There are several “molecular machines” that have been devised on a nanometer scale, made from proteins, DNA, and other molecules. A molecular machine is a system that generates physical forces at the atomic level, controlled by an external stimulus. Since all of the proposed circuits connect components linearly, they only communicate with one machine at a time. Now, Anirban Bandyopadhyay and Somobrata Acharya have devised an ingenious device that has the potential to communicate different instructions to many molecular machines simultaneously. They demonstrated that 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1–4-benzoquinone (duroquinone; DRQ) can be assembled as 17 identical molecules, one central molecule surrounded radially by 16 others. The central molecule can control the conformation of all the others when switched to one of four logic states by suitable pulses from an atomic sharp needle of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM).

In the now classic marketing text, Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore describes the difficult transition every successful new technology must make as it evolves from laboratory curiosity to mainstream acceptance. Essentially the transition consists of a radical shift in focus, from exploring the possibilities that fill the minds of visionaries and innovators to satisfying the practical concerns of pragmatists and conservatives who are more interested in integration with existing technologies and return on investment. Initial development of the atom probe was motivated primarily by scientific curiosity and the desire to do novel research with a new microscopy technique. As the technology matured the focus of development efforts shifted to expanding the applications space and improving practical performance in areas such as sensitivity, fidelity, productivity, and ease of use.

Specimen preparation techniques have evolved hand in hand with microscopy since the first microscopes. Since the introduction of the first Electron Microscope (EM) in the 1930’s, the basic problem with biological electron microscopy has been to preserve the structure of soft condensed, hydrated matter (e.g. tissues, cells, proteins, etc.) so that they can be viewed in the harsh environment of the electron microscope's high vacuum and ionizing radiation. For this, cells must be “fixed” with chemical cross-linkers, commonly glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde or some combination of both, stained with heavy metals (osmium tetroxide that provides contrast of biological components), dehydrated with an organic solvent, and infiltrated with a resin for eventual thin-sectioning. Only then can it be viewed with the EM. Such treatment with chemical fixatives and stains remains the standard approaches to arrest biological processes in cells or tissues, but at the cost of introducing clearly recognizable artifacts.

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) has undergone a rapid transformation in the past 15 years from a curiosity and a minority interest into an important part of our arsenal of microstructure characterisation techniques. In this time, it has been very widely applied in metallurgy, especially in understanding the influence of processing on local crystallographic textures and on boundary populations. More recently, it has been used in a diverse range of different fields including semiconductors, ceramics, geological materials and even palaeontology. In this article we will show how EBSD can yield invaluable information about domain structures in ferroelectrics.

Several color filters have been developed for astronomic use in order to improve image quality in visual observations and astronomic photography. Various positive effects, which can be achieved in astronomic practice, have already been described by several authors, manufacturers and distributors [2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12]. Monochromatic narrow-band filters are widely used by astronomers. These filters are constructed as interference filters; they select small ranges within the spectrum of the visible light corresponding with characteristic radiation emitted by celestial nebula or the sun and its protuberances. This way, scattered terrestrial radiation caused by “light pollution” and non visible infrared or ultraviolet spectral components are blocked. Fundamental improvements of image quality will result from these filters when refractors or reflector telescopes are fitted with them.

Fluorescence microscopy requires an intense light source at the specific wavelength that will excite fluorescent dyes and proteins. The traditional method employs a white light, typically from a Mercury or Xenon arc lamp. Although such broad-spectrum lamps can generate ample light at desired wavelengths, only a small percentage of the projected light is useful in any particular application. The other wavelengths need to be suppressed to avoid background noise that reduces image contrast and obscures the fluorescent light emissions.

This process of suppressing extraneous light is complex, expensive, and only partially effective: even after decades of refinements, the best filters are not 100% percent successful at blocking the bleed through of non-specific photons. Some mitigation techniques end up not only suppressing peripheral light, but also significantly diminishing the intensity of the desired wavelengths. To address the root cause of the problem – the presence of non-specific photons – a radically different approach is coming to light.

Cordierite represents an orthorhombic (Mg,Fe)Al-silicate (Table 1) that is observed in a wide range of natural occurrences. As outlined in numerous mineralogical overviews published during the past decades, cordierite mainly crystallizes in thermally metamorphosed rocks, particularly in those derived from argillaceous sediments. Additionally, the mineral can be a major constituent of parageneses formed under high-grade regional metamorphism and therefore occurs in respective schists, gneisses and granulites. The metamorphic formation of cordierite is generally restricted to conditions of deficient or low shearing stress producing only moderate lithological pressures. With rising pressure due to transpression cordierite often breaks down to enstatite and sillimanite or, at higher temperature, to sapphirine and quartz (see also Fig. 5). Besides its crystallization in metamorphic rocks, cordierite is also found in specific igneous rocks like peraluminous granites and related high-grade anatectic terrains.

Researchers often examine samples by eye on the microscope — qualitatively scoring each sample for a particular feature of interest. This approach, while suitable for many experiments, sacrifices quantitative results and a permanent record of the experiment. By contrast, if digital images are collected of each sample, software can be used to quantify features of interest. For small experiments, quantitative analysis is often done manually using interactive programs like Adobe Photoshop©. For the large number of images that can be easily collected with automated microscopes, this approach is tedious and time-consuming. NIH Image/ImageJ (http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij) allows users comfortable writing in a macro language to automate quantitative image analysis. We have developed Cell- Profiler, a free, open-source software package, designed to enable scientists without prior programming experience to quantify relevant features of samples in large numbers of images automatically, in a modular system suitable for processing hundreds of thousands of images.

Inspired by architect Frei Otto and design scientist Buckminster Fuller, third year Pratt Institute design students from Jonas Coersmeier’s design studio and research seminar (of Spring 2008) utilized a Table Top SEM to observe micro and nano-scale features produced solely by Mother Nature. After analyzing and documenting the intricacy, beauty and functionality of natural structures, students selected structural entities typically not observed on the macro scale, and utilized the micrograph data to generate analytical drawings followed by generative models for design of a large span structure that would become an aquatic center in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory (ACMAL) is a multi-user, multi-disciplinary characterization laboratory. ACMAL houses two scanning electron microscopes (SEM and FE-SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), focused ion beam milling system (FIB), four X-ray diffractometers, and an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. ACMAL operates as a recharge center where users absorb facility operation cost through an hourly use fee. As such, we are keenly interested in encouraging broad access to the facility by lowering obstacles to users. Facility training enhancements provide the best pathway to productive and responsible facility usage.

As you all know, recharge: the price or rate a microscopy facility charges others to use their instruments, is a big topic on the MSA listserver and everybody struggles with designing rate systems. My talk is geared to U.S. labs and a lot of our restrictions regarding rates are not the same in Canada or other countries around the world. Our goal is designing recharge systems that will encourage facility use that will also recover the cost of the operation. How much you have to recover depends on your particular operation, your administration, and institutional requirements.