The Microscope – Volume 68, Second Quarter 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
On the cover
A composite colored SEM micrograph of an N95 surgical maskcontaining coronavirus particles, shown as minute yellowspheroids. At bottom left is an erythrocyte (red blood cell) and asmall lymphocyte above it. At bottom center are spherical coccibacteria, and at the top are rod-shaped bacilli. See Brian J. Ford’sCritical Focus: Stop Covid Beyond the Mask, page 59. (Micrographcourtesy of Brian J. Ford)
Editorial | A Challenging Year for McCrone, Microscopy, and All
Gary J. LaughlinThe Microscope 68:2, p. ii, 2020https://doi.org/10.59082/TNUF7050
Excerpt: As many of you are aware by now, the devastating impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) disrupted nearly all of McCrone Research Institute’s operations and programs in 2020. In response to this once-in-acentury crisis, the Institute, with the support of its constituents and readers like you, is charting a new course for success by creating a viable operating model and exploring ways in which it can continue to deliver world-class microscopy education, research, and publishing, as it has done consistently since 1960.
The Microscopical Examination of the Roughness of Surfaces
John C. Russ
The Microscope 68:2, pp. 51–58, 2020https://doi.org/10.59082/HTUR4086
Abstract: The examination of rough surfaces is commonly performed using various types of microscopes. Visual interpretation of the images is sufficient for many kinds of general classification, but for other purposes, some measure of the roughness is desirable. Techniques for measuring surface roughness that are commonly used in industrial quality control do not use microscopes or represent the actual surface geometry sufficiently, so it is important to consider what microscopy can contribute in this regard. The roles of different microscopes — including light, scanning electron, and atomic force — are considered in terms of the types of information available and the analysis procedures employed. This includes both vertical and lateral measurements.
Abstract: The examination of rough surfaces is commonly performed using various types of microscopes. Visual interpretation of the images is sufficient for many kinds of general classification, but for other purposes, some measure of the roughness is desirable. Techniques for measuring surface roughness that are commonly used in industrial quality control do not use microscopes or represent the actual surface geometry sufficiently, so it is important to consider what microscopy can contribute in this regard. The roles of different microscopes — including light, scanning electron, and atomic force — are considered in terms of the types of information available and the analysis procedures employed. This includes both vertical and lateral measurements.
Critical Focus | Stop Covid Beyond the Mask
Brian J. FordThe Microscope 68:2, pp. 59–70, 2020
https://doi.org/10.59082/DQCN1847
Excerpt: Don’t be fearful of that virus. If you catch it, you may not experience any symptoms at all. Fewer than 20% of people who catch it suffer from breathlessness. If you do, you probably won’t go to hospital, and if you have to be admitted, chances are you’ll be discharged within a week. Should you have to stay longer, you’ll probably recover without needing a respirator, and if you are put on one, then the chances are that you’ll be fine. We need to be cautious, of course, but not terrified. Covid-19? That’s nothing compared to the real pandemic for which we need to prepare, and about which nobody seems to care.
Excerpt: Don’t be fearful of that virus. If you catch it, you may not experience any symptoms at all. Fewer than 20% of people who catch it suffer from breathlessness. If you do, you probably won’t go to hospital, and if you have to be admitted, chances are you’ll be discharged within a week. Should you have to stay longer, you’ll probably recover without needing a respirator, and if you are put on one, then the chances are that you’ll be fine. We need to be cautious, of course, but not terrified. Covid-19? That’s nothing compared to the real pandemic for which we need to prepare, and about which nobody seems to care.
Microscopical Analyses of Asbestos-Containing Fibrous Adhesive
James R. Millette, Steven Compton, and Christopher DePasqualeThe Microscope 68:2, pp. 71–79, 2020
https://doi.org/10.59082/QFPS4387
Abstract: An asbestos-containing, sodium silicate-based fibrous adhesive was applied to insulating materials from the 1940s to the 1970s. Batch formulation sheets for Benjamin Foster 81-27 fibrous adhesive were used to determine that the concentration of chrysotile asbestos in the dried product ranged from 8% to 32%. The application of the thick viscous adhesive is not considered to be a source of airborne asbestos fibers, but the cleanup of the dried material that might fall near workers and on their clothing, bodies, and tools is of concern. Also of concern is the fiber release that occurs during breakup of the fibrous adhesive films during repair work on piping systems. Testing done with reconstituted Foster 81-27 adhesive showed that scraping and sanding of dried 81-27 produced levels in a glove box that ranged up to 0.19 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc) as determined by NIOSH 7400 values modified by NIOSH 7402 asbestos ratios. Brushing the dried 81-27 on denim produced levels up to 0.16 asbestos f/cc and removing the dried 81-27 material brushed onto a polyester cloth with a hammer and chisel, as had been described by workers, produced a level more than 10 f/cc. In another test, breathing-zone air samples were taken from an industrial hygienist, who had removed the 81-27 brushed onto cheesecloth with a hammer and chisel inside a room-size chamber. These samples were overloaded. It was conservatively estimated that the asbestos levels in this test were well over 2 f/cc.
New Microcrystal Tests for Controlled Drugs, Diverted Pharmaceuticals, and Bath Salts (Synthetic Cathinones): Mephedrone and Methylone
Sebastian B. Sparenga, Gary J. Laughlin, Meggan B. King, and Dean Golemis
The Microscope 68:2, pp. 80–93, 2022https://doi.org/10.59082/MLQV7638
Abstract: The Microscope is publishing selected monographs from McCrone Research Institute’s recently completed research, New Microcrystal Tests for Controlled Drugs, Diverted Pharmaceuticals, and Bath Salts (Synthetic Cathinones), which contains newly developed microcrystal tests and reagents with 9 additional drugs: alprazolam, butylone, mephedrone, methylone, MDPV, 4-MEC, alpha-PVP, tramadol, and zolpidem. This issue includes the monographs for the following drugs/reagents:
• mephedrone/palladium chloride with hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid• mephedrone/picrolonic acid• methylone/palladium chloride with hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid• methylone/picric acid
Obituary | Edwin F. Lebryk, 1924–2020
Robert M. Kuksuk
The Microscope 68:2, pp. 94–95, 2020https://doi.org/10.59082/PRMS5912
Edwin “Ed” Lebryk, a longtime member of the State Microscopical Society of Illinois (SMSI) and a friend of McCrone Research Institutein Chicago, passed away on Nov. 21, 2020 in his hometown of Munster, IN. He was 96.
Obituary | Joseph E. Koles, 1926–2021
Dean GolemisThe Microscope 68:2, p. 95, 2020https://doi.org/10.59082/SJKZ6500
Joseph E. Koles, an eminent microscopist and microchemist for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL), died of a heart attack on Feb. 12, 2021 in White Oak, MD. He was 94.
Afterimage | Macrospora scirpicola
Payam Fallah, IDEHL Laboratory
The Microscope 68:2, p. 96, 2020
Macrospora scirpicola, an ascomycetous fungus growing on submerged aquatic macrophytes such as Scirpus lacustris; Olympus BH2 microscope, using Nomarski differential interference contrast.
Macrospora scirpicola, an ascomycetous fungus growing on submerged aquatic macrophytes such as Scirpus lacustris; Olympus BH2 microscope, using Nomarski differential interference contrast.
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