Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Technology

Research Tool for Protein Conformation Analysis

The three-dimensional structure of proteins can be studied in solution using various methods of covalent and noncovalent labeling in which the readout is accomplished by mass spectrometry (MS). These ...
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Michael Sussman, J. Leon Shohet, Faraz Choudhury, Joshua Blatz, Benjamin Minkoff, Daniel Benjamin | P160180US02

Technology

Tunable, Silicon-Based Fresnel Lenses

A Fresnel lens or ‘zone plate’ is a type of compact lens made of concentric rings that alternate between opaque and transparent materials. The design is lighter and smaller than conventional lense...
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Hongrui Jiang, Yen-Sheng Lu, Hewei Liu | P140128US01

Technology

Streamlined Design for Transferring Analytes

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to generate copies of a particular DNA sequence. The technique is common and indispensable in many research applications. Unfortunately, methods for isolating/p...
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David Beebe, Ben Casavant, David Guckenberger, Scott Berry | P130361US01

Technology

Multi-Wavelength Mode-Locked Laser

Many laser applications require multiple, simultaneous laser beams, each with a specific wavelength. But using multiple lasers and associated optical components increases the cost and size of the syst...
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Scott Sanders | P07171US

Technology

Circulating Tumor Cell Assay Using Simple Blood Draw

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells shed from tumor deposits that flow into the bloodstream. They are detected at a frequency of about one CTC per one billion surrounding blood cells. The great h...
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David Beebe, Joshua Lang, Ben Casavant, Scott Berry, Lindsay Strotman | P130171US01

Technology

New Mass Spectrometry Detector Uses Optically Active Membrane

Mass spectrometers are analytical instruments that can precisely measure the mass of molecules to determine their composition and identity. Generally, the molecules are ionized and then accelerated by...
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Robert Blick, Jonathan Rodriguez, Hyunseok Kim, Zlatan Aksamija, Wolfgang Hansen, Christian Heyn | P140174US01

Technology

Microcavity Method for Single Molecule Spectroscopy

Single molecule spectroscopy and microscopy – a popular tool for biological, biophysical and chemical characterization – generally requires the use of fluorescent molecules. Researchers at UW–M...
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Randall Goldsmith, Kevin Heylman | P140153US03

Technology

Multidimensional Imaging with Improved Contrast

Studying molecular properties in complex chemical and biological samples, including live cells, requires sufficient spatial resolution and contrast between different substructures. To achieve enhanced...
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John Wright, Erin Boyle | P140021US02

Technology

More Efficient Semiconductor Lasers

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are semiconductor lasers that provide light in the mid- and far-infrared wavelength ranges. They are designed so that the generated light is transverse-magnetic (TM) pola...
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Luke Mawst, Dan Botez, Thomas Earles, Jeremy Kirch, Christopher Sigler | P140047US01

Technology

Microscope Probe Having an Ultra-Tall Tip

Atomically sharp micro-fabricated tips are used in atomic force microscopy (AFM) for scanning near-field microwave microscopy (SNMM) to create an image of the tiny topography on or under a surface. Th...
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Daniel van der Weide, Yaqiang Wang | P06244US

Technology

Bioreversible Protein Esterification

Proteins contain carboxyl groups. These charged groups make it difficult for any protein to enter a human (or other eukaryotic) cell. Modifying proteins to enter cells could revolutionize medicine, e....
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Ronald Raines, Nicholas McGrath | P130148US02

Technology

Strain-Tunable Light Emitting Diodes Using Germanium

Germanium (Ge), a group-IV semiconductor material, is crucial to many established and potential technologies. In optoelectronics, Ge has been used as a photodetector material for on-chip data distribu...
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Max Lagally, Jose Sanchez Perez | P140041US01

Technology

Microwell Moat Prevents Spillover

The ability to study single cells has become indispensable, helping researchers identify characteristics and behaviors otherwise hidden using population averages. By obtaining multiple measures per ce...
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Jay Warrick, John Yin, Stephen Lindsay | P120353US01

Technology

Tuning Optical Microcavities

A whispering gallery mode (WGM) is a type of electromagnetic wave that travels around a concave surface. Such waves can propagate at the edge of a very small structure called an optical microcavity. W...
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Randall Goldsmith, Kevin Heylman | P140153US01

Technology

Non-Intrusive Monitoring of Combustion Chambers

Exhaust emission and fuel economy standards have put increased pressure on the auto industry to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines. While higher standards help protect the environme...
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Michael Andrie | P08225US

Technology

Compact Spectrometer

Spectrometers are optical instruments used to measure light. They work by detecting spectral lines and measuring their wavelength or intensity. Spectrometers have many applications, including telecomm...
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Zongfu Yu | P140145US01

Technology

Faster Gas-Phase Protein Sequencing

Determining the amino acid sequence of any given protein or polypeptide is a formidable task. The first major technology to emerge for this purpose was the Edman degradation method, which sequences a ...
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Lloyd Smith, Michael Westphall, Xiaoyu Chen, Brian Frey | P04178US

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