The feature article in this issue is a prelude to the Microbeam Analysis Society (MAS) Topical Conference on electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to be held at the University of Wisconsin, May 24–26, 2010. The popularity of the EBSD technique is growing rapidly. This analytical method is capable of both identifying crystalline phases and determining the orientation of grains and second phases. Phase analysis by EBSD combined with elemental analysis by x-ray emission spectrometry provides the SEM with extraordinary analytical power. Maps of crystal grain orientations are widely used in metallurgical and geological research.

Motile cilia are organelles that contain amazing molecular machines that bend each cilium in a rhythmic and coordinated movement. This allows a liquid film, perhaps with particles embedded within, to move in a specific direction. The classic example is the cilia of the respiratory passages that move a layer of debris-carrying mucus out of the lungs. When this mechanism is not working properly, recurrent pulmonary infections result. The classic example of this is immotile cilia syndrome that results in chronic bronchitis and related problems. However, no sensory function has been assigned to these classic motile cilia until now (although nodal cilia have both mechanical activity and sensory functions). Alok Shah, Yehuda Ben-Shahar, Thomas Moninger, Joel Kline, and Michael Welsh have demonstrated sensory receptors on motile cilia for the first time.

Collecting good data is an important task, but handling the data correctly is important also. How to handle data largely depends on what the analyst is going to do with it. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is no exception.

Wootz is the name given to a crucible steel prepared in India. Coze noted that the name “wootz” first appeared in printed form in a report by Pearson in 1795. However, the origin of the name itself is unclear though it was proposed by Yule and Burnell in the Hobson-Jobson Dictionary that the word “wootz” could come from “ukku” in the Kanadda language.

The study of pollen is important in paleoecology, paleontology, archeology, and forensics. The outer shell of a pollen grain bears characteristic features that help in determining the species or genus of origin. To view the pollen grain from several angles in a light microscope, the sample is usually mounted in glycerol and rolled on the microscopic slide by pushing the coverslip. For teaching, training, and also for establishing databases of pollen images, it is desirable to obtain three-dimensional datasets that allow rotation and viewing from any angle and reslicing in the computer.

A liposome is a spherical particle formed by a lipid bilayer enclosing an aqueous compartment at its center. These particles can be comprised of a variety of lipids, particularly phospholipids. They have been long considered as potential delivery devices in the medical and pharmaceutical industries because of their ability to encapsulate different compounds as the lipids form into liposomes. The biocompatibility of many liposomes has been widely studied, and this has led to the development of a number of drug formulations. The ability of liposomes to be stored in the body and to be taken up by cells makes them ideal for drug delivery.

Mechanical properties of cells are determined by the dynamic behavior of the cytoskeleton and physical interactions with the environment. The cytoskeleton, composed of actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules, is vital for numerous key cellular processes, such as cell division, vesicle trafficking, cell contraction, cell motility, and cell signaling. There is increasing evidence that deregulation of cytoskeletal components like disassembly of actin and tubulin filaments is an important parameter in cellular pathology. Thus, significant alterations of the mechanical phenotype of the cell and its surrounding microenvironment are reported to be involved in aberrant cellular processes and successively contribute to onset and progression of diseases such as cancer, malaria, and possibly neurodegeneration. In vitro and ex vivo biomechanical studies have shown that cancer cells have significantly decreased elastic moduli than their normal counterparts, a characteristic that is attributed to the ability of cancer cells to metastasize or spread.

There have been many attempts to improve the resolution of electron microscopes. Transmission electron microscopes are normally limited in resolution by a balance between the diffraction limit (which could be overcome by the use of a large objective aperture) and the spherical aberration of the lenses used (which could be overcome by the use of a small objective aperture). In recent years successful attempts have been made to achieve resolutions beyond this limit by holography and also by the development of aberration correctors.

Internationally, United States fifteen-year-olds scored 24th in science literacy and 28th in mathematics according to the Congressional Research Service March 2008 report.

Born near Paris, France on November 18, 1787, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was to become both a painter and the inventor of the first successful form of photography. Originally trained as an architect, Daguerre later became a pupil of E. M. Degotti at the Paris Opera and a thriving scene painter. In 1822, working with Charles Boulton, Daguerre helped develop the Diorama, a Paris illusionistic exhibition that contained paintings on large translucent screens, which seemed to come to life with skillful light manipulation.

From humble beginnings, George Eastman revolutionized the field of photography by simplifying the process and making it accessible to the masses. The youngest of three children, Eastman was born in Waterville, New York on July 12, 1854. His family moved to Rochester when he was still a young child so his father, George Washington Eastman, could establish a business school. However, his father died in 1862 and the institution failed.

McDowell and Trump published a seminal paper examining the efficacy of several fixative formulas. They were attempting to determine the best solution for producing samples that could be put in fixative during surgical procedures or in the morgue and then processed for both electron and light microscopy evaluation without significantly compromising either examination method.

Selected postings from the Microscopy Listserver from December 1, 2009 to January 31, 2010. Complete listings and subscription information can be obtained at http://www.microscopy.com. Postings may have been edited to conserve space or for clarity.

Following is a list of microscopy related meetings and courses. The editors would greatly appreciate input to this list via the electronic submission form found in the MSA World-Wide Web page at http://www.msa.microscopy.com. We will gladly add hypertext links to the notice on the web and insert a listing of the meeting in the next issue of the Journal. Send comments and questions to Nan Yao, [email protected].

Having trouble sleeping at night worrying about technique? Can't seem to find the right words to say to your technicians? Let Abbe have a whack at it. What could go wrong? Send your posers to his assistant at [email protected].

My apologies to you all; the note on page 38 is a spoof. My co-authors are a fictitious member of the electron microscopy group at Bristol University in the 1980s and a fictitious student we invented at my secondary school, half a century ago. In the case of the latter, we were able to persuade the teachers and administration that he was real for an entire term.