What is the meaning of Wide Field Microscopy?

Wide field Microscopy is the most basic microscopy techniques known to the scientists. It is that technique where you can expose the whole subject of interest to the light and the image can be viewed by the observer or a camera. This camera can be connected to the computer monitor. There are a lot of advantages of this particular type of microscopy and they are:

Ultra-fast imaging: This is where a single laser shot is needed to product a one whole image. The frame rate is then rounded to the repetition rate of the laser system or the frame rate of the CCD camera.

It doesn’t let the cells get damaged so easily. If you are observing cells under the WF microscopy technique, then you should know that in the aqueous systems like cells have medium to low repetition rates. These allow the thermal diffusion to occur between the pulses so that the damage threshold is quite high than the repetition rates. 

If the subject is large, it can be observed by the WF illumination. They also have the largest penetration depth.  They can penetrate deep in to the biological imaging because of the requirement of the large wavelengths. In addition to all this, they have higher resolution that the WF one photon fluorescence microscopy technique. The resolution is better than the multiphoton scanning microscopes. 

What are the unique features of the Optech Scanner in the Civil Engineering Field?

Optech Scanner is a software solution that offers an all in one scanning, viewing and processing software tool that is developed. It has geomatics experience, the scanner can provide a single interface for the entire survey workflow. It can easily get from scanning to processing to the data review. With Optech Scanner, you can certainly make the surveys faster, efficient and easier than ever before. You can get one package for the entire workflow. You do not need to switch between applications. Then, the results that are available in the field for immediate quality assurance and the deliverables. You have the advantage of the simple interface which enables the non-technical personnel to use the Scanner with little or minimal training.

Here are some of the benefits of purchasing an Optech Scanner in field of Civil Engineering:

~ It has a long-range and is the market leader in the range capacity.
~ It has the ability to out scan and out spec your competition
~ Not many setups are required and they can scan from safe areas
~ The solutions are permanently mounted.
~ They are the leaders in resolution and they have a high angular resolution
~ They can measure to the non-cooperative targets too
~ They have the ability to scan through the snow, ice and wet surface too
~ They generate the gridded data and work as opposed to the lines of data
~ They technically improve the models.

Caring for Plastic Labware!

As you know how crucial plastic labware is of any laboratory, you need to know that the plastic lab ware must be cleaned and cared so that you get the right result. When you care for the cleaning of the plastic lab ware, you are for sure going to get the accurate experiment results you have been aiming for.

Let us see how to care for Plastic Lab ware for the betterment of our laboratories.

There are certain types of chemicals like oils, detergents and pure water which in the presence of a lot of tensile stress can result in cracking of plastic ware. Apart from that, if there is a lot of exposure to the strong oxidizing agents, then they may even cause failure or embrittlement. The intensity of the plastic lab ware depends upon the length of the exposure and also the temperature concentration. Apart from that, the chemical affects parameters like strength, flexibility, appearance, dimensions, and weight.

Do you know? You should never allow heat to come in direct contact with the plastic lab ware? Do not try to put on a hotplate surface too.

How to clean the Plastic Labware?

For most of the applications, plastic lab ware should be washed with a mild detergent. After that, rinse with tap water and then you can finally do it with distilled water. The plastics are polyolefin and they are associated with the non-wetting surface. This makes them resistant to any kind of attack and also helps in quick cleaning.

Also, do not use any strong alkaline cleaning or washing agents for the PC lab ware as they are harmful.

Do you know there is a special laboratory washing machine too? It works well with the plastic lab ware except for a few resins. You have lab ware resins like acrylic, polystyrene, and LDPE which cannot be cleaned in the washing machines. It is because of temperature limitations. The polystyrene lab ware is a very mild detergent and it is mainly pH neutral and non-caustic agent too.

Why you should do calibration of pH Meter?

pH meters form an important part of analytical lab instruments where you can use it to test soil, water, skin, and food. It is equally used by the professionals and the hobbyists alike. pH devices come with two electrodes that are for sensing the hydrogen ions and the other one is a reference.

This sensing electrode detects the changes in the voltage that is based on the hydrogen ion activity and then they provide the voltage for comparison. It can signal higher voltages or lower ones but if it signals higher voltages that means it is acidic and when it is signaling lower voltages it means it is basic.

Why should you do calibration?

pH meter calibration is necessary because the measurements have to be accurate. You do it using various buffer solutions that have standard values and you adjust it with pH meter based reading. The calibration that is done is in two ways:

~ Two-point calibration: In this method, the microprocessor pH meter will calculate the real slope and the offset error for the pH electrode. After that, the meter’s pH equation is then adjusted to match the features and characteristics of the pH electrode that you are currently using.

~ Multi-Point Calibration is where calibration is done at more than 2 pH values increase in the measurement range without being recalibrated.

Why calibration?

~ It can help in changing the characteristics

~ It can also provide higher accuracy

~ It reduces the measurement drift

~ It prevents the sample differences

Types of School Laboratories!

Schools laboratories are basically demonstration labs which helps in showing students a fragment of science that is being used, understood and experienced in the world. It helps for students who want to pursue higher studies and also understand the need of experimentation, educational research and also development.

Also, school laboratories can be anything where you want to understand a topic practically. We all study theory in the lecture classes but we can truly understand the theory if we see in practically. Thus, here is where school labs come into play. There are science laboratories, math laboratories, languages laboratories, computer applications laboratories etc.

Here are some of the most common laboratories:

~ Physics laboratory: This should definitely have a darkroom, prep room and a well- lit laboratory where the instructor can perform experiments based on optics, sound, fluid dynamics, aerodynamics etc.

~ Chemistry laboratory: This should have the balance room, prep room and an open and well lit laboratory. The chemicals need to be stored in a safe and cool dry place. Chemistry lab mainly deals with the chemical reactions and also about elements, compounds and other methods like titration etc.

~ Biology laboratory: Biology laboratory, store-cum- preparation and this lab is used to observe all the biological phenomenon. We can study about plants, animal kingdoms and also about our own human anatomy.

~ Math laboratory: Mathematics laboratory is a place where you can have fun and use all real life objects to learn the proved theories. Also, they are very helpful in holistic learning.

Which Lab ware is the best: Glass or Plastic?

It is very crucial to understand that the laboratories which is used in the lab can have a lot of implications and the results it brings. Also, the material which it is made from makes a lot of impact on how well it is delivering the results. Based on some factors, we are here to present you the differences between the glass labware and plastic labware.

Test tubes are probably one of the main lab ware one would require in a laboratory. These apparatuses are useful in PCR, centrifugation, culturing, concentration and other processes. Also, it is necessary to keep in mind about the flexibility, reusability, size, cost etc.

A glass lab apparatus necessarily has a few properties which make them not too friendly for the use. Glass is heavy and breakable if you are not careful. Also, carrying around the labs is a bit of a problem. Plastics on the other hand are more easy to manage in a busy lab and are also great in absorbing the shock. Glass is corrosion resistant whereas some of the plastic types are not.

Plastic lab apparatus is less costly than glass apparatus. Also, the automated labs use more of plastic lab wares due to minimalistic approach. They are resilient and they absorb more shock if they are dropped accidentally. Also since some of the plastic lab ware may corrode unlike their glass counterparts, they have to be made leak-proof and corrosion free. Also, the composition of the material does not change for a long period of time. Glass on the other hand has this revalidation every time. Also, they make glass lab ware much less scalable.

Plastic labware is safer to use than the glass apparatus. Also, some of the traditional glass apparatus is heat resistant and it cannot be recyclable. But plastic lab ware can always be recyclable.

Despite so many benefits of plastic and the glass labware, the decision to choose the one only lies on the researchers and the scientists about which suits them the best. Pros and cons need to be weighed extensively before taking any kind of decision.

5 ways to make biology fun at school!

Learning in school is always great! In fact, school is that place where it is always great to indulge in activities related to academics. Teachers these days pressurize a lot on the children to learn and by heart so many topics. They also try to bring some innovation but they are not being successful all the time. So here are some tried and best ways to make subjects like biology fun!

~ Bring in the technology in:

Bring in the edu technology in the teaching. Gen Y and the gen next children are all over technology and they simply love it. So if you teach them the subject using the technology, they will relate more. SO try incorporating more technology. Get some activities like PowerPoint and the normal lectures, play games related to biology subject.

~ Do a fun activity after every lesson:

When you complete a lesson, gear the children up for a fun activity so that they will not forget the essence of the chapter. You can conduct anything, like asking them to make beautiful posters or charts about a cell structure or make clay models etc. Hands on learning is fun and receptive.

~ Show practical models or examples.

Allow the student to experiment and conduct experiments. Also show some biology related models and equipment which would make them understand properly. There is this saying that when you do something, you learn it forever. So, make sure you are using lots of props for making the learning part fun.

~ Test time should be fun!

Review time should not be strenuous or boring or fearsome. It should be simple quizzes or guess the name kind of games. You can also make it like the hot seat and classroom jeopardy!

~ Excursions!

If you are teaching our children about biology, you need to show them the nature! You have to take them to labs and museums to make the learning more fun. It will motivate them to learn better!