Search results for "Confocal microscopy"
showing 10 items of 120 documents
Trapping of 27 bp–8 kbp DNA and immobilization of thiol-modified DNA using dielectrophoresis
2006
Dielectrophoretic trapping of six different DNA fragments, sizes varying from the 27 to 8416 bp, has been studied using confocal microscopy. The effect of the DNA length and the size of the constriction between nanoscale fingertip electrodes on the trapping efficiency have been investigated. Using finite element method simulations in conjunction with the analysis of the experimental data, the polarizabilities of the different size DNA fragments have been calculated for different frequencies. Also the immobilization of trapped hexanethiol- and DTPA-modified 140 nm long DNA to the end of gold nanoelectrodes was experimentally quantified and the observations were supported by density functiona…
From equilibrium to steady state: The transient dynamics of colloidal liquids under shear
2008
We investigate stresses and particle motion during the start up of flow in a colloidal dispersion close to arrest into a glassy state. A combination of molecular dynamics simulation, mode coupling theory and confocal microscopy experiment is used to investigate the origins of the widely observed stress overshoot and (previously not reported) super-diffusive motion in the transient dynamics. A link between the macro-rheological stress versus strain curves and the microscopic particle motion is established. Negative correlations in the transient auto-correlation function of the potential stresses are found responsible for both phenomena, and arise even for homogeneous flows and almost Gaussia…
Tunable optical sectioning in confocal microscopy by use of symmetrical defocusing and apodization
2008
We present two novel optical methods to achieve a significative improvement in the optical-sectioning capacity of confocal scanning microscopes. The techniques, whose real power is the simplicity with which they can be implemented, consist of a suitable combination of symmetrical defocusing with two different manners of apodizing both parts of the confocal architecture. It is shown that the proposed techniques are useful in both the bright-field and the fluorescence modes and for reflection and transmission geometries.
Fast Axial-Scanning Widefield Microscopy With Constant Magnification and Resolution
2015
In this paper, we propose the use of electrically-addressable lens devices for performing fast non-mechanical axial scanning when imaging three-dimensional samples. This non-mechanical method can be implemented in any commercial microscope. The approach is based on the insertion of the tunable lens at the aperture stop of the microscope objective. By tuning the voltage, a stack of depth images of 3D specimens can be captured in real time and with constant magnification and resolution. The main advantage of our technique is the possibility of performing fast axial scanning free of mechanical vibrations.
Axial gain resolution in optical sectioning fluorescence microscopy by shaded-ring filters.
2009
We present a new family of pupil masks to control the axial component of the intensity distribution in the focal region of tightly focused light fields. The filters, which consist of a circular clear pupil with a single shaded ring, allow to control the width of the central lobe of the axial spot together with the residual sidelobes energy. The filters can be applied to improve the optical sectioning capacity of different scanning microscopes.
Subtractive imaging in confocal scanning microscopy using a CCD camera as a detector
2012
[EN] We report a scheme for the detector system of confocal microscopes in which the pinhole and a large-area detector are substituted by a CCD camera. The numerical integration of the intensities acquired by the active pixels emulates the signal passing through the pinhole. We demonstrate the imaging capability and the optical sectioning of the system. Subtractive-imaging confocal microscopy can be implemented in a simple manner, providing superresolution and improving optical sectioning. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America
A comparison of three different micro-tomography systems for accurate determination of microvascular parameters
2008
The investigation of micro-vessel dimensions in 3D is currently problematic due to their complex structures and fine scale. Quantification of vascular parameters is important in several fields of biomedicine; including embryogenesis, wound healing, diseases characterized by uncontrolled angiogenesis (e.g. tumor growth and metastasis) and the development of implantable bio-materials where a functional vascular supply is critical to their successful integration into host tissue. However, techniques that can resolve the micron-scaled features of these capillary beds, such as scanning electron and confocal microscopy, do not allow for total image reconstitution in 3 D in thick tissue samples [1…
Surface roughness, porosity, and texture as modifiers of cellular adhesion.
2009
Substrate topography in the micrometer range is reviewed as a modifier of the response of cultured cells and of biocompatibility when implanted into tissues. Characterization methods for substrate topography are discussed, including scanning electron microscopy, profilometry, laser scanning, and confocal microscopy. Because of the current technical limitations in reproducing micron-level topographic details, only one method, ion-beam etching, has been found suitable for texturing substrates on nonplanar surfaces.
Identification of microplastics using 4‐dimethylamino‐4′‐nitrostilbene solvatochromic fluorescence
2021
In this work, we introduce the use of 4-dimethylamino-4'-nitrostilbene (DANS) fluorescent dye for applications in the detection and analysis of microplastics, an impendent source of pollution made of synthetic organic polymers with a size varying from less than 5 mm to nanometer scale. The use of this dye revealed itself as a versatile, fast and sensitive tool for readily discriminate microplastics in water environment. The experimental evidences herein presented demonstrate that DANS efficiently absorbs into a variety of polymers constituting microplastics, and its solvatochromic properties lead to a positive shift of the fluorescence emission spectrum according to the polarity of the poly…
Confocal scanning microscope using a CCD camera as a pinhole-detector system
2011
We report a scheme for a detector system of confocal microscopes. In our scheme the pinhole and the large area detector are subtituted by a CCD camera. The numerical integration of the intensities acquired by the active pixels emulates the signal acquired by the detector. To demonstrate the utility of the system we efficiently performed an experiment of substractive-image confocal microscopy