In the last few years Microscopy Today has published dozens of articles about the capabilities of new instrumentation for microscopy and microanalysis. However, our readers tell me that they would like to see more applications articles and more how-to articles like those in Microscopy 101. While our editors search through conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals to find such articles, our readers are an important source of contributed applications articles.

In nature, color can be imparted to a feature either by a pigment or a structure that selectively reflects a part of the visible spectrum. The latter is called structural color, and it may be brighter than a pigment. Structural color is often used by animals for signaling, mimicry, and/or mate choice. In plants, mainly fruits, structural color is probably used for mimicry. Silvia Vignolini, Paula Rudall, Alice Rowland, Alison Reed, Edwidge Moyroud, Robert Faden, Jeremy Baumberg, Beverley Glover, and Ullrich Steiner described the anatomical arrangement within the outer layers (epicarp) of a blue fruit found in equatorial Africa that results in a blue color more intense than that of any previously described biological material! Although this fruit (Figure 1) has no nutritional value, by imitating the appearance of a fresh nutritious fruit, it avoids the energy cost of producing pulp yet can be dispersed by birds. And not only can it imitate a food source, it is probably also dispersed by birds who use it to decorate their nests in order to attract mates.

Bright-field illumination is widely used as standard technique for examination of transparent specimens characterized by an appropriate optical density so that the transmitted light is partially absorbed when passing the specimens (for example, stained histological sections and blood smears). On the other hand, thin and colorless low-density specimens, such as unstained living cells that do not reduce the amplitude of the transmitted light, cannot be well perceived in bright field because of their ultra-low natural contrast. These so-called phase specimens can be examined when an apparatus for phase contrast is used. Phase contrast can be carried out with special objectives fitted with a phase ring situated within or near their back focal plane. Moreover, the condenser must be fitted with annular light masks (light annuli) that are projected onto the plane of the objective's phase ring so that both components, light annuli and phase rings, are optically congruent and conjugate.

As electron microscopists, many of us become engrossed in observing the shape, size, and atomic structure of nanoparticles every day. With our focus on the atoms in a single quantum dot, it is easy to lose sight of the broader physical perspective. This short essay highlights some wider connections as a way of linking electron microscopy to the quest for knowledge on other length scales. The scientific enterprise relies on images that expand the range of human vision, from the galactic to the atomic, from the origins of the universe to the discovery of new materials. From this viewpoint, it is interesting to look at some connections across nearly 30 orders of magnitude.

The microspectrophotometer can be described as a type of hyphenated instrument: it is a hybrid that combines the magnifying power of a light microscope with a UV-visible-NIR (ultraviolet–visible–near infrared) range spectrophotometer. These instruments are used to measure the molecular spectra from microscopic samples, from the deep ultraviolet to the near infrared region. Microspectrophotometers can be configured in many different ways and used to measure absorbance, reflectance, and even emission spectra, such as fluorescence, of sub-micron-sized sample areas. With the addition of specialized algorithms, the microspectrophotometer can also be used to measure the thickness of thin films or to act as a colorimeter for microscopic samples.

Up to now, researchers performing analytical investigations in the transmission electron microscope typically had to choose between analytical spectroscopy techniques. They might choose energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis when working with thick samples containing high-Z elements or choose electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) when studying low-Z materials in thin samples. With the advent of STEM instruments possessing both high-mechanical stability and high-brightness probes, coupled with the latest generation of fast, efficient X-ray and EELS detectors, choosing between complementary techniques is a significant restriction. The acquisition systems available up to now have forced a choice because EELS, EDS, and fast scanning have not been designed to work together, resulting in inefficient data collection.

The increasing demand for new opto-electronics devices such as solar cells, laser diodes (LD), and high-brightness light-emitting diodes (HBLED), combined with the economic necessity to achieve lower energy consumption levels and higher device yields, is motivating researchers to develop new materials. The semiconductor industry is actively looking for alternatives to silicon, for example, to address new niche market applications in power devices. Constant efforts employed to reduce production costs are leading manufacturers to grow GaN on silicon substrate, creating new technical challenges, especially regarding the control of defect density on wafer. For all these reasons many studies are being initiated to improve understanding of the fundamental physical properties and behavior of compound semiconductor materials used in quantum wells, quantum dots and nanowire-like structures. Cathodoluminescence (CL) is a spectroscopy method that can generate reliable, quantitative, and stable data for research as well as prepare a basis for quality control during production.

Hyperspectral imaging (also known as spectrum imaging) requires software for extracting the signatures present in every spectrum. However, commercial software available for spectrum analysis remains expensive, complicated, and often not transparent regarding the internal workings and approximations made. For user facilities, educational institutes, and other settings where multiple users on a single tool can be expected, the limited availability of software becomes the bottleneck to data analysis, user training, and throughput. The Cornell Spectrum Imager (CSI) was developed as a universal data analysis tool to be freely distributed, to run on all computers, and to minimize training. This is accomplished by using one simple interface for imaging, cathodoluminescence, Raman, Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopic (EELS), and EDX data analysis. This article demonstrates the CSI plugins for ImageJ by guiding you through the basic workflow for processing EELS maps.

The Microscopy Society of America, the Microanalysis Society, and the International Metallographic Society invite you to Microscopy & Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. This meeting showcases the latest innovative applications and instrumental developments in the biological and physical sciences. This year M&M will feature two plenary lectures, more than 34 symposia, and many educational opportunities in the form of courses and tutorials.

Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) 2012 celebrated the first 70 years of the Microscopy Society of America and energized attendees about present and future directions in our field. This joint meeting of the Microscopy Society of America, the Microanalysis Society, and the International Metallographic Society was held in Phoenix, Arizona, July 29–August 2, 2012. The conference had a robust technical program with 996 technical papers, 1,586 scientific attendees, and a total attendance of 2,648. Thirty-six different countries were represented among the attendees. The exhibition showcased 120 companies spread over 363 booths occupying 36,300 square feet of floor space.

The son of Russian peasants, Pavel Cherenkov faced a significant amount of adversity in his life, but he persevered admirably. He was born in the village of Novaya Chigla in the Vornezh province and grew up in a tumultuous time when Russia was engaged in war and revolution. At the age of two, Cherenkov lost his mother, and his father soon remarried, consigning much of his and his sister's upbringing to a stepmother. Later in his life, in 1938, he would also prematurely lose his father, who was killed under Stalin's regime for political reasons. As a child, Cherenkov reportedly exhibited a curious nature, was an avid reader, and performed well in school. In college, he studied mathematics and physics, graduating in 1928 from Vornezh University. Subsequently, in 1930, he married Marya Putintseva, with whom he would have two children. He relocated to Leningrad (now known as St. Petersburg) to embark on postgraduate research at the P.N. Lebedev Institute of Physics in the Academy of Sciences.

Selected postings from the Microscopy Listserver from September 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012. 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 under “events/other microscopy events” at the MSA webpage: www.microscopy.org. We will gladly add hypertext links to the notice on the web and insert a listing of the meeting in the next issue.

We need to be able to block stray light from our inverted microscope with two-photon capability. I know people drape cloth over their microscopes, but I'm not sure what kind of cloth. Is there a special material? Will it really keep stray light from reaching my scope?