To better understand the unique reproductive biology of tsetse flies, which are carriers of the parasites that cause a deadly infection known as African sleeping sickness, researchers explored the intact organs and tissues of tsetse flies using a powerful 3D x-ray imaging technique at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source. Read more »
ALS Work Using Tomography
Tomography allows 3D imaging of structures inside samples without the need to physically slice them open. A series of images is collected as a sample is rotated, and the raw data is computationally converted into digital sections that can be stacked to reconstruct 3D visualizations of the sample. The very high flux of x-rays and infrared light at the ALS allows collection of high-quality, high-speed 3D images at nanometer or micrometer resolution. Synchrotron tomography also enables photon-energy tuning for element- and chemistry-specific contrast, as well as phase-contrast imaging.
Xylella fastidiosa causes transcriptional shifts that precede tylose formation and starch depletion in xylem
During Pierce’s disease, Xylella fastidiosa triggers transcriptional changes in grapevines and induces major physiological responses, including tylose formation and starch depletion. X-ray computed microtomography and a machine-learning algorithm were used to track the depletion of starch reserves in the xylem of a grapevine stem infected with Pierce’s disease. Read more »
Unique X-Ray Microscope Reveals Dazzling 3D Cell Images
Researchers used soft x-ray tomography to reveal never-before-seen details about insulin secretion in pancreatic cells taken from rats. By quantifying subcellular rearrangements in response to drugs, the results are an important first step for bridging the longstanding gap between structural biology and physiology. Read more »
Coordinated decline of leaf hydraulic and stomatal conductances under drought is not linked to leaf xylem embolism for different grapevine cultivars
Drought decreases water transport capacity of leaves and limits gas exchange, which involves reduced leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) in both the xylem and outside-xylem pathways. We combined Kleaf and gas exchange measurements, micro-computed tomography of intact leaves, and spatially explicit modeling of the outside-xylem pathways to evaluate the role of vein embolism and Kleaf in the responses of two different grapevine cultivars to drought. Read more »
Microstructures Explain Beetle Exoskeleton Strength
Using microtomography and other techniques, researchers identified the exoskeletal toughening mechanisms that explain the crush resistance of the aptly named diabolical ironclad beetle. The observations could be applied in developing tough, impact- and crush-resistant materials for joining dissimilar materials. Read more »
X-Rays Reveal Architectural Clues to the Crush-Resistance of Diabolical Ironclad Beetles
The appropriately named diabolical ironclad beetle has an incredibly crush-resistant exoskeleton, which could serve as a blueprint for tougher materials. To see, in microscopic detail, what makes the beetle so uniquely ironclad, researchers used the ALS to explore a protective covering known as the “elytra,” its abdomen, and other parts. Read more »
Design and synthesis of high performance flexible and green supercapacitors made of manganese‐dioxide‐decorated alkali lignin
Researchers synthesized a plant‐based composite electrode for use in flexible supercapacitors and used synchrotron x‐ray microtomography to better understand the impact of microstructure and morphology on electrode porosity and electrical conductance. Read more »
How Proteins Remodel DNA in Bacteria under Stress
Multiscale, multimodal visualization techniques at the ALS enabled researchers to clarify how proteins remodel bacterial DNA in response to stressful environments. The discovery could lead to new strategies for controlling microbial behavior and, eventually, new ways to fight bacterial infections. Read more »
Battery Breakthrough Gives Boost to Electric Flight and Long-Range Electric Cars
While lithium metal extends an EV’s driving range, it also shortens the battery’s useful life due to lithium dendrites that can cause short circuits. Researchers report a new class of soft, solid electrolytes—made from both polymers and ceramics—that suppress dendrites, before they can propagate and cause the battery to fail. Read more »
Study Gains New Insight Into Bacterial DNA Packing
When bacteria are put in different environments, their genes start to adapt remarkably quickly because the proteins making up their chromosomes can pack and unpack rapidly. Researchers have now imaged this process at the molecular level, a discovery that could eventually enable scientists to develop strategies to control microbial behavior. Read more »
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- …
- 7
- Next Page »