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The latest features relating to Electron Microscopy.

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Media Planner 2010

PDFs for marketing Media Planner 2010
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Is that copper or iron in the liver?

Liver cirrhosis can be due to various causes, including alcohol abuse and viral hepatitis B. Two of the most frequent hereditary metabolic diseases are also indicated: hemochromatosis with pathological iron accumulation and Wilson's Disease with pathological copper accumulation. In order to distinguish them, the Institute of Pathology of the University of Rostock uses energy-filtering transmission electron microscopes for investigation of tissue sections. Thanks to the energy filter and software by Olympus Soft Imaging Solutions for digital image acquisition and image processing, elemental maps and energy loss spectra can be generated. These make it possible to obtain diagnoses quickly, even in early stages of the disease, and begin appropriate treatment early.
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Dangerous fiber

Asbestos fibers may cause lung cancer. New types of nanoparticles also present a high health risk. What kinds of fibers are contained within specific materials? How many particles get into the air we breathe? Within an occupational safety context, the technical office for dangerous occupational substances of a professional liability insurance association in Düsseldorf, Germany pursues these and other related questions. A transmission electron microscope, MegaView III digital camera and the iTEM image analysis platform are the investigators' tools.
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Faster than a Speeding Virus

Fighting animal epidemics is the responsibility of government agencies. In Brandenburg, a state in the eastern part of Germany, the Landeslaborbetrieb [Eng. State Laboratory Agency] is responsible for the diagnosis of animal epidemics and infectious animal diseases. The scientists employed at this lab can detect the viruses directly via electron microscope. Taking a comprehensively digital approach enables them to obtain diagnoses quickly and reliably. Acquisition, evaluation and management of the images and the documentation of findings is done using a special digital camera and the image analysis software analySIS. Cases that raise particularly thorny questions can be discussed with experts located elsewhere via the internet.
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Tracking down material defects

The quest for and extraction of petroleum and natural gas requires superior competence from both humans and materials involved. The demands made on both go far beyond normal conditions. The materials used must be produced using the best raw materials and produced at premium quality levels. Then even the tiniest fluctuations in the composition of the steel used for drills, drill rods and their casing can influence and decisively alter their required properties - such as degree of hardness, ductility and malleability.
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Visibly safer

Retroreflection ensures better visibility in dark, twilight or other low-light conditions. A layer of micro-sized glass beads mounted on a layer of material is used to obtain retroreflection. Surface density and size distribution of the glass beads are critical to retroreflection. At the product development department of 3M Deutschland GmbH (3M's division in Germany), we use scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) to determine these factors. We use the Scandium image analysis platform for acquisition, management, archiving and evaluation of the images. Automatic particle analysis is used for image evaluation.
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Tracking down the secrets of zeolites, a real all-round talent

Hardly anyone knows what they're called. And we use them every day, even though we may not know it. We're talking about zeolites, a group of minerals with extraordinary and outstanding properties. Since being discovered in 1756, zeolites have been a focus of research. There was a real run on them starting in 1920 once it became possible to decode the crystalline structure of natural zeolites. The new findings were the key to understanding this fascinating materials group and the point of departure for targeted synthesis. The road was opened for numerous application opportunities. And the boom continues. One reason being that zeolites are extremely environmentally friendly and energy efficient. These are highly attractive properties in times when concerns regarding global warming and rising energy costs are widespread. The Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim a.d. Ruhr, Germany uses the latest structural analysis methods for understanding zeolites' structure and function. Their objective is to synthesize custom-designed crystalline structures in order to employ them for specific catalytic processes.
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Green heavy-metal eaters

Some kinds of plants tolerate surprisingly high levels of heavy metal in soil. Concentrations of these heavy metals are stored in their leaves without the plant being damaged. How is this possible? This is what the 'heavy-metal-stress' research group is investigating at the Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt - in the eastern part of Germany. These researchers employ an energy-filtering electron microscope and the eftem module of the analySIS image-analytical software. One of the aims of this research is the possibility of cleansing polluted soils. Via such plants as described above, it may be possible to extract heavy metals from soils in a wholly natural fashion.
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Pyrolytic carbon layers: deposition parameters, grain boundaries, carbon modifications

Pyrolytic carbon layers have a broad array of industrial applications. Being able to specifically adjust their physical properties is most important, and researchers of the University of Karlsruhe are investigating possible connections between production conditions, microstructure and physical properties. They use light and electron microscopes to do so. Olympus image analysis software is used for microscope control as well as for digital acquisition, management, archiving and evaluation of images and spectra.