Microscopic evaluation of tissue plays an integral part in the assessment and staging of breast cancer. However the time-consuming nature of histological analysis prohibits real-time assessment of large volumes of tissue, for example during the time frame of breast surgery. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables high-resolution tomographic imaging of tissue, and its high-speed acquisition capabilities permit real-time microscopic measurement of large regions of tissue. We present an overview of our group?s recent translational imaging research using OCT for the real-time assessment of breast cancer.

Computer animation that vividly portrays sequences of events that are increasingly used as persuasive tools in the American legal system. Computer animation may clarify fast-unfolding events, such as traffic accidents, but they may also exacerbate hindsight bias, defined as an increased certainty for the predictability of past events, after the events become known. Recent research conducted at the University of Illinois and elsewhere is examined with an eye toward how best to present information in the courtroom. Neal Roese specializes in social psychology, and is coordinator of social psychology instruction at the University of Illinois. His research, currently supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, targets the intersection of memory, emotion, and mental health. Current projects include include biases in causal judgment (e.g., blame and responsibility), self-inference, and counterfactual thinking. Professor Roese serves on the editorial boards of the Journal Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Psychological Inquiry, and Social Cognition. With James Olson, he co-edited the 1995 book What Might Have Been: The Social Psychology of Counterfactual Thinking, and since 1996 he has run the Counterfactual Research News web site, counterfactual.net. His 2005 book "If Only" is about the psychology of regret and counterfactual thinking, aimed at a general audience. Professor Roese also works as a consultant in questionnaire design, marketing, and legal liability issues.

Maya, Photoshop and Illustrator are common software tools used by ITG staff to produce images that illustrate the research done by the Beckman Institute and other University of Illinois researchers. Unique approaches are often required to showcase the special features of such research. Examples of the application of animation techniques used in movie production (e.g. blend shapes, skinning, and dynamics) and how they are applied to scientific illustration will be presented through the use of images and animations produced at the ITG. Other examples will include projects for which software packages such as Amira, After Effects, and Vue D'sprite are used to complement the standard tool set used by staff illustrators. Projects will highlight research conducted in the areas of Material Sciences, Medical Imaging, Educational Material, and Water and Atmospheric resources.

ALBA combines a confocal scanning microscope with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and FLIM (fluorescence lifetime imaging) measurement capabilities. ALBA allows at any point of the image to acquire molecular dynamics data - autocorrelation function or a photon counting histogram - or to measure additional fluorescence intensity, decay time or anisotropy parameters.

Lifetime imaging is performed using the frequency-domain technique: the excitation light beam is modulated at a set frequency in the order of MHz and the gain of the light detector is modulated at the same frequency plus an offset of a few KHz. This arrangement allows the recording of DC, AC and phase information, thereby providing the reconstruction of lifetime images. Typically, for each scan, three or four different modulation frequencies in the range from 1-300 MHz are utilized.

ALBA offers maximum flexibility, automation and sensitivity due to its modular design, optical layout and the careful selection of its optical components. Its optical design effectively reduces signal losses. The data acquisition unit features two independent acquisition channels, each with its own confocal pinhole optics and detector. The fluorescence wavelength range is selected using dichroic filters. The alignment of the pinhole and optics, as well as the selection of the dichroic filters is computer-controlled. Data can be acquired independently for each channel or simultaneously on two channels for cross-correlation or polarization measurements.

ALBA is powered by ISS Vista - FCS and Confocal Spectroscopy, a software package for Windows XP. Vista enables confocal image acquisition (steady-state and lifetime) and includes features for image processing and 3D reconstruction. Vista also enables to acquire FCS data in photon mode and time mode and allows FCS and PCH data analysis using both, the autocorrelation function and the photon counting histogram.

Our presentation will provide a brief introduction into FCS and FLIM, an overview of the most important features of ALBA, and what parameters can be obtained using its various modes of operation.

This is an introduction to the Scanning Probe Microscopic resources (Multimode AFM, Extended BioScope and Near-field Scanning Optical Microscope) in the microscopy suite of the Imaging Technology Group (ITG). This forum will introduce principles of Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM), the newly updated NSOM at ITG as well as some on-campus research with various AFM techniques.

The primary mission of the Imaging Technology Group (ITG) is to provide state-of-the-art imaging facilities for researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and University of Illinois. This service mission is accomplished through two facilities: the Microscopy Suite and the Visualization, Media, and Imaging Laboratory (VMIL).

The Biomedical Imaging Center (BIC) is a unit of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Center traces its heritage to the Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Laboratory founded at UIUC by Professor Paul Lauterbur, 2003 winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine

BIC is home to a wide variety of research programs, providing facilities, equipment, and training for research on nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. The Center's goal is to conduct research and develop MRI technology that addresses questions ranging from the single cell to the complex inter-dependent systems underlying cognitive function. BIC is committed to the development of cutting edge techniques which integrate magnetic resonance methods with other imaging techniques, including optical imaging, eye-tracking, EEG and MEG.

This forum will provide a quick review of the MRI capabilities available at BIC, as well as information on current projects and development.

Bone growth into a scaffold could significantly alter the elastic properties of the resulting composite as compared to the original scaffold. Thus, predicting the composite properties will help to optimize scaffold design for bone tissue engineering. Composite finite element models with representative volume element (RVE) and periodic boundary conditions were used to evaluate the elastic properties of hydroxyapatite scaffold bone composites using a finite element based numerical homogenization technique. Bone ingrowth patterns were characterized using micro-ct data obtained from a recent in vivostudy and the patterns were incorporated into three RVE representations of the composite. Results show that small amounts of bone ingrowth can affect elastic properties by as much as 30%.

We are using trap-jaw ants to identify general design principles for generating, storing and releasing large amounts of force using small, simple materials. The comparative nature of this system allows for the examination of multiple, independent origins of trap-jaw morphology as well as variation in form and function within each origin. This variation is ideal for biomechanical research on the relationship between morphology, size, energetics, maneuverability, maximum speed and endurance.

A thorough knowledge of structural and chemical properties is essential for the fields of nanotechnology and materials science, leading to a growing demand for characterization methods for heterogeneous systems on the nanometer scale. However, certain properties are difficult to study with conventional characterization techniques due to either limited resolution or the inability to chemically differentiate materials without inflicting damage or using invasive techniques such as staining.

The Confocal Raman Microscope WITec alpha300 R combines a highly sensitive confocal microscope and a high-transmission Raman spectroscopy system. In the Spectral Imaging Mode, a complete spectrum can be acquired in 5-100 ms with a spatial resolution down to 200 nm. An image can be generated just by integrating over a specific Raman line or analyzing a variety of properties such as peak-width, center of mass, or a peak position. For depth profiling measurements, the focal plane can be moved in the z-direction when performing either x-z scan or generating x-y image stacks. When combined with AFM capabilities, the high spatial and topographical resolution obtained with AFM can be directly linked to the chemical information provided by confocal Raman spectroscopy. By simply rotating the microscope turret, the confocal Raman microscope is transformed into an AFM. The presentation will give a detailed introduction to the operational principles and instrumental configurations of the alpha300 system. Various applications will be also shown. Typical research fields for confocal Raman imaging are pharmaceutics and cosmetics, nanomaterials and polymer sciences, archaeology and geology, forensics, coatings, thin films and all fields where a clear identification of the distribution of chemical compounds is a necessity. Scientists interested in how to chemically identify and image the compounds of a sample at the highest spatial resolution are invited to participate.