Carbon xerogel nanoparticles were synthesized using repeated inverse emulsion polymerization of resorcinol-formaldehyde, followed by subcritical drying and pyrolysis at 1173 K. The prepared carbon xerogel nanoparticles were then structurally characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and small angle X-ray scattering.Further, these carbon xerogel nanoparticles were tested for their electrochemical properties. Galvanostat charge/discharge experiments revealed a reversible capacity (400 mA h g À1 ) higher than that of graphite with excellent capacity retention and coulombic efficiency. Cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopic studies were also carried out to support these findings. The remarkable electrochemical behaviour as exhibited by these carbon xerogel nanoparticles paves the way for their potential use as anode materials in lithium-ion battery.

Results from single cell imaging, facilitated by high resolution microscopy, have demonstrated cell-to-cell variability within the same cell population in contexts ranging from cell growth to cell migration. Recent studies suggest that such variability conveys important information about diseased states. However, manual analysis and interpretation of heterogeneous calcium oscillation based on time-lapsed images, as practiced today, is tedious, and essentially infeasible for large datasets. As a practical alternative, we present an integrated platform that includes calcium imaging using confocal microscope, algorithmic cell segmentation, and statistical analysis. Automated quantification of cell crowding via cell segmentation and statistical analysis of cell-to-cell variability on a representative dataset indicates that the heterogeneity in GPCR (G-protein coupled receptor) mediated calcium oscillation is a function of cell crowding.