This is not an article about the song made famous by the late (great) Don Ho. This is about a breakthrough in the understanding of how micrometer-sized bubbles can be stabilized for long periods of time. This can influence the taste, smell, and consistency of consumer products including food and cosmetics.

In two-phase systems, which can include air (as bubbles) suspended within a liquid, the structures of the dispersed (bubbles) and continuous (liquid) phases play a critical role in determining the properties of the material. There is also the function of time in that the microstructure of the dispersed phase continuously evolves toward a state of lower energy by minimizing the surface area between the two phases (referred to as the interfacial area). In the long term, this time evolution diminishes the usefulness of two-phase systems. Emilie Dressaire, Rodney Bee, David Bell, Alex Lips, and Howard Stone have devised a way to stabilize a two-phase system for time periods of a year or longer.

Recent advances in silicon drift detector (SDD) design have set a new benchmark for Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Not only do these detectors offer all the benefits users have come to expect from SDD—high count rates, liquid nitrogen-free analysis and excellent resolution—but large active areas and unique technology allow the user to collect EDS data at normal imaging beam currents and lower accelerating voltages in seconds.

Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) has been used for many years to analyse the chemical composition of materials. Historically, EDS detectors used a bulk silicon crystal drifted with lithium. Although such Si(Li) detectors had exceptionally good performance, they had limited count rate capability and operated at very low temperatures thus requiring cooling with liquid nitrogen.

Everything evolves. The Microscopy Society of America (MSA) purchased Microscopy Today (MT) from its founding editor, Don Grimes, and named Ron Anderson editor in 2002. Ron and Dale Anderson (MT Art Director) reformatted the magazine in 2002 and the magazine has enjoyed continuing success since that time. The format philosophy for Microscopy Today is to present 10 to 12 editorial articles plus NetNotes and Microscopy 101 as scientific content. Our aim has been to cover the entire field of microscopy giving even weight to all modalities. We have made progress in our efforts to be more universal with regard to different microscopies. We have made a point of providing editorial content in a dense format, with no white space, essentially, cramming in as much content for our readers as possible. We have kept MT as informal as possible—not mandating strict adherence to style rules—for example, we allow authors to format references any way they like as long as the reader can find the citation in question. And a little humor now and then can be found in our pages.

Training by an instrument manufacturer is provided at various levels, ranging from basic operation requirements of instrumentation to high level courses for specific advanced level applications and integrated solutions.

Initial training usually is in the form of an initial familiarization performed by the installation engineer, and subsequent training is given at training courses at the instrument company laboratory or, in some instances, at the customer site. Manufacturer training can be required on different levels from initiation to basic techniques and operation of the instrumentation to advanced courses for specific applications. Although basic theory is present at the start of a course, the overall aim is to provide practical expertise on an operational level. It is encouraged that customers who are new to the techniques presented may avail themselves of more theoretically orientated courses available at universities and other private institutes.

Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray analysis are standard tools in the nanotechnology world, but access to them by students is limited by high cost and lack of equipment. For this reason, among others, we have developed an on-demand remote access system to The University Spectroscopy and Imaging Facilities (USIF) of The University of Arizona (UA), by using Quartz PCI-Taipan. In general, Taipan is an online server based program that enables spectroscopy laboratories to store, organize, and manage data as well as users. Significantly, the Taipan system allows users, operators and researches to create their own online collaborations, which will, in many ways, fuse their research and outreach efforts. Therefore, we have incorporated the Taipan software to our recently installed Hitachi S-4800 FESEM and S-3400N variable-pressure SEM. With a high-speed internet connection, from any remote setting, the system allows students real-time access to view state-of-the-art microscopes, acquire data, and interact with the instrument operator. What is more, remote users can view up to six different screens including SEM image, SEM control screen, EDS, Raman spectrum, chamber scope, and microscope room as shown in Fig. 1. This offers a significant reduction of time, travel expenses, and more importantly, equipment cost.

Every spring, I teach a one-semester, graduate-level course on materials transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Thanks to the explosion of interest in nanotechnology, what was once a course primarily for metallurgists on imaging crystallographic defects and x-ray microanalysis now attracts a much broader audience. I have had students in the course from almost all the engineering departments at UW Madison (materials, chemical, mechanical, electrical, civil), from the basic sciences (physics, chemistry, geology), and from other departments (including one from Food Science!). The enrollment in the concurrent laboratory class on TEM operation is similar.

This diverse student body has two consequences. First, the students' background knowledge varies widely. Some have already taken a materials characterization course that included some TEM, but others barely know what a crystal structure is.

Short courses in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can quickly sharpen practical skills for industrial microscopists. The SEM and the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) together constitute one of the most powerful and versatile instruments available for solving industrial problems, but interpreting images and spectra is not quite as simple as acquiring them. Applications of SEM span many disciplines, and each application may require knowledge of different aspects of the microscope, and of the industrial problem at hand, to successfully interpret the images and data obtained. Regardless of the problem, whether transistors or trachea cells, the interpretation of SEM images relies upon the microscopist's understanding the fundamentals of image formation as well as the practical aspects of specimen preparation and microscope operation. Many people using SEMs today have not taken any courses beyond the on-site and demo-lab instruction provided by SEM vendors. Equipment manufacturers provide excellent training on how to use the knobs and menus on the SEM to produce useful images and data via the embedded software functions. Since there are many options and setup procedures, these instrument-specific courses are valuable for the novice and expert alike.

A laser-based, single nano-particle tracking analysis system was described in the March issue of Microscopy Today. The LM series of analyzers from NanoSight allows nanoscale particles such as viruses to be directly and individually visualised in liquids in real time, from which high-resolution particle size distribution profiles can be obtained, figure 1. The technique is fast, robust, accurate, and low cost representing an attractive alternative or complement to expensive and more complex methods of nano-particle analysis such as dynamic light scattering (photon correlation spectroscopy) or electron microscopy.

By simultaneously and directly measuring the diffusion coefficient of each and every particle, the dedicated Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) software suite allows the user to automatically count and size the viruses in a sample. Results are displayed as graphs of size against count of individual particles (or size versus relative brightness), thus overcoming the limitations inherent in other particle analysis systems that generate only mean particle size distribution data with resolution.

Ernst Abbe was a brilliant German mathematician and physicist who made several of the most important contributions to the design of lenses for optical microscopy. As a young boy, Abbe lived in an impoverished family where his father labored 16 hours a day to provide for his wife and children. Abbe worked his way through school by earning scholarships and with the help of his father's employer.

Abbe studied physics and mathematics as an undergraduate at the University of Jena and went to graduate school at the University of Göttingen, where he received a doctorate in thermodynamics. In 1863 Abbe joined the faculty at the University of Jena where he taught physics. He met Carl Zeiss in 1866 and became very interested in the optical problems surrounding mid-nineteenth century microscopy.

The advent of techniques to mechanically manipulate single (bio)molecules has sparked large efforts to precisely study the mechanical and elastic properties of proteins, protein fibers, DNA, RNA, etc. Two widely used techniques in this area are atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical tweezers. Optical tweezers complement AFM at the lower end of the force regime: forces of typically a few hundred picoNewtons down to fractions of a picoNewton can be assessed using optical tweezers. This has allowed for, among other things, the precise measurement of forces and displacements exerted by individual motor proteins. In this report, we focus on the use of optical tweezers for force spectroscopy on single DNA molecules, and on the range of applications that this technique offers to learn not only about DNA itself, but also about the mechanics and thermodynamics of protein-DNA interaction.

The general trend of microscopical investigation in biology from the 1950s to the early 1970s was towards obtaining structural information. This goal initially was met using heavy metal and/or aldehyde fixatives, room temperature dehydration with polar organic liquids, embedding with epoxy and acrylate resins, and thin sectioning at room temperature. By the mid 1970s, a perceptible change occurred in the direction of both light and analytical electron microscopy towards investigation of the chemical reactivity and composition of structures made visible with increasingly better spatial resolution for light and electron microscopes. During the past 25 years there have been considerable innovations in microanalytical techniques, including analytical electron and x-ray microscopy and microanalysis, secondary ion mass spectrometry, laser microprobe mass analysis, the scanning probe microscopies, and confocal/multi-photon microscopy. In addition, cryopreservation and the development of chromophores for visualization of molecular and ionic sites within individual living cells as well as membranes have redefined the goal of microscopical preservation: to stabilize cell structure and composition as they exist in the living state.

A great many filters in common use in astronomy are used in order to improve the resulting optical quality in observations and photographs [1-4]. The majority of these filters are also capable of improving image quality in microscopy and photomicrography. Several instances of this have already been reported in this magazine [5-6]. Some new types of RGB-CCD astro filters have recently been developed for multi-shot techniques [2]. These filters can also be regarded as interesting tools for photomicrography that can maximize the quality of true color imaging based on RGB-splitting and multi-shot techniques. The respective methods and their technical benefit are presented and discussed below.

RGB-splitting and multi-shot techniques are routine tools in some fields of professional studio photography and astronomical photography. They can lead to visible improvements in sharpness, resolution and color balance. To obtain maximum image quality, special multi-shot cameras can be used. These are fitted with a multi-shot sensor that does not require any color filters. Therefore, each pixel is sensitive for all colors and pixel interpolations are not necessary.

As the old adage goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ultimately, in the world of jewelry, the unwitting buyer uses his or her naked eye to decide which baubles are the most beautiful and worthy of wear. The expert jeweler and gemologist, however, know that each gem is subjected to rigorous scientific examinations and standards to determine its value and authenticity.

As the number of methods for altering gems grows with technology, methods to counteract counterfeiters, who can take a worthless stone and alter it to make it appear like a more expensive gem, are essential to gem buyers and traders. They must be able to detect artificial stones.

Gemologists assess gemstones based on several standards such as chemical composition and purity. Chemical composition plays a significant role in evaluating gems, as two of the same gemstone can differ chemically. One of the most well known methods of non-destructive testing for detecting gem quality is X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. Increasingly in demand, XRF spectroscopy is an ideal technique for fighting the battle against fraud.