Electrospun fibrinogen-PLA nanofibres for vascular tissue engineering

Here we report on the development of a new type of hybrid fibrinogen–polylactic acid (FBG–PLA) nanofibres (NFs) with improved stiffness, combining the good mechanical properties of PLA with the excellent cell recognition properties of native FBG. We were particularly interested in the dorsal and ventral cell response to the nanofibres' organization (random or aligned), using human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model system. Upon ventral contact with random NFs, the cells developed a stellate-like morphology with multiple projections. The well-developed focal adhesion complexes suggested a successful cellular interaction. However, time-lapse analysis shows significantly lowered cell movements, resulting in the cells traversing a relatively short distance in multiple directions. Conversely, an elongated cell shape and significantly increased cell mobility were observed in aligned NFs. To follow the dorsal cell response, artificial wounds were created on confluent cell layers previously grown on glass slides and covered with either random or aligned NFs. Time-lapse analysis showed significantly faster wound coverage (within 12 h) of HUVECs on aligned samples vs. almost absent directional migration on random ones. However, nitric oxide (NO) release shows that endothelial cells possess lowered functionality on aligned NFs compared to random ones, where significantly higher NO production was found. Collectively, our studies show that randomly organized NFs could support the endothelization of implants while aligned NFs would rather direct cell locomotion for guided neovascularization

Lateral stiffness: A new nanomechanical measurement for the determination of shear strengths with friction force microscopy

We present a technique to measure the lateral stiffness of the nanometer-sized contact formed between a friction force microscope tip and a sample surface. Since the lateral stiffness of an elastic contact is proportional to the contact radius, this measurement can be used to study the relationship between friction, load, and contact area. As an example, we measure the lateral stiffness of the contact between a silicon nitride tip and muscovite mica in a humid atmosphere (55% relative humidity) as a function of load. Comparison with friction measurements confirms that friction is proportional to contact area and allows determination of the shear strength

Calibration of frictional forces in atomic force microscopy

The atomic force microscope can provide information on the atomic-level frictional properties of surfaces, but reproducible quantitative measurements are difficult to obtain. Parameters that are either unknown or difficult to precisely measure include the normal and lateral cantilever force constants (particularly with microfabricated cantilevers), the tip height, the deflection sensor response, and the tip structure and composition at the tip-surface contact. We present an in situ experimental procedure to determine the response of a cantilever to lateral forces in terms of its normal force response. This procedure is quite general. It will work with any type of deflection sensor and does not require the knowledge or direct measurement of the lever dimensions or the tip height. In addition, the shape of the tip apex can be determined. We also discuss a number of specific issues related to force and friction measurements using optical lever deflection sensing. We present experimental results on the lateral force response of commercially available V-shaped cantilevers. Our results are consistent with estimates of lever mechanical properties using continuum elasticity theory

Measurement of interfacial shear (friction) with an ultrahigh vacuum atomic force microscope

We have studied the variation of frictional force with externally applied load for a Pt-coated atomic force microscope tip in contact with the surface of mica cleaved in ultrahigh vacuum. At low loads, the frictional force varies with load in almost exact proportion to the area of contact as predicted by the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) theory [K. L. Johnson, K. Kendall, and A. D. Roberts, Proc. R. Sec. London Ser. A 324, 301 (1971)] of elastic adhesive contacts. The friction-load relation for a deliberately modified tip shape was proportional to an extended JKR model that predicts the area-load relation for nonparabolic tips, The tip shape was determined experimentally with a tip imaging technique and was consistent with the predicted friction behavior. This demonstrates that the frictional force is proportional to the area of contact between the tip and sample. Using the JKR/extended JKR model, interfacial surface energies and shear strengths can be estimated

Influence of carrier density on the friction properties of silicon pn junctions

We present experimental results showing a significant dependence of the friction force on charge carrier concentration in a Si semiconductor sample containing p- andn-type regions. The carrier concentration was controlled through application of forward or reverse bias voltages in the p and n regions that caused surface band bending in opposite directions. Excess friction is observed only in the highly doped p regions when in strong accumulation. The excess friction increases with tip-sample voltage, contact strain, and velocity. The sample is an oxide-passivated Si (100) wafer patterned with arrays of 2-μm-wide highly doped p-type strips with a period of 30 μm in a nearly intrinsic n-type substrate. The countersurface is the tip of an atomic force microscope coated with conductive titanium nitride. The excess friction is not associated with wear or damage of the surface. The results demonstrate the possibility of electronically controlling friction in semiconductor devices, with potential applications in nanoscale machines containing moving parts

A variable temperature ultrahigh vacuum atomic force microscope

A new atomic force microscope (AFM) that operates in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) is described. The sample is held fixed with spring clamps while the AMF cantilever and deflection sensor are scanned above it. Thus, the sample is easily coupled to a liquid nitrogen cooled thermal reservoir which allows AFM operation from ≈ 100 K to room temperature. AFM operation above room temperature is also possible. The microscope head is capable of coarse x-y positioning over millimeter distances so that AFM images can be taken virtually anywhere upon a macroscopic sample. The optical beam deflection scheme is used for detection, allowing simultaneous normal and lateral force measurements. The sample can be transferred from the AFM stage to a low energy electron diffraction/Auger electron spectrometer stage for surface analysis. Atomic lattice resolution AFM images taken in UHV are presented at 110, 296, and 430 K

Interpretations of J/ψJ/\psi suppression

We review the two main interpretations of $J/\psi$ suppression proposed in the literature. The phase transition (or deconfining) scenario assumes that below some critical value of the local energy density (or of some other geometrical quantity which depends both on the colliding systems and on the centrality of the collision), there is only nuclear absorption. Above this critical value the absorptive cross-section is taken to be infinite, i.e. no $J/\psi$ can survive in this hot region. In the hadronic scenario the $J/\psi$ dissociates due both to nuclear absorption and to its interactions with co-moving hadrons produced in the collision. No discontinuity exists in physical observables. We show that an equally good description of the present data is possible in either scenario.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, uses epsfig and ioplppt; review talk given by A. Capella at the International Symposium on Strangness in Quark Matter, Santorini (Greece), April 1997; Figs. 1 and 2 not available but can be found in Refs. 13 and 6 respectivel

Minor chemistry changes alter surface hydration to control fibronectin adsorption and assembly into nanofibrils

Fibronectin (FN) is a large glycoprotein which links and transmits signals between the cell's cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. FN organization into fibrils and then fibrillogenesis can be induced with the right substrate, such as poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), on which FN becomes extended. Interestingly, the almost identical polymer poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA), which has one less methylene bridge (─CH2─), does not cause fibrillogenesis. To investigate the difference in FN behavior on PEA and PMA, the two substrates are modeled using ethyl acrylate (EA) and methyl acrylate (MA) functionalized self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs). It is confirmed experimentally that the EA and MA SAMs exhibit a similar behavior in vitro to the polymers in terms of fibronectin fibrillogenesis, domain exposure, and cell adhesion. All‐atom molecular dynamics simulations of the FNIII 9‐10 domains interacting with each SAM show the adsorption of these two domains on EA SAMs and no adsorption on MA SAMs. Consistently, the experiments show that FN fibrillogenesis takes place on EA SAMs but not on MA SAMs. It is found that the extra methylene group in the EA headgroup leads to more motion within the headgroup that results in a markedly less dense hydration layer, which facilitates FN fibrillogenesis

Atomic scale coexistence of periodic and quasiperiodic order in a 2-fold Al-Ni-Co decagonal quasicrystal surface

Decagonal quasicrystals are made of pairs of atomic planes with pentagonal symmetry periodically stacked along a 10-fold axis. We have investigated the atomic structure of the 2-fold surface of a decagonal Al-Ni-Co quasicrystal using scanning tunneling microscopy. The surface consists of terraces separated by steps of heights 1.9, 4.7, 7.8, and 12.6 Å containing rows of atoms parallel to the 10-fold direction with an internal periodicity of 4 Å. The rows are arranged aperiodically, with separations that follow a Fibonacci sequence and inflation symmetry. The results indicate that the surfaces are preferentially Al-terminated and in general agreement with bulk models