The University of Texas at Dallas

7 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Engineering

Ambient Method for the Production of an Ionically Gated Carbon Nanotube Common Cathode in Tandem Organic Solar Cells

Alexander B. Cook^1,2, Jonathan D. Yuen², Joseph W. Micheli¹, Albert G. Nasibulin³, Anvar Zakhidov^1,2

¹Physics Department, The University of Texas at Dallas, ²The NanoTech Institute, The University of Texas at Dallas, ³Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science

A method of fabricating, in ambient conditions, organic photovoltaic tandem devices in a parallel configuration is presented. These devices feature an air-processed, semi-transparent, carbon nanotube common cathode.

Behavior

Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Tool to Induce Plasticity in Pathways Relevant for Extinction Learning

Jessica E. Childs¹, Amanda C. Alvarez-Dieppa¹, Christa K. McIntyre¹, Sven Kroener¹

¹School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a tool to induce targeted synaptic plasticity in the forebrain to modify a range of behaviors. This protocol describes how to implement VNS to facilitate the consolidation of fear extinction memory.

Behavior

The Knob Supination Task: A Semi-automated Method for Assessing Forelimb Function in Rats

Samuel D. Butensky¹, Thelma Bethea¹, Joshua Santos¹, Anil Sindhurakar¹, Eric Meyers^2,3, Andrew M. Sloan^2,3, Robert L. Rennaker II^2,3, Jason B. Carmel^1,4,5

¹Burke Medical Research Institute, ²Texas Biomedical Center, The University of Texas at Dallas, ³Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Texas at Dallas, ⁴Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, ⁵Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College

This manuscript describes a semi-automated task that quantifies supination in rats. Rats reach, grasp, and supinate a spherical manipulandum. The rat is rewarded with a pellet if the turn angle exceeds a criterion set by the user. This task increases throughput, sensitivity to injury, and objectivity compared to traditional tasks.

Bioengineering

Production of Membrane-Filtered Phase-Shift Decafluorobutane Nanodroplets from Preformed Microbubbles

Darrah A. Merillat¹, Arvin Honari¹, Shashank R. Sirsi^1,2

¹Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, ²Department of Radiology, The University of Texas Southwestern

This protocol describes a method of generating large volumes of lipid encapsulated decafluorobutane microbubbles using probe-tip sonication and subsequently condensing them into phase-shift nanodroplets using high-pressure extrusion and mechanical filtration.

Bioengineering

Tools for Surface Treatment of Silicon Planar Intracortical Microelectrodes

Olivia K. Krebs^1,2, Gaurav Mittal^1,2, Shreya Ramani^1,2, Jichu Zhang^1,2, Andrew J. Shoffstall^1,2, Stuart F. Cogan³, Joseph J. Pancrazio³, Jeffrey R. Capadona^1,2

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, ²Advanced Platform Technology Center, Rehabilitation Research and Development, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, ³Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas

The present protocol describes tools for handling silicon planar intracortical microelectrodes during treatments for surface modification via gas deposition and aqueous solution reactions. The assembly of the components used to handle the devices throughout the procedure is explained in detail.

Bioengineering

4D Light-sheet Imaging of Zebrafish Cardiac Contraction

Xinyuan Zhang¹, Alireza Saberigarakani¹, Milad Almasian¹, Sohail Hassan¹, Manasa Nekkanti¹, Yichen Ding^1,2,3

¹Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, ²Center for Imaging and Surgical Innovation, The University of Texas at Dallas, ³Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center

This protocol utilizes light-sheet imaging to investigate cardiac contractile function in zebrafish larvae and gain insights into cardiac mechanics through cell tracking and interactive analysis.

Bioengineering

Light-Sheet Imaging to Reveal Cardiac Structure in Rodent Hearts

Milad Almasian¹, Alireza Saberigarakani¹, Xinyuan Zhang¹, Brian Lee¹, Yichen Ding^1,2,3

The protocol utilizes advanced light-sheet microscopy along with adapted tissue clearing methods to investigate intricate cardiac structures in rodent hearts, holding great potential for the understanding of cardiac morphogenesis and remodeling.