An imaging system including a scanner and a transport mechanism mounted to the base of the scanner, wherein the transport mechanism includes a gross movement mechanism for transporting the scanner relatively quickly across room distances and a fine movement mechanism for moving the scanner precisely, relative to the object being scanned, during scanning.

A system and a method use x-ray fluorescence to analyze a specimen by illuminating a specimen with an incident x-ray beam having a near-grazing incident angle relative to a surface of the specimen and while the specimen has different rotational orientations relative to the incident x-ray beam. Fluorescence x-rays generated by the specimen in response to the incident x-ray beam are collected while the specimen has the different rotational orientations.

Provided are processes and materials for solving biological or structural information about proteins or other organic molecules. The processes capitalize on a rigid multimeric nanocage formed from self-assembling substructure proteins. The processes and materials allow for recognition and tight, optionally covalent, bonding of any protein molecule with a tag complementary to a capture sequence on the nanocage. The processes and materials may be used to obtain biological or structural information by cryo-electron microscopy and overcome prior limitations of target protein size or salt concentration.

Methods for characterizing living plants, wherein one or more beams of penetrating radiation such as x-rays are scanned across the plant under field conditions. Compton scatter is detected from the living plant and processed to derive characteristics of the living plant such as water content, root structure, branch structure, xylem size, fruit size, fruit shape, fruit aggregate volume, cluster size and shape, fruit maturity and an image of a part of the plant. Ground water content is measured using the same technique. Compton backscatter is used to guide a robotic gripper to grasp a portion of the plant such as for harvesting a fruit.

The X-ray imaging device (100) is provided with an X-ray source (1), a plurality of gratings, a moving mechanism (8), and an image processing unit (6). The image processing unit (6) is configured to generate a phase-contrast image (16) by associating a pixel value in each pixel of a subject (T) in a plurality of subject images (10) with phase values of a Moire fringe (30) at each pixel and aligning the pixel of the subject of the same position in the plurality of subject images.

The present invention relates to a magnetic holder for immunoelectron microscopy grids. The holder comprises a frame, a magnet and a hydrophobic layer. The device can use a magnetic force to simultaneously attach the outer rings of nickel grids to the frame, so that a batch operation (such as rinsing, immunolabeling and dyeing) of the nickel grids can be realized. In addition, due to the hydrophobic effect of the hydrophobic layer, the holder can reduce the amount of the liquid carried by the nickel grids in the process of continuously transferring the nickel grids between different types of liquids to almost zero. Compared with the prior art, the magnetic holder effectively reduces the probability of cross-contamination between reagents.

The present disclosure relates to methods for compositional analysis of algal biomass, specifically weight percent elemental composition. In at least one embodiment, a method for compositional analysis of an algae sample includes flash combusting a first portion of the algae sample to provide a carbon wt %, a hydrogen wt %, and a nitrogen weight %. The method includes pyrolysing a second portion of the algae sample to provide an oxygen wt %. The method includes scanning a third portion of the algae sample using x-ray fluorescence to provide an elemental intensity. The method includes normalizing the elemental intensity using the carbon wt %, the hydrogen wt %, the nitrogen wt %, and/or the oxygen wt %.

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 cabinet x-ray device for imaging seeds includes an x-ray source configured to transmit an x-ray beam along a beam path. A seed holder is configured to hold seeds and be selectively positioned in the x-ray device such that the beam path crosses the seed holder and the x-ray beam passes through at least some of the seeds. An x-ray detector is configured to detect the x-ray beam after passing through the seeds such that one or more x-ray images of the seeds can be formed. Self-supporting x-ray shielding can extend circumferentially around the x-ray beam to mitigate x-ray transmission outside the device. A drive mechanism can automatically move the seed holder so that discrete x-ray images of subsets of seeds are taken in an automatic seed imaging operation. Various seed evaluations and seed process evaluations can be made using the device.

The present invention is a method to quantify biomarkers. The method uses an X-ray florescence spectrometer to perform an X-ray fluorescence analysis on the sample to obtain spectral features derived from the biomarker; and quantifying the X-ray fluorescence signal of the biomarker.