How to display data by color schemes compatible with red-green color perception deficiencies.

Visualization of data concerns most scientists. The use of color is required in order to display multidimensional information. In addition, color encoding a univariate image can improve the interpretation significantly.

Assessment of transferrin recycling by Triplet Lifetime Imaging in living cells.

An optical method is presented that allows the measurement of the triplet lifetime of a fluorescent molecule. This is a characteristic specific to each fluorophore. Based on differences in triplet lifetimes of two fluorescent species (autofluorescence versus label), this novel approach measures relative quantities of a transmembrane receptor and associated fluorescently labeled ligand during its recycling in living cells.

Nonlinear correlation spectroscopy (NLCS).

We present a novel concept for optical spectroscopy called nonlinear correlation spectroscopy (NLCS). NLCS analyses coherent field fluctuations of the second and third harmonic light generated by diffusing nanoparticles. Particles based on noncentrosymmetric nonlinear materials such as KNbO(3) show a strong second as well as third harmonic response.

Triplet imaging of oxygen consumption during the contraction of a single smooth muscle cell (A7r5).

The measurement of tissue and cell oxygenation is important for understanding cell metabolism. We have addressed this problem with a novel optical technique, called triplet imaging, that exploits oxygen-induced triplet lifetime changes and is compatible with a variety of fluorophores. A modulated excitation of varying pulse widths allows the extraction of the lifetime of the essentially dark triplet state using a high-fluorescence signal intensity.

Transient state monitoring by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy.

Triplet, photo-oxidized and other photoinduced, long-lived states of fluorophores are sensitive to the local environment and thus attractive for microenvironmental imaging purposes. In this work, we introduce an approach where these states are monitored in a total internal reflection (TIR) fluorescence microscope, via the characteristic variations of the time-averaged fluorescence occurring in response to different excitation modulation schemes. The surface-confined TIR excitation field generates a signal from the fluorescent molecules close to the glass surface.