Optics/​Photonics

Transgenomic (Omaha, NE) has introduced the SURVEY-OR Scan K-RAS kit, a mutation detection kit that features the SURVEYOR Nuclease and WAVE® HS DHPLC platform. It uses PCR amplification reaction and hybridization to form heteroduplex DNA molecules in samples with K-RAS mutation. K-RAS mutation status is a strong predictor of...

Joining severed vessels is a recurring problem in trauma and surgery. The basic technology of joining vessels using sutures has been available for centuries, but remains a slow and tedious process. A complete system for micro-anastomosis of vessels was developed that involves a laser in...

To better exploit the principles of gas transport and mass transport during the processes of cell seeding of 3D scaffolds and in vitro culture of 3D tissue engineered constructs, the oscillatory cell culture bioreactor provides a flow of cell suspensions and culture media directly through a porous 3D scaffold...

A three-dimensional (3D) culture system for growing long-lived B lymphocytes has been invented. The capabilities afforded by the system can be expected to expand the range of options for immunological research and related activities, including testing of immunogenicity of vaccine...

Strategies were explored for inactivating resistance-bearing microorganisms, focusing on a new species (Bacillus horneckii sp. nov.) discovered on the surfaces of the Kennedy Space Center cleanroom facility in which the Phoenix lander was assembled. Two strains that belong to this novel species were...

Using lasers and nanoparticles, Rice University scientists have discovered a new technique for singling out individual diseased cells and destroying them with tiny explosions. The scientists used lasers to make "nanobubbles" by zapping gold nanoparticles inside cells. "Single- cell targeting is one of the...

Ophthalmic surgeons at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas are the first in the Defense Department to employ a state-of-the-art laser that will shorten recovery times for corneal transplantation. They are using a femtosecond laser to dissect human cornea tissue for cornea transplants or refractive surgery.

As a potential source of food for long-duration space missions, space-grown plants could give astronauts an important psychological boost, as fresh vegetables could serve as a welcomed change from reconstituted foods in plastic bags. Even more, these plants could likely aid in the recycling of air and...

The speckFINDER HD from Dazor (St. Louis, MO) is a digital computer microscope designed with a flat panel digital display for training, instructing, or supervising. With three USB outputs and a video output, users can output files to a Flash drive or project live images to an overhead screen. The high-resolution,...

A lab-on-a-chip was developed that is capable of extracting biochemical indicators from urine samples and generating their surface-enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) so that the indicators can be quantified and identified. The development was motivated by the need to monitor and assess the effects of extended weightlessness,...