Florida Atlantic University View Institution's Website 13 articles published in JoVE Bioengineering Amplitude-Modulated Electrodeformation to Evaluate Mechanical Fatigue of Biological Cells Darryl Dieujuste1, Adeleh Kazemi Alamouti1, Hongyuan Xu1, E Du1,2 1Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, 2Center for SMART Health, Florida Atlantic University Presented here is a protocol for mechanical fatigue testing in the case of human red blood cells using an amplitude-modulated electrodeformation approach. This general approach can be used to measure the systematic changes in morphological and biomechanical characteristics of biological cells in a suspension from cyclic deformation. Neuroscience New Framework for Understanding Cross-Brain Coherence in Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Hyperscanning Studies Hila Zahava Gvirts Provolovski1, Mini Sharma1, Itai Gutman1, Anat Dahan2, Yafeng Pan3, Jacqueline Stotler4, Teresa Wilcox4 1The Department of Behavioral Sciences and Psychology, Ariel University, 2Braude College of Engineering, 3Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, 4Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University Wavelet transform coherence (WTC) is a common methodology for assessing the coupling between signals that is used in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning studies. A toolbox for assessing the directionality of the signal interaction is presented in this work. Biology Inherent Dynamics Visualizer, an Interactive Application for Evaluating and Visualizing Outputs from a Gene Regulatory Network Inference Pipeline Robert C. Moseley1, Sophia Campione1, Bree Cummins2, Francis Motta3, Steven B. Haase1 1Department of Biology, Duke University, 2Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University, 3Department of Mathematical Sciences, Florida Atlantic University The Inherent Dynamics Visualizer is an interactive visualization package that connects to a gene regulatory network inference tool for enhanced, streamlined generation of functional network models. The visualizer can be used to make more informed decisions for parameterizing the inference tool, thus increasing confidence in the resulting models. Neuroscience Measuring Membrane Lipid Turnover with the pH-sensitive Fluorescent Lipid Analog ND6 Shahriar Alamgir1,2, Oliver B. Pelletier1,2, Deborah Thomas3, Vicente Rubio3, Maciej J. Stawikowski3, Qi Zhang1,2 1The Brain Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 3Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University This protocol presents a fluorescence imaging method that uses a class of pH-sensitive lipid fluorophores to monitor lipid membrane trafficking during cell exocytosis and the endocytosis cycle. Behavior Behavioral Approaches to Studying Innate Stress in Zebrafish Jacqueline S.R. Chin1, Lydia T. Albert2, Cody L. Loomis1,3, Alex C. Keene1,3, Erik R. Duboué1,2,3 1Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, 2Wilkes Honors College and Florida Atlantic University, 3Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University This manuscript describes a simple method to measure stress behaviorally in adult zebrafish. The approach takes advantage of the innate tendency that zebrafish prefer the bottom half of a tank when in a stressful state. We also describe methods for coupling the assay with pharmacology. Genetics Manipulation of Gene Function in Mexican Cavefish Bethany A. Stahl1,2, James B. Jaggard1,2, Jacqueline S.R. Chin1,2, Johanna E. Kowalko2,3, Alex C. Keene1,2, Erik R. Duboué2,3 1Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 2Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, 3Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University We describe approaches for the manipulation of genes in the evolutionary model system Astyanax mexicanus. Three different techniques are described: Tol2-mediated transgenesis, targeted manipulation of the genome using CRISPR/Cas9, and knockdown of expression using morpholinos. These tools should facilitate the direct investigation of genes underlying the variation between surface- and cave-dwelling forms. Behavior Swimming Induced Paralysis to Assess Dopamine Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans Sirisha Kudumala1, Serena Sossi2, Lucia Carvelli1,3,4 1Harriet Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, John D MacArthur Campus, 2Integrative Biology and Neuroscience program, College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, 3Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 4Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University Swimming induced paralysis (SWIP) is a well-established behavioral assay used to study the underlying mechanisms of dopamine signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). However, a detailed method to perform the assay is lacking. Here, we describe a step-by-step protocol for SWIP. Behavior Automated Measurements of Sleep and Locomotor Activity in Mexican Cavefish James B. Jaggard1,2, Evan Lloyd1,2, Arthur Lopatto2,3, Erik R. Duboue2,3, Alex C. Keene1,2 1Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 2Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, 3Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University This protocol details the methodology for quantifying locomotor behavior and sleep in the Mexican cavefish. Previous analyses are extended to measure these behaviors in socially-housed fish. This system can be widely applied to study sleep and activity in other fish species. Engineering Measurement of Quantum Interference in a Silicon Ring Resonator Photon Source Jeffrey A. Steidle1, Michael L. Fanto1,2, Stefan F. Preble1, Christopher C. Tison2,3,4, Gregory A. Howland2, Zihao Wang1, Paul M. Alsing2 1Microsystems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, NY, 3Department of Physics, Florida Atlantic University, 4Quanterion Solutions Incorporated Silicon photonic chips have the potential to realize complex integrated quantum systems. Presented here is a method for preparing and testing a silicon photonic chip for quantum measurements. Neuroscience Rapid In Situ Hybridization using Oligonucleotide Probes on Paraformaldehyde-prefixed Brain of Rats with Serotonin Syndrome Ibrahim M. Shokry1, John J. Callanan1, John Sousa2, Rui Tao2 1Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, 2Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University This protocol describes a rapid and simplified in situ hybridization method ideal forparaformaldehyde-prefixed brain, thus reducing the need for prolonged complex steps while using fresh frozen tissues. The method is validated using the identification of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor gene htr2a in rats. Immunology and Infection A Protocol to Infect Caenorhabditis elegans with Salmonella typhimurium Jiuli Zhang1, Kailiang Jia1 1Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University C. elegans has emerged as a new genetic model to study host-pathogen interactions. Here we describe a protocol to infect C. elegans with Salmonella typhimurium coupled with the double-strand RNAi interference technique to examine the role of host genes in defense against Salmonella infection. Neuroscience Paired Nanoinjection and Electrophysiology Assay to Screen for Bioactivity of Compounds using the Drosophila melanogaster Giant Fiber System Monica Mejia1, Mari D. Heghinian2, Alexandra Busch1, Frank Marí2, Tanja A. Godenschwege1 1Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 2Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University A rapid in vivo assay to test for neuromodulatory compounds using the Giant Fiber System (GFS) of Drosophila melanogaster is described. Nanoinjections in the head of the animal along with electrophysiological recordings of the GFS can reveal bioactivity of compounds on neurons or muscles. Neuroscience Whole Mount Preparation of the Adult Drosophila Ventral Nerve Cord for Giant Fiber Dye Injection Jana Boerner1, Tanja A. Godenschwege1 1Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University An in vivo dissection of the adult Drosophila ventral nerve cord (VNC) is demonstrated. This particular dissection method causes little damage to the VNC allowing the subsequent labeling of the giant fiber neurons with fluorescent dye for high resolution imaging.