This project deals with the modelling, control and simulation of a micro electro-mechanical actuator for micromechatronical tweezers in DNA-manipulation processes. I. THE MICRO-MECHATRONICAL PROCESS The manipulation of biological molecules by using micromechanical and optical devices such as: magnetic tweezers [1], [2], optical tweezers [3], AFM cantilevers [4] and microfibers [5], [6], are now...

We describe a simple technique to prepare superhydrophobic and superoleophobic micro-textured surfaces by spray coating a blend of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and the low surface energy molecule 1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (fluorodecyl POSS, γsv ≈ 10 mN/m) using an air brush with a pressurized nitrogen stream. Scanning electron micrographs show the...

The processes involved in the transformation of non-porous, native polysaccharides to their highly porous equivalents introduce significant molecular complexity and are not yet fully understood. In this paper, we propose that distinct changes in polysaccharide local short-range ordering promotes and directs the formation of meso- and micro-pores, which are investigated here using N2 sorption, F...

The differentiation-inducing factor-1 (DIF-1) isolated from Dictyostelium discoideum is a potent antiproliferative agent that induces growth arrest and differentiation in mammalian cells in vitro. However, the specific target molecule(s) of DIF-1 has not been identified. In this study, we have tried to identify the target molecule(s) of DIF-1 in mammalian cells, examining the effects of DIF-1 a...

In this study, Polyaniline molecule (emeraldine base) is modeled as a molecular wire and the effects of the metal/molecule coupling strength and the molecule length on the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics are numerically investigated. Using a tight-binding Hamiltonian model, the methods based on Non-equilibrium Green’s function theory, Landauer formalism and Newns-Anderson model, our calcu...

The CO oxidation behaviors on single Au atom embedded in two-dimensional h-BN monolayer are investigated on the basis of first-principles calculations, quantum Born-Oppenheim molecular dynamic simulations (BOMD) and micro-kinetic analysis. We show that CO oxidation on h-BN monolayer support single gold atom prefers an unreported tri-molecular Eley-Rideal (E-R) reaction, where O2 molecule is act...

The rotational spectrum of 1-benzofuran has been investigated by three different rotational spectroscopy techniques: (i) millimeterwave absorption free jet spectroscopy, useful for a fast assignment of the spectrum; (ii) molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy, sensitive to detect less abundant isotopic species in natural abundance; (iii) waveguide conventional microwave spectro...

Farnesol is a quorum-sensing molecule that inhibits filamentation in Candida albicans. Both filamentation and quorum sensing are deemed to be important factors in C. albicans biofilm development. Here we examined the effect of farnesol on C. albicans biofilm formation. C. albicans adherent cell populations (after 0, 1, 2, and 4 h of adherence) and preformed biofilms (24 h) were treated with var...

Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, evolutionarily conserved, non-coding, RNAs of about 20-25 nucleotides in length. They control cell fate via cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and stress response. They regulate gene expression by primarily disrupting mRNA translation and stability, or by modulating the transcription of target messenger RNAs. The expression of miRNA has been shown...

The effort and cost of obtaining neurons for large-scale screens has limited drug discovery in neuroscience. To overcome these obstacles, we fabricated arrays of releasable polystyrene micro-rafts to generate thousands of uniform, mobile neuron mini-cultures. These mini-cultures sustain synaptically-active neurons which can be easily transferred, thus increasing screening throughput by >30-fold...