Flow visualization data from experiments with an oscillating circular cylinder in a gravity-driven soap film.

This article contains flow visualization data from experiments conducted in an inclined gravity-driven soap film intersected by a circular cylinder undergoing controlled transverse oscillations at a Reynolds number of . The dimensionless frequency and amplitude of cylinder oscillation were varied systematically over the ranges and . A high-speed camera was used to capture the interference fringe patterns reflected from the soap film.

Microfluidic reactors for advancing the MS analysis of fast biological responses.

The response of cells to physical or chemical stimuli is complex, unfolding on time-scales from seconds to days, with or without de novo protein synthesis, and involving signaling processes that are transient or sustained. By combining the technology of microfluidics that supports fast and precise execution of a variety of cell handling operations, with that of mass spectrometry detection that facilitates an accurate and complex characterization of the protein complement of cells, in this work, we developed a platform that supports (near) real-time sampling and proteome-level capturing of cellular responses to a perturbation such as treatment with mitogens. The geometric design of the chip supports three critical features: (a) capture of a sufficient number of cells to meet the detection limit requirements of mass spectrometry instrumentation, (b) fluid delivery for uniform stimulation of the resident cells, and (c) fast cell recovery, lysis and processing for accurate sampling of time-sensitive cellular responses to a stimulus.

Fluid shear stress impacts ovarian cancer cell viability, subcellular organization, and promotes genomic instability.

Ovarian cancer cells are exposed to physical stress in the peritoneal cavity during both tumor growth and dissemination. Ascites build-up in metastatic ovarian cancer further increases the exposure to fluid shear stress. Here, we used a murine, in vitro ovarian cancer progression model in parallel with immortalized human cells to investigate how ovarian cancer cells of increasing aggressiveness respond to [Formula: see text] of fluid-induced shear stress.

Burst mode pumping: A new mechanism of drinking in mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes transport liquid foods into the body using two muscular pumps in the head. In normal drinking, these pumps reciprocate in a stereotyped pattern of oscillation, with a high frequency but small stroke volume. Do mosquitoes modulate their neuromotor programs for pumping to produce different drinking modes? More broadly, what are the mechanical consequences of a two-pump system in insects? To address these questions, we used synchrotron x-ray imaging and fluid mechanical modeling to investigate drinking performance in mosquitoes.

Effects of Vessel Tortuosity on Coronary Hemodynamics: An Idealized and Patient-Specific Computational Study.

Although coronary tortuosity can influence the hemodynamics of coronary arteries, the relationship between tortuosity and flow has not been thoroughly investigated partly due to the absence of a widely accepted definition of tortuosity and the lack of patient-specific studies that analyze complete coronary trees. Using a computational approach we investigated the effects of tortuosity on coronary flow parameters including pressure drop, wall shear stress, and helical flow strength as measured by helicity intensity. Our analysis considered idealized and patient-specific geometries.

Label-free isolation and enrichment of cells through contactless dielectrophoresis.

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is the phenomenon by which polarized particles in a non-uniform electric field undergo translational motion, and can be used to direct the motion of microparticles in a surface marker-independent manner. Traditionally, DEP devices include planar metallic electrodes patterned in the sample channel. This approach can be expensive and requires a specialized cleanroom environment.

Isolation of rare cancer cells from blood cells using dielectrophoresis.

In this study, we investigate the application of contactless dielectrophoresis (cDEP) for isolating cancer cells from blood cells. Devices with throughput of 0.2 mL/hr (equivalent to sorting 3×10(6) cells per minute) were used to trap breast cancer cells while allowing blood cells through.

Topological chaos, braiding and bifurcation of almost-cyclic sets.

In certain two-dimensional time-dependent flows, the braiding of periodic orbits provides a way to analyze chaos in the system through application of the Thurston-Nielsen classification theorem (TNCT). We expand upon earlier work that introduced the application of the TNCT to braiding of almost-cyclic sets, which are individual components of almost-invariant sets [Stremler et al., "Topological chaos and periodic braiding of almost-cyclic sets," Phys.

Isolation of prostate tumor initiating cells (TICs) through their dielectrophoretic signature.

In this study, the dielectrophoretic response of prostate tumor initiating cells (TICs) was investigated in a microfluidic system utilizing contactless dielectrophoresis (cDEP). The dielectrophoretic response of prostate TICs was observed to be distinctively different than that for non-TICs, enabling them to be sorted using cDEP. Culturing the sorted TICs generated spheroids, indicating that they were indeed initiating cells.

Microfluidic mixing using contactless dielectrophoresis.

The first experimental evidence of mixing enhancement in a microfluidic system using contactless dielectrophoresis (cDEP) is presented in this work. Pressure-driven flow of deionized water containing 0.5 μm beads was mixed in various chamber geometries by imposing a dielectrophoresis (DEP) force on the beads.

Disabled-2 modulates homotypic and heterotypic platelet interactions by binding to sulfatides.

Disabled-2 (Dab2) inhibits platelet aggregation by competing with fibrinogen for binding to the α(IIb) β(3) integrin receptor, an interaction that is modulated by Dab2 binding to sulfatides at the outer leaflet of the platelet plasma membrane. The disaggregatory function of Dab2 has been mapped to its N-terminus phosphotyrosine-binding (N-PTB) domain. Our data show that the surface levels of P-selectin, a platelet transmembrane protein known to bind sulfatides and promote cell-cell interactions, are reduced by Dab2 N-PTB, an event that is reversed in the presence of a mutant form of the protein that is deficient in sulfatide but not in integrin binding.

Topological chaos and periodic braiding of almost-cyclic sets.

In certain (2+1)-dimensional dynamical systems, the braiding of periodic orbits provides a framework for analyzing chaos in the system through application of the Thurston-Nielsen classification theorem. Periodic orbits generated by the dynamics can behave as physical obstructions that "stir" the surrounding domain and serve as the basis for this topological analysis. We provide evidence that, even in the absence of periodic orbits, almost-cyclic regions identified using a transfer operator approach can reveal an underlying structure that enables topological analysis of chaos in the domain.

Designing for chaos: applications of chaotic advection at the microscale.

Chaotic advection can play an important role in efficient microfluidic mixers. We discuss a design paradigm that exploits chaotic advection and illustrate by two recent examples, namely enhancing gene expression profiling and constructing an in-line microfluidic mixing channel, how application of this paradigm has led to successful micromixers. We suggest that 'designing for chaos', that is, basing practical mixer design on chaotic advection analysis, is a promising approach to adopt in this developing field which otherwise has little to guide it and is constrained by issues of scale and manufacturability.

Chaotic mixer improves microarray hybridization.

Hybridization is an important aspect of microarray experimental design which influences array signal levels and the repeatability of data within an array and across different arrays. Current methods typically require 24h and use target inefficiently. In these studies, we compare hybridization signals obtained in conventional static hybridization, which depends on diffusional target delivery, with signals obtained in a dynamic hybridization chamber, which employs a fluid mixer based on chaotic advection theory to deliver targets across a conventional glass slide array.