Board of Governors for Higher Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Cabot Corporation

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Brown University

The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund

Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education

Vitrimark, Inc.

Rhode Island Boad of Education, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Arijit Bose

Vijay Thomas John

Christopher J Brooks

Anubhav Tripathi

Nazneen Aziz

Jinkee Lee

Ganapathiraman Ramanath

Ani Tzankova Nikova

Jayashri Sarkar

Vijay T John

A method and system is provided for automatically preparing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples for examination by depositing extremely small samples onto a grid without need for a blotting step. A sample liquid droplet is formed at the end of a capillary, wherein a portion of the liquid is transferred to the TEM sample grid by contact. The excess volume in the liquid droplet is then retracted by an adjacent capillary. After a predetermined time interval, the retraction capillary is moved toward the drop of the sample to remove the excess volume. As compared to a conventional machine, where the blotting procedure can deform the structure of the molecule of interest, the present invention utilizes a very low shear rate for removal of the excess sample fluid.

Microfluidic blotless cryo TEM device and method

A method for cleaning an oil spill in a marine environment includes forming a particle-stabilized emulsion containing seawater, carbon black and at least one oil spill component and allowing the at least one oil spill component to degrade, thereby removing said component from the marine environment. Carbon black can be added to an oil-seawater mixture to form a stabilized emulsion containing at least one oil spill component and the oil spill component allowed to degrade, thereby removing the at least one oil spill component from the oil spill. Also disclosed is an emulsion that includes one or more oil spill components, seawater and carbon black particles.

Oil emulsification and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon adsorption using fine particles as dispersants

The present teachings are directed toward hexagonally patterned porous titania synthesized from a titanium isopropoxide precursor using a viscous template of surface-active agents separating nanoscopic bicontinuous channels of water and isooctane. Subsequent catalyst metal salt reduction in the aqueous nanochannels deposits well-separated catalyst metal nanoparticles on the pore surfaces. These nanocomposites exhibit significantly higher carbon monoxide oxidation efficiency than that obtained with known supports with higher specific surface area; efficiency is believed to be due to decreased mass transfer resistance provided the presently disclosed support material.

Nanocomposite support materials

A modified freeze direct imaging of a viscous surfactant mesophase method. A chamber is provided having controlled temperature and solvent partial pressure. The chamber has two copper planchettes at the top and bottom thereof. A sample is placed in the chamber on a grid and is squeezed between the planchettes into a thin film. The thin film is placed in a liquid to vitrify the sample. The sample is removed from the planchettes to fracture the sample. The sample is then placed on a cold stage; and imaged.

Modified freeze fracture direct imaging apparatus and technique

A system for generating an image of ultrastructural biomarkers from a biological sample is provided. The system includes a grid onto which a sample to be imaged may be placed and a cryogenic reservoir into which the grid and sample may be immersed for vitrification of the sample. The system also includes a stage onto which the grid and sample may be situated for subsequent imaging in a high contrast imager to permit identification of ultrastructural biomarkers therein. A method for generating an image of ultrastructural biomarkers from a biological sample is also provided. The generated image of ultrastructural biomarkers may be used subsequently for screening and monitoring diseases, evaluating drug and therapeutic efficacy, and assessing risks associated with a drug or therapeutic candidate, among other things.

Systems and methods of identifying biomarkers for subsequent screening and monitoring of diseases

A continuous, hybrid magnetic field gradient device for colloidal magnetic affinity separation having an axially-rotating horizontal glass tube, and a plurality of axially located repeating magnetic units. Each magnetic units consists of an alternating current solenoid that surrounds the chamber followed by computer-controlled electromagnets carrying a direct current. The on-off cycle of the electromagnets is used to control the residence time of target-bound magnetic particles in the chamber thereby allowing the separate collection of the particle and target rich fractions and the target-lean fractions without interrupting the feed flow. The azimuthally flowing alternating current in the solenoid introduces transient axial and radial forces as well as torque on the magnetic particles, promoting mixing.

Continuous, hybrid field-gradient device for magnetic colloid based separations

A slowly rotating separation chamber with an oscillating axial magnetic field gradient created by an alternating current solenoid superimposed on a steady radial gradient in a horizontal chamber is used as part of a flow-through multiunit colloidal magnetic affinity separation device including magnets. The field-gradient induced microscale particle motion, as well as particle resuspension by chamber rotation, significantly enhances particle-target contact without generating damaging shear forces. Chamber rotation also minimizes sedimentation of non-neutrally buoyant magnetic particles. The alternating current solenoid are a series of coils arranged along the axial flow direction, a single chamber is utilized as a flow-through multistage separation device, leading to a major increase in volume and reduced &ldquo;down&rdquo; times as compared to batch equipment.

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, MA, United States of America

Arijit Bose