#Super-resolution microscopes reveal the link between genome packaging and cell pluripotency: A study using super-resolution microscopy reveals that our genome is packaged not regularly
and links these packaging differences to stem cell state Super-resolution microscopes reveal the link between genome packaging and cell pluripotency:
A study using super-resolution microscopy reveals that our genome is packaged not regularly and links these packaging differences to stem cell state Abstract:
In 1953 Watson and Crick first published the discovery of the double helix structure of the DNA.
They were able to visualize the DNA structure by means of X-ray diffraction. Techniques, such as electron microscopy, allowed scientists to identify nucleosomes, the first and most basic level of chromosome organisation.
Until now it was known that our DNA is packaged by regular repeating units of those nucleosomes throughout the genome giving rise to chromatin.
However, due to the lack of suitable techniques and instruments, the chromatin organisation inside a cell nucleus could not be observed in a noninvasive way with the sufficient resolution.
Now for the first time, a group of scientists at the CRG and ICFO in Barcelona, have been able to visualise and even count the smallest units
which, packaged together, form our genome. This study was possible thanks to the use of super-resolution microscopy,
a new cutting-edge optical technique that received the Nobel prize in Chemistry in 2014. In combination with innovative quantitative approaches and numerical simulations, they were also able to define the genome architecture at the nanoscale.
Most importantly, they found that the nucleosomes are assembled in irregular groups across the chromatin and nucleosome-free-DNA regions separate these groups.
A study using Super-resolution microscopy reveals that our genome is packaged not regularly and links these packaging differences to stem cell state.
A multidisciplinary approach allowed scientists to view and even count, for the first time, the smallest units for packaging our genome.
A joint patent has been filed by ICFO and CRG, who are now exploring business opportunities for marketing the classification and determination of the degree of pluripotency of stem cells before their use in cell therapy or research in biomedicine.
The work, published in Cell, is a successful example of the importance on having multidisciplinary projects and collaborations.
This study has brought together biologists and physicists from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO
both in Barcelona, Spain. CREDIT: ICFO/CRG Super-resolution microscopes reveal the link between genome packaging and cell pluripotency:
A study using super-resolution microscopy reveals that our genome is packaged not regularly and links these packaging differences to stem cell state Barcelona,
Spain Posted on March 12th, 2015 Biologists and physicists have been working together to take a step forward in chromatin fibre observations and studies."
"By using the STORM technique, a new super-resolution microscopy method, we have been able to view
and even count nucleosomes across the chromatin fibers and determine their organisation. STORM overcomes the diffraction limit that normally restricts the spatial resolution of conventional microscopes
and enables us to precisely define the chromatin fibre structure",states Prof. Melike Lakadamyali, group leader at ICFO.
This enabling technique allowed the researchers to go deeper and, by comparing stem cells to differentiated cells (specialised cells that have acquired already their role),
they observed key differences in the chromatin fibre architectures of both cells. Pia Cosma group leader and ICREA research professor at the CRG explains,
"We found that stem cells have a different chromatin structure than somatic (specialised) cells. At the same time, this difference correlates with the level of pluripotency.
The more pluripotent a cell is, the less dense is its packaging. It gives us new clues to understand the stem cells functioning and their genomic structure,
which will be helpful for example, in studying cell reprogramming"."What scientists have found is that DNA is packaged not regularly with nucleosomes,
Even though all the cells in our body have the same genetic information, they are not expressing all the genes at the same time.
or less accessible to the molecule that reads the genome: the RNA polymerase. Depending on the specialisation of the cells,
This new work published in the prestigious journal Cell, establishes a new understanding of how the chromatin fibre is assembled
thus having the capacity of becoming a standard method of quality control of stem or pluripotent cells before their use in cell therapy or research in biomedicine e
#Researchers snap-shot fastest observations of superconductivity yet Abstract: An international team of researchers has used infinitely short light pulses to observe ultrafast changes in the electron-level properties of superconductors, setting a new standard for temporal resolution in the field.
The scientists--from the Universit Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, the University of British columbia (UBC) and other institutions--liken the new technique to the development of high-speed film capture in the early days of photography."
"The solution we devised is based on the use of ultrafast light pulses, lasting 10 femtoseconds or 10 million billionths of a second,"says Claudio Giannetti of the Universit Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy,
and an international visiting research scholar at the UBC Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, who coordinated the research.
and first-principles theory,"says professor Andrea Damascelli, director of UBC's Quantum Matter Institute (QMI) and senior fellow with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Quantum Materials Program.
"These international collaborations are vital to achieving this calibre of work, and the possibility of combining cutting-edge photoelectron spectroscopies with state-of-the-art ultrafast techniques will be an exciting new avenue in UBC's research portfolio as our capacities grow."#
Damascelli and Giannetti have been awarded a Peter Wall Institute International Scholarship aimed at reinforcing their collaboration
and are catalysts for change in business, government and society. CIFAR is supported generously by the governments of Canada, British columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, Canadian and international partners,
like superconductivity, could revolutionize technology.#####For more information, please click herecontacts: Chris Balmawriteemail('science. ubc. ca','balma';
'604-822-5082copyright#University of British Columbiaissuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Snapshots of the retarded interaction of charge carriers with ultrafast fluctuations in cuprates News and information High performance, lightweight supercapacitor electrodes of the future March 10th, 2015advantest to Exhibit at SEMICON China
Showcasing Broad Portfolio of Semiconductor Products, Technologies and Solutions March 10th, 2015are current water treatment methods sufficient to remove harmful engineered nanoparticle?
March 10th, 2015more study needed to clarify impact of cellulose nanocrystals on health: Few studies explore toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals March 10th, 2015superconductivity Electrons in slow motion:
Here's how to see the'fastest slow process'--to understand superconductors March 9th, 2015strength in numbers:
Researchers develop the first-ever quantum device that detects and corrects its own errors March 4th,
2015ciqus researchers obtain high-quality perovskites over large areas by a chemical method March 4th, 2015warming up the world of superconductors:
Clusters of aluminum metal atoms become superconductive at surprisingly high temperatures February 25th, 2015discoveries Researchers synthesize new thin-film material for use in fuel cells:
Article in the journal APL Materials shows how to grow Bi2pt2o7 pyrochlore, potentially a more effective cathode for future fuel cells March 10th,
2015the chameleon reorganizes its nanocrystals to change colors March 10th, 2015are current water treatment methods sufficient to remove harmful engineered nanoparticle?
March 10th, 2015seeing tiny twins: Strength in shrinking: Understanding why a material's behavior changes as it gets smaller March 10th, 2015announcements High performance, lightweight supercapacitor electrodes of the future March 10th, 2015advantest to Exhibit at SEMICON China in Shanghai, China, March 17-19:
Showcasing Broad Portfolio of Semiconductor Products, Technologies and Solutions March 10th, 2015are current water treatment methods sufficient to remove harmful engineered nanoparticle?
March 10th, 2015more study needed to clarify impact of cellulose nanocrystals on health: Few studies explore toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals March 10th,
2015interviews/Book reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers Researchers synthesize new thin-film material for use in fuel cells:
Article in the journal APL Materials shows how to grow Bi2pt2o7 pyrochlore, potentially a more effective cathode for future fuel cells March 10th,
2015the chameleon reorganizes its nanocrystals to change colors March 10th, 2015high performance, lightweight supercapacitor electrodes of the future March 10th,
2015are current water treatment methods sufficient to remove harmful engineered nanoparticle? March 10th, 2015photonics/Optics/Lasers Innovative light therapy reaches deep tumors March 9th,
2015quantum sensor's advantages survive entanglement breakdown: Preserving the fragile quantum property known as entanglement isn't necessary to reap benefits March 9th,
2015the Universitat Politcnica de Valncia is coordinating a European project to develop a device for the quick and early diagnosis of cancer March 7th,
2015black phosphorus is new'wonder material'for improving optical communication March 3rd, 2015research partnerships Seeing tiny twins:
Strength in shrinking: Understanding why a material's behavior changes as it gets smaller March 10th,
2015french Institutes IRT Nanoelec and CMP Team up to Offer Worlds First Service for Post-process 3d Technologies on Multi-Project-Wafer March 5th,
2015new research could lead to more efficient electrical energy storage March 4th, 2015the taming of magnetic vortices:
Unified theory for skyrmion-materials March 3rd, 201 2
#Researchers synthesize new thin-film material for use in fuel cells: Article in the journal APL Materials shows how to grow Bi2pt2o7 pyrochlore, potentially a more effective cathode for future fuel cells Abstract:
Researchers from Cornell University have synthesized a new thin-film catalyst for use in fuel cells. In a paper published March 10 in the journal APL Materials, from AIP Publishing, the team reports the first-ever epitaxial thin-film growth of Bi2pt2o7 pyrochlore,
which could act as a more effective cathode--a fundamental electrode component of fuel cells from which positive current flows through an external circuit delivering electric power."
"Up to now, research on oxygen catalysts in thin film form for clean energy applications has been focused on the perovskite-structured oxides
and their structural derivatives,"said lead researcher Araceli Gutierrez-Llorente.""The much less studied cubic pyrochlore structure is an appealing alternative to perovskites for such applications as fuel cell cathodes."
"The pyrochlore in question--Bi2pt2o7--has previously been synthesized successfully as a nanocrystalline powder. Epitaxial thin films can actually act as more efficient fuel cell catalysts than nanocrystalline powder,
but growing Bi2pt2o7 directly as a film requires oxidizing the platinum metal--a challenging step.
The team used pulsed laser deposition to co-deposit epitaxial? -Bi2o3 and disordered platinum. Annealing the film in air forced the platinum to oxidize
and encouraged the formation of epitaxial Bi2pt2o7 crystals about 100 nanometers in length.""Our results provide the only currently-known method to form epitaxial Bi2pt2o7,
thought to be one of the most promising oxide catalysts for fuel cell applications, "said Gutierrez-Llorente.
The cathode of a solid oxide fuel cell electrochemically reduces oxygen. Bi2pto7's oxygen-deficient structure makes it an ideal catalyst for the process.
Synthesizing the material as a thin film instead of as a bulk powder opens up new possibilities for fuel cell technology."
"A huge range of surprising properties that cannot be attained in the bulk form can be generated at the interface between complex oxides in thin film form,
"said Gutierrez-Llorente.#####About American Institute of Physicsapl Materials is a new open access journal featuring original research on significant topical issues within the field of functional materials science.
For more information, please click herecontacts: Jason Socrates Bardiwriteemail('aip. org','jbardi';'240-535-4954copyright#American Institute of Physicsissuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark: The article,"Epitaxial crystals of Bi2pt2o7 pyrochlore through the transformation of? -Bi2o3 fluorite,"is authored by Araceli Gutierrez-Llorente, Howie Joress, Arthur Woll, Megan E. Holtz, Matthew J. Ward, Matthew C. Sullivan, David A. Muller
and Joel D. Brock. It will be published in APL Materials on March 10, 2015 (DOI: 10.1063/1. 4908103.
After that date, it can be accessed at: News and information High performance, lightweight supercapacitor electrodes of the future March 10th, 2015advantest to Exhibit at SEMICON China in Shanghai, China, March 17-19:
Showcasing Broad Portfolio of Semiconductor Products, Technologies and Solutions March 10th, 2015are current water treatment methods sufficient to remove harmful engineered nanoparticle?
March 10th, 2015more study needed to clarify impact of cellulose nanocrystals on health: Few studies explore toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals March 10th, 2015thin films Graphene meets heat waves March 9th,
2015ciqus researchers obtain high-quality perovskites over large areas by a chemical method March 4th, 2015researchers enable solar cells to use more sunlight February 25th,
2015detecting defects at the nanoscale will profit solar panel production: Researcher Mohamed Elrawemi develops new technologies for defects in thin films, vital in products as printed electronics and solar panels February 24th,
2015discoveries Researchers snap-shot fastest observations of superconductivity yet March 10th, 2015the chameleon reorganizes its nanocrystals to change colors March 10th,
2015are current water treatment methods sufficient to remove harmful engineered nanoparticle? March 10th, 2015seeing tiny twins: Strength in shrinking:
Understanding why a material's behavior changes as it gets smaller March 10th, 2015announcements High performance, lightweight supercapacitor electrodes of the future March 10th, 2015advantest to Exhibit at SEMICON China in Shanghai, China, March 17-19:
Showcasing Broad Portfolio of Semiconductor Products, Technologies and Solutions March 10th, 2015are current water treatment methods sufficient to remove harmful engineered nanoparticle?
March 10th, 2015more study needed to clarify impact of cellulose nanocrystals on health: Few studies explore toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals March 10th,
2015interviews/Book reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers Researchers snap-shot fastest observations of superconductivity yet March 10th,
2015the chameleon reorganizes its nanocrystals to change colors March 10th, 2015high performance, lightweight supercapacitor electrodes of the future March 10th,
2015are current water treatment methods sufficient to remove harmful engineered nanoparticle? March 10th, 2015energy ORNL microscopy directly images problematic lithium dendrites in batteries March 7th, 2015iranian Scientists Apply Nanotechnology to Produce Electrical insulator March 7th,
2015ciqus researchers obtain high-quality perovskites over large areas by a chemical method March 4th, 2015uc research partnership explores how to best harness solar power March 2nd,
2015automotive/Transportation Glass coating improves battery performance: To improve lithium-sulfur batteries, researchers added glass cage-like coating and graphene oxide March 2nd,
2015researchers turn unzipped nanotubes into possible alternative for platinum: Aerogel catalyst shows promise for fuel cells March 2nd, 2015scientific breakthrough in rechargeable batteries:
Researchers from Singapore and Qubec Team up to Develop Next-Generation Materials to Power Electronic devices and Electric vehicles February 28th,
2015in quest for better lithium-air batteries, chemists boost carbon's stability: Nanoparticle coatings improve stability, cyclability of'3dom'carbon February 25th, 201 2
#High performance, lightweight supercapacitor electrodes of the future Abstract: Researchers have developed a novel electrode to make low-cost, lightweight supercapacitors with superior performance,
a development that could mean faster charging time and longer battery life in electric vehicles and portable electronics.
As a novel energy storage device, supercapacitors have attracted substantial attention in recent years due to their ultra-high charge
and discharge rate, excellent stability, long cycle life and very high power density. Imagine charging your cell phone in just a few seconds or fueling up an electric car in but a few minutes,
which are both part of the promising future that supercapacitors could offer. Offsetting this promise is the fact that
while supercapacitors have the potential to charge faster and last longer than conventional batteries, they also need to be much larger in size
and mass in order to hold the same electric energy as batteries. Thus, many scientists are working to develop green, lightweight, low-cost supercapacitors with high performance.
Now two researchers from the S n. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, India, have developed a novel supercapacitor electrode based on a hybrid nanostructure made from a hybrid nickel oxide-iron oxide
exterior shell and a conductive iron-nickel core. In a paper published this week in the Journal of Applied Physics
from AIP Publishing, the researchers report the fabrication technique of the hybrid nanostructure electrode. They also demonstrate its superior performance compared to existing, non-hybrid supercapacitor electrodes.
Since nickel oxide and iron oxide are environmental friendly and cheap materials that are widely available in nature,
the novel electrode promises green and low-cost supercapacitors in future.""This hybrid electrode shows the superior electrochemical performance in terms of high capacitance the ability to store electrical charge of nearly 1415 farad per gram, high current density of 2. 5 ampere per gram,
low resistance and high power density,"said Ashutosh K. Singh, the primary researcher at the Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Sciences at the S n. Bose National Centre
for Basic Sciences.""It also has a long-term cycling stability, in other words, the electrode could retain nearly 95 percent of initial capacitance after cycling
or charging and discharging 3, 000 times.""The Promise of Supercapacitors Supercapacitors are used electronic devices to store an extremely large amount of electrical charges.
They are also known as electrochemical capacitors, and they promise high power density, high rate capability, superb cycle stability and high energy density.
In energy storage devices, storing an electrical charge is called"energy density,"a distinction from"power density, "which refers to how quickly energy is delivered.
Conventional capacitors have high power density but low energy density, which means they can quickly charge
and discharge and release a burst of electric power in a short time, but they can't hold a large amount of electric charges.
Conventional batteries on the other hand, are the opposite. They have high energy density or can store a lot of electric energy, but can take hours to charge and discharge.
Supercapacitors are a bridge between conventional capacitors and batteries, combining the advantageous properties of high power, high energy density and low internal resistance,
which may replace batteries as a fast, reliable and potentially safer power source for electric and portable electronic devices in future, said Singh.
In supercapacitors, high capacitance, or the ability to store an electrical charge, is critical to achieve higher energy density.
Meanwhile, to achieve a higher power density it is critical to have a large electrochemically accessible surface area, high electrical conductivity and short ion diffusion pathways.
Nanostructured active materials provide a means to these ends. How Scientists Built the New Electrode Inspired by previous research on improving conductivity via doping different metal oxide materials, Singh and Kalyan Mandal, another researcher and a professor at the S n. Bose
National Centre for Basic Sciences, mixed nickel oxide and iron oxide as a hybrid material and fabricated the novel core/shell nanostructure electrode."
"By changing the materials and morphologies of the electrode, one can manipulate the performance and quality of the supercapacitors,
"Singh said. In Singh's experiment, the core/shell hybrid nanostructure was fabricated through a two-step method.
Using a standard electro-deposition technique, the researchers grew arrays of iron-nickel nanowires inside the pores of anodized alumina oxide templates,
then dissolved the templates to obtain the bare hybrid nanowires. After that, the researchers exposed the nanowires in an oxygen environment at high temperature (450 degrees Celsius) for a short time,
eventually developing a highly porous iron oxide-nickel oxide hybrid shell around the iron-nickel core."
"The advantage of this core/shell hybrid nanostructure is that the highly porous shell nanolayer provides a very large surface area for redox reactions
and reduces the distance for ion diffusion process, "said Singh. He explained that supercapacitors store charges through a chemical process known as a redox reaction,
which involves a material giving up electrons and transporting ions through another material at the interface between electrode and electrolyte.
Larger redox reaction surfaces are essential for achieving a higher power density for supercapacitors.""Moreover, the conductive Fe-Ni core provides a highway to accelerate the transport of electrons to the current collector,
which would improve the conductivity and electrochemical properties of the electrode, realizing high-performance supercapacitors,"Singh noted.
How the New Electrode Performed Using techniques called cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge methods,
Singh and Mandal studied the electrochemical properties of the hybrid material electrode. Comparing with the counterpart,
non-hybrid electrodes like nickel/nickel oxide and iron/iron oxide core/shell nanostructure electrodes, the hybrid material electrode demonstrated higher capacitance,
higher energy density and higher charging/discharging time.""For example, the current density of the hybrid electrode is three and 24 times higher than that of nickel/nickel oxide and iron/iron oxide electrodes, respectively,
"Singh said.""The comparative results show remarkable enrichment in the electrochemical activities of nickel/nickel oxide
and iron/iron oxide electrodes after combining them together, which suggests the hybrid electrode's better supercapacitive properties."
"One feature of Singh's fabrication technique is that it doesn't require extra binder materials.
According to Singh, binding materials are used commonly in the fabrication of carbon or graphene based supercapacitors for attaching redox active material on the current collector.
Without the mass of binding materials, the hybrid electrode is a good candidate to make lightweight supercapacitors."
"The remarkable electrochemical performances and material properties suggest that the iron oxide-nickel oxide hybrid core/shell nanostructure could be a reliable and promising candidate for fabricating the next generation lightweight, low-cost
and green supercapacitor electrodes for real life application, "Singh said. The researchers'next plan is to develop a whole supercapacitor device based on the hybrid electrode and test its functional performance,
a step closer to manufacturing production n
#Nanotechnology Helps Increasing Rate of Digital data Processing, Storage Iranian researchers proposed a new method based on nanotechnology to increase the rate of digital data processing and storage.
Small but quick memory cells can be designed by using the results of the research for the production of computers, mobile phones and smart TVS.
Quantum Cellular Automata (QCA) is one of the emerging technologies at nanometric scale for the production of future digital circuits.
This technology has attracted the attention of many researchers in recent years due to the three characteristics of high density, high speed and low power consumption.
The executor of the plan Shahin Angizi, explained that memory element is one of the important circuits in all nanoelectronic devices,
and added,"There are some challenges in the implementation of this element for data storage in quantum cellular automata.
In this research, unique properties of quantum cellular automata technology have been used to increase the rate of data storage
and data recovery processes in digital systems. In the end, a novel structure has been designed for a single-bit memory cell."
"The main result of the research is the presentation of the fastest yet smallest memory cell in nanoelectronic devices.
The majority of digital systems, including computers, mobile phones and smart TVS use memory cells for data storage and data recovery.
In addition, a high-efficient design has been made on a five-input-majority gate in a way that all QCA circuits can use it.
The proposed memory cell has been designed at a dimension of 0. 08 micrometers by using 88 quantum cells,
and its correct performance has been proved. Moreover, significant improvement was attained in the rate of data processing in comparison with the previous studies.
Results of the research have been published in Microelectronics Journal vol. 46, issue 1, 2015, pp. 43-51 1
#A new tool for detecting and destroying norovirus Hansman's research team recently discovered that a"nanobody"called Nano-85 was able to bind to intact norovirus-like particles (VLPS) in culture.
Nanobodies are very similar to antibodies, which recognize and bind to antigens.""However, nanobodies are much smaller, more stable, easier to produce,
and cost-effective than traditional monoclonal antibodies, "says Hansman. Interestingly, Nano-85 was able to recognize the VLPS from a variety of different norovirus strains.
The researchers then tested the nanobody on stool samples from patients infected with the virus. In this context,
Nano-85 was able to detect virus in one-third of the samples already known to be positive for noroviral RNA."
"Because noroviruses are changing all the time, there is a need for more powerful tools to detect emerging noroviruses.
We still need to optimize detection using Nano-85, but we hope that it could potentially be used as a diagnostic tool further on down the road,
"explains Hansman. In solution, Nano-85 was also able to bind to a specific portion of the VLP known as the protruding (P) domain.
As with the VLPS, Nano-85 recognized the P domains from a variety of strains.
Hansman describes the P domain as a structure that"essentially sticks out like a spike from the virus. Therefore
it has some degree of flexibility-like grass on a hill on a windy day.
This ability to change shape likely allows the virus to evade recognition by the immune system -but could also make it more vulnerable to attack."
"Using a technique called X-ray crystallography, the researchers were able to determine the shape and molecular components of the Nano-85/P domain complex,
as well as specific sites where Nano-85 and the P domain formed bonds. According to Hansman,"this is,
as far as we know, the first instance in which the molecular structure of a nanobody-P domain complex has been determined for norovirus."
"Interestingly, the investigators found that the site where Nano-85 bound to the P domain was hidden actually under the viral particle's surface."
"From the virus's point of view, this could be a strategy to keep potentially vulnerable sites protected from attack,
"explains Hansman. However, when they tried to create high-magnification images of the interaction using electron microscopy,
they were surprised that they could not find any intact VLPS. This led them to believe that Nano-85 itself was actually causing the VLPS to break apart.
In describing the significance of these findings, Hansman says:""If Nano-85 is indeed causing intact VLPS to disassemble,
this could be a very promising lead in developing norovirus antiviral therapy. This could be especially beneficial to immunosuppressed individuals such as cancer patients.
Administering a vaccine to protect against infection would overwhelm the patient's immune system. However, if he or she has the option of receiving an antiviral to eliminate the infection,
the norovirus becomes much less dangerous
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