Glass Microscope Slides Research Articles

Low-cost commercial borosilicate glass slides for passive radiation dosimetry.

For x- and gamma- irradiations delivering entrance doses from 2- up to 1000 Gy to commercial 1.0 mm thick borosilicate glass microscope slides, study has been made of their thermoluminescence yield. With an effective atomic number of 10.6 (approximating bone equivalence), photon energy dependency is apparent in the low x-ray energy range, with interplay between the photoelectric effect and attenuation. As an example, over the examined dose range, at 120 kVp the photon sensitivity has been found to be some 5× that of 60Co gamma irradiations, also with repeatability to within ~1%. The glow-curves, taking the form of a single prominent broad peak, have been deconvolved yielding at best fit a total of five peaks, the associated activation energies and frequency factors also being obtained. The results indicate borosilicate glass slides to offer promising performance as a low-cost passive radiation dosimeter, with utility for both radiotherapy and industrial applications.

Tissue microarray- A review

Cancer is a highly variable disease with multiple heterogeneous genetic and epigenetic changes. Functional studies are essential to understand the complexity and polymorphisms of cancer. Tissue microarray (TMAs) is a powerful new technology designed to assess the expansion of proteins or genes across large sets of tissue specimens assembled on a single glass microscope slide, efficiently and economically. In this review, we are highlighting the different aspects of technology such as contribution of TMA, advantages, disadvantages and utilization of technique in the diagnosis of oral cancer. Keyword: Tissue microarray, Oral cancer, Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Synthesis and Characterization of Polyaniline-Chitosan Patches with Enhanced Stability in Physiological Conditions.

Electroconductive polymeric patches are being developed in the hope to interface with the electroresponsive tissues. For these constructs, conjugated polymers are considered as conductive components for their electroactive nature. Conversely, the clinical applications of these conductive polymeric patches are limited due to their short operational time, a decrease in their electroactivity occurs with the passage of time. This paper reports on the polymerization of aniline on prefabricated chitosan films on microscopic glass slides in the presence of sodium phytate. The strong chelation among sodium phytate, aniline and chitosan led to the formation of electoconductive polymeric patch. We assume that immobilization of sodium phytate in the polymeric patch helps to prevent electric deterioration, extend its electronic stability and reduce sheet resistance. The patch oxidized after three weeks (21 days) of incubation in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4 as physiological medium). This feasible fabrication technique set the foundation to design electronically stable, conjugated polymer-based patches, by providing a robust system of conduction that could be used with electroactive tissues such as cardiac muscles at the interface.

Double-Stranded DNA Matrix for Photosensitization Switching

Photosensitization, originated from the activation of triplet states, is the basis of many photodynamic applications, but often competes with a series of nonradiative processes. Herein, we communic...

Effect of post irradiation of IR light on the structural, morphological and optical properties of ZnO thin film grown by CBD method

Abstract Zinc oxide thin film was synthesized on commercial microscopic glass slide by using chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique and the prepared film was post irradiated with IR light. We compared the structural, optical and morphological properties of as deposited and IR irradiated ZnO thin films. The XRD pattern of pure and IR irradiated ZnO confirms that both the films were polycrystalline in nature. The optical band gap was found to be 3.5 eV and 3.04 eV for as deposited and IR irradiated samples. The SEM studies reveals that IR irradiation effects ZnO thin films morphology. The films prepared by this method can be used in optoelectronic applications.

Molecularly Imprinted Sol‐Gel Sensing Film‐Based Optical Sensor for Determination of Sulfasalazine Antibiotic

AbstractIn this study, a simplistic optical sensing approach for determination of sulfasalazine (SSZ) antibiotic has been developed by combining molecular imprinting and sol‐gel techniques (MIP‐SG). The sol‐gel solution containing sulfasalazine (target molecule) was deposited as a thin film on the pretreated microscope glass slides to fabricate imprinted optical sensors. The binding properties of the sensor toward sulfasalazine were evaluated by UV‐Vis spectroscopy method. The influence of some experimental parameters affecting on the manufacturing process as well as the response of MIP‐SG sensing film were studied. Under optimal conditions, the UV‐Vis signals of proposed sensor showed a linear relationship with the SSZ concentration in the range from 0.5 to 80.0 μg mL−1 (R2=0.994) and detection limit of 0.26 μg mL−1 with benefits of good reproducibility (RSD=4.12 %) and storage stability. This sensor was successfully used for determination of SSZ in well water, pharmaceutical formulation and human urine samples.

Evaluation of the Effect of the Microscopic Glass Surface Protonation on the Hard Tissue Thin Section Preparation

In this study, a new procedure for mounting tissue blocks was described while cutting and grinding the section remains tightly bound to the inert glass surface both chemically and micro mechanically allowing good quality specimens for staining and microscopic analysis. The micromechanical interlocking was achieved by using of frosted glass, the chemical binding was made with 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate monomer (10-MDP) containing bond material. The glass surface activation was achieved by nitric acid etching and the surface was characterized by zeta potential, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle measurements. Cylindrical samples were prepared from epoxy embedding materials, cortical bovine bone, and dental titanium to investigate the shear bond strengths (SBS) to microscopic glass slide compared to a routinely used thermoplastic adhesive. Based on the experiments it was found that the micromechanical retention combined with MDP containing bond material improved the SBS data compared to the thermoplastic adhesive. The acid etched glass became positively charged that significantly increased the SBS data of bone and titanium compared with the uncharged version. Therefore, the thickness of the undecalcified bone section with metal can safely reduce to improve histological microscopic analysis.

Polymer nanocomposite sunlight spectrum down-converters made by open-air PLD

Abstract We report, for the first time to our knowledge, on the polymer nanocomposite sunlight spectrum down-converters made by the concurrent multi-beam multi-target pulsed laser deposition (CMBMT-PLD) of phosphor and polymer in ambient air. Phosphor PLD targets were made of down-converting rare-earth (RE)-doped fluorides NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+, and NaYF4:Yb3+,Tm3+ with a Stokes shift of 620 nm (from 360 to 980 nm), minimizing the effect of re-absorption. The phosphors were synthesized by the wet method. Polymer target was made of poly (methyl methacrylate) known as PMMA. Target ablation was conducted with 1,064 nm beams from an Nd:YAG Q-switched laser. Beam intensity was 2.8 × 1016 W/cm2 for both targets. The substrate was a microscope glass slide. Phosphor nanoparticles with a size ranging from 10 to 50 nm were evenly distributed in the polymer matrix during deposition. The nanoparticles retained the crystalline structure and the fluorescent properties of the phosphor target. There was no noticeable chemical decomposition of the deposited polymer. The products of laser-induced reaction of the polymer target with atmospheric gases did not reach the substrate during PLD. Post-heating of the substrate at ∼90°C led to fusion of separate polymer droplets into uniform coating. Quantum yield of the down-conversion polymer nanocomposite film was estimated to be not less than ∼5%. The proposed deposition method can find its application in making commercial-size down-converter coatings for photo-voltaic solar power applications.

Development of Silver Nanoparticles Decorated on Functional Glass Slide as Highly Efficient and Recyclable Dip Catalyst

AbstractThe development of a highly reusable and extremely efficient catalyst is still a fundamental as well as technological problem. Here, we report on the preparation and catalytic applications of Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) immobilized on amine terminated glass slide as a dip catalyst for the transformation of nitrophenol, intramolecular cascade reaction and synthesis of 5‐Phenyl‐1H‐tetrazole. The dip catalyst system consists of AgNPs stabilized on microscopic glass slide as the support. AgNPs were decorated on the glass slide by modifying the glass surface with (3‐Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES). The dip catalyst was characterized using SEM, EDX, FTIR, and TEM, and AFM. This system is found to be stable in both organic and aquous solvents and exhibits excellent recyclability even at high temperatures. The catalyst was used for 20 cycles of nitrophenol reduction reaction and 5 cycles for other reactions in this study to test its efficiency. No any significant decrease was observed in the activity of the catalyst. We have also investigated the applicability of the AgNPs immobilized on functional glass slide as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate to understand the catalytic reduction reaction mechanism.

Detection of High-Explosive Materials within Fingerprints by Means of Optical-Photothermal Infrared Spectromicroscopy.

As we live under a constant threat of global terrorism, the effective detection of highly energetic materials is one of the critical procedures needed at a variety of locations, including airports, border checkpoints, and entrances to high-security buildings. In this work, the application of optical-photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectromicroscopy for the detection of highly explosive materials within fingerprints is described. High-explosive (HE) materials (e.g., PETN, RDX, C-4, or TNT) were used to prepare contaminated fingerprints. These were subsequently deposited on various objects, including microscopic glass slides, a table, a mug, etc. Samples deposited on glass slides were directly sent for analyses; for other samples, adhesive tapes were used to lift off fingermarks. In cases of difficulty in locating fingerprints, additional powders were used to enhance their visibility. Experiments were performed with a mIRage IR microscope working in a noncontact, far-field reflection mode, offering submicron IR spectroscopy and imaging. Fast imaging (several characteristic absorbances were selected for every substance of interest) was used to locate "suspicious" particles among various residues present in fingerprints. Subsequently, spectra were collected for those particles. Reflection mode O-PTIR spectra taken from powdered and nonenhanced fingerprints were of comparable quality to transmission mode FTIR spectra collected for pure HEs. On the basis of the performed experiments, we consider O-PTIR spectromicroscopy to open a new avenue for the nondestructive, efficient, and reliable analysis of exogenous substances deposited within fingerprints. The real significance of O-PTIR is in its ability to deliver high-quality, spatially resolved FTIR transmission-like spectra below the diffraction limit of infrared wavelengths, doing so in an easy-to-use reflection (far-field) mode. Collected spectra are also searchable and interpretable in both commercial and institutional IR databases without mathematical modeling.

A Multiplexed Microarray Platform for Targeted Proteomics

A Multiplexed Microarray Platform for Targeted Proteomics

(006) Recommendation for preserving dissected parts of holotype specimens of names of bryophytes

Article 8.2 of the Code (Turland & al. in Regnum Veg. 159. 2018) mentions that “For the purpose of typification a specimen is a gathering, or part of a gathering” and “A specimen is usually mounted on a single herbarium sheet or in an equivalent preparation, such as a box, packet, jar, or microscope slide.” For bryophytes, the holotype (and any duplicate, i.e. an isotype) usually consists of many individual plants and is usually kept in a paper packet. Our proposed Recommendation is related to the preservation of bryophyte type specimens and problems faced by researchers while studying such specimens. The dissected parts are very important because authors describe bryophyte taxa based on observations of these parts, which are usually not preserved along with the type specimens. Our recommendation can be justified by the following points: 1. Due to their small size, bryophytes require microscopic examination to ascertain their identity. Hence, to study the type material, dissecting them becomes necessary, which means loss of type material. In many cases, type specimens usually remain scanty (e.g. for Drepanolejeunea pulla (Mitt.) Grolle only a single specimen placed between two mica sheets serves as the lectotype housed in BM, pers. obs.) and studying such a type specimen is nearly impossible for later researchers. Preserving the dissected parts of the type material on glass slides or any equivalent material used in mounting eliminates the need for further dissection and hence prevents loss of type material. Such a slide should be kept with and thus remain part of the type specimen. 2. The dissected bryophyte parts may belong to different plants from the holotype specimen, which covers the range of morphological variation observed by the author(s) while describing the taxon for the first time. Later study of such variation as observed by the author(s) becomes nearly impossible if they are not preserved on glass slides. 3. Dissected parts of bryophytes are often too small to be mounted on any herbarium sheet or placed in packets, and preserving them permanently on glass slides or an equivalent material used in mounting is convenient. In addition to the points discussed above, the importance of parts originally used in establishing the diagnosis is already recommended by the Code for fossil-taxa (Rec. 8A.3): “If the type specimen of a name of a fossil-taxon is cut into pieces (sections of fossil wood, pieces of coalball plants, etc.), all parts originally used in establishing the diagnosis should be clearly marked.” We therefore would like to propose a new Recommendation for preserving dissected parts of holotype specimens of names of bryophytes. “8A.n. For bryophytes (Marchantiophyta, Bryophyta, and Anthocerotophyta), dissected parts of the holotype specimen such as leaves, anatomical sections, and fertile parts including sex organs should be preserved permanently on labelled glass microscope slides and kept together with the holotype.” We thank the Principal, Banwarilal Bhalotia College and the Principal, Parimal Mitra Smriti Mahavidyalaya for encouragement. We also thank Dr. Subir Bandyopadhyay for advice.

Effect of Ar Gas Pressure on LSPR Property of Au Nanoparticles: Comparison of Experimental and Theoretical Studies.

In this study, the thin films were produced by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique from gold (Au) nanoparticles deposited on two kinds of substrates under different argon (Ar) gas pressure. Microscope glass slides and silicon (100) wafers were used as amorphous and crystal substrates. The films were deposited under 2 × 10−3 mbar, 1 × 10−2 mbar, 2 × 10−2 mbar argon (Ar) ambient gas pressure. Effect of the background gas pressure on the plasma plume of the ablated Au nanoparticles was investigated in details. Morphology of Au nanoparticle thin films was investigated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. Absorption spectra of Au nanoparticles were examined by using UV-Vis spectrometry. Extinction spectra of Au nanoparticles were calculated by using metallic nano particles boundary element method (MNPBEM) simulation programme. Both experimental spectra and simulation data for Au nanoparticles were obtained and compared in this work. It was concluded that they are also in good agreement with literature data. The measurements and the simulation results showed that localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peaks for Au nanoparticles were located in the near infrared region (NIR) because of the larger size of the disk-like shape of Au nanoparticles, and the near-field coupling between Au nanoparticles. It was demonstrated that as the ambient gas (Ar) pressure was increased, the size and the density of Au nanoparticles on the substrate were decreased and the LSPR peak shifts toward the short wavelength region in the spectrum. This shift has been explained by the changes in the morphology of produced thin films.

Identification and prevalence of intestinal parasites from slaughtered cows in Saki and Ago-Are Abattoirs

Taxonomy is the scientific practice of identifying different organisms, classifying them into categories (taxa) and naming them. A cross-sectional systematic random sampling of 101 cattle slaughtered in major Abattoirs of Saki and Ago –Are were undertaken for six months. The samples were collected and processed by using simple flotation technique. The fecal sample (5g) was collected into a sterile polythene bag and transported to the laboratory for microscopic examination. One gram of fecal sample were dissolved in 20% Sodium Chloride solution in a universal bottle and centrifuge at 1000rpm for 3 minutes. A wet preparation of the supernatant was put on a grease-free microscopic glass slide and observed under the microscope. The species of parasite were morphologically correlated with published works online by using Google search engine. The result was statistically analyzed using chi-square at significant difference of P≥ 0.05. The study showed that Oesophagomum (19.8%), Paramphistomum (5.94%), Bourgelatia (4.95%), Eimeria (2.97%), Trypanosoma spp (6.93%), Fasciola gigantica (9.90%), Fasciola hepatica (5.94%), Schistosoma spp (14.85%), Tetrahymena (6.93%) and Trichonympha (2.97%). In conclusion, male cow were more likely to be infected with gastrointestinal parasites than the female cows. Grazing fields should be kept free from contamination with fecal of cows.

Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma With Meningothelial-Like Whorls: Five Additional Cases and Review of the Literature.

Background. Diagnosis of dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDL) can sometimes be challenging due to a wide variety of histological features. "Meningothelial-like" whorl is an uncommon histological feature of DDL, which is also observed in neural tumors and follicular dendritic cell sarcoma. This feature is frequently associated with metaplastic bone formation. We conducted this study to describe the clinicopathological features of DDL with meningothelial-like whorls that would aid in establishing accurate diagnosis. Material and Methods. Microscopic glass slides of 5 cases of DDL with meningothelial-like whorls, diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2019, were reviewed. Results. Paratesticular region was the most common site. Whorls occupied 10% to 75% of tumor area and ranged in size from <0.1 cm to >2 cm. In 1 case, these whorls coalesced to form large areas of dedifferentiation. The cells forming whorls were spindle to epithelioid shaped and lacked significant nuclear pleomorphism and increased mitoses. Metaplastic bone formation was observed in 4 cases and cartilage formation in 3 cases. p16 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunohistochemical stains were positive in 2 cases, when performed. MDM2 gene amplification was observed in all cases by fluorescence in situ hybridization technique. These tumors showed aggressive behavior, similar to that of DDL without meningothelial-like whorls. Two patients died, 1 developed recurrence, 1 presented as recurrent tumor, and 1 developed metastasis. Conclusion. Meningothelial-like whorls in DDL most likely represent an early stage of dedifferentiation. Presence of well-differentiated liposarcoma areas, metaplastic bone formation, positive expressions for p16 and α-SMA immunohistochemical stains, and MDM2 gene amplification are useful diagnostic clues. These tumors have the potential to behave aggressively.

Comprehensive experimental study on production of vertically aligned ZnO nanorod thin films and their electrical, optical and antimicrobial properties

One-dimensional (1D) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomaterials (e.g. nanorods, nanowires) are the most important due to their electrical and optical properties. As the surface-to-volume ratio in ZnO nanorods (NRs) is very high, the surface states have a crucial role on optical and other properties. So, determination of the production parameters of the ZnO-NRs is important. In this study, a well-aligned ZnO-NRs thin film was produced via the sol–gel and hydrothermal methods. For this purpose, in the first step, a ZnO seed layer was coated onto a cleaned microscope glass slide (sizes of 1.25 × 3.75 cm) by the sol–gel spin coating method. In the second step, ZnO-NRs were grown on the ZnO seed layer by the hydrothermal method. Production parameters for the first step, such as type of the zinc salt; type of the solvent; solution concentration; type of the stabilizer; ageing time process of the solution; spin speed; duration of the spin process; number of repeated coating cycle; heating treatment temperature between coating cycles; duration between coating cycles; final heating treatment temperature and final heating treatment duration of the ZnO seed layer, were obtained. Then similar optimization processes were repeated for the second stage for the ZnO-NRs. The crystal structure, morphological and optical properties of all the produced samples were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy; scanning electron microscopy (SEM); and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. For comparison, ZnO-NR powders were produced via the mechanochemical solid-state combustion method. The electrical conductivity and optical transparency of the ZnO-NR thin film samples were higher than those of the ZnO-NR powder sample. It was also observed that the well-aligned ZnO-NR thin film sample had a higher bactericidal effect against Bacillus thuringiensis than the ZnO-NR powder sample.

Trophic-functional patterns of marine periphytic protozoan communities during colonization of artificial substrates immersed at different depths in Chinese coastal waters of the Yellow Sea

Trophic-functional patterns of periphytic protozoan communities are routinely used as a tool for marine bioassessment. In this study, a biofilm sampling approach was used to evaluate the effect of water depth on trophic-functional groupings of periphytic protozoa during the colonization process in Chinese coastal waters of the Yellow Sea. A total of 240 glass microscope slides were used to collect the protozoan assemblages at four water depths, i.e., 1, 2, 3.5 and 5 m, after immersion periods of 3, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28 d. Four trophic-functional groups (TFgrs) were recorded from a 92-species abundance dataset, namely algivores (TFgr A), non-selectives (TFgr N), bacterivores (TFgr B) and predators (TFgr R), comprising 39, 26, 17 and 10 species, respectively. The TFgrs differed with depth in the water column in both relative species number and relative abundances. TFgrs A and N generally dominated the samples and increased in abundance with increasing depth from 1 m to 3.5 m, whereas TFgrs B and R decreased in abundance with increasing depth. Distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) demonstrated that the colonization dynamics in trophic-functional patterns differed among the four depths. Multidimensional scaling ordinations (MDS) based on bootstrap average analyses revealed a clear shift in trophic-functional groupings from surface to deeper layers. This study shows that an optimal sampling strategy needs to be developed for marine bioassessment.

Growth of ZnO nanorods on different substrates using hydrothermal method

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods have been grown on different substrates, i.e. gold film-coated BK-7 glass (Au-film/BK7), microscope glass slide (MGS), silicon oxide film-coated silicon (SiO2-film/Si), to investigate the effects of different substrates on its material properties. The growth process was started by dipping substrates in zinc acetate solution to fabricate a seed layer, followed by growing the ZnO nanorods in zinc nitrate tetrahydrate solution based on hydrothermal method at 95 °C for 6 hour. In this process, seed layer and ZnO nanorods were annealed at 350 °C for 2 hours. The characterization results using X-ray diffraction and field effect scanning electron microscope showed that ZnO nanorods were successfully grown homogenously and mostly in vertical direction with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The diameter size of ZnO nanorods was significantly influenced by the type of material substrate. ZnO nanorods on Au-film/BK-7 glass have the smallest diameter size of (239±51) nm, while the average diameter size of ZnO nanorods on MGS is of (269±53) nm and ZnO nanorods on SiO2-film/Si have the largest diameter size of (354±80) nm. The effect of substrates on different size of ZnO nanorods may be regarded to the intrinsic thermal conductivity of substrate material. Hence, the synthesis and growth parameters for the different substrates differ from each other and need to be optimized in order to grow ZnO nanostructures

Low cost Raman sample substrates from conductive silver paint smear for Raman spectroscopic screening of metabolic diseases in whole blood

This work reports on a low cost, simple to prepare and chemically stable Raman substrates based on conductive silver paint smear. The substrates were characterized Raman spectroscopically and were found to be chemically stable within the first seven days when kept at room temperature as the spectroscopic profiles were unchanged. The substrates also suppressed the background signals emanating from glass centered around 750 cm−1 and 1370 cm−1 seen with 785 nm excitation and had negligible influence on Raman spectral profiles of rat’s blood samples applied onto them. The Raman spectral profiles of blood samples applied onto the substrates were found to be enhanced by a factor of 1.7 compared to those of thick blood smears on a clean microscope glass slide. The increased local field between the gaps formed by adjacent micron-sized silver solids in the paint smear were attributed to the observed intense signals observed from the blood samples applied onto them. The substrates were tried on Raman spectroscopic differentiation between blood from obese and normal; diabetic and normal Sprague Dawley rats. The prominent bands associated with fructose (638 and 812 cm−1), glucose (1127 cm−1) and branched chain amino acids (1033, 1217 and 1318 cm−1) were observed to vary in terms of intensity between the un-healthy (obese and diabetic) and healthy (normal) rats. The results reported here on the use of the easy to prepare, low cost Raman substrates have the potential of making surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy accessible to less resourced laboratories in developing countries. The substrates can be applied in rapid Raman spectroscopic screening of various metabolic diseases.

Synergistic Polymer-Surfactant-Complex Mediated Colloidal Interactions and Deposition.

Total internal reflection microscopy (TIRM) is used to directly, sensitively, and simultaneously measure colloidal interactions, dynamics, and deposition for a broad range of polymer-surfactant compositions. A deposition state diagram containing comprehensive information about particle interactions, trajectories, and deposition behavior is obtained for polymer-surfactant compositions covering four decades in both polymer and surfactant concentrations. Bulk polymer-surfactant phase behavior and surface properties are characterized to provide additional information to interpret mechanisms. Materials investigated include cationic acrylamide-acrylamidopropyltrimonium copolymer (AAC), sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) surfactant, silica colloids, and glass microscope slides. Measured colloid-substrate interaction potentials and deposition behavior show nonmonotonic trends vs polymer-surfactant composition and appear to be synergistic in the sense that they are not easily explained as the superposition of single-component-mediated interactions. Broad findings show that at some compositions polymer-surfactant complexes mediate bridging and depletion attractions that promote colloidal deposition, whereas other compositions produce electrosteric repulsion that deters colloidal deposition. These findings illustrate mechanisms underlying colloid-surface interactions in polymer-surfactant mixtures, which are important to controlling selective colloidal deposition in multicomponent formulation applications.