Advances in Forensic Sedimentology

Forensic sedimentology is a relatively recently realized field. Sedimentological methods used to solve cases have evolved as the field has developed, beginning with simple identification of minerals and progressing to the examination of individual grains using highly advanced scanning electron microscopes. More simple methods, such as color analysis, are still used today, but in addition, forensic sedimentologists look at surface textures and grain size distribution. For instance, quartz grains were used in a forensic technique as sediment fingerprint. The particle size distribution is one of the important tests when analysing sediments and soils in geological studies. For forensic work, the particle size distribution of sometimes very small samples requires precise determination using a rapid and reliable method with a high resolution. FRITSCH laser granulometer offers rapid and accurate sizing of particles in the range 0.04–2000 μm for a variety of sample types, including soils, unconsolidated sediments, dusts, powders, and other particulate materials.

Quantification of STEM Images in High Resolution SEM for Segmented and Pixelated Detectors

The segmented semiconductor detectors for transmitted electrons in ultrahigh resolution scanning electron microscopes allow observing samples in various imaging modes. Typically, two standard modes of objective lens, with and without a magnetic field, differ by their resolution. If the beam deceleration mode is selected, then an electrostatic field around the sample is added. The trajectories of transmitted electrons are influenced by the fields below the sample. The goal of this paper is a quantification of measured images and theoretical study of the capability of the detector to collect signal electrons by its individual segments. Comparison of measured and ray-traced simulated data were difficult in the past. This motivated us to present a new method that enables better comparison of the two datasets at the cost of additional measurements, so-called calibration curves. Furthermore, we also analyze the measurements acquired using 2D pixel array detector (PAD) that provide a more detailed angular profile. We demonstrate that the radial profiles of STEM and/or 2D-PAD data are sensitive to material composition. Moreover, scattering processes are affected by thickness of the sample as well. Hence, comparing the two experimental and simulation data can help to estimate composition or the thickness of the sample.

Nanocarbon mesh in the flame of aromatic compounds

The soot in the flame of the pyrotechnic composition is presented in a variety of shapes and structures. Part of the dispersed particles consists entirely of carbon. The sizes of such particles are in the submicron range. Another part of the particles contains carbon in the form of nanostructures - needles and tubes. A detailed study of the morphology and chemical composition of dispersed particles on optical and scanning electron microscopes showed the existence of yet another unidentified species of particles - tuba. The resulting formations are micron-sized and retain the properties of nanostructures.

Thermodynamics of Moist Air for Vacuum Technology

The paper is focused on the developing a predictive mathematical model for describing thermodynamic processes connected with the moist air depressurization in vacuum chambers. Equations of the mathematical description are based on principles of the energy and mass conservation, which are complemented by the moist air thermodynamics, the state behavior of water and vapor, including principles of the critical flow. The described problem has been solved using the MATLAB software. In the paper, two cases are applied and discussed: the vacuum drying and the specimen chamber of an environmental scanning electron microscope. The specific requirements are especially important for environmental scanning electron microscopes, where it is possible to observe samples, which contain water, in their natural condition. If the air pressure, temperature and humidity do not have suitable values, observed sample may be dried or damaged.

Morphological and histopathological studies of Thelandros chalcidae (Oxyuroidea: Pharyngodonidae) infecting Chalcides ocellatus from Egypt

Background Thelandros (Pharyngodonidae) is a gastrointestinal nematode parasite with a life cycle including lizards as main hosts. Thelandros chalcidae collected from the large intestine of the Egyptian ocellated skink, Chalcides ocellatus were described and illustrated by light and scanning electron microscopes. Seven out of fifteen (46.66%) of the examined lizards were found to be naturally infected. Also, host intestinal tissues were evaluated from hematoxylin/eosin-stained sections to describe any histopathological changes. Results Microscopic examinations revealed that the recovered pharyngodonid species characterized by mouth with triangular opening and surrounded by six simple lips, the cuticle had regular transverse annulations extending from the posterior margin of the lips to the end of the body. Male was cylindrical with distinct truncated posterior end and measured 1.59–1.86 (1.64 ± 0.10) long and 0.29–0.37 (0.32 ± 0.01) in maximum width at the level of mid-body. Female measured 1.72–2.43 (1.85 ± 0.2) long and 0.36–0.49 (0.42 ± 0.01) maximum width at the mid-body level, terminated posteriorly in a short, stout spike. Histological studies observed structural alterations represented by leukocytic infiltration, villi atrophy, and muscularis degeneration. These changes were indicative of inflammatory and degenerative reaction due to Thelandros chalcidae infection. Conclusion The present morphological study revealed that the recovered pharyngodonid species was Thelandros chalcidae causing pathological alterations in Chalcides ocellatus intestinal tissues.

THE EFFECT OF ADSORBENT AGENTS: SILICA, ANDISOL, LECA, ANTHRACITE, AND ACTIVATED CARBON ON POLLUTANT UPTAKE IN THE CITARUM RIVER (Pengaruh agen penjerap silika, andisol, LECA, antrasit, dan karbon aktif terhadap penjerapan polutan di Sungai Citarum)

Sungai Citarum merupakan sungai terpanjang dan terbesar di Jawa Barat, Indonesia yang mempunyai fungsi vital sebagai sumber air. Pengolahan air sungai Citarum sebelum disalurkan ke masyarakat diperlukan untuk menghilangkan pengotor karena kandungan pengotor pada air sungai Citarum melebihi batas ambang yang dipersyaratkan untuk air konsumsi. Saat ini proses penjerapan atau adsorpsi merupakan proses yang umum digunakan pada perusahaan pegolahan air karena efektifitasnya. Pada penelitian ini, efektifitas lima agen penjerap yaitu silika, andisol, hidroton, antrasit, karbon aktif telah dievaluasi dengan perbedaan rasio padatan dan larutan, dan waktu kontak. Setelah pengolahan, kekeruhan dan logam berat dalam air dianalisa. Karakteristik permukaan, gugus fungsi, dan luas permukaan dari kelima agen penjerap dianalisa masing-masing menggunakan FE-SEM (Field Emission - Scanning Electron Microscopes), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), dan analisa luas permukaan BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller). Hasil analisa menunjukan bahwa masing-masing andisol dan LECA menurunkan kekeruhan dari air citarum dari 21.3 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) menjadi 1.23 dan 2.52 NTU setelah waktu kontak 10 menit. Karbon aktif membutuhkan waktu 10 menit lebih lama untuk menurunkan kekeruhan menjadi 2.26 NTU akan tetapi karbon aktif memiliki luas permukaan yang paling tinggi yaitu 548.310 (m2/g). Luas permukaan berkaitan dengan hasil FE-SEM dimana karbon aktif memiliki pori yang teratur dan berukuran besar. Pada umumnya, andisol, LECA, dan karbon aktif telah berhasil menurunkan kekeruhan air Sungai Citarum yang berkaitan dengan luas permukaan partikelnya.

THE EFFECT OF ADSORBENT AGENTS: SILICA, ANDISOL, LECA, ANTHRACITE, AND ACTIVATED CARBON ON POLLUTANT UPTAKE IN THE CITARUM RIVER (Pengaruh agen penjerap silika, andisol, LECA, antrasit, dan karbon aktif terhadap penjerapan polutan di Sungai Citarum)

Sungai Citarum merupakan sungai terpanjang dan terbesar di Jawa Barat, Indonesia yang mempunyai fungsi vital sebagai sumber air. Pengolahan air sungai Citarum sebelum disalurkan ke masyarakat diperlukan untuk menghilangkan pengotor karena kandungan pengotor pada air sungai Citarum melebihi batas ambang yang dipersyaratkan untuk air konsumsi. Saat ini proses penjerapan atau adsorpsi merupakan proses yang umum digunakan pada perusahaan pegolahan air karena efektifitasnya. Pada penelitian ini, efektifitas lima agen penjerap yaitu silika, andisol, hidroton, antrasit, karbon aktif telah dievaluasi dengan perbedaan rasio padatan dan larutan, dan waktu kontak. Setelah pengolahan, kekeruhan dan logam berat dalam air dianalisa. Karakteristik permukaan, gugus fungsi, dan luas permukaan dari kelima agen penjerap dianalisa masing-masing menggunakan FE-SEM (Field Emission - Scanning Electron Microscopes), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), dan analisa luas permukaan BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller). Hasil analisa menunjukan bahwa masing-masing andisol dan LECA menurunkan kekeruhan dari air citarum dari 21.3 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) menjadi 1.23 dan 2.52 NTU setelah waktu kontak 10 menit. Karbon aktif membutuhkan waktu 10 menit lebih lama untuk menurunkan kekeruhan menjadi 2.26 NTU akan tetapi karbon aktif memiliki luas permukaan yang paling tinggi yaitu 548.310 (m2/g). Luas permukaan berkaitan dengan hasil FE-SEM dimana karbon aktif memiliki pori yang teratur dan berukuran besar. Pada umumnya, andisol, LECA, dan karbon aktif telah berhasil menurunkan kekeruhan air Sungai Citarum yang berkaitan dengan luas permukaan partikelnya.

Open Forest Data: Digitalizing and building an online repository

Poland is characterised by a relatively high variety of living organisms attributed to terrestrial and water environments. Currently, close to 57.000 species of living organisms are described that occur in Poland (Symonides 2008), including lowland and mountain species, those attributed to oceanic and continental areas, as well as species from forested and open habitats. Poland comprehensively represents biodiversity of living organisms on a continental scale and thus, is considered to have an important role for biodiversity maintenance. The Mammal Research Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences (MRI PAS), located in Białowieża Forest, a UNESCO Heritage Site, has been collecting biodiversity data for 90 years. However, a great amount of data gathered over the years, especially old data, is gradually being forgotten and hard to access. Old catalogues and databases have never been digitalized or publicly shared, and not many Polish scientists are aware of the existence of such resources, not to mention the rest of the scientific world. Recognizing the need for an online, interoperable platform, following FAIR data principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable), where biodiversity and scientific data can be shared, MRI PAS took a lead in creation of an Open Forest Data (OFD) repository. OpenForestData.pl (Fig. 1) is a newly created (2020) digital repository, designed to provide access to natural sciences data and provide scientists with an infrastructure for storing, sharing and archiving their research outcomes. Creating such a platform is a part of an ongoing development of life sciences in Poland, aiming for an open, modern science, where data are published as free-access. OFD also allows for the consolidation of natural science data, enabling the use and processing of shared data, including API (Application Programming Interface) tools. OFD is indexed by the Directory of Open Repositories (OpenDOAR) and Registry of Research Data Repositories (re3data). The OFD platform is based entirely on reliable, globally recognized open source software: DATAVERSE, an interactive database app which supports sharing, storing, exploration, citation and analysis of scientific data; GEONODE, a content management geospatial system used for storing, publicly sharing and visualising vector and raster layers, GRAFANA, a system meant for storing and analysis of metrics and large scale measurement data, as well as visualisation of historical graphs at any time range and analysis for trends; and external tools for database storage (Orthanc) and data visualisation (Orthanc plugin Osimis Web Viewer and Online 3D Viewer (https://3dviewer.net/), which were integrated with the system mechanism of Dataverse. Furthermore, according to the need for specimen description, Darwin Core (Wieczorek et al. 2012) metadata schema was decided to be the most suitable for specimen and collections description and mapped into a Dataverse additional metadata block. The use of Darwin Core is based on the same file format, the Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) which allows for sharing data using common terminology and provides the possibility for easy evaluation and comparison of biodiversity datasets. It allows the contributors to OFD to optionally choose Darwin Core for object descriptions making it possible to share biodiversity datasets in a standardized way for users to download, analyse and compare. Currently, OFD stores more than 10.000 datasets and objects from the collections of Mammal Research Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences and Forest Science Institute of Białystok University of Technology. The objects from natural collections were digitalized, described, catalogued and made public in free-access. OFD manages seven types of collection materials: 3D and 2D scans of specimen in Herbarium, Fungarium, Insect and Mammal Collections, images from microscopes (including stereoscopic and scanning electron microscopes), morphometric measurements, computed tomography and microtomography scans in Mammal Collection, mammal telemetry data, satellite imagery, geospatial climatic and environmental data, georeferenced historical maps. 3D and 2D scans of specimen in Herbarium, Fungarium, Insect and Mammal Collections, images from microscopes (including stereoscopic and scanning electron microscopes), morphometric measurements, computed tomography and microtomography scans in Mammal Collection, mammal telemetry data, satellite imagery, geospatial climatic and environmental data, georeferenced historical maps. In the OFD repository, researchers have the possibility to share data in standardized way, which nowadays is often a requirement during the publishing process of a scientific article. Beside scientists, OFD is designed to be open and free for students and specialists in nature protection, but also for officials, foresters and nature enthusiasts. Creation of the OFD repository supports the development of citizen science in Poland, increases visibility and access to published data, improves scientific collaboration, exchange and reuse of data within and across borders.

Comparative morphology of tongue surface in Neotropical aerial insectivore bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera)

Comparative morphological characters in Neotropical bats are mostly restricted to external and cranio-dentary complexes, and few studies focusing on other morphological complexes have been carried out. In the case of tongue morphology, comparative analyses of the structure have been restricted to the superfamily Noctilionoidea with a wide range of diets, and Molossidae, a strictly aerial insectivore family. In this paper, we studied the morphology of tongue papillae in 10 aerial insectivore Neotropical bat species, representing six families (Emballonuridae, Furipteridae, Thyropteridae, Mormoopidae, Natalidae, and Vespertilionidae), and data from the previous study of Molossidae were compared. We studied tongues in light and scanning electron microscopes following material preparation protocols. We observed two types of sensitive papillae, circumvallate and fungiform, the latter at times presenting a groove surrounding the papillae. Nine mechanic types were observed, one of them, which we called flaky-like, not hitherto described. All Vespertilionoidea families (Vespertilionidae, Natalidae, and Molossidae) presented, as diagnosing characters, fungiform papillae distributed throughout the tongue, as well as anteriorly at the dorsum, and scale-like papillae on the medial lobe directed laterally and anteriorly. Emballonuridae showed the simplest tongue morphology regarding the presence and abundance of some papillae. Families composing the clade Furipteridae + Thyropteridae + Mormoopidae presented small and non-grooved fungiform papillae, and mechanical bifid papillae were absent. In summary, this study has provided additional traits (putative synapomorphies) of the bat tongue to support the clades on the current bat phylogeny.

New Features in Crystal Orientation and Phase Mapping for Transmission Electron Microscopy

ACOM/TEM is an automated electron diffraction pattern indexing tool that enables the structure, phase and crystallographic orientation of materials to be routinely determined. The software package, which is part of ACOM/TEM, has substantially evolved over the last fifteen years and has pioneered numerous additional functions with the constant objective of improving its capabilities to make the tremendous amount of information contained in the diffraction patterns easily available to the user. Initially devoted to the analysis of local crystallographic texture, and as an alternative to both X-ray pole figure measurement and EBSD accessories for scanning electron microscopes, it has rapidly proven itself effective to distinguish multiple different phases contained within a given sample, including amorphous phases. Different strategies were developed to bypass the inherent limitations of transmission electron diffraction patterns, such as 180° ambiguities or the complexity of patterns produced from overlapping grains. Post processing algorithms have also been developed to improve the angular resolution and to increase the computing rate. The present paper aims to review some of these facilities. On-going works on 3D reconstruction are also introduced.