living the life!

these days i'm not on to that much of blogging and stuff! even not in on to social networking either. dont kno the reason! in terested in completely nothing except wantering around the world! this traveling thing surely makes me more clearly its making me create a new thought on going travelling. but that aint possible for m now. this is an awkward situation people, we know what our heart wants and feels but cant act on it. its the nature of being committed to something. its the sideeffects of our modern life, our society. we cant do what our heart really wants. i really need to figure something out for this.

Graphene Nanopores Can Be Controlled: Less Costly Ways of Sequencing DNA

Engineers at The University of Texas at Dallas have used advanced techniques to make the material graphene small enough to read DNA.

These are transmission electron microscope images of a nanopore in graphene. The original pore on the left grows considerably under the influence of the electron beam. The image on the right is the pore after four minutes at 800 °C. Pores either shrink or grow depending on the temperature and electron beam irradiation.

Shrinking the size of a graphene pore to less than one nanometer -- small enough to thread a DNA strand -- opens the possibility of using graphene as a low-cost tool to sequence DNA.
The first reading, or sequencing, of human DNA by the international scientific research group known as the Human Genome Project cost about $2.7 billion. Engineers have been researching alternative nanomaterials materials that can thread DNA strands to reduce the cost to less than $1,000 per person.
The first reading, or sequencing, of human DNA by the international scientific research group known as the Human Genome Project cost about $2.7 billion. Engineers have been researching alternative nanomaterials materials that can thread DNA strands to reduce the cost to less than $1,000 per person.
It was demonstrated in 2004 that graphite could be changed into a sheet of bonded carbon atoms called graphene, which is believed to be the strongest material ever measured. Because graphene is thin and strong, researchers have searched for ways to control its pore size. They have not had much success. A nanoscale sensor made of graphene could be integrated with existing silicon-based electronics that are very advanced and yet cheap, to reduce costs.
the  team manipulated the size of the nanopore by using an electron beam from an advanced electron microscope and in-situ heating up to 1200 degree Celsius temperature.

Now that researchers know the pore size can be controlled, the next step in their research will be to build a prototype device.

If we could sequence DNA cheaply, the possibilities for disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment would be limitless


The study was funded by the Southwest Academy of Nanoelectronics, Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the World Class University Program.

Nanoparticles Glow Through Thick Layer of Tissue

An international research team has created unique photoluminescent nanoparticles that shine clearly through more than 3 centimeters of biological tissue -- a depth that makes them a promising tool for deep-tissue optical bioimaging.

A transmission electron microscopy image of nanoparticles designed for deep-tissue imaging. Each particle consists of a core encased inside a square, calcium-fluoride shell.

Though optical imaging is a robust and inexpensive technique commonly used in biomedical applications, current technologies lack the ability to look deep into tissue, the researchers said.

This creates a demand for the development of new approaches that provide high-resolution, high-contrast optical bioimaging that doctors and scientists could use to identify tumors or other anomalies deep beneath the skin.

The newly created nanoparticles consist of a nanocrystalline core containing thulium, sodium, ytterbium and fluorine, all encased inside a square, calcium-fluoride shell.

The particles are special for several reasons. First, they absorb and emit near-infrared light, with the emitted light having a much shorter wavelength than the absorbed light. This is different from how molecules in biological tissues absorb and emit light, which means that scientists can use the particles to obtain deeper, higher-contrast imaging than traditional fluorescence-based techniques.

Second, the material for the nanoparticles' shell --calcium fluoride -- is a substance found in bone and tooth mineral. This makes the particles compatible with human biology, reducing the risk of adverse effects. The shell is also found to significantly increase the photoluminescence efficiency.

To emit light, the particles employ a process called near-infrared-to-near-infrared up-conversion, or "NIR-to-NIR." Through this process, the particles absorb pairs of photons and combine these into single, higher-energy photons that are then emitted.

One reason NIR-to-NIR is ideal for optical imaging is that the particles absorb and emit light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, which helps reduce background interference. This region of the spectrum is known as the "window of optical transparency" for biological tissue, since the biological tissue absorbs and scatters light the least in this range.

The scientists tested the particles in experiments that included imaging them injected in mice, and imaging a capsule full of the particles through a slice of pork more than 3 centimeters thick. In each case, the researchers were able to obtain vibrant, high-contrast images of the particles shining through tissue.

The results of the study appeared online on Aug. 28 in the ACS Nano journal. The international collaboration included researchers from the University at Buffalo and other institutions in the U.S., China, South Korea and Sweden. It was co-led by Paras N. Prasad, a SUNY Distinguished Professor and executive director of UB's Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics (ILPB), and Gang Han, an assistant professor at University of Massachusetts Medical School.

"We expect that the unprecedented properties in the core/shell nanocrystals we designed will bridge numerous disconnections between in vitro and in vivo studies, and eventually lead to new discoveries in the fields of biology and medicine," said Han, expressing his excitement about the research findings.

Study co-author Tymish Y. Ohulchanskyy, a deputy director of ILPB, believes the 3-centimeter optical imaging depth is unprecedented for nanoparticles that provide such high-contrast visualization.

"Medical imaging is an emerging area, and optical imaging is an important technique in this area," said Ohulchanskyy. "Developing this new nanoplatform is a real step forward for deeper tissue optical bioimaging."

The paper's first authors were Guanying Chen, research assistant professor at ILPB and scientist at China's Harbin Institute of Technology and Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology and Jie Shen of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Other institutions that contributed included Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Korea University at Seoul.

The next step in the research is to explore ways of targeting the nanoparticles to cancer cells and other biological targets that could be imaged. Chen, Shen and Ohulchanskyy said the hope is for the nanoparticles to become a platform for multimodal bioimaging.

Electronics That Vanish in the Environment or the Body

A biodegradable integrated circuit during dissolution in water. (Credit: Beckman Institute, University of Illinois and Tufts University)

Physicians and environmentalists alike could soon be using a new class of electronic devices: small, robust and high performance, yet also biocompatible and capable of dissolving completely in water -- or in bodily fluids.
Researchers at the University of Illinois, in collaboration with Tufts University and Northwestern University, have demonstrated a new type of biodegradable electronics technology that could introduce new design paradigms for medical implants, environmental monitors and consumer devices.
"We refer to this type of technology as transient electronics," said John A. Rogers, the Lee J. Flory-Founder Professor of Engineering at the U. of I., who led the multidisciplinary research team. "From the earliest days of the electronics industry, a key design goal has been to build devices that last forever -- with completely stable performance. But if you think about the opposite possibility -- devices that are engineered to physically disappear in a controlled and programmed manner -- then other, completely different kinds of application opportunities open up."
Three application areas appear particularly promising. First are medical implants that perform important diagnostic or therapeutic functions for a useful amount of time and then simply dissolve and resorb in the body. Second are environmental monitors, such as wireless sensors that are dispersed after a chemical spill, that degrade over time to eliminate any ecological impact. Third are consumer electronic systems or sub-components that are compostable, to reduce electronic waste streams generated by devices that are frequently upgraded, such as cellphones or other portable devices.
Transient electronic systems harness and extend various techniques that the Rogers' group has developed over the years for making tiny, yet high performance electronic systems out of ultrathin sheets of silicon. In transient applications, the sheets are so thin that they completely dissolve in a few days when immersed in biofluids. Together with soluble conductors and dielectrics, based on magnesium and magnesium oxide, these materials provide a complete palette for a wide range of electronic components, sensors, wireless transmission systems and more.
The team has built transient transistors, diodes, wireless power coils, temperature and strain sensors, photodetectors, solar cells, radio oscillators and antennas, and even simple digital cameras. All of the materials are biocompatible and, because they are extraordinarily thin, they can dissolve in even minute volumes of water.
The researchers encapsulate the devices in silk. The structure of the silk determines its rate of dissolution -- from minutes, to days, weeks or, potentially, years.
"The different applications that we are considering require different operating time frames," Rogers said. "A medical implant that is designed to deal with potential infections from surgical site incisions is only needed for a couple of weeks. But for a consumer electronic device, you'd want it to stick around at least for a year or two. The ability to use materials science to engineer those time frames becomes a critical aspect in design."
Since the group uses silicon, the industry standard material for integrated circuits, they can make highly sophisticated devices in ways that exploit well-established designs by introducing just a few additional tricks in layout, manufacturing and supporting materials. As reported in the Sept. 28 issue of the journal Science, the researchers have already demonstrated several system-level devices, including a fully transient 64-pixel digital camera and an implantable applique designed to monitor and prevent bacterial infection at surgical incisions, successfully demonstrated in rats.
Next, the researchers are further refining these and other devices for specific applications, conducting more animal tests, and working with a semiconductor foundry to explore high-volume manufacturing possibilities.
"It's a new concept, so there are lots of opportunities, many of which we probably have not even identified yet" Rogers said. "We're very excited. These findings open up entirely new areas of application, and associated directions for research in electronics."
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency supported this work. The Tufts University team was led by Fiorenzo Omenetto; the Northwestern University team was led by Youggang Huang. Rogers is affiliated with the departments of materials science and engineering, of chemistry, of mechanical science and engineering, of bioengineering and of electrical and computer engineering, and with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at the U. of I.

How to make a BUCKYBALL MODEL! from household materials

TO MAKE A MODEL OF BUCKY BALL:

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

player, flexible wires,geometry tools, scissors, straws 

Now what we are going to make is a bucky ball or sphirical fullerence. Before making its model its good to have a knowledge about the structure of the buckyball. It is composed both six carbon ring and 5 carbon ring. so its tricky to make one.  For seeing its simple to make but the thing is a blaster!

So we can start on by making it.
First is first lests do the prilim things. cut the straws with a suitable length, remember every segment u cut should be of same length.
now insert wires inside the straw segments and make the shape.

As saying making the shape is not that simple because we have a combination structure here.
So what we do now is, make a pentagon ring ie, 5 carbon ring. then let it surround by six carbon rings. its mare simpler that way. Before making buckyball let me one thing its a twister the model making might get on in your nerves but never give up you can make it. i did it. :)   best of luck!

AND DONT FORGET: after you finish have a toast! it surely make you feel good! :)

and that was my toast! :)

my project!

bucky ball's model

I cant say anything about good in this now. but it ain't finished. should have to concentrate more time on project!

Researchers Demonstrate 'Giant' Forces in Super-Strong Nanomaterials

 In a study that could lead to advances in the emerging fields of optical computing and nanomaterials, researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology report that a new class of nanoscale slot waveguides pack 100 to 1,000 times more transverse optical force than conventional silicon slot waveguide

The findings could lead to advances in developing optical computers, sensors or lasers
The researchers created computer simulations of nanometer-scale models of metamaterial slot waveguides, which are structures designed to channel beams of light from one area to another. Waveguides function like tiny filaments or the wires of an integrated circuit, but on a much smaller scale.
For their study, the Missouri S&T researchers simulated slot waveguides made of layered structures of a metal (in this case, silver) and a dielectric material (germanium), arranged like the alternating bread and meat in a club sandwich. A nanometer -- visible only with the aid of a high-power electron microscope -- is one billionth of a meter, and some nanomaterials are only a few atoms in size.

research article, published in the Sept. 24 issue of Optics Express,