Direct Transition from Ultrathin Orthorhombic Dinickel Silicides to Epitaxial Nickel Disilicide Revealed by In Situ Synthesis and Analysis.

Understanding phase transitions of ultrathin metal silicides is crucial for the development of nanoscale silicon devices. Here, the phase transition of ultrathin (3.6 nm) Ni silicides on Si(100) substrates is investigated using an in situ synthesis and characterization approach, supplemented with ex situ transmission electron microscopy and nano-beam electron diffraction.

Phosphocholine-Modified Lipooligosaccharides of Inhibit ATP-Induced IL-1β Release by Pulmonary Epithelial Cells.

Phosphocholine-modified bacterial cell wall components are virulence factors enabling immune evasion and permanent colonization of the mammalian host, by mechanisms that are poorly understood. Recently, we demonstrated that free phosphocholine (PC) and PC-modified lipooligosaccharides (PC-LOS) from , an opportunistic pathogen of the upper and lower airways, function as unconventional nicotinic agonists and efficiently inhibit the ATP-induced release of monocytic IL-1β. We hypothesize that PC-LOS exert similar effects on pulmonary epithelial cells and on the complex lung tissue.