Home  About us  Contact
 

Various Laboratories (various + laboratory)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Engineering40%

Selected Abstracts

Electrochemical Sensing of Explosives

ELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 4 2007
Joseph Wang
Abstract This article reviews recent advances in electrochemical sensing and detection of explosive substances. Escalating threats of terrorist activities and growing environmental concerns have generated major demands for innovative field-deployable tools for detecting explosives in a fast, sensitive, reliable and simple manner. Field detection of explosive substances requires that a powerful analytical performance be coupled to miniaturized low-cost instrumentation. Electrochemical devices offer attractive opportunities for addressing the growing explosive sensing needs. The advantages of electrochemical systems include high sensitivity and selectivity, speed, a wide linear range, compatibility with modern microfabrication techniques, minimal space and power requirements, and low-cost instrumentation. The inherent electroactivity of nitroaromatic, nitramine and nitroester compounds makes them ideal candidates for electrochemical detection. Recent activity in various laboratories has led to the development of disposable sensor strips, novel electrode materials, submersible remote sensors, and electrochemical detectors for microchip (,Lab-on-Chip') devices for on-site electrochemical detection of explosive substances. The attractive behavior of these electrochemical monitoring systems makes them very promising for addressing major security and environmental problems. [source]

Data collection from the Antarctic region through a W-band low Earth orbit satellite

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING, Issue 4 2001
Marina Ruggieri
Abstract The DAVID (DAta and Video Interactive Distribution) mission is being carried out in the framework of the Science Small Missions Program of the Italian Space Agency. The mission is aimed at the deployment of two scientific telecommunication experiments through a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite. The paper will focus on one of these experiments, that will test a satellite system architecture for the exchange of a large amount of data and high definition images through a W-band link and a Ka-band inter-satellite link between the LEO and the ARTEMIS satellite. The proposed architecture, that will explore various innovative aspects, will also allow for the first time the distribution of large volumes of scientific data collected from the Antarctic region and other extremely remote areas of the Earth. The availability of a return link in the envisaged system will also allow interactive control of the various laboratories located in the remote sites. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Proteomics of human cerebrospinal fluid , the good, the bad, and the ugly

PROTEOMICS - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 8 2007
Jing Zhang ProfessorArticle first published online: 13 JUL 200
Abstract The development of MALDI ESI in the late 1980s has revolutionized the biological sciences and facilitated the emergence of a new discipline called proteomics. Application of proteomics to human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has greatly hastened the advancement of characterizing the CSF proteome as well as revealing novel protein biomarkers that are diagnostic of various neurological diseases. While impressive progressions have been made in this field, it has become increasingly clear that proteomics results generated by various laboratories are highly variable. The underlying issues are vast, including limitations and complications with heterogeneity of patients/testing subjects, experimental design, sample processing, as well as current proteomics technology. Accordingly, this review not only summarizes the current status of characterization of the human CSF proteome and biomarker discovery for major neurodegenerative disorders, i.e., Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, but also addresses a few essential caveats involved in several steps of CSF proteomics that may contribute to the variable/contradicting results reported by different laboratories. The potential future directions of CSF proteomics are also discussed with this analysis. [source]

Image analysis and quantification in lung tissue

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 3 2001
W.I. De Boer
On 9,10 September 1999, an international workshop on image analysis and quantification in lung tissue was held at the Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. Participants with expertise in pulmonary and/or pathology research discussed the validity and applicability of techniques used for quantitative examination of inflammatory cell patterns and gene expression in bronchial or parenchymal tissue in studies focusing on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Differences in techniques for tissue sampling and processing, immunohistochemistry, cell counting and densitometry are hampering the comparison of data between various laboratories. The main goals of the workshop were to make an inventory of the techniques that are currently available for each of these aspects, and in particular to address the validity and unresolved problems of using digital image analysis (DIA) as opposed to manual scoring methods for cell counting and assessment of gene and protein expression. Obviously, tissue sampling and handling, fixation and (immunohistochemical) staining, and microscope settings, are having a large impact on any quantitative analysis. In addition, careful choices will have to be made of the commercially available optical and recording systems as well as the application software in order to optimize quantitative DIA. Finally, it appears to be of equal importance to reach consensus on which histological areas are to be analysed. The current proceedings highlight recent advances and state of the art knowledge on digital image analysis for lung tissue, and summarize the established issues and remaining questions raised during the course of the workshop. [source]

Evaluation of Bioaccumulation Using In Vivo Laboratory and Field Studies,

INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2009
Annie V Weisbrod
Abstract A primary consideration in the evaluation of chemicals is the potential for substances to be absorbed and retained in an organism's tissues (i.e., bioaccumulated) at concentrations sufficient to pose health concerns. Substances that exhibit properties that enable biomagnification in the food chain (i.e., amplification of tissue concentrations at successive trophic levels) are of particular concern due to the elevated long-term exposures these substances pose to higher trophic organisms, including humans. Historically, biomarkers of in vivo chemical exposure (e.g., eggshell thinning, bill deformities) retrospectively led to the identification of such compounds, which were later categorized as persistent organic pollutants. Today, multiple bioaccumulation metrics are available to quantitatively assess the bioaccumulation potential of new and existing chemicals and identify substances that, upon or before environmental release, may be characterized as persistent organic pollutants. This paper reviews the various in vivo measurement approaches that can be used to assess the bioaccumulation of chemicals in aquatic or terrestrial species using laboratory-exposed, field-deployed, or collected organisms. Important issues associated with laboratory measurements of bioaccumulation include appropriate test species selection, test chemical dosing methods, exposure duration, and chemical and statistical analyses. Measuring bioaccumulation at a particular field site requires consideration of which test species to use and whether to examine natural populations or to use field-deployed populations. Both laboratory and field methods also require reliable determination of chemical concentrations in exposure media of interest (i.e., water, sediment, food or prey, etc.), accumulated body residues, or both. The advantages and disadvantages of various laboratory and field bioaccumulation metrics for assessing biomagnification potential in aquatic or terrestrial food chains are discussed. Guidance is provided on how to consider the uncertainty in these metrics and develop a weight-of-evidence evaluation that supports technically sound and consistent persistent organic pollutant and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemical identification. Based on the bioaccumulation information shared in 8 draft risk profiles submitted for review under the United Nations Stockholm Convention, recommendations are given for the information that is most critical to aid transparency and consistency in decision making. [source]