scholarly journals Sexual dichromatism of the Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Coeligena helianthea, hummingbird plumage

2019 ◽  
Vol 161 (1) ◽  
pp. 289-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Sosa ◽  
Juan L. Parra ◽  
Doekele G. Stavenga ◽  
Marco A. Giraldo
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Spectral Data ◽  
Reflectance Spectra ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Sexual Dichromatism ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Optical Modelling ◽  
The Many

Abstract Among the many richly coloured birds, hummingbirds with their brilliant colouration are outstanding. We studied the plumage of male and female Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Coeligena helianthea, which exhibits a marked sexual dichromatism. The wide diversity of coloured feathers (blue, purple, golden, green, red) makes it an attractive species to investigate the structural basis of the colouration and to study the connection between the displayed colours and the perception by conspecifics. We analysed the optical properties of the feather barbules, applying spectrophotometry, scatterometry, and electron microscopy. Using the anatomical results, the spectral data can be interpreted by optical modelling. The reflectance spectra of the feathers of male C. helianthea strikingly overlap with the spectral sensitivities of bird photoreceptors, which suggests that the feather and photoreceptor spectra are tuned.

scholarly journals Splendid coloration of the peacock spider Maratus splendens

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (121) ◽  
pp. 20160437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doekele G. Stavenga ◽  
Jürgen C. Otto ◽  
Bodo D. Wilts
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
The Body ◽  
Structural Coloration ◽  
Optical Modelling ◽  
Jumping Spiders ◽  
Blue Coloration ◽  
Scanning Electron

Jumping spiders are well known for their acute vision and often bright colours. The male peacock spider Maratus splendens is richly coloured by scales that cover the body. The colours of the white, cream and red scales, which have an elaborate shape with numerous spines, are pigmentary. Blue scales are unpigmented and have a structural colour, created by an intricate photonic system consisting of two chitinous layers with ridges, separated by an air gap, with on the inner sides of the chitin layers an array of filaments. We have characterized the optical properties of the scales by microspectrophotometry, imaging scatterometry and light and scanning electron microscopy. Optical modelling revealed that the filament array constitutes a novel structural coloration system, which subtly fine tunes the scale reflectance to the observed blue coloration.

Ultrastructural investigation of spontaneous pituitary gonadotroph cell adenomas in aging Sprague-Dawley rats

1983 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 702-703
Author(s):  
D. J. McComb ◽  
J. Beri ◽  
F. Zak ◽  
K. Kovacs
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Animal Model ◽  
Epoxy Resin ◽  
Immunoelectron Microscopy ◽  
Tumor Type ◽  
Gonadal Function ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Reticulin Fibers ◽  
Sprague Dawley Rats

Gonadotroph cell adenomas of the pituitary are infrequent in human patients and are not invariably associated with altered gonadal function. To date, no animal model of this tumor type exists. Herein, we describe spontaneous gonadotroph cell adenomas in old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats by histology, immunocytology and electron microscopy.The material consisted of the pituitaries of 27 male and 38 female Sprague Dawley rats, all 26 months of age or older, removed at routine autopsy. Sections of formal in-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue were stained with hematoxylin-phloxine-saffron (HPS), the PAS method and the Gordon-Sweet technique for the demonstration of reticulin fibers. For immunostaining, sections were exposed to anti-rat β-LH, anti-ratβ-TSH, anti-rat PRL, anti-rat GH and anti-rat ACTH 1-39. For electron microscopy, tissue was fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde, postfixed in 1% OsO4 and embedded in epoxy-resin. Tissue fixed in 10% formalin, embedded in epoxy resin without osmification, was used for immunoelectron microscopy.

On Future Directions in Pathology

1982 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 274-277
Author(s):  
Benjamin F. Trump ◽  
Irene K. Berezesky ◽  
Raymond T. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽  
Clinical Pathology ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Diagnostic Pathology ◽  
The Past ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
The Many

The role of electron microscopy and associated techniques is assured in diagnostic pathology. At the present time, most of the progress has been made on tissues examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and correlated with light microscopy (LM) and by cytochemistry using both plastic and paraffin-embedded materials. As mentioned elsewhere in this symposium, this has revolutionized many fields of pathology including diagnostic, anatomic and clinical pathology. It began with the kidney; however, it has now been extended to most other organ systems and to tumor diagnosis in general. The results of the past few years tend to indicate the future directions and needs of this expanding field. Now, in addition to routine EM, pathologists have access to the many newly developed methods and instruments mentioned below which should aid considerably not only in diagnostic pathology but in investigative pathology as well.

Enhanced information from biological materials through technological improvements in cryo-electron microscopy

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 788-789
Author(s):  
Marc J.C. de Jong ◽  
Wim M. Busing ◽  
Max T. Otten
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Electron Beam ◽  
Biological Materials ◽  
Electron Crystallography ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
The Many ◽  
Technological Improvements ◽  
Beam Damage

Biological materials damage rapidly in the electron beam, limiting the amount of information that can be obtained in the transmission electron microscope. The discovery that observation at cryo temperatures strongly reduces beam damage (in addition to making it unnecessaiy to use chemical fixatives, dehydration agents and stains, which introduce artefacts) has given an important step forward to preserving the ‘live’ situation and makes it possible to study the relation between function, chemical composition and morphology.Among the many cryo-applications, the most challenging is perhaps the determination of the atomic structure. Henderson and co-workers were able to determine the structure of the purple membrane by electron crystallography, providing an understanding of the membrane's working as a proton pump. As far as understood at present, the main stumbling block in achieving high resolution appears to be a random movement of atoms or molecules in the specimen within a fraction of a second after exposure to the electron beam, which destroys the highest-resolution detail sought.

Electron Microscopy and image reconstruction reveal the structural basis for spectrin's elastic properties

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 510-511
Author(s):  
Amy M. McGough ◽  
Robert Josephs
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Quaternary Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Membrane Skeleton ◽  
Projection Algorithm ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Iterative Approximation ◽  
Membrane Skeletons

The remarkable deformability of the erythrocyte derives in large part from the elastic properties of spectrin, the major component of the membrane skeleton. It is generally accepted that spectrin's elasticity arises from marked conformational changes which include variations in its overall length (1). In this work the structure of spectrin in partially expanded membrane skeletons was studied by electron microscopy to determine the molecular basis for spectrin's elastic properties. Spectrin molecules were analysed with respect to three features: length, conformation, and quaternary structure. The results of these studies lead to a model of how spectrin mediates the elastic deformation of the erythrocyte.Membrane skeletons were isolated from erythrocyte membrane ghosts, negatively stained, and examined by transmission electron microscopy (2). Particle lengths and end-to-end distances were measured from enlarged prints using the computer program MACMEASURE. Spectrin conformation (straightness) was assessed by calculating the particles’ correlation length by iterative approximation (3). Digitised spectrin images were correlation averaged or Fourier filtered to improve their signal-to-noise ratios. Three-dimensional reconstructions were performed using a suite of programs which were based on the filtered back-projection algorithm and executed on a cluster of Microvax 3200 workstations (4).

Quantitative ultrastructural reconstruction of small regions within large volumes by correlative light and high voltage electron microscopy of serial 0.25-0.50 μm sections

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 578-581
Author(s):  
Conly L. Rieder ◽  
Frederick J. Miller ◽  
Edwin Davison ◽  
Samuel S. Bowser ◽  
Kirsten Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Voltage ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Meiotic Spindle ◽  
High Voltage Electron Microscopy ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Voltage Electron ◽  
High Voltage Electron ◽  
Differential Stability ◽  
Sperm Aster

In this abstract we Illustrate how same-section correlative light and high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM) of serial 0.25-0.50-μm sections can answer questions which are difficult to approach by EM of 60-100 nm sections.Starfish (Pisaster and Asterlas) eggs are fertilized at meiosis I when the oocyte contains two maternal centrosomes (e.g., asters) which form the poles of the first meiotic spindle. Immediately after fertilization a sperm aster is assembled in the vicinity of the male pronucleus and persists throughout meiosis. At syngamy the sperm aster splits to form the poles of the first mitotic spindle. During this time the functional and replicative properties of the maternal centrosome, inherited from the last meiotic division, are lost. The basis for this differential stability, of male and female centrosomes in the same cytoplasm, is a mystery.

scholarly journals Phytosynthetic Fabrication of Lanthanum Ion-Doped Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles Using Sesbania grandiflora Leaf Extract and Their Anti-Microbial Properties

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Srihasam Saiganesh ◽  
Thyagarajan Krishnan ◽  
Golla Narasimha ◽  
Hesham S. Almoallim ◽  
Sulaiman Ali Alhari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Rare Earth ◽  
Nickel Oxide ◽  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Metal Oxide Nanoparticles ◽  
Oxide Nanoparticles ◽  
Nio Nanoparticles ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Sesbania Grandiflora

Over the past few years, the photogenic fabrication of metal oxide nanoparticles has attracted considerable attention, owing to the simple, eco-friendly, and non-toxic procedure. Herein, we fabricated NiO nanoparticles and altered their optical properties by doping with a rare earth element (lanthanum) using Sesbania grandiflora broth for antibacterial applications. The doping of lanthanum with NiO was systematically studied. The optical properties of the prepared nanomaterials were investigated through UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-DRS) analysis, and their structures were studied using X-ray diffraction analysis. The morphological features of the prepared nanomaterials were examined by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, their elemental structure was analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectral analysis, and their oxidation states were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, the antibacterial action of NiO and La-doped NiO nanoparticles was studied by the zone of inhibition method for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus sublitis. It was evident from the obtained results that the optimized compound NiOLa-04 performed better than the other prepared compounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the phytosynthetic fabrication of rare-earth ion Lanthanum (La3+)-doped Nickel Oxide (NiO) nanoparticles and their anti-microbial studies.

scholarly journals Polymorphic gallium for active resonance tuning in photonic nanostructures: from bulk gallium to two-dimensional (2D) gallenene

Nanophotonics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (14) ◽  
pp. 4233-4252
Author(s):  
Yael Gutiérrez ◽  
Pablo García-Fernández ◽  
Javier Junquera ◽  
April S. Brown ◽  
Fernando Moreno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Active Materials ◽  
Promising Candidate ◽  
Plasmonic Structures ◽  
Resonance Tuning ◽  
The Many ◽  
Optical Behavior

AbstractReconfigurable plasmonics is driving an extensive quest for active materials that can support a controllable modulation of their optical properties for dynamically tunable plasmonic structures. Here, polymorphic gallium (Ga) is demonstrated to be a very promising candidate for adaptive plasmonics and reconfigurable photonics applications. The Ga sp-metal is widely known as a liquid metal at room temperature. In addition to the many other compelling attributes of nanostructured Ga, including minimal oxidation and biocompatibility, its six phases have varying degrees of metallic character, providing a wide gamut of electrical conductivity and optical behavior tunability. Here, the dielectric function of the several Ga phases is introduced and correlated with their respective electronic structures. The key conditions for optimal optical modulation and switching for each Ga phase are evaluated. Additionally, we provide a comparison of Ga with other more common phase-change materials, showing better performance of Ga at optical frequencies. Furthermore, we first report, to the best of our knowledge, the optical properties of liquid Ga in the terahertz (THz) range showing its broad plasmonic tunability from ultraviolet to visible-infrared and down to the THz regime. Finally, we provide both computational and experimental evidence of extension of Ga polymorphism to bidimensional two-dimensional (2D) gallenene, paving the way to new bidimensional reconfigurable plasmonic platforms.

Influence of doping on crystal growth, structure and optical properties of nanocrystalline CaTiO3: a case study using small-angle neutron scattering

2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 836-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oindrila Mondal ◽  
Manisha Pal ◽  
Ripandeep Singh ◽  
Debasis Sen ◽  
Subhasish Mazumder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Crystal Growth ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Ionic Radius ◽  
Ionic Radii ◽  
Growth Structure ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
The Difference

The effect of dopant size (ionic radius) on the crystal growth, structure and optical properties of nanocrystalline calcium titanate, CaTiO3(CTO), have been studied using small-angle neutron scattering. X-ray diffraction, along with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, confirms the growth of pure nanocrystalline CTO. Rietveld analysis reveals that the difference of ionic radii between dopant and host ions induces strain within the lattice, which significantly affects the lattice parameters. The induced strain, due to the difference of ionic radii, causes the shrinkage of the optical band gap, which is manifested by the redshift of the absorbance band. Mesoscopic structural analysis using scattering techniques demonstrates that the ionic radius of the dopant influences the agglomeration behaviour and particle size. A high-resolution transmission electron microscopy study reconfirms the formation of pure highly crystalline CTO nanoparticles.

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