University of Aberdeen View Institution's Website 9 articles published in JoVE Chemistry High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal Satoshi Aya1, Péter Salamon2, Daniel A. Paterson3, John M. D. Storey3, Corrie T. Imrie3, Fumito Araoka1, Antal Jákli4, Ágnes Buka2 1RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), 2Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Center for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 3Department of Chemistry, School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, 4Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University This protocol demonstrates the preparation of a photorheological material that exhibits a solid phase, various liquid crystalline phases, and an isotropic liquid phase by increasing temperature. Presented here are methods for measuring the structure-viscoelasticity relationship of the material. Neuroscience A Protocol for Transcranial Photobiomodulation Therapy in Mice Farzad Salehpour1,2, Luis De Taboada3, Paolo Cassano4,5,6, Farzin Kamari1, Javad Mahmoudi1, Sohrab Ahmadi-Kandjani7, Seyed Hossein Rasta8,9,10, Saeed Sadigh-Eteghad1 1Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, 2ProNeuroLIGHT LLC, 3LiteCure LLC, 4Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 5Depression Clinical and Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 6Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 7Research Institute for Applied Physics and Astronomy, University of Tabriz, 8Department of Medical Physics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, 9Department of Medical Bioengineering, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, 10School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen Photobiomodulation therapy is an innovative noninvasive modality for the treatment of a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders and can also improve healthy brain function. This protocol includes a step-by-step guide to performing brain photobiomodulation in mice by transcranial light delivery, which can be adapted for use in other laboratory rodents. Chemistry The Effect of Interfacial Chemical Bonding in TiO2-SiO2 Composites on Their Photocatalytic NOx Abatement Performance Amer Hakki1, Lu Yang1,2, Fazhou Wang2, Donald E. Macphee1 1Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, 2State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology The focus of the present work is to establish means to generate and quantify levels of Ti-O-Si linkages and to correlate these with the photocatalytic properties of the supported TiO2. Immunology and Infection Live Imaging of Antifungal Activity by Human Primary Neutrophils and Monocytes in Response to A. fumigatus Shan F. Brunel1, Jude M. Bain1, Jill King1, Lena J. Heung2, Shinji Kasahara2, Tobias M. Hohl2, Adilia Warris1 1Aberdeen Fungal Group, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, 2Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, US Here, we describe a protocol to assess antifungal activity of primary human immune cells in real-time using fluorescent Aspergillus reporter conidia in conjunction with live-cell video microscopy and flow cytometry. Generated data provide insight into host cell-Aspergillus interactions such as fungicidal activity, phagocytosis, cell migration and inhibition of fungal growth. Neuroscience Combined Recording of Mechanically Stimulated Afferent Output and Nerve Terminal Labelling in Mouse Hair Follicle Lanceolate Endings Guy S. Bewick1, Peter M.B. Cahusac2, Robert W. Banks3 1School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, 2Departments of Pharmacology & Biostatistics, Alfaisal University, 3School of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, University of Durham A simple and novel technique for recording afferent discharge due to mechanical stimulation of lanceolate terminals of palisade endings innervating mouse ear skin hair follicles is presented. Neuroscience Optical Monitoring of Living Nerve Terminal Labeling in Hair Follicle Lanceolate Endings of the Ex Vivo Mouse Ear Skin Guy S. Bewick1, Robert W. Banks2 1School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, 2School of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, University of Durham Here we describe a novel preparation for imaging live lanceolate sensory terminals of palisade endings that innervate mouse ear skin hair follicles during staining and destaining with styryl pyridinium dyes. Biology A Screenable In Vivo Assay for Mitochondrial Modulators Using Transgenic Bioluminescent Caenorhabditis elegans Cristina Lagido1, Debbie McLaggan1, L. Anne Glover1 1Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen A protocol is described for in vivo detection of effects of mitochondrial inhibitors in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and for identification of potential enhancing compounds. This protocol can be used to screen drug libraries for compounds modulating mitochondrial function. Immunology and Infection Live-cell Video Microscopy of Fungal Pathogen Phagocytosis Leanne E. Lewis1, Judith M. Bain1, Blessing Okai1, Neil A.R. Gow2, Lars Peter Erwig1,2 1Division of Applied Medicine, University of Aberdeen, 2Aberdeen Fungal Group, University of Aberdeen We describe methods for live-cell video microscopy of Candida albicans phagocytosis by macrophages. These methods enable stage-specific analysis of macrophage migration, recognition, engulfment and phagosome maturation and reveal novel aspects of phagocytosis. Immunology and Infection Production and Titering of Recombinant Adeno-associated Viral Vectors Christina McClure*1, Katy L. H. Cole*1, Peer Wulff1, Matthias Klugmann2, Andrew J. Murray1,3 1School of Medical Sciences, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen, 2Translational Neuroscience Facility and Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, 3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAVs) vectors are becoming increasingly valuable for in vivo studies in animals. We describe how rAAVs can be produced in the laboratory and how these vectors can be titered to give an accurate reading of the number of infectious particles produced.