Postdoctoral Position Available: For the further development of a low temperature AFM. The cryo-AFM is near completion, but additional modifications are necessary. The structure and interaction of molecules will be studied with cryo-AFM. Candidates are preferred to have experience in instrument design and scanning probe microscopy. Good candidates with experience in other relevant areas will also be considered. The completion of the doctoral degree is necessary. The starting date is 1 August, 1999. Please send CV with a list of publications and description of research experience to: Prof. G. Dietler Institut de Physique de la Matiere Condensee (IPMC), BSP Universite de Lausanne CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Tel +41 21 692 3663 Fax +41 21 692 3635 Email Giovanni.Dietler-at-ipmc.unil.ch http://www.unil.ch/ipmc/docs/gd/index.html
Giovanni Dietler Institut de Physique de la Matiere Condensee Universite de Lausanne CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland Phone: (+41) 21 692 3663 Fax : (+41) 21 692 3635 Email: Giovanni.Dietler-at-ipmc.unil.ch
Will, The first North American TEM was designed by Albert Prebus and James Hillier in the Dept. of Physics at the University of Toronto over the 1937-38 Christmas holidays and was built during the first four months of 1938. This info is from a great commemorative article by U.M. Franklin, G.C. Weatherly, and G.T. Simon in ELECTRON MICROSCOPY 1978, VOL. III, STATE OF THE ART SYMPOSIA, Papers presented in Symposia at the Ninth International Congress on Electron Microscopy held in Toronto August 1-9, 1978, edited by J.M. Sturgess. Other good sources for TEM development are EARLY HISTORY OF THE ELECTRON MICROSCOPE by L. Marton, San Francisto Press, CA, 1968 and Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 59(3), July 1987. Enjoy! Bob Santoianni Electron Microscopy Laboratory Emory University Hospital Atlanta, GA
} } } William R Garrett {ssrs396-at-mail.wsu.edu} 05/30/99 03:04am } } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Who built the first TEM in North America? Dr. Anderson of Washington State university built one in 1935, but I have heard that a university in Torono may have had one before WSU. Toronto is usually credited with the first microscope in 1939, but the microscope on display in the museum at WSU is dated 1935. Thanks, Will Garrett ssrs396-at-wsu.edu
May I ask why you need 5 ISA slots? That sounds like you have a lot of "legacy" cards, which you mey be able to replace. 5 ISA slots are not easy to come by. Most Pentium and higher computers have a few PCI slots and 2 or 3 ISA slots. An "industrial" PC may provide a solution, but as posted below, that won't be cheap. Can you perhaps replace some of the ISA cards with PCI cards?
If you are looking for Motherboards, I would suggest you look at some = of the vendors and manufacturers websites. They usually have dimensions = and pictures of the boards posted. That way you can also make sure, that = you can plug in full size cards. Check out the ATX boards. They are smaller and tend not to place parts behind the slots.=20
******************************************************* Disclaimer: Soft Imaging System produces and sells image acquisition=20 and processing systems. We therefore have a vested interest in some of the items mentioned above. *******************************************************
-----Original Message----- } From: Exchange Administrator=20 Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 1999 6:12 AM To: Michael Bode
Mortherboard with 5 ISA slots ist not usual in commercial PCs . You = have to looked for in the market of industrial PC. Here you have the web of a supplier www.indcompsrc.com Tlf. (619) 677 0877 Fax: 619 677 0897 . Anyway, prices of industrial computers are much higher than commercial ones and 486 motherboards could be not easy to find. May be it=B4s worthy for you to get a new motherboard with Pentium/AMD 200/333 Mhz and that supports DIMM 100 Mhz RAM.
JL Bello FNMT Email: jlbello-at-fnmt.es c/ Jorge Juan 106 28009 Madrid Spain ----- Original Message ----- } From: Cesar D. Fermin Ph.D. {cfermin-at-mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu} To: Users Distirubute to list {Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com} Sent: Sunday, May 30, 1999 1:57 AM
I am preparing a list of Mike Stobbs's publications and conference abstracts for a memorial issue of Ultramicroscopy but a few are proving very elusive. If you can supply any extra details of the following items, I shall be most grateful. Please reply to hawkes-at-cemes.fr
1. Stobbs, W.M. TEM approaches to the characterisation of interfaces and multilayers Les Houches NATO & French IoP, March 1986 [All details of this meeting wanted, were there proceedings?]
2. Stobbs, W.M. TEM techniques for the atomic level characterisation of nanometre scale multilayers, ICSCM, Montpellier, June 1987 [What was "ICSCM"? Were there proceedings? Is this Stobbs paper in them?]
3. Stobbs, W.M. The use of TEM for the characterisation of inhomogeneities NATO Summer School on Inhomogeneities, Cambridge 1987. [Any details welcome]
4. Stobbs, W.M. New TEM methods for the characterisation of interfaces SERC LDS Discussion Meeting, May 1987 [Is there any record of this meeting?]
5. Stobbs, W.M. The use of TEM for the assessment of interphase boundaries Interfaces and Ledges Symposium, TMS, Indianapolis 1989 [Any details welcome]
6. Richards, C.G. and Stobbs, W.M. Moir=E9 method for the measurement of misfits "Lattice distortions", J=FClich, April 1974. [Any extra details welcome]
JL writes .... } } } Motherboard with 5 ISA slots is not usual in commercial PCs } ...
I since replaced a older Pentium mobo with a new PC100 mobo, and it was quite difficult to find one with 3 ISA slots. When it come to replacing mobos which have cards needed for intrumentation, I can well imagine your needs ... but 5 ISA slots?? Are you sure you can't buy new cards which are not dedicated to instrumentation which would go into AGP and PCI slots??? (e.g. video, modem, ethernet ...)
(... BTW, the mobo I found was an ASUS P2B which can still be found on the market ... but it has been discontinued with the P2B-F (2 ISA slots) ...)
cheerios, shAf
{} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ cogito, ergo zZOooOM /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {} Michael Shaffer, R.A. - ICQ 210524 Geological Science's Electron Probe Facility - University of Oregon mshaf-at-darkwing.uoregon.edu - http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~mshaf/
The members of the listserver have been wonderfully helpful in the past, and I'm hoping someone can come to my aid again.
We have a Philips 430 being installed in our lab, and it turns out we need to get into the high-tension tank - which means I need more SF6, (needless to say, on a rather limited budget). I have three questions. First, is there anyone out there who has any SF6 they don't want (perhaps left over from a machine they don't have any more) that we could buy off them? Second, where is the best/most economical commercial source to buy SF6 from? Third, what grade of SF6 is it that is used in these applications?
I would really appreciate your input on this. Many thanks in advance.
Gill
Dr Gillian M. Bond Department of Materials & Metallurgical Engineering New Mexico Tech Socorro, NM 87801
Ah yes... the famous Haefely tank SF6 dump. Every time you pull the cable from the HT tank, you dump the load of SF6. Fortunately, the new HT tanks manufactured by Philips remain sealed upon removing the cable.
Philips specifies 99.9% SF6 for the tanks. This purity is unavailable as a standard grade in the U.S. You can purchase commercial grade (99.8%) or instrument grade (99.99%) SF6. The commercial grade SF6 runs about half the price of the instrument grade. I have heard of people using the commercial grade successfully. However, Philips MAY not honor a warranty or service contract if you use the lower grade of SF6. So far, they haven't responded to my queries on the subject.
I just purchased a K-size (115 lb, I think) cylinder and was quoted the following prices for instrument grade:
Praxair $4750 (a "preferred" supplier price for the university!) AGA $2750
cheers, Henk
At 11:25 AM 6/1/99 -0600, you wrote: } } Hi everyone, } } The members of the listserver have been wonderfully helpful in the past, } and I'm hoping someone can come to my aid again. } } We have a Philips 430 being installed in our lab, and it turns out we need } to get into the high-tension tank - which means I need more SF6, (needless } to say, on a rather limited budget). I have three questions. First, is } there anyone out there who has any SF6 they don't want (perhaps left over } from a machine they don't have any more) that we could buy off them? } Second, where is the best/most economical commercial source to buy SF6 } from? Third, what grade of SF6 is it that is used in these applications? } } I would really appreciate your input on this. Many thanks in advance. } } Gill } } Dr Gillian M. Bond } Department of Materials & Metallurgical Engineering } New Mexico Tech } Socorro, NM 87801 }
Hendrik O. Colijn colijn.1-at-osu.edu Campus Electron Optics Facility Ohio State University (614) 292-0674 http://web.ceof.ohio-state.edu Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will." Commentary: "Murphy was an optimist."
Dear Gillian, We use SF6 in both our IVEM and HVEM. The manufacturers reccommend the highest (instrument?) grade, but we find that use of a lower grade is OK. Two caviats are that our IVEM is a JEOL, so the gaps etc. may be different and lower grade SF6 may not work with the Phillips set-up, and there is a gas handling plant on the HVEM with a loop for circulating the SF6 through filters which remove particulates, water, and other impur- ities. The gas handling plant can also liquify and store much more than the 12 large cy- linders of SF6 it takes to fill our tanks. I definitely reccommend such a unit given the very large price increases in SF6. Good luck. Yours, Bill Tivol
I had the 'pleasure' of upgrading an OEM computer with lots of required legacy cards. Not only did the hardware need to remain supported, but the antiquated OS as well (OS/2 v1.3 from Microsoft). The cards that could be switched to PCI were (network, video). I still needed a 4 ISA slot motherboard. These can be found. The industrial path is certainly viable, and a good choice for easy conversion. There are also ISA bus extension boxes which work fine (add 4-8 full length slots to any motherboard with 1 ISA slot).
Keep in mind also that if you decide to upgrade your motherboard to a Pentium level processor that even if you can replace some of the legacy cards with PCI cards to reduce the ISA slot requirement, the BIOS may not support your ISA cards. Several important factors to consider and features to look for in the BIOS and motherboard are:
Support for a Memory Hole between 15-16M if memory mapping is needed (ISA cards don't map above this, and some BIOSs don't support this)
Make sure that in addition to the long cards not hitting the CPU and cooler, a deep skirt on the card does not hit other board components. This is harder to judge without trying it out. (If your case can accomodate the height, short ISA extension cards could raise them enough.
Control of the ISA clock in the BIOS is another thing to look for. That way you can upgrade to a decent processor and still run the legacy cards at 8 MHz.
Don't rely on the (ISA) card manufacturer to know anything about the card. If it is more than a generation old it has likely been forgotten about and is unsupported. If they do tell you anything, doubt it. Same for resellers of the motherboard knowing anything about the ISA slots - they likely won't. Go somewhere to look at the motherboard and read the manual to see if it will do the job.
The BIOS from AWARD was found to be particularly complete with regard to the above concerns. Computers from HP are particularly lacking in this area.
Good luck.
Jeffrey R. Kingsley, Ph.D. Analytical Fellow, Evans Sunnyvale Charles Evans & Associates 240 Santa Ana Ct. Sunnyvale, CA 94086
I had the 'pleasure' of upgrading an OEM computer with lots of required legacy cards. Not only did the hardware need to remain supported, but the antiquated OS as well (OS/2 v1.3 from Microsoft!). The cards that could be switched to PCI were (network, video). I still needed a 4 ISA slot motherboard. These can be found. The industrial path is certainly viable, and a good choice for easy conversion. There are also ISA bus extension boxes which work fine (add 4-8 full length slots to any motherboard with 1 ISA slot).
Keep in mind also that if you decide to upgrade your motherboard to a Pentium level processor that even if you can replace some of the legacy cards with PCI cards to reduce the ISA slot requirement, the BIOS may not support your ISA cards. Several important factors to consider and features to look for in the BIOS and motherboard are:
Support for a Memory Hole between 15-16M if memory mapping is needed (ISA cards don't map above this, and some BIOSs don't support this)
Make sure that in addition to the long cards not hitting the CPU and cooler, a deep skirt on the card does not hit other board components. This is harder to judge without trying it out. (If your case can accomodate the height, short ISA extension cards could raise them enough.
Control of the ISA clock in the BIOS is another thing to look for. That way you can upgrade to a decent processor and still run the legacy cards at 8 MHz.
Don't rely on the (ISA) card manufacturer to know anything about the card. If it is more than a generation old it has likely been forgotten about and is unsupported. If they do tell you anything, doubt it. Same for resellers of the motherboard knowing anything about the ISA slots - they likely won't. Go somewhere to look at the motherboard and read the manual to see if it will do the job.
The BIOS from AWARD was found to be particularly complete with regard to the above concerns. Computers from HP are particularly lacking in this area.
Good luck.
Jeffrey R. Kingsley, Ph.D. Analytical Fellow, Evans Sunnyvale Charles Evans & Associates 240 Santa Ana Ct. Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Responses came from a good cross section of the microscopy community. Individuals included professional microscopists, dealers, service and technical people, hobbyists. Some selected comments follow:
If you are looking for very inexpensive, solid construction, a little bit old fashioned microscope, the LOMO's microscope may be the choice.
Optically, and mechanically, the best of what comes out of the factory is not bad. But with used zeiss, leitz, wild, and even american optical 'scopes out there
in the market, why would one want to buy LOMO?
They do indeed seem to be a lot of microscope for the buck - but only if you are willing to put up with the problems you cited - I'd buy one for my personal use.
The optics seemed to be OK if a little dated - they were not up to a new Nikon 800 standards. But then they cost only about 1/10th as much. If price is your biggest hurdle you probably can't do better but be prepared to have a few hassels getting everything right.
I have a LOMO Biolam Researcher. I paid $950 for it and no scope I've
seen comes close to it for less than $4000. The old design Zena condenser
is fabulous.
As a dealer of LOMO Microscopes I can assure you the availability of
service and parts since the exclusive importer (LOMO America, Chicago,
IL) stocks parts and services the instruments.
The quality (mechanical) is good with some "rough edges" = could be
refined in some parts. The optical quality is very good, however some
designs are from the 50ties. The company is refining constantly.
They are basically good scopes at bargain prices!
Mechanically it is horrible, but I am the only user, and know its quirks. Optically it is great, as long as you don't mind post-war optical technology (e.g., no eye-popping binocular widefield).
{/smaller} {smaller} So, the bottom line is good micrsocopes , bad service.
******************************
} From the various input, my own {bold} {italic} personal {/italic} {/bold} conclusions are that:
1. Quality of scopes are variable. Quality control at the factory may be a problem. Optics are dated but good. Mechanical systems may be variable.
2. Be cautious. Check out the dealer. Get written warranties. Best to actually see the units in person at a dealer location and check everyting out before buying. Take it home yourself. Avoid shipping hassles and damage unless it is fully insured.
3. Depending on what you want to do, it may be better to pay a premium and have more dependable service.
4. Sounds like a good scope to have if money is the major hurdle. Get alot for your money. Good for the hobbyist looking for value for the dollar. On the other hand, there are many used scopes on the market made by well known manufacturers and reputable dealers that are readily available for service.
5. You can draw your own conclusions based on the comments above. I have not made up my mind about buying one yet. The jury is still out on this one.
Thanks again for all who have contributed to this dialogue.
{bold} {italic} This summary is neither an endorsement nor a complete review of LOMO scopes. List participants are encouraged to research this on their own and draw their own conclusions before committing $$$$. Thanks.
I just had someone inquire about short courses for light microscopy, especially including polarized light methods and principles. I know I saw some courses listed earlier but as I had no plans to attend, I didn't keep notes.
The interested person is Dr. Elena Vittadini: email to: evittadini-at-smtp1.cultorfs.com !!!! Please reply to her directly since she is not on this list.
Thanks in advance for the help!
Dale Callaham
+++++++++++++++++ Dale A. Callaham Senior Microscopist, Stuck Jar Lid Opener, Odd Job Bear Central Microscopy Facility The University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01007 ------------------------- Phone 413-545-3751 FAX 413-545-3243 email dac-at-bio.umass.edu
I have seen some traffic here about various SEM digital capture. I don't really know where my "contribution" fits in, but rather than sit on something that may be useful, I will give a brief description and let interested individuals get back to me.
I have built an "adapter" for PASSIVE capture of SEM images on a JEOL JSM-5400 scanning microscope. It is pretty simple but does a pretty nice job (1920x1440 pixel images, or 640x480 pixel images). Since I figure that there are lots of this series of microscopes out there in low-end installations that, like our facility, would not otherwise have good digital imaging, I hope to share this if people are interested. My cost was { $250 ($200 for an off-the-shelf DMA card) plus a 100MHz Pentium computer: I built a small interface board. It would probably cost others a bit more, depending on how much they can do themselves. The concept might even be useful on some other types of machines - I think it is a very versatile system.
I have one full resolution TIFF image (the file format used) - 2.8Mb!!!! and some reduced size/resolution/compressed images also at our website:
http://www.bio.umass.edu/microscopy
(look for the "Image Gallery" link). Note: some browsers are not set up for viewing TIFF images so you may need to point yours to some viewing application. Otherwise choose "Save to File" and then view it outside of the browser.
Rather than tie up internet bandwidth with pages of info, I will be glad to reply to anyone interested, and try to help as best I can with my limited time. I know of one vendor who may be interested in setting these up for those who can't do it themselves, although the setup is very simple.
Cheers!
Dale Callaham
+++++++++++++++++ Dale A. Callaham Senior Microscopist, Stuck Jar Lid Opener, Odd Job Bear Central Microscopy Facility The University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01007 ------------------------- Phone 413-545-3751 FAX 413-545-3243 email dac-at-bio.umass.edu
Thank you all that answered my inquire on BSE with no BSE detector under = a LEO 440. The suggestion to set the collector bias to zero or negative wor= ked fine. I have just tried it, so only today I could test your suggestions.
S=E9rvio T=FAlio Pires Amarante
serviopa-at-usp.br
Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de S=E3o Paulo Caixa Postal 42694-970 04299-970 S=E3o Paulo BRASIL
} Will, } The first North American TEM was designed by Albert Prebus and James } Hillier in the Dept. of Physics at the University of Toronto over the } 1937-38 Christmas holidays and was built during the first four months of } 1938. This info is from a great commemorative article by U.M. Franklin, } G.C. Weatherly, and G.T. Simon in ELECTRON MICROSCOPY 1978, VOL. III, } STATE OF THE ART SYMPOSIA, Papers presented in Symposia at the Ninth } International Congress on Electron Microscopy held in Toronto August } 1-9, 1978, edited by J.M. Sturgess. } I have a snapshot of that U of Toronto 'scope which now resides in the Ontario Science Centre. If anyone is interested, I can provide a .tiff or something of it. (Warning: The esthetic appeal of the picture is somewhat marred by yours truly standing beside the scope:-))
F.C. Thomas MicroAnalysis Facility Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic) Bedford Institute of Oceanography Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2
McCrone Research Institute offers many courses on light microscopy incl= uding polarized light microscopy. More information is available on their web= page http://www.mcri.org/.
Regards,
Joe Neilly Abbott Laboratories D-45M, AP31 200 Abbott Park Rd. Abbott Park, IL 60064-6202 voice: (847)-938-5024 fax: (847)-938-5027 e-mail: joe.neilly-at-abbott.com =
We have the Ferrups unit from Best Power on several instruments. There are two things that I would keep in mind:
1. make sure that you have the capability to handle the power surges that come from motors switching on and off (ie, pumps and compressors). For Best Power, this is the DVR option.
2. make sure that your physical plant people RTFM when installing the unit. For example, Best requires grounding cable that is *at least* the same gauge as the hot and common wiring. This requirement is more stringent than the typical electrical code.
Hope this helps.
} Dear Microscopists, } We would like to get a UPS for our TEM to bridge the gap between the } instant there is a loss of power and the time when the backup generator } takes over (a minute or so??). We have some information about APC and Tripp } Lite UPS units, but we are concerned that their experience is limited to } computer applications. We would like information on the types of UPS } employed by EM users. We would also appreciate suggestions on how to chose } the appropriate size. The power consumption of our TEM is about 3 kilowatts } (instuction manual). } Many Thanks in advance. } Vachik Hacopian
-------------------------- John Bonevich NIST, Metallurgy, Stop 8554 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899 USA TEL: (301) 975-5428 FAX: (301) 975-4553
Dear Colleagues! I have the following problem: I don't know how to treat diffraction patterns from Quasi-Crystals. For example, is there analogue Bragg reflection formula in this case? I would be very thankful for references on any fruitful works about this problem.
Please send your message to my e-mail address: DOMAN-at-orm.irtm.kiae.ru
Thank you very much for attention to my question!
Alexandr Domantovsky Moscow, RRC "Kurchatov institute", Russia
Hi Gillian: We are also in the process of installing a Philips 430. I called around, and found a grade that meet Philips specs for $1417/110 lb cylinder (insulator grade 3) from BOC Gases -at- 800-262-4273 X1455 ask for Bob Korniche. I hope this helps. Regards,
Michael Coviello EM Lab Manager UT Arlington, Arlington, TX
Gillian Bond wrote:------------------------------------------------------------------------
} The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Hi everyone, } } The members of the listserver have been wonderfully helpful in the past, } and I'm hoping someone can come to my aid again. } } We have a Philips 430 being installed in our lab, and it turns out we need } to get into the high-tension tank - which means I need more SF6, (needless } to say, on a rather limited budget). I have three questions. First, is } there anyone out there who has any SF6 they don't want (perhaps left over } from a machine they don't have any more) that we could buy off them? } Second, where is the best/most economical commercial source to buy SF6 } from? Third, what grade of SF6 is it that is used in these applications? } } I would really appreciate your input on this. Many thanks in advance. } } Gill } } Dr Gillian M. Bond } Department of Materials & Metallurgical Engineering } New Mexico Tech } Socorro, NM 87801
} I have the following problem: I don't know how to treat diffraction } patterns from Quasi-Crystals. For example, is there analogue Bragg } reflection formula in this case? } I would be very thankful for references on any fruitful } works about this problem.
Dear Alexandr, I reccommend the article "High-resolution electron microscopy of quasicrystals" by Kenji Hiraga published in 1997 in Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics, Vol. 101, pp 37-98. There is a good introduction to quasiperiodic lattices and a section on electron diffraction which is clear and informative.
Greetings Friends, This was probably covered before, but I am having trouble getting freshly isolated myocytes to stick to Aclar. I'm willing to coat with laminin or Fibronectin etc. Does anyone have a tried and true protocol? or an arrow that points in the right direction? Hope to try this after a much needed vacation in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, so I won't be signing off during this time in order to receive replys. Thanks, Linda Fox lfox1-at-wpo.luc.edu
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNDAMENTALS AND APPLICATIONS OF LIGHT MICROSCOPY -- FOURTH ANNUAL SHORT COURSE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 20-25,1999, Wellesley College Science Center, Wellesley Massachusetts
A 5-day hands-on course for achieving the maximum information from light microscopy. The course will cover the principals of light microscopy, adjustments of the microscope for optimumcontrast and resolution, image capture and interpretation of images in terms of light-matter interactions. Contrast techniques, including polarized light, differential interference contrast, phase contrast, Hoffman Modulation coutrast and fluorescence microscopy will be included. A full range of reflected and transmitted light microscopes, as well as contrast equipment, will beprovided for use by the students. Students are encouraged to bring their own samples for exploration.
Organized by McCann Imaging For further information: see http://www.microscopyed.com For course brochure, contact Mary McCann, McCann Imaging 161 Claflin Street Belmont MA 02478 e-mail: mccanns-at-tiac.net Phone (617)-484-7865 Fax: (617) 484-2490
As an alternative to going to McCrone, MME will develop a customized, on-site workshop in this area. Our webpage info is listed below.
Best regards,
Barbara Foster Consortium President Microscopy/Microscopy Education ...Educating microscopists for greater productivity.
125 Paridon Street Suite 102 Springfield, MA 01118 PH: (413)746-6931 FX: (413)746-9311 email: mme-at-map.com Visit our web site {http://www.MME-Microscopy.com/education} ****************************************************** MME is America's first national consortium providing customized on-site workshops in all areas of microscopy, sample preparation, and image analysis.
At 07:36 AM 6/2/99 -0500, Neilly,Joseph wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
} } Dear Colleagues! } I have the following problem: I don't know how to treat diffraction } patterns from Quasi-Crystals. For example, is there analogue Bragg } reflection formula in this case? } I would be very thankful for references on any fruitful } works about this problem.
Hello Dr. Domantovsky, There are numerous papers in the literature on indexing quasicrystal diffraction patterns. Bear in mind there are several different types of quasicrystals (icosahedral phase, four different decagonal phases, octahedral phase, dodecagonal phase, etc...), each with their own indexing system. In fact for the icosahedral phase there are several different (yet equivalent) indexing schemes.
For the icosahedral phase, all of the diffraction peaks and zone axes can be indexed with three orthogonal vectors pointing to three perpendicular two-fold edge centers of an icosahedron (J. W. Cahn, D. Shechtman, and D. Gratias, J. Mat. Res. 11, 12 1986. and D. S. Rokhsar, N. D. Mermin, and D. Wright, Phys. Rev. 135, 5487 1987). If the icosahedron has edge length 2, then the coordinates of the five-fold vertices are given by the cyclic permutations of ( +-1 , +-tau , 0), where the irrational number tau is defined from the equation tau^2=tau+1. Alternatively, the icosahedral phase can be indexed with six independent vectors with integer indices. The particular choice for the six vectors is a matter of convention. Elser (Phys. Rev. B32, 4892 1985) chose to align the icosahedron with a five-fold axis along the z-axis, and chose the basis as the six vectors pointing toward the upper vertices of the icosahedron.
I hope that you find this information of use.
_____________________________________________________ Tyrone L. Daulton Director: Marine Geosciences - Electron Microscopy Center Physicist and Senior Electron Microscopist
Naval Research Laboratory Marine Geosciences Division (Code 7400) Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004
Job Opening at Intel: Sr.TEM Engineer/Materials Scientist Job Description and Responsibility: The successful candidate for this position will perform advanced imaging and microanalysis of Si-based integrated circuits using transmission electron microscopy and provide in-depth materials analysis and interpretation of the results for various processing related problems found in process development. A Ph.D. degree in Materials Science or Applied Physics is required for this position. The successful candidate should have a solid understanding of electron-solid interaction and basic knowledge of electron optics. The candidate should be experienced in utilizing TEM for various materials analysis and problem solving and should also have extensive knowledge and experience in x-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry and/or electron energy loss spectrometry. Some knowledge/experience in the area of semiconductor processing or electronic materials is highly preferred. Must possess good written and verbal communication skills and problem solving techniques. Able to work in a team environment. Work Site: Oregon Contact: Hiring Manager: Ma,Zhiyong Phone: (503)613-6480 Fax: (503)613-5907 Mailing Address: Intel Corporation Components Technology Development M/S: RA1-329 2501 NW 229th St. Hillsboro, OR 97124
If you find any technique to colorize the SEM images can you be so kind to share it with the list?
Gary.
On Thu, 27 May 1999 diane.a.ciaburri-at-gdds.com-at-sparc5.microscopy.com wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } } Hi all! } } I need to colorize some SEM photos (digital). I have Adobe Photo Deluxe Home } Version but I hear that CorrelDraw or Adobe Photo Shop might be better. What } does everyone else use? If anyone has any special techniques to share I'd love } to hear them. } } Thanks, } } Diane Ciaburri } }
Does anyone have a reliable "recipe" for preparing holey carbon grids. I'm using a glycerol-formvar mixture, however my holes are not very homogeneous in size and are very sparse. Maybe there's something I'm missing - any advice? Does anyone know if these solutions store well?
Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Minh ^_^
Minh, I find that the best recipe for holey grids is to order them already made from someone like EMS. They're not that expensive, especially if you consider what your time is worth. Mary Gail Engle Electron Microscopy & Imaging Facility University of Kentucky
At 06:09 PM 6/3/99 +0930, Trinh, Minh-Uyen - TRIMY002 wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Recently, graduates in physics or biophysics are encouraged to apply for a post doctoral position in the-state-of-the-art time-resolved imaging laboratory at Microcosm. The successful candidate will be part of a team developing photonics technologies for solid state and biomedical applications. Hands-on experience with femetosecond lasers, time-resolved and imaging instrumentation is essential. This position is only for US citizens.
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{html} We would like to post the following position on your list server. If you need any additional information, please let me know. Thank you. {br} {br} UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA {br} Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center {br} Faculty Position in Advanced Electron Microscopy {br} {br} As part of the partnership between the University of Central Florida and Lucent Technologies, a position in advanced electron microscopy of materials is expected to be available to begin Fall of 1999. The position will be within the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC) at the level of a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Physics. Applicants should have a Ph.D. degree in Physics, Materials Science, or closely related field, and should have demonstrated expertise in atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, annular dark-field imaging, Z-contrast imaging, energy loss microscopy, analytical microscopy, and similar techniques. Send a copy of a current vita, including a research and teaching plan, along with a minimum of three letters of reference, to: {br} {br} {div align="center"} Dr. Vimal Desai, Director {br} AMPAC {br} University of Central Florida {br} 12424 Research Parkway {br} Suite 408 {br} Orlando, FL 32826 {br} {br} {/div} The University of Central Florida is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Screening of applications will begin May 25 and remain open until position is filled. {br} {BR} {/html}
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Responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Center; maintaining equipment in operating order, scheduling and monitoring users of the facilities, participating in educational and research activities consistent with the University's mission, assisting faculty and staff in instrument use, performing contracted work for others, and organizing/conducting tours of the Center for student fieldtrips and site visits of grant funding agencies. Master of Science degree and 2 yrs. experience in the operation of maintenance of electron microscopes required. Full-time administrative staff position. Administrative Grade Level 14, minimum salary $32,348. Salary is commensurate with education and experience. Full benefit package available. Submit letter of application, resume, and names/addresses/telephone numbers of three professional references postmarked by June 18, 1999 to: Ofc. of Human Resources (Search S-036), 100 College Park Ofc. Bldg., Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403. BGSU is an EEO/AA employer/educator.
I have written a very mini-tutorial on using Photoshop for colorizing SEM images. It will appear in the June issue of Microscopy Today. I'm not giving away all my secrets, but it should give you a start! Why not use what you learn and challenge me in the Just For Fun contest that Microscopy Today is having at MSA in Portland in August? Do you think I can win First and Second prizes again?! You can subscribe to Microscopy Today at their web site http://www.microscopy-today.com and it's free.
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* ****************************************************************************
} Does anyone have a reliable "recipe" for preparing holey carbon grids. I'm } using a glycerol-formvar mixture, however my holes are not very homogeneous in } size and are very sparse. Maybe there's something I'm missing - any advice? } Does anyone know if these solutions store well? } } Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Dear Minh, We use 45 ml of actetone plus 45 ml of chloroform to which 0.2 g of formvar and between 0.82 and 1.5 ml 90% glycerine are added. The formvar is added to the CHCl3 and shaken until the formvar dissolves, then the acetone and glycerol are added and skaken vigorously for ~10 min. The mixture is sonicated for 5 min with a probe sonicator and must be used within a few hours or re-sonicated. If the mix is used immediately, I get a very large number of small holes (~2 um), and if the mix stands for ~1 hr, I get a large number of larger holes (~5 um). I almost always get "wall-to-wall" holes with very thin bars of formvar remaining. Good luck.
I always seem to have trouble floating the films off the slides; does anyone have any tips? Also, I'd like to get 10-20 um holes; any tips there?
Dear Bill, Thanks for your advice - much appreciated ^_^ Regarding the floating of films - I found it is important for the slides to have a clean/hydrophilic surface. If the slides are new, it is usually ok to just rinse the slide with a bit of detergent and wiping it dry with lint free tissue. However, if you don't have clean slides I find the following method for cleaning surfaces 100% successful - the film easily floats off (and if you're skilled enough you can float both sides off at the same time).
*Place slides in a beaker containing conc. HNO3 (~60%) and boil for 1 hr, rinse with copious amounts of Milli-Q water several times. *Rinse with a bit of detergent and wipe dry before dipping into mixture.
To get larger holes I presume you would need to add more glycerol to the mixture.
Regards, Minh T ^_^
-----Original Message----- From: William Tivol [SMTP:tivol-at-wadsworth.org] Sent: Friday, June 04, 1999 6:52 AM To: Trinh, Minh-Uyen - TRIMY002; microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com Subject: Re: TEM need help with preparing holey carbon grids
Trinh, Minh-Uyen - TRIMY002 wrote:
} Does anyone have a reliable "recipe" for preparing holey carbon grids. I'm } using a glycerol-formvar mixture, however my holes are not very homogeneous in } size and are very sparse. Maybe there's something I'm missing - any advice? } Does anyone know if these solutions store well? } } Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Dear Minh, We use 45 ml of actetone plus 45 ml of chloroform to which 0.2 g of formvar and between 0.82 and 1.5 ml 90% glycerine are added. The formvar is added to the CHCl3 and shaken until the formvar dissolves, then the acetone and glycerol are added and skaken vigorously for ~10 min. The mixture is sonicated for 5 min with a probe sonicator and must be used within a few hours or re-sonicated. If the mix is used immediately, I get a very large number of small holes (~2 um), and if the mix stands for ~1 hr, I get a large number of larger holes (~5 um). I almost always get "wall-to-wall" holes with very thin bars of formvar remaining. Good luck.
I always seem to have trouble floating the films off the slides; does anyone have any tips? Also, I'd like to get 10-20 um holes; any tips there?
Minh, For making holey carbon films, I use polystyrene films casted from glass slides the same way as formvar. Polystyrene films are easy to float them off after simple Kleenex cleaning of glass slides or mica sheets. ~0.25% w/v solution of polystyrene in amyl actate results in ~ silver film. Breathing once on a drying film will give you a whole range of diameters from a few nm to microns. Adding a few drops of water to polystyrene solution and sonication before casting will give you very reproducible and uniform holes. You can evaporate carbon onto filmed grids or onto films on slides followed by floating off carbon coated polystyrene films.
You can easily remove polystyrene by keeping the grids on a wire net or on a filter paper over the amyl acetate to have clean holey carbon films only.
Let me know if you need more details. Marek.
} Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 10:25:02 +0930 } From: "Trinh, Minh-Uyen - TRIMY002" {TRIMY002-at-students.unisa.edu.au} } Subject: Re: TEM need help with preparing holey carbon grids } To: "'William Tivol'" {tivol-at-wadsworth.org} , } "'Microscopy-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com'" {Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com} } MIME-Version: 1.0 } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Dear all, Is there anybody out there using an Agfa Duoscan for TEM negatives?
Our lab has just bought one (the T2500) but the negative holder (60 by 90) does not quite fit our TEM negatives (64 by 88 mm).
What have others done about this? Manually adjusting the holder? Having a special holder made?
We would appreciate any ideas that you can share.
Yours sincerely
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ian MacLaren Department of Experimental Physics Chalmers University of Technology S-412 96 G=F6teborg Sweden Tel: +46 31 772 36 33 FAX: +46 31 772 32 24 email: maclaren-at-fy.chalmers.se or: ianmaclaren-at-hotmail.com Research Group Homepage: http://fy.chalmers.se/microscopy/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hello, we've been using the Duoscan for about 3 years now, and believe it or not, we use scotch tape to hold TEM as well as various other negs to the glass tray which comes with the scanner. The scotch tape holds them flat quite well, and not very much is needed. We've also had some succes placing the negatives on the glass tray and keeping them flat with an 8x10 sheet of glass on top. If this double glass is used you have to be very careful when scanning, as the Duoscan is great at picking up Newton's Rings.
Good Luck
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Adam Baker Carleton University Biology Department Email address: adbaker-at-ccs.carleton.ca ----------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a question regarding SEM/EPMA analysis. I cannot find information about EPMA analysis on the web. Can anyone tell me what it is? Is it an acronym for Electron Probe Microanalysis? Does anyone have any information on an EMAX3700 mounted on a Hitachi SEM. I have a customer who is asking about this, and would like to find out some information. ANY information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
David Bell Scientist Electron Microscopy Lab Millipore Corporation 80 Ashby Road Bedford, MA 01730 (781) 533-2108
There ought to be something about EPMA on the web. There is a mailing list at microprobe-at-www.microanalysis.org, but I think you have to be subscribed to post to it. I can get you details.
You are right about the acronym. Often, it refers to wavelength-dispersive spectrometers with crytals instead of the energy-dispersive Si and Ge solid state detectors. But some can get sloppy with the nomenclature. (I still prefer to refer to EDS than to EDAX. Nothing against EDAX, the company, but I prefer not to give them free advertising.)
I am not familiar with EXAX3700. What does you client want to know or do? Do they want low detection limits, high resolution scans, etc.?
At 09:47 AM 6/4/1999 -0400, you wrote: } } Hi all, } } I have a question regarding SEM/EPMA analysis. I cannot find information } about EPMA analysis on the web. Can anyone tell me what it is? Is it an } acronym for Electron Probe Microanalysis? Does anyone have any information } on an EMAX3700 mounted on a Hitachi SEM. I have a customer who is asking } about this, and would like to find out some information. ANY information } would be greatly appreciated. } } Thanks in advance, } } David Bell } Scientist } Electron Microscopy Lab } Millipore Corporation
Here are some posts that may be helpful on the subject from my archives:
I know of two methods of preparing holey films. The first is to shake up a mixture of liquid soap and water and Collodion until it froths, then drop a drop or two on the surface of distilled water. Lay the grids on top of the Collodion layer, pick up with a filter paper, dry and carbon coat. Put the grids in a Jaffe washer with cloroform for 48 hours to remove the Collodion. The other method, if you have Nucleopore type filters, is to carbon coat a strip of Nucleopore filter film, place a square of the coated filter on the grid sitting on a nickel mesh on the surface of the Jaffe washer full of cloroform, wait 48 hours to dissolve the Nucleopore, dry grids. The holes in the Nucleopore will be now be holes in the carbon coat. I must admit I have not tried the first method myself, but someone in my lab did, years ago.
I use a method by Kuga and Brown from Philips Electron Optics Bulletin v126, p.19 (1989) to make lacy formvar grids. First a note of caution. I use dichloroethane as my solvent for the formvar resin. After having much difficulty in preparing my films, I was told that when exposed to light, dichloroethane slowly forms HCl in the solution. The HCl destroys the integrity of the formvar polymer. Solution: store the formvar solution in a brown bottle in a dark cabinet.
Method:
- I use 0.25% formvar solution in dichloroethane and freshly cleaved mica sheets as a substrate. The formvar lifts off the mica much easier than from glass microscope slides.
- Dip the mica into the formvar solution, wick off excess on a paper towel, then breathe heavily on the mica for about 5 seconds while it is still wet. The moisture in your breath condenses in the solution. Caution: Don't inhale!
- When the mica has dried, score the edges and float off on water.
- Place 200 mesh TEM grids on the floating film. The area with the best holes will appear milky.
- I then take saran wrap, stretch it tightly across the mouth of a small (~100ml beaker), and press it down at a slight angle onto the floating formvar film. The film will stick to saran wrap and you can easily pick it up off the surface of the water.
- After the film has mostly dried, pick up the grids from the saran wrap "drumhead" and place them on filter paper.
- The film will have many "pseudoholes" that have a thin residual film across them.
- Following the method of Kuga and Brown, by heating the film to about the T(g) temperature you can break these holes open. The time and temperature are critical. I place the bare filter paper in a small lab oven (not in a petri dish; it has too much thermal mass) at 110C for 12 minutes.
- I then coat both sides with carbon to stabilize the formvar lace.
I can easily make 50-100 grids in an hour (exclusive of the carbon coating). These grids make wonderful supports for looking at fine particulate dispersions.
Cheers, Henk Henk Colijn colijn.1-at-osu.edu OSU Campus Electron Optics Facility
The question of how to make holey carbon films came up on the list server two years ago. At that time John Gabrovsek (gabrovj-at-ccsmtp.ccf.org) gave the following reference: Baumeister & Seredynsky, Micron 1976, Vol 7, p. 49, and Jane Fagerland (fagerland.jane-at-igate.abbott.com)gave this one: Elsner, Proceedings, 29th EMSA Meeting, p. 460. Both methods were said to work satisfactorily. You might try contacting these people for more details.
Wilbur C. Bigelow, Prof. Emeritus Materials Sci. & Engr., University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136 e-mail: bigelow-at-umich.edu;
Sara,
Here is a method I have used in the past. It's a hassle, believe me, but it usually works. It also makes you realize why purchasing holey films commercially costs so much---they're not easy to make.
1) If you can find it, purchase a product called "Victawet" (I believe Electron Microscopy Sciences carries it). This comes in very small vials and it lasts forever. It serves as a lubricant to release plastic films from glass slides in the following steps.
2) Get some high quality glass microscope slides. We have found that Esco brand slides work more reliably than any other kind. Don't know why. The ones with one frosted end are useful for keeping orientation.
3)Polish these slides until they gleam and show NO contamination upon close examination. Do this even if they are "precleaned".
4)Take a piece of Victawet about the size of a cooked grain of rice and put it in a tungsten basket in a vacuum evaporator. Arrange as many CLEAN glass slides around it facing the basket. A distance of several to many centimeters is fine----i.e., distance is not too critical. It may be possible to make a custom rack for this purpose out of plastic or metal---the material used should not outgas too much.
5) Pump down the evaporator and when high vacuum has been reached, gently increase current to the basket. At a certain point the victawet will start to melt and you will see a fog developing on the slides. (If you use too much current, the piece of victawet may jump out of the basket and you have to start over, so be patient.) This "fog" is what you want. No need to overdo it, a little bit will work fine.
6) Repeat Step 5 until you have as many slides as you need. Use a new piece of victawet for each batch. Store these slides in a container for later use, since they keep for a few weeks.
7) Get some formvar (some people use butvar) in 1,2 dichloroethane (ethylene dichloride). 0.5% or 0.25% usually works. You can order 1% and dilute it, too. Keep this solution in a dessicator. Water in the solution causes problems, so only open it when necessary and for as brief a time as possible. Pour this in a tube wide enough to hold a slide, to a depth just short of the frosted end of the slide. (You can conserve formvar by using a special tube with a constricted lower end. One product is called "Dip Miser" and I think it's sold by Ted Pella. We had a special dipping tube made by a glassblower from a regular glass cylinder fused with a very wide constricted bottom.)
8) Cover the top of the tube with the formvar with something so that the atmosphere inside becomes saturated with the evaporating dichloroethane.
9) Get a container big enough to hold water to a depth of several inches. It should be 8-10 inches in diameter for comfortable working. Fill it to the top with, preferably, double-distilled water.
10) Now you're ready. Take the victawet coated slides and polish them again. They should feel slippery. Clean them until they gleam. Clip the frosted end of the slide with something to hold it, like a paper clamp attached to a piece of wire, and put it in the formvar solution in the tube. Keep it there for about 5-10 seconds, then pull it up and let it drain INSIDE THE TUBE. Only leave the top of the tube uncovered while putting the slide in and taking it out, in order to keep the atmosphere saturated. While the slide is draining, keep something over the tube opening, allowing only enough opening for the wire. The length of time you let the slide drain determines the final thickness of the formvar film. Start at about 10 seconds. If you desire a thinner film, increase the draining time up to about 15-20 seconds. (This is why the atmosphere must remain saturated with dichloroethane inside the tube. If it is not, the formvar just dries with draining properly.)
11) To make the holes, expose the slide to moisture IMMEDIATELY upon removing the wet slide from the dipping tube. We would breathe on it, but passing it quickly over a bath of steaming water might do the same thing. The microdroplets of water in the steam or in your breath make the holes. To repeat, this must be done IMMEDIATELY before the slide has time to begin drying. This is also a good time for prayer, invocations to the ancestors, luck rabbit's feet, and anything else you might find effective in appeasing the gods of holey films.
12) Lean the coated slide up against something in a dust-free area to dry for at least two minutes.
13) Back to the basin of water---take a clean laboratory tissue paper and drag the surface of the water to rid it of oil and dust. You can also put a drop of collodion in amyl acetate on the water, let it form a film, then pick this up and discard it to clean the surface.
14) Take the slide and cut around the outside perimeter of the film with a clean razor blade or scalpel. Then take the slide and, holding the frosted end, SLOWLY dip it into the water. If all goes well, the victawet was good, and you have been virtuous recently, the film will separate from the slide and float on the surface of the water. (HINT: a friend of mine---thanks, Steve---discovered that heating the water really helps in releasing the film. Don't boil it, just warm it up.)
15) You can now take your clean TEM grids and place them carefully on the floating film. When you have enough, take another CLEAN glass slide (no need for victawet this time) and scoop the film up. This is tricky and hard to describe: the idea is to catch the end of the slide on the end of the floating film so that when the slide is pushed down into the water the film will be pulled down with it and against it. When you finish, the grids should be between the formvar film and the glass slide. Put it somewhere dust free to dry. When dry, you place the slides in a vacuum evaporator and coat them with 100-300 angstroms of carbon. Then, you can GENTLY AND CAREFULLY push on the edge of the grid to pop it loose from the film. At this point, you will hopefully have a carbon-coated holey film on a grid, ready for use.
Alternatively, you can use a "domino rack", a piece of metal with small holes in it and two bent ends that serve as legs (kind of like a little bench with holes a few millimeters larger than TEM grids). These can be purchased commercially, or made yourself if you can find the right kind of metal with holes. When the film is floating on the water, before putting the grids on it, slowly lower the CLEAN domino rack onto the film, which will adhere to it by surface tension. Lift it out and put it in a dust free place to dry. The result is formvar film covering a bunch of little holes. The grids are later set upon these films by placing a drop of double-distilled water on the film, placing the grid on the drop, and letting it dry down. The film with grids can then be carbon-coated, or you can coat the individual grids later.
I warned you. This is a good starting procedure and variations can be done at several points, depending upon your circumstances. Things can go wrong at any stage, affected by humidity especially. It's a frustrating procedure and I would welcome any suggestions for making it easier, but it does work if you're patient and willing to experiment a little. If you do get a batch to work, I suggest making a whole bunch at once while luck is with you. You may not be so fortunate next week.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll try to help more.
Randy
Randy Tindall Electron Microscope Laboratory Box 3EML New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003
Larry D. Ackerman Lily & Yuh Nung Jan Laboratories Howard Hughes Medical Institute UCSF, Box 0725, Rm U226 533 Parnassus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94143
There has been some recent discussion about the desire to purchase ruthenium tetroxide and also to put it into an alcoholic solution. There was also a possible suggestion that it was being shipped by normal shipping channels used for hazmat materials. Or at least that was the way some had interpreted it to mean.
I contacted one of my friends who is a precious metals chemist and expert in this area, his response follows: ======================================= Regarding the hazards, ruthenium tetroxide consists of golden-yellow monoclinic prisms. It is very volatile, sublimes at room temperature. It should be handled in a hood only. Vapors will irritate the eyes and respiratory tract. mp 25.4 degrees. bp 40 degrees. It reacts explosively with alcohol and filter paper. Uses: Oxidizing agent similar to osmium tetroxide, but more difficult to handle. The solvents normally employed in OsO4 oxidations (either, benzene, pyridine) cannot be used because of their violent reaction with RuO4. Only CCl4 is recommended.
We are unaware of the legal aspects and transportation methods for shipping RuO4. Because of the high volatility shipment may not be possible. ===================================================== So the point is that this is a very dangerous material, I am unaware of anyone who is brave enough to sell the tetroxide form of ruthenium as crystals (of course, the dioxide, ruthenium red, the metal, etc., there is no problem) and in any case, one can not put it into alcohol safely, and CCl4 (carbon tetrachloride) seems to be the only solvent that can handle it safely.
After the first posting, I suggested a way, privately, to a few who asked, that one could collect small amounts of ruthenium and dissolve it in alcohol . However, in view of the above information, I want to retract even the suggestion that could be done.
I stand behind my original statement that this material can not be shipped safely, and that is why it is not available in crystal form. To my knowledge, those using ruthenium tetroxide in electron microscopy, are generating it from a kit such as is described on our URL http://www.2spi.com/catalog/chem/chem1c.html
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There is still one hole remaining for sponsership at the annual golf tournament during the M & M meeting in Portland. Hole sponsership is $65.00. Each golfer will recieve a gift bag containing gifts from various sponsers including:
JEOL FEI EVEX DENTON HITACHI PELLA
Please contact John Arnott at Ladd (see below) as soon as possible to participate in this annual event schedueled for Aug. 1, 1999 in Portland. There are still a few slots open for players as well.
Thanks,
John Arnott -- LADD RESEARCH 13 Dorset Lane Williston, VT 05495 TEL 1-800-451-3406 (US) or 1-802-878-6711 (anywhere) FAX 1-802-878-8074 e-mail ladres-at-worldnet.att.net web site http://www.ladd.cc
Thanks for your comments. Actually, the client already has data and a report, and wanted to know more about the technique. From what I'm learning, though, the data looks more like elemental mapping than what I would expect for EPMA. It seems that whomever supplied the report is doing just as you suggested: being sloppy with the nomenclature. I think what they really want is for us to be able and willing to provide similar analysis in house, but before I jumped to any conclusions or agreed to anything, I thought I'd learn as much as possible about the "alleged" technique. If anyone is familiar with the specifics of the EMAX3700 system, I would appreciate getting some details.
Thanks again.
David Bell Scientist Electron Microscopy Lab Millipore Corporation 80 Ashby Road Bedford, MA 01730 (781) 533-2108
Warren E Straszheim {wesaia-at-iastate.edu} on 06/04/99 10:14:25 AM
To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com cc: (bcc: David Bell/NA/Millipore)
There ought to be something about EPMA on the web. There is a mailing list at microprobe-at-www.microanalysis.org, but I think you have to be subscribed to post to it. I can get you details.
You are right about the acronym. Often, it refers to wavelength-dispersive spectrometers with crytals instead of the energy-dispersive Si and Ge solid state detectors. But some can get sloppy with the nomenclature. (I still prefer to refer to EDS than to EDAX. Nothing against EDAX, the company, but I prefer not to give them free advertising.)
I am not familiar with EXAX3700. What does you client want to know or do? Do they want low detection limits, high resolution scans, etc.?
At 09:47 AM 6/4/1999 -0400, you wrote: } } Hi all, } } I have a question regarding SEM/EPMA analysis. I cannot find information } about EPMA analysis on the web. Can anyone tell me what it is? Is it an } acronym for Electron Probe Microanalysis? Does anyone have any information } on an EMAX3700 mounted on a Hitachi SEM. I have a customer who is asking } about this, and would like to find out some information. ANY information } would be greatly appreciated. } } Thanks in advance, } } David Bell } Scientist } Electron Microscopy Lab } Millipore Corporation
Dear All: Thank you for your assistance w/ the companies that offer independent service contracts for TEM. For anyone who is interested, I can forward the info to them. This forum is a great resource for all of us. Thanks
Regards, Mike Coviello EM Lab Manager Materials Science & Engineering UT Arlington Arlington, TX
I'd like to get input from any users who have evaluated the differences in the ease of use/quality of output of a passive vs. an active digital acquisition system add-on that is available from a multitude of vendors for upgrading analog SEM's. I would also invite recommendations of either type of system that you have purchased and are happy with. We would like to put the system on our JEOL 845 SEM. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Regards, Mike Coviello EM Lab Manager Materials Science & Engineering UT Arlington Arlington, TX
This is an advertisement for an imaging position. Nina Stromgren Allen
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Center for Cellular and Molecular Imaging (CMIF) Department of Botany North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
Responsibilites include overseeing the day-to-day operation of a light microscopy facility, instructing and collaborating with investigators, participating in education activities including organizing and conducting tours of the facility and participating in microscopy course teaching in conjunction with a second technician in the facility. This requires detailed knowledge of laser scanning confocal microscopy, video microsopy and image analysis with computers, digital imaging methods and the use of Photoshop etc., computer networking, as well as high competence in microinjection methods. Some knowledge of computer programming is very desirable. Part of the job will involve participation in grant writing and research in the area of plant cell biology. Ph.D and a minimum of 2 years experience is required. Minimum salary is $35,000. Full benefit package is available. Applicants should submit their curriculum vitae and reprints with a cover letter to Dr. Nina S. Allen, Department of Botany, Box 7612, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7612 by June 18, 1999. Also please request that three professionals send reference letters to Dr. Nina S. Allen.
North Carolina State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and operates under Affirmative Action Policy. The University strongly encourages all qualified applicants.
Nina Stromgren Allen Professor, Department of Botany; Director, Cellular and Molecular Imaging Facility Box 7612 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695-7612 Phone: 919-515-8382 (Office), 515-3525 (Lab), 515-2727 (Department Secretary) Fax: 919-515-3436
Dear colleagues, A few months ago I put up the question of how to quantify the instrument peak broadening of a x-ray diffractometer. I feel obliged to report the result.
I was put onto the NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM) #660 described in the very useful NIST's SRM web page at: http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/230/232/232.htm The specific web page for x-ray diffraction calibration standards is: http://ois.nist.gov/srmcatalog/tables/209-1.htm
The calibration material for line broadening is LaB6 in powder form (?).
Some suggested a single crystal wafer of Si and pointed out some problems to watch out for. According to my colleague, whom I was originally asking this question for, the peak broadening for a single crystal is not what he is after. He has polycrystalline specimens and he wants to determine the base or instrumental broadening without contributions due to the broadening from the thickness, grain size or internal stresses of the specimen. He was looking for a powder of a specific crystallite size, spread to certain thickness to satisfy the above criteria.
Thank you, for all of your contributions.
-- Steven Celotto Netherlands Institute of Metals Research (NIMR) Department of Applied Physics, University of Groningen Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands Ph: +31 50 363 4344 Fax: +31 50 363 4881 email: s.celotto-at-phys.rug.nl http://www.phys.rug.nl/mk/people/celotto/celotto.html http://www.nimr.nl/
Dave, The answer to your question is yes. I have usually seen reference to EMPA, electron microprobe analysis. A microprobe is not much more than an SEM with one or more wavelength spectrometers attached plus lots of expensive software. I'm not familiar with a EMAX3700. You may find some of the SEM vendors may be able to help you. Russ, Xerox
-----Original Message----- } From: "David_Bell-at-Millipore.com"-at-sparc5.microscopy.com [mailto:"David_Bell-at-Millipore.com"-at-sparc5.microscopy.com] Sent: Friday, June 04, 1999 9:47 AM To: microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com
Hi all,
I have a question regarding SEM/EPMA analysis. I cannot find information about EPMA analysis on the web. Can anyone tell me what it is? Is it an acronym for Electron Probe Microanalysis? Does anyone have any information on an EMAX3700 mounted on a Hitachi SEM. I have a customer who is asking about this, and would like to find out some information. ANY information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
David Bell Scientist Electron Microscopy Lab Millipore Corporation 80 Ashby Road Bedford, MA 01730 (781) 533-2108
A few months ago I asked about how to deal with magnetic specimens in the TEM. Recently another microscopist put up the same question. The series of books called Transmission Electron Microscopy by Williams and Carter give some good advice on pages 534 to 535 [Williams, D.B. and Carter, C.B, Transmission Electron Microscopy, No. 3, Imaging, Plenum, Press, 1996]. One good piece of advice they gave was to switch to aluminium specimens.
I have collated the advice I received and seen listed on the listserver, from what I have read and what experience I have gathered so far. What follows is a very brief summary and I can send the full information for those who are interested. I am interested in any further ideas or suggestions, so please inform me.
Suggestions for dealing with magnetic Fe specimens in the TEM:
1. Specimen preparation - minimise the amount of magnetic specimen in the microscope - Small flake specimens. - Window polishing technique - Tripod polishing - Self-supporting disks less than 50=B5m thick, 30=B5m is best. - Grinding down to 100-200=B5m - Chemical polish down to 30-50=B5m - Electropolish\ion-beam thin to perforation - 1mm disk of the steel is punched out, this is inserted into a 3mm disk of another material with a 1mm hole punched out.
2. In the microscope. - Do not use c-shaped spring clips, screw-down holder mechanisms are best. - Turn off the objective lens when: - Inserting the specimen - Moving to another cradle (if the holder has more than one) - Going through zero tilt - Removing the specimen probe. - Tilting in general for extreme problems when cradle will not tilt back. - Reduce the acceleration voltage -} reduces objective lens excitation -} reduces magnetic forces on specimen. - Increase the acceleration voltage -} increases momentum of electrons -} reduces deflection of electron beam. - Finding the eucentric height =96 - If by rotating back and forth the microscope goniometer, stick to one side of the zero tilt. - Use a non-magnetic sample to find the objective lens current for focus at eucentric height, place the magnetic sample in the microscope focus with the height control. Most modern microscopes now tell you what the current objective lens is for the eucentric height. - Aligning the microscope beforehand with a nonmagnetic sample and using a non-magnetic sample to get a firm idea where the transmitted beam should be on the screen (e.g. relative to the focus spot on the phosphor screen). - Use the dark-field mode - there is supposed to be more range in the beam deflection (and the bright-field settings will not set too far off for nonmagnetic specimen users). - Re-align the beam focus deflection compensators, current centre, voltage centre and objective stigmator whenever you have tilted or translated the specimen. Also, your co-workers will appreciate it if you restore normal settings when you finish. - The sample can be ripped out of the holder or will reorient the holder tilt mechanism so the holder cannot be withdrawn without scratching the OL polepieces. If this happens, don't try to remove the holder. Just turn off the OL, open the OL chamber, and carefully free the stuck parts.
For some of this I have cut & pasted from several emails. Thanks to those who replied to my question.
-- Steven Celotto Netherlands Institute of Metals Research (NIMR) Department of Applied Physics, University of Groningen Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands Ph: +31 50 363 4344 Fax: +31 50 363 4881 email: s.celotto-at-phys.rug.nl http://www.phys.rug.nl/mk/people/celotto/celotto.html http://www.nimr.nl/
On Friday, June 04, 1999 9:47 AM, "David_Bell-at-Millipore.com"-at-sparc5.microscopy.com [SMTP:"David_Bell-at-Millipore.com"-at-sparc5.microscopy.com] wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } } } Hi all, } } I have a question regarding SEM/EPMA analysis. I cannot find information } about EPMA analysis on the web. Can anyone tell me what it is? Is it an } acronym for Electron Probe Microanalysis? Does anyone have any information } on an EMAX3700 mounted on a Hitachi SEM. I have a customer who is asking } about this, and would like to find out some information. ANY information } would be greatly appreciated. } } Thanks in advance, } } David Bell } Scientist } Electron Microscopy Lab } Millipore Corporation } 80 Ashby Road } Bedford, MA 01730 } (781) 533-2108 }
David,
Yes, EPMA stands for electron probe microanalysis. I describe it a bit on our web page:
I am not familiar with the Hitachi system you mention. You might want to contact Hitachi in Gaithersburg, MD for info. If you want to know more about EPMA, there are books by K. Heinrich, S.J. Reed, and numerous others. There is also a separate society, The Microbeam Analysis Society, that has bunches of EPMA specialists.
Hope this helps,
Jim McGee
{} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} James J. McGee (jmcgee-at-sc.edu) Department of Geological Sciences University of South Carolina Columbia, SC 29208
Anyone interested in receiving a bid request form for acquiring our CAMECA Microprobe with:
3 ea. WDS spectrometers Regular & Biological Stage TN5000 converted to PC with software from Scripps Institute of Oceanography All Electronics Full set of manuals and documentation etc.
Please contact me based on information shown below:
Since I received several requests for the list of independents and because some direct e-mail was returned, I am sending them to the entire listserver community. If you are uninterested in this, please disregard this.
I received recommendations of independent EM service contractors who would offer a service contract on our Philips 430. I believe they said they would all service other brands.
1) Alex Green at Scientific Instrument Services out of Austin, TX. His number is 512-282-5507.
2) Vitaly Feingold out of Atlanta, vitalylazar-at-worldnet.att.net -at- 770-232-7785 or 770-605-6105.
3) Pesto Inc., P.O. Box 648, Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437-0648 215-699-6160 FAX 215-699-5275.
I hope this helps.
Regards and good luck, Mike Coviello EM Lab Manager Materials Science & Engineering UT Arlington Arlington, TX
In my electron microscopy laboratory I do not work with biological materials and hence have no biological specimens.
Many students and people interested in electron microscopy visit me from time to time and I would love to have some tissue sections to show them.
Would anyone out there be willing to send me a few grids that I could use? I would particularly like some sections of liver (my original area of study), kidney and skin.
If you contact me off-list I can let you have my address and FedEx number etc.
My early inquire on BSE with no BSE detector resulted in some suggestions that included sputter coating. Well, were we use to coat our specimens, when it is allowed, simply with gold; but I have heard that other methods could render better results. I guess that the gold coating could be regarded fine for temporary preparations, so it not lasts long and can be removed from the sample. However, gold coated specimens become useless if examined for long periods of time or in multiple SEM sessions. I heard that coating samples first with carbon and then with gold would result in long lasting preparations, which fits well in our purposes to preserve specimens in a entomological collection. My question is on what method is really the more appropriate and results in better images, both under BSE and SE scanning? And, what about gold/palladium coating, there are detectable differences between it and gold?
Thanks
Servio
S=E9rvio T=FAlio Pires Amarante serviopa-at-usp.br Museu de Zoologia - USP Caixa Postal 42 694 04299-970 Sao Paulo, SP BRASIL
I am an educator in a community college Medical Assistant program and have a an AO One Sixty microscope that is in need of condenser lens repair. Can anyone advise me of a company that might be able to help? I have been unable to locate any information from the web on the American Optical company that was at one time part of Warner-Lambert Technologies.
If you have any information please reply to: bphilpo-at-kirkwood.cc.ia.us
I have a University Safety Officer who has enquired about safety issues with regard to electron microscopy.
Can anybody recommend suitable books that cover both issues regarding the instrumentation itself and those relating to specimen preparation and handling?
Best regards,
-- Larry Stoter JEOL (UK) Ltd Silver Court, Watchmead, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1LT, United Kingdom tel: +44-(0)1707-377117, fax: +44-(0)1707-373254, e-mail: larrys-at-jeoleuro.com
Bill Hatcher Lab Optical Service 20222 Avondale Road Abingdon VA 24210-6942 phone: 540-676-7280 (ask for Bill Hatcher)
I believe that this phone number is current, but if you have problems getting a hold of Bill, let me know. The area code may have changed.
I have used Bill for many years to refurbish my A/O Microscopes, and he is excellent.
Ford Royer Analytical Instruments (Refurbished Laboratory Equipment) 9921 13th Ave. N. Minneapolis MN 55441 (800) 565-1895 (612) 929-1865 fax
Ian Philpott wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } I am an educator in a community college Medical Assistant program and } have a an AO One Sixty microscope that is in need of condenser lens } repair. Can anyone advise me of a company that might be able to help? } I have been unable to locate any information from the web on the } American Optical company that was at one time part of Warner-Lambert } Technologies. } } If you have any information please reply to: } bphilpo-at-kirkwood.cc.ia.us } } Bev Philpott
In regards to Chuck Garber's series of messages on Ruthenium Tetroxide, please note that he specifically refers to the crystalline form. As he has indicated, sources variously indicate ruthenium tetroxide reacts "violently", "explosively", or "it may explode". Other vendors do sell ruthenium tetroxide in aqueous form if you don't want mess with Garber's kit.
My thanks to Chuck, though, for publicly noting the hazards of ruthenium tetroxide.
I was wondering if you might be able to give me some help on finding references for specific properties of gold that might be relevant for in-situ TEM work on amorphous carbon grids. Basically, I'd like to know about the following things:
Solubility of carbon in gold, esp. at high T Vapor pressure of both liquid and solid gold near the m.p. (1064 C) Wetting properties of liquid gold on both solid gold and amorphous carbon Phase diagram of gold
Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Please send responses to me (phantom-at-owlnet.rice.edu), and I'll summarize to the list if there's interest in me doing so.
Thanks for your time.
Steven Robertson The Colvin Group phantom-at-owlnet.rice.edu nanonet-at-ruf.rice.edu http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~phantom http://nanonet.rice.edu
I am not a user of digital aquisition systems for an SEM, but we produce them. So perhaps I can shed a little light on this issue. I am pretty sure that other manufacturers of these systems would agree with what I am saying below.
Passive systems:
Advantages Easy setup (there is usually no modification of the microscope necessary) Easy image acquisition. Since the digital system "listens" to the SEM signal, all you need to do usually is to tell it to record the image or freeze it. No interference with EDS systems
Disadvantages Cannot extend functionality of microscope, only provides digitization of SEM microscopes No other image size than available on SEM No acquisition of X-ray maps possible, because the system has no control over beam. No control over e-beam
Active systems
Advantages More versatile, since beam can be controlled by PC. Control of beam position and dwell time Possible to acquire digital X-ray maps (requires EDS system) Any image size possible, up to 4k x 4k (or higher with diminishing returns) Other scans possible (backward, sideways, whatever), providing more freedom for scan and measurements In combination with EDS system allows for combined morphological and chemical analysis (aquire image, find particles, move beam, acquire EDS data).
Disadvantages Installation more complicated may interfere with existing EDS beam control system
I am not sure, these are all the differences. There may be more. I would take a good look at what you want to accomplish with the digitizer. If all you want to do is to get the images into a PC, a passive system might do. If you think, you ever need beam control, I would look for an active system. Of course, our systems are upgradeable, and for a relatively small amount you can go from a passive system to an passive+active one, giving you all the advantages of either. I am sure, other vendors do the same. And once the acquisition channels are set up and defined, you can switch from passive to active, from fast scan to high-resolution scan to EDS acquistion by just pushing a button.
Michael
Michael Bode, Ph.D. Soft Imaging System Corp. 1675 Carr St., #105N Lakewood, CO 80215 =================================== phone: (888) FIND SIS (303) 234-9270 fax: (303) 234-9271 email: mailto:info-at-soft-imaging.com web: http://www.soft-imaging.com ===================================
******************************************************* Disclaimer: Soft Imaging System produces and sells image acquisition and processing systems. We therefore have a vested interest in some of the items mentioned above. *******************************************************
} ---------- } From: Michael Coviello[SMTP:COVIELLO-at-MAE.UTA.EDU] } Sent: Friday, June 04, 1999 1:01:50 PM } To: Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com } Subject: SEM-Passive vs. Active digital acquisition systems } Auto forwarded by a Rule } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Hi All:
I'd like to get input from any users who have evaluated the differences in the ease of use/quality of output of a passive vs. an active digital acquisition system add-on that is available from a multitude of vendors for upgrading analog SEM's. I would also invite recommendations of either type of system that you have purchased and are happy with. We would like to put the system on our JEOL 845 SEM. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Regards, Mike Coviello EM Lab Manager Materials Science & Engineering UT Arlington Arlington, TX
I've built and used both kinds, and while I agree with some of what Michael Bode says there are a couple of other points worth making
1. It certainly is possible to collect X-ray maps in passive mode. Depending on your multichannel analyzer you may be able to get 1, or several elements at once. 2. Many SEM scans are not perfectly linear. The manufacturers have presumably already tweaked their electronics so that the displayed images are correct, even if this means that the voltage driving the scan coils isn't linear. If you don't know what the nonlinearities are, it can be very difficult to set up an active system to get undistorted images. On the other hand, if the passive system is sitting on the display signals it doesn't care about this and the images come out right. 3. A really good passive system will even let you scan at high rates and average the values at each pixel, filling in the image as it can grab values (i.e., it reads X, Y and brightness and adds the values into memory, and after some time (perhaps 10 seconds is typical) the entire image is filled in with several readings everywhere and the software can divide everything down and give you a low noise image. This fast scanning capability can be very useful when you have charging problems. It is not easy to make an active system do that.
Servio is asking several questions basics to SEM specimen coating.
For conventional SEM sputter coating of Au is by far the most used. Au/Pd was shown many years ago to be slightly finer, but in practice its difficult to note any difference. Au/Pd targets tend to be more expensive because of greater assaying cost and the huge variety of target sizes has killed any economies of scale.
Carbon/graphite is an inferior conductor, but scatters well during evaporation, so specimens with complex structures are better covered. Carbon coatings are the choice material for microanalysis, but quite inferior for imaging since resolution greatly increases with the atomic number of the coating and also the A.N. of the specimen below the coating. A double coating with C/Au if fine, but a lot of trouble for little gain. These days using a lower accelerating voltage or sputtering the specimen twice from two sites are the better ways to prevent specimen charging.
Durability of the coating largely depends on: 1 Dry storage - get a sizeable desiccating cabinet. 2 Poor microscope vacuum conditions 3 Beam damage from an intense beam, this is only marginally related to coating quality. After WDS analysis, which requires high counts, a spot will be damaged regardless of coating material used.
If a coating is unsatisfactory another can be applied on top, if the specimen is used for medium or low power observation. "Thick" coatings obscure finest structures; its much like a dusting of snow on the ground leaves pebbles and other small features visible, whereas a metre of snow reveals only major topography. Cheers Jim Darley ProSciTech Microscopy PLUS PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia Phone +61 7 4774 0370 Fax: +61 7 4789 2313 Great microscopy catalogue, 500 Links, MSDS, User Notes www.proscitech.com.au
On Saturday, June 05, 1999 1:33 PM, Servio Tulio Pires Amarante [SMTP:serviopa-at-usp.br] wrote:
} Dear all } } My early inquire on BSE with no BSE detector resulted in some suggestions } that included sputter coating. Well, were we use to coat our specimens, when } it is allowed, simply with gold; but I have heard that other methods could } render better results. I guess that the gold coating could be regarded fine } for temporary preparations, so it not lasts long and can be removed from the } sample. However, gold coated specimens become useless if examined for long } periods of time or in multiple SEM sessions. I heard that coating samples } first with carbon and then with gold would result in long lasting } preparations, which fits well in our purposes to preserve specimens in a } entomological collection. My question is on what method is really the more } appropriate and results in better images, both under BSE and SE scanning? } And, what about gold/palladium coating, there are detectable differences } between it and gold? } } Thanks } } Servio } } Servio Tulio Pires Amarante } serviopa-at-usp.br } Museu de Zoologia - USP } Caixa Postal 42 694 } 04299-970 } Sao Paulo, SP } BRASIL } }
Chao-ying Ni wrote: ================================================ I've heard that Au/Pd coating is more uniform and the particles in the film are smaller, which are beneficial especially to high resolution SEM.
-cy ================================================ This is almost certainly true for vacuum evaporated 60%Au/40% Pd vs. 100% Au (the alloy composition normally implied when mention is made of "Au/Pd"). The smaller grain size was first reported in the mid-1960's. But these were the days before sputter coaters. Or at least the days before sputter coating approaches were being used in the SEM laboratory (which did not really start until about 1972 or so).
Has anyone ever shown, however, that sputter coated Au/Pd results in a grain size that is smaller than sputter coated pure gold ? We ourselves tried some years ago to see if there was a difference but could not find any difference.
If this is true, then would not the use of the alloy result in longer sputtering times but without any real benefit? The metal value of the alloy is somewhat less than for a gold cathode of identical dimensions, but the fabrication charges to make the alloy are highter, so the final selling prices are not all that much different. However, if the sputter time for fragile and heat sensitive samples is increased, then this would be a drawback for use of the alloy.
If by "high resolution" you are referring to FESEM instruments, then the use of either gold or gold palladium, either in a conventional or ion beam sputter coater will, in terms of grain size, still fall short of several other alternatives, such as chromium coaters or osmium coaters.
Disclaimer: SPI Supplies is a manufacturer and distributor of conventional, chromium, as well as osmium coaters for SEM lab applications.
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: www.2spi.com ############################ ==================================================
On all of our microscopes with scanning we have fitted with ImageSlaves for digitisation. Polaroid and roll film recording are now historical in our lab.
These are passive acquisition boards which detect and digitise the video record signal.
They work very simply. On pressing the Photo record button the image is digitised. There is an auto save feature which makes the entire process extremely simple.
Pixel resolution is 1024 x 1024 maximum. I think they will record images at 12 bits.
U.S.A. Contact Jim Hilton Advanced Database Systems 7931 S. Broadway #322 Littleton CO 80122 U.S.A. Tel: + 1 303 761-5635 Fax: + 1 303 761-592 } } ***************************************************** Mel Dickson, Deputy Director. Electron Microscope Unit, University of New South Wales. Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
We have both in our lab. I find a few things to consider.
1) It is my impression is that the passive system yields a better image in the same amount of time. It seems the active system has a fair amount of overhead involved in positioning the beam. Thus only a fraction of the total time is spent collecting image data.
2) The active system affords a point-and-click x-ray analysis option. Since the computer system knows where the image came from, it can reposition the beam to locations in the image for x-ray collection. That is not easy or perhaps even possible when the computer is riding along. I have found this to be a very big aid to productivity.
3) The software implementation will have as much to do with satisfaction as does the technology. Both systems can be great or terrible depending on how well the software is written. You should try for a hands-on demo to see how the software "feels" before committing.
So we have and use both systems. If we only need an image (no x-rays), I use the passive system for better quality in less time. If I need to do x-ray analyses, I use the active system.
Good hunting.
At 02:01 PM 6/4/1999 -0500, you wrote: } Hi All: } } I'd like to get input from any users who have evaluated the differences } in the ease of use/quality of output of a passive vs. an active digital } acquisition system add-on that is available from a multitude of vendors } for upgrading analog SEM's. I would also invite recommendations of } either type of system that you have purchased and are happy with. We } would like to put the system on our JEOL 845 SEM. Any input would be } greatly appreciated. } } Regards, } Mike Coviello } EM Lab Manager } Materials Science & Engineering } UT Arlington } Arlington, TX } } }
Would You please review the below copy to post the group.
Hi Larry,
A good reference on EM safety is the book Electron Microscopy Safety = Handbook (2nd edition) by V. C. Barber and J. A. Mascorro. Published byb = San Francisco Press, Inc. =20 ISBN 0-911302-72-7
Some of EM supply houses carry this edition, or can be ordered from = publisher.
Best of Luck,
Ed } } } Larry Stoter {LPS-at-teknesis.demon.co.uk} 06/05 2:49 AM } } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America=20
On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html=20=
I have a University Safety Officer who has enquired about safety issues with regard to electron microscopy.
Can anybody recommend suitable books that cover both issues regarding the instrumentation itself and those relating to specimen preparation and handling?
Best regards,
-- Larry Stoter JEOL (UK) Ltd Silver Court, Watchmead, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1LT, United Kingdom tel: +44-(0)1707-377117, fax: +44-(0)1707-373254, e-mail: larrys-at-jeoleuro.c= om=20
Edward P. Calomeni Dept Pathology - EM Lab 3000 Arlington Ave. Toledo, OH 43614
Regarding the distortions: Normally the scan generator provides nothing but a linear saw-tooth voltage for the scanning in x and y direction. This is then fed into the scan amplifier, which takes care of getting the voltages right for the appropriate magnifications. Most systems that I know, and certainly ours, replace the scan generator, but not the scan amplifier. The manufacturers have to tweak the scan amplifier for the non-linearities, as they may be different for different mags. So by feeding the signal in BETWEEN generator and amplifier, we take advantage of any kind of tweaking the manufacturers have done. This means, that an active system does not really have to worry about the non-linearities.
Averaging: Of course you can average a number of images on a snapshot, say 128 frames. This can be done of course with active and passive systems. In active systems you have the additional option of increasing the dwell time to reduce noise, which is equivalent to changing the scan time on the microscope.
X-ray mapping: I agree, that it is possible to acquire X-ray maps with a passive system. If you have no active component in your system (neither digitizer nor EDS beam control) and the digitizer just looks at the video signals, you would have to scan at a very low rate and perhaps run multiple images for averaging and noise reduction. You would have to deal with image shifts between the exposures, etc. With an active system, you simply set the dwell time per pixel and have the system scan the area, acquiring SE or BSE images at the same time X-rays are counted (with a pulse counter in our case). So, if there is a shift during exposure, it will lead to slight distortions of both the SE image and the X-ray maps, but the distortions will be the same, so that the data can be correlated without problems.
Michael Bode, Ph.D. Soft Imaging System Corp. 1675 Carr St., #105N Lakewood, CO 80215 =================================== phone: (888) FIND SIS (303) 234-9270 fax: (303) 234-9271 email: mailto:info-at-soft-imaging.com web: http://www.soft-imaging.com ===================================
******************************************************* Disclaimer: Soft Imaging System produces and sells image acquisition and processing systems. We therefore have a vested interest in some of the items mentioned above. *******************************************************
} ---------- } From: "DrJohnRuss-at-aol.com"-at-sparc5.microscopy.com[SMTP:"DRJOHNRUSS-at-AOL.COM"-at-SPA RC5.MICROSCOPY.COM] } Sent: Saturday, June 05, 1999 5:41:20 PM } To: Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com } Subject: Re: RE: SEM-Passive vs. Active digital acquisition systems } Auto forwarded by a Rule } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
I've built and used both kinds, and while I agree with some of what Michael Bode says there are a couple of other points worth making
1. It certainly is possible to collect X-ray maps in passive mode. Depending on your multichannel analyzer you may be able to get 1, or several elements at once. 2. Many SEM scans are not perfectly linear. The manufacturers have presumably already tweaked their electronics so that the displayed images are correct, even if this means that the voltage driving the scan coils isn't linear. If you don't know what the nonlinearities are, it can be very difficult to set up an active system to get undistorted images. On the other hand, if the
passive system is sitting on the display signals it doesn't care about this and the images come out right. 3. A really good passive system will even let you scan at high rates and
average the values at each pixel, filling in the image as it can grab values (i.e., it reads X, Y and brightness and adds the values into memory, and
after some time (perhaps 10 seconds is typical) the entire image is filled in with several readings everywhere and the software can divide everything down and give you a low noise image. This fast scanning capability can be very useful when you have charging problems. It is not easy to make an active
This person should be encouraged! Please help him out. Does anyone have the email or website for ISI, which I believe is now TOPCON?
Please respond DIRECTLY to Eric-at-fotherby.freeserve.co.uk Re, Scanning electron microscope. I have at home in my living area a scanning electron microscope which I have restored.
MODEL ISI SUPER 3A. ( sms 3a ) which is very similar to ISI MODEL 40. Manufactured FEB 1977. Serial number 510028. I purchased the SEM a couple of years ago from a army surplus depot --------however one part missing, the oil filled electron gun high voltage power supply / filament supply. I have converted a electron beam welder power supply, this works but I really need a circuit diagram of the original gun power supply, so I can find the values of bias resistance to use. I have obtained full service manuals of the SEM from two sources but in both cases the high voltage electron gun power supply details are missing------circuit diagram number N83HA08. The internet ( which I am new to ) points me in your direction, can you please advise ? any information is better than none! My address, 117, PEASEHILL, RIPLEY, DERBYSHIRE, DE5-3JN, My EMAIL ADDRESS, Eric-at-fotherby.freeserve.co.uk Thankyou. Yours faithfully, Eric Fotherby.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Steven Barlow, Associate Director EM Facility/Biology Department San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego CA 92182-4614 phone: (619)594-4523 fax: (619) 594-5676 email: sbarlow-at-sunstroke.sdsu.edu website: http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/emfacility/
Chairman, Educational Outreach subcommittee promoting access to microscopes Microscopy Society of America http://www.msa.microscopy.com/
This is the list I have compiled. I hope the people who requested a copy, were not expecting dozens of companies. Since I received numerous requests for the list of independents and because some direct e-mail was returned, I am sending them to the entire listserver community. If you are uninterested in this, please disregard this.
I received recommendations of independent EM service contractors who would offer a service contract on our Philips 430ST. I believe they said they would all service other brands.
1) Alex Green at Scientific Instrument Services out of Austin, TX. His number is 512-282-5507.
2) Vitaly Feingold out of Atlanta, vitalylazar-at-worldnet.att.net -at- 770-232-7785 or 770-605-6105.
3) Pesto Inc., P.O. Box 648, Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437-0648 215-699-6160 FAX 215-699-5275.
I hope this helps.
Regards and good luck, Mike Coviello EM Lab Manager Materials Science & Engineering UT Arlington Arlington, TX
I have heard to grow Mo crystals on a TEM grid, I should burn a piece of Mo and pass a holey carbon grid through the smoke. Is this toxic? Can I use MoO3 powder in a crucible instead of a piece of foil?
} We have both in our lab. I find a few things to consider. } } 1) It is my impression is that the passive system yields a better image in } the same amount of time. It seems the active system has a fair amount of } overhead involved in positioning the beam. Thus only a fraction of the } total time is spent collecting image data. }
(etc.)
While any particular system may produce better or worse images than another, I don't believe there's any inherent magic in passive scanning that produces better images. I was involved in the design of an active system a few years ago, and we spent a great deal of time worrying about the issue of beam settling times and efficiency of sampling. Passive systems still have to be concerned with flyback settling times, for example, or the first few samples in the line will be trash. You have no idea where the beam is for some period of time at the beginning of each scan line; how long you have to wait depends on design choices by the EM manufacturer.
Probably the main determining factors of image quality in either type of system are the speed, linearity and noise performance of the digitizing ADC, and the equivalent parameters for the position DACs (active system) or raster timing circuitry (passive system).
You get much nicer MoO3 crystals if you put ammonium molybdate in a small crucible, leave the lid slightly ajar and gently warm the crucible with a bunsen burner. The MoO3 crystals will condense under the lid of the crucible and can be washed off with methanol. You can then put a drop of the suspension on a holey formvar grid.
This recipe is from J.W. Edington "Practical Electron Microscopy in Materials Science" and produces much better crystals than the old Moly smoke method.
Cheers, Henk
At 03:05 PM 6/7/99 -0400, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Hendrik O. Colijn colijn.1-at-osu.edu Campus Electron Optics Facility Ohio State University (614) 292-0674 http://web.ceof.ohio-state.edu Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will." Commentary: "Murphy was an optimist."
You can also take a Mo boat used for deposition in an evaporator system and just heat it in the evaporator. I only recently saw Tom Nuhfer at Carnegie Mellon University heat a Mo wire in a propane torch and when it was hot enough, take it away from the flame and wave the wire under the grid. No special precautions were taken and both Tom and I walked away healthy (although I'm still overweight.)
I wouldn't intentionally breath the smoke -its easy to avoid. The MoO3 smoke pretty much goes straight up and you can do all of this at arm's length. If you are worried about it you can do this last procedure in a hood. You could also just use a particulate mask which would probably also give you a sense of security.
I would also suggest that when you have a question like this, you should also consult an MSDS for the compound and then use your best judgment on how to proceed.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: jennifer taylor To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
I have heard to grow Mo crystals on a TEM grid, I should burn a piece of Mo and pass a holey carbon grid through the smoke. Is this toxic? Can I use MoO3 powder in a crucible instead of a piece of foil?
Dear list members, Let us please put an end to this as a subject heading, as it is not a heading and does not relate to subject of ones text. The purpose of the subject heading is to get your message or questions to people who are interested in that topic. So, let's be open about what and why we are posting to the group. Nestor, I would like to suggest that this phrase be a cue for rejection of posting.
Regards,
Images & Info at http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/confocal {http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/confocal}
Joe Goodhouse Confocal / EM Core Laboratory Department of Molecular Biology Princeton University jgoodhouse-at-molbio.princeton.edu {mailto:Jgoodhouse-at-molbio.princeton.edu}
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These crystals can be purchased on carbon films. An advanced version has the crystals on a grating replica so that magnification and rotation calibration can be done on the same image-a neat time saver. The first item is part No. 625, while the grating replica version is No. 625-B.
by mozart.cems.umn.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id RAA05790 for {Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com} ; Mon, 7 Jun 1999 17:50:17 -0500 (CDT)
Responding to the message of {70A79B42AEE7D21181B300805FA9180F15D80E-at-molbio.Princeton.EDU} from "Goodhouse, Joseph" {jgoodhouse-at-molbio.princeton.edu} : [...] } Dear list members, } Let us please put an end to this as a subject heading, as it is not } a heading and does not relate to subject of ones text. The purpose of the } subject heading is to get your message or questions to people who are } interested in that topic. So, let's be open about what and why we are } posting to the group. Nestor, I would like to suggest that this phrase be a } cue for rejection of posting. } Unfortunately, as one who has had mail rejected by the listserver for inappropriate subject contents (MSA Bulletin) I have to say that the phrase "I am not spam" is actually sugested by the listserver as an alternative to the rejected subject. Having discovered that, I had more sympathy for those using this as a subject line. However, it is clearly not very helpful in identifying the message contents, and I tend to automatically delete such messages.
__________________ Stuart McKernan stuartm-at-tc.umn.edu Microscopy Specialist Office:(612) 626-7594 CIE Characterization Facility, University of Minnesota Desk: (612) 624-6009 100 Union Street S. E., Minneapolis, MN 55455 Lab: (612) 624-6590
You forget. Nestor put this in for people who get rejected by his SPAM filter. They are to reply as per his instructions. This happened to me when he put the filter in and it got fixed. It turned out to be a problem with information that my company sends out with all Email messages in the message header. If I remember correctly, it took him a couple of tries to fix why I (and a few others) were getting rejected. There are Listserver messages under those subject lines, "I am not spam", or there should be.
Patience. Nestor is doing a great job. Let's do it his way.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: Goodhouse, Joseph To: 'Microscopy-reguest' -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Dear list members, Let us please put an end to this as a subject heading, as it is not a heading and does not relate to subject of ones text. The purpose of the subject heading is to get your message or questions to people who are interested in that topic. So, let's be open about what and why we are posting to the group. Nestor, I would like to suggest that this phrase be a cue for rejection of posting.
Regards,
Images & Info at http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/confocal {http://www.molbio.princeton.edu/confocal}
Joe Goodhouse Confocal / EM Core Laboratory Department of Molecular Biology Princeton University jgoodhouse-at-molbio.princeton.edu {mailto:Jgoodhouse-at-molbio.princeton.edu}
I would also like to point out that the rotation calibration, magnification calibration over an extended range, and camera constant can all be done using the MAG-I-CAL sample. There are a number of sources for this sample. I bought mine from South Bay Technology (1-800-728-2233). I believe that electron Microscopy Sciences and SPI both carry it.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: Bernard Kestel To: Microscopy Listserver -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
These crystals can be purchased on carbon films. An advanced version has the crystals on a grating replica so that magnification and rotation calibration can be done on the same image-a neat time saver. The first item is part No. 625, while the grating replica version is No. 625-B.
At 15:05 7/06/1999 -0400, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Hi, You just put a (small) piece of moly foil from a discarded aperture or heater strip in the bottom of a small test tube.
Heat the foil strongly in a bunsen flame.
You will see a mist of crystals evolve from the foil.
Hold filmed grids in the smoke. Make lots and you have a lifetime supply.
If you want, you can also let the crystals settle on the wall of the tube.
Wash them off with distilled water. Put a drop of the suspension on the filmed grids.
That way the crystals will lie flat on the film.
No information about toxicity, but do it in the fume hood to be cautious.
***************************************************** Mel Dickson, Deputy Director. Electron Microscope Unit, University of New South Wales. Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
Mike, There are several other independents that were factory trained to work on the EM430: Sam Amtower in New England (amtec-at-neca.com) and myself, Ron Veil (veilcs-at-earthlink.net - URL: http://home.earthlink.net/~veilcs/)
I have a list of 17 independent field service techs should anyone be interested. It is in Win-95/Excel format, so I can send it as an attachment.
Ron Veil V.E.I.L. (Veil Electron Instrument Lab) Customer Services 173 Santa Inez Ave. San Bruno, CA. 94066 (650) 952-3099 FAX (650) 869-4978 Pgr. (650) 205-0302
On Mon, 07 Jun 1999 11:39:28 -0500 Michael Coviello {coviello-at-mae.uta.edu} writes: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of } America
___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.
The Hitachi H-7000 TEM is fitted with an RS232 interface for external I/O communication.
Does anyone out there know if it can be used to issue commands to control functions of the microscope?
We would like to adjust focus & image shift & stigmation on out H-7000. All these are digitally controlled within the microscope.
The next model produced, the H-7100 DOES have this facility and there is a book of control codes for the H-7100. Officially, the H-7000 does not have the facility and the RS232 interface is variously described as being for use by service engineer, or for inserting alphanumerics on the film. Is there any unofficial experience out there we can tap into?
***************************************************** Mel Dickson, Deputy Director. Electron Microscope Unit, University of New South Wales. Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
The subject of film scanners have come up a number of times. I've mentioned in the past that I'm pretty happy with the Polaroid SprintScan 45.
I just came across a catalog from Publishing Perfection (Vol 17) that has a Nikon LS-4500 for $6500 and a Minolta Dimage Scan Multi for $2500. The Minolta write-up specifically mentions TEM negatives. Their number is 1-800-852-2348 or 1-800-782-5974 and their web site is www.publishingperfection.com
I have no financial interests in any of these companies.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
Hi, This heading is REQUIRED by Nestor for people posting from domains that otherwise would get filtered out from the list because of the few bad apples that may be spamming from said domain. I personally feel it is a little humiliating to put that in the subject line of my posts, since my domain is filtered. I will do very little posting as a result. Cheers, Dave Harrison
I wish people would read directions, but perhaps that is too much to ask some times.
When a message is received that is SUSPECT as SPAM, then the sender gets an AUTOMATIC message saying there is a problem. The sender is then instructed to reply to POSTMASTER-at-MSA.MICROSCOPY.COM with the subject line I AM NOT SPAM, and then I personnally review the message and fix the problem. They are instructed not to send the mail back to the Listserver.
Unfortunately, this last set of problems arose simply because people did not follow the directions!!!!!!!!!!
I have just implemented yet another code modification on the filter to make this clear, and with this change to the filter I do not think any "I AM NOT SPAM" messages will get through now. But if people can't follow simple directions there is not much I can do.
Right... I'm going to get a beer and a late dinner...
Looking for any information/experience on interfacing CCD camera model # TE3N/A. Camera was manufactured in 1994 by ASTROMED (UK?). The CCD sensor is KODAK KAF 0400-C1, Peltier cooled. Any info such as interface type, control cards vendors, and software vendors will be very helpful.
Please reply to this e-mail address: vitalylazar-at-worldnet.att.net
Vitaly Feingold Scientific Instruments and Applications Duluth, GA (770)605-6105 (770)232-7785
I deeply agrre with others, My message was rejected as a spam, despite that my server ans.com.au was never involved it any spam,.. I stop posting messages to microscopy, this is first one after 5 months.. Even this 3 lines was rejected a a spam and I am sending it again
Hi all! Does anybody have experience in cutting (nondecalcified) teeth for transmission electron microscopy. Is it necessary to use diamond knives or is a sapphire knife good enough? How can cutting be done without getting a lot of fractures in the enamel and how do the knives tolerate the cutting? Is there any difference in cutting human vs.rodent teeth? Are there any special methods or tricks in embedding the teeth? I would appreciate any information, hints, or advice regarding this matter. Thank you very much. marketta Hormia
___________________________________________
Marketta Hormia University of Turku Institute of Dentistry Lemmink=E4isenkatu 2 FIN-20520 Turku Tel +358-2-333 8330 Fax +358-2-333 8356 E-mail: marketta.hormia-at-utu.fi
Dear all, In relation to the MoO3 rotation calibration question, I have just done a set of these on our microscope but I have one question.
To determine whether there is a 180=B0 inversion, Williams and Carter say to defocus the diffraction pattern slightly. If the diffraction focus is adjusted, however, there is a 180=B0 inversion of the image in the transmitted spot between underfocus and overfocus (as you would expect with lenses). Which side of focus should I use for finding out whether or not there is a 180=B0 inversion between image and diffraction?
Hope someone understands my question and can help.
Thanks
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ian MacLaren Department of Experimental Physics Chalmers University of Technology S-412 96 G=F6teborg Sweden Tel: +46 31 772 36 33 FAX: +46 31 772 32 24 email: maclaren-at-fy.chalmers.se or: ianmaclaren-at-hotmail.com Research Group Homepage: http://fy.chalmers.se/microscopy/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thank you VERY much for the great responses from everyone! The report my client had received was from Japan and was translated/written rather poorly, but with your help we were finally able to figure out what was done. I can't emphasize enough what a great resource this listserve is, despite some of its foibles. Thank you Nestor for doing a terrific job. (hope the beer and late dinner was relaxing!)
Thanks again,
David Bell Scientist Electron Microscopy Lab Millipore Corporation 80 Ashby Road Bedford, MA 01730 (781)533-2108
I am looking for a flatbed scanner that can scan an A3 X-ray film in one pass (size A3, approx. 11.7x15.7 inches) in transparent mode. It should be able to handle densities up to 3.0 at least. A few months ago an Umax Mirage II A3 flatbed scanner was bought. The density range of this scanner should go down to 3.3D according to its specifications. However according to our measurements (tested with Kodak Wratten filters, checked with a density meter !) it only reaches about 2.5D.
After a preview with maximum gray range (0-255) settings one can adjust the lower (0) and upper (255) input range limits. If the upper limit is lowered below 100 or even below 50 (input range for scanning 0 to 50) very peculiar effects take place. Is there anyone out there who owns such a scanner and has the same experience ?
Any remarks on this subject or info on other brands of A3 tranparency flatbed scanners are much appreciated.
Thank you very much for your time.
Please mail directly to : vanderwulp-at-pml.tno.nl
Kees van der Wulp TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory P.O.Box 45 2280 AA Rijswijk Netherlands
You need to weaken the diffraction (1st intermediate lens) to get the non-inverted image within the diffraction pattern.
Henk
At 02:14 PM 6/8/99 +0200, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America=20
Hendrik O. Colijn colijn.1-at-osu.edu Campus Electron Optics Facility Ohio State University=09 (614) 292-0674 http://web.ceof.ohio-state.edu Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will." Commentary: "Murphy was an optimist."
Please Unsuscribe for a while, I=B4m going to be out my lab. for a month.
Thanks a lot and best regards. M.C. Ma. Guadalupe Nieto Lopez Laboratorio de Microscopia Electronica ECOSUR Tapachula Carr. Ant. Aeropuerto Km. 2.5 30700 Tapachula, Chis. Tel. (962) 81077 y 81103 Fax. (962) 81015
For years, we sputter coated in air but recently switched to argon when a tank was given to us. The tank is getting low and I'm getting poor results. Research with the supplier leads me to believe it is grade 2.2 (99.95%). they also have grade 4.8(99.99 %) in the small tank size. However the price goes from $18 to $69 with the jump in grades.
What grade argon is normally used in sputter coating? If I stick with the 2.2 am I going to cause problems somewhere else?
Go to a convergent beam and go to diffraction mode, i.e. form a CBED pattern. Decrease the Condenser lens strength (Brightness, CCW) and = you will form a shadow image of the sample in the BF disk. The diffraction pattern and this image are not rotated with respect to each other. You = can then relate that to your image mode and diffraction pattern. -Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: Ian MacLaren To: Microscopy = -----------------------------------------------------------------------.=
Dear all, In relation to the MoO3 rotation calibration question, I have just done a set of these on our microscope but I have one question.
To determine whether there is a 180=B0 inversion, Williams and Carter say to defocus the diffraction pattern slightly. If the diffraction focus is adjusted, however, there is a 180=B0 inversion of the image in the transmitted spot between underfocus and overfocus (as you would expect with lenses). Which side of focus should I use for finding out whether or not there is a 180=B0 inversion between image and diffraction?
Hope someone understands my question and can help.
Thanks
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ian MacLaren Department of Experimental Physics Chalmers University of Technology S-412 96 G=F6teborg Sweden Tel: +46 31 772 36 33 FAX: +46 31 772 32 24 email: maclaren-at-fy.chalmers.se or: ianmaclaren-at-hotmail.com Research Group Homepage: http://fy.chalmers.se/microscopy/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A diamond knife is probably required for cutting undecalcified dental enamel. Try the sapphire and see what happens. Since enamel is 97% mineralized it is impossible to get much epoxy into it. Try using Spurrs resin and infiltrating for a week or so and maybe even using vacuum to help the infiltration. Do this embedding with a 100 micrometer or thinner slice of tooth. It helps to pre-trim the sample so that you will cut a very small cross-section, less than 0.1mm. When sectioning you may have to take very small steps, less than 100nm, to "polish" the sample and than take one section at about 200nm. Pick the section up right away before the surface tension forces of the knife boat water break the section up on a grid with a support film. In the very best case after many attempts you may get some useable pieces to image in the TEM. Then, interpretation of the images will require some knowledge of cyrstals and crystallography. One more trick to try and keep the fractures together (you are fracturing not really cutting) is--after "polishing" the sample surface as above, put a drop of Formvar or collodion or your favorite support material on the face of the sample and let it dry then cut one section and pick it up. Rat teeth are not much different from human teeth is this respect. What are you trying to study? If you decalcify the enamel slightly embedding and sectioning become more likely. Another approach is to use ion milling. Find a good materials prep lab and try it out. I had some luck with a crude ion mill and using a 1000kV microscope tho 100 kv gave some information. Caveat: I did this work more than 20 years ago so may have forgotten some details.
Larry D. Ackerman Lily & Yuh Nung Jan Laboratories Howard Hughes Medical Institute UCSF, Box 0725, Rm U226 533 Parnassus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94143
I am posting this message for a local hospital that is closing their TEM lab and surplusing some pieces of equipment. Their lab manager has indicated that they would be free to anyone who would come to get them, or pay for shipping them. For additional information on the equipment, please contact them directly. Contact person, address and telephone number is:
Karen Michalski Cytogenetics Laboratory Franciscan Shared Laboratories St. Joseph's Hospital 5000 West Chambers Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53210 USA 414-447-2883
Item #1 Hitachi HU12A Transmission Electron Microscope - Purchased in "late 70's or early 80's". I have seen the microscope, it has been run using city water to chill it. It had a preventative maintenence performed on it within the past calendar year, and the last time I talked with the electron microscopist (before his retirement), the microscope was working.
Item #2 PelAire Station - I turned it on, and it appears to work O.K.
Heather Owen
Heather A. Owen, Director Electron Microscope Laboratory Department of Biological Sciences University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (414)229-6816
Dear Mel, having used an Hitachi HF2000 in the past I can say that it is most likely that you can use an external computer to change your lenses.=20 The way we did this in the past was to use a small BASIC program on a PC, which talked to the TEM through the RS232 port. The program prompted you for two input numbers (both are 4 digit hexadecimal) which were then sent to the TEM.
The first number is the `address=B4 number which tells the TEM computer whic= h lens it is, the second is the value you wish to put in ranging from 0000 to FFFF. The program we used also had the ability to read the settings, so we could check the lenses to see if manually changing them altered the values.= =20
Because of the way this works you are going to have to calibrate the settings, which is no mean feat.=20
I could try to get hold of the program, but it will take a week or so to find out if my old TEM lab can a/ find it and b/ let me take a copy (I do not see why not).
Since I do not have access to this machine any more I cannot remember too much about it except that it was a pain to use. The reason I wanted to use it was for performing a tilt series.=20
My other line of suggestion is to find someone who knows how to interface a computer to the RS232 port. You should be able to find the addresses in the Technical manual of the H7000.=20
Good Luck, Jonathan ******************************************************** Dr Jonathan Barnard
Analytical Materials Physics The =C5ngstr=F6m Laboratory, Uppsala University P O Box 534, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden Phone: +46-(0)18-4716838 Fax: +46-(0)18-500131
We are running an HF-2000 remotely and we have done it for several years. However, we go through Gatan's software DigitalMicrograph. Otherwise, the control through the RS232 interface should be as expected (i.e., is standard for an RS232). It is worthwhile to note that the magnification can be set to the same values as if turning the magnification nob directly. It is not necessary to set each lens directly, thus avoiding calibration problems. Hitachi has given us the manuals without a problem.
Hope this helps...
Edgar
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Does anyone know of any other software other than EL/P that can open an EL/P file? DTSA perhaps? Or is it easy/preferable to export a spectra from EL/P as two-column ascii or otherwise?
-a colleague has sent me an EL/P file to show me a spectra. I have EmiSpec's ES-vision software for handling my PEELS as well as other graphing software and have not used in EL/P in several years.
Thanks, Brendan Foran Materials Analysis / Internal Technical Support SEMATECH Austin, Texas
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We have a Hitachi H 9000 with a Gatan 622 video camera. Some things = that we look at such as crack propagation in the straining stage and the = melting of precipitates during implantation seem to happen on a time scale = that is too rapid for the standard 30 frames per second video camera. = Have there been any applications of high speed video cameras on TEMs? By = high speed I would mean up to 250 frames per second or more.
Anthony W. McCormick Materials Science Division Argonne National Lab. 9700 S. Cass Ave. Argonne, IL 60439
Someone wants to take color pictures using my Nikon UFX 35mm camera system and a stereo scope. It has been so long since I used the system, that I have forgotten the tricks. Our first set of pictures came out expposed correctly, but with a distinctly yellow cast, such that whites were yellow and yellow was orange-red. Is this the film type (we used Kodak 100 daylight)? Should we have used tungsten film? The light source was a fiber optic illuminator. Thanks-Dave
Home of the 1999 NCAA Basketball National Champion HUSKIES !!! ************************************************************
Dr. David Knecht Department of Molecular and Cell Biology University of Connecticut 75 N. Eagleville Rd. U-125 Storrs, CT 06269 Knecht-at-uconnvm.uconn.edu 860-486-2200 860-486-4331 (fax)
DTSA won't open an EL/P file. Your colleague could save the spectrum in EL/P as an ASCII file, even as an ASCII file in the MSA/MAS format (i.e., with a header). ---------------------------------- } } } To those doing electron energy loss spectroscopy } } Does anyone know of any other software other than EL/P that can open an EL/P } file? DTSA perhaps? } Or is it easy/preferable to export a spectra from EL/P as two-column ascii or } otherwise? } } -a colleague has sent me an EL/P file to show me a spectra. I have EmiSpec's } ES-vision software for handling my PEELS as well as other graphing } software and } have not used in EL/P in several years. } } Thanks, } Brendan Foran } Materials Analysis / Internal Technical Support } SEMATECH } Austin, Texas
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Russell E. Cook, Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Center for Materials Research Argonne National Laboratory Building 212 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, IL 60439 (630)252-7194 FAX: (630)252-4798 cook-at-aaem.amc.anl.gov
Hello Ron and Others, The argon we have been using cost $15.00 for the small tank. I have never specified any grade; but according to your findings and if price has anything to do with it, it must be the lower grade. It has done well by us.
Hope this helps, Sandra
At 10:40 AM 6/8/99 -0400, you wrote: } } Dear listmembers, } } For years, we sputter coated in air but recently switched to argon when a } tank was given to us. The tank is getting low and I'm getting poor results. } Research with the supplier leads me to believe it is grade 2.2 (99.95%). } they also have grade 4.8(99.99 %) in the small tank size. However the price } goes from $18 to $69 with the jump in grades. } } What grade argon is normally used in sputter coating? If I stick with the } 2.2 am I going to cause problems somewhere else? } } Thanks. } } Ron } lherault-at-bu.edu } } } Sandra F. Zane, EM Tech. sfzane-at-email.uncc.edu Dept. of Biology, UNC-Charlotte Ph.(704)547-4051 9201 University City Blvd. Fax (704)547-3128 Charlotte, NC 28223
Folks, I need some advice on the practicality of providing backup power supply for a SEM. The power here drops out about six times a year and can last from a few minutes to hours and of course can occur days, nights, weekends... I recall this being discussed in past year, but I wasn't sure if there was feeling as to the success of attempting to provide power for an orderly shutdown or just trying to hang on until power comes back on. The only time I operated a scope with a propane generator backup, in the five years I was there, the power never went out so I don't know if that would have handled a real test.
Any help would be appreciated.
Dave Audette OSRAM Sylvania Beverly, MA david.audette-at-sylvania.com
Use the purest argon available. If you are going to try refractory metals you will need the best grade AND make sure you have metal to metalconnections from the bottle to the coater. If you are only going to do noble metals and their alloys maybe you can get away with cooking style argon, but to continue the metaphore, we always use argon equivalent to a First Growth Claret.
Patrick Echlin CambridgeOn Tue, 8 Jun 1999, lherault wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Dear listmembers, } } For years, we sputter coated in air but recently switched to argon when a } tank was given to us. The tank is getting low and I'm getting poor results. } Research with the supplier leads me to believe it is grade 2.2 (99.95%). } they also have grade 4.8(99.99 %) in the small tank size. However the price } goes from $18 to $69 with the jump in grades. } } What grade argon is normally used in sputter coating? If I stick with the } 2.2 am I going to cause problems somewhere else? } } Thanks. } } Ron } lherault-at-bu.edu } } } }
Microcosm, Inc. is looking for Zeiss LSM-410 microscopes. We will offer a fair price.
If you have LSM-410 for sale or you are planning to sale one in near future please contact me at (301) 725-2775.
Dr. Henryk Malak ________________________________________________________ Dr. Henryk Malak Director of Research Microcosm, Inc. | 9140 Guilford Road, Suite O |Columbia, MD 21046 Phone: (301) 725-2775, Fax: (301) 725-2941 Our web site is located at: http://www.microcosm.com {http://www.microcosm.com} ________________________________________________________
Rememeber, you can use a terminal emulator or a dumb terminal to experiment with such ports in the early stages. The first challenge will be to get the communication parameters correct (baud rate, stop bits, etc.) and to make sure that the cable is correct. A null modem or other specialized cable may be necessary. A lot of instruments with RS-232 interfaces don't totally follow the standard, or maybe I should say that the standard allows for a variety of flow-control options that one cannot tell ahead of time what the settings will be. A good manual from the manufacturer will go a long way to help. You may also want to borrow a computer geek to get the communication set up.
The next issue is getting the right command syntax. I would probably try the 7100 codes and see if they work. You should be able to send commands manually from a terminal to see if they work at all. Then you could see about packaging them up in a program such as QBASIC as was already suggested.
At 10:10 AM 6/8/1999 +1000, you wrote: } } Fellow listers.... } } The Hitachi H-7000 TEM is fitted with an RS232 interface for external I/O } communication. } } Does anyone out there know if it can be used to issue commands to control } functions of the microscope? } } We would like to adjust focus & image shift & stigmation on out H-7000. } All these are digitally controlled within the microscope. } } The next model produced, the H-7100 DOES have this facility and there is a } book of control codes for the H-7100. Officially, the H-7000 does not have } the facility and the RS232 interface is variously described as being for } use by service engineer, or for inserting alphanumerics on the film. Is } there any unofficial experience out there we can tap into? }
---------------------------------------------------- Warren E. Straszheim 23 Town Engineering Iowa State University Ames IA, 50011-3232
I pretty much agree with Rick Mott's comments. There are a host of factors involved and clever engineers can do much to minimize or even eliminate the differences. Conceptually, I would think an active system need not wait for the beam to completely settle before sampling the signal. The sample would simply be a mix of the signal from the area under the beam as it settled in. That could do a lot to reduce the overhead of active beam control. And frankly, I don't know whether our system overlaps beam position and sampling or not.
The disadvantage of our active systems is a limited number of choices for dwell times. We have choices of 10, 100, 200, 400, 800 us, etc. We would really like to have more choices between 10 and 100 us in order to match the collection time of our passive system. We can get a good passive image in 40 seconds. While 10 us yields an active image quickly, it is too noisy. A 100 us dwell produces a good image, but it takes more than 80 sec. It shouldn't be a big issue, but we collect thousands of images and the time adds up. I guess there could be similar problems with passive systems. You are constrained by the available scan rates on the microscope. Hopefully, you have a good set of choices.
So I guess I will summarize by saying the devil is in the details of the implementation - as always.
At 04:12 PM 6/7/1999 -0400, you wrote: } Warren E Straszheim wrote: } } } We have both in our lab. I find a few things to consider. } } } } 1) It is my impression is that the passive system yields a better image in } } the same amount of time. It seems the active system has a fair amount of } } overhead involved in positioning the beam. Thus only a fraction of the } } total time is spent collecting image data. } } } } (etc.) } } While any particular system may produce better or worse images than } another, I don't believe there's any inherent magic in passive scanning } that produces better images. I was involved in the design of an active } system a few years ago, and we spent a great deal of time worrying } about the issue of beam settling times and efficiency of sampling. } Passive systems still have to be concerned with flyback settling times, } for example, or the first few samples in the line will be trash. You have } no idea where the beam is for some period of time at the beginning of } each scan line; how long you have to wait depends on design choices } by the EM manufacturer. } } Probably the main determining factors of image quality in either type of } system are the speed, linearity and noise performance of the digitizing } ADC, and the equivalent parameters for the position DACs (active } system) or raster timing circuitry (passive system). } } Rick Mott }
You bet, the daylight film is less sensitive to blue than tungsten balanced film, so if you use it with tungsten lighting that has less blue than daylight, the images will have the yellow shift. Even when you use the tungsten balanced film, you may need the test the lamp voltage. The color of the illumination will change dependent on the voltage. Higher voltage the more blue, lower voltage more yellow. Some lamps will still are not in the range of the tungsten film and require color compensating filters. Also, if you only have daylight film, you can use a 80A or 80B color conversion filter to balance the light to daylight.
Bob Derm Imaging Center
On Wed, 9 Jun 1999, David Knecht wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Someone wants to take color pictures using my Nikon UFX 35mm camera system } and a stereo scope. It has been so long since I used the system, that I } have forgotten the tricks. Our first set of pictures came out expposed } correctly, but with a distinctly yellow cast, such that whites were yellow } and yellow was orange-red. Is this the film type (we used Kodak 100 } daylight)? Should we have used tungsten film? The light source was a } fiber optic illuminator. Thanks-Dave } } Home of the 1999 NCAA Basketball National Champion HUSKIES !!! } ************************************************************ } } Dr. David Knecht } Department of Molecular and Cell Biology } University of Connecticut } 75 N. Eagleville Rd. U-125 } Storrs, CT 06269 } Knecht-at-uconnvm.uconn.edu } 860-486-2200 860-486-4331 (fax) } } ************************************************************ } } } }
I'm a Newcastle Brown Ale kinda guy myself but I have decided to try the higher grade of Argon, since it is used so slowly and should give the best results. I have not had any problems I can associate with using tygon tubing to deliver the gas so I probably will not get into modification of the delivery system at this time.
Thanks to all who have contributed information.
Ron L -----Original Message----- } From: Dr P. Echlin {pe13-at-cus.cam.ac.uk} To: lherault {lherault-at-bu.edu} Cc: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com {Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com}
Hi Ya'll: We are looking for user experiences on the Vitalscan imaging system when used specifically on the JEOL 840 series SEM. We are looking for ease of use/archiving/x-ray acquisition/software stability/image quality, etc. Any experiences/recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Tahnk you in advance.
When using most fiber optic systems (that use a projector type bulb with reflector), you should turn the bulb up to nearly full brightness to get the proper color temperature. Even then, you may need to use a blue filter in the system (80A, I believe). You could use tungsten film such as Fuji 64T but you will need to still adjust the brightness of the bulb so that it is at the proper color temperature.
I would recommend the following: use a tungsten film and take an exposure series varying the bulb brightness from the half-way position up to max. Then evaluate the images, picking the optimal one. Now, ALWAYS set the bulb to this same setting. If the lamp is too bright, then use a neutral density filter rather than turning the bulb down since this will change the color temperature.
The ideal solution would be to use a color temperature meter to set the bulb to the proper temperature each time you shoot the images but they are expensive.
John
} Someone wants to take color pictures using my Nikon UFX 35mm camera system } and a stereo scope. It has been so long since I used the system, that I } have forgotten the tricks. Our first set of pictures came out expposed } correctly, but with a distinctly yellow cast, such that whites were yellow } and yellow was orange-red. Is this the film type (we used Kodak 100 } daylight)? Should we have used tungsten film? The light source was a } fiber optic illuminator. Thanks-Dave
#################################################################### John J. Bozzola, Ph.D., Director Center for Electron Microscopy 750 Communications Drive - MC 4402 Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 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 ####################################################################
This yellow color is usually derived from the illumination you are using. Try an 82B filter (there is often a blue filter included with your microscope). The problem is related to what is called "color temperature". There are a number of good, basic discussions. For example, see: 1) Delly, John. Photography through the microscope (Kodak publication, available at most good camera stores) 2) Photomicrography (Polaroid) 3) Optimizing Light Microscopy (available through our web site - see below).
Basic principle for solving color correction ("CC"): make a circle; divide into 6 segments. Label alternating segments with primary colors (red, green, blue); label the other three with secondary colors (between red and blue = magenta; between blue and green= cyan; between red and gree = yellow).
To suppress a color (ex: the yellow you saw or the green tinge which often accompanies instant prints), try a filter of the opposite sector.
Kodak used to have a neat set of gelatin "CC" filters available in a little booklet, again through a good camera supply store. When you get the print, just hold a filter up in front of it under similar lighting to see which one will work best then insert that filter in the light path.
Good luck!
Barbara Foster Consortium President Microscopy/Microscopy Education ...Educating microscopists for greater productivity.
125 Paridon Street Suite 102 Springfield, MA 01118 PH: (413)746-6931 FX: (413)746-9311 email: mme-at-map.com Visit our web site {http://www.MME-Microscopy.com/education} ****************************************************** MME is America's first national consortium providing customized on-site workshops in all areas of microscopy, sample preparation, and image analysis.
At 09:43 AM 6/9/99 -0400, David Knecht wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Yes, you have to use Tungsten film (unless you're shooting color negatives & printing, then the color balancing is done during printing). The other trick is to make sure the lamp is turned up bright. The scope should have some guide associated with this to indicate when the lamp is bright enough (in the photography range, much brighter than the eyeball range). This is necessary, because if the lamp is run too low, it will be too red--the black-body temperature (aka color-temperature) will be too low. If this is too bright for what you're doing, *don't* lower the brightness of the lamp, instead insert one or more neutral-density filters.
The other trick to balance the color if you only have daylight film is to use an "80" series 35mm camera filter. Put it over the window for the field diaphragm, below the condensor. Usually 80A, but B or C might be needed (the filters are denser, going from A to C). There are also Color Compensating (CC) filters that can be used, but these are designed for say color photography under fluorescent lights. The 80 series works fine usually. Using Tungsten film works better.
(Note, Tungsten film has to be used for halogen lights, not just tungsten bulbs. The difference between tungsten & daylight isn't wire filament or the sun, but rather color temperature, and halogen lights are closer to tungsten bulbs in color.)
Phil
} Someone wants to take color pictures using my Nikon UFX 35mm camera system } and a stereo scope. It has been so long since I used the system, that I } have forgotten the tricks. Our first set of pictures came out expposed } correctly, but with a distinctly yellow cast, such that whites were yellow } and yellow was orange-red. Is this the film type (we used Kodak 100 } daylight)? Should we have used tungsten film? The light source was a } fiber optic illuminator. Thanks-Dave } } Home of the 1999 NCAA Basketball National Champion HUSKIES !!! } ************************************************************ } } Dr. David Knecht } Department of Molecular and Cell Biology } University of Connecticut } 75 N. Eagleville Rd. U-125 } Storrs, CT 06269 } Knecht-at-uconnvm.uconn.edu } 860-486-2200 860-486-4331 (fax) } } ************************************************************
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The H 9000 that we have does not have a scanning mode so the electron = beam is fixed at one point on the sample. The scan originates in the = Gatan video camera.
by sunspot.sjdccd.cc.ca.us (Netscape Messaging Server 3.6) with ESMTP id AAA41AE for {microscopy-at-Sparc5.microscopy.com} ; Wed, 9 Jun 1999 15:16:25 -0700 Received: from sjdccd.cc.ca.us ([198.189.201.226]) by ent2.sjdccd.cc.ca.us (Netscape Messaging Server 3.6) with ESMTP id 165; Wed, 9 Jun 1999 15:15:13 -0700 Message-ID: {375EF4E3.B0BEA521-at-sjdccd.cc.ca.us}
We also just bought an Agfa Duoscan 2500.
If you turn the 3 1/4 x 4 TEM negs sideways they just fit in the 4 x 5 hol.der. You can also use the glass holder, although I realize that glas= s is undesireable. I bought an extra 4 x 5 holder to modify it, but found that since the neg fit in the 4 x 5 holder sideways that works also. If you make a modified holder to hold 4 TEM negs, I would appreciate the design. That would be extremely handy.
Thanks Judy Murphy
Judy Murphy Microscopy Technology Center San Joaquin Delta College 5151 Pacific Ave Stockton, CA 95207 209/954-5284 FAX 209/954-5600 e-mail; jmurphy-at-sjdccd.cc.ca.us
Ian MacLaren wrote:
} -----------------------------------------------------------------------= - } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America=
} To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Co= m } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.htm= l } -----------------------------------------------------------------------= =2E } } Dear all, } Is there anybody out there using an Agfa Duoscan for TEM negatives? } } Our lab has just bought one (the T2500) but the negative holder (60 by } 90) does not quite fit our TEM negatives (64 by 88 mm). } } What have others done about this? } Manually adjusting the holder? Having a special holder made? } } We would appreciate any ideas that you can share. } } Yours sincerely } } +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ } Ian MacLaren } Department of Experimental Physics } Chalmers University of Technology } S-412 96 G=F6teborg } Sweden } Tel: +46 31 772 36 33 } FAX: +46 31 772 32 24 } email: maclaren-at-fy.chalmers.se } or: ianmaclaren-at-hotmail.com } Research Group Homepage: http://fy.chalmers.se/microscopy/ } +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I had problems with both Spectra and ratio images from the GIF with respect to taking my data home where I do not have EL/P or Digital Micrograph; in fact I don't own a Mac. Here's what works best for me.
EELS SPECTRA For spectra, save it in both the MSA format (I think that it is still called EMSA format in the program) and two column ASCII. Both are ASCII. The MSA format will have all of the header information about the spectrum that you need, however, the data comes out in groups of rows of 5 numbers and these groups are separated by a blank row. There may be groups of 10 rows, but I'm not exactly sure here. I use the MSA format header data for information and the ASCII data graphs very quickly in Excel or any graphing program. I just have not gotten around to writing a small Basic program to decipher the MSA format data into x,y pairs. There is information in the header of the MSA that tells how many columns of data there are, so this should be fairly straightforward to do it. I've been playing with learning Visual Basic specifically to do this and will have it done before too long.
RATIO IMAGES With respect to ratio images you can run into problems with how you store the TIF images. Digital Micrograph has the option of saving images in an 8 bit mode (I can't remember what they call it) or Raw mode which is 16 bit. If you take a regular image and save it in the raw TIF mode, there is no problem in opening it in Photoshop or other software such as Thumbs Plus. However, if any pixel value is negative when the difference of the two images is taken for the ratio image, you will not be able to open it in Photoshop. It gives an error about non-standard format or some such message. I could not find any software that would open the file other than Digital Micrograph. Even NIH image would not do it. There are no problems if you save the ratio images in the 8 bit format except you had better have the contrast and brightness of the image set before saving the image. PC USERS, DON'T FORGET TO ADD THAT EXTENSION TO THE FILENAME!
I'm sure that this is more than what you needed, but I just recently had to deal with these problems and it is not too much of a problem for me now that I know what's going on.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: "Brendan.Foran-at-sematech.org"-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
To those doing electron energy loss spectroscopy
Does anyone know of any other software other than EL/P that can open an EL/P file? DTSA perhaps? Or is it easy/preferable to export a spectra from EL/P as two-column ascii or otherwise?
-a colleague has sent me an EL/P file to show me a spectra. I have EmiSpec's ES-vision software for handling my PEELS as well as other graphing software and have not used in EL/P in several years.
Thanks, Brendan Foran Materials Analysis / Internal Technical Support SEMATECH Austin, Texas
At 11:31 AM 6/9/99 , you wrote: } At 09:43 AM 6/9/99 -0400, David Knecht wrote: } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
You need a color temperature correction filter that changes the 2950K color temp of the halogen lamp to 5500K of daylight film. Tungsten film will not match your source if it is quartz halogen. In this case, use a Wratten 80A (blue) filter or what Olympus calls an LBD-2....light balancing daylight.
The color temperature of the halogen lamp does change with applied voltage so without a color temperature meter, you might have to do a small amount of experimentation to be sure. you will either need an 80A or 80B filter. Use chrome film for adjusting perfect color balance. C-41 has quite a wide latitude viz color balance.
Molecular Imaging, a leader in high resolution biological AFM research and manufacturing, will be visiting UCSF campus Friday, June 11th. An informal demo session will be open to the public 9am to 12 pm, in Science 420. During the demo, a protein sample (ferritin) will be imaged in solution. We will be happy to discuss any questions/comments related to the application of AFM in your research projects.
Posters and Images at: http://www.molec.com/biology/index.html
I am trying to label one or more reptor(s) using polyclonal antibodies (that we know works at the light level) on tissue that needs to also be treated for the DAB reaction product. We are attacking this by pre-embedding and post embedding. One of our concerns is the effect of the hydrogen peroxide and DAB on the antigenic sites, and the other is the fixative. During pre-embedding, should we do the DAB reactions first then the immunogold or vice versa? For the post embedding ,using LRW, can you perform the DAB reaction on the grids? Creating the next question, will nickel grids work with the peroxide?
We used a mixture of 4% paraformaldehyde, 0.5% glut, plus 10%v/v picric acid (PA), all in Sorensons buffer. What effect could the PA have on the DAB reaction? Several papers recomend PA for IEM, but I am wondering now about the PA because I had a previous DAB experiment not turn out the way we thought (neg. to poor reaction). I notice that most papers use Tris buffers at 0.05M for the DAB but a few do mention phosphate buffer? Is there a problem not using Tris?
If someone out there has had experience with combining DAB and immunogold labeling I would like to here from them.
-----Original Message----- } From: Dr. Gary Gaugler [mailto:gary-at-gaugler.com] Sent: Thursday, June 10, 1999 9:28 AM To: yanga-at-em.agr.ca Cc: MSA listserver
At 06:25 PM 6/9/99 , you wrote: } I am going for holidays on May10 and will be back on June 7. } } Ann Fook
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Yes, the distinct yellow cast that you found on your first roll of film is indeed due to using daylight balanced film with a tungsten halogen light source. Most fiber optic illuminators use tungsten halogen projector lamps. Tungsten Halogen lamps usually run at a color temerature of up to 3200K or 3400K, depending on their wattage. The words "up to" are important, because the total light output AND the color temperature are dependent on the voltage of the lamp. Raising the voltage will increase the output and increase the color temperature of the lamp, causing the output to be richer in blue light.
You have two choices to correct the problem, you can use daylight balanced film with filtration, or tungsten balanced film with little or no filtration.
If you must use daylight film, you will need the equivalent of a Wratten 80A filter (for 3200K) or a Wratten 80B filter (for the higher wattage 3400K light sources). The glass filters usually supplied with your compound microscopes are closest to the Wratten 80A filter.
Alternatively, you can use daylight balanced film with little or no filtration. The higher wattage tungsten halogen lamps operating at 3400K at full voltage would need a small correction with a Wratten 81A filter. However, if you do a voltage series, you may find that reducing the voltage of the lamp slightly gives you the right color temp for no filtration with tungsten balanced film.
Most fiber optic illuminators that I have seen do not have slots for filtering the light. I usually ended up cutting small pieces of a Wratten filter and securing it to the end of the fiber optic nearest the specimen. Alternatively, I have secured a clean, flat filter over the objectives of the stereo microscope and focussed through the glass without any noticeable degradation of the image.
The wratten color correction (CC) filters are not approprate filters for light balancing for color temperature. They absorb a smaller portion of the spectrum than do the color conversion Wratten 80 and 85 series, or the light balancing Wratten 82 and 81 series. The absorption curves of these filters are available in the very helpful Kodak publication B-3, "Kodak Filters for Scientific and Technical Uses"
I have a question for the microscopists who may have experimented with color temperature vs. lamp voltage for tungsten and tungsten halogen lamps at the compound microscope. I found that reducing the voltage of a tungsten lamp (which might operate at up to 2800K) led to a very large difference in both output and color temperature of the lamp. When I made the same changes with a tungsten halogen lamp, I found that the variation of output and color temperature were far less pronounced. Does anyone know why this may be the case?
Mary McCann McCann Imaging Ph: 617-484-7865 Fax:617-484-2490 email: mccanns-at-tiac.net http://www.microscopyed.com
} } Someone wants to take color pictures using my Nikon UFX 35mm camera system } and a stereo scope. It has been so long since I used the system, that I } have forgotten the tricks. Our first set of pictures came out expposed } correctly, but with a distinctly yellow cast, such that whites were yellow } and yellow was orange-red. Is this the film type (we used Kodak 100 } daylight)? Should we have used tungsten film? The light source was a } fiber optic illuminator. Thanks-Dave } } Home of the 1999 NCAA Basketball National Champion HUSKIES !!! } ************************************************************ } } Dr. David Knecht } Department of Molecular and Cell Biology } University of Connecticut } 75 N. Eagleville Rd. U-125 } Storrs, CT 06269 } Knecht-at-uconnvm.uconn.edu } 860-486-2200 860-486-4331 (fax) } } ************************************************************
Apparently Ann Fook has setup an auto-reply message during her absence from office. I have seen many others do that and wish they would not, at least if they remain subscribed to mailing lists. It means that when you and I send a post to the list, their auto-reply kicks in and we as the poster gets to hear about their vacation, again. Realizing that, I just shake my head and hit the delete button.
I suggest that if someone wants to use such an auto-reply function, they should set the nomail option on their lists (if available) or else temporarily unsubscribe. Otherwise, if they want to remain on the lists, they should avoid using the auto-reply. Or finally, they might learn how to use filters to only send the auto-reply to personal communications.
Warren
At 02:50 PM 6/10/1999 +0800, you wrote: } } I hope that I do not have to see this again!! } } Catherine } } -----Original Message----- } } At 06:25 PM 6/9/99 , you wrote: } } I am going for holidays on May10 and will be back on June 7. } } } } Ann Fook
Re, SEM 3A REQUEST FOR INFO REGUARDING HT OIL TANK.
I feel that I should say a big thank you to everyone who answered my Email concerning the above subject. Hopefully I will receive the info I need in the next few days. THANK YOU EVERY ONE. Yours faithfully, Eric Fotherby.
Trying to collect more data... If you have specification/sales brochures for Hitachi, Jeol, Philips, or Amray SEMs covering models, from about 1990 up to (but not including) the current offerings, I would dearly love to obtain a copy.
Thanks, Woody ---------------------- Woody White McDermott Technology, Inc Lynchburg Research Center P.O. Box 11165 Lynchburg, VA 24506
My colleague resent me the data saved from EL/P as "xy-ascii" which was of course easily graphed. Something apparently was wrong with the EL/P file originally sent to me.
To avoid discrediting EmiSpec, and as Gerd had surmised, EmiSpec's software is set up to import EL/P ".tad" files; I hadn't realized that at first, and then still it didn't work for the file originally sent to me (could be that we forgot to specify that the file was text format in moving it from the Mac to the PC- and we are going to re-try it though going the route of ascii is easy enough.
Thanks again for the advice,
Brendan
Brendan Foran, Ph.D. Materials Analysis Group SEMATECH Austin, TX
-----Original Message----- } From: Walck. Scott D. [mailto:walck-at-ppg.com] Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 1999 5:35 PM To: 'Brendan.Foran-at-sematech.org'; Micro
I had problems with both Spectra and ratio images from the GIF with respect to taking my data home where I do not have EL/P or Digital Micrograph; in fact I don't own a Mac. Here's what works best for me.
EELS SPECTRA For spectra, save it in both the MSA format (I think that it is still called EMSA format in the program) and two column ASCII. Both are ASCII. The MSA format will have all of the header information about the spectrum that you need, however, the data comes out in groups of rows of 5 numbers and these groups are separated by a blank row. There may be groups of 10 rows, but I'm not exactly sure here. I use the MSA format header data for information and the ASCII data graphs very quickly in Excel or any graphing program. I just have not gotten around to writing a small Basic program to decipher the MSA format data into x,y pairs. There is information in the header of the MSA that tells how many columns of data there are, so this should be fairly straightforward to do it. I've been playing with learning Visual Basic specifically to do this and will have it done before too long.
RATIO IMAGES With respect to ratio images you can run into problems with how you store the TIF images. Digital Micrograph has the option of saving images in an 8 bit mode (I can't remember what they call it) or Raw mode which is 16 bit. If you take a regular image and save it in the raw TIF mode, there is no problem in opening it in Photoshop or other software such as Thumbs Plus. However, if any pixel value is negative when the difference of the two images is taken for the ratio image, you will not be able to open it in Photoshop. It gives an error about non-standard format or some such message. I could not find any software that would open the file other than Digital Micrograph. Even NIH image would not do it. There are no problems if you save the ratio images in the 8 bit format except you had better have the contrast and brightness of the image set before saving the image. PC USERS, DON'T FORGET TO ADD THAT EXTENSION TO THE FILENAME!
I'm sure that this is more than what you needed, but I just recently had to deal with these problems and it is not too much of a problem for me now that I know what's going on.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: "Brendan.Foran-at-sematech.org"-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
To those doing electron energy loss spectroscopy
Does anyone know of any other software other than EL/P that can open an EL/P file? DTSA perhaps? Or is it easy/preferable to export a spectra from EL/P as two-column ascii or otherwise?
-a colleague has sent me an EL/P file to show me a spectra. I have EmiSpec's ES-vision software for handling my PEELS as well as other graphing software and have not used in EL/P in several years.
Thanks, Brendan Foran Materials Analysis / Internal Technical Support SEMATECH Austin, Texas
The best source for refractive index oils of all sorts is Cargille Labs in Cedar Grove, NJ: 973-239-6633
They also have a very good reference booklet by Dr. Robert Allen on Refractometry. We use it for all our Am. Chem. Soc. courses.
Best regards, Barbara Foster Consortium President Microscopy/Microscopy Education ...Educating microscopists for greater productivity.
125 Paridon Street Suite 102 Springfield, MA 01118 PH: (413)746-6931 FX: (413)746-9311 email: mme-at-map.com Visit our web site {http://www.MME-Microscopy.com/education} ****************************************************** MME is America's first national consortium providing customized on-site workshops in all areas of microscopy, sample preparation, and image analysis.
At 10:16 PM 6/9/99 -0600, wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
I received several questions regarding color LM microphotography. Here is a short compilation of the individual posts for everyone's general use as may be beneficial:
If you are using daylight film, use the LBD-2 filter. Depending on which lamp house and bulb it uses, there still may be a slight color shift. If the results are warm (on the red, yellow side), increase the color temperature of the source by increasing the lamp voltage. Usually there is a setting for taking photos. However, on some scopes, this setting is too warm and there will be a color shift.
The LBD-IF filter can be used for tungsten film but your best results and controls are achieved with daylight film. And there are many more choices as well. There are two types of tungsten film: A and B. A is rated at 3,200K while B is rated at 3,400K. Some tungsten films do not directly indicate which kind they are; or the maker makes it really a challenge to find out which kind it is. It really does make a difference. If you are shooting slides, use Fuji Provia (RDP-II) at ISO 100 or Provia 400 (RHP) at ISO 400. The grain increases of course with faster film.
If you use C-41 negative film, I would recommend Fuji NPS shot at ISO 100. It is a 4-layer emulsion film and is good for a little extra light correction.
Remember that it is much easier to adjust the final color balance when making prints from negative (C-41) films. This is done during printing and if the neg is decently exposed (highlights not blown out) then good results can be had. Printing from E-6 slides is a different process (Ilfochrome/Cibachrome) and is much more expensive and difficult to control/vary.
If you are interested in color temperature of various bulb sources, check out this following URL:
http://photoweb.net/pw_tech/floures1.html
Here you will find the color temp of different light sources and the filters needed to correct them to daylight film. Without correction, even tungsten A or B film will still have a cast. Especially if you use Type B tungsten film. The mired shift is enough between 2900K of the halogen source and the rated 3200K of the film to show up as a subtle warming cast. Daylight C-41 film will also require severe color correction without an LB filter. There are actually two types of filters required for color compensation. The LB filter is the light balancing filter. The CC filter is the color correction filter. In reality, the LB is the main filter which adjusts the red/blue ratio. The CC filter handles the green. Continuous sources, like tungsten and halogen bulbs, really only need LB compensation. The CC filter comes into play when using non-continuous spectra sources like flourescent or halide lamps.
The best way, short of having a color meter, to balance color temperatures of source and film is to shoot chromes and adjust source voltage and/or filtering to achieve a neutral, real color result. With a typical halogen source, this means using for example an Olympus LBD or LBD-2N filter or an 80A blue filter.
The other option aside from printing is to digitally scan both or either negs or chromes (slides). This opens up many useful features. For example, if you are shooting C-41 negs, you can calibrate the scanner to the color cast of the backing and have the software automatically remove that after a preview scan. This will auto correct the color balance of the film frame to as close as daylight as can be done. Furthermore, you can play with the color settings yourself to remove yellow/red by adding blue and/or cyan. These scanners will also sharpen your images, auto adjust highlights or shadows and with separate software plugins to Photoshop (like Extensis Intellihance) automatically perform up to 20 separate steps to optimize each scanned image.
Finally, there are basically two types of color meters. Type 2 and Type 3. Really all this means is whether the meter has 2 sensors (red + blue) or 3 sensors (red + blue + green). There are numerous older models of Type 2 meters that have two sensors, a pair of filters and a simple D'arsonval meter movement to indicate the color temperature. The newer digital meters are much better but also more expensive.
Our 20 year old freeze drier is dying and I am looking to buy a new one. It will be used for standard SEM prep stuff of biological material. I am looking for anyone's recent experience with new models. Vendors in the UK are welcome to reply. It might be preferable to reply directly to me rather than the list. As usual I will be happy to post a digest if there is interest. Many thanks
Chris
Chris Gilpin Experimental Officer Biological Sciences EM Unit G452 Stopford Building Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PT phone +44 0161 275 5170 Fax +44 0161 275 5171 Chris Gilpin http://www.empgu.man.ac.uk
I am s-o-r-r-y! The auto-reply has been taken out.
Ann Fook Yang EM Unit, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Rm 2091, K.W. Neatby Bldg., Central Farm, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0C6
Phone: 613-759-1638 Fax; 613-759-1701
} } } Warren E Straszheim {wesaia-at-iastate.edu} 06/10 8:27 AM } } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Apparently Ann Fook has setup an auto-reply message during her absence from office. I have seen many others do that and wish they would not, at least if they remain subscribed to mailing lists. It means that when you and I send a post to the list, their auto-reply kicks in and we as the poster gets to hear about their vacation, again. Realizing that, I just shake my head and hit the delete button.
I suggest that if someone wants to use such an auto-reply function, they should set the nomail option on their lists (if available) or else temporarily unsubscribe. Otherwise, if they want to remain on the lists, they should avoid using the auto-reply. Or finally, they might learn how to use filters to only send the auto-reply to personal communications.
Warren
At 02:50 PM 6/10/1999 +0800, you wrote: } } I hope that I do not have to see this again!! } } Catherine } } -----Original Message----- } } At 06:25 PM 6/9/99 , you wrote: } } I am going for holidays on May10 and will be back on June 7. } } } } Ann Fook
} I received several questions regarding color LM microphotography. Here is } a short compilation of the individual posts for everyone's general use as may } be beneficial:
} { stuff deleted in the interest of brevity}
Dr. Gaugler makes some excellent points, only one of which I disagree with. If you shoot print film, the automatic printing machine, not being familiar with images shoot through the microscope, will rarely give accurate color (in my experience) so you may have to pay for custom printing. Expensive. If you shoot slide film you can select the best image and have it printed, either from an internegative, by Ilfochrome or by scanning. Now you also have a slide for presentation at seminars or meetings. Also you can experiment and fine tune the light source you are using by using varing light intensities, color correction filters and making accurate notes. Since the color on the slides is not adjusted in printing you can find the right setting/filter for your equipment and subject matter. Just my $.02 worth.
Geoff -- ********************************************** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029 mcauliff-at-umdnj.edu **********************************************
The Imaging and Analysis Center at Princeton Materials Institute, Princeton University has an open position for a Specialist. The successful candidate will instruct students in the operation of instruments for imaging (electron, optical, and scanning probe microscopies), analysis, and diffraction; maintain and repair these instruments; oversee upkeep of the center; support faculty and students; analyze samples; supervise students; maintain a safe environment; and other assigned duties. Bachelor degree in physical science and/or 4+ years-related work experience required. Candidates should be familiar with the instruments in the facility, mechanical and electronic equipment, vacuum systems, PC and/o SUN and EDS/WDS systems. The candidate should be competent with sample preparation techniques, including ion milling, ultra-thin sectioning, staining, and coating of samples. Good communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
Interested candidates should send application to: Susan Calvetto, Business Manager, Princeton Materials Institute, Princeton University, 70 Prospect Ave. Princeton, NJ 08540, calvetto-at-princeton.edu. Applications should include a resume, letter of application and three letters of recommendation. Princeton University offers excellent benefits
Is there software available that will display graphical output from the various EDS file formats? I am using a Link Oxford system. I would like to access spectra at my desk. I can export to EMSA/MAS format.
I am looking for a chemical etch that would etch my substrate (MgAl2O4) but not my film (CoFe2O4). I would very much appreciate any suggestions. Thanks for taking time to consider this request.
Sincerely,
Mick Thomas ---------------------------- Mick Thomas UHV-STEM Laboratory E-1 Clark Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853
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sure...mike we have one for you... -----Original Message----- } From: Ingram, Mike {MIngram-at-rodel.com} To: 'Microscopy-at-MSA.Microscopy.com' {Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com}
Does anyone know any company or individual who services Reichert Ultramicrotomes. I live in Tampa, Florida and would prefer finding one who is relatively near. Thank you very much. Margie Bryant
JEOL JSM - 35U Scanning Electron Microscope for sale. It was on JEOL Service Contract from purchase date (1976) until March 31, 1999. It still takes excellent pictures easily at mags below 10,000x's and nice pictures with manipulation at mags up to 20,000x's. I feel as if I am selling my best friend. Best offer.
Phoebe J. Doss, Manager/Adjunct Instructor Electron Microscope Lab Oklahoma State University (405)744-6765
I recently have come across literature from Instrumedics, Inc. on their device for cutting and mounting cryo sections without passing sections through aqueous solutions and without melting the sections onto the slide.
The system attaches sections to the slides using a UV-cured adhesive. It sounds great, but at a $6,600 price tag (you supply the cryostat) I need to know whether this really works. Are there people out there who have used this? Please forward your comments to me.
Thanks.
Don
______________________________________________________________________ Donald L. Lovett e-mail: lovett-at-tcnj.edu Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Biology voice: (609) 771-2876 P.O. Box 7718 fax: (609) 637-5118 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ 08628-0718
Geoff brings up an interesting point. Automatic printing machines will certainly try to adjust color balance to levels that they "think" are best, regardless of what the researcher wants. Depending on the lab you use, you may or may not be able to specify color corrections and hand prints back to be redone. Some labs just won't or can't do it.
Similarly, these machines will give you brightness/darkness levels they "feel" are appropriate. They don't know that the area of tissue you really wanted to see was that really dark patch in the center, instead of the perfectly exposed surrounding matrix, for example. They try to average brightness values across the whole negative to come up with a reasonable compromise, which works fine for most family picnic pictures.
Slides, as Geoff says, overcome these problems since there is no machine interpretation of the image. The final image you see is the original piece of film exposed in the camera---just the way you exposed it in terms of color and brightness. But you can take it and specify improvements when having prints made, or you can scan it in and do anything you want digitally.
Slide films come in various color balances, just like print films, and you can use the same filters. They are very useful for these types of applications.
I have been asked by a faculty member to fix rat brains, cut and measure the dendrites of a neuron. He has given me three articles but I they are dated (1972). I was hoping for some direction of the current protocols used.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Debbie Lietz
Debbie Lietz Electron Microscopy Suite Department of Biology Trent University Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8 Telephone: (705)748-1486 Fax: (705) 748-1205 email: dlietz-at-trentu.ca
South Bay Technology, Inc. will be offering another in its ongoing series=
of Tripod Polisher Workshops on September 24-25, 1999 in San Clemente, CA= . =
New at this workshop will be additional sections on low energy ion milling, plasma cleaning and ion beam sputtering/etching. For a course description and on-line registration information, please go to our websit= e at www.southbaytech.com and select the "Workshops" icon.
We need to prepare some TEM samples of a powder metallurgy sample of roughly
Pb 8% Sn 1.5% Cu (?) Al balance
Any suggestions on preparation? We were thinking of trying Nitric/Methanol (the usual Al electropolish).
Thanks, Henk Colijn
Hendrik O. Colijn colijn.1-at-osu.edu Campus Electron Optics Facility Ohio State University (614) 292-0674 http://web.ceof.ohio-state.edu Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will." Commentary: "Murphy was an optimist."
I have a JEOL IC845 SEM. When recording images on film, I get evenly spaced light and dark areas (similar to fringes) on my micrographs. It does not appear on screen when viewing an image in normal viewing mode, but in watching the photo scan line it does appear to be present, but difficult to see. Does anyone have an idea as to what is going on?
Which way are the lines oriented and what is their spacing on the film? If the lines run vertical on Polaroids, it could be due to gunk on the rollers or the smoothness of pulling the film from the camera.
At 04:49 PM 6/11/1999 -0400, you wrote: } } I have a JEOL IC845 SEM. When recording images on film, I get evenly spaced } light and dark areas (similar to fringes) on my micrographs. It does not } appear on screen when viewing an image in normal viewing mode, but in } watching the photo scan line it does appear to be present, but difficult to } see. Does anyone have an idea as to what is going on?
I don't know how many of you may have heard of the death of Arthur Cohen this past week. He was a pioneer in the preparation techniques used in scanning electron microscopy and critical point drying. He was Professor Emeritus of Botany at Washington State University, and carried out his research and electron microscopy interests long after his retirement.
I was fortunate enough to spend some time in his company over the last few years, and learn a few things which have enhanced my career.
Franklin Bailey Electron Microscopy Center University of Idaho Moscow, ID 83844-2204
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Scripps Institution of Oceanography, June 1999
Scripps Institution of Oceanography=92s Analytical Facility announces the= ir AFM/STM services lab. Unlike SEM, AFM has the unique capability to provid= e high resolution imaging of biological samples in solution to maintain the= ir structural integrity. We can also vary the solution (pH, buffers, etc.) t= o examine the behavior of samples in vitro.
The total image size can be as high as 30um x 30um(lateral) and 7um(heigh= t). High resolution images can produce feature sizes as low as ~5nm(laterally= ) and sub-angstrom height resolution. Our capabilities for biological sampl= es in solution and samples under environmental control (electrochemistry, humidity, and temperature) make us a unique facility compared to other contract AFM labs.
For more information, please contact Kevin Walda, PhD, Manager SIO Analytical Facility. Tel: (619) 534-3558. Email: kwalda-at-ucsd.edu.
Review article on SPM in Biology! First draft, posted for comments/feedback only, final version will be published by John Wiley in the book "Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and related techniques" ed. D. Bonnell.
Author: Prof. Stuart Lindsay, ASU
View the Article here. http://green.la.asu.edu/index.html
At 01:49 PM 6/11/99 , you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
I would guess that there is a bad or dirty relay contact in your mag circuit. This of course assumes that the scope uses relays to control lens current.
Scopes usually have separate circuits for display and record CRTs. If the display is OK but the record is bad, look for the control relays that are related to the record CRT. If the display is bad and the record is OK, look at the display relays. If both displays are bad....well, move back to the scan generator as a start.
someone initially wrote ... } } } } I have a JEOL IC845 SEM. When recording images on film, I get evenly spaced } } light and dark areas (similar to fringes) on my micrographs. It does not } } appear on screen when viewing an image in normal viewing mode, but in } } watching the photo scan line it does appear to be present, but difficult to } } see. Does anyone have an idea as to what is going on? } } ...
Maybe we should first eliminate the obvious. Tell us more about the spacing and how many lines you see ... after all, these could be the photo CRT's own scan lines which are only visible on the film(???)
Ingram, Mike wrote: } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } I have a JEOL IC845 SEM. When recording images on film, I get evenly spaced } light and dark areas (similar to fringes) on my micrographs. It does not } appear on screen when viewing an image in normal viewing mode, but in } watching the photo scan line it does appear to be present, but difficult to } see. Does anyone have an idea as to what is going on?
Could be dirty (poor contact) on the thumbwheel scan speed switch for photo mode. Try a different scan speed by changing the photo speed setting or replacing the switches. Other possibilities include charging sample, defective scintillator, dying filament. Try taking a blank raster filament off) and see if the lines are still present. If they are still present the problem is in the recording system.
Dear sir or madam: I need to get an idea of how much tissue is processed in the USA per year for electron microscopy. Could you please point me towards a source, person, group etc. that might be able to help me get such an estimate? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance, Regards, Tom Kuwahara -- ******************************* Thomas J. Kuwahara Senior Immunohistochemist Advanced Pathology Systems 3801 Sacramento St. suite 621 San Francisco, CA 94118 415 750 6800 x23067 tel 415 750 2332 fax tom-at-adpath.com
Re Franklin Bailey E mail Dr Arthur Cohen It with regret that I have heard of the death of Arthur Cohen . Having met him on a visit from England a lot of years ago at an EMSA meeting , his work in my humble judgement was excellent and we still use his reference papers in our work and for users of CPD . We shall continue to do so , and his name lives on .
Respectfully David Robinson Emitech England In message {991D50EBD-at-oak.csrv.uidaho.edu} , J.F.Bailey {JFB-at-novell.uidaho.edu} writes } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
I used to operate a JEOL 840A and have seen what sounds like this problem, where you see about 15 equally spaced vertical lines on the tv screen and the photos. The service group recommended I shut down the console, pull the boards and, using a pencil eraser, clean the contacts (fingers) on the three boards in the image bin on the upper console rack. I assumed one board was the culprit, but did the bunch rather than experiment. This was the left most bin on the 840A and has the boards that control the screen, alpha numerics, brightness, and such. Apparently it was an every several years maintaince recommendation. If this sounds like your problem, it might be worth a try.
Dave Audette OSRAM Sylvania Beverly, MA david.audette-at-sylvania.com
} -----Original Message----- } From: Ingram, Mike [SMTP:MIngram-at-rodel.com] } Sent: Friday, June 11, 1999 4:49 PM } To: 'Microscopy-at-MSA.Microscopy.com' } Subject: Problems with Photo Scan on JEOL JSM 845 SEM } Importance: High } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } I have a JEOL IC845 SEM. When recording images on film, I get evenly } spaced } light and dark areas (similar to fringes) on my micrographs. It does not } appear on screen when viewing an image in normal viewing mode, but in } watching the photo scan line it does appear to be present, but difficult } to } see. Does anyone have an idea as to what is going on? }
I will be needing a set of scan selector switches for a Hitachi S450. These are the buttons we push to select scan speeds {the old gal is stuck on slow scan, I hope this is the only problem!}. Individual buttons would be fine but if there is a complete board out there it would save me some soldering time.
One feature of assessing performance of objectives that I have never really understood is the non-financial cost of using a phase objective for either bright-field, fluorescence or DIC. How much does the phase ring & coating they use to correct for differences in intensity really affect the performance of these objectives when they are used in non-phase types of optics. Thanks for any comments. Tom
Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility
3 Tucker Hall Division of Biological Sciences University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211-7400 (573)-882-4712 (voice) (573)-882-0123 (fax)
I have been asked to serial section areas of retina 5 mm and more in length, for 3-D reconstruction, and then be able to produce TEM of selected sections. Is there a practical way to do this and hopefully a reference? 10um paraffin sections and re-embedment in epon or 2um epon sections seem the most likely way.
Also, is there a good way to mark the tissue so that the source of a section can be located on a gross photo of the tissue?
I'm using NIH image right now, it's freeware on the net, but I always get garbage scans. Does anyone know of any digitizing software where I can scan a TEM negative and analyze it? I need to take a density count of copper oxide islands (heteropataxial growth) and doing it with a light table and a magnifying glass is not fun. thanks
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS EXTENDED TO FRIDAY JUNE 19, 1999.
Summer School on Computing in Electron Microscopy slotted for August 9-13, 1999 , Berkeley, California
(Berkeley, CA) The seventh annual Summer School on Computer-Interactive HRTEM Image Acquisition, Processing and Simulation will be held at the National Center for Electron Microscopy (NCEM), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley from August 9 through August 13, 1999.
The curriculum will focus on training participants in techniques of computer-assisted acquisition and interpretation of high-resolution electron microscope images, including remote-control microscopy. Participants will learn general principles and apply them to specific cases. Instruction on use of computer assistance to obtain images on NCEM microscopes will be followed by training in the use of specific application programs for image interpretation by image processing and simulation.
Participants who wish to apply newly acquired techniques to their own projects are encouraged to extend their visit at NCEM into the next week. Please note: this type of arrangement requires advance submission of a proposal. Projects may involve prepared specimens for microscopy, images and diffraction patterns for processing, or crystal and defect data for simulations. The fee of $375 will cover all materials, instruction, continental breakfast daily, two lunches and an evening reception. Deadline for applications is June 19, 1999. For more information and downloadable application materials contact:
We are looking for a recent Ph.D. with experience in electron microscopy and/or modern light microscopy to work on a new project examining lineage specific transcription events inside the intestine of the developing Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. This will be a joint project between the
laboratories of Drs. David Bazett-Jones and Jim McGhee in the Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Calgary. The
developing C. elegans gut provides a unique opportunity to combine structural and ultrastructural analyses of a fundamental problem in biology. For background details of the experimental system, please visit the web site at "www.ucalgary.ca/~jmcghee". For further details, please contact either:
Dr. David P. Bazett-Jones (bazett-at-ucalgary.ca)
or
Dr. James D. McGhee (jmcghee-at-ucalgary.ca)
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine, 3330 Hospital Drive, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1 CANADA
} Mime-Version: 1.0 } Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" } Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 17:34:39 -0400 } To: Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com } Subject: JEOL 200CX TEM free
} } A JEOL 200CX TEM is available to anybody who wants it, at no cost for } purchase, with the taker responsible for all moving costs and any repairs. } This is a high-resolution 200kV transmission electron microscope. The } microscope is located at MCNC in the Research Triangle Park, North } Carolina. It is currently in operation. The microscope has high-resolution } pole pieces, a top-entry stage, and a LaB6 filament. It is presently } working only with untilted samples because the tilt mechanism is broken. } All other major components of the microscope are presently working. Anyone } interested in the microscope should contact me by e-mail or phone. } } Michael Lamvik } {mlamvik-at-mcnc.org} } Phone 919-248-1909 } Fax 919-248-1455 } }
There seems to be a lot if interest in the use of focussed ion beam milling for TEM sample prep. I have put up a short tutorial covering the basic steps on our web site. You can access the tutorial via http://www.cmp-cientifica.com/FIB/temprep.htm
During a recent one week "Intensive SEM" coarse, that took place in Johannesburg South Africa, the students came up with a superb cleaning technique that they wished to report upon. The results are, or should be= , interesting to everyone who has to clean a cathode assembly!
=46rom my side the course contains a number of carefully structured practicals that are designed to present the operating variables to the students in the clearest possible fashion. From time to time one finds oneself developing practicals "on the run" to suit the situation. It was=
such a case that is reported below; the filament failed!
A Rapid Cleaning Technique For EM Cathode Assemblies
} From Errol Kelly - University of Fort Hare Belinda White - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg Allan Hall - University of Pretoria Akos Szabo - Rand Afrikaans University Neville Baker - Anaspec
Introduction The most time consuming operation during the routine use of a SEM or TEM = is often the cleaning of a cathode assembly. The procedure outlined require= s little operator intervention, is free from possible cathode contamination=
by the cleaning media and takes comparatively very little time.
History There is a vast array of cleaning media used by laboratories to clean the=
cathode assemblies of electron microscopes. With many of these the bigge= st failing is the difficulty in removing completely the cleaning media leadi= ng to excessive contamination within the system. This problem is further complicated by the human hazards associated with some of the solvents bei= ng used. In some countries acetone and ether are not permitted in the laboratory!
Steve Chapman has been using and teaching an ultrasonic cleaning techniqu= e he developed in 1964. The procedure took advantage of tungsten being soluble in an ammonia solution (NH4OH) and combined this media with any metal polish that was also soluble in ammonia. The technique used an ammonia solution that had been diluted from a stock solution down to 10 t= o 15 parts water to 1 part ammonia. A range of metal polishing media had been used dictated by their availability in various countries of the worl= d. This cleaning procedure relied more upon the abrasive effect of the meta= l polishing media rather than the chemical attack from the ammonia. =
Subsequent to the metal polish ultrasonic cleaning period of about 30 minutes, the polishing media was removed by way of two further 5 minute ultrasonic cleaning periods in the dilute ammonia alone, to ensure comple= te removal of the metal polishing media. The components were then washed in=
alcohol and dried with a hot air blower. With severely contaminated cathodes, as would be typical of a SEM used at high emission currents, a degree of manual cleaning was often required in the "burnt on" tungsten areas around the cathode aperture. That could be prior to or after the initial ultrasonic cleaning procedure. =
The New Procedure The cathode assembly was placed, aperture face upwards, in a beaker of stock ammonia solution diluted 3 parts ammonia to one part water. The stock solution was thought to be about 40% ammonia. After 15 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner the beaker was placed under running water and thoroughly flushed through. Care was taken to ensure that none of the clamping or alignment screws had fallen out of the cathode assembly and could be flushed away! The cathode was then washed with alcohol before being dried with a hair drier. A new filament was fitted and centered. =
The assembly was checked for cleanliness by observing with a 20X lens pri= or to re installation in the microscope. Total time for this procedure less=
than 25 minutes.
Safety Great care was taken not to allow the ammonia solution to make contact wi= th the skin or eyes of the operator. When flushing the solution through wit= h water its flow was set so as not to splash the solution over the operator=
prior to placing the beaker under the flow.
Observations The procedure was used on a severely contaminated SEM cathode and a catho= de assembly from an electron probe. Contamination rate had been noted as an=
earlier part of the course so we are able to state that observations in t= he SEM before and after cleaning indicated little or no increase in contamination levels.
--------- Back to me-
We were all amazed at the results, a totally wet cleaning method, a perfectly clean cathode assembly with apparently no instrument problems? = I do not know how ammonia reacts with tantalum (the Philips cathode apertur= e) but I would guess this technique would be applicable to any SEM, TEM, or probe?
What do your members think?
Steve Chapman
Senior Consultant E.M. Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide
Steve, Errol, Belinda, Allen, Akos, Neville, Thanks for the cleaning procedure. It sound great. I'm looking forward to trying it. One item I would like to mention in favor of some polishing. Over time small irregularities develop on the surfaces through handling or arcing, etc. We even polish new apertures to confirm roundness and smootheness. Possibly some water based abrasive could be used in conjunction with your ammonia technique. Thanks, Russ, Xerox
-----Original Message----- } From: Steve Chapman [mailto:PROTRAIN-at-CompuServe.COM] Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 3:35 AM To: American; MSSAfrica
Hi to Electron Microscopists,
During a recent one week "Intensive SEM" coarse, that took place in Johannesburg South Africa, the students came up with a superb cleaning technique that they wished to report upon. The results are, or should be, interesting to everyone who has to clean a cathode assembly!
} From my side the course contains a number of carefully structured practicals that are designed to present the operating variables to the students in the clearest possible fashion. From time to time one finds oneself developing practicals "on the run" to suit the situation. It was such a case that is reported below; the filament failed!
A Rapid Cleaning Technique For EM Cathode Assemblies
} From Errol Kelly - University of Fort Hare Belinda White - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg Allan Hall - University of Pretoria Akos Szabo - Rand Afrikaans University Neville Baker - Anaspec
Introduction The most time consuming operation during the routine use of a SEM or TEM is often the cleaning of a cathode assembly. The procedure outlined requires little operator intervention, is free from possible cathode contamination by the cleaning media and takes comparatively very little time.
History There is a vast array of cleaning media used by laboratories to clean the cathode assemblies of electron microscopes. With many of these the biggest failing is the difficulty in removing completely the cleaning media leading to excessive contamination within the system. This problem is further complicated by the human hazards associated with some of the solvents being used. In some countries acetone and ether are not permitted in the laboratory!
Steve Chapman has been using and teaching an ultrasonic cleaning technique he developed in 1964. The procedure took advantage of tungsten being soluble in an ammonia solution (NH4OH) and combined this media with any metal polish that was also soluble in ammonia. The technique used an ammonia solution that had been diluted from a stock solution down to 10 to 15 parts water to 1 part ammonia. A range of metal polishing media had been used dictated by their availability in various countries of the world. This cleaning procedure relied more upon the abrasive effect of the metal polishing media rather than the chemical attack from the ammonia. Subsequent to the metal polish ultrasonic cleaning period of about 30 minutes, the polishing media was removed by way of two further 5 minute ultrasonic cleaning periods in the dilute ammonia alone, to ensure complete removal of the metal polishing media. The components were then washed in alcohol and dried with a hot air blower. With severely contaminated cathodes, as would be typical of a SEM used at high emission currents, a degree of manual cleaning was often required in the "burnt on" tungsten areas around the cathode aperture. That could be prior to or after the initial ultrasonic cleaning procedure.
The New Procedure The cathode assembly was placed, aperture face upwards, in a beaker of stock ammonia solution diluted 3 parts ammonia to one part water. The stock solution was thought to be about 40% ammonia. After 15 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner the beaker was placed under running water and thoroughly flushed through. Care was taken to ensure that none of the clamping or alignment screws had fallen out of the cathode assembly and could be flushed away! The cathode was then washed with alcohol before being dried with a hair drier. A new filament was fitted and centered. The assembly was checked for cleanliness by observing with a 20X lens prior to re installation in the microscope. Total time for this procedure less than 25 minutes.
Safety Great care was taken not to allow the ammonia solution to make contact with the skin or eyes of the operator. When flushing the solution through with water its flow was set so as not to splash the solution over the operator prior to placing the beaker under the flow.
Observations The procedure was used on a severely contaminated SEM cathode and a cathode assembly from an electron probe. Contamination rate had been noted as an earlier part of the course so we are able to state that observations in the SEM before and after cleaning indicated little or no increase in contamination levels.
--------- Back to me-
We were all amazed at the results, a totally wet cleaning method, a perfectly clean cathode assembly with apparently no instrument problems? I do not know how ammonia reacts with tantalum (the Philips cathode aperture) but I would guess this technique would be applicable to any SEM, TEM, or probe?
What do your members think?
Steve Chapman
Senior Consultant E.M. Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide
For stainless steel (304) cathodes, I have had customers used "ammonium hydeoxide hydrogen peroxide" 30%. I am not a chemist but leaving the wehnelt caps overnight leaves a bright, clean finish. It is my understanding that the solution attacks most everything except the stainless. A further advantage is that there is no abrasive used, so no erosion of the wehnelt assembly.
Earl Weltmer
Steve Chapman wrote: } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Hi to Electron Microscopists, } } During a recent one week "Intensive SEM" coarse, that took place in } Johannesburg South Africa, the students came up with a superb cleaning } technique that they wished to report upon. The results are, or should be, } interesting to everyone who has to clean a cathode assembly! } } } From my side the course contains a number of carefully structured } practicals that are designed to present the operating variables to the } students in the clearest possible fashion. From time to time one finds } oneself developing practicals "on the run" to suit the situation. It was } such a case that is reported below; the filament failed! } } A Rapid Cleaning Technique For EM Cathode Assemblies } } } From } Errol Kelly - University of Fort Hare } Belinda White - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg } Allan Hall - University of Pretoria } Akos Szabo - Rand Afrikaans University } Neville Baker - Anaspec } } Introduction } The most time consuming operation during the routine use of a SEM or TEM is } often the cleaning of a cathode assembly. The procedure outlined requires } little operator intervention, is free from possible cathode contamination } by the cleaning media and takes comparatively very little time. } } History } There is a vast array of cleaning media used by laboratories to clean the } cathode assemblies of electron microscopes. With many of these the biggest } failing is the difficulty in removing completely the cleaning media leading } to excessive contamination within the system. This problem is further } complicated by the human hazards associated with some of the solvents being } used. In some countries acetone and ether are not permitted in the } laboratory! } } Steve Chapman has been using and teaching an ultrasonic cleaning technique } he developed in 1964. The procedure took advantage of tungsten being } soluble in an ammonia solution (NH4OH) and combined this media with any } metal polish that was also soluble in ammonia. The technique used an } ammonia solution that had been diluted from a stock solution down to 10 to } 15 parts water to 1 part ammonia. A range of metal polishing media had } been used dictated by their availability in various countries of the world. } This cleaning procedure relied more upon the abrasive effect of the metal } polishing media rather than the chemical attack from the ammonia. } Subsequent to the metal polish ultrasonic cleaning period of about 30 } minutes, the polishing media was removed by way of two further 5 minute } ultrasonic cleaning periods in the dilute ammonia alone, to ensure complete } removal of the metal polishing media. The components were then washed in } alcohol and dried with a hot air blower. With severely contaminated } cathodes, as would be typical of a SEM used at high emission currents, a } degree of manual cleaning was often required in the "burnt on" tungsten } areas around the cathode aperture. That could be prior to or after the } initial ultrasonic cleaning procedure. } } The New Procedure } The cathode assembly was placed, aperture face upwards, in a beaker of } stock ammonia solution diluted 3 parts ammonia to one part water. The } stock solution was thought to be about 40% ammonia. After 15 minutes in } the ultrasonic cleaner the beaker was placed under running water and } thoroughly flushed through. Care was taken to ensure that none of the } clamping or alignment screws had fallen out of the cathode assembly and } could be flushed away! The cathode was then washed with alcohol before } being dried with a hair drier. A new filament was fitted and centered. } The assembly was checked for cleanliness by observing with a 20X lens prior } to re installation in the microscope. Total time for this procedure less } than 25 minutes. } } Safety } Great care was taken not to allow the ammonia solution to make contact with } the skin or eyes of the operator. When flushing the solution through with } water its flow was set so as not to splash the solution over the operator } prior to placing the beaker under the flow. } } Observations } The procedure was used on a severely contaminated SEM cathode and a cathode } assembly from an electron probe. Contamination rate had been noted as an } earlier part of the course so we are able to state that observations in the } SEM before and after cleaning indicated little or no increase in } contamination levels. } } --------- } Back to me- } } We were all amazed at the results, a totally wet cleaning method, a } perfectly clean cathode assembly with apparently no instrument problems? I } do not know how ammonia reacts with tantalum (the Philips cathode aperture) } but I would guess this technique would be applicable to any SEM, TEM, or } probe? } } What do your members think? } } Steve Chapman } } Senior Consultant E.M. } Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. } Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 } Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain } For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide
Our EM facility will be moving to a new building currently under construction. We have just learned that a major feed line consisting of six 3 inch conduits carrying three 400 amp parallel lines (1200 A total) has been installed 11 feet from where our highest resolution TEM is going. We have been asked to supply a minimum acceptable distance that these lines could be from the microscopes, since it will be quite expensive to reroute them (they are in concrete). My specific questions are:
What is the appropriate formula to compute the falloff of the field with distance?
Does this theoretical formula adequately predict the field in a real situation?
How does the orientation of the lines affect the calculation?
Thanks for your help. Any references would also be appreciated.
Dr. Marie E. Cantino Dept. of Physiology and Neurobiology University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 06269-2131 Phone: 860-486-3588 Fax: 860-4861936
Sometime in the last two years I remember a thread on preparing CD's for examination in the SEM. Can anyone remember what solvent was used to remove the polymer coating from CD's so imaging of the data is possible. Please respond to me directly at the address below. Thanks.
Owen
============================= Owen P. Mills Electron Optics Facility Engineer Michigan Technological University Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Rm 512 MME Building Houghton, MI 49931 906-487-2002 906-487-2934 FAX opmills-at-mtu.edu
As my first post to this wonderful newsgroup, I would like your professional opinions as to which term applies to which techniques. Spectroscopy and Spectrometry, though these terms are used interchangeably in many texts and journals, they must have precise definitions. While Spectroscopy is generally used for techniques utilizing electromagnetic spectra components, what about Spectrometry? As I am currently writing a manuscript on Spectroscopies, Spectrometries, and Microscopies, I wanted to give the reader a good definition of each. Any information you can give me will be much appreciated. I have enjoyed this newsgroup, and gained several good tidbits of info from it. Thanks, Robert Dr. Robert K. Pope CORE/NRL Postdoctoral Fellow Naval Research Laboratory Code 7303, Building 1105 Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 Tel: 228-688-5105 Fax: 228-688-5379 e-mail "rpope-at-nrlssc.navy.mil"
Hi All, A few weeks ago i posted a note here asking for help in regard to filaments burning too fast on our Zeiss TEM. After asking around we have finally found the solution to this problem. It turned out to be that 2 capacitors needed to be changed on the filament control board. If anyone is interested in more details we'll be happy to provide.
There has been a lot of traffic lately regarding IR microscopy. Does anyone know whether similar techniques have been tried with stereomicroscopy? One of my contacts has a project that could benefit from such a technique.
TIA for any advice or suggestions.
Cheers,
Bob
Bob Chiovetti GTI Microsystems rchiovetti-at-aol.com Tucson, Arizona USA
I have a Cambridge S360 SEM that I would like to modernize. I currently take pictures with Polaroid film and I want to go digital. I have a new Dell Workstation adjacent to the SEM. I need advise on the best way to interface the new Dell (with all of its peculiarities) to the old SEM. All I want is a passive system that grabs what I see on my imaging screen. LEO (who now owns Leica, formerly Cambridge) does not have the hardware/software for this interface. I need your expert advise and soon.
} We were all amazed at the results, a totally wet cleaning method, a } perfectly clean cathode assembly with apparently no instrument problems? I } do not know how ammonia reacts with tantalum (the Philips cathode aperture) } but I would guess this technique would be applicable to any SEM, TEM, or } probe? } } What do your members think?
Dear Steve, The Handbook of Chemistry and Physics says that alkalis attack tantalum only slowly, below 150 deg C. Even ~10 M NH4OH should be safe.
Ok, I am sitting in my lab at the terminal, scratching my head on the difference between spectrometry and spectroscopy. I have a couple thoughts.
First, I think spectrometry is the use and practice of an instrument to measure waves, and I think spectroscopy is the study of material systems and their response to harmonic vibrations. Spectrometry emphasizes the instrumentation, its operation, calibration, and the radiation properties=
under measurement. Spectroscopy emphasizes the study of the sample, such=
as the exhaust gases in an automobile emission analyzer or the colored dy= e reagent in an over-the-counter blood glucose monitor.
The topic is not limited to electromagnetic waves, as there are studies i= n other areas like acoustics and ultrasonics which use terms like ultrasoni= c spectroscopy (and even ultrasonic microscopy) are used. I imagine studying the fundamental vibrations of a building also use some kind of spectrometer. Waves, spectrum, spectrometer, spectroscopy, spectrum analyzer, etc.
When I see the word spectrometry in the title of a seminar or paper, I anticipate detailed discussion of the instrumentation and method, with careful quantitation and attention to the intensity, wavelength, polarization, and spatial dependence of the propagating field. I also throw into spectrometry the study of larger samples, with little attentio= n to detailed, atomic level characterization. One example that comes to mi= nd is the infrared picture of a hot iron, or IR imaging altogether. Little interest in the atomic structure of the metal, but lots of interest in radiant intensities. =
Another spectrometry example is the cosmic microwave background black bod= y radiation curve measured by the COBE satellite. This emission from 1 to = 20 cm-1 in the far-infrared region is measured with extrordinary attention t= o intensity and polarization over the entire sky. The emphasis is upon the=
measurement. The radiation itself is associated with the formation of atoms and decoupling of matter and radiation in the Big Bang cosmology model. The variations in this radiation are associated with the "lumpiness" in the early universe, and are not related to specific energy=
levels of atomic systems.
Wow. Now I do need more coffee.
As a suggestion, you might contact the National Institute on Standards an= d Testing (?), or NIST in Colorado. I bet they have someone who has a much=
shorter answer. Another resource might be someone at the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, or SPIE, at www.spie.org.
} Our EM facility will be moving to a new building currently under } construction. We have just learned that a major feed line consisting of } six 3 inch conduits carrying three 400 amp parallel lines (1200 A total) } has been installed 11 feet from where our highest resolution TEM is going. } We have been asked to supply a minimum acceptable distance that these lines } could be from the microscopes, since it will be quite expensive to reroute } them (they are in concrete). My specific questions are: } } What is the appropriate formula to compute the falloff of the field with } distance?
The formula for the magnetic field from a straight wire of infinite length is H = i/2a(pi), where i is the current, and a is the distance to the wire. This is for steady current, but will also apply for AC. The field is normal to the plane containing the wire and the point where the field is measured. B = mu H is another formula which is significant, since this gives the factor for shielding by substances of high magnetic permeability (such as mu metal), and should be con- sidered if there is any ferromagnetic material between the wires and the scope; e.g., if the wires are in a steel conduit. In the latter case, you have to calculate the field at the outside of the con- duit, then calculate an equivalent current. Since most substances have a magnetic permeability about the same as that of space, you need to worry about this only if there is iron in between the wires and the scope.
} Does this theoretical formula adequately predict the field in a real situation?
Probably. However, you could make measurements at a few distances from the wires to confirm the actual fields.
} } } How does the orientation of the lines affect the calculation? }
For straight wires, the orientation only affects the direction of the field, but for curved wires, you have to calculate the field generated by each (infinitesimal) segment of wire and integrate. Since you possably don't know either the exact path of the wires or the material surrounding them, you'll have to try several models and see which ones match best. If the phase of the AC on each of the wires is the same, you can probably treat the three wires as the equivalent of a single wire (unless they are spaced far enough apart that the distances from each to the scope are significantly different), but if the phases are not the same, you have to calculate an equivalent current. As Dave Barnard pointed out to me, the lines may be designed with three-phase cancellation to reduce the resulting fields.
} Thanks for your help. Any references would also be appreciated. }
I used my old physics text by Frank, Introduction to Electricity and Optics. Yours, Bill Tivol
} } As my first post to this wonderful newsgroup, I would like your } professional opinions as to which term applies to which techniques. } Spectroscopy and Spectrometry, though these terms are used interchangeably } in many texts and journals, they must have precise definitions. While } Spectroscopy is generally used for techniques utilizing electromagnetic } spectra components, what about Spectrometry? As I am currently writing a } manuscript on Spectroscopies, Spectrometries, and Microscopies, I wanted to } give the reader a good definition of each. Any information you can give me } will be much appreciated. I have enjoyed this newsgroup, and gained } several good tidbits of info from it. }
My dictionary defines a spectroscope as a device to separate spectra into various wavelengths for measuring or recording and a spectrometer as a spectro- scope with scales to determine the positions of the peaks. I am not sure how this compares with technical usage, but the terms are nearly interchangable. Yours, Bill Tivol
Bill Tivol's equation was essentially correct, BUT you have to be careful of the units. In SI units (International System of Units), the Biot-Savart Law which Bill quoted becomes B = (2x10^-7)I/D, where B is in tesla, I in amperes, and D in meters. ===================================== } Our EM facility will be moving to a new building currently under } construction. We have just learned that a major feed line consisting of } six 3 inch conduits carrying three 400 amp parallel lines (1200 A total) } has been installed 11 feet from where our highest resolution TEM is going. } We have been asked to supply a minimum acceptable distance that these lines } could be from the microscopes, since it will be quite expensive to reroute } them (they are in concrete). My specific questions are: } } What is the appropriate formula to compute the falloff of the field with } distance? } } Does this theoretical formula adequately predict the field in a real } situation? } } How does the orientation of the lines affect the calculation? } } Thanks for your help. Any references would also be appreciated. } } Dr. Marie E. Cantino } Dept. of Physiology and Neurobiology } University of Connecticut } Storrs, CT 06269-2131 } Phone: 860-486-3588 } Fax: 860-4861936
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Russell E. Cook, Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Center for Materials Research Argonne National Laboratory Building 212 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, IL 60439 (630)252-7194 FAX: (630)252-4798 cook-at-aaem.amc.anl.gov
Spectroscopy: electromagnetic radiation, i.e. photons Spectrometry: Mass to charge ration of particles.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: Dr. Robert K. Pope To: microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Hi all.
As my first post to this wonderful newsgroup, I would like your professional opinions as to which term applies to which techniques. Spectroscopy and Spectrometry, though these terms are used interchangeably in many texts and journals, they must have precise definitions. While Spectroscopy is generally used for techniques utilizing electromagnetic spectra components, what about Spectrometry? As I am currently writing a manuscript on Spectroscopies, Spectrometries, and Microscopies, I wanted to give the reader a good definition of each. Any information you can give me will be much appreciated. I have enjoyed this newsgroup, and gained several good tidbits of info from it. Thanks, Robert Dr. Robert K. Pope CORE/NRL Postdoctoral Fellow Naval Research Laboratory Code 7303, Building 1105 Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 Tel: 228-688-5105 Fax: 228-688-5379 e-mail "rpope-at-nrlssc.navy.mil"
I think LEO's statement needs to be qualified. They may not offer or support passive systems for the 360, but I think a third-party system ought to work just fine. There should be no modifications needed to attach a passive system. Installation simply involves tapping off the X, Y, and Z signals in the right place. We had a JEOL JSM-U3 hooked up for active control almost 20 years ago. That was much trickier than hooking up a passive system today.
We have the Quartz PCI passive system, but there are many fine systems out there, and someone recently posted about building their own. Good luck in picking one.
At 01:34 PM 6/15/1999 -0400, you wrote: } To all SEM experts: } } I have a Cambridge S360 SEM that I would like to modernize. I currently } take pictures with Polaroid film and I want to go digital. I have a new } Dell Workstation adjacent to the SEM. I need advise on the best way to } interface the new Dell (with all of its peculiarities) to the old SEM. All } I want is a passive system that grabs what I see on my imaging screen. LEO } (who now owns Leica, formerly Cambridge) does not have the hardware/software } for this interface. I need your expert advise and soon. } } Thanking you in advance, } } Sheila R-W
I've been cleaning the Wehnelt caps and cathodes of two SEM's and one TEM for at least 10 years using 30-40% ammonium hydroxide solution seemingly without any problems. After sonicating the parts in "ammonia" for several minutes, we rinse them well in tap water, and then sonicate in absolute ethanol for several more minutes. Lastly, the cap and/or cathode are air-dried. This eliminates all the problems associated with removing metal polish from the filament assembly and only requires the appropriate safety precautions taken with the use of strong ammonium hydroxide solutions.
Bruce F. Ingber Biologist- Electron Microscopy USDA-ARS, SRRC 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124-4305
} ---------- } From: Steve Chapman[SMTP:PROTRAIN-at-CompuServe.COM] } Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 2:34 AM } To: American; MSSAfrica } Subject: An EM Dream? } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Hi to Electron Microscopists, } } During a recent one week "Intensive SEM" coarse, that took place in } Johannesburg South Africa, the students came up with a superb cleaning } technique that they wished to report upon. The results are, or should be, } interesting to everyone who has to clean a cathode assembly! } } From my side the course contains a number of carefully structured } practicals that are designed to present the operating variables to the } students in the clearest possible fashion. From time to time one finds } oneself developing practicals "on the run" to suit the situation. It was } such a case that is reported below; the filament failed! } } A Rapid Cleaning Technique For EM Cathode Assemblies } } } From } Errol Kelly - University of Fort Hare } Belinda White - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg } Allan Hall - University of Pretoria } Akos Szabo - Rand Afrikaans University } Neville Baker - Anaspec } } Introduction } The most time consuming operation during the routine use of a SEM or TEM } is } often the cleaning of a cathode assembly. The procedure outlined requires } little operator intervention, is free from possible cathode contamination } by the cleaning media and takes comparatively very little time. } } History } There is a vast array of cleaning media used by laboratories to clean the } cathode assemblies of electron microscopes. With many of these the } biggest } failing is the difficulty in removing completely the cleaning media } leading } to excessive contamination within the system. This problem is further } complicated by the human hazards associated with some of the solvents } being } used. In some countries acetone and ether are not permitted in the } laboratory! } } Steve Chapman has been using and teaching an ultrasonic cleaning technique } he developed in 1964. The procedure took advantage of tungsten being } soluble in an ammonia solution (NH4OH) and combined this media with any } metal polish that was also soluble in ammonia. The technique used an } ammonia solution that had been diluted from a stock solution down to 10 to } 15 parts water to 1 part ammonia. A range of metal polishing media had } been used dictated by their availability in various countries of the } world. } This cleaning procedure relied more upon the abrasive effect of the metal } polishing media rather than the chemical attack from the ammonia. } Subsequent to the metal polish ultrasonic cleaning period of about 30 } minutes, the polishing media was removed by way of two further 5 minute } ultrasonic cleaning periods in the dilute ammonia alone, to ensure } complete } removal of the metal polishing media. The components were then washed in } alcohol and dried with a hot air blower. With severely contaminated } cathodes, as would be typical of a SEM used at high emission currents, a } degree of manual cleaning was often required in the "burnt on" tungsten } areas around the cathode aperture. That could be prior to or after the } initial ultrasonic cleaning procedure. } } The New Procedure } The cathode assembly was placed, aperture face upwards, in a beaker of } stock ammonia solution diluted 3 parts ammonia to one part water. The } stock solution was thought to be about 40% ammonia. After 15 minutes in } the ultrasonic cleaner the beaker was placed under running water and } thoroughly flushed through. Care was taken to ensure that none of the } clamping or alignment screws had fallen out of the cathode assembly and } could be flushed away! The cathode was then washed with alcohol before } being dried with a hair drier. A new filament was fitted and centered. } The assembly was checked for cleanliness by observing with a 20X lens } prior } to re installation in the microscope. Total time for this procedure less } than 25 minutes. } } Safety } Great care was taken not to allow the ammonia solution to make contact } with } the skin or eyes of the operator. When flushing the solution through with } water its flow was set so as not to splash the solution over the operator } prior to placing the beaker under the flow. } } Observations } The procedure was used on a severely contaminated SEM cathode and a } cathode } assembly from an electron probe. Contamination rate had been noted as an } earlier part of the course so we are able to state that observations in } the } SEM before and after cleaning indicated little or no increase in } contamination levels. } } } } --------- } Back to me- } } We were all amazed at the results, a totally wet cleaning method, a } perfectly clean cathode assembly with apparently no instrument problems? } I } do not know how ammonia reacts with tantalum (the Philips cathode } aperture) } but I would guess this technique would be applicable to any SEM, TEM, or } probe? } } What do your members think? } } Steve Chapman } } Senior Consultant E.M. } Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. } Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 } Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain } For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide }
} I hope you will all please excuse me, but I'm looking for a home for our } JEOL 100S TEM. It is available to anyone for the cost of removal and } shipping. It was on a JEOL service contrct up until this year and is in } excellent condition. It would be great for teaching and/or simple } biological work. It is located in the Dept. of Ophthalmology at the } University of Washington in Seattle, WA. } } Please contact me via email or telephone: } } Daniel Possin {danpossn-at-u.washington.edu} } 206-685-7241 } 206-543-3883 } } Thank you for your patient attention, } } Dan % Daniel Possin Voice: 206/ 221-3845 % % Dept. of Ophthalmology FAX: 206/ 543-4414 % % Box 35 6485 - C209 HSB Email: danpossn-at-u.washington.edu % % University of Washington % % Seattle WA 98195 USA % % % % "Orchids may bloom where the sun never shines and rain never falls". %
} ... } } Spectroscopy and Spectrometry, though these terms are used } interchangeably in many texts and journals, they must have } precise definitions. ...
I have my own connotations, and I may look some of these up and reply later with respect to being precise ... but I believe some of the terminology will break down in terms of "qualitative" and "quantitative" ... and for the sake of including all terminology, you should need to consider "spectrophotometry" as well ... you just know some student will ask :o)
cheerios, shAf
{} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ cogito, ergo zZOooOM /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {} Michael Shaffer, R.A. - ICQ 210524 Geological Science's Electron Probe Facility - University of Oregon mshaf-at-darkwing.uoregon.edu - http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~mshaf/
} } Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 11:03:22 -0500 } To: {microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com} } From: "Dr. Robert K. Pope" {rpope-at-nrlssc.navy.mil} } Subject: Spectrometry vs Spectroscopy } } } Hi all. } } As my first post to this wonderful newsgroup, I would like your } professional opinions as to which term applies to which techniques. } Spectroscopy and Spectrometry, though these terms are used interchangeabl } in many texts and journals, they must have precise definitions. While } Spectroscopy is generally used for techniques utilizing electromagnetic } spectra components, what about Spectrometry? As I am currently writing a } manuscript on Spectroscopies, Spectrometries, and Microscopies, I wanted t } give the reader a good definition of each. Any information you can give m } will be much appreciated. I have enjoyed this newsgroup, and gained } several good tidbits of info from it. } Thanks, } Robert } Dr. Robert K. Pope } CORE/NRL Postdoctoral Fellow } Naval Research Laboratory } Code 7303, Building 1105 } Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 } Tel: 228-688-5105 } Fax: 228-688-5379 } e-mail "rpope-at-nrlssc.navy.mil" } Robert, My primary experience is in mass spectroscopy though I have worked quite a bit with microscopy and visible light spectrometers.
In mass spectroscopy, one originally (and perhaps still in a few labs) had the choice of instruments where the detected signal was detected electronically (i.e., metered) at a single mass position in a mass spectromoeter; or the ions were spread out in space and a wide mass range was collected on a photo plate (and now on some form of CCD) and the instrument was called a spectrograph. The same situation, I believe, prevailed in emission spectroscopy. So spectrometry and spectrography are sub titles under the overall title of spectroscopy, depending on whether the beam is collected at a single point/value or over a wide range.
Spectrometers have exit slits and spectrographs do not.
I hope you will summarize the results of this inquiry for all our benefit.
Thanks.
Donald J. Marshall Relion Industries P.O. Box 12 Bedford, MA 01730 Ph: 781-275-4695 FAX: 781-271-0252 email dmrelion-at-world.std.com
Cathodoluminescence, mass spectroscopy, electron beam technology "A weed is a flower out of place."
(Please note: Do not send email with attachments to this address. Instead, send it to donbarlen-at-aol.com. Thank you.)
I wouldn't recommend paraffin. I've done re-embedding of retina from paraffin to Epon and the results were consistently horrible. Start with Epon. I've cut serial 1um Epon sections of retina by the hundred. Fortunately I didn't have to collect them all. It's easy, but BORING. I haven't taken them to EM; that would be the difficult part.
I presume as a marker you want something that will enable you to translate from the cross section of resin embedded tissue to the original unembedded retina photographed as a flat mount? If so, your best bet may be (depending on the species) to use the retinal blood vessels as markers, preferably stained. They're easily seen in both cross section and flat mount. Do you have to be exact in positioning? You can measure the diameter of the retina and keep track of how many sections have been cut - thus how much of the retina has been cut away. Obviously the optic nerve provides a nice centre. Just make sure one edge is notched for initial orientation. If you can't flat mount the retina, but have to keep it it whole, like a cut ball, it's more difficult, but the latter method should still work.
Diana
Diana van Driel Department of Clinical Ophthalmology Sydney University GPO Box 4337 Sydney NSW AUSTRALIA 2001
Sheila R-W wrote: ============================================== I have a Cambridge S360 SEM that I would like to modernize. I currently take pictures with Polaroid film and I want to go digital. I have a new Dell Workstation adjacent to the SEM. I need advise on the best way to interface the new Dell (with all of its peculiarities) to the old SEM. All I want is a passive system that grabs what I see on my imaging screen. LEO (who now owns Leica, formerly Cambridge) does not have the hardware/software for this interface. I need your expert advise and soon. ================================================== You might want to take a look at the product called Spectrum Mono™ which is described on the SPI website at URL http://www.2spi.com/catalog/software/spectrum.html
This is a "passive" system and has been interfaced to many different aging analog SEMs, including old Cambridge instruments.
Disclaimer: SPI distributes this product worldwide so we are not exactly a disinterested third party.
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: spi3spi-at-2spi.com
Look for us! ############################ WWW: www.spi.cc ############################ ==================================================
My experience in installing electron microscopes goes back over 33 years and covers many countries where the problem you outline was and is very common. I have not tried to calculate the size of the problem, always using a meter to judge the best place for a microscope. Even in these cases when an empty laboratory was fine, time and time again a laboratory=
in action proved to be a far bigger problem.
If I was in your position I would not consider the location you describe for ANY electron optical instrument. Screening etc etc does not often do=
the job! You should not compromise as you may well find you have a wonderful new laboratory which will be providing a very poor service spoi= lt by magnetic fields, they do not go away just get worse!
Steve Chapman
Senior Consultant E.M. Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide
For SEM you can strip the data layer using adhesive tape. Score the supercoat film first round the area you want to examine. Choose an adhesive tape with a powerrful bond strength, and strip it from the disc with sudden force at right angles to the surface.
Writeable and rewritable discs strip more easily than hot-pressed CDs
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Sometime in the last two years I remember a thread on preparing CD's for } examination in the SEM. Can anyone remember what solvent was used to } remove the polymer coating from CD's so imaging of the data is possible. } Please respond to me directly at the address below. Thanks. } } Owen } } } } ============================= } Owen P. Mills } Electron Optics Facility Engineer } Michigan Technological University } Metallurgical & Materials Engineering } Rm 512 MME Building } Houghton, MI 49931 } 906-487-2002 } 906-487-2934 FAX } opmills-at-mtu.edu } }
===================================================================== DR CHRIS JEFFREE BIOSEM - BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES EM FACILITY UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH Daniel Rutherford Building King's Buildings, Mayfield Road EDINBURGH, EH9 3JH, Scotland, UK Tel. #44 131 650 5345 FAX. #44 131 650 6563 Mobile 0410 585 401 email c.jeffree-at-ed.ac.uk SEM / TEM bookings sem-at-ed.ac.uk =====================================================================
Wiliams and Carter's book on TEM (1996 edition) states (p 276) "The RDF = can be obtained directly from DPs ... software ... listed in section = 1.5"
How is this actually done? I need to understand the principle. I would = appreciate further information on this as explanation / references / = software sources.
Best wishes, --- R Divakar PMS, IGCAR, Kalpakkam 603102, India ----
When I joined STL Harlow in 1976, my boss showed me how to clean Wehnelts with conc. ammonia solution. He used a 15 min soak in 35% (or 880, as we called it, SG of .880, I think), followed by rinse in DI water and then IPA. Stubborn stains could be removed using "Wenol" type polish on a cotton tip bud or using silver wadding polish like "Duraglit". Care was taken to remove any fibres then ultrasonic rinse in IPA. I still use this method and have passed it on to my engineers.
Barry
} -----Original Message----- } From: Gillmeister, Russ [SMTP:RGillmeister-at-sdms.usa.xerox.com] } Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 1:57 PM } To: 'Steve Chapman' } Cc: 'MSA' } Subject: RE: An EM Dream? } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Steve, Errol, Belinda, Allen, Akos, Neville, Thanks for the cleaning } procedure. It sound great. I'm looking forward to trying it. One item I } would like to mention in favor of some polishing. Over time small } irregularities develop on the surfaces through handling or arcing, etc. We } even polish new apertures to confirm roundness and smootheness. Possibly } some water based abrasive could be used in conjunction with your ammonia } technique. Thanks, Russ, Xerox } } } -----Original Message----- } } From: Steve Chapman [mailto:PROTRAIN-at-CompuServe.COM] } Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 3:35 AM } To: American; MSSAfrica } Subject: An EM Dream? } } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Hi to Electron Microscopists, } } During a recent one week "Intensive SEM" coarse, that took place in } Johannesburg South Africa, the students came up with a superb cleaning } technique that they wished to report upon. The results are, or should be, } interesting to everyone who has to clean a cathode assembly! } } } From my side the course contains a number of carefully structured } practicals that are designed to present the operating variables to the } students in the clearest possible fashion. From time to time one finds } oneself developing practicals "on the run" to suit the situation. It was } such a case that is reported below; the filament failed! } } A Rapid Cleaning Technique For EM Cathode Assemblies } } } From } Errol Kelly - University of Fort Hare } Belinda White - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg } Allan Hall - University of Pretoria } Akos Szabo - Rand Afrikaans University } Neville Baker - Anaspec } } Introduction } The most time consuming operation during the routine use of a SEM or TEM } is } often the cleaning of a cathode assembly. The procedure outlined requires } little operator intervention, is free from possible cathode contamination } by the cleaning media and takes comparatively very little time. } } History } There is a vast array of cleaning media used by laboratories to clean the } cathode assemblies of electron microscopes. With many of these the } biggest } failing is the difficulty in removing completely the cleaning media } leading } to excessive contamination within the system. This problem is further } complicated by the human hazards associated with some of the solvents } being } used. In some countries acetone and ether are not permitted in the } laboratory! } } Steve Chapman has been using and teaching an ultrasonic cleaning technique } he developed in 1964. The procedure took advantage of tungsten being } soluble in an ammonia solution (NH4OH) and combined this media with any } metal polish that was also soluble in ammonia. The technique used an } ammonia solution that had been diluted from a stock solution down to 10 to } 15 parts water to 1 part ammonia. A range of metal polishing media had } been used dictated by their availability in various countries of the } world. } This cleaning procedure relied more upon the abrasive effect of the metal } polishing media rather than the chemical attack from the ammonia. } Subsequent to the metal polish ultrasonic cleaning period of about 30 } minutes, the polishing media was removed by way of two further 5 minute } ultrasonic cleaning periods in the dilute ammonia alone, to ensure } complete } removal of the metal polishing media. The components were then washed in } alcohol and dried with a hot air blower. With severely contaminated } cathodes, as would be typical of a SEM used at high emission currents, a } degree of manual cleaning was often required in the "burnt on" tungsten } areas around the cathode aperture. That could be prior to or after the } initial ultrasonic cleaning procedure. } } The New Procedure } The cathode assembly was placed, aperture face upwards, in a beaker of } stock ammonia solution diluted 3 parts ammonia to one part water. The } stock solution was thought to be about 40% ammonia. After 15 minutes in } the ultrasonic cleaner the beaker was placed under running water and } thoroughly flushed through. Care was taken to ensure that none of the } clamping or alignment screws had fallen out of the cathode assembly and } could be flushed away! The cathode was then washed with alcohol before } being dried with a hair drier. A new filament was fitted and centered. } The assembly was checked for cleanliness by observing with a 20X lens } prior } to re installation in the microscope. Total time for this procedure less } than 25 minutes. } } Safety } Great care was taken not to allow the ammonia solution to make contact } with } the skin or eyes of the operator. When flushing the solution through with } water its flow was set so as not to splash the solution over the operator } prior to placing the beaker under the flow. } } Observations } The procedure was used on a severely contaminated SEM cathode and a } cathode } assembly from an electron probe. Contamination rate had been noted as an } earlier part of the course so we are able to state that observations in } the } SEM before and after cleaning indicated little or no increase in } contamination levels. } } } } --------- } Back to me- } } We were all amazed at the results, a totally wet cleaning method, a } perfectly clean cathode assembly with apparently no instrument problems? } I } do not know how ammonia reacts with tantalum (the Philips cathode } aperture) } but I would guess this technique would be applicable to any SEM, TEM, or } probe? } } What do your members think? } } Steve Chapman } } Senior Consultant E.M. } Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. } Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 } Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain } For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide }
} -----Original Message----- } From: Rosenfield, Sheila A. [SMTP:SARosenf-at-rmc.com] } Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 6:35 PM } To: 'Microscopy-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com' } Subject: SEM Image Capture } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } To all SEM experts: } } I have a Cambridge S360 SEM that I would like to modernize. I currently } take pictures with Polaroid film and I want to go digital. I have a new } Dell Workstation adjacent to the SEM. I need advise on the best way to } interface the new Dell (with all of its peculiarities) to the old SEM. } All } I want is a passive system that grabs what I see on my imaging screen. LEO } (who now owns Leica, formerly Cambridge) does not have the } hardware/software } for this interface. I need your expert advise and soon. } } Thanking you in advance, } } Sheila R-W }
Two quick questions for my British Colleagues on digital imaging terminology. I am looking to see if there are accepted differences between "British English" and "American English" which I am not aware of (I am reviewing a paper for a British Journal and wish to be accurate). Specifically which of the following terms is correct in British English:
(1) "Grey images" or "Grey scale images"?
(2) "256 Greyness levels" or "256 Grey levels"?
Thanks you and Tally ho, eh?
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
We used an oxygen plasma technique to remove the top surface lacquer with the label printed on. The exposed Al layer was removed in conc HCl with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide added, leaving the plastic surface with the data pits imprinted. The sample was gold coated before SEM examination.
Hope it's of some use
Barry } -----Original Message----- } From: Owen P. Mills [SMTP:opmills-at-mtu.edu] } Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 4:40 PM } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: imaging CD sectors } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Sometime in the last two years I remember a thread on preparing CD's for } examination in the SEM. Can anyone remember what solvent was used to } remove the polymer coating from CD's so imaging of the data is possible. } Please respond to me directly at the address below. Thanks. } } Owen } } } } ============================= } Owen P. Mills } Electron Optics Facility Engineer } Michigan Technological University } Metallurgical & Materials Engineering } Rm 512 MME Building } Houghton, MI 49931 } 906-487-2002 } 906-487-2934 FAX } opmills-at-mtu.edu } }
Hi Chuck, You're right! Should have said I'd only use the ammonium hydroxide solution on solid stainless steel parts. I wouldn't use it on the filament base holders for example (not that I clean them anyway) or anything with brass in it.
Bruce
Bruce F. Ingber Biologist- Electron Microscopy USDA-ARS, SRRC 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124-4305
} ---------- } From: Garber, Charles A.[SMTP:cgarber-at-2spi.com] } Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 12:14 AM } To: Ingber, Bruce F. } Subject: 2 good to B true: An EM Dream? } } -- [ From: Garber, Charles A. * EMC.Ver #3.1 ] -- } } Bruce, Would you mind if I asked you a question about this? Some years } ago, } more than I will admit, when I was myself a graduate student at Case in } Cleveland, they had a JEOL JEM 6 or 7 and a Hitachi HU11-A. I used both } of } them, and I can not remember which it was, but one of them had a wehnelt } cap } , for example, that was plated (it looked like chrome) on some other } metal, } perhaps brass. } } The caps had some amount of use, e. g. they were not brand new and the } technician at the time in charge of running the laboratory tried some } ammonia technique. And what happened was this: There was a reaction with } the brass through the porosity in the chromium layer and that cap was } pretty } much destroyed. } } So I just wondered if the materials of construction as solid stainless } steel } , in which case there would be not problem or could any of them be plated, } with a substrate that had a copper containing alloy. If the latter, then I } would think that, based on my own experience in Cleveland, this technique } might have more lurking dangers that is appreciated. } } 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: spi3spi-at-2spi.com } ================================================== }
Purely speaking, spectroscopy is the general study or observation of spectral responses while spectrometry is the actual measurement of absorbance, transmittance, or reflectance at specific locations in the spectrum. As a past microspectrometry specialist at Zeiss and Cambridge (now Leica), it has been my experience that most microscopists are interested in the latter. We routinely do microfluorimetry (point measurements of fluorescence intensity) as well as microspectrometry in the UV-visible, Raman, and FT-IR ranges. We also have spectrometers attached to electron microscopes. For more information that area, research the terms "energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS)", "wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS)", and "X-ray fluorescence". In these last disciplines, spectrometry and spectroscopy may be used more interchangeabley because they produce chemical maps as well as doing specific measurement. Princeton Gamma-Tech, EDAX, Oxford Instruments, and Noran all have a good supply of application notes which can orient you to these areas.
Thanks for trying to bring some order to this area. I'd be delighted to see a manuscript when it is near completion.
Best regards, Barbara Foster Consortium President Microscopy/Microscopy Education ...Educating microscopists for greater productivity.
125 Paridon Street Suite 102 Springfield, MA 01118 PH: (413)746-6931 FX: (413)746-9311 email: mme-at-map.com Visit our web site {http://www.MME-Microscopy.com/education} ****************************************************** MME is America's first national consortium providing customized on-site workshops in all areas of microscopy, sample preparation, and image analysis.
At 09:05 PM 6/15/99 -0400, donald j marshall wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Probably the best person to answer this question is John Reffner: John Reffner {jareffner-at-compuserve.com} He is currently working with Sensor Technologies in Danbury: 203-207-9700. They have a neat new IR microscope.
Best regards, Barbara Foster Consortium President Microscopy/Microscopy Education ...Educating microscopists for greater productivity.
125 Paridon Street Suite 102 Springfield, MA 01118 PH: (413)746-6931 FX: (413)746-9311 email: mme-at-map.com Visit our web site {http://www.MME-Microscopy.com/education} ****************************************************** MME is America's first national consortium providing customized on-site workshops in all areas of microscopy, sample preparation, and image analysis.
At 12:32 PM 6/15/99 EDT, RCHIOVETTI-at-aol.com"-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Having been trained initially by the RMS, I am all too familiar with your dilemma.
The second of terms in each question are the typical terms used in this country.
You might want to check with Dr. Savile Bradbury (retired, Oxford) as to their correct British counterparts. (Please send him my regards)
Barbara Foster Consortium President Microscopy/Microscopy Education ...Educating microscopists for greater productivity.
125 Paridon Street Suite 102 Springfield, MA 01118 PH: (413)746-6931 FX: (413)746-9311 email: mme-at-map.com Visit our web site {http://www.MME-Microscopy.com/education} ****************************************************** MME is America's first national consortium providing customized on-site workshops in all areas of microscopy, sample preparation, and image analysis.
At 06:54 AM 6/16/99 -0500, edelmare-at-casmail.muohio.edu"-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
} } Wiliams and Carter's book on TEM (1996 edition) states (p 276) "The RDF } can be obtained directly from DPs ... software ... listed in section 1.5" } } How is this actually done? I need to understand the principle. I would } appreciate further information on this as explanation / references / } software sources.
A detailed treatment of the diffraction theory may be found in Chap. 10 of _X-Ray Diffraction_ by B. E. Warren, Dover Inc, New York 1990.
For a quick and dirty calculation, Eq. 18.10 in Williams and Carter tells you most of what you need to know. That equation could be executed by most any software that will do image Fourier transforms. I would use Digital Micrograph to rotationally average the diffraction pattern then do the FT, but NIH Image can probably do the same thing for much less money.
Of course, people can and do work much harder to get a low-noise, high accuracy RDF from diffraction data. A recent and extremely thorough example of calculating the RDF for amorphous silicon from x-ray diffraction can be found in "High Resolution Radial Distribution Function of Pure Amorphous Silicon" Khalid Laaziri, S. Kycia, et. al. Phys. Rev. Letts. Vol. 82, p. 3460 (1999). On the web (AIP web site, available only with subscription):
An older example is "Structural investigation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon by X-ray diffraction" W. Schulke, Phil. Mag. B Vol. 43, p. 451, (1981).
Obtaining the need diffraction data in a TEM is possible, but may be difficult if you need high accuracy. Quantitative data at high scattering vector (up to 55 1/A according to Laaziri et al) is necessary which means you need a very high dynamic range detector. Imaging plates will produce the best results. Stitching together several CCD images at different exposures might also work, although you have to be carefully about saturated pixels at low k "blooming" - spreading intensity over a large number of adjoining pixels.
Good luck, Paul
Paul Voyles (609) 951-2627 voyles-at-research.nj.nec.com NEC Research Institute, 4 Independence Way, Princeton, NJ 08540
Whoa!!! I wouldn't allow this to happen!! We have had considerable experience with stray fields affecting our FESEMs and causing picture wobble. I always use a search coil (a TV degaussing coil, calibrated against a "Gauss Maus" field strength meter) to determine the intensity and direction of the field. I found fields } 99milligauss at five yards from a 600A cable buried one yard below the ground (I think 5 milligauss is the max. tolerable). You can't always rely on calculations, it's much better to measure the fields yourself. As for shielding, it's almost impossible due to the gaps in the shielding. The best method, if you have no choice, is an active cancellation system. I have seen a case when one phase went down (it was pulling little power, anyway) and the resulting imbalance had a dramatic effect on all the high res monitors and, of course, the SEM. For the cables you describe, I would say at least a distance of eight yards is required, if not ten!!
Good luck!
Barry
} -----Original Message----- } From: Marie E. Cantino [SMTP:cantino-at-uconnvm.uconn.edu] } Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 4:48 PM } To: microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: calculating magnetic fields } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Our EM facility will be moving to a new building currently under } construction. We have just learned that a major feed line consisting of } six 3 inch conduits carrying three 400 amp parallel lines (1200 A total) } has been installed 11 feet from where our highest resolution TEM is going. } We have been asked to supply a minimum acceptable distance that these } lines } could be from the microscopes, since it will be quite expensive to reroute } them (they are in concrete). My specific questions are: } } What is the appropriate formula to compute the falloff of the field with } distance? } } Does this theoretical formula adequately predict the field in a real } situation? } } How does the orientation of the lines affect the calculation? } } Thanks for your help. Any references would also be appreciated. } } Dr. Marie E. Cantino } Dept. of Physiology and Neurobiology } University of Connecticut } Storrs, CT 06269-2131 } Phone: 860-486-3588 } Fax: 860-4861936 } } }
Thanks to everyone who has responded to my question. Unfortunately I did not make clear in my first post that direct field measurements, the best way of determining the extent of the problem, are not an option because the building is still under construction; there will be no power in those lines until it is too late to move them (which is going to require jackhammering the concrete floor). So I need to tell the contractor what a "safe" distance is.
} From various comments and other information we have gathered, it seems that predicting the field at a particular distance is not simple because the fields in lines traveling in opposite directions will cancel out, and the drop off with r will be faster than 1/r. At this point we are looking for an analogous current-conduit configuration to try to get an empirical measurement, but if anyone has any other ideas, let me know. Thanks.
Marie
Dr. Marie E. Cantino Dept. of Physiology and Neurobiology University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 06269-2131 Phone: 860-486-3588 Fax: 860-4861936
In all of the enthusiasm for low labor cleaning methods, please do not extend this method to copper alloy parts. Any copper or brass stands a good chance of reacting with ammonia. There are two results: there is a tarnish film that may form rather rapidly; its removal will require just the elbow grease that you were trying to avoid. More important, brass will run the risk of an interesting phenomenon called stress corrosion cracking, which may destroy the component.
I still prefer to use Pol or Wenol and elbow grease.
Disclaimer I: my employer, Structure Probe, Inc., sells Pol (tm) and Wenol (tm) through its SPI Supplies (tm) Division. We do not sell ammonia.
Disclaimer II: I get to call myself "Dr." because of a study of stress corrosion cracking of copper alloys done in the 60s. We still get failure analysis assignments because the phenomenon is not widely known.
Andy
Andrew W. Blackwood, Ph.D. Structure Probe, Inc. P.O. Box 656 West Chester, PA 19381-0656 Ph: 1 610 436 5400 FAX: 1 610 436 5755 e-mail: ablackwood-at-2spi.com WWW: http://www.2spi.com
Dear Owen, I was successful in cutting out a one cm. chunk of a hot-pressed CD and leaving it in chlorothene overnight. Unfortunately, we can't use that anymore. Any good plastic solvent should work, even acetone. You are left with a wisp of very thin aluminum foil with the dints in it visible at about 10,000X. The CD-Rs are a very different technology. At 11:39 AM 6/15/99 -0400, you wrote: } } Sometime in the last two years I remember a thread on preparing CD's for } examination in the SEM. Can anyone remember what solvent was used to } remove the polymer coating from CD's so imaging of the data is possible. } Please respond to me directly at the address below. Thanks. } } Owen Regards, Mary
Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Engineering University of British Columbia 6350 Stores Road Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel: 604-822-5648 e-mail: mager-at-interchg.ubc.ca
At 11:56 PM 6/16/1999 +0800, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} {} { GO GATORS Scott D. Whittaker 218 Carr Hall EM Technician Gainesville, FL 32610 University Of Florida ph 352-392-1184 ICBR EM Core Lab fax 352-846-0251 sdw-at-biotech.ufl.edu http://www.biotech.ufl.edu/~emcl/ The home of " Tips & Tricks "
The following are excerpts or paraphrases from Heinz-Helmut Perkampus, Encyclopedia of Spectroscopy, VCH publishers. Although a translation, the parts I have read are literate and helpful.
Spectrometer, an instrument for making relative measurements in the optical spectral region, especially for analytical applications. The concept has become established outside optical spectroscopy . . . AA, AE, UV-VIS, IR, F, Raman, microwave, ESR, NMR, photoelectron, mass, Moessbauer, photoacoustic, reflectance. . . . [block diagram showing similarities and differences]
Spectrophotometer, a photometer coupled with a spectrometer. . .
Spectroscopy, all the methods in the field of electromagnetic radiation which are important for research and applications. The word is derived from Latin, spectrum = ghost, and Greek, skopos = watcher. In this sense, a spectroscopist is a ghost watcher. . . . [Newton coinage] . . . the region of the electromagnetic spectrum accessible . . . covers a range of 12 to 14 powers of ten in energy units . . . .
Leonard Corwin Research Chemist Fort Dodge Animal Health Princeton, NJ 08543-0400
We use 1 part reagent strength HCL to 4 parts water by volume.
We got this recipe from the listserver some time back.
Cheers, Henk
At 11:56 PM 6/16/99 +0800, Keith Moulding wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Hendrik O. Colijn colijn.1-at-osu.edu Campus Electron Optics Facility Ohio State University (614) 292-0674 http://web.ceof.ohio-state.edu Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will." Commentary: "Murphy was an optimist."
A retired EM person several years ago swore by BonAmi which is a water = soluble abrasive for polishing pots and pans. It was removed readily = with warm water. I used for several years without any adverse effects. = Once I ran out of my supply I stopped using it. I have asked several = service engineers about it and none of them knew of any adverse effects. = Though I never saw any evidence of scratching I was worried about the = particle size of the abrasive.
Hank Adams Integrated Microscopy Core Cell Biology Baylor College of Medicine=20 Houston, Tx
-----Original Message----- } From: Blackwood, Andrew [SMTP:ablackwood-at-2spi.com] Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 12:42 PM To: microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com
-- [ From: Blackwood, Andrew * EMC.Ver #3.1 ] --
16 June 1999
Greetings:
In all of the enthusiasm for low labor cleaning methods, please do not extend this method to copper alloy parts. Any copper or brass stands a = good chance of reacting with ammonia. There are two results: there is a = tarnish film that may form rather rapidly; its removal will require just the = elbow grease that you were trying to avoid. More important, brass will run the risk of an interesting phenomenon called stress corrosion cracking, = which may destroy the component.
I still prefer to use Pol or Wenol and elbow grease.
Disclaimer I: my employer, Structure Probe, Inc., sells Pol (tm) and = Wenol=20 (tm) through its SPI Supplies (tm) Division. We do not sell ammonia.
Disclaimer II: I get to call myself "Dr." because of a study of stress corrosion cracking of copper alloys done in the 60s. We still get = failure analysis assignments because the phenomenon is not widely known.
Andy
Andrew W. Blackwood, Ph.D. Structure Probe, Inc. P.O. Box 656 West Chester, PA 19381-0656 Ph: 1 610 436 5400 FAX: 1 610 436 5755 e-mail: ablackwood-at-2spi.com WWW: http://www.2spi.com
Dear microscopists, I realize that this subject may be out of the realm of microscopy but I thought maybe one of you could help. Our lab generates alot of poster titles for various meetings. The posters are then mounted in the departmental hallways for a few months so they need to survive for some time. I use a double sided adhesive tape made by Letraset to put the title(printed on card stock) on posterboard. I have just found out that the company is no longer making the tape and I can't find a decent substitute. The double sided scotch tape isn't strong enough; the spray photo mount is very difficult to work with in a lab and doesn't hold well either. It leaves a sticky residue on anything nearby. Does anyone know of a very high tack tape similar to the Letraset tape? Thanks in advance,
Mary Gail Engle Electron Microscopy & Imaging Facility University of Kentucky
We are looking to clear out electronics that we have had in storage, ie. various read outs (scalers, pulse-height analyzers, etc), power supplies, controllers, etc. These are mostly probe parts. Come and take them, as-is, where-is, otherwise they go to the scrap yard.
We also have an older ARL-EMX/SM microprobe for sale. It was working when taken out of service several years ago. We have spare parts, crystals, sample holders, etc. It also has an EDS detector and electronics, but we are now using the computer analyzer with our SEM. Make us a modest offer for this nostalgic instrument.
Alan Stone ASTON Metallurgical Services 4201 North Ravenswood Ave Chicago, IL 60613
Hi! Instead of double sticky tape, I use Perma/mount 2. They're sheets of double sided sticky stuff you can cut to any size. I think I got them from some photo supplier, but I also saw them in the EMS catalog, as well as another kind of tape substitute . They're a little pricey, but very easy to use, and hold real well. EMS phone is 1-800-523-5874. I'm sure other catalogs have them as well. Nancy
I'm not familiar with the Letraset tape but would double-sticky carpet tape work? This comes in quite wide lengths and is very tenaceous (perhaps too much so). You might check at local hobby shops as well for these sorts of tape.
Finally, check with a framing shop (one where you would have artwork mounted and framed). I just had some chinese scrolls mounted on large posterboards and they did an excellent job. I believe they used the equivalent of wheat paste (a.k.a wallpaper paste) and did an absolutely perfect job.
Let us know what you find out.
John
} I realize that this subject may be out of the realm of microscopy but I } thought maybe one of you could help. Our lab generates alot of poster } titles for various meetings. The posters are then mounted in the } departmental hallways for a few months so they need to survive for some } time. I use a double sided adhesive tape made by Letraset to put the } title(printed on card stock) on posterboard. I have just found out that the } company is no longer making the tape and I can't find a decent substitute. } The double sided scotch tape isn't strong enough; the spray photo mount is } very difficult to work with in a lab and doesn't hold well either. It } leaves a sticky residue on anything nearby. } Does anyone know of a very high tack tape similar to the Letraset tape?
#################################################################### John J. Bozzola, Ph.D., Director Center for Electron Microscopy 750 Communications Drive - MC 4402 Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 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 ####################################################################
} Our lab generates alot of poster } titles for various meetings. The posters are then mounted in the } departmental hallways for a few months so they need to survive for some } time. I use a double sided adhesive tape made by Letraset to put the } title(printed on card stock) on posterboard. I have just found out that the } company is no longer making the tape and I can't find a decent substitute. } The double sided scotch tape isn't strong enough; the spray photo mount is } very difficult to work with in a lab and doesn't hold well either. It } leaves a sticky residue on anything nearby. } Does anyone know of a very high tack tape similar to the Letraset tape? } Thanks in advance,
Panel-beaters (maybe you call them something different ----- the people who repair smashed-up cars) use very strong double-sided tape for fastening trim to exterior panels.
cheers
rtch
Ritchie Sims Phone : 64 9 3737599 ext 7713 Department of Geology Fax : 64 9 3737435 The University of Auckland email : r.sims-at-auckland.ac.nz Private Bag 92019 Auckland New Zealand
Responding to the message of {3.0.5.32.19990616153149.00802450-at-pop.uky.edu} from Mary Gail Engle {mgengle-at-pop.uky.edu} : } } Dear microscopists, } I realize that this subject may be out of the realm of microscopy but I } thought maybe one of you could help. Our lab generates alot of poster } titles for various meetings. The posters are then mounted in the } departmental hallways for a few months so they need to survive for some } time. I use a double sided adhesive tape made by Letraset to put the } title(printed on card stock) on posterboard. I have just found out that the } company is no longer making the tape and I can't find a decent substitute. } The double sided scotch tape isn't strong enough; the spray photo mount is } very difficult to work with in a lab and doesn't hold well either. It } leaves a sticky residue on anything nearby. } Does anyone know of a very high tack tape similar to the Letraset tape? } Thanks in advance, } } Mary Gail Engle } Electron Microscopy & Imaging Facility } University of Kentucky
I've used a product called Dry Bond, by Chartpak (#DBS25), which is a dry adhesive that comes on sheets (11x14") bound in a booklet. You press your title cards, photos, etc onto the sheet and peel it off and the dry adhesive comes with it. You then press the work onto your mounting board and thats it. The work is removeable, that is, repositionable.
It will last long enough for your 3 months, but after a year or so, it does tend to loosen up, bubble, up, etc. The adhesive probably dries out and the bond is weakened.
Just my 2.5 cents worth, good luck.
Gib
Gib Ahlstrand Electron Optical Facility, University of Minnesota, Dept. Plant Pathology 495 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul, MN. USA. 55108 (612)625-8249 612-625-9728 FAX, giba-at-puccini.crl.umn.edu
There is a much more insidious problem associated with power cables than you might expect based simply on their current capacity, and that is residual unbalanced current.
What happens is something like this: Someone has a remote piece of equipment - lets say a furnace - which is, of course, grounded to the supply ground (as electrical regulations require). However, the user has heeded the institution's requirements to plumb in the water cooling with metal pipe. Now the supply ground is connected to the water ground. Nobody worries about this because, far from being hazardous, it actually improves the personal safety of the electrical system.
Well, all is fine provided there are no connections between the live circuits and the ground, right?
WRONG!! There are always capacitive connections between conductors and nearby metal parts. In any one piece of equipment they may be small, but they add up. I have known one system with a beautifully engineered isolation transformer, with a solid copper electrostatic shield between the primary and secondary, with a leakage current of close to 1mA, which had to be capacitance because the DC resistance between the primary and the frame was unmeasurably high. This current then flows to ground through your water pipes and, hey presto - you now have an unbalanced current in the supply - and you only need a few mA unbalance to get a disastrous effect.
What is the bottom line? Calculations of fields from theoretical first principles don't work. Do not allow you main power supply to be anywhere near your electron microscopes. They *WILL* interfere.
One person's actual experience - I have a single 200A three-phase feeder about 20 feet from the closest point of a STEM and can see the interference. (A STEM is no more prone to EM interference than a CTEM - you can just see the interference more easily)
Good luck!
Tony Garratt-Reed.
At 11:48 AM 6/15/99 -0400, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Folks; We have an S360 SEM and have used several image capture systems over the years. There are problems associated with passive capture on the S360. First the S360 is a PAL (European video 740x576 pixels) so many frame grabber boards will not give the correct aspect ratio for images. The voltage on the image board of the 360 in only + or - 1 volt so many systems will not sync to the signal from the image transfer board. We have had great success with the Orion system from E.L.I. sprl in Belgium. Their web page is www.OrionMicroscopy.com . As a passive system we feel they are the best solution for the S360. On our other machines we use the Quartz PCI which is a great system for SEM's particularly, Hitachi, JOEL. The PCI woks well with the Cambridge S250 as well. When we first started doing image capture, the system we built took advantage of the S360's noise reduction and frame integration. We simple took the frozen image signal from the mono monitor output on the back of the machine, fed the signal into a broad bandwidth video distribution amplifier and then fed the output of the amp to a Matrox P8 frame grabber using the old Snapshot software. SEM signals were also distributed to our Compix Image Analyser and Codonics video printer all at the same time. The image size was only 740x576 put the images were noise free and quite useful as we distributed them over our video network and workers at remote sites could view samples being examined in relative real time. This method is not passive capture but real frame grabbing. The down side to this method is the image grey scale is an average of all the pixels in the image including the black header and thus the numerics in the header will not be pure white as they are with the Orion passive capture system. Hope this is of some use. Jon McGovern J. P. McGovern and Associates www.microscopy.net jon-at-microscopy.net
The best stuff that I have found for mounting pictures and posters and it really holds up for a very long time is 3M 568 positionable mounting adhesive. This stuff is used by graphic art shops and it is really easy to work with. I've been using it for about 15 years. It holds better than the spray mount and if you are nominally careful, there is no mess.
I believe the 568 number is for the roll format that I have. It is 11 inches wide by many feet long. I know that there is an 18 inch wide version with another number because I have used it for 16 x 20 prints.
You put your artwork on the material pressing slightly. Then cut it out with an Exacto knife along the edges of your artwork. Using the scraper supplied with the PMA, you press the adhesive onto the back of the artwork. Peel the backing off of the artwork and the adhesive is transferred to the back. The artwork can be laid gently down and repositioned until it is aligned correctly. (Try that with spray adhesive.) Then using the scraper again with a protective sheet over the artwork, press over the entire artwork. This will stay in place for years. I have only found one type of sublimation dye printer paper that I had trouble with on the first stage. Much harder pressure than I normally use fixed that.
You can get it from photographic shops, but they may have to order it. If you try this once, you'll never go back to the spray.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: Mary Gail Engle To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Dear microscopists, I realize that this subject may be out of the realm of microscopy but I thought maybe one of you could help. Our lab generates alot of poster titles for various meetings. The posters are then mounted in the departmental hallways for a few months so they need to survive for some time. I use a double sided adhesive tape made by Letraset to put the title(printed on card stock) on posterboard. I have just found out that the company is no longer making the tape and I can't find a decent substitute. The double sided scotch tape isn't strong enough; the spray photo mount is very difficult to work with in a lab and doesn't hold well either. It leaves a sticky residue on anything nearby. Does anyone know of a very high tack tape similar to the Letraset tape? Thanks in advance,
Mary Gail Engle Electron Microscopy & Imaging Facility University of Kentucky
I put a cleaning procedure on the web some time ago it came from the team=
in the EM unit in Canberra.
LANTHANOM HEXABORIDE Technique developed by E.M. Unit Canberra
Clean the cathode with 25% hydrochloric acid in water by immersing for 60=
seconds and then cleaning with a weak alkaline (ammonia or sodium hydroxide). Wash with water and then alcohol before drying.
LaB6 sources should last a long time (1000 hours plus) but they do need a= n intermediate cleaning session about every 250 to 350 hours. Some people amaze us by getting away with 1100 hours without cleaning but this is the=
exception not the rule.
Steve Chapman
Senior Consultant E.M. Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide
Some of the replies to our posting seem to have run a little off track.
The ammonia clean is intended to be used on the stainless steel gun components only, no mention of any other areas! A few points are set out=
below in relation to those who have replied to our request for comment.
1. Three people, two from the USA, one from South Africa already use=
this technique to whom due respect is given, they have not seen any problems.
2. There are those who use manual techniques that they claim are far=
quicker. The point of this technique is to remove the manual component from cleaning as the methods and media used are often the most common reasons for increased contamination within a column. Hand cleaning methods, particularly electro mechanical methods, are also far more damaging to the cathode than a wet technique. Mis shaped cathode apertur= es have been found to be the cause of terminal astigmatism! A liquid clean = is a preferred route as it removes the metal polish and cotton, or tissue, that are used to apply the polish. All three media are difficult to remove and may cause contamination and discharge in an electron gun if th= ey are not completely removed. A higher level of technical and observationa= l skills are also required with manual techniques.
3 There are some who have commented that the occasional hand polish= , or better still in the ultrasonic cleaner with a metal polish, is useful = as it removes any irregularities caused by discharge. I would agree with them, perhaps one in three cleans should follow this route in a TEM. The= re should be less of a problem in a SEM.
4 It has been mentioned that plated cathodes may be damaged if the plating is incomplete. I do not know of any plated cathodes as far as I have seen they are all stainless steel with some using tantalum apertures= . =
Take care if you clean a SEM anode as some are made of aluminium alloy an= d they will go black when placed in ammonia solution!
5 Tantalum so I am told, is only mildly attacked by alkalis, needin= g to heated above 150 deg C to encourage unacceptable attack. Thanks to Bi= ll Tivol for that information.
6 The suggestion of using plasma etching as the ideal cleaning devi= ce for all components is not challenged, however the ammonia method describe= d is cheap, simple and almost always available in the EM laboratory world wide.
Steve Chapman
Senior Consultant E.M. Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide
The fields will drop off with the square of the distance. i.e.....
1 Ft 1 Gauss 2 1/4 G 0.25 4 1/16 G 0.625 8 1/32 G 0.03125
The fields you're describing could be significant. Be careful, even in calculating the potential problem. If it develops into an image disturbance problem you may be able to cancel the fields. For more information on site selection pitfalls see http://www.vibeng.com or call.
Craig Franklin Vibration Engineering Consultants 303-689-2224 } } } Our EM facility will be moving to a new building currently under } construction. We have just learned that a major feed line consisting of } six 3 inch conduits carrying three 400 amp parallel lines (1200 A total) } has been installed 11 feet from where our highest resolution TEM is going. } We have been asked to supply a minimum acceptable distance that these lines } could be from the microscopes, since it will be quite expensive to reroute } them (they are in concrete). My specific questions are: } } What is the appropriate formula to compute the falloff of the field with } distance? } } Does this theoretical formula adequately predict the field in a real situation? } } How does the orientation of the lines affect the calculation? } } Thanks for your help. Any references would also be appreciated. } } Dr. Marie E. Cantino } Dept. of Physiology and Neurobiology } University of Connecticut } Storrs, CT 06269-2131 } Phone: 860-486-3588 } Fax: 860-4861936 } } } }
try using a sticky tab on a stub, placed around a small pre-scored section on the label side of the CD. just push it on hard and pull it off and you should get a little piece of the aluminum film. works quick and easy... } } Dear Owen, } I was successful in cutting out a one cm. chunk of a hot-pressed CD and } leaving it in chlorothene overnight. Unfortunately, we can't use that } anymore. Any good plastic solvent should work, even acetone. You are left } with a wisp of very thin aluminum foil with the dints in it visible at about } 10,000X. The CD-Rs are a very different technology. } At 11:39 AM 6/15/99 -0400, you wrote: } } } } Sometime in the last two years I remember a thread on preparing CD's for } } examination in the SEM. Can anyone remember what solvent was used to } } remove the polymer coating from CD's so imaging of the data is possible. } } Please respond to me directly at the address below. Thanks. } } } } Owen } Regards, } Mary } } Mary Mager } Electron Microscopist } Metals and Materials Engineering } University of British Columbia } 6350 Stores Road } Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 } CANADA } tel: 604-822-5648 } e-mail: mager-at-interchg.ubc.ca } } } } -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Brian McIntyre University of Rochester Electron Microscopy Lab 716-275-3058 716-244-4936 (fax)
Does anyone know of a supplier for an anti chicken-25nm gold conjugate that is ideally raised in a goat, for the EM. I have found a rabbit anti chicken-25nm conjugate from Airon, but rabbit seems to routinely cause us problems Thanks, Susie Nilsson
Seeking advice on the use of electrochemical solutions for use in the Tenupol Apparatus for preparing thin TEM samples. Is anyone using a laboratory prepared mixture of conc nitric acid (30%) and methanol (70%) in the apparatus? If so, what are the documentation / policy requirements for the training, use, storage, handling disposal of this mixture in your facility? What alternative commercially available chemical solutions are currently being used in the Tenupol apparatus for low alloy steels? Barry EM UNIT UNSW
The best way to affix posterboard or paper to another piece of posterboard or paper is to use drymount tissue. This essentially is tissue paper impregnated with a heat-sensitive adhesive. The piece of tissue is trimmed to exactly the same size as the piece to be attached. The two pieces then are fused by pressing them in a drymount press (a huge press with a heated platen, the same device use to iron on t-shirt transfers) for about 45 seconds. The bond is permanent (in fact you cannot separate the two pieces without destroying one).
The tissue is available at photo supply and art supply stores/catalogues. A widely-available brand is by ColorMount by Seal, though I know there are other manufacuturers. The down side of this technique is that one needs the press. The media centers and art departments at most academic institutions will have one. (If you are going to mount resin coated photos, be careful to get the drymount tissue with the proper melting point, otherwise you will ruin your photos).
Nothing holds as well as drymount tissue; this is what all the professionals use. All other methods that I have tried will bleed through paper, form bubbles/ripples between the two surfaces, and/or will eventually peel away, particularly with changes in relative humidity.
DL ______________________________________________________________________ Donald L. Lovett e-mail: lovett-at-tcnj.edu Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Biology voice: (609) 771-2876 P.O. Box 7718 fax: (609) 637-5118 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ 08628-0718
Disclaimer: E.L.I. Belgium distributes a passive grabbing system worldwid= e so we are not exactly a disinterested third party.
Choosing an active or passive system is a difficult task and obviously th= e choice is a function of the =93external=94 operating conditions like imag= e size needs (must be 512x512 for image analysis for example) or EDX mapping tas= ks (be able to scan a specific area), but is also a function of the SEM itself.
The SEM itself is important in choosing an active or passive system if th= e SEM scanning generator provides enough lines, then there is probably no need for an active drive; a passive system is always easier and simpler to install an= d configure than an active one. It is also easier to use because its is considered a pure slave of the SEM scanning generator. And a grabbing sys= tem must deliver images with the lowest possible amount of noise and the mini= mal distortion: the pixels must be square.=20
Our Cy (E.L.I. sprl in Belgium) designed a very powerful passive system (Orion) with four ideas in mind:
- the system must be easy to use:
Getting the image from the SEM is the last step and must be done efficien= tly, so the number of clicks and actions must be reduced to the minimum. For example, in the Orion system, you need only one mouse click to get the im= age from the SEM, and one to get a printout! So we directly help the user red= ucing his overhead time just by optimizing the user interface.
- it must provide an accurate copy of the image produced on the SEM scree= n:
During the system installation, it is important to properly configure and calibrate the grabbing system in order to avoid image distortions. The oversampling factor can be optimized for any scanning mode. The result is= a clean, jitter-free image immediately ready for processing, storage or printing.
- it must include functions that are in direct relation with the job done= on the SEM:
For example, a very useful function inside the Orion system is the abilit= y of reconstructing a micron bar when you extract an area from a grabbed image= ; this prevent the loss of the distance calibration information. We have the policy of constantly adding new functions inside the software, which are directly helping the system user producing images. Other functions include: very efficient distance measurement, line/rectangle drawing, contrast / brightness adjustment, etc.=20
- Some functions are available as options because some user=92s don't nee= d them and won't have to pay for them. We currently have four options:
- the 3D, anaglyph construction, which includes a tool for automatic plan= e alignment. This compensates for any stage drift that can occur during til= t; - The EDX, which allows you to mix EDX mappings with grey scale images;=20 - The DSM option, which optimizes the Orion software for the LEO DSM 94x/= 95x series - The Macro command processor, for linking buttons with repetitive tasks stored in text files.
Furthermore, the Orion system has a feature which is unique on the market= : the analog part (which is connected to the SEM electronics) is completely flo= ating (isolated) from the digital part (connected to the PC processor).=20
This very particular design, although very technical, provides the Orion system with two unique advantages:
- A security advantage: your SEM is fully protected against electrical disturbances that could occur in your computer or network and is fully =93floating=94. If a fault occurs in the computer electrical system, the = SEM is protected. - A bigger noise insensitivity: by breaking the ground loop between the S= EM and the computer, we make the Orion system virtually =93jitter=94 free and noise-free.=20
By the way, I take this opportunity to let you know that we are currently looking for highly qualified representatives in different countries. If you are interested, please contact me.
At 14:01 04/06/99 -0500, you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America=20
Paul Vanderlinden. Sales Manager.
*********************************************************************=20 See our web site: http://www.orionmicroscopy.com To contact us:
Good Morning, I'm wondering if someone could give me information about who to contact to post a position we have available here at UCSD in the Nuerosciences dept? It's a research position, specifically looking for someone with microsopy background. Please let me know. Thank you, Susi Goodman, Staffing Dept, UCSD
I'm sorry I didn't get your name! Here is an initial description. But I also want to put together a formal job announcement as a MS Word Attachment, that includes all the information re: how to apply for position. I'll send that this afternoon. Thank you, Susi Goodman
116509-S STAFF RESEARCH ASSOCIATE I Scientific & Laboratory Research Neurosciences Open Until Filled $2289-$2742 STAFF RESEARCH ASSOC I 100% Career Perform immunolocalization studies on protein kinases and related proteins in the nervous system and other tissues. Technician will collaborate with researchers from several laboratories as part of a program project. Duties will include specimen preparation for light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. Other duties will include perfusion fixation of laboratory rats and other small animals, sectioning tissue for light microscopic examination using both the cryostat and Vibratome, examination and analysis of patterns of immunostaining at both the LM and EM levels, flat embedding Vibratome sections for electron microscopy, production of ultrathin sections, and semi-thin sections for conventional and high voltage EM, examination and analysis of sections under both conventional and intermediate high voltage electronic microscopes, and production of publication quality light and EM micrographs. REQUIREMENTS: Familiarity and skill with transmitted light microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, conventional and high voltage electron microscopy. Ability to produce high quality thin and semi-thin sections for electron microscopy. Experience with high-resolution immunolocalization techniques for electronic microscopy, including colloidal gold detection. Understanding of immunocytochemical theory and practice. Ability to conduct a research study with minimal supervision. Ability to understand and evaluate scientific literature. Must be able to juggle several projects at once and work collegially with collaborators. Theoretical background in molecular and cell biology or related field.
Good Morning, I'm wondering if someone could give me information about who to contact to post a position we have available here at UCSD in the Nuerosciences dept? It's a research position, specifically looking for someone with microsopy background. Please let me know. Thank you, Susi Goodman, Staffing Dept, UCSD
Just a quick reply about the double sided tape questions. I don't know if this is the same as the tape you were using, but scotch also makes what they call "Permanent-Linerless Double coated Tape". It's 3/4 inches wide and extremely sticky. We've had great success with this tape, to the point that Posters that have been made a year and a half ago are still hanging strong.
thanks
Adam
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Adam Baker Carleton University Biology Department Email address: adbaker-at-ccs.carleton.ca ----------------------------------------------------------------------
{bold} {fontfamily} {param} Times {/param} {bigger} {bigger} Title {/bigger} {/big= ger} {/fontfamily} {/bold} {fontfamily} {param} Times {/param} {bigger} {bigger} : Nitrogen-carbon bonding in new materials - Experimental and theoretical investigations
{bold} Job description {/bold} :=20
Within the framework of a 4-year TMR research network,=20
=AB synthesis, structure and properties of new carbon-based hard materials =BB ( {/bigger} {/bigger} {/fontfamily} http://www.physto.se/tmr {fontfamily} {para= m} Times {/param} {bigger} {bigger} / ) initiated in 1998, the CEMES,=20
situated in Toulouse (France), offers a post-doctoral position.=20
The Toulouse group (which is included in a partnership encompassing two other groups:=20
Solid-State Physics Lab in Orsay and ONERA-Chatillon) is specialized in the implementation
and development of analytical techniques in electron microscopy to explore the structure and
the local chemical and electronic properties of new materials.
The research to be carried out includes EELS (Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy) and EFD (Elastic Filtered Electron Diffraction) experimental investigations, as well as theoretical calculations of the optical and electronic properties using CASTEP (pseudopotential plane-wave code).
The position is limited to European Community citizens (excluding French).
Duration: 1 year.
{bold} Fields {/bold} : Solid state physics, prior experience in EELS and/or
carbon-based materials would be an advantage.
{bold} Application deadline {/bold} : September 1, 1999
{bold} Place of work {/bold} : Centre d'Elaboration des Mat=E9riaux et Etudes Structurales
(CEMES) du CNRS, Toulouse France, Electron Microscopy and Analysis
group.
{bold} Contact person {/bold} : Virginie SERIN
E-mail : serin-at-cemes.fr
Phone : +33 (0)5 62 25 78 67
Fax: +33 (0) 5 62 25 79 99
Address: CEMES/CNRS
29 rue J. Marvig, BP4347, 31055 Toulouse Cedex, France
I just want to put in my 2 cents worth regarding digital image acquisition from the LEO 360s:
As Jon describes below, there are different methods for acquiring images:
Via a simple frame grabber Passive acquisition Active acquisition
There was a thread recently that discussed the differences between passive and active acquisition, so I won't say anything about that.
acquisition via frame grabber: this is possible if the system has a TV output. This is not necessarily a TV-rate scanning, but must be a true TV signal. The signals are usually either NTSC or PAL, NTSC being the US and Japanese standard, PAL the European. Unfortunately, they are not compatible. Both use the same bandwidth, but PAL sacrifices repetition rate for resolution (NTSC: 30 frames per second, 640x480, PAL: 25 fps, 768x576). Most frame grabbers can either be bought for one of the signals or can digitize both. However, acquiring TV images from an SEM is probably not the best solution. The images are low in resolution, and they are only 8 bit. The display is fast, though, and through averaging a good S/N ratio can be reached.
Regarding the active/passive difference, please check out the previous thread. For active acquisition from the 360 series it is necessary to have a beam control interface installed. That option is available from LEO.
Of course, if you select an acquisition system that is based on a frame grabber, like ours, you can have all three options available. A TV rate acquisition for finding and focussing, and then a passive or active acquisition for high resolution images.
Michael Bode
Michael Bode, Ph.D. Soft Imaging System Corp. 1675 Carr St., #105N Lakewood, CO 80215 =================================== phone: (888) FIND SIS (303) 234-9270 fax: (303) 234-9271 email: mailto:info-at-soft-imaging.com web: http://www.soft-imaging.com ===================================
******************************************************* Disclaimer: Soft Imaging System produces and sells image acquisition and processing systems. We therefore have a vested interest in some of the items mentioned above. *******************************************************
} ---------- } From: Jonathan P. McGovern[SMTP:SEMRUS-at-TELUSPLANET.NET] } Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 6:38:22 PM } To: Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com } Subject: S360 Image capture } Auto forwarded by a Rule } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Folks; We have an S360 SEM and have used several image capture systems over the years. There are problems associated with passive capture on the S360. First the S360 is a PAL (European video 740x576 pixels) so many frame grabber boards will not give the correct aspect ratio for images. The voltage on the image board of the 360 in only + or - 1 volt so many systems will not sync to the signal from the image transfer board. We have had great success with the Orion system from E.L.I. sprl in Belgium. Their web page is www.OrionMicroscopy.com . As a passive system we feel they are the best solution for the S360. On our other machines we use the Quartz PCI which is a great system for SEM's particularly, Hitachi, JOEL. The PCI woks well with the Cambridge S250 as well. When we first started doing image capture, the system we built took advantage of the S360's noise reduction and frame integration. We simple took the frozen image signal from the mono monitor output on the back of the machine, fed the signal into a broad bandwidth video distribution amplifier and then fed the output of the amp to a Matrox P8 frame grabber using the old Snapshot software. SEM signals were also distributed to our Compix Image Analyser and Codonics video printer all at the same time. The image size was only 740x576 put the images were noise free and quite useful as we distributed them over our video network and workers at remote sites could view samples being examined in relative real time. This method is not passive capture but real frame grabbing. The down side to this method is the image grey scale is an average of all the pixels in the image including the black header and thus the numerics in the header will not be pure white as they are with the Orion passive capture system. Hope this is of some use. Jon McGovern J. P. McGovern and Associates www.microscopy.net jon-at-microscopy.net
Has anyone looked or researched the tribology and or tribochemistry (e.g. chemical mechanical polishing) involved in either or both dimpling and tripod polishing?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Laurence Marks Department of Materials Science and Engineering Northwestern University fax: (847) 491-7820 mailto:L-marks-at-nwu.edu http://www.numis.nwu.edu ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
L.D. Marks wrote: -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Has anyone looked or researched the tribology and or tribochemistry (e.g. chemical mechanical polishing) involved in either or both dimpling and tripod polishing?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If you mean has anyone done a serious research project (as in a graduate degree thesis project) of these prep method's tribology/chemistry? I would say no, not that I'm aware of (and I do follow these subjects closely).
However, one of the reasons why tripod polishing (and the related and evolved tools) have been so successful is that they came along at the same time some remarkable polishing compounds appeared on the scene. All through the 1980s the semiconductor industry was really gearing up for the manufacture of large-wafer integrated circuits, mostly on Si but to some extent on III-V and II-VI compounds as well. These wafer surfaces had to be nearly atomically smooth and free of polishing damage. A HUGE effort went into the creation of colloidal polishing compounds (colloidal silica as the best example) among others to meet the semiconductor industry's polishing needs. There must have been a large number of tribological and or tribochemistry studies performed on the effect of colloidal products polishing silicon at the time. I use the phrase "must have been" in recognition that many projects like these in semiconductor manufacturing facilities were deemed proprietary by the companies involved and few papers were written. But, good grief, enough time has passed and they should be in the literature by now!
Tripod polishing was the beneficiary of these efforts as Klepeis and Benedict here in IBM had access to these media in our facility when the method was being invented. Certainly the clout generated by our needing a high tech polishing media for making TEM specimens would not have accounted for beans.
So, are there studies of colloidal media polishing silicon, etc available? Certainly. Are these studies applicable to tripod polishing TEM specimens? Sure. Are they back-applicable to dimpling when the dimplers use these media? Sure. Is there room for a new study specifically directed to the tribology and or tribochemistry of making TEM specimens? ABSOLUTELY! Should such a study occur you can count on our help.
Ron
Ron Anderson, IBM, Hopewell Jct., New York, USA. anderron-at-us.ibm.com
IBM Analytical Services; http://www.chips.ibm.com/services/asg
Having been in tribology and having done work with these materials in the TEM, I think that I can be reasonably certain that there hasn't been any investigations in these areas of TEM preparation. One reason might be that there simply aren't any economic reasons to do it.
However, the ball cratering device that has been used for dimpling TEM samples is a common device that is used for examining and testing hard coating on tool steels and other substrates.
There have been examinations of wear-tested films of solid film lubricants (MoS2) as I am pretty sure that you are aware. I presented some work at MSA in 1993. There was a paper by the French group in the MRS Journal (1992 or 1993, First author: Mosely?) I have made samples of MoS2 film samples using both techniques as well as the small angle cleavage technique. I've also prepared WS2 by these techniques as well as FIB. When MoS2 is wear-tested, one of the tribochemical products is MoO3. I've never seen any evidence of this phase in the as-deposited films examined in the TEM. Pulsed Laser deposited films of MoS2 go down amorphous and when wear-tested, they generate both the MoS2 and MoO3 phases. You can wave a carbon coated grid in the wear track and you will find both phases. In the as-deposited samples prepared by these various techniques, again, I have not detected these phases. I should point out however that the dimpled samples and tripod polished samples have all been finished with ion milling. Those prepared by cleavage and FIB have not been touched by abrasive.
Of course, the testing that we did would have been done with a pin-on-disk and without lubricant. Dimpling and tripod polishing both have the complication that you would have to consider the abrasive/lubricant and sample wear couple.
Hard coatings may be a different matter however. There may be some studies on wear-tested tool steels that may be analogous to the sample preparation techniques. But, again, I think any tribochemical changes will get wiped out by ion milling. About 2 or 3 years ago, Ainissa Ramirez from the Stanford group presented some of her Ph.D. work on tribo-mechanical changes in DLC films. I'm not sure where they published, but try the ICMCTF meeting papers published in Thin Solid Films or Surface and Coatings Technology.
I once examined a tripod polished single crystal SiC sample without the cleanup ion mill and saw an interesting defect structure from the polishing on both sides. Although you could see the scratches and dislocations in the sample, you could still see the single crystal structure of the material. Short ion milling totally cleaned the sample. I'm sure there are a number of such examples for silicon for both dimpling and tripod polishing.
I think that an interesting avenue for research on tribochemical changes could be performed on already prepared TEM samples in which the samples are "wear-tested" with a contact mode AFM in an electron transparent area. You could then have an area that is wear-tested adjacent to an area that is not.
I probably didn't answer your question, but there may be some overlaps in my ramblings.
-Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: L. D. Marks To: Microscopy List -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Has anyone looked or researched the tribology and or tribochemistry (e.g. chemical mechanical polishing) involved in either or both dimpling and tripod polishing?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Laurence Marks Department of Materials Science and Engineering Northwestern University fax: (847) 491-7820 mailto:L-marks-at-nwu.edu http://www.numis.nwu.edu ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear all The Web site for our Electron Microscope Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand is a as follow
http://www.wits.ac.za/emu
Mr. S H Coetzee Electron Microscope Unit Private bag X3 Wits Johannesburg 2050 Tell: +27 11 716 2419 Fax : +27 11 339 3407 E-mail stephan-at-gecko.biol.wits.ac.za
May I remind the list about the one day Advanced School to be held on Tuesday 24 August 1999 in Sheffield, UK?
The subject is High Resolution Electron Microscopy and, unlike a recent Sheffield movie, the school aims to provide the full coverage. Field emission sources, computer-aided alignment, image reconstruction from focal or tilt series, energy filtering and more.
The four speakers are well known in the field: John Hutchison, Thierry Epicier, Chris Boothroyd and Angus Kirkland. There will also be demonstrations on a FEGTEM and a 300kV HREM, and participants will take away a complete set of notes.
N.B. Fast approaching is 25 June 1999 - the deadline for EMAG bursary applications for students and young scholars who are members of the Institute of Physics.
For details, go to: http://www.iop.org/IOP/Confs/EMAG or write to: c.j.hetherington-at-sheffield.ac.uk
I recently acquired a Wild M21 polarized light microscope. Does anyone have a manual that they could lend to me (I would copy it and then return it) or forward a copy. I will pay any associated fees.
Thank you.
Alan Stone ASTON Metallurgical Services Co., Inc. 4201 North Ravenswood Ave Chicago, IL 60613 773/528-9830
For more information on this position, and guidance on how to apply, please visit our website at www-hr.ucsd.edu. Look under "Job Bulletin", "employment opportunities", and "scietific & laboratory research." Thank you.
116509-S STAFF RESEARCH ASSOCIATE I Scientific & Laboratory Research Neurosciences Open Until Filled $2289-$2742 STAFF RESEARCH ASSOC I 100% Career Perform immunolocalization studies on protein kinases and related proteins in the nervous system and other tissues. Technician will collaborate with researchers from several laboratories as part of a program project. Duties will include specimen preparation for light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. Other duties will include perfusion fixation of laboratory rats and other small animals, sectioning tissue for light microscopic examination using both the cryostat and Vibratome, examination and analysis of patterns of immunostaining at both the LM and EM levels, flat embedding Vibratome sections for electron microscopy, production of ultrathin sections, and semi-thin sections for conventional and high voltage EM, examination and analysis of sections under both conventional and intermediate high voltage electronic microscopes, and production of publication quality light and EM micrographs. REQUIREMENTS: Familiarity and skill with transmitted light microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, conventional and high voltage electron microscopy. Ability to produce high quality thin and semi-thin sections for electron microscopy. Experience with high-resolution immunolocalization techniques for electronic microscopy, including colloidal gold detection. Understanding of immunocytochemical theory and practice. Ability to conduct a research study with minimal supervision. Ability to understand and evaluate scientific literature. Must be able to juggle several projects at once and work collegially with collaborators. Theoretical background in molecular and cell biology or related field.
Good Morning, I'm wondering if someone could give me information about who to contact to post a position we have available here at UCSD in the Nuerosciences dept? It's a research position, specifically looking for someone with microsopy background. Please let me know. Thank you, Susi Goodman, Staffing Dept, UCSD
Midwest Microscopy and Microanalysis Society (MMMS) Members:
We are soliciting nominations for people to serve as officers of MMMS f= or the 2000 society year. Nominees should be active members in good standing = of MMMS. Elected positions include President-elect, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Life Sciences Director, Materials Sciences Director, and Pro= gram Co-ordinator. Duties for these officers are described in the MMMS Constitution and Bylaws, which can be accessed at http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MSALAS/MMMS/MMMSConstitution.html.
All suggestions for nominations should be sent to the Recording Secreta= ry, Linda LaRonge-Snow (linda.snow.nmi-at-abbott.com) and should be received b= y Friday, June 25. Please include a brief description of you or your nominee's qualifications for the position. Final decisions on nominati= ons will be made by the MMMS Executive Council. This is your chance to bec= ome involved and have a voice in your society, so please let us know if you= are willing to serve!
Jerry Gagne (gerard.d.gagne-at-abbott.com) President, MMMS =
I am considering purchasing a scanner for scanning TEM negatives into electronic form. I have reviewed some of the brands and came up with a couple of candidates, and I wonder if any of the microscopy listserv members have used these or other scanners for TEM negatives, and could give me some advice.
I am considering Microtek ScanMaker5, and the UMAX Powerlook III. Both scanners work in transparency and reflection mode, and come with a SCSI interface and lots of software, and can handle various sizes. The Scanmaker5 is listed at 1000 x 2000 dpi optical resolution, and 3.6 maximum optical density (Dmax). It costs about $2400 The UMAX Powerlook III is listed as 1200 x 2400 dpi optical resolution and 3.4 maximum optical density. The price is about $1200.
The difference between the two appears to be that the Scanmaker has no glass in the optical path, thus avoiding Newton rings and possibly other distortions (as well as dust, etc). The salesman at UMAX claimed that their geometry, although it has glass in the optical path, avoids Newton rings because a film holder causes the negatives not to sit on the glass.
I would clearly prefer to pay $1200 than $2400, but since this is a large purchase, I would like to get it right, and will find the extra money if necessary.
Have any of you direct experience with these scanners for TEM negatives that you could advise me as to which would be better? I would appreciate any feedback (including suggestions for other scanners), and if there is enough interest, I propose to summarize the advice I get in a later posting to this group.
Thank you,
Arthur Motta *************************************************************************** Arthur T.Motta Department of Nuclear Engineering 814-865-0036 The Pennsylvania State University fax: 814-865-8499 231 Sackett Bldg, University Park, PA 16802-1408 http://www.nuce.psu.edu
The University of Souther California, School of Engineering is seeking an experienced electron microscopist to fill the position of Laboratory Manager in the Center for Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis (CEMMA), who will oversee the operation and maintenance of the Center.
The Laboratory Manager is expected to:
Provide technical laboratory expertise to faculty, research staff and graduate or undergraduate students in the design and execution of experiments, participate in educational and research activities consistent with the University's mission. This individual should be self motivated and resourceful, possess good organizational and strong computer skills. The ability to instruct students and researchers in the operation of microscopes and ancillary equipment is important. He needs to schedule users and maintain equipment in proper operating condition.
Qualifications:
B.S. in one of the Physical Sciences or equivalent. Experience in TEM/SEM/EDS required. Familiar with mechanical and electronic equipment, and vacuum systems.
Contact:
Florian Mansfeld University of Southern California Chair/Department of Materials Science Los Angeles, CA 90089-0241 (213)740-3016 mansfeld-at-mizar.usc.edu
Salary Range:
Commensurate with education and experience.
Jack Worrall Director of Operations Univ. of Southern Cal. CEMMA Los Angeles, CA 90089-0101
Accidentally delete files folders? =46disk or =46ormat the wrong drives? Lose data because of a virus? Are you or have you seen errors like, invalid drive specification, invalid media type or error reading drive c:? Hard drives are getting cheaper and cheaper, but the data on those drives can be invaluable. However you have options. You can send the drive to a Data Recovery Professional and pay the price (thousands). You can buy an over the counter retail product which may due more harm than good, or you can use the software that the professionals use for this type of recovery. We are for a limited time, making the software we sell to the professionals available to the general public to handle the out cry for data recovery software we have experienced due to virus infection, and the simple fact that almost everyone now has a computer. Virus scanners are great, but the fact is they can not update virus signatures as fast as people are producing viruses. More and more people are learning how to program. Unfortunately that means there are more programmers capable of producing viruses. Major companies spending millions of dollars on security and virus protection have lost data due to virus infection. It will get worse before it gets better. You don=92t have t= o spend thousands to recover your data if you have the right software. We are making this software available to you now, at a very reasonable cost! Act now and receive unlimited free technical support ! This won=92t last long!
=46or more information please reply to: mailto:merch2-at-bigfoot.com?subject=3Dmore-info
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Has it always been difficult obtaining schematics for Zeiss SEM's? I've been referred by a LEO serviceman...to a LEO manager...to a german engineer, who has been unresponsive to my requests for documentation on behalf of a customer.
If anyone can help obtain copies of the DSM-960 schematics, particularly the scan generators and video, I'd certainly be in your debt.
A few years back I remember a CD ROM that I saw at the Microscopy and Analysis meeting which was I think called "The Virtual Microscope". It covered basic light microscopy, optics and physics. It also had a virtual microscope upon which users could practice their aligning skills. I am in need of locating this software for a possible class offering at the graduate level. Does anybody know of where this program can now be purchased?
ZEISS did not include the schemnatics in the manual so that you have to = get them for service. It is their SECRET. =20 It would be easier to get it if you had made it as a condition before = purchasing. We have learned that this condition must be included in all = equipment purchase.
Ann Fook
} } } jbest {jbest-at-elmdas.com} 06/19 7:28 AM } } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America=20
On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html=20=
Has it always been difficult obtaining schematics for Zeiss SEM's? I've = been referred by a LEO serviceman...to a LEO manager...to a german engineer, = who has been unresponsive to my requests for documentation on behalf of a = customer.
If anyone can help obtain copies of the DSM-960 schematics, particularly = the scan generators and video, I'd certainly be in your debt.
An investigator is trying to look at some cross bridges in the germaria of = a mutant Drosophila. We have fixed the tissue in 2% Glut in 0.1M cacodylate= =20 buffer, post fixed in 1% OSO4 in 0.lM cacodyalte, treated with 2% Tannic = Acid in the same buffer, and en bloc staining with 2% aqueous uranyl acetate,=20=
followed by routine dehydration. The tissue is embedded in Spurrs's = media. Sections were cut in the 60 nm range. Stained sections on formvar coated grids with 7% UA in absolute methanol, followed by Lead Citrate. Also stained sections on plain grids with = routine UA and LC. We liked the plain grids better but the intensity of the stain = was not as great as we would like. The structures of interest are ER-like = cisternae, and are very hard to see.
Does anyone have any ideas about how to improve the intensity of the stain or suggestions on how to improve our techniques in order to see our tiny structures in the germaria?
George Lawton Chief Electron Microscopist Microscopy and Imaging Service Center UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Dallas, Tx 75235-9039 Phone: 214-648-7291 eMail: George.Lawton-at-email.swmed.edu
I have a Carl Zeiss Microscope ll which is equiped for fluorscence microscopy. The bulb that I have is very old. Does anyone know where I can get a Philips 126184 C.S.I.250 watt H7 mercury bulb?
Thanks Debbie
Debbie Lietz Electron Microscopy Suite Department of Biology Trent University Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8 Telephone: (705)748-1486 Fax: (705) 748-1205 email: dlietz-at-trentu.ca
I recall some discussions on Snow Cleaning a while back. Does anyone have any information about the technique and how it works ? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Colin
Colin Reid, Electron Microscope Unit, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Tel: 353-1-6081820 Fax: 353-1-6770438 email: creid-at-tcd.ie
Back when I was a graduate student some 50 years ago the term 'Spectroscopy' was used to refer to measurements made with an instrument in which the separated spectral components were measured or recorded either visually or photographically (thus the 'scope' component), while the term 'Spectrometry' generally was used to refer to measurements made with a device that measured the separated spectral components with a phototube and displayed the results on a meter or via a strip chart recorder (i.e. a metering device).
Wilbur C. Bigelow, Prof. Emeritus Materials Sci. & Engr., University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136 e-mail: bigelow-at-umich.edu; Fx:734-763-4788; Ph:734-764-3321
A technical position is available in the newly established Microscopy Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. We are seeking an experienced Electron Microscopy technician with a BS/BA or MS in Biology/Life Sciences. Applicants should have excellent communication and organizational skills, an understanding of basic laboratory procedures, and the ability to manage a large and varied workload. The successful candidate will participate in ultrastructural studies of various biological systems. Qualifications include at least 2 years of experience in routine transmission electron microscopy procedures, ultramicrotomy, immunogold labelling, specimen preparation, photographic darkroom work, and routine maintenance of equipment. Experience with immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy is an asset.
We offer a salary commensurate with experience and excellent benefits. For consideration, please mail/email your resume to:
Scott Henderson, Ph.D., Director, Microscopy Center, Box 1007, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574
We are an equal opportunity employer fostering diversity in the workplace.
As noted on p. 72 of my book Vacuum Methods in Electron Microscopy (http://www.2spi.com/catalog/books/book48.html), Peter B. Sewell, of LAB-6 Inc., recommends cleaning lanthanum hexaboride deposits from Wehnelt cylinders and apertures by soaking them for about a minute in a solution consisting of 1 part by volume of concentrated hydrochloric acid and 4 parts water, then rinsing sequentially with water, dilute ammonia, deionized water, and isopropyl alcohol, and then drying with a blast of clean warm air or with a gas blaster.
A guy who works in the company that makes LaB6 products should know, so I suggest you try his method.
Good luck!
Wilbur C. Bigelow, Prof. Emeritus Materials Sci. & Engr., University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136 e-mail: bigelow-at-umich.edu; Fx:734-763-4788; Ph:734-764-3321
On April 7, 1999, I responded to a need that had become apparent on this list, i.e., a source for instruction manuals for older instruments. I suggested that "It would be a real service to our community if a master compilation of these manuals, with a suitable index and regular updates, could be put together."
I could not volunteer personally for this task but fortunately several people have responded to this discussion and I thought this would be an appropriate time to summarize the comments. I have not figured out all the company/institutional affiliations for the respondents but the emails are given. I believe that all of these respondents have sent copies of their replies to the entire list so they should be receptive to direct inquires.
Yvan Lindekens suggested large manufacturers might not support idea and there might be a problem with copyrights. I suspect that the copyrights will not be too much of a problem, especially since we do not propose to make any money on the deal. Speaking for my own situation, a request for a manual for an older instrument causes us a lot of trouble in searching out information and never pays for itself directly.
Dmitri Sokolov (sokolov-at-ryouko.rciqe.hokudai.ac.jp) suggested that the idea can be considered a part of his about global knowledge base as self-growing unified searching source of information, as described in his home page.
Uri Watson (uri-at-watson.ibm.com) planning to scan a few manuals and put them on Yvan LIndekens web site.
During the last 2 1/2 months or so there have been numerous other postings askinig for specific manuals and I suspect that many of these may have been responded to privately.
So here is a general framing of the problem.
How to do it? Scanning or copying or a combination.
When to do it? Shgould it be doneas needed/requested or should we try to collect as much as possible at the outset. In either case, there will need to be a master list posted somewhere to show what is available and how to get it, cost, etc.
Where would the effort be centered? We need a site which will be as close to permanent as possible so that the work will not be jeopardized by job changes, etc. Barbara Foster.MME, has volunteered for part of this, though clearly this is subject to change when we see how big a task it turns into.
Reimbursement. Some form of reimbursement would be needed to at least cover direct costs - though reimbursement for time spent would be prohibitive.
Copyrights. Theoretically a problem but maybe not a real problem in practice. A good place to start would be to see what kind of copyright notice, if any, is included in prospective manuals and then we could contact manufacturers as needed. If any manufacturer's representative reading this discussion would like to volunteer their position, it would be helpful.
What would we call the service? Here's a chance for all the punsters/acronymers to jump aboard. How about "MOD squad" for Manuals On Demand?
Volunteers Ed Sharpe, COURYHOUSE-at-aol.com, had server drive space available and is going to scan in the ones that he has.
Barbara Foster, mme-at-map.com, has resources for archiving, copying, shipping. Also specific manuals - see later section.
Yvan Lindekens, yvan.lindekens-at-skynet.be volunteer to help.
Manuals for specific items
Coolwell Model SE chiller, Valdemar Furdanowicz, rwafu-at-bsco.com
Reichert, Barbara Foster
Zeiss, Barbara Foster
Reichert Zetopan, Yvan Lindekens web site
SEM, TEM, and EDX manuals, over 100 instruction sheets, going back to the late 80's, Steve Chapman, Protrain, PROTRAIN-at-compuserve.com
Comments???
Don Marshall
Donald J. Marshall Relion Industries P.O. Box 12 Bedford, MA 01730 Ph: 781-275-4695 FAX: 781-271-0252 email dmrelion-at-world.std.com
Cathodoluminescence, mass spectroscopy, electron beam technology "A weed is a flower out of place."
(Please note: Do not send email with attachments to this address. Instead, send it to donbarlen-at-aol.com. Thank you.)
} A few years back I remember a CD ROM that I saw at the Microscopy and } Analysis meeting which was I think called "The Virtual Microscope". It } covered basic light microscopy, optics and physics. It also had a virtual } microscope upon which users could practice their aligning skills. I am in } need of locating this software for a possible class offering at the } graduate level. Does anybody know of where this program can now be } purchased?
} Larry -
Perhaps you saw it at a RMS meeting. There's a "forthcoming" English CD with that title, but I've had no response from them to several Emails. There is an alternative, done at the University of Washington; it's good, and I believe that it has been improved since I wrote this review for the Project MICRO bibliography:
Pagliaro, l., Murray, C., Curran, G., Orkand, A., and Astion, M. 1997 Microscopy-Tutor. ISBN 0-7817-1217-3 $195.00 plus shipping; distributed by Lippincott-Raven Publishers, 12105 Insurance Way, Hagerstown, MD 21740, 800-638-3030. For Macintosh and Windows 3.1 or 95/NT; easy installation. Developed by the Department of Laboratory Medecine and the Center for Bioengineering at the University of Washington, Seattle, this is a college-level introduction to the use of a research-quality compound microscope. Its extensive use of QuickTime animation to illustrate alignment steps and optical principles make it much more than a "book on a CD"; moving ripples on a pond really do make it easier to understand wave theory! Kohler illumination is emphasized and explained. Most, but not all, terminology is defined; a glossary would help beginners. Proper care of lenses is covered well, but there's no instruction on how to use immersion oil properly. There is a brief concluding self-test that is more of a review of important information than a quiz. Although it's a good CD, it's definitely not appropriate for precollege microscopists. Adult.
Caroline Schooley Educational Outreach Coordinator Microscopy Society of America Box 117, 45301 Caspar Point Road Caspar, CA 95420 Phone/FAX (707)964-9460 Project MICRO: http://www.msa.microscopy.com/ProjectMicro/PMHomePage.html Intertidal invertebrates: http://www.fortbragg.k12.ca.us/AG/PCI/pci.html
For increased staining intensity with Spurr's resin, I routinely use an approximation of the double lead stain technique as published by Daddow in J. Submicrosc. Cytol. 18:221-224 (1986).
The method is as follows: I. Stain sections for 30 secs - 2 mins in lead citrate (either Reynolds or Venable and Coggeshall recipe). Rinse in distilled water and let the sections air dry. 2. Stain with whatever recipe uranyl acetate you normally use for 1-3 mins.; the article describes saturated aqueous, but I use the method found in J.E.M.Technique16:81-82 (1990) . Rinse in distilled water. 3. Immediately transfer the rinsed, but not dry, grids to a fresh drop of the lead citrate and stain for another 30 secs to 2 mins. Rinse in distilled water and air dry.
That's it! It's fast and effective.
M. Nesson--
_______________________________________________________________________ Michael Nesson, Ph.D. Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics 2011 Ag&LS, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-7305 (541)737-5245 FAX:(541)737-0481 nessonm-at-ucs.orst.edu
Hello : We want to determine the distribution of PVA in a composite containing Nylon, glass fibers , PET and paper fibers either by OM or SEM. We were hoping to use image analysis, but are not able to apply segmentation without any further contrast enhancement through staining. We can selectively stain the nylon , and the glass fibers are no problem, but we have not been able to selectively stain the PVA. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Does anyone have a manual that could forward it to me (I would be a copy). Please, tell me how I can pay any associated fees. It was old (maybe 20 years)and has a label with "Carl Zeiss Jena, made in DDR". It has 4 lens under the table that rotate (360 grades). Thanks,
Rejane Pimentel Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco-Brazil Functional Plant Anatomy Av. Boa Viagem, 6592/602 CEP 51130-000, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
Virtual SEM available from Brendan Griffin (bjg-at-cyllene.uwa.edu.au) at UWA Perth he has been giving this away for duplication costs.
He is also co-author of Virtual EDS with Clive Nockolds (clive-at-emu.usyd.edu.au) , that one is for sale at some nominal amount to cover their expenses. I don't know the exact amount but it is relatively cheap ~ $100-200.
I've used both and they are well done.
You should contact Brendan or Clive directly for more information.
Dear Listers, Does anyone have a Hitachi S-450, working or not, for sale? Or the main parts of one? Please reply to me privately.
Thanks, Mary
Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Engineering University of British Columbia 6350 Stores Road Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel: 604-822-5648 e-mail: mager-at-interchg.ubc.ca
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } An investigator is trying to look at some cross bridges in the germaria of a } mutant Drosophila. We have fixed the tissue in 2% Glut in 0.1M cacodylate } buffer, post fixed in 1% OSO4 in 0.lM cacodyalte, treated with 2% Tannic Acid } in the same buffer, and en bloc staining with 2% aqueous uranyl acetate, } followed by routine dehydration. The tissue is embedded in Spurrs's media. } Sections were cut in the 60 nm range. } Stained sections on formvar coated grids with 7% UA in absolute methanol, } followed by Lead Citrate. Also stained sections on plain grids with routine } UA and LC. We liked the plain grids better but the intensity of the stain was } not as great as we would like. The structures of interest are ER-like cisternae, } and are very hard to see. } } Does anyone have any ideas about how to improve the intensity of the stain } or suggestions on how to improve our techniques in order to see our tiny } structures in the germaria? } } } George Lawton } Chief Electron Microscopist } Microscopy and Imaging Service Center } UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas } 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. } Dallas, Tx 75235-9039 } Phone: 214-648-7291 } eMail: George.Lawton-at-email.swmed.edu } } Hi,
Your sections are too thin! And then they are on films! No wonder you cannot see anything. If you cannot use thicker sections and do away with films on grids, try the following (all tested successfully in our lab) Keep the tissue in osmium overnight in the refrigerator. Keep the tissue in the enbloc UA overnight in the refrigerator. Do not embed in Spurr's. Aside from its dangerous toxicity, it has the lowest contrast of the common epoxies. Use Luft (1961), perhaps medium hard (any textbook) and you will see an immediate increase in contrast. Spurr's is so highly crosslinked that poststains penetrate poorly. "Overexpose" your negatives in the TEM! That is, increase the negative density. This often works like charm. Then print on Grade 1 or 2 paper. If you need 3 paper, you need more negative density. Bye, Hildy
In the May 1999 Microscopy Today (#99-4), Gary W. Gill of Diagnostic Cytology Laboratories, Inc., has a short article entitled "Cover Glass Perspectives." Although the article has a lot of interesting information, at one point the author states that one should not use No. 1 1/2 coverglasses even tho they have a nominal thickness of 0.16 to 0.19. He says to use No. 1 coverglass to make up for the "substantial and variable thickness of the mounting medium." This is counter to everything I was ever taught. I always use the minimum mounting media possible and press the slide down firmly on to the coverslip to ensure this is kept as thin as possible.
Isn't standard to use #1 1/2 coverslips? Is there really a school of thought that one should use #1's?
Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility
3 Tucker Hall Division of Biological Sciences University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211-7400 (573)-882-4712 (voice) (573)-882-0123 (fax)
RESEARCH RESOURCES CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
Position Title: MICROSCOPY SPECIALIST
The Electron Microscopy Facility of the Research Resources Center (RRC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago has an open position for a Microscopy Specialist. The facility provides electron and laser/ light microscopy services for the university research community and external organisations from two sites on the campus. The open position is in the recently completed RRC-East facility which specialises in physical and materials science fields. The east side facility includes JEOL JEM-3010 and JEOL JEM-100CX TEMs, JEOL JEM-2010F and VG HB501 STEMs, a JEOL JXA733 Microprobe and a Renishaw Raman Spectrometer.
The person we are looking for should have a bachelors's degree minimum and preferably a master's degree or higher in physical sciences, engineering or a related field, with at least four years experience in laser and electron microscopy. They will supervise the operation of the expanding laser microscopy area (Raman Spectroscopy and Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy), including record keeping and maintenance and will assist the staff in the day to day running of the Electron Microscopes and preparation area. Interpersonal/ Communications skills are important as this individual will work with users, provide technical advice and demonstrate how microscopy can advance their research.
Further information may be obtained by consulting the following website: http://www.rrc.uic.edu/
For consideration, interested parties should send an application letter, complete curriculum vitae, and the names and addresses of three references to:
Gordon L. Humphrey, Ph.D. (gordo-at-uic.edu) Research Resources Center (m/c 937) University of Illinois at Chicago 835 S. Wolcott Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60612-7341
Voice: (312) 996-7600 Fax: (312) 996-0539
Alan W Nicholls, PhD Manager - Electron Microscopy Service Research Resources Center - East (M/C 337) Room 100 Science and Engineering South Building The University of Illinois at Chicago 845 West Taylor St Chicago, IL 60607-7058
Dear Friends' I am looking information about a scanner for 3.25X4inch TEM sheet film negatives. I shall very much appreciate any information from users of this size or multiple size negative scanner. Thanking you C.Singla.
I am interested in analyzing air particles collected in a beryllium processing facility for mineral forms of Be (BeO, Be, CuBe, BeF). Do you have TEM/EELS capabilities to run such analyzes. Work will commence in July.
Thank you for your interest. ------------------------------- Renee M Kalmes CIH Managing Scientist Environmental Group 149 Commonwealth Drive Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 688-1757phone (650) 688-1799 fax http://www.exponent.com
Dear listers, we have an ultratome III. When we get sections for TEM (thin sections), it produces sections with irregular thickness; moreover we have really difficult to get very thin sections. We suspect some of wrong at the level of the heating coil, but we do not have experience in that. Could someone help us?
Moreover, could someone indicate prizes and companies that sell ultramicrotome or are there some second hand ultramicrotome availbale?
Thanks a lot for your answers and time.
Cheers,
dr Enrico de Lillo Istituto di Entomologia agraria - Universit=E0 Bari - Italy tel. +39 080 5443105 fax +39 080 5442876 email: delillo-at-agr.uniba.it http://193.204.185.103/de_lillo.htm
Different lenses are corrected for different cover glass thicknesses, and there are lenses corrected for use with no cover glass. Your microscope manufacturer should be able to tell you more about details. I always thought that 0.17mm was the standard (which falls into the 1 1/2 thickness). No 1 cover glasses are better if you want to apply pressure more directly more locally, but they also break more easily. my 2p Best wishes
Stephan Helfer +44(0)131 248 2865; fax +44(0)131 248 2901 ------------------------------------------- To most people 'solutions' mean finding the answers. But to chemists solutions are things that are still all mixed up. (Science Explained)
Somehow I am missing part C of my Zeiss manual, especially part C 3.3 which explains how to mecahnically align the lenses to the Zeiss EM 10C/10CR electron microscope.
Does anyone know this procedure? Or is it possible for anyone to fax me this section of the manual that I am missing???
Thankyou.
Garry Burgess
Charge Technologist Electron Microscopy Laboratory Department of Pathology Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg, Canada Ph: 204-787-1508
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } An investigator is trying to look at some cross bridges in the germaria of a } mutant Drosophila. We have fixed the tissue in 2% Glut in 0.1M cacodylate } buffer, post fixed in 1% OSO4 in 0.lM cacodyalte, treated with 2% Tannic Acid } in the same buffer, and en bloc staining with 2% aqueous uranyl acetate, } followed by routine dehydration. The tissue is embedded in Spurrs's media. } Sections were cut in the 60 nm range. } Stained sections on formvar coated grids with 7% UA in absolute methanol, } followed by Lead Citrate. Also stained sections on plain grids with routine } UA and LC. We liked the plain grids better but the intensity of the stain was } not as great as we would like. The structures of interest are ER-like cisternae, } and are very hard to see. } } Does anyone have any ideas about how to improve the intensity of the stain } or suggestions on how to improve our techniques in order to see our tiny } structures in the germaria? } } } George Lawton } Chief Electron Microscopist } Microscopy and Imaging Service Center } UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas } 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. } Dallas, Tx 75235-9039 } Phone: 214-648-7291 } eMail: George.Lawton-at-email.swmed.edu } } Hi,
Your sections are too thin! And then they are on films! No wonder you cannot see anything. If you cannot use thicker sections and do away with films on grids, try the following (all tested successfully in our lab) Keep the tissue in osmium overnight in the refrigerator. Keep the tissue in the enbloc UA overnight in the refrigerator. Do not embed in Spurr's. Aside from its dangerous toxicity, it has the lowest contrast of the common epoxies. Use Luft (1961), perhaps medium hard (any textbook) and you will see an immediate increase in contrast. Spurr's is so highly crosslinked that poststains penetrate poorly. "Overexpose" your negatives in the TEM! That is, increase the negative density. This often works like charm. Then print on Grade 1 or 2 paper. If you need 3 paper, you need more negative density. Bye, Hildy
I was wondering if anyone uses a dilute solvent in the diamond knife boat = when collecting carbon coated grids? I suspect a strong concentration = would affect the glue holding the diamond knife in place, but wondered if = a dilute amount would even bother it? (Diatome knives are what I am using = if there are differences between the glue used in other brands). Reason = being, is that I am finding when I attempt to collect my sections, they = tend to scatter and most of them are found along the edges of the grid. = There is a hydrophobic effect happening with the carbon, and any quick = suggestions would be appreciated, to help alleviate this problem. Thanks, Susan
Susan Carbyn Electron Microscopy Technician Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 32 Main Street, Kentville, Nova Scotia B4N 1J5 Canada
1) Try using Epon/Araldite embedding resins, old recipes. Those have unparalleled staining properties.
2) Do try it WITHOUT tannic acid, if you haven't yet. This should give notably better resolution.
3) How much time does the material spend in glutaraldehyde, OsO4? For high resolution of "tiny structures", it should not be left at any stage longer than necessary. Higher concentrations of glutaraldehyde (3-4%) may be worth trying, too.
4) Did you try using lower accelerating voltage?
5) Do stick with aqueous en bloc UA, and, as long as possible, naked grids.
Hope something helps. Sincerely, Vlad.
} } An investigator is trying to look at some cross bridges in the germaria of a } mutant Drosophila. We have fixed the tissue in 2% Glut in 0.1M cacodylate } buffer, post fixed in 1% OSO4 in 0.lM cacodyalte, treated with 2% Tannic Acid } in the same buffer, and en bloc staining with 2% aqueous uranyl acetate, } followed by routine dehydration. The tissue is embedded in Spurrs's media. } Sections were cut in the 60 nm range. } Stained sections on formvar coated grids with 7% UA in absolute methanol, } followed by Lead Citrate. Also stained sections on plain grids with routine } UA and LC. We liked the plain grids better but the intensity of the stain was } not as great as we would like. The structures of interest are ER-like cisternae, } and are very hard to see. } } Does anyone have any ideas about how to improve the intensity of the stain } or suggestions on how to improve our techniques in order to see our tiny } structures in the germaria? } } } George Lawton } Chief Electron Microscopist } Microscopy and Imaging Service Center } UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas } 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. } Dallas, Tx 75235-9039 } Phone: 214-648-7291 } eMail: George.Lawton-at-email.swmed.edu } } Vladislav V. Speransky School of Marine Sciences University of Maine 5722 Deering Hall Orono, ME 04469-5722 Phone: 207 581 2998 Fax: 207 581 2969 Email: vladis-at-maine.maine.edu
Any tips, info., papers about the use of bacitracin when negative staining would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Kim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kimberly A. Riddle Florida State University tel: 850.644.6519 Biological Science Imaging Resource 119 Bio Unit I, 4370 fax: 850.644.0481 Tallahassee, FL 32306 riddle-at-bio.fsu.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: Optical Microscopy and Imaging in the Biomedical Sciences
When: October 6 - October 14, 1999
Where: Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
Tuition: $2050 (Includes room and board, text, handouts, supplies)
Application Deadline: August 3, 1999
Admission application and information: Carol Hamel, Admissions Coordinator Marine Biological Laboratory 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA 02543-1015 (508) 289-7401 Internet: admissions-at-mbl.edu WWW: http://www.mbl.edu (Application forms available via Adobe Acrobat)
Course Director: Colin S. Izzard, State University of New York -at- Albany Phone: [518] 442 - 4367 EMail: csizzard-at-csc.albany.edu
Course Description:
For Whom: Designed primarily for research scientists, physicians, postdoctoral trainees and advanced graduate students in animal, plant, medical and material sciences. Non-biologists seeking a comprehensive introduction to microscopy and video-imaging will benefit greatly from this course as well. There are no specific prerequisites, but an understanding of the basic principles of optics is desirable. Limited to 24 students.
The eight day course consists of lectures, laboratory demonstrations, exercises and discussions that will enable the participant to obtain and interpret microscope images of high quality, to perform quantitative optical
measurements, and to produce photographic and video records for documentation and analysis.
Topics to be covered include: principles of microscope design and image formation bright field, dark field, phase contrast, polarized light, differential interference contrast, interference reflection, and fluorescence microscopy confocal scanning microscopy, multiphoton excitation fluorescence microscopy and image deconvolution digital image restoration and 3-D reconstruction video imaging, recording, enhancement, and intensification analog and digital image processing and analysis fluorescent probes and ratiometric-imaging laser tweezers and laser scissors
Applications to live cells will be emphasized; other specimens will be covered as well.
Students will have direct hands-on experience with state-of-the-art microscopes, video cameras, recorders and image processing equipment provided by major optical and electronics companies. Instruction will be provided by experienced staff from universities and industry.
Students are encouraged to bring their own biological (primary cultures, cell lines, etc.) and material specimens and to discuss individual
I have used "Micro," a glassware cleaner, which contains EDTA to complex metals, to remove LaB6 residues. Use a fairly concentrated 25 to 50% solution in water and sonicate. Beware that this is only for stainless steels and will damage copper and brass components. Prof. Bigelow's suggestion about the hydrochloric acid sounds good and I'll have to try that next time.
regards,
Dave Audette OSRAM Sylvania Beverly, MA david.audette-at-sylvania.com
} -----Original Message----- } From: Keith Moulding [SMTP:mcmouldk-at-ust.hk] } Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 11:56 AM } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: Cleaning Wehnelts } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Hi, } } Any good chemical recipes for cleaning LaB6 oxide deposits? W seems to be } the flavour of the month. } } Keith. } }
Here in Australia the suppliers of coverglasses seem to promote No. 1 covers probably for the reason that adding a thin layer of mountant increases the thickness. Don't be fooled by what the manufacturers say their coverglass thicknesses are. A friend measured several boxes of them and found that they varied outside the limits stated. My friend was photographing Diatoms and needed the 'perfect' slide. He ended up measuring all coverglasses and separating out those that he wanted for photomicrography and used the others for routine work. All very time consuming and not really applicable to the busy lab.
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Dear Tom
Different lenses are corrected for different cover glass thicknesses, and there are lenses corrected for use with no cover glass. Your microscope manufacturer should be able to tell you more about details. I always thought that 0.17mm was the standard (which falls into the 1 1/2 thickness). No 1 cover glasses are better if you want to apply pressure more directly more locally, but they also break more easily. my 2p Best wishes
Stephan Helfer +44(0)131 248 2865; fax +44(0)131 248 2901 ------------------------------------------- To most people 'solutions' mean finding the answers. But to chemists solutions are things that are still all mixed up. (Science Explained)
(SMTP Gateway for microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com); Wed, 23 Jun 1999 18:42:46 -0400 Message-Id: {199906232242.SAA01931-at-gateway.ppg.com} Received: by gateway.ppg.com (Protected-side Proxy Mail Agent-1); Wed, 23 Jun 1999 18:42:46 -0400
Could someone tell me the best way to prepare clay particles for TEM. I'm interested in small particles, micron to sub-micron in size in both the dry state and hydrated state. Thanks in advance. Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Is there an accepted minimum number of pixels that should be used in determining the linear distance between two resolved points (for example, in a resolution check) in the image of a sample. This would essentially identify the minimum magnification required for a given digital image size.
I'm thinking that the absolute minimum in an image with no noise would be three (e.g. dark - bright - dark), But more realistically should be something like 5 or 7.
Also, what is the minimum difference in contrast levels say for an 8-bit image to be able to say that the features are in fact resolved? Should the difference be greater than the square root of the pixel with the highest brightness?
} I was wondering if anyone uses a dilute solvent in the diamond knife boat } when collecting carbon coated grids? I suspect a strong concentration } would affect the glue holding the diamond knife in place, but wondered if } a dilute amount would even bother it? (Diatome knives are what I am using } if there are differences between the glue used in other brands). Reason } being, is that I am finding when I attempt to collect my sections, they } tend to scatter and most of them are found along the edges of the grid. } There is a hydrophobic effect happening with the carbon, and any quick } suggestions would be appreciated, to help alleviate this problem.
} Susan Carbyn
Susan -
The best approach is glow discharge. If your vacuum evaporator isn't equipped to do it, adding a Tesla coil to your system is inexpensive and should be simple.
Caroline Schooley Educational Outreach Coordinator Microscopy Society of America Box 117, 45301 Caspar Point Road Caspar, CA 95420 Phone/FAX (707)964-9460 Project MICRO: http://www.msa.microscopy.com/ProjectMicro/PMHomePage.html Intertidal invertebrates: http://www.fortbragg.k12.ca.us/AG/PCI/pci.html
We have a Noran Voyager II EDXS system which runs on a Unix box under SunView. The data is stored in a proprietary format and can be converted to EMSA file format on the Voyager. A huge amount of data has been backed up on to floppy disk and reloading all the data on to the Voyager, converting it to EMSA format and the putting it all back on to floppies is not really an option we want to consider!!!
We were wondering if there were any programs around which could read the proprietary format on either a PC or Mac.
Thanks very much for any information you can provide.
Colin Veitch
Instrumentation Scientist Electron Microscopy Textile and Material Technology Group CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology PO Box 21, BELMONT, Vic. 3216. Australia.
The information contained in this e-mail message may be privileged or confidential information. If you are not an intended recipient, you may not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this message in error, please telephone CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology on +61 3 5246 4000.
The question of when can you call a feature "resolved" is interesting. I was wondering if it could be described as resolved if its average pixel value and its standard deviation was significantly greater than the average pixel value of its surrounding nieghbors and their standard deviation? The test for significance may tell you the "n" needed or number of pixels needed to be valid. I dont know. What do you think?
Bob Derm Imaging Center University of Washington
On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Walck. Scott D. wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Is there an accepted minimum number of pixels that should be used in } determining the linear distance between two resolved points (for example, in } a resolution check) in the image of a sample. This would essentially } identify the minimum magnification required for a given digital image size. } } I'm thinking that the absolute minimum in an image with no noise would be } three (e.g. dark - bright - dark), But more realistically should be } something like 5 or 7. } } Also, what is the minimum difference in contrast levels say for an 8-bit } image to be able to say that the features are in fact resolved? Should the } difference be greater than the square root of the pixel with the highest } brightness? } } Any ideas? } } -Scott } }
I am missing Part C (section C 3.3) of my original Zeiss manual which describes how to align the lenses of this microscope (mechanically), so I wondered if anyone could tell me the procedure, since I don't know how to do that. The microscope was moved from one room to another, and the lenses seem to have been thrown a little bit out of alignment.
Thankyou,
Garry Burgess Charge Technologist Department of Pathology } Health Sciences Centre
Scott - Nothing easier than dry clay preparation. Just tap against a small paint brush that has been "loaded" with some clay and let the particles settle onto a coated grid. Hold the grid with tweesers and tap these to release any excess and larger clumps. Carbon coat the grid.
Clay naturally includes water within its structure and dried clay is not "real clay". Years ago when I did some limited work on this, nothing useful was published. This may have changed, especially since suitable equipment is more common. Unfortunately ESEM is not likely to provide sufficient resolution. I am doubtful about "environmental" cells in TEM, since these too would lower possible resolution on account of window thickness. Freezing droplets of water and clay (mist) and using a cold stage would be the obvious technique. That equipment was not available years ago. I expect that its now possible to visulize hydrated clay, but the technique would be quite challenging. Cheers Jim Darley
ProSciTech Microscopy PLUS PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia Ph +61 7 4774 0370 Fax:+61 7 4789 2313 service-at-proscitech.com.au Great microscopy catalogue, 500 Links, MSDS, User Notes www.proscitech.com.au
On Thursday, June 24, 1999 8:25 AM, Walck. Scott D. [SMTP:walck-at-ppg.com] wrote: } } } Could someone tell me the best way to prepare clay particles for TEM. I'm } interested in small particles, micron to sub-micron in size in both the dry } state and hydrated state. } Thanks in advance. } Scott } } Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. } PPG Industries, Inc. } Glass Technology Center } Guys Run Rd. (packages) } P. O. Box 11472 (letters) } Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472 } } Walck-at-PPG.com } } (412) 820-8651 (office) } (412) 820-8161 (fax) }
Susan - No problem using a drop of alcohol (ethanol) added to the trough water. A lower water level gives a better placed light reflection and flatter surface. The lower water level also decreases the chance of wetting the block, but the lower surface tension increases that chance. D'oh. Usually no problem though.
It seems that the flatter trough water is largely unrelated to your pick-up problem. I suggest that if you have a nice ribbon, bring a grid up (rim may be bend to the most suitable angle for the tweesers) from underneath with the grid at about 45 degrees to the surface and the rim bisecting the first section. The ribbon is then held in place and centres nicely on the grid. If no nice ribbon is available, round up sections in the trough using a mounted hair or Teflon sliver. Use a loop and bring this up through the water surface centered on the sections. The loop picks up the last drop, which includes the sections. Place a coated grid on a filter paper and jiggle the loop minutely on the grid until the water goes into the paper and the sections will be well placed on the grid. Hydrophobic problems would be minimal if Butvar coated grids were used. Ultimately you can make carbon grids hydrophilic using a Glow Discharge Instrument. ProSciTech and most EM suppliers offer such units (PST only in Australasia) Cheers Jim Darley ProSciTech Microscopy PLUS PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia Ph +61 7 4774 0370 Fax:+61 7 4789 2313 service-at-proscitech.com.au Great microscopy catalogue, 500 Links, MSDS, User Notes www.proscitech.com.au
On Thursday, June 24, 1999 2:56 AM, Susan Carbyn [SMTP:CarbynS-at-em.agr.ca] wrote:
} I was wondering if anyone uses a dilute solvent in the diamond knife boat when } collecting carbon coated grids? I suspect a strong concentration would } affect the glue holding the diamond knife in place, but wondered if a dilute } amount would even bother it? (Diatome knives are what I am using if there } are differences between the glue used in other brands). Reason being, is } that I am finding when I attempt to collect my sections, they tend to scatter } and most of them are found along the edges of the grid. There is a } hydrophobic effect happening with the carbon, and any quick suggestions would } be appreciated, to help alleviate this problem. } Thanks, } Susan } } Susan Carbyn } Electron Microscopy Technician } Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre } Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada } 32 Main Street, Kentville, Nova Scotia B4N 1J5 } Canada } } Phone: (902) 679-5566 } Fax: (902) 679-2311 } } E-mail: carbyns-at-em.agr.ca }
Message text written by Garry Burgess } Hello knowledgeable folks,
I am missing Part C (section C 3.3) of my original Zeiss manual which describes how to align the lenses of this microscope (mechanically), so I wondered if anyone could tell me the procedure, since I don't know how to do that. The microscope was moved from one room to another, and the lenses seem to have been thrown a little bit out of alignment. {
Hi Garry ,
I do not know the mechanical alignment procedure for a Zeiss, but it is a=
TEM so basic alignment principles should do the job for you? Try this
ILLUMINATION LENSES 1. Large spot size with C1 (weak lens) bring C2 to crossover 2. Mechanically align the spot to the centre of the screen with C1 3. Smaller spot size with C1 (stronger lens) bring C2 to crossover 4. Mechanically align the spot to the centre of the screen with C2 5. Repeat 1 through 4 until you have a constant centre.
IMAGING LENSES 1. With a specimen in the microscope go to diffraction 2. Align the diffraction spot with the centre of the screen with the=
last lens (Could be called Projector 2, or just Projector?) 3. Slowly increase the magnification until around 30 to 60KX the image flips through diffraction (bright diffraction flash and the image flips over as another lens switches on). There will have been a similar action at a lower magnification but this is less important in most labs. 4. One step below this point centre a feature on the screen with the=
stage drives 5. One step above this point centre feature with the last but one le= ns mechanical alignments on the column (Could be called Projector 1 or Intermediate 2) 6. One step below this point centre the feature with the final lens mechanical alignments 7. Repeat 5 and 6 for a constant centre but with a flip over.
STANDARD PROCEDURES With any system the actions are always, or nearly always, the same. Cent= re one lens under a weak condition and then centre the other under a stronge= r condition. Similar procedures are used to bring gun and illumination deflection coil systems into a common alignment. My problem is how many imaging lenses do you have and how many of them may be aligned?
Please come back if you need more
Steve Chapman
Senior Consultant E.M. Protrain, 16 Hedgerley, Chinnor, Oxford OX9 4TN, England. Tel & Fax 44 (0)1844 353161 Web Site - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/protrain For Consultancy and Courses in Electron Microscopy World Wide
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: MichaelD {michaeld-at-amsg.austmus.gov.au} Aan: Tom Phillips {PhillipsT-at-missouri.edu} ; Stephan Helfer {S.Helfer-at-rbge.org.uk} CC: microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com {microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com} Datum: jeudi 24 juin 1999 5:38 Onderwerp: Re[2]: coverglass thickness
The expression "cover glass thickness" as used by the manufacturers of microscope optics is misleading, as it means in reality:
the thickness of the layer of adhesive used + the thickness of the object + the thickness of the layer of mountant used + the thickness of the coverslip...
That's why it's usualy better to use thinner coverslips, especially for critical slides...
Mike Dingley and his friend are right: the number "1 1/2" only means that the majority of the coverslips is (about) 0.170 microns...
I've also measured some boxes of coverslips from a high-quality German Brand, using a precision micrometer. This was the result from some boxes of 22 * 22 mm coverslips chosen at random:
150 - 160: 21 p. 160-170: 56 p. 170 - 180: 23 p.
That's why it's sometimes advised in (amateur-)literature to measure the thickness of the coverslips. The thicker slips can than be used for large(r) whole mounts, the thinner for critical specimens. Of course, for amateurs this can be considered as "part of the fun", for pro's it's only time-consuming thus expensive!
I know from experience, that it's sometimes very difficult to obtain decent images from "routine slides", especially when using high-quality objectives. As an example: it's very difficult to make decent photomicrographs using, as I often do, an objective 45x/0.90 APO, due to the spherical abberation introduced as a result of incorrect cover glass thickness... These abb's become very noticiable when objectives with an N.A. higher than 0.50 are used... That's an interesting paradox as it means sometimes: "the better the optics, the worser the image"!
Possible remedies are:
* using cover slips of the correct thickness * using homogenious immersion objectives (if availlable) * correcting the tube length of the microscope (if possible)
(All the above is only applicable to microscopes/optics designed for a fixed tube length of 160/170mm: I don't have any experience with infinity corrected optics).
On Thu, 24 Jun 1999 14:06:00 +1000 jim {jim-at-proscitech.com.au} wrote: } I am doubtful about "environmental" cells in TEM, since } these too would lower possible resolution on account of } window thickness.
Dear Jim,
I must defend the "environmental" cells in TEM. We are one of several groups around the world (in USA, Japan and Europe)using this technique and we can obtain point resolution of 0.25nm. This will obviously depend on gas type and pressure but apertured cells do not suffer from window thickness effects.
We have used water vapour to study reactions but we have not to looked at hydrated clays.
Regards, Ron
Ron Doole. Department of Materials, phone +44 (0)1865 273701 University of Oxford, fax +44 (0)1865 283333 Parks Road. Oxford. OX1 3PH. ron.doole-at-materials.ox.ac.uk
Bob, Theoretically your definition sounds valid. In reality though, one complicating factor is noise. Then it comes down to reproducibility or validating a detection. Russ, Xerox
-----Original Message----- } From: Robert Underwood [mailto:underwoo-at-u.washington.edu] Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 1999 11:58 PM To: Walck. Scott D. Cc: Micro
Hi,
The question of when can you call a feature "resolved" is interesting. I was wondering if it could be described as resolved if its average pixel value and its standard deviation was significantly greater than the average pixel value of its surrounding nieghbors and their standard deviation? The test for significance may tell you the "n" needed or number of pixels needed to be valid. I dont know. What do you think?
Bob Derm Imaging Center University of Washington
On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Walck. Scott D. wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Is there an accepted minimum number of pixels that should be used in } determining the linear distance between two resolved points (for example, in } a resolution check) in the image of a sample. This would essentially } identify the minimum magnification required for a given digital image size. } } I'm thinking that the absolute minimum in an image with no noise would be } three (e.g. dark - bright - dark), But more realistically should be } something like 5 or 7. } } Also, what is the minimum difference in contrast levels say for an 8-bit } image to be able to say that the features are in fact resolved? Should the } difference be greater than the square root of the pixel with the highest } brightness? } } Any ideas? } } -Scott } }
Nucip Guven in the Geosciences Department at Texas Tech University makes his living looking at clay with the TEM. Give Dr. Guven a call or look for some of his papers.
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Could someone tell me the best way to prepare clay particles for TEM. I'm interested in small particles, micron to sub-micron in size in both the dry state and hydrated state. Thanks in advance. Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
by moe.optics.rochester.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA29867 for {Microscopy-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com} ; Thu, 24 Jun 1999 08:51:11 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: {l03130303b397d7ea593b-at-[128.151.240.75]} Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
hello all-
i've noticed that the island size from a typical Au/Au-Pd sputtering system seems much bigger when viewed in a high resolution FESEM (meaning that it is easier to resolve the islands!). is there any trick to setting up a Cr system, or is it as simple as putting a Cr target in a high vacuum sputtering system? i have a turbo pumped vacuum station i'm thinking of building up into a Cr capable system and wonder if there are things to be aware of...
Brian McIntyre mailto:mcintyre-at-optics.rochester.edu Sr. Engineer lab: 716-275-3058/4875 River Campus EMLab fax: 716-244-4936 University of Rochester Rochester, NY 14620
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." - Unknown
We don't use any metals for charge collection coatings because of the visible-island-problem. We switched to carbon coating all SEM samples (that need coating) long ago. A little less contrast but no artifacts to 200kX. The carbon coating should be quite thin. About 10 nm or less--that's just a quick flash of carbon. More is definitely not better.
Ron Anderson, IBM, Hopewell Jct., New York, USA. anderron-at-us.ibm.com
IBM Analytical Services; http://www.chips.ibm.com/services/asg
Noran now makes an EDS package based on a Windows NT workstation. All your data should be compatible with this new system. When we upgraded, we transferred all our old spectra onto Jazz discs using an FTP, and we were able to access them without a problem with the new software. The new system is called Vantage, and despite being on an NT machine, still retains the look, feel and functionality of the Voyager software. You may want to contact them and see if they'll offer to do the transfer for you.
Hope this helps,
David Bell Scientist Electron Microscopy Lab Millipore Corporation 80 Ashby Road Bedford, MA 01730 (781) 533-2108
I just saw a demonstration of the Cresington High Resolution coater by Alan Berginc. This is a magnetron sputter unit. For Cr, he kept the shutter closed and watched the plasma until it changed color from a purple hue to this beautiful blue color. At that point, he said that the oxide on the target has been removed and that is when the deposition can start. I don't know what color-blind people will do. -Scott
Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. PPG Industries, Inc. Glass Technology Center Guys Run Rd. (packages) P. O. Box 11472 (letters) Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472
Walck-at-PPG.com
(412) 820-8651 (office) (412) 820-8161 (fax)
"The opinions expressed are those of Scott D. Walck and not of PPG Industries, Inc. nor of any PPG-associated companies."
---------- } From: Brian McIntyre To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
hello all-
i've noticed that the island size from a typical Au/Au-Pd sputtering system seems much bigger when viewed in a high resolution FESEM (meaning that it is easier to resolve the islands!). is there any trick to setting up a Cr system, or is it as simple as putting a Cr target in a high vacuum sputtering system? i have a turbo pumped vacuum station i'm thinking of building up into a Cr capable system and wonder if there are things to be aware of...
Brian McIntyre mailto:mcintyre-at-optics.rochester.edu Sr. Engineer lab: 716-275-3058/4875 River Campus EMLab fax: 716-244-4936 University of Rochester Rochester, NY 14620
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." - Unknown
I am starting to think about the 7th APEM, and was wondering if there will be a sufficient number of people interested in electron microscopy of polymers. What I have in mind is:
(i) an oral presentation on the deformation morphology of polyethylene;
(ii) a poster presentation on optimizing the morphology of polypropylene for use in crash barriers.
Nearly all my co-workers on these projects are from Asian countries. Of course, this is early days, and I would have some logistics to work out.
If you could let me know if there is a substantial polymer interesting, I would be glad to know.
You can see what polymers look like under the EM on:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/~spsolley/alien.html
Yours sincerely,
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Robert H.Olley Phone: | | J.J.Thomson Physical Laboratory {direct line +44 (0) 118 9318572 | | University of Reading {University internal extension 7867 | | Whiteknights Fax +44 (0) 118 9750203 | | Reading RG6 6AF Email: R.H.Olley-at-reading.ac.uk | | England URL: http://www.reading.ac.uk/~spsolley | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Noran now makes an EDS package based on a Windows NT workstation. All your data should be compatible with this new system. When we upgraded, we transferred all our old spectra onto Jazz discs using an FTP, and we were able to access them without a problem with the new software. The new system is called Vantage, and despite being on an NT machine, still retains the look, feel and functionality of the Voyager software. You may want to contact them and see if they'll offer to do the transfer for you.
Hope this helps,
David Bell Scientist Electron Microscopy Lab Millipore Corporation 80 Ashby Road Bedford, MA 01730 (781) 533-2108
} --- } } Is there an accepted minimum number of pixels that should be used in } determining the linear distance between two resolved points } (for example, in } a resolution check) in the image of a sample. This would essentially } identify the minimum magnification required for a given } digital image size. } } I'm thinking that the absolute minimum in an image with no } noise would be } three (e.g. dark - bright - dark), But more realistically should be } something like 5 or 7.
I'm not too sure what you're asking ... but if its in regard to how "resolution" is defined for digital images (pixels per inch) versus the historical definition (the distance between 2 resolvable points) ... a general working definition is pixel pairs, or the distance between the middle a first pixel and the middle a third with a discernable pixel between. For fine photography 7 line pairs is acceptable, but if you magnify an acceptable line pair, I don't think 5 pixels is needed ... a pixel pair should suffice. } } Also, what is the minimum difference in contrast levels say } for an 8-bit } image to be able to say that the features are in fact } resolved? Should the } difference be greater than the square root of the pixel with } the highest brightness? } That would seem an acceptable value ... I have only seen this issue addressed as the darker pixel being no brighter than the height of the lighter pixel (FWHM), but that wouldn't seem suitable for a pixel value. But again, resolution is generally defined by an average person's ability to see ... i.e, a photograph. It would be an interesting value to determine and standardize for the sake of quantitative instrumental measurements and image analysis.
cheerios, shAf
{} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ cogito, ergo zZOooOM /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {\/} /\ {} Michael Shaffer, R.A. - ICQ 210524 Geological Science's Electron Probe Facility - University of Oregon mshaf-at-darkwing.uoregon.edu - http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~mshaf/
I don't know where it was published ( I think in J. of Ultrastructure Research) but if you search by authors: Dr. Harry L. Malech & John P. Albert. "Negative Staining of Protein Macromolecules: A Simple Rapid Method" One of the slickest negative stains I've ever done. If all else fails I have a copy that I can send you.
Best,
Al Coritz Cryobiology Product Manager, Ventana-RMC
-----Original Message----- } From: Kim Riddle [mailto:riddle-at-bio.fsu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 1999 11:57 AM To: microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com
To all,
Any tips, info., papers about the use of bacitracin when negative staining would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Kim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kimberly A. Riddle Florida State University tel: 850.644.6519 Biological Science Imaging Resource 119 Bio Unit I, 4370 fax: 850.644.0481 Tallahassee, FL 32306 riddle-at-bio.fsu.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been looking at niobium-rich precipitates in a AISI 430-like stainless steel. Using a QBSE detector and the atomic number contrast between the Nb-rich precipitates and the Fe matrix, I can acquire images of bright precipitates against a black background, clear enough for image analysis. I have been trying to use these images for volume fraction determinations, but am unsure whether this is reliable/feasible. Does anyone have any experience with a similar problem?
Thank you very much,
Adam Scott
******************************** Adam Scott MSc Student Department of Materials Engineering University of Cape Town 7701 South Africa Ph: 612929 (h) Ph: 650 3181 (w) Fax: 689 7571 ***********************************
Hello, I'm interested in using a resin for looking at a porous material's pore networks with a bright dye. Could anyone recommend some resins which are useful, or point me in the right direction to get a reference on different resins used for sample preparation and their properties?
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Gordon Ante Vrdoljak 1 Cyclotron Road ICQ 23243541 http://nature.berkeley.edu/~gvrdolja MS90-1116 GAVrdoljak-at-lbl.gov Ernest Orlando phone (510) 495-2829 Lawrence Berkeley fax (510) 486-7797 National Laboratory cell (510) 290-6793 Berkeley CA 94720
Can anyone help a colleague to locate the following product or an equivalent?? Also, does someone have an address for a Histo listserver??
Thanks. Ann Lehman Trinity College Hartford, CT
--------------------
What I am seeking is not powdered albumen, but a commerical mixture of albumen, plus glycerine, and bacteriostatic somethings. I believe it is just called "Albumen Fixative" or "Albumen Solution". The word fixative refers to fixing (adhering) the paraffin sections to slides. We use it to coat slides so sections will stick. A large bottle sells for a nomimal price.
1) spatial resolution: I think, it is beneficial to go away from "what can we see", as that involves the observer, to "what can be transmitted". And the transmission is governed by the Nyquist and Shannon limits, which essentially say the same: To transmit a given frequency faithfully, it has to be sampled at twice that frequency. In other words, the theoretical resolution limit is given by half of your pixel frequency. In the real world, there is no abrupt cut-off, but higher frequencies are transmitted with decreasing accuracy. Of course, the resolution of the microscope and other factors play a role as well. If the microscope can resolve .3 nm, there is no point in sampling at 0.03 nm. The resolution will not increase.
2) Regarding significant changes in gray levels: This is strictly a matter of statistics. There are two sources of noise in the images: Noise that is produced by the camera and shot noise from the electron statistics. Let's say, the camera produces a noise of 2 gray values (1-sigma value) and you try to measure 100 electrons, and these electrons (100) produce a gray value of also 100 (to make it easier). The shot noise is then sqrt(100)=10. That is the 1-sigma value. The total 1-sigma noise is then 12 gray values. In other words, if pixel A has a value of 100 and pixel B has a value of 112, there is about a 68% chance that they are actually different. This chance increases to about 95% if Pixel B has a value of 124 and to about 99.7% if pixel B has a value of 136 (3-sigma). As you can see, the values change with the number of electrons, i.e., with exposure.
Hope that helps.
Michael
Michael Bode, Ph.D. Soft Imaging System Corp. 1675 Carr St., #105N Lakewood, CO 80215 =================================== phone: (888) FIND SIS (303) 234-9270 fax: (303) 234-9271 email: mailto:info-at-soft-imaging.com web: http://www.soft-imaging.com ===================================
-----Original Message----- } From: Exchange Administrator Sent: Thursday, June 24, 1999 1:57 AM To: Michael Bode
Hi,
The question of when can you call a feature "resolved" is interesting. I was wondering if it could be described as resolved if its average pixel value and its standard deviation was significantly greater than the average pixel value of its surrounding nieghbors and their standard deviation? The test for significance may tell you the "n" needed or number of pixels needed to be valid. I dont know. What do you think?
Bob Derm Imaging Center University of Washington
On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Walck. Scott D. wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Is there an accepted minimum number of pixels that should be used in } determining the linear distance between two resolved points (for example, in } a resolution check) in the image of a sample. This would essentially } identify the minimum magnification required for a given digital image size. } } I'm thinking that the absolute minimum in an image with no noise would be } three (e.g. dark - bright - dark), But more realistically should be } something like 5 or 7. } } Also, what is the minimum difference in contrast levels say for an 8-bit } image to be able to say that the features are in fact resolved? Should the } difference be greater than the square root of the pixel with the highest } brightness? } } Any ideas? } } -Scott } }
If you are taking images of only one plane through your matrix, then I think there is no way you can measure volume fractions with certainty. You are only looking at a 2-dimensional cross section through a 3-dimensional object. Consider, for example, needle-like precipitates. If you cut them perpendicular to the long axis, you will see small circular pecipitates,if you cut them along the long axis, you'll see elongated pecipitates, and the area fraction on your images will change as well.
In other words: If you can assume, that there is no preferred orientation or other anisotropy in your precipitates, you should be able to use the numbers you get from the images. If you can't be sure of that, you probably need to cut the matrix in different directions and compare the results.
Michael
Michael Bode, Ph.D. Soft Imaging System Corp. 1675 Carr St., #105N Lakewood, CO 80215 =================================== phone: (888) FIND SIS (303) 234-9270 fax: (303) 234-9271 email: mailto:info-at-soft-imaging.com web: http://www.soft-imaging.com ===================================
} ---------- } From: Adam[SMTP:ASCOTT1-at-ENGFAC.UCT.AC.ZA] } Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 1999 11:53:37 AM } To: Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com } Subject: (Backscattered) - Ppts in Stainless Steel } Auto forwarded by a Rule } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Hello
I have been looking at niobium-rich precipitates in a AISI 430-like stainless steel. Using a QBSE detector and the atomic number contrast between the Nb-rich precipitates and the Fe matrix, I can acquire images of bright precipitates against a black background, clear enough for image analysis. I have been trying to use these images for volume fraction determinations, but am unsure whether this is reliable/feasible. Does anyone have any experience with a similar problem?
Thank you very much,
Adam Scott
******************************** Adam Scott MSc Student Department of Materials Engineering University of Cape Town 7701 South Africa Ph: 612929 (h) Ph: 650 3181 (w) Fax: 689 7571 ***********************************
Now how to measure that practically for those of us who don't know how many whatsits are contributing to the signal we are digitizing?
May I suggest that an image be collected from a homogenous area, and maybe a defocused image at that, using the same conditions (signal strength) that would be used on the real image. Thus the only change in brightness from pixel to pixel should be due to random noise from whatever and all sources. A neighborhood of pixels could then be analyzed to determine the standard deviation of the measurements taken at that gray level. The exercise might need to be repeated at the mean gray level of the other feature. And I suppose the same info might be available from a gray level histogram, but the peak width would have to be translated into the standard deviation.
Then I suppose that if you were to have a triplet of pixels with the middle one darker than its neighbors by more than the threshold value, then you could say that you have resolved two features and the resolution of the image is eaual to the spacing of a couple of pixels. If it takes more than one pixel increment for the gray level to drop below the threshold, then would not your image be oversampled to that degree? your pixels are spaced closer than your microscope resolution warrants.
Then there will be the other question. What should the pixel spacing be to get good length measurements on a feature? If I measure a feature at 3 pixels, am I not implicitly saying that it is 3 +/- 1/2 pixels and that I have a 25% uncertainty? Seems that the answer will depend some on the size of the particles being measured. The resolution of the scope will be a limiting factor for small features, but how about larger ones?
Warren S.
Michael Bode wrote:
{snip} 2) Regarding significant changes in gray levels: This is strictly a matter of statistics. There are two sources of noise in the images: Noise that is produced by the camera and shot noise from the electron statistics. Let's say, the camera produces a noise of 2 gray values (1-sigma value) and you try to measure 100 electrons, and these electrons (100) produce a gray value of also 100 (to make it easier). The shot noise is then sqrt(100)=10. That is the 1-sigma value. The total 1-sigma noise is then 12 gray values. In other words, if pixel A has a value of 100 and pixel B has a value of 112, there is about a 68% chance that they are actually different. This chance increases to about 95% if Pixel B has a value of 124 and to about 99.7% if pixel B has a value of 136 (3-sigma). As you can see, the values change with the number of electrons, i.e., with exposure.
It should be a valid method if your surface represents a true cross section through your sample. If inclusions are plucked out during polishing, or if they are selectively etched or left behind during polishing or etching, then you would have errors. Your surface would not be a true sampling of the section.
Another thing to beware of is the choice of threshold level for detecting the particles. If your features are small in relation to your resolution, the measured fraction is very much a function of the choice of threshold level. Try multiple measurements on a single image and see how sensitive (or not) the measurements are to the threshold setting.
At 05:53 PM 6/23/1999 +0000, you wrote: } I have been looking at niobium-rich precipitates in a AISI 430-like } stainless steel. Using a QBSE detector and the atomic number contrast } between the Nb-rich precipitates and the Fe matrix, I can acquire } images of bright precipitates against a black background, clear } enough for image analysis. I have been trying to use these images } for volume fraction determinations, but am unsure whether this is } reliable/feasible. Does anyone have any experience with a similar } problem? } } Thank you very much, } } Adam Scott
} 2) Regarding significant changes in gray levels: } This is strictly a matter of statistics. There are two sources of noise } in the images: Noise that is produced by the camera and shot noise from } the electron statistics. Let's say, the camera produces a noise of 2 } gray values (1-sigma value) and you try to measure 100 electrons, and } these electrons (100) produce a gray value of also 100 (to make it } easier). The shot noise is then sqrt(100)=10. That is the 1-sigma value. } The total 1-sigma noise is then 12 gray values. In other words, if pixel } A has a value of 100 and pixel B has a value of 112, there is about a } 68% chance that they are actually different. This chance increases to } about 95% if Pixel B has a value of 124 and to about 99.7% if pixel B } has a value of 136 (3-sigma). As you can see, the values change with the } number of electrons, i.e., with exposure.
Dear Michael, Most of your two cents are OK, but there are a couple of ringers. First, assuming that the camera noise and shot noise are independent and both are nor- mally distributed, they do not add linearly, but rather as the square root of the sum of the squares. In your example, the total 1-sigma noise would be the square root of 104. Second, the error in the difference of two normally-distributed quantities is, again, the square root of the sum of the squares of the two errors. In your example, assume that the signal from the camera has been dark-current subtracted and that the error in the dark current (=camera noise) is 2, then if the two pixels have values of 100 and 112 with squared errors of 104 and 116, the square of the error of the difference is 220, or the error of the difference is about 15. Furthermore, there are systematic effects for adjacent pixels, so for the question of resolving features, these effects must be taken into account, and they can be complicated. Yours, Bill Tivol
I have appended some references for using bacitracin during negative staining. 'Hope you would find them useful. We use bactracin as a wetting agent routinely and get excellent results (see "Negative Staining" under "Gallery" in our web site (http://www.cimc.cornell.edu). Please get in touch with me if you have any questions.
-------------- 1
TI: MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF SURFACE STRUCTURES ON STRAIN B41 OF BOVINE ENTEROTOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA-COLI BEARING BOTH K99 AND F41 ANTIGENS AU: DUCHET-SUCHAUX-M. BERTIN-A. DUBRAY-G. SO: J GEN MICROBIOL 134 (PART 4). 1988. 983-996.
AB: In order to describe morphologically the structures on the cell surface of bovine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, variants of reference strain B41 (K99+F41+) either negative for K99 and positive for F41 antigens (variants B41A, B41*C), or phenotypically negative for both antigens (variants B41B1, B41B2, B41*CB), and a transconjugant harbouring the K99 plasmid and expressing the K99 adhesin [transconjugant B41 .times. H510a:H510(2)] were examined by transmission electron microscopy using negative staining. Several negative staining procedures were tested for strain B41 and variant B41A: direct harvesting of strains into ammonium molybdate (2% w/v), with bacitracin (50 .mu.g ml-1) as wetting agent, gave the best results. Three morphologically distinct structures on the cell surface could be identified in cultures grown on Minca medium. Firstly, thin, filamentous, flexible fibrillar structures, presenting a helical structure and a mean diameter of approximately 3 nm, were recognized as K99 fimbriae, since they were present on strain B41 and on transconjugant H510(2), but not on K99-negative variants nor on the recipient strain H510a. Secondly, coil-like structures with a diameter of about 17-20 nm were observed on strain B41 and on variants B41A and B41*C. These structures appeared to consist of two more curled filaments (diameter 3 nm) joined to coil on themselves into dense spirals. They were very rare in variants B41B1 and B41B2 and were absent on variant B41*CB and on a transconjugate B41* .times. B41*CB, which had reacquired the K99 plasmid and which again exhibited K99 fimbriae. Strains B41 and variant B41A grown on 37.degree. C for 24 h on sheep-blood agar exhibited coiled structures like those seen on Minca medium. In contrast, after growth at 18.degree. C for 48 h (which inhibits the synthesis of F41 antigen), coiled structures were no longer expressed on the cell surface of strain B41 and of variants B41A and B41*C. Thus the presence of coiled structures correlated with the expression of F41 antigen in strains and variants, which suggests that F41 had a coiled morphology. Finally, straight fimbriae (diameter 6.5-7 nm) were observed on the cell surface of every strain and variant. Their expression on the cell surface was enhanced by several subcultures in static broth, and it was inhibited by subculture on agar, but not by culture at 18.degree. C after serial subcultures in static broth. These facts indicated that the straight fimbriae could be common fimbriae, and excluded their being F41 structures.
2
TI: NEGATIVE STAINING OF PROTEIN MACRO MOLECULES A SIMPLE RAPID METHOD AU: MALECH-H-L. ALBERT-J-P. SO: J ULTRASTRUCT RES.69 (2). 1979. * EN * 191-195.
AB: A simple negative stain technique is described which is suitable for high-resolution imaging of protein molecules in the range of 105-106 daltons. Protein solutions mixed with phosphotungstate stain containing bacitracin are applied to cleaned naked 400- or 500-mesh Cu grids resulting in the formation of thin films that are stable in the electron beam. Since no additional support film is present, the stain films are very thin and provide unusually high resolution images of protein molecules. The method is easy and relatively artifact-free compared to other high-resolution negative stain methods.
3
TI: NEGATIVE STAINING OF PROTEIN MACRO MOLECULES A SIMPLE RAPID METHOD AU: MALECH-H-L. ALBERT-J-P. SO: J ULTRASTRUCT RES.69 (2). 1979. * EN * 191-195.
AB: A simple negative stain technique is described which is suitable for high-resolution imaging of protein molecules in the range of 105-106 daltons. Protein solutions mixed with phosphotungstate stain containing bacitracin are applied to cleaned naked 400- or 500-mesh Cu grids resulting in the formation of thin films that are stable in the electron beam. Since no additional support film is present, the stain films are very thin and provide unusually high resolution images of protein molecules. The method is easy and relatively artifact-free compared to other high-resolution negative stain methods.
4
TI: WETTING AGENTS FOR BIOLOGICAL ELECTRON MICROSCOPY PART 1 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND NEGATIVE STAINING AU: GREGORY-D-W. PIRIE-B-J-S. SO: J MICROSC (OXF).99 (3). 1973 (RECD 1974) 251-265.
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But the area fraction _should_ be the same regardless of anisotropy of particle shape as long as the particles are uniformly distributed and not concentrated one place or another. The area per particle will be smaller if cut across the long axis (instead of along the long axis), but there will be more particles in an image. Conversely for the elongated particle sections. But the area fractions will be the same barring polishing artifacts.
You are touching on the issue of particle size for which there would be a world of dependence on the the section orientation.
At 01:33 PM 6/24/1999 -0600, Michael Bode wrote: } Adam, } } If you are taking images of only one plane through your matrix, then I } think there is no way you can measure volume fractions with certainty. } You are only looking at a 2-dimensional cross section through a } 3-dimensional object. Consider, for example, needle-like precipitates. } If you cut them perpendicular to the long axis, you will see small } circular pecipitates,if you cut them along the long axis, you'll see } elongated pecipitates, and the area fraction on your images will change } as well. } } In other words: If you can assume, that there is no preferred } orientation or other anisotropy in your precipitates, you should be able } to use the numbers you get from the images. If you can't be sure of } that, you probably need to cut the matrix in different directions and } compare the results.
Hi Kim: The reference you want is: David W. Gregory and Brian J. S. Pirie "Wetting agents for electron microscopy of biological specimens" 234-235, Proc. Fifth European Congress on Electron Microscopy,(1972), Manchester,UK. They recommend as a minimum bacitracin concentration required to wet formvar coated grids of 7.5 ug/ml and 10ug for grids with carbon formvar or carbon substrates. The bacitracin can be mixed with distilled H20 and applied first to the grids and after removing all but a trace with filter paper, followed by applying your specimen and then stain solution. It also works well with simply adding to the negative stain solution.
Henry Eichelberger, Manager Electron Microscopy Facility Department of Biological Sciences Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 13902-6000
We've been doing some work on deposited tantalum, beta phase. When we do FIB sections and image them using ion channeling (ion beam generates secondary electrons for imaging), they look like "camouflage", i.e., NOT columnar or otherwise ordered in any way.
However, when we examine FIB'ed cross sections via TEM, the beta phase material DOES appear somewhat columnar. What gives? Which do we believe and why?
Thanks,
Mona St. Marie Failure Analysis Hewlett-Packard Inkjet
At 08:47 24/06/1999 -0400, you wrote: s!). is there any trick to setting up a Cr } system, or is it as simple as putting a Cr target in a high vacuum } sputtering system?
Cr sputtering demands a much more pure gas mixture than gold/pt/pd as Cr reacts with O2 and N2 and the oxides & nitrides are not as dense or conductive as the metal. For that reason the samples need to be looked at very soon after coating as the Cr oxidises.
i have a turbo pumped vacuum station i'm thinking of } building up into a Cr capable system and wonder if there are things to be } aware of... }
You need to finish up with a very pure low pressure atmosphere of your sputtering gas.
The Cr target has also to have oxide cleaned from it before sputtering with a short cleaning plasma before attempting the coating.
The Xenosput we use achieves all this very neatly. It admits very small quantities of pure xenon in a sealed off chamber then the final pump is carried out sputtering titanium in the coating chamber to scavenge all reactive gas (O2, N2, H2O etc.) and leaving just the xenon for the actual coating sputter.
We still need to take great care to dry all volatile materials from the specimen by warming to 60 deg. C (best overnight) and/or long turbo pumping before the sputter pump. Any traces of other gases (say evolved from the specimen or adhesives) and the sputtering just does not happen despite the creation of a plasma with the right current.
But if you are super careful with the purity of your argon you can approximate the same result in your system.
***************************************************** Mel Dickson, Deputy Director. Electron Microscope Unit, University of New South Wales. Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
I used a Noran Voyager EDS system fitted to Hitachi FE-TEM (HF-2000, 200kV) for composition analysis with nanometer scale. (When I analyzing, I aligned the beam spot size as about diameter of 2.5
nm)
I found an interface layer between substrate and epitaxial film on it. In order to identify the interface layer, accurate composition data is needed. I tried it using above EDS system of FE-TEM.
However, I can not use any standard samples for the accurate composition
analysis. (I have no data of K factors which I concerned) So, I quantafy it by automatic calculation using the installed EDS software running on SUN workstation. In that software, it automatically corredted data by "Metallurgical and Biological Thin Section Correction"
So, I wonder about the accuracy. How much the error (percentage) when using that method and that system.
I also analyzed the composition of substrate and epitaxial film on it, at the same time and same analysis conditions. The results is quite well agreed to stochimetry of substrate and epitaxial film on it. (within 5 percentage error range of atomic composition).
Now I want to your kindful helps: 1. Normally, how much the error range by automatic calculation without standard sample.
2. Is there any reference literatures which mentioned the accuracy or error when analyzing the atomic composition using EDS fitted to FE-TEM without standard sample by automatic calculation?
I want to mention the error percentage and references literature for it in my manuscript.
Please help me.
Sincerely Yours.
Soon-Ku Hong. Institute for Materials Research Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan Fax:+81-22-215-2074 Tel:+81-22-215-2073
Nestor Zaluzec wrote: ================================================ There is some work a few years ago that suggested that Osmium coating might be better than Cr in the long run.
Here is a reference.
Osmium Conductive Metal Coating for SEM Specimen Using Sublimed Osmium Tetroxide in Negative Glow Phase of DC Glow Discharge ,
A. Tanaka, J. Electron Microsc. 43: 177-182 (1994). ================================================= For those not with ready access to this publication, we have on our website, as part of the information provided for the OPC 40 Osmium Coater, some side by side comparisons, comparing osmium vs. other coating methods as well as other useful information about osmium coating. The URL is http://www.2spi.com/catalog/osmi-coat.html
There is also a link to the US Patent that describes the technology in quite explicit terms.
The advantages of osmium coating are several: a) layer is completely amorphous so there is zero grain size, b) it is a precious group metal and is therefore stable like gold, and does not oxidize or otherwise deteriorate as does chromium, and c) uses an ordinary rotary vane pump instead of a turbo so through-put is much faster. The amorphous nature of the coating is thought to be the reason why higher levels of conductivity are possible with thinner coatings than with other coating systems.
Disclaimer: SPI Supplies distributes the equipment for using this new method for applying conductive coatings so we have a vested interest in promoting this new technology.
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: spi3spi-at-2spi.com
Look for us! ############################ WWW: www.spi.cc ############################ ==================================================
Ann - no opinion on that albumen material. But complete details about the busy Histology listserver can be found on our links page. Use control F and search for "Histonet". There is an internal link to give all info required. Cheers Jim Darley ProSciTech Microscopy PLUS PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia Ph +61 7 4774 0370 Fax:+61 7 4789 2313 service-at-proscitech.com.au Great microscopy catalogue, 500 Links, MSDS, User Notes www.proscitech.com.au
On Friday, June 25, 1999 2:10 AM, Lehman, Ann [SMTP:Ann.Lehman-at-exchange.cc.trincoll.edu] wrote: } } Can anyone help a colleague to locate the following product or an } equivalent?? } Also, does someone have an address for a Histo listserver?? } } Thanks. } Ann Lehman } Trinity College } Hartford, CT } } -------------------- } } What I am seeking is not powdered albumen, but a commerical mixture of } albumen, plus glycerine, and bacteriostatic somethings. I believe it is just } called "Albumen Fixative" or "Albumen Solution". The word fixative refers to } fixing (adhering) the paraffin sections to slides. We use it to coat slides } so sections will stick. A large bottle sells for a nomimal price.
Please unsubscribe until further notice, and thanks for all the information. Jerry ______________________ Jerome D. Schick, Ph.D. Semiconductor Devices and Electron Microscopy 26 Kuchler Drive LaGrangeville, NY 12540 Bus (914)223-7393 FAX (914)227-2743 jdschick-at-worldnet.att.net
the good news is that I use a product called Glycerin Albumen for sticking sections to slides - it carries the brand name of Gurr and was supplied by Searle Diagnostics of High Wycombe, England. The bad news is, of course, that I am in the UK.
I do notice that Agar Scientific supply Glycerin Albumen in 100ml bottles - catalog number L4185 price 14.65 UK pounds. If you can't source it in the US they may have a USA agent or their details are below: Agar Scientific Ltd 66A Cambridge Road Stansted Essex CM24 8DA England tel +44 (0) 1279 813519 Fax +44 (0)1279 815106
Good luck
Malcolm
Malcolm Haswell Electron Microscopy School of Sciences Fleming Building University of Sunderland SUNDERLAND SR1 3SD Tyne and Wear UK
Tel (0191) 515 2872 e-mail: malcolm.haswell-at-sunderland.ac.uk ---------- } From: jim-at-proscitech.com.au To: 'Lehman, Ann'; 'MSA Listserver'
Ann - no opinion on that albumen material. But complete details about the busy Histology listserver can be found on our
links page. Use control F and search for "Histonet". There is an internal link to give all info required. Cheers Jim Darley ProSciTech Microscopy PLUS PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia Ph +61 7 4774 0370 Fax:+61 7 4789 2313 service-at-proscitech.com.au Great microscopy catalogue, 500 Links, MSDS, User Notes www.proscitech.com.au
On Friday, June 25, 1999 2:10 AM, Lehman, Ann [SMTP:Ann.Lehman-at-exchange.cc.trincoll.edu] wrote: } } Can anyone help a colleague to locate the following product or an equivalent?? } Also, does someone have an address for a Histo listserver?? } } Thanks. } Ann Lehman } Trinity College } Hartford, CT } } -------------------- } } What I am seeking is not powdered albumen, but a commerical mixture of } albumen, plus glycerine, and bacteriostatic somethings. I believe it is just } called "Albumen Fixative" or "Albumen Solution". The word fixative refers to } fixing (adhering) the paraffin sections to slides. We use it to coat slides } so sections will stick. A large bottle sells for a nomimal price.
by bellevue.cnrs-bellevue.fr (8.9.1a/jtpda-5.3) with SMTP id PAA24807 for {microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com} ; Fri, 25 Jun 1999 15:06:15 +0200 Message-Id: {2.2.32.19990625132141.00680278-at-bellevue.cnrs-bellevue.fr} X-Sender: riviere-at-bellevue.cnrs-bellevue.fr X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 2.2 (32) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Please I wish to be unscribed for this E-mail: rommelue-at-bellevue.cnrs-bellevue.fr
We have a Philips 400 TEM that needs a new home as it is being replaced by a newer one this summer. The TEM is about 20 years old but is in very good working order and has been maintained by Philips since day one. I would like to see it go to a good home rather than dump it into a skip. We are not asking much for it - only a contribution to removing it carefully from the lab in one piece. If anyone is interested please contact me direct. Derek
******************************* Derek W. Penman Departmental Superintendent Preclinical Veterinary Sciences Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies Summerhall Square Edinburgh EH9 1QH Tel: 0131 650 6087 Fax: 0131 650 6123 E-Mail: dpenman-at-ed.ac.uk
There is a great little book published by the Clay Minerals Society titled: Electron-Optical Methods in Clay Science. It is Volume 2 in their CMS Workshop Lectures series (1990). It is a compilation of workshop lectures ranging from electron microprobe to high resolution TEM. There are some good references to prep methods, their benefits and pitfalls, as well as a wealth of references. It is available for $21 from:
The CLay Minerals Society P.O.Box 4416 Boulder CO 80306
If it is helpful to you, one of the editors is Dr. Ian D.Mackinnon, Advanced Ceramics Development, University of Queensland who, I believe, directed the Electron Microscope center there. Contact me off-line and I'll find his e-mail and some others if you would like.
Tom Kremer Analytical Science & Technology Kimberly-Clark 920-721-4583 e-mail: tkremer-at-kcc.com
} ---------- } From: Walck. Scott D.[SMTP:walck-at-ppg.com] } Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 1999 5:25 PM } To: Micro } Subject: TEM of clay particles } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Could someone tell me the best way to prepare clay particles for TEM. I'm } interested in small particles, micron to sub-micron in size in both the } dry } state and hydrated state. } Thanks in advance. } Scott } } Scott D. Walck, Ph.D. } PPG Industries, Inc. } Glass Technology Center } Guys Run Rd. (packages) } P. O. Box 11472 (letters) } Pittsburgh, PA 15238-0472 } } Walck-at-PPG.com } } (412) 820-8651 (office) } (412) 820-8161 (fax) } } }
To microscopy list, I have a Sorvall MT-5000 in good working condition for sale. I'm asking $1,500, anyone interested please contact me at (410) 955-1365 work or (410) 889-8009 home
Oops, I think I goofed on that one. Thanks for pointing that out, Bill. Actually, what I wanted to do is to point out, that there are scientific methods to deal with these questions rather than trying to "eyeball" those numbers. I also agree, that there is "crosstalk" between resolution and gray level distinction, but I don't think, that is something that can be resolved in this forum.
Michael Bode, Ph.D. Soft Imaging System Corp. 1675 Carr St., #105N Lakewood, CO 80215 =================================== phone: (888) FIND SIS (303) 234-9270 fax: (303) 234-9271 email: mailto:info-at-soft-imaging.com web: http://www.soft-imaging.com ===================================
} ---------- } From: William Tivol[SMTP:TIVOL-at-WADSWORTH.ORG] } Sent: Thursday, June 24, 1999 2:21:13 PM } To: microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com } Subject: Re: Image resolution checks with digital images. } Auto forwarded by a Rule } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Michael Bode wrote:
} 2) Regarding significant changes in gray levels: } This is strictly a matter of statistics. There are two sources of noise } in the images: Noise that is produced by the camera and shot noise from } the electron statistics. Let's say, the camera produces a noise of 2 } gray values (1-sigma value) and you try to measure 100 electrons, and } these electrons (100) produce a gray value of also 100 (to make it } easier). The shot noise is then sqrt(100)=10. That is the 1-sigma value. } The total 1-sigma noise is then 12 gray values. In other words, if pixel } A has a value of 100 and pixel B has a value of 112, there is about a } 68% chance that they are actually different. This chance increases to } about 95% if Pixel B has a value of 124 and to about 99.7% if pixel B } has a value of 136 (3-sigma). As you can see, the values change with the } number of electrons, i.e., with exposure.
Dear Michael, Most of your two cents are OK, but there are a couple of ringers. First, assuming that the camera noise and shot noise are independent and both are nor- mally distributed, they do not add linearly, but rather as the square root of the sum of the squares. In your example, the total 1-sigma noise would be the square root of 104. Second, the error in the difference of two normally-distributed quantities is, again, the square root of the sum of the squares of the two errors. In your example, assume that the signal from the camera has been dark-current subtracted and that the error in the dark current (=camera noise) is 2, then if the two pixels have values of 100 and 112 with squared errors of 104 and 116, the square of the error of the difference is 220, or the error of the difference is about 15. Furthermore, there are systematic effects for adjacent pixels, so for the question of resolving features, these effects must be taken into account, and they can be complicated.
Does anyone have a complete reference analysis of U.S.N.M. #116725 Standard Andradite. This garnet was the subject of crystal structure analysis by Novak & Gibbs (1971, Amer. Mineral. 56, 791-825). I found a standard mount of one of these grains in the lab but have no other information except the structural formula given in the paper. Thanks in advance.
Dear Scott, When I used to teach the "Clays" lab and examine kaolinite, halloysite and brucite by TEM, SAED, SEM and EDS, I would prepare the clays by suspending a bit in ethanol and sonicating for 30 seconds, then letting one drop dry on a carbon-coated grid. For SEM the drop would dry on a polished graphite planchet. The kaolinite and halloysite are quite stable, but the brucite is a bit beam sensitive. I suspect the hydrated state is more determined by the vacuum of the EM than anything you do in preparation. At 06:25 PM 6/23/99 -0400, you wrote:
} Could someone tell me the best way to prepare clay particles for TEM. I'm } interested in small particles, micron to sub-micron in size in both the dry } state and hydrated state. } Thanks in advance. } Scott } } Scott D. Walck, Ph.D.
Regards, Mary
} Mary Mager Electron Microscopist Metals and Materials Engineering University of British Columbia 6350 Stores Road Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 CANADA tel: 604-822-5648 e-mail: mager-at-interchg.ubc.ca
} } What I am seeking is not powdered albumen, but a commerical mixture of } } albumen, plus glycerine, and bacteriostatic somethings. I believe it is } just called "Albumen Fixative" or "Albumen Solution". The word fixative } refers } to } fixing (adhering) the paraffin sections to slides. We use it to coat } slides } so sections will stick. A large bottle sells for a nomimal price.
You can make your own from equal parts of glycerin and lightly beaten egg white (no yolk). Add a bit of thymol to prevent mold. "Animal Tissue Techniques" by Humason (any edition) has the recipe or e-mail me. Other texts on Microtechnique also have the recipe. Albumin-glycerin is less popular these days since egg white contains avidin and interfers with some immunostaining methods.
Geoff -- ********************************************** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029 mcauliff-at-umdnj.edu **********************************************
We have a Penetron Swirling Shaker, and used to get vials for it from = John's Scientific. We were given a catalogue number from which we could = continue to order them from another company. It appears that they no = longer make them, and I was hoping that someone could tell me of a = supplier that makes comparable vials for this unit. Please reply to me directly. Thanks Susan
Susan Carbyn Electron Microscopy Technician Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 32 Main Street, Kentville, Nova Scotia B4N 1J5 Canada
The Integrated Microscopy Core of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston = has a Philips 410 TEM for sale. Ancillary equipment includes a = rotating tilt holder, a multiple (3) grid specimen holder and a low dose = unit. This microscope has been on service contract since it was = purchased. We are asking $20,000. The buyer will be responsible for = moving it to its new location.
Hank Adams Technical Coordinator Integrated Microscopy Core Cell Biology Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX 77030 713 7984952
This is a response to the reply Gary Gill posted after I posted a message questioning his suggestion (in Microscopy Today #99-4) that No.1 cover glasses were a more appropriate choice of thickness than No. 1 1/2 (the original two messages are included at the end of this message). My response, as I interpreted Gary's, should be viewed as a contribution to friendly scientific disagreement and not as a personal criticism of Gary. Furthermore, let me point out that Gary and I may disagree about which size cover glass to use because we have very different preps. He points out in his most recent posting that he is primarily looking at whole mounts of pap smears which vary in thickness. My laboratory uses mostly 0.5 um thick semi-thin plastic resin sections and some 8 um thick paraffin section.
I pulled out a micrometer and did some measurements on some batches of cover glasses sitting around. Fisher #1 1/2 (22 x 22) cover glasses (#12-541B) came in at 180 um (no variation in the 5 tested). Fisher #1 1/2 (22 x 50) cover glasses (#12-544B) ranged from 175 to 180 um. Corning #1 1/2 (22 x 22) cover glasses came in at 180 um (no variation in the 5 tested).
Corning #1 (22 x 22) measured 150 um (no variation in the 5 tested) while a batch of Corning #1 (22 x 60) ranged from 140 to 150 (avg 145).
I should point out that 2 years ago I measured the thickness of the Fisher brand coverslips and they were all about 170 and that is why I chose that brand. Obviously there is some inter-batch variation as well as intra-batch variation.
As an aside, I will point out the microscope slides sitting around my lab showed much more variation:
Fisher Superfrost 3 x 1" x 1 mm (12-550-12): 0.95 1.0, 1.01, 0.98, 0.975.
Fisher Frosted 25 x 75 x 1 mm (12-552): 0.99, 1.00, 0.99, 1.0, 1.0
Clay Adams Gold Seal Rite-on Micro Slides 25 x 75 mm - 0.97 to 1.07 mm thickness (#3050): 0.95. 0.96, 0.995, 1.04, 0.95.
More disturbingly, the flatness of the microscope slides also varied along their length.
Back to the question of the cover glass thickness:
I then took 5 Fisher Frosted slides that all measured 1.00 mm thick in the center of the slide (exact position marked with a diamond pen). These slides all had 0.5 um semi-thin plastic resin sections. They were all coverslipped with a set of cover glasses that all measured 180 um by placing a small drop of Permount (fresh - not overly viscous from sitting around for ages) and pressing the slide down on top of the cover glass with hand pressure for a few seconds and then heating on a slide warmer for a couple of hours. When I re-measured them at the center point, I got something very close to 1180 (my micrometer is marked at 10 um intervals so greater precision than 5 um is somewhat dicey). If I used glass slides that had 8 um paraffin sections (this was the thickness set on the microtome which I realize isn't precise) and coverslipped them using the same method, I got a number equal to the thickness of the glass + cover glass + 10 um (presumably the section thickness + mounting medium). Assuming the paraffin section was close to 8 um, it would imply the mounting medium added about 2 um. Although it would have been better if the No. 1 1/2 cover glasses had been closer to 170 um thick, the percent error in using ones that were 180 um would be less than starting with No. 1 cover glasses that were 150 um thick and hoping to get an even 20 um thick layer of mounting medium.
Finally, let me end with some published comments on cover glass thickness by notable authorities:
"It is therefore best to prepare a microslide with the No. 1 1/2 cover glass." John Gustav Daly in "Photography through the microscope" (1988) 9th edition, p. 20; Eastman Kodak Co.
"Standard coveslips are assumed to be 0.17 +/- 0.01 thick (with a refractive index of 1.515). Number 1 1/2 coverslips are nominally selected for this standard thickness." The author goes on to state that coverslips should be measured for the most critical work. Shinya Inoue (1986) "Video Microscopy" 1st edition. p. 134; Plenum Press, NY.
"No. 1 1/2 generally gives the greatest yield of usable cover glasses." G.P. Berlyn, J. Miksche (1976) Botanical Microtechnique and Cytochemistry. p. 8, Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames.
Original reply from Gary Gill:
} Correction: No. 1 cover glasses range 0.13-0.16 mm thickness; No. 1-1/2, } 0.17-0.19 mm (American Society for Testing Materials. Standard } Specification for Cover Glasses and Glass Slides for Use In Microscopy. } ASTM Designation E211-70, Effective 12.24.70). Or, No. 1 = 0.13-0.17 mm; } No. 1-1/2 = 0.16-0.19 mm (Interim Federal Specification Cover Glass, } Microscope. NNN-C-001434A, 01/08/71). No significant difference. } } Thickness of mounting medium for tissue sections, 3 sets of 4 slides broken } across the section, the broken edges trued up and polished and measured with } a micrometer microscope (Aumonier FJ, Setterington R. Some notes on the } mounting of histological sections. Proc Roy Micr Soc. 1967;2:428-9): } * Cover glass applied routinely (no pressure) = 10, 51, 63, and 76 } micrometers } * Cover glass weighted with 30 gm for 2 days = 18, 18, 20, and 30 } micrometers } * Cover glass with spring loaded clothespin for 72 hours = 5, 10, 10, } and 20 } micrometers } } Therefore, the thickness of mounting medium is substantial relative to the } difference between the range of thickness for No. 1 cover glass and the } tolerance of high dry achromat objectives to deviations from optimal } thickness of 0.17 mm (+/- 15 micrometers and more). Ergo, my recommendation } to use No. 1 thickness cover glasses. A modest bonus is getting more No. 1 } cover glasses per ounce for the same price as for No. 1-1/2. Fluorite and } apochromat objectives have higher NAs power for power than do achromats and } so are even more sensitive to cover glass (and mounting medium) thickness. } Objectives start to show intolerance to cover glass deviations at } approximately 0.6 NA (40X achromat). } } Cytologic preparations (e.g., conventional Pap smears, my field) are more } problematic than histologic sections. Pap smears can sometimes require up } to 12 or more drops of mounting medium to fill in all the valleys of thick } preparations. } } No. 1-1/2 cover glasses are suitable when there is little or no mounting } medium between the specimen and cover glass (e.g., cells grown in culture on } cover glasses, blood films spread on cover glass, cells on Nuclepore filters } dissolved on a cover glass). } } Gary W. Gill }
} } -----Original Message----- } } From: Tom Phillips [mailto:PhillipsT-at-missouri.edu] } } Sent: June 22, 1999 11:35 AM } } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } } Subject: coverglass thickness } } } } In the May 1999 Microscopy Today (#99-4), Gary W. Gill of Diagnostic } } Cytology Laboratories, Inc., has a short article entitled "Cover Glass } } Perspectives." Although the article has a lot of interesting information, } } at one point the author states that one should not use No. 1 1/2 } } coverglasses even tho they have a nominal thickness of 0.16 to 0.19. He } } says to use No. 1 coverglass to make up for the "substantial and variable } } thickness of the mounting medium." This is counter to everything } } I was ever } } taught. I always use the minimum mounting media possible and press the } } slide down firmly on to the coverslip to ensure this is kept as thin as } } possible. } } } } Isn't standard to use #1 1/2 coverslips? Is there really a school of } } thought that one should use #1's?
Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility
3 Tucker Hall Division of Biological Sciences University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211-7400 (573)-882-4712 (voice) (573)-882-0123 (fax)
The long arm of our EH&S division is reaching out to touch me. The goal is to establish a safe way to weigh the hazardous chemicals used in our EM lab.
In the olden days we just took common sense precautions, moved a balance into the hood if we had to, moved it back when we were done. But now that the official list of hazardous chemicals is getting longer and longer, it is now up to 3 pages, this is getting to be a hassle. We also have some users, often students, who do not have the common sense or confidence to know when to use the hood or how to move the balance.
The first shot would be to leave the balance in the hood and make everyone weigh everything there. Drawbacks to this approach are that we are not supposed to 'store' anything in the hoods, they are for doing work. Also the draft from the hood makes the balance reading unstable. We have though about draft shields, but our balance is so old we would have to fabricate one ourselves.
We have thought about a small desktop, HEPA filtered workstation, maybe like the kind some asbestos labs use. This would get the balance out of the hood, keep from contaminating the hood, and maybe do a better job of protecting against particulate dust from chemical powders.
Does anyone have a good plan for complying with modern regulations or do you have some ideas about where to look for free standing, ductless filter cabinets that don't cost a fortune. If necessary we will bite the bullet and get what's needed, but if we can do it with what we have already that would be great.
Thanks
Jonathan Krupp Microscopy & Imaging Lab University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (831) 459-2477 jmkrupp-at-cats.ucsc.edu
We buy 20 ml glass scintillation vials with plastic caps (without aluminum foil liners - these vials are also great for fixing tissues in). We tare a vial with its cap on in our good scale. Then we go to our fume hood, add approximately the correct amount, cap it and re-weigh it. We then go back to the hood and generally add the appropriate number of mls of solvent to come up with a 1 mg/ml solution. We then use a pipetman to add the appropriate number of micro or milli grams to our solution. We have a small electronic scale in the hood for weighing out gram quantities of embedding resins, etc but it is not accurate enough for {100 mg measurements due to the air flow. The students sometimes use that for getting the approximate weight but a trained scientist can usually eyeball about the right amount and then go to the accurate scale for the precise amount. You waste a little but its simple to teach students. Tom
and cap} Hi: } } The long arm of our EH&S division is reaching out to touch me. The goal is } to establish a safe way to weigh the hazardous chemicals used in our EM } lab. } } In the olden days we just took common sense precautions, moved a balance } into the hood if we had to, moved it back when we were done. But now that } the official list of hazardous chemicals is getting longer and longer, it } is now up to 3 pages, this is getting to be a hassle. We also have some } users, often students, who do not have the common sense or confidence to } know when to use the hood or how to move the balance. } } The first shot would be to leave the balance in the hood and make everyone } weigh everything there. Drawbacks to this approach are that we are not } supposed to 'store' anything in the hoods, they are for doing work. Also } the draft from the hood makes the balance reading unstable. } We have though about draft shields, but our balance is so old we would have } to fabricate one ourselves. } } We have thought about a small desktop, HEPA filtered workstation, maybe } like the kind some asbestos labs use. This would get the balance out of the } hood, keep from contaminating the hood, and maybe do a better job of } protecting against particulate dust from chemical powders. } } Does anyone have a good plan for complying with modern regulations or do } you have some ideas about where to look for free standing, ductless filter } cabinets that don't cost a fortune. If necessary we will bite the bullet } and get what's needed, but if we can do it with what we have already that } would be great. } } Thanks } } Jonathan Krupp } Microscopy & Imaging Lab } University of California } Santa Cruz, CA 95064 } (831) 459-2477 } jmkrupp-at-cats.ucsc.edu Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility
3 Tucker Hall Division of Biological Sciences University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211-7400 (573)-882-4712 (voice) (573)-882-0123 (fax)
Hi! We use Epon\Aradlite sections to do immunogold technique. Specimen (pancreatic islets) was fixed in paraformaldehyde/low glut fixative. The procedure is three step: goat primary antibody, rabbit antigoat secondary Ab and protein A+gold. We have problems with sections. They do not stay on nickel grids. After procedure the grids are bluish/grinish in colour. It looks as if they were oxidized. We etch the sections with Na metaperiodate for 1H, block with BSA. Our buffer is phophate buffer. I have done this procedure before and I did not have this kind of problem. Is it possible that the grids are too old (they were purchased a few years ago)? Do any of you have an explanation why sections do not stay on the grids and what is causing the change in grids colour? Thank you Dorota
We have just decommissioned a Leica CLSM and are offering the parts for sale. A partial list includes: Omnichrome Ar/Kr laser with ~100 hours of use Omnichrome power supply TMC vibration damping table Leica Fluovert FU inverted microscope Leica microscope objectives (25x 0.75 na, 40x 1.3 na, 100x 1.2 na - all oil) a full set of dichros, filters, etc.
If anyone is interested, please contact us for more information. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ University of Pennsylvania Biomedical Imaging Core Laboratory Philadelphia, PA 19104
At 6:40 PM -0600 6/24/99, "MONA_STMARIE-at-HP-Corvallis-om3.om.hp.com"-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Co wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Mona,
The columnar structure that you see in cross-section TEM could be stacking faults (or other lattice defects) and not grains. We have observed similar microstructure in TiN films:
"Comparison of Sputtered Titanium Nitride on Silicon Dioxide and Aluminum-Alloy Thin Films," J.L. Drown, S.M. Merchant, M.E. Gross, D. Eaglesham, L.A. Giannuzzi, R.B. Irwin, Microscopy and Microanalysis, vol. 3 suppplement 2, (1997), 469.
Regards, Lucille
******************************************************************* Lucille A. Giannuzzi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Dept. of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Eng., University of Central Florida, PO Box 162450, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816-2450 USA phone (407) 823-5770 fax (407) 823-0208 email lag-at-mail.ucf.edu
Director, UCF/Cirent Materials Characterization Facility, 12443 Research Parkway, Suite 305 Orlando, FL 32826 phone (407) 275-4354,5,6 fax (407) 275-4321 -------------------------------------------------------------------- "Good judgement comes from experience.
Experience comes from making bad judgement."
Mark Twain ********************************************************************
I want to say thanks to all of the people who responded to my staining problem. I received over 25 responses, 5 within the=20 first 3 hours it was posted. Generally the responses fell into three groups: 1. Don't use Spurr's media 2. Cut thicker sections 3. Stain with LC, UA, and again with LC
The investigator has decided to redo the experiment and we will use one of the Epon media and cut slightly thicker sections without a film.
Thanks again. I am always amazed at how many responses one get and especially how fast.
George Lawton Chief Electron Microscopist Microscopy and Imaging Service Center UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Dallas, Tx 75235-9039 Phone: 214-648-7291 eMail: George.Lawton-at-email.swmed.edu
----- Original Message ----- } From: David Henriks {Henriks-at-CompuServe.COM} To: Micro Listserver {microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com}
Project Engineer
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Resumes and salary requirements should be sent to:
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Renee Kalmes rkalmes-at-exponent.com -----Original Message----- } From: Jerome D. Schick [mailto:JDSchick-at-worldnet.att.net] Sent: Friday, June 25, 1999 3:49 AM To: Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com
Please unsubscribe until further notice, and thanks for all the information. Jerry ______________________ Jerome D. Schick, Ph.D. Semiconductor Devices and Electron Microscopy 26 Kuchler Drive LaGrangeville, NY 12540 Bus (914)223-7393 FAX (914)227-2743 jdschick-at-worldnet.att.net
Accidentally delete files folders? =46disk or =46ormat the wrong drive= s? Lose data because of a virus? Are you or have you seen errors like, invalid drive specification, invalid media type or error reading drive c:? Hard drives are getting cheaper and cheaper, but the data on those drives can be invaluable.
However you have options. You can send the drive to a Data Recovery Professional and pay the price (thousands). You can buy an over the counter retail product which may due more harm than good, or you can use the software that the professionals use for this type of recovery . We are for a limited time, making the software we sell to the professionals available to the general public to handle the out cry for data recovery software we have experienced due to virus infection , and the simple fact that almost everyone now has a computer. Virus scanners are great, but the fact is they can not update virus signatures as fast as people are producing viruses.
More and more people are learning how to program. Unfortunately that means there are more programmers capable of producing viruses. Major companies spending millions of dollars on security and virus protection have lost data due to virus infection. It will get worse before it gets better. You don't have to spend thousands to recover your data if you have the right software. We are making this software available to you now, at a very reasonable cost! Act now and receive unlimited free technical support! This won't last long!
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Accidentally delete files folders? =46disk or =46ormat the wrong drive= s? Lose data because of a virus? Are you or have you seen errors like, invalid drive specification, invalid media type or error reading drive c:? Hard drives are getting cheaper and cheaper, but the data on those drives can be invaluable.
However you have options. You can send the drive to a Data Recovery Professional and pay the price (thousands). You can buy an over the counter retail product which may due more harm than good, or you can use the software that the professionals use for this type of recovery . We are for a limited time, making the software we sell to the professionals available to the general public to handle the out cry for data recovery software we have experienced due to virus infection , and the simple fact that almost everyone now has a computer. Virus scanners are great, but the fact is they can not update virus signatures as fast as people are producing viruses.
More and more people are learning how to program. Unfortunately that means there are more programmers capable of producing viruses. Major companies spending millions of dollars on security and virus protection have lost data due to virus infection. It will get worse before it gets better. You don't have to spend thousands to recover your data if you have the right software. We are making this software available to you now, at a very reasonable cost! Act now and receive unlimited free technical support! This won't last long!
=46or more information please reply to: mailto:roon99-at-writemail.com?subject=3Dmore-info
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Accidentally delete files folders? =46disk or =46ormat the wrong drive= s? Lose data because of a virus? Are you or have you seen errors like, invalid drive specification, invalid media type or error reading drive c:? Hard drives are getting cheaper and cheaper, but the data on those drives can be invaluable.
However you have options. You can send the drive to a Data Recovery Professional and pay the price (thousands). You can buy an over the counter retail product which may due more harm than good, or you can use the software that the professionals use for this type of recovery . We are for a limited time, making the software we sell to the professionals available to the general public to handle the out cry for data recovery software we have experienced due to virus infection , and the simple fact that almost everyone now has a computer. Virus scanners are great, but the fact is they can not update virus signatures as fast as people are producing viruses.
More and more people are learning how to program. Unfortunately that means there are more programmers capable of producing viruses. Major companies spending millions of dollars on security and virus protection have lost data due to virus infection. It will get worse before it gets better. You don't have to spend thousands to recover your data if you have the right software. We are making this software available to you now, at a very reasonable cost! Act now and receive unlimited free technical support! This won't last long!
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I have some problems with MT 7000 ultramicrotome and I need electronic circuit schematics. Can anyone help me?
Thank you!
Best regards
Sorin
********************************************* Sorin Lazar Dept. Electron Microscopy & Image Analysis National Institute for Biological Sciences Spl. Independentei, nr. 296, Bucharest Romania
We have a Philips 301 electron microscope that we would like to give to another non-profit who can use it. When last used it worked perfectly but no longer has a service contract.
Hoping for some assistance. I have been asked to research into costs and sources for sound proof material. To be more specific we want to reduce noise in a couple TEM rooms. We expect to acquire a high voltage FE TEM this fall. I have seen a foam product, usually black, attached to the walls in labs before. Everyone called it "eggshell" or "egg crate". Does anyone know of vendors or sources of same or similar products? Thanks in advance.
Joel McClintock EM Specialist U. of Kentucky (606)257-1242 jmcclin-at-pop.uky.edu
{fontfamily} {param} Times_New_Roman {/param} {bigger} RESEARCH ASSOCIATE- TECHNICIAN POSITION OPENING
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
{/bigger} {/fontfamily} {bigger} {fontfamily} {param} Times {/param} {bigger} Qualif= ications:
Minimum requirement: Bachelor of Science degree. Applications from Masters or Ph.Ds are welcome. Postdoctoral fellowship appointments are possible. Previous lab and/or electron microscopy experience required.
Responsibilities:
To perform research in a laboratory of cell biology and structural biology. Work will combine electron microscopy and light microscopy while including tissue culture, immunostaining, and molecular biology. TEM will be done on a Phillips CM-200 equipped with a CCD camera. Work will include assisting with EM tomography and serial thin section 3-D reconstructions.
Closing Search Date: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled (as late as Oct. 1, 1999). Full consideration will be given to applications received prior to July 1, 1999 or until the position is filled.
=09
=09
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.
Can someone tell me the correlation between rpm's and g's when using centrifuges? We have a protocol that specifies 7.5 g's for a centrifugation step, but our readout is, of course, in rpm's. I assume there must be table somewhere, but I don't recall ever seeing one.
Thanks.
Randy Tindall Electron Microscope Specialist Electron Microscope Core Facility University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211
Good Morning Everyone, Does anyone out there know how to assemble the carbon coating apparatus on a Polaron E6100 sputter coater (approx. 1985 model)? Although I know how to carbon coat, however, but not on this particular model. These parts are sitting in a bag and the instructions are very vague with no pictoral info. Help! Thank you all in advance for your help, Maria
Maria Fazio-Zanakis Bioimaging and Molecular Histology Hoechst Marion Roussel, Inc. 1-908-231-3357 Fax: 1-908-231-3962 Email: Maria.Fazio-Zanakis-at-hmrag.com
Good Morning Again Everyone, I need some assistance and/or advise on how to change the oil on a Polaron sputter coater E6100 that has not been changed for a long time. I can't seem to obtain a vacuum greater than 4 x 10 -4 torr. I don't mind changing it if this is the only recourse. Thanks again, Maria
Maria Fazio-Zanakis Bioimaging and Molecular Histology Hoechst Marion Roussel, Inc. 1-908-231-3357 Fax: 1-908-231-3962 Email: Maria.Fazio-Zanakis-at-hmrag.com
You are in luck. I needed this info and so searched for it. Nice guy, eh?
The formula is RCF = 0.00001118 x r x N squared
where RCF = relative centrifugal force r = rotating radius in centimeters N = rotating speed in revs per minute
I have a neat nomograph which I can fax to you. But you gotta give me a fax number that will work this time.
Also, remember to do the calculation from where the specimen will actually reside rather than the radius of the rotor. In a test tube which covers some distance remember that the forces will vary over the distance. It may be safest in this case to use the midpoint of the test tube. That's what I do.
Cheers,
JB
#################################################################### John J. Bozzola, Ph.D., Director Center for Electron Microscopy 750 Communications Drive - MC 4402 Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901 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 ####################################################################
The foam panels we used are manufactured by Illbruck Acoustic Products, 3800 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55412, (612) 520-3620 or (800) 662-0032, fax (612)521-5639. They may have a dealer in your area. The local dealer we worked through was The Huff Co., Inc., 28915 Herky Dr., Suite 109, Lake Bluff, IL 60044, (847) 362-7440, fax (847) 362-0427.
More specifically, the panels are SonexOne, which have a ASTM E84 Class 1 flammability rating. They come in 2" and 3" thicknesses. We installed 2" panels for a JEOL JEM-4000EX and a Philips CM30T and 3" panels for an Hitachi H-9000. It can be ordered in the natural white or with a painted surface (we ordered a gray-painted variety for the 2" panels) or with a Hypalon polymer surface in different colors (we ordered a black Hypalon for the 3" panels). Our cost for the 2" painted panels was $290 per box (64 sq. ft. per box in 2'x4'panels).
In general, the entire room doesn't need to be covered with this foam. Indeed, only the walls of the separate utility rooms for our JEM-4000EX and Philips CM30T are covered, and the dealer thought that we didn't need to cover as much as we did. The utility rooms contain most of the noise-generating components (air-handling units, water chillers, pumps, etc.). The entire room for the H-9000 is covered.
You'll also need to buy some cartridges of latex multi-purpose construction adhesive which can be used for vinyl foams and plastics. We bought some from Grainger. You might be able to find some locally, or the foam dealer may have a recommendation. The Huff Co. said that "Liquid Nails" works ok, but we bought "OSI Pro-Series QB-350". You'll need about 1 cartridge per 32 sq. ft.
You must realize, however, that these panels are better at absorbing higher frequencies. For low frequencies, other strategies may be necessary: floating floors, high-density foam panels for cabinets, etc. } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Hoping for some assistance. I have been asked to research into costs and } sources for sound proof material. To be more specific we want to reduce } noise in a couple TEM rooms. We expect to acquire a high voltage FE TEM this } fall. I have seen a foam product, usually black, attached to the walls in } labs before. Everyone called it "eggshell" or "egg crate". Does anyone know } of vendors or sources of same or similar products? Thanks in advance. } } Joel McClintock } EM Specialist } U. of Kentucky } (606)257-1242 } jmcclin-at-pop.uky.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Russell E. Cook, Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Center for Materials Research Argonne National Laboratory Building 212 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, IL 60439 (630)252-7194 FAX: (630)252-4798 cook-at-aaem.amc.anl.gov
Randy: I think this is the correct info. You need to know the distance from the center of the rotor to the center of the tube to calculate the average g. It is much easier to use a table specific for the rotor. But if one is not available:
Relative Centrifugal Field (x g) = 1.12 r (RPM / 1000)(RPM /1000)
Note that I couldn't figure out how to write a superscript number to indicate you need to square the"(RPM /1000)" so I wrote it twice on purpose.
r = radius (usually used r (average) or the center point but also can use r (max) or r (min). This is for nonprecipitating solutions with a density less than 1.2 g/ml.
The angle of the rotor is not in this equation but it is important in the pelleting speed I believe. I think this is what the manufacturers call the "k factor".
Tom
Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility
3 Tucker Hall Division of Biological Sciences University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211-7400 (573)-882-4712 (voice) (573)-882-0123 (fax)
I have a Link Analytical Lemas stage control system on an SEM. The control screen displays "status reset" and the joystick does not operate the stage system. I have tried to reset the system but have not been successful. If anyone has one of these systems and can help me diagnosis this problem, I would be very thankful.
Phoebe J. Doss Manager/Adjunct Instructor EM Lab Oklahoma State University
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Hoping for some assistance. I have been asked to research into costs and } sources for sound proof material. To be more specific we want to reduce } noise in a couple TEM rooms. We expect to acquire a high voltage FE TEM this } fall. I have seen a foam product, usually black, attached to the walls in } labs before. Everyone called it "eggshell" or "egg crate". Does anyone know } of vendors or sources of same or similar products? Thanks in advance.
Try MarkerTek in NY. They have an 800# and a website.
I'm not clear if you want to reduce sound coming into the rooms or reduce reverberant sound generated within the room, in either case try IAC at "http://www.industrialacoustics.com/index.htm", they have solutions for most sound control problems.
Joel McClintock wrote:
} Hoping for some assistance. I have been asked to research into costs and } sources for sound proof material. To be more specific we want to reduce } noise in a couple TEM rooms. We expect to acquire a high voltage FE TEM this } fall. I have seen a foam product, usually black, attached to the walls in } labs before. Everyone called it "eggshell" or "egg crate". Does anyone know } of vendors or sources of same or similar products? Thanks in advance. } } Joel McClintock } EM Specialist } U. of Kentucky } (606)257-1242 } jmcclin-at-pop.uky.edu
--
Richard J. Mount Auditory Science Laboratory, Department of Otolaryngology & Brain and Behaviour Division/Research Institute The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Ontario, Canada (416) 813-6551; Fax (416) 813-8456 http://www.sickkids.on.ca/otolaryngology/Earhome1.asp
Hello, Just a quick question. I've got a metamorphic rock about 1"x3" I'd like to impregnate with a resin with flourescent dye to look at porosity. I've heard there is a flourescent dye you can add to LR White for just such a purpose. Does anyone know which one it is? Also, if there is an alternate resin/flourescent dye to use, could anyone let me know? Sincerely,
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Gordon Ante Vrdoljak 1 Cyclotron Road ICQ 23243541 http://nature.berkeley.edu/~gvrdolja MS90-1116 GAVrdoljak-at-lbl.gov Ernest Orlando phone (510) 495-2829 Lawrence Berkeley fax (510) 486-7797 National Laboratory cell (510) 290-6793 Berkeley CA 94720
I am trying to locate calcium sites in fungal cells embedded in EPON resin. Has anybody any suggestions about the floating medium I could use during thin sectioning to avoid the dissolution and loss of the calcium from the cells?
We have had good results using Armstrong Soundsoak panels. The panels look nicer and have just about the same acoustic properties as the 2 inch eggcrate foam. Also, the vinyl coating is cleanable whereas most of the foam eggcrate is not. Obviously 4 inch or 6 inch eggcrate will do better, but there are diminishing returns (as well as diminishing space in your room). Low frequency is a problem no matter which type of panel you use.
Cheers, Henk
At 10:22 AM 6/28/99 -0400, Joel McClintock wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Hendrik O. Colijn colijn.1-at-osu.edu Campus Electron Optics Facility Ohio State University (614) 292-0674 http://web.ceof.ohio-state.edu An optimist believes that we live in the best of all possible worlds. A pessimist fears that this is true.
We need to have information on Thickness monitors that can be used in a Denton 502A. Basically we are looking for one which has the greatest range of motion since I understand that generally because of the water cooling they cannot move too much. Any and/or all information welcome. If I get enough I will catalog and make available to anyone who asks.
Thanks in advance.
Mei Lie Mei Lie Wong Electron Microscope Laboratory Department of Biochemistry HHMI-UCSF Ph. 415-476-4441 Fax 415-476-1902 http://util.ucsf.edu/agard/wong/index.html email wong-at-msg.ucsf.edu
One source of the material you are looking for is a company called Illbruck and goes by the brand name of Sonex. There are a variety of grades with different types of coatings, colors, sound reduction levels, and also fire ratings. I use it extensively in the VG HB603z FEG AAEM room (http://tpm.amc.anl.gov). It's not cheap, but installation is simple. Watch out for your local fire codes as some brand of "foam-based" sound proofing are not adequately fire rated for general laboratory usage.
Nestor
Your Friendly Neighborhood SysOp
} } } Hoping for some assistance. I have been asked to research into costs and } sources for sound proof material. To be more specific we want to reduce } noise in a couple TEM rooms. We expect to acquire a high voltage FE TEM this } fall. I have seen a foam product, usually black, attached to the walls in } labs before. Everyone called it "eggshell" or "egg crate". Does anyone know } of vendors or sources of same or similar products? Thanks in advance. } } Joel McClintock } EM Specialist } U. of Kentucky } (606)257-1242 } jmcclin-at-pop.uky.edu
-West Marine has a foam/lead product that the use for engin covers that damps vibration well.
If the wall are not built yet build a wall with offset studs so that there in no physical connection between the surfaces of the faces of the two walls. then fill the space with fiberglass insulation.
Gordon
Gordon Couger gcouger-at-couger.com TDY Vancouver, B.C. 624 Cheyenne Stillwater, OK 74075-1411 405 624-2855 GMT -6:00 www.couger.com/gcouger
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Are you seeking calcium by x-ray microanalysis or EELS?
We have done XRMA since 1981. Our standard approach is to freeze-dry, otherwise you lose all the diffusible and maybe loosely bound elements with routine chemical processing, then infiltrate in resin (generally Spurr's) in some sort of vacuum situation. The tissue is not osmicated because of interfering peaks (for some elements).
We always cut thick sections, 1, 1.5 or 2 microns, on DRY glass knives. The grids, generally aluminium, formvar film coated, are held in reverse-action or clamped forceps (with a small O-ring?) and balanced on a match box or with BluTack so that the grid is just behind the knife edge. The sections are manipulated onto the grids with an eyelash. They are presed down with a polished metal rod although a technician we used to have could "patch-weld" them to the film with just the eyelash. Sometimes, if they stick to the rod, I sandwich them between two grids, press and separate. You can usually use the empty grid for the next sections. They are carbon coated prior to analysis (for conductance i.e. anti-charging) in the STEM.
The reason for thick sections is that you get extremely low count rates with ultra-thin sections. We can also use up to 200 kV for the really thick sections. Obviously you want to remove the objective aperture for the analysis. The images are nothing like conventional images!! But the chemical goodies should be present!!
You can do thin sections with the blocks by normal methods and contrasting first with osmium vapour from any osmium fixative if you don't want to dedicate some crystals to do this. It is possible that thin sectioning (with a water bath) could leach some elements from the surface layer of the block if it gets wetted.
If you are doing this for EELS, please post a synopsis of replies - I would be interested!
Good luck - Keith
Keith Ryan Marine Biological Association of the UK Plymouth, England
If you want to reduce the noise generated by the microscope and ancillaries in the TEM room then curtains around the walls are cheap and effective. Works well for our FEGTEM. Of course it will not cut out any bangs and crashes from adjacent rooms.
Ron
On Mon, 28 Jun 1999 10:22:22 -0400 Joel McClintock {jmcclin-at-pop.uky.edu} wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Hoping for some assistance. I have been asked to research into costs and } sources for sound proof material. To be more specific we want to reduce } noise in a couple TEM rooms. We expect to acquire a high voltage FE TEM this } fall. I have seen a foam product, usually black, attached to the walls in } labs before. Everyone called it "eggshell" or "egg crate". Does anyone know } of vendors or sources of same or similar products? Thanks in advance. } } Joel McClintock } EM Specialist } U. of Kentucky } (606)257-1242 } jmcclin-at-pop.uky.edu } }
---------------------- Mr. R.C. Doole Department of Materials, University of Oxford. Parks Road, Oxford. OX1 3PH. UK. Phone +44 (0) 1865 273701 Fax +44 (0) 1865 283333 ron.doole-at-materials.ox.ac.uk
Dear list, I'm in need of a formula for a staining technique. I've read that Orcein could be used to stain gums (i.e., gum arabic). If you have any information it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
John B. Crowe jcrowe-at-ora.fda.gov US FDA Forensic Chemistry Center 6751 Steger Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45237 phone (513)679-2700 fax (513)679-2761
"A PHILIPS EM-400T-FEG with ECON-EDAX system is available to anybody who can assume responsibility for all moving costs. It is currently not in use but was in use prior to shut-down. The microscope had an extra FEG gun and one FE tip. Comes with all baking equipment for the FEG. It is a good system for anybody who needs a second instrument and willing to set it up and get it running. The micrsocope is in the New Haven area in Connecticut. Anyone interested in the microscope should contact me by e-mail or phone. } } R. Ayer } {ayerr-at-aol.com} } Phone 203-389-6065 } Fax 203 876 8914
I use sodium chloride salt windows (optical crystals) for FT-IR microspectroscopy analysis of samples. Where would one look for information on cleaning the salt windows after analysis? I have not found a source that covers this topic on cleaning any type of crystals (KBr, KCl, NaCl, etc....).
Jeff Nicklaw
} } Email: nicklaj-at-basf.com } Name: Jeff Nicklaw } }
Cleaning the grids with acetic acid for 5-10 minutes (then rinse with water and dry them in an oven) will greatly improve your situation. The grids can be 'old', but the acid removes the oxidation that inhibits your section adhesion.
Gregg Sobocinski Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals Ann Arbor, MI Gregg.Sobocinski-at-wl.com
-----Original Message----- } From: Dorota Wadowska [mailto:wadowska-at-upei.ca] Sent: Friday, June 25, 1999 4:21 PM To: microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com
Hi! We use Epon\Aradlite sections to do immunogold technique. Specimen (pancreatic islets) was fixed in paraformaldehyde/low glut fixative. The procedure is three step: goat primary antibody, rabbit antigoat secondary Ab and protein A+gold. We have problems with sections. They do not stay on nickel grids. After procedure the grids are bluish/grinish in colour. It looks as if they were oxidized. We etch the sections with Na metaperiodate for 1H, block with BSA. Our buffer is phophate buffer. I have done this procedure before and I did not have this kind of problem. Is it possible that the grids are too old (they were purchased a few years ago)? Do any of you have an explanation why sections do not stay on the grids and what is causing the change in grids colour? Thank you Dorota
Does anyone have a copy of Kessel and Kardon's "Tissues and Organs" (Freeman, 1979) they'd be willing to sell me?
Many thanks, Dee
Dee Breger Manager, SEM/EDX Facility Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Route 9W Palisades NY 10964 USA T: 914/365-8640 F: 914/365-8155 I: www.ldeo.columbia.edu/micro "Journeys in Microspace" (Columbia University Press, 1995) ____________________________________________________________________________ Automatic note: Sometimes I don't receive incoming emails (with no notice to the sender). If I don't respond to your message, please send it again! ____________________________________________________________________________ _
PhD in physics in search for a post doctoral. io will have finished my thesis on Sept 99. I'm actually working at Reims University (FRANCE) in the laboratory of analysis solid surfaces and interfaces. My research consists in exploration for new imaging technique X ray in total reflection (Application : topography observation of surface and interface solid/solid) and fluorescence X. In the team we use X ray microscopy in electrochimical systems. My competences : X ray microscopy : Projection, reflection and fluorescence Glancing X ray : Reletometry, TXRF, GIXF Experimentator data analysis preparation of thin layer by evaporation preparation of X-visible screen converter for image guide ........ Please send Email to receive my CV and details on my work. N.B : I will take part in XRM 99 conference to be held in Berkeley, CaliforniaAugust 1-6, 99. Sincerly
I've polished NaCl single crystals with an ethanol/water mix on a polishing cloth. Sorry, I can't remember the mixture ratio, but it had mostly ethanol to start with (90/10??). -Scott ---------- } From: Jeffrey M Nicklaw To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com -----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Colleagues
Anyone know the answer to this question? Please reply directly to the author as well as the Listserver.
I use sodium chloride salt windows (optical crystals) for FT-IR microspectroscopy analysis of samples. Where would one look for information on cleaning the salt windows after analysis? I have not found a source that covers this topic on cleaning any type of crystals (KBr, KCl, NaCl, etc....).
Jeff Nicklaw
} } Email: nicklaj-at-basf.com } Name: Jeff Nicklaw } }
The College of Natural Resources and Sciences at Humboldt State University is currently recruiting to hire an Equipment Technician III. Could you please tell me if it is possible to place a notice on your listserver? What is involved and what is the cost?
Thank you.
Barbara Westmoreland, AA/S College of Natural Resources and Sciences Humboldt State University Arcata, CA 95521-8299 (707) 826-5826 -- Phone (707) 826-3562 -- FAX westmore-at-laurel.humboldt.edu
It will be greatly be appreciated if anybody can give me information regarding
a. The type of detector the KE 4-quadrant BSE detector. b. The country and city where KE-4 quadrant BSE is made.
Thanks for the help. Andre Wong Faculty of Dentistry, UBC, 2199, Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z3. tel. 604-822-2873 Fax 604-822-3562 e-mail: andywong-at-unixg.ubc.ca
Responding to the message of {v04011700b39d3b798264-at-[128.206.162.35]} from Tom Phillips {PhillipsT-at-missouri.edu} : } } Randy: I think this is the correct info. You need to know the distance } from the center of the rotor to the center of the tube to calculate the } average g. It is much easier to use a table specific for the rotor. But } if one is not available: } } Relative Centrifugal Field (x g) = 1.12 r (RPM / 1000)(RPM /1000) } } Note that I couldn't figure out how to write a superscript number to } indicate you need to square the"(RPM /1000)" so I wrote it twice on purpose. } } r = radius (usually used r (average) or the center point but also can use r } (max) or r (min). This is for nonprecipitating solutions with a density } less than 1.2 g/ml.
snip!
There seems to be a discrepancy of a factor of 10 in the numerical constant in the two equations for relateive centrifugal field presented by Bozzola - 11.18x10(-6) - and the above presented by Phillips - 1.12x10(-6).
Which is the correct one?
Thanks,
Gib
Gib Ahlstrand Electron Optical Facility, University of Minnesota, Dept. Plant Pathology 495 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul, MN. USA. 55108 (612)625-8249 612-625-9728 FAX, giba-at-puccini.crl.umn.edu http://biosci.umn.edu/MIC/consortium.html
Harrick Scientific Corporation is a supplier of IR-VIS-UV accessories. According to a blurb sheet on an Internal Reflection Accessory we recently purchased "crystals are best cleaned in organic solvents such as toluene or MEK. Plasma discharge cleaning is also very useful for certain materials, but should not be used on KRS-5 cystals. Harrick's number is (914) 762-0020 should you have any other questions regarding the crystals they supply.
Regards, diana
Walck. Scott D. wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } I've polished NaCl single crystals with an ethanol/water mix on a polishing } cloth. Sorry, I can't remember the mixture ratio, but it had mostly ethanol } to start with (90/10??). } -Scott } ---------- } } From: Jeffrey M Nicklaw } To: Microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: Cleaning sodium chloride salt windows } Date: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 10:03AM } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } Colleagues } } Anyone know the answer to this question? Please reply directly to the } author as well as the Listserver. } } Nestor } } ========================================================= } } Nestor } } I use sodium chloride salt windows (optical crystals) for FT-IR } microspectroscopy analysis of samples. Where would one look for information } on } cleaning the salt windows after analysis? I have not found a source that } covers } this topic on cleaning any type of crystals (KBr, KCl, NaCl, etc....). } } Jeff Nicklaw } } } } } Email: nicklaj-at-basf.com } } Name: Jeff Nicklaw } } } }
The difference is that my "r" was meant to be the radius in "mm" whereas John's was "cm". Therefore the equations are both correct. My original posting should have given the units. Sorry for the confusion. Tom
} } Responding to the message of {v04011700b39d3b798264-at-[128.206.162.35]} } from Tom Phillips {PhillipsT-at-missouri.edu} : } } } } Randy: I think this is the correct info. You need to know the distance } } from the center of the rotor to the center of the tube to calculate the } } average g. It is much easier to use a table specific for the rotor. But } } if one is not available: } } } } Relative Centrifugal Field (x g) = 1.12 r (RPM / 1000)(RPM /1000) } } } } Note that I couldn't figure out how to write a superscript number to } } indicate you need to square the"(RPM /1000)" so I wrote it twice on purpose. } } } } r = radius (usually used r (average) or the center point but also can use r } } (max) or r (min). This is for nonprecipitating solutions with a density } } less than 1.2 g/ml. } } snip! } } There seems to be a discrepancy of a factor of 10 in the numerical } constant in } the two equations for relateive centrifugal field presented by Bozzola - } 11.18x10(-6) - and the above presented by Phillips - 1.12x10(-6). } } Which is the correct one? } } Thanks, } } Gib } } Gib Ahlstrand } Electron Optical Facility, University of Minnesota, Dept. Plant Pathology } 495 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul, MN. USA. 55108 (612)625-8249 } 612-625-9728 FAX, giba-at-puccini.crl.umn.edu } http://biosci.umn.edu/MIC/consortium.html
Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility
3 Tucker Hall Division of Biological Sciences University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211-7400 (573)-882-4712 (voice) (573)-882-0123 (fax)
We have a Noran Voyager EDS system that has the capability to capture grey scale images from the SEM. We are interested in downloading those images. Does anyone know if it is possible to transfer those images (or any Noran file for that matter) from the EDS to a Zip Drive?
TIA
Bob
Dr. Robert R. Wise Department of Biology University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI 54901 (920) 42403404 wise-at-uwosh.edu http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/wise/wise.html
HI I AM AN OLD JEOL SERVICEMAN OF TWENTY YEARS AND MY NAME IS MIKE SO I READ YOUR LETTER A LITTLE. YES YOUR PROBLEM WHICH IS COMMON IS IN THE ALPHA NUMERICS FACED IT MAY A TIME THE ANWER IS CORRECT CLEANING THE CONNTACTS USUALLY DOES IT, BUT ALSO RESET ALL THE BOARDS IN THE CPU AREA AND RIBBION CONNECTORS.
Good Morning Everyone, Does anyone out there know how to assemble the carbon coating apparatus on a Polaron E6100 sputter coater (approx. 1985 model)? Although I know how to carbon coat, however, but not on this particular model. These parts are sitting in a bag and the instructions are very vague with no pictorial info. Help!
and:
Good Morning Again Everyone, I need some assistance and/or advise on how to change the oil on a Polaron sputter coater E6100 that has not been changed for a long time. I can't seem to obtain a vacuum greater than 4 x 10 -4 torr. I don't mind changing it if this is the only recourse. Thanks again, Maria
Dear Maria,
I am contacting you as the original manufacturers of the E6100 Bench Top Evaporator. Although the E6100 has now been replaced with the E6300, we continue to support the E6100 and would be please to be of assistance.
Our local representative, Energy Beam Sciences Inc. (see below) will be in contact.
Energy Beam Science Inc. 11 Bowles Road, PO Box 468 Agawam MA 01001 USA Tel: 413 786 9322 Fax: 413 789 2786 ebs-at-ebsciences.com
Best regards Mike Wombwell Polaron range Business Manager V G Microtech The Birches Industrial Estate Imberhorne Lane East Grinstead West Sussex RH19 1UB UK Direct line: +44 (0)1342 310296 Switchboard: +44 (0)1342 327211 Fax: +44 (0)1342 315074 http://www.polaron-range.com E&OE
Here are some of the system parameters used in the design of our high resolution sputtering systems.
VACUUM: 250l/s dry turbo pump that produces vacuum levels {3X10-6 in 4 minutes. LN2 cold trap is optional but suggested to pump residual water vapor for refractory metal deposition. SPUTTERING MECHANISM: Ion beams are used to remove target material. The benefit to ion beam sputtering is that the sample is not exposed to plasma accelerating potential and the material evolves from targets at {30ev thereby eliminating radiation effects to samples. Ion beam sputtering is slow, approximately 10A/minute, but precisely controllable. Conductive thin films can be deposited at thickness selected by operator with proper mounting and tooling factor calibration of the quartz thickness microbalance. DRIVING GASES: 5 nine pure Ar gas is used in ion sources and dry N2 gas is admitted through the turbo when venting. TARGET MATERIALS: Iridium or platinum for FESEM imaging at {200kX. Thin films of Ir and Pt are indistinguishable. Ir films have the benefit over Pt of minimizing beam sensitive samples. When imaging in FESEM exceeds 200kX any of the refractory metals, Ta, Ti, W and Cr are suggested. Samples with refractory metal films as thin as 5A and thick as 125A do not exhibit structure when viewed at magnifications up to 500kX. Carbon can also be sputtered but conductive metal films are usually thin enough that x-ray production from the metal is in the noise. Au/Au-Pd or Pd targets are not suggested for high resolution imaging. THIN FILM THICKNESS MEASUREMENTS: Inherent accuracy of QTMB is {1A when sputtered material is at low energy and hot blobs of material do not impinge on the quartz sensor. These conditions are met by sputtering mechanism, mounting and tooling factor calibration procedures of the IBS and IBSE. Water cooling the sensor typically required to stabilize the QCMB is unnecessary when ion beam sputtering. MOVING SPECIMEN: Since material evolves from the target normal to the target plane it is necessary to tilt and rotate the specimen. Different tilt angles and RPMs are necessary to insure uniform and complete coverage of various specimen topography. OPERATION: Operation of ion beam sputtering systems requires some understanding of the ion sources and vacuum conditions (purity). There is no black magic to operate these systems. Parameters are repeatable and produce repeatable results: high contrast conductive, continuous thin films without grain structure or other artifacts.
Technical References and brochures on the VCR IBS & IBSE systems now manufactured by South Bay Technology are available.
The annual Golf tournament at the MAS/MSA meeting in Portland will be on Sunday, Aug. 1, 1999. To sign up please contact the Rebedeau Group -at- mbrebedeau-at-aol.com
See you all there,
John Arnott -- LADD RESEARCH 13 Dorset Lane Williston, VT 05495 TEL 1-800-451-3406 (US) or 1-802-878-6711 (anywhere) FAX 1-802-878-8074 e-mail ladres-at-worldnet.att.net web site http://www.ladd.cc
I am having some problems during ultrathin sectioning with my block face getting wet as the diamond knife makes the first contact with the block and it happens with every stroke thereafter. I have dried the block face with filter paper or kimwipe before the next cutting stroke but it is not helping at all. Sometimes it happens during sectioning too. All my blocks are embedded in Spurr's and these are primarily plant tissue samples. I have switched knives, cleaned them before sectioning, lowered the water level in the boat, changed the clearance angle, but nothing has been working so far. I am not sure whether it is a lack of humidity problem or something else.
I will appreciate some help in this matter.
Thanks,
Soumitra
Soumitra Ghoshroy Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Lab Box 3EML New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 Tel: 505-646-1531/3600 Fax: 505-646-5665 e-mail: ghoshroy-at-nmsu.edu
I would like to thank all of you who responded to my original inquiry about scanners. I received several detailed answers, as well as requests for posting a summary of the answers as I promised, so here goes.
In my original message, I had inquired about whether members of the listserv had direct experience with either the UMAX Powerlook III or the Scan Maker 5, and could give me advice as to which would be the best scanner for TEM negatives. The UMAX costs $1200 and the ScanMaker costs $2400.
The bottom line is that there appears to be some reason for the price difference, (beyond the issue of glass in the optical path I mentioned). However, both scanners are of high quality and there are several users who are very satisfied with the UMAX. I also received good comments about the Agfa DuoScan. Apparently the UMAX geometry does eliminate the Newton rings, although some questions were raised as to the mechanics, durability, availability of drivers for NT, and customer support (which was also raised for the Scanmaker). I also got several recommendations to purchase a full-featured version of Photoshop or similar software.
There were two very detailed answers from Larry Thomas and Richard Edelman, which I reproduce below, and in which some of these points are amplified.
Several people commented that the quality of current scanners liberated them from spending time in the darkroom, so I will be buying one soon, and the comments here will make me ask some tough questions of the manufacturers.
I'm replying directly rather than to the listserver group.
My experience with using flatbed scanners for TEM negatives includes both of the units you're considering, as well as the considerably cheaper Microtek 4. These certainly aren't the only scanners around, but I would rate them highly in their respective 'middle' price ranges. Considering that they all produce high-quality scans, the criteria I consider most important are:
1. Price (of course). 2. Optical resolution: Given the choice, I would get a higher resolution (1K or 1.2K dpi ) unit rather than a 600 dpi one. Having said that, I only use the full 1K /1.2K resolution for scanning lattice images taken at 1MX or so. My main purpose in this case is to aid in matching the sampling resolution for Fourier transform (diffractogram) analysis. For routine scanning of TEM negatives, I normally use 600 dpi scanning to get reasonable print resolutions (200 dpi final print resolution at final print magnifications is adequate for publication printing) . 3. Dmax: Get the highest Dmax you can for the $$. TEM negatives of crystalline materials have relatively large density ranges and often must be taken with estimated exposures; A large Dmax can be used to compensate for overexposures in many cases. 4. Bit depth: All else being equal and if I could find one I could afford, for really serious scanning I'd consider a unit with full 16-bit grayscale (48-bit RGB). A high bit depth is important for [our] TEM negatives because they tend to have large density ranges. All the units we're considering here are 36-bit color scanners (12-bit grayscale), although the Umax as I recall has some claim of 14-bit 'effective' scans. Not sure what this means or if I believe it. 5. Practical scanning speed: By this I mean how long it really takes to do a scan, including overhead times for preview scanning, warmup, self-calibration. My impression is the Powerlook III is much slower by this criterion. The difference in work throughput can be significant. Don't take my word for this --check it for yourself if possible. 6. Scanner control software: Both Microtek and Umax leave much to be desired in the category of basic scanner controls. One semi-hidden feature I like in the Microtek program (ScanWizard) is an exposure control. Although limited in range, it allows some compensation for misjudged exposures in the TEM. Umax seems to lack a comparable feature. I find the histogram controls in both programs especially wanting for scanning high-bit images. After experimenting with software controls, I've gotten best results setting the scan parameters manually but will admit that the automatic controls do a fairly good job. I've also compared outputting 8-bit grayscale images vs outputting raw high-bit (12-bit in this case) images from the scanner to an image processing program (Photoshop). I've gotten the best results (least data loss) outputting the raw high-bit images and processing them in Photoshop before reducing them to 8 bits for printing. A third-party vendor has effective plug-in filters for unsharp masking and similar operations on high-bit (16-bit) images in Photoshop. One additional 'tip' if you missed my previous comments on this to the listserver is that it's important to scan TEM negatives with the positive transparency setting. You can invert the image contrast separately. Both Microtek and Umax assume that a negative transparency scan involves low-contrast 35 mm photographic film, and they automatically apply lookup tables that boost the output contrast of the scanned images. The result for TEM negatives is severe posterization (loss of grayscales).
7. Operating convenience: MIcrotek's system of a sliding drawer for negatives is highly preferable to placing the film on a glass platen. Not just because of the dust and Newton's ring problem, but because the films are easier to place, precisely position, and remove from the drawer cutouts without getting one's fingers all over them. The Microtek scanners don't come with a 3-1/4 x 4 " insert, unfortunately, but it's simple to make one from cardboard.
If I were buying today for routine TEM support, I would get the Scanmaker 5. An easy choice. However, prices have tumbled and the new scanners seem to keep getting better. I'd keep an open mind.
} I am considering Microtek ScanMaker5, and the UMAX Powerlook III. } Both scanners work in transparency and reflection mode, and come } with a SCSI interface and lots of software, and can handle various sizes. } The Scanmaker5 is listed at 1000 x 2000 dpi optical resolution, and } 3.6 maximum optical density (Dmax). It costs about $2400 } The UMAX Powerlook III is listed as 1200 x 2400 dpi optical resolution and } 3.4 maximum optical density. The price is about $1200.
I was looking at the same question two years ago ($1,300 vs $2,500 and went with the Umax based on cost), and loking to do the same things - scan EM negatives in a central facility. SO here are some of my thoughts.
I haven't worked with the Scanmaker but I have worked with Umax scanners and also have an Agfa Duoscan. My honest conclusion after having worked with several Umax scanners and talked with other people is that with the Umax you get what you pay for; i.e. there are reasons why the others cost twice as much. This will be intuitivly obvious to you if you have the oportunity to simply pick up both scanners. The Umax scanners are very cheaply designed and assmebled - and they are looking for the low cost market. Two years ago I bought a Umax Gemini 16D (the powerlook II replaced it the next month, so other than 600/1200DPI it was basically the same as the power look series - the higher resolution was only optically attainable via a lens shift which meant it was only applicable in the central 4" not the full 8" width of the of the scanning bed). There are two different light sources for reflected vs transmitted. The transmitted light travels via a separately motorized cariage system over the flatbed - so there are two separate mechanical motion systems to have problems. Since the upper (transmitted light) carriage is above the glass the metal and lubricant that is rubbed off (scapped off since there are no bearings on the travel rails) it falls on to the inside surface of the top glass. You need to remove the top glass periodically and clean off the debris.
O.k., next issue within six months of purchase Umax had basically stopped support of the scanner (well they had replaced it with the Powerlook right?) driver support stopped - and they didn't work really well under NT any way. But Umax Tech support didn't know anything about the Gemini's any longer either - I could only get answers from one of the tech support managers who'd been around for awhile and had one on his desk. This was with a 12-month warranty. At 13.5 months of age, $1,300 original purchase price, the transmitted light unit died. The low mag lens no longer worked properly (so we were limted to a 4 x 12" reflected light scanning area). Had all sorts of problems with the driver versus an Adaptec SCSI card (The Umax supplied SCSI card basically never worked right). 14-months after I bought the Umax I bought an Agfa Duoscan for $2,400, and (knock-on-wood) I haven't had a lick of trouble with it in the last 7 months - I count it as an expensive leanring experience. Having experienced other Umax scanner problems (though not with a Powerlook III) with other people - some of whom just wound up returning them - I would not recommend anyone buying a Umax scanner. (I think they are still listed as one of the top sellers and that is simply due to price not quality).
There's my $0.02 worth. Oh, BTW I have also found out that the Linocolor scanners (along standing and recommended scanner maker) are actually manufactured either by Umax or from Umax components - so I didn't buy on of them either.
(I do not have any financial ties with any scanner company - that I know of any way...) Good luck!
Richard E. Edelmann, Ph.D.
} Thanks very much for your detailed assessment. I was } considering going with the UMAX, but what you say gives me } real pause. Sounds like you had a really painful experience. } Other people have also commented that the UMAX is } flimsy, but appear reasonably happy with it, although those } that have used both think the scanmaker is superior. One concern } you raise, of not working well under NT (which is what I will run) } is especially troublesome. What problems did you run into?
As you have learned by now under NT hardware drivers are everything, and alot of hardware out there has drivers for 95 & 98 but Nt drivers either don't exist or are "soon to be released" (yeah right). The number one rule I have found regarding Nt and hardware is: Download the NT drivers from the manufacturers web site BEFORE placing any purchase orders - no drivers available no purchase order, period (I have waited upto 1.5 years for "soon to be released" drivers).
Umax vs NT:
(1) As with most scanners, the scanners are slower than average and higher SCSI cards (I haven't seen a true SCSI-Wide [SCSI-2] let alone a SCSI-3 scanner yet) and you will run into SCSI bus time out errors. If you are using an Adaptec SCSI card you need to set the "Maximum Sync Transfer Rate" in the Adaptec BIOS for the scanner as low as it will go. (Never use an NCR SCSI card - they are nothing but trouble)
(2) Why not use the scanner supplied SCSI Card? These cards are (Generally) the cheapest card available, usually ISA with fixed (i.e. non-changable) interupts or antiquated PCI cards (again requiring Legacy interupt support). If you have a real SCSI card (i.e. you're using SCSI HD's or a CDR, etc.) in the system then chances are the scanner SCSI card will conflict. If you run the scanner through the real SCSI card then Umax's solution was - "hey its not our card, use the twain drivers and seek help else where." (I hate to imagine what a cheap scanner scci card and a iomega scsi zip card would do with each other - although Iomega may have switched to the bottom end Adaptec cards).
(3) Due to intermittent scanner problems the UMAX NT drivers got corrupted (I know, sounds odd but true). Had to uninstall the umax drivers / software and reinstall - only the umax uninstall didn't uninstall much of what it installs! So I routinely had to manually uninstall the software, which happened to get installed in four different subdirectories!
(4) Umax scanner errors are either error code numbers - which are rarely listed in the error code list at Umax's site - or are blinking light sequences on the scanner - which aren't defined in the manual or on the web site. (Took me fours days to find out that the error was that one of the lamps had burned out - oh the lamps stay lit for 45 minutes of inactivity, but still take 10-15 seconds on each scan " Please wait - Warming up the lamps")
(5) In addition to the actual NT Drivers, each scanner comes with software which actually allows you to set the operating parameters for the scanner (When you go File} inport } scanner in something like Adobe Photshop, photoshop initalizes the scanner software - Oh, if you use Adobe PS to scan, if you close the scanning window you must then exit adobe PS before re-openning the scanner software or the system will hang). The last version of the Umax software I worked with wasn't all that user friendly, and was a little problematic to find the settings you wanted to get to - and in the last couple months before I ditched the Umax the "Pre-view" image really had nothing to do with the scanned image interms of brightness, contrast, colors, or cropping placement.
Again I hope this info helps. I'm sorry to appear so negative with regards to Umax.
Richard E. Edelmann, Ph.D.
*************************************************************************** Department of Nuclear Engineering 814-865-0036 The Pennsylvania State University fax: 814-865-8499 231 Sackett Bldg, University Park, PA 16802-1408 http://www.nuce.psu.edu
Two Diatome ultramicrotomy knives for ultrathin, semithin and cryo sectioning for sale.
Knife number 1 is 4.00mm, brand new, never used, and in the original factory sealed Diatome case. Best offer over $2,720.00
Knife number 2 is 2.70mm, brand new, never used, and in the original factory sealed Diatome case. Best offer over $1,920.00
Both knives are in the earlier original, oval shaped boat and both have the original unbroken wax sealed insignia protecting the unopened case. E mail your bid to cshear-at-rivnet.net or telephone (804) 462-0912.
This is installed on my Cambridge S250 M3, the manual was published in 1985.
Bill Giles TIMET William.Giles-at-TIMET.com
} -----Original Message----- } From: Andre Wong [SMTP:andywong-at-interchange.ubc.ca] } Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 11:43 AM } To: microscopy-at-Sparc5.Microscopy.Com } Subject: KE 4-quadrant dector } } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } } } It will be greatly be appreciated if anybody can give me information } regarding } } a. The type of detector the KE 4-quadrant BSE detector. } b. The country and city where KE-4 quadrant BSE is made. } } Thanks for the help. } Andre Wong }
I have had success avoiding the wetted-block problem when I microtome under humid conditions with the diamond-bonding material painted with Kodak Photo-Flo (a suggestion I saw in a Microstar knife book). I think that the Photo-Flo enables the knife edge to stay wetted from edge-to-edge while the water level can be lower than usual. } } Dear all microscopists, } } I am having some problems during ultrathin sectioning with my block face } getting wet as the diamond knife makes the first contact with the block and } it happens with every stroke thereafter. I have dried the block face with } filter paper or kimwipe before the next cutting stroke but it is not } helping at all. Sometimes it happens during sectioning too. All my blocks } are embedded in Spurr's and these are primarily plant tissue samples. I } have switched knives, cleaned them before sectioning, lowered the water } level in the boat, changed the clearance angle, but nothing has been } working so far. I am not sure whether it is a lack of humidity problem or } something else. } } I will appreciate some help in this matter. } } Thanks, } } Soumitra } } } } Soumitra Ghoshroy Ph.D. } Electron Microscopy Lab } Box 3EML } New Mexico State University } Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 } Tel: 505-646-1531/3600 } Fax: 505-646-5665 } e-mail: ghoshroy-at-nmsu.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Russell E. Cook, Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Center for Materials Research Argonne National Laboratory Building 212 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, IL 60439 (630)252-7194 FAX: (630)252-4798 cook-at-aaem.amc.anl.gov
PhD in physics in search for a post doctoral. I will have finished my thesis on Sept 99. I'm actually working at Reims University (FRANCE) in the laboratory of analysis solid surfaces and interfaces. My research consists in exploration for new imaging technique X ray in total reflection (Application : topography observation of surface and interface solid/solid) and fluorescence X. In the team we use X ray microscopy in electrochimical systems. My competences : X ray microscopy : Projection, reflection and fluorescence Glancing X ray : Reletometry, TXRF, GIXF Experimentator data analysis preparation of thin layer by evaporation preparation of X-visible screen converter for image guide ........ Please send Email to receive my CV and details on my work. N.B : I will take part in XRM 99 conference to be held in Berkeley, California August 1-6, 99. Sincerly
For those interested in playing in the M&M Annual Golf outting to be held on Sunday August 1 (just prior to the start of this years annual meeting in Portland, Oregon), there are still plenty of tee times available. Regardless of your handicap, we invite everyone to play. It promises to be a healthy, fun filled event with prizes for everyone! The tournament will be held at the Skamania course in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic area. Consult the "Registration Bulletin" for further details. Please be sure to register for this event via the Meeting Manager. If you do not have a form, please contact Doug Keene (DRK-at-SHCC.ORG or 503-221-3434) prior to July 18 for copy. Include a FAX number with your request or if you prefer you will be sent a PDF or JPG file as an attachment to an e-mail. The registration deadline of July 18 is fast approaching! ---------------------- Douglas R. Keene Shriners Hospital Microscopy Facility 3101 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road Portland, Oregon 97219 503-221-3434 DRK-at-shcc.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
On Mon, 28 Jun 1999, Joel McClintock wrote:
} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America } To Subscribe/Unsubscribe -- Send Email to ListServer-at-MSA.Microscopy.Com } On-Line Help http://www.msa.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/FAQ.html } -----------------------------------------------------------------------. } } } Hoping for some assistance. I have been asked to research into costs and } sources for sound proof material. To be more specific we want to reduce } noise in a couple TEM rooms. We expect to acquire a high voltage FE TEM this } fall. I have seen a foam product, usually black, attached to the walls in } labs before. Everyone called it "eggshell" or "egg crate". Does anyone know } of vendors or sources of same or similar products? Thanks in advance.
We used Sonnex Acoustical Material for our 200kV FE room, from
Illbruck Inc. 3800 Washington Avenue No. Minneapolis MN 55417
Tel: 612-521-3555
Alan
Alan W Nicholls, PhD Manager - Electron Microscopy Service Research Resources Center - East (M/C 337) Room 100 Science and Engineering South Building The University of Illinois at Chicago 845 West Taylor St Chicago, IL 60607-7058
There may be other ways to elinate the problem of block wetting, but our solution is to use a "staticmaster" ionizing unit, model 2U500. It is mounted on a flex-neck holder, also available thru NRD, Inc (2937 Alt Blve., N, Grand Island, NY 14072-1292). The head of the unit is directed to the block face / knife edge and ionizes the air and by some magic I don't understand it effectively controls block wetting. Of course it is also important to keep your water level at a reasonable level and not to have any gap between the block and knife edge as you begin sectioning or you water will fill this gap.
I hope this helps, ---------------------- Douglas R. Keene Shriners Hospital Microscopy Facility 3101 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road Portland, Oregon 97219 503-221-3434 DRK-at-shcc.org
Actually, Tom, your equation was a little more correct, with the exception of telling us about the measurement in millimeters. The proper constant is 1.12 E-05 for speed in rpm and a radius in cm.
RCF = 1.12 E-05 x r (cm) x [N (rpm)]^2
The acceleration is equal to rw^2 where r is the radius and w (omega) is the rotational speed in radians per second. When you measure the radius in centimeters and calculate the acceleration relative to gravity (9.8 m/s^2) and convert from radians to revolutions and from per seconds to per minutes, you arive at the 1.12 E-05 factor.
So much for my engineering background creeping to the surface. Warren Straszheim
At 03:44 PM 6/29/1999 -0500, Tom Phillips wrote: } } The difference is that my "r" was meant to be the radius in "mm" whereas } John's was "cm". Therefore the equations are both correct. My original } posting should have given the units. Sorry for the confusion. Tom
We don't deal with biological materials but we have encountered the same problem you are describing with some polymers containing particles of layered minerals. Eventually we solved the problem by doing cryo and collecting dry instead of room temperature sectioning.
I hope this helps.
Jordi Marti
} } I am having some problems during ultrathin sectioning with my block face } getting wet as the diamond knife makes the first contact with the block and } it happens with every stroke thereafter. I have dried the block face with } filter paper or kimwipe before the next cutting stroke but it is not } helping at all. Sometimes it happens during sectioning too. All my blocks } are embedded in Spurr's and these are primarily plant tissue samples. I } have switched knives, cleaned them before sectioning, lowered the water } level in the boat, changed the clearance angle, but nothing has been } working so far. I am not sure whether it is a lack of humidity problem or } something else. } } I will appreciate some help in this matter. } } Thanks, } } Soumitra } } } } Soumitra Ghoshroy Ph.D. } Electron Microscopy Lab } Box 3EML } New Mexico State University } Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 } Tel: 505-646-1531/3600 } Fax: 505-646-5665 } e-mail: ghoshroy-at-nmsu.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Russell E. Cook, Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Center for Materials Research Argonne National Laboratory Building 212 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, IL 60439 (630)252-7194 FAX: (630)252-4798 cook-at-aaem.amc.anl.gov
Hi Soumitra, Sorry your having problems. One thing you shouldn't do is dry your mount with anything, especially filter paper as there are some extractables which encourage further wetting. When your block gets wet from the boat just let it dry by evaporation. If you think the knife or block may have some contamination, wash them with a mild detergent and rince with hgih purity water and allow to air dry. Also never stop the block face near the knife edge as a static knife will likely wet. Keep the block face moving while it near the knife edge. Check to make sure water has not collected on the back edge of the knife as this can be invisible to you but will rewet your block face even though it appears dry Also make sure the water you are using is pure with no residuals. Good luck, Russ, Xerox
-----Original Message----- } From: Soumitra Ghoshroy [mailto:ghoshroy-at-nmsu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 10:42 AM To: Microscopy-at-sparc5.microscopy.com
Dear all microscopists,
I am having some problems during ultrathin sectioning with my block face getting wet as the diamond knife makes the first contact with the block and it happens with every stroke thereafter. I have dried the block face with filter paper or kimwipe before the next cutting stroke but it is not helping at all. Sometimes it happens during sectioning too. All my blocks are embedded in Spurr's and these are primarily plant tissue samples. I have switched knives, cleaned them before sectioning, lowered the water level in the boat, changed the clearance angle, but nothing has been working so far. I am not sure whether it is a lack of humidity problem or something else.
I will appreciate some help in this matter.
Thanks,
Soumitra
Soumitra Ghoshroy Ph.D. Electron Microscopy Lab Box 3EML New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 Tel: 505-646-1531/3600 Fax: 505-646-5665 e-mail: ghoshroy-at-nmsu.edu
} I am having some problems during ultrathin sectioning with my block face } getting wet as the diamond knife makes the first contact with the block and } it happens with every stroke thereafter. I have dried the block face with } filter paper or kimwipe before the next cutting stroke but it is not } helping at all. Sometimes it happens during sectioning too. All my blocks } are embedded in Spurr's and these are primarily plant tissue samples. I } have switched knives, cleaned them before sectioning, lowered the water } level in the boat, changed the clearance angle, but nothing has been } working so far. I am not sure whether it is a lack of humidity problem or } something else.
In addition to the other insights and solutions offered by others, let me offer this. Not always, but very frequently I find that water jumps up onto the block face if there are *any* holes, tiny or large. For plant material there may be microscopic areas that are incompletely infiltrated, thus attracting the water. Sometimes with a good diamond knife and lots of patience you can get the block face sort of polished enough to avoid this problem. Otherwise you may have to resort to the kinds of tips posted here. I keep squares of lens tissue handy and sometimes have to swipe the block face between each cut. As long as the back of the knife remains dry, this works pretty well.
If you can trim the block closer to the area of interest, the smaller block face may have fewer holes and present fewer problems.
Good luck!
Aloha, Tina
http://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/bemf/mcroangela **************************************************************************** * 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* ****************************************************************************
Those of you that are aquiring either TEM or LM digital images as a core facility, how many are storing these images as archival for the investigator (especially if the investigator has been given the a copy of the original file? Secondly, how long do you feel these images need to be stored (research based images ,not clinical)?
The answers to these type of questions is going to formulate our decision on the type of storage media we use. We were using a 1.3 GB magnetic optical and copying on redundant discs. We chose an MO due to their archival capabilities (30 years) but the drive went bad (4 y old) and now I'm wondering if I need to spend the $1,000 plus cost of another MO drive when things like Jazz and some SCSSI tape backups are just as fast and large. At this time, we do not have more than 2 GB of data to store and some of that is 3 or 4 years old and the projects published. I guess it all comes down to who should be in charge of the data. I appreciate any insights in these matters.
I have that same problem at times and one thing that seems to stop it is the use of an anti static gun. I use a product called Zero Stat 3 which looks like a small pistol that emits ?? charges in the direction it is pointed, in this case the block face and diamond just as the block starts it's downward stroke. It seems to neutralize the water and block. If I start seeing the water rise up as the block approches the knife edge the water will usually jump to the face. The next pass I dry the block and back of the knife and start using the zero stat and I get beutifull sections ther after. I have seen them in several of the EM distributers catalogs. Someone told me you used to get them for static on record players??..... what ever those are? Ha Ha Ha, oops I'm dating myself.
Soumitra, when all else fails there is another possibility - the microtome's retraction mechanism. Ultrmicrotomes without a specimen bypass on the upstroke, relay on a retraction movement. In the Ultratomes that was achieved through a large electro magnet flexing the quite solid substage of the knife-holder down and so pivoting the knife. This results in an approximate 25um retraction movement at the knife edge during the block's upstroke. It is a pretty reliable mechanism, but I had this fail some years ago. The upstroke retraction was reduced to less than 5um and block wetting was inevitable. A quite maddening problem. If you use such a microtome, just check that the retraction movement is obvious during the cutting cycle. You could mount a scale and try and measure the movement using a crosshair in the eyepieces; I would be concerned if its much under 20 um. A mechanical workshop would have a clamping micrometer with a probe which can measure the retraction. Ah, for the joys of ultramicrotomy. Jim Darley ProSciTech Microscopy PLUS PO Box 111, Thuringowa QLD 4817 Australia Ph +61 7 4774 0370 Fax:+61 7 4789 2313 service-at-proscitech.com.au Great microscopy catalogue, 500 Links, MSDS, User Notes www.proscitech.com.au
On Thursday, July 01, 1999 12:42 AM, Soumitra Ghoshroy [SMTP:ghoshroy-at-nmsu.edu] wrote: } } } Dear all microscopists, } } I am having some problems during ultrathin sectioning with my block face } getting wet as the diamond knife makes the first contact with the block and } it happens with every stroke thereafter. I have dried the block face with } filter paper or kimwipe before the next cutting stroke but it is not } helping at all. Sometimes it happens during sectioning too. All my blocks } are embedded in Spurr's and these are primarily plant tissue samples. I } have switched knives, cleaned them before sectioning, lowered the water } level in the boat, changed the clearance angle, but nothing has been } working so far. I am not sure whether it is a lack of humidity problem or } something else. } } I will appreciate some help in this matter. } } Thanks, } } Soumitra } } } } Soumitra Ghoshroy Ph.D. } Electron Microscopy Lab } Box 3EML } New Mexico State University } Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 } Tel: 505-646-1531/3600 } Fax: 505-646-5665 } e-mail: ghoshroy-at-nmsu.edu
G'day, Would any of you kind microscopists out there be able to advise me please? Have any of you done any kind of microscopy on seal teeth, tooth structure etc especially in relation to the animal's age? Thank you Gerry
Geraldine Nash Electron Microscopist
EM Unit Australian Antarctic Division Channel Highway Kingston Tasmania 7050 Australia Ph: + 61 03 62 323 322 Fax: + 61 03 62 323 351
At 02:40 PM 6/30/99 , you wrote: } ------------------------------------------------------------------------ } The Microscopy ListServer -- Sponsor: The Microscopy Society of America
Why not just store it on CD-R in ISO-9660 format? Make 2 copies as insurance. Each copy would cost about $2.
gary g.
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