scholarly journals Characteristics of respiratory microdroplet nuclei on common substrates

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandros Kosmidis-Papadimitriou ◽  
Shaojun Qi ◽  
Ophelie Squillace ◽  
Nicole Rosik ◽  
Mark Bale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Saliva ◽  
Chemical Deposition ◽  
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene ◽  
Surface Adhesion ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Inkjet Printing Technology ◽  
Kinetics Of ◽  
Short Timeframe

To evaluate the role of common substrates in the transmission of respiratory viruses, in particular SARS-CoV-2, uniformly distributed microdroplets (approx. 10 µm diameter) of artificial saliva were generated using an advanced inkjet printing technology to replicate the aerosol droplets and subsequently deposited on five substrates, including glass, polytetrafluoroethylene, stainless steel, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and melamine. The droplets were found to evaporate within a short timeframe (less than 3 s), which is consistent with previous reports concerning the drying kinetics of picolitre droplets. Using fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy, we found that the surface deposited microdroplet nuclei present two distinctive morphological features as the result of their drying mode, which is controlled by both interfacial energy and surface roughness. Nanomechanical measurements confirm that the nuclei deposited on all substrates possess similar surface adhesion (approx. 20 nN) and Young's modulus (approx. 4 MPa), supporting the proposed core–shell structure of the nuclei. We suggest that appropriate antiviral surface strategies, e.g. functionalization, chemical deposition, could be developed to modulate the evaporation process of microdroplet nuclei and subsequently mitigate the possible surface viability and transmissibility of respiratory virus.

The role of cross-linking in the scratch resistance of organic coatings: An investigation using Atomic Force Microscopy

Wear ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 418-419 ◽  
pp. 151-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan F. Gonzalez-Martinez ◽  
Erum Kakar ◽  
Stefan Erkselius ◽  
Nicola Rehnberg ◽  
Javier Sotres
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Scratch Resistance ◽  
Organic Coatings ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force

scholarly journals Morphometric characterization of fibrinogen's αC regions and their role in fibrin self-assembly and molecular organization

Nanoscale ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (36) ◽  
pp. 13707-13716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna D. Protopopova ◽  
Rustem I. Litvinov ◽  
Dennis K. Galanakis ◽  
Chandrasekaran Nagaswami ◽  
Nikolay A. Barinov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Molecular Organization ◽  
Microscopy Imaging ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging ◽  
Morphometric Characterization

High-resolution atomic force microscopy imaging reveals the role of fibrinogen αC regions in the early stages of fibrin self-assembly.

scholarly journals Nanostructural and mechanical changes in the sclera following proteoglycan depletion

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
Zhuola Zhuola ◽  
Steve Barrett ◽  
Yalda Ashraf Kharaz ◽  
Riaz Akhtar
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Collagen Fibril ◽  
Enzymatic Degradation ◽  
Ocular Tissues ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Nanomechanical Properties ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Fibril Morphology

The mechanical properties of ocular tissues, such as the sclera, have a major impact on healthy eye function, and are governed by the properties and composition of the microstructural components. For example, biomechanical degradation associated with myopia occurs alongside a reduction of proteoglycans (PGs). In this study, the role of PG degradation in the nanomechanical properties of the porcine sclera is explored. In-vitro enzymatic degradation of PGs was conducted with α-amylase and chondroitinase ABC enzymes. Collagen fibril morphology and nanomechanical stiffness were measured with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The elastic modulus of the tissue was reduced in all enzyme-treated samples relative to controls. In addition, collagen fibril organization was disrupted by PG depletion. Our data demonstrate that PGs play an important role in determining not only the mechanical properties at these length scales, but also collagen fibril arrangement.

Self-affine Fracture Surface Parameters and Their Relationship with Microstructure in a Cast Aluminum Alloy

2002 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1276-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hinojosa ◽  
J. Aldaco
Keyword(s):  
Aluminum Alloy ◽  
Fracture Surface ◽  
The Self ◽  
Cast Aluminum Alloy ◽  
Cast Aluminum ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Fracture Surfaces ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Roughness Exponent

The possible role of microstructural features in determining the self-affinity of the fracture surface of a cast aluminum alloy is explored in this work. Fracture surfaces generated both in tension and impact tests were topometrically analyzed by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and stylus profilometry. The roughness exponent exhibited the “universal” value ζ ≈ 0.78, and the correlation length ζ was of the order of the grain size. The brittle intermetallic compounds known to be important in crack initiation did not show any correlation with the self-affine parameters of the resulting fracture surfaces in this particular case.

scholarly journals Nanomechanical properties of enucleated cells: contribution of the nucleus to the passive cell mechanics

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri M. Efremov ◽  
Svetlana L. Kotova ◽  
Anastasia A. Akovantseva ◽  
Peter S. Timashev
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Cell Mechanics ◽  
Normal Cells ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Nanomechanical Properties ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Fibrosarcoma Cells ◽  
Actomyosin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Small Deformations

Abstract Background The nucleus, besides its functions in the gene maintenance and regulation, plays a significant role in the cell mechanosensitivity and mechanotransduction. It is the largest cellular organelle that is often considered as the stiffest cell part as well. Interestingly, the previous studies have revealed that the nucleus might be dispensable for some of the cell properties, like polarization and 1D and 2D migration. Here, we studied how the nanomechanical properties of cells, as measured using nanomechanical mapping by atomic force microscopy (AFM), were affected by the removal of the nucleus. Methods The mass enucleation procedure was employed to obtain cytoplasts (enucleated cells) and nucleoplasts (nuclei surrounded by plasma membrane) of two cell lines, REF52 fibroblasts and HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells. High-resolution viscoelastic mapping by AFM was performed to compare the mechanical properties of normal cells, cytoplasts, and nucleoplast. The absence or presence of the nucleus was confirmed with fluorescence microscopy, and the actin cytoskeleton structure was assessed with confocal microscopy. Results Surprisingly, we did not find the softening of cytoplasts relative to normal cells, and even some degree of stiffening was discovered. Nucleoplasts, as well as the nuclei isolated from cells using a detergent, were substantially softer than both the cytoplasts and normal cells. Conclusions The cell can maintain its mechanical properties without the nucleus. Together, the obtained data indicate the dominating role of the actomyosin cytoskeleton over the nucleus in the cell mechanics at small deformations inflicted by AFM.

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