Microscopy 101
Figure 1: Sedimentary rock matrix undergoing hydrofluoric acid digestion to reveal organic microfossils at the Paleoenvironmental/Marine Palynology Laboratory, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria.
Scanning electron image rendering. Micrographs of
specimens were taken with a Hitachi field emission S-4800 SEM at the Advanced Microscopy Facility, University of Victoria (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada), using an accelerating voltage of 1kV and emission current of 10 μA. A series of images were taken at different focal points; as the focal point changed the magnification also changed. Once in focus, the magnification was adjusted so that the series of images were taken at the same magnification. Image post-production. Initially, composite images were
prepared for presentation using Helicon Focus, but the majority had to be manually combined using Adobe Photoshop CS6 or CC2019 soſtware, putting the in-focus parts together in layers. Adjustments to noise using a Gaussian Blur and Unsharp Mask and Brightness/Contrast using Levels were occasionally necessary. When the pin-and-pedestal method was not employed and a black background was desired, the grayscale stub surface was typically changed through Adobe Photoshop using standard layer masks.
Figure 3: Pin-and-pedestal mount of a Cannosphaeropsis franciscana dinoflagellate cyst
specimen.
Figure 2: Use of a micropipette and transmitted light microscopy to transfer a Cannosphaeropsis franciscana dinoflagellate cyst specimen from a slide for placement on an SEM aluminum stub.
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(A) Low-magnification view of a pin tip
embedded in a carbon sticker on an aluminum stub surface. The pin is stabilized with Paraloid B-72 adhesive; (B, C) high-magnification views of a Cannosphaeropsis franciscana dinoflagellate cyst suspended on a pin tip. Note the minute bolus of carbon sticker on the pin tip to secure the specimen. The black background is shown as collected with the SEM and has not been altered by image processing.
www.microscopy-today.com • 2021 November
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