The invention provides a method of preparing a biological tissue sample and a method of observing a biological tissue section sample that enable stereoscopic observation of a biological tissue easily and rapidly without destroying a biological tissue piece. The method of observing a biological tissue sample according to the invention is a method in which stereoscopic morphology of a biological tissue sample is observed, and the method includes: cutting out a sample having a thickness of 15 to 50 μm from a sample block obtained by fixing, dehydrating, and paraffin-embedding a sample cut out from a biological tissue; transferring the sample to a surface-treated slide glass; stretching the sample on the slide glass; performing deparaffinization processing; then, staining the sample with a heavy metal-based staining agent; and observing the stained sample with a scanning electron microscope.

Scintillant-doped polystyrene core nanoparticles surrounded by a silica shell can be used to quantify low-energy radionuclides. The nanoparticles are recoverable and re-useable, which may reduce waste and allow for sample recovery. Unlike traditional liquid scintillation cocktail (LSC) formulations, the nanoparticles are made from non-toxic and non-volatile components, and can be used without the aid of surfactants, making them a possible alternative to LSC for reducing the environmental impact of studies that employ radioactive tracers. Recognition elements attached to the functionalized silica surfaces of the nanoparticles allow for separation-free scintillation proximity assay (SPA) applications in aqueous samples. Lipid membrane coatings deposited on the nanoparticle surface can significantly reduce the non-specific adsorption of proteins and other biomolecules, and allow for the incorporation of membrane proteins or other membrane associated binding molecules.

The present invention relates to method of identifying a selective BRISC inhibitor. The present invention also relates to a stable BRISC dimer. The present invention further relates to use of the stable BRISC dimer to generate cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM), crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance and/or X-ray crystallography structures for structure guided drug design.

Methods and systems for performing electron microscopy are provided. Microscopy images candidate sub-regions at different magnification levels are captured and provided to a trained sub-region quality assessment application trained to output a quality score for each candidate sub-region. From the quality scores, group-level features for the larger magnification images are determined using a group-level feature extraction application. The quality scores for the candidate sub-regions and the group-level extraction features are provided to a trained Q-learning network that identifies a next sub-region amongst the candidate sub-regions for capturing a micrograph image, where reinforcement learning may be used with the Q-learning network for such identification, for example using a decisional cost.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus, comprising: an X-ray source; an X-ray detector; wherein the X-ray source is configured to direct an X-ray beam toward a surface at a glancing angle at which the X-ray beam undergoes total external reflection by the surface; wherein a first biological analyte is immobilized to the surface and a first element is attached to the first biological analyte; wherein the X-ray beam is capable of causing emission of characteristic X-rays of the first element; wherein the X-ray detector is configured to receive the characteristic X-rays of the first element but not the X-ray beam reflected by the surface.

A diagnostic support for a skin includes a radio-transparent structure that defines a folding surface of the skin and on which the skin may be stretched and consequently folded, thereby defining folded, mutually superimposed portions spaced apart from each other. The support may be used for radiographic inspection of a folded animal skin.

A water stress detection method for tomatoes in a seedling stage based on micro-CT and polarization-hyperspectral imaging multi-feature fusion, comprising: using micro-CT to scan microscopic morphological features such as water stress stomata, spongy body, palisade tissue, cilia, vascular bundle, root volume, main root, and root hair density of tomatoes; using a polarization-hyperspectral imaging system to obtain macroscopic morphological features such as crown width, plant height, and leaf inclination of water stress plants, as well as leaf vein distribution, average gray, and leaf margin shaded area under a water-sensitive wavelength of 1450 nm, and macroscopic morphological features such as polarization states, stock vectors, and Mueller matrix variables of 1450 nm feature images at 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180° feature polarization angles. By fusion of internal and external structures, above-ground, underground, and macroscopic and microscopic morphological features of water stress tomatoes, and mutual fusion of water stress feature wavelength images and polarization state features, advantages are complementary, comprehensive and precise extraction and precise quantitative analysis of water stress features of the tomatoes are implemented, and a basis for scientific management of water and fertilizer integration of facilities is provided.

The apparatus (1) for agricultural crop analysis, comprises: a light source (2) for sending light radiation towards a crop; a plurality of sensors (21) for acquiring light radiation reflected by the crop and a plurality of filtering elements (22) adapted to enable complete passage only of light having frequencies within a predetermined passband. The filtering elements (22) have passbands that differ from each other and each filtering element (22) is functionally coupled with a respective sensor (21) in such a manner that the latter receives only light radiation that has traversed the former.

System and method for nanoscale X-ray imaging. The imaging system comprises an electron source configured to generate an electron beam along a first direction; an X-ray source comprising a thin film anode configured to receive the electron beam at an electron beam spot on the thin film anode, and to emit an X-ray beam substantially along the first direction from a portion of the thin film anode proximate the electron beam spot, such that the X-ray beam passes through the sample specimen. The imaging apparatus further comprises an X-ray detector configured to receive the X-ray beam that passes through the sample specimen. Some embodiments are directed to an electron source that is an electron column of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and is configured to focus the electron beam at the electron beam spot.

A diagnostic support for a skin includes a radio-transparent structure that defines a folding surface of the skin and on which the skin may be stretched and consequently folded, thereby defining folded, mutually superimposed portions spaced apart from each other. The support may be used for radiographic inspection of a folded animal skin.