Electrochemical studies on Zn/nano-CeO 2 electrodeposited composite coatings

The Zn-CeO 2 composite coatings through electrodeposition technique were successfully fabricated on mild steel substrate. As a comparison pure zinc coating was also prepared. The concentration of CeO 2 nanoparticles was varied in the electrolytic bath and the composites were electrodeposited both in the presence and absence of cetyltriammonium bromide (CTAB). The performance of the CeO 2 nanoparticles towards the deposition, crystal structure, texture, surface morphology and electrochemical corrosion behavior was studied. For characterizations of the electrodeposits, the techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used. Both the additives ceria and surfactant polarize the reduction processes and thus influence the deposition process, surface nature and the electrochemical properties. The electrochemical experiments like potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) studies carried out in 3.5 wt. NaCl solution explicit higher corrosion resistance by CeO 2 incorporated coating in the presence of surfactant. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Relaxin' the brain: a case for targeting the nucleus incertus network and relaxin-3/RXFP3 system in neuropsychiatric disorders

Relaxin-3 has been proposed to modulate emotional-behavioural functions such as arousal and behavioural activation, appetite regulation, stress responses, anxiety, memory, sleep and circadian rhythm. The nucleus incertus (NI), in the midline tegmentum close to the fourth ventricle, projects widely throughout the brain and is the primary site of relaxin-3 neurons. Over recent years, a number of preclinical studies have explored the function of the NI and relaxin-3 signalling, including reports of mRNA or peptide expression changes in the NI in response to behavioural or pharmacological manipulations, effects of lesions or electrical or pharmacological manipulations of the NI, effects of central microinfusions of relaxin-3 or related agonist or antagonist ligands on physiology and behaviour, and the impact of relaxin-3 gene deletion or knockdown. Although these individual studies reveal facets of the likely functional relevance of the NI and relaxin-3 systems for human physiology and behaviour, the differences observed in responses between species (e.g. rat vs. mouse), the clearly identified heterogeneity of NI neurons and procedural differences between laboratories are some of the factors that have prevented a precise understanding of their function. This review aims to draw attention to the current preclinical evidence available that suggests the relevance of the NI/relaxin-3 system to the pathology and/or symptoms of certain neuropsychiatric disorders and to provide cognizant directions for future research to effectively and efficiently uncover its therapeutic potential. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Recent Progress in the Understanding of Relaxin Family Peptides and their Receptors. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.10/issuetoc