Abstract: A cryogenic immersion microscope whose objective lens is at least partially in contact with a liquid reservoir of a cryogenic liquid, in which reservoir a sample of interest is immersed is disclosed. When the cryogenic liquid has an index of refraction that reduces refraction at interfaces between the lens and the sample, overall resolution and image quality are improved. A combination of an immersion microscope and x-ray microscope, suitable for imaging at cryogenic temperatures is also disclosed.

Abstract: A high-brightness pulsed electron source, which has the potential for many useful applications in electron microscopy, inverse photo-emission, low energy electron scattering experiments, and electron holography has been described. The source makes use of Cs atoms in an atomic beam. The source is cycled beginning with a laser pulse that excites a single Cs atom on average to a band of high-lying Rydberg nP states. The resulting valence electron Rydberg wave packet evolves in a nearly classical Kepler orbit. When the electron reaches apogee, an electric field pulse is applied that ionizes the atom and accelerates the electron away from its parent ion. The collection of electron wave packets thus generated in a series of cycles can occupy a phase volume near the quantum limit and it can possess very high brightness. Each wave packet can exhibit a considerable degree of coherence.

Abstract: Novel microgels, microparticles and related polymeric materials capable of delivering bioactive materials to cells for use as vaccines or therapeutic agents. The materials are made using a crosslinker molecule that contains a linkage cleavable under mild acidic conditions. The crosslinker molecule is exemplified by a bisacryloyl acetal crosslinker. The new materials have the common characteristic of being able to degrade by acid hydrolysis under conditions commonly found within the endosomal or lysosomal compartments of cells thereby releasing their payload within the cell. The materials can also be used for the delivery of therapeutics to the acidic regions of tumors and sites of inflammation.

Abstract: Methods of shape modifying a nanodevice by contacting it with a low-energy focused electron beam are disclosed here. In one embodiment, a nanodevice may be permanently reformed to a different geometry through an application of a deforming force and a low-energy focused electron beam. With the addition of an assist gas, material may be removed from the nanodevice through application of the low-energy focused electron beam. The independent methods of shape modification and material removal may be used either individually or simultaneously. Precision cuts with accuracies as high as 10 nm may be achieved through the use of precision low-energy Scanning Electron Microscope scan beams. These methods may be used in an automated system to produce nanodevices of very precise dimensions. These methods may be used to produce nanodevices of carbon-based, silicon-based, or other compositions by varying the assist gas.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and compositions for the diagnosis and treatment of cells lacking normal growth arresting characteristic. The present invention demonstrates that many tumor cells lack normal cell surface ?-dystroglycan and thereby lack dystroglycan function. Dystroglycan can be lost from the cell surface by proteolytic shedding of a fragment of ?-dystroglycan into the surrounding medium. Upon restoration of dystroglycan function and over-expression of the dystroglycan gene, the once tumorigenic cells revert to non-tumorigenic cells which polarize and arrest cell growth in the presence of basement membrane proteins, demonstrating that dystroglycan functions as a tumor marker and suppressor.

Abstract: Techniques for controllably directing beamlets to a target substrate are disclosed. The beamlets may be either positive ions or electrons. It has been shown that beamlets may be produced with a diameter of 1 ?m, with inter-aperture spacings of 12 ?m. An array of such beamlets, may be used for maskless lithography. By step-wise movement of the beamlets relative to the target substrate, individual devices may be directly e-beam written. Ion beams may be directly written as well. Due to the high brightness of the beamlets from extraction from a multicusp source, exposure times for lithographic exposure are thought to be minimized. Alternatively, the beamlets may be electrons striking a high Z material for X-ray production, thereafter collimated to provide patterned X-ray exposures such as those used in CAT scans. Such a device may be used for remote detection of explosives.

Abstract: Homogeneous and dense arrays of nanowires are described. The nanowires can be formed in solution and can have average diameters of 40-300 nm and lengths of 1-3 ?m. They can be formed on any suitable substrate. Photovoltaic devices are also described.

Abstract: A method and a system for detecting the presence of special nuclear materials in a suspect container. The system and its method include irradiating the suspect container with a beam of neutrons, so as to induce a thermal fission in a portion of the special nuclear materials, detecting the gamma rays that are emitted from the fission products formed by the thermal fission, to produce a detector signal, comparing the detector signal with a threshold value to form a comparison, and detecting the presence of the special nuclear materials using the comparison.

Abstract: A nanoscale oscillation device is disclosed, wherein two nanoscale droplets are altered in size by mass transport, then contact each other and merge through surface tension. The device may also comprise a channel having an actuator responsive to mechanical oscillation caused by expansion and contraction of the droplets. It further has a structure for delivering atoms between droplets, wherein the droplets are nanoparticles. Provided are a first particle and a second particle on the channel member, both being made of a chargeable material, the second particle contacting the actuator portion; and electrodes connected to the channel member for delivering a potential gradient across the channel and traversing the first and second particles. The particles are spaced apart a specified distance so that atoms from one particle are delivered to the other particle by mass transport in response to the potential (e.g.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a high performance hybrid magnetic structure made from a combination of permanent magnets and ferromagnetic pole materials which are assembled in a predetermined array. The hybrid magnetic structure provides means for separation and other biotechnology applications involving holding, manipulation, or separation of magnetizable molecular structures and targets. Also disclosed are hybrid magnetic tweezers able to exert approximately 1 nN of force to 4.5 ?m magnetic bead. The maximum force was experimentally measured to be ˜900 pN which is in good agreement with theoretical estimations and other measurements. In addition, a new analysis scheme that permits fast real-time position measurement in typical geometry of magnetic tweezers has been developed and described in detail.

Abstract: A rotational actuator/motor based on rotation of a carbon nanotube is disclosed. The carbon nanotube is provided with a rotor plate attached to an outer wall, which moves relative to an inner wall of the nanotube. After deposit of a nanotube on a silicon chip substrate, the entire structure may be fabricated by lithography using selected techniques adapted from silicon manufacturing technology. The structures to be fabricated may comprise a multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT), two in plane stators S1, S2 and a gate stator S3 buried beneath the substrate surface. The MWNT is suspended between two anchor pads and comprises a rotator attached to an outer wall and arranged to move in response to electromagnetic inputs. The substrate is etched away to allow the rotor to freely rotate. Rotation may be either in a reciprocal or fully rotatable manner.

Abstract: A microfluidic device preferably made of a thermoplastic polymer that includes a channel or a multiplicity of channels whose surfaces are modified by photografting. The device further includes a porous polymer monolith prepared via UV initiated polymerization within the channel, and functionalization of the pore surface of the monolith using photografting. Processes for making such surface modifications of thermoplastic polymers and porous polymer monoliths are set forth.

Abstract: A method for detection and prognosis of breast cancer and other types of cancer. The method comprises detecting expression, if any, for both an Id-1 and an Id-2 genes, or the ratio thereof, of gene products in samples of breast tissue obtained from a patient. When expressed, Id-1 gene is a prognostic indicator that breast cancer cells are invasive and metastatic, whereas Id-2 gene is a prognostic indicator that breast cancer cells are localized and noninvasive in the breast tissue.

Abstract: Fast, bright inorganic scintillators at room temperature are based on radiative electron-hole recombination in direct-gap semiconductors, e.g. CdS and ZnO. The direct-gap semiconductor is codoped with two different impurity atoms to convert the semiconductor to a fast, high luminosity scintillator. The codopant scheme is based on dopant band to dopant trap recombination. One dopant provides a significant concentration of carriers of one type (electrons or holes) and the other dopant traps carriers of the other type. Examples include CdS:In,Te; CdS:In,Ag; CdS:In,Na; ZnO:Ga,P; ZnO:Ga,N; ZnO:Ga,S; and GaN:Ge,Mg.

Abstract: Audio information stored in the undulations of grooves in a medium such as a phonograph record may be reconstructed, with little or no contact, by measuring the groove shape using precision metrology methods coupled with digital image processing and numerical analysis. The effects of damage, wear, and contamination may be compensated, in many cases, through image processing and analysis methods. The speed and data handling capacity of available computing hardware make this approach practical. Two examples used a general purpose optical metrology system to study a 50 year old 78 r.p.m. phonograph record and a commercial confocal scanning probe to study a 1920's celluloid Edison cylinder. Comparisons are presented with stylus playback of the samples and with a digitally re-mastered version of an original magnetic recording. There is also a more extensive implementation of this approach, with dedicated hardware and software.

Abstract: The present method is an improved in vitro selection protocol that relies on magnetic separations for DNA aptamer production that is relatively easy and scalable without the need for expensive robotics. The ability of aptamers selected by this method to recognize and bind their target protein with high affinity and specificity, and detail their uses in a number of assays is also described. Specific TTF1 and His6 aptamers were selected using the method described, and shown to be useful for enzyme-linked assays, Western blots, and affinity purification.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are nanostructures comprising distinct dots and rods coupled through potential barriers of tuneable height and width, and arranged in three dimensional space at well defined angles and distances. Such control allows investigation of potential applications ranging from quantum information processing to artificial photosynthesis.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the transportation, remote and unattended mounting, and visual alignment and monitoring of protein crystals for synchrotron generated x-ray diffraction analysis. The protein samples are maintained at liquid nitrogen temperatures at all times: during shipment, before mounting, mounting, alignment, data acquisition and following removal. The samples must additionally be stably aligned to within a few microns at a point in space. The ability to accurately perform these tasks remotely and automatically leads to a significant increase in sample throughput and reliability for high-volume protein characterization efforts. Since the protein samples are placed in a shipping-compatible layered stack of sample cassettes each holding many samples, a large number of samples can be shipped in a single cryogenic shipping container.

Abstract: A charge coupled device for detecting electromagnetic and particle radiation is described. The device includes a high-resistivity semiconductor substrate, buried channel regions, gate electrode circuitry, and amplifier circuitry. For good spatial resolution and high performance, especially when operated at high voltages with full or nearly full depletion of the substrate, the device can also include a guard ring positioned near channel regions, a biased channel stop, and a biased polysilicon electrode over the channel stop.