Strong Optical Coupling of Lattice Resonances in a Top-down Fabricated Hybrid Metal-Dielectric Al/Si/Ge Metasurface.

Optical metasurfaces enable the manipulation of the light-matter interaction in ultrathin layers. Compared with their metal or dielectric counterparts, hybrid metasurfaces resulting from the combination of dielectric and metallic nanostructures can offer increased possibilities for interactions between modes present in the system. Here, we investigate the interaction between lattice resonances in a hybrid metal-dielectric metasurface obtained from a single-step nanofabrication process. Finite-difference time domain simulations show the avoided crossing of the modes appearing in the wavelength-dependent absorptance inside the Ge upon variations in a selected geometry parameter as evidence for strong optical coupling. We find good agreement between the measured and simulated absorptance and reflectance spectra. Our metasurface design can be easily incorporated into a top-down optoelectronic device fabrication process with possible applications ranging from on-chip spectroscopy to sensing.

Isolation and Characterization of Circulating Microparticles by Flow Cytometry.

Microparticles are small fragments (0.1-1.0 µm) of cellular membrane which are shed by cells under conditions of stress. As levels of circulating microparticles are elevated in disease, there has been significant interest in their assessment and quantification under pathological conditions. Here we describe a protocol for the isolation of microparticles from plasma samples and their characterization/quantification by flow cytometry. This assay has been employed for the assessment of microparticle levels in both human and animal plasma and may also be modified for the characterization of microparticles from culture media or from other biological samples (i.e., urine).

Isolation of muscle stem cells by fluorescence activated cell sorting cytometry.

Satellite cells are a heterogeneous population of muscle progenitors with stem cell properties responsible for the regeneration of adult skeletal muscle. Increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of satellite cells has challenged researchers with the need to purify a homogenous population of muscle progenitors. Here we provide a detailed protocol for the isolation of a pure population of satellite cells using fluorescence activated cell sorting. We give specific guidelines to ameliorate the reproducibility of the satellite cell isolation protocol with the goal to standardize procedures across labs. This protocol identifies satellite cells within adult skeletal muscle as an enriched population of Integrin α7(+)/CD34(+) double positive cells and CD45, CD31, CD11b, and Sca1 negative (Lin(-)) cells (Integrin α7(+)/CD34(+)/Lin(-)). Functional assay shows that Integrin α7(+)/CD34(+)/Lin(-) satellite cells possess high myogenic potential and ability to regenerate muscle depleted satellite cells upon transplantation.

Phenol-based lipophilic fluorescent antioxidant indicators: a rational approach.

The reactivity, electrochemistry, and photophysics of the novel antioxidant indicator B-TOH, a BODIPY-alpha-tocopherol adduct, were investigated. We also studied a newly prepared BODIPY-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid adduct (B-BHB) and compared the results for both sets of probes. Our results highlight the potential of B-TOH as a fluorescent antioxidant indicator and help illustrate the considerations to be taken into account in preparing a receptor-reporter-type fluorescent antioxidant indicator. Based on the experimental values of the redox potentials for the reporter BODIPY and from the redox potentials estimated for the phenol receptor segment, the off-to-on emission enhancement recently reported for B-TOH upon peroxyl radical scavenging can be unequivocally assigned to the deactivation of an intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer (PeT) which operates in the reduced form of B-TOH. Theoretical calculations performed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level on HOMO energy levels relative to vacuum further support the deactivation of a PeT mechanism upon peroxyl radical scavenging by B-TOH. Fluorescence lifetimes and fluorescence quantum yields measured in a range of solvent polarities, from hexane to acetonitrile, for B-TOH, B-BHB, and their BODIPY precursors PM605 or PMOH, are consistent with an intramolecular nonradiative decay pathway operative in B-TOH. This pathway is not operative in B-BHB where PeT is deemed highly endergonic based on electrochemical studies. A subsequent analysis on the antioxidant properties of both fluorophore-phenol adducts studied herein indicates that B-TOH antioxidant activity is on par with that of alpha-tocopherol, the most potent naturally occurring lipid soluble antioxidant, whereas B-BHB is a poor antioxidant. Oxygen uptake studies upon peroxyl radical initiated styrene autoxidation and laser flash photolysis studies on the rate of H-atom abstraction by cumyloxyl radicals reveal similar reactivity patterns for B-TOH and 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethyl-6-hydroxychroman (PMHC), an alpha-tocopherol analogue lacking the phytil tail. Analogous reactivity studies on B-BHB underscore its poor antioxidant activity. In general, this work provides substantial amount of information useful in designing off/on lipid soluble fluorescent antioxidant indicators based on phenol moieties.