MICSCAPE - Exploring the miniature world

Issue 245 : August 2016 (ISSN 1365 - 070x) Monthly, next issue September 13th 2016.


Cucumber tendril. SEM image by Feng Li.

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Micscape Editor:
David Walker

Microscopy-UK
parent site coordinator:
Maurice Smith

Please do not contact the above for image permissions. Each article contributor retains the copyright to their material so should be contacted directly via the link in the relevant article. Thank you.

Comments on Micscape and contributions welcomed.
Contributions: Any modern format welcomed i.e. pdf. doc/docx with embedded images, or html + jpegs.

SEM gallery from Peking University - by Feng Li (China) with page design and 3D by Mol Smith (UK). An attractive selection of botanical images.

Virtual reality and microscopy - Mol Smith (UK) discusses some recent designs and likely uses.

How bright is your light? Part III: LED conversion - T Rand Collins (Canada) describes and illustrates LED technology and projects to convert a more modern microscope's lighting to LED. PDF

I was framed: Another playful gallery - Richard Howey (USA) describes and illustrates examples of framing photomicrographs.

An early slide collection: Exploring a connection with Quekett - Howard Lynk (USA) shares a detective story to establish a slide collection's likely maker. Original version published in the Winter 2015 Quekett Journal of Microscopy. Republished with kind permission.

Looking at sand on a Lake Huron beach with a $20 microscope - Bill Resch (USA) shares an attractive gallery. PDF

Simple positive staining with three easy to find dyes - Alejandro Ariel Garcia Arriaga (Mexico) discusses the use of gentian violet, methylene blue and dental plaque revealer (erythrosine). PDF

Reprocessing old images - Richard Howey (USA) describes and illustrates the use of photoediting software in photomicrography.

Calibrating a dedicated microscope camera with reference to the last learning step before starting to measure the micro-world  - Alejandro Ariel Garcia Arriaga (Mexico) describes the use of human red blood cells for calibration. PDF

Exploring the use of cheap LED 'halo rings' for car lamps as multi-mode 'condensers' on an upright microscope - David Walker (UK). Inspired by and based on the work published by Dr. Kevin F Webb on LED ring use with inverted microscopes. 

We are delighted to receive contributions small or large from microscopy enthusiasts whether a novice or expert. If you have an image, tip or article, why not share it, this magazine is what you make it!

Archive
Look for that elusive article on our site:
Micscape Magazine past issues online
(read articles online using the original illustrated index for each month).
Article Library (browse articles by category)
Automated Search (a search engine for keyword searches in all articles)
Contributor index (a list of all Micscape contributors to date)
News - special notices - misc.

External links. Updated June 2016. Below are some of our favourites, which includes sites with extensive links and/or resources for the optical microscopy enthusiast.

External Microscopy forums: Places to discuss the hobby or to raise queries.
www.photomacrography.net
forums, galleries, articles on macroscopy and photomicrography.

Yahoo groups: a 'P' denotes current and archived messages are public i.e. not limited to members.
Amateur Microscopy P (started November 2008)
Yahoo Diatom Forum P
Microscope P (>1500 members, very active)
Wild M20 microscope
microcosmo (for Italian speaking enthusiasts)
CombineZ P stacking software forum created by the software's author

Facebook groups:
Amateur Microscopy (>1000 members, very active)

Listservers:
Algae-L
'Forum for marine, freshwater and terrestrial algae'. Access to Archives possible for non-subscribers.
Diatom-L 'Research on the diatom algae.' Access to Archives for subscribers only. Link was current March 2016. Many online diatom resources point to an outdated Indiana Univ. listserver. (With thanks to Rob Kimmich for the current link.)

Mikroskopie-Treff.de (Extensive German microscopy forum; some English categories.)
Mikrobiologische Vereinigung München e. V. Wide range of articles and resources in German.
Le Naturaliste French based forum and image gallery for micro / macro but open to non French speaking international contributors.

Other sites (also see Societies and Clubs page.)
Royal Microscopy Society Journal, 'infocus' and other resources for members and the community.
Quekett Microscopical Club Journal, Bulletin and meetings for members.
Light Microscopy Forum links and articles
Little Imp Publications public domain books collated by Steve Gill formerly on CD and now free on Micscape.
Mikroskop Museum German website with resources on microscopes / makers .
Molecular Expressions awesome optical microscopy resources
Dennis Kunkel's SEM images stunning images
Diatoms Ireland - resource site by Leszek Wolnik
Leitz museum an illustrated resource compiled by Robert Allen
Microbe hunter a free monthly microscopy enthusiast magazine edited by Oliver Kim
Microscopies online magazine and Forum for French speakers
Micrographia articles, projects for the enthusiast
Microscopy Today
journal with online archive
Modern Microscopy
online journal by McCrone Group
Fun Science Gallery projects, articles on optics
Independent Generation of Research (IGoR) - Wiki style resource for citizen scientists to share their work.
G. Couger's microscopy links extensive links
Lens On Leeuwenhoek - extensive resource online by Douglas Anderson
Collected Letters of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek ('Alle de Brieven ..') transcribed and free online at DBNL.
A Cabinet of Curiosities a resource on Victorian microscope slides by Howard Lynk
Klaus Kemp's 'Diatoms' website - offers regional strews and arranged prepared slides of diatoms, an 8 form test slide, radiolaria, insect scales etc and prepares arranged slides on commission.
www.viewsfromscience.com projects by Ely Silk e.g. chilled stage for crystal growth studies and LED fluorescence
'Diatoms Ireland' resource by Leszek Wolnik
Historical makers of microscopes and microscope slides Brian Stevenson's extensive resource .
Victorian slide makers
Cambridge rocking microtome resources including manual
www.willemsmicroscope.com Dutch enthusiast Willem Cramer's website
Stefano Barone's Diatom Shop sale of his own prepared and arranged slides of diatoms, radiolaria and forams.
Stefano Barone's 'Microworlds' blog regularly updated blog and diary where Stefano showcases and discusses the typical examples of the slides he has prepared.

Microscopy-UK and Micscape - established 1995
Micscape is a free magazine for enthusiasts funded by Microscopy-UK and dedicated to non-commercial microscopy.
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