The detection limit of averaged (or, when feasible, high dose) Ca measurements with EPMA (=EDS) is about 0.3 mmole/kg dry wt.
On Fri, 31 Jan 1997, William Tivol wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Dear Janet, } } } Bruce has recommended (pyro?) antimonate to precipitate Ca in place, } } Yes, pyroantimonate. This can, however, wreck havoc with the } ultrastructure; try it and see. } } } localizing it, and I assume followed by TEM and electron probe to confirm } } the presence of Ca. } } You can also locate the antimony by EDS. } } } I have heard of this technique, especially as applied } } to plants which employ sequestering of excess Ca as oxalate crystals in } } specialized cells called idioblasts. } } If you have ~ micron-sized CaC2O4 xtals, you can use EDS directly } without using pyroantimonate--there is plenty of Ca in them. } } } But I have also heard that your } } specimen must have very high levels of Ca present in some form, such as Ca } } crystals, in order for this method to work. So I also would assume that } } this method won't work for Ca which is held on the ion exchange groups of } } the cell wall, or as non-crystalline co-ions in the vacuole? } } EDS needs a large fraction of a %, or ~mM concentrations (wet) to } detect and quantitate an element. It is irrelevant what the chemical form } of the element is. These amounts must only be present in the analysed } volume; the overall amount can be very much less as long as it is present } in small, concentrated regions. } } } Anyway, I will read up on the pyroantimonate method and see if it will } } track Ca even when it isn't a precipitate. } } Any Ca++, and other Ca which has a greater affinity for pyroan- } timonate than for its ligands will be precipitated. Good luck. } Yours, } Bill Tivol }
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For anyone who is interested, there will be an EMBO Practical Course in Prague, Czech Republic this summer.
The course will focus on the application of immunocytochemical and stereological methods in biomedical research.
Prague 23 June - 2 July 1997
Electron Microscopy and Stereology in Molecular Cell Biology
Details can be found at the following URL:
http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg/EMBO.html
Or from:
Paul Webster Center for Cell Imaging Yale School of Medicine http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg Paul.Webster-at-Yale.edu Tel 203 785 3219 Fax 203 785 7226
For resin polymerization without heating, try LRGold resin. This resin polymerises with UV and at -10deg celsius. Be careful, as the distance between the UV light and your resin is very important for good polymerization. If you are interested, i will give you more information later.
Dev. Vaitilingon Free University of Brussels Marine Biology Lab. {dvaitili-at-ulb.ac.be}
Can anyone help with a Unicryl problem? I am using unicryl to fix root pieces for semi-thin sectioning. I am uv polymerising at -20, but the process is taking over 1wk no matter how close the Uv bulbs are to the beam capsules. I am using 6W Sylvania bulbs in an aluminium-foil lined box. The end result is often disappointing also with some samples requiring oven polymerisation to finish them off.
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Mark Munro The Soil biology unit SAC E-Mail m.munro-at-ab.sac.ac.uk
} Hello All, } } I am trying to get some opinions/data in regards to the relative accuracy of } quantitative EDS vs. WDS. The specific case is the analysis of nickel in gold } plating cross sections. The plating contains approximately 2.5% nickel (to } improve mechanical properties), with no other elements present. The samples are } polished mounts. The plating is over 4 microns thick, with a nickel underplate } of 3 microns.
snips
} For this particular application, will WDS provide better results, and if so, } how much better? Also, why would it be better in this case where there is no } deconvolution necessary. } } With pure element standards, the results were not as good. It seems intuitive } that this would be true, is there any reason why pure standards would give } better results when you have standards that bracket the composition? } } Thanks for any advice or data, } } John Giles } Senior Materials Engineer } Honeywell Space Systems
As has been mentioned, proper statistical analysis of the errors in EDX spectra (and WDX spectra, for that matter) is not undertaken in any commercial software packages, as far as I'm aware. However, the mechanisms of WDX mean that the user can themselves process the data more easily for proper error analysis.
WDX principally offers lower detection limits, by about an order of magnitude, and better energy resolution, which will improve your results if you are anlysing peaks which overlap in EDX.
I don't think either of these issues is relevant to your particular specimen.
You might find 'Quantitative electron-probe microanalysis' by Scott, Love and Reed, pub Ellis Horwood 1995, ISBN 0-13-104050-2 a useful reference.
Regards,
--------------------------------------------------------------- Dr L. P. Stoter Technical Editor, MICROSCOPY & ANALYSIS Technesis 17, Rocks Park Road email: LPS-at-teknesis.demon.co.uk Uckfield, E. Sussex Phone: +44 (0)1825 766911 TN22 2AT Fax: +44 (0)1825 766911 United Kingdom ---------------------------------------------------------------
I am a college senior who needs help finding resources on microscopy topics. I am doing a research paper on the applications of geology to the transmission/scanning electron microscope. I am particularly interested in soil analysis, fossils, or glacial geology. As of yet, I have had no luck in finding any sort of available resources. I need not only find resources, but narrow my topic. Could you recommend something or at least direct me to research done in this field? Thank you for your help and time.
Sincerely, Amy Linder at the University of Dubuque, Dubuque, IA
You should check the proceedings of the Annual Meetings of both the Microbeam Analysis Society and the Microscopy Society of America. I recall sessions on geological application over the last few years. It will not be alot but it will be a start...
Nestor Your Friendly Neighborhood SysOp
------cut---------- } in soil analysis, fossils, or glacial geology. As of yet, I have had no } luck in finding any sort of available resources. I need not only find } resources, but narrow my topic. Could you recommend something or at } least direct me to research done in this field?
} Amy Linder at the University of Dubuque, Dubuque, IA
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Mark Munro writes: "Can anyone help with a Unicryl problem? I am using unicryl to fix root pieces for semi-thin sectioning. I am uv polymerising at -20, but the process is taking over 1wk no matter how close the Uv bulbs are to the beam capsules. I am using 6W Sylvania bulbs in an aluminium-foil lined box. The end result is often disappointing also with some samples requiring oven polymerisation to finish them off."
Often, poor results with UV polymerization can be traced back to the age of the illumination being used. If the bulbs are old, try the polymerization process with new bulbs.
Paul Webster Center for Cell Imaging Yale School of Medicine http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg
} I am a college senior who needs help finding resources on microscopy } topics. I am doing a research paper on the applications of geology to the } transmission/scanning electron microscope. I am particularly interested } in soil analysis, fossils, or glacial geology. As of yet, I have had no } luck in finding any sort of available resources. I need not only find } resources, but narrow my topic. Could you recommend something or at } least direct me to research done in this field? Thank you for your help } and time. } } Sincerely, } Amy Linder at the University of Dubuque, Dubuque, IA
I haven't any sources to hand, but the U. library should have the books/journals necessary by interlibrary loan at least. Iowa State will have the relevant materials if you're up for the 3 hour drive. Maybe U of Iowa. I'd limit your topic, depending on your interest, to either micropaleontology or mineralogy. Scanning EM has been used extensively in studying microfossils--foramenifera, conodonts, nannoliths (nannoplankton, a calcareous algae) and so on. If I remember right, there is a journal called "Micropaleontology", there definitely are books by that title (try subject and title searchs in BIP). Mineralogy uses both SEM and transmission EM. SEM is particularly useful because of EDX--energy dispersive x-ray analysis--that allows identification and rough quantitation of elements in a rock. This allows mineral identification; or helps, anyway. It should be discussed in a text on mineralogy. SEM & TEM are used to examine mineral structure as well. This topic should also be easily available in journals--find one recent ref and go nuts with its bibliography. Also try looking in Current Contents: find a likely-looking article or three from the title, and chase from there. Sorry I don't have more specific info., but someone else will. Also, this is enough to get you started--it's how I usually start my literature chases. Philip Oshel oshel-at-ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
I am in need of acquiring the conical part of the final lens of a JSM 35(version C) scanning electron microscope. The cone in question is the part of the lens that hangs down in the chamber. We intend to develop a modification. Please email me with the information so that further negotiations can be carried out. I should welcome also any information on the composition (and commercial specification) of the metal from which the cone is made of. Of course, info on where this metal can be obtained will be invaluable.
Thank you in anticipation of your cooperation and help.
Yours sincerely,
Jitu Shah
Dr. J. S. Shah H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol Royal Fort, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1Tl. UK. email: jss-at-siva.bristol.ac.uk Tel: 44 117 9288719 Fax: 44 117 9255624
I have been asked by a colleague about freeware/shareware which may be used to track the movements of particles or bodies, captured from the light microscope, and viewed on a PC . What he wants is something that can detect direction, distance of travel and/or speed. I think the idea is that he already has the captured images but needs to measure the motion of one or two particles in each of a lot of images.
Apparently there was a piece of software, written for the BBC computer ( a pre IBM PC invention in the UK) which could do this sort of thing for star pictures many years ago.
Have you considered encapsulating the specimen in warmed agar (I don't know what the lowest temperature agars are), acrylamide gel or something similar and then embedding the whole block normally afterwards. I could have misunderstood but I am assuming that once the sample is immobilized and fixed temperature may not be so critical.
Malcolm Haswell University of Sunderland UK
----------
I wonder if anyone can help with this one?
I have a colleague who would like to embed a single cell after he has stimulated. it with a fine carbon electrode which has been inserted into the cell. His eventual aim is to cut a section through the carbon electrode to see its intracellular orientation. However, to do this, he must keep the cell, with inserted electrode, in place on the microscope stage as he processes and embeds it - including resin polymerization.
This is the question:
Is there an EM embedding resin available that can be polylmerized without heating?
Could the regular Spuur or Epon mixes be modified by adding more DMP-30, or would that make the blocks too brittle to section?
The resins that polymerize under UV illumination would not work because we have no way of excluding oxygen from the resin surface.
If there is no good answer to this I suppose the next question should be: "what happens to an expensive light microscope after heating to 60#161#C for 8hr?"
Thanks in advance.
Paul Webster Center for Cell Imaging Yale School of Medicine http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg
Message-Id: {1.5.4.32.19970203130911.00677b38-at-pop.fast.net} X-Sender: goldmrkr-at-pop.fast.net (Unverified) X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.4 (32) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
At 09:11 AM 1/31/97 -0500, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Paul/Greg
Received comments from John Chandler, British BioCell Int Ltd in Cardiff for whom we distribute, regarding UNICRYL, which they manufacture. He says:
Of course you could use UNICRYL at 4C with UV, but all acrylic resins are softer than epoxy resins (the latter have aromatic cross-linking structures). It would be quite difficult to cut carbon inside the cell in a relatively soft resin. The whole thing looks impossible anyway to try and polymerize on the microscope stage with heat. If UV light could be passed down the microscope at the right wavelength then polymerization could take place that way, and a cover slip may be used to prevent evaporation from an open tray or to exclude oxygen, if necessary.
CONCLUSIONS 1. UNICRYL can polymerize under UV in the presence of oxygen. 2. Evaporation is minimal at low temperatures if the specimen can be kept cold on the microscope stage. 3. UNICRYL may or may not be hard enough to allow sectioning with carbon in the cells, depending on the size of the carbon wire.
Good Luck -
Don Cox
******************************************************** Donald P. Cox, Ph.D., M.B.A. GOLDMARK BIOLOGICALS/D.P. COX ASSOCIATES 437 Lock Street, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865-2764 (908) 859-2631 - - (908) 859-2875-FAX E-Mail: goldmrkr-at-fast.net/goldmarker-at-aol.com Web Page: http://members.aol.com/goldmarker
~~~"Goldmarking is everlasting probing!"~~~ ********************************************************
Re: Pure element standards vs. "near match" standards. The correction coefficients are typically larger when using pure element standards compared to standards nearly matching the unknown. Larger corrections can result in larger errors. The degree of this effect will vary, depending on the elements involved.
I apologise if this message arrives at the list twice but the first one seems t have gone to the wrong address.
Malcolm Haswell ----------
I have been asked by a colleague about freeware/shareware which may be used to track the movements of particles or bodies, captured from the light microscope, and viewed on a PC . What he wants is something that can detect direction, distance of travel and/or speed. I think the idea is that he already has the captured images but needs to measure the motion of one or two particles in each of a lot of images.
Apparently there was a piece of software, written for the BBC computer ( a pre IBM PC invention in the UK) which could do this sort of thing for star pictures many years ago.
I have a copy of a preprint for an article by H. Hoch which was published in Staining Technology but I do not have the full reference information (i.e. no title, no pages, no volume number). The paper deals with staining ultrathin sections of fungi with barium permanganate.
Can anyone help me out so that I can give correct credit where credit is due?
Thanks
Richard E. Edelmann, Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Facility Supervisor 352 Pearson Hall Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056 Ph: 513-529-5712 Fax: 513-529-4243 E-mail: edelmare-at-muohio.edu
I'm not familiar with the philosophical debate, but for what it is worth, I always teach my microanatomy students that they never see an actual object in the real world OR in the microscope. What they see is the light reflected, transmitted through, diffracted, refracted, or emitted from an object. The IMAGES on their retinas are "real" because the light exists, but the images are only an approximation of the object, not the object itself.
Gary Radice, Associate Professor gradice-at-richmond.edu Department of Biology 804-289-8107 (voice) University of Richmond VA 23173 804-289-8233 (FAX)
Greetings, I agree that attacts on the rationalist stance of science are growing in frequency are important to rebut. My view of the error that the social constructionists make comes down to this. Consider the color red. When you look at a red object your brain "contructs" a color for that object. There can never be a way to know that the color that your brain paints that object in your mind is the very same color that my brain picks. Color in that sense is a "construct" of the mind. BUT, we can agree that the object in question is the SAME color, and agree that it corresponds to some reference color, obtained for example with a monochrometer. The constructionists argue because there are constucts in the mind that EVERYTHING in the mind is a construct. This can be easily disproved by the fact that we all agree about what color stop signs are.
Our agreement about the color of stop signs means that we can make another object, color it like a stop sign, and every one will agree about that one too. This sounds trivial, but it is at the core of our assurance about the reality of science.
Many people who doubt the reality of objects down the scope have never looked through a microscope. Perhaps the best thing we can do for such sceptics is to invite them into our labs and show then a rotifer, ascorbate crystals in polarized light, or a fly in SEM?
The geological journals are full of studies applying SEM/TEM/EPMA, among other microscopic techniques, to geologic problems. Look up the journals "American Mineralogist", "Journal of Sedimentary Petrology", and any journal on Paleontology/Micropaleontology (I don't know their titles). Also two general references that should point you in the direction are: "Electron Microscopy in Mineralogy" , Springer-Verlag, 1976, H.-R. Wenk, ed. And "Transmission electron microscopy of minerals and rocks", by Alex C. McLaren, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1991.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.* James J. McGee (jmcgee-at-sc.edu) Dept. of Geological Sciences University of South Carolina (803) 777-6300 (Office) Columbia, SC 29208 (803) 777-6610 (Fax)
----------
My bias is that reality exists if only by my own definition (the conclusions one jumps to may be only your own) however it is clear to me that by almost all rigorous recent (after 1940 or so) philosophic or "scientific" (misused here for emphasis) definitons, reality is unobservable. The most obvious example is the heisenberg uncertainty principle which states that one cannot observe both position and velocity of any moviing particle. Certainly looking to the night sky for stars is looking at ancient history. So to is looking at light images thru a microscope "ancient history" albeit on a smaller time scale. Point Number two: (are you counting??) My colleagues consider when asked that everything one observes thru a microscope to be "artifact"...but by golly I like my particular reliable artifact (some color stain, phase contrast,SEM,TEM etc). This is an important point when the uninitiated ask you if what they are seeing is "artifact".
jkdye-at-ucdavis.edu (J. K. Dye) wrote on the subject: Localizing Ca in Botanicals.
} Bruce Wagner has recommended (pyro?) antimonate to precipitate Ca in place, } localizing it, and I assume followed by TEM and electron probe to confirm } the presence of Ca. I have heard of this technique, especially as applied } specialized cells called idioblasts. But I have also heard that your } specimen must have very high levels of Ca present in some form, such as Ca } this method won't work for Ca which is held on the ion exchange groups of } Anyway, I will read up on the pyroantimonate method and see if it will } track Ca even when it isn't a precipitate. Also will look at Alizarin red } and try to translate to botanicals. } Thanks, Janet.
} Janet K. Dye Ph. D. Graduate Student, Soils Land, Air, and Water Resources University of California Davis, California USA (916) 752-0199 (916) 668-4217 jkdye-at-ucdavis.edu
Janet,
Charley Smalls and I used the pyroantinomate method years ago to localize Ca2+ in developing muscle at sites where Ca2+ is not normally crystaline. However, it also precipitates Mg2+ if I recall, so you have to do some special controls. The refs are in our paper: Smalls, C.M. & Goode,D. (1977) Ca+2 - accumulating components in developing skeletal muscle. J. Morphol.151: 213-238.
-Dennis
Dr. M. Dennis Goode Phone (301) 405-6917 Department of Zoology Fax (301) 314-9358 University of Maryland e-mail goode-at-zool.umd.edu College Park MD 20742 ************************************************************* "If the Lord Almighty had consulted me before embarking upon the creation, I should have recommended something simpler." -Alphonso X of Castile, 15th Century
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Reply to: Frontiers of Electron Microscopy in Materials Science...
April 20-25, 1998 7th Frontiers of Electron Microscopy in Materials Science Conference Irsee Germany Contact: W. E. King, L-356, LLNL, Livermore, CA 94551 E-mail: weking-at-llnl.gov
I am in need of acquiring the conical part of the final lens of a JSM 35(version C) scanning electron microscope. The cone in question is the part of the lens that hangs down in the chamber. We intend to develop a modification. Please email me with the information so that further negotiations can be carried out. I should welcome also any information on the composition (and commercial specification) of the metal from which the cone is made of. Of course, info on where this metal can be obtained will be invaluable.
Thank you in anticipation of your cooperation and help.
Yours sincerely,
Jitu Shah
Dr. J. S. Shah H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol Royal Fort, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1Tl. UK. email: jss-at-siva.bristol.ac.uk Tel: 44 117 9288719 Fax: 44 117 9255624
Dr.Jitu Shah H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Royal Fort, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL. UK email: jss-at-siva.bristol.ac.uk Tel: 44 117 9288719 Fax: 44 117 9255624
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I would appreciate the summary of confocal discussion that was posted sometime ago. I am interested on the properties of stand alone instruments since I already know and have the hardware to add digital confocal. 1) Basic stand alone price? 2) Options price 3) Gripes about instrument users have. 4) What made you decide on the instrument you have? 5) Realistic user/project ratio based on present utilization? 6) Does it take a full time percent effort to run the instrument? Thanks. ________ ___________ / ______/ / _________/ Cesar Danilo Fermin, Ph.D. / / / / Professor of Pathology & Otolaryngology / / / /_____ / \______ / ______/ Fax 504 587-7389 & Voice 584-2521 /________/ / / Internet: fermin-at-tmc.tulane.edu /_______ \/_/ | | | | http://www.tmc.tulane.edu/ferminlab | | | | | |______/ | |________ / Disclaimer: Whatever... is not Tulane's opinion!
I was wondering if anyone has tried using sodium borohydride (0.5 - 1.0 mg / ml ddH2O) on sections as a way to unmask antigens for immunolabelling. I have read that it is a good idea so I ordered some and discovered that sodium borohydride may not be a very safe chemical to have around.
Does anyone know of a technique either based on resin fixation or on a cryostage that can be used to image Phytophthora zoospores whilst keeping them intact?
Does anyone have available (especially in Australasia) a SiLi detector, complete with pre-amp and cryostat, and with reasonable resolution (~150eV)? If so, please let me know (incl. price) as we need to put one on our JEOL 35CF SEM (it can be suited to any SEM - we'll make our own vacuum interface).
Thanks,
Peter Smith, Dept. of App. Physics, RMIT, 124 LaTrobe St., Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, AUSTRALIA
After 17 years we have changed our business name from Probing & Structure to ProSciTech (caps are optional) and we have acquired a domain address for email and our on-line catalogue.
Nothing else has changed: management, ownership and or our commitment remain the same. The old internet addresses will continue to function, but please change your records and bookmarks to ProSciTech.
Regards Jim Darley
jim-at-proscitech.com.au
ProSciTech Microscopy Supplies & Accessories PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia
Phone +61 77 740 370 Fax: +61 77 892 313 A great microscopy site: http://www.proscitech.com.au
Bill Tivol, Dr. Somlyo, and Dennis Goode, Thank you for the advice. The detection limit for Ca by EPMA=EDS, or electron probe, is suprisingly high. My results with the fungus I work with would indicate a 100 x higher level of Ca held in exchangeable form on the cell walls, after exposure to realistic soil solution levels of Ca. And the literature on the host plant, Douglas Fir, would indicate Ca levels 25-30 x higher than the fungus (making some assumptions there). So, apparently, electron probe will do this, although I understand that asking a yes/no tracer question is a lot easier than asking how much Ca (and how exact?). Ca oxalate crystals have been observed to form in the walls and possibly in the vacuoles/vesicles of the structure I work with, so confirming that is not very interesting. What is interesting is where did the Ca come from is such quantities and where does it go, if anywhere. (The normal habitat for this symbiosis is an acidic, leached, relatively low Ca soil.) Maybe using Sr (stable) as a short term tracer for Ca is more useful. Still reading up and thinking, Janet.
Janet K. Dye Ph. D. Graduate Student, Soils Land, Air, and Water Resources University of California Davis, California USA (916) 752-0199 (916) 668-4217 jkdye-at-ucdavis.edu
} My bias is that reality exists if only by my own definition (the conclusions one } jumps to may be only your own) however it is clear to me that by almost all } rigorous recent (after 1940 or so) philosophic or "scientific" (misused here for } emphasis) definitons, reality is unobservable. The most obvious example is the } heisenberg uncertainty principle which states that one cannot observe both } position and velocity of any moviing particle.
I wouldn't paint such a black picture of quantum mechanics. QM is a theory of OBSERVABLES which means it ONLY makes statements about things that CAN be observed. The uncertainty principle states that e.g. location and momentum cannot be measured (or imposed on a particle) simultaneously with better than a certain precision. As I see it this has nothing to do with how well we can observe reality but is a property of reality itself. If You trap a particle in a potential (e.g. a quantum well) it will always have a certain kinetic energy (which is related to a momentum). If You make the potential well narrower the energy and momentum will increase. This is a direct consequence of the uncertainty principle and really the way a particle behaves. It is not a weakness of our observing powers.
Unfortunately QM is being misused a lot by people who want to prove that 'nothing is real' but it never said anything of the sort, just as Relativity never said that 'everthing is relative' and Goedel never said that 'every theory is either contradictory or incomplete'.
-- Philip Koeck Karolinska Institutet Dept. of Bioscience Novum S-14157 Huddinge Sweden Tel.: +46-8-608 91 93 Fax.: +46-8-608 92 90 Email: Philip.Koeck-at-csb.ki.se http://www_scem.csb.ki.se/pages/philip.html
I have been asked if there are any vendors of frame capture cards with some specific requirements - and I have come up blank and was hoping someone else be able to point us in the right direction.
RGB Input frame averaging
---} } and plugs into a PCMCIA laptop port. { {----
Or at least the ability to be utilized in a Laptop system.
Thanks.
Richard E. Edelmann, Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Facility Supervisor 352 Pearson Hall Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056 Ph: 513-529-5712 Fax: 513-529-4243 E-mail: edelmare-at-muohio.edu
Dear list, We are about to replace a 20 year old Technics Hummer VI sputter coater. Does anyone have opinions, strong or otherwise, as to who makes a descent one for ~$5000 or less (we don't need a Cr coater.) All individual responses will be kept as confidential as all the other government secrets.
Norman Elliott | Los Alamos National Laboratory MST-7 | PO Box 1663 MS E549 | Los Alamos, NM 87545
Philip Koeck wrote: {I wouldn't paint such a black picture of quantum mechanics. QM is a theory of OBSERVABLES which means it ONLY makes statements about things tha CAN be observed. The uncertainty principle states that e.g. location and momentum cannot be measured (or imposed on a particle) simultaneously with better than a certain precision.} Reply: Actually I wish to paint a full spectrum picture (color plus waves above and beyond "color") of quantum mechanics and indeed the changing face of the philosophy of science. To quote Shakespeare you have been "hoisted by your own pitard" (literally blown-up by your own bomb). It is not particularly useful in my opinion to invite philisophical discourse (especially in the future from students) and then totally limit their view of science and reality (or is that realities). You are quite correct in your view of science and reality from a 16th century point of view...indeed meterologists still talk about 20 yr "CYCLES" as if phenomena occured in round circles. "Science" changed forever about 1968 or so when it was realized that chaos theory indeed provides better models to explain natural phenomena than the 16th century "scientism" (which by the way correlates closely with strict religious philosophy of this era). For references I would strongly recommend author Ralph Abrahms esp titles about "Gaia, chaos, and eros"(not exact title). Biologists have been the last group to embrace this "new" (actually very old) way of looking at the universe..indeed they still misuse the phrases "good science" and "bad science" when sometimes all they are noting is the wild joyful ride of variation in all its "colors". PS In my informal poll of 10 oregonians all 10 thought reality(ies) "exist" but that they are not "observable" [substitute observable for measureable in the sentence you quote above] as we strictly understand. I suppose this could be attributed to the fact that it rains here a lot and soaks our brains.
This whole debate, which is more semantic than sensible, can be summed up in the painting of an apple by the surrealist Belgium painter Magritte which has a caption "ce ne pas une pomme"
Patrick Echlin Cambridge On Mon, 3 Feb 1997, Gary Radice wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } I'm not familiar with the philosophical debate, but for what it is worth, I } always teach my microanatomy students that they never see an actual object } in the real world OR in the microscope. What they see is the light } reflected, transmitted through, diffracted, refracted, or emitted from an } object. The IMAGES on their retinas are "real" because the light exists, } but the images are only an approximation of the object, not the object } itself. } } Gary Radice, Associate Professor gradice-at-richmond.edu } Department of Biology 804-289-8107 (voice) } University of Richmond VA 23173 804-289-8233 (FAX) } } }
There's a very good book on sample preparation which may set your mind buzzing as to geology applications...
Section "Preparation of Rock, Mineral, Ceramic and Glassy Materials" from "Procedures in Electron Microscopy" Section 13.3 Ed,. AW Robards and AJ Wilson Publ. 1994
Good Luck
Tim Hazeldine ULTRA TEC MFG., INC. _________________________________________________________ *Manufacturing, Sales & Service 1025 E.Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701-6491, USA Tel. 714 542 0608 Fax. 714 542 0627 Email. info-at-ultratecusa.com
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We have folks here who want to upgrade to a dependable cold cathode luminoscope (currently we have an unreliable hybrid setup)
Anyone out there know who makes the following cold cathode luminoscope: Citl CCL 8200 Mk3A (who is Citl?) (we've heard good things about it)
Similarly, we'd be interested in hearing about experiences with any recently purchased CCL systems. . Thanks.
John
John Fournelle Electron Microprobe Lab Internet:johnf-at-geology.wisc.edu Dept of Geology & Geophysics Office: (608) 262-7964 University of Wisconsin Lab: (608) 265-4798 1215 West Dayton Street Fax: (608) 262-0693 Madison, WI 53706 Amateur radio: WA3BTA/9 http://geology.wisc.edu/~johnf/sx51.html
"The first rule of all intelligent tinkering is to save every cog and wheel." Aldo Leopold
Sodium borohydride is indeed difficult to work with. A solution needs to be prepared fresh for each use, but if the container is left open the borohydride takes up moisture rapidly and will cake (no longer powder). When I used it years ago, I made up multiple 10 mg aliquots in capped microtubes, and stored them in a plastic container of silica gel dessicant in a -20 degree C freezer. When I needed a borohydride solution, I added a ml of ddH2O or buffer to an aliquot, and vortexed briefly (open the cap very quickly after vortexing, or the hydrogen gas evolving from the borohydride will pop it open, possibly causing a spill). Those aliquots have satisfied my needs since then.
A. Kent Christensen University of Michigan {akc-at-umich.edu}
--------------------------------------
On Mon, 3 Feb 1997, Beverly Phipps-Todd wrote:
} I was wondering if anyone has tried using sodium borohydride (0.5 - 1.0 mg } / ml ddH2O) on sections as a way to unmask antigens for immunolabelling. } I have read that it is a good idea so I ordered some and discovered that } sodium borohydride may not be a very safe chemical to have around. } } Bev. Phipps Todd } PhippTod-at-em.agr.ca }
Taking care not to be "hoisted by my own petard", I should like to carefully add a few comments on this subject.
Indeed Magritte did paint "Ceci n'est pas une pomme", which is what came to mind when I read the first message of the series.
Indeed what we look at are not cells but 2-dimensional representations of highly modified things that once were cells. (We have no doubt, I hope, that these cells are as round as the world).
However, the highly technical work which examined fully hydrated thin cryosection sections through vitrified biological tissues (eg McDowall et al 1983, J. Microsc. 131:1-9; 1984 J. Mol. Biol. 178:105-111; plus other work from the groups of Dubochet and Muller) do show that our pictures of chemically modified cells may well be on the way to being a representation of "the real thing" as they appear in 2-dimensions.
Our critical self doubt and constant search for new ways of imaging these structures may one day give us the ultimate - to image living processes inside living cells (in fact, this is possible for some intracellular processes).
Until then, we will have to make do with the brief moments in time captured in our 2-dimensional representations. For comfort we can hold onto the idea that collected facts predict unseen events? If we are able to examine our samples with a randomness that will give us a true representation of the whole population then we are lucky.
With this in mind, we now have to take care that we never "sell" the idea that cells consist of clearly defined organelles surrounded by white space all enclosed by two black lines. Not an easy task when the benchmark images are of highly extracted, high contrast images.
Keep Magritte in mind when presenting the micrographs:
"This is not a cell".
The implied message of course is:
"This is a picture of a cell"
Perhaps these comments are worthy only of smoking in Magritte's pipe ("Ceci n'est pas une pipe") but it will not stop my enjoyment of the discussion as it continues.
Regards,
Paul Webster, Ph.D. Center for Cell Imaging Yale School of Medicine http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg
I have been trying to find some literature on the scanning electron microscopy of sugar cane stalk with particular reference to wax morphology. If anyone has encountered such literature or has personal experience I would appreciate some details. I am not a subscriber so will require a personal response. With thanks maryanne-at-one.com.au
Michael Goheen wrote: } Some folks on our campus have need of a Ralph Knife maker and have had no } success in finding one new or used. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Energy Beam Sciences manufactures a Ralph Knife maker. We bought the rights to this product as part of the light microscopy specimen preparation product line formerly manufactured by BioRad in the U.K. Details are available on-line at our web site (http://www.ebsciences.com).
Best regards, Steven E. Slap, Vice-President ******************************** Energy Beam Sciences, Inc. Adding Brilliance To Your Vision ebs-at-ebsciences.com http://www.ebsciences.com/ ********************************
Here is something irresistable for all you Poe fans out there.
Abort, Retry, Ignore?
Once upon a midnight dreary, fingers cramped and vision bleary, System manuals piled high and wasted paper on the floor, Longing for the warmth of bed sheets, still I sat there doing spreadsheets. Having reached the bottom line I took a floppy from the drawer, I then invoked the SAVE command and waited for the disk to store, Only this and nothing more.
Deep into the monitor peering, long I sat there wond'ring, fearing, Doubting, while the disk kept churning, turning yet to churn some more. But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token. "Save!" I said, "You cursed mother! Save my data from before!" One thing did the phosphors answer, only this and nothing more, Just, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
Was this some occult illusion, some maniacal intrusion? These were choices undesired, ones I'd never faced before. Carefully I weighed the choices as the disk made impish noises. The cursor flashed, insistent, waiting, baiting me to type some more. Clearly I must press a key, choosing one and nothing more, From "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
With fingers pale and trembling, slowly toward the keyboard bending, Longing for a happy ending, hoping all would be restored, Praying for some guarantee, timidly, I pressed a key. But on the screen there still persisted words appearing as before. Ghastly grim they blinked and taunted, haunted, as my patience wore, Saying "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
I tried to catch the chips off guard, and pressed again, but twice as hard. I pleaded with the cursed machine: I begged and cried and then I swore. Now in mighty desperation, trying random combinations, Still there came the incantation, just as senseless as before. Cursor blinking, angrily winking, blinking nonsense as before. Reading, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
There I sat, distraught, exhausted, by my own machine accosted. Getting up I turned away and paced across the office floor. And then I saw a dreadful sight: a lightning bolt cut through the night. A gasp of horror overtook me, shook me to my very core. The lightning zapped my previous data, lost and gone forevermore. Not even, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
To this day I do not know the place to which lost data go. What demonic nether world us wrought where lost data will be stored, Beyond the reach of mortal souls, beyond the ether, into black holes? But sure as there's C, Pascal, Lotus, Ashton-Tate and more, You will be one day be left to wander, lost on some Plutonian shore, Pleading, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
My intention has been to ignore this thread entirely, but alas the enthusiasm of some responses has managed to reach out from the rows of words on my computer screen and cause my fingers to key this paragraph and the one below.
Life involves both replicable codes and excitations. Only the former can we put to paper or micrograph. However, the latter we can interact with. In the TEM, for example, we respond with hand on console to photons generated by electrons scattered by very tiny dynamical (albeit seldom living) objects in the path of the microscope's beam. Some signs of this interaction find their way to paper or disk, but never all of it since replicable codes (like pictures or spectra or words) hitch rides on only a miniscule subset of the dynamical excitations (ranging up in size from elementary particles through atoms to us) that we find in the world around. Hence the micrographs (and these words) are mere representations. They may or may not be of help. The interactions, however, are as real as are we.
These fellowships are intended to provide outstanding university faculty access to the SHaRE User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This user facility is equipped with state-of-the-art electron microscopes, atom probe field ion microscopes, and mechanical properties microprobes for materials science microanalysis. These appointments are intended to assist faculty by enhancing their materials science research through extended access to SHaRE's state-of-the-art microanalytical facilities, and through collaborations with appropriate researchers at ORNL. It is anticipated that one junior and one senior university faculty will be appointed as fellows.
The duration of each fellowship is expected to be between six and twelve weeks. It is anticipated that fellowships will be taken during the participant's summer semester or quarter terms.
Eligibility Applicants must be full-time permanent faculty members at accredited U.S. colleges or universities.
Stipends and Allowances Stipends paid to participants are based on, but may not exceed, their regular college/university salary. The cost of travel for one round-trip between the academic institution and ORNL will be reimbursed if the distance is greater than 50 miles. Reimbursement is made according to the standard travel policy of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).
Applications Application for fellowships may be made by submitting a written proposal, no more than four pages in length, to the below address. The proposal should:
=95Set forth the scientific or technological significance of the proposed research. =95State the relevance of research to the U.S. Department of Energy, and= ORNL. =95Include a statement of work which describes the major research tasks to= be performed, specifies needed research instrumentation, and indicates any anticipated specimen preparation at ORNL. =95Summarize the applicant's previous work in the field of the proposed research, including relevant expertise on the research equipment being proposed for use in this research. =95Identify a researcher at ORNL who agrees to collaborate in the research. SHaRE can assist faculty personnel in identifying appropriate ORNL collaborators. =95State the intended start date and duration of the appointment. =95Include a one-page professional resume.
Five copies of the proposal should be submitted to: SHaRE Faculty Fellowship Program Education and Training Division Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education P.O. Box 117 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
or a single copy submitted electronically to Ms. Renetta Godfrey (godfreyrd-at-ornl.gov). Supported file formats are ascii, and Word 6.0, and WordPerfect 7.0 (or earlier versions).
Review Process and Deadline =95Appointments are based on competitive evaluation of the applicants' qualifications, proposed plan of research, and relevance to ORNL/DOE research programs and activities =95Appointments are made by recommendation of the SHaRE Executive Committee =95Proposals for FY 1997 fellowships should be received by March 3, 1997
Additional Information For additional information regarding either SHaRE or these fellowships =95http://www.ms.ornl.gov/share/intro.htm =95contact Neal Evans evansnd-at-ornl.gov 423-576-4427
SHaRE Faculty Fellowships are contingent upon the availability of funds, collaborating personnel, and research facilities.
The Shared Research Equipment User Facility and Program are supported by the Division of Materials Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy, under contract DE-AC05-96OR22464 with Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp., and through contract DE-AC05-76OR00033 with Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
The New England Society for Microscopy announces first meeting of 1997
PROGRAM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1997
5 pm-----Registration and Tours of Philips Electroscan
6 pm-----Buffet Dinner
7:15 pm-----"Development of Recombinant Oral Vaccine Against Helicobacter pylori" to be presented by Thomas Ermak from OraVax, Inc.
8:00 pm-----"High Temperature Applications in Environmental SEM" to be presented by Thomas A. Hardt, Applications Development Manager at Philips Electroscan.
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME! Regular membership dues are $15 per calendar year. Registration for this meeting is $5.
To register, contact L. Kirstein at tel: 508-473-9673 or E-mail: 104365.3522-at-compuserve.com. (Mark message: NESM February Meeting Registration)
} I agree that attacts on the rationalist stance of science are } growing in frequency are important to rebut.
Not only that, but there is a long tradition of anti-intellectualism in America which must be counteracted. Otherwise, more rational people will see their economies expand while ours goes down the tubes.
} My view of the error that the } social constructionists make comes down to this. Consider the color red. } When you look at a red object your brain "contructs" a color for that } object. There can never be a way to know that the color that your brain } paints that object in your mind is the very same color that my brain picks.
If, as I think, a brain '"constructs" a color' by modifying synapses etc. which results in a particular neural firing pattern being associated with everything the brain's owner sees of that color, then everyone's brain constructs a different color, since the connectivity of neurons is almost certainly different for each individual brain. That said, however, there are likely to be similarities in the neural firing patterns which are con- structed, since each arises from signals from cones in the retina, which have features common to all individuals.
} Color in that sense is a "construct" of the mind. BUT, we can agree that } the object in question is the SAME color, and agree that it corresponds to } some reference color, obtained for example with a monochrometer. The } constructionists argue because there are constucts in the mind that } EVERYTHING in the mind is a construct. This can be easily disproved by the } fact that we all agree about what color stop signs are. } Not quite. The social constructionists would argue that your mind only constructs the agreement; i.e., I think that you and I agree about the color of stop signs, but you may think that we are agreeing about an entirely different construct.
} Our agreement about the color of stop signs means that we can make } another object, color it like a stop sign, and every one will agree about } that one too. This sounds trivial, but it is at the core of our assurance } about the reality of science. } That depends. You are only talking about people with normal color vision--an unstated assumption. You can easily make a second object which appears red, but whose spectrum of reflected or emitted light is quite dif- ferent from that of a stop sign. In any event, one can, however, specify a set of algorithms for the construction of an object and the measurement of some of its properties, and, if any number of other independent persons follow the same algorithms, they will all make the same observations. By this I mean that the observations will agree within some limits--it is very unlikely that any two measurements will yield *exactly* the same results. This whole subject gets quite complicated when all the details are consi- dered. My belief is that there is an actual reality which underlies each of our perceptions. No one's perceptions correspond exactly to that real- ity, nor even encompass more than an infinitessimal part of reality. By probing reality through making observations, recording our perceptions, correllating those perceptions which agree with those of others (including the magnitude and nature of expected disagreements), and rationalizing away those perceptions which do not agree, we can each and collectively set limits within which actual reality probably lies. I can assure any social constructionists that, if they perceive a boulder falling down a cliff heading directly toward them, they should act as though that boulder were actually real. Reality can always make an im- pact on any one of us whether or not we believe in it.
} Many people who doubt the reality of objects down the scope have } never looked through a microscope. Perhaps the best thing we can do for } such sceptics is to invite them into our labs and show then a rotifer, } ascorbate crystals in polarized light, or a fly in SEM? } These are, indeed, pretty constructs. What we can show sceptics are images of a rotifer (perhaps one which has been modified extensively), etc. What we see--and what they will see--are signals which have been manipulated so as to produce representations from which we can better understand the objects from which these representations arose. My lab does TEM of biological materials, and we rarely look at the biological material itself; we almost invariably look at the results of electrons scattered from a heavy metal stain. Fortunately, there are stains whose properties are well correllated to those of the biological specimen, so we can infer properties of the specimen from observations of the stain. I have no doubt that the biological specimen is real--as are the heavy metal atoms of the stain. I also have no doubt that what I see is only an approximation of some of the true properties of the system in which I am interested. Yours, Bill Tivol
AMRAY, Inc., a manufacturer of Scanning Electron Microscopes, invites you to browse our newly constructed WEB site. We can be found at www.amray.com. The WEB site includes information about AMRAY's 3000 series of scanning electron microscopes, our customer service organization, our customer training schools, and other imporatant information about AMRAY.
I would like to use a staining procedure (Masson's trichrome) that calls for picric acid for nuclear differentiation after staining with hematoxylin. Our safety officer would prefer it if I could avoid using picric acid. Is there a substitute? Is this step necessary?
The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
I would like to use a staining procedure (Masson's trichrome) that calls for picric acid for nuclear differentiation after staining with hematoxylin. Our safety officer would prefer it if I could avoid using picric acid. Is there a substitute? Is this step necessary?
My lab doesn't do any biological staining, but we do use picric acid solutions for metallographic etching. For years we went round and round with our safety people. They claimed it was not safe IF it was combined with SUFFICIENT amounts of certain metals (notably Pb) AND the subsequent picrate was subjected to a LARGE IMPACT, OR if the solution dried to below approximately 15% water AND the container was subjected to a LARGE SHOCK. Under the RIGHT circumstances it can be dangerous. So can a bottle of root beer.
The iron and steel industry has been using picric acid etchants for half century.
My personal opinion is that small (gram) quantities of wet picric acid, handled, stored, and disposed of properly by qualified personnel would not pose an extraordinary risk sufficient to prohibit its use.
The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Diana,
My lab doesn't do any biological staining, but we do use picric acid solutions for metallographic etching. For years we went round and round with our safety people. They claimed it was not safe IF it was combined with SUFFICIENT amounts of certain metals (notably Pb) AND the subsequent picrate was subjected to a LARGE IMPACT, OR if the solution dried to below approximately 15% water AND the container was subjected to a LARGE SHOCK. Under the RIGHT circumstances it can be dangerous. So can a bottle of root beer.
The iron and steel industry has been using picric acid etchants for half century.
My personal opinion is that small (gram) quantities of wet picric acid, handled, stored, and disposed of properly by qualified personnel would not pose an extraordinary risk sufficient to prohibit its use.
Greetings, Many people seem to have liked the poem I sent round; but alas many have suggested that I wrote it. I have to make clear that I just forwarded it. I wish I had the time and skill to have written it. Sorry that wasn't clear in the first post.
i LIKE TO KNOW THE INFORMATION OF VENDORS PROVIDE THE LAMBS OF OLYMPUS BH SERIES OPTICAL MICROSCOPY.
BEST REGARDS,
Tseng-Ming Chou (Alex) Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering Stevens Institute of Technology Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030 e-mail: tchou-at-attila.stevens-tech.edu tchou-at-menger.eecs.stevens-tech.edu The Microstructure Group of Stevens
The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Here is something irresistable for all you Poe fans out there.
Abort, Retry, Ignore?
Once upon a midnight dreary, fingers cramped and vision bleary, System manuals piled high and wasted paper on the floor, Longing for the warmth of bed sheets, still I sat there doing spreadsheets. Having reached the bottom line I took a floppy from the drawer, I then invoked the SAVE command and waited for the disk to store, Only this and nothing more.
Deep into the monitor peering, long I sat there wond'ring, fearing, Doubting, while the disk kept churning, turning yet to churn some more. But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token. "Save!" I said, "You cursed mother! Save my data from before!" One thing did the phosphors answer, only this and nothing more, Just, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
Was this some occult illusion, some maniacal intrusion? These were choices undesired, ones I'd never faced before. Carefully I weighed the choices as the disk made impish noises. The cursor flashed, insistent, waiting, baiting me to type some more. Clearly I must press a key, choosing one and nothing more, From "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
With fingers pale and trembling, slowly toward the keyboard bending, Longing for a happy ending, hoping all would be restored, Praying for some guarantee, timidly, I pressed a key. But on the screen there still persisted words appearing as before. Ghastly grim they blinked and taunted, haunted, as my patience wore, Saying "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
I tried to catch the chips off guard, and pressed again, but twice as hard. I pleaded with the cursed machine: I begged and cried and then I swore. Now in mighty desperation, trying random combinations, Still there came the incantation, just as senseless as before. Cursor blinking, angrily winking, blinking nonsense as before. Reading, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
There I sat, distraught, exhausted, by my own machine accosted. Getting up I turned away and paced across the office floor. And then I saw a dreadful sight: a lightning bolt cut through the night. A gasp of horror overtook me, shook me to my very core. The lightning zapped my previous data, lost and gone forevermore. Not even, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
To this day I do not know the place to which lost data go. What demonic nether world us wrought where lost data will be stored, Beyond the reach of mortal souls, beyond the ether, into black holes? But sure as there's C, Pascal, Lotus, Ashton-Tate and more, You will be one day be left to wander, lost on some Plutonian shore, Pleading, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Greetings, Many people seem to have liked the poem I sent round; but alas many have suggested that I wrote it. I have to make clear that I just forwarded it. I wish I had the time and skill to have written it. Sorry that wasn't clear in the first post.
I have had a request regarding suppliers of Utermohl-type sedimentation chambersfor standard quantitative hydrobiological analyses. My ignorance in this area is quite undiminished! All help gratefully received.
Best wishes
Keith Ryan
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, Devon PL1 2PB, England
Can anyone of our subscribers reply to this person? Send the message direct to him as he is not on the Listserver.
Nestor
------------------
Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by (Stankovic-at-fns.uniba.sk) on Thursday, February 6, 1997 at 05:40:07 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------- Forwarded with Changes ---------------------------
The TEM group at Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, CA announces a summer internship available for a graduate-level student in the area of focussed ion beam (FIB) milling. FIB milling is used in the semiconductor industry for specific-site thin sectioning of single-bit device failures for TEM analysis. The Ga+ ion beam typically used during FIB milling is known to amorphize the milled surfaces. The amorphous surface layers on the TEM section limit the scope, quality and utility of the TEM analysis. The goals of this internship are: 1.) to quantify the depth of amorphization imparted during FIB milling as a function of milling parameters (voltage, milling angle, etc.), 2.) to determine a low-damage milling condition and 3.) to develop a method to eliminate residual amorphization damage which remains after FIB milling. Prior experience with preparing and handling TEM samples is highly desirable. This position is for U.S. citizens or permanent residents, 3.0 gpa or higher, enrolled fulltime in school and able to work full time during the internship. Intel Corp. is an equal opportunity employer.
Please forward inquiries and resumes to:
David W. Susnitzky Intel Corporation 3065 Bowers Avenue, M.S. SC2-24 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8119
Destaining can be accomplished with 2% aqueous iron alum (ferric ammonium sulfate) instead of picric acid. Picric acid is said to give better definition of nuclei, though. I do not consider picric acid to be dangerous if stored "wet" (10% water) which is the way we get it from Fisher or whomever. Perhaps your Safety Officer could store the bottle for you and you could keep a saturated aqueous solution in the lab for use as needed.
Geoff -- *************************************************************** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (908)-235-4583; fax -4029 e-mail: mcauliff-at-.umdnj.edu ***************************************************************
On Wed, 5 Feb 1997, O=PRDSMTP; DDA.TYPE=RFC-822; DDA.VALUE=Microscopy-request(a)Spar wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Diana, } } My lab doesn't do any biological staining, but we do use picric acid } solutions for metallographic etching. For years we went round and round } with our safety people. They claimed it was not safe IF it was combined } with SUFFICIENT amounts of certain metals (notably Pb) AND the } subsequent picrate was subjected to a LARGE IMPACT, OR if the solution } dried to below approximately 15% water AND the container was subjected } to a LARGE SHOCK. Under the RIGHT circumstances it can be dangerous. } So can a bottle of root beer. } } The iron and steel industry has been using picric acid etchants for half } century. } } My personal opinion is that small (gram) quantities of wet picric acid, } handled, stored, and disposed of properly by qualified personnel would } not pose an extraordinary risk sufficient to prohibit its use. } } Harry Crossman } } Harry:
I thought I should reply after reading your message. About 15 years ago, I was working as an EM tech when a message came to the lab from the hazarads manager about a small vial of picric acid which had blown up in one of the labs on campus. It was a very old vial and appearantly had been forgotten. Noone was hurt, but I haven't forgotten the insident, and I make sure any excess picric acid is disoped of after the project requiring it is finished.
Any leads on how one might verify if two documents were written with the same pencil? Actually, the question is if something written in, say, 1948 can be distinguished from something written 10-20 years later (did the formulas for the pencil 'lead' change?). Perhaps pull off some lead particles with scotch tape and then examine with EDS/WDS? Any one know anything, or where to look?
Thanks.
John Fournelle Electron Microprobe Lab Internet:johnf-at-geology.wisc.edu Dept of Geology & Geophysics Office: (608) 262-7964 University of Wisconsin Lab: (608) 265-4798 1215 West Dayton Street Fax: (608) 262-0693 Madison, WI 53706 Amateur radio: WA3BTA/9 http://geology.wisc.edu/~johnf/sx51.html
"The first rule of all intelligent tinkering is to save every cog and wheel." Aldo Leopold
On Wed, 5 Feb 1997, O=PRDSMTP; DDA.TYPE=RFC-822; DDA.VALUE=Microscopy-request( a)Spar wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Diana, } } My lab doesn't do any biological staining, but we do use picric acid } solutions for metallographic etching. For years we went round and round } with our safety people. They claimed it was not safe IF it was combined } with SUFFICIENT amounts of certain metals (notably Pb) AND the } subsequent picrate was subjected to a LARGE IMPACT, OR if the solution } dried to below approximately 15% water AND the container was subjected } to a LARGE SHOCK. Under the RIGHT circumstances it can be dangerous. } So can a bottle of root beer. } } The iron and steel industry has been using picric acid etchants for half } century. } } My personal opinion is that small (gram) quantities of wet picric acid, } handled, stored, and disposed of properly by qualified personnel would } not pose an extraordinary risk sufficient to prohibit its use. } } Harry Crossman } } Harry:
I thought I should reply after reading your message. About 15 years ago, I was working as an EM tech when a message came to the lab from the hazarads manager about a small vial of picric acid which had blown up in one of the labs on campus. It was a very old vial and appearantly had been forgotten. Noone was hurt, but I haven't forgotten the insident, and I make sure any excess picric acid is disoped of after the project requiring it is finished.
The various comments that have appeared on the listserver concerning reality, philosophy, and science remind me of a story my high school teacher told to help distinguish the meaning of the words 'illusion', 'delusion', and 'hallucination'. It goes as follows:
Imagine a young person, who is somewhat superstitous and a bit afraid of the dark, walking alone along a deserted back road on a dark night. While passing an old abandoned house this person thinks he sees, out of the corner of his eye, a ghost in front of the house. Mustering all his courage, however, he stops to check the matter out. If on further investigation, 1. he finds nothing there, he suffered an illusion 2. he finds the remnants of a white sheet hanging from a clothsline, he had a delusion 3. he finds a ghost, he is having an hallucination
While this doesn't have anything to do directly with the questions at hand, I thought you might find it amusing
Wilbur C. Bigelow, Prof. Emeritus Materials Sci. & Engr., University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136 e-mail: bigelow-at-umich.edu; Fx:313-763-4788; Ph:313-764-3321
Perhaps someone can explain what I saw earlier today while examining a piece of archeological glass by SEM. When examining the sample at 10, 5 and 3 kV, I saw a distorted reflection of the secondary electron detector at the surface of the sample. The sample was attached to an aluminum stub using double-sided adhesive tape, and was not coated. The SEM is a Cambridge stereoscan 100. I did not observe any reflected image at higher kV.
The Alcoa Technical Center in Pittsburgh, PA announces a post-doc position for an electron microscopist.
The assignment is to characterize several aluminum alloy systems with regard to a) the nucleation mechanisms for recrystallization and the interaction of the growing grains with the microstructure, as well as b) the deformed structure (cell sizes, cell misorientation).
The following equipment is available: Philips 420 with TV camera, JEOL 840 with OIM attachment, FEG-SEMs at near-by universities, XRD, image processors. Besides an excellent background in the operation of TEMs and SEMs, a successful candidate should be familiar with EDS, foil thickness determination, analysis of Kikuchi patterns and quantitative stereology.
This position is limited to a period of two years. Alcoa is an equal opportunity employer.
Please forward inquiries and resumes to:
Hasso Weiland Alcoa Technical Center Alcoa Center, PA 15069
Final details of the 1997 Meeting of the Microscopical Society of Canada (Edmonton, 4 - 7 June) are now available. Lecture symposia and confirmed speakers include:
SCANNING-PROBE MICROSCOPY: Don Eigler, Paul Hansma, Richard Colton, Cynthia Goh, Darka Migus, Peter Grutter.
DYNAMICAL AND CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY: John White, Fred Fay, Lans Taylor, Winfried Denk.
ENERGY-FILTERED TEM: Peter Crozier, Richard Leapman, George Harauz, David Bazett-Jones.
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY: David Joy, Arun Kumar, Arvid Lacis.
+ WORKSHOPS on Fundamentals of AFM, FEGSEM, EPMA and Confocal Microscopy.
2-page abstracts of contributed talks or posters are due 15 March. A registration package is being mailed to all MSC members; copies can also be obtained from:
Ray Egerton, Physics Dept, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada T6G 2J1 Phone: 403-492-5095, FAX: 403-492-0714, e-mail: egerton-at-phys.ualberta.ca
Further details of the meeting are available from the MSC Web Page: http://www.ualberta.ca/~mmid/msc ------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have an LKB 2178 Kinfemaker II that is having a problem. One of the C2 adjustment things no longer holds its' position. This results in the thing changing how it makes knives every single time you use it. I think that the C2 plastic parts are stretched out. It seems like it gets better if I take the top C2 apart and let it sit in the corner (by itself) for a day or two and then put it back together.
Has anyone else had this problem? Does anybody know where I can get the C2 plastic pieces so I can replace the worn out items?
One of my students tweaked all of the knobs one day and the knifemaker hasn't been the same since. Ah, the joys of a teaching lab!
Any suggestions are gratefully appreciated.
Desperately trying to make knives in Berkeley,
Paula = )
Paula Ssicurello UC Berkeley Electron Microscope Lab psic-at-uclink4.berkeley.edu
This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text, while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools. Send mail to mime-at-docserver.cac.washington.edu for more info.
This is a forwarded message requested by Profs. Rodney C. Ewing and Lumin Wang at University of New Mexcio.
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY ANALYTICAL ELECTRON MICROSCOPY -- LABORATORY MANAGER/RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Applications are invited for the position of laboratory manager/research scientist (Research Scientist III) supporting the transmission electron microscopy facilities in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico. The laboratory includes a JEOL 2010 high resolution TEM and JEOL 2000FX analytical STEM. Both instruments are equipped with EDS capabilities. More information on the lab may be obtained at HTTP//TEM.UNM.EDU.
We hope to fill this position by 1 May, 1997. The position is full time initially for 15 months and may be continued on a permanent basis. Duties will include supervision of all aspects of the electron microscopy laboratory, maintenance of the instruments, assistance to students, faculty, and research scientists at UNM, and outside users, and instruction of a graduate course in principles of electron-microscopy and use of the instruments. Time will be available for independent or collaborative research involving the use of the microscopes and other analytical facilities in the Department.
Candidates must hold a Ph.D. degree in earth science, materials science or a related field, and have a demonstrated research background in these disciplines, extensive skills in the operation and maintenance of transmission electron microscopes, and a record of published research activity. In addition, the candidate should have strong communication skills and an ability to work with and/or instruct individuals with broad research interests and backgrounds.
JOB TITLE: RESEARCH SCIENTIST III DEPARTMENT: EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES REQUISITION NUMBER: 970231*A CLOSING DATE: 5:00 P.M. ON 3/21/97 GRADE 13
Based on Full-Time Salary: $2,858.42 to $3,801.42 mo. Full-time term fifteen month position with possibility of regular status.
IN ORDER TO BE QUALIFIED YOU MUST HAVE:
Ph.D. Degree in Technical, Scientific, or Engineering. Three (3) years experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.
TO APPLY
Applications must be received by the Human Resources Office at 1717 Roma NE, or Health Sciences Ctr., Med Bldg. 2, Rm. 101, North Campus, Albuquerque, NM 87131 no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date, February 21, 1997. Resumes must list employment dates by month/year and must be accompanied by a cover letter. Functional resumes will not be accepted. Indicate the requisition number 970231*A and job title Research Scientist III on the application/cover letter. Application forms may be obtained by calling 505-277-6422.
I usually don't pay much attention to the numerous sample preparation discussions for biologic materials (I mostly deal with inorganics), so pardon me if this has been previously discussed.
I have been asked about the possibility of measuring elements in tree core using the electron probe. How best to prepare the wood for 10 - 20 kV, 20 nA , 30 sec. beam exposure? My only experience with wood usually involves an axe and a fireplace. Thanks in advance.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.* James J. McGee (jmcgee-at-sc.edu) Dept. of Geological Sciences University of South Carolina (803) 777-6300 (Office) Columbia, SC 29208 (803) 777-6610 (Fax)
To: Microscopy ListSer {Microscopy-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com}
James Martin wrote: } } Perhaps someone can explain what I saw earlier today while examining a } piece of archeological glass by SEM. When examining the sample at 10, 5 } and 3 kV, I saw a distorted reflection of the secondary electron detector } at the surface of the sample. The sample was attached to an aluminum stub } using double-sided adhesive tape, and was not coated. The SEM is a } Cambridge stereoscan 100. I did not observe any reflected image at higher } kV. } } Any thoughts? } } James Martin } Williamstown Art Conservation Center ................................................. James, You have encountered one of the neater artifacts you can accomplish with a SEM. What happened was that while imaging at 10 keV you established a fairly uniform charge on the surface of the glass. Then when you dropped down in energy, the incident electrons were elastically reflected by this uniform charge field and bounced backwards without ever hitting the specimen. In other words, the uniform charge field created a very nice "mirror" which reflected the electron beam towards your secondary detector so that's what you got an image of. It is also very typical to get a nice image of your final lens pole piece. The field created by this type of charging tends to be hemispherical in shape, so you get a kind of "fisheye" lens effect which at low mag allows you to get a "panoramic" image of the inside of your specimen chamber.
It is very easy to duplicate this phenomenon. I have found that a piece of smooth polysterene works quite nicely (I used a divider from a plastic parts bin). Simply charge the surface by scanning at low mag for a while at a high voltage and fairly high spot size and then switch to a lower keV and you will see the mirroring effect. A saphire bead also works very well. The better the insulator, the longer the effect lasts. You can actually get very nice images of the inards of your SEM. Take a few pictures and see if your microscopist friends can figure out how you did this!
This is really quite a fascinating effect which can really "blow your mind" if you stumble across it accidentally without knowing that such a thing is possible. This is such a neat effect that it just seems that there SHOULD be some good use for it -- Alas -- I don't know of any, other than to amuse yourself and your friends.
} Perhaps someone can explain what I saw earlier today while examining a } piece of archeological glass by SEM. When examining the sample at 10, 5 } and 3 kV, I saw a distorted reflection of the secondary electron detector } at the surface of the sample. The sample was attached to an aluminum stub } using double-sided adhesive tape, and was not coated. The SEM is a } Cambridge stereoscan 100. I did not observe any reflected image at higher } kV. } Some of the jolly service guys from Philips have performed a similar trick with uncoated styrofoam without knowing why it worked. They first bombarded the foam at 25 kV, then turned the acc. voltage down to 3kV or so. Here's my interpretation:
The glass, or styrofoam or whatever, charges up with electrons due to lack of grounding. As more primary electron bombard the sample they begin to be repelled by the like charge that has built up within the sample. When you use low kV the primary electrons are not able to penetrate the cloud of electrons around your sample, and are repelled by it. These electrons begin to hit the detector (what you saw), the final lens (what I saw with the styrofoam), or whatever else in the chamber, eliciting secondary electrons, and forming an image. What you see probably depends on the geometry of the chamber. We were able to look right up the final lens and see the aperture. At higher kVs you don't see the effect. Kinda cool, huh? Take a picture. Enjoy. Coat the sample and remove the coating after viewing.
I thunk this up myself - does this sound right?
Aloha, Tina
http://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/bemf/microangela
**************************************************************************** * Tina (Weatherby) Carvalho * tina-at-pbrc.hawaii.edu * * Biological Electron Microscope Facility * (808) 956-6251 * * University of Hawaii at Manoa * http://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/bemf* ****************************************************************************
I've seen the same when trying to image a minute marine snail that was poorly adfixed to the stub. I presumed that it was charging SO MUCH that the Primary Electrons were being completely repelled from the specimen back to the roof of the chamber. It looked great - a normal background with a shell-shaped "mirror" showing the ceiling of the chamber!
Geoff Avern Microscopy Labs Australian Museum Sydney, Australia
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Perhaps someone can explain what I saw earlier today while examining a piece of archeological glass by SEM. When examining the sample at 10, 5 and 3 kV, I saw a distorted reflection of the secondary electron detector at the surface of the sample. The sample was attached to an aluminum stub using double-sided adhesive tape, and was not coated. The SEM is a Cambridge stereoscan 100. I did not observe any reflected image at higher kV.
As you may know that the digital technology has came to join us in anywhere. It is no doubt about that the digital photography has a strong future in electron microscopy and image analysis. So I am going to purchase a digital camera and high quality laser print as well for our image analysis system. It may need to associate with among TEM, SEM and optical microscopy. Our TEM here is JEOL2000FX and SEM are JEOL 6400 and T300. But the trouble is that we only have got a limit budget which could be less than 10,000 pounds.
I am wondering if any body could give me more suggestion and information for them. Your advice would be very appreciation.
Thanks lot on advance.
Peiyi Wang Department of Engineering Materials University of Southampton Southampton SO17 1BJ UK Tel: 00441703 595101; Fax: 00441703 593016; E-mail: pw2-at-soton.ac.uk
I'm looking for information regarding the availability of colloidal carbon for use as an electron dense tracer in a vascular leakage model. I have found numerous references to Pelikan Ink, in particular Pelikan "Fount" Black India Ink No. 78. Pelikan still makes a No. 78 black ink, but it is not called Black India Ink. Does anyone know: 1) are these equivalent products, 2) are there other sources of colloidal carbon available for our studies, 3) has anyone tried using colloidal gold for these types of studies and would be willing to share their experience?
With regard to my third question, we are considering using BSA conjugated to 20 nm gold particles. At this point however, perfusion times, dilutions, etc. would all have to be empirically derived. I would greatly appreciate any insights from list members that might save us a lot of time and effort. Thanks in advance.
Fred Schamber and Tina Carvalho described a little gizmo which we sell. It's a lucite sphere mounted on carbon which will produce a reflected image. We call it a "Lumisphere".
Best regards, Steven E. Slap, Vice-President ******************************** Energy Beam Sciences, Inc. Adding Brilliance To Your Vision ebs-at-ebsciences.com http://www.ebsciences.com/ ********************************
I have been using a couple of diamond scribes sold by: Wale Apparatus Co, Inc. 400 Front Street Hellertown, PA 18055 phone 610-838-7047 FAX 610-838-7440
This is a glassworking and laboratory products company and their scribes work really well and come in several different flavors. They all have a pencil type handle and most have the diamond tip mounted on a 0.028"diameter metal shank. They are also reasonably priced.
I'm just a happy customer.
Hope this helps, Louie Kerr
} Subj: Need diamond scriber recommndations } } Can anybody recommend a good hand-held diamond scriber? } } I need something pretty robust but with small tip radius. I used to use a } scriber made by Fisher Scientific, but they stopped selling them. I mainly } scribe silicon wafers with varying amounts of metal and oxide layers. } } Becky Holdford } Texas Instruments / DMD Failure Analysis Lab } r-holdford-at-ti.com
Louie Kerr Research and Education Support Coordinator Marine Biological Laboratory 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543 508-289-7273 508-540-6902 (FAX)
I have two separate issues I'd like some input on. I'm somewhat constrained by how much info. I can provide so here's the bare bones.
1. I have a sample composed primarily of Fe and Cr. I'm characterizing the compositional Cr gradient as a function of location on the sample cross-section by EPMA. " Polished surface". My results for Cr concentration are nearly 20% lower than is expected based on analyses done in other labs by other techniques of which I have little or no knowledge of how it was done. I have reports that make compositional claims but give little or no methodology.
I'm using a 304 SS standard "nominal 18% Cr" for standardization. On my sample at a specific location where it is expected to measure 40 wt % Chromium, I'm getting in the range 30 to 35 Wt % Chromium.
As I said above this is the bare bones of the circumstance. Any input regarding Cr/Fe EPMA analysis will be appreciated.
ON ANOTHER FRONT
2. I'm toying with carbon analysis by EPMA. I've got a set of 6 carbon standards that with the exception of carbon concentration, are basically 52100 material. Their carbon ranges from 0.018 to 0.610 and they are very homogeneous. I'm using them to generate a curve from which I can use to pick off x-ray on peak count levels that relate to count rates from an unknown. I'm having trouble reconciling count differences between my curve generating standards and those of a SRM1225 which contains 0.275 carbon. All the standards have been verified by Spectrographic analysis. I've run as high as 300 points on the 1225 material and it consistently gives me lower average counts than would be expected based on the carbon curve.
Again any thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated " Thanks "
Terry R. McCue Babcock & Wilcox Research Metallurgical Analysis Section 1562 Beeson St. Alliance, Oh 44601 Phone: 330-829-7427 Internet: terry.r.mccue-at-mcdermott.com Fax: 330-829-7831
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RE} detector reflected in SEM micrograph 2/7/97
I've seen a couple of responses attributing this effect to reflected electrons. Although I've never observed these "reflection" images (we religiously coat our glass samples, although I understand why one may not want to coat an art relic), I think I have a better explanation. The surface of the non-conducting sample is acting as part of a capacitor... the other part being the inside of the chamber. What you are imaging is a surface charge set up by this capacitance, and not reflected electrons. Electrons deflected completely away from the sample are unlikely to image much of anything (try running the EDS simultaneously with this effect...if the electrons are reflected there should be a huge bremstraalung peak, and nothing else.
--------------------------------------
Perhaps someone can explain what I saw earlier today while examining a piece of archeological glass by SEM. When examining the sample at 10, 5 and 3 kV, I saw a distorted reflection of the secondary electron detector at the surface of the sample. The sample was attached to an aluminum stub using double-sided adhesive tape, and was not coated. The SEM is a Cambridge stereoscan 100. I did not observe any reflected image at higher kV.
Any thoughts?
James Martin Williamstown Art Conservation Center
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} Some of the jolly service guys from Philips have performed a similar trick } with uncoated styrofoam without knowing why it worked. They first } bombarded the foam at 25 kV, then turned the acc. voltage down to } 3kV or so. Here's my interpretation: } } The glass, or styrofoam or whatever, charges up with electrons due to lack } of grounding. As more primary electron bombard the sample they begin to } be repelled by the like charge that has built up within the sample. } When you use low kV the primary electrons are not able to penetrate } the cloud of electrons around your sample, and are repelled by it. These } electrons begin to hit the detector (what you saw), the final } lens (what I saw with the styrofoam), or whatever else in the chamber, } eliciting secondary electrons, and forming an image. What you see } probably depends on the geometry of the chamber. We were able to look } right up the final lens and see the aperture. At higher kVs you } don't see the effect. Kinda cool, huh? Take a picture. Enjoy. Coat the } sample and remove the coating after viewing. } } I thunk this up myself - does this sound right? } } Aloha, } Tina
Tina, Got it in one. Somebody (SPI? EDS?) used to sell a "specimen chamber inspection" stub that was basically half a marble that did this. Charged some outrageous price for it. Phil
P.S. I hope my "not the obvious" was taken as it was meant.
&&& Illigitimi non carborundum &&&&&&&& Philip Oshel Station A PO Box 5037 Champaign, IL 61825-5037 (217)244-3145 days (217)355-3145 evenings oshel-at-ux1.cso.uiuc.edu *** looking for a job again ******************
we need to replace an o-ring in our SEM to solve vacuum problems. If we order it, we'd have to buy the whole set of o-rings. According to our budget assigned for this year, this is not possible for us.
Our SEM is an old JEOL 35C. The o-ring we need is the one located at the bottom of the anode chamber. It's in viton and described by JEOL as G120, the dimensions are: internal diameter: 119,4 +- 0,4 mm thickness or width: 3,1 +- 0,1 mm
If anyone has extra ones and is willing to offer one to us, we would be happy to arrange something to get it (buying it, exchanging it for other part...)
We appreciate very much your attention. Thanks,
Silvia Montoro Centro Regional de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Santa Fe Santa Fe - Argentina csedax-at-arcride.edu.ar
we need to replace an o-ring in our SEM to solve vacuum problems. If we order it, we'd have to buy the whole set of o-rings. According to our budget assigned for this year, this is not possible for us.
Our SEM is an old JEOL 35C. The o-ring we need is the one located at the bottom of the anode chamber. It's in viton and described by JEOL as G120, the dimensions are: internal diameter: 119,4 +- 0,4 mm thickness or width: 3,1 +- 0,1 mm
If anyone has extra ones and is willing to offer one to us, we would be happy to arrange something to get it (buying it, exchanging it for other part...)
We appreciate very much your attention. Thanks,
Silvia Montoro Centro Regional de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Santa Fe Santa Fe - Argentina csedax-at-arcride.edu.ar
A colleague has had difficulty handling Ni grids because of the high degree of static electricity -- one of the side effects of the dry laboratory air during Feb. in the Great White North. He has shunned his woolen sweaters, has been using appropriate tweezers and when staining has beenn wetting the forceps to reduce the problem. The critical step is of course when inserting the grids into the holder for viewing in the TEM. Short of purchasing an anti-static device, are there any ingenious tips to overcome the case of the leaping grids? Thanks.
Carolyn J. Emerson email: cemerson-at-plato.ucs.mun.ca
Biology Department Memorial University St. John's, NF A1B 3X9 Tel: (709) 737-7515 Fax: (709) 737-3018
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Fred et al. Actually, this effect does have one useful application: if you suspect something wrong inside the chamber, such as a loose wire, or a cold stage tubing gone amuck, you can check it out this way without having to open up the chamber to atmos. That's the only use I've found; any others?
Damian Neuberger Baxter International neuberd-at-baxter.com
James, You have encountered one of the neater artifacts you can accomplish with a SEM. ..... This is such a neat effect that it just seems that there SHOULD be some good use for it -- Alas -- I don't know of any, other than to amuse yourself and your friends.
Fred Schamber --IMA.Boundary.883533558 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; name="RFC822 message headers" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Description: cc:Mail note part Content-Disposition: inline; filename="RFC822 message headers"
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The authentication of documents is a big deal for the legal profession so try contacting your local/state bar association or look in classified ads in their newsletter/journal. There are companies that specialize in this sort of thing.
Geoff -- *************************************************************** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (908)-235-4583; fax -4029 e-mail: mcauliff-at-.umdnj.edu ***************************************************************
Are you sure it is static and not magnetic tweezers? Try non-magnetic ones. - -Scott
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A colleague has had difficulty handling Ni grids because of the high degree of static electricity -- one of the side effects of the dry laboratory air during Feb. in the Great White North. He has shunned his woolen sweaters, has been using appropriate tweezers and when staining has beenn wetting the forceps to reduce the problem. The critical step is of course when inserting the grids into the holder for viewing in the TEM. Short of purchasing an anti-static device, are there any ingenious tips to overcome the case of the leaping grids? Thanks.
Carolyn J. Emerson email: cemerson-at-plato.ucs.mun.ca
Biology Department Memorial University St. John's, NF A1B 3X9 Tel: (709) 737-7515 Fax: (709) 737-3018
The authentication of documents is a very big deal in the legal profession and there are companies that specialize in this work. Try your local/state bar association or their journal/newsletter.
Geoff -- *************************************************************** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (908)-235-4583; fax -4029 e-mail: mcauliff-at-.umdnj.edu ***************************************************************
Hello fellow microscopists, Could anyone provide us with information on upgrading a Zeiss Axiovert 10 inverted fluorescence microscope with confocal capabilities? Are there relatively inexpensive kits available in setting up confocal or do you have to go the route of a manufacture's design? In addition are there any good software programs available for 3-D reconstruction of confocal Z series, etc.?
Thanks in advance. Dennis Kunkel
*********************************************** * Dennis Kunkel Ph.D. * * Pacific Biomedical Research Center * * University of Hawaii * * * * email - kunkel-at-pbrc.hawaii.edu * * www - http://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/~kunkel/ * ***********************************************
Over the past few years I have been collecting the components of an EDS system for our TEM. I think I have all the parts, and now hope to put them together in the most efficient and cost effective manner (I also want it to work!).
Here is what I have:
Kevex detector to fit our microscope.
Kevex 7000 chassis with 4505P pulse processor, bias power supply is somewhere inside, no Kevex software, dead disk drive and rest of system appears to be dead too.
NIM bin with another 4505P and PGT bias power supply modules.
Link model 1134 bias power supply and PP, newer would like to use this if possible.
Dapple X-Mate MCA and acquisition controller.
A Link detector that does not fit our microscope.
Questions:
If I can figure out the plugs and sockets, could I use the Link PP and bias on the Kevex detector? I would like to do this because the Link box is newer and a better shape than the Kevex 4505P either in a NIM bin or in the old Kevex 7000 chassis.
What is the chance of finding out the pin outs and adjustments needed to mate the weird combination of plugs and pins I will end up with in a hybrid system?
How nuts do you think I am for to try to piece together a system this way as opposed to just getting all the components from a single source?
We are kind of Mac oriented in the lab, so I was thinking of a Mac MCA (maybe 4pi) board to collect and work over spectra once I get some of the detector/bias/PP part worked out.
What are some of the other pitfalls I should watch out for in putting something like this together? We might have as much as $10K to devote to this project, that would have to go for the new 4pi or other board and the modifications to the components.
Any ideas for a better plan? Anybody want the leftovers if it works?
Thanks for your patience.
Jonathan Krupp Microscopy and Imaging Lab University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (408) 459-2477 FAX (408) 429-0146 jmkrupp-at-cats.ucsc.edu
REDUCED FEE REGISTRATION DEADLINE April 30, 1997 Workshop on Tripod Polishing
Workshop Objective This course will cover all aspects of pre-thinning and focus on final thinning for TEM via Tripod Polishing. Due to the limited class size and the extensive hands-on opportuinities, this course is well suited to novices as well as advanced Tripodders. Attendees will also learn the latest techniques available in ion milling and in plasma cleaning for TEM samples. The course will include sections on:
How to do it and why should I? What's really going on and what am I really seeing? How to prepare small, specific area cross-sections. The problem of wildly differing materials (eg tungsten). Rapid preparation of TEM cross-sections. Preparation of a wide range of materials: semiconductors, ceramics, metals,...
Hands-on Opportunity This course will be unique in that it will provide a hands-on opportunity for every class participant. Tripod Polishers, Polishing Wheels, and pre-thinning equipment will be made available to all participants and actual samples will be prepared - by the students - as part of the course. This is a great opportunity to get your hands dirty and actually learn by doing. The instructors will walk you through each step of the process and then let you loose on the equipment. This course is designed to teach the Tripod Polishing technique. Silicon samples will be provided to the students and used as the basis for the course teaching.
Workshop Location and Dates South Bay Technology - San Clemente, CA Dates: Friday & Saturday - June 6 & 7, 1997
Previous Participants (partial list) INTEL, AMD, Motorola, LSI Logic, Conner Peripherals, Univ of Maryland, Univ of New Mexico, UNAM (Mexico), LG Electronics (Korea), Battelle, MEMC, MVA Inc., Univ of Michigan, U.S. Bureau of Mines, IBM, Naval Research Lab, Purdue Univ, Univ of Alabama, Univ of Arizona, Univ of Colorado, Univ of Wisconsin.
Class Size Due to the intensive hands-on aspects of this course, class size will be strictly limited to 10 participants.
Registration Fee: $795 (includes lunches and Friday night Dinner) $695 if registration fee paid by April 15, 1997
Registration Deadline: 30 days prior to workshop
For additional Information: Diane Macdonald South Bay Technology, Inc. 1120 Via Callejon San Clemente, CA 92673 TEL: 800-728-2233 FAX: 714-492-1499 e-mail: sbt-at-southbaytech.com
ON-LINE Registration available at: http://www.southbaytech.com
Registration Form
To register for the workshop, please fill out this form and send it, with registration fee to:
South Bay Technology, Inc. Workshop on Tripod Polishing 1120 Via Callejon San Clemente, CA 92673 USA
Payment must be made in the form of a check, money order, Visa or MasterCard. Checks must be drawn on a U.S. Bank and made payable to South Bay Technology, Inc. Credit card orders by FAX may be sent to South Bay Technology at 714-492-1499. Please do not send credit card information via e-mail.
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Subject: Time:4:58 PM OFFICE MEMO Job Opportunity at NCEM Date:2/7/97
Staff Scientist Opening
The Materials Sciences Division of the E. O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has an immediate opening for a full time Staff Scientist to work in the National Center for Electron Microscopy (NCEM).
NCEM is a national user facility with several state of the art electron microscopes and advanced image analysis and specimen preparation facilities. We are currently looking for an enthusiastic materials scientist to develop the In Situ Microscopy program at NCEM. The successful candidate will conduct original research in materials science utilizing advanced techniques of electron microscopy with a focus on mechanisms and dynamics of transformations and reactions at internal interfaces. The candidate will lead the development and operation of the In Situ facility which includes a 1.5MeV High Voltage Microscope, a 200keV In Situ microscope, and the facility's specimen preparation laboratory. The position offers a chance to explore a broad range of research opportunities by initiating collaborative projects with other internal and external investigators, conceiving novel experiments, developing new microscopy techniques, sample configurations or instrumentation. The candidate will contribute significantly to the future development of the facility.
The position requires a strong background in transmission electron microscopy and current practical experience in dynamic experimentation, specimen preparation and advanced microscopy techniques such as high resolution imaging, high voltage microscopy, convergent beam diffraction, microanalytical techniques, or computer image analysis/interpretation. An essential requirement is the ability to initiate collaborations and to carry out high quality research using the unique facilities of the NCEM. A Ph.D. in the physical sciences is highly desirable.
Please send resume and cover letter to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Staffing Office, Job #MSD/4891, One Cyclotron Road, MS938A, Berkeley, California 94720.
For more information, see Current Job Offers at --- http://www.lbl.gov/LBL-Documents/CJOs The job description is at -- http://www.lbl.gov/LBL-Documents/CJOs/sci4891msd.html
} A colleague has had difficulty handling Ni grids because of the } high degree of static electricity -- one of the side effects of } the dry laboratory air during Feb. in the Great White North. } He has shunned his woolen sweaters, has been using appropriate } tweezers and when staining has beenn wetting the forceps to } reduce the problem. The critical step is of course when inserting } the grids into the holder for viewing in the TEM. Short of } purchasing an anti-static device, are there any ingenious tips } to overcome the case of the leaping grids? Thanks. } } Carolyn J. Emerson
Dry air in St. John's?! A major climatic shift. A quick-and-dirty try: wrap a clean wire around the specimen holder (on the outside-of-the-vacuum side of the o-ring), and run the wire to anything grounded--a bit of bare metal on the EM's chassis, a water pipe, whatever's handy where you load the grids into the holder. Have 2 wires, one grounded with a free end--touch the forceps to the wire, grab the grid, touch wire to forceps again (being paranoid, like all good EM people), then load. Phil
&&& Illigitimi non carborundum &&&&&&&& Philip Oshel Station A PO Box 5037 Champaign, IL 61825-5037 (217)244-3145 days (217)355-3145 evenings oshel-at-ux1.cso.uiuc.edu *** looking for a job again ******************
I am in the process of attempting to make serial sections of a heterogeneous rock, and use algorithms in Mathematica to reconstruct 3-D structures. My question: Is someone familiar with a paper or book which can be used to determine the distance necessary between adjacent serial sections, given the size of structures that I am attempting to join up between sections, for a given statistical significance?
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Phil Piccoli
***************************************************************************** Phil Piccoli Assistant Research Scientist Department of Geology Univ. of Maryland at College Park College Park, MD 20742-4211
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Hello, fellow microscopists!
Fred Schamber and Tina Carvalho described a little gizmo which we sell. It's a lucite sphere mounted on carbon which will produce a reflected image. We call it a "Lumisphere".
Best regards, Steven E. Slap, Vice-President ******************************** Energy Beam Sciences, Inc. Adding Brilliance To Your Vision ebs-at-ebsciences.com http://www.ebsciences.com/ ********************************
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Dear Terry, In reply to your questions about EPMA: 1. How can it be a "standard" if the composition is "nominal". Get a standard. Use pure element by preference. Also, results from an EPMA will always differ from a bulk technique because they test very different things. Assume they are wrong. Test all the elements in the sample at every point, as there are strong interferences for Cr in Fe. 2. The main problem with carbon analysis in the EPMA is that as you sit on a location trying to get a carbon reading, the microscope is laying down carbon, probably in far greater amounts than are in your standards. I doubt if your detection limit is high enough for the levels you are trying to test. Light element analysis is very sensitive to the matrix, which you do not specify. You wrote: } 1. I have a sample composed primarily of Fe and Cr. I'm } characterizing the compositional Cr gradient as a function of location } on the sample cross-section by EPMA. " Polished surface". My results } for Cr concentration are nearly 20% lower than is expected based on } analyses done in other labs by other techniques of which I have little } or no knowledge of how it was done. I have reports that make } compositional claims but give little or no methodology. } } I'm using a 304 SS standard "nominal 18% Cr" for standardization. On } my sample at a specific location where it is expected to measure 40 } wt % Chromium, I'm getting in the range 30 to 35 Wt % Chromium. } } As I said above this is the bare bones of the circumstance. Any input } regarding Cr/Fe EPMA analysis will be appreciated. } } ON ANOTHER FRONT } } 2. I'm toying with carbon analysis by EPMA. I've got a set of 6 carbon } standards that with the exception of carbon concentration, are } basically 52100 material. Their carbon ranges from 0.018 to 0.610 and } they are very homogeneous. I'm using them to generate a curve from } which I can use to pick off x-ray on peak count levels that relate to } count rates from an unknown. I'm having trouble reconciling count } differences between my curve generating standards and those of a } SRM1225 which contains 0.275 carbon. All the standards have been } verified by Spectrographic analysis. I've run as high as 300 points } on the 1225 material and it consistently gives me lower average counts } than would be expected based on the carbon curve. Regards, Mary Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Eng., UBC 6350 Stores Rd. Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel:604-822-5648, fax:604-822-3619 e-mail: mager-at-unixg.ubc.ca
Dear James, Wood preparation for the SEM is usually by slicing with a razor blade. Make a fairly small block (less than 6 mm. on a face), since all wood outgasses. The face you want to look at should be done last, with a new blade. Some woods are best cut dry, others after soaking or even boiling to soften. My experience is to cut softwoods dry and hardwoods wet. Carbon coat as usual and analyse as usual in the EPMA. The wood is quite beam stable. I have had good luck tracing brominated glues and wood preservatives diffusing into wood. You wrote: } I have been asked about the possibility of measuring elements in tree core } using the electron probe. How best to prepare the wood for 10 - 20 kV, 20 } nA , 30 sec. beam exposure? My only experience with wood usually involves } an axe and a fireplace. Thanks in advance. } } *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.* } James J. McGee (jmcgee-at-sc.edu) } Dept. of Geological Sciences } University of South Carolina (803) 777-6300 (Office) } Columbia, SC 29208 (803) 777-6610 (Fax) Good luck, Mary Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Eng., UBC 6350 Stores Rd. Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel:604-822-5648, fax:604-822-3619 e-mail: mager-at-unixg.ubc.ca
Dear Jon, I thought only Canadians would be that hard up! The main problem is that the Kevex pre-amp puts out a very different signal than the Link PP is built to receive. Also, different detectors require different bias voltages, so you have to be sure to supply the right one. You can probably come from the Kevex PP out to the Dapple. Do you have the computer and Dapple software? The other solution is IXRF, who are supplying computer systems for working Kevex detectors. You really need a EDX tech type. You wrote: } Over the past few years I have been collecting the components of an EDS } system for our TEM. I think I have all the parts, and now hope to put them } together in the most efficient and cost effective manner (I also want it to } work!). } } Here is what I have: } } Kevex detector to fit our microscope. } } Kevex 7000 chassis with 4505P pulse processor, bias power supply is } somewhere inside, no Kevex software, dead disk drive and rest of system } appears to be dead too. } } NIM bin with another 4505P and PGT bias power supply modules. } } Link model 1134 bias power supply and PP, newer would like to use this if } possible. } } Dapple X-Mate MCA and acquisition controller. } } A Link detector that does not fit our microscope. } } } Questions: } } If I can figure out the plugs and sockets, could I use the Link PP and bias } on the Kevex detector? I would like to do this because the Link box is } newer and a better shape than the Kevex 4505P either in a NIM bin or in the } old Kevex 7000 chassis. } } What is the chance of finding out the pin outs and adjustments needed to } mate the weird combination of plugs and pins I will end up with in a hybrid } system? } } How nuts do you think I am for to try to piece together a system this way } as opposed to just getting all the components from a single source? } } We are kind of Mac oriented in the lab, so I was thinking of a Mac MCA } (maybe 4pi) board to collect and work over spectra once I get some of the } detector/bias/PP part worked out. } } What are some of the other pitfalls I should watch out for in putting } something like this together? We might have as much as $10K to devote to } this project, that would have to go for the new 4pi or other board and the } modifications to the components. } } Any ideas for a better plan? Anybody want the leftovers if it works? Good luck, you'll need it. Regards, Mary Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Eng., UBC 6350 Stores Rd. Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel:604-822-5648, fax:604-822-3619 e-mail: mager-at-unixg.ubc.ca
} A colleague has had difficulty handling Ni grids because of the } high degree of static electricity -- one of the side effects of } the dry laboratory air during Feb. in the Great White North. } He has shunned his woolen sweaters, has been using appropriate } tweezers and when staining has beenn wetting the forceps to } reduce the problem. The critical step is of course when inserting } the grids into the holder for viewing in the TEM. Short of } purchasing an anti-static device, are there any ingenious tips } to overcome the case of the leaping grids? Thanks. } Static? What's that? I've read about it, but we rarely experience it here. HOWEVER, we do frequently have the problem of Ni grids sticking to and otherwise acting funny around forceps. It's magnetism. In fact, I have to run my grids through a demagnetizer before putting them in the TEM or I get horrible astigmatism. Give it a try!
Aloha, Tina
http://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/bemf/microangela **************************************************************************** * Tina (Weatherby) Carvalho * tina-at-pbrc.hawaii.edu * * Biological Electron Microscope Facility * (808) 956-6251 * * University of Hawaii at Manoa * http://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/bemf* ****************************************************************************
Becky Holdford wrote: =================================== Can anybody recommend a good hand-held diamond scriber?
I need something pretty robust but with small tip radius. I used to use a scriber made by Fisher Scientific, but they stopped selling them. I mainly scribe silicon wafers with varying amounts of metal and oxide layers. =================================== A nice hand held diamond scribe can be found on our website, given below. It is retractable, "refills" are available, and is inexpensive and in wide use in EM labs.
Disclosure: We believe this is a pretty good choice but then again we are selling them.
Chuck
===================================================== Charles A. Garber, Ph. D. Ph: 1-(610)-436-5400 President 1-(800)-2424-SPI SPI SUPPLIES FAX: 1-(610)-436-5755 PO BOX 656 e-mail: cgarber-at-2spi.com West Chester, PA 19381-0656 USA Cust. Service: spi2spi-at-2spi.com
Look for us! ############################ WWW: http://www.2spi.com ############################ =====================================================
This is a forwarded message requested by Profs. Rodney C. Ewing and Lumin Wang at University of New Mexcio.
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY ANALYTICAL ELECTRON MICROSCOPY -- LABORATORY MANAGER/RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Applications are invited for the position of laboratory manager/research scientist (Research Scientist III) supporting the transmission electron microscopy facilities in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico. The laboratory includes a JEOL 2010 high resolution TEM and JEOL 2000FX analytical STEM. Both instruments are equipped with EDS capabilities. More information on the lab may be obtained at HTTP//TEM.UNM.EDU.
We hope to fill this position by 1 May, 1997. The position is full time initially for 15 months and may be continued on a permanent basis. Duties will include supervision of all aspects of the electron microscopy laboratory, maintenance of the instruments, assistance to students, faculty, and research scientists at UNM, and outside users, and instruction of a graduate course in principles of electron-microscopy and use of the instruments. Time will be available for independent or collaborative research involving the use of the microscopes and other analytical facilities in the Department.
Candidates must hold a Ph.D. degree in earth science, materials science or a related field, and have a demonstrated research background in these disciplines, extensive skills in the operation and maintenance of transmission electron microscopes, and a record of published research activity. In addition, the candidate should have strong communication skills and an ability to work with and/or instruct individuals with broad research interests and backgrounds.
JOB TITLE: RESEARCH SCIENTIST III DEPARTMENT: EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES REQUISITION NUMBER: 970231*A CLOSING DATE: 5:00 P.M. ON 3/21/97 GRADE 13
Based on Full-Time Salary: $2,858.42 to $3,801.42 mo. Full-time term fifteen month position with possibility of regular status.
IN ORDER TO BE QUALIFIED YOU MUST HAVE:
Ph.D. Degree in Technical, Scientific, or Engineering. Three (3) years experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.
TO APPLY
Applications must be received by the Human Resources Office at 1717 Roma NE, or Health Sciences Ctr., Med Bldg. 2, Rm. 101, North Campus, Albuquerque, NM 87131 no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date, February 21, 1997. Resumes must list employment dates by month/year and must be accompanied by a cover letter. Functional resumes will not be accepted. Indicate the requisition number 970231*A and job title Research Scientist III on the application/cover letter. Application forms may be obtained by calling 505-277-6422.
Carolyn J. Emerson wrote: ========================================== A colleague has had difficulty handling Ni grids because of the high degree of static electricity -- one of the side effects of the dry laboratory air during Feb. in the Great White North. He has shunned his woolen sweaters, has been using appropriate tweezers and when staining has beenn wetting the forceps to reduce the problem. The critical step is of course when inserting the grids into the holder for viewing in the TEM. Short of purchasing an anti-static device, are there any ingenious tips to overcome the case of the leaping grids? ========================================== I would like to clarify some misunderstandings about tweezers and their "nonmagnetic" nature. First, the so-called "nonmagnetic" or "anti-magnetic" stainless steel tweezers are not 100% anti-magnetic. It is my understanding that the very best antimagnetic stainless steel (the kind that is used for Dumont, SPI and other major manufacturer's of Swiss tweezers) is 92-95% antimagnetic maximum. And that alone is enough residual magnetism to cause nickel grids to stick to the so-called nonmagnetic tweezer tips. While antistatic devices may or may not reduce the effect, the point is most of the problem is caused by residual magnetism in the tweezer tips.
The SPI "Miracle Tip" and "Gold Plated Miracle" tip tweezers are made of a super allow (it is not stainless steel at all) that really is 100% antimagnetic. Nickel grids will not stick to the tips of these tweezers. The gold plated version of the product keeps the low pH of the typical reaction from reacting with the metal (e.g. electrochemistry), thereby stunting the strength of the reaction. Additional information about these tweezers can be found in the SPI On-Line catalog given below.
Disclosure: SPI has offered for some years tweezers with tips that are 100% antimagnetic and are ideal for working with nickel grids, especially for immunogold work.
Chuck ====================================================== Charles A. Garber, Ph. D. Ph: 1-(610)-436-5400 President 1-(800)-2424-SPI SPI SUPPLIES FAX: 1-(610)-436-5755 PO BOX 656 e-mail: cgarber-at-2spi.com West Chester, PA 19381-0656 USA Cust. Service: spi2spi-at-2spi.com
Look for us! ############################ WWW: http://www.2spi.com ############################ =====================================================
Jeff Fortner wrote: } } I've seen a couple of responses attributing this effect to reflected } electrons. Although I've never observed these "reflection" images (we } religiously coat our glass samples, although I understand why one may not want } to coat an art relic), I think I have a better explanation. The surface of the } non-conducting sample is acting as part of a capacitor... the other part being } the inside of the chamber. What you are imaging is a surface charge set up by } this capacitance, and not reflected electrons. Electrons deflected completely } away from the sample are unlikely to image much of anything (try running the } EDS simultaneously with this effect...if the electrons are reflected there } should be a huge bremstraalung peak, and nothing else. } ........................... Gotta disagree with you on this one Jeff,
The idea of a surface image charge is interesting, but doesn't correspond to the characteristics of the phenomenon. Let me state several distinctive characteristics:
1. You can focus these images just like an ordinary specimen image. 2. The topography of the reflecting "mirror" specimen disappears. 3. One can image and differentiate objects which are at a uniform ground potential. 4. One can image objects which are quite some distance away. 5. The effect requires one to first "charge up" the surface at a higher beam voltage.
Let me illustrate by my first encounter with this effect. I was imaging on a swatch of nylon fabric at 1 keV when a local thunderstorm knocked the power out. When power came back on, the SEM came back online at 30 keV and after tuning up my filament settings, I attempted to return to imaging my nylon material at 1 keV (not very bright in retrospect, but hey, it was 3 a.m. and I wasn't too coherent). Instead of seeing the fibrous structures I had seen earlier (at the same relatively low mag) I was seeing unexpected unfocused contours -- some rounded, some linear -- vaguely familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Fiddling with the controls, I noticed that by focusing to longer working distances, the shapes became sharper -- but still in no way recognizable as the material under the beam (I had meanwhile peeked through the glass viewport and verified that the nylon sample really WAS what was under the beam). As the image came into sharper focus, I suddenly realized that what I was seeing was a "fisheye" image of the entire inside of the SEM chamber -- polepiece, detectors, stage, and other internal mechanisms. For a moment I felt like I had entered some sort of "Twilight Zone"!
After I figured out what was going on I became enamored with the effect for a time and perfected my technique -- graduating to a saphire bead with which I could make truly detailed and relatively distortion-free images of the chamber interior. I could easily zoom in on and image parts of the chamber which were 12-15 inches from the specimen (this was a very large chamber).
The point is that although the nylon material had an obviously irregular topography, it produced a quite uniform "mirroring" field. This is not surprising, since the electric potential of an insulator charged up by 30 keV electrons will deflect a 1 keV electron at some distance from the surface. At this distance the contributions from the various surface charge sites integrate into a quite uniform equipotential surface which acts as a nice smooth mirror for the incident electrons. The incident electrons "bounce" off the equipotential surface according to the normal laws of optical reflection and the electron trajectories behave exactly as if one introduced a mirror in the path such that the scanning beam now scans the objects visible in the mirror -- the interior of the specimen chamber. It takes only a very weak field to attract the produced secondaries to the detector so a usable image is produced (though typically weaker, given the longer collection distances.)
If a capacitive "image charge" were responsible, one would need to have a very regular capacitor surface to retain an intelligible image -- clearly not the case with the nylon swatch. Secondly, creation of such an imaging charge would require that the features being imaged would need to be producing strong variations of local field at the capacitor surface -- not the case when I could image features of the chamber which were all at ground potential and at considerable distance. Finally, an image charge would not lend itself to focusing.
I can see the merits of your hypothesis, especially when the original question involved seeing the secondary detector (which is at an elevated potential) on a glass surface (presumably smooth). I can imagine a weak image charge being produced on the glass via the proximity of the SED field. But this would be evidenced by a rather subtle and smooth modulation of the normal image contrast (remember that the SED collection field at the specimen is necessarily weak and uniform, else the incident beam would also be badly deflected). In the case of the effect I have been talking about, the topography of the specimen is REPLACED with a highly detailed reflected image -- exactly as if a mirror were inserted above the specimen.
I don't recall ever attempting to look at the x-ray spectrum produced. I wouldn't expect to see anything much since the electrons are striking objects which are out of the line of sight of the EDS detector. A pure brehmstrahlung spectrum should be produced, as you suggest, and this is an interesting idea.
A final note -- in my earlier posting I commented that I knew of no good use for this effect. In fact, I did once use it to locate a breakdown across an interior insulator. It is also a good way of noting which interior features of the chamber are most strongly producing secondary electron "background" as would normally occur from electron backscattering onto the chamber walls. But its best use IMHO is still its considerable potential for amusement!
Ni grids can be a pain, especially the first time they are used by those who have only used Cu grids, because they are magnetic. Furthermore, I have found that many so-called non-magnetic forceps don't seem to be adequately non-magnetic. In over 10 years experience the ones I recommend are Dumont INOX, in the common tip type and self-closing - N5. I have no financial connection to Dumont (I wish I did!). Bruce Cutler, Microscopy Lab, University of Kansas, Lawrence
Greetings, For a low-tech solution to excess static, we keep a box of "Bounce free" squares in the lab. These squares are made to put in a load of clothing in the dryer and prevent wrinkles. The "free" in the name means that they are free of fragrance. You can put one of these squares on the surface and work over it (i.e., put a dish on the square). You can wipe off areas or objects. Keeps the static charges down. I wipe my computer monitor with one and dust stays away for a long while. We buy these things in our local supermarket. Obviously, this won't do anything for residual magnitism. I have no stake in the Bounce company. Hope this helps, Tobias
I wouldn't have thought the Ni grids are being affected by static as much as magnetic fields due to magnetised forceps tips. To alleviate this try demagnetising by scrambling the domains in a high field strength such as in an old mains transformer with a cut out channeled in the metal pole piece. This works for us and is a cheap solution but I dare say someone will sell you a "degausser" which will work equally well and might look more acceptable to the safety officer ! Ask your physics/electronics people for a supplier.
Regards
Laurence Tetley
At 16:01 07/02/97 -0330, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
A few days ago I put in the following request:I am in need of acquiring the conical part of the final lens of a JSM 35(version C) scanning electron microscope. The cone in question is the part of the lens that hangs down in the chamber. We intend to develop a modification. Please email me with the information so that further negotiations can be carried out. I should welcome also any information on the composition (and commercial specification) of the metal from which the cone is made of. Of course, info on where this metal can be obtained will be invaluable.
Thank you in anticipation of your cooperation and help.
Although I have had two replies, my quest continues. If you have any suggestions/comments, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Many Thanks.
Jitu Shah
Dr.Jitu Shah H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Royal Fort, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL. UK email: jss-at-siva.bristol.ac.uk Tel: 44 117 9288719 Fax: 44 117 9255624
Has anyone had experience staining tissues (breast, etc.) for the presence of silicone gel at either EM or Light levels? As far as I know, the silicone does not accept stain but thought I would learn if anyone has had any experience with such specimens.
Could someone give me information concerning where to purchase inexpensive silicon wafers of any diameter and about 0.5 mm thickness. Silicon quality is not important. I need these wafers to sandwich cross-section TEM samples. Thank you in advance.
} Is someone familiar with a paper or book which } can be used to determine the distance necessary between adjacent } serial sections, given the size of structures that I am attempting to } join up between sections, for a given statistical significance? } } Any information would be greatly appreciated.
You might try "Stereological methods" by Ewald R. Weibel, Academic Press, 1980. It is better known to people who do morphometry as "Weibel's Bible". The first volume is practical stuff with examples (mostly from biologic science) the second volume is theorectical stuff. Unfortunately, someone has borrowed my copy so I don't know for sure that what you want is in there, but that's where I'd start.
Leon
-- Leon A. Metlay, M.D.,Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Rochester Medical Center Phone: (716) 275-5691 P.O. Box 626 Fax: (716) 273-1027 Rochester, NY 14642 lmetlay-at-acu.pathology.rochester.edu http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/pathres/URPLM.html "Most ass drivers are evil, most camel drivers are decent, most sailors are saintly, the best among physicians is going to Gehenna, and the best of butchers is a partner of Amalek" -R. Judah, in Mish. Kidd. 4:14
Hi, I hope someone there can give a hand for education of microcopy to our young generation.
*********************************************** * Ming H. Chen, PhD * * Medicine/Dentistry Electron Microscopy Unit * * University Of Alberta. * * Edmonton, Alberta, Canada * * * * Visit My Page At: * * http://www.ualberta.ca/~mingchen * ***********************************************
---------- Forwarded message ----------
We have a few thousand scrap 4" test wafers that we sell for $1 each in quantities of 50 for just this kind of use.
best regards mark
Mark W. Lund, PhD Director } } Soft X-ray Web page http://www.moxtek.com { { MOXTEK, Inc. 452 West 1260 North Orem UT 84057 801-225-0930 FAX 801-221-1121 lundm-at-xray.byu.edu
"367 billion dollars of coal clearly has 367,000 times the value of a million dollar view."
Some time back I posted a request for help. The response I received was GREAT!
Now, maybe, I can be of some help to you. I have created a web page with about 90 (so far) LINKS to companies and other interesting sites. I hope this will be of value to those who are looking for information.
Please, let me know if I have made any errors or omissions. I will be happy to make changes or add new sites.
Oh, yes, the MSA gets top billing!
Again, thank you for being there and for all the help and on-going information.
Best regards,
Bob
E-mail: bobcat54-at-aol.com Home Page: http://members.aol.com/BobCat54/index.html Springfield, MA, USA
Some time ago I jumped on the digitised image bandwagon. In cases where a digital image is not acquired at the start, I scan the negative using an Agfa Arcus II scanner (recommended by folks on this listserver).
My problem is that in some instances, I get a pattern on my images, reminiscent of thickness fringes, which I am interpreting as some sort of Moire effect. I've purchased a few of these scanners now, for different areas, and the problem occurs to varying degrees on all of them. On the unit which is most prone to this, the transparency module is visibly crooked, which may be the cause. I do get the problem on the others, though, and the lid appears quite straight on them.
I've yet to find the appropriate Agfa contact who can help, so if one is out there, or if any one else can shed some light on this for me, I'd appreciate it. I don't want to go back to the darkroom!
**************************************** Don Steele Steele-at-KRDC.INT.Alcan.Ca Alcan International Kingston Research and Development Centre (613) 541 - 2145 ****************************************
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The best way to estimate section thickness is to look at folds in the section. Small enough folds should be x2 the section thinckness.
Alternatively, it is possible to re-embed the grids with sections on to obtain cross sections from which you can directly measure the section thickness. In this case is it interesting to see how variable the section thicknesses are.
An exotic way to estimate section thickness is to trim the block at a pre-determined angle and measure the increasing dimensions of the block as the sections are removed. I lost my high school geometry book so I can't help you more on this one.
Paul Webster, Ph.D. Center for Cell Imaging http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg
Nestor Zaluzec Your Friendly Neighborhood SysOp --------------
} Fellow microscopists, } } I am trying to locate a copy of the NIH Image Processing Software. on the } net. Can some one please forward the respective address. } } } Thank you } Mitch } Evex Analytical } } } } } Evex is the world's leading independent provider of service and support for } Evex, Link, Kevex, Noran, P.G.T. and Tracor brand EDS systems and related } peripherals. Our Service Engineers are "factory trained" and are located } nationwide.
To alleviate this try } demagnetising by scrambling the domains in a high field strength such as in } an old mains transformer with a cut out channeled in the metal pole piece. } This works for us and is a cheap solution but I dare say someone will sell } you a "degausser" which will work equally well and might look more } acceptable to the safety officer ! Ask your physics/electronics people for } a supplier. } } Regards } } Laurence Tetley } A degausser that you can buy and perhaps use for something else is a soldering gun that has the two leads coming out to form the tip. I think that Sears sells one like that that has a light on it. Put your tweezers slowly in and slowly out and it will degauss them. - -Scott Walck
I have a what would appear to be a simple question. In the case of dislocations in a two beam condition, one gets contrast at dislocations, and of course the reverse contrast in dark field. I understand the imaging conditions regarding the strain field and g as to when contrast should occur. I am curious if there is a simple explanation as to why in the vicinity of dislocations which are after all spatially localized events in real space and hence delocalized in Fourier space as to why dislocations diffract more into the diffraction spot (e.g. why are dislocations bright in bright field (as compared to the background). Sorry for asking what must be obvious to all, but I am self taught from TEM textbooks and if possible would like a simple picture in addition to the math. Is the answer essentially dynamical in that the dislocation causes scattering off other band in the dispersion surface than the two beam case, and if so why then is the two beam dark field bright?
Thanks for an answer to a silly question, Paul Fons
Dr. Paul Fons Senior Scientist Electrotechnical Laboratory Tsukuba, Japan 305
fax: 81-209-58-5615 tel: 81-298-58-5636
email: fons-at-etl.go.jp Eudora Enclosures O.K.
PGP Public Key -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.3i
I have a what would appear to be a simple question. In the case of dislocations in a two beam condition, one gets contrast at dislocations, and of course the reverse contrast in dark field. I understand the imaging conditions regarding the strain field and g as to when contrast should occur. I am curious if there is a simple explanation as to why in the vicinity of dislocations which are after all spatially localized events in real space and hence delocalized in Fourier space as to why dislocations diffract more into the diffraction spot (e.g. why are dislocations bright in bright field (as compared to the background). Sorry for asking what must be obvious to all, but I am self taught from TEM textbooks and if possible would like a simple picture in addition to the math. Is the answer essentially dynamical in that the dislocation causes scattering off other band in the dispersion surface than the two beam case, and if so why then is the two beam dark field bright?
Thanks for an answer to a silly question, Paul Fons
Dr. Paul Fons Senior Scientist Electrotechnical Laboratory Tsukuba, Japan 305
fax: 81-209-58-5615 tel: 81-298-58-5636
email: fons-at-etl.go.jp Eudora Enclosures O.K.
PGP Public Key -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.3i
I have a what would appear to be a simple question. In the case of dislocations in a two beam condition, one gets contrast at dislocations, and of course the reverse contrast in dark field. I understand the imaging conditions regarding the strain field and g as to when contrast should occur. I am curious if there is a simple explanation as to why in the vicinity of dislocations which are after all spatially localized events in real space and hence delocalized in Fourier space as to why dislocations diffract more into the diffraction spot (e.g. why are dislocations bright in bright field (as compared to the background). Sorry for asking what must be obvious to all, but I am self taught from TEM textbooks and if possible would like a simple picture in addition to the math. Is the answer essentially dynamical in that the dislocation causes scattering off other band in the dispersion surface than the two beam case, and if so why then is the two beam dark field bright?
Thanks for an answer to a silly question, Paul Fons
Dr. Paul Fons Senior Scientist Electrotechnical Laboratory Tsukuba, Japan 305
fax: 81-209-58-5615 tel: 81-298-58-5636
email: fons-at-etl.go.jp Eudora Enclosures O.K.
PGP Public Key -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.3i
1997 ADVANCED SPECIMEN PREPARATION WORKSHOPS (for LM, SEM/TEM, and SPM)
The following 8 independent workshops offer an intensive hands-on training program for the application of the most advanced specimen preparation techniques currently available for microscopy of complex material systems. These workshops are intended for R&D personnel involved in microscopy of advanced materials and/or related specimen preparation. Enrollment is limited to 4 students in each workshop and early registration is strongly recommended to ensure admission.
***Site-specific Cross-sectioning and Microthinning Precision Cleaving (May 6 or Nov. 4 in Santa Clara, CA) FIB-milling for SEM Cross-sectioning (May 7 or Nov.5 in Sunnyvale, CA) FIB-milling for TEM Cross-sectioning (May 7-9 or Nov.5-7 in Sunnycale, CA) Precision Lapping for SEM Cross-sectioning (May 14 or Nov. 12 in Phoenix, AZ) TEM Wedge-polishing (May 14-16 or Nov. 12-14 in Phoenix, AZ)
***Materials Ultramicrotomy General Surface Preparation for LM, SEM, or AFM (May 19-20 or Nov. 17-18 in Phoenix, AZ) Thin Section Preparation for TEM (May 19-21 or Nov. 17-19 in Phoenix, AZ) Advanced Ultramicrotomy (May 22-23 or Nov 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ)
A partial list of the past participants in these workshops include: IBM, Motorola, SEMATECH, Texas Instruments, Medtronic, Hewlett-Packard, Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, National Renewable Energy Lab, Bell Northern Research (Canada), Honeywell, Martin Marietta, B.F. Goodrich, 3M, MIT Lincoln Lab, United Technologies, Hydro Quebec (Canada), Cabot, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, US Army Research Lab, Kimberly Clark, etc.
For further information and on-line registration, please see our home page hosted on Microscopy Online at http://www.microscopy-online.com/Vendors/AMCGroup/. You may also request a copy of the workshops brochure by providing us with your complete mailing address.
Rene E. Nicholas AMC Group (a Division of Promotech Associates, Inc.) amcgroup2-at-aol.com
} Is someone familiar with a paper or book which } can be used to determine the distance necessary between adjacent } serial sections, given the size of structures that I am attempting to } join up between sections, for a given statistical significance? } } Any information would be greatly appreciated.
You may try Aherne, W.A. & Dunnill, M.S., 1982. Morphometry, Edward Arnold, London.
A number of papers on "stereology" have been published by Gundersen, H.J.G. and co-workers. Take a look in Acta Pathol. Microbiol. Immun. Scand. (APMIS) vol 96.
You are indeed seeing Moire patterns from the scanned images. This is due to the dot pattern in the image and it is a real problem with glossy images taken from journals or textbooks. There are several ways around the problem. One way is to play with the dpi setting of your scanner and find a resolution that minimizes the pattern. Another is to scan the image in at a high resolution and do a 1-2 pixel gaussian blur of the image or to adjust the dpi setting down from a high resolution (600 dpi) to a lower resolution (100-200 dpi). These latter solutions may be performed in an image processing program like Photoshop. You can also use fast-fourier transforms to remove the patterns, but I am not as pleased with the results.
Regards,
John J. Turek, Ph.D. Purdue University Dept. of Basic Medical Sciences Director, Core Laboratory for Image Analysis and Multidimensional Applications (CRISTAL) phone: 317-494-5854 fax: 317-494-0781 email: jjt-at-vet.purdue.edu web: http://vet.purdue.edu/cristal
Postdoctoral Positions in Electron Microscopy Brookhaven National Laboratory
A postdoctoral opening is available in the Materials Science Division, Department of Applied Science at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The appointment is for one year initially with the possibility of renewal for longer terms, and involves the use of BNL's new JEOL 300kV FEG transmission electron microscope in studying high-temperature superconductors, hard magnets, and other materials of interest. This state-of-the-art instrument has a point-to-point resolution of 0.16nm, energy resolution of 0.65eV, equipped with multiscan CCD cameras, a Gatan Imaging Filter, an electron energy-loss spectrometer, an energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer, and a holography unit. The attached scanning system can provide a {0.2nm probe with a x-ray chemical-mapping resolution of 1nm, and has an annular-dark-field detector with Z-contrast imaging capability. Heating and liquid helium stages will also be available.
The successful candidate will be a recent Ph.D graduate in physics or materials science with a strong background in structural analysis, as well as in electron microscopy. Research experience in crystal structure, structural defects, and interfaces using electron-microscopy imaging, diffraction, including diffuse scattering, spectroscopy, GIF, holography, and computer simulation is desired. Qualified candidates should send their resume and names and addresses of three referees to :
Dr. Yimei Zhu Building 480, Materials Science Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, Long Island, NY 11973-5000 U.S.A.
phone: (516) 344-3057 fax: (516) 344-4071
BNL is a multipurpose national laboratory managed by Associated University Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy. BNL is an equal opportunity employer committed to build and maintaining a diverse work force.
******************************** Dr. Yimei Zhu Materials Science Division Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, Long Island, NY 11973 USA Tel. (516)344-3057 Fax. (516)344-4071 ********************************
If the Windows 95 version (not beta) is not out yet, it should be shortly. It is being developed by Scion Corp. They have more info at their web site, the address of which I don't have handy right now. The NIH image www site also has additional info. ------------------------------------------------ Opinions or statements expressed herein, rational or otherwise, do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.
Harold J. Crossman OSRAM SYLVANIA INC. Lighting Research Center 71 Cherry Hill Dr. Beverly, MA 01915 Phone: (508) 750-1717 E-mail: crossman-at-osi.sylvania.com
Our web sites: www.sylvania.com www.siemens.com --
At 11:49 AM 2/8/97 -0500, Fred Schamber wrote: } I don't recall ever attempting to look at the x-ray spectrum produced. } I wouldn't expect to see anything much since the electrons are striking } objects which are out of the line of sight of the EDS detector. A pure } brehmstrahlung spectrum should be produced, as you suggest, and this is } an interesting idea. } Yes, one would hope and expect to see few x-rays then. However, some are detected and they are not all bremsstrahlung:
Unless fast electrons reach the atoms in the sample they cannot generate bremsstrahlung in the sample. The electrons reflected by a strong enough electrostatic field produced by an electrically isolated, electrically charged specimen can generate characteristic x-rays as well as bremsstrahlung from all specimen chamber materials which are visible in the mirror image of the chamber.
If an abnormal background shape is observed in x-ray spectra recorded in the "mirror" condition, a significant source is the reflected electrons themselves -- either entering the x-ray collimator and generating detectable x-rays there or even penetrating the detector window and reaching the detector crystal itself (especially if there is a thin window or if there is no magnetic "electron trap" in the collimator). BTW, this same effect can be observed clearly in TEM or STEM if the collimator's internal geometry is bad and the EM is operated with a very low or zero magnetic lens field at the specimen, as is commonly found in low mag mode.
Best wishes, Brian
Brian W Robertson Office 402 472 8308 Associate Professor Lab 402 472 8762 Department of Mechanical Engineering and FAX 402 472 1465 Center for Materials Research and Analysis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 255 Walter Scott Engineering Center Lincoln NE 68588-0656 USA
There is a 32 bit Windows 95 version of NIH Image at http://rsb.info.nih.gov/nih-image/download.html The Web page says that it is for Windows NT also, but according to Scion Corp., the NT version is scheduled for release sometime in the Spring. Stanley L. Flegler Center for Electron Optics Michigan State University flegler-at-pilot.msu.edu
Many thanks to all who replied concerning the difficulty in handling Ni grids. Several folk correctly pointed out that in addition to difficulties in handling grids in general if there is static involved (and there is in our lab with the heat cranked up in winter), Ni grids create an extra problem because of their ferromagnetic nature and attraction to non-magnetic forceps tips.
Advice ranged from dealing with the possibility of static by working over an area covered with Bounce Free anti-static laundry sheets, to making minor modifications of specimen loading ports on the TEM. Several people commented that even those forceps described as non-magnetic were not totally so, and could attract Ni grids. There was advice to dip the tips in glacial acetic acid and wipe dry, or rinse in ethanol. Others talked of degaussers or demagnetizing devices available from one's local physics dept or electronics shop to demagnetise forceps and/or grids. A vendor did direct us to truly non-magnetic gold-tipped forceps which are available commercially.
And several microscopists pointed out the additional problem of astigmatism in the microscope while viewing Ni grids and suggested we save ourselves all the grief and use gold grids when doing immuno work.
My colleague is going to purchase some gold grids, we've got a box of Bounce sheets on the lab bench, and we'll also investigate demagnetisers and the truly non-magnetic forceps.
Thanks to all who responded on the listserver and privately.
Carolyn J. Emerson email: cemerson-at-plato.ucs.mun.ca
Biology Department Memorial University St. John's, NF A1B 3X9 Tel: (709) 737-7515 Fax: (709) 737-3018
PPG Glass Technology Center located 14 miles Northeast of Pittsburgh has an immediate opening in its Electron Microscopy Laboratory.
The position interacts with R&D, manufacturing and technical support personnel in designing analytical approaches and providing meaningful solutions to projects relating to glass, glass coatings, paints and many other PPG manufactured or formulated products.
The candidate will be required to operate a JEOL STEM and a Digital scanning probe microscope, supervise a group of 4-5, and manage this well-equipped microscopy laboratory.
The position requires an advanced degree in materials science, physics or chemistry, or the equivalent in relevant experience. The candidate must have 3 or more years of industrial experience. In-depth knowledge of STEM, SEM, and experience in data/image handling by computers is essential. Experience in surface analysis, IR spectroscopy and other analytical techniques is desirable.
The candidate must have technical and organizational skills, must be able to work independently and must have the interpersonal skills to work effectively with others. Official authorization to work permanently in the United States is required.
Please forward resume and salary information to:
PPG Industries P.O. Box 11472 Pittsburgh, PA 15238
PPG Glass Technology Center located 14 miles Northeast of Pittsburgh has an immediate opening in its Electron Microscopy Laboratory.
The position interacts with R&D, manufacturing and technical support personnel in designing analytical approaches and providing meaningful solutions to projects relating to glass, glass coatings, paints and many other PPG manufactured or formulated products.
The candidate will be required to operate a JEOL STEM and a Digital scanning probe microscope, supervise a group of 4-5, and manage this well-equipped microscopy laboratory.
The position requires an advanced degree in materials science, physics or chemistry, or the equivalent in relevant experience. The candidate must have 3 or more years of industrial experience. In-depth knowledge of STEM, SEM, and experience in data/image handling by computers is essential. Experience in surface analysis, IR spectroscopy and other analytical techniques is desirable.
The candidate must have technical and organizational skills, must be able to work independently and must have the interpersonal skills to work effectively with others. Official authorization to work permanently in the United States is required.
Please forward resume and salary information to:
PPG Industries P.O. Box 11472 Pittsburgh, PA 15238
PPG Glass Technology Center located 14 miles Northeast of Pittsburgh has an immediate opening in its Electron Microscopy Laboratory.
The position interacts with R&D, manufacturing and technical support personnel in designing analytical approaches and providing meaningful solutions to projects relating to glass, glass coatings, paints and many other PPG manufactured or formulated products.
The candidate will be required to operate a JEOL STEM and a Digital scanning probe microscope, supervise a group of 4-5, and manage this well-equipped microscopy laboratory.
The position requires an advanced degree in materials science, physics or chemistry, or the equivalent in relevant experience. The candidate must have 3 or more years of industrial experience. In-depth knowledge of STEM, SEM, and experience in data/image handling by computers is essential. Experience in surface analysis, IR spectroscopy and other analytical techniques is desirable.
The candidate must have technical and organizational skills, must be able to work independently and must have the interpersonal skills to work effectively with others. Official authorization to work permanently in the United States is required.
Please forward resume and salary information to:
PPG Industries P.O. Box 11472 Pittsburgh, PA 15238
PPG Glass Technology Center located 14 miles Northeast of Pittsburgh has an immediate opening in its Electron Microscopy Laboratory.
The position interacts with R&D, manufacturing and technical support personnel in designing analytical approaches and providing meaningful solutions to projects relating to glass, glass coatings, paints and many other PPG manufactured or formulated products.
The candidate will be required to operate a JEOL STEM and a Digital scanning probe microscope, supervise a group of 4-5, and manage this well-equipped microscopy laboratory.
The position requires an advanced degree in materials science, physics or chemistry, or the equivalent in relevant experience. The candidate must have 3 or more years of industrial experience. In-depth knowledge of STEM, SEM, and experience in data/image handling by computers is essential. Experience in surface analysis, IR spectroscopy and other analytical techniques is desirable.
The candidate must have technical and organizational skills, must be able to work independently and must have the interpersonal skills to work effectively with others. Official authorization to work permanently in the United States is required.
Please forward resume and salary information to:
PPG Industries P.O. Box 11472 Pittsburgh, PA 15238
I was wondering if someone could recommend one or two commercial labs where we could outsource some of our TEM polymer work. Our samples would require embedding, cryo or RT sectioning, staining (usually phosphotungstic acid ) and a few TEM micrographs.
EM Posting-PPG Please forward resume and salary information to: PPG Industries P.O. Box 11472 Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Att: Supervisor, Personnel AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M/F/D/V
Does anyone out there have information that compares/contrasts the techniques of laser profilometry, contact profilometry, and SEM imaging over wide areas (i.e. 2x2 mm)? The goal is to see if contact or laser profilometry (quant. data) can be substituted for SEM imaging (guesswork and hand-waving) in topographic analysis of layers of 4-10 micrometer generally spherical particles.
The person wants quick and easy turnaround with as little human interpretation as possible.
The things we do for money! ------------------------------------------------ Opinions or statements expressed herein, rational or otherwise, do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.
Harold J. Crossman OSRAM SYLVANIA INC. Lighting Research Center 71 Cherry Hill Dr. Beverly, MA 01915 Phone: (508) 750-1717 E-mail: crossman-at-osi.sylvania.com
Our web sites: www.sylvania.com www.siemens.com --
I would be grateful if the email addresses of major microscope manufacturers,optics-eyepiece,objective,phase contrast eqpt,manufacturers dealers could be mailed to me. Regards,
} I went after NIH Image, and found the 0README.txt claims there is } no DOS version, it's only for Mac.
There is an excellent free program for DOS/Win32/Win95 platforms that stands up very well to NIH Image: ImageTool by Don Wilcox, Brent Dove, Doss McDavid and David Greer at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio:
Find version 1.27 at http://ddsdx.uthscsa.edu/dig/itdesc.html
ChR
_________________________________________________________________________ Christophe Roos Dr.Sc., doc. | Institute of Biotechnology | & Dept. of Biosciences Phone: +358 9 7085 9367 | Division of Genetics Fax: +358 9 7085 9366 | P.O.Box 56, Viksbagen 9 E-mail: Christophe.Roos-at-Helsinki.FI | FIN-00014 Univ. of Helsinki X-400: /G=Christophe/S=Roos/O=Helsinki/ADMD=fumail/C=Fi Finland {A HREF="http://www.helsinki.fi/~roos/index.html"} WWW Home Page: Roos {/A} -------------------------------------------------------------------------
I picked up your e-mail message about getting some microscopy done on polymers.We could do this sort of thing in the multi-Imaging Centre here in Cambridge UK. We have croy-SEM and ED X-ray microanalysis, Cryo-TEM and Cryoultramicrotomes. Collectively we have a 120 years of experience. Our rates are very competative and we can do a fast turn around.
Contact me on e-mail 'Phone +44-1223-333946 or Fax +44-1223-333953.
Patrick Echlin Director, Multi-Imaging Centre. University of Cambridge Cambridge CB2 3EA United Kingdom
PS Happy Lincoln's Birthday
On Tue, 11 Feb 1997, Marti, Jordi wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Hello ! } } I was wondering if someone could recommend one or two commercial labs } where we could outsource some of our TEM polymer work. Our samples } would require embedding, cryo or RT sectioning, staining (usually } phosphotungstic acid ) and a few TEM micrographs. } } Thanks } } Jordi Marti }
To image the inside of my SEM, I first stick a piece of PTFE or a round glass coverslip onto a stub and then glue a small ball bearing (3mm) onto the centre. This gives a much better view of the chamber. You can try using larger ball bearings, also to give a weird effect try sticking two small ball bearings together.
Also try switching on your back scatter detector once you have 'charged' up the stub, you can visualise the sectors - (if + the sector is white and if - the sector is black)
Kevin Mackenzie Tillydrone E.M. Unit University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB9 2NT SCOTLAND Tel 01224-272847 Fax 01224-272396
} Hello ! } } I was wondering if someone could recommend one or two commercial labs } where we could outsource some of our TEM polymer work. Our samples } would require embedding, cryo or RT sectioning, staining (usually } phosphotungstic acid ) and a few TEM micrographs. } } Thanks } } Jordi Marti
If you check out the November issue of MICROSCOPY & ANALYSIS, you'll find a listing of some 40 labs in the US offering various microscopy services. If you can't find a copy, contact me and I'll e-mail you the list.
Regards,
--------------------------------------------------------------- Dr L. P. Stoter Technical Editor, MICROSCOPY & ANALYSIS Technesis 17, Rocks Park Road email: LPS-at-teknesis.demon.co.uk Uckfield, E. Sussex Phone: +44 (0)1825 766911 TN22 2AT Fax: +44 (0)1825 766911 United Kingdom ---------------------------------------------------------------
To image the inside of my SEM, I first stick a piece of PTFE or a round glass coverslip onto a stub and then glue a small ball bearing (3mm) onto the centre. This gives a much better view of the chamber. You can try using larger ball bearings, also to give a weird effect try sticking two small ball bearings together.
Also try switching on your back scatter detector once you have 'charged' up the stub, you can visualise the sectors - ( the + sector shows white and the - sector is black)
Kevin Mackenzie Tillydrone E.M. Unit University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB9 2NT SCOTLAND Tel 01224-272847 Fax 01224-272396
I wonder if somebody could give me any hints on special embedding and/or staining methods for halite crystals (sedimented from aerosols). This would be helpful for a research project which intends to differentiate halite crystals from other aerosol particles by image analysis.
Thanks in advance Hiltrud Mueller-Sigmund
Hiltrud Mueller-Sigmund (hiltrud-at-ruf.uni-freiburg.de) Institut f. Mineralogie, Petrologie und Geochemie Albertstr. 23b - D 79104 Freiburg i. Br. (Germany) Tel.: (+49)-761-203-6388 / Fax: (+49)-761-203-6407
PPG Glass Technology Center located 14 miles northeast of Pittsburgh has an immediate opening in its Electron Microscopy Laboratory.
The position interacts with R&D, manufacturing and technical support personnel in designing analytical approaches and providing meaningful solutions to projects relating to glass, glass coatings, paints and many other PPG manufactured or formulated products.
The candidate will be required to operate a JEOL STEM and a Digital Scanning
Probe Microscope, supervise a group of 4-5, and manage this well-equipped microscopy laboratory.
The position requires an advanced degree in materials science, physics or chemistry, or the equivalent in relevant experience. The candidate must have 3 or more years of industrial experience. In-depth knowledge of STEM, SEM, and experience in data/image handling by computers is essential. Experience in surface analysis, IR spectroscopy and other analytical techniques is desirable.
The candidate must have technical and organizational skills, must be able to work independently and must have the interpersonal skills to work effectively with others. Official authorization to work permanently in the United States is required.
Please forward resume and salary information to:
PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center P.O. Box 11472 Pittsburgh, PA 15238
I hope this information is of some help. It's not a complete list, but the information I have is as follows. If there is no e-mail address, just contact the home page. I'm sure all of the manufacturers will have a link for messages.
Leica: No address just for e-mail, but their home page can be found at the URL: http://www.leica.com in the USA. Probably have links to other countries from here.
Zeiss: E-mail to micro-at-zeiss.com Home page is http://www.zeiss.com
Nikon: No e-mail address. Home page is http://www.nikonusa.com If you contact Nikon USA, you will probably find a link to addresses for other countries.
Also, please check out the WWW Directory of Microscopy and Microanalysis Products and Services at: http://www.mwrn.com/product/ You can link directly to the manufacturers of microscopes, cameras, optical components, services, accessories, etc. from this page.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
To: roos-at-operoni.helsinki.fi Microscopy ListSer {Microscopy-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com} cc: VANHART --IBMUSM00 Van Hart, D.C. *** Reply to note of 02/12/97 00:58
I FTP'd these files, and found they need Win95 or WinNT to run. Win-OS/2 can't do the install. The site was;
Our lab has an opportunity to pick up some work doing clinical specimens for $$. Currently we are strictly a research facility, but in today's world some cash can really go a long way to justify our existence. Can anyone advise us as to the "Chicago-style pot holes" that may be looming unforseen on the horizon? Do we need clinical accreditation? How much should we charge for clinical work? Any thoughts about turn around time? QC? Are there things we should get straight and in writing before we begin? Thanks for the input.
p.s. Many Thanks for the Alizarin Red stuff....it's been tried and is working great!!
Linda Fox Loyola University Medical School Maywood Illinois lfox1-at-wpo.it.luc.edu
Dear Friends, I have a thin (1um) al2o3/al film on an aluminum (1mm) substrate. I am trying to mount for the cross section. I need a method to preserve the edge and prevent film spallation and substrate smearing while polishing. I have tried to sandwich film with another Al piece, but can't get intimate contact for good support, so film is badly damaged. One suggestion was electroless plating or electroplating. Any suggestions or resources to pursue? Thanks very much.
} Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 09:58:05 -0600 } From: Linda Fox {lfox1-at-wpo.it.luc.edu} } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: research vs clinical work } ANSWER IN CAPS (NOT SHOUTING, JOE) } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Our lab has an opportunity to pick up some work doing clinical } specimens for $$. Currently we are strictly a research facility, but } in today's world some cash can really go a long way to justify our } existence. Can anyone advise us as to the "Chicago-style pot holes" } that may be looming unforseen on the horizon?
WHAT KIND OF SAMPLES? YOU NEED EXPERTISE IN INTERPRETING THE MATERIAL FOR WHATEVER THE PHYSICIANS WANT TO ASK (E.G., IS THERE TUMOR, IS THERE A VIRUS OR OTHER INFECTIOUS AGENT PRESENT, IS THERE AN ABNORMAL CELL STRUCTURE PRESENT?). YOU NEED SOMEONE WHOSE AUTHORITY WILL BE RESPECTED. A BOARD-CERTIFIED PATHOLOGIST IS HANDY, BUT NOT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
Do we need clinical accreditation? IF YOU ARE GOING TO CHARGE PATIENTS/INSURANCE COs FOR YOUR SERVICE, YOU WILL **HAVE** TO BE CERTIFIED BY CAP AND CLIA (COLLEGE OF AMERICAN PATHOLOGISTS AND HEALTH CARE FINANCEING ADMINISTRATION CLINICAL LABORATORY IMPROVEMENT AMENDMENTS). IT IS A TEDIOUS PROCESS, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. YOU HAVE TO HAVE RECORDS FOR **EVERYTHING** FROM HOW YOU MAKE UP YOUR SOLUTIONS, TO WHEN YOU CHECKED THE GROUNDING ON YOUR INSTRUMENTS, ETC.
How much should we charge for clinical work? THIN SECTIONING OR NEGATIVE STAINING? THERE IS A CPT CODE FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPY THAT SETS THE AMOUNT MEDICARE/INS COs PAY. YOU MIGHT GET AWAY WITH SETTING IT UP AS A CONSULTING CHARGE WITHOUT THE CPT GUIDELINE. FIGURE HOW MUCH TIME AND TROUBLE YOU WILL SPEND AND THEN CALCULATE A CHARGE. NEGATIVE STAINS RUN FROM ABOUT ~$50 (HIGHLY SUBSIDIZED) TO $400, DEPENDING ON THE CONPLEXITY OF THE SPECIMEN CONCENTRATION EFFORTS; THIN SECTIONS RUN FROM ~$300-700 (NOT INCLUDING A PATHOLOGIST'S PROFESSIONAL FEE).
Any thoughts about turn around time? AGAIN: DO YOU MEAN NEGATIVE STAINING OR THIN SECTIONING??? FOR NEGATIVE STAINING 1-8 HR, DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU HAVE TO CONCENTRATE IT, OR FOR THIN SECTIONNING 2-4 DAYS, DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IMMEDIATELY OR HAVE TO HUNT FOR IT.
QC? DEFINITELY, BETTER IF FROM AN OUTSIDE LAB. Are there things we should get } straight and in writing before we begin? ABSOLUTELY. I SUGGEST YOU CONTACT A HOSPITAL EM LAB IN YOUR AREA THAT IS ALREADY CERTIFIED TO HELP YOU GET STARTED.
Thanks for the input. } } p.s. Many Thanks for the Alizarin Red stuff....it's been tried and is } working great!! } } Linda Fox } Loyola University Medical School } Maywood Illinois } lfox1-at-wpo.it.luc.edu }
Sara E. Miller, Ph. D. (DIRECTOR, ELECTRON MICROSCOPY DIAGNOSTIC VIROLOGY LABORATORY and DIRECTOR, SURGICAL PATHOLOGY ELECTRON MICROSCOPY LABORATORY) P. O. Box 3020 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 Ph: 919 684-3452 FAX: 919 684-8735
A couple of things come to mind regarding your Al2O3/Al film, both of them having to do with ultramicrotomy (cutting ultrathin sections).
You may or may not need the thin sections which would be cut from the bulk material. But the nice thing about ultramicrotomy is the bulk material becomes well polished during sectioning.
Do you have access to an EM lab that has an ultramicrotome? If so, it certainly is worth a try.
You could probably adequately polish the material by first trimming a small piece of the substrate/film to a needle-like point, then clamping it in a "vise" type specimen holder for the ultramicrotome, and cutting (sectioning) in cross section at the fine point.
If the film separates from the substrate when you do this, it is possible to also embed a small sliver of the specimen in a plastic resin, and to then cut the plastic-embedded specimen. You may need to pre-treat the specimen with a silanization agent to increase the adhesion between the specimen and the resin. This assumes that surrounding the specimen with plastic is acceptable and won't interfere with whatever you need to do in the SEM.
There are lots of methods for ultramicrotomy in materials science, and the world's experts subscribe to this listserver: Tom Malis? Caroline Schooley? Phil Swab? Are you there?
Whether the material is cut naked or embedded in plastic, your friendly local ultramicrotomist should give it a try first with an old diamond knife, cutting at around 30-60 nm thickness.
A diamond knife would do a *great* job of cutting the aluminum. If your resident ultramicrotomist only cuts biological material.....Well, let's just say you'll have to do some persuading, cajoling, groveling or bribing as necessary. But polishing by ultramicrotomy works very nicely. And provided it's done properly, it will *NOT* destroy the diamond knife.
Group - While I do not keep a file on email addresses for microscopy manufacturers and suppliers, I do so for their web addresses and expect that most include their email addresses. With some 50 plus currently included, I publish the list in Microscopy Today every few months and will do so again in my upcoming issue. If our international friends would like a copy of the updated list, kindly send me an email with BOTH your email address and fax number. If I can not figure out how to send the list to you by email, I will do so by fax. And I will include how to subscribe to our publication. To manufacturers/suppliers, if I do not have your web addresses, kindly advise by return email and I will so include. Best to all - Don Grimes, Microscopy Today
} Priority: normal } Subject: Re:Degausser } From: "Scott D. Walck WL/MLBT" {walcksd-at-ml.wpafb.af.mil} } To: Microscopy ListServer {Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com} } Date: Mon, 10 Feb 97 21:56:44 -0500
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } To alleviate this try } } demagnetising by scrambling the domains in a high field strength such as in } } an old mains transformer with a cut out channeled in the metal pole piece. } } This works for us and is a cheap solution but I dare say someone will sell } } you a "degausser" which will work equally well and might look more } } acceptable to the safety officer ! Ask your physics/electronics people for } } a supplier. } } } } Regards } } } } Laurence Tetley } } } A degausser that you can buy and perhaps use for something else is a soldering } gun that has the two leads coming out to form the tip. I think that Sears } sells one like that that has a light on it. Put your tweezers slowly in and } slowly out and it will degauss them. } - -Scott Walck } A cheap tape head degauser from Tandys(they used to be about $20) will do a better job and is actially designed to degauss. It can also be used to degauss vials of grids Kerry Gascoigne ***************************************************** Kerry Gascoigne Flinders Microscope and Image Analysis Facility. Ph (08)8204-4858 Fax (08)8277-0085 ***************************************************
A small private lab is seeking an individual fluent in all phases of TEM specimen preparation. This will include all record keeping,chemistry,fixation,processing,thin/thick sectioning and darkroom work as well as accomplishing all daily associated tasks. Familiarity with computers and good laboratory practices is desirable Salary open and commensurate with experience.
Send or fax resume with cover letter to: Dr Marco Chacon Paragon Biotech,Inc Hopkins-Bayview Alpha Center 5210 Eastern Ave Baltimore,Maryland 21224 fax 410 550-2924
Dear Loren, I have had some success with thin films by glueing glass pieces about 6 mm. thick on both sides of the film, using 5 minute epoxy. After the glue is hard you can polish as usual for mounted samples, then carbon or gold coat for SEM. I have used this to analyse by EDX through a 70 micron film. Electroplating is also very effective for edge retention, but may not work on a non-conductive film. You wrote: } Dear Friends, } I have a thin (1um) al2o3/al film on an aluminum (1mm) substrate. I am } trying to mount for the cross section. I need a method to preserve the } edge and prevent film spallation and substrate smearing while polishing. I } have tried to sandwich film with another Al piece, but can't get intimate } contact for good support, so film is badly damaged. One suggestion was } electroless plating or electroplating. Any suggestions or resources } to pursue? Thanks very much. } } Loren Prentice (University of Michigan) Good luck, Mary Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Eng., UBC 6350 Stores Rd. Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel:604-822-5648, fax:604-822-3619 e-mail: mager-at-unixg.ubc.ca
The Microscopy Vendors Database is one of the largest vendors database (company name, address, phone and fax number, e-mail and web adress, product information)and consist more than 1100 companies with about 280 web address and new keyword search engine.
http://www.kaker.com/mvd/vendors.html
Henrik
-- Henrik Kaker SEM-EDS Laboratory, Metal Ravne d.o.o., Slovenia Tel: +386-602-21-131, Fax: +386-602-20-436, E-mail: Henrik.Kaker-at-guest.arnes.si http://www2.arnes.si/guest/sgszmera1/index.html Microscopy Vendors DataBase: http://www2.arnes.si/guest/sgszmera1/vendors.html
Recently I asked for help about chemical etching of Si and received many excellent advises. Thank you for your attention and help.
First of all, why do we use chemical etching? 1)Variouse jet technigues required spesial devises that allow to operate with HF base solutes, unfortunately, we have no such one. 2)Ion etching is very powerful method, but we have found very small radiation damage produced during ion etching of silicon.
We have solve the problem of pitting during Si [111] chemical etching. At the end the best solute is: HF: HNO_3 : ( CH_3COOH + I_2 cryst.) 3 : 9 : 8 2.5g cryst. I_2 per 1100ml CH_3COOH (is a good job to dissolve I_2 in a hot acid)
Average etching rate of virgin solute at room temperature is less than 3 micron/min from one side.
In addition the rest of the message contains all the responses deal with the chemical etching of Silicon from Microscopy Society.
Sorry if took so long to respond. Kirill Prikhodko. Russian Research Center "Kurchatov Institute" Moscow E-mail: kirill-at-nw.oirtorm.net.kiae.su
With regard to Kirill Prikhodko's request, a recommended procedure for preparing Si is by chemical jet etching. The solution used is typically HF based. There are many which are quite sufficient. The following are a few which have been proven satisfactory:
1.) 90% Nitric acid 10% HF 2.) 5 parts Nitric acid, 3 parts Acetic acid, 3 parts HF. Polish at room temperature. 3.) 10.5 grams Potassium Permanganate, 300ml HF, 30ml De-ionized Water. Polish at -20 to -30 degrees C with a high jetting speed.
Depending on the orientation of the Si, the percentage of the acids may need to be altered.
These solutions and conditions have provided excellent results when utilizing the twin-jet electropolishing technique which simultaneously thins both specimen surfaces. If it is desired to back-thin the Si, one side should be protected with Beeswax.
For the electrolytic polishing of metals it is recommended to have both the specimen and the jets submerged in the electrolyte by approximately 3- 4mm. When chemical etching of Si, it is recommended that the specimen be above the chemical solution level. The jet position in relation to the specimen can be varied to provide the necessary configuration of the dimple produced by the chemical etching process.
Kind regards for a Happy Holiday Season,
Paul Fischione email: Paul.Fischione-at-internetmci.com
E.A. Fischione Instrument, Inc. is the manufacturer of the Automatic Twin- Jet Electropolisher.
====================================================================== Froim: Tan-Chen Lee
Reply to: RE} TEM: Si chemical etching
It is not the ratio of acids which caused problem. I used to do chemical etching in Taiwan. It went fine. However, the same recipe resulted in pitting on Si(100) but not on Si(111) when I tried it in New York. It seemed that preferential etching happened. Even when I did it in clean room or change recipes, it did not solve the problem. I suspect the possible reasons are the contents of the acids (concentration, contaminants, etc.), temperature, sample holders (Teflon versus glasses??), wax, etc. You may only need to change the vendors of the chemicals. I would also like to know the real cause though I do not do chemical ethcing any more.
Materials Characterization Lab Motorola, Inc. email: tan-chen_lee-at-mesaqm.sps.mot.com
} Dear all } } Can some one please send me website for downloading the shareware } version of Electron Flight Simmulater.
Dear Stephan,
You can download the shareware version 3.1 for Windows of Electron Flight Simulator from website of Small World Co., http://members.aol.com/smworld100/efs.htm
Vladimir Oleshko *********************************************************** V.P. Oleshko, Ph.D e-mail:oleshko-at-uia.ua.ac.be Micro-and Trace Analysis Centre Tel.:+32-3-820.23.64 Chemistry Department FAX :+32-3-820.23.76 University of Antwerp (UIA) B-2610 Belgium ***********************************************************
Either Buhler or Struers (or both?), metallographic suppliers, sell an electroless Ni plating solution which may help. The host material does not have to be conductive, but some materials plate better than others. Do check that the solution will not attack your sample and note that the plate is really a nickel/phosphorus compound. Woody ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
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Dear Friends, I have a thin (1um) al2o3/al film on an aluminum (1mm) substrate. I am trying to mount for the cross section. I need a method to preserve the edge and prevent film spallation and substrate smearing while polishing. I have tried to sandwich film with another Al piece, but can't get intimate contact
for good support, so film is badly damaged. One suggestion was electroless plating or electroplating. Any suggestions or resources to pursue? Thanks very much.
A postdoctoral position is available for a candidate with expertese in transmission electron microscopy to work on a project involving intracellular trafficking. Some expertese in immunohistochemistry/cytochemistry would be desirable. For further information please contact Dr. Henry Hoff, Department of Cell Biology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44195 Tel: (216) 444-2248 or e-mail: {hoffh-at-cesmtp.ccf.org }
I am a student of a doctoral program in Biological Sciences of the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon) at Monterrey, Mexico. I am interested in a Visiting Scientist Program of an institution, in order to participate in a research, as a doctoral thesis. I have a Bachelor degree in Biological Sciences of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, and a Master degree in Morphology of th Faculty of Medicine, both of them of the university I mentioned. My main experience is in histotechnology for light and transmision electron microscopy, ultraestructure of mitochondria, cell culture and genetic of insects. I send this message to this forum to ask if anyone could send me information or some tips that could be of help to me in contacting an opportunity. My data are: Ricardo Acosta Nueva Independencia 308 Colonia Independencia 64720 Monterrey, Nuevo Leon Mexico.
Does anyone have any experience with and/or opinions/comments about the Linker software, written by a Finnish company called PICOMEGA, for the manipulation of images exported to DOS from older LINK/Oxford computers with DEMON operating systems? My interest arises because we have a LINK QX2000 system which can produce reasonable element maps, BSE images, and linescan images onscreen, but is extremely limited in its ability to produce hard copy.
An email or fax address of the company would also come in handy (or, as last resort, their phone number)
thanks
Ritchie
Ritchie Sims phone: 64 9 3737599 ext 7713 Department of Geology fax: 64 9 3737435 University of Auckland Private Bag 92019 Auckland New Zealand
I am looking for a materials scientist with extensive TEM experience to fill the following position at the IBM Almaden Research Center. Please contact me directly.
A one-year position is available at the IBM Almaden Research Center to perform TEM studies on magnetic recording materials. The work would involve extensive collaboration with the groups at Almaden and in the IBM Storage Systems Division that are developing next- generation heads and disks. Candidates should have an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in materials science (or a related field), extensive TEM experience, and preferably some background in magnetic recording.
The position is available immediately. Funding beyond the first year is probable, but cannot be guaranteed at this time.
Applicants should submit their resumes to:
Robby Beyers K19/D1 IBM Almaden Research Center 650 Harry Road San Jose, CA 95120-6099
Following my recent posting about lab services, I had a number of requests for details. There is a lot of data, so it would not be appropriate to post it to the Microscopy List. For those who contacted me directly, I have attached, as ASCII text files, both the USA and UK list which we maintain.
Currently, we do not have a wider European list, since this has not seemed appropriate for a paper publication. However, we are in the process of establishing a web site, which will include all the data we currently hold, and will be extended in the future to cover the rest of Europe.
When our web site is up, I'll post details to the Microscopy list.
Regards,
--------------------------------------------------------------- Dr L. P. Stoter Technical Editor, MICROSCOPY & ANALYSIS Technesis 17, Rocks Park Road email: LPS-at-teknesis.demon.co.uk Uckfield, E. Sussex Phone: +44 (0)1825 766911 TN22 2AT Fax: +44 (0)1825 766911 United Kingdom ---------------------------------------------------------------
Does anybody have any advice on aligning a microscope? I have an afocal pair to relay the exit pupil and a tube lens with an infinity corrected objective and would like to know how to align them all as well at the eppi illumionation path very precisely since I am doing subresolution (1% of diffractuion limit) measurements in phase contrast mode.
} } Does anyone have any experience with and/or opinions/comments about } the Linker software, written by a Finnish company called PICOMEGA, } for the manipulation of images exported to DOS from older LINK/Oxford } computers with DEMON operating systems? } My interest arises because we have a LINK QX2000 system which can } produce reasonable element maps, BSE images, and linescan images } onscreen, but is extremely limited in its ability to produce hard } copy.
I can't help with the direct question, but I have written software to do the following:
Read AN10000/QX2000/eX/L disks on a PC, and copy their contents to the PC hard disk.
Read the spectrum files (-.SP) and convert them to ASCII spreadsheet format
Read studies (-.SY) and extract the individual images and save them as TIFF files
Format Demon/Demon Plus/Genie disks on the PC
These programs only run in plain vanilla DOS (not DOS within Windows) but (for us, at least,) are a whole lot more convenient than using the LINK computers. They are free to anybody who asks. I will set up an FTP site with them - I will post the address here when it is done.
Tony Garratt-Reed }
**************************************************** **************************************************** ** ** ** Anthony J. Garratt-Reed ** ** Room 13-1027 ** ** Center for Materials Science and Engineering ** ** Massachusetts Institute of Technology ** ** 77 Massachusetts Avenue ** ** Cambridge, Massachsetts 02139-4307 ** ** U. S. A. ** ** ** ** Phone: 617-253-4622 ** ** Fax: 617-258-5286 or 617-258-6478 ** ** ** **************************************************** ****************************************************
Dear Friends, Thanks for all of your suggestions for mounting and polishing a thin film for cross-section examination. The advice fell generally into several areas. One group of suggestions involved encapsulating the film/substrate, either with electroless Nickel plating, a glass support, a hard resin, and the like. A number of people also suggested microtoming either the naked sample or embedding the sample in resin and then sectioning to obtain a good polish in the process. Microtoming looks like the easiest route for now, since we have the facilities here at UM. Thanks again for the help and if anyone has questions, I could point you to some of the sources of my advice. Best regards, Loren Prentice
Our lab has been asked to characterize lyophilized human lung tissue by SEM and XRF analysis. Not being pathologists and having no prior experience with biological tissue samples, we are concerned about potential health risks from handling this material. The samples were collected and lyophilized at least 20 years ago and have been in storage all this time. Sample preparation for the XRF analysis will require pulverizing the material with mortar and pestle and depositing this fine dust onto filter subtrates for analysis with the potential for exposure to or inhalation of the dust. Our safety officer doesn't know whether any viruses or bacteria could still be viable in any of these samples, and is not sure what level of safety precautions are required: e.g., Should the work be done in a hood certified for biohazard work or is this overkill? Should the lab technician be inoculated against hepatitis B? Moon suits and hazard pay? (I'm joking, but maybe I shouldn't be). The histories of the tissue donors are available if that would be a determining factor but I don't think many died of an infectious disease.
Thanks for any comments and suggestions.
Bob Willis ManTech Environmental email: Willis.robert-at-epamail.epa.gov
If I were you, I would take every precaution that you would with fresh tissue. If stored properly , lyophilized microbes can survive a long time. When I was a postdoc we got live cultures from lyophilized samples that were under vacuum and stored at 4 degrees C for over 40 years. This was not an exception but rather the rule. So if these samples have not been fixed or other denatured or sterilized, I would be careful. } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } ..
At 12:04 PM 2/14/97 -0500, you wrote:
} Our lab has been asked to characterize lyophilized human lung tissue by ******************************************************* G.W. Erdos, Ph.D. Phone: 352-392-1295 Scientific Director, ICBR Electron Microscopy Core Lab 218 Carr Hall Fax: 352-846-0251 University of Florida E-mail: gwe-at-biotech.ufl.edu Gainesville, FL 32611 http://www.biotech.ufl.edu/~emcl/ Home of the #1 Gators ***** "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" Daniel 12:4
John Winter is visiting my EPMA facility and has asked about PC platformed hardware and software which would interface with an existing SEM/EDX detector. All of my info is several years old ... and I think John would prefer anyway to hear from satisfied users as well as vendors. John has not expressed any preference for PC vs Macintosh. Replies should be preferably sent to John {winterj-at-whitman.edu} or myself ... TIA ...
cheers, shAf
{\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} cogito, ergo ZOooOM {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} Michael Shaffer, R.A. - University of Oregon Electron Probe Facility mshaf-at-oregon.uoregon.edu -or- mshaf-at-darkwing.uoregon.edu http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~mshaf/
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We have an immediate opening for a jr. level scanning electron microscopist at our Bedford Ma. Facility. Please send all correspondence to the address found below the job posting.
Millipore Corporation's Scanning Electron Microscopy Lab is seeking an individual to assist in the evaluation of customer complaints, perform failure analysis and/or troubleshooting on existing products and characterize experimental polymer membranes structures through the use of scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and other imaging techniques. You will be responsible for the generation, interpretation and written/verbal communication of both routine and non-routine micrographic and spectral results to both in-house clients and external Millipore customers. You will also be responsible for the maintenance of lab equipment (SEM's, LM's, PC's, AV equipment etc.). You may also be asked to conduct customer tours and present overviews of lab capabilities to sales training groups. REQUIREMENTS: BS/BA degree in a technical field or equivalent and a minimum of 2 years experience in scanning electron microscopy with a focus on materials, preferably in a support lab environment. Must be extremely flexible and able to work in a high pressure environment. Must possess a fundamental understanding of electron beam interactions, electron optics and vacuum systems. Experience with high pressure SEMs a plus. Must also have a working knowledge of personal computing hardware/software systems. Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential.
To apply mail your resume to:
Employment Manager Millipore Corporation 80 Ashby Rd. Bedford, MA 01730 OR Send your resume via Email to: careers-at-millipore.com. Please, NO FAXES. We Scan all resumes into a Database and Faxed copies do not scan well.
What are some of the ways you can get rid of waste osmium? We already add it to excess corn oil but our safety people say it's still toxic. I thought I read once a technique that neutralizes it allowing it to be flushed down the sink or at the minimum placed in with regular disposal products? Our radiation people would like to see a similar thing with my uranyl acetate. Thanks for any advice.
What are some of the ways you can get rid of waste osmium? We already add it to excess corn oil but our safety people say it's still toxic. I thought I read once a technique that neutralizes it allowing it to be flushed down the sink or at the minimum placed in with regular disposal products? Our radiation people would like to see a similar thing with my uranyl acetate. Thanks for any advice.
What are some of the ways you can get rid of waste osmium? We already add it to excess corn oil but our safety people say it's still toxic. I thought I read once a technique that neutralizes it allowing it to be flushed down the sink or at a minimum placed in with regular disposal products? Our radiation people would like to see a similar thing with my uranyl acetate. Thanks for any advice.
The School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology is looking for a side-entry TEM (100 or 120 kV) for conventional research and teaching. The TEM must have a high degree double tilting specimen stage. Please reply to this e-mail if you have such a microscope in your lab for sale. Thanks.
} Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 12:04:47 -0500 } From: ROBERT WILLIS {WILLIS.ROBERT-at-EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV} } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: Health risks of lyophilized lung tissue? } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Our lab has been asked to characterize lyophilized human lung tissue by } SEM and XRF analysis. Not being pathologists and having no prior } experience with biological tissue samples, we are concerned about } potential health risks from handling this material. The samples were } collected and lyophilized at least 20 years ago and have been in storage } all this time. Sample preparation for the XRF analysis will require } pulverizing the material with mortar and pestle and depositing this fine } dust onto filter subtrates for analysis with the potential for exposure to } or inhalation of the dust. Our safety officer doesn't know whether any } viruses or bacteria could still be viable in any of these samples,
POSSIBLY
and is not sure what level of safety precautions are required: e.g., Should the } work be done in a hood certified for biohazard work or is this overkill?
DEFINITELY. NOT OVERKILL.
} Should the lab technician be inoculated against hepatitis B?
JUST DON'T STAB YOURSELF WITH CONTAMINATED FORCEPS.
Moon suits } and hazard pay? (I'm joking, but maybe I shouldn't be). The histories of } the tissue donors are available if that would be a determining factor but I } don't think many died of an infectious disease. } I'D WORRY MORE ABOUT TB THAN HEPATITIS. TB IS VERY INFECTIOUS IN AEROSOLS AND DUST. I'D MAKE SURE NONE OF THE DUST ESCAPES, OR FIX IT SOMEHOW, IF YOU CAN KEEP FROM CONTAMINATING YOUR ANALYSIS WITH SOMETHING THAT WOULD RUIN YOUR TEST. HOW ABOUT OSMIUM VAPOR??? JUST DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES. REGULATIONS NOW REQUIRE THAT YOU TREAT ALL TISSUES AND BODLIY FLUIDS AS THOUGH THEY MAY BE INFECTIOUS.
} Thanks for any comments and suggestions. } } Bob Willis } ManTech Environmental } email: Willis.robert-at-epamail.epa.gov }
Sara E. Miller, Ph. D. P. O. Box 3020 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 Ph: 919 684-3452 FAX: 919 684-8735
Space is getting tight and we are thinking of moving some computers into the same room as our vacuum evaporator. Although we have an oil mist filter on the VE, we get some smell from the rotary pump when roughing out the bell jar. Any suggestions on how to eliminate this problem, the computer users have objected to the smell and possible health concerns.
Are some filters better than others? How realistic is it to expect a filter to eliminate all odor? I have considered venting the pumps to another room and putting a big industrial filter there, but am worried about oil condensing out in the vent pipe on its way to the filter. The campus facilities folks are reluctant to vent the pumps into the building exhaust because it will involve rebalancing the whole building etc. But they might be up for putting in a vent to another room if we can figure out how to do it without creating other problems.
Any ideas?
Jonathan Krupp Microscopy and Imaging Lab University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (408) 459-2477 FAX (408) 429-0146 jmkrupp-at-cats.ucsc.edu
Dear Jon, There are several ways of dealing with rotary pump vapours. One pump salesman told me that the best filter was a giant, movie-house bag of popcorn! Great oil absorber and cheap to replace. I have vented most of my pumps out the window or into the fume cupboard. I'm very surprised that the building people were concerned about the building exhaust, since the vent pipe is so small (one inch or less) and there is almost no movement of air through the vent pipe, and that only for a few seconds until a bit of vacuum is established. If you lead a long pipe into another room, there is no harm in the vapours condensing in the pipe, that eliminates some of the problem. The computer users are correct, oil vapours are a health hazard if inhaled. You wrote: } Space is getting tight and we are thinking of moving some computers into } the same room as our vacuum evaporator. Although we have an oil mist filter } on the VE, we get some smell from the rotary pump when roughing out the } bell jar. Any suggestions on how to eliminate this problem, the computer } users have objected to the smell and possible health concerns. } } Are some filters better than others? How realistic is it to expect a filter } to eliminate all odor? I have considered venting the pumps to another room } and putting a big industrial filter there, but am worried about oil } condensing out in the vent pipe on its way to the filter. The campus } facilities folks are reluctant to vent the pumps into the building exhaust } because it will involve rebalancing the whole building etc. But they might } be up for putting in a vent to another room if we can figure out how to do } it without creating other problems. } } Any ideas? } } } } Jonathan Krupp } Microscopy and Imaging Lab } University of California } Santa Cruz, CA 95064 } (408) 459-2477 } FAX (408) 429-0146 } jmkrupp-at-cats.ucsc.edu } } } } Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Eng., UBC 6350 Stores Rd. Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel:604-822-5648, fax:604-822-3619 e-mail: mager-at-unixg.ubc.ca
} Our lab has been asked to characterize lyophilized human lung tissue by } SEM and XRF analysis. Not being pathologists and having no prior
snips
} Should the lab technician be inoculated against hepatitis B? Moon suits } and hazard pay? (I'm joking, but maybe I shouldn't be). The histories of } the tissue donors are available if that would be a determining factor but I } don't think many died of an infectious disease. } } Thanks for any comments and suggestions. } } Bob Willis } ManTech Environmental } email: Willis.robert-at-epamail.epa.gov
This is not my area but I've done quite a lot of EM on viruses for others. Several have commented to me that putting a virus in the electron beam, which has similarities to putting it at the centre of a small nuclear explosion, is probably the only sure way to kill a virus. And until that point, they always regard a virus as 'alive', whatever chemicals it may have gone through.
} Space is getting tight and we are thinking of moving some computers into } the same room as our vacuum evaporator. Although we have an oil mist filter } on the VE, we get some smell from the rotary pump when roughing out the } bell jar. Any suggestions on how to eliminate this problem, the computer } users have objected to the smell and possible health concerns. } } Are some filters better than others? How realistic is it to expect a filter } to eliminate all odor? I have considered venting the pumps to another room } and putting a big industrial filter there, but am worried about oil } condensing out in the vent pipe on its way to the filter. The campus } facilities folks are reluctant to vent the pumps into the building exhaust } because it will involve rebalancing the whole building etc. But they might } be up for putting in a vent to another room if we can figure out how to do } it without creating other problems. } } Any ideas? } } } } Jonathan Krupp } Microscopy and Imaging Lab } University of California } Santa Cruz, CA 95064 } (408) 459-2477 } FAX (408) 429-0146 } jmkrupp-at-cats.ucsc.edu
If you can smell oil, then oil is present!
When new, I feel that some oil mist filters are quite effective, but over time I'm sure their efficiency drops significantly. Personally, in any installation where a rotary pump is frequently moving large volumes, such as evaporators and SEMs, I would recommend venting the rotary pump to outside the building.
We too sometimes have Ni grids moving around tweezers tips. To find if tweezers are magnetised we use a small compass - a 1 inch toy borrowed to some kid - that is sensitive enough to diagnose the magnetisation. To solve the problem, and as it was proposed in another message, the use of a demagnetise is really most useful.That we use to demagnetise the tweezer and not the grids. We use a small one, priced about USD 150, and bought from Agar Scientific Ld, Essex CM24 8D4, England (the FAX was - some time ago - the (0279) 815106) It is a very small and very effective equipment that can be used for demagnetise tweezers, screw drivers and other small metallic tools.
{DT} We too sometimes have Ni grids moving around tweezers tips. To find if tweezers are magnetised we use a small compass - a 1 inch toy borrowed to some kid - that is sensitive enough to diagnose the magnetisation. To solve the problem, and as it was proposed in another message, the use of a demagnetise is really most useful.That we use to demagnetise the tweezer and not the grids. We use a small one, priced about USD 150, and bought from Agar Scientific Ld, Essex CM24 8D4, England (the FAX was - some time ago - the (0279) 815106) It is a very small and very effective equipment that can be used for demagnetise tweezers, screw drivers and other small metallic tools. {/DT}
Following my message yesterday, I have put my collection of utilities to convert and read Link format files (AN1000, QX2000 and eX/L) on IMAGES.MIT.EDU
You can FTP to there (anonymous works, it wants your e-mail address as a password) and have a look at them. Have fun!
Let me know if you have problems.
Tony Garratt-Reed
**************************************************** **************************************************** ** ** ** Anthony J. Garratt-Reed ** ** Room 13-1027 ** ** Center for Materials Science and Engineering ** ** Massachusetts Institute of Technology ** ** 77 Massachusetts Avenue ** ** Cambridge, Massachsetts 02139-4307 ** ** U. S. A. ** ** ** ** Phone: 617-253-4622 ** ** Fax: 617-258-5286 or 617-258-6478 ** ** ** **************************************************** ****************************************************
} Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1997 09:22:36 +0000 } From: Larry Stoter {LPS-at-teknesis.demon.co.uk} } To: ROBERT WILLIS {WILLIS.ROBERT-at-EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV} , } Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: Re: Health risks of lyophilized lung tissue? } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Our lab has been asked to characterize lyophilized human lung tissue by } } SEM and XRF analysis. Not being pathologists and having no prior } } snips } } } Should the lab technician be inoculated against hepatitis B? Moon suits } } and hazard pay? (I'm joking, but maybe I shouldn't be). The histories of } } the tissue donors are available if that would be a determining factor but I } } don't think many died of an infectious disease. } } } } Thanks for any comments and suggestions. } } } } Bob Willis } } ManTech Environmental } } email: Willis.robert-at-epamail.epa.gov } } This is not my area but I've done quite a lot of EM on viruses for others. } Several have commented to me that putting a virus in the electron beam, } which has similarities to putting it at the centre of a small nuclear } explosion, is probably the only sure way to kill a virus. And until that } point, they always regard a virus as 'alive', whatever chemicals it may } have gone through. } } Regards, } Larry Stoter } Larry and Bob,
There are many ways of killing viruses, besides electron beams; however, I wouldn't assume that the electron beam hits every nm of space on the sample, and hence, kills everything that went into the scope!!} Furthermore, the dust from grinding specimen flying around while you're preparing it for EM could be infectious. See my earlier comment on TB.
Sara
Sara E. Miller, Ph. D. P. O. Box 3020 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 Ph: 919 684-3452 FAX: 919 684-8735
ROBERT WILLIS {WILLIS.ROBERT-at-EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV} wrote:
} Our lab has been asked to characterize lyophilized human lung tissue by } SEM and XRF analysis. Not being pathologists and having no prior } experience with biological tissue samples, we are concerned about } potential health risks from handling this material. The samples were } collected and lyophilized at least 20 years ago and have been in storage } all this time.
Ah nostalgia! 20 years ago I was starting my Path residency. Pathogens in the specimens may very well still be viable. At least you don't have to worry too much about HIV- but I wouldn't have been worried about that anyways- it's not known to be transmissible by inhalation. My major concern would be tuberculosis. Most of the bacteria and viruses that might lurk in old lungs are unlikely to cause serious disease in a person with an intact immune system. TB can cause a serious infection despite a good immune system and infection can be established with a very small dose.
} Sample preparation for the XRF analysis will require } pulverizing the material with mortar and pestle and depositing this fine } dust onto filter subtrates for analysis with the potential for exposure to } or inhalation of the dust.
Now I'm really concerned about TB. The pulverization is a perfect way to get aerosols into your lungs.
} Our safety officer doesn't know whether any } viruses or bacteria could still be viable in any of these samples, and is } not sure what level of safety precautions are required: e.g., Should the } work be done in a hood certified for biohazard work or is this overkill? } Should the lab technician be inoculated against hepatitis B? Moon suits } and hazard pay? (I'm joking, but maybe I shouldn't be).
Doing the work in a hood is not a bad idea. You could probably get away with having everyone in the room wear a respirator with a filter fine enough to filter out TB ("N95" respirator). These are available as powered positive air pressure units or as disposable non-powered units. A surgical face mask would not be sufficient. Hepatitis B vaccination shouldn't be necessary, it's another bug that probably isn't transmitted by inhalation, but the vaccine is low risk and inexpensive so why not?
} The histories of } the tissue donors are available if that would be a determining factor but I } don't think many died of an infectious disease.
You might want to look at occupational histories. Some groups, e.g. miners, had higher incidence of TB.
I hope this helps.
Leon
-- Leon A. Metlay, M.D.,Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Rochester Medical Center Phone: (716) 275-5691 P.O. Box 626 Fax: (716) 273-1027 Rochester, NY 14642 lmetlay-at-acu.pathology.rochester.edu http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/pathres/URPLM.html "Most ass drivers are evil, most camel drivers are decent, most sailors are saintly, the best among physicians is going to Gehenna, and the best of butchers is a partner of Amalek" -R. Judah, in Mish. Kidd. 4:14
If at all possible try to vent your RP into a fume hood or outside. You can also double filter the exhaust by making a 3-4" dia PVC sealed tube about 10-12" long with screw cap plugs on each end. I've done this in the past with good results.
You have to drill a hole in the top and botton and thread in a pipe nipple the same size as the pump outlet at the bottom of the cylinder. Adapt this to fit the threads ofa Balston disposable vapor filter which will sit on the inside of the cylinder. Drill another hole in the top cap and tap it to fit another Balston filter. I can fax you a drawing if you are interested. Just emailme your FAX #.
cheers
Ed Basgall, PhD Penn State Univ Dept of Chem University Park, PA 16801
I am a pathology resident at Johns Hopkins. We currently use the Roche(now autocyte) digital camera to capture high resolution/publication quality photomicroscopic images of pathology slide specimens. My question is what is your experience with other vendors? Are there high quality cameras out there that can easily be linked to a Zeiss or other microscope? We have learned a bit about pixera and kodak cameras, but have been less than fully impressed with the technical help we have received.
Angelo M. De Marzo MD/PhD ademarz-at-welchlink.welch.jhu.edu
To: Microscopy ListSer {Microscopy-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com} *** Reply to note of 02/15/97 02:27
Bob Chiovetti, I'm doing the "Microscopy 101" column in Microscopy Today, and I'd like to use your answer in the column, or an edited version of it. Please let me know. Thanks! Phil
&&& Illigitimi non carborundum &&&&&&&& Philip Oshel Station A PO Box 5037 Champaign, IL 61825-5037 (217)244-3145 days (217)355-3145 evenings oshel-at-ux1.cso.uiuc.edu *** looking for a job again ******************
Loren Prentice, I'm doing the "Microscopy 101" column in Microscopy Today, and I'd like to use your question in the column, or an edited version of it. Please let me know. Thanks! Phil
****be famous! send in a tech tip or question*** Philip Oshel Technical Editor Microscopy Today Station A PO Box 5037 Champaign, IL 61825-5037
} From: J.F.Moura Nunes {vmnunes-at-mail.telepac.pt} } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: Re: TEM - Ni grids & magnetized tweezers } Date: Sunday, 16 February 1997 5:29 } We too sometimes have Ni grids moving around tweezers tips. To find if tweezers are magnetised we use a small compass - . . . . . cut J.F.Moura Nunes {vmnunes-at-mail.telepac.pt} **************************** The most commonly used steel in "EM" tweezers is "Inox" which in the Dumont range indicates surgical steel- which is magnetic. When using nickel grids or other materials which may be subject to magnetism it's simplest to use tweezers made from non-magnetic steel. Dumont use two: Dumoxel and Dumostar. The latter is by far the best steel for fine tweezers, it is highly acid, alkali and seawater resistant and has terrific hardness and elasticity properties. They are the most expensive, but in the hands of a skilled operator they are the most economic tweezers too. Read up about that relatively new steel. Note: ProSciTech supplies Dumont (and other) tweezers. To save other suppliers the hassle, please note that all major EM suppliers stock tweezers too.
Jim Darley ProSciTech Microscopy Supplies & Accessories PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia Phone +61 77 740 370 Fax: +61 77 892 313 Great microscopy catalogue, links, MSDS ****************** http://www.proscitech.com.au
I am looking to purchase a CCD camera to obtain images of liquid samples flowing through a slit die, to study birefringance and flow patterns. I am currently considering a 3-chip colour CCD as this will apparently give us better resolution than out current single chip colour CCD.
The main issues with our experiments is that we have good spacial resolution and can see fluid strucuture at high flow rates, colour is also reasonably important. So in an ideal case we want a high speed, high resolution colour camera, however we will also want to use a zoom lens with the camera and this is apparently problematic with 3-chip CCD's.
Larry Storter posted a message as follows: ================================================= Following my recent posting about lab services, I had a number of requests for details. There is a lot of data, so it would not be appropriate to post it to the Microscopy List. For those who contacted me directly, I have attached, as ASCII text files, both the USA and UK list which we maintain. Currently, we do not have a wider European list, since this has not seemed appropriate for a paper publication. However, we are in the process of establishing a web site, which will include all the data we currently hold, and will be extended in the future to cover the rest of Europe. ================================================= From the perspective of one who has ended up on any number of such listings over the years, I would like to suggest that any such listing would be of far greater value to prospective clients (e.g. users of such laboratory services) if information about a laboratory's accreditations and certifications accompanied such listings. For example, some laboratories are accredited to preform TEM air samples for asbestos, others are accredited to the standard of ISO Guide 25, something of great importance to any organization supporting an ISO 9000 type certification.
The best way to ensure the greatest possible accuracy, if not also honesty, in the way one represents their laboratory's credentials, is to require that when the information is submitted, it be accompanied with some kind of signed and notarized certification, attesting to the accuracy of the information being submitted.
With the growing attention being paid to quality, quality systems generally, and ISO 9000 certifications systems specifically, any such listing of laboratories at the very least should indicate those laboratories currently accredited to the standard of ISO Guide 25. The main organization doing such accrediting in North America is A2LA or American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. You can find their website at {http://members. aol.com/a2la/index.html} . In other countries, other agencies do the accrediting.
There is a huge difference between an accredited laboratory being run as a legitimate laboratory business entity as indicated above vs. the all-too- often situation when someone "runs" commercial samples for commercial clients out of a university or some other laboratory when no one is looking . It is my belief that any listing of laboratories doing EM work as a commercial service should in some way differentiate between such situations.
Disclaimer: Structure Probe, Inc. is an independent analytical laboratory offering electron microscopy services for clients, for a fee, since 1970.
Chuck
====================================================== Charles A. Garber, Ph. D. Ph: 1-(610)-436-5400 President 1-(800)-2424-SPI SPI SUPPLIES FAX: 1-(610)-436-5755 PO BOX 656 e-mail: cgarber-at-2spi.com West Chester, PA 19381-0656 USA Cust. Service: spi2spi-at-2spi.com
Look for us! ############################ WWW: http://www.2spi.com ############################ =====================================================
Can anyone tell me how to oxidize surface of a tantalum disk in order to perform the alignment of the guns in an ion mill. It must be something simple but I do not know it.
Thanks,
Yves MANIETTE Universitat de Barcelona Serveis Cientifico Tecnics Unitat ESCA TEM Carrer Lluis Sole i Sabaris, 1-3 E-08028 BARCELONA ESPANYA
I have a reference that may help you. Apparently, a 2% solution of OS4 can be neutralized by the very technique that you are using (i.e. corn oil). You should use twice as much corn oil as OS4. The reference is:
Cooper, K. Neutralization of OS4 in case of accidental spillage and for disposal. Bulletin of the Microscopical Society of Canada. 1988. 8:24-28.
Regards,
-Bob ********************************** Bob Citron Chiron Vision 555 W. Arrow Hwy Claremont, CA 91711 USA ph: (909)399-1311 email: Bob_Citron-at-cc.chiron.com **********************************
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What are some of the ways you can get rid of waste osmium? We already add it to excess corn oil but our safety people say it's still toxic. I thought I read once a technique that neutralizes it allowing it to be flushed down the sink or at the minimum placed in with regular disposal products? Our radiation people would like to see a similar thing with my uranyl acetate. Thanks for any advice.
Someone, a week or so ago (I deleted the message), asked for info about staining of silicone in tissue. I happened to come across the following reference which may be of interest: Raso D et al. 1994. Light microscopy techniques for the demonstration of silicone gel. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 118: 984-987. There also was an accompanying editorial in the same issue by Roggli et al.
In message {199702150110.RAA20593-at-cats-po-1} Jon Krupp writes: } snip } Although we have an oil mist filter } on the VE, we get some smell from the rotary pump when roughing out the } bell jar. Any suggestions on how to eliminate this problem, the computer } users have objected to the smell and possible health concerns. } } Are some filters better than others? How realistic is it to expect a filter } to eliminate all odor? } snip } Any ideas? } } Jonathan Krupp } Microscopy and Imaging Lab } University of California } Santa Cruz, CA 95064 } (408) 459-2477 } FAX (408) 429-0146 } jmkrupp-at-cats.ucsc.edu
Jonathan,
I use Balston, Inc. filter Type 9955-12, Grade 371H on my vacuum evaporator mechanical pump, two Sargent-Welch mechanical pumps, and a Marvac Z-30 direct drive pump I use for pumping my vacuum desiccator for TEM film. They have a threaded mount that fits many mechanical pump oil mist eliminator ports directly. In the case of the Sargent-Welch, I ordered an adaptor from big supplier of those pumps. like Fisher, etc., or adapt your own.
The metal oil mist "eliminators" that come with many mechanical pumps are often totally useless. This Balston filter eliminates 99% of oil vapor mist, plus they have a small tube that sticks out the bottom side for oil to drain out of. I put a short length of plastic lab tubing from it to a small 50cc bottle to collect filtered oil and eventually just put it back into the pump once per year. They are inexpensive.
Balston is in Lexington, MA. Try these filters. Good luck!
--
Gib Ahlstrand, MMS Newsletter Editor Electron Optical Facility, University of Minnesota, Dept. Plant Pathology 495 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul, MN 55108 (612)625-8249 612-625-9728 FAX, giba-at-puccini.crl.umn.edu
My understanding is that vegetable oil reduces the osmium teroxide to less reactive oxides and elemental osmium. These tend to be far less harzardous but are still toxic, as are many heavy metals. So although you reduce the hazard, you do not eliminate it. I would assume that reduced osmium would be in the same class with lead paint and photographic silver waste. I am not really sure that there are any standards out there for disposal. AT least my safety people couldn't find them. At one time they wanted to take my blackened refrigerator, seal it in a box with vermiculite and transport to some super toxic dump site in Georgia. I refused to let them do it until they could show me the regulations on reduced osmium tetroxide and they could find none. In the meantime I painted the inside of the frig. Our safety people take our reduced osmium waste and do something with it.
Our uranyl acetate and lead citrate are combined and precipitaed with phosphate. The liquid is decanted adn sent down the drain. The solids are then turned over to safety people. This, at least, reduces the volume of waste. ******************************************************* G.W. Erdos, Ph.D. Phone: 352-392-1295 Scientific Director, ICBR Electron Microscopy Core Lab 218 Carr Hall Fax: 352-846-0251 University of Florida E-mail: gwe-at-biotech.ufl.edu Gainesville, FL 32611 http://www.biotech.ufl.edu/~emcl/ Home of the #1 Gators ***** "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" Daniel 12:4
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Please forward information to me, if you have, about paper developer processors users have in their lab. I need to replace our Kodak paper developer. At least one hundred 8x10 sheets of resing coated paper each day will be processed. Price and repair history will be much appreciated!
X-Authentication-Warning: unixg.ubc.ca: lesley owned process doing -bs
Wearing a respirator is a lot better than nothing. But surely, pulverising the tissue out on the open bench will cause fine particles to fly all over the lab with every air current, contaminating everything and everybody in the lab. I would use a biohazard hood.
Lesley Weston Oral Biology University of British Columbia Vancouver, B.C., Canada
On Sat, 15 Feb 1997, Leon A. Metlay wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } ROBERT WILLIS {WILLIS.ROBERT-at-EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV} wrote: } } } Our lab has been asked to characterize lyophilized human lung tissue by } } SEM and XRF analysis. Not being pathologists and having no prior } } experience with biological tissue samples, we are concerned about } } potential health risks from handling this material. The samples were } } collected and lyophilized at least 20 years ago and have been in storage } } all this time. } } Ah nostalgia! 20 years ago I was starting my Path residency. Pathogens in } the specimens may very well still be viable. At least you don't have to } worry too much about HIV- but I wouldn't have been worried about that } anyways- it's not known to be transmissible by inhalation. My major concern } would be tuberculosis. Most of the bacteria and viruses that might lurk in } old lungs are unlikely to cause serious disease in a person with an intact } immune system. TB can cause a serious infection despite a good immune } system and infection can be established with a very small dose. } } } Sample preparation for the XRF analysis will require } } pulverizing the material with mortar and pestle and depositing this fine } } dust onto filter subtrates for analysis with the potential for exposure to } } or inhalation of the dust. } } Now I'm really concerned about TB. The pulverization is a perfect way to } get aerosols into your lungs. } } } Our safety officer doesn't know whether any } } viruses or bacteria could still be viable in any of these samples, and is } } not sure what level of safety precautions are required: e.g., Should the } } work be done in a hood certified for biohazard work or is this overkill? } } Should the lab technician be inoculated against hepatitis B? Moon suits } } and hazard pay? (I'm joking, but maybe I shouldn't be). } } Doing the work in a hood is not a bad idea. You could probably get away } with having everyone in the room wear a respirator with a filter fine } enough to filter out TB ("N95" respirator). These are available as powered } positive air pressure units or as disposable non-powered units. A surgical } face mask would not be sufficient. Hepatitis B vaccination shouldn't be } necessary, it's another bug that probably isn't transmitted by inhalation, } but the vaccine is low risk and inexpensive so why not? } } } The histories of } } the tissue donors are available if that would be a determining factor but I } } don't think many died of an infectious disease. } } You might want to look at occupational histories. Some groups, e.g. miners, } had higher incidence of TB. } } I hope this helps. } } Leon } } } -- } Leon A. Metlay, M.D.,Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine } University of Rochester Medical Center Phone: (716) 275-5691 } P.O. Box 626 Fax: (716) 273-1027 } Rochester, NY 14642 lmetlay-at-acu.pathology.rochester.edu } http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/pathres/URPLM.html } "Most ass drivers are evil, most camel drivers are decent, most sailors are } saintly, the best among physicians is going to Gehenna, and the best of } butchers is a partner of Amalek" -R. Judah, in Mish. Kidd. 4:14 } } }
Could you please delete my subscription please. I apologise for not using the listserver address but due to circumstances beyond my control I lost the address.
Thanks for the replies on Electron flight simulator. Even a local vendor replied and I will be communicating with him. The demo version is a bit limited.
Thanks again ## [########] ## ## ## ## ## Stephan H Coeztee Electron Microscope Unit Private Bag 3 Wits 2050 South Africa
Dear Yves, I use a piece of glass, actually a cover slip, in place of the specimen to align my ion guns. The glass fluoresces under the ion beams and you can align the bottom gun and see it with the top gun off, then turn off the bottom gun and do the top. With the tantalum oxide, how will you see the bottom gun? The usual way to oxidize a metal is to heat it bright red (in a bunsen butner flame) then cool it in air. You wrote: } Dear all, } } Can anyone tell me how to oxidize surface of a tantalum disk in order to } perform the alignment of the guns in an ion mill. It must be something } simple but I do not know it. } } Thanks, } } Yves MANIETTE Regards, Mary Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Eng., UBC 6350 Stores Rd. Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel:604-822-5648, fax:604-822-3619 e-mail: mager-at-unixg.ubc.ca
You will find attached an information for a postdoctoral position available in Laboratoire de pathologie Vegetale (Institut National Agronomique de Paris). Direct inquiries to Brigitte Vian or Yves Bertheau
Brigitte Vian INRA INA P-G, Pathologie Vegetale, 16 rue Claude Bernard, 75231 Paris cedex 05, FRANCE. Tel: +33 (1) 44.08.18.83 Fax: +33 (1) 44.08.16.31 E-mail: vian-at-inapv.inapg.inra.fr http://inapv.inapg.inra.fr/Welcome.html
Dear Yves, I use tantalum foil to align my Gatan guns. I oxidise the foil in 10% sulphuric acid, 90% water at 20Vdc at 20C in an electropolishing bath with the foil positive and a platinum strip negative. I stop when the foil is fairly dark purple (depends on the thickness of oxide you prefer). Regards Mike
Michael J Witcomb PhD Electron Microscope Unit University of the Witwatersrand Private Bag 3 WITS 2050 South Africa
Thank you to John McCaffrey, Jon Hangas, Mary Mager, Mike Witcomb, barbara foster, Brian G. Demczyk for their answers. Here is a synthesis.
The question was:
Can anyone tell me how to oxidize surface of a tantalum disk in order to perform the alignment of the guns in an ion mill? It must be something simple but I do not know it.
The answers are: **********************
A very effective way to align guns in an ion mill is to replace the tantalum disks with a thin glass coverslip. The glass fluoresces, showing the location of the ion beam(s). Make sure to make a mark on the glass where the center of the tantalum disks (i.e., your sample) would be.
You did not state what model ion mill you are aligning. Does tantalum oxide fluoresce? If not I would find it inconvenient to use for aligning ion mills.
It's been some time since I aligned a Commonwealth Scientific ion mill. I used to use zirconia, which fluoresced under the beam. I could adjust the screws holding the guns while watching the sample fluoresce, and try to get maximum brightness. On one home-built ion mill in graduate school, the sample stage was out of alignment and had to be shimmed.
If you are unable to obtain or make a zirconia foil, or other fluorescing material, try a heavy carbon coat on some material. It may be easier than oxidizing Ta.
A Gatan Dual Ion mill (which I use now) should not need alignment. However, you do not switch gun parts when you clean a Gatan Dual ion mill, otherwise the index marks on the epoxy end pieces of the gun assembly will not be properly aligned, and your cathodes will be off-center. Also, if the Whisperlock is designed as a cold stage, do not use it at room temperature without using the shorter room temperature platform. Otherwise your sample will be too high.
Regards, Jon Hangas jhangas-at-ford.com **********************
I use a piece of glass, actually a cover slip, in place of the specimen to align my ion guns. The glass fluoresces under the ion beams and you can align the bottom gun and see it with the top gun off, then turn off the bottom gun and do the top. With the tantalum oxide, how will you see the bottom gun? The usual way to oxidize a metal is to heat it bright red (in a bunsen butner flame) then cool it in air.
I use tantalum foil to align my Gatan guns. I oxidise the foil in 10% sulphuric acid, 90% water at 20Vdc at 20C in an electropolishing bath with the foil positive and a platinum strip negative. I stop when the foil is fairly dark purple (depends on the thickness of oxide you prefer).
E-mail: mikew-at-gecko.biol.wits.ac.za
[COMMENT from Ludo Rossou {ludo_gertie-at-ruca.ua.ac.be} : also works with 0.5g Na2SO4 in 300 cc water, increasing voltage up to 200 V DC. The green oxide layer will appear in a few minutes.] ********************** You must have an "Ion-Tech" mill! I've never found this procedure necessary in Gatan DuoMills, but dis have to go through this procedure (largely at the urging of the Ion Tech company rep.). They'll send you a pair of Ta plates for this purpose upon request.
"Brian G. Demczyk" {demczyk-at-erxindy.rl.plh.af.mil} **********************
Contact Bill Miller at Microbill-at-aol.com. He used to be product manager at both Zeiss for EM and President at Bal-Tec (ion mills). He knows lots of great tricks.
barbara foster {mme-at-map.com} **********************
I am interested in SEM JEOL 840 and have a question about scanning coil (cost, price etc.). because our scanning coil is damaged (burned and not work). however rest of SEM JEOL 840 is all right. Required scanning coil may be already used but still applicable (functional).
J o z e f Stankovic Faculty of Natural Sciences Comenius University Central Laboratory of Electron - Optical Methods Mlynska dolina 842 15 Bratislava Slovak Republic Europe
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I am interested in SEM JEOL 840 and have a question about scanning coil (cost, price etc.), because our scanning coil is damaged (burned and not work), however rest of SEM JEOL 840 is all right. Required scanning coil may be already used but still applicable (functional).
J o z e f Stankovic
Faculty of Natural Sciences Comenius University Central Laboratory of Electron - Optical Methods Mlynska dolina 842 15 Bratislava Slovak Republic Europe
} Wearing a respirator is a lot better than nothing. But surely, pulverising } the tissue out on the open bench will cause fine particles to fly all over } the lab with every air current, contaminating everything and everybody in } the lab. I would use a biohazard hood.
I agree that using a hood will prevent particles from getting onto environmental surfaces. If you have a hood use it. On the other hand, I wouldn't be really concerned about infectious particles on environmental surfaces. The bugs I'm more concerned about spread by inhalation, not by skin contact. If you don't want to risk bringing something home with you, a surgical gown or similar smock can be used to protect your clothing.
Leon
-- Leon A. Metlay, M.D.,Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Rochester Medical Center Phone: (716) 275-5691 P.O. Box 626 Fax: (716) 273-1027 Rochester, NY 14642 lmetlay-at-acu.pathology.rochester.edu http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/pathres/URPLM.html "Most ass drivers are evil, most camel drivers are decent, most sailors are saintly, the best among physicians is going to Gehenna, and the best of butchers is a partner of Amalek" -R. Judah, in Mish. Kidd. 4:14
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Dear Yves,
I use tantalum oxide disks to align gatan ion millers. I usually "punch" a large disk of tantalum foil, the size of the bottom plate/cover plate of the stage, and "punch" the three holes for mounting. I believe that a large sample is good for showing the profile of the ion beam as well as the location.
To oxidize, I make a salt solution (with any salt) and deionized water. Next, you need a dc power supply capable of rather high voltages, say 150 or 200 volts. I use a stainless steel rod to connect to the negative side of the power supply with an aligator clip. The tantalum disk goes to the positive side. Put the rod in the solution, set a voltage between 40 and 150, and dip the disk in. Be careful not to touch the disk and the rod. Also, avoid getting the aligator clip in the solution. The oxide layer thickness will saturate depending on the voltage and will reach a corrosponding color. Very dramatic colors can be acheived. We have actually made a chart of different voltages and their representative colors. As the oxide is removed it leaves behind the characteristic color you can look up on the chart. You can now get a measure of the milling rate with very short milling times, 10's of seconds. You can re-electroplate a "used" disk to get the original color or increase the voltage a little and re-plate the entire disk.
The colors you get depend also on the initial surface condition and thickness of the tantalum. We use 250 micron thickness.
Have fun, mike.
Michael T. Marshall Research Engineer, Electron Microscopy University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory 104 South Goodwin avenue Urbana, IL 61801-2985 (217) 244-8193 fax: (217) 244-2278
There has been much discussion on this topic in the last year or so and I have archived it all at the web address at the end of this message. Go to the "Tips & Tricks" link and in there find the "Photography" section. I believe there are a couple of links you will find interesting.
In answer to your question we have had an Ilford 2150 which has been up and down since we have owned it with little minor repairs. As far as daily maintance goes, there is little. Simply turn it on and go. Chemicals need relacement every 3 weeks or 1000 8x10 prints, whichever comes first. It just seems to need gears, bearings and bushings replaced every so often. Cheap but a hassle. Hope this helps.
At 03:15 PM 2/17/97 -0500, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} { GO GATORS Scott D. Whittaker 218 Carr Hall Research Assistant Gainesville, FL 32610 University Of Florida ph 352-392-1295 ICBR EM Core Lab fax 352-846-0251 sdw-at-biotech.ufl.edu http://www.biotech.ufl.edu/~emcl/ The home of " Tips & Tricks "
You indicated that you would be grinding up the tissues. Why not embed in paraffin and then cut slices which could be attached to an inert substrate, deparaffinized and examined in the SEM. This would keep aerosols to a minimum - if not eliminate them entirely by encapsulation in paraffin during the critical cutting stage.
} } } Our lab has been asked to characterize lyophilized human lung tissue by } } } SEM and XRF analysis. Not being pathologists and having no prior } } } experience with biological tissue samples, we are concerned about } } } potential health risks from handling this material. The samples were } } } collected and lyophilized at least 20 years ago and have been in storage } } } all this time.
#################################################################### John J. Bozzola, Ph.D., Director Center for Electron Microscopy Neckers Building, Room 146 - B Wing Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901-4402 U.S.A. Phone: 618-453-3730 Fax: 618-453-2665 Email: bozzola-at-siu.edu Web: http://www.siu.edu/departments/shops/cem.html ####################################################################
I've received a number of questions/comments regarding my postings about my LINK conversion software. Because of time constraints, and on the asssumption that the answers may be of interest to others too, I'm replying to everyone via this posting. Apologies to other subscribers, who are clear about or uninterested in the information. This is fairly long, so hit "Delete" now if you are not interested.
Just to be clear, I am a University user with no connection, other than as a customer, to any equipment manufacturer. The comments below about Link's products were gleaned from documentation, experience and conversations with Link's employees. Obviously the comments offered are correct to the best of my knowledge, but they are offered on an "as is" basis, for what use you care to make of them.
Before the ISIS system, Link analyzers were based on proprietary computers which owed a lot to the Data General Nova systems (the Link 290 was actually built around a Nova, I believe). It is my understanding that the backplane pin configuration was the same as the Nova (but the timing may have been different), and the disk directory and file format was the same as the Nova. The compatability may, for all I know, have been compromised as Link developed their products, but I was able to write very simple machine code programs using my old Nova 3 and it's assembler, which would execute on the AN10000.
I know very little about Link products before the AN10000. The early AN10000's had a disk operating system called "Demon". Later this was upgraded to become "Demon-Plus" which would only execute on hard-disk versions of the AN10000 (our first AN10000 had two 8" floppy drives - it still has one!). The operating system of the eX/L was called "Genie".
All of these wrote files onto disk using the Data General format, which Link thoughtfully described in detail in the AN10000 system manager's guide. Link have always also described the details of their proprietary file formats (i.e. which byte stores what information) in their software manuals.
From the early days of the AN10000 customers have been frustrated by the difficulty of exporting data from their Link analysers, and the company developed an range of products designed to transfer data to other computers. These were not particularly sophisticated for the AN10000, but on the later eX/L's they do a fine job. I have used Mac-Link, for example, and it transfers images, linescans, etc. to a Mac while preserving colour information. The later AN10000's and eX/L's also had a program which would copy Link's files to a MS-DOS 3.5" floppy disk, but this works very slowly (I think because it has extensive error checking built in).
Having got on to colour, I can only speak for the AN10000 (I have an eX/L but haven't looked into it in such detail). A linescan is stored as a one-dimensional image - i.e. a sequence of numbers representing, for example, the number of x-ray counts or the intensity of the electron signal. When you run the image analysis program (Digipad, in the case of the AN1000) the linescans are plotted on the screen according to the colour capabilities. Our AN10000 can only display 16 colours, so Digipad converts everything to 16 colours. It uses an indexing and lookup table scheme to generate the image. If you export the image from Digipad and look at it with another program using a different lookup table, you will get different colours. For example, colour coded linescans, when exported and viewed, let us say, with Photoshop with a 256-bit grey-scale lookup table will appear to have the plots in differing shades of (very dark) grey.
What my software allows is:
1: exporting spectra so thay can be read by any software that understands them
2: conversion of the formats of the Link files so that images are stored as TIFF files and spectra and linescans can be stored as ASCII files. They can then be read into software such as image presentation or analysis packages or spreadsheets, running on fast modern computers, so I don't tie up the microscope while I am processing my data.
3: extraction of the individual images from studies (I don't know what would happen if you tried to extract a single linescan from a linescan study - I've not tried it).
If I want colour then I do all the processing on the PC. I don't try to export Link's files. I use Photoshop or a similar programme for images, and a spreadsheet or graphing programme for linescans. I import my spectra to DTSA on the MAC, but there are other packages too that will import Link binary spectrum files. Alternatively, if I want a well-plotted spectrum with no analysis, I use the ascii formatted output from LKCV and read it into a graphing package.
Everything I have is on the FTP server, including all the source, comments, etc. Time constraints prevent me from offering any more support, although I don't mind answering simple questions by e-mail (I'd prefer to do this on the server, as then I won't get asked the same thing 20 times over!). As you can see from the file dates, some of the code is several years old.
Hope this all helps!
Enjoy!
Tony Garratt-Reed
**************************************************** **************************************************** ** ** ** Anthony J. Garratt-Reed ** ** Room 13-1027 ** ** Center for Materials Science and Engineering ** ** Massachusetts Institute of Technology ** ** 77 Massachusetts Avenue ** ** Cambridge, Massachsetts 02139-4307 ** ** U. S. A. ** ** ** ** Phone: 617-253-4622 ** ** Fax: 617-258-5286 or 617-258-6478 ** ** ** **************************************************** ****************************************************
Dear Jonathan: It may be that the filter insert in your existing oil mist filter has reached saturation. The need to change the insert will depend your frequency of use. The amount of oil vapor passing through a good quality clean filter should be minimal and the health problem probably not serious if entering a room with adequate air turnover. I agree that if you can smell the oil it's undesirable. Depending on how much you run the evaporator, I would be as concerned about my mental state. The noise from those things can be nerve-racking!
Don Gantz Boston Univ Med School gantz-at-med-biophd.bu.edu
I want to ask if anyone works paraffin shrimp processing and microtomy. I have troubles in shrimp paraffin sectioning, because of the hard skeleton of the shrimp. How could I soften the exoskeleton of the body of the shrimp ?. How could I soften the chitinous exoskeleton of the shrimp to make paraffin sections ?.
The glass target suggested by Mary Mager sounds like the superior method. Here are a few reasons for thinking so:
1. It allows aligning both guns without removing the target.
2. One glass target can be used repeatedly without wearing out. The anodized Ta foil is essentially a one-shot method because it works by wearing the oxide surface layer off.
3. The glass target allows the ion guns to be adjusted dynamically, whereas the Ta foil is used quasi-statically. i.e., you expose the Ta foil to the ion beam, raise it to the viewing position (in the Duo-Mill), adjust the gun, sometimes have to replace the target, and reiterate until satisfied (or frustrated). The erosion pattern can be hard to see through the viewport, and the foil targets sometimes need to be replaced one or more times during a complete gun alignment.
4. It requires no special equipment, no chemical handling facilities, and no HV power source to make.
Ion mill manufacturers I know of abandoned the anodized foil target in favor of a scintillator target long ago.
Larry Thomas Mechanical and Materials Engineering Washington State Univ. thomas-at-mme.wsu.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REPLY FROM: Thomas, Larry Return-Path: {Microscopy-request-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com} Message-Id: {199702181528.JAA01758-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com} X-Sender: marshall-at-uimrl3.mrl.uiuc.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Dear Yves,
I use tantalum oxide disks to align gatan ion millers. I usually "punch" a large disk of tantalum foil, the size of the bottom plate/cover plate of the stage, and "punch" the three holes for mounting. I believe that a large sample is good for showing the profile of the ion beam as well as the location.
To oxidize, I make a salt solution (with any salt) and deionized water. Next, you need a dc power supply capable of rather high voltages, say 150 or 200 volts. I use a stainless steel rod to connect to the negative side of the power supply with an aligator clip. The tantalum disk goes to the positive side. Put the rod in the solution, set a voltage between 40 and 150, and dip the disk in. Be careful not to touch the disk and the rod. Also, avoid getting the aligator clip in the solution. The oxide layer thickness will saturate depending on the voltage and will reach a corrosponding color. Very dramatic colors can be acheived. We have actually made a chart of different voltages and their representative colors. As the oxide is removed it leaves behind the characteristic color you can look up on the chart. You can now get a measure of the milling rate with very short milling times, 10's of seconds. You can re-electroplate a "used" disk to get the original color or increase the voltage a little and re-plate the entire disk.
The colors you get depend also on the initial surface condition and thickness of the tantalum. We use 250 micron thickness.
Have fun, mike.
Michael T. Marshall Research Engineer, Electron Microscopy University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory 104 South Goodwin avenue Urbana, IL 61801-2985 (217) 244-8193 fax: (217) 244-2278
we used to order, for our customers who have TEM with low level camera, the Dage MTI DSP 200 enhancer video signal. This product is now obsolet. Does someone know the same kind of product to increase brightness and contrast and make real time averaging on video signals ?
I concur with the others that using a microscope cover slip is an excellent means of aligning ion sources. Aside from it being easily cut with an ultrasonic disk cutter and fluorescing rather nicely, its thickness is similar to that of a TEM specimen. The cover slips that we use are about 75 microns in thickness. It is important to use as thin a slip as possible. Because you are aligning the beams based on the fluorescence from the surfaces of the cover slip, the relative beam position to the center of the specimen will change slightly as the specimen approaches perforation. For the most part this shift is negligible, however, should real thick (} 200-300 micron) pieces of glass be used, the alignment could be adversely effected.
Regards,
Paul Fischione
E.A. Fischione Instruments, Inc. produces both an ultrasonic disk cutter and ion mill used for TEM specimen preparation.
Can anyone tell me how to oxidize surface of a tantalum disk in order to perform the alignment of the guns in an ion mill? It must be something simple but I do not know it.
I was wondering if there are other JEOL 100CX users out there who also have a problem with their shutter system. 70% of my service calls involve the stage not comming up to 90 degrees, hence cutting the bottom third of my negatives. I have had the stage motor replaced on two occasions and just yesterday two of the screws holding the motor in were out. According to the JEOL service manager this is a bad design....which is wonderful to find out after you have taken fifty useless negatives. Please post me privately if you are uncomfortable with a general broadcast.
John Grazul Rutgers University Electron Microscope Facility
National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland Biomedical Engineering & Instrumentation Program Analytical Electron Microscopy Laboratory
Physical /life scientist (Biologist GS9-GS11) at BS or MS level with solid experience in thin-section transmission electron microscopy. Experience in advanced techniques in analytical electron microscopy and structural biology (cryosectioning, freeze fracture, and macromolecule preparation) is desirable, although on-the-job training is possible for an experienced and meticulous microscopist. PROOF OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP IS REQUIRED for this appointment.
For further information please contact:
Dr. Richard Leapman Bldg. 13, Rm. 3N17 National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892 Tel: (301) 496-2599 FAX: (301) 496-6608 E-mail: leapman-at-helix.nih.gov
Applications (with curriculum vitae or federal employment form SF-171) should include the reference number RR-97-0008A, and should be post-marked by 3/10/97 and sent to: Mr. Eugene McDougal Bldg. 31, Rm. 3B38 National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892-2130 Tel: (301) 496-1524 (for detailed instructions about application)
You can retrieve more information via FAX by calling 301-594-2953 (local) or 1-800-728-JOBS (long distance) -- FAX-ID# 5808. General information is also available at http://www.nih.gov/news/jobs/
In re-reading my post regarding my screen problems on my JEOL 100CX I made a erroneous statement {I did not edit my posting before it was sent}. I think that this is a bad design because of the cronic problems that we have had over the eight years that we have owned the scope...unfortunately I added a false statement regarding our service manager. This is a result of a quick send finger and faulty editing on my part. I apologize to JEOL for my misstatement, but the stage drive still acts up cronically
John Grazul Rutgers University Electron Microscope Facility
The School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech is seeking to obtain a double tilt holder for a Phillips 400 TEM. If you have such a holder for sale or trade or donation in your lab, please contact me by e-mail or phone. Regards,
Yolande Berta School of Materials Science and Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 778 Atlantic Drive Atlanta, GA 30332-0245 (404) 894-2545 (404) 894-9140 FAX yolande.berta-at-mse.gatech.edu
Greetings! I have a Reichert-Jung Ultracut that still functions well after 20 years. However, it seems that one of the prisms in the American Optical Model 570 binocular head has become dislodged, making simultaneous focus impossible. It is not so noticable at low mag, but at high mag becomes very apparent. The person who services the instrument is reluctant to take the head apart. I'd like to know if someone could recommend a company or individual that could make the necessary repairs, without having to trade my son for the service. Thanks in advance!
Dwight Beebe E-mail: beebed-at-ere.umontreal.ca Institut de recherche en biologie vegetale Voice: 514-872-4563 Universite de Montreal FAX: 514-872-9406 4101, rue Sherbrooke est Montreal, Quebec H1X 2B2 Canada
OOPS! The server cut off the contact phone number and e-mail address, for that double tilt holder which you may have sitting around in your lab, for a Phillips 400. Let's try again. Yolande Berta School of Materials Science and Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology 778 Atlantic Drive Atlanta, GA 30332-0245 (404) 894-2545 (404) 894-9140 FAX yolande.berta-at-mse.gatech.edu
(1) I am interested in any references on scanning EM of polyacrylamide gels of any type. My main interest is in the structure of these gels. I would like to know what the "pores" look like. A medline search from 1966-present was negative.
(2) If anyone out there has looked at polyacrylamide gels of any type, I would be interested in unpublished results, if you are willing to disclose your findings.
(3) Finally, if anyone is interested in a colloboration to look at these, please contact me at the address below. I am currently making my own tube gels, but I also use commercially prepared 10-20% tricine gels. Concerning the "home made" gels, I am particularly interested in effects of acrylamide concentration, crosslinker concentration and temperature on the structure of the gel.
Thanks! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sheryl K. Brining, Ph.D. Bldg. 10/Room 6C-103 National Institutes of Health Bethesda MD 20892-1582 National Institute on Aging e-mail: skb-at-helix.nih.gov 10 Center Drive, MSC 1582 Phone/Fax: (301) 594-3982
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." Goethe
We use DVS-3000 by HAMAMATSU photonics. This product features integration, enhancing. You may need to make sure that the averaging function is as strong as you wish. They also have a new model DVS-20 which is controlled with SCSI.
Takanori Maeda Pioneer Electronic Corp.
} Hi all, } } we used to order, for our customers who have TEM with low level camera, the } Dage MTI DSP 200 enhancer video signal. This product is now obsolet. Does } someone know the same kind of product to increase brightness and contrast } and make real time averaging on video signals ? } } Elisabeth LECA } NEWTEC/Assistance } }
} Can anyone point me to a software vendor from whom I can buy a copy } of the ImagePro image processing program?
The homepage of Mediacybernetics should help You: http://www.mediacy.com/ -- Philip Koeck Karolinska Institutet Dept. of Bioscience Novum S-14157 Huddinge Sweden Tel.: +46-8-608 91 93 Fax.: +46-8-608 92 90 Email: Philip.Koeck-at-csb.ki.se http://www_scem.csb.ki.se/pages/philip.html
Calling all manufacturers/major distributors of microscopes/related products.
Indian economy has recieved a boost by libralisation of imports and globalisation today.Protective tade measures and other hurdles have been removed making imports easier.
There is a good ready market for the following areas of microscopy.
1.Light microscopy. 2.Image analysis 3.EM/SEM 4.aCCESSORIES LIKE Optics-objectives,eyepieces,condensors,phase contrast eqpt.,polarising equipt.attachments. 5.CCD Cameras,video printers,Image grabber cards 6} Training courses
Organisations associated in the above areas interested in exloiting the Indian market by way of appointment of distributors/representation/ technical collaborations for manufacturing/outsourcing/sub contracting may kindly send their product catalogues,views on this possibility immediately to the undersigned.
An early response shall be highly appreciated.
Best regards, Soneja A.K. ************************************************************************* For further details please contact: Soneja A.K. Director METZER BIOMEDICAL & ELECTRONICS PVT.LTD. 327 Wadala Udyog Bhavan,Wadala,MUMBAI(BOMBAY )400 031.INDIA Tel:91 22 4145057/4165650 Fax 91 22 4168757
What is the advantage of a cold FEG vs. a Thermal FEG for a 200 keV TEM? Is the stability of a cold FEG a real issue? Does the thermal FEG have an edge for operation in TEM imaging? Is the Cold FEG superior for small probe work? Are there any other compelling issues in deciding about a Hitachi vs. a Jeol/Philips TEM?
These are the only papers I know of that show EM of polyacrylamide:
R=FCchel, R. and M.D. Brager. 1975. Scanning electron microscopic observations of polyacrylamide gels. Anal. Biochem. 68:415-428.
R=FCchel, R., R.L. Steere, and E.F. Erbe. 1978. Transmission-elect= ron microscopic observations of freeze-etched polyacrylamide gels. J. Chromatogr. 166:563-575.
We are interested in the exclusion of macromolecules from gels, and I= would be interested in your findings on the ultrastructure of your gels.
Jim Williams.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////= ////// / James C. Williams, Jr. williams-at-anatomy.iupui.e= du / / Department of Anatomy = / / Indiana University School of Medicine (317)274-3423 = / / 635 Barnhill Drive (317)278-2040 fax = / / Indianapolis, IN 46202-5120 = / /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////= ////// Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who have pleasure in them. Psalm 111:2
Sheryl K. Brining wrote:
} (1) I am interested in any references on scanning EM of polyacrylam= ide } gels of any type. My main interest is in the structure of these gels= . I } would like to know what the "pores" look like. A medline search fro= m } 1966-present was negative. } {snip}
Has anyone used Green Fluorescent Protein? I would like to use it for = determining cell proliferation (because of the experimental set up, it = is difficult to measure cell population directly).
Also, does anyone know of any dyes that do not affect cell viability but = also will be retained by the cell long term (~2-3 weeks) without being = metabolized or compartmentalized?
Eric, Molecular Probes has a great web site - http://www.probes.com that you may find helpful or call them for technical help at 541-465-8353 if you don't have access to the www.
Beth
************************************** Beth Richardson EM Lab Coordinator Botany Department University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602
The Electron Phase Problem: 1) Obtain an Image/Diffraction Pattern, probably of the sample 2) Obtain a probable electron wave 3) Obtain a probable structure 4) Probably the referee will accept it
Abstract Due by March 15 See http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MSAMeetings/MM97link.htm
Preliminary list of invited speakers: J. E. Bonevich "Electron Holography of Electromagnetic Fields" C. Barry Carter "Fresnel-Fringe Contrast from Interfaces" D. L. Dorset "The pseudo-atom approximation in direct determination of protein structures" C. Gilmore "The Maximum Entropy Method for Solving the Phase Problem" B. K. Jap "3D structure of a water channel at 6.5 A resolution as determined by electron crystallography" S. Hovmoeller and X. Zou: "The relation between the phase of the electron wave (which is lost when an EM image is recorded) and the crystallographic structure factor phase (which is present in the EM image)" C. A. Mannella "3D structure of a mitochondrial ion channel by electron crystallography" L. D. Marks "Is it really that easy to solve Surface Structures using Direct Methods?" I. Voigt-Martin "The use of electron crystallography to solve old problems in non-linear optics" N. Tanaka "Possibility of coherent CBED of bi-crystals and its multi-slice simulation" H. W. Zandbergen "The use of the phase and and amplitude of exit waves for accurate structure determination"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Laurence Marks Department of Materials Science and Engineering Northwestern University Evanston, IL 60208-3108 tel: (847) 491-3996 fax: (847) 491-7820 email: l-marks-at-nwu.edu http: //www.numis.nwu.edu ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
} Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 14:51:21 -0400 } From: Dwight Beebe {beebed-at-ere.umontreal.ca} } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: Service for Ultracut binoculars } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Greetings! } I have a Reichert-Jung Ultracut that still functions well after 20 } years. However, it seems that one of the prisms in the American Optical } Model 570 binocular head has become dislodged, making simultaneous focus } impossible. It is not so noticable at low mag, but at high mag becomes } very apparent. The person who services the instrument is reluctant to take } the head apart. I'd like to know if someone could recommend a company or } individual that could make the necessary repairs, without having to trade } my son for the service. } Thanks in advance! } } } Dwight Beebe E-mail: beebed-at-ere.umontreal.ca } Institut de recherche en biologie vegetale Voice: 514-872-4563 } Universite de Montreal FAX: 514-872-9406 } 4101, rue Sherbrooke est } Montreal, Quebec H1X 2B2 } Canada } I have had good service on both the microtome and the binocs from Jon Petz (VP) at
I am looking for TEM related job. If you can provide imformation about this or show me the way to get the imformation, I will preciate it. Thank you very much.
Organized on behalf of the Royal Microscopical Society by: Prof Anthony G Cullis (a.g.cullis-at-sheffield.ac.uk) Dr John L Hutchison (john.hutchison-at-materials.ox.ac.uk)
Co-sponsored by the Institute of Physics (EMAG) and Endorsed by the Materials Research Society
CENTENARY OF ELECTRON DISCOVERY ------------------------------------------------------------
The conference will feature a special Symposium to celebrate the centenary of the discovery of the electron. Key presentations will be given by: Dr W F Brinkman (Vice-President for Physical Sciences Research, Bell Labs, Murray Hill) The Materials Behind the Telecommunications Revolution Dr T Matsuo (Managing Director of Semiconductor Equipment Division, JEOL Ltd, Tokyo) The Evolution of Semiconductor E-Beam Lithography and Metrology Prof K van der Mast(Philips Electron Optics, Eindhoven) The Development ofElectron-Optical Imaging and Diffraction Systems
MAIN CONFERENCE SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS
These will focus on the state-of-the-art in studies of the structural, electronic and optical properties of as-grown and processed semiconductors by all forms of microscopy. More than 160 papers will be presented and the full scientific programme is available at the RMS Web Site http://www.rms.org.uk. The proceedings of the conference will be published.
INVITED SPEAKERS -----------------------------
Prof P J Goodhew (University of Liverpool) Dislocation Behaviour in Strained Layer interfaces Prof R J Hamers (University of Wisconsin-Madison) STM Studies of CVD Processes on Si Surfaces Dr D C Houghton (Canadian National Research Centre, Ottawa) Advances in Epitaxial Strained Layer Devices Dr D E Jesson (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee) Exploring Instabilities and Metastabilities in Semiconductor Growth Dr J-L Rouvi=E8re (CEN, Grenoble) GaN Growth: Influence of Polarity and Strain Prof J C H Spence (Arizona State University) Dislocation Kink Behaviour in Semiconductors Prof H P Strunk (University of Erlangen) Self-Organization and Defect Mechanisms in Heteroepitaxial Growth Prof S Takeda (University of Osaka) The Structures of Extended Defects in Si and Ge Analysed by HRTEM Dr R T Tung (Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill) Control of Silicide Layers in ULSI Devices: Simple Principles at Work Dr J Vanhellemont (IMEC, Leuven) TEM Studies of Processed Si Device Materials Dr P R Wilshaw (University of Oxford) Developments in SEM:EBIC Studies of Semiconducting Materials
********************************
Further details, including registration information, can be obtained from: The Administrator, The Royal Microscopical Society, 37/38 St Clements, Oxford OX4 1AJ, UK Tel: +44-(0)1865-248768 Fax:+44-(0)1865-791237 E-mail: meetings-at-rms.org.uk WWW: http://www.rms.org.uk
GFP is good, but it knocks out most of the green dyes, if you want to double label anything, since it has a broad spectra. PKH from sigma is another choice for tagging, etc., but I think that goes only to 10 days. Good luck.
Someone just asked about the nature of the Pentavac-5 DP oil that has just been listed as a new item in the catalog of the Duniway Stockroom Corp. Here is a comparison of the properties published for it by Duniway with those published by Monsanto for Santovac-5: Pentavac Santovac Vapor Press -at- 25 C 4x10-10 Torr 4x10-10 Torr BP at 0.5 Torr 275 C approx. 260 C Viscosity -at- 40 C 279 -at- 38 C 360 Viscosity -at- 100 C 12.6 -at- 99 C 13
Although all values are not identical, you must remember that it is very difficult to measure the properties of fluids such as these with a high degree of precision, and so my suspicion is that Pentavac-5 is essentially the equivalent of Santovac-5, but probably produced by a company other than Monsanto. My understanding is that Monsanto recently announced that they intended to stop manufacturing Santovac-5, and that they were looking for another company to take over the operation. My guess is that this transfer has now occurred, and that Pentavac-5 is the result. Incidentally, when first introduced in the early 1960s the prices quoted for Santovac-5 by Monsanto were: $11.50 for a 100 ml bottle and $43.00 for a 500 ml bottle. Current prices for Santovac-5 are $150 and $560, and for Pentavac-5, $130 and $510 - how times have changed!
Wilbur C. Bigelow, Prof. Emeritus Materials Sci. & Engr., University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136 e-mail: bigelow-at-umich.edu; Fx:313-763-4788; Ph:313-764-3321
We are planning a study of airway permeability in response to tobacco smoke in the lung; that is, fluid transport from blood vessel through endothelium to interstitium through epithelium to lumenal airspace. We would like to use a marker that we will be able to identify with the high-resolution low-temperature SEM in frozen hydrated fractured specimens of hydrated airways. The pore size for this pathway is greater than 50 nanometers diameter.
Would colloidal gold work? It is available in an appropriate range of sizes but is it sticky, will it attach along the way? How about ferritin? Can it be identified at reasonable magnification in frozen hydrated specimens with backscattered electrons? Does it agglutinate into too large complexes?
Any suggestions from you will be appreciated.
Jacob
Jacob Bastacky, M.D. Room 116 Donner Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory EMail: sjbastacky-at-lbl.gov University of California Phone: (510) 486-4606 Berkeley, California 94720 Fax: (510) 486-4750
Thanks to all for the quick responses about my search for Image Pro! From the many notes I received, I should be able to get all the information I need.
Rob Plano Staff Analyst, SPM Services Charles Evans & Associates Sunnyvale, CA (408) 739-3867, ext.294 rplano-at-cea.com
Hello all. I know I've seen this topic come up here before, but now that I need it, I can't find the information.
Can anyone recommend some solvents, other than alcohols and acetone, suitable for freeze-substitution. I am having some difficulty obtaining adequate substitution in some cells of my material (plant bits) and want to try solvents which may penetrate more effectively.
Tetrahydrofuran is a great one to try. it gives very different results than acetone or ethanol. But I doubt penetration is the problem. Why do you think you are getting bad penetration?Are you sure your solvents are totally dry? I recommend using a fresh unopened bottle each time. Avoid adding molecular sieves which can make matters worse.
} } Can anyone recommend some solvents, other than alcohols and acetone, } suitable for freeze-substitution. I am having some difficulty obtaining } adequate substitution in some cells of my material (plant bits) and want to } try solvents which may penetrate more effectively. } } Thanks in advance. } } Kim Rensing
Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility 3 Tucker Hall University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211 (573)-882-4712 (voice) (573)-882-0123 (fax)
} I am looking for TEM related job. If you can provide imformation about } this or show me the way to get the imformation, I will preciate it. Thank } you very much.
A good site is Microworld Resources http://www.mwrn.com/ The of course the job adds in Science, Nature etc. and the postings on this list. -- Philip Koeck Karolinska Institutet Dept. of Bioscience Novum S-14157 Huddinge Sweden Tel.: +46-8-608 91 93 Fax.: +46-8-608 92 90 Email: Philip.Koeck-at-csb.ki.se http://www_scem.csb.ki.se/pages/philip.html
Scanalytics, the biological imaging division of CSPI, is looking to add to our Technical Support team. The position is for our microscopy product line which includes software-based instruments for performing high-resolution 3D fluorescence microscopy.
The position requires that you interact with potential and current customers to answer their questions on how the Scanalytics products may be configured to be most appropriate for their work and to perform benchmark studies. You will be called upon to perform demonstrations, and installations of the instruments, to deliver technical presentations to interested audiences, and to travel with sales representatives (domestic and international) to answer technical questions. Your experience will be needed to help in the design of new products and to write technical bulletins regarding current products. In addition to a competitive base salary, health/life insurance, and tuition reimbursement, compensation includes a commission on product line sales.
While this position does not require direct experience in the field of microscopy, candidates will possess strong interpersonal abilities, a desire to learn new skills in a dynamic industry, a willingness to travel, and a problem-solving attitude. Ideal candidates will bring several years of hands-on experience with biological fluorescence microscopy, especially computer-based (PC) instruments as applied in this work, a good working knowledge of research cameras and microscope automation equipment is also desired. The position will involve approximately 50% travel away from our Boston-area office. A BS in the life sciences or biomedical engineering is also highly desirable.
Persons interested in exploring this exciting opportunity are encouraged to send their resume to:
Rose Doyon Scanalytics 40 Linnell Circle Billerica, MA 01821
Larry Stoter posted a list of parameter for thermal vs cold FE emitters, including the following:
Energy Spread ev 0.2 - 0.4 0.3
These numbers are commonly seen in the literature, but they are only good for very low beam currents, say at 1 microamp emission, which is not useful for "typical" microscopy. At more realistic currents encountered e.g. for high resolution imaging (say 30 microA), the cold FE source will operate at 0.5-0.6 ev (200kV), and the Schottkey source significantly higher. Don't believe everything you read.
Several folks have asked for the response to my query about staining silicone residues in tissue. Thanks so much for all the help and please excuse my tardiness in getting this out to the members.
Regards, Don Cox
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Someone, a week or so ago (I deleted the message), asked for info about staining of silicone in tissue. I happened to come across the following reference which may be of interest: Raso D et al. 1994. Light microscopy techniques for the demonstration of silicone gel. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 118: 984-987. There also was an accompanying editorial in the same issue by Roggli et al. - Daniel Luchtel {dluchtel-at-u.washington.edu}
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Reply to: RE} Staining Silicone-Containing Tiss We have been staining breast tissues from silicone implants for the past 5 years. We receive frozen tissue and cut slides for an immunofluorescent panel. We do IgA, IgM, IgG, C3 and Fibrinogen. The sections are cut at 4 microns and there have not been any cutting problems. Carol Ann Bobrowitz {Carol_Bobrowitz.PATHOLOGY-at-qmail.path.mcw.edu} Medical College of Wisconsin
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Dear Don and Histonetters: There is an excellent reference entitled " Light Microscopy Techniques for the Demonstration of Silicone Gel" in the October, 1994 Volume 118 Issue of The Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. I had the opportunity to hear the author, Dr. Dominic Raso, speak on this subject. Bottom line -- Non-koehler, phase contrast and darkfield illumination greatly enhance detection of silicone gel. He also mentions a negative staining technique which is a 1 : 1 mixture of Aqua-mount and black stamp pad ink. Oil red O is not very consistent. Electron probe microanalysis also confirms the presence of silicon. Also, sections need to be cut at 10 micron. My own experience with silicone gel has been that it is highly refractile, not polarizable and no special stain was needed. If you have difficulties locating the reference, I will be glad to send you a copy. Linda Jenkins {jlinda-at-ces.clemson.edu} MUSC
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I once had to look for Si in the breast tissue of a woman who thought she had been "poisoned" by her implants. I didn't find anything in the breast tissue itself.
Almost forgot..... I did this with EDAX in the SEM, looking at a section cut onto a plastic (Thermanox) coverslip, dried and carbon coated. My explanation would be a bit fuller but I'm in the middle of a conference. As I remember, a few relevant papers came up when I did a lit. search using keywords like breast, silicon, etc.
Get back to me if you want more, I'll be freer next week.
Stephen Edgar Electron Microscope Unit, Pathology Department School of Medicine University of Auckland
some time ago I posted a query about not being able to run Iomega ZIP parallel port drive under Novell DOS, only under MS-DOS We now found a solution which is perhaps useful to those who were interested: - instead of the recommended installation from floppy diskette using setup.exe, use following procedure: - boot machine from floppy drive into MS-DOS ( this must be available for the first installation); install ZIP drive, and run guest program. - once machine recognizes the ZIP drive, run install.exe from dosstuff on tools disk even though the drive is parallel port, the program will install some SCSI drivers; - machine can now be booted normally into Novell DOS, and will recognize ZIP Prof.Walter A.Mannheimer Metallurgy and Materials Engineering Federal University of Rio de Janeiro POBox 68505 21945 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Voice +5521 280-7443 (Dept.office) +5521 590-0579 (direct) Fax +5521 290-6626 Email: wamann-at-metalmat.ufrj.br
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Here is a table of cold v Schottky FEG parameters
Cold Schottky Vacuum {10^-10 {10^-8 Tip flashing? 6-8 hr no Beam Noise 6-10% 1% Max Brightness 10^9 10^8 (A/cm2/sr) Current 1pA-300pA 1pA-5nA Lifetime } 1000 hr } 2000 hr I Stability/hr % {5 {1 Energy Spread ev 0.2 - 0.4 0.3 Source dia 5 - 10 nm 15 nm Work function 4.5 eV 2.8 eV Operating temp 300 K 1800 K
Data from "The Principles & Practise of Electron Microscopy" by Ian Watt.
I am looking for studies performed on reflection contrast microscopy (sometimes also named: interference reflection contrast microscopy). More than 200 citations can be found in literature but I am uncertain whether this technique is used somewhere routinely. Is anybody doing research work (or has done) with this equipment? And - if so - I would appreciate information by which manufacturer it has been produced.
-- Mit freundlichen Gruessen Yours sincerely ***************************************************************** * Dr. T. J. Filler * specialist in anatomy * * Westfaelische Wilhelms-Univ. * phone:*49 251 83 55226 * * Institute of Anatomy * FAX.: *49 251 83 55241 * * Image Analysis Division * e-Mail: filler-at- * * Vesaliusweg 2-4 * e-Mail: image.analysis-at- * * D-48149 Muenster * e-Mail: Institute.of.Anatomy-at- * * Germany * domain: uni-muenster.de * * http://medweb.uni-muenster.de/institute/anat/ * *****************************************************************
Loren Prentise wrote: ============================ I have a thin (1um) al2o3/al film on an aluminum (1mm) substrate. I am trying to mount for the cross section. I need a method to preserve the edge and prevent film spallation and substrate smearing while polishing. I have tried to sandwich film with another Al piece, but can't get intimate contact for good support, so film is badly damaged. One suggestion was electroless plating or electroplating. Any suggestions or resources to pursue? Thanks very much. ============================= If the object is to look by SEM, then it is correct that if diamond knife thin sectioned, throwing away the sections, but saving the "faced-off-piece" for examination, that surface from the "faced-off-piece" is going to be better than any surface that could be obtained by "polishing". The sample for this kind of work is generally embedded, and if the pore size is especially large, then we use vacuum embedding methods for even better results.
If you think (as we do) that it is a shame to be throwing out perfectly good sections, take a look at them by TEM. However, in that case, we always sputter coat a layer of gold on top of the anodized layer first. It does not interfere with the SEM examination of the faced-off-piece but it does help in the interpretation of the TEM results. If your interest is primariy in the top most surface of the anodized layer, then by all means embed. There might be some separation at the oxide/substrate interface, but there is excellent preservation at the interface. If a pice of the oxide is missing, you can readily tell from the presence of the gold layer whether that is real (e.g. oxide really was missing) or an artifact (it was pulled out during the sectioning). If the interest is more over all relative to the anodized layer, then sometimes it is better not to embed. Just gold coat and section. The presence or absence of the gold layer again helps to discriminate between fact from artifact, that is, whether a "hole" in the anodized layer is "real" or one caused by the diamond knife during sectioning.
Disclaimer: SPI Supplies offers materials science diamond knives and therefore we have a vested interest in seeing this kind of work done by diamond knife thin sectioning than by any other way!
Chuck
==================================================== Charles A. Garber, Ph. D. Ph: 1-(610)-436-5400 President 1-(800)-2424-SPI SPI SUPPLIES FAX: 1-(610)-436-5755 PO BOX 656 e-mail: cgarber-at-2spi.com West Chester, PA 19381-0656 USA Cust. Service: spi2spi-at-2spi.com
Look for us! ############################ WWW: http://www.2spi.com ############################ =====================================================
We have used an Agfa DD3700 processor for many years with excellent results; almost no down-time.
Geoff -- *************************************************************** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (908)-235-4583; fax -4029 e-mail: mcauliff-at-.umdnj.edu ***************************************************************
I also have had very good service from Tek-Net in New Jersey; 908-905-5530.
Geoff *************************************************************** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (908)-235-4583; fax -4029 e-mail: mcauliff-at-.umdnj.edu ***************************************************************
Regarding rotary pump oil vapors in areas where one cannot vent the pumps outside. I had posted a reply to J. Krupp about a double filter set-up I had constructed while serving time at U of Ill. This design has worked well for such an application.
Several others had inquired as to the construction of such a unit. I have a drawing available for the do-it-yourselfer or would be willing to construct one (or several) and send it out for a modest price to anyone interested. Please contact me via email: edb-at-chem.psu.edu if you would like further information on such a unit. If there is enough interest I may just quit my day job and produce these full time.
cheers Ed Basgall, PhD Penn State Univ Dept of Chem State College, PA 16802 Ph: 814-865-0493 FAX 814-863-0618
} In message {199702150110.RAA20593-at-cats-po-1} Jon Krupp writes: } snip } Although we have an oil mist filter } on the VE, we get some smell from the rotary pump when roughing out the } bell jar. Any suggestions on how to eliminate this problem, the computer } users have objected to the smell and possible health concerns. } } Are some filters better than others? How realistic is it to expect a filter } to eliminate all odor? } snip } Any ideas? } } Jonathan Krupp } Microscopy and Imaging Lab } University of California } Santa Cruz, CA 95064 } (408) 459-2477 } FAX (408) 429-0146 } jmkrupp-at-cats.ucsc.edu
I am looking for a person working in materials science and/or physics who would be interested in helping me determine the direction in which to expand our current facilities.
If you are interested, please read on:
I am a biologists who works with light and electron microscopy. I have no idea what else is needed for other fields of study outside of biology.
We have acquired an Hitachi H-7000 with SEM/STEM. We plan to add an EDS system to the scope in order to do elemental analysis. In the process of seeking creative funding (cost sharing with other departments), I proposed the idea of us offering a materials science or physics course to use this instrument.
We are a four-year college with a high caliber student body. We have a small physics department (5 faculty) that the college would like to double in size over the next 5-10 years. As part of a curriculum development group, I proposed that we develop a specialty in physics that typically is not met by other "standard" departments. We currently have an excellent astronomy offering with research-quality telescopes and a planetarium. We also have a well-equipped optics lab. My suggestion was to add a "materials science" component to the department. Not only could we prepare students for graduate work in material science, but we could provide training that would prepare students for direct entry into semi-conductor industry, metallurgy, or whatever.
I currently train a contingent of our students to become microscopists/ cytotechnolgist (we have the TEM, an Hitachi S-510 SEM, vacuum evaporator, two research grade light microscopes with fluorescence, DIC, and image analysis, and complete histology lab, including a cryostat). My idea was to add some breadth to this background by training them in other areas of microscopy (EDS, and other items more relevant to materials science research or industry). Because I am a biologist, I do not know what oher skills this would entail.
And this is where I am asking for help. What else would we want to consider adding? I asked a chemistry colleague about NMR, but apparently the NMR that we have will not do the things that a materials science/physicist would need. It takes the "other kind" of NMR (I believe she said it was a solid state or solid phase NMR that we would need). We have an engineering school in the college. Is there something that would be attractive to them as well?
I am not looking for a place to spend money, but rather am looking for a suggestion of what to include in this proposed program. (I.e., Ideally, what would your include in the range of training for materials science?) It does not have to be entirely microscopy. Our funds are limited, but if we could develop a program/course that could make some of our graduates more useful to industry (particularly industry in New Jersey), there are special grants in the state to support these type of programs.
Please respond with ideas of instruments, their rough cost, and the applications that they would be used for. Please feel free to suggest other forms of training/skills that would be good for us to teach.
Please respond directly to me.
Thank you.
______________________________________________________________________ Donald L. Lovett e-mail: lovett-at-tcnj.edu Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Biology voice: (609) 771-2876 The College of New Jersey fax: (609) 771-2674 Trenton, NJ 08650-4700
Kim, Our Hazardous Waste folks don't like to deal with the substitution fluids we use so check with your waste disposal people before you use the following method:
Make stock solutions of 4% Osmium tetroxide (1g in 25 ml HPLC grade Acetone*) and 0.1% Uranyl acetate (0.025g in 25 ml HPLC grade acetone). Mix stock solutions 1:1 for your substitution fluid. Note: Uranyl acetate takes several hours to go into solution so I make it the night before I need it (keep it in the dark at room temp). Then chill it to -80. *The acetone must be prechilled to -80 before you add the osmium. Keep solutions on dry ice or use a cold block when you bring them out of the -80. Mix the solutions into prechilled sample vials.
References: Hoch HC (1986) Freeze-substitution of fungi. In: Aldrich HC, Todd WJ (eds) Ultrastructure techniques for microorganisms. Plenum, NY
Howard RJ and O'Donnell KL (1987) Freeze substitution of fungi for ctyological analysis. Experimental Mycology 11: 250-269
Best regards, Beth
} Hello all. I know I've seen this topic come up here before, but now that I } need it, I can't find the information. } } Can anyone recommend some solvents, other than alcohols and acetone, } suitable for freeze-substitution. I am having some difficulty obtaining } adequate substitution in some cells of my material (plant bits) and want to } try solvents which may penetrate more effectively. } } Thanks in advance. } } Kim Rensing
************************************** Beth Richardson EM Lab Coordinator Botany Department University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602
Two training workshops this summer organised by The Center for Cell Imaging, Yale School of Medicine.
July 3-5: Immunocytochemistry and Cryosections Invited Instructor: Jan W. Slot, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
A practical course aimed at biomedical researchers interested in learning how to cryosection samples and label them with antibodies. This is a true hands-on workshop with the focus on technique transfer. For this reason registration is limited to 10 participants. Registration fee: $500
July 30- August 2: Microwave Workshop. Biological specimen preparation for TEM using a microwave oven. Hands-on workshop to teach rapid (2-4 hour) specimen processing and embedding. This workshop will also include a demonstration of cryoultramicrotomy and digital image aquisition. Registration fee (including accomodation): $950
All workshops will be held at the Center for Cell Imaging in the Yale School of Medicine.
For more information either contact Paul Webster directly (e-mail : Paul.Webster-at-Yale.edu) or visit our web site: http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg/CCItraining.html
Best Wishes
Paul Webster. Center for Cell Imaging Yale School of Medicine http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg
Summer Internship in the Materials Technology Department at Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, California
The TEM group at Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, CA announces a summer internship available for a graduate student in the area of specimen preparation technology. The primary goal of this project will be to help construct an argon ion mill inside the specimen chamber of a field emission scanning electron microscope. The SEM will then be used as an ultra-high precision endpoint detector for controlling the termination of ion milled TEM cross-sections of ULSI semiconductor specimens with very small feature size.
The student should have prior experience in SEM, TEM, and TEM specimen preparation of semiconductor materials, particularly the dimple and ion mill technique.
Requirements: U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, 3.0 gpa or higher, enrolled fulltime in school and able to work full time during the internship.
Intel Corp. is an equal opportunity employer.
Please forward inquiries and resumes to:
Dr. John Mardinly Intel Corporation 3065 Bowers Avenue, Mail Stop SC2-24 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8119
The following summarizes the responses I've received in the past couple of weeks regarding sources of colloidal carbon as an electron dense tracer for vascular leakage:
1. Stephen Edgar at the Univ. of Auckland replied that they have used nuclear track emulsion (NTE) from Amersham to examine capillary functionality in heart. The silver grains were the e-dense tracer. The reference for this is: Choong YS, Gavin JB, Cottier DS, & Edgar SG. (1995) Microvascular incompetence and the failure of hearts to recover contractile function after cardioplegia. European Heart Journal 16(8):1140-1146.
2. Jan Leunissen suggested using ultra small gold/BSA conjugates as "latent" tracers, which are then visualized with silver enhancement on sections. He suggested that 20 nm gold conjugated to BSA would have too great a hydrodynamic radius (with adhering protein plus bound water) to be a suitable tracer.
3. A few respondents also suggested that colloidal carbon would not or does not have sufficient electron density to be a suitable tracer and/or that the particle size distribution would be too heterogenous to make them a suitable tracer. To those respondents I can only refer them to an existing body of literature where colloidal carbon was used for this purpose. I obtained the following references from the MEDLINE database (1986-present):
Beck IT, Morris GP & Buell MG. (1986). Ethanol-induced vascular permeability changes in the jejunal mucosa of the dog. Gastroenterology. 90(5 Pt 1):1137-1145.
Dvorak HF, Nagy JA, Dvorak JT, & Dvorak HM. (1988). Identification and characterization of the blood vessels of solid tumors that are leaky to circulating macromolecules. Am. J Path. 133(1):95-109.
Gouveia MA. (1988). The testes in cadmium intoxication: morphological and vascular aspects. Andrologia. 20(3):225-231.
Gerdes U, Gafvels M, Bergh A & Cajander S. (1992). Localized increases in ovarian vascular permeability and leucocyte accumulation after induced ovulation in rabbits. J Reprod. Fert. 95(2):539-550.
Feng D, Nagy JA, Hipp J, Dvorak HF & Dvorak AM. (1996) Vesiculo-vacuolar organelles and the regulation of venule permeability to macromolecules by vascular permeability factor, histamine, and serotonin. J Exp. Med. 183(5):1981-1986.
I will probably try one or more of the techniques suggested or referenced above and will be happy to share results with those that are interested.
The attached text is an excerpt from a Philips Electron Optics document:
Schottky versus Cold Field Emission
Although Field Emission Guns (FEGs) were already mounted on TEMs a long time ago - the first commercial FEG instrument, the Philips EM400 FEG was launched in 1977 - they did not become very popular until the beginning of the 1990's. This was for a number of reasons. First of all, the early instruments operated only up to 120 kV (by many seen as too low for practical Materials Science work) and suffered from teething troubles (which were all solved eventually). The major problem was, however, related to the type of FEG used (at that time there was only one choice: the Cold FEG). Although the CFEG provides a very high brightness and low energy spread, the total area of the tip emitting electrons is very small, so the total current that can be extracted remains low (somewhere between 10 to 25 nA). This is no problem for small-probe work, where the current is typically around 1 nA, all concentrated in a probe that can be as small as 1 nm (at those currents; with lower currents much smaller probes can be achieved). But it is a severe problem for normal TEM operation. A typical working condition with a strongly diffracting (that is, normal) Materials Science specimen, with a small objective aperture inserted, requires at least 100 nA for convenient operation. The typical working method on the CFEG is therefore usually described as eethe operator having his eye glued to the binocular', with the beam focussed on only a small area of the screen to get enough intensity to work by. That changed in 1990 when Philips Electron Optics introduced the CM20 FEG. Instead of a CFEG this instrument (now superseded by the CM200 FEG) uses a Schottky FEG. The tip of the Schottky FEG has a much larger emitting area than the CFEG (though has very similar high brightness and energy spread), so it is possible to extract a much higher total current out of the tip. In fact, several hundreds of nanoAmp res are easily achieved as emission from the tip. Thus the low-intensity problem no longer exists and nearly 100 Schottky FEG instruments have now been sold, indicating its popularity. Nevertheless persistent rumours have been spread wherein it is stated that the CFEG is superior to the Schottky FEG and misconceptions still exist. This note compares the CFEG with the Schottky FEG and demonstrates that in many respects the Schottky FEG is superior in performance to the CFEG and where it isn't, it is equal.
What are the advantages of field emission over thermionic emission?
In essence what field emission provides is two things: a higher brightness and a lower energy spread. Higher brightness (which is defined as the electrons current emitted per unit area and unit angle of the tip, or A/cm2 srad) translates into two things. For HR-TEM imaging higher brightness means a smaller incidence angle and therefore a much improved spatial coherence. For small-probe work, higher brightness means much more current in a probe of the same size (or still high current in much smaller probes). Lower energy spread gives a much improved temporal coherence for HR-TEM imaging and, of course, a better resolution in Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy (EELS). There are also some disadvantages to field emission. These have mainly to do with the fact that FEGs require much better vacuum in the gun, are more expensive to make and thus more expensive to run. Also, due to their much improved performance, FEG instruments are more easily affected by vibrations and stray fields (they are not necessarily more sensitive, it's just that the negative effects of vibrations or stray fields wouldn't be noted on equivalent LaB6 instruments: if you cannot resolve 1 anyway, the fact that it isn't there because of vibrations isn't going to make a lot of difference). The table below gives an overview of the most important characteristics of the difference types of electron emitters, the thermionic emitters tungsten (W) and lanthanum-hexaboride (LaB6) and the CFEG and Schottky FEG. One other type of FEG is frequently mentioned: the thermally stabilised CFEG (TCFEG). It is essentially a CFEG heated to about 1800 K where it will emit more stably than a CFEG. Other than that, it isn't dramatically different from a CFEG and is not considered here any further.
Electron source comparison for TEM Characteristic Tungsten LaB6 CFEG Schottky FEG Brightness {105 ~106 107-109 5x 108 Current in 1 nm spot 0.1 pA 1 pA0 0.1-1 nA 0.5 nA Maximum beam current 1 uA 1uA 10-20 nA } 200 nA Energy spread (lowest) 1.5 eV 0.8 eV 0.3 eV 0.6 eV Energy spread (-at- 3 nA current) 2.0 eV 1.0 eV 0.7 eV 0.7 eV Operating temperature 2700 K 2000 K 300 K 1800 K Requires flashing Never Never Every few hrs Never Current stability (noise/short term) {1% {1% } 5% {1% Current stability (long term) Stable Stable } 10%/hr {1%/hr Life time 60-200 hrs 1000 hrs } 2000 hrs } 2000 hrs Vacuum required (Torr) 10-4 10-6 {-10-10 10-8 to 10-9 Sensitivity to external influence Low Low High Moderate Suitable for conventional TEM Yes Yes No Yes Suitable for nano-analysis No Moderate Excellent Excellent Suitable for HR-TEM Weak Moderate Excellent Excellent
How is field emission achieved?
Field emission takes place when a suitable emitter is placed in an extraction field (it's like the static electricity discharges that you can have when your body approaches something that is charged very differently - except that in the case of field emission, the emission is continuous and not a single bang). In the case of the CFEG, the extraction field is the only cause for emission and the emitter works at room temperature. The tip must be very sharp in order to have emission. In the case of the Schottky FEG, it is not only the field that is important. The tip must also be heated to about 1800 K. Realistically speaking, Schottky emission is therefore more like a combination of field and thermionic emission. The Schottky tip is coated with zirconium-oxide and, with its so-called work function lowered at higher temperature, can achieve emission from much less sharp tips.
Brightness
The brightness of an electron source is the primary performance parameter. It is expressed in A/cm2 srad. The presence of the cm2 (the emitting area) and the srad (the emission angle) in the denominator cause brightness to deviate from what the eye perceives as brightness which is in fact an intensity. Intensity is related to total current and is thus typically high for thermionic emitters. The brightness of these emitter is, however, low because they do emit a lot of electrons but from a very large area and under large emission angles. Perhaps the easiest way to perceive brightness is to relate it to the current in a 1 nm spot. In order to create such small spots for thermionic emitter, we have use a very strong first condenser lens (spot size) and a small condenser aperture. By doing so, we throw away almost all the current emitted (if we included it the spot would become larger) and so end up with very little current. For a FEG we can use a much weaker first condenser lens (the spot is already very small so it doesn't need to get much smaller) and so we only throw away a minor portion and end up with a high current. Although the CFEG in principle can achieve slightly higher brightness than the Schottky FEG, this advantage is commonly lost because the high brightness only exists for a short period after flashing. Under more normal working conditions, the brightness has fallen to that of the Schottky FEG or below. A demonstration of the high brightness achieved by the Schottky FEG is the attainment of a spot of 0.24 nm in size, which had a beam current of 50 pA.
Energy resolution
Ultimately the energy resolution of a CFEG is better than that of the Schottky FEG because it doesn't have such a high operating temperature. In practice, however, the very low resolutions (0.3 eV) are rarely achieved and on very few instruments. They require highly stable guns and high-tension generators, otherwise the inherent small energy spread of the tip is lost through instabilities. Also, when operating under normal HR-TEM imaging conditions, the energy spread is not as low any more because the emission current is higher and both CFEG and Schottky FEG typically have energy spreads of 0.7 to 0.8 eV under those circumstances.
Stability
For some applications such as the standardless EDX analysis normally applied in the TEM, where the total result is time-integrated, the stability of the emission is not important. In other applications, such as scanning or Parallel Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy (PEELS) analysis, where several spectra at different energies are recorded to allow collection of data for all relevant elements, unstable emission can range from annoying to unusable (if the PEELS spectra were taken under different currents, one cannot integrate the data together into a single analysis). Much of the short-term (in)stability of the CFEG is caused by the effects of molecules from the vacuum attaching temporarily to the tip, then evaporating again. Since the emitting area is so small, a single molecule can affect the emission by several percent. The typical changes in emission of the CFEG are around 10%. As a consequence, CFEG are usually notorious for their flickering images (sometimes so bad that TV-rate cameras become almost unusable because they try to correct for the changes in intensity). In scanning this typically results in horizontal streaks or bands of varying intensity that disfigure the images. The long-term stability of the CFEG is also poor, once again due to the adhesion of molecules from the vacuum. Over time the evaporation of these molecules is less than the adhesion so over a period of hours the emission tends to go down. A typical behaviour of a CFEG is a rapid decline in emission just after flashing (for a description of flashing, see further below), then a period of up to a few hours of stable emission and then a continuous further decline (at which point one typically flashes the tip again). In the case of the Schottky FEG short-term and long-term stability are much higher. Even though the vacuum around the Schottky emitter is normally at least a factor 10 worse than what is acceptable for a CFEG, the emission is very stable. In part this is because the tip appears to be self-cleaning and doesn't show any degradation over time, so the long-term stability of the tip is around 1% change in emission per hour. The much better short-term stability derives partly from the self-cleaning character of the tip and partly from the fact that the emitting area is much larger than that of the CFEG so adhesion of a molecule has much less of an effect percentagewise. As a consequence the Schottky FEG is far superior to the CFEG in applications where beam-current stability is important.
Source size and spot size
A common source of confusion is the fact that the virtual source size of the CFEG is around 3 nm and that of the Schottky FEG is around 20 nm. Often this is misconstrued to mean that the CFEG can generate smaller spot sizes. Nothing is further from the truth. In fact, source size and spot size are not directly related. This is very easy to realise from the following. On a typical LaB6 filament the source size is several micrometres. Yet TEMs equipped with such filaments are capable of achieving spot sizes of 1 nm or smaller. Evidently the condenser-lens system of the microscope can reduce the source size (called demagnifying) from say 2 m down to 1 nm, a reduction of 2000x. The FEG instruments are similarly equipped with a condenser system. Thus going from a virtual source size of 20 nm to a spot size of 0.2 nm is only a reduction of 100x. In fact, the condenser system of the CM200 FEG is used only over part of its range in comparison with the equivalent LaB6 microscopes. Incidentally, source size has very little to do with the emitting area. In FEGs the source size is called virtual because the electron trajectories from tip appear to emanate from a small area inside the tip itself. Thus the real emission area on a CFEG is larger than 3 nm and that of the Schottky FEG also larger than 20 nm (in fact it is several hundreds of nanometres is diameter). Thermionic filaments in contrast do not have a virtual source size. In their case the source is the size of the first cross-over after the filament.
Maintenance
In the case of the Schottky emitter, maintenance is quite a bit easier than for a CFEG. The vacuum in the gun doesn't need to be as good as for a CFEG. The baking of the gun after installing a new tip is therefore much shorter (typical tip exchange times are just a few days, including 12 to 24 hours of baking of the gun). This contrasts with at least several days of gun baking for a CFEG. Also, since the vacuum is less critical, the construction of the vacuum system is easier, making maintenance easier and more rapid.
Flashing
Finally, what is flashing? Flashing is heating the tip of the CFEG up to very close to its melting point. This causes the evaporation of all molecules that were deposited. Also the tip reshapes itself slightly (normally this is benign; however, sometimes the reshaping goes wrong and the tip becomes too blunt for good field emission so it must be changed). Although baking itself takes only a few minutes, the gun is usually quite unstable after that, with a lot of drift of the gun alignment, so typically one half hour goes by in which it is difficult to work. As mentioned before, the Schottky FEG tip is self-cleaning. It is therefore is never flashed. In the morning you turn up the extraction voltage to the value where you want to work and it will emit stably. And at night the last user can switch the gun to standby. And in between it can be used continuously and with very high stability.
Conclusion
The CFEG has a few minor advantages relative to the Schottky FEG but in most cases these do not adequately compensate the CFEG's deficiencies. As a result the Schottky FEG is the field emitter of choice over the whole range of TEM techniques, from eenormal' TEM imaging, HR-TEM imaging, small-probe analysis, diffraction to scanning.
Dr. Max T. Otten TEM Application Software Manager / TEM Application Specialist Philips Electron Optics Applications Laboratory Bldg. AAE 5600 MD Eindhoven The Netherlands tel. +31-40-2766106 fax +31-40-2766102 ________________________________________________________
I had trouble coating gold particles with ricin, a plant lectin. After centrifugation the pellet contained mostly aggregates not usable for further experiments. I would appreciate some advice on which pH to choose for conjugation and if one should add lactose in order to blokk binding sites of ricin. Any helpful comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks Andreas
Andreas Brech Electron Microscopical Unit for Biological Sciences Department of Biology, University of Oslo. P.O.Box 1062 Blindern N-0316 Oslo 3 Norway Tel.: + 47-22 85 61 89 (work) + 47-22 43 83 23 (privat) Fax.: + 47-22 85 47 26 e-mail.: abrech-at-bio.uio.no
Dear Don, I run an EM lab in the Metals and Materials Engineering department at UBC and by far the most useful equipment for Materials Engineers, all Engineers and Physicists is the combination of SEM and EDX. I have two SEM+EDX's and one TEM with STEM, SEM and EDX. Specimen preparation for materials TEM is complicated and very different from biological TEM, although some ultramicrotomy is used for specialized techniques. You must use electro-polishing with explosive acid mixtures with currents running through them to thin metals. Most of the techniques are black art and you need an expert to teach you. The non-conducting samples (ceramics, rocks, semi-conductors) or multi-phase metals must be thinned with an ion-beam thinner (~$50,000US). First the 3 mm. sample is cut with a slurry drill (~$500), then thinned to about 100 microns with a disc-thinner (~$100), then dimpled with a Dimpler (~$15,000), then ion-beam-thinned to perforation. My first recommendation would be a good light-element EDX for your SEM and a course on quantitative analysis. This will satisfy most of your materials EM requirements. Next would be a back-scattered detector. You must carbon-coat all non-conductors for EDX. Epoxy-mounting capacities and a grinding and polishing setup will be necessary, but the engineering or geology departments may have this if they do light microscopy. Always use diamond final polish for EDX. Other things on a wish list would be: FEG SEM, AFM, SIMS. It depends on the direction of your engineering and physics departments. You wrote:
} I am looking for a person working in materials science and/or physics who } would be interested in helping me determine the direction in which to } expand our current facilities. ...snip } And this is where I am asking for help. What else would we want to } consider adding? I asked a chemistry colleague about NMR, but apparently } the NMR that we have will not do the things that a materials } science/physicist would need. ..snip } I am not looking for a place to spend money, but rather am looking for a } suggestion of what to include in this proposed program. (I.e., Ideally, } what would your include in the range of training for materials science?) } It does not have to be entirely microscopy. Our funds are limited, but if } we could develop a program/course that could make some of our graduates } more useful to industry (particularly industry in New Jersey), there are } special grants in the state to support these type of programs. } } Please respond with ideas of instruments, their rough cost, and the } applications that they would be used for. Please feel free to suggest } other forms of training/skills that would be good for us to teach. This is just a quick overview of the emphasis of materials EM. ("Tell me all you know in 25 words or less"). Please feel free to contact me for more specific questions. Regards, Mary Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Eng., UBC 6350 Stores Rd. Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel:604-822-5648, fax:604-822-3619 e-mail: mager-at-unixg.ubc.ca
Dear All, I have read that paper by Phillips about cold and thermal FEG, but when I had a deomonstration of a cold FEG, 200 kV TEM (Hitachi HF-2000) at the Seattle ICEM '90, it worked just fine for conventioal TEM on a show floor, with bright overhead lights and some interference from the security guards' walkie-talkies. We did low-mag, high-mag and roamed all over the lattice images of the crystal. I never used the binoculars and the TV camera was showing everyone else what I was seeing on the screen. I also saw a EELS spectra that showed 0.1ev energy spread, as measured as the FWHM of the zero-loss peak. Don't believe everything the company man tells you. Regards, Mary Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Eng., UBC 6350 Stores Rd. Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel:604-822-5648, fax:604-822-3619 e-mail: mager-at-unixg.ubc.ca
"I had trouble coating gold particles with ricin, a plant lectin. After centrifugation the pellet contained mostly aggregates not usable for further experiments. I would appreciate some advice on which pH to choose for conjugation and if one should add lactose in order to blokk binding sites of ricin. Any helpful comments are greatly appreciated."
Dear Andreas, If you really need to couple the ricin to the gold then there are a few things to look out for. Firstly, the protein is best coupled at a pH whose value is just lower than the isoelectric point of the protein (there is a study by Horisberger and Clerc somewhere in the literature on this).
Secondly, the coupling of the gold and protein can be performed in either a weak salt solution or even water if the ricin is stable in this medium.
Fianlly, if there is no aggregation prior to centrifugation and the correct amount of protein has been added (determined by inhibition of electrolyte-induced aggregation), your problem with aggregation may be a result of a too high centrifugation speed. Try spinning the preparations at slower speeds to see if you can stop the aggregates from forming.
However, if your wish is to localize ricin on tissue sections and the conjugation process is not working, then why not try looking for unconjugated, bound ricin on your samples using anti-ricin antibodies? This may be a much simpler solution to your problem.
Best regards,
Paul Webster Center for Cell Imaging Yale School of Medicine http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg
Visit our colloidal gold pages at http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg/gold.html
"I had trouble coating gold particles with ricin, a plant lectin. After centrifugation the pellet contained mostly aggregates not usable for further experiments. I would appreciate some advice on which pH to choose for conjugation and if one should add lactose in order to blokk binding sites of ricin. Any helpful comments are greatly appreciated."
Dear Andreas, If you really need to couple the ricin to the gold then there are a few things to look out for. Firstly, the protein is best coupled at a pH whose value is just lower than the isoelectric point of the protein (there is a study by Horisberger and Clerc somewhere in the literature on this).
Secondly, the coupling of the gold and protein can be performed in either a weak salt solution or even water if the ricin is stable in this medium.
Fianlly, if there is no aggregation prior to centrifugation and the correct amount of protein has been added (determined by inhibition of electrolyte-induced aggregation), your problem with aggregation may be a result of a too high centrifugation speed. Try spinning the preparations at slower speeds to see if you can stop the aggregates from forming.
However, if your wish is to localize ricin on tissue sections and the conjugation process is not working, then why not try looking for unconjugated, bound ricin on your samples using anti-ricin antibodies? This may be a much simpler solution to your problem.
Best regards,
Paul Webster Center for Cell Imaging Yale School of Medicine http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg
Visit our colloidal gold pages at http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg/gold.html
} Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 10:46:11 +0100 } From: Andreas Brech {andreas.brech-at-bio.uio.no} } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: colloidal gold } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Hi } } I had trouble coating gold particles with ricin, a plant lectin. After } centrifugation the pellet contained mostly aggregates not usable for further } experiments. I would appreciate some advice on which pH to choose for } conjugation and if one should add lactose in order to blokk binding sites of } ricin. Any helpful comments are greatly appreciated. } } Thanks Andreas } } Hope to be able to help
First you should adjust the Ph of the colloidal gold to the exact PI(isoelectric point) of your lectin. Very important, also you should add the minimum amount of lectin that will allow a good stable complex. Once the protein or lectin is added you can try the Nacl test on a few drops of the complex before centrifugation, the solution should not change colour, then the complex is probably stable.
Good luck Sylvia
} } Andreas Brech } Electron Microscopical Unit for Biological Sciences } Department of Biology, University of Oslo. } P.O.Box 1062 Blindern } N-0316 Oslo 3 } Norway } Tel.: + 47-22 85 61 89 (work) } + 47-22 43 83 23 (privat) } Fax.: + 47-22 85 47 26 } e-mail.: abrech-at-bio.uio.no }
A collegue (entomolgist) has asked for good textbooks on preparation of arthropods for a) Histology, and b) SEM. I'm presuming he's looking at the former for soft tissues and the latter for skeletal morphology. All I have is lots of bits and pieces from the Methods sections of papers. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Many thanks,
Geoff Avern Manager Microscopy Labs Australian Museum Sydney, Australia
We have been recently trying Picric Acid in some of our primary fixative recipes along with Glutaraldehyde and Paraformaldehyde (with Brain Tissue). We have been experiencing some precipitation on the membranes in the sections and we have established that the problem isn't through section staining.
Having done some reading we have found it stated in one EM textbook that using Picric acid in the primary fix and then doing buffer washes (any buffer or any aqueous solution) will cause insoluble picrates to be deposited. It is suggested in this text that the tissue should be placed directly into 50% EtOH to dissolve away the picrates and to wash away the glut. (Text; Resin Microscopy and on-section Immunocytochemistry pp 57).
Has anyone got any comments about the use of Picric Acid in the primary fixative and in particular the problem of buffer washes after the primary fixation (which includes Picric Acid) causing precipitation?
If we are to osmicate after primary fix, what should the washes between each step be in ?
I would appreciate any comments regarding this query,
TIA
Rich.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Lander, NZCS South Campus Electron Microscope Unit c/- Pathology Department Otago Medical School P.O. Box 913 Dunedin New Zealand. Tel. National 03 479 7301 Fax. National 03 479 7254
"Southernmost EM Unit in the World!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoff Avern wrote: ====================================================== A collegue (entomolgist) has asked for good textbooks on preparation of arthropods for a) Histology, and b) SEM. I'm presuming he's looking at the former for soft tissues and the latter for skeletal morphology. All I have is lots of bits and pieces from the Methods sections of papers. Does anyone have any suggestions? ====================================================== The book Scanning Electron Microscopy of Medically Important Arthropods by Viqar Zaman, Ph. D., 1983, 175 pages while a bit dated is still one of the best books I have seen on this subject. Maybe there are others but Prof. Zaman was quite an experimentalist and developed quite a few novel methods of preparation. The last I heard he was still teaching and doing research in Pakistan.
Disclaimer: SPI offers this book in its library section!
Chuck
=================================================== Charles A. Garber, Ph. D. Ph: 1-(610)-436-5400 President 1-(800)-2424-SPI SPI SUPPLIES FAX: 1-(610)-436-5755 PO BOX 656 e-mail: cgarber-at-2spi.com West Chester, PA 19381-0656 USA Cust. Service: spi2spi-at-2spi.com
Look for us! ############################ WWW: http://www.2spi.com ############################ ==================================================
------------------------------------- I have been hunting the net to get info on the old NOVA Demon-Plus systems. Any suggestions? I'm busy developing user-friendly software for converting AN10000 to PC and need this info. Craig
Snip=8A"Don't believe everything the company man tells you."
Right, but=8A
1. We are the owner and a user of both a Hitachi HF-2000 cold FEG TEM/STEM and a Philips 300 kV FEG/Schottky. As such I can tell you that you will not get 1 meV energy spread on an EELS spectra on the Hitachi HF-2000 under practical condition for microanalysis if ever.
2. Moreover, you will not be able to work "with bright overhead lights" in low mag on our instrument.
To my opinion, the gun brightness is not the only point to consider. The size of the apertures in the illumination section of the microscope is also very important, in particular the presence of fixed apertures that may be added to achieve thin and clean probes or STEM resolution and may dramaticaly reduce the intensity. I am wondering if the instrument she have seen in Seattle didn't have a special set up for exhibition which may be different from the research one (customer configuration).
Summer Internship in the Materials Technology Department at Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, California
The TEM group at Intel Corp. in Santa Clara, CA announces a summer internship available for a graduate student in the area of specimen preparation technology. The primary goal of this project will be to help construct an argon ion mill inside the specimen chamber of a field emission scanning electron microscope. The SEM will then be used as an ultra-high precision endpoint detector for controlling the termination of ion milled TEM cross-sections of ULSI semiconductor specimens with very small feature size.
The student should have prior experience in SEM, TEM, and TEM specimen preparation of semiconductor materials, particularly the dimple and ion mill technique.
Requirements: U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, 3.0 gpa or higher, enrolled fulltime in school and able to work full time during the internship.
Intel Corp. is an equal opportunity employer.
Please forward inquiries and resumes to:
Dr. John Mardinly Intel Corporation 3065 Bowers Avenue, Mail Stop SC2-24 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8119
We are desperately needing to buy two used heads (chuck holder which fits into microtome cutting arm) for our aged Ultracut E ultramicrotomes. Does anyone have any lying around not being used?
We have been experienceing a 50% loss of Epon-Araldite embedded thin sections from nickel grids during immunostaining (Au). We have tried coating mesh grids with dilute formvar or butvar solutions to no avail. Can anyone help?
A colleague, Dr. Goverdina Fahraeus-Van Ree, is in urgent need of 25-50 g of low viscosity PolyPep P5115 manufactured by Sigma.
It has been back-ordered and will not be shipped before she needs it. The item is a mixture of polypeptides used as a stabilizer for histochemistry work. If you have some you could 'loan' her and have it replaced when her order arrives, could you email her directlyy at gvanree-at-morgan.ucs.mun.ca
Thanks
Carolyn J. Emerson email: cemerson-at-plato.ucs.mun.ca
Biology Department Memorial University St. John's, NF A1B 3X9 Tel: (709) 737-7515 Fax: (709) 737-3018
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Question: are you using Tween in your washing steps? We had the same problem and came to the conclusion that there was too much Tween. It is very viscous and can cling to the outside of the pipette tip increasing the concentration then acting like washing-up liquid, making squeaky clean grids! Try a grid without and see what happens. Elaine
Dr. Elaine Humphrey Biosciences Electron Microscopy Facility University of British Columbia 6270 University Blvd Vancouver, BC CANADA, V6T 1Z4 Phone: 604-822-3354 FAX: 604-822-6089 e-mail: ech-at-unixg.ubc.ca
At 11:11 AM 24-02-97 -0700, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Put 100 ml of chloroform in a brown bottle (reduces photolysis) and somehow poke the tape down the bottleneck. The tape should not change in appearance but the glue dissolves into the chloroform if you leave it for 48 hrs. If the tape goes milky of shrivels up try a different kind. You dont want to use tape solution, just glue.
The grids as supplied are hydrophobic. I make them hydrophilic by whisking them through a small (spirit lamp) flame. They flash red and change colour. If they shrivel, whisk faster. Place flamed grids on filter paper, put a drop of glue in chloroform on each grid, leave to dry, use right away. OR dip each grid in the glue bottle.
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} I am wondering if the instrument she have } seen in Seattle didn't have a special set up for exhibition which may be } different from the research one (customer configuration). } } "Don't believe everything microscopists tells you!" } } Best regards } } Philippe-A. Buffat
I would add my voice to that caution. I've worked as a demonstrator for EM manufacturers, and while what you see at an exhibition is very unlikely to have been specially 'modified' - I've certainly never done it, and have never heard of it being done - a skilled demonstrator can operate an instrument to show it in the best possible light, and very quickly!
In the example quoted, I would guess the demonstrator was doing some quick work with condenser apertures. The lesson is to use what you see at an exhibition as a taster for what might be possible. If you have a serious interest, you need a proper demonstration where you can really check how the instrument operates.
I am involved in a project which requires the localization of an antibody made by a dog with an autoimmune disease. Due to the density of the structure to which this antibody is likely to bind, I would like to first diffuse the antibody thru the tissue to the site of binding, then to follow it with the diffusion of a 1-nm gold secondary conjugate so that it may be localized in the EM after silver enhancement. I have not been able to find a canine-specific 1 nm gold secondary conjugate. I understand, though not thru personal experience, that protein-A binds canine antibody with high affinity. My question is: Has anyone had a favorable experience with a particular brand of a PA-1nm gold conjugate? I just wasted a week of time using a defective conjugate from a manufacturer with whom I had no prior experience, and hope not to fall into the same trap again. Better yet, does anyone know of a manufacturer of a anti-dog 1 nm conjugate?
Many thanks in advance!
Doug Keene Portland Research Unit Shriners Hospital for Children
Dear all, We have JEM4000 and JEM2010 here and now are going to change from dark room to digital imaging. The problem is (if forget about funding:) to choose what to buy. Reading manufactures information is not the best way to make the choice because all are the best:). Would the people who directly work with digital imaging express their opinion of different types of apparatus and soft? Here are topics I'm exactly interested in but any user information will be welcomed: 1. CCD cameras for HR low dose work (manufacturers, properties etc.) 2. Solutions to combine high quality slow scan images with fast scan (} =5fr/sec) to search dynamics. 3. PC interfaces (or strong arguments for other platform), convenience in use, possibilities, online loop-back. 4. Software to process and archive images. 5. Storing media (MO disks, CD writable, DVD(?), strimmers, etc.(?)). 6. Output devices (dye sublimation vs. laser-printers, other(?)). 7. Did anyone make comparative cost estimations for digital imaging vs. dark room?
I hope the discussion will be of common interest. TIA Andrew Chuvilin Siberian Center for Electron Microscopy Novosibirsk Russia
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Subject: Time:8:30 AM OFFICE MEMO etch Date:2/25/97
Does anyone have recipes for "etching" the surface of LR White in order to expose antigenic sites for surface immunogold locaizations? Also, a recipe or reference to the procedure for etching Epon or Araldite thin sections for immunogold. We have used it several years ago but perhaps there is a better method than NaMethoxide. thanks jim jamieson
I would like to inquire if anyone has had experiences, favorable or unfavorable, with color CCD cameras for light microscopy. I would like to purchase one for recording pictures from histology slides but recognize a wider range of applications.
Are there any that are particularly good buys, easy to interface with a host computer, easy to use? Any that are nightmares?
Anyone have any experience with Microlumina that they would like to pass on?
Kenneth A. Taylor, Ph.D. Phone: 904-644-3357 Institute of Molecular Biophysics Fax: 904-561-1406 Florida State University E-mail: taylor-at-sb.fsu.edu Tallahassee, FL 32306-3015 Home pages: http://www.sb.fsu.edu/~taylor/ http://www.fsu.edu/~biology/faculty/kat.html
} A collegue (entomolgist) has asked for good textbooks on preparation of } arthropods for a) Histology, and b) SEM. I'm presuming he's looking at the } former for soft tissues and the latter for skeletal morphology. All I have } is lots of bits and pieces from the Methods sections of papers. Does } anyone have any suggestions? } } Many thanks, } Geoff, You already have the best references. Arthropod histological methods are mostly scattered through the primary literature, and in graduate theses. General histo-technique books, such as Kiernan's _Histological and Histochemical Methods_ are as good as general arthropod books. Every group and structure will have its own problems; the solutions would be best found in the lab, or the primary literature. But there are some general sources, mostly as histology references. I haven't seen the book Garber recommended, but it sounds interesting. Some others to check: For methods-- _Histology of the Blue Crab, _Callinectes sapidus_: A Model for the Decapoda_, 1980, by Phyllis T. Johnson pub. by Praeger. _Zooplankton Fixation and Preservation_, Monographs on Oceanographic Methodology 4, 1976, H. F. Steedman, ed., The UNESCO press. _A Colour Atlas of Insect Tissues via the Flea_,1986, Miriam Rothschild, Yosef Schlein, and Susumo Ito, Wolfe Publishing Ltd. For histology--- _Comparative Animal Cytology & Histology_ trans. 1976, Ulrich Welsch and Volker Storch. U. Washington Press. _Microscopic Anatomy of Invertebrates_, vol. 9 _Crustacea_ and vol. 10 _Decapod Crustacea, both 1992, Frederick W. Harrison and Arthur G. Humes, eds. Wiley-Liss (Jon Wiley & Sons). _Biology of the Arthropod Cuticle_ Zoophysiology and Ecology 4/5, 1975, A.C. Neville, Springer-Verlag. SEM techniques may also be found in David Scharf's books of SEMs, and the various coffee-table books of SEMs. The range of SEM methods is very broad--I've used everything from just ripping off the bit I was interested in (yes, the critters were dead), and throwing it in the SEM unprocessed and uncoated, to live animals, to formally fixed, dehydrated, and dried samples. It all depends on what you want. The only general hint is that arthropod cuticle takes up osmium very poorly, but OsO4 can still be useful for SEM by providing greater conductivity and reducing charging, especially of setae. I found that *in general*, this can take 4% OsO4 for 4 or more hours. And don't use a phosphate buffer, or there will be precipitates formed. Phil
&&& Illigitimi non carborundum &&&&&&&& Philip Oshel Station A PO Box 5037 Champaign, IL 61825-5037 (217)355-1143 evenings oshel-at-ux1.cso.uiuc.edu *** looking for a job again ******************
} Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 12:32:28 -0800 (PST) } From: Elaine Humphrey {ech-at-unixg.ubc.ca} } To: HILDEGARD CROWLEY {hcrowley-at-odin.cair.du.edu} } Cc: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: Re: TEM:Help! Loosing immuno thin sections from grids } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } } We have been experienceing a 50% loss of Epon-Araldite embedded thin } } sections from nickel grids during immunostaining (Au). We have tried } } coating mesh grids with dilute formvar or butvar solutions to no avail. } } Can anyone help? } } Question: are you using Tween in your washing steps? } We had the same problem and came to the conclusion that there was too much } Tween. It is very viscous and can cling to the outside of the pipette tip } increasing the concentration then acting like washing-up liquid, making } squeaky clean grids! Try a grid without and see what happens. } Elaine } } Dr. Elaine Humphrey } Biosciences Electron Microscopy Facility } University of British Columbia } 6270 University Blvd } Vancouver, BC } CANADA, V6T 1Z4 } Phone: 604-822-3354 } FAX: 604-822-6089 } e-mail: ech-at-unixg.ubc.ca } Are you putting the sections on the dull side of the grid? (They should be.)
Another thing to try is to dip the grids in 10% acetic acid, and then rinse in water before collecting the sections. Sara
Sara E. Miller, Ph. D. P. O. Box 3020 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 Ph: 919 684-3452 FAX: 919 684-8735
If you can't find any Ultracut E specimen holders, you might try contacting RMC.
I no longer work there, but if memory serves me right there are some versions of RMC specimen holders that are interchangeable with Ultracut holders.
Anyway, it's worth a try. Contact RMC at: RMCBTLI-at-aol.com or call them in the U.S. at: (520) 889-7900. Your contact person there is Dr. Greg Becker.
The mailing list is Confocal Microscopy List {CONFOCAL-at-UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU} but don't use that to subscribe. Instead, send a message to: listserv-at-ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
on the first line of the message (ignore subject) type:
subscribe confocal Your Full Name
the subscription must be carried out from your account because the listserver will parse the address from your header and you will be added to the list.
Here's a confocal web page I ran across while searching my old mail for the above, I haven't looked at it recently.
We've recently bought the MicroLumina but don't have it running yet. Silly me thought I'd go with the best computer I could afford, which included Win NT v4.0. Unfortunately, neither the Leaf MicroLumina nor the Primera Pro dye sub printer have drivers for NT v4.0 yet. Looks like I'll have to wipe NT v4.0 and install Win 95 (for joy!*#-at-!!) until the drivers come along. This will upset our network administrator!
Lesson: whatever you consider, check for compatibility with OS's (and with your net admin, too).
Geoff Avern
Microscopy Labs Australian Museum Sydney, Australia
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I would like to inquire if anyone has had experiences, favorable or unfavorable, with color CCD cameras for light microscopy. I would like to purchase one for recording pictures from histology slides but recognize a wider range of applications.
Are there any that are particularly good buys, easy to interface with a host computer, easy to use? Any that are nightmares?
Anyone have any experience with Microlumina that they would like to pass on?
Kenneth A. Taylor, Ph.D. Phone: 904-644-3357 Institute of Molecular Biophysics Fax: 904-561-1406 Florida State University E-mail: taylor-at-sb.fsu.edu Tallahassee, FL 32306-3015 Home pages: http://www.sb.fsu.edu/~taylor/ http://www.fsu.edu/~biology/faculty/kat.html
} I am involved in a project which requires the localization } of an antibody made by a dog with an autoimmune } disease. Due to the density of the structure to which this } antibody is likely to bind, I would like to first diffuse } the antibody thru the tissue to the site of } binding, then to follow it with the diffusion of a 1-nm } gold secondary conjugate so that it may be localized in the } EM after silver enhancement.
I can't help with an anti dog, but I have had experience diffusing antibody through tissue (fixed). I found that even 1nm gold-antibody complex didn't get in and had to turn to 1nm gold conjugated to Fab fragments. And saponin in all solutions was a must. Good luck and Email me if you want to.
Diana van Driel Dept Ophthalmology Sydney University C09 AUSTRALIA 2006
A quick question to those involved in multi-user environments,
We are currently reviewing our policy on access and useage to our multi-user EM unit. The issue of security came up. What we are wanting to find out from various people in multi-user situations, what precautions are taken for security in the lab.
In particular, we (staff of the unit) may be in the TEM/SEM/darkroom/prep area, which are all away from the main door. The question is, how can we prevent someone coming into the office area, and taking off with stuff?
Are people keeping the door locked and only allowing users with keys in, or are 'swipe cards' used, or combination locks of some sort used? At the moment, our users are issued with a key, which generally they have to use when we are out of the lab (lunch, smoko, home). Should we be locking the door while we are IN the lab?
What has prompted this sort of query, is that in the past few months there has been some thefts in a dept along from ours, which operates on a similar system.
We would be interested to hear from all those in multi-user situations as their policies/ideas on security.
Thanks for your time,
Rich Lander.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Lander, NZCS South Campus Electron Microscope Unit c/- Pathology Department Otago Medical School P.O. Box 913 Dunedin New Zealand. Tel. National 03 479 7301 Fax. National 03 479 7254
"Southernmost EM Unit in the World!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to Richard Lander's problem with picric acid precipiatates in tissues:
I have used picric acid in my primary fixative for many years. The fixative I use is 3% paraformaldehyde, 3% glutaraldehyde in cacodylate buffer with 0.1% picric acid. I have also used phosphate buffer to get away from the arsenic. After making up the fixative I always filter it using a 0.2 micron in-line filter.
This fixative is used routinely in whole body perfusions for neurotoxic studies but I have used it as a routine fix. I usually process the peripheral nerves, dorsal and ventral roots from the spinal cord both cervical and lumbar in plastic and the brain and spinal cord in paraffin without any problems with precipitates.
Cheryl Rehfeld Manager Anatomic Pathology Texas Children's Hospital Department of Pathology Houston, TX ---------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Hi there,
We have been recently trying Picric Acid in some of our primary fixative recipes along with Glutaraldehyde and Paraformaldehyde (with Brain Tissue). We have been experiencing some precipitation on the membranes in the sections and we have established that the problem isn't through section staining.
Having done some reading we have found it stated in one EM textbook that using Picric acid in the primary fix and then doing buffer washes (any buffer or any aqueous solution) will cause insoluble picrates to be deposited. It is suggested in this text that the tissue should be placed directly into 50% EtOH to dissolve away the picrates and to wash away the glut. (Text; Resin Microscopy and on-section Immunocytochemistry pp 57).
Has anyone got any comments about the use of Picric Acid in the primary fixative and in particular the problem of buffer washes after the primary fixation (which includes Picric Acid) causing precipitation?
If we are to osmicate after primary fix, what should the washes between each step be in ?
I would appreciate any comments regarding this query,
TIA
Rich.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Lander, NZCS South Campus Electron Microscope Unit c/- Pathology Department Otago Medical School P.O. Box 913 Dunedin New Zealand. Tel. National 03 479 7301 Fax. National 03 479 7254
"Southernmost EM Unit in the World!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------
} I want to ask if anyone works paraffin shrimp processing and microtomy. } I have troubles in shrimp paraffin sectioning, because of the hard } skeleton of the shrimp. } How could I soften the exoskeleton of the body of the shrimp ?. } How could I soften the chitinous exoskeleton of the shrimp to make paraffin } sections ?. } racosta-at-ccr.dsi.uanl.mx
You will have the best luck if you plastic embed. If you need to use paraffin, use the hardest grade that you can get. If the cuticle is heavily calcified, decalcify with EDTA, unbuffered formalin, or some of the gentler decalcifying methods (which I forget--this was addressed recently in this group). A trick if you're using paraffin is to put some dry ice on top of the block to get it cold, then cut. You won't get ribbons, but you might get sections. Phil
&&& Illigitimi non carborundum &&&&&&&& Philip Oshel Station A PO Box 5037 Champaign, IL 61825-5037 (217)355-1143 evenings oshel-at-ux1.cso.uiuc.edu *** looking for a job again ******************
I just had a demonstration of the Pixera Professional color camera and, although it is not as nice as a true 3CCD RGB camera, for the price (approx. $1200 US) it seems like a good buy. Our lab is also interested in histology slides; we want not only to record them but to quantify image features. I found the Pixera provided better resolution than our existing 1chip CCD B/W camera, even when using the 640x480 resolution mode. But it will go up to 1260x960 (very slow). It is not real time (achieves resolution by combining frames somehow), and the color image files don't always behave like 24 bit true color, but visually they are quite nice. I have been able to open them in Adobe Photoshop and separate out colored features (yellow vs. red) to create different grey images for thresholding and analysis. This camera does require a computer for its card, and (I think) one does not have the option of a video signal.
I am thinking of buying one of these myself. What do others think of this camera??
-Karen P.S. I have no connections with Pixera other than that of a potential customer
Kenneth Taylor wrote: } } I would like to inquire if anyone has had experiences, favorable or } unfavorable, with color CCD cameras for light microscopy. I would like to } purchase one for recording pictures from histology slides but recognize a } wider range of applications. } } Are there any that are particularly good buys, easy to interface with a } host computer, easy to use? Any that are nightmares? } } Anyone have any experience with Microlumina that they would like to pass on? } } Thanks for any insight you care to pass on. } } Cheers -- Ken } } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { } } Kenneth A. Taylor, Ph.D. Phone: 904-644-3357 } Institute of Molecular Biophysics Fax: 904-561-1406 } Florida State University E-mail: taylor-at-sb.fsu.edu } Tallahassee, FL 32306-3015 } Home pages: http://www.sb.fsu.edu/~taylor/ } http://www.fsu.edu/~biology/faculty/kat.html } } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { {} } { } ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Life Sciences Sector Lab Reply: kszaruba-at-mmm.com 3M Company 3M Center 270-1S-01 Phone: 612-737-2971 St. Paul, MN 55144-1000 Fax: 736-1519
These opinions are my own and may not represent those of 3M.
Have a look in our links, there is a section on confocal microscopy and another section "Societies and Fora" which has a link to the confocal server. Currently they still have a message up "Seasons Greetings"; perhaps that is for Easter. Jim Darley
ProSciTech Microscopy Supplies & Accessories PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia Phone +61 77 740 370 Fax: +61 77 892 313 Great microscopy catalogue, links, MSDS ************************ http://www.proscitech.com.au
---------- } From: Anja Nenninger {nenning-at-uft.uni-bremen.de} } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: confocal laser scanning microscopy } Date: Wednesday, 26 February 1997 3:16 } } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Dear microscopists, } } Does anyone know wether there is a special listserver for confocal laser } scanning microscopy? } } A. Nenninger } University of Bremen } Physiological Plant Anatomy } Workgroup Heyser } Leobener Strasse UFT } D-28359 Bremen } Nenning-at-uft.uni-bremen.de } Phone: +49/421-218-2954 }
I have a SEM machine , model Cambridge Stereoscan100 and trying to get a frame grabber with a digital imaging analysis software. I look around for a video output from the machine but couldn't find any. Just what type of signal they are using ( Pal, NTSC, SECAM.etc) and where do I need to get that signal. This is a very old machine and I wonder if anyone out there have any experience in doing so?
Reply-To: leeman-at-VOEDING.TNO.NL Transduction Laboratories sells anti-E-cadherin In the Netherlands the distributors are: Braunschwig chemie and Thamer Diagnostica. This antibody has been referenced in papers since 1988! Larry D. Ackerman (415) 476-8751 Howard Hughes Medical Institute FAX (415) 476-5774 UCSF, Box 0724, Rm U426 533 Parnassus Ave. mishot-at-itsa.ucsf.edu San Francisco, CA 94143
I am trying to compile a list of what type of disposable gloves should be used with what chemicals found in our EM unit. I have compared information from various sources and there seems to be a lack of clear data for some chemicals (although no shortage of opinions from some users). As a result of this survey I have got an idea of what is the general consensus for each chemical, this appears below. I would appreciate any comments, especially if anyone considers me to be definately 'off the mark' on any item:
Some, as you can see, I haven't been able to decide on.I want to limit the gloves to disposables where possible.
Chemical:Glove polymer type (latex, neoprene, nitrile, PVA or polyethylene)
acrylic resins=DD (Lowicryl, LR Gold, Unicryl): Neoprene, nitrile(?)
Thanks in advance to anyone who bothers reading this and responding!
Richard Easingwood
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Lander, NZCS South Campus Electron Microscope Unit c/- Pathology Department Otago Medical School P.O. Box 913 Dunedin New Zealand. Tel. National 03 479 7301 Fax. National 03 479 7254
"Southernmost EM Unit in the World!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a message dated 97-02-26 03:14:35 EST, hhlim-at-qes.po.my (Lim Hian Ho) writes:
} } I have a SEM machine , model Cambridge Stereoscan100 and trying to get a } frame grabber with a digital imaging analysis software. I look around for a } video output from the machine but couldn't find any. Just what type of } signal they are using ( Pal, NTSC, SECAM.etc) and where do I need to get } that signal. This is a very old machine and I wonder if anyone out there } have any experience in doing so?
There's more to digital imaing than attaching a frame grabber to the EM. I dont believe Cambridge supports this machine anylonger, but a company such as
Another thing to consider about disposable gloves.... Depending on the service they will see, it may be important to specify "powder free" gloves. Many use talc, cornstarch, or other lubricant. We had some that seemed to use sodium
hydroxide :-) as much as they irritated my hands! The powder can cover an SEM sample like snow -causing charging and x-ray analysis artifacts.
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Message on behalf of Richard Easingwood:
I am trying to compile a list of what type of disposable gloves should be used with what chemicals found in our EM unit. I have compared information from various sources and there seems to be a lack of clear data for some chemicals (although no shortage of opinions from some users). As a result of this survey I have got an idea of what is the general consensus for each chemical, this appears below. I would appreciate any comments, especially if anyone considers me to be definately 'off the mark' on any item:
Some, as you can see, I haven't been able to decide on.I want to limit the gloves to disposables where possible.
Chemical:Glove polymer type (latex, neoprene, nitrile, PVA or polyethylene)
acrylic resinsY' (Lowicryl, LR Gold, Unicryl): Neoprene, nitrile(?)
Thanks in advance to anyone who bothers reading this and responding!
Richard Easingwood
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Lander, NZCS South Campus Electron Microscope Unit c/- Pathology Department Otago Medical School P.O. Box 913 Dunedin New Zealand. Tel. National 03 479 7301 Fax. National 03 479 7254
"Southernmost EM Unit in the World!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message-Id: {2.2.32.19970226141317.006b2c58-at-pop.wwa.com} X-Sender: spb-at-pop.wwa.com X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 2.2 (32) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
If you can help this person, please send a message directly to him at "Richard S. Perla" {RPERLA61-at-mail.caps.maine.edu}
He is not on this listserver.
Dir Sir or Madam,
I am a graduate student in microbiology interested in microscope repair. Do you know of a company of school that has a shot course in repair or a person I may contact to find out further information. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Richard S. Perla 151 West Elm St. Yarmouth, ME 04096
Susanne Pignolet Brandom, Ph.D. MC Services 6-D North Commons Lincoln MA 01773
617-259-0292 617-259-3376
MicroWorld Resources and News http://www.mwrn.com/
Having designed both types of field emission systems in the past, I feel I should add some comments to this discussion. The key to stable field emission is basically good vacuum at the source. The CFEG is particularly sensitive in this respect, but with good UHV design a stability of 2-3% (short-term) and drift of {2%/hr. can be achieved in practice. The Schottky FEG is certainly more stable, but, unlike the Philips report posted by Max Otten, I would not conclude that CFEG is unsuitable for TEM imaging in general. Regarding the energy spread for CFEG, there are two advantages over the Schottky FEG: first, the low temperature of the source results in a smaller energy spread ( {0.3eV); second, the emission current is typically a factor of 10-20 lower than for Schottky sources, so that the energy broadening due to the Boersch effect is less significant, depending on the electron optical design of the illumination system. The Philips data is surprisingly pessimistic (0.7eV at 3nA current), by comparison the VG STEM at 100kV gives typically {0.4 eV energy spread at that probe current. For EELS work requiring high energy resolution the CFEG should be the better choice. Concerning brightness, the CFEG is 5-10 times brighter over a period of several hours between 'tip flashing ' (assuming good UHV conditions). That means more current can be obtained in a given probe diameter, assuming otherwise identical illumination systems, and hence better spatial resolution in EDX and EELS analysis. My conclusion is that both types of FEG have significant advantages and the choice depends on what type of microscopy you want to do. Sebastian von Harrach VG Scientific
Having designed both types of field emission systems in the past, I feel I should add some comments to this discussion. The key to stable field emission is basically good vacuum at the source. The CFEG is particularly sensitive in this respect, but with good UHV design a stability of 2-3% (short-term) and drift of {2%/hr. can be achieved in practice. The Schottky FEG is certainly more stable, but, unlike the Philips report posted by Max Otten, I would not conclude that CFEG is unsuitable for TEM imaging in general. Regarding the energy spread for CFEG, there are two advantages over the Schottky FEG: first, the low temperature of the source results in a smaller energy spread ( {0.3eV); second, the emission current is typically a factor of 10-20 lower than for Schottky sources, so that the energy broadening due to the Boersch effect is less significant, depending on the electron optical design of the illumination system. The Philips data is surprisingly pessimistic (0.7eV at 3nA current), by comparison the VG STEM at 100kV gives typically {0.4 eV energy spread at that probe current. For EELS work requiring high energy resolution the CFEG should be the better choice. Concerning brightness, the CFEG is 5-10 times brighter over a period of several hours between 'tip flashing ' (assuming good UHV conditions). That means more current can be obtained in a given probe diameter, assuming otherwise identical illumination systems, and hence better spatial resolution in EDX and EELS analysis. My conclusion is that both types of FEG have significant advantages and the choice depends on what type of microscopy you want to do. Sebastian von Harrach VG Scientific
I've noted a lot of traffic lately regarding antibodies raised in various animals, secondary antibodies (conjugated and unconjugated), etc. Unfortunately, I have also recently cleaned out my mailbox, so I can't respond to specific persons' questions!
However, I'd like to pass the following information to anyone who works with antibodies/immuno. A great place to visit or to start your search for details on vendors, techniques, monoclonals/polyclonals etc. is the Antibody Resource Page. The URL is:
Whether you're a beginner or an accomplished immuno person, if you have a question this web site either has the answer or can guide you via links to someone who has the answer.
Happy labeling!
Bob Chiovetti
*****The opinions expressed above are my own and are not necessarily shared by any other form of life in the known universe!*****
The CIE Characterization Facility at the University of Minnesota will be sponsoring a Master Class:
"Transmission Electron Microscopy for Materials Science."
Topics
Basic Principles of TEM Imaging and Diffraction Mode Basic Principles of Analytical Elecron Microscopy Basic Concepts of High-Resolution Microscopy Computer Analysis of EELS and EDS Spectra Image Processing and Analysis of Digital TEM Images
May 15-16, 1997
Instructors
John Bruley, PhD, Senior Engineer, IBM. His main research interests involve the study of grain boundaries and interfaces between metals and ceramics, using the analytical microscopy techniques of electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX).
Stuart McKernan, PhD, Senior Research Associate, CIE, University of Minnesota. His research involves the study of grain boundaries and interfaces in ceramics.
The Master Class will provide a non-mathematical description of the basic principles of transmission and analytical electron microscopy. The course will be directed towards materials scientists, advanced technicians and technical managers who are required to use or interpret data obtained from the TEM, or who wish to determine whether the TEM is a suitable tool for their requirements.
Lectures in the mornings will introduce the topics and hands-on labs in the afternoons will allow the participants to put their knowledge to use.
Enrollment is limited. Please contact us by return email or phone (612) 626-7594 for additional information (deatailed description, tuition, agenda, etc).
_______________________________________________________________________ Beth Trend btrend-at-tc.umn.edu http://resolution.umn.edu Coordinator, Characterization Facility University of Minnesota Center for Interfacial Engineering 100 Union St SE Room 187 phone 612-624-1365 fax 612-626-7530 Minneapolis, MN 55455
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I have found that grids lose some of their "stickiness" for sections within a week of gridwashing. I wash my grids right before I do ultrathin sectioning, and I also add a wash with acetic acid after the acetone and water washes.
Second of all, if you can float your grids on the immunostaining solutions instead of immersing them, your odds will improve. Triton-X or Tween 20 detergents seem quite effective in removing sections from the grids when any grids sink, or are immersed in solutions that contain them.
Gregg Sobocinski Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research Division Ann Arbor, Michigan USA Sobocig-at-aa.wl.com
} We have been experienceing a 50% loss of Epon-Araldite embedded thin } sections from nickel grids during immunostaining (Au). We have tried } coating mesh grids with dilute formvar or butvar solutions to no avail. } Can anyone help?
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Subject: Time:8:30 AM } OFFICE MEMO etch Date:2/25/97 } } Does anyone have recipes for "etching" the surface of LR White in order to } expose antigenic sites for surface immunogold locaizations? Also, a recipe or } reference to the procedure for etching Epon or Araldite thin sections for } immunogold. We have used it several years ago but perhaps there is a better } method than NaMethoxide. } thanks } jim jamieson } } Hi, Etching is not thought necessary for LR White thin sections since it is an acrylic with much less propensity to crosslink and bind up antigens than the epoxides. There may even be a reason not to do it. The last issue of J. of Histochem. Cytochem. states that etching may render some antigens less capabable of detection. Should you want a protocol for etching with Naperiodate (preferable to methoxide), let me know by direct e-mail, and I would be happy to supply it.
However, if your wish is to localize ricin on tissue sections and the } conjugation process is not working, then why not try looking for unconjugated, } bound ricin on your samples using anti-ricin antibodies? This may be a much } simpler solution to your problem.
With the extreme toxicity of Ricin, is it even possible to make bunny bodies?
I never recommend methods I haven't tried before. If I do, I make sure it is clearly a speculation. So I guess it must be possible to make anti-ricin antibodies, I have used them before.
Regards,
Paul Webster Center for Cell Imaging Yale School of Medicine http://info.med.yale.edu/cellimg
Jeol Australia tells us that mercury reference batteries are no longer available so we must design and manufacture power supplies for the high voltage and focussing reference voltages.
Has anyone been down this track already? Are there circuit diagrams available?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Eric Hines Microscopy Centre CSIRO Entomology Canberra Australia
I have followed the discussion about cold and thermal FEG=B4s at high KV in TEM units. But are the advantages or disadvantages of thermal Field emitters at low KV in a SEM.
Thanks
Heike Buecking Dr. Heike Buecking Universit=E4t Bremen, UFT Physiologische Pflanzenanatomie Leobener Str. 28359 Bremen Tel: +49-0421-218-2954 -7283 Fax: +49-0421-218-3737
Years (or decades) ago we had to do something similar for a Siemens IA although we were lucky because Siemens had their own circuit and installed it for us.
The system worked fine, but of course it was not as sensitive a beast as a JEOL 100.
Malcolm Haswell University of Sunderland UK ----------
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Dear all,
Jeol Australia tells us that mercury reference batteries are no longer available so we must design and manufacture power supplies for the high voltage and focussing reference voltages.
Has anyone been down this track already? Are there circuit diagrams available?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Eric Hines Microscopy Centre CSIRO Entomology Canberra Australia
A friend of a friend is looking for a morphometric system with Scope, stylus, PC etc. They saw some at the recent Neurosci meetings, but didn't keep the brochures. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Cheri Owen Detroit Neurotrauma Institute Wayne State University Detroit, MI
We have acquired a limited quantity of factory-new Mitsubishi CP-10U color video printers; if you are interested, the closeout price is under $500.00/ea.
Contact:
Shawn Oliver Vision Quest, Inc. 1-800-284-4140 ext. 304, or 1-417-862-1967 ext. 304 www.visionquest-cctv.com
A while back I read a paper in which a test specimen was prepared for nearfield scanning microscopy by spin coating beads mixed in polyvinyl alcohol onto a coverslip. They gave times and RPM's, and quoted a resulting sample thickness of tens of nanometers.
Does this mean the coverslip is placed on the bottom of a swinging bucket centrafuge rotor, sample placed on the coverslip, and spin?
Or is the coverslip in some other orientation? Is there a special "spin coating" apparatus?
The many requests for information and protocols on etching of thin sections prior to post-embedding colloidal gold procedures has prompted me to try to answer all of you at once.
1. Etching as a preliminary treatment of thin sections destined for pot-embedding colloidal Au is indicated for expxide sections ONLY. Epoxy resins react with tissue components, acrylics (LR White) do not, but crosslink through the tissue and not with it (Newman, Resin Microscopy and On-Section Innumocytochemistry, Springer Verlag, pa. 132). Thus, etching of acrylics may loosen the tissue from its support. Further, acrylics are far more hydrophylic than epoxides.
2. Strong oxidizing agents may temporarily render the surface of the normally hydrophobic epoxides hydrophylic, and they remove osmium bonds thus increasing the chances for labelling of exposed antigens. Bendayan and Zollinger (J. Histochem. Cytochem. 31:101, 1983) have shown that the optimum agent for increasing labelling of antigens on the surface of expoxide sections is saturated sodium periodate. It unmasks antigens by removing osmium. Please note: Contrast will be reduced.
3. In our laboratory we have found that sodium m-periodate is superior to methoxide. Methoxide is too difficult to standardize, is likely to punch holes into the sections, and otherwise be detrimental to the process causing section instability in the TEM. We use sodium m-periodate (Sigma, Cat# S-1878).
4. Every embedding formulation requires different "etching" time. We use a very soft (low crosslinkage) formulation using Araldite-Epon-DDSA, which is relatively easily swelled by water based liquids. Our gold thin sections require only 5 minutes in periodate. Other formulations may require up to 15 minutes or more. To detect the optimum times for a specific embedding medium, trial thin sections should be exposed to saturated periodate for 2,5,10,15,20 min, and then examined by TEM before a large number of grids are committed to the procedure.
A. Make a saturated solution of sodium m-periodate using 1g of perodiate in 5 ml of ddH2O. B. Float section (on nickel grids) on 50microliter drops of periodate C. Rinse WELL. Pass grids through 6 changes of ddH2O 2 min each.
CONSIDER NOT ETCHING EPOXY SECTIONS AT ALL: Use the method of Phend, which totally eliminates osmium in the fixation process. We like this the best, and have gotten an increase in labelling of our sparse antigen with this procedure. (Phend et al., J.Histochem. Cytochem., 43:283-292, 1995)
Our Kevex 8000 EDS system has horrible 8 inch 10MByte Bernoulli drives. For the first time in a year or so we need to buy some new disks. Does anyone know where to buy them? Our local vendors won't carry them anymore. Kevex (in typical fashion) is being completely uncooperative.
By the way, sometime in the future we will need to purchase a new EDS system. We will never buy another Kevex system (see above). Does anyone have any opinions about what system gives both the best performance and the best service?
} A while back I read a paper in which a test specimen was prepared } for nearfield scanning microscopy by spin coating beads mixed in } polyvinyl alcohol onto a coverslip. They gave times and RPM's, } and quoted a resulting sample thickness of tens of nanometers. } } Does this mean the coverslip is placed on the bottom of a swinging } bucket centrafuge rotor, sample placed on the coverslip, and spin? } } Or is the coverslip in some other orientation? Is there a special } "spin coating" apparatus? } }
Spin coating is very common in microlithography, all photoresists are put onto wafers in this way, so there is a "spin coating apparatus." It consists of a flat chuck onto which you would place the slide flat. A vacuum holds the slide down onto the chuck. You pour some liquid onto it and spin at at as constant an RPM as possible for about 30 seconds. 3000-5000 RPM is normal. The more viscous the fluid the thinner the resulting layer. This is probably the procedure they used.
Spin coaters are common in the semiconductor industry. Basically, they are a high speed motor with a vacuum chuck attachment on the top of the shaft. The substrate is held flat to the top of the shaft by the vacuum. Doped PVA films may be spun to thicknesses of ~} 10 nm easily. Depending upon the viscosity of the media you might try values of 5,000 RPM for ~ 30 seconds.
-------------------- At 11:42 AM 2/27/97 -0500, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Edward Spin coating is more like setting a cover slip on the center of a record player and applying a liquid while it is rotating. We use a spin coater manufactured by Headway Research from Garland, Texas.
cheers
Ed Basgall Penn State Univ. Dept. of Chemistry University Park, PA
----- Begin Included Message -----
From Microscopy-request-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com Thu Feb 27 16:10:27 1997
On Thu, 27 Feb 1997, Cheri Owen wrote:
} A friend of a friend is looking for a morphometric system with Scope, } stylus, PC etc. They saw some at the recent Neurosci meetings, but didn't } keep the brochures. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
A more detailed explanation of the intended tasks would help.
I need to buy a vibratome and it has been a while since I used one. Does anyone have a brand they are happy with and where it was purchased.
Thanks in advance.
Ruth Yamawaki ******************************************************* Ruth Yamawaki Department of Comparative Medicine Stanford University (415) 723-3457 ***************************************************************
Does anyone want , for freight costs only , a complete , but currently not working Quantimet 900 Image analysis system ? The dedicated Newvicon video camera is inoperative and will have to be repaired / replaced.
If interested please contact me directly : griffiths.michael.mj-at-bhp.com.au
Thanks from B.H.P. Steel , Newcastle , New South Wales , Australia
I would appreciate it if anyone who has a specification for the EMSA ASCII eds spectrum file format could send me a copy. ************************************************* * Bill Hardy, President * * American Nuclear Systems, Inc. * * 12633 Red canyon Road * * Knoxville, TN 37922 * * (423) 671-0292 FAX: (423) 671-0293 * * WWW.qtmsys.com Email: bhardy-at-qtmsys.com * *************************************************
We published a short technical note on alternative power supplies for the JEOL 100CX in our South African EM Conference Proceedings back in 1988. Although I believe that more recent developments in electronics may improve on this design, the simple unit described in our paper has worked just fine for us since 1988 and still going strong. If lots of folk would like the design I could scan it, otherwise just send me your fax number.
Tony Bruton Head, Centre for Electron Microscopy University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg Private Bag X01, Scottsville. 3209 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Tel +27 331 2605155 Fax +27 331 2605776 Email: bruton-at-emu.unp.ac.za
} } } HASWELL Malcolm {es0mhs-at-environment.sunderland.ac.uk} 27/February/1997 02:37pm } } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Years (or decades) ago we had to do something similar for a Siemens IA although we were lucky because Siemens had their own circuit and installed it for us.
The system worked fine, but of course it was not as sensitive a beast as a JEOL 100.
Malcolm Haswell University of Sunderland UK ----------
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Dear all,
Jeol Australia tells us that mercury reference batteries are no longer available so we must design and manufacture power supplies for the high voltage and focussing reference voltages.
Has anyone been down this track already? Are there circuit diagrams available?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Eric Hines Microscopy Centre CSIRO Entomology Canberra Australia
} I need to buy a vibratome and it has been a while since I used one. Does } anyone have a brand they are happy with and where it was purchased.
"Vibratome" is the registered trademark of Technical Products International, and the name refers to a specific instrument (once made by Oxford Instruments, then Sherwood Medical, and now, TPI). There are three authorized United States distributors for the instrument: Energy Beam Sciences, Ted Pella, Polysciences, Kramer Scientific and Baxter (or whatever they're calling themselves these days). (Technical Products International does not sell the instrument direct, only through distibutors.)
Several companies manufacture *other* vibrating blade microtomes (please, not "vibratomes"), including Energy Beam Sciences (the "MicroCut"), Dosaka (the "MicroSlicer"), Camden Instruments (the "Vibroslice"), Leica, and EMS.
I assume my biases are obvious {grin} .
Best regards, Steven E. Slap, Vice-President ******************************** Energy Beam Sciences, Inc. Adding Brilliance To Your Vision ebs-at-ebsciences.com http://www.ebsciences.com/ ********************************
I have a couple of questions concerning LR White, and know that this topic was discussed in some length a while back.
We would like to use some traditional botanical stains to stain non-osmicated LR White sections of plant material. These light microscopy stains that we would like to use, are designed for use with deparaffinized sections.
The questions are:
1) Can these stains be used directly on the LR White sections, or do they have to be modified in some way?
2) Does the LR White have to be removed before the stains are applied?
I know that people were having some problems with their sections floating away when they applied some stains, and Thomas Phillips posted a solution to this problem by using aminopropy-triethoxysilane. Has anyone else tried this technique or have some other good suggestions?
Please respond to me directly if this topic is redundant.
Thanks in advance,
Susan
Susan Carbyn Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Station Kentville, Nova Scotia B4N 1J5 Canada
Thanks for all of the responses. The correct reference to the two versions of the EMSA file format can be found at:
The first reference is to an FTP directory where the original specifications are located. The DOC files contain the info. For PC users note the file format is not standard PC but can be read in Microsoft Word. You will need this because the second is not a complete specification.
ftp://ftp.msa.microscopy.com/pub/4-MMSLib/XEDS/EMMFF/ for version 1.0
The second directory has additional information.
ftp://ftp.msa.microscopy.com/pub/4-MMSLib/MISC/RWEMMPDL/ for version 1.1
Once again thanks everyone.
Bill Hardy ************************************************* * Bill Hardy, President * * American Nuclear Systems, Inc. * * 12633 Red canyon Road * * Knoxville, TN 37922 * * (423) 671-0292 FAX: (423) 671-0293 * * WWW.qtmsys.com Email: bhardy-at-qtmsys.com * *************************************************
We recently moved our TEM and SEM from a building built in 1930 to one built in 1995. In other words, to a building with sprinklers. Now each microscope has a sprinkler directly overhead and I've been wondering if I should cover the scopes at night -- just in case. Do other people have this concern/problem? I haven't read anything about sprinklers malfunctioning and going off but it is a bit unnerving seeing a shower head directly over the scopes! I haven't seen covers in any of the catalogs so assume a tarp is the way to go....Or is it?
Thanks for any feedback....
Peggy
Peggy Brannigan Electron Microscopy Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit National Arboretum
} I am trying to compile a list of what type of disposable gloves should be } used with what chemicals found in our EM unit. [snip] } } Organic solvents: } } acetone: butyl? or latex } ethanol: latex } methanol: latex } chloroform: (PVA if avail) or nitrile (double glove) } [snip]
Dear Richard, I'd be very surprized if latex gloves would hold up to acetone; when I've exposed them, they get tacky. Polyethylene gloves should hold up to the organic solvents you listed (and many others). Besides, they smell better than latex gloves. Yours, Bill Tivol
In message {v03007803af3c74e4972a-at-[198.77.169.26]} Peggy Brannigan writes:
} Now each } microscope has a sprinkler directly overhead and I've been wondering if I } should cover the scopes at night -- just in case. Do other people have } this concern/problem? I haven't read anything about sprinklers } malfunctioning and going off but it is a bit unnerving seeing a shower head } directly over the scopes! I haven't seen covers in any of the catalogs } so assume a tarp is the way to go....Or is it? } } Thanks for any feedback.... } } Peggy
I strongly advise you to put some kind of water deflector over your scopes. We put up plexiglass "roofs" over our TEM and SEM because of occasional water dripping through cracks in the concrete ceiling due to mishaps in floors above us. The roofs are usidedown V-shaped, /\ , so shed any water off to the sides of the scopes to the floor. They have saved us a few times since they were installed. They also prevent some dust from accumulating on the scopes. They are pivoted at the vertex and adjustable to allow for changing light bulbs. Our carpenter shop at physical plant put them up.
In your case, better check with the building saftey inspectors vis a vis the fire issue.
Gib
--
Gib Ahlstrand, MMS Newsletter Editor Electron Optical Facility, University of Minnesota, Dept. Plant Pathology 495 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul, MN 55108 (612)625-8249 612-625-9728 FAX, giba-at-puccini.crl.umn.edu
} We recently moved our TEM and SEM from a building built in 1930 to one } built in 1995. In other words, to a building with sprinklers. Now each } microscope has a sprinkler directly overhead and I've been wondering if I } should cover the scopes at night -- just in case. Do other people have } this concern/problem? I haven't read anything about sprinklers } malfunctioning and going off but it is a bit unnerving seeing a shower head } directly over the scopes! I haven't seen covers in any of the catalogs } so assume a tarp is the way to go....Or is it? } Dear Peggy, If the scopes have diffusion pumps, or any other heat source, which might start a fire, do *not* cover them in such a way as to block ventil- lation. Maybe you could get the sprinklers replaced by halon units or some other extinguishing system better suited for electrical fires. A fire would likely involve electrical systems even if it was not started that way, and water is not the right extinguisher for this kind of fire. If the law says that sprinklers are necessary even if they will do only harm, then you could be stuck. This would be another place where the "obvious stupidity exception" would be a good thing for the law. Good luck. Yours, Bill Tivol
Sprinklers can and do go wrong. We are on the second floor and the sprinklers went off on the sixth floor. The water made it all the way down here. Luckily we had enough warning to scrounge up enough plastic to cover down the scopes, computers etc. Folks on the fifth floor were not so lucky. Their ceilings collapsed and they we ankle deep in water. By the way some laser printers will float.
My microscope service man suggests buying matress bags from a moving company. They will slip right over the column.
An additional worry might be the iron pipes from the sprinklers giving you field problems with your scope. All depends on how sensitive your instrument is. When we had sprinklers installed we had them placed on the wall about 4 ft. from the column, just for that reason . In another room where that was not possible we had them use plastic pipe for the part that crossed over the column. } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } At 11:40 AM 2/28/97 -0500, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America Scientific Director, ICBR Electron Microscopy Core Lab 218 Carr Hall Fax: 352-846-0251 University of Florida E-mail: gwe-at-biotech.ufl.edu Gainesville, FL 32611 http://www.biotech.ufl.edu/~emcl/ Home of the #1 Gators ***** "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" Daniel 12:4
In a continued effort to support all of our 8000/Delta users, Kevex has just released a NEW disk drive upgrade kit. This will replace the old Bernoulli drive system that many customers are still using. The new drives will replace the present drive system and still use the same interface board, thus saving the customer that added expense. The problem with the Bernoulli drive systems (both the 10Meg and 44Meg systems) is that the media and drives are no longer available. Iomega Corporation will no longer make or support these drives or media. This is beyond Kevex Instruments control.
Kevex will always do EVERYTHING possible to support older instruments that we manufactured for as long as possible. Kevex still supports the 7000 systems that where manufactured 19 years ago. In this day of computer technology, this is no easy feat.
Thanks for all the responses on where to get 8 inch, 10 MByte Bernoulli disks. I also got an immediate response from the Kevex rep. when he read my request on the list server. We must have just gotten hold of the wrong people at Kevex.
I would be careful about covering the scopes with a tarp on a routine basis since this could generate other problems. For example, heat from the consoles could cause damage to the electronics or if somebody pulls on the tarp they could inadvertently damage a holder or an aperture control. I would first consider moving the sprinkler. Check with your safety department.
By the way, we do not have a sprinkler in our lab, but a few years ago there was one night a water leak in the lab above ours and in the morning we had a nice cascade coming down (it barely missed the scope). On another occasion the same lab (above ours) had a fire and we were again flooded , this time by the fire department. In both instances power to the lab was turned off and the scope survived just fine ! I am worrying about the third strike !!!.
One of the faculty members in my department is looking for information on software for image analysis of animal chromosomes. The program she was most interested in is being discontinued. She would appreciate any advice on "reasonably priced" (less than $10K) software for FISH and Karyotyping, recommended models of ccd cameras, and filter wheels to fit her Zeiss Universal. Ideal situation would be a vendor capable of supplying all components, installing them and supplying software training. Information from persons doing this type of work would be especially appreciated.
Please send information to Ruth Phillips, rp-at-csd.uwm.edu.
Thank you,
Heather Owen
Heather A. Owen, Director Electron Microscope Laboratory Department of Biological Sciences University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (414)229-6816
NOTE: please reply directly to me at wrightr-at-zoology.washingtonl.edu
I am interested in purchasing a new diamond knife and was really suprised at the great prices available from Micro Star. If you have used a Micro Star knife for ultramicrotomy, I would appreciate hearing PRIVATELY about your experience.
Robin Wright University of Washington Department of Zoology, Box 351800 Seattle, WA 98195 Phone: 206-685-3651 FAX: 206-543-3041
Gentlemen: I publish a medical newsletter authored by Thomas A. Dorman, M.D. Our readership can best be described as "educated laymen" (although there are a number of physicians who subscribe.)
A recent flyer I received in the mail stated that some 12 blood disorders can be identified, including free-radical damage, liver stress, heavy metals, etc. I could not tell how accurate the information was; in fact, it invited the public to come for a free demonstration, which was followed by sell-job (misc. pills) What struck me was that those who came had not been told to fast, which if I remember right is suggested. (Maybe I'm wrong on this?)
Long story short, we would like to publish an authoritative article that provides the interested reader a clear overview of what Darkfield microscopy is, and what practical value it has for him/her. Would you be interested in supplying an article dealing with this fascinating subject, along with photos of actual blood cells and the various blood disorders that can be identified?
Thank you for your kind attention to this request.
My EM unit is located in an old building therefore we do not have the "sprinkle system". However, the water may leak out from the very old pipes, so we hang up a 4 x 5 meters canopy made of woodframe and poly sheet right above the EM. So far we never worry about any downpour of water on our scopes.
Regards,
On Fri, 28 Feb 1997, Peggy Brannigan wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } We recently moved our TEM and SEM from a building built in 1930 to one } built in 1995. In other words, to a building with sprinklers. Now each } microscope has a sprinkler directly overhead and I've been wondering if I } should cover the scopes at night -- just in case. Do other people have } this concern/problem? I haven't read anything about sprinklers } malfunctioning and going off but it is a bit unnerving seeing a shower head } directly over the scopes! I haven't seen covers in any of the catalogs } so assume a tarp is the way to go....Or is it? } } Thanks for any feedback.... } } Peggy } } Peggy Brannigan } Electron Microscopy } Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit } National Arboretum } } Bldg. 010A R.238 } 10300 Baltimore Avenue } Beltsville, MD USA20705 } } Phone: (301) 504-6097 } Fax : (301) 504-5096 } Email: brannign-at-asrr.arsusda. gov } } } }
*********************************************** * Ming H. Chen, PhD * * Medicine/Dentistry Electron Microscopy Unit * * University Of Alberta. * * Edmonton, Alberta, Canada * * * * Visit My Page At: * * http://www.ualberta.ca/~mingchen * ***********************************************