University of North Dakota 4 articles published in JoVE Engineering Atomic Force Microscopy Cantilever-Based Nanoindentation: Mechanical Property Measurements at the Nanoscale in Air and Fluid Ashton E. Enrriques1, Sean Howard2, Raju Timsina3, Nawal K. Khadka3, Amber N. Hoover4, Allison E. Ray5, Ling Ding4, Chioma Onwumelu6, Stephan Nordeng6, Laxman Mainali3,7, Gunes Uzer2, Paul H. Davis1,8 1Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering, Boise State University, 2Department of Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering, Boise State University, 3Department of Physics, Boise State University, 4Energy and Environmental Science and Technology, Idaho National Laboratory, 5Science and Technology, Idaho National Laboratory, 6Harold Hamm School of Geology & Geological Engineering, University of North Dakota, 7Biomolecular Sciences Graduate Program, Boise State University, 8Center for Advanced Energy Studies Quantifying the contact area and force applied by an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe tip to a sample surface enables nanoscale mechanical property determination. Best practices to implement AFM cantilever-based nanoindentation in air or fluid on soft and hard samples to measure elastic modulus or other nanomechanical properties are discussed. Neuroscience Stereotaxic Viral Injection and Gradient-Index Lens Implantation for Deep Brain In Vivo Calcium Imaging Rashmi Thapa1, Bo Liang2, Rongsong Liu3, Yun Li1 1Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 2School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of North Dakota, 3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Wyoming Miniscope in vivo calcium imaging is a powerful technique to study neuronal dynamics and microcircuits in freely behaving mice. This protocol describes performing brain surgeries to achieve good in vivo calcium imaging using a miniscope. Immunology and Infection Mechanistic Insight into the Development of TNBS-Mediated Intestinal Fibrosis and Evaluating the Inhibitory Effects of Rapamycin Ramkumar Mathur1,2,3, Mahabub Maraj Alam4, Xiao-Feng Zhao4, Yunfei Huang4, Xinjun Zhu1,2 1Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Albany Medical College, 2The IBD Center, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Albany Medical College, 3Department of Geriatrics, School of Medicine and Health Science, University of North Dakota, 4Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College In this study, we describe a detailed procedure of TNBS-mediated intestinal fibrosis, which exhibits comparable pathophysiology to Crohn's fibrosis. We also discuss this approach in light of rapamycin facilitated inhibitory effects on intestinal fibrosis. Immunology and Infection Design of Cecal Ligation and Puncture and Intranasal Infection Dual Model of Sepsis-Induced Immunosuppression Zhihan Wang*1,2, Qinqin Pu*1,2, Ping Lin*2,3, Changlong Li1, Jianxin Jiang3, Min Wu2 1West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, 3State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Surgery Research, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University This protocol describes techniques to measure infectious outcomes underlying secondary hospital-acquired infections in the immunosuppressive condition, first by establishing cecal ligation/puncture mice then challenging them with intranasal infection to create a clinically relevant model of immunosuppression sepsis.