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Research to find new energy source is still an intensive work by researchers in this field. One of the energy sources with no negative impact to environment is solar energy. Solar cell is used to convert solar energy to electrical energy. The electrically powered solar cell in direct current (DC) power is not suitable for our daily office equipment since they need the alternating current (AC) power. This research has succeeded in realizing a solar cell automation tool based on Arduino Uno with input from solar energy, from which output AC voltage can be used for the needs of household appliances and office equipments. Output power of this tool is approximately 700 W, which can turn on the lights, charge the hand phones, laptops, and so forth.

Purpose – The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of monosodium glutamate (MSG) administration to pyramidal cells necrosis on the cerebral cortex of Wistar male rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Design/Methodology/Approach – This research was a laboratory quasi-experiment study with post-test control group design on 24 male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) aged 8-10 weeks, weighted 200 ± 10 gr, divided into 4 groups (GI or control group, GII treated with MSG dose 6 mg/grbb/day, GIII 12 mg/grbb/day, and GIV 24 mg/grbb/day) for 21 days consecutively. Pyramidal cells observed in 10 field of view. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann Whitney tests were used to analyze the data.

Findings – There were significant differences between pyramidal cells necrosis numbers between control and the treatment groups. MSG doses 6, 12, and 24 mg/grbb/day developed the pyramidal cells necrosis in the cerebral cortex (p < 0,005).

Monocytes are a leukocytes’ subset that plays an important role in immunity. Protein kinase B (AKT) is involved in monocytes' survival, proliferation and differentiation. Using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) as an inducer for cell line U937 differentiation into macrophage-like cells may be used as a model for cancer cell therapy or other biomedical research studies. The authors investigated the Akt1 signaling pathway's involvement with PMA as a differentiating agent and survival in the U937 cell line.

PMA was utilized to stimulate the differentiation of the U937 cell line into macrophage-like cells at a concentration of 10 nM. Akt1-phosphorylated Serine 473, Bad-phosphorylated Serine 136 and Caspase9-phosphorylated Serine 196 were tested by flow cytometry for the involvement of the Akt1 signaling pathway during differentiation in addition to the expression of CD14, CD206 and CD83. DNA cell cycle variation analysis was done using PI staining and cell viability and apoptosis detection using Annexin V and PI flow cytometry.

There was a decrease in phosphorylated Akt1 and Bad activation and an increase in Caspase9 activation, with an increase in surface markers CD14, CD206 and CD83 acquired by PMA-differentiated cells. DNA cell cycle analysis revealed cell accumulation in the G2/M phase and fewer cells in the S phase of PMA-induced U937. Apoptosis induction for Ly294002 or Wortmannin-inhibited cells and part of PMA-induced cells were detected.

These results may be used to create a model for biomedical research studies and advance the understanding of the mechanism involving differentiation of the U937 cell line.