Imaging Microstructures

This book contains the proceedings of the research conference, ``Imaging Microstructures: Mathematical and Computational Challenges'', held at the Institut Henri Poincare, on June 18-20, 2008. The problems that appear in imaging microstructures pose significant challenges to our community. The methods involved come from a wide range of areas of pure and applied mathematics. The main purpose of this volume is to review the state-of the-art developments from analytic, numerical, and physics perspectives.

Image Analysis in Earth Sciences is a graduate level textbook for researchers and students interested in the quantitative microstructure and texture analysis of earth materials. Methods of analysis and applications are introduced using carefully worked examples. The input images are typically derived from earth materials, acquired at a wide range of scales, through digital photography, light and electron microscopy. The book focuses on image acquisition, pre- and post-processing, on the extraction of objects (segmentation), the analysis of volumes and grain size distributions, on shape fabric analysis (particle and surface fabrics) and the analysis of the frequency domain (FFT and ACF). The last chapters are dedicated to the analysis of crystallographic fabrics and orientation imaging. Throughout the book the free software Image SXM is used.

The Neuroscience of Parkinson’s Disease (two volume set) provides a single source of material covering different scientific domains of neuropathology underlying this condition. The book covers a wide range of subjects and unravels the complex relationships between genetics, molecular biology, pharmaceutical chemistry, neurobiology, imaging, assessments, and treatment regimens. The book also fills a much-needed gap as a "one-stop" synopsis of everything to do with the neurology and neuroscience related to Parkinson’s disease—from chemicals and cells to individuals. It is an invaluable resource for neuroscientists, neurologists, and anyone in the field. Offers the most comprehensive coverage of a broad range of topics related to Parkinson's disease Serves as a foundational collection for neuroscientists and neurologists on the biology of disease and brain dysfunction Contains in each chapter an abstract, key facts, mini dictionary of terms, and summary points to aid in understanding Features preclinical and clinical studies to help researchers map out key areas for research and further clinical recommendations Serves as a "one-stop" source for everything you need to know about Parkinson’s disease

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) techniques have opened new doors for examining biological tissues in vivo. By combining sensitization to diffusion using magnetic field gradients with a variety of imaging and localization schemes, diffusion-weighted MRI and diffusion-weighted MRS allow investigating translational diffusion of endogenous molecules, such as water or metabolites, in biological tissues, most commonly the brain but also other organs such as the prostate. The typical voxel resolution of MRI or MRS is in the millimeter to centimeter range, much lower than the cellular scale. However, as molecules are typically diffusing over just a few µm during the duration of the measurement (the “diffusion time”) and encounter numerous biological membranes at these scales, the average cellular microstructure has a critical influence on the measured diffusion signal. Hence, diffusion-weighted MRI and diffusion-weighted MRS are sensitive to tissue microstructure at a scale well below the nominal imaging resolution. However, the connection between diffusion properties and tissue microstructure remains indirect, so any attempt to quantify microstructure will rely on modeling. The goal of this Research Topic was to gather experts in various acquisition and modeling strategies and show how these approaches, despite their own strengths and weaknesses, can yield unique information about cellular microstructure, and sometimes complement each other.

Microstructure, Property and Processing of Functional Ceramics describes the preparation, property and local structure microscopy of functional ceramics. It covers functional ceramic fabrication processing, grain boundary phenomena and micro-, nanoscale structures characterizations including scanning electron acoustic microscopy, scanning probe acoustic microscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy. This book is intended for advanced undergraduates, graduates and researchers in the field of materials science, microelectronics, optoelectronics and microscopy. Qingrui Yin and Binghe Zhu both are professors at the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr. Huarong Zeng is an associate professor at the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The characterisation of materials and material systems is an essential aspect of materials science. A few decades ago it became obvious that, because the properties of materials depend so critically on the microstructure of their components, this characterisation must be determined to the atomic level. This means that the position - as well as the nature - of individual atoms has to be determined at "critical" regions close to defects such as dislocations, interfaces, and surfaces. The great impact of advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques became apparent in the area of semiconducting materials, where the nature of internal interfaces between silicon and the corresponding silicides could be identified, and the results used to enhance the understanding of the properties of the compounds studied. At that time, advanced TEM techniques existed predominantly in the US. However, advanced TEM instrumentation was not available in the ma terials science and solid-state science communities in Germany. This gap was bridged by the late Peter Haasen who, after a visit to the US, initiated a Priority Programme on Microstructural Characterisation at the Volkswagen Foundation (Hannover). The programme was in effect from 1985 to 1997 and supported a wide range of research projects - from fundamental, trendy, innovative projects to projects in applied materials science.

Image Analysis of Food Microstructure offers a condensed guide to the most common procedures and techniques by which quantitative microstructural information about food can be obtained from images. The images are selected from a broad range of food items, including macroscopic images of meat and finished products such as pizza, and the microstructures of cheeses, dough and baked goods, ice cream, fruits and vegetables, emulsions, foams, and gels. The book informs food scientists about the image processing and measurement tools used to characterize a variety of microstructures in foods, using high-quality image techniques to illustrate chemical composition, thermo-mechanical processing, and genetic and structural properties. These different types of images used to measure various aspects of structure include: macroscopic light photography, confocal light microscopy, electron microscopy, atomic force microscope images, magnetic resonance, and computed tomography. Then the text explains how to interpret images to produce data, plot the results in different graphs, and identify trends. Examples using these image analysis techniques show typical results that researchers can expect and recreate. Image Analysis of Food Microstructure summarizes the basic procedures that can be useful in various aspects of food research, from nutraceuticals to cooking and food processing. It presents the processing of images and mathematical principles needed for image analyses in a step-by-step approach to extract key information from the images obtained.

Three-Dimensional Microfabrication Using Two-Photon Polymerization, Second Edition offers a comprehensive guide to TPP microfabrication and a unified description of TPP microfabrication across disciplines. It offers in-depth discussion and analysis of all aspects of TPP, including the necessary background, pros and cons of TPP microfabrication, material selection, equipment, processes and characterization. Current and future applications are covered, along with case studies that illustrate the book's concepts. This new edition includes updated chapters on metrology, synthesis and the characterization of photoinitiators used in TPP, negative- and positive-tone photoresists, and nonlinear optical characterization of polymers. This is an important resource that will be useful for scientists involved in microfabrication, generation of micro- and nano-patterns and micromachining. Discusses the major types of nanomaterials used in the agriculture and forestry sectors, exploring how their properties make them effective for specific applications Explores the design, fabrication, characterization and applications of nanomaterials for new Agri-products Offers an overview of regulatory aspects regarding the use of nanomaterials for agriculture and forestry