Influence of the Available Surface Area and Cell Elasticity on Bacterial Adhesion Forces on Highly Ordered Silicon Nanopillars

[Image: see text] Initial bacterial adhesion to solid surfaces is influenced by a multitude of different factors, e.g., roughness and stiffness, topography on the micro- and nanolevel, as well as chemical composition and wettability. Understanding the specific influences and possible interactive effects of all of these factors individually could lead to guidance on bacterial adhesion and prevention of unfavorable consequences like medically relevant biofilm formation. On this way, the aim of the present study was to identify the specific influence of the available surface area on the adhesion of clinically relevant bacterial strains with different membrane properties: Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. As model surfaces, silicon nanopillar specimens with different spacings were fabricated using electron beam lithography and cryo-based reactive ion etching techniques. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurement revealed almost defect-free highly ordered nanotopographies only varying in the available surface area. Bacterial adhesion forces to these specimens were quantified by means of single-cell force spectroscopy exploiting an atomic force microscope connected to a microfluidic setup (FluidFM). The nanotopographical features reduced bacterial adhesion strength by reducing the available surface area. In addition, the strain-specific interaction in detail depended on the bacterial cell’s elasticity and deformability as well. Analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy, the obtained results on bacterial adhesion forces could be linked to the subsequent biofilm formation on the different topographies. By combining two cutting-edge technologies, it could be demonstrated that the overall bacterial adhesion strength is influenced by both the simple physical interaction with the underlying nanotopography and its available surface area as well as the deformability of the cell

Numerical simulation and in vitro examination of the flow behaviour within coronary stents

This paper discusses the influence of different design parameters of stents by mathematical flow simulations and flow measurements using micro-particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV). A stent strut may cause recirculation areas, which are considered to be the source of thrombosis and the process of in-stent restenosis. The simulations showed that a reduced strut height and a chamfering of the struts reduce these recirculation zones. The numerically determined results were compared with experimental investigations. For this purpose metallic stent structures were transferred into transparent channel systems made of PDMS. The experimental investigations confirm the results of numerical simulations

Non-Statistical Effects in Neutron Capture

There have been many reports of non-statistical effects in neutron-capture measurements. However, reports of deviations of reduced-neutron-width distributions from the expected Porter-Thomas (PT) shape largely have been ignored. Most of these deviations have been reported for odd-A nuclides. Because reliable spin (J) assignments have been absent for most resonances for such nuclides, it is possible that reported deviations from PT might be due to incorrect J assignments. We recently developed a new method for measuring spins of neutron resonances by using the DANCE detector at LANSCE. Measurements made with a 147Sm sample allowed us to determine spins of almost all known resonances below 1 keV. Furthermore, analysis of these data revealed that the reduced-neutron-width distribution was in good agreement with PT for resonances below 350 eV, but in disagreement with PT for resonances between 350 and 700 eV. Our previous (n,alpha) measurements had revealed that the alpha strength function also changes abruptly at this energy. There currently is no known explanation for these two non-statistical effects. Recently, we have developed another new method for determining the spins of neutron resonances. To implement this technique required a small change (to record pulse-height information for coincidence events) to a much simpler apparatus: A pair of C6D6 gamma-ray detectors which we have employed for many years to measure neutron-capture cross sections at ORELA. Measurements with a 95Mo sample revealed that not only does the method work very well for determining spins, but it also makes possible parity assignments. Taken together, these new techniques at LANSCE and ORELA could be very useful for further elucidation of non-statistical effects.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, for proceedings of CGS1

Microfluidic Plastic Devices for Single-use Applications in High-Throughput Screening and DNA-Analysis

Microfluidic devices fabricated by mass production offer an immense potential of applications such as high-throughput drug screening, clinical diagnostics and gene analysis [1]. The low unit production costs of plastic substrates make it possible to produce single-use devices, eliminating the need for cleaning and reuse [2]. Fabrication of microfluidic devices can be applied by microtechnical fabrication processes in combination with plastic molding techniques [3]. Basically, replication in plastics requires a hot embossing or injection molding tool. Various microfabrication technologies for the masterfabrication are established, such as the LIGA technique, mechanical micromachining and the micro electrical discharge machining technique (µEDM). Depending on the specific requirements, the most suitable process can be selected. The availability of these technologies allows to generate robust metal molding tools which exhibit the inverse shapes of the intended microstructures. In close collaboration, Greiner Labortechnik and Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe have fabricated prototype single-use plastic microfluidic devices in a standard microplate format by hot embossing with a mechanical micromachined molding tool and subsequent sealing of the microchannels. The microfluidic lab-on-chip structures are compatible with existing plate and liquid handling robotics. Sub-microliter sample volumes can be applied in the 96-channel multiplexed microstructures. Additionally, the combination of small assay volumes and the possibilities of integrated capillary electrophoretic separation provide a powerful tool for rapid assay development. This presentation will show a low cost production of 96-channel plastic microfluidic devices including various microfabrication technologies to demonstrate the application of microtechnical fabrication processes for high-throughput screening and DNA analysis

R&D in ALICE: The CsI-based RICH high momentum particle identification detector

We report on the R&D studies performed on a CsI-based RICH detector with a liquid perfluorohexane radiator running pure methane at atmospheric pressure. The development, initiated by the CERN RD26 project in 1993, has been pursued in the framework of the ALICE/HMPID collaboration. A prototype of the detector under construction for ALICE is taking data since two years in the STAR experiment at RHIC

Centrality evolution of the charged-particle pseudorapidity density over a broad pseudorapidity range in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76TeV

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