and hygiene issue. The use of these scraps for the production of materials with higher added value can definitely contributed to solve this problem. In this work, 10% and 20% of anchovy fishbone powder (EE), obtained by market waste, were microbiological and mechanical tested and subsequently added to polylactic acid (PLA) and to a commercial blend of biodegradable co-polyesters (Mater-Bi®). Rheological characterization suggests the potential printability of all prepared composites filaments. 10% EE filled composites showed outstanding printability. Morphological analys…
Protein quality control during aging involves recruitment of the macroautophagy pathway by BAG3.
2009
The Hsc/Hsp70 co-chaperones of the BAG (Bcl-2-associated athanogene) protein family are modulators of protein quality control. We examined the specific roles of BAG1 and BAG3 in protein degradation during the aging process. We show that BAG1 and BAG3 regulate proteasomal and macroautophagic pathways, respectively, for the degradation of polyubiquitinated proteins. Moreover, using models of cellular aging, we find that a switch from BAG1 to BAG3 determines that aged cells use more intensively the macroautophagic system for turnover of polyubiquitinated proteins. This increased macroautophagic flux is regulated by BAG3 in concert with the ubiquitin-binding protein p62/SQSTM1. The BAG3/BAG1 ra…
Novel M. tuberculosis specific IL-2 ELISpot assay discriminates adult patients with active or latent tuberculosis
2018
Background Tuberculosis (TB) still is a major worldwide health problem, with 10.4 million new cases in 2016. Only 5–15% of people infected with M. tuberculosis develop TB disease while others remain latently infected (LTBI) during their lifetime. Thus, the absence of tests able to distinguish between latent infection and active tuberculosis is one of the major limits of currently available diagnostic tools. Methods A total of 215 patients were included in the study as active TB cases (n = 73), LTBI subjects (n = 88) and healthy persons (n = 54). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from each patient and the LIOSpot® TB anti-human IL-2 ELISpot assay was performed to test …
A comparative biochemical, pharmacological and immunological study of Clostridium novyi alpha-toxin, C. difficile toxin B and C. sordellii lethal tox…
1991
The three clostridial cytotoxins, i.e. alpha-toxin of C. novyi (Tox alpha-nov), toxin B of C. difficile (ToxB-dif) and lethal toxin of C. sordellii (LT-sor) consist of single peptide chains of about 200,000 (Tox alpha-nov), 250,000 (LT-sor) and 275,000 (ToxB-dif) mol. wts. ToxB-dif and LT-sor but not Tox alpha-nov cross-reacted with rabbit polyclonal antibodies. Toxicity upon i.v. injection in mice was similar (LD50, 100 hr, 50-200 ng/kg) and was characterized by a slowly developing fluid loss into the interstitial space. When injected into the rat paw the toxins caused a delayed local edema lasting for days. In vitro the three toxins provoked a persistent retraction of endothelial cells cu…