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Microscopic investigation of the optical and morphological properties of iPP/TiO2 nanocomposite fibres using computed tomography technique J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-15 Mohammed A. El‐Bakary, Taha Z. N. Sokkar, Naef. A. Al‐Kalali, Mohammed I. Raslan
In this article, the optical and structural properties of iPP/TiO2 nanocomposite fibres, considering three distinct extrusion speeds (25, 50 and 78 m/min) in addition to blank isotactic polypropylene samples were determined. Employing computed tomographic scans, localised optical defects in the nanocomposite fibres are unveiled, while refractive indices are examined by analysing transmitted intensity
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Measuring coefficient of thermal expansion of materials of micrometre size using SEM/FIB microscope with in situ MEMS heating stage J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-14 Stuart Robertson, Andrew McClintock, Kenny Jolley, Han Zhou, Sam Davis, Houzheng Wu, Changqing Liu, Scott Doak, Zhaoxia Zhou
A new method is proposed to measure the linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of solid metals and ceramics of micron‐sized dimensions. This approach uses a focused ion beam (FIB) to extract and transfer a slab of the sample, typically (15–20) ×10 × (3–5) µm onto a Micro‐Electro‐Mechanical Systems (MEMS) in situ heating holder inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). CTE is thereafter calculated
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Imaging plant cell walls using fluorescent stains: The beauty is in the details J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Luca Piccinini, Fabien Nirina Ramamonjy, Robertas Ursache
Plants continuously face various environmental stressors throughout their lifetime. To be able to grow and adapt in different environments, they developed specialized tissues that allowed them to maintain a protected yet interconnected body. These tissues undergo specific primary and secondary cell wall modifications that are essential to ensure normal plant growth, adaptation and successful land colonization
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Cements and concretes materials characterisation using machine‐learning‐based reconstruction and 3D quantitative mineralogy via X‐ray microscopy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 Ria L. Mitchell, Andy Holwell, Giacomo Torelli, John Provis, Kajanan Selvaranjan, Dan Geddes, Antonia Yorkshire, Sarah Kearney
3D imaging via X‐ray microscopy (XRM), a form of tomography, is revolutionising materials characterisation. Nondestructive imaging to classify grains, particles, interfaces and pores at various scales is imperative for our understanding of the composition, structure, and failure of building materials. Various workflows now exist to maximise data collection and to push the boundaries of what has been
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Paste, aggregate, or air? That is the question J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Ekaterina Ossetchkina, Oleksiy Chernoloz, Lucas Herzog Bromerchenkel, Mahzabin Karim, Liam MacHale, Amy Montgomery, Yuqi Hu, Karl Peterson
The Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, has served for almost 100 years as North America's busiest international border crossing. But in 2025, the Ambassador will be replaced by the new Gordie Howe International Bridge. The Gordie Howe is a cable‐stayed bridge, with two massive 220 m tall concrete piers on opposite banks of the St. Claire River, a single clear span of
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The rise of data‐driven microscopy powered by machine learning J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Leonor Morgado, Estibaliz Gómez‐de‐Mariscal, Hannah S. Heil, Ricardo Henriques
Optical microscopy is an indispensable tool in life sciences research, but conventional techniques require compromises between imaging parameters like speed, resolution, field of view and phototoxicity. To overcome these limitations, data‐driven microscopes incorporate feedback loops between data acquisition and analysis. This review overviews how machine learning enables automated image analysis to
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Using the traditional microscope for mineral grain orientation determination: A prototype image analysis pipeline for optic‐axis mapping (POAM) J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Marco Andres Acevedo Zamora, Christoph Eckart Schrank, Balz Samuel Kamber
This paper reports on the development of an open‐source image analysis software ‘pipeline’ dedicated to petrographic microscopy. Using conventional rock thin sections and images from a standard polarising microscope, the pipeline can classify minerals and subgrains into objects and obtain information about optic‐axis orientation. Five metamorphic rocks were chosen to test and illustrate the method
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Application of various microscopy techniques to study early‐age and longer‐term behaviour of super sulphated cement microstructure J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-02 Migueli Chedrewih, Marta Medala, Christelle Schmid, Emmanuel Garcia, Denis Damidot, Vincent Thiéry
Super sulphated cement (SSC) is a very promising substitute for traditional construction materials (i.e. Portland cement), due to its enhanced durability and particularly low environmental impact. This paper explores the microstructure and certain properties of SSC, focusing on the particular complexities of its microstructure and the difficulties of microanalysis of its hydrates. To do so, SSC paste
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Comparison of the SMLM technique and the MSSR algorithm in confocal microscopy for super‐resolved imaging of cellulose fibres J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-29 Josué David Hernández‐Varela, Susana Dianey Gallegos‐Cerda, José Jorge Chanona‐Pérez, Liliana Edith Rojas Candelas, Eduardo Martínez‐Mercado
Nowadays, the use of super‐resolution microscopy (SRM) is increasing globally due to its potential application in several fields of life sciences. However, a detailed and comprehensive guide is necessary for understanding a single‐frame image's resolution limit. This study was performed to provide information about the structural organisation of isolated cellulose fibres from garlic and agave wastes
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Early hydration of C4AF with silica fume and its role on katoite composition J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-29 Martin Boháč, Anežka Zezulová, Michaela Krejčí Kotlánová, Dana Kubátová, Theodor Staněk, Zdeněk Krejza, Dalibor Všianský, Radek Novotný, Jakub Palovčík, Karel Dvořák
C4AF is considered the least reactive main clinker phase, but its reactivity may be affected by adding supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Pure C4AF was synthesised in a laboratory furnace, and the role of silica fume without gypsum on its early hydration properties was monitored. Burning was carried out in four stages to achieve 99% purity of C4AF. Heat flow development was monitored by isothermal
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Microstructural and micromechanical characteristics of composite osteoconductive coatings deposited by the atmospheric pressure plasma technique J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Lukasz Major, D. F. Kopp, R. Major, Jürgen Markus Lackner
Long‐term placement of facial implants requires avoiding the formation of fibrous tissue capsules around the artificial material by creating osteoconductive properties of the surface. Most promising approach is the deposition coatings made of materials very similar to bone mineral components, that is, calcium phosphates such as hydroxyapatite (HAp). As part of the research work, an innovative, cost‐effective
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A Python tool to determine the thickness of the hydrate layer around clinker grains using SEM‐BSE images J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Florian Kleiner, Franz Becker, Christiane Rößler, Horst‐Michael Ludwig
To accurately simulate the hydration process of cementitious materials, understanding the growth rate of C‐S‐H layers around clinker grains is crucial. Nonetheless, the thickness of the hydrate layer shows substantial variation around individual grains, depending on their surrounding. Consequently, it is not feasible to measure hydrate layers manually in a reliable and reproducible manner. To address
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Investigations on lightweight concrete by in situ compression tests using high‐resolution computed tomography (μ‐CT) J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-24 Cristin Umbach, Bernhard Middendorf
The fracture behaviour of concrete is studied in various micro‐ and macro‐damage models. This is important for estimating serviceability and stability of concrete structures. However, a detailed understanding of the material behaviour under load is often not available. In order to better interpret the fracture behaviour and pattern, images of lightweight concrete were taken using a high‐resolution
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More than just ‘added value’: The perils of not establishing shared core facilities in resource‐constrained communities J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Mai A. Rahmoon, Chad M. Hobson, Jesse S. Aaron, Harikrushnan Balasubramanian, Teng‐Leong Chew
The accelerating pace of technological advancements necessitates specialised expertise and cutting‐edge instruments to maintain competitive research in life sciences. Core facilities – collaborative laboratories equipped with state‐of‐the‐art tools and staffed by expert personnel – are vital resources that support diverse scientific endeavours. However, their adoption in lower‐income communities has
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GaN atomic electric fields from a segmented STEM detector: Experiment and simulation J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Tim Grieb, Florian F. Krause, Thorsten Mehrtens, Christoph Mahr, Beeke Gerken, Marco Schowalter, Bert Freitag, Andreas Rosenauer
SummaryAtomic electric fields in a thin GaN sample are measured with the centre‐of‐mass approach in 4D‐scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D‐STEM) using a 12‐segmented STEM detector in a Spectra 300 microscope. The electric fields, charge density and potential are compared to simulations and an experimental measurement using a pixelated 4D‐STEM detector. The segmented detector benefits from
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Unravelling molecular dynamics in living cells: Fluorescent protein biosensors for cell biology J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-15 Colline Sanchez, Andrea Ramirez, Louis Hodgson
Genetically encoded, fluorescent protein (FP)-based Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensors are microscopy imaging tools tailored for the precise monitoring and detection of molecular dynamics within subcellular microenvironments. They are characterised by their ability to provide an outstanding combination of spatial and temporal resolutions in live-cell microscopy. In this review, we
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Differential phase contrast (DPC) mapping electric fields: Optimising experimental conditions J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Chen Li, Xiaoke Mu, Maxim Korytov, Ioannis Alexandrou, Eric G. T. Bosch
DPC in Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) is a valuable method for mapping the electric fields in semiconductor materials. However, optimising the experimental conditions can be challenging. In this paper, we test and compare critical experimental parameters, including the convergence angle, camera length, acceleration voltage, sample configuration, and orientation using a four-quadrant
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A method for crystallographic mapping of an alpha-beta titanium alloy with nanometre resolution using scanning precession electron diffraction and open-source software libraries J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Ian MacLaren, Enrique Frutos-Myro, Steven Zeltmann, Colin Ophus
An approach for the crystallographic mapping of two-phase alloys on the nanoscale using a combination of scanned precession electron diffraction and open-source python libraries is introduced in this paper. This method is demonstrated using the example of a two-phase α/β titanium alloy. The data were recorded using a direct electron detector to collect the patterns, and recently developed algorithms
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Flexible implementation of modulated localisation microscopy based on DMD J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Abigail Illand, Pierre Jouchet, Emmanuel Fort, Sandrine Lévêque-Fort
Localisation microscopy of individual molecules allows one to bypass the diffraction limit, revealing cellular organisation on a nanometric scale. This method, which relies on spatial analysis of the signal emitted by molecules, is often limited to the observation of biological objects at shallow depths, or with very few aberrations. The introduction of a temporal parameter into the localisation process
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On the pixel selection criterion for the calculation of the Pearson's correlation coefficient in fluorescence microscopy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-13 Sergio G. Lopez, Sebastian Samwald, Sally Jones, Christine Faulkner
Colocalisation microscopy analysis provides an intuitive and straightforward way of determining if two biomolecules occupy the same diffraction-limited volume. A popular colocalisation coefficient, the Pearson's correlation coefficient (PCC), can be calculated using different pixel selection criteria: PCCALL includes all image pixels, PCCOR only pixels exceeding the intensity thresholds for either
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Multimodal optical mesoscopy reveals the quantity and spatial distribution of Gram-positive biofilms in ex vivo tonsils J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Megan Clapperton, Tash Kunanandam, Catalina D. Florea, Catriona M. Douglas, Gail McConnell
Biofilms are known to be present in tonsils, but little is known about their spatial location and size distribution throughout the tonsil. Studies of the location and distribution of biofilms in tonsil specimens have thus far been limited to either high-magnification methods such as electron microscopy, which enables high-resolution imaging but only from a tiny tissue volume, or lower magnification
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Mitophagy in plants: Emerging regulators of mitochondrial targeting for selective autophagy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Patrick J. Duckney, Pengwei Wang, Patrick J. Hussey
The degradation and turnover of mitochondria is fundamental to Eukaryotes and is a key homeostatic mechanism for maintaining functional mitochondrial populations. Autophagy is an important pathway by which mitochondria are degraded, involving their sequestration into membrane-bound autophagosomes and targeting to lytic endosomal compartments (the lysosome in animals, the vacuole in plants and yeast)
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An automated slide scanning system for membrane filter imaging in diagnosis of urogenital schistosomiasis J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Prosper Oyibo, Tope Agbana, Lisette van Lieshout, Wellington Oyibo, Jan-Carel Diehl, Gleb Vdovine
Traditionally, automated slide scanning involves capturing a rectangular grid of field-of-view (FoV) images which can be stitched together to create whole slide images, while the autofocusing algorithm captures a focal stack of images to determine the best in-focus image. However, these methods can be time-consuming due to the need for X-, Y- and Z-axis movements of the digital microscope while capturing
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A rapid freezing method to determine tissue layer thickness in drought-stressed leaves J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-28 Maryam Alsadat Zekri, Carina Leimhofer, Nicole Drexler, Ingeborg Lang
Plants have been affected by water stress ever since they settled on dry land. In severe and persisting drought, plant leaves are wilting. However, a documentation at the anatomical level of the minute changes that occur before wilting is challenging. On the other hand, understanding the anatomical alteration in plant leaves with respect to water stress provides a stronger basis to study molecular
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Towards quantification of doping in gallium arsenide nanostructures by low-energy scanning electron microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 Ran Guo, Thomas Walther
We calculate a universal shift in work function of 59.4 meV per decade of dopant concentration change that applies to all doped semiconductors and from this use Monte Carlo simulations to simulate the resulting change in secondary electron yield for doped GaAs. We then compare experimental images of doped GaAs layers from scanning electron microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy. Kelvin probe
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Atomically resolved a novel, compact and stiff scanning tunnelling microscopy in cryogen-free superconducting magnet J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-15 Behnam Esmaeilzadeh, Muhammad Touqeer, Liu Junwei, Shaofeng Zheng, Tao Geng, Yubin Hou, Qingyou Lu
We present the design and performance of a novel scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) operating in a cryogen-free superconducting magnet. Our home-built STM head is compact (51.5 mm long and 20 mm in diameter) and has a single arm that provides complete openness in the scanning area between the tip and sample. The STM head consists of two piezoelectric tubes (PTs), a piezoelectric scanning tube (PST)
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The use of fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) for in situ microbial detection in complex mineral substrates J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-17 Yekaterina Chmykh, Jay L. Nadeau
The utility of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) for identifying bacteria in complex mineral matrices was investigated. Baseline signals from unlabelled Bacillus subtilis and Euglena gracilis, and Bacillus subtilis labelled with SYTO 9 were obtained using two-photon excitation at 730, 750 and 800 nm, identifying characteristic lifetimes of photosynthetic pigments, unpigmented cellular
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A multiangle polarised imaging-based method for thin section segmentation J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-15 Yan Chen, Yu Yi, Yongfang Dai, Xiangchao Shi
The most crucial task of petroleum geology is to explore oil and gas reservoirs in the deep underground. As one of the analysis techniques in petroleum geological research, rock thin section identification method includes particle segmentation, which is one of the key steps. A conventional sandstone thin section image typically contains hundreds of mineral particles with blurred boundaries and complex
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Comparison of holotomographic microscopy and coherence-controlled holographic microscopy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-10 Vera Chvalova, Tomas Vomastek, Tomas Grousl
Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is a powerful tool for label-free visualisation of living cells. Here, we compare two QPI microscopes – the Telight Q-Phase microscope and the Nanolive 3D Cell Explorer-fluo microscope. Both systems provide unbiased information about cell morphology, such as individual cell dry mass, perimeter and area. The Q-Phase microscope uses artefact-free, coherence-controlled
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Visualisation of microalgal lipid bodies through electron microscopy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-27 Ellen Verwee, Davy Van de Walle, Michiel De Bruyne, Esther Mienis, Mirna Sekulic, Peter Chaerle, Wim Vyverman, Imogen Foubert, Koen Dewettinck
In this study, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) were evaluated for their ability to detect lipid bodies in microalgae. To do so, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Nannochloropsis oculata cells were harvested in both the mid-exponential and early stationary growth phase. Two different cryo-SEM cutting methods were compared: cryo-planing and freeze-fracturing
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Correlative super-resolution microscopy with deep UV reactivation J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-25 Kirti Prakash
Correlative super-resolution microscopy has the potential to accurately visualize and validate new biological structures past the diffraction limit. However, combining different super-resolution modalities, such as deterministic stimulated emission depletion (STED) and stochastic single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), is a challenging endeavour. For correlative STED and SMLM, the following
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Image quality evaluation for FIB-SEM images J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-19 Diego Roldán, Claudia Redenbach, Katja Schladitz, Christian Kübel, Sabine Schlabach
Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) tomography is a serial sectioning technique where an FIB mills off slices from the material sample that is being analysed. After every slicing, an SEM image is taken showing the newly exposed layer of the sample. By combining all slices in a stack, a 3D image of the material is generated. However, specific artefacts caused by the imaging technique
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The evolution of indium precipitation in gallium focused ion beam prepared samples of InGaAs/InAlAs quantum wells under electron beam irradiation J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-19 Shuo Liu, Jiawei Dong, Zhenyu Ma, Wenyu Hu, Yong Deng, Yuechun Shi, Xiaoyi Wang, Yang Qiu, Thomas Walther
Gallium ion (Ga+) beam damage induced indium (In) precipitation in indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs)/indium aluminium arsenide (InAlAs) multiple quantum wells and its corresponding evolution under electron beam irradiation was investigated by valence electron energy loss spectroscopy (VEELS) and high-angle annular dark-field imaging (HAADF) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Compared
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Scalable substrate development for aqueous sample preparation for atom probe tomography J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-19 Eric V. Woods, Se-Ho Kim, Ayman A. El-Zoka, L. T. Stephenson, B. Gault
Reliable and consistent preparation of atom probe tomography (APT) specimens from aqueous and hydrated biological specimens remains a significant challenge. One particularly difficult process step is the use of a focused ion beam (FIB) instrument for preparing the required needle-shaped specimen, typically involving a ‘lift-out’ procedure of a small sample of material. Here, two alternative substrate
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Quantification of surface grinding during the sample preparation of cementitious materials by optical profilometry J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Patrick Holthuizen, Oğuzhan Çopuroğlu
Sample preparation is of utmost importance for any microscopy and microstructural analysis. Correct preparation will allow accurate interpretation of microstructural features. A well-polished section is essential when scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used in backscattering electron (BSE) mode and characteristic X-rays are to be quantified using an energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detector
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The fertility tracks of pollen tube in the ovary of Solanum nigrum by three-dimensional reconstruction J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Xing Ming, Xia Chen, Hongyu Ma, Chuang Li, Zijian Zhao, Jinying Li, Yingda Du
In this paper, we present an enhanced method for automatically capturing a large number of consecutive paraffin sections using a microscope. Leveraging these microstructural images, we employed three-dimensional visualisation and reconstruction techniques to investigate the dispersal growth process of pollen tube bundles upon entering the ovary of Solanum nigrum. Additionally, we explored their behaviour
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Open-source hardware- and software-based cryomicroscopy system for investigation of phase transitions in cryobiological research J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-14 Oleksandr Pakhomov, Nadiia Shevchenko, Nadiia Chernobai, Volodymyr Prokopiuk, Serhii Yershov, Galyna Bozhok
The development of inexpensive equipment adapted for the study of a specific biological object is very important for cryobiology. In the presented work, we have proposed a simple system for microscopy utilising open-source platform Arduino. Testing this system showed that it had sufficient sensitivity to determine the physical processes occurring in a cryopreserved sample such as intra- and extracellular
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Structure-preserving fixation allows scanning electron microscopy to reveal biofilm microstructure and interactions with immune cells J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-14 Marilyn Wells, Michelle Mikesh, Vernita Gordon
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogen that forms robust biofilms which are commonly associated with chronic infections and cannot be successfully cleared by the immune system. Neutrophils, the most common white blood cells, target infections with pathogen-killing mechanisms that are rendered largely ineffective by the protective physicochemical structure of a biofilm. Visualisation of the complex interactions
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Influence of different surface cleaning methods on STED-FCS and scanning STED-FCS calibration measurements J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-06 Agnes Koerfer, Francesco Reina, Christian Eggeling
Molecular mobility is an important measure in biological functionality, as molecules have to diffuse to meet and interact and perform actions. Measurement of mobility requires specific tools such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). Especially, combination with superresolution stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED-FCS), whether in a point- or beam-scanning mode, has proven valuable
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Complete holography-based system for the identification of microparticles in water samples J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-05 Andouglas Gonçalves da Silva Júnior, Cosimo Distante, Luiz Marcos Garcia Gonçalves
Here, we present a comprehensive holography-based system designed for detecting microparticles through microscopic holographic projections of water samples. This system is designed for researchers who may be unfamiliar with holographic technology but are engaged in microparticle research, particularly in the field of water analysis. Additionally, our innovative system can be deployed for environmental
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High-throughput determination of grain size distributions by EBSD with low-discrepancy sampling J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Timothy J. H. Long, William Holbrook, Todd C. Hufnagel, Tim Mueller
Because microstructure plays an important role in the mechanical properties of structural materials, developing the capability to quantify microstructures rapidly is important to enabling high-throughput screening of structural materials. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is a common method for studying microstructures and extracting information such as grain size distributions (GSDs), but is
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The dam that fly ash built J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Amy Montgomery, Mahipal Kasaniya, Pengfei Zhao, Michael Thomas, Karl Peterson
When the first concrete was poured in 1949 for the Hungry Horse Dam (Montana, USA), pozzolan cements had already been used in several major North American dams, including Grand Coulee on the Columbia River (diatomaceous earth explored but ultimately not used), Friant on the San Joaquin River and Altus on the North Fork Red River (pumicite) and Bonneville on the Columbia River and Davis on the Colorado
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A perspective into full cost recovery within a core facility/shared resource lab J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Peter J. O'Toole, Joanne L. Marrison
Here we outline a vignette of the Bioscience Technology Facility (BTF) at the University of York as a singular exemplar of the Full Cost Recovery model. It is fully appreciated that every facility operates slightly differently, and each are subject to various rules at the institutional, regional and national level. Understanding the regulations that need to be followed for your cost recovery model
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A critical catalogue of SEM-EDS multispectral maps analysis methods and their application to hydrated cementitious materials J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-08 Fabien Georget, Joyce Schmatz, Eva Wellmann, Thomas Matschei
Many methods have been proposed to analyse SEM-EDS hypermaps of hydrated cementitious materials but none can fit all purposes. In this presentation, we review existing methods for phase identification, stoichiometry quantification, and microstructure quantification in cementitious materials and related materials. We first discuss the unique contribution of SEM-EDS with respect to the outstanding scientific
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Primed conversion: The emerging player of precise and nontoxic photoconversion J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-08 Konstantinos Kalyviotis, Periklis Pantazis
In 2015, we reported primed conversion, a novel way to convert green-to-red photoconvertible fluorescent proteins, which emerges as a powerful tool for precision optical imaging. Primed conversion uses the intercept of blue and red-to-far-red light instead of traditional violet or near-UV light illumination which offers a series of advantages. Here, we review the fundamental principles and applications
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Clinker based on calcium looped meals from the Cleanker Project J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-06 Daniela Gastaldi, Fulvio Canonico, Valentino Merlo, Francesco Magli
The Cleanker (CLEAN clinKER production by Calcium Looping process) project, financed in the framework of Horizon 2020 EU funding program, has demonstrated the feasibility of the integrated CaL concept at industrial scale in a new demo system realised in the Buzzi Unicem cement plant in Vernasca (IT). The Calcium Looping (CaL) CO2 capture process exploits the reversible reaction of limestone calcination/carbonation
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Important aspects of investigating optical excitations in semiconductors using a scanning transmission electron microscope J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-04 Michael Stöger-Pollach, Krýstina Bukvišova, Keanu Zenz, Leo Stöger, Ze Scales
Since semiconductor structures are becoming smaller and smaller, the examination methods must also take this development into account. Optical methods have long reached their limits here, but small dimensions are also a challenge for electron beam techniques, especially when it comes to determining optical properties. In this paper, electron microscopic methods of investigating optical properties are
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Applications of clinker microscopy for approaching a special case study in cement production J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-31 S. Mutke, F. Canonico
Within this article the importance of the optical light microscopy for the investigation of cement clinker is illustrated by three examples: (a) Ono's method plays an important role in the case of the production of oil well clinker where the reactivity of alite and additionally the melting phase influences strongly the properties of the later cement; (b) the use of secondary fuels can lead to unexpected
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Modelling 3D supramolecular structure from sparse single-molecule localisation microscopy data J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-25 Alistair Curd, Alexa Cleasby, Michelle Baird, Michelle Peckham
Single-molecule localisation microscopy (SMLM) has the potential to reveal the underlying organisation of specific molecules within supramolecular complexes and their conformations, which is not possible with conventional microscope resolution. However, the detection efficiency for fluorescent molecules in cells can be limited in SMLM, even to below 1% in thick and dense samples. Segmentation of individual
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Morphological analysis and grain size distribution of SnO2 nanoparticles via digital image processing across diverse calcination temperatures J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-27 Aashish Kumar, Manan Bhasin, Mansi Chitkara
This study presents a comprehensive image analysis of the SnO2 nanoparticles synthesised through calcination at diverse temperatures, which enables an estimation of grain size distribution (GSD) from field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images. Even though FE-SEM images could provide us with a lot of information about sample differences, we can learn more and perform a more accurate
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Comparative study on the Ru ware, Ru-type ware of Qingliangsi kiln and celadon of Zhanggongxiang kiln J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-24 Shiqian Tao, Qiang Li, Heliang Yao, Song Liu, Qinghui Li
Thirty-three porcelain shards (28 Ru ware and 5 Ru-type ware) unearthed from Qinglingsi kiln and 31 celadon fragments from Zhanggongxiang kiln were studied systematically for tracing their correlation and difference in glaze and body characteristics through a variety of characterisation methods. Samples without HF corrosion were applied to achieve the microstructure and composition details by SEM and
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Repair effect of Centella asiatica (L.) extract on damaged HaCaT cells studied by atomic force microscopy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-19 Linlin Wan, Zhengxun Song, Zuobin Wang, Jianjun Dong, Yujuan Chen, Jing Hu
People's choice of cosmetics is no longer just ‘Follow the trend’, but pays more attention to the ingredients of cosmetics, whether the ingredients of cosmetics are beneficial to people's skin health; therefore, more and more skin-healthy ingredients have been discovered and used in cosmetics. In this work, atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to provide physical information about biomolecules and
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A method for extraction of exosomes from breast tumour cells and characterisation by transmission electron microscopy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-19 Zhiang Liu, Haowen Xue, Qi Chen, Ge Yang
Exosomes can not only be used as markers of tumour metastasis but also be used for noninvasive diagnosis of clinical diseases, which holds significant medical research value. Observing the morphology and distribution of exosomes using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is highly significant. In this study, we use breast tumour cell (MDA-MB-231) exosomes as a representative sample and focus on the
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Use of a refractive index–coupled diffuser to both generate and measure high-numerical aperture illumination for light microscopy J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-17 Paul J. Tadrous
While numerical aperture of transillumination at or above 1.25 can be achieved with a substage oiled Abbe condenser, such immersion-capable condensers can be expensive limiting their use in resource poor settings. Also the measurement of numerical aperture generated by illuminators has received relatively little attention in the literature compared to methods for measuring the numerical aperture of
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The dissociation of (a+c) misfit dislocations at the InGaN/GaN interface J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-17 J. Smalc-Koziorowska, J. Moneta, G. Muzioł, W. Chromiński, R. Kernke, M. Albrecht, T. Schulz, I. Belabbas
In hexagonal materials, (a+c) dislocations are typically observed to dissociate into partial dislocations. Edge (a+c) dislocations are introduced into (0001) nitride semiconductor layers by the process of plastic relaxation. As there is an increasing interest in obtaining relaxed InGaN buffer layers for the deposition of high In content structures, the study of the dissociation mechanism of misfit
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Field-dependent abundances of hydride molecular ions in atom probe tomography of III-N semiconductors J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-16 Aissatou Diagne, Luis Gonzalez Garcia, Samba Ndiaye, Noëlle Gogneau, Maria Vrellou, Jonathan Houard, Lorenzo Rigutti
We investigate the microscopic behaviour of hydrogen-containing species formed on the surface of III-N semiconductor samples by the residual hydrogen in the analysis chamber in laser-assisted atom probe tomography (APT). We analysed AlGaN/GaN heterostructures containing alternate layers with a thickness of about 20 nm. The formation of H-containing species occurs at field strengths between 22 and 26 V/nm
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Let's have a chat about chatbot(s) in (biological) microscopy. J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-28 Filip Braet,David Poger
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Uncertainty model for automated gunshot residue particle length measurements obtained from electron microscopy images J. Microsc. (IF 2.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-27 André Luís de Martins de Souza, Jailton Carreteiro Damasceno, Charles Bezerra do Prado, Mônica Aline Magalhães Gurgel, Renata Carvalho Silva
Currently, the use of algorithms and computer vision systems for metrological purposes has increased in different areas of knowledge to reduce human error and process deviations, consequently increasing reliability and reducing measurement uncertainties. This study presents a model for estimating the uncertainty of Feret's diameter (DF) measurements of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images from