Taking · The world’s biggest celebration of laboratory science recently took over Orlando. We have all your show highlights and big award winners. 22 Application Note Breakthroughs

Summer 2010 www.labbusinessmag.com

The definitive source for lab products, news and developments

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Lab business Summer 2010 3

13 Pittcon Wrap-upTheworld’sbiggestcelebrationoflaboratorysciencerecentlytookoverOrlando.Wehaveallyourshowhighlightsandbigawardwinners.

22 Application NoteBreakthroughsmeanCARSimagingtechnology,likethatusedinCARSLab(anNRC-Olympuscollaboration),cannowbeintroducedtoexistingimagingsystems.

25 Suzuki CommentDavidSuzukigrappleswithourpenchantfortechnologicalfixesandtheunexpectedproblemsthatresult.

26 Lab ReportsNSERClaunchesanewprogramtoconnectresearcherswithindustrialpartners.Findouthowtograbapieceofthepie!

34 Sitting WithMeetMurrayMcLaughlin,winnerofthe2010GoldLeafIndustryLeadershipAwardandPresidentandCEOoftheSustainableChemistryAlliance.

SUMMER 2010 www.labbusinessmag.com


also inside

standards5 EDITOR’S NOTE

6 NEWS

11 SAFETy ZONE

28 NEW PRODUCTS

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ON THE COVER: The science behind Speedo’s LZR series of swimsuits helped propel Olympian Michael Phelps to eight gold medals and seven world records in Beijing.

Photo Credit: Speedo

COVER STORy Along with the athletes, science is playing a starring role in sport. From leveling the playing field through anti-doping programs, to high-tech uniforms, science and technology is helping athletes push the limits of human ability.

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Summer 2010 www.labbusinessmag.com


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’mnotabigfollowerofsports.iwatchhockeyanditryto keep up with who’s doing what in some of northamerica’smorepopularsports,butifindwhatgoesonbehindthescenesisoftenmoreinteresting.ForgetTiger

Woods.DidanyoneelserecentlywatchThe Fall and Rise of Theo Fleury?

iwas,however,gluedtotheTVlastFebruarywhenevericouldcatchthelatesteventsfromtheVancouverolympics.ihappened tobe inorlando attendingPittconwhenCanadawongold inmen’shockey.itwasn’tthesameaswatchingthegameathome,butitcertainlywasagreatconversationstarterwhenpeoplecamebytheLAB Businessbooth!

Thisissue,bytheway,doeshavesomegreatPittconhighlights,butthis issue’smust-readstoryisourfeatureonthescienceofsport.There’stonsofgreatbehind-the-scenesstuffinthisstory…

Didyouknow, for instance, that theVancouverolympics’anti-doping labwaslocatedrightintheRichmondolympicoval?Thiswasthefirsttimeinthehistoryoftheolympicsthatalabwaslocatedwithinacompetitionvenue.ofcourse,theapplicationofscienceextendsbeyondpolicingsport.

“Tomakeachampion,youreallyneedthetechnology,”saysDr.GuyLarose,aresearcheratnRC’sinstituteforaerospaceResearch.

LaroseandhisteamrunthewindtunnelatnRC-iaR,whichcangeneratewindspeeds of up to 400 km/h, and have achieved great results with athletes from 11disciplinessuchasbobsleigh,alpineskiingandspeedskating.Theathletesworkedinthetunnel,leadinguptotheVancouvergames,honingtheirform.

anotherthingtoworryabout:whatathletesputintheirbodiesisasimportantaswhattheyputontheirbodies.nodoubtthemostfamousexampleofthisistheLZRRacersuitinventedbyspeedoin2008andwornbyMichaelPhelpswhenhewoneightgoldsandsetsevenworldrecordsinbeijing.speedoitselfcalleditthe“world’sfastest swimsuit.”usingnasatechnologyand thebody scansofmore than400athletes,speedocreatedanefficientsuitthatwhenwearingit,Phelpssaid,“Whenihitthewater,ifeellikearocket.”

afterfirstapprovingthesuits,Fina,theinternationalgoverningbodyofswim-ming, reversed its decision in Rome on July 24, 2009, during the 2009 Worldaquatics Championships.The new policy states men’s swimsuits may extend nomorethankneetowaistandwomen’ssuitsfromshouldertoknee.

Wespendsomuchtimetestingourathletesforvariousbannedsubstances,butisasmuchthoughtgiventotheedgeuniformsandequipmentmayprovide?

inthecaseofthewindtunnel,Larosesaysathletesarenotgivenanunfairadvan-tage.ihappentoagreebecauseanyathletecantheoreticallyaccesssimilartraining.and,theyhavetheright.

Thatisnotthecasewiththeswimsuit.iftheLZRsuitswereapproved,thenthedecisionshouldstillstand.Howisthisfairtopast,presentandfutureathleteschasingthoseolympicandworldrecords?ifscienceisgoingtoplayacontinuingstarringroleinsport,governingbodiesmustrecognizeandembracethis.

allthistestingisdoneinthenameoffairness,butitdoesn’tseemveryfairtome.

Playing Fair

I

editor’s note

[email protected]

news beat

Sustainability Expert Assumes DeanshipYork University recently announced Janusz Kozinski will assume the position of Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Kozinski, who has been Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan since 2007, but spent much of his career at McGill University, will begin a five-year term at York on July 1. A widely acknowl-edged expert in sustainable energy systems and immune building concepts (focused on anti-bioterrorism), Kozinski has created and led multi-disciplinary teams throughout his career, linking research on energy, environmental issues, public health and security.

New Leadership at CFIDr. Gilles G. Patry will be the fourth President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Dr. Patry succeeds the current President and CEO, Dr. Eliot A. Phillipson, who announced last year he would be stepping down on June 30, 2010.

“Dr. Patry brings a strong commitment and passion for advanc-ing the nation’s science and technology agenda. He is an accom-plished researcher, a highly successful entrepreneur and under-stands, as a former university administrator and leader, how to work with government at all levels,” says CFI Interim Board Chair Dr. Elizabeth Cannon.

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«to coincide with national Medical Laboratory ProfessionalsWeek (april 18-24),

ontario’slaboratoryphysicians(LabMDs)wantedtospreadthewordthatontariocontinuestohavewhattheycalloneofthesafest,highestqualitylaboratorytestinganddiagnosticsystemsintheworld.

inanefforttostrengthenontario’slaboratorymedicinesystemfurther,afirst-of-its-kindsymposiumwasconceivedandhostedinnovember2009byPath2Quality,apartnership between the oMa section on Laboratory Medicine and the ontarioassociation of Pathologists.The symposium brought together the key stakeholders,bothnationallyandprovincially,involvedinqualityassuranceasitappliestotheprofes-sionalworkofontario’slaboratoryphysicians.

“ontario’sLabMDsarecommittedtoworkingwithourpartnerstoensurethereisevengreateraccountabilityinourprofession,andanevenstrongerandsafersystemforpatients,”saysDr.brendanMullen,ChairoftheontarioMedicalassociationsectionon Laboratory Medicine. “The symposium promoted frank and mutual dialogueregardingrolesandresponsibilities,areasforimprovementandfosteredacommitmentamongallparticipantstoworktogethermovingforward.”

a key outcome of the symposium was a recent commitment from Cancer Careontario to fund the development of consistent across-the-board best practices andinternalqualityguidelines thatwillguide theprofessionalworkofallontario’sLabMDsasitrelatestocancerpathology,regardlessofwhetherphysiciansworkinahos-pitalorinthecommunity.Path2Qualitywillleadthecreationofthesestandards.www.oma.org

An App for Everything

The american Chemical society’s(aCs) Molecule of the Week

(MoTW) is one of the most populardestinationsontheaCswebsiteandmaycontinuetogrowwiththeintroductionofthe aCs’ MoTW mobile application,availableoniTunes.

each week, the MoTW presents adifferent molecule, with a description,imageofthemolecularstructure,linkstorecords from the Chemical abstractsRegistry (Cas) and other information.Fromallicin(themoleculeresponsiblefortheodourofcrushedgarlic)andascorbicacid(vitaminC)toxylitol(thesugarsub-stitute)andzingerone(whichgivesgingera hot taste), there are always fascinatingmolecules that relatechemistry toevery-daylife.Thenewappautomaticallydeliv-ersthesefeatures(plusagamequiz)totheconvenience of an iPhone, iPod Touchand iPad. other features include a cluethatappearswithashakeofaniPhoneoriPod, designed to make the MoTWiPhoneappnotonlyinformativebutfun.www.acs.org/motwapp

6 Summer 2010Lab business

improving the system

Dr. Gilles G. Patry


Strengthening the TeamLAB Research Inc. (LRI) announced the nominations of Dr. Kenneth Draper as Senior Director Scientific Operations and Dr. James Noveroske as Toxicology Scientific Consultant.

“We are extremely proud to have Ken and James join LAB Research. Together they bring the right experience to complement an already strong team of scien-tists. These additions confirm our dedication and commitment in building the highest level possible of scientific expertise and counselling for our clients. Mr. Draper and Noveroske will undoubtedly play an important role in helping LAB Research Canada take full advantage of its expanded capabilities following the recent expansion of the site,” says Luc Mainville, CEO and President of LRI.

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2010 Killam Recipients Announced

Five prominent scholars have been awardedCanada’s most distinguished annual awards

for outstanding career achievements in healthsciences, engineering, humanities, natural sci-encesandsocialsciences.Therecipients, takinghometheirshareofthe$500,000totalprize,areProfessorellenbialystokofYorkuniversity,Dr.R. Mark Henkelman of university ofToronto,Dr. Ming Li of university of Waterloo, Dr.arthur McDonald of Queen’s university andDr.JamesTullyofuniversityofVictoria.

Bialystokhasdevelopednewmethodologiestostudyboththeroleofcognitiveprocessesonsecond language learning and the impact ofknowing a second language on cognitive pro-cesses.

afterintroducingCanada’sfirstMRiequip-menttotheontarioCancerinstituteintheearly1980s,Henkelmanshiftedhisfocustotheappli-cation of modern imaging technology to thediagnosisofcancerandotherdiseases,includingspearheadingthedevelopmentofreal-timeMRiforuseinneurosurgery.

Li is one of a handful of internationallyacclaimedcomputerscientistswhoseresearchhashad major impacts outside his own discipline.His work is now finding new applications incomputer science, bioinformatics, philosophy,physicsandstatistics.

McDonald’s achievements in the areas ofnuclearandparticlephysicsspanmorethanfourdecades.For thepast20years,hehasbeen thescientificandoperational leaderof thesudburyneutrino observatory (sno) project, a majorexperiment that has provided revolutionaryinsight into the properties of neutrinos andenergygenerationinthesun’score.

Tullyisoneoftheforemostpoliticaltheoristsofourageandhasmadesubstantialcontributionstoscholarlyresearchthathavebeenilluminatingandinfluential.www.canadacouncil.ca

Funding to strengthen Health systems in africa

theGlobalHealthResearchinitiative(GHRi)recentlyannounced$3.5millioninfundingtosupport10african-ledresearchteamswhowilllookforinnovativeways

tostrengthenhealthsystemsinsub-saharanafrica.Theteamswillbeledjointlybyanafricanresearcher,africandecision-makerandwillinvolveseveralCanadianresearchers.

Drawingonawiderangeofresearchexpertisefromseveraldisciplines,the10winningteamswillfocusonkeyhealthsystem issues, including health humanresources,front-linehealthservicedeliv-eryaswellascommunityandhospital-based health information management.special attention will be given to theneedsofunder-servicedsegmentsofthepopulation, including women, childrenandyouth.

The funded teams will be based inseven sub-saharan countries, includingburkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Mali,Tanzania, uganda and Zambia. Theywill focus on the health priorities ofthese seven nations and will work toconnect research, policy and action toimprove health decision-making andprogrammingacrosstheregion.

“Policy-makers and decision-makersneed high-quality, up-to-date research

findingstoguidetheireffortstoimprovehealthsystemsthatarevitaltohumanhealththe world over,” says Carol Clemenhagen, Program Leader for the Global HealthResearchinitiative.“Theseafrican-ledresearchteamswillhelpensurethatCanada’sinvestmentsineffortstostrengthenhealthsystemsacrossthesub-saharanregionareeffectiveinimprovinghealthoutcomes.”www.idrc.ca

Dr. Kenneth Draper

Left to right: Tamer Özsu (on behalf of Dr. Ming Li), Director, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo; John Matthews, Trustee, Killam Trusts; Joseph L. Rotman, Chair, Canada Council for the Arts; Ellen Bialystok; James Tully; Arthur McDonald; Mark Henkelman

8 Summer 2010 Lab business

news beat

ThewinnersofCanada’stopscienceandengineering awards, including the

Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medalfor science and engineering, wereannouncedJune1.

GillesbrassardfromtheuniversitedeMontreal, the internationally acclaimedinventor of quantum cryptography andquantumteleportation,haswonthisyear’sGerhardHerzbergaward.

another 18 recipients (ranging fromgraduate students to postdoctoral fellowsto established researchers and interdisci-plinary teams) will share five naturalsciences and engineering ResearchCouncil of Canada prizes: the John C.Polanyi award, the brockhouse CanadaPrize for interdisciplinary Research inscience and engineering, the e.W.R.steacieMemorialFellowships,theHoward

alper Postdoctoral Prize and the andreHamerPostgraduatePrizes.

“These award winners are wonderfulexamples of what Canadian science hasachieved.Theyhighlightthegreatpromiseofbreakthroughdiscoveries,”sayssuzanneFortier, President of nseRC. “allCanadians should be very proud of whatthesewomenandmenhaveaccomplished.”

TwootherresearcherswererecognizedasfinalistsfortheHerzbergaward.brendaMilnerfromMcGilluniversitywasrecog-nized for her work to create an entirelynew field of research, a combination ofpsychology and neurology that is nowknown as cognitive neuroscience. Herworkhashelpedthisemergingfieldbloominto an invaluable tool for learningaboutthehumanbrain.stephenWithersoftheuniversity of british Columbia was also

Credit Where Credit is Duehonouredforhisroleasoneoftheworld’stopexperts inunderstandinghowcarbo-hydrates perform a host of biologicalfunctionsthatincluderegulatingmetabo-lism,storingenergyandprovidingstruc-turalsupportforcellwalls.www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca

World’s Best operating in Canada

the Canada Foundation for innovation (CFi) is the mostsuccessfulresearchfundingorganizationof itskindinthe

world, says an internationally renowned panel of experts.Due to the dramatic increase in the quantity and quality ofresearch infrastructure, the CFi has had major impacts onresearchcapacityandproductivityinCanada.

KPMGconductedanoverallperformanceevaluationandvalue-for-moneyauditoftheCFiandaninternationalpanelof seven experts in global research and research fundingreviewed the findings and produced an independent report.The KPMG evaluation focused on the achievements of theCFi against its national objectives and addressed globalquestions regarding relevance, results and design and deliv-ery.TheauditlookedattheCFi’smanagementpracticesandprocesses, and whether they have been carried out withregardtoeconomy,efficiencyandeffectiveness.

according to the international review panel report, “TheCFi’sfoundationmodelgivesittheautonomyandflexibilityit needs to promote excellence through rigorous fundingcompetitions. The Government of Canada’s continued sup-portforthismodelhasallowedtheCFitoadjustitsprogramsto meet Canada’s research-infrastructure needs while safe-guarding the public interest. The CFi’s programs and pro-cesses involve world’s best practices that are worthy ofemulation.”www.innovation.ca


Next Generation of Data Analysis Coming Soon

A new project at The Centre for Innovation in

Information Visualization and Data-Driven Design (CIV-DDD), led by York University in partnership with the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD), promises to develop the next generation of data discovery, design, and visualization techniques by developing new computational tools, representational strategies and interfaces.

“Humans’ capacity to interpret sensory stimuli is limited, which is why the human processing strategy is to attend to the relevant and ignore the irrelevant,” says John Tsotsos, Canada Research Chair in Computational Vision and professor of vision science at York. “Determin-ing what’s relevant is a key task. Equally important is discovering how best to present such data in a form that is quickly and effectively under-stood. By combining our team’s expertise in computer science, design, digital media, visual percep-tual science, fine arts and the social sciences, CIV-DDD will discover and provide new visualizations for under-lying patterns, processes, and rela-tionships within data sets. These in turn will suggest new research direc-tions and applications, laying the foundation for a new wave of knowl-edge creation and technological products.”

The team will focus on new data-driven design and information visualization solutions in bioinformat-ics and medicine, fine and perform-ing arts, engineering and physical sciences and humanities and social sciences. www.yorku.cawww.ocad.ca

UBC Prof. Heading SouthU.s. President barack obama nominated university of british

Columbia (ubC)ProfessorCarlWieman for thepositionofassociateDirectorofscienceintheWhiteHouseofficeofscienceandTechnologyPolicy.

Wieman, a 2001 nobel Laureate, joined ubC’s Faculty ofsciencein2007asProfessorofPhysicsandDirectorofthe$12mil-lionCarlWiemanscienceeducationinitiative(CWsei)totrans-formtheteachingofscienceatubCandelsewhere.Hewilltakean

unpaidleaveofabsencefromtheuniversityuponconfirmationofhisappointmentbytheu.s.senate.WiemancametoubCfromtheuniversityofColorado,wherehewonthe2001nobelPrizeinPhysicsandwherehemaintainsapart-timeappointmenttoheadupaneducationprojectsimilartotheCWsei.

“Carlhasapassionforandprofoundunderstandingofhowscienceeducationisessen-tialforaninformedandengagedsocietytodealwiththemostchallengingquestionsofourtime,”saysubCPresidentProfessorstephenToope.“injustthreeyears,histeachingandresearchandmethodshavetouchedmorethan18,000ubCstudents.Hisworkherehas attracted attention fromaround theworld, sowe arenot surprised thatPresidentobamawouldseekhimoutforthisposition.”www.ubc.ca

Good Policy for Canada

arecent report produced by the Canadian society for Medical Laboratory science(CsMLs)offersthefirstclearevidencethatsustainedgovernmentfundingofbridg-

ingprogramsforinternationallyeducatedmedicallaboratorytechnologists(ieMLTs)isgoodfiscalpolicy.

The report,Bridging Programs for Internationally Educated Medical Laboratory Tech-nologists: A Business Case,wasfundedbytheGovernmentofCanada’sForeignCredentialRecognitionProgram.ThereportconcludedthatbridgingprogramsshortenthetimeforieMLTstobecomecertifiedinCanada,decreasetheirfinancialhardshipsandexpeditetheirintegrationintotheCanadianlaboratoryworkplace.asaresult,ieMLTscontributetotheCanadianeconomymuchsoonerwiththesupportofabridgingprogram.

“ThereisagrowingshortageofmedicallaboratorytechnologistsinCanada,andweconsistently receive about600 self-identified ieMLTs through immigrationannually,”saysChristinenielsen,executiveDirector,CsMLs.“asystemthatallowsforadditionaltrainingorpractice in theCanadian context, that is accessible, affordable and reliableisimperative.”www.csmls.org

Lending a Hand

Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty announced the launch of Grand Challenges Canada, an initiative that will help redefine Canada’s role in the develop-

ing world by bringing together Canadian scientists, developing world scientific researchers and the private sector to solve some of the most persistent health challenges facing poor countries.

A Grand Challenge is a specific critical barrier that, if removed, would help solve an important health problem in the developing world with a high likelihood of global impact through widespread implementation. www.grandchallenges.ca

Carl Wieman

Nick Cercone will co-lead York’s team of 14 researchers


Dr. James A. Kaufman is the founder and president of The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI) www.labsafetyinstitute.org—an interna-tional, non-profit centre for safety in science and science education. LSI provides workshops, seminars, on-site training programs, lab safety program development consultations, facilities inspections and regulatory compliance assistance. Contact LSI with all your lab safety questions: (508) 647-1900 or [email protected].

Good housekeeping is one of thefoundationsofgoodsafetypractice.

Whenpeoplearetrainedtocleanupandputthingsawayassoonastheyaredoneusing them, their work areas are safer,morespaciousandmoreproductive.

Fromtheconditionofsomechemistrylaboratories, you would think that thiscriticallessonhadneverexistedletalonebeenheard. it’s sobasic that it’s part ofthe world’s simplest safety policy:Worksafely,cleanupandgetresults.

somepeoplethinktheycansavetimeandgetmoredonebyallowingthingstopileupandbecleaneduplater.Theyaresadlymistakenandlayingthefoundationforaseriousaccidentorinjury.

scienceeducatorsneedtotakealonghardlookattheprioritiestheyareteach-ingtheirstudents.Whenyouallowyourstudentstokeepworkingrightuptothebell, what are they learning about theimportance of good housekeeping? Youknow,itdoesn’thavetocostyouapennyto decide that parts e, F, and G of thenext experiment are less important thangivingyourstudentstimetocleanupandthenrequiringit.

Store acids and bases separately; fuelsandoxidizersseparatelyThe proper storage of chemicals hasbecomeafocalpointoflaboratorysafety.We need to keep chemicals that areincompatible separated some reasonabledistance from each other. at the sametime, the law of diminishing returnsapplieshere.onecanexpendasignificant

By Dr. James A. Kaufman

safety zone

Good Housekeeping amountofenergyandnowreceivemuchadditionalprotectionfortheeffort.

Today,most chemicalmanufacturershavesettledonafive-colourschemeforsegregatingchemicals.Redforflamma-bles,blue forhealthhazards, yellow foroxidizers,whiteforcorrosives,andafifthcolour for less hazardous materials.Fisher uses grey for the fifth colour,baker uses orange, science Kit usesgreen,andsoon.

Within these categories, some addi-

tionalseparationisrecommended.acidsand bases need some separation. Theywould react violently if the two brokeandmixed.Withintheacidsgroup,puttheoxidizingacids(perchloricandnitric)offbythemselves.

Keep all your flammables (solvents,

fuels, etc.) separate from your oxidizers(nitrates, perchlorates, azides, peroxides,etc.). Within each of the categories,chemicalscanbearrangedalphabetically.

Havingsaidallthisaboutsegregationof chemicals, iwouldonlyaddone finalobservation. arrangement is last on mylistofwhat’simportantforchemicalstor-age.numberoneissecurity—keepingthedoorlockedoraccess-controlled.numbertwo is having adequate space. numberthree is ventilation. i recommend one

cubic foot of air per minute per square-foot of floor space. number four is fireprotection. The worst way to discover afireinthechemicalstoreroomisbyopen-ing the door (it happened in newHampshire). Have an alarm system.arrangementislastonmylist. LB

www.labbusinessmag.comis more interactive than ever!

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to travel across North America to cover the industry’s hottest news and events.

Lab_Winter09_HouseAd.indd 1 10/20/09 7:20 PM


pittcon wrap-up

BetweenFeb.28andMarch5,approximately16,876attendeesfrommorethan87countriesdescendedonorlando’sorange

CountyConventionCenterforthe2010PittsburghConference(Pittcon).

Thisisdownslightlyfromlastyear’s19,000attendees,buttheevent was marked by a two per cent increase in conferees overPittcon 2006, which was the last time the event was held inorlando.

Theexpositionincluded960exhibitingcompanies,whooccu-pied2,005boothsandshowcased their latest laboratory instru-mentation,equipmentandservicesacrossabroadrangeofappli-cations and technologies, including separation sciences, massspectrometry, spectroscopy, nanotechnology, laboratory automa-tionandinformatics.Therewere188companies(19.5%)from28countries outside of the u.s.This year, Pittcon welcomed 125first-timeexhibitors.

The comprehensiveTechnical Program included more than

2,200individualpresentationsdistributedamonginvitedsympo-sia, organized contributed sessions, achievement awards, work-shops,andposterpresentations.Morethan100invitedspeakersaddressedtopicsofglobalinterest,includingalternativeandsus-tainableenergy,foodanddrugsafety,environmentalissues,newmaterialsdevelopment,andbioanalyticaltechniques.

networking opportunities were abundant at Pittcon 2010includingsocialmixers,exhibitor-sponsoredlunch&learnmeet-ings,andconfereenetworkingsessions.Pittconhopestofacilitate

By Theresa Rogers

Pittcon 2010 Highlighted by Innovations, Educational Opportunities and Networking

Pittcon 2010 Wrap-up

www.labbusinessmag.comis more interactive than ever!

This is your industry — make sure you are in-the-know.

Stay up-to-date on industry happenings between LAB Business issues, by visiting www.labbusinessmag.com!

Featuring • Webcasts• Web-exclusive articles• Digital Edition• Make your voice heard!

Send us pictures and story ideas and you may see your story in our next magazine or e-newsletter!

Visit us today to sign up for our monthly e-newsletter and return to our Web site again and again to stay informed!

The LAB Business Web site is YOUR comprehensive industry news source.

Our editorial team will stop at nothing to keep you informed all year long. We are the ONLY Canadian laboratory publication

to travel across North America to cover the industry’s hottest news and events.

Lab_Winter09_HouseAd.indd 1 10/20/09 7:20 PM


scientific networking year-round with its new online scientificcommunity,calledPittconnect.com.

“Pittcon2010wasanothergreatsuccessandtestimonytothevalue of live interaction,” says Pittcon 2010 President annetteWilson.“Theannualconferenceandexpositioncontinuestobetheleadingforumforscientificinnovationandeducationacrossmultiple disciplines.” she adds, “We believe that orlando willcontinue to be an excellent venue for Pittcon as biotechnologycontinuestoflourishinFlorida.”

PittconRecognizesScientistsfromAcademiaandIndustryPittconannouncedtherecipientsofprestigiousawardsrecogniz-ing the significant contributions of leaders in the fields ofanalytical Chemistry and applied spectroscopy. The winnersrepresentdiversescientificdisciplinesincludingbioanalyticalsci-ence, biomedical, chromatography, electrochemistry, mass spec-trometry, nanotechnology, separations science, and vibrationalspectroscopy.

Pittcon2010alsorecognizedWatersCorporationforachievingasignificantmilestoneasa50-YearPittconexhibitorandfor itscontinuedcommitmenttoPittconandthescientificcommunity.

The Pittcon Heritage award was presented to ProfessorWalter Jennings, Professor emeritus, university of California,Davis,andCo-founderofJ&Wscientific.

Analytical Chemistry Award for Young Investigators in Separation ScienceCraig A. Aspinwall, Associate Professor, University of Arizona

Young InvestigatorChristy L. Haynes Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota

Bomem-Michelson AwardProfessor Richard P. Van Duyne, Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University

Charles N. Reilley AwardRichard M. Crooks, Robert A. Welch Chair in Materials Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin

Dal Nogare AwardLane C. Sander, Leader of the Organic Chemical Metrology Group within the Analytical Chemistry Division, NIST

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lab spotlight


The wind tunnel at National Research Council’s Institute for Aerospace Research can generate wind speeds of up to 400 km/h. It was used by Canadian athletes from 11 disciplines such as bobsleigh, alpine skiing and speed skating. The athletes worked in the tunnel prior to the Vancouver Olympic games, honing their form.


Cold air fills her lungs as the skater steps down and herbladeetches its firstblemishontothesurfaceof the ice.shebasksinitscrispness,welcomingtheicytouchonher

exposedface.Hersecondskin,bearingtheteamCanadalogoandinsigniasofahostofsponsors,keepstheicytendrilsfromlatchingontohermuscles,slowingherbody’sresponsesandleechingherenergy.sheglidesasthoughnoforceholdsherback—nofriction,nodrag.The skin suit thathugs the curves and corners ofherframeismuchmorethananinsulator.itisaknife,slicingthroughthewindgeneratedby skaterswho traverse the frozenwateratspeedsgreaterthan40kilometresperhour.itisaframe,urgingthebodytoconformwhenfatiguesetsinafterpushingherbodytothelimit.itisastatement,wordlesslywarningcompetitorsthattheyareinfortheraceofalifetime.

she stands aside a contingent of athletes at the pinnacle ofsport,theolympicgames,knowingthatwhethersheendsthedayatopthethree-tieredpodiumorintheproudarmsofherfamily,shehasarrivedthereinfairness.Theathleteswhoovercameher,orwhowereovercomebyher,trainedinlikenesstoherandhadaccesstothesameknowledgethatshedid.Theyworkedtothelimitsoftheirbodiesandwentnofurther,withstandingtheallureof performance-enhancing substances that could give an edgeoverthecompetition.

The exceptionally high level of competition we see at themodernolympicgamescanultimatelybeattributedtoonething—theapplicationof science to sport.Though the twomaynotoftenbementionedinthesamebreath,it issciencethatmakessport what it is today and it was science that made the 2010olympicgamesinVancouveroneofthegreatestsuccessesinthehistory of amateur sport in Canada. While competitors fromaroundtheworldwereblastingdownmountainsandcompetingacross so many different venues, lab workers were behind thesceneskeepingathleteshonestandhelpingthemreachthelimitoftheirabilities.

Cheaters never prosperDrugtestinghasbecomeasmuchapartoftheolympicgamesashockeyortheluge.itissoimportantthatifapotentialhostcoun-

science plays a sport starring role in

By Jason Hagerman

try cannot meet the requirements the international olympicCommittee(ioC)hassetout,thegameswillnotbeheldthere.FortunatelyforVancouver,Canadahousesoneofthemostwellestablished World anti-doping agency (WaDa) accreditedlabs.However,thislab(institutnationaldelarecherchescienti-fiqueorinRs)islocatedinMontreal,toofartobeabletomeetpreciseWaDaguidelines.

“inordertoeliminateriskandensurethatresultsareavailableasquicklyaspossible,thecitythathoststheolympicgamesneedstohavealabon-site,”saysJeremyLuke,Directorofanti-dopingfor the Vancouver organizing Committee (VanoC) andDirector of anti-doping at the Canadian Centre for ethics insport(CCes).negativetestresultswouldneedtobeprovidedwithin24hoursofsubmissiontothelab,positiveresultswithin

48to72hours.Thiscouldn’tbedonefromMontreal,sothedeci-sionwasmadetobuildatemporarylabquiteliterallyon-site,attheRichmondolympicoval.

“Thiswasthefirsttimeinthehistoryoftheolympicsthatalabwaslocatedwithinacompetitionvenue,”saysLuke.

Withapricetagofmorethan$16million(includingopera-tionsandconstruction),thelabwouldendupbeingautonomous,entirely separate from the competition venue, with its ownmechanicalroomandsecuredentrance.additionally,theinstalla-tion of this lab would mean creating only the 36th WaDaaccreditedlabintheworld—anddismantlingitayearlater.

Drug testing has become as much a part of the Olympic games as hockey or the luge. It is so important that if a potential host country cannot meet the requirements the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set out, the games will not be held there.

Along with the athletes,


lab spotlight

ThelabwasbuiltundertheguidanceofDr.Christianeayotte,DirectoroftheDopingControlLabatMontreal’sinRs.

“Wewerearoundforthe1976olympicgamesinMontreal,atatimewhentherewerelessthan10WaDaaccreditedlabs,”saysayotte.“We’vebeenaroundsolong,wehavethishistorywhichgivesusauniqueposition.”

Thispositionincludedteststhatweresufficientforjustaboutany other sporting competition, but would not fly with the

extremely aggressive anti-doping outlook for the Vancouvergames.

“Wehadtobuynewequipment,significantlydifferent fromwhat we have at inRs, and so we used this opportunity toentirelyrebuildourapproachestotesting,”saysayotte.Reworkingthisapproachtotestingledtogame-changingadvancesindopingcontrol.

Starting anewsome drugs exert their action at the time of competition.stimulantscanimproveperformanceimmediatelyafterintroduc-ingthemtothebody,forexample,ordiureticscouldbeusefulatthetimeofweighinginforweight-category-controlledcompeti-tions.Thesedrugs couldbe found inquantitiesofmicrograms.steroids,ePoorgrowthhormonecouldbeusedinthemonthsleadinguptoadrugtest,andwouldbeidentifiableinnanogramorpictogramquantities.usingtraditionalmethods,about30ml

of urine would be required to run pertinent tests. For theolympics,ayottewantedtoseeiftheycoulddoanybetter.

“WewentoutandtookalookatthisnewGCTripleQuad,QQQ,fromagilent.itwasstillattheprototypestagewhenwemadethechoicetouseit.Withsteroids,youhavetouseGC,youcan’tmeasurethesteroidprofilecorrectlywithoutit,andthat’sthebasisforwhatwedo,”shesays.

The first twoof theseproducts cameoff themanufacturingline,andayottesnaggedone.

“Wegetsensitivitywiththistoacoupleofpicogramspermil-lilitre.Duringthegameswehadablindsamplewhichwaspro-videdby theWorldanti-Dopingagency andwewere able totrackatraceofsubstancethatwasproducedinapreviousexcre-tionstudydonefivemonthsprior,”saysayotte.

now,insteadofrunningmultipletestsonmultipleplatformswithonlysufficientsensitivity,oneplatformcanhandlemultipletests with exceptional sensitivity. When a sample comes backnegative,thereisliterallynotraceofabannedsubstance.

“This method we’ve developed is going to be the standard,undoubtedly,”ayotteboasts.“ourcolleaguesfromLondonwerevisiting the Vancouver games, in the process of selecting theirinstrumentation.Thereisthechancethatthey’lladoptsomethingelse,butiverymuchdoubttheywill.”

Whilesticksandbodiesbattledontheiceafewroomsaway,the35scientistsinthevibration-freelabtested1,721urinesam-ples and 453 blood samples, and later at the Paralympics, 370urine samples and 74 blood samples. This number is almost

A Sharp Knife Through Warm ButterIf you think a bathing suit is a bathing suit is a bathing suit

—think again. Much consideration went into the latest incarnation of Speedo’s competitive swimsuits, the LZR Elite. High strength fabrics compress the swimmer into a torpedo-like shape in the water. The form of the suit is built on con-siderations of improved body form and alignment. What began as a suit constructed from 30 individual pieces has been reduced to three, based on information obtained from hundreds of body scans. Surface friction testing was under-taken at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Water flume testing at the University of Otago in New Zealand further refined the fabric. Michael Phelps wore the first incarnation of this suit, the LZR Racer, to bring home eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympic games. www.speedo.com

“To make a champion, you really need the technology.” Dr. Guy Larose, researcher, National Research Council’s Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC-IAR)


double thatof thepreviousgames inTurin.The small armyofbloodcollectionofficers,numberingupwardsof50,hadcollectedsamples,transportedintamper-proofcontainersandoverseenbyindependentobservers.athleteswerebroughttosamplestationsbyoneofthe300olympicchaperones.Thelab,whichwasstillrevising its iso accreditation for newly banned substances aslast-minuteasJanuary2010,operatedatahighcapacitythrough-outtheentireolympicprogram.

andthen,onedaylessthanamonthafteroperationsbegan,thelabranitslasttest,andayottegotwhatshewaslookingfor-wardtothroughouttheentireolympicprocess.

“WetookeverythingoutofVancouver,dismantledthelaband

broughtallofthiscutting-edgetechnologybacktoMontreal,”shesays.“Wefinallymadeittothetopofthefoodchain.Wehaveallthebesttechnologyanditwillgiveussomepeaceofmind,andanedge,foratleastthenextfiveyears.”

WhenitcomestoCanada’sathletes,labworkersarepushingtheboundariesofsciencetohelpathletespushtheboundariesoftheirsports.

The science of speedTheapplicationofscienceextendsbeyondpolicingsport.

“Tomakeachampion,youreallyneedthetechnology.Thereisalwaysanelementofluck.eventhoughthesearethebestath-letesintheworld,luckisalwaysafactor,”saysDr.GuyLarose,aresearcher at the national Research Council’s institute foraerospaceResearch(nRC-iaR).“butifyouhavethetechnolo-gy,youcanreducetheamountthatislefttoluck.”

in the men’s 500-metre short track olympic speed skatingfinal,CanadianCharlesHamelintookthegoldmedalwithatimeof 40.981, while the second place finisher clocked a time of41.340.

“Technology could have been the difference in those hun-dredthsofasecond,”saysLarose.

after the2001olympics, anumberof athletes voiced con-cerns over the lack of technology available to Canadians.Thisoutcry prompted the creation of own the Podium (oTP) andoTP turned to Larose, an expert in bluff body aerodynamics(aerodynamicsofthingsthatdon’tfly).Larose,whohadconsultedCatriona Le May Doan prior to the 2001 games, felt he hadmuchtoofferourathletes,andsodidtheoTPboard.

inpreparation for the2006winter games, a groupof speedskaters utilized the two-by-three-metre wind tunnel at nRC-iaR,which cangeneratewind speedsof up to400km/h, andachievedgreatresults.Movingintothe2010games,athletesfrom11disciplineshopedtoreapthebenefitsofworkingwithLaroseandhisteam.

skeleton,bobsleigh,luge,alpineskiing,skicross,para-alpineskiing, nordic skiing, para-nordic skiing, freestyle aerial skiing,snowboard and snowboard cross, and speed skating athletes alltookturnsover theyears leadinguptothe2010gameshoningtheirforminthetunneltoeliminatedrag.

athleteswhosesportswerenewtotheolympicsgainedmuchknowledgeintobodypositioning.

“We learned that a snowboarder shouldn’t crouch.They aredifferent than the alpine skier because for the snowboarder,crouchingactuallymakesyoubecometoowide,”saysLarose.Heexplainsthattheactofcrouchinginalpineskiingreducesfrontalarea,resultinginlessdrag.Forthesnowboarder,however,amoreuprightposition,withtherearlegdirectlybehindthefront,cre-atesdragonlyononelegsurface,ratherthantwo.

“Thebasicideacamedowntoreducingthefrontalareawhiletrying to maintain equilibrium. once the athletes understoodthat,theybegantoseeahugedifference,”hesays.

Withthebobsleighinposition,centeredinthewindtube,the

Bounce in Your StepNike’s Pegasus running shoe made its debut in 1982 as

a grey and navy foot-holder. Today, it has evolved with every advance in science to be a shoe for all conditions. The first major upgrade to the basic model came in 1988, when a rubber toe guard and synthetic leather upper allowed runners greater freedom in wet conditions. Lighter materials in more conservative amounts came into play, and the shoe was offered in weight as low as 7.7 ounces. The line was eventually dropped as it lost sales momentum and had reached a stagnant point in technology development, until it could be revitalized in the late 90s.

The new designers decided to take out the PU Phylon interlocked midsole, heel Air unit and visible air, which had been used since 1987, and replace them with a full-length Air sole and a full Phylon midsole. In order to ensure that the Air sole worked properly, a new process was developed to create a compression moulded pre-form. Mesh in the upper was introduced to wick away moisture

In 2005, the first female-specific model was introduced. Among other features, grooves were placed in the toe to allow for more flexibility during “toe off,” which studies showed women did more than men. Later, design was fur-ther altered to take into account the lighter body mass of female runners in relation to men.

Designs continue to change season after season, giving athletes of all levels footwear reflective of the most advanced understanding of body mechanics. www.nike.ca


lab spotlight

sledteamorientedthemselvesastheywouldduringcompetition,andadisplayrelayinginformationondragwasprojectedontoasurfaceinfrontofthem,allowingtheathletestoseewhatadjust-mentsneededtobemadeandtoworkthroughtrialanderrorinreal-time.

speed skating is one of the more developed and matureolympicsports.Tohelpathletesreachthefullpotentialoftheirbodies,Larosewentbeyondbodypositioningandlookedatthemostminutedetailsofthesurfacesthatcreatedrag.

“Thespeedskatingsuit,bothshorttrackandlongtrack,werepart of the main, four-year project which was undertaken full-timebyaPhDstudenthere.Weappliedtheknowledgewehadin aerodynamics to figure out which is the best fabric—and itturnsoutthatdifferentfabricsarebestfordifferentpartsofthebody,”saysLarose.

onseveralsurfaces,liketheforearmsandlowerlegs,thesuitmimicstheprincipalusedbygolfballs.Dimplescreateturbulenceintheairaroundthesurface,reducingtheforcesofdrag.

“Goingthisdeepisreallyspecifictospeedskating,becauseitis a sport that ismuchmoremature in termsof aerodynamics.skatingsuitshavebeenusedforalongtime,andwe’reatapointwherewehavetoplayondetailslikethis.othersports,likesnow-boardcross,aren’tatapointwherewecanplayonfabriclikethisjustyet.There,wehave toworkon thecutof the suitand thecomfort.somewherealittleclosertospeedskatingisalpineski-ing,wheresuitsarebecomingquiteadvancedaswell.Thedepthtowhichweapplyourknowledgeofaerodynamicsreallyiscon-tingentonthematurityofthesport,”explainsLarose.

Details, detailsMaturesportspushtheboundariesoftechnologyinotherwaysaswell.Hockeystickshavegonefrombulky,cumbersomechunksofwoodtopreciselyengineered,lightas-a-feathertools.shoeshavegonefromfootprotectorstobodystabilizers.bathingsuitshelpathletes shavehundredthsof secondsoff times and set increas-ingly impressive records as technology grows in increasinglyimpressiveleaps.

swimmerMichaelPhelpsisundoubtedlyanathletethelikesofwhich israrelyseen,buthealsohadahandfromthemostadvanced swimsuit ever engineered. Materials created byspeedo’saqualabreducemuscleoscillationandskinvibration.

The Right Tool for the JobA hockey stick isn’t just a shaft and a blade any more.

Take the latest installment from Bauer’s Vapor stick line, for example. The X:60 Stick’um has words attached to it like Intelli-Sense Shot Technology, Pure Shot Blade Profile, TeXtreme Construction and dual taper. These words aren’t just fancy jargon contrived to confuse athletes into buying the product. Behind each word is a history of research dat-ing back to early stick design.

The blade profile, for instance, has proven to be a source for deflection in previous models. Adding a section of strong carbon fibre along the connection between the blade and shaft results in greater shot control. Intelli-Sense technology allows the shaft of the stick to flex based on the position of a player’s hands, resulting in maximum energy transference and greater demand on goalie reaction speed.

The effect of heavily applying science to stick develop-ment has been a change in the dynamic of the sport. Players are able to vary their style of play without the fear of limita-tions on what the gear can do for them. This translates into more excitement for fans.www.bauer.com


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Thesuitrepelswater,reducingdrageven more and preventing wateruptake resulting in slightlyincreasedmassbeingcarriedbyhismuscles.

usingscienceandtechnologytocomplementtheathleteisthefutureofsport,sayexperts.

“a team at the university ofbritishColumbiawas investigatingpossibleways to reduce ice frictionin the act of polishing the skateblade, or in the way a ski base isformed,” saysLarose.“Topathleteswill not reach the podium if theydon’thavetherightskiwax.”

applyingscienceinsuchwayscansometimesgiveonecom-petitor an advantage over the next. in developing sports wheresomecountriesmayhavefewerresearchdollars,technologymaylagslightlybehind.However,overtime,thesymphonyofscienceandsportresultsinalevelplayingfieldforall.itisonlyamatterof timebefore technology inagiven sport reaches itspinnacle,andathletesarefreetoworktheircrafttothebestoftheirnaturalability. Could applying science in areas like bluff body aerody- LB

namicsbeseenascheating,asdoingtoomuchtopropelathletesforward?

“no,”saysLarose.“Wearesimplyincreasingknowledgeoftheforcesgoverningasport,tobeabletobettercontroltheelements.isagardenercheatingbecauseheknowswhichbranchesonatreetoprune?He’sjustapplyingtheknowledgehehasinordertogetthebestfruitfromthetree.”

WorklikethatbeingdonebynRC-insortheinRsishelp-ingusherinthefutureofsport.The2010gamesdevelopedthemost highly regarded anti-doping program in recent memory.TheWaDaReportoftheindependentobserversatthe2010games reads, “several years of planning and effort, led by theDirectorofDopingControl,Mr.JeremyLuke,resultedinadop-ingcontrolprogramofthehighestquality.”inadditiontokeep-ing the competition fair, the research performed at nRC-iaRand several other facilities across Canada resulted in a record-setting showing by Canada. There are eight wind tunnels atnRC-iaR. utilizing just one of these helped Canada earn 14goldmedals,sevensilversandfivebronze.

“Combiningscienceandsport is simplybringing the tech-nologyoftheequipmentuptoparwiththetalentoftheseath-letes.iftheathletehastechnologytomatchthewillanddriveandskill,therecanbealevelofsportthatisamazingtowatch,”Larosesays.


application note

inscience,understandingisoftengainedthroughobservation.Weobservethemigrationpatternsofbirdstounderstandtheirlifecycle, chemical reactions to gauge environmental impact,

genetic structure todisarmdisease.Tounderstandmuchof theworld,andourownbodies,weobservecellsandthetinystructureswithin.Formorethan100years,however,wehavebeenobservingsamplesthathavebeentamperedwith,throughtheintroductionofdyes.Today,dyesarenolongeranecessity.ThankstoDr.albertstolow, program leader in molecular photonics at the nationalResearchCouncil(nRC)steacieinstituteforMolecularsciences,andhisteam,alongwitholympus,Coherentanti-stokesRamanscattering (CaRs) microscopy is now available to just aboutanybody.itpresentsanopportunityforscientiststoobservecel-lular structures without introducing foreign substances to theviewingfield,maintainingthenaturalstateofthecellandcreatingunknownpossibilitiesforthefuture.

One-millionthofone-billionthofasecond“Yes,itblowsmymindtoo,”saysaaronslepkov,aresearchassoci-atewithnRC.

CaRsinvolvessendinglaserpulsesdownamicroscopeeveryfemtosecond—one-millionth of one-billionth of a second—tocreate images from the molecular vibrations inside the cell. itreliesonthefrequencydifferencebetweenthepumpandstokespulsesbeingtunedtomatchavibrationalmodeofamolecule.ThesignalstrengthgivesCaRsaleg-upontraditionalRamanimag-ing as something with real-time capabilities.This is somethingthat greatly interests Dr. David Courtman, a scientist at theottawaHospitalResearchinstitute.

“oneoftheprojectswe’reworkingonisstemcelltherapiesforcardiacdiseaseandpulmonarydiseases,”hesays.“Todothis,we’retaking cells out of patients, putting them in culture, changingthemgeneticallyandputtingthembackintothepatient.Whatwewant, however, are techniques where we can look inside of thecellsandhaveaclearanalysisofwhatthey’redoing,asasortofqualitycontrol,beforeweputthembackin.Wewantatechniquethatdoesn’taddanythingtothecell,andthereforethepatient,andthatdoesn’tdamagethecells.CaRsmaybeanidealtechnique

whichwecanuse to takethecells,examinethem,andconfirmthattheypassourcriteriaonthespot,inreal-time.”

anotherstrengthisthatCaRsimagingtechnology,likethatused in CaRsLab (the nRC-olympus collaboration thatspawnedfromstolow’sresearch),cannowbeintroducedtoexist-ingimagingsystems.

“our microscope here can do fluorescence imaging, secondharmonicimagingandCaRs.Withtheflipofaswitch,ortheflipofafilter,wecanimageeverythinginonego,”saysslepkov.“Wecanreallybuildupastoryofwhat’sgoingoninacell.”

Looking at arterial sclerosis in a rabbit aorta, for example,slepkov can image structures around the aorta, such as elastin,using two-photon fluorescence. He can then flip the switch toCaRsandimagethelipiddropletsandanalyzethelocationofthemwithinstructures.

AddingvalueThismeans that labsusingmicroscopescapableof two-photonfluorescence or second harmonic generation, or anything usingsingle femtosecond laser sources, can modify their pre-existing

Good VibrationsThanks to the efforts of Canadian researchers, invasive dyes are no longer necessary in cellular imaging

By Jason Hagerman


equipmenttodoCaRs.“ifyou’veboughtamicroscopethathasthefemtosecondlaser,

CaRscanbeaddeddirectlytothatwithoutpreventinganyoftheotherfunctionsofthelaser,”saysslepkov.

This becomes evenmore viable considering ease-of-use andfinancialaffordabilityofshortpulselaserstoday.

“Theseshortpulselasersystemsaremucheasiertousenow;they’re basically turnkey,” says Mike sowa, Group Leader andseniorResearchofficeratnRC.

Regardless of the progressive leaps in ease-of-use with thelaser systems, these systems will still require some training toeffectivelyoperateandCaRsLabistakingaleadingroleinthis.

“Medicalresearcherscancomeinandtesttheirproblemshere,wherewealreadyhaveasophisticatedsystem,”saysstolow.“Wealsooffertraining.ifyouhavethemoney,youcangooutandbuyoneofthesemicroscopesyourself,butthatdoesn’tmeanyouknowhowtouseitorhowtointerprettheresults.it’simportanttogetthetrainingonhowtouseitandtheproblemsitcansolve.”

Commercially,thistechnologyisstillinitsinfancy.asapplica-tions are further explored and processes streamlined, it will

becomepartofthestandardcomplementofimagingtechnologies.“The important thing is the application—making sure

Canada’s medical researchers know about this and how it canworkforthem.They’lllearnforthemselveswherethetechniquewillbemostuseful,”saysstolow.

Old,yetnew“ofcourse,microscopyisnotanewfieldofstudy,”saysstolow.“usinglighttolookatsmallthingsinsidelivingcellsisfine,butnaturedesignedtheinternalbitsofcellsforitsownpurposes,notforourconvenience.Thenucleusofacellisnotpurple,mitochon-driaarenotred.”

For over a century, scientists have learned to add dyes andstains to cells. specific dyes bind to specific structures. Thenucleuslookspurplebecauseapurpledyehasbeendevelopedthatsticks specifically to it. We know these dyes adhere to specificstructuresbecausetheyhavebeentestedandretested,theyhavebeenobservedinthecellenvironmentdoingso.Whatwedon’tknow is how thesedyes are affecting the cell aswe attempt toobserve it.There is no way to see the internal structure before

Dr. David Kennedy explores applications for CARS imaging in the NRC-Olympus

CARSLab microscopy facility.


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addingthedye,andaddingthedyemaybepro-ducingactivitywithinthecellthatiscompletelyunnatural.

“ifigaveyouareallyheavybackpackwithaclunkyGPs to carry aroundand seehowyoubehaveandnavigateanenvironment,youmightnot go as far as you would normally or youmightnotgotothesameplaces.i’dbestudyingwhatyoudo,butthisisn’tnecessarilywhatyou’dnaturallydo,”explainsslepkov.

What it comes down to is this: “we don’treallyknowwhat’sgoingoninthecell.Whatwecan confirm is that it’s very complicated,”stolowsays.

Whynotuseinfraredorultraviolet?sincedyescouldbedisruptingthecell,itmakessense forscientists tousemethodsthatelimi-natetheuseofdyes,suchasusinginfraredorultraviolet instead of visible light, however, inthisinstance,theseothermethodssimplydon’twork.

infraredlight,saysstolow,hasawavelengthofthreetofivemicrons.Thisislargerthantheinteriorstructuresofthecell,meaninganybodylookingthroughalenswouldseetheentire cell, but nothing inside. even if the wavelength wasn’t aproblem,cellsaremadeupofahighpercentageofwater,whichabsorbsinfraredlight.ifthespatialresolutionwasn’tpoorduetothe wavelength of light, there would still be no seeing insidethecell.

ultravioletlightisofnousehereeither.“Cells absorb uV light; that’s why we wear sunscreen. it is

absorbedanddoesdamage,”saysstolow.“We’retryingtolookatlivecellshere.”

Contrarytotheseimagingmodalities,slepkovexplains,CaRsthrivesintheseconditions.

“ifyouhavewatersomewhereandyouwanttoimagethat,it’seasytodobecausewateraggregatestogether,”slepkovsays.“Likewisewithlipidsandoils.Whenyougetoiltogether,yougetaverypuremixofbonds.TheyvibrateverystronglywherewetunetheRamanspectrum.”

eachmoleculehasavibrationthatisveryspe-cifictothatmolecule,asspecificasafingerprint.The way a molecule vibrates, stolow explains,dependsontheshapeofthemolecule.sinceeachmoleculeisdistinctlydifferentinitsshape,visual-izationandidentificationthroughthistechniquebecomesratherstraightforward.

“We use the fact that although visible lightdoesn’tshowusthatmoleculeslookdifferent,weknow they’re different. because they’re differentmolecules, they have different vibrations, andbecausetheyhavedifferentvibrations,theyhavedifferentRamanspectra,”hesays.

This isn’t entirely new information. CaRsmicroscopyhasbeenaroundsincethe1960sand

hasbeenappliedtolivecellssuccessfullyformorethanadecade.“Thishasmainlybeenintheformofhomemadesystemsthat

peoplehavedeveloped in variousphysics labs,” saysCourtman.Thesesystemshavebeenexpensiveandsomewhatcumbersome,causingthetechnologytogolargelyunexplored.

inlightofrecentadvancesinlasertechnologyandtheeffortsof stolow and other scientists on his team, CaRs has evolvedintoacommerciallyviableimagingtechnology.

“Welookedatitandsaid,‘Theremustbeasimplerwaytodothis,’”saysstolow.“Thenweworkedoutaway…wefoundaverysimplewaytodoit.”LB

application note

African Violet pollen

Rat brain

Rabbit aorta


suzuki comment

Technological fixes can have serious consequencesBy David Suzuki

In 1962, Rachel Carson galvanized a global environmentalmovementwithherbookSilent Spring.beforeshewroteabout

the unexpected consequences of pesticides—including bioaccu-mulationoftoxicmoleculesupthefoodchain—scientificinnova-tions such as DDT dazzled us with their promise of greatercontrolovertheforcesimpingingonourlives.

Weoften looktotechnological fixeswithoutacknowledgingourignoranceabouthowtheworldworks,andthenweenduptryingtocorrecttheunexpectedproblemsthatresult.WhenwebegantouseCFCsinlargeamounts,scientistshadnoideatheymight affect the ozone layer. salmon farmsseemedlikeagoodidea,butnooneanticipatedparasitic sea-lice outbreaks that would harmwildsalmon.

scientists find clever ways to tease outinformationaboutourworld.andeverywherewe look,wediscovernew challenges becauseour knowledge is so primitive. accumulatingtoxicpollutantsinair,water,soil,andourbod-ies;vanishingspecies;lossofnutrientsintop-soil; ocean degradation—all these providewarningsthathumannumbers,consumption,and activity are undermining the very thingsthatkeepusalive.

Climatologistshaveaccumulatedapower-fulsetofobservationsandmodelspointingtofossil-fueluseasthecauseofglobalwarming.obviously,thesolu-tionistoreducetheamountofgreenhousegaseswecreatesothebiospherecansopuptherest.

someimaginativesuggestionswouldallowustocontinuetoburn fossil fuels without reduction: giant umbrellas in space toshieldtheearthfromthesun,aerosolsofsulphidetomimicvol-canic emissions that reflect sunlight, and so on.Two that haveattractedattentionarecarbonseedinginoceansandcarboncap-tureandsequestrationonland.

The first involves putting iron into the oceans to fertilizewaterswherethelackofcarbonlimitsalgaegrowth.inthelab,ithasbeenshownthataddingthiscarbontoantarcticoceanwater,forexample, leads tomassive increases in thealgalpopulations.Companieshavebeenformedonthepromisethatputtingcarbonintooceanstoinducealgalbloomswillhelpabsorbcarbondioxidefromtheatmosphere.now,inapaperintheprestigiousjournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, scientistsreport that this process can cause the blooming of plants that

producedeadlyneurotoxins.oops.The second suggestion is carbon capture and sequestration.

PrimeMinisterstephenHarperhasavoideddiscussionabouttheseriousimpactsofclimatechangeonCanadaandtheeconomicimplicationsoffailingtoreduceemissions.instead,governmentpolicy isbasedon the fear that reducingemissionswillbeeco-nomicallydestructive,sowewillwaitinsteadforthedevelopmentofmethodstopumpcarbondioxideintotheground.

Thistechniqueisbasedonanobservationthatwhencarbondioxide is pumped into depleted wells so that more oil can be

recovered, the Co2 doesn’t come back out.This has led to a hope that we can capturemuch of the Co2 from smokestacks, coalplants, and the tar sands and simply inject itintotheground—outofsight,outofmind.

butwait.Whileweoncethoughtthatlifepeteredoutatbedrock,wenowknowthatlifeexists up to three kilometres underground.bacteriafromdeepundergroundaresodiffer-entfromanythingweknowabovegroundthatwe need entire new categories to describethem.scientistsestimatethattheweightofalltheorganismsundergroundisgreaterthantheweight of all life above it, including whales,trees, and people! scientists know very littleabouttheroletheseorganismsplayintransfer

of heat from magma or the flow of nutrients and water in thesubterraneanworld,yetwearecontemplatingpumpingmillionsoftonnesofCo2intothatmysteriousworld.

ionceaskedTullisonstottofPrincetonuniversity,oneoftheworld’stopexpertsonundergroundlife,whateffectCCsmighthaveonthem.Hisreply?“idon’tknow,butthemethanogenswillloveit.”

“Whataremethanogens?”iasked.Hesaidtheytakeupcar-bon dioxide and produce methane, a greenhouse gas 22 timesmorepotentthancarbondioxide!

Wehavesomanywaystoreduceouremissionsandtosavemoneyandresourcesbybecomingmoreefficient.Yetweavoiddoingthemonthehopeofatotallyuntriedtechnologicalprom-isethatcouldhaveenormousnegativeconsequences.Doesthismakesense?

Dr. David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author, and chair of the David Suzuki Foundation. Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

We often look to techno-logical fixes without acknowledging our

ignorance about how the world works, and

then we end up trying to correct the unexpected problems that result.

LB


lab reports

ThenaturalsciencesandengineeringResearchCouncilofCanada(nseRC),oneofthecountry’sleadingprovidersofgrants forpublic-privateR&Dpartnerships, launched

its strategy for Partnerships and innovation (sPi) “Connect,Collaborate, Prosper” in December 2009. The plan introducesnew government programs designed to provide funding toCanadianresearchersandconnectthemwithindustrialpartnerstoheightenR&Dproductivityacrossthecountry.

nseRCinvestsmorethan$310millionannuallytosupportR&D partnerships.The council has had great success workingwithmorethan1,400Canadiancompanieseveryyear,including65of the top100R&Dinvestment firms.The resultsof thosecollaborationsbroughtinnovationstoindustrythathavestrength-ened Canada’s economy and delivered leading-edge advantagesover international competitors. Many of those breakthroughsbeganasresearchprogramshoused inuniversity labsacross thecountryandwithsPinseRCplanstofurtherthesuccessesofpartnershipsbetweenCanadianacademiaandindustry.

nseRChasintroducedtwonewgrantswithsPi—interactionandengage—thatprovide funding for short-termprojects thatallowcollaboratorsfromacademiaandindustrytotestthepoten-tialofapartnershipbeforeexpandingintomorecostlyventures.aswithallnseRCprograms,thefundingisprovidedtocovertheuniversityresearcher’sdirectprojectcostswhileindustrypart-nersgainvaluableexpertiseandprovideinputonthedirectionofprojects.

Theinteractiongrantprovidesupto$5,000tocovertravelandmeetingcoststobringpotentialpartnerstogethertoseekoppor-tunitiesforcollaboration.Theengagegrantoffersupto$25,000over sixmonths to address company-specific projects andgivesacademicresearchersanopportunitytodemonstratetheircapa-bilitiestonewindustrypartners.Forsomepartnerships,thisini-tialcollaborationmayresolvepresentR&Dneedsbutforothersitwillbethebeginningofaninvaluablerelationship.

oncepartnersreachtheendoftheirinteractionandengagegrants theyhave a choiceof subsequent collaborativeprogramsthatcanprovidefundingashighas$500,000.Twosuchopportu-nitiesaretheCollaborativeResearch&Developmentgrantandthe industrial Research Chair (iRC) program.These programshavebeenverysuccessfulinbringingtogetheruniversityresearch-erswantingtoundertakeappliedresearchprojectswithpartnerstobringnewinnovationstothe industrysectors.Forcollabora-

New Government Program Promotes R&D Partnerships

By Quinn Damery

tionsthatreceiveiRCdesignation,nseRCprovidesfundingforthe salary of the research Chairholder so they may focus theireffortsontheresearchprogramandtrainingofhighlyqualifiedpersonnel.

Thegrantingcouncil’s fiveregionalofficeshavebeenre-ori-ented with a focus on promoting partnership opportunities

Suzanne Fortier, President, Natural Sciences and

Engineering Research Council


betweenindustryandacademia.LocatedinVancouver,Winnipeg,Mississauga,MontrealandMoncton,theofficesarereachingouttouniversitypresidents,vice-presidentsofresearchandindustryliaisons,andencouragingthemtoproposeongoingresearchthathasapplicationsforindustry.Theyarealsocontactingbusinessesin their area topromote thenew initiative, learn about specificR&Dchallengesfacingthemandlocateresearcherswhomaybeabletohelpfindasolution.

inadditiontoseekingoutsuitablematchesbetweenbothsec-tors,theregionalofficesalsoarrange“speeddating”sessionsthatplacearesearcherinaroomwithrepresentativesfromappropriatebusinesses so they may pitch their findings directly to attractpartnerinterest.

“WithsPi,wehaveanopportunityforCanadianacademicstoplaydistinctrolestothebestoftheirabilitiesandinteractopti-mallywithotherpartsof the innovationsys-tem,” says suzanne Fortier, President ofnseRC.“Canadianindustrywillseetremen-dousgainsbytakingfulladvantageofthetal-ented researchersandstudentshoused inouruniversitiesandcolleges.”

amongthemostsought-afterresourcesbyR&D-performingbusinessesarehighlyskilledresearchers who bring specialized expertisethathelpsadvancetechnologiesandfindnovelbusinesssolutions.Partnershipprogramshavegiven academics a channel for building rela-tionships with businesses that emphasizeresearch application and delivering break-throughdiscoveriestoallCanadians.

“supportfromnseRChashelpedtofosterathrivingenvi-ronmentforresearchattheuniversityofbritishColumbia,”saysJohnHepburn,Vice-PresidentResearchandinternationalattheuniversity of british Columbia. “our industry-supported part-nershipshaveplayedakeyroleinmobilizingknowledgebeyondthecampusandadaptingitforuseinsociety.”

nseRC’spartnershipprogramsalsoprovidebusinesseswithapipelinetothetalentedstudentsemergingfromCanada’suniver-sities.Thisisavaluableassetnotonlyforbusinesses,butalsoforgraduatesweighing their careeroptions.While somemay con-tinuetoworkinacademia,otherswillpursueindustrypositionsandpartnershipsgivethemtheopportunitytoexperienceR&Dprojectsinprivatesectorenvironments.Manyresearchprogramsoperate at both university and industry facilities and studentsbecomefamiliarwiththeindustrypartner’soperationsbythetimetheyarereadytoentertheworkforce.asaresult,industrypart-nersoftenhirestudentsupongraduating.

Canada ishometoworld-classresearchasevidencedbyourcomparative ranking with other countries and the significantinfluenceofourfindingsonforeignresearch.ourcountryexcelsin itspost-secondaryR&Dcapabilities, ranking first in theG7countries. We stand sixth among 30 countries for R&D per-formed in the higher-education sector as a percentage of gross

domestic product, according to theorganisation foreconomicCo-operationandDevelopment.asafurtherindicatorofimpact,Canadian papers in the natural sciences and engineering rankfifthamongG8countriesintermsofnumberoftimescitedbyresearchers from other countries. altogether, Canadian govern-ments andhigher-education institutionsperformed some$12.6billioninR&Din2007-08.

bycontrast,industryR&Dlevelsinthiscountryarerelativelylowinlightoftheachievementsofcountriessuchastheu.s.andGermany. in Canada, the majority of private sector R&D hasbeen concentrated in a small number of very large companies.ourindustrieshavelaggingproductivityandneedacompetitiveedgetoexcelintoday’sglobaleconomy.

Canadians are fortunate in that we already have a stableeconomyandanoutstandingresearchbase.ourchallenge is in

mobilizingtheseresourcestomaximumbene-fit for researchers, industry and taxpayers.WithsPi,nseRCisintroducingaparticularfocusonsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises,anareawhereitsreachhasbeenlesseffectivebutholdsmanyR&Dopportunities.

“atthenationallevel,nseRCiswellposi-tioned to promote a broader conversationbetweenindustryandpost-secondaryresearch-ers acrossCanada,” saysHepburn.“ThenewstrategyforPartnershipsandinnovationpro-videsacriticalstrategicfocusonnurturingandsustainingtheseimportantrelationships.”

Through broad consultation with morethan400membersof industry,academiaand

government,nseRC’sexternalsPiadvisoryCommitteeuncov-eredmanybarrierstosuccessfulindustry-academicR&Dcollabo-ration. as a concerted effort to remove these roadblocks, sPihelpsclear theway forbothsectorsonstructural issuessuchasintellectualproperty,projectmanagement,technologyintegrationandgovernmentsilos.

ThoughsPiemphasizessolutionresearch,nseRCisfirmlycommittedtodiscoveryprograms.in2010-11,thecouncil’sbud-get includes more than $350 million for the Discovery Grantsprogram, its flagship grant for researchers. sPi is a strategydesignedtocomplementthediscoveryresearchsupportedbythecouncilbycompletingthefullcycleofinnovation,takingresearchfrom the fundamental stage to commercialization, so that ourcountrycanrealizemorevaluefromthegovernment’sinvestmentinpost-secondaryR&Dcapabilities.

For more information on the strategy for Partnerships andinnovation,gotowww.nsercpartnerships.ca.Researcherscanalsocall1-877-767-1767tospeakwithannseRCprogramofficeraboutapplying.

Quinn Damery is a Communications Officer with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and freelance journalist who resides in Ottawa.

NSERC has introduced two new grants that provide funding for

short-term projects that allow collaborators from academia and industry

to test the potential of a partnership.

LB


six-core aMD opteron processors, sup-port for the new smart array Controllersand high-efficiency power supply unitsmaketheHPProLiantDL785G6serveran excellent choice for labs seeking highperformance, scalability and energy effi-ciency.The G6 supports up to eight six-CoreaMDoptero8400seriesprocessorstodeliverhighscalabilityandperformancefor the most demanding applications, and64DiMMslotssupportamaximumof512

GbPC2-6400orPC2-5300DDR2dual-channel memory running at up to 800MHz. The small form-factor hard drivesuseupto50percentlesspowerthantradi-tional 3.5-inch form-factor drives and anew,higher-efficiencypowersupplyenablesenhancedpowermanagement(monitoring,regulation and capping) that helps reduceenergycostsandreclaimtrappeddatacen-trecapacity.www.hp.com

Address Hardware Challenges

tech watch

ServersIfthereisoneenduringtruthinthisworld,itisthatsciencegeneratesinformation.as

scientistsreachfurtherintospace,manipulatethesmallestofstructuresandstudyevery-thing between, the weight of information becomes incredible. Fortunately, advances incomputertechnologymakeitpossibletodealwithinformationmoreeffectivelytodaythaneverbefore.Today’sserversaremorepowerful,moreversatileandlessenergy-hungrythantheirpredecessors.belowareproductsfromsomeoftheindustrypowerhousespushingthelimitsofservertechnology.

With intel advanced RasTechnology, the DellPoweredgeR910canautomat-ically monitor, report andrecoverfromhardwareerrorstomaintain data integrity andkeep mission-critical servicesonline. Performance resources,power efficiency, i/o andmemoryscalabilityareessentialtomaximizingworkloadinthedatacentre.TheR910delivershigh-performing Xeon 7500seriesprocessors,upto1TbofDDR3memoryand2x10GboptionalLoMwith10PCieslotstohelpconsolidateineffi-

cient workloads. energy-efficient system design builtwith energy smart technolo-gies includes power manage-ment features enabling powercapping, power inventory, andpower budgeting within yourspecific environment. Logicallayout of the internal compo-nents aids with airflow direc-tion,helpingtokeeptheservercool.TheDell“one-touch”pro-cess is designed to ensure oneperson is responsible for theentireserverbuild, resulting ingreaterqualitycontrol.www.dell.com

Get Performance and Reliability in a Scalable Server


Microsoft’s Windows server 2008R2 builds on the foundation ofWindowsserver2008byexpandingexisting technology and adds newfeatures to enable organizations toincrease thereliabilityandflexibilityof their server infrastructures. newvirtualization tools, web resources,management enhancements andWindows 7 integration help savetime,reducecostsandprovideaplat-

form for a dynamic and efficientlymanageddatacentre.Powerfultoolssuchasinternetinformationservices(iis) version 7.5, updated serverManager and Hyper-V platformsand Windows Powershell version2.0 combine to give users greatercontrol, increased efficiency and theabilitytoreactfasterthaneverbefore.www.microsoft.com/canada

ibM’s new PoWeR7 systemsincorporate a number of industry-unique technologies for the special-ized demands of new applicationsand services that rely on processingan enormous number of concurrenttransactionsanddatawhileanalyzingthat informationinreal-time.Thesesystemsaredesignedwithworkload-optimizing technologies: with eightcoresandfourthreadspercore,theyquadruple the maximum number ofcoresofthepreviousPoWeR6sys-tems. For workloads that requirelargeamountsofmemory,orinvirtu-alized environments where morememoryisverybeneficial,clientscanutilizeactiveMemoryexpansion,a

unique capability that uses memorycompressiontechnologytomakethephysical memory on the systemappeartotheapplicationasifitwereup to twiceas largeas it actually is.Thistechnologydynamicallyadjuststhe amount of compressed memorybasedonaworkload’smemoryneeds,transparentlycompressingmoredatato be placed into memory and thusexpanding the memory capacity ofthesystem.userscanalsopoweronandoffvariouspartsofthesystemordynamicallyincreaseordecreasepro-cessorclockspeedsbasedonthermalconditionsandsystemutilization.www.ibm.com

eMCionixserverConfigurationManagercollects,stores,fixesandmanagesconfigurationsettingsfromserversandworkstationsacrossphysicalandvirtualenvironments.With this criticaldata, ionixserverConfiguration Manager eliminates the hassle andexpense associated with using multiple tools formanagingchanges,patches,configurations,remedi-ation and compliance. Receive automatic alertswhen your systems need to be tweaked to ensurecompliance or resolve problems. also, automatecommon tasks to increase operational efficiency,decreasecostsandregaincontroloveryouriTinfra-structure.www.emc.com

Manage Data-Intense Applications

Stay in Control

Microsoft Builds on Windows Server 2008


lab ware

DCscientificGlass,amanufacturerofglasswareincludingfusedquartzlabware.

“Forexample,wehavecustomersinthepetrochemicalindus-trythatusequartzflasksforheatingmaterialssuchasgasoline.ifthosewereborosilicateflasksandtheyweresetontopofaheater,theborosilicateflaskscouldbreakandcreateafire.Flasksmadeoffusedquartz,becauseoftheextremelyhightemperatureprop-ertiesandthelowcoefficientofexpansion,willnotbreakduetothe heat or temperature shock. it saves a lot of time.They aremoreexpensive,butthequartzvesselsaremuchsaferandwillalsolastalotlonger.”

ExceptionalpurityFusedquartzpuritylevelsareunsurpassedintheglasswareindus-try,andaremuchsuperiortoborosilicateproducts.

“The performance of most fused quartz products is closelyrelated to the purity of the material,” explains James Horvath,PresidentofTechnicalGlassProducts(TGP),adistributorandfabricatorof fusedquartzmaterial.“Thepurityof rawmaterialand fusionprocessesmustbe closelymonitoredandcontrolled,which can yield products with typically less than 50 ppm totalelemental impurities by weight. This is extremely pure whencomparedwithborosilicate,althoughitalsohasawiderangeoflaboratoryapplications.TGPalsomanufacturesborosilicateglass-ware,soHorvathiskeenlyawareofthepropertiesandbenefitsof

By Ed Sullivan

Fused Quartz, the Uncompromising Labware

Whenlabwareapplicationsdemandsuperiorproperties—chemical purity, thermal shock resistance, lighttransmissionandotheradvancedperformancechar-

acteristics—therightmaterialisfusedquartz.When it comes to glass laboratory vessels, for application

requiring everyday, routine physical and chemical properties,borosilicatelabwareisperfectlyadequateforabroadrangeofuses.

but when it comes to applications demanding exceptionalpropertiesforhighlycontrolledenvironments,fusedquartzvesselsoffer superior capabilities that make experiments and rigoroustestingmoreaccurate,flexibleandsafer.Plus,althoughunknowntosome,fusedquartzlabwareisreadilyavailable,evenincustomvesseldesigns,andoffershighvalueforappropriateapplications.

Quartzlabwareoffersusersexceptionalmechanical,electrical,optical, and thermal properties that provide uncompromisingperformanceforawiderangeofrobustapplicationsthroughoutscienceandindustry.awidevarietyoffusedquartzlabproductsareavailable,includingflasks,beakers,testtubes,joints,dishesandcrucibles. since virtually all quartz labware is individually handblown, customer-specified pieces are also available at relativelyaffordableprices.

UnmatchedthermalpropertiesFusedquartz ismuchsuperior toborosilicatewhen itcomes toheat. Fused quartz is a solid material at room temperature. athightemperatures,itbehaveslikeallglasses.itdoesnotexperi-enceadistinctmeltingpointascrystallinematerialsdo,butsoft-ensoverafairlybroadtemperaturerange.Thistransitionfromasolidtoaplastic-likebehaviourisdistinguishedbyacontinuouschangeinviscosity(resistancetochangingshape)withtempera-ture.

Fused quartz products, including labware, can be heated to1150Cunderminimal loadconditions.itcanthenbeplungedinto coldwaterwithout cracking,due to its relatedpropertyofhigh thermal shock resistance.The annealing point is 1140 C;strainpointis1070C;fusionpointisbetween1700and1800C.

“in practical lab applications, the thermal stability of fusedquartz canbe related to safety,” saysDougsisson,Presidentof


bothproducts.“Thechemicalpurityandinertnessofquartzareessentialto

manylabapplications,”hecontinues.“ifalabvesselreactswiththe reagent itholds, thatmaybehighlyproblematic.also, if aglasscomponentleachesintothereagent,thatwillaffecttheout-comeoftest.so,thechemicalpurityisamajorreasonwhysomeuserschoosevesselsmadeoffusedquartz.”

Horvath adds that the optical purity of quartz that may beequallyimportanttomanyusers.Thetransmisivity,orabilityofarelatively broad range of light wavelengths to pass unimpededthroughclearquartzlabwarecanbevitaltomanyexperiments.

“ForuVorinfraredapplicationsyouwanttohaveverygoodopticaltransmissionatspecificwavelengths,”saysHorvath.

MechanicaltoughnessFusedquartzisanextremelyhardformofglass.itisresistanttocompression,andhasexceptionalmechanicalstrengthaswellaselasticity.

The reactivity properties are excellent for many lab applica-tionsbecausemostacids,metals,chlorineandbromineareunre-activewiththematerialinnormaltemperatureranges.

“Thematerialisalsoveryinert,andthereforehighlychemical-resistant,” Horvath says. “if you were using a glass beaker, forexample,thatcouldreactwithasolutionitcontained,thatwouldcorrupt the solution.Fusedquartz labware is rarely attackedbyanyacid,exceptafluorine-basedgasorsolution.itcanwithstand

exposuretomanyacids,evenatveryhightemperatures,foruptomonthsandevenyears.”

Quartzalsomakesanexcellentelectricinsulator.bothelectri-calinsulationandmicrowavetransmissionpropertiesareretainedatveryhightemperaturesandoverawiderangeoffrequencies.

“Manyofthepropertiesoffusedquartzmakeitidealformanyindustrialapplications,”sayssisson.“Wehavecustomerswhouseit for burning in iC chips, for example, because of their hightemperature,highpurity,anduVtransmissionrequirements.Wealso have customers in the petroleum industry that use quartzlabwareformanyofthesamereasons.”

TheapplicationsofTGPcustomersrangefromsemiconduc-tor to fiber optic and photovoltaic (solar) cell manufacturing,specialty lighting, aerospace, and pharmaceutical and universitylaboratories.Formanyof them,TGPofferscustomdesignandtechnicalservices,aswellasthenecessaryproductioncapabilities.

“inadditiontoquality,wecareabouttheavailabilityoftechni-cal support and other value-added services,” sisson adds.“Flexibilityonorderquantitiesandtimelydeliveriesare impor-tant,too.TGPhassuccessfullymetthoserequirementsformanyyears.”

Ed Sullivan is a Hermosa Beach, CA-based writer. He has researched and written about high technologies, healthcare, finance, and real estate for more than 25 years.

LB


lab ware

Multichannel Microplate Reader with UV CapabilitiesForspeedandflexibilityinamicroplatereader,theBiochromAsysExpertPlusrangeofinstrumentsfitsthebill,withmultichannelopticsdeliveringrapidanalysistimescoveringtherange340-800nm.Thisinstrumentenableslifesciencesresearcherstorunavarietyofdifferentmicroplateassaysinclud-ing“UVassays,”suchasthemeasurementofchangesintheabsorbanceofNADHat340nm.TheExpertPluscanbeusedwithflat,roundandv-bottomedplates.Fourshakingmodesensurescompletemixingofsolutions,allowscellstostayinsuspension,homogenizescolouredsolutionsandprovidesanequal,stableliquidmeniscusinallwells.Thesestandalonemicroplatereaderscanstoreupto120methods,andtheresultsofupto100plates.ControlPlusSoftwareenablestheusertodownloadresultstoanexternalPCfordatastorage,manipulationandprinting,ortouploadprogramsfromthePCtotheinstrumenttosavehands-ontime.www.biochrom.co.uk

One Image, 21 UsersCarlZeissrecentlylaunchedanewmultidiscussionsystemforAxioScopeandAxioImagerlightmicroscopes.Thissystemenablesupto21individualstoviewthesamemicroscopeimagefieldatthesametime.Thefieldofviewprovidesuserswithanoverviewofthelargespecimensection.Regardlessoftheconfigurationofthesystem,everyobserverhastheabilitytoseethesameimagewiththesameorientation.Allstructuresinwhichthemainobserverreferstoonthemicroscopelieexactlythesamewayastheco-observer’sfieldofview.www.zeiss.com

Electrophoresis System is Power-AdjustableHoefer,Inc.announcedthearrivaloftheHE-PLUSCompleteElectrophoresisSystem,designedtomeetawiderangeofresearchapplications.Thesystemhasabuilt-indirect-connectpowersupplywithanLEDdisplayforeasyviewingofthevoltage,amperageandtime.Thepowersupplyisadjustablefrom10-150voltsor10-400mAformaximumcontroloftheseparationparameters.Alsofeaturedisa99:59minutetimerwithanaudibleendofrunalert.Thehorizontaltankismadeofruggedpolycarbonateandhasaventedlidtoreducecondensationsotheruncanbemonitored.TheHE-PLUSoffersahigh-throughput,96-wellformatwithmultichannelpipette-compatiblecombsfordirectloadingofsamplesandiscoldroomcompatible.www.hoeferinc.com

Two Light Sources are Better than OneTheDual-Core3DMeasuringMicroscopeLeicaDCM3Dcombinesconfocalmicrosco-py,interferometryandcolourimaginginonesensorhead.Designedforresearchanddevelopment,qualitylabsorautomaticonlineprocesscontrol,thesystemoffersultrafastandcontact-freeanalysisofthemicro-andnanogeome-tryofmaterialsurfacestoanaccuracyof0.1nm.Aconfocalmicrodisplay,twolightsourcesandtwoCCDcamerasproduceunlimitedfielddepthandhighlyprecise3-Dresults.www.leica-microsystems.ca


Handy DeviceAnewseriesofi-LABhandheldanalyzingspectrometersfromCole-Parmeroffersconvenienceofportability.Weighingonly7.4ounceseach,thecompactbattery-operatedinstrumentenablesuserstogodirectlytothesamplesource.Thei-LABconductsabsorbanceandtransmissionmeasurements.Afullvisiblespectrumofaliquidsampleiscapturedandstoredwithinthedeviceforlateruploadingintoalap-toporothercomputer.Upto500spectracanbefurtherprocessedwiththei-LABSpectrumSoftware,whichallowsuserstocreatecustommeasurementmethodstodownloaddataintothei-LAB.The“LiveScan”featureprovidesafull-screendisplayofreal-timesampledata.www.cole-parmer.com

L I S T O F A D V E R T I S E R S & W E B S I T E SBrainTumour..............................................Page10..............................................www.braintumour.caBeckman.....................................................Page15..................www.beckmancoulter.com/centrifugeBuchi...........................................................Page14................................................ www.mybuchi.comCaledonLabs.............................................Page24.......................................... www.caledonlabs.comEppendorf...................................................Page36............................................. www.eppendorf.comFisher..........................................................Page2......................................................www.fishersci.caHouseAd....................................................Page12................................... www.labbusinessmag.comMedicure.....................................................Page33................................................................................Metrohm(Brinkmann)..................................Page4............................................www.metrohmusa.comMieleProfessional......................................Page21.........................................................www.miele.caTechnicalGlass...........................................Page8.........................................www.technicalglass.comVWR............................................................Page35.........................................................www.vwr.com

Precise ControlThePhaseMonitorIIfromSupercriticalFluidTechnologies(SFT)isapowerfulana-lyticaltoolfordeterminingthesolubilityofvariouscompoundsandmixturesofcom-poundsinsubcriticalandsupercriticalflu-ids.Itprovidesdirect,visualobservationofmaterialsunderconditionsthatmaybecontrolledpreciselybytheresearcher.Experimentsmaybeperformedinliquidorsupercriticalcarbondioxideorinothercompressedgases.Additionally,theeffectofco-solventsonthesolubilityofcom-poundsofinterestinsupercriticalcarbondioxidecanbeinvestigatedwiththisinstrument.Itallowstheendusertoviewthedissolution,precipitationandcrystalli-zationofcompoundsoverawiderangeofpressuresandtemperatures.Experimentscanbedonefromafewhundredpsito10,000psiandfromambienttemperatureto150C.www.supercriticalfluids.com

Shake, Shake, ShakeJeioTech,Inc.underthebrandLabCompanion,introducedanewlineofhighcapacity/highspeedshakers.Usinganewlyengineereddirectdrivemechanism,almostnoloadistooheavyfortheLabCompanionSKCshakers.Alargeselectionofmodelsisavailablebasedonplatformsizeandstrokediameter.Programmablemotioncontrol,LEDdisplays,unbalancedloadsensorsandself-protectingcut-offfunctionmaketheseshakersversatileandsafe.TheSKCseriesoffersspeedsupto500RPMswithamaximumorbitof2.8inchesandclampsthataccommodateuptosixflasks.Numerousaccessoryoptionsallowuserstoworkwithavarietyofflasksizes,tubesandbottles.www.jeiotech.com

Lab Space available for Rent/Lease

Location: Southwest quadrant of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Close proximity to the University of Manitoba (< 10 mins.) and the J.A.R. International Airport (< 15 mins.)

Size: from 1,500 s.f. to 6,500 s.f. availableType: wet lab space.

Furnished Laboratory features include:• 6 chemical fume hoods with acid

storage cabinets • Work benches and eye wash and

emergency shower • Private offices adjacent to wet lab

and open office space within wet lab• Additional equipment including:

microplate readers, laminar flow hoods, UV/visible spectrophotometer for various enzyme assays.

Other analytical equipments include:300 MHz Multinuclear NMR, Mass Spectrometer, Waters HPLC systems capable of both analytical and preparatory separations, a validated Agilent 1200 HPLC, a High-Throughput Waters 2725 HPLC system, and validated analytical balances.

For further information, please contact Dr. George Thomas email: [email protected].

Medicure.indd 1 4/21/10 2:30 PM

Designed with the Lab Worker in MindPolySciencerecentlyintroducedanewlineofcirculatingwaterbathswhichfeature

temperaturerangesfrom–40Cto200C,temperaturestabilitiesaspreciseas±0.005Candareavailablewithsixdifferenttemperaturecontrollers,includingtwoprogrammablemodels.Bothrefrigerating/heatingandheatonlybathsareavailableandcomeinreservoirsizesfromsevento45

litres.Thislatestgenerationofbathsincorporatesmanyergonom-icfeatures,includingaswivelingcontrolheadthatpermitsview-ingofthetemperaturedisplayanywherewithina180-degreeviewingradius,anintegralliddockingsystemforno-messreser-voircoverstorageandacorrosionandchemicalresistanttopplatethatdampensnoiseandremainscoolerathightempera-

tures.PolyScience’snewPerformanceandAdvancedTemperatureControllersalsofeaturehighlyintuitive,touch-screenoperation.www.remarkablyresponsive.com

CLASSIfIED


sitting with

Murray McLaughlin is the winner of the 2010 Gold Leaf Industry Leadership Award pre-sented by BIOTECanada. He currently serves as the President and CEO of the Sustainable Chemistry Alliance, which helps commercialize sustainable technology and processes.

Q: What got you into this field?A:iguessit’ssomethingi’vebeeninvolvedinformanyyearsinvariouscapacities.Mostlyinagricultureandeconomicdevelopment,sothisisanaturalprogression.

Q: Does chemistry pay enough attention to sustainability?A:ithinkthey’restartingto.ithasn’tbeennecessarilythatwayinthepast.butnowit’sbecomingmorewellknownthatthisisgoingtobemoreimportantastimegoesonandpeopleinthisareaofsciencearereallylookingintotheopportunitiesinthesustainabilitysideoftheirbusiness.

Q: Are there opportunities?A:Therearesomanyopportunities.This,ofcourse,dependsonthedefinitionofsustainability.improvedefficiencyisimprovingsustainability.butthenthere’sthemoveovertowardthegreensideinordertofindnewchemistriesthatareplant-based;thiscanincreasesustainabilityevenmore.Thewholeprocesswillbeagradualthing,aprogressionthattakestimetoresultinabigchange.

Q: Do you feel we have the capacity to feed the growing world population?A:idon’tthinktherewillbeaproblemwithfood.it’sbeenanongoingchallengefortheagriculturalfield,but it’s always been something that we’ve been able to rise to the challenge of. We just adjust as thedemandgrows.

Q: What’s the most pressing issue that you pay attention to with respect to sustainability?A: The most important thing with us, in Canada, is moving our ideas through to commercialization.Wehavesomuchskillinresearchandinnovation,butit’sthecommercializationweneedtoimproveon.

Q: Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year?A: i didn’t make anything specific. i just try to keep doing what i’m doing, trying to help drive theCanadianeconomyintoapositiveposition.

Q: What would you never do?A:Well,idon’tliketosaynever,butbungeejumpingissomethingi’llprobablyavoid.idon’tgetinvolvedinalotofthosesortsofthings.i’mabitofaworkaholic.

Q: What’s the best movie of all time?A:It’s a Wonderful Life.

Q: Is there anywhere in Canada that you’d like to visit?A:ThenorthwestTerritories.ihaven’tbeenupthereyet,andit’sjustsomewhereelsei’dliketosee.

Murray McLaughlin

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