bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Formaldehyde as a Fixative for Light and Electron Microscopy
Authors: Carson Freida L 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Since Blum discovered its hardening properties in 1893, formaldehyde has become the most widely used fixative in the world for specimens to be examined by light microscopy. However, since most commercial preparations of formaldehyde contain methanol, a protein precipitant, formaldehyde has been considered an unsatisfactory fixative for tissues to be examined by electron microscopy. In 1973, Carson et al., described a parallel study comparing the electron microscopic results of fixation with paraformaidehyde vs. formaldehyde. They found that there was no difference in the preservation of ultrastructural morphology provided that the buffer systems were identical. In 1976, McDowell and Trump described a fixative combining commercial formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde (4CF-1G). Both of these fixatives are dual purpose fixatives and preclude the selection of tissue for electron microscopy prior to fixation. They can both be prepared in large quantities and used for routine surgical specimens. The fixative containing formaldehyde alone does not need to be refrigerated and is stable for months; whereas, the formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde mixture should be refrigerated.
Computer Microvision for MEMS
Authors: Freeman Dennis M 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Computer Microvision is a microscopy technique originally developed to study sound-induced motions of sensory cells in the inner ear - motions that are on the order of picometers-i.e., smaller than the radius of a hydrogen atom. Three-dimensional micrornovies of inner ear cells moving in response to sound were analyzed to quantify motions with nanometer precision. Recently we have adapted the technique for in situ measurement of motions of micro-electron mechanical (MEMS) devices.
In Computer Microvision systems, images of MEMS are magnified with an optical microscope and projected onto a CCD camera. Stroboscopic illumination is used to obtain stopaction images of the moving structures. Stop-action images from multiple focal planes provide information about 3D structure and 3D motion. Image analysis algorithms determine motions of all visible structures with nanometer accuracy. The system can measure motions at frequencies as high as 5 MHz with nanometer resolution, i.e., well below the wavelength of light.
The WAIS and byways of the GOPHER
Authors: Revel Jean-Paul 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
The Gopher, although as industrious as the Beaver and the skilled architect of complex subterranean mazes which should inspire as much awe as the dams and lodges built by beavers, is rarely revered as the mascot of Institutes of Higher Education. In real life many, my wife and I included, relentlessly pursue the garden variety gopher who dares to intrude and destroy prized plants, or for that matter even plants we do not care about. It is my job to deal with them and I do it like a Daemon that's BinHex-ed. However there is a highly prized and very beneficial, if virtual, species of GOPHERS. These creatures, created at the U. of Minnesota (home of the Golden Gophers), put their tunneling ability to good use, digging out otherwise hard to find information and so performing great services on the latter day wonder of electronic communication, the Information Superhighway, the Internet.
Electron Sources: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Joy David C 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
The electron source is the most important component of the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) since it is this which will determine the overall performance of the machine. The gun performance can be described in terms of quantities such as its brightness, its source size, its energy spread, and its stability and, depending on the chosen application, any of these factors may be the most significant one. The task of the electron gun in a SEM is, in fact, particularly difficult because of the very wide range of operational parameters that may be required, e.g. a variation in probe size of from a few angstroms to a few microns, and a probe current which may go from less than a pico-amp. to more than a microamp. This wide range of operating parameters makes the choice of the optimum source for scanning microscopy a difficult decision.
Networking Solution For PDP-11 Based EDS And Image Acquisition Systems
Authors: Mansfield John 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
One of the major difficulties with the older DEC PDP-11 based EDS systems is that they were designed as standalone units. Their manufacturers believed that the systems were capable of performing all the spectral processing that the users would ever need, and therefore did not allow for transfer of data to other computer systems. While some of the vendors have attempted to offer file transfer capabilities as upgrades, typically these upgrades are based on a serial connection using a file transfer program like Kermit. Although such solutions are acceptable for the transfer of small numbers of spectra, they cannot seriously handle hundreds of spectra or digital images data without tying up the EDS computer for extended periods of time. In multi-user environments, it is often desirable to move the data taken in one users microscope session immediately, to avoid filling to capacity the disk space on the acquisition system and rendering the system unusable for the next user.
Reference Methods For Analyzing For Asbestos In Various Media
Authors: Millette James R 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Microscopy remains the primary tool for the analysis and quantification of asbestos in occupational and environmental studies. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has recently approved two new Standard Methods for the analysis of asbestos in settled dust. Both methods require the use of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray analysis system. Other methods curently in use require the use of a polarized light microscope {PLM) or phase contrast microscope (PCM).
Optimization Of Ion Millers For TEM Sample Preparation
Authors:   Past and present members of the Center for Mlcroanalysis of Materials
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Ion millers are a pain in the neck! They are designed to remove material from the sample. This means: a) that they always remove material from other places too and b) that the material gets deposited somewhere else. The result of this is that ion millers are inevitably high-maintenance instruments.
Therefore it is important to make the most of them when they are in operation. To aid in this quest, two things can be helpful: to get the beam well aligned and to know the milling rate.
An ion gun, however powerful the beam it produces, is of no use if the beam misses the sample. A means of checking the alignment is therefore of great importance.
Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy For Nonconductive and Volatile Samples
Authors: Hanke Larry D 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
During the past two decades, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has become an indispensable tool for morphological observation in materials and biological sciences. With energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS), rapid chemical characterization of microscopic features has also become commonplace. As developments in manufacturing methods allow fabrication of ever smaller devices and quality control has achieved higher priority, demand for microscopic characterization by SEM has continuously increased.
Many applications where SEM/EDS evaluation could be useful involve samples that are not electrically conductive. Nonconductive samples are subject to a buildup of electrons on the examined surface. This buildup of electrons, or “charging” eventually causes scattering of the incoming electron beam, which interferes with imaging and analysis. Nonconductive samples have traditionally required pretreatment, by coating with a conductive film, before SEM examination.
Higher Speed Imaging: Frame Transfer CCD'S
Authors: Sternberg Scott 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
A number of important imaging applications, including neurobiology and precision motion analysis, require a digital camera that provides both high performance (low noise, extended linear gray scale) and high frame rates. In recent years, manufacturers have responded to this need with faster digitization/readout electronics - as high as several MHz (Mpixels/second). When combined with on-chip binning, this has enabled frame rates up to 30 frames/second from some high performance cameras. Unfortunately, even this is not fast enough for situations where two images must be acquired virtually simultaneously, or where a rapid dynamic event needs to be captured with a fast burst of images.
FIB Lift-Out and Milling of Cylindrical Specimens for Electron Tomography (or Atom Probe Field Ion Microscopy)
Authors: Giannuzzi Lucille A 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Electron tomography using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and related techniques (e.g., scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) or energy filtered TEM (EFTEM)) allow for 3-D microstructural and elemental mapping of specimens, and has been used successfully in the biological sciences where mass-thickness contrast dominates these mostly amorphous materials. Z-contrast STEM imaging via high angle annular dark field (HAADF) tomography has also been used successfully in the physical sciences. STEM, EFTEM, and holography tomography are more useful techniques for crystalline materials, since diffraction contrast in conventional TEM images can hinder image reconstruction. Typical tomography routines utilize conventional electron transparent foils, whereby the dimensions of the specimen perpendicular to the electron beam may be orders of magnitude greater than the specimen thickness parallel to the electron beam. Using this conventional specimen geometry, the effective specimen thickness increases as the specimen is tilted through the ± 70 degrees necessary for the tomographic acquisition process.
A New Improved Silicon Multi-Cathode Detector (SMCD) for Microanalysis and X-Ray Mapping Applications
Authors: Barkan Shaul , Saveliev Valeri D , Iwanczyk Jan S , Feng Liangyuan , Tull Carolyn R , Patt Bradley E , Newbury Dale E , Small John A , Zaluzec Nestor J 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
A silicon multi-cathode detector (SMCD) has been developed for microanalysis and x-ray mapping applications. The SMCD has a large active area (∼0.5 cm2), excellent energy resolution, and high count rate capability. The detector utilizes novel structures that have produced very low dark current, high electric field, uniform charge collection, low noise and high sensitivity to low energy x-rays. The detector's spectral response was evaluated using a 55Fe radioisotope source, as well as by fluorescing materials with an x-ray generator. Figure 1 shows a 55Fe spectrum with an energy resolution of 125 eV FWHM at 5.9 keV collected at 12 μs peaking time. This energy resolution has been repeatably measured on many different detectors. To evaluate the high count rate x-ray performance, which is very important for fast x-ray mapping, a Cu sample was fluoresced using a Rh-anode x-ray tube.
Georgia Microscopical Society Young People's Course in Microscopy January - March 1995
Authors: Millette James R 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
The Georgia Microscopical Society, a non-profit organization mee'jng at the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, Georgia, has sponsored a Young People's Course in Microscopy for a second year. This course, open to high school students, met for 8 sessions on Saturday mornings. The course instructors were Society members from educational, governmental and private institutions who donated their time.
What's in Vial No. 3?
Authors: McCrone Walter C 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Last weekend I taught a special two-day course on the identification of explosives to a young lady from San Salvador. She is a forensic mrcroscopist newly assigned to the "Bomb Squad". Her problem was to determine what explosives were used after terrorist bombings. Fortunately, some small particles of the explosive substance usually remain after a detonating. Careful examination of a bomb crater or of bomb fragments usually uncovers these tiny residues.
My problem was to teach her the microscopical characteristics of the most likely explosives she might encounter. These include common inorganic nitrates, chlorates and percholorates and less common organic (military) explosives such as TNT, RDX, HMX, PETN and tetryl.
The Red Eye Special
Authors: Revel Jean-Paul 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
I am a professor at a university, and like most of my colleagues I divide my time between teaching, administration, service work and basic research. Of all these activities it is the research that I and my students have dene that has been most important for the advancement of our respective careers. Research is indeed the life blood of science and the meeting of MSA in New Orleans this month, will be an occasion to celebrate this and to show each other what we have been doing since we saw each other in Cincinnati last year.
I am driven to write this column because some nights ago I watched a program on the problems surrounding the delivery of the impending “universal” health care package. On the stage were Senators Dole and Mitchell, along with people representing different opinions about the issues at hand.
Methods for Preparing SEM Specimens for Micrography with Black Backgrounds
Authors: Ahlstand Gib 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
The basic trick is to produce a very smooth, featureless background, preferably using low Z (atomic number) or low density materials. The following three methods exploit in 1: round glass coverslips, in 2: double stick tape and/or colloidal graphite paint for backgrounds, and in 3: a combination low Z plus high Z conductive coating strategy is described which when used in combination with 2, also produces the desired background effect.
1. I've done the following for pollen grains, rust spores, and soil particles (dried down onto glass coverslip support surface from water or ethanol, they just stick naturally), should work with larger samples, eg., insects, seeds, provided that any paint you use to mount the sample to the glass coverslip does not spread out beyond the edges of the sample so you don't see it in the background.
High Voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy Theory and Applications
Authors: Rigler Mark , Longo William 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
A variety of energy emissions occur as a result of primary beam interaction with the specimen surface. Secondary electrons, x-rays, visible photons, near IR photons, and Auger electrons are emitted during inelastic scattering of electrons. Backscattered electrons (BSE) are emitted during elastic scattering of primary electrons. Backscattered electrons are those electrons which pass through the electron cloud of an atom and change direction without much energy loss. BSEs may diffuse into the sample or may escape from the sample surface. In practice, the primary electron beam penetrates deeply into low Z (atomic number) materials and produces few BSEs while high Z materials retard primary beam penetration and emit large numbers of BSEs. According to Murata et al., the higher the atomic number, the smaller the mean free path between electron scattering events (i.e. 528 Å for Al vs. 50 Å for Au at 30 KeV) and the higher the probability of scattering.
A Clean SEM System - Why and How
Authors: Bryson Charles E 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
If you were to examine surfaces in a typical SEM system using any number of surface analysis techniques, I think you'd be surprised at the results. You might expect to see all materials used to construct the vacuum chamber (e.g., plastic or stainless steel), but frequently the spectra will show mostly carbon, the most frequent culprit of SEM contamination. Carbon is adsorbed onto the walls of the vacuum chamber and builds up on the sample, thereby contaminating the SEM system and compromising image quality. By manufacturing and maintaining a clean SEM environment, this problem can be avoided, and you will increase the overall performance of your SEM system.
Digital Imaging for TEM Part 1
Authors: Buonaquisit Anthony D 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
We are all familiar with digital imaging for SEM instruments. Digital Imaging for TEM applications is not as well established. Nevertheless, it seems clear that it will not be long before digital imaging for TEM becomes common place. Systems are improving and costs are plummeting. With this in mind it is timely to review what digital imaging for TEM involves.
In normal TEM operation an electron bream is scattered through a thin section of a sample. Physical mechanisms cause the electrons of the beam to scatter, producing bright-field images, dark-field images and diffraction patterns. The operator adjusts the instrument to display one of these images on the instrument's viewing screen. A photographic record is collected by flipping the viewing screen and exposing a sheet of film held in the TEM's camera. Exposed negatives can be removed for developing and printing in batches, using standard darkroom techniques.
Microscopes aren't just for Microscopists, Anymore!
Authors: Carmichael Stephen W 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Historically, microscopes have been used to gather morphologic data. We have called people who use these instruments microscopists, and it is implied that microscopists are morphologists. As was pointed out in the April/May issue of this newsletter, useful information about a specimen is also gained from temporal analysis. Further, it has been appreciated that the new family of scanning probe microscopes can be used to gather additional types of information so that these instruments have the potential to be useful beyond the dreams of a conventional microscopist. As we will discuss in this article, the future is here for one such application.
The atomic force microscope (AFM) takes advantage of the leverage afforded by the deflection of a laser beam bounced off a cantilevered stylus that is scanned over the surface of a specimen.
Standardizing SEM Beam Current for EDS Without Use of a Current Meter
Authors: Ahlstand Gib 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
If you do not have a Faraday-type incident beam current meter on your SEM, use the following procedure to set up a calibrated, reproducible beam current when doing EDS. Of course, you won't know the actual vaiue of the beam current in picoamps, but at least you'll know you can set the same value from sample to sample and day to day.
Mount a small, clean metal foil, 2x3 mm, aluminum or copper, onto the edge of each stub that the samples and standards are mounted on using colloidal graphite paint or double stick tape (after carbon or other evaporative conductive coatings have been applied to sample). Run a little colloidal graphite around an edge or two to provide additional adhesive support and a conductive bridge between the foil and the stub. Before taking sample or standards spectra, move the electron beam to the foil and as you accumulate its spectrum, set a region of interest, or window, on the principle K-shell peak of the aluminum or copper spectrum.
If You Hate Vacuum Systems Read On
Authors: Buonaquisti Anthony 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Let's face it, nobody became a microscopist because they wanted to become an expert in Vacuum Science. The fact is that most of us were shown the proverbial “fly's eye” micrograph and fancied ourselves as the Ansel Adams of Electron Microscopy. As a consequence, during the progress of our careers, we have had to come to grips with Vacuum Science, usually on a “need to know” basis. Specifically, when the system has broken down, we need to know who can fix it … when they can fix it … and why they can not fix it sooner…
Nevertheless, the fact is that we ignore vacuum science at our peril. Although microscopes can withstand a lot of abuse before they catastrophically fail, they respond to poor vacuum practice with poor vacuum quality. In the final analysis ifs extremely valuable to have some “Vacuum sawy”.
Posters Platform Presentations Pages & Pages of Publications
Authors: Fisher Robert M 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
1992 was certainly a banner year for microscopy in terms of an incredible total of nearly 3000 presentations given world-wide - at the largest ever joint (E)MSA/MAS/MSC meeting in Boston and at the 3 IFSEM-sanctioned Regional Conferences in Spain, China and Venezuela. Several of the local affiliate societies also mounted well-attended symposia and contributed to the outpouring of words and images. The apparently continuously growing volume of microscopy-related presentations has impacted both conference organizers and publishers.
Poster presentations are being used to an increasing extent to avoid an excessive number of parallel sessions. There is also an economic incentive as a poster session probably costs the organizers less than half that of a platform session of contributed papers. The poster trend draws a mixed response. Most microscopists love to look at posters but hate to prepare them as they are much more work to put together and are costly. They are awkward to carry and often have a one-time use whereas slides are for ever.
Infrared Microspectroscopy And Computer Library Searching
Authors: Smith Kenneth 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
In today's FTIR market, many instrument manufacturers provide software to perform searches of computer library spectra. With the increased speed of computers running FTIR instruments, you can have the result of a computer library search in literally seconds. However, as we rely more and more on computers in the laboratory we need to keep in mind the limitations and possible areas for error in these applications.
Computer library search programs calculate the difference between the sample spectrum and reference spectrum typically based on peak position and intensity. Different searching algorithms can stress one or the other. The result of a computer search is a Hit List with each hit having a hit quotient index (HQI) to indicate how close that particular spectrum matches the sample spectrum. In some programs the quotient which indicates an exact match would be 1 or 100, in others it is 0.
A Simple Method To Make High Resolution Projection Slides of Electron Micrographs
Authors: Ryerse Jan S 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
The traditional method of preparing high quality projection slides of one's best electron micrographs was to “print” negatives onto Kodak 2″ x 2″ emulsified glass slides using a standard enlarger fitted with a reduction lens and then to tray develop the slide to the desired contrast. As A. Kent Christensen pointed out in the June/July 1994 issue of this publication, the cost of 2″ x 2″ slides has become prohibitive. In any event, I always found adjusting the reduction lens on the enlarger to be a major hassle and searching for the correct exposure and developing times to be a ffustratingly inexact experience with much plate wastage.