New Generation Dielectrophoretic-Based Microfluidic Device for Multi-Type Cell Separation

This study introduces a new generation of dielectrophoretic-based microfluidic device for the precise separation of multiple particle/cell types. The device features two sets of 3D electrodes, namely cylindrical and sidewall electrodes. The main channel of the device terminates with three outlets: one in the middle for particles that sense negative dielectrophoresis force and two others at the right and left sides for particles that sense positive dielectrophoresis force. To evaluate the device performance, we used red blood cells (RBCs), T-cells, U937-MC cells, and Clostridium difficile bacteria as our test subjects. Our results demonstrate that the proposed microfluidic device could accurately separate bioparticles in two steps, with sidewall electrodes of 200 µm proving optimal for efficient separation. Applying different voltages for each separation step, we found that the device performed most effectively at 6 Vp-p applied to the 3D electrodes, and at 20 Vp-p and 11 Vp-p applied to the sidewall electrodes for separating RBCs from bacteria and T-cells from U937-MC cells, respectively. Notably, the device’s maximum electric fields remained below the cell electroporation threshold, and we achieved a separation efficiency of 95.5% for multi-type particle separation. Our findings proved the device’s capacity for separating multiple particle types with high accuracy, without limitation for particle variety

On the effect of static and dynamic contact angles on humid air condensation heat transfer

Surface modification is a widely utilized technique for enhancing condensation heat transfer. Two main properties of surfaces in manipulation of condensation heat transfer are the contact angle and contact angle hysteresis. This study focuses on the influence of contact angle (CA) and contact angle hysteresis (CAH) on humid air condensation. For this, hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces with varying CA and CAH values were fabricated and tested in a humidity-controlled climate chamber at different relative humidity levels. Three hydrophilic surfaces samples with a contact angle of approximately 70° and CAH values of 10°, 20°, and 42° were tested. Two hydrophobic surfaces with a contact angle of approximately 110° and CAH values of 21° and 39°were also prepared as well as a hydrophobic surface with a contact angle of 96° and a CAH of 43°. The role of CA and CAH in different stages of condensation cycle was investigated. Our findings show that while CA plays the main role in droplet nucleation, CAH has a significant impact on droplet coalescence and departure. Increasing CAH while keeping CA constant has a negative effect on condensation heat transfer in all wettability levels. However, the relationship between changes in CA while keeping CAH constant does not have the same trend in the condensation heat transfer performance for every case. Changing CAH for lower CAH values led to a greater impact on enhancing condensation heat transfer than higher values. Moreover, increasing CAH on hydrophobic surfaces had a more significant effect than on hydrophilic surfaces. Additionally, decreasing CAH had a more pronounced effect on improving condensation heat transfer than increasing CA. The findings emphasize on the importance of considering both the contact angle (CA) and contact angle hysteresis (CAH) in the surface design to have the optimum condensation heat transfer performance

The stabilizing effect of collision on sheet instability in laser radiation pressure-based ion acceleration: A theoretical and simulation analysis

In the past decade, transverse instabilities in the ion acceleration process using the laser radiation pressure method have been a prominent topic of discussion. These instabilities caused by the coupling between quasi-static ions with oscillating electrons through the ponderomotive force lead to the creation of density ripples in the target, ultimately resulting in the breaking of the target. This article investigates the collisional effects on the instability characteristic through theoretical and two-dimensional PIC simulation analysis. In agreement with our simulation studies, theoretical results show that the collision term enhanced the ion acceleration by decreasing the ion density accumulation and temporal growth rate of instability

Hyperhomocysteinemia among Omani autistic children: a case-control study

High serum homocysteine (Hcy) level is regarded as an indicator for impairment of folate-dependent methionine cycle and is associated with oxidative stress. In a case control study, we evaluated eighty 3-5 years old Omani children (40 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and 40 their age and gender matched controls) for their fasting serum homocysteine levels as a biomarker of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Serum folate and vitamin B12 status were also evaluated. The serum homocysteine was measured using an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) technique whereas folate and vitamin B12 were measured using an automated random access immune-assay system. The results indicated that mean serum Hcy levels were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in autistic children (20.1 ± 3.3 µmol/L) as compared to controls (9.64 ± 2.1 µmol/L). Significantly (P < 0.05) lower serum folate (1.8 ± 0.4 µg/L) and vitamin B12 (191.1 ± 0.9 pg/mL) levels were observed in autistic children as compared to controls (6.1 ± 0.6 µg/L and 288.9 ± 1.3 pg/mL, respectively). The levels of homocysteine in autistic children were also much higher as compared to normal reference values (5-15 µmol/L). The results suggest that high fasting serum homocysteine and low folate and vitamin B12 levels could be used as clinical biomarkers for an early diagnosis and management of ASD