• Applied Microscopy
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• v.50
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• pp.12.1-12.11
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• 2020

Hot stage microscopy (HSM) is a thermal analysis technique that combines the best properties of thermal analysis and microscopy. HSM is rapidly gaining interest in pharmaceuticals as well as in other fields as a regular characterization technique. In pharmaceuticals HSM is used to support differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) observations and to detect small changes in the sample that may be missed by DSC and TGA during a thermal experiment. Study of various physical and chemical properties such sample morphology, crystalline nature, polymorphism, desolvation, miscibility, melting, solid state transitions and incompatibility between various pharmaceutical compounds can be carried out using HSM. HSM is also widely used to screen cocrystals, excipients and polymers for solid dispersions. With the advancements in research methodologies, it is now possible to use HSM in conjunction with other characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), DSC, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which may have additional benefits over traditional characterization techniques for rapid and comprehensive solid state characterization.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.101-105
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• 2015

Numerous digital image analysis techniques have been developed with regard to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with the help of programming. DigitalMicrograph (DM, Gatan Inc., USA), which is installed on most TEMs as operational software, includes a script language to develop customized software for image analysis. Based on the DM script language, this work provides a script source listing for quantitative strain measurements based on a geometric phase analysis.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.6-10
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• 2018

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) allows the analysis of the near-native structures of samples such as proteins, viruses, and sub-cellular organelles at the sub-nano scale. With the recent development of analytical methods, this technique has achieved remarkable results. The importance of cryo-EM gained wide recognition due to last year's award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. To help promote the knowledge of this technique, this paper introduces the basic workflows of cryo-EM and domestic cryo-EM service institutes.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.164-166
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• 2016

Electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) is a powerful analyzing tool for identifying lattice defects like dislocations and twin boundaries. By using diffraction-based scanning electron microscopy technique, it enables microstructure analysis, which is comparable to that obtained by transmission electron microscopy that is mostly used in defect analysis. In this report, the optimal conditions for investigating crystal defects are suggested. We could obtain the best ECCI images when both acceleration voltage and probe current are high (30 kV and 20 nA). Also, shortening the working distance (6 mm) enhances the quality of defect imaging.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1721-1726
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• 2007

Comparative morphology among species of the genus Calostoma, including C. cinnabarina, C. ravenelii, and C. japonicum, was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Spore morphology of C. cinnabarina and C. ravenelii showed no dramatic differences by light microcopy and scanning electron microscopy. To differentiate these species, atomic force microscopy was employed. Quantitative analysis of the surface roughness of basidiospores revealed subtle differences in height fluctuation at the nanometer scale between the species of Calostoma. Basidiospores of C. cinnabarina had a relatively rougher surface than those of C. ravenelii at $2.0{\times}2.0\;{\mu}m^2$ scan areas.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.348-355
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• 2023

Epifluorescence microscopy with image analysis was evaluated as a biofilm quantification method (i.e., quantification of surface area colonized by biofilms), in comparison with crystal violet (CV) staining. We performed different experiments to generate multispecies biofilms with natural and artificial bacterial assemblages. First, four species were inoculated daily in 16 different sequences to form biofilms (surface colonization, 0.1%-56.6%). Second, a 9-species assemblage was allowed to form biofilms under 10 acylase treatment episodes (33.8%-55.6%). The two methods comparably measured the quantitative variation in biofilms, exhibiting a strong positive relationship (R² ≥ 0.7). Moreover, the two methods exhibited similar levels of variation coefficients. Finally, six synthetic and two natural consortia were allowed to form biofilms for 14 days, and their temporal dynamics were monitored. The two methods were comparable in quantifying four biofilms colonizing ≥18.7% (R² ≥ 0.64), but not for the other biofilms colonizing ≤ 3.7% (R² ≤ 0.25). In addition, the two methods exhibited comparable coefficients of variation in the four biofilms. Microscopy and CV staining comparably measured the quantitative variation of biofilms, exhibiting a strongly positive relationship, although microscopy cannot appropriately quantify the biofilms below the threshold colonization. Microscopy with image analysis is a promising approach for easily and rapidly estimating absolute quantity of multispecies biofilms.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.189-194
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• 2015

Backside Ar ion milling technique for the preparation of cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimens, and backside-ion milling combined with focused ion beam (FIB) operation for electron holography were introduced in this paper. The backside Ar ion milling technique offers advantages in preparing cross-sectional specimens having thin, smooth and uniform surfaces with low surface damages. The back-side ion milling combined with the FIB technique could be used to observe the two-dimensional p-n junction profiles in semiconductors with the sample quality sufficient for an electron holography study. These techniques have useful applications for accurate TEM analysis of the microstructure of materials or electronic devices such as arrayed hole patterns, three-dimensional integrated circuits, and also relatively thick layers (> $1{\mu}m$).

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.158-163
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• 2012

Detailed comparison of low-voltage scanning electron microscopy and electron holography techniques for two-dimensional (2D) dopant profiling was carried out with using the same multilayered p-n junction specimen. The dopant profiles obtained from two methods are in good agreement with each other. It demonstrates that reliability of dopant profile measurement can be increased through precise comparison of 2D profiles obtained from various microscopic techniques.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2016

Recent cryo-electron microscopy (EM) studies reported the structure of various types of proteins at high resolution which is sufficient to visualize the intermolecular interaction at near atomic level. There are two main factors that cause the advances in cryo-EM; the development of image processing techniques, such as single particle analysis, and the improved electron detection devices. Although the atomic structures of small and asymmetric proteins are not yet to be determined by cryo-EM, this striking improvement implies the bright prospect of the application in biomedical studies. This study reviews the recently published studies reported high resolution structures using improved imaging analysis techniques and electron detectors. Furthermore, we will discuss about the future aspects of cryo-EM application.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.199-202
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• 2015

A simple and novel transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation method for phase change nanowire is investigated. A $Ge_2Sb_2Te_5$ (GST) nanowire TEM sample was meticulously prepared using nanomanipulator and gas injection system in a field emission scanning electron microscopy for efficient and accurate TEM analysis. The process can minimize the damage during the TEM sample preparation of the nanowires, thus enabling the crystallographic analysis of as-grown GST nanowires without unexpected phase transition caused by e-beam heating.