
Elizabeth CarterThe University of Sydney · Vibrational Spectroscopy Core Facility
Elizabeth Carter
BSc (Hons) PhD
About
80
Publications
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Introduction
Elizabeth Carter currently manages the Sydney Analytical Vibrational Spectroscopy Facility, at the University of Sydney. Elizabeth undertakes research in a variety of areas using Vibrational Spectroscopy.
Additional affiliations
January 2014 - present
October 2002 - December 2013
Publications
Publications (80)
Internationally, the value and usefulness of museum zoological specimens are compromised when supporting contextual data are lost or disconnected from the specimen. In this pilot study, twelve Macropodidae Thylogale (pademelon) skins with known provenance from the Australian Museum (Sydney) were analysed using portable X-ray fluorescence spectrosco...
The regular incremental secretion of enamel and dentine can be interrupted during periods of stress resulting in accentuated growth lines. These accentuated lines, visible under light microscopy, provide a chronology of an individual's stress exposure. Previously, we showed that small biochemical changes along accentuated growth lines detected by R...
Organic residue analysis offers an alternative perspective and further understanding of archaeological artefacts. Chinese tradeware studies have provided evidence on previous trade of ceramic goods and helped to map past trade routes. What, if anything, was contained in the vessels is a matter of conjuncture and textual claims. Despite substantial...
The complementary value of analytical elemental and molecular data for archaeological relics recovered from a burial deposition is illustrated here with the non‐destructive analysis of bone specimens from an early human ancestor, known as Mrs Ples. Discovered in 1947 by Robert Broom in the Sterkfontein Cave system, forming part of the Cradle of Hum...
Cellulose nitrate transparent plastic film was used by photographers and movie filmmakers from its release in the 1880s to the 1950s. The storage of this material is a challenge for cultural institutions because of its instability and hazardous nature, as nitrate is highly flammable and deteriorates over time. Historically, cellulose acetate gradua...
Australian social, scientific and cultural knowledge was captured and recorded on various kinds of plastic film from the 19th century. Amateur and professional photographers trusted the film to carry their images into the future. However, the types of plastic used are susceptible to deterioration.
The two most commonly used plastic films for phot...
We deposited Ge layers on (001) Si substrates by molecular beam epitaxy and used them to fabricate suspended membranes with high uniaxial tensile strain. We demonstrate a CMOS-compatible fabrication strategy to increase strain concentration and to eliminate the Ge buffer layer near the Ge/Si hetero-interface deposited at low temperature. This is ac...
It was previously demonstrated that the loss of infectivity of a myovirus PEV44 after jet nebulization was closely related to a change in bacteriophage (phage) structure. In this follow-up study, we further examined the impact of jet nebulization on tailed phages, which constitute 96% of all known phages, from three different families, Podoviridae...
Lipids are important cellular components which can be significantly altered in a range of disease states including prostate cancer. Here, a unique systematic approach has been used to define lipid profiles of prostate cancer cell lines, using quantitative mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS), FTIR spectroscopy and fluorescent microscopy. All three appr...
Raman spectra of 33 specimens of terrestrial and marine mammalian ivory
from an African elephant, hippopotamus, mammoth, pig, sperm whale and
walrus along with two specimens of leopard teeth and two fake ivory samples,
have been analysed using a prototype DeltaNu Advantage portable Raman
spectrometer operating in the near-infrared region with a las...
A Focal Plane Array FTIR microscope has successfully been coupled to the IRM beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, following the method pioneered at previous beamlines at the SRC and NSLS I synchrotrons, whereby a wide aperture of synchrotron light is split into multiple beams and spatially reconfigured to match the entrance aperture of the FTIR...
A novel, pure, synthetic material is presented that promotes the repair of full-thickness skin wounds. The active component is tropoelastin and leverages its ability to promote new blood vessel formation and its cell recruiting properties to accelerate wound repair. Key to the technology is the use of a novel heat-based, stabilized form of human tr...
This study aimed to assess the robustness of using a spray drying approach and formulation design in producing inhalable phage powders. Two types of Pseudomonas phages, PEV2 (Podovirus) and PEV40 (Myovirus) in two formulations containing different amounts of trehalose (70% and 60%) and leucine (30% and 40%) were studied. Most of the surface of the...
Microplastics and fibres occur in high concentrations along urban coastlines, but the occurrence of microplastic ingestion by fishes in these areas requires further investigation. Herein, the ingestion of debris (i.e., synthetic and natural fibres and synthetic fragments of various polymer types) by three benthic-foraging fish species Acanthopagrus...
Raman spectroscopic analysis of shards recovered from two Portuguese shipwrecks, the Santo Espirito (1608) and the Santa Maria Madre de Deus (1643), believed to be carrying porcelains of the Ming period have revealed some interesting and novel results that inform historical ideas of porcelain production. The porcelain body of two of the four shards...
Microvesicles (MVs) are involved in cell-cell interactions, including disease pathogenesis. Nondestructive Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra from MVs were assessed as a technique to provide new biochemical insights into a LPS-induced monocyte model of septic shock. FTIR spectroscopy provided a quick method to investigate relative difference...
Raman spectroscopy has been used to study fragments of early Visigothic historiated manuscripts from the important mediaeval library at Santo Domingo de Silos which were a part of a Beato dating from the tenth to the mid-eleventh centuries. These fragments are from some of the oldest manuscripts in the scriptorium of the monastery. In this study, a...
Raman spectroscopy provides a molecular vibrational characterization of substance; a major advantage of the technique is the minimal sample preparation required, such that a sample can be studied in its native state and, in many cases, without damage or modification. Consequently, it is widely employed to analyse samples and materials across many s...
The prevalence of diabetes, particularly with respect to type 2 diabetes, has reached epidemic proportions and continues to grow worldwide. One of the potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of type 2 diabetes involves the role of protein tyrosine phosphatases in the negative regulation of insulin signaling. The complexes of V(V/IV), Cr(III)...
Lipids have an important role in many aspects of cell biology, including membrane architecture/compartment formation, intracellular traffic, signalling, hormone regulation, inflammation, energy storage and metabolism. Lipid biology is therefore integrally involved in major human diseases, including metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, o...
Fluorometer of liposomes incubated with ReZolve-L1™.
Histogram showing fluorescence intensity 560-595nm of DMPC vesicles (A) and DMPC and cholesterol vesicles (DMPC:cholesterol 8:1 molar ratio) (B) incubated with ReZolve-L1™ when excited at 405nm and representative fluorescence and transmitted lights images of vesicles by flow cytometry. (C) Fluoro...
Raman spectra of ReZolve-L1™ and ReZolve-L1™ stained 3T3 cells.
(A) Structure and Raman spectrum of ReZolve-L1™ and (B) the second derivative of this spectrum. (C) Second derivatives of Raman spectra taken from a ReZolve-L1™ stained 3T3 adipocytes from a region of high (a) medium (b) and low (c) ReZolve-L1™ presence.
(TIF)
Raman spectra from Drosophila lipid droplet core.
Representative Raman spectra from the lipid droplet core of -4 h PF larval fat body tissue. Corresponding second derivatives are presented above each of the five spectra. Important lipid regions are shaded and assigned above.
(TIF)
ReZolve-L1™ and Oil Red O co-locate with Atg8a-autopahgic compartments in Drosophila fat body tissue during metamorphosis.
(A) Confocal micrographs of Drosophila fat body cells explanted from +2 h PF from pupae expressing Atg8a-GFP (green) and stained with ReZolve-L1™ (red). (B) Confocal micrographs of Drosophila fat body cells explanted from +2 h...
Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy and confocal imaging have been used to demonstrate that the neutral rhenium(I) tricarbonyl phenanthroline species bound to 4-cyanophenyltetrazolate as the ancillary ligand is able to localise in regions with high concentrations of polar lipids such as phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), sphingomyelin,...
Early life stress can disrupt development and negatively impact long-term health trajectories. Reconstructing histories of early life exposure to external stressors is hampered by the absence of retrospective time-specific biomarkers. Defects in tooth enamel have been used to reconstruct stress but the methods used are subjective and do not identif...
Using a multimodal biospectroscopic approach, we settle several long-standing controversies over the molecular mechanisms that lead to brain damage in cerebral malaria, which is a major health concern in developing countries because of high levels of mortality and permanent brain damage. Our results provide the first conclusive evidence that import...
Discotic liquid crystalline (DLC) charge transfer (CT) complexes combine visible light absorption and rapid charge transfer characteristics, being favorable properties for photovoltaic (PV) applications. We present a detailed study of the electronic and vibrational properties of the prototypic 1:1 mixture of discotic 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexakishexyloxytr...
Human enamel has been found to be a coating with excellent mechanical performance, which has received extensive investigation and discussion. However, most of the reported studies consider the enamel as a homogeneous anisotropic biocomposite. The current study illustrated the graded properties of the biocomposite from its functional load-bearing di...
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the biochemical composition of fungal cells. It also was applied to detect the differences between the biochemical constituents of spores and hyphae of A. fumigates species. FT-IR microscopy was used to monitor the fungal growth. Chemical markers of the fungal cell ultrastructures suc...
Spectroscopic techniques includinginfrared,Raman (FT-Raman) and ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV-Vis)spectroscopy were used to identify and differentiate three fungi within the same Aspergillus genus (A. fumigatus, A. terreusand A. nidulans) according to the biochemical composition of their pigments.The three spectroscopic techniques are complementary...
Phosphocreatine is a major cellular source of high energy phosphates, which is crucial to maintain cell viability under conditions of impaired metabolic states, such as decreased oxygen and energy availability (i.e., ischemia). Many methods exist for the bulk analysis of phosphocreatine and its dephosphorylated product creatine; however, no method...
Analytical Archaeometry describes this interesting and challenging field of research - on the border between natural sciences (chemistry, spectroscopy, biology, geology) and humanities (archaeology, (art-)history, conservation sciences). It fills the gap between these two areas whilst focussing on the analytical aspects of this research field. The...
Analytical Archaeometry describes this interesting and challenging field of research - on the border between natural sciences (chemistry, spectroscopy, biology, geology) and humanities (archaeology, (art-)history, conservation sciences). It fills the gap between these two areas whilst focussing on the analytical aspects of this research field. The...
Determining the chemical and biological compositions of the tumour models used in pharmacological studies is crucial for understanding the interactions between the drug molecules and the tumour micro-environment. Conventional techniques for spheroid characterisation require intensive chemical pre-treatments that result in the removal of unbound met...
The cerebral biochemistry associated with the development of many neurological diseases remains poorly understood. In particular, incomplete understanding of the mechanisms through which vascular inflammation manifests in tissue damage and altered brain function is a significant hindrance to the development of improved patient therapies. To this ex...
Understanding biochemical mechanisms and changes associated with disease conditions and, therefore, development of improved clinical treatments, is relying increasingly on various biochemical mapping and imaging techniques on tissue sections. However, it is essential to be able to ascertain whether the sampling used provides the full biochemical in...
In 1834 in a tumulus at Gristhorpe, North Yorkshire, UK, an intact coffin fashioned from the hollowed-out trunk of an oak tree was found to contain a well-preserved skeleton stained black from the oak tannins, wrapped in an animal skin and buried with a range of grave artefacts, including a bronze dagger, flints and a bark vessel. The remains were...
No A log-coffin excavated in the early nineteenth century proved to be well enough preserved in the early twenty-first century for the full armoury of modern scientific investigation to give its occupants and contents new identity, new origins and a new date. In many ways the interpretation is much the same as before: a local big man buried looking...
A Raman microspectroscopic study of several fulgurites has been undertaken. A fulgurite is an amorphous mineraloid, a superheated glassy solid that is formed when a lightning bolt hits a sandy or rocky ground and thermal energy is transferred. The Raman spectra revealed several forms of crystalline and fused silica and also the presence of polyarom...
Herein is described a general sampling protocol that includes culture, differentiation and fixing of cells in their preferred morphology on the one sample substrate (Si(3)N(4)) to enable subsequent diverse modern microspectroscopic analyses. The protocol enables unprecedented correlated and complementary information on the intracellular biochemistr...
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic silicate glass produced when highly viscous felsic lava cools rapidly through the glass transition temperature, not allowing sufficient time for crystal growth. Obsidian was a popular raw material in prehistory because its amorphous and isotropic nature means that little force is required to produce concho...
Arsenic trioxide, marketed as Trisenox (TM), successfully cures 60-85% of relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia sufferers. However, the mechanisms of action remain unclear. In this work, SR-FTIR microspectroscopy of live HL60 cells was used to monitor biomolecular changes that occur during exposure to arsenite (100 mu M) a period of 2 h. Importantl...
Lightning is known to influence biogeochemical processes. Here we discuss two studies on fulgurites, glasses formed by cloud-to-ground lightning. Lightning changes P redox state, and changes, but does not remove, carbon compounds.
A fulgurite is a naturally occurring glass formed when lightning hits sand, rock, or soil. The formation of fulgurites is accompanied by mineralogical and sometimes compositional changes, and may record information about the environment in which they were formed. A previous investigation using Raman point spectroscopy discovered the presence of ana...
Protein crystallography and NMR spectroscopy took decades to emerge as routine techniques in structural biology. X-ray absorption spectroscopy now has reached a similar stage of maturity for obtaining complementary local structural information around metals in metalloproteins. However, the relatively recent emergence of X-ray and vibrational spectr...
Raman spectroscopy provides a molecular vibrational characterization of substance; a major advantage of the technique is the minimal sample preparation required, such that a sample can be studied in its native state and, in many cases, without damage or modification. Consequently, it is widely employed to analyse samples and materials across many s...
Tropoelastin is the monomer building block of the biopolymer elastin, which is responsible for elasticity in arteries, lung and skin. Previous studies have shown that, in contrast to predictions made based on primary sequence, tropoelastin has little regular secondary structure in aqueous solution and displays considerable flexibility. This investi...
Vibrational spectroscopic mapping (point-by-point measurement) and imaging of biological samples (cells and tissues) covering Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies has opened up many exciting new avenues to explore biochemical architecture and processes within healthy and diseased cells and tissues, including medical diagnostic...
Obsidian is a natural volcanic glass which is amorphous and isotropic. These characteristics allow it to be easily shaped as little force is required to produce conchoidal fractures of predictable forms and sizes. A class of obsidian artefacts known as ‘stemmed tools’ have been found in locations situated across lowland Papua New Guinea and have be...
Infection associated with implanted biomaterials is common and costly and such infections are extremely resistant to antibiotics and host defenses. Consequently, there is a need to develop surfaces which resist bacterial adhesion and colonization. The broad spectrum synthetic cationic peptide melimine has been covalently linked to a surface via two...
The Rio Tinto site is recognised as a terrestrial Mars analogue because of the presence of jarosite and related sulfates which have recently been identified by the NASA Mars Exploration Rover "Opportunity" in the El Capitan region of Meridiani Planum on Mars. It has long been known that acidophilic microbial action is responsible for the deep blood...
The objective of this research was to investigate nanoindentation-induced residual stresses in human enamel using Raman microspectroscopy and establish if this approach can be used as a stress meter. Healthy human premolars and sintered hydroxyapatite samples were embedded, cut, and the surfaces were polished finely with a 0.05 μm polishing paste b...
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has been used extensively for characterisation, identification and differentiation of micro-organisms. The technique offers a number of advantages including: non-destructive analysis, high reproducibility, rapid sample throughput, and requires minimal sample amounts and handling. In this paper, example...
Secreted phospholipase B (PLB1), which contains three enzyme activities in the one protein, is necessary for the initiation of pulmonary infection by Cryptococcus neoformans and for dissemination from the lung via the lymphatics and blood. Adhesion to lung epithelium is the first step in this process, therefore we investigated the role of PLB1 in a...
The vibrational spectra of an extant Archaea, Halobacterium salinarum, an extant micro-eukaryote resistant biopolymer isolated from Botrycoccus braunii, and an extinct (ca. 590–565 Ma) micro-eukaryote microfossil Tanarium conoideum, have been recorded using near-infrared FT Raman spectroscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. Raman biosignatures for the carot...
The application of calibration and prediction (CAP) to joint measurements of near-infrared (NIR) and Raman spectra for the same reference data requires the development of joint inversion methodologies for the implementation of the calibration step. Joint inversion has been successfully utilized in geophysical prospecting and in medical diagnosis, w...
A heterofullerene isoelectronic to C60 is reported. The azafullerenium cation C59N+ can be isolated in good yield as a carborane salt via the two-electron oxidation of the C-C bond of (C59N)2 dimer. [C59N][Ag(CB11H6Cl6)2] has been characterized by electronic, IR, Raman, and 13C NMR spectroscopies, MALDI spectrometry, DFT calculations, and X-ray cry...
The stratum corneum (SC) barrier typically consists of
layers of corneocytes embedded in a lipid continuum that
regulates barrier function. The lipid domain containing ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids provides the major pathway for most drugs permeating across SC.
Penetration enhancers diminish the SC barrier function.
The classic enha...
(1H) and (13)C NMR titrations in both CDCl(3) and CD(3)OD demonstrate that 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid interacts with both propane-1,2-diamine and propane-1,3-diamine to yield 1:2 host-guest complexes in these solvents. Based on this observation, the isolation of new three-dimensional molecular arrays through cocrystallization of the above diamines an...
Confocal Raman spectroscopy is introduced as a noninvasive in vivo optical method to measure molecular concentration profiles in the skin. It is shown how it can be applied to determine the water concentration in the stratum corneum as a function of distance to the skin surface, with a depth resolution of 5 microm. The resulting in vivo concentrati...
Good quality polarized Raman spectra of a single wool fiber and an intact feather barbule are presented. The intensity ratio of the alpha-helix component of the amide I band measured parallel and perpendicular to the wool fiber axis was 0.39 +/- 0.05. This is consistent with theoretical predictions based on orientational calculations using the norm...
The resurgence of Raman spectroscopy, in the late 1980's has led to an increase in the use of the technique for the analysis of biological tissues. Consequently, Raman spectroscopy is now regarded to be a well-established non- invasive, non-destructive technique, which is used to obtain good quality spectra from biological tissues with minimal fluo...
FT-Raman spectroscopy has been used as a tool for investigating permeation into and diffusion through human skin membranes. Thermal studies showed that the lipid component of stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin and the main barrier to diffusion of most drugs, is disrupted as the lipids melt. This measure for disruption provides a positive...
Healthy and abnormal human skin has been examined using Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy. The molecular basis of alternations in this tissue have been proved with the aim of providing a tool to aid in clinical diagnosis of skin disorders. Intact human stratum corneum show spectral features of keratin and the lipids. Spectra from callus and...
FT-Raman spectra have been obtained of wool and nylon fibres coated with a thin layer of silver. The spectra appear to be SER spectra and, in the case of wool, are consistent with a surface having increased lipids and increased β-sheet character for the proteins, compared with the bulk of the fibre.
Infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) is a useful technique for examining sur face-treated wool samples. Sample preparation is simple, and reproducible spectra of adequate signal-to-noise ratio are obtained in a few minutes. The ability of PAS to vary the penetration depth by varying the optical path difference velocity is used to obtain spectr...
The FT-Raman spectrum of wool has been obtained using near-IR excitation. No significant fluorescence was observed and the spectra could be obtained routinely. No sample damage was observed for laser powers up to 400 mW. Several methods of sample presentation for both wet and dry wool were investigated and the optimum data collection conditions wer...
FT-Raman spectroscopy has been found to be a useful tool for the study
of wool. Fluorescence, which was a serious problem for conventional
Raman of wool, is of minor significance with near IR excitation. Wool
was studied as dry material, both stretched and unstretched, and also in
aqueous media of differing pH. The Raman spectrum reflected the bulk...
FT-Raman spectroscopy has been found to be a useful tool for the study of wool. Fluorescence, which was a serious problem for conventional Raman of wool, is of minor significance with near IR excitation. Wool was studied as dry material, both stretched and unstretched, and also in aqueous media of differing pH. The Raman spectrum reflected the bulk...
Raman spectra and images collected from human breast tissues were examined using 514-, 830- and 1064-nm excitations. Three tissue-processing techniques are commonly used in pathology and spectroscopy. This study investigates the effect of these processes. Breast cancer affects one in eleven women over aged 50 in Australia (1). Triple assessment, a...
Cerebral malaria (CM), a devastating disease, kills greater than two million people each year in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South East Asia. It is a complicated manifestation of P. falciparum infection, for which the biochemical mechanisms remain unresolved.
In this investigation, SR-FTIR mapping has been used in conjunction with a murine mode...
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My son was diagnosed a month ago with MED13L. Do you know if there is any research into the biochemistry of those people diagnosed with MED13L?
Just trying to get an understand what is currently common practice when inviting people to speak at a conference. If you would expect money how much? Many thanks for your help!