Agilent has introduced new surface imaging and analysis software package, Pico Image, to enhance its atomic force microscopy (AFM) offering.
The system analyses image data and generates dynamic, highly detailed surface analysis reports with 'unprecedented power and ease'.
"Pico Image has now been integrated into the PicoView software platform for our complete line of AFMs, including the 5400 and 5500," said Jeff Jones, operations manager for Agilent's AFM facility in Chandler, Ariz.
"Pico Image allows our customers to easily visualise and analyse the structures and properties of their samples."
Agilent has also extended its remote monitoring and diagnostics service to its GC (gas chromatography) and GC/MS (gas chromatography / mass spectrometry) standard service and support agreements at no extra charge.
The Intelligent Services offering links instruments to Agilent's customer support centres over a secure computer link to enable experts to provide proactive technical support designed to address problems before they affect laboratory productivity.
"Customers at multinational pharmaceutical companies and government agencies around the world are relying on Intelligent Services to help them maximize instrument availability and achieve laboratory productivity goals," said David Heiger, Agilent Worldwide Services marketing manager.
"The response to Intelligent Services on Agilent LC and LC/MS systems has been outstanding and we're pleased to extend its benefits to our customers with Agilent GC and GC/MS systems."
Applied Biosystems has expanded its line of synthetic siRNAs for biomedical research with the addition of the Silencer Select offering.
According to the company, the Silencer Select line delivers the most consistent gene silencing and highest quality gene function data available.
In a comparison study of 94 different siRNAs from three of the industry's leading vendors targeting seven different genes, the Silencer Select achieved a 92 per cent gene silencing rate compared with 57-72 per cent using siRNA form other vendors.
"RNAi research technologies are greatly accelerating the functional characterization of disease-relevant genes, thereby providing a critical drug discovery and development tool for a growing number of biomedical and pharmaceutical laboratories," said Peter Dansky, president for Applied Biosystems' molecular and cell biology consumables division.
"The Silencer Select siRNAs and our complete line of products for the RNAi workflow provide best-in-class solutions that are enabling researchers to advance the performance of gene silencing experiments and generate high-quality gene function and target validation data."
Grabner Instruments, a member of Ametek Inc., has introduced a new colourmetric Karl Fischer titrator, the MINIHYD, for determining the water content of crude oil and other petroleum products, liquids, gases and powders in minutes.
The MINIHYD comes with a built-in printer and battery as well as an optional carry case; it fits perfectly in the routine laboratory and fulfils all requirements for field or offshore use.
Jeol USA has introduced a new high throughput SEM/FIB (scanning electron microscope / focussed ion beam) system for integrated circuit defect analysis, circuit modification, TEM thin film sample preparation, and mask repair.
The MultiBeam system combines focussed ion beam micro milling with the high resolution imaging of the JEOL LaB6 electron column to enable Serial Slicing and Sampling (S3TM) for in-process monitoring of milling, fabrication, and reconstructing 3D images of the sectioned area.
Velocity11, recently acquired by Agilent, has launched a new sensing shelf for its high-speed VPrep Pipetting Station expanding the versatility of its already popular system.
According to the company, the system is ideally suited to performing complex pipetting sequences, while at the same time achieving very high throughput.
The new shelf configuration can be used to sense if a microplate is present prior to processing, eliminating the possibility of costly pipette head crashes.
