INTRODUCTION
Nanoscale Biological Analysis. The boundaries of biology have been extended to smaller and smaller scales over the past several years, decreasing the gap between biological science and other disciplines.
Biological events which were once analyzed on the cellular level are now analyzed on the basis of molecular interaction, what has conventionally been considered as the scope of chemistry.
Physics helps us to understand the fundamental forces controlling those molecular interactions, while other disciplines such as materials science, mechanical engineering and informatics help to understand other questions of biology.
BIOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES SENSITIVE TO VIBRATION
Several techniques are used in biological analysis, including atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning probe microscopy (SPM), electron microscopy, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, in-vitro fertilization, NSOM/SNOM, optical microscopy and microarrays.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES IN BIOSCIENCE ANALYSIS
Historically, the bioscience field has been less affected by environmental concerns. High levels of accuracy and precision were not required while using chemistry-based analytical techniques and light microscopes. Nevertheless, the requirement for a stable environment elevates because of continuous reduction in scale at which the research takes place.
Vibration isolation systems are essential for high resolution imaging techniques such as NSOM/SNOM, electron microscopy, AFM and SPM irrespective of the research field where they are being utilized. Vibrations can even affect the performance of optical microscopes for higher resolutions. This sensitivity to vibrations can get elevated when the instrument is coupled with accessories such as micropipettes, micromanipulators and fluorescence.
Thermal fluctuation may often affect biological sample measurement because cell behavior may differ or cells may die depending on temperature. The accuracy and repeatability of measurements being taken in a laboratory can be negatively impacted if the lab suffers broad thermal fluctuations.
Electrophysiology and other neurological studies may require a Faraday cage as they can be sensitive to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Moreover, magnetic resonance imaging instruments may often need EMI cancellation systems as they are also sensitive towards ambient EMI sources.
POSITIONAL STABILITY COMPARISON
The below graph illustrates a comparison of a carbon fiber’s average static position on a testing set-up mounted on an AVI-200 (formerly AVI-350) active vibration control system and a desktop negative stiffness isolator. An IonOptix MyocamS coupled with an Olympus IX-70 with a 40X 0.95NA objective was used to measure the carbon fiber’s position.
The data was gleaned at 500 Hz and roughly 3 seconds of data was utilized for a statistical comparison. As the two datasets were at various relative starting lengths, all points were translated into the length/max length as a percent.
