Article Archive
Latest 50 news articles
Testing for Blood-Borne Viruses: the reach for wider sampling
World Aids Day took place on 1st December, with world leaders, the most prominent being President Obama, pledging support for estimated 15 million HIV carriers across the globe. In the UK an estimated 90,000 people have HIV.
A Guide to Choosing a Particle Sizer
The choice of a particle size analyser has never been more difficult. There are several techniques from which to choose and variations within eachtechnique. Sales literature claims of specification and performance have become highly inflated, confusing the first-time buyer; the result has beento hinder and not help the decision making process. Many particle sizing instruments were originally designed to address specific problems.Although some have found additional uses, there is still some truth...
Investigating Phosphate Starvation in Plants Using Bioluminescence
A reliable food source is essential for life. To meet the requirements of the world’s growing population, food production will likely need to double by 2050 [1]. Overcoming this challenge will require the optimisation of crop growth, for example by improving efficiency and driving down costs. This can be achieved in several ways. Firstly, many crops are affected by pests and disease, reducing the usable fraction of crop yield. Secondly, plants need a plentiful supply of various elements to gro...
Frequency domain (Wavelet) investigation of OCT images of skin
In this article we investigate the use of wavelet transform on the images produced by an optical coherence tomography (OCT) to obtain further information from the OCT images transformations in different levels of decomposition with two wavelet mother functions, in frequency domain. To transform the image from the spatial domain to the frequency domain, wavelet transformation of the image was used as it was found that the images obtained from the wavelet transform include more details than those...
Shining a Light on 3D Cell Culture
The development of techniques to grow cells in culture was a major breakthrough for the field of biology providing an instrumental tool in drug discovery, developmental biology, stem cell studies and cancer research. More recently, cell culture is being used to produce cells within a highly-controlled environment for therapeutic applications, to repair or replace damaged tissues within the body. Traditionally, cell culture techniques have relied on 2D growth models, in which cells are propaga...
Oriented Self-Assembling Protein Monolayers for Antibody Capture on Gold Surfaces
The immunoassay is a powerful tool in diagnostics; antibody technology provides exquisitely specific capture of biological markers for disease. In the last 15 years there has been a drive to transfer the benefits of the immunoassay onto the surfaces of advanced electronic biosensors. Traditional methods of antibody immobilisation such as adsorption and chemical coupling have some disadvantages that are magnified in the arena of ultrasensitive miniaturised electronic detection of antibody-antigen...
The potential for a rapid, field-deployable, automated biosensor detection system for pathogens
Hospital acquired infections (HAI), often referred to as ‘superbugs’, are never far from the news. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) leads the way in press coverage but is just one of a growing group of bacteria that can cause diseases with increasingly limited therapeutic options. Organisms with resistant strains include vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Clostridium difficile (C. diff), and numerous enterococcal isolates with plasmid-mediated gentamicin resistan...
The potential for a rapid, field-deployable, automated biosensor detection system for pathogens - Dr Rosalie Multari and Dr John Waite
Hospital acquired infections (HAI), often referred to as ‘superbugs’, are never far from the news. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) leads the way in press coverage but is just one of a growing group of bacteria that can cause diseases with increasingly limited therapeutic options. Organisms with resistant strains include vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Clostridium difficile (C. diff), and numerous enterococcal isolates with plasmid-mediated gentamicin resistan...
Nanotechnology Now: 17th Column - NanoKTN
If UK nanotechnology expertise is going to be securely embedded in the global market, we need to ensure that UK SMEs are including international business development and collaboration in their sales and marketing plans. Earlier this year, the Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN) and the Institute of Nanotechnology (IoN), with funding from the Technology Strategy Board, announced a partnership to encourage and support UK nanotechnology SMEs in international business development. T...
Nanoscience using silicon drift detectors for chemical analysis - Dr. Meiken Falke
Peltier cooled silicon drift detectors (SDD) were originally developed for space research to avoid the need of liquid nitrogen for cooling X-ray detectors. Figure 1 shows one of the first SDDs on Mars rover Spirit. Energetic alpha particles and X-rays from a curium-244 source are used here to illuminate Martian material. The SDD placed in the middle of the spectrometer in the inset on the upper right detects the resulting fluorescence. Compared to the simple diode design the SDD-signal readout i...
Multilayer Tissue-Like Optical Phantom; a Model for Skin in Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging - Mohammad R. N. Avanaki, Ali Hojjat, and Adrian G. Podeleanu
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an advanced high-resolution non-invasive imaging tool, which delivers three-dimensional (3D) images from the microstructure compartments within the skin tissue. Using OCT one can extract optical properties (scattering coefficient and anisotropy factor) of normal or diseased skin to generate an optical model for skin, which can be used for diagnosis. To verify and validate the optical properties extraction algorithm a tissue-like optical phantom is needed. I...
The Responsible NanoCode
The market for nanotechnology is rapidly expanding and has been predicted to be associated with 15% of all manufactured goods by 2014, worth roughly $2.6 trillion and equating to 10 million jobs worldwide [1]. This growth is occurring against a relatively slower pace of research into the risk [2], toxicology [3], fate and ecotoxicology of manufactured nanomaterials [4]. The risk governance of nanotechnology applications in food and cosmetics has recently been detailed and the need for a volunt...
Nanofabrication – European Research Labs Apply Dip Pen Nanolithography
Dip Pen Nanolithography® (DPN®) came to light as a novel research tool back in 1999 with a paper in Science from the a group at Northwestern University in the USA (1). Like many new technologies, the early development work was dedicated to understanding the fundamental strengths and weaknesses of the technique. Once DPN spread to other labs with more diverse research interests, DPN become an important tool that is now being used to solve some long-standing problems regarding nanoscale device fab...
Monitoring Matrix Complexity During Ultra-Trace Level Multi-Residue Pesticide Analysis
The RADAR-enabled Xevo TQ-S method enables the collection of spectral information on background components in the sample matrix while simultaneously collecting MRM data for the quantitation of target pesticides. GOAL To analyse multiple pesticide residues in food matrices to ultra-trace concentrations while simultaneously monitoring matrix background complexity. BACKGROUND One of the biggest challenges in ensuring the safety of our food supplies is the measurement of hazardous ultra-trace le...
Modern Particle Characterisation under the Microscope
The microscope retains a vital and wide-ranging role in modern industrial processes. For instance, the pressure to optimise the quality of cast components requires a means of examining large, polished sections for defects both large and small whilst the identification of wear particles in lubricated systems is commonplace for many manufacturing companies. At the same time, continuing miniaturisation, higher packing densities and ever more rigorous quality assurance means that the physical size...
Nanoparticle Characterisation for Drug Delivery Systems
The use of nanoparticles within drug delivery is a growing area of research with wide ranging implications and is one of the major focuses of Professor Wim Jiskoot’s group at Leiden University. To successfully use nanoparticles is a challenge in that their characterisation is not straightforward. If all the particles are of the same size, known as ‘monodisperse’, there are several techniques available. However, where there are mixes of particles sizes and ratios of different sized particles, it...
Thermal Microscopy in the Forensics Laboratory
Over the last few decades, forensic science has played an increasingly important role in tracking down criminals and narrowing-down the list of suspects that the police need to investigate. The ability to identify a suspect from a DNA sample has helped identify many suspects over the years, but DNA samples are not always left at a crime scene and with no DNA database, trace forensic evidence is often what will lead the police to a suspect. After any DNA samples are taken from evidence left at...
A New Paradigm for Improving the Superconducting Upper Critical Magnetic Field of Nanocrystalline Niobium Carbonitride (NbC0.3N0.7) for Fusion Energy and Healthcare
When an electrical current flows through a normal conductor, such as copper, it encounters a resistance that transforms the current’s electrical energy into heat energy. It is therefore necessary to apply a permanent voltage to replenish the energy lost to the resistance and so maintain a steady current flow. There are at least three shortcomings with this situation; firstly, a constant supply of energy is required; secondly, energy is wasted in the form of heat; thirdly, the heating can itself...
A New Chemical Method for Distinguishing Between Farmed and Wild Salmon
Wild salmon and farmed salmon can now be distinguished from each other by a technique that examines the chemistry of their scales. Dr Clive Trueman, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, said: “Salmon farming is a big, intensive business. In 2006, around 130,000 tonnes of salmon were farmed in Scotland for the table. Wild populations of Atlantic salmon are in serious decline across their whole range and the total wild population returning to Scottish rivers in the same...
Fluorescence Imaging of Cancer in Live Animals: Time to Get Excited?
Without question, modern medicine is founded on the ability to perform pre-clinical research on diseases and their respective drug treatments. Many human disorders like cancer and infection have corresponding models in mice, providing a convenient route for pre-clinical drug and biochemical studies to take place. However, the research of these models can be cumbersome, and require large numbers of animals for study. Recent advances in small animal fluorescence imaging have dramatically increased...
Determination of Silver in Ice Cream - Food Monitoring with Direct Solid Sampling HR-CS AAS
The bactericidal effect of silver has been known for a long time. As early as the 19th century, physicians used silver to treat wounds and for disinfection purposes. Its use for disinfecting drinking water can even be traced back to pre-Christian times - the custom to throw coins into the well did not simply promise good fortune but also improved water quality. Moreover, people added a silver coin to their milk cans for a long time to keep the milk fresh over longer periods. With the development...
Antibiotic Resistance - Nanotech to the Rescue: Nanomechanical detection of drug-target interactions
Drug resistance has evolved from being an infrequent and manageable occurrence in the treatment of microbial infections, to a healthcare problem on a global scale. The last five years has seen a meteoric rise in the cases of life-threatening infections by mutated forms of common bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). Eradication of such multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains is proving difficult since there are not enough ef...
A Level Playing Field for EBSD Analysis of Crystalline Materials
Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD) is a rapidly growing addition to the battery of techniques routinely employed by scanning electron microscope users, producing an electron backscattering pattern (EBSP) that relates exactly to the crystal structure and orientation of the sample under examination. Although the first EBSP was published by Nishikawa and Kikuchi in 1928, many would correlate its growing popularity with the rise of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) since its commercial i...
Developing a New High Definition Standard for Image Analysis
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the parallel development of high power computers and digital cameras has been particle metrology. The resultant image analysis technique is now one of the highest resolution methods available today. With an ever-increasing range of instruments having prices from $10,000 to over $100,000, end users are seeking an independent verification that they are selecting the right instrument for their application. For this reason, there has been a significant interest...
Bringing Advanced Imaging In-Lab - Complex Microscopy Simplified
As pivotal techniques that provide significant advances to the world of science, fluorescence and confocal microscopy facilitate a wide range of complex imaging tasks. A variety of advanced microscopy systems have been successfully developed for the imaging of live as well as fixed cells and tissue samples. With uses in both medical and biological sciences, these microscopy systems are comprised of a series of components, which must all be optimised in order to produce a clear, highresolution i...
Accurate Analysis of Low Levels of Mercury in Fish Using Vapour Generation AA
Mercury is a toxic environmental pollutant that can be deadly to humans. It is found in three different forms: the metallic element, inorganic salts and organic compounds. Elemental mercury can be released into the atmosphere by natural occurrences such as volcanic eruptions, but the majority is produced by human activities. It has been estimated that coal fired power plants, waste incineration, metal processing and cement production produce approximately 75% of the 5,500 tons of mercury that...
Imaging Dynamic Processes in Cells and Tissues
Live cell imaging has been around in one form or another for many years, but recently, interest in the technique has really grown. To cover all aspects of live cell imaging would be a huge task and well beyond the scope of this article. However, this overview will give a brief introduction to the possibilities and more specialised areas will be looked at in future articles. Developments in three main areas are driving the revolution in live cell imaging. Molecular technology, microscope techno...
Stem Cell Promise - Research Brings Autograft Revolution Closer
Stem cells have shown the promise to revolutionise the treatment of many diseases, as noted by George Wolff in his book ?The Biotech Investor\'s Bible?: ?? The damaged brains of Alzheimer\'s disease patients may be restored. Severed spinal cords may be rejoined. Damaged organs may be rebuilt. Stem cells provide hope that this dream will become a reality.? Professor Anthony Hollander, the ARC Professor of Rheumatology & Tissue Engineering in the Department of Cellular & Molecular...
Addressing the challenge of characterisation across the length scales
One of the biggest issues facing the microscopy of materials is the length scale issue. Components that are used in every day life are typically on the length scale of millimetres to several meters. For example, the aluminium alloy wing skin on a modern passenger aircraft is tens of meters long. The high strength steel bars used for impact resistance to protect passengers in cars are typically around a meter in size. There are, of course, many examples of finer scale artefacts of huge technologi...
Banking on Results - Biobanks Maintain Sample Viability
Human biological material has been collected, stored and used for a variety of purposes almost since the dawn of modern medicine. However, the combination of high-throughput molecular genetic analysis and the explosion in computing power makes possible for the first time the mining of this physical medium for data to link human health or disease to molecular characteristics. Enter the Biobank ? a potentially vital resource for identifying the causes and mechanisms of diseases, both hereditary an...
DNA as a Rubber Band: Single-Molecule DNA Stretching Using Optical Tweezers
The development of techniques to manipulate single molecules has led to large efforts to precisely study the mechanical and elastic properties of biomolecules such as proteins, protein fibers, DNA and RNA. Optical tweezers are a widely used technique in this area. They are sensitive in a biologically highly interesting force range: forces of typically a few hundred picoNewtons down to fractions of a picoNewton can be applied and measured using optical tweezers. This has allowed for, am...
ADVANCED BIO-LUMINESCENCE MICROSCOPY
CLOCKING ON It has been clearly established that a structure in the hypothalamus of the mammalian brain, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), contains a ‘daily clock’, which generates near 24 hour (i.e. circadian) rhythmic variations in both physiology and behaviour. This clock is synchronised to changes in environmental illumination (i.e. day/night variations) by light information, which is conveyed directly to the SCN by a specialised input from the eye. The SCN neurons send clo...
DEVELOPMENT OF A TWO PHOTON BURST INTEGRATED FLUORESCENCE LIFETIME SYSTEM FOR SINGLE-PAIR FRET TO ANALYSE INTERACTING PROTEIN POPULATIONS
Fluorescence detection of single molecules represents the ultimate in sensitivity for fluorescence-based assays in biology and medicine by eliminating ensemble-averaging. We describe the development of a time-resolved burst integrated fluorescence lifetime (BiFL) methodology to observe single-molecule dynamics and measure fluorescence lifetime of these molecules as they diffuse through a femtoliter volume probed by two photon excitation.
SURFACE TOMOGRAPHY AND METROLOGY IN THE QUEST TO UNDERSTAND PREHISTORIC MAN: AN APPLICATION OF LASER SCANNING CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY
A problem restricting the application of lithic microwear analysis to the study of stone tool function in archaeology is the lack of quantitative support for qualitative assessments of different wear traces. Here reflective LSCM is evaluated as a technique for the study of microwear that can potentially resolve this problem. A comparative evaluation showed that images, rivalling that of the SEM, can be produced in similar timescales to conventional photomicrography and with no need fo...
ACHIEVING ADVANCED MICRON-SCALE PROTOTYPING
Dr David Sarphie describes how a Universityfounded consultancy can offer new ways of helping industry to access university research and resources in order to facilitate knowledge transfer and increase competitiveness.
VISUALISATION OF EXOCYTOSIS OF INSULIN-CONTAINING SECRETORY VESICLES IN PANCREATIC ß-CELLS USING TIRFM
One of life science's primary challenges is to understand and define the role of a number of proteins in cellular processes associated with health and disease of living organisms. Understanding this vast array of diverse biochemical processes of the living cell is paramount to not only gaining an insight into the living organism as a whole, but also discovering when and why these cellular processes break down, thus causing disease. Whilst innovative and specialised techniques have bee...
MICROSCOPY RENAISSANCE
MICROSCIENCE 2008 is destined to be the largest to date, with a 10% increase in exhibition space from 2006, and 110% since 2002! In addition, running for three days alongside this major biennial exhibition, the sister conference has grown into a fully fledged international scientific conference for 2008. Now the largest exhibition and conference in Europe focusing on microscopy, imaging and analysis, MICROSCIENCE will again return to London’s ExCeL on 23-26 June.
TRAINING FOR FREE AT MICROSCIENCE 2008
As part of its remit to teach and improve microscopy, the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) will be offering a number of charitable bursaries and free training opportunities at this summer’s MICROSCIENCE 2008 at London’s ExCeL, 23-26 June. This is to ensure that everyone, particularly those in the early stages of their careers, has a chance to attend this major biennial international conference and exhibition, covering all aspects of microscopy, imaging and analysis. This will provide t...
MATERIALS TESTING HELPS WITH THE CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC PARCHMENT DOCUMENTS
Parchment is manufactured from animal hides, composed predominantly of collagen. The most common skins used are from calf, goat and sheep [1]. The manufacturing process removes the hair, lipids and other non-collagenous materials through the use of lime baths, stretching and scraping [2]. Parchments often appear white due to the addition of minerals and finishing techniques. Archeological evidence suggests that parchments were in use as a writing material as far back as 200 BC, it is th...
REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR XRF ANALYSIS
The successful use of spectrometers in the analytical laboratory requires an understanding of the method and profound practical experience. Everyday routine often does not leave the users enough time to develop and optimise the methods. Some analysis technologies require elaborate external trainings of the laboratory workers which delays the use of the instruments and reduces their acceptance among the users.
RMS – SETTING THE STAGE FOR 2008
2008 promises to be a significant year for the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS). Numerous RMS meetings, courses and conferences will attract speakers of the highest quality and delegates active in all areas of science and industry. “2008 is a MICROSCIENCE year,” said Rob Flavin, Executive Director of the RMS. “MICROSCIENCE is our flagship biennial international conference and exhibition on the science of microscopy, imaging and analysis to be held at London’s ExCeL from 23-26th June....
QUEEN MARY’S INVESTIGATE TERMITES INSIDE AND OUT
The School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary, University of London, is utilising an inverted microscope for research into termites. Termites produce as much as 4% of the world’s CO2. This important greenhouse gas is produced by micro-organisms living in the termite’s intestines. However, despite the importance in the global carbon cycle, it is not clear how this ecosystem functions.
RMS - LEARNING FOR LIFE
The Royal Microscopical Society wholeheartedly endorses the ethos of lifelong learning and is a keen advocate of education and professional development.
THE USE OF ADVANCED 3D SURFACE METROLOGY FOR THE CHARACTERISATION OF MICRO AND NANO SURFACE STRUCTURES
Over recent years the discipline of surface metrology has advanced greatly both in terms of instrumentation and in terms of techniques for surface characterisation. Recent developments in White Light Interferometer (WLI) instrumentation and in measurement software (particularly the so-called coherence correlation algorithm) for this technique has increased the vertical (i.e. height) resolution of these instruments to give a capability of 0.01 nm (i.e. 0.1 Angstrom), which makes it a practical to...
NOVEL LIVE-CELL DUAL EXCITATION/DUAL EMISSION IMAGING SYSTEM FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS VISUALISATION OF CYTOSOLIC Ca2+SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PROCESSES AND MITOCHONDRIAL DYNAMICS
One of life science’s primary challenges is to understand and define the role of a vast number of proteins in cellular processes associated with health and disease of living organisms. Revolutionising this research is the development of a wide range of fluorescent probes that can be used to non-invasively interrogate living cells, new microscope technologies and powerful computer software and hardware for digital image processing and analysis. These technical innovations in photonics, microscopy...
CORRELATING EBSD WITH ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENTS OF CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC TEXTURE IN METALS
The quantitative measurement of crystallographic texture through determination of the Orientation Distribution Coefficients (ODCs) can provide critical information on a sample?s suitability for being utilised in a particular manufacturing process or can be used to measure changes in the microstructure of components in service. Ultrasonic techniques have been developed by previous workers that measure these ODCs. Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), a microscopic technique that measures the c...
THE USE OF HIGH-PRESSURE FREEZING IN CORRELATIVE LIGHT ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
With the emergence of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) light microscopy has switched from mainly static immuno fluorescence images into imaging very dynamic processes. Dynamic imaging is impossible in the electron microscope but it is excellent for high-resolution studies. Combining both advantages in techniques collectively called Correlative Light Electron Microscopy (CLEM) has gained increasing interest in recent years. New developments within this field include probe development, probe detect...
MICROSCIENCE 2008 - 23-26 JUNE 2008
The dates for Microscience 2008 International Conference and Exhibition have been released by the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) and the event at London’s ExCeL centre on 23-26 June 2008, promises to be even bigger and better than 2006. Three parallel conference themes will address ?Characterisation and Nanofabrication of Advanced Materials?, ?The Cell in Time and Space? and ?Microscopy and Analysis at the Frontiers?. Speakers are being drawn from all over the world, and each day will include...
CCD-BASED SYSTEM OFFERS RAPID METHOD FOR DETECTING GLYCOSYLATED AND NON-GLYCOSYLATED PROTEINS
Glycosylation is the most common form of post-translational modification of human and other eukaryotic proteins. Glycoproteins have vital roles in many physiological and pathological reactions and are also responsible for molecular recognition, cell signalling and protein stability, as well as protein folding and structure. Therefore, identifying glycoproteins is often of critical importance in life science research.
CLOSING THE GAP ON STEM CELL RESEARCH
The Institute of Stem Cells in the Treatment and Study of Monogenic Diseases (ISCMD), a Genopole® International Research Laboratory, in Evry near Paris, is utilising the Lynx stereo zoom microscope in their sealed extraction cabinets. The eyepieceless optics of the Lynx means it can be placed behind the glass within the cabinets allowing operators to inspect the live stem cells comfortably.