192 research outputs found
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Optical Heterodyne-Detected Raman-Induced Kerr Effect (OHD-RIKE) Microscopy
Label-free microscopy based on Raman scattering has been increasingly used in biomedical research to image samples that cannot be labeled or stained. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy allows signal amplification of the weak Raman signal for fast imaging speeds without introducing the nonresonant background and coherent image artifacts that are present in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy. Here we present the Raman-induced Kerr effect (RIKE) as a contrast for label-free microscopy. RIKE allows us to measure different elements of the nonlinear susceptibility tensor, both the real and imaginary parts, by optical heterodyne detection (OHD-RIKE). OHD-RIKE microscopy provides information similar to polarization CARS (P-CARS) and interferometric CARS (I-CARS) microscopy, with a simple modification of the two-beam SRS microscopy setup. We show that, while OHD-RIKE microspectroscopy can be in principle more sensitive than SRS, it does not supersede SRS microscopy of heterogeneous biological samples, such as mouse skin tissue, because it is complicated by variations of linear birefringence across the sample.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog
Optimized signal-to-noise ratio with shot noise limited detection in Stimulated Raman Scattering microscopy
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Label-Free Live-Cell Imaging of Nucleic Acids Using Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy
Imaging of nucleic acids is important for studying cellular processes such as cell division and apoptosis. A noninvasive label-free technique is attractive. Raman spectroscopy provides rich chemical information based on specific vibrational peaks. However, the signal from spontaneous Raman scattering is weak and long integration times are required, which drastically limits the imaging speed when used for microscopy. Coherent Raman scattering techniques, comprising coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, overcome this problem by enhancing the signal level by up to five orders of magnitude. CARS microscopy suffers from a nonresonant background signal, which distorts Raman spectra and limits sensitivity. This makes CARS imaging of weak transitions in spectrally congested regions challenging. This is especially the case in the fingerprint region, where nucleic acids show characteristic peaks. The recently developed SRS microscopy is free from these limitations; excitation spectra are identical to those of spontaneous Raman and sensitivity is close to shot-noise limited. Herein we demonstrate the use of SRS imaging in the fingerprint region to map the distribution of nucleic acids in addition to proteins and lipids in single salivary gland cells of Drosophila larvae, and in single mammalian cells. This allows the imaging of DNA condensation associated with cell division and opens up possibilities of imaging such processes in vivo.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog
New results on solar neutrino fluxes from 192 days of Borexino data
We report the direct measurement of the ^7Be solar neutrino signal rate
performed with the Borexino detector at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran
Sasso. The interaction rate of the 0.862 MeV ^7Be neutrinos is
49+-3(stat)+-4(syst) counts/(day * 100ton). The hypothesis of no oscillation
for ^7Be solar neutrinos is inconsistent with our measurement at the 4sigma
level. Our result is the first direct measurement of the survival probability
for solar nu_e in the transition region between matter-enhanced and
vacuum-driven oscillations. The measurement improves the experimental
determination of the flux of ^7Be, pp, and CNO solar nu_e, and the limit on the
magnetic moment of neutrinos
The Borexino detector at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
Borexino, a large volume detector for low energy neutrino spectroscopy, is
currently running underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso,
Italy. The main goal of the experiment is the real-time measurement of sub MeV
solar neutrinos, and particularly of the mono energetic (862 keV) Be7 electron
capture neutrinos, via neutrino-electron scattering in an ultra-pure liquid
scintillator. This paper is mostly devoted to the description of the detector
structure, the photomultipliers, the electronics, and the trigger and
calibration systems. The real performance of the detector, which always meets,
and sometimes exceeds, design expectations, is also shown. Some important
aspects of the Borexino project, i.e. the fluid handling plants, the
purification techniques and the filling procedures, are not covered in this
paper and are, or will be, published elsewhere (see Introduction and
Bibliography).Comment: 37 pages, 43 figures, to be submitted to NI
New limits on nucleon decays into invisible channels with the BOREXINO Counting Test Facility
The results of background measurements with the second version of the
BOREXINO Counting Test Facility (CTF-II), installed in the Gran Sasso
Underground Laboratory, were used to obtain limits on the instability of
nucleons, bounded in nuclei, for decays into invisible channels ():
disappearance, decays to neutrinos, etc. The approach consisted of a search for
decays of unstable nuclides resulting from and decays of parents
C, C and O nuclei in the liquid scintillator and the water
shield of the CTF. Due to the extremely low background and the large mass (4.2
ton) of the CTF detector, the most stringent (or competitive) up-to-date
experimental bounds have been established: y, y, y and y, all at 90% C.L.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures,submitted to Phys.Lett.
Label-free chemically specific imaging in planta with stimulated Raman scattering microscopy.
The growing world population puts ever-increasing demands on the agricultural and agrochemical industries to increase agricultural yields. This can only be achieved by investing in fundamental plant and agrochemical research and in the development of improved analytical tools to support research in these areas. There is currently a lack of analytical tools that provide noninvasive structural and chemical analysis of plant tissues at the cellular scale. Imaging techniques such as coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy provide label-free chemically specific image contrast based on vibrational spectroscopy. Over the past decade, these techniques have been shown to offer clear advantages for a vast range of biomedical research applications. The intrinsic vibrational contrast provides label-free quantitative functional analysis, it does not suffer from photobleaching, and it allows near real-time imaging in 3D with submicrometer spatial resolution. However, due to the susceptibility of current detection schemes to optical absorption and fluorescence from pigments (such as chlorophyll), the plant science and agrochemical research communities have not been able to benefit from these techniques and their application in plant research has remained virtually unexplored. In this paper, we explore the effect of chlorophyll fluorescence and absorption in CARS and SRS microscopy. We show that with the latter it is possible to use phase-sensitive detection to separate the vibrational signal from the (electronic) absorption processes. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of SRS for a range of in planta applications by presenting in situ chemical analysis of plant cell wall components, epicuticular waxes, and the deposition of agrochemical formulations onto the leaf surface
Multiplexed five-color molecular imaging of cancer cells and tumor tissues with carbon nanotube Raman tags in the near-infrared
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with five different C13/C12 isotope
compositions and well-separated Raman peaks have been synthesized and
conjugated to five targeting ligands in order to impart molecular specificity.
Multiplexed Raman imaging of live cells has been carried out by highly specific
staining of cells with a five-color mixture of SWNTs. Ex vivo multiplexed Raman
imaging of tumor samples uncovers a surprising up-regulation of epidermal
growth factor receptor (EGFR) on LS174T colon cancer cells from cell culture to
in vivo tumor growth. This is the first time five-color multiplexed molecular
imaging has been performed in the near-infrared (NIR) region under a single
laser excitation. Near zero interfering background of imaging is achieved due
to the sharp Raman peaks unique to nanotubes over the low, smooth
autofluorescence background of biological species.Comment: Published in Nano Researc
Optimizing Mixing in Pervasive Networks: A Graph-Theoretic Perspective
One major concern in pervasive wireless applications is location privacy, where malicious eavesdroppers, based on static device identifiers, can continuously track users. As a commonly adopted countermeasure to prevent such identifier-based tracking, devices regularly and simultaneously change their identifiers in special areas called mix-zones. Although mix-zones provide spatio-temporal de-correlations between old and new identifiers, pseudonym changes, depending on the position of the mix-zone, can incur a substantial cost on the network due to lost communications and additional resources such as energy. In this paper, we address this trade-off by studying the problem of determining an optimal set of mix-zones such that the degree of mixing in the network is maximized, whereas the overall network-wide mixing cost is minimized. We follow a graph-theoretic approach and model the optimal mixing problem as a novel generalization of the vertex cover problem, called the Mix Cover (MC) problem. We propose three bounded-ratio approximation algorithms for the MC problem and validate them by an empirical evaluation of their performance on real data. The combinatorics-based approach followed here enables us to study the feasibility of determining optimal mix-zones regularly and under dynamic network conditions
Science and technology of BOREXINO: A Real time detector for low-energy solar neutrinos: A Real Time Detector for Low Energy Solar Neutrinos
BOREXINO, a real-time device for low energy neutrino spectroscopy is nearing completion of construction in the underground laboratories at Gran Sasso, Italy (LNGS). The experiment's goal is the direct measurement of the flux of 7Be solar neutrinos of all flavors via neutrino-electron scattering in an ultra-pure scintillation liquid. Seeded by a series of innovations which were brought to fruition by large scale operation of a 4-ton test detector at LNGS, a new technology has been developed for BOREXINO. It enables sub-MeV solar neutrino spectroscopy for the first time. This paper describes the design of BOREXINO, the various facilities essential to its operation, its spectroscopic and background suppression capabilities and a prognosis of the impact of its results towards resolving the solar neutrino problem. BOREXINO will also address several other frontier questions in particle physics, astrophysics and geophysics
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