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Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Quantifying Fibrinogen-Dependent Aggregation of Red Blood Cells in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Yixiang Deng, Dimitrios P. Papageorgiou, Xuejin Li, Nikolaos Perakakis, Christos S. Mantzoros, Ming Dao, George Em Karniadakis

Fibrinogen is regarded as the main glycoprotein in the aggregation of red blood cells (RBCs), a normally occurring phenomenon that has a major impact on blood rheology and hemodynamics, especially under pathological conditions, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this study, we investigate the fibrinogen-dependent aggregation dynamics of T2DM RBCs through patient-specific predictive computational simulations that invoke key parameters derived from microfluidic experiments. We first calibrate our model parameters at the doublet (a rouleau consisting of two aggregated RBCs) level for healthy blood samples by matching the detaching force required to fully separate RBC doublets with measurements using atomic force microscopy and optical tweezers. Using results from companion microfluidic experiments that also provide in vitro quantitative information on cell-cell adhesive dynamics, we then quantify the rouleau dissociation dynamics at the doublet and multiplet (a rouleau consisting of three or more aggregated RBCs) levels for obese patients with or without T2DM. Specifically, we examine the rouleau breakup rate when it passes through microgates at doublet level and investigate the effect of rouleau alignment in altering its breakup pattern at multiplet level. This study seamlessly integrates in vitro experiments and simulations and consequently enhances our understanding of the complex cell-cell interaction, highlighting the importance of the aggregation and disaggregation dynamics of RBCs in patients at increased risk of microvascular complications.

DOI

Displacement Detection Decoupling in Counter-Propagating Dual-Beams Optical Tweezers with Large-Sized Particle

Xunmin Zhu, Nan Li, Jianyu Yang, Xingfan Chen and Huizhu Hu

As a kind of ultra-sensitive acceleration sensing platform, optical tweezers show a minimum measurable value inversely proportional to the square of the diameter of the levitated spherical particle. However, with increasing diameter, the coupling of the displacement measurement between the axes becomes noticeable. This paper analyzes the source of coupling in a forward-scattering far-field detection regime and proposes a novel method of suppression. We theoretically and experimentally demonstrated that when three variable irises are added into the detection optics without changing other parts of optical structures, the decoupling of triaxial displacement signals mixed with each other show significant improvement. A coupling detection ratio reduction of 49.1 dB and 22.9 dB was realized in radial and axial directions, respectively, which is principally in accord with the simulations. This low-cost and robust approach makes it possible to accurately measure three-dimensional mechanical quantities simultaneously and may be helpful to actively cool the particle motion in optical tweezers even to the quantum ground state in the future.

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Experimental Realization of Diffusion with Stochastic Resetting

Ofir Tal-Friedman, Arnab Pal, Amandeep Sekhon, Shlomi Reuveni, and Yael Roichman

Stochastic resetting is prevalent in natural and man-made systems, giving rise to a long series of nonequilibrium phenomena. Diffusion with stochastic resetting serves as a paradigmatic model to study these phenomena, but the lack of a well-controlled platform by which this process can be studied experimentally has been a major impediment to research in the field. Here, we report the experimental realization of colloidal particle diffusion and resetting via holographic optical tweezers. We provide the first experimental corroboration of central theoretical results and go on to measure the energetic cost of resetting in steady-state and first-passage scenarios. In both cases, we show that this cost cannot be made arbitrarily small because of fundamental constraints on realistic resetting protocols. The methods developed herein open the door to future experimental study of resetting phenomena beyond diffusion.

DOI

Plasmonic tweezers for optical manipulation and biomedical applications

Hongtao Tan, Huiqian Hu, Lin Huang and Kun Qian

Plasmonic tweezers are an emerging research topic because of their breakthrough in the conventional diffraction limit and precise manipulation at the nanoscale. Notably, their compatibility with analytical techniques (e.g. fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS)) opens up opportunities in optical manipulation and biomedical applications. Herein, we first introduce the structures and trapping forces, followed by a summary of the properties of plasmonic tweezers. The optical trapping of biosamples by plasmonic tweezers are then reviewed, including microorganisms and biomolecules. Finally, we highlight the integration of plasmonic tweezers with analytical techniques towards bioanalytical applications. We conclude with perspectives on the future directions for this topic. We foresee the upcoming era of biological detection by plasmonic tweezing in both academy and industry, which calls for the interest and efforts of scientists from diverse fields.

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Angular Trapping of Spherical Janus Particles

Xiaoqing Gao Yali Wang Xuehao He Mengjun Xu Jintao Zhu Xiaodong Hu Xiaotang Hu Hongbin Li Chunguang Hu

Developing angular trapping methods, which enable optical tweezers to rotate a micronsized bead, is of great importance for studies of biomacromolecules in a wide range of torque‐generation processes. Here a novel controlled angular trapping method based on model composite Janus particles is reported, which consist of two hemispheres made of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate). Through computational and experimental studies, the feasibility to control the rotation of a Janus particle in a linearly polarized laser trap is demonstrated. The results show that the Janus particle aligned its two hemispheres interface parallel to the laser propagation direction and polarization direction. The rotational state of the particle can be directly visualized by using a camera. The rotation of the Janus particle in the laser trap can be fully controlled in real time by controlling the laser polarization direction. The newly developed angular trapping technique has the great advantage of easy implementation and real‐time controllability. Considering the easy chemical preparation of Janus particles and implementation of the angular trapping, this novel method has the potential of becoming a general angular trapping method. It is anticipated that this new method will significantly broaden the availability of angular trapping in the biophysics community.

DOI

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Paraxial and tightly focused behaviour of the double ring perfect optical vortex

Carolina Rickenstorff, Luz del Carmen Gómez-Pavón, Citlalli Teresa Sosa-Sánchez, and Gilberto Silva-Ortigoza

In this paper we compare the intensity distributions in the paraxial and tightly focused regimes corresponding to a double ring perfect optical vortex (DR-POV). Using the scalar diffraction theory and the Richards-Wolf formalism, the fields in the back focal plane of a low and high (tight focusing) NA lens are calculated. In the paraxial case we experimentally observed a DR-POV whose rings enclose a dark zone thanks to the destructive interference introduced by a π phase shift. In the tightly focused regime, however, the numerical simulations showed that the intensity near the focus is influenced by the input field polarization and it is not intuitive. In both cases we found that the dark region subtended between the rings has a minimal width that is inversely proportional to the pupil radius of the system, reaching 0.42λ for the radially polarized DR-POV. For the tightly focused case, we calculated the optical forces in the transversal and longitudinal coordinates exerted on a metallic particle. As a result, it is theoretically demonstrated that the circularly polarized DR-POV can trap Au metallic particles in 3D using a light wavelength close to its resonance.

DOI

Surface plasmon resonance effect on laser trapping and swarming of gold nanoparticles at an interface

Chih-Hao Huang, Tetsuhiro Kudo, Roger Bresolí-Obach, Johan Hofkens, Teruki Sugiyama, and Hiroshi Masuhara

Laser trapping at an interface is a unique platform for aligning and assembling nanomaterials outside the focal spot. In our previous studies, Au nanoparticles form a dynamically evolved assembly outside the focus, leading to the formation of an antenna-like structure with their fluctuating swarms. Herein, we unravel the role of surface plasmon resonance on the swarming phenomena by tuning the trapping laser wavelength concerning the dipole mode for Au nanoparticles of different sizes. We clearly show that the swarm is formed when the laser wavelength is near to the resonance peak of the dipole mode together with an increase in the swarming area. The interpretation is well supported by the scattering spectra and the spatial light scattering profiles from single nanoparticle simulations. These findings indicate that whether the first trapped particle is resonant with trapping laser or not essentially determines the evolution of the swarming.

DOI

Particle size measurement using a fibre-trap-based interference approach

Zhihai Liu, Lu Wang, Yu Zhang, Yaxun Zhang, Xiaoyun Tang, Chunyu Sha, Jianzhong Zhang, Jun Yang, Libo Yuan

We propose and demonstrate the measurement of the particle size using an all-fibre interference approach via a single fibre tweezer with a coaxial core fibre. The coaxial core fibre has an external annular core and a centre core. The external annular core is used to trap the microparticle and the centre core sends and receives interference signals for size measurement. The reflected lights from the fibre end face and the trapped particle surface will cause interference and the particle size is obtained from the FSR of the interference spectrum. Using this interference approach, we conduct a label-free, non-contact, and real-time particle size measurement. The proposed measurement approach can be further applied in biology, medical science, and lab-on-fibre technology research.

DOI

Optically trapped particle dynamic responses under varying frequency sinusoidal stimulus

Tan Xu, Qingchuan Zhang, Shangquan Wu, Zhaoxiang Jiang, Xiaoping Wu

Optical tweezers have become indispensable and powerful micro-manipulation tools and acute force probes in biomedical fields. Therefore, calibrating the optical trap is essential for precise force measurements in biomolecular interactions. Currently, however, mainstream calibration methods mainly focus on analyzing nanometer level Brownian motions of trapped particles. There is thus an urgent need to investigate trapped particle dynamic processes in slightly large range to address practical situations for the biological application of optical tweezers. This paper proposes a varying frequency sinusoidal excitation method to probe trapped particle responses and develops a mathematical model to extract trap stiffness. Experimental results revealed that the proposed method achieved significantly lower relative error ( < 5%) even when particle size or laser power varied, and that the excitation frequency didn’t have much impact on trap stiffness. Thanks to its simplicity, effectiveness and robustness, our method provides an ideal candidate for further picoNewton force measurement studies for dynamic interactions in biomedical applications.

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Axial displacement calibration and tracking of optically trapped beads

Guoteng Ma, Chunguang Hu, Shuai Li, Xiaoqin Gao, Hongbin Li, Xiaotang Hu

High-precision axial displacement tracking of trapped beads is an indispensable feature of optical tweezers in advanced single-molecule studies. Here, we demonstrate an alternative method that enables axial calibration and tracking to be carried out on the same sample to avoid unnecessary errors. This method works by applying a dynamic force balance on a bead trapped between a piezoelectrically driven glass slide and an optical trap; in this configuration, the bead can be stopped precisely in different positions and imaged by a camera. A simple gradient algorithm is used to process the images into calibration data. After optimization of the calibration method and samples, our method exhibited better than 5 nm experimental axial resolution, with a measurement range of +/-500 nm around the objective focus at video speed. Moreover, for the first time, the deviation of the focusing plane in dual-trap optical tweezers was measured. We confirmed the axial deviation between two optical traps in our setup to be ~10 nm, corresponding to a force spectroscopy gage error of ~1 pN. This approach offers a favorable solution for in-use setup updating, as it can be seamlessly integrated into any optical tweezers system without requiring new hardware updates.

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