The long term objective to which this instrument contributes is to elucidate cellular structure and function by 3-D fluorescent imaging at very high spatial and temporal resolution. The approach taken is to use conventional wide field microscopes with highly sensitive CCD cameras and to use a computational approach called image restoration or deconvolution to remove out of focus light and increase resolution. Two recent advances drive the need for this computer. First is the development of a high speed microscope that provides images of lightly stained live cells at a rate of 543 frames per second, or as little as 12 milliseconds per 3-D image. This system can yield several thousand optical sections or hundreds of 3-D images with minimal photobleaching or photodamage. Second is the development in our lab of new methods for image restoration that yield 3-D images of higher resolution than previously possible from either our older algorithms, commercial deconvolution packages or confocal microscopes. This method is now able to resolve details separated transversely by 100 nanometers which is several times better than confocal or wide field microscopes can provide without this processing. However, this new method for image restoration requires an order of magnitude more computation than our previous method. Also, we are finding that our high speed microscope is very useful for imaging of molecules in live cells with the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP); these experiments often yield 20 or 30 3-D images that require the highest resolution these new methods provide. The combination of increased computation for each image and increased number of images is about to overwhelm our ability to compute these image restorations. Therefore, we request a computer dedicated to executing this new image restoration algorithm. The computer requested is a 12 processor Silicon Graphics Origin 2000; the image restoration software already can execute in parallel on the 12 processors.
| Carrington, Walter A; Lisin, Dimitri (2004) Cluster computing for digital microscopy. Microsc Res Tech 64:204-13 |
