Image processing tool for the Microorganism cell counting and its recognition

Microorganism cell counting is a basic laboratory technique which was frequently used in Microbiology Lab, hospital and pharmaceutical company. The traditional technique which is called “Hemocytometer method” counts the cells smeared on Hemocytometer (A special micro slide) under a microscope. It is the most popular and cheapest way to count cells or microorganisms. However, Hemocytometer method is not always accurate enough and counting cells under microscopes is a tedious job. Therefore, the engineers have developed lots of new means to achieve higher accuracy and shorter processing times. But those new means require fastidious preparation and complicated operation. Furthermore, most basic labs cannot afford those equipments. Therefore, Hemocytometer method still is the top choice for most researchers. With my background and experience in computer science and biomedicine, I am developing simple software to improve the accuracy and reduce the counting time for Hemocytometer method. The general idea of this software is to digitally process the images taken under an optical microscope. The general steps are: Eliminating noise and impurities, Gridding recognition, Cell recognition, Cell counting and gathering the data. The benefit of this software is to achieve more accurate results while avoiding arduous tasks performed by the technicians and scientists

Functional Study of Magnetotactic Bacteria in VLSI Design

Magnetotactic bacteria are a type of prokaryotic cells that can orient and migrate along the geomagnetic field lines in order to fulfill their physiological functions and anaerobic/microaerophilic requirements. This work investigates the magnetotaxis (sensitivity to magnetic field) of Magnetospirillum magneticum and studies the ability to apply this function to very large scale integration (VLSI) design and fabrication. It is known that magnetotaxis is closely associated with a chain of magnetic particles inside the bacterial cell that acts as a dipole. MATLAB analysis and modeling as well as control of a mesh of current carrying conductors using Mentor Graphics indicate that there is a possibility of these bacteria being manipulated (through their shapes, sizes and speeds) to use them as "skilled workers" to transport one or more atoms/molecules in order to form a nano-scale, bottom-up construction methodology beneficial to the field of integrated circuit fabrication. A further study would be to analyze the various pathways responsible for the formation of magnetic crystals through nucleation inside the bacterial cell in order to increase the sensitivity for cells much smaller than currently available. The engineering education component that stems from this research is to potentially realize the use of biomolecules to fabricate integrated circuits below the current state of art feature size possible

Magnetotaxis as a Means for Nanofabrication

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), discovered in early 1970s contain single-domain crystals of magnetite (Fe3O4) called magnetosomes that tend to form a chain like structure from the proximal to the distal pole along the long axis of the cell. The ability of these bacteria to sense the magnetic field for displacement, also called magnetotaxis, arises from the magnetic dipole moment of this chain of magnetosomes. In aquatic habitats, these organisms sense the geomagnetic field and traverse the oxic-anoxic interface for optimal oxygen concentration along the field lines. Here we report an elegant use of MTB where magnetotaxis of Magnetospirillum magneticum (classified as AMB-1) could be utilized for controlled navigation over a semiconductor substrate for selective deposition. We examined 50mm long coils made out of 18AWG and 20AWG copper conductors having diameters of 5mm, 10mm and 20mm for magnetic field intensity and heat generation. Based on the COMSOL simulations and experimental data, it is recognized that a compound semiconductor manufacturing technology involving bacterial carriers and carbon-based materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes would be a desirable choice in the future