5) Optimizing sonication with master plots for common cell extract parameters
Noting that both software access and computation time necessary to run our finite element model may limit its utility, we also devised a set of master plots that can likewise be used to efficiently select sonication conditions for cell extract processing, but still gives the flexibility to use strains that have different temperature and power density limitations. Here we model the maximum temperature that can be reached in aqueous samples by a standard tip sonication set up (cooling in ice-bath with sufficiently large volume) for four common sonication tube sizes, while varying power density and pulse settings (Fig 6). These plots can be used directly to find optimal sonication parameters at a set temperature threshold without having to run the FE model.