A universal fluid cell for the imaging of biological specimens in the atomic force microscope

Recently, atomic force microscope (AFM) manufacturers have begun producing instruments specifically designed to image biological specimens. In most instances, they are integrated with an inverted optical microscope, which permits concurrent optical and AFM imaging. An important component of the set‐up is the imaging chamber, whose design determines the nature of the experiments that can be conducted. Many different imaging chamber designs are available, usually designed to optimize a single parameter, such as the dimensions of the substrate or the volume of fluid that can be used throughout the experiment. In this report, we present a universal fluid cell, which simultaneously optimizes all of the parameters that are important for the imaging of biological specimens in the AFM. This novel imaging chamber has been successfully tested using mammalian, plant, and microbial cells. Microsc. Res. Tech. 76:357–363, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Microstructural developments in TLP bonds using thin interlayers based on Ni–B coatings

Oxide dispersion strengthened alloy MA 758 was transient liquid phase (TLP) bonded using thin interlayers based on Ni–B electrodeposited coatings and the microstructural developments across the joint region were studied. The bonding surfaces were electrodeposited with a coat thickness of 2–9 μm and microstructural features were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The homogeneity of the joint was assessed performing micro-hardness test. The results showed that the coating thickness as well as the amount of melting point depressants (boron) in the coatings had a significant effect on the microstructural developments within the joint region. TLP bonds made using a 2 μm thick coating interlayer produced a joint with no visible precipitate formation and parent metal dissolution, and the absence of precipitates was attributed to the lower volume concentration of boron in the 2 μm thick coating interlayer.     

Vectorial scale-based fuzzy-connected image segmentation

This paper presents an extension of previously published theory and algorithms for fuzzy-connected image segmentation. In this approach, a strength of connectedness is assigned to every pair of image elements. This is done by finding the strongest among all possible connecting paths between the two elements in each pair. The strength assigned to a particular path is defined as the weakest affinity between successive pairs of elements along the path. Affinity specifies the degree to which elements hang together locally in the image. A scale is determined at every element in the image that indicates the size of the largest homogeneous hyperball region centered at the element. In determining affinity between any two elements, all elements within their scale regions are considered. This method has been effectively utilized in several medical applications. In this paper, we generalize this method from scalar images to vectorial images. In a vectorial image, scale is defined as the radius of the largest hyperball contained in the same homogeneous region under a predefined condition of homogeneity of the image vector field. Two different components of affinity, namely homogeneity-based affinity and object-feature-based affinity, are devised in a fully vectorial manner. The original relative fuzzy connectedness algorithm is utilized to delineate a specified object via a competing strategy among multiple objects. We have presented several studies to evaluate the performance of this method based on simulated MR images, 20 clinical MR images, and 250 mathematical phantom images. These studies indicate that the fully vectorial fuzzy connectedness formulation has generally overall better accuracy than the method using some intermediate ad hoc steps to fit the vectorial image to a scalar fuzzy connectedness formulation, and precision and efficiency are similar for these two methods.     

Use of ridge regression for improved estimation of kinetic constants from PET data

The estimation of parameters in radio-tracer models from positron emission tomography (PET) data by nonlinear least squares (NLS) often leads to results with unacceptable mean square error (ME) characteristics. The introduction of constraints on parameters has the potential to address this problem. We examine a ridge-regression technique that augments the standard NLS criterion by the addition of a term which penalizes estimates which deviate from physiologically reasonable values. A variation on a plug-in methodology of Hoerl et al. [7] is examined for data-dependent selection of the degree of reliance to place on the penalizing term. A simulation study is carried out to evaluate the performance of this approach in the context of estimation of kinetic constants in the three-compartment model used to analyze data from PET studies with fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG). Results show that over a range of realistic noise levels, the ridge-regression procedure can be expected to reduce the root ME of parameter estimates by 60%. This result is not found to be substantially dependent on the precise formulation of the penalty function used. Thus, the use of ridge regression for estimation of kinetic parameters in PET studies is considered to be a promising tool.     

On the nature and structure of ‘niobic acid’ and its pyrolytic products: 1H NMR,I.R., conductivity and Ion exchange studies

Niobic acid of composition H₈Nb₆O₁₉ has been prepared by thorough drying of the hydrated oxide at 150°C. The mass was heated in stages up to 1200°C and the intermediate products were subjected to ¹H NMR measurements for determining their proton content. Infra red spectra indicate the presence of protons which are highly delocalised among different oxygen sites. The electrical conductivity of niobic acid has been interpreted as due to proton-hopping. The ion exchange capacity of the material has also been studied. The data have been used to formulate the structure of niobic acid and to obtain the correct procedure for the gravimetric determination of niobium as oxide.     

On the nature and structure of ‘niobic acid’ and its pyrolytic products: Part III: Correlation among the soluble niobates,the stoichiometric and the nonstoichiometric mixed oxides of niobium

Innumerable variety of metal niobates containing diverse M₂O: Nb₂O₅ ratios are reported in the literature but three definite species could only be recognised — ortho, meta and the normal hexaniobates. These three types have been correlated and are shown to be the derivatives of the isopolyniobic acid. The stoichiometric mixed niobates can be derived from the metaniobates and their facile transformation to the perovskite type of lattice has been explained. The nonstoichiometric mixed niobates with cubic perovskite structure exhibit ‘bronze’ properties and their compositions are derived from the structure of the parent metaniobate. All these formulations agree with the compositions and the properties of known species.     

Artery-vein separation via MRA--an image processing approach

This paper presents a near-automatic process for separating vessels from background and other clutter as well as for separating arteries and veins in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiographic (CE-MRA) image data, and an optimal method for three-dimensional visualization of vascular structures. The separation process utilizes fuzzy connected object delineation principles and algorithms. The first step of this separation process is the segmentation of the entire vessel structure from the background and other clutter via absolute fuzzy connectedness. The second step is to separate artery from vein within this entire vessel structure via iterative relative fuzzy connectedness. After seed voxels are specified inside artery and vein in the CE-MRA image, the small regions of the bigger aspects of artery and vein are separated in the initial iterations, and further detailed aspects of artery and vein are included in later iterations. At each iteration, the artery and vein compete among themselves to grab membership of each voxel in the vessel structure based on the relative strength of connectedness of the voxel in the artery and vein. This approach has been implemented in a software package for routine use in a clinical setting and tested on 133 CE-MRA studies of the pelvic region and two studies of the carotid system from six different hospitals. In all studies, unified parameter settings produced correct artery-vein separation. When compared with manual segmentation/separation, our algorithms were able to separate higher order branches, and therefore produced vastly more details in the segmented vascular structure. The total operator and computer time taken per study is on the average about 4.5 min. To date, this technique seems to be the only image processing approach that can be routinely applied for artery and vein separation.     

Grazing-incidence hyperboloid-hyperboloid designs for wide-field x-ray imaging applications

The classical Wolter type I grazing-incidence x-ray telescope consists of a paraboloidal primary mirror and a confocal hyperboloidal secondary mirror. This design exhibits stigmatic imaging on-axis but suffers from coma, astigmatism, field curvature, and higher-order aberrations such as oblique spherical aberration. Wolter-Schwarzschild designs have been developed that strictly satisfy the Abbe sine condition and thus exhibit no spherical aberration or coma. However, for wide-field applications such as the solar x-ray imager (SXI), there is little merit in a design with stigmatic imaging on-axis. Instead, one needs to optimize some area-weighted-average measure of resolution over the desired operational field of view. This has traditionally been accomplished by mere despacing of the focal plane of the classical Wolter type I telescope. Here we present and evaluate in detail a family of hyperboloid-hyperboloid grazing-incidence x-ray telescope designs whose wide-field performance is much improved over that of an optimally despaced Wolter type I and even somewhat improved over that of an optimally despaced Wolter-Schwarzschild design.     

TGF-beta and colorectal carcinogenesis

There is substantial evidence to support the contention that the Smad portion of the TGF-beta signal transduction pathway provides an important tumor-suppressor function. Mutational loss of function of Smad pathway members have been associated with the development of human cancers and appear to be causative in selected rodent carcinogenesis models. TGF-beta also has multiple other actions that appear to be independent of the growth-inhibitory/tumor suppressor effects. The predominant effect of TGF-beta appears to be dependent on the context of the responding cell. Once transformation has occurred, TGF-beta effects may be detrimental and may actually promote tumor cell survival, invasion, and metastasis. Recent work suggests that these effects may involve TGF-beta regulation of COX-2 and other pathways that may contribute to tumor cell aggressiveness. In gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms by which TGF-beta may promote tumor progression, it is likely that new therapeutic strategies may be developed that preserve tumor-suppressor function of TGF-beta while inhibiting the tumor-promoting effects.