NKG2D ligands (NKG2DL) are expressed by infected and transformed cells. They transmit danger signals to NKG2D-expressing immune cells, leading to lysis of NKG2DL-expressing cells. We here report that the NKG2DL MHC class I-chain-related molecules A and B (MICA/B) and UL16-binding proteins (ULBP) 1–3 are expressed in human brain tumours in vivo, while expression levels are low or undetectable in...

In this study, we characterize the molecular signal pathways that lead to MHC class I chain-related protein A (MICA) expression after histone deacetylase (HDAC)-inhibitor (HDAC-i) treatment of Jurkat T cells. Chelating calcium with BAPTA-AM or EGTA potently inhibited HDAC- and CMV-mediated MICA/B expression. It was further observed that endoplasmic reticulum calcium stores were depleted after H...

This work focuses on both the structure manipulation and the crystallizing mechanism investigation of the well-known methanofullerene, [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). PCBM crystals with two novel structures, i.e., five-fold twinned and cubic crystals are obtained by the introduction of the mica substrate and the polymer blenders (P3HT and PS) into PCBM thin films under ther...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of four different ratios of silanized mica filler and milled glass fiber on the surface hardness of an acrylic denture tooth material. Acrylic resin disks made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) used in fabrication of denture teeth were used as the control group. Eight test groups were prepared by adding a ratio of 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% by wei...

Defined crystal growth is highly demanded for technological applications but also fundamental research. Within this work, the crystal growth of the asymmetric molecule caffeine was studied on single crystalline surfaces of muscovite mica, sodium chloride and potassium chloride. While elongated needle-like crystals grow on muscovite mica and sodium chloride, smaller individual "bird-like" struct...

background: immune reactions have been reported to be involved in the destruction of retinal ganglion cells (rgcs) in glaucoma. objective: to investigate the role of major histocompatibility complex class i-related chain a and b (mica and micb) molecules in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. methods: aqueous humor and serum samples from 15 glaucoma patients and 45 patients with cataract, undergoing ...

The presence of a water layer on the surface of muscovite mica under ambient conditions is well established. The water molecules are well ordered and seem to be oriented, leading to an icelike monolayer (probably ferroelectric) in epitaxial relation with the mica surface. We have imaged and characterized the height and contact angle of ordered water layer(s) formed by wetting and de-wetting pro...

Enrichment of free mica (i.e. as monomineralic grains) in the fine fraction of crushed rock aggregates affects the quality of the aggregate end product. Granitoid rock from the Svecofennian Province were used as being representative of crushed rock aggregates commonly used for construction purposes. The results reveal a general trend of enrichment of mica for finer fractions. For the coarse gra...

This discussion paper proposes to generalize the notion of Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to the notion of Multidimensional Independent Component Analysis (MICA). We start from the ICA or blind source separation (BSS) model and show that it can be uniquely identified provided it is properly parameterized in terms of one-dimensional subspaces. From this standpoint, the BSS/ICA model is gen...

A 15-cm-diameter helicon source was used at the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory at the University of Michigan to simulate the density present in the plasma layer surrounding an atmospheric re-entry vehicle. In order to most closely simulate a re-entering vehicle, a “spacecraft surface” was created with a sheet of mica placed so that the bulk of the plasma would be above it. A ...