Vacuum Volume

New sensor sends electronic signal when estrogen is detected

Researchers from the Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand have developed a new sensor that can detect low levels of E2, one of the primary estrogen hormones, in liquids. The sensor sends an electronic signal is the presence of estrogen and, with further development, could test estrogen levels in bodily fluids or test waterways for estrogen contamination that might pose a risk to humans and the environment.

The sensor, which the researchers describe in a paper in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B, has a simple design, gives real-time readings, could be integrated into an electronic monitoring system and uses very little power - advantages it has over other types of detection methods.

The devices uses small snippets of DNA called aptamers to latch onto estrogen molecules.

“Aptamers are a potentially powerful tool for sensors because they are so versatile and selective,” said Natalie Plank, a researcher who studies nanomaterial device fabrication at the Victoria University of Wellington.

BEND, Ore., Nov. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – RBD Instruments, Inc., announced the release of its latest instrument for analyzing the top-most atomic layers of materials, the microCMA™. “We are very excited to bring this new product to the surface analysis market. It will be an invaluable tool for researchers and scientists at universities and research facilities world-wide,” says Randy Dellwo, President of RBD.

 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151117/288126

The microCMA is a compact cylindrical mirror analyzer (CMA) that measures the kinetic energies of electrons emitted from materials in a vacuum chamber. This type of analyzer is used in the Auger Electron Spectroscopy (or AES) surface analysis technique, which is named after the French physicist Pierre Auger who co-discovered the effect in the 1920s.

In use since the 1950s, AES has become a practical characterization technique in research areas such as surface chemistry and thin films. The first commercial Auger electron spectrometers were introduced in the early 1960s and since that time, they have improved in performance, increased in size, and today can cost well over 1 million USD. RBD’s microCMA provides high performance in a small form factor for a tiny fraction of what larger cylindrical mirror analyzers cost.

“Our microCMA is a real game changer in the world of thin film surface analysis,” Dellwo explained.  Many analytical vacuum chambers have a small open port where the microCMA could be added. Installing a microCMA onto such an existing vacuum chamber can be an ideal way to add the AES surface analysis technique, while eliminating the need for additional vacuum hardware.

By making the CMA smaller, the vacuum chamber and pumping requirements are also reduced, which all help make AES much more affordable to researchers. Smaller vacuum chambers and pumps reduce the overall cost of a vacuum system by a significant amount.

The small size of the microCMA also makes AES practical as an analytical technique for small vacuum chambers used in research areas such as Thermal Desorbed Spectroscopy and Atomic Layer Deposition.

For more information visit the RBD Instruments Inc. website at www.rbdinstruments.com or call Mindy Corley at 541-550-5016.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rbd-instruments-unveils-new-analyzer-for-auger-electron-spectroscopy-aes-technique-makes-aes-more-practical-and-affordable-for-researchers-and-scientists-300180723.html

NASA Glenn A engenheiro Karin Bozak realiza um check-out no isolamento de uma unidade de processamento de potência (PPU) antes de um teste de câmara de vácuo. Em um sistema de propulsão elétrica solar, o PPU processa energia eléctrica a partir de um painel solar para alimentar um efeito propulsor Hall. O teste de instalação de vácuo demonstra o desempenho da PPU em um ambiente de espaço-amigavel. #NASA, #NASAglenn, #journeytomars, #exploration #highpower, #sep, #vacuumchamber, #microgravity Crédito da imagem: NASA / Bridget Caswell

Researchers have developed artificial skin that can now feel heat

Prosthetic limbs have come a long way in the past 25 years. People who lose an arm or a leg can now be fitted with sophisticated prostheses that interface with the nervous system directly, which read the brain signals related to planning movements and translate them into commands for the device, enabling the user to control their replacement appendage by merely thinking about it.

Neurally-controlled prosthetic devices can vastly improve quality of life for amputees and paralysed patients, by helping them to move and regain at least some of their independence.

READ MORE ON THE GUARDIAN

Ref: A skin-inspired organic digital mechanoreceptor. Science (16 October 2015) | DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa9306

ABSTRACT