Conceptual and empirical advances in Neotropical biodiversity research

The unparalleled biodiversity found in the American tropics (the Neotropics) has attracted the attention of naturalists for centuries. Despite major advances in recent years in our understanding of the origin and diversification of many Neotropical taxa and biotic regions, many questions remain to be answered. Additional biological and geological data are still needed, as well as methodological advances that are capable of bridging these research fields. In this review, aimed primarily at advanced students and early-career scientists, we introduce the concept of “trans-disciplinary biogeography,” which refers to the integration of data from multiple areas of research in biology (e.g., community ecology, phylogeography, systematics, historical biogeography) and Earth and the physical sciences (e.g., geology, climatology, palaeontology), as a means to reconstruct the giant puzzle of Neotropical biodiversity and evolution in space and time. We caution against extrapolating results derived from the study of one or a few taxa to convey general scenarios of Neotropical evolution and landscape formation. We urge more coordination and integration of data and ideas among disciplines, transcending their traditional boundaries, as a basis for advancing tomorrow’s ground-breaking research. Our review highlights the great opportunities for studying the Neotropical biota to understand the evolution of life.Keywords: Biogeography, Biotic diversification, Landscape evolution, Phylogeny, Scale, Biodiversity, Community ecology, Phylogeography, Phylogenetics, Tropics</div

Hypoxia-on-a-chip

In this work a microfluidic cell cultivation device for perfused hypoxia assays as well as a suitable controlling unit are presented. The device features active components like pumps for fluid actuation and valves for fluid direction as well as an oxygenator element to ensure a sufficient oxygen transfer. It consists of several individually structured layers which can be tailored specifically to the intended purpose. Because of its clearness, its mechanical strength and chemical resistance as well as its well-known biocompatibility polycarbonate was chosen to form the fluidic layers by thermal diffusion bonding. Several oxygen sensing spots are integrated into the device and monitored with fluorescence lifetime detection. Furthermore an oxygen regulator module is implemented into the controlling unit which is able to mix different process gases to achieve a controlled oxygenation. First experiments show that oxygenation/deoxygenation of the system is completed within several minutes when pure nitrogen or air is applied to the oxygenator. Lastly the oxygen input by the pneumatically driven micro pump was quantified by measuring the oxygen content before and after the oxygenator

Closed-loop control system for well-defined oxygen supply in micro-physiological systems

To improve cell vitality, sufficient oxygen supply is an important factor. A deficiency in oxygen is called Hypoxia and can influence for example tumor growth or inflammatory processes. Hypoxia assays are usually performed with the help of animal or static human cell culture models. The main disadvantage of these methods is that the results are hardly transferable to the human physiology. Microfluidic 3D cell cultivation systems for perfused hypoxia assays may overcome this issue since they can mimic the in-vivo situation in the human body much better. Such a Hypoxia-on-a-Chip system was recently developed. The chip system consists of several individually laser-structured layers which are bonded using a hot press or chemical treatment. Oxygen sensing spots are integrated into the system which can be monitored continuously with an optical sensor by means of fluorescence lifetime detection. Hereby presented is the developed hard- and software requiered to control the oxygen content within this microfluidic system. This system forms a closed-loop control system which is parameterized and evaluated

Closed-loop control system for well-defined oxygen supply in micro-physiological systems

To improve cell vitality, sufficient oxygen supply is an important factor. A deficiency in oxygen is called Hypoxia and can influence for example tumor growth or inflammatory processes. Hypoxia assays are usually performed with the help of animal or static human cell culture models. The main disadvantage of these methods is that the results are hardly transferable to the human physiology. Microfluidic 3D cell cultivation systems for perfused hypoxia assays may overcome this issue since they can mimic the in-vivo situation in the human body much better. Such a Hypoxia-on-a-Chip system was recently developed. The chip system consists of several individually laser-structured layers which are bonded using a hot press or chemical treatment. Oxygen sensing spots are integrated into the system which can be monitored continuously with an optical sensor by means of fluorescence lifetime detection

Hypoxia-on-a-chip - Generating hypoxic conditions in microfluidic cell culture systems

In this work a microfluidic cell cultivation device for perfused hypoxia assays as well as a suitable controlling unit are presented. The device features active components like pumps for fluid actuation and valves for fluid direction as well as an oxygenator element to ensure a sufficient oxygen transfer. It consists of several individually structured layers which can be tailored specifically to the intended purpose. Because of its clearness, its mechanical strength and chemical resistance as well as its well-known biocompatibility polycarbonate was chosen to form the fluidic layers by thermal diffusion bonding. Several oxygen sensing spots are integrated into the device and monitored with fluorescence lifetime detection. Furthermore an oxygen regulator module is implemented into the controlling unit which is able to mix different process gases to achieve a controlled oxygenation. First experiments show that oxygenation/deoxygenation of the system is completed within several minutes when pure nitrogen or air is applied to the oxygenator. Lastly the oxygen input by the pneumatically driven micro pump was quantified by measuring the oxygen content before and after the oxygenator

Design, characterization, and modeling of microcirculation systems with integrated oxygenators

Here, we describe a microfluidic system for hypoxia assays on human cell culture models. These systems are developed to replace or reduce animal testing in biomedical basic research. The presented system uses a gas-permeable membrane as a gas–liquid interface and a micropump for media actuation to influence the oxygen content in two cell culture chambers. To apply well-defined hypoxic conditions to the cells, a good understanding of the mass transport phenomena is necessary. Therefore, a complete network model of the microfluidic system is presented. This model is validated by means of micro-particle image velocimetry (µPIV) and optical oxygen measurement with fluorescence lifetime detection. Finally, the impact of several process parameters, e.g., the gas permeability of the pump, is discussed using the developed model

Increasing heat transfer of metals through periodical microstructures using Direct Laser Interference Patterning

The increasing number of micro-electronic components per unit area led not only to an increase of computing power but also to an increase of the device’s operating temperature. Heat sinks, equipped with macroscopic fins or pins, dissipate heat by increasing the surface area. In this work, a microscopic approach for improving the heat transfer of metals is presented, aiming to increase the surface area by fabricating periodical microstructures. Direct Laser Interference Patterning has been used for fabricating microstructures on stainless-steel plates employing a nanosecond IR laser. A statistical design of experiment was used for optimizing the structuring parameters and maximizing the surface area. The heat dissipation properties, evaluated with a heat flux sensor, were correlated with the developed surface area, finding a clear trend. In particular, the microstructuring permitted to increase the surface area up to 280%, which lead to an increase of heat transfer by 23.8%

Microfluidic system for in-vitro hypoxia assays

Hereby presented is a microfluidic system, including a micro pump, an oxygenator and a cell culture chamber for perfusion controlled hypoxia assays. It consists of laser-structured polycarbonate (PC) foils and an elastomeric membrane which were joined together using thermal diffusion bonding. The elastomer forms an oxygenator element. The microfluidic system is characterized using non-invasive flow measurement based on micro-Particle-Image- Velocimetry (μPIV) and optical oxygen measurement utilizing the oxygen dependent fluorescence decay. Based on those experimental results and mathematical considerations, the oxygenator and mass transport phenomena within the microfluidic system can be described. This oxygen sensor, the micro pump, a controlling device and the gas mixture at the oxygenator forms a regulatory circuit to adjust the oxygen content in the cell culture chamber and helps to produce well-defined hypoxic conditions for the cells

Increasing Heat Transfer from Metal Surfaces through Laser-Interference-Induced Microscopic Heat Sinks

With the increasing processing power of micro-electronic components and increasing spatial limitations, ensuring sufficient heat dissipation has become a crucial task. This work presents a microscopic approach to increasing the surface area through periodic surface structures. Microstructures with a periodic distance of 8.5 µm are fabricated via Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) on stainless steel plates with a nanosecond-pulsed infrared laser and are characterized by their developed interfacial area ratio. The optimal structuring parameters for increasing the surface area were investigated, reaching peak-to-valley depths up to 12.8 µm and increasing surface area by up to 394%. Heat dissipation in a natural convection environment was estimated by measuring the output voltage of a Peltier element mounted between a hot plate and a textured sample. The resulting increase in output voltage compared to an unstructured sample was correlated to the structure depth and developed interfacial area ratio, finding a maximum increase of 51.4%. Moreover, it was shown that the output voltage correlated well with the structure depth and surface area