Performance of biomorphic Silicon Carbide as particulate filter in diesel boilers.

Biomorphic Silicon Carbide (bioSiC) is a novel porous ceramic material with excellent mechanical and thermal properties. Previous studies have demonstrated that it may be a good candidate for its use as particle filter media of exhaust gases at medium or high temperature. In order to determine the filtration efficiency of biomorphic Silicon Carbide, and its adequacy as substrate for diesel particulate filters, different bioSiC-samples have been tested in the flue gases of a diesel boiler.

Localized charge imaging with scanning Kelvin probe microscopy.

In this work, we propose an intuitive and easily implementable approach to model and interpret scanning Kelvin probe microscopy images of insulating samples with localized charges. The method, based on the image charges method, has been validated by a systematic comparison of its predictions with experimental measurements performed on charge domains of different sizes, injected in polymethyl methacrylate discontinuous films. The agreement between predictions and experimental lateral profiles, as well as with spectroscopy tip-sample distance curves, supports its consistency.

Metal-ion effects on the polarization of metal-bound water and infrared vibrational modes of the coordinated metal center of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pyrazinamidase via quantum mechanical calculations.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis pyrazinamidase (PZAse) is a key enzyme to activate the pro-drug pyrazinamide (PZA). PZAse is a metalloenzyme that coordinates in vitro different divalent metal cofactors in the metal coordination site (MCS). Several metals including Co(2+), Mn(2+), and Zn(2+) are able to reactivate the metal-depleted PZAse in vitro.

Ly49h is necessary for genetic resistance to murine cytomegalovirus.

Natural killer (NK) cells play critical roles in antiviral immunity. While the importance of effector mechanisms such as interferons has been demonstrated through knockout mice, specific mechanisms of how viruses are recognized and controlled by NK cells are less well defined. Previous genetic studies have mapped the resistance genes for murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV), herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), and ectromelia virus to the NK gene complex on murine chromosome 6, a region containing the polymorphic Ly49 and Nkrp1 families.

TLR9-dependent recognition of MCMV by IPC and DC generates coordinated cytokine responses that activate antiviral NK cell function.

Natural interferon-producing cells (IPC) respond to viruses by secreting type I interferon (IFN) and interleukin-12 (IL-12). Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9 mediates IPC recognition of some of these viruses in vitro. However, whether TLR9-induced activation of IPC is necessary for an effective antiviral response in vivo is not clear.

The natural killer cell receptor Ly-49A recognizes a peptide-induced conformational determinant on its major histocompatibility complex class I ligand.

Natural killer (NK) cells are inhibited from killing cellular targets by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. In the mouse, this can be mediated by the Ly-49A NK cell receptor that specifically binds the H-2Dd MHC class I molecule, then inhibits NK cell activity. Previous experiments have indicated that Ly-49A recognizes the alpha 1/alpha 2 domains of MHC class I and that no specific MHC-bound peptide appeared to be involved.

Ly-49-independent natural killer (NK) cell specificity revealed by NK cell clones derived from p53-deficient mice.

Natural killer (NK) cells are heterogeneous in their specificity and expression of cell surface molecules. In the mouse, the Ly-49A molecule is a primary determinant of NK cell specificity because of its ability to downregulate NK cell activation after physical interaction with target cell MHC class I molecules. Ly-49A is expressed on an NK cell subset, and it belongs to a family of highly related molecules that may similarly dictate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-associated specificity of Ly-49A- NK cells.