We introduce a technique to characterize, in situ, the solid-solid interface formed when a rough metal surface is placed in contact with a smooth mica surface. The technique is based on the use of extended spectral analysis of multiple beam interferometry in conjunction with the surface forces apparatus (SFA). The intensity versus wavelength spectra of light transmitted through the rough metal/...

INTRODUCTION Soluble major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related antigen A (soluble MICA) has recently been considered as an inhibitory molecule which is shed from tumors and protects them against natural killers and some subgroups of T cells' cytolysis. In transplantation, soluble MICA is also a foreign antigenic molecule that can induce allospecific responses. This study aimed to c...

‘‘Adsorption of Polyelectrolytes on Mica’’ sounds like a very specific title and it may be difficult to envision, upon first reflection, why mica deserves a separate chapter in the study of adsorption of polymers on solid substrates. What makes mica such a special substrate? What are the driving forces involved in the adsorption of macromolecules on mica? What mechanisms participate in the adso...

nano-encapsulated iron oxide in zirconium oxide-coated mica pigments are thermally stable,innocuous to human health, non-combustible, and they do not conduct electricity. they could beapplied in several industries such as thermoplastics, cosmetics, food packaging, children toys, paints,automobiles coating, security purposes, and banknotes. nowadays, they are highly desirable inceramic decoratio...

1 Departamento de Microbiologı!a II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain 2 Departamento de Microbiologı!a y Gene! tica, Instituto de Microbiologı!a-Bioquı!mica, Edificio Departamental, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain 3 Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,...

NKG2D, together with NKp46 and NKp30, represents a major triggering receptor involved in the induction of cytotoxicity by both resting and activated human natural killer cells. In this study, we analyzed the expression and the functional relevance of MHC class I-related chain A (MICA) and UL16 binding protein (ULBP), the major cellular ligands for human NKG2D, in human tumor cell lines of diffe...

NKG2D, together with NKp46 and NKp30, represents a major triggering receptor involved in the induction of cytotoxicity by both resting and activated human natural killer cells. In this study, we analyzed the expression and the functional relevance of MHC class I-related chain A (MICA) and UL16 binding protein (ULBP), the major cellular ligands for human NKG2D, in human tumor cell lines of diffe...

AIM To examine the association of TLR4 Asp299Gly and MICA exon 5 microsatellites polymorphisms with severity of trachoma in a sub-Saharan East Africa population of Tanzanian villagers. METHODS The samples were genotyped for MICA exon 5 microsatellites and the TLR4 299 A/G polymorphism by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP), and GeneScan®, respectively. The association of TLR4 Asp2...

We show that optical visualization of ultrathin mica flakes on metallic substrates is viable using semitransparent gold as substrates. This enables to easily localize mica flakes and rapidly estimate their thickness directly on gold substrates by conventional optical reflection microscopy. We experimentally demonstrate it by comparing optical images with atomic force microscopy images of mica f...

An ever growing number of reports on graft rejection and/or failure even with good HLA matches have highlighted an important role of non-HLA antigens in influencing allograft immunity. The list of non-HLA antigens that have been implicated in graft rejection in different types of organ transplantation has already grown long. Of these, the Major Histocompatibility Complex class I chain-related m...