Orientador: Rickson Coelho Mesquita / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T04:25:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Forti_RodrigoMenezes_M.pdf: 12387880 bytes, checksum: 7008f6dbed4a5d63effefff5a6582b33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Técnicas de espectroscopia baseadas em óptica de difusão são essenciais para a obtenção das propriedades ópticas e dinâmicas em meios turvos, caracterizados pela predominância dos efeitos de espalhamento sobre a absorção. Nestas condições, a luz se propaga esfericamente no meio, num regime aproximadamente difusivo. A luz espalhada pode então ser detectada no mesmo plano de incidência, e sua detecção fornece informação das propriedades ópticas e dinâmicas das moléculas que compõem o meio. Em particular, a técnica encontra uma vasta aplicação no estudo das propriedades do tecido biológico, uma vez que este se comporta como um meio turvo na região do infravermelho próximo. Por se tratar de uma técnica experimental relativamente recente, pouco é conhecido em relação à propagação da luz em meios com diferentes geometrias, principalmente em relação às propriedades dinâmicas do meio. Este projeto propôs um estudo teórico-experimental detalhado da propagação da luz em meios turvos semi-infinitos e de duas camadas, com foco na obtenção das propriedades dinâmicas do meio, através de uma técnica óptica de difusão conhecida como espectroscopia de correlação de difusão (DCS). Mais especificamente, esse projeto testou as geometrias de um meio semi-infinito e de duas camadas, com o uso de simulações de Monte Carlo e experimentos em ambientes controlados. Foi mostrado que o uso da geometria de duas camadas, ao invés da de um meio semi-infinito, como é usualmente feito na literatura, traz melhoras significativas para a recuperação das propriedades de fluxo do meio. As geometrias usadas neste trabalho representam aproximações mais precisas das estruturas muscular e cerebral, por exemplo, e retratam diferentes situações encontradas em Biologia e Medicina. Por fim, o sistema também foi testado em voluntários sadios. Os resultados obtidos neste projeto tem aplicação direta nas áreas citadas, e podem contribuir significativamente para o desenvolvimento de técnicas físicas para o monitoramento cerebral e muscular na clínica médica / Abstract: Spectroscopic techniques based on diffuse optics are essential for determination of the optical and dynamical properties of turbid media, in which scattering predominates over absorption. Under these conditions, light propagates spherically in the medium, in an approximate diffusive regimen. Scattered light can thus be detected at the same plane of incidence, and its detection can provide information both on the optical and dynamical properties of the medium. Diffuse optical techniques are particularly useful to study the properties of biological tissue, since it behaves like a turbid medium in the near infrared region. Because diffuse optics is a relatively novel experimental technique, not much is known regarding the propagation of light in media with different geometries, particularly with relation to the dynamical properties of the medium. This project proposes a combined theoretical and experimental study of light propagation in semi-infinite and two-layered turbid media, focusing on the dynamical properties of the medium with a diffuse optical technique called diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS). More specifically, this project employed the semi-infinite and the two-layer geometries, testing them using Monte Carlo simulations and controlled enviroments. It was shown that by using a two-layer geometry, instead of the semi-infinite geometry, as routinely done in the literature, it is possible to significantly improve the accuracy of the recovered dynamical properties. The geometries tested in this work represent more accurate approximations for muscle and brain structures, for example, and therefore could depict different situations encountered in problems in the fields of Biology and Medicine. Last, the system was also tested in healthy subjects. The results obtained in this project have direct application in the above-cited fields, and may significantly contribute to the development of experimental techniques for diagnosis and/or monitoring of the brain and muscle in the clinic / Mestrado / Física / Mestre em Física

Diploma thesis main goal is to obtain new pieces of knowledge about relationship between hydrogel structures and its flow and transport properties. Thesis is mainly focusing on combining pertinent biopolymers into model hydrogels based on agarose. Then perform correlation of results obtained by diffusion methods, and by rheologic measurements on macroscopic and microscopic level. Properties of hydrogels were measured by selected rheologic measurements, dynamic light scattering method, and correlative fluorescence spectroscopy. From these methods various parameters (MSD modules, values of complex viscosity) were obtained. Afterwards transport properties of prepared hydrogels were studied by observing Rhodamine 6G diffusion. Here two different approaches were used. From macroscopic perspective, simple principles of mass diffusion from dye solution to cuvettes filled with hydrogels containing individual biopolymers were used. From microscopic perspective, dye was added during the sample preparation and then the mass diffusion was investigated using FCS. Based on evaluated results it was discovered that added biopolymers don’t influence properties of carrier medium, in this case agarose hydrogels. During the study of prepared hydrogels’ reactivity and barrier properties some differences were observed. Charge of biopolymer and its charge density were discovered as main factors influencing transport of charged solutes into prepared hydrogels.

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Supported lipid bilayers have been used as an artificial model of biological membranes and their interaction with 5 selected antimicrobial peptides was studied by several experimental techniques, mainly ellipsometry, laser scanning microscopy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The thesis explains basic principles of the applied techniques focusing on their aspects relevant to characterization of lipid bilayers. The biological significance of antimicrobial peptides, their modes of interaction with membranes and the basic characteristics of the selected peptides are briefly discussed. The following text describes the main types of experimental studies performed and the interpretation of their results. Peptide-induced changes in lipid bilayer morphology were characterized by ellipsometry and laser scanning microscopy. Most interesting effects were observed in the case of melittin, which induced formation of long lipid tubules protruding from the bilayer. Lipid lateral diffusion measured by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy can provide information on bilayer organization on length-scales below resolution of optical microscopy.

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Many cerebral diseases are associated with abnormal cerebral hemodynamics and impaired cerebral autoregulation (CA). CA is a mechanism to maintain cerebral blood flow (CBF) stable when mean arterial pressure (MAP) fluctuates. Evaluating these abnormalities requires direct measurements of cerebral hemodynamics and MAP. Several near-infrared diffuse optical instruments have been developed in our laboratory for hemodynamic measurements including near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS), hybrid NIRS/DCS, and dual-wavelength DCS flow-oximeter. We utilized these noninvasive technologies to quantify CBF and cerebral oxygenation in different populations under different physiological conditions/manipulations. A commercial finger plethysmograph was used to continuously monitor MAP. For investigating the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on cerebral hemodynamics and CA, a portable DCS device was used to monitor relative changes of CBF (rCBF) during bilateral thigh cuff occlusion. Compared to healthy controls, smaller reductions in rCBF and MAP following cuff deflation were observed in patients with OSA, which might result from the impaired vasodilation. However, dynamic CAs quantified in time-domain (defined by rCBF drop/MAP drop) were not significantly different between the two groups. We also evaluated dynamic CA in frequency-domain, i.e., to quantify the phase shifts of low frequency oscillations (LFOs) at 0.1 Hz between cerebral hemodynamics and MAP under 3 different physiological conditions (i.e., supine resting, head-up tilt (HUT), paced breathing). To capture dynamic LFOs, a hybrid NIRS/DCS device was upgraded to achieve faster sampling rate and better signal-to-noise. We determined the best hemodynamic parameters (i.e., CBF, oxygenated and total hemoglobin concentrations) among the measured variables and optimal physiological condition (HUT) for detecting LFOs in healthy subjects. Finally, a novel dual-wavelength DCS flow-oximeter was developed to monitor cerebral hemodynamics during HUT-induced vasovagal presyncope (VVS) in healthy subjects. rCBF was found to have the best sensitivity for the assessment of VVS among the measured variables and was likely the final trigger of VVS. A threshold of ~50% rCBF decline was observed which can completely separate subjects with or without presyncope, suggesting its potential role for predicting VVS. With further development and applications, NIRS/DCS techniques are expected to have significant impacts on the evaluation of cerebral hemodynamics and autoregulation.

La membrane plasmique constitue la première entité séparant la cellule de son environnement. A ce rôle de barrière s'ajoute celui de réguler la. Par conséquent, la membrane plasmique est une zone privilégiée pour le passage d'information. Cependant, son étude reste difficile, ne serait-ce que par l'extraordinaire complexité d'organisation de cet assemblage supramoléculaire.Mon projet de thèse vise à développer de nouvelles approches expérimentales pour explorer plus spécifiquement l'organisation et le rôle de la membrane plasmique d'une cellule dans les mécanismes de transduction de l'information. Deux axes ont été privilégiés : le premier, concerne la description de la dynamique d'organisation de la membrane ; le deuxième concerne l'inter-connectivité et la transmission du signal d'une cellule avec d'autres partenaires.Ce manuscrit se compose de plusieurs parties. Le premier chapitre introduira succinctement les questions biologiques. Dans le second chapitre, je présenterai des méthodes utilisées pour l'étude de la membrane. J'y présenterai aussi une série d'observation que j'ai réalisée sur la diffusion de l'EGFR. Le troisième chapitre sera consacré à la technique de corrélation croisée de fluorescence depuis le montage jusqu'à l'étude du modèle EGFR. Dans la quatrième partie, nous verrons comment les collaborations à l'interface biophysique ont permis des développements innovants sur un système de pinces optiques holographiques. J'y présenterai les applications de ce système à différent modèles d'intérêt biologique. Enfin, je conclurai ce document par une brève discussion autour des résultats obtenus aussi bien d'un point de vue méthodologique que biologique. / The plasma membrane separates the cell from its environment. But it is more than a barrier any cell has to communicate with the outside world. Therefore the plasma membrane plays a prime role in transferring and exchanging information. However, the biological study of the plasma membrane remains difficult due to the extraordinary complexity of it organization.My thesis is a part of an effort to develop new experimental approaches to explore more specifically the organization and the role of the plasma membrane in the signal transduction mechanisms. Two major aspects were followed: the first one concerns the description of the dynamics of membrane organization and of molecular interactions, the second concerns the inter-connectivity and signal transduction between a cell and other biological partners.This manuscript is composed of several parts. The first chapter briefly introduces the biological questions that I tried to answer. In the second chapter, I present the methods commonly used to study the membrane with a dynamic perspective. Additionally, I include a series of observations that I made on the EGF receptor diffusion. The third chapter is devoted to the fluorescence cross-correlation technique to study the assembly of the EGFR. In the fourth part, I demonstrate how scientific collaborations at the interface between biology and physics have led to the development of innovative solutions on a holographic optical tweezers system. I present applications of this system in different biological models. Finally, I conclude this thesis with a brief discussion about my technological and biological results.

Small devices capable of self-propulsion have potential application in areas of nanoscience where autonomous locomotion and programmability are needed. The specific base-pairing interactions that arise from DNA hybridisation permit the programmed assembly of matter and also the creation of controllable dynamical systems. The aim of this thesis is to use the tools of DNA nanotechnology to design synthetic active matter at the micro and nano scales. In the first section, DNA was used as an active medium capable of transporting information faster than diffusion in the form of chemical waves. DNA waves were generated experimentally using a DNA autocatalytic reaction in a microfluidic channel. The propagation velocity of DNA chemical waves was slowed down by creating concentration gradients that changed the reaction kinetics in space. The second section details the synthesis of chemically-propelled particles and the use of DNA as a 'programmable glue' to mediate their interactions. Janus micromotors were fabricated by physical vapour deposition and a wet-chemical approach was demonstrated to synthesise asymmetrical catalytic Pt-Au nanoparticles that function as nanomotors. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed nanomotor activity that depends on H₂O₂ concentration, consistent with chemical propulsion. Gold nanoparticles/Origami hybrids were assembled in 2D lattices of different symmetries arranged by DNA linkers. The third section details the design process and synthesis of nanomotors using DNA as a structural scaffold. 3D DNA Origami rectangular prisms were functionalised site-specifically with bioconjugated catalysts, i.e. Pt nanoparticles and catalase. Enzymatic nanomotors were also conjugated to various cargoes and their motor activity was demonstrated by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy. In the final section, control mechanisms for autonomous nanomotors are studied, which includes the conformational change of DNA aptamers in response to chemical signals, as well as a design for an adaptive dynamical system based on DNA/enzyme reaction networks.