FlowCam - Flow Imaging Microscopy Blog

While most imaging particle analyzers are equipped with black and white (monochrome) cameras for image acquisition, FlowCam 8100 instruments offer a choice of either black and white or color cameras.

Each configuration performs differently in common particle analysis tasks like particle sizing and morphology analysis. It is important to select the appropriate set-up for your specific application and particle analysis goal.

This technical note will describe the strengths and weaknesses of each camera choice and discuss which is better suited for specific applications. 

Freshwater aquaculture is gradually becoming common practice in sub-Saharan Africa. Rural farmers raise fish in ponds for subsistence, to boost their family’s protein intake, and to earn supplemental income to help pay to send their children to school. Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) in these ponds, and in general, are starting to gain attention in Africa, as they can impact livestock and human health.

GlobalHAB is an international scientific program on harmful algal blooms (HABs) that fosters collaborative research efforts aimed at understanding and predicting HAB events in aquatic ecosystems while also providing scientific data to help manage and mitigate their impacts. As part of their efforts to provide a structure for planning and coordinating international activities related to HAB research, the program recently facilitated the GlobalHAB Symposium on Automated Observations of Plankton. FlowCam team members, Savannah Judge and Nicole Gill, traveled to the Kristineberg Marine Research Station in Fiskebäckskil, Sweden to participate. The center’s boat basin is pictured below.

Did you know that we have all-inclusive service plans available to ensure that your FlowCam is operating at its best?

Our service plans include an extended warranty, and with the Gold Plan, we perform annual preventative maintenance and services directly in your lab. The Silver Service Plan includes the annual maintenance and services in our factory. Additionally, our service plans offer software upgrade benefits, access to FlowCam University, and discounts on on-site training and consulting.

Each year, companies in Maine vie to be listed among the "Best Places to Work". Yokogawa Fluid Imaging Technologies has been honored to receive this designation five times in the past six years.

Employees voluntarily complete a survey providing thorough and honest feedback to company management and to the Best Places to Work organization about their experience, including workplace culture, benefits, compensation, and mission. "It is wonderful to be recognized. We greatly value the feedback from our employees and the opportunity to make positive changes to continually improve our business," says Ross Bryant, President, and CEO.

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado hosts the annual Colorado Protein Stability Conference, providing a unique opportunity for scientists working on protein stability to convene and share their research. This year marked the return of the conference for the first time since 2019.

Geometry can play a crucial role in the performance of fibers in different applications. Shape factors that influence performance include length (i.e. size of the longest dimension of the fiber), width (i.e. size of the shortest dimension), and curl. Despite the importance of fiber geometry, many conventional particle sizing measurements struggle to accurately capture the morphology of these particles.

The analytical lab at McCrone Associates (Westmont, IL) specializes in materials characterization and identification of particle contaminants and microscopic defects in a wide range of industrial and pharmaceutical materials. 

Historically, McCrone has not focused on enumeration. Their strengths have been in identifying materials at the micro- and nanometer scale using a variety of analytical techniques. With the addition of FlowCam to their analytical lab, they can now expand their enumeration capabilities by supplementing their current process with size distribution and concentration data. Additionally, morphological results from FlowCam will be directly correlated with the traditional microscopy-based results and identifications thereby enhancing the quality and statistical accuracy provided by particle enumeration projects. 

“There is great value in seeing images of the particles and of the actual contaminants,” says Dr. Craig Schwandt, Director of Industrial Services and Senior Research Scientist at McCrone Associates. “It allows us to identify particle type and particle source via morphology, which increases the strength of the finding.”

Carbon sequestration refers to the capture, removal, and storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. It is a key process in stabilizing carbon in solid and dissolved forms that doesn't contribute to atmospheric warming and climate change. There are biological and geological mechanisms of carbon sequestration with oceans absorbing approximately 25% of anthropogenically produced CO₂ annually.

IFPAC, the International Forum for Process Analytical Chemistry, holds an annual conference that brings together scientists working in Process Analytical Technologies, QbD, Process Understanding & Control, and Real-Time Analytics. Professionals in these fields meet in person to discuss the latest trends and get ideas for the future of the industry. Research is presented in applications ranging from biopharmaceuticals to chemicals to food and beverage.