STUDIES OF ADHESION OF METAL PARTICLES TO SILICA PARTICLES BASED ON ZETA POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS

The zeta-potentials of silica, copper, platinum and gold particles have been measured as a function of pH. The isoelectric points were found to be at pH 3.0, 5.8, 3.0 and 3.5, respectively. In the pH range 3.0 to 5.8 copper and silica particles are oppositely charged and accordingly the coating of silica with copper particles could be demonstrated. In the case of gold and platinum the sign of the charge is such that direct adhesion to silica particles cannot be expected and this was also demonstrated in the case of platinum.     

Local thermodynamics of KS black hole

We study the thermodynamics of the KS black hole which is an asymptotically flat solution of the HL gravity. In particular, we introduce a cavity to describe the thermodynamics at a finite isothermal surface on general ground and to get a well-defined thermodynamics. We show that there exists a locally stable small black hole which tunnels to the hot flat space below the critical temperature and to the large black hole above the critical temperature. Moreover, it turns out that the remnant decays into the vacuum through a quantum tunneling.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-arachidonoyl glycine,an abundant endogenous lipid,potently drives directed cellular migration through GPR18, the putative abnormal cannabidiol receptor

Background  

Microglia provide continuous immune surveillance of the CNS and upon activation rapidly change phenotype to express receptors that respond to chemoattractants during CNS damage or infection. These activated microglia undergo directed migration towards affected tissue. Importantly, the molecular species of chemoattractant encountered determines if microglia respond with pro- or anti-inflammatory behaviour, yet the signaling molecules that trigger migration remain poorly understood. The endogenous cannabinoid system regulates microglial migration via CB₂ receptors and an as yet unidentified GPCR termed the 'abnormal cannabidiol' (Abn-CBD) receptor. Abn-CBD is a synthetic isomer of the phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) and is inactive at CB₁ or CB₂ receptors, but functions as a selective agonist at this G_i/o-coupled GPCR. N-arachidonoyl glycine (NAGly) is an endogenous metabolite of the endocannabinoid anandamide and acts as an efficacious agonist at GPR18. Here, we investigate the relationship between NAGly, Abn-CBD, the unidentified 'Abn-CBD' receptor, GPR18, and BV-2 microglial migration.     

Characteristics of polypropylene biocomposites: effect of chemical treatment to produce cellulose microparticle

Cellulose - In this study, cellulose microparticle were prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis, glyoxal crosslinking and acetylation followed by air classifying mill, and their properties including...     

Regeneration of kidney tissue using in vitro cultured fetal kidney cells

Transplanting fetal kidney cells (FKCs) can regenerate kidney. This requires in vitro expansion in cell number to acquire enough cells for transplantation. However, FKCs may change their cellular characteristics during expansion and, thus, may not regenerate kidney tissue upon transplantation. We investigated how cell culture period affects cellular characteristics and in vivo regenerative potential of FKCs. As the passage number increased, cell growth rate and colony forming ability decreased while senescence and apoptosis increased. To examine in vivo regenerative potential, FKCs cultured through different numbers of passages were implanted into the parenchyma of kidneys of immunodeficient mice using fibrin gel for 4 wk. Histological analyses showed passage-dependent kidney tissue regeneration, and the regeneration was better when cells from lower number of passages were implanted. This result shows that in vitro culture of FKCs significantly affects the cell characteristics and in vivo tissue regenerative potential.