OF SERVICES Image acquisition, image processing, image analysis, and detection and interpretation of fluorescence signals are fundamental tools used in all of the projects. The availability of hardware and software to accomplish these tasks, and the availability of technical support to maintain and improve existing capabilities and to develop new processing methodologies is essential for the effective and timely completion of the proposed studies. The core includes access to confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, atomic force microscopy and total internal reflectance fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM), as well as support for the maintenance of hardware to be used for video image processing and the development of software to facilitate extraction of information from experimental images. In addition, in the current application we propose to expand core capabilities to include support for computational resources. Two Co-investigators have been added to the project, Micah Dembo from Boston University, will provide expertise in analyzing traction force microscopy experiments, and David Gee, an Assistant Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology who holds an adjunct appointment in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester, who is expert in parallel computing applications. Thus, capabilities for both high end parallel computing resources and the ability to analyze traction force microscopy experiments represent significant additions to services provided by the Core. Projects 1, 2, 3 and 5 are engaged in research directions that will benefit from these new resources, and Project 4, to a lesser extent, will benefit from the availability of these capabilities. We have made progress in the past grant period in moving to new hardware platforms, moving to a largely digital imaging acquisition format. One of the primary objectives for the Core in the next funding period will be to provide the technical support and resources for improving capabilities of this new hardware and facilitating its routine use in the proposed studies. We also recognize that the digital world is constantly evolving, and continued support to troubleshoot established technologies and maintain needed levels of imaging capability will be needed throughout the funded period of the program.
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