International Conference on Nanomaterials & Nanotechnology

The 'International Conference on Nanomaterials & Nanotechnology' (ICNANO), will be held at the  Conference Centre, University of Delhi, Delhi, India, 18-21 December, 2011.

The conference is organised by Advanced Materials Letters, VBRI Press, the University of Delhi, India and the International Association of Advanced Materials

Open submission of abstracts is possible for keynote and plenary addresses, invited talks, oral and poster presentations by October 15, 2011. Submit Now

Important deadlines are:

15 August, 2011: Registration commences

15 October, 2011: Dead line for abstract submission

20 October, 2011: Confirmation of accepted abstracts

20 November, 2011: Dead line for accommodation requests

01 December, 2011: Registration closes

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Delhi.

Just Published: Analytica Chimica Acta

A new issue of this journal has just been published. To see abstracts of the papers it contains (with links through to the full papers) click here:

http://rss.sciencedirect.com/publication/science/5216

Selected papers from the latest issue:

Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for studying VP-co-VA copolymers and their dissolution behaviour

19 July 2011, 21:48:11

Publication year: 2011
Source: Analytica Chimica Acta, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 19 July 2011
Aleksandra, Chojnacka , Abdul, Ghaffar , Andrew, Feilden , Kevin, Treacher , Hans-Gerd, Janssen , ...
Knowledge on the solubility behaviour and dissolution rate of speciality and commodity polymers is very important for the use of such materials in high-tech applications. We have developed methods for the quantification and characterization of dissolved copolymers of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) and vinyl acetate (VA) during dissolution in water. The methods are based on pyrolysis (Py) performed in a programmed-temperature vaporization injector with subsequent identification and quantification of the components in the pyrolysate using capillary gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). By injecting large volumes and applying cryo-focussing at the top of the column, low detection limits could be achieved.The monomer ratio was...

Method ruggedness studies incorporating a risk based approach: A tutorial

19 July 2011, 21:48:11

Publication year: 2011
Source: Analytica Chimica Acta, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 19 July 2011
Phil J., Borman , Marion J., Chatfield , Ivana, Damjanov , Patrick, Jackson
This tutorial explains how well thought-out application of design and analysis methodology, combined with risk assessment, leads to improved assessment of method ruggedness. The authors define analytical method ruggedness as an experimental evaluation of noise factors such as analyst, instrument or stationary phase batch. Ruggedness testing is usually performed upon transfer of a method to another laboratory however it can also be employed during method development when an assessment of the method's inherent variability is required. The use of a ruggedness study provides a more rigorous method for assessing method precision than a simple comparative intermediate precision study which is...

Convenient, inexpensive quantification of elemental sulfur by simultaneous in situ reduction and colorimetric detection.

19 July 2011, 21:48:11

Publication year: 2011
Source: Analytica Chimica Acta, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 19 July 2011
Misha T., Kwasniewski , Rachel B., Allison , Wayne F., Wilcox , Gavin L., Sacks
Rapid, inexpensive, and convenient methods for quantifying elemental sulfur (S0) with low or sub- μg g−1 limits of detection would be useful for a range of applications where S0 can act as a precursor for noxious off-aromas, e.g., S0 in pesticide residues on winegrapes or as a contaminant in drywall. However, existing quantification methods rely on toxic reagents, expensive and cumbersome equipment, or demonstrate poor selectivity. We have developed and optimized an inexpensive, rapid method (∼15min per sample) for quantifying S0 in complex matrices. Following dispersion of the sample in PEG-400 and buffering, S0 is quantitatively reduced to H2S in...

A competitive immunoassay with a surrogate calibrator curve for aflatoxin M1 in milk

19 July 2011, 21:48:11

Publication year: 2011
Source: Analytica Chimica Acta, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 19 July 2011
Di, Guan , Peiwu, Li , Yehan, Cui , Qi, Zhang , Wen, Zhang
A green enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk was developed and validated with a surrogate calibrator curve. Polyclonal anti-idiotype (anti-Id) antibody, used as an AFM1 surrogate, was generated by immunizing rabbits with F(ab’)2 fragments from the anti-AFM1 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The rabbits exhibited high specificity to the anti-AFM1 mAb, and no cross-reactivity to either of the other anti-aflatoxin mAbs or the isotype matched mAb was observed. After optimizing the physicochemical factors (pH and ionic strength) that influence assay performance, a quantitative conversion formula was developed between AFM1 and the anti-Id antibody (y=31.91x−8.47, r=0.9997). The assay...
 Highlights: ► ► Polyclonal anti-Id antibodies, used as surrogate of AFM1, were generated by immunizing the rabbit with F(ab’)2 fragments of anti-AFM1 mAb. They exhibited high specificity for anti-AFM1 mAb. ► An excellent correlation was obtained between AFM1 standard solutions and anti-Id antibody solutions (y=31.91x−8.47, r=0.9997). The anti-Id antibody was successfully used as surrogate calibrator curve for AFM1 in immunoassays, which provides a green and safe ELISA format for AFM1 detection. ► The developed method was validated by recovery test and comparing with reference HPLC method. The recovery and accuracy results demonstrated that the method was feasible and reliable for the analysis of real samples.

JEOL Introduces New Environmental Control System for Scientific Instrument Labs

Scientific instrumentation is typically housed in an enclosed room, with just enough access for operation or service. The heat generated from equipment, personnel entering and exiting the room, and the enclosed facility itself can all affect the performance of sensitive instrumentation.

To help ensure optimum instrument performance and maintain a consistently cool environment without adding air turbulence, JEOL, a global supplier of ultrahigh resolution electron microscopes, has developed a unique radiant cooling system for the instrument laboratory.

The JEOL Hydro Radiant Panel system is custom-designed and fitted to each room, with consideration for heat load, local weather, facilities, and instrument requirements. It consists of wall-mounted water circulating panels, acoustic absorbing materials, a water chiller, plumbing, an optional air exchange system, and a wall-mounted remote controller. 

The complete system insulates the instrument lab from temperature fluctuations. Average temperature in the lab is maintained within 0.2^oC (0.36^oF) per hour when optimized. This hydro cooling system controls room temperature without air turbulence, noise, or vibration.

To date, JEOL has installed more than 30 systems worldwide, most recently at the University of Texas in Dallas, where the JEM-ARM200F atomic resolution Transmission Electron Microscope has been installed in the lab of Dr. Moon Kim, director of the Nano and Beyond Microscopy Lab, and at Arizona State University in the Southwest Center for Aberration Corrected Electron Microscopy, home of Dr. Ray W. Carpenter. In addition to microscopy labs, the Radiant Panel System is suitable for any instrumentation where optimal performance would be affected by temperature fluctuations in the room.

For more information:

http://www.jeolusa.com/PRODUCTS/EnvironmentalControlSolutions/tabid/816/Default.aspx

New High Performance Small Animal Treadmills

Coulbourn Instruments has introduced its NEW line of high performance Small Animal Treadmills. These units are ideal for forced exercise training and muscle fatigue studies in rodents.

Unique benefits of our treadmills include:

• Reduced stress to subjects and smooth operation with its high performance, silent motor, even at high speeds
• Animal training with integrated shock grid, specially designed for minimal discomfort and uniform stimulation delivery
• Simple data acquisition with included software
• Flexibility for experimental protocols with the widest speed range available, 5 to 150 cm/sec and both positive and negative incline capabilities
• Adaptable, treadmills can be adjusted manually on the control unit or through the included software as preferred by the user
• Minimal maintenance and easy to clean

Included software displays belt speed, distance travelled, number of shocks as well as accumulated shock duration. Single and multi-lane models are available. Single lane versions have an optional CO₂ air tight enclosure for use with Coulbourn's M³ System for metabolic studies.

For additional information, contact Coulbourn's experts in behavioral research applications to assist in selecting the best system configuration to meet your research goals.

Coulbourn Instruments is a global developer, manufacturer, and distributor of innovative and specialized products to enhance bioresearch.

For more information, contact:

Coulbourn Instruments
5583 Roosevelt Street
Whitehall , PA 18052

Toll Free: 800-424-3771
Fax: 610-391-1333

Email: sales@coulbourn.comWeb: www.coulbourn.com

Chromatrap™ technology assists development of state-of-the-art pediatric healthcare

Porvair Filtration Group has announced that the Childrens Research Institute at the Medical College of Wisconsin (http://www.chw.org/) has used the company's Chromatrap™ technology to develop more efficient and more precise Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays.

The Children's Research Institute is renowned for its state-of-the-art pediatric studies.  The CRI's translational research programs are targeted to find life-saving discoveries and cures in the diseases that affect children and interventions that enhance quality of life for children and families living with chronic health conditions.

Over the last few months - Dr Ronald N Hines, Professor of Pediatrics, Pharmacology & Toxicology at the CRI has compared the efficacy of Chromatrap™ with traditional bead based ChIP technologies in his research into known regulatory elements controlling ontogeny of important human drug metabolizing enzymes, such as CYP3A4.  He commented "I believe the bead-based system gave us a relatively small signal to noise ratio such that even minor deviations caused by variation in the efficiency of the bead system (for whatever reason) resulted in considerable variation in the assay".  He added "By comparison I think the most substantial advantage of the Chromatrap system is more efficient and less variable trapping of the immunoprecipitated chromatin such that the signal to noise ratio is larger and influenced less by minor variations in trapping efficiency".

The Chromatrap™ spin column approach offers significant advantages compared to methods based on agarose or magnetic beads, which involve many steps of separation, pipetting and re-suspension. The BioVyon™ protein A discs used in Chromatrap™ spin columns have a proprietary internal structure, composed of pores that have inner surfaces specifically designed to maximize chromatin capture efficiency. Porvair's proprietary disc base material is chemically inert, reducing incidences of non-specific binding. All chromatin capture reactions take place inside the rigid porous disc; therefore there is no need for the many repetitive stages of suspension, collection and resuspension by pipetting. Additionally no pre-blocking step is required. The Chromatrap spin column protocol allows washing steps that are fast, efficient and less prone to error and the 'flow through' characteristics of the column ensure excellent sample mixing and washing during the assay.

For further information please visit http://www.chromatrap.com/ or contact Porvair Filtration Group on +44-1489-864330 /  kevin.quinlan@chromatrap.com.

JEOL InTouchScope Scanning Electron Microscope Wins R&D 100 Award

The JEOL InTouchScope^TM SEM, a touchscreen-controlled analytical, portable low vacuum Scanning Electron Microscope, has been recognized by the editors of R&D Magazine as one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year.

“This is a significant honor for JEOL because the InTouchScope is the first SEM to combine the convenience of multi-touch screen operation, analytical versatility, and ease of use in a very portable, small electron microscope. We’re delighted that it has become a very popular product and that it has been recognized with this prestigious award,” said Donna Guarrera, SEM Product Manager at JEOL USA.

Introduced in September 2010, the InTouchScope has been selected by microscopy labs throughout the U.S. for a variety of routine and research applications.  It features integrated Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) with the latest Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) technology, automated stage navigation capability, wireless capability, high and low vacuum operation, and a magnification range of 5X – 300,000X. The multi-touch operating screen has the familiar look of today’s personal electronic media. 

The R&D 100 Awards are a benchmark of excellence for industry sectors as diverse as telecommunications, high-energy physics, software, manufacturing, and biotechnology. Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market.

Just Published: Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy

A new issue of this journal has just been published. To see abstracts of the papers it contains (with links through to the full papers) click here:

http://rss.sciencedirect.com/publication/science/5287

Recently published papers:

Gordon F. Kirkbright Bursary Award, 2012

15 July 2011, 21:29:02

Publication year: 2011
Source: Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, Volume 66, Issue 6, June 2011, Page 489
[No author name available]

Determination of trace impurities in aluminum nitride by direct solid sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

14 July 2011, 21:32:46

Publication year: 2011
Source: Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 13 July 2011
Julio Cezar Paz, de Mattos , Luiz Frederico, Rodrigues , Érico Marlon, de Moraes Flores , Viliam, Krivan
The trace impurities Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Sb and Zn were determined in powdered aluminum nitride by direct solid sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using a ZEEnit 60 atomic absorption spectrometer. This spectrometer features inverse Zeeman-effect background correction and a variable magnetic field enabling measurements in two sensitivity modes over a concentration range of three orders of magnitude. The measurement sensitivity can be adjusted to the analyte concentration in the sample. The use of chemical modifiers was not necessary. Calibration was carried out by means of calibration curves obtained with aqueous standard solutions. Accuracy was checked mainly by...