Makroanatomska istraživanja kostura vidre (Lutra lutra). III. Osovinski kostur.

The aim of this study was to investigate the axial skeleton of otters (Lutra lutra). The important features of the skull as observed in this study were as follows: Tympanic bulla was well developed. Zygomatic process of the frontal bone and the supraorbital foramen was absent. Infraorbital foramen was very well developed. Dental formula was 2(I3/3, C1/1, P3/3, M2/2)=36. Mental foramens and the angular process of mandible were present. Vertebral formula was found as C7, Th14, L6, S3, Ca18. The eleventh vertebra of the thoracic vertebra was found as anticlinal vertebra. The accessory processes were caudally located on all lumbal vertebrae. The auricular surface of sacral bone was faced laterally and spinous processes were not fused. Haemal arches were present on ventral surfaces of the caudal ends of the bodies of the third to seventh caudal vertebrae. There were fourteen pairs of ribs. The first nine ribs were sternal, and four ribs were asternal. The last rib was floating. The dorsal half of ribs (os costale) was almost round in shape and the ventral half of ribs was flat in shape. The sternum was cylindrical.Cilj ovog istraživanja je bio da se istraži osovinski kostur vidre (Lutra lutra). Važna obilježja koja su opažena na lubanji su bila: bubnjišni mjehur je bio dobro razvijen, jagodični izdanci i nadočni otvor čeone kosti nisu postojali, dok je podočni otvor bio dobro razvijen. Zubna formula je bila 2 (I 3/3, C 1/1, P 3/3, M 2/2) = 36. Bradeni otvori i kutni izdanak donje čeljusti su razvijeni. Kralježnica je imala ovaj broj kralježaka: C7, Th14, L6, S3 i Ca18. Jedanaesti kralježak grudne kralježnice je antiklinalni. Dodatni izdanci su na svim slabinskim kralješcima bili smješteni kaudalno. Uškasta zglobna površina križne kosti je bila usmjerena lateralno, a njeni trnasti izdanci nisu bili spojeni. Krvožilni lukovi su bili razvijeni na ventralnim površinama trupova trećeg do sedmog repnog kralješka. Bilo je 14 pari rebara. Prvih 9 rebara su bila prava rebra, a 4 su bila lažna rebra. Zadnje rebro je bilo slobodno rebro. Dorzalna polovica koštanih rebara je u presjeku bila gotovo okrugla, a njihova ventralna polovica plosnata. Grudna kost je bila valjkastog presijeka

Graphene manufacture and utilization

An improved, safer and mild method was proposed for the exfoliation of graphene like sheets from graphite to be used in fuel cells. The major aim in the proposed method is to reduce the number of layers in the graphite material and to produce large quantities of graphene bundles to be used as catalyst support in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Graphite oxide was prepared using potassium dichromate/sulfuric acid as oxidant and acetic anhydride as intercalating agent. The oxidation process seemed to create expanded and leafy structures of graphite oxide layers. Heat treatment of samples led to the thermal decomposition of acetic anhydride into carbondioxide and water vapor which further swelled the layered graphitic structure. Sonication of graphite oxide samples created more separated structures. Morphology of the sonicated graphite oxide samples exhibited expanded the layer structures and formed some tullelike translucent and crumpled graphite oxide sheets. The mild procedure applied was capable of reducing the average number of graphene sheets from 86 in the raw graphite to nine in graphene-based nanosheets. Raman spectroscopy analysis showed the significant reduction in size of the in-plane sp2 domains of graphene nanosheets obtained after the reduction of graphite oxide

An improved technique for the exfoliation of graphene nanosheets and utilization of their nanocomposites as fuel cell electrodes

Graphene nanosheets (GNS) were separated from graphite by an improved, safer and mild method including the steps of oxidation, thermal expansion, ultrasonic treatment and chemical reduction. Graphene nanosheets (GNS) were exfoliated by following two ways. 1st way, the longest exfoliation technique, contained these steps: graphite oxidation, ultrasonic treatment, thermal exfoliation, ultrasonic treatment and chemical reduction. 2nd way, the shortest exfoliation technique, included graphite oxidation, ultrasonic treatment and chemical reduction. Both the reaction procedures with thermal expansion and without thermal expansion led to the formation of GNS

Circulating LL37 targets plasma extracellular vesicles to immune cells and intensifies Behcet's disease severity

Behcet's disease (BD) activity is characterised by sustained, over-exuberant immune activation, yet the underlying mechanisms leading to active BD state are poorly defined. Herein, we show that the human cathelicidin derived antimicrobial peptide LL37 associates with and directs plasma extracellular vesicles (EV) to immune cells, thereby leading to enhanced immune activation aggravating BD pathology. Notably, disease activity was correlated with elevated levels of circulating LL37 and EV plasma concentration. Stimulation of healthy PBMC with active BD patient EVs induced heightened IL1 beta, IFN alpha, IL6 and IP10 secretion compared to healthy and inactive BD EVs. Remarkably, when mixed with LL37, healthy plasma-EVs triggered a robust immune activation replicating the pathology inducing properties of BD EVs. The findings of this study could be of clinical interest in the management of BD, implicating LL37/EV association as one of the major contributors of BD pathogenesis