background: the role of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (mmp9) in tumor invasion and progression is prominent. a single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) in the promoter region of mmp9 (-1562 c/t) increases the transcription and expression of this gene. on the other hand, mhc class i chain-related protein a and b (mica/b) in soluble forms may impair tumor immunogenicity by reducing natural killer group ...

Imaging of DNA, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, mouse monoclonal IgG, and glucose oxidase on a mica substrate has been accomplished by scanning electrochemical microscopy with a tungsten tip. The technique requires the use of a high relative humidity to form a thin film of water on the mica surface that allows electrochemical reactions to take place at the tip and produce a faradaic current (approxi...

MICA is a new-generation simulation environment, which provides complete simulation facilities for simulating distributed shared memory (DSM) multiprocessors. It runs on the inexpensive Linux-based PCs. MICA uses application traces as inputs and provides a core scheduler and memory and interconnect interfaces. A rich set of synchronization algorithms and architecture simulators are also provide...

Renal transplantation as the treatment of choice for end-stage renal failure is associated with excellent short-term results. The 1-year patientsurvival rate is 96%, and the 1-year allograft-survival rate is more than 90%. Although the 5-year patient-survival rate after renal transplantation remains at about 90%, there is a steady attrition of allografts because of long-term rejection, which li...

BACKGROUND Surgical patients aged 65 and over face a higher risk of cardiac complications from noncardiac surgery. The Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) and the Gupta Myocardial Infarction or Cardiac Arrest (MICA) calculator are widely used to predict this risk, but they are not specifically designed to predict MICA in geriatric patients. Our hypothesis is that a new geriatric-sensitive index, ...

Ultrathin films of para-hexaphenyl (6P ) were prepared on freshly cleaved and sputter-amorphized mica(001) by physical vapor deposition. Ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed a bimodal island size distribution for the films on both surfaces. On freshly cleaved mica long needlelike islands exist, which are surrounded by small crystallites. On the sputter-amorphized substrates, large den...

Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) are widely used as a model for studying membrane properties (phase separation, clustering, dynamics) and its interaction with other compounds, such as drugs or peptides. However SLB characteristics differ depending on the support used. Commonly used techniques for SLB imaging and measurements are single molecule fluorescence microscopy, FCS and atomic force micro...

The Escherichia coli σ(E) envelope stress response monitors and repairs the outer membrane, a function central to the life of Gram-negative bacteria. The σ(E) stress response was characterized as a single-tier activation network comprised of ~100 genes, including the MicA and RybB noncoding sRNAs. These highly expressed sRNAs were thought to carry out the specialized function of halting de novo...

It has been suggested that receptor-ligand complexes segregate or co-localise within immune synapses according to their size, and this is important for receptor signaling. Here, we set out to test the importance of receptor-ligand complex dimensions for immune surveillance of target cells by human Natural Killer (NK) cells. NK cell activation is regulated by integrating signals from activating ...

The work presented has been carried out to obtain a better insight into electrical aging phenomena of mica insulation as used in high voltage rotating machines. Model bars with typical insulating materials were exposed to standard electrical aging and stimulated tree propagation at a new electrode arrangement. The results show that time to breakdown under electrical load is mainly determined by...