Ultrathin section

Fig. 6.8 Electron photomicrograph of mouse kidney mitochondria. The structure of both the cytoplasmatic membrane (centre) and the mitochondrial membranes is visible on the ultrathin section. Magnification 70,000x. (By courtesy of J. Ludvik)... 

Goode NP, Shires M, Crellin DM, et al. Post-embedding double-labeling of antigen-retrieved ultrathin sections using a silver enhancement-controlled sequential immunogold (SECSI) technique. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 2004 52 141-144. 

IV. Cutting Sections Ultramicrotomes are designed to cut ultrathin sections, semithin sections and ultrathin frozen sections if suitably... 

Fig. 1. An ultrathin section of an untreated fresh protoplast with 4% uranyl acetate and 0.4% lead citrate. A line profile of gray level (below) was taken along the double-headed arrow through the Golgi cistemae (G) and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). (From ref. 40.)...

Roth J. The preparation of 3 nm and 15 nm gold particles and their use in labeling multiple antigens on ultrathin sections. Histochem J 1982 14 791-801. 

Apply epoxy ultrathin sections on nickel or gold grids coated with Coat-Quick G Pen (Structure Probe, Inc.) and correspondingly air dry. 

Preparation of biological material for electron microscopy still required fixation, dehydration, and ultrathin sections. Araldite and other resins were used in place of paraffin wax for blocking. At first, specially sharpened steel knives were employed to cut the sections, but from 1950 glass or diamond knives were used which could cut slices 100-200 nm thick. By 1952, Palade and others were obtaining sections... 

Takahashi, H., M. Nagayama, H. Akahori and A. Kitahara. 1973. Electron-microscopy of porous anodic films on aluminum by ultrathin section technique. Part 1. The structural change of the film during the current recovery. J. Electron Microscopy 22(2) 149-57. 

Lesion in bovine dentin with tubules protruding from degraded intertubular matrix (left degraded matrix right intact matrix). Demineralization in 0.1 M acetic acid pH 4.0, with subsequent exposure to bacterial collagenase. Fixed and demineralized with glutar-dialdehyde-acetic acid, post-fixed with osmium tetroxide ultrathin sections stained with uranyl acetate - lead citrate. 

We shall first examine the microscopic techniques which allowed us to study these transformations and to show the striking analogy between the images obtained by optical microscopy in polarized light and by electron microscopy with ultrathin sections, despite the difference of the absorption mechanisms of light and electrons. Once this analogy was established, we sought to use electron microscopy and electron microdiffraction to learn more about the texture and structure of the anisotropic areas. 

Figure 1. Electron micrograph of an ultrathin section of a dull attrital layer (durain) in a high volatile A bituminous (hvab) coal. V—vitrinitey E—exinite, M—granular micrinite. X 10,500...

Since the work reported by McCartney et al. (9), ultrathin sections of other, more heterogeneous components and mixtures of components of coals of different rank have been prepared and observed. Procedures for minimizing artifacts have been learned and followed, and experience in observation has led to avoiding obvious faults. These sections were often not as large and continuous as those of homogeneous vitrinites, but adequate areas were available for electron microscopy. Observations of these various components revealed ultrafine structures of different size and form. Some of the structures can be correlated with those deduced from other direct or indirect study techniques others are unfamiliar and novel, and suggested interpretations are tentative. 

The general appearance in the electron microscope of an ultrathin section of a heterogeneous area of dull coal (high volatile A bituminous) is illustrated in Figure 1. Components readily identifiable as vitrinite, exinite, and granular micrinite are indicated. Distinguishing the other variously shaded areas is not so positive, but identification can usually be established from shape, density, and association. 

An ultrathin section of a resin inclusion in vitrain from a subbituminous coal is shown in Figure 4. This variety of resin appeared to have a very fine granular structure in the light microscope. The micrograph shows that this consists of nearly spherical particles ranging from 300 to 700 A. in diameter. 

Figure 10. Electron micrograph of an ultrathin section of exinite in hvab coal. X 42,000...

The micrographs presented here illustrate the potentialities of electron microscopy of ultrathin sections in revealing extremely fine details of crystallite,... 

In general, details of cell structure in vitrinite are distinguished only with great difficulty in ultrathin sections in the electron microscope, probably because of insufficient contrast between cell parts. If cell spaces are filled with another component the cellular structure becomes evident. 

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