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Blog – Page 4278

Researchers in the field of optical spectrometry have created a better instrument for measuring light. This advancement could improve everything from smartphone cameras to environmental monitoring.

The research, led by Finland’s Aalto University, developed a powerful, incredibly small spectrometer that fits on a microchip and is run by artificial intelligence. Their research was recently published in the journal Science.

The study used a relatively new class of super-thin materials known as two-dimensional semiconductors, and the result is a proof of concept for a spectrometer that could be easily integrated into a number of technologies such as quality inspection platforms, security sensors, biomedical analyzers, and space telescopes.

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The first scientific results from the new Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University have been unveiled by physicists in the US. Heather Crawford at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and colleagues have synthesized new neutron-rich isotopes of three different elements. Each nuclei is near the neutron drip line and the team has measured the isotopes’ lifetimes for the first time. The research provides a taste of how physicists will use FRIB to study exotic nuclei.

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Costing $730m, FRIB opened earlier this year with the aim of expanding our knowledge of nuclear physics by creating thousands of new isotopes for scientists to study. FRIB comprises a superconducting linear accelerator that can create high-intensity beams of just about every stable isotope. These nuclei are fired at targets, creating unstable isotopes that are collected to form beams – allowing the isotopes to be studied.

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Join the audience for a Women in Medical Physics live webinar at 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. EST on 14 December 2022 exploring how to begin a new MR-Linac program for MRIdian in your radiation oncology department.

MRIdian is the world’s first radiation therapy system to integrate a diagnostic-quality MRI with an advanced linear accelerator and the only system with MR-guided, real-time, 3D, multiplanar soft-tissue tracking and automated beam control. MRIdian offers precise and personalized care through on-table adaptive treatments without the need for fiducials. The technological foundations of MRIdian allows for the delivery of ablative dose with tighter margins in five or fewer fractions, all while maintaining low to no toxicity. With tens of thousands of patients treated, and an ever-growing body of clinical evidence, MRIdian is leading the MRI-guided revolution in radiation therapy.

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X-ray diffraction measurements under laser-driven dynamic compression allow researchers to investigate the atomic structure of matter at hundreds of thousands of atmospheres of pressure and temperatures of thousands of degrees, with broad implications for condensed matter physics, planetary science and astronomy.

Pressure determination in these experiments often relies on velocimetry measurements coupled with modeling that requires accurate knowledge of the optical and thermomechanical properties of a window material, resulting in significant systematic uncertainty.

In new research published in Physical Review B, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists report on a series of X-ray diffraction experiments on five metals dynamically compressed to 600 GPa (6,000,000 atmospheres of pressure). In addition to collecting atomic structure information for multiple compressed samples, the team demonstrated a different approach for pressure determination applicable to X-ray diffraction experiments under quasi-isentropic ramp compression.

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Growing miniature organ-like tissues in the lab is already within our reach. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a new approach that enables intestinal mini-organs to be grown more easily and efficiently in the lab. This holds immense promise for regenerative medicine.

In a study published in November in Cell Reports Methods, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) reveal that applying a few specialized lab techniques yields intestine-like tissues of predictable size and composition.

Organoids are organ-like balls of cells that are grown in the lab from spheroids (even smaller balls) of and mimic the properties of the organ from which the “seed” cell was taken. Organoids are used for studying organ function in a lab setting and are also promising tools in the field of regenerative medicine.

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