I attend a local entrepreneur's luncheon once a month. Since the small town 1 live is the home of Word Perfect Corporation, and Novell, inc. is just down the road, you can imagine that mamy members are doing exciting things with software. When I tell them that MOXTEK makes windows (or X-ray detectors they really light up, until I tell them that! mean real windows.

X-ray detectors are used in electron microscopy to add chemical element analysis to the imaging capability of the microscope. A typical energy dispersive spectrometer uses a silicon crystal about the si2e of a shirt button to detect and measure the energy of incoming X-rays.

We think that adhesion molecules hold cells together. This is the "glue" that holds us, and every other multicellular life form on this planet, together. Intriguingly, the atomic force microscope has recently been used to directly measure the binding force of one of these adhesion molecules. We now have direct evidence that adhesion molecules have the physical properties required to hold cells together. This essential new information shows that these molecules can perform the function that have been assigned to them. You'll be delighted to know that this molecule is more than strong enough to do its job!

Since the first century A.D., mankind has found ways to see better1. During the next twelve centuries, convex lenses were made from clear minerals for eyeglasses, in order to overcome far-sightedness. Then, in the 1300's, clear, artificial glass became available for the same purposs. By the sixteenth century, concave lenses were made for the near-sighted. It was not until the 17th century that a combination of lenses led to the sciences of astronomy and microscopy.

One of the earliest important microscopists was the Englishman Robert Hooke (1635-1703). He owned a compound microscope with an objective lens and an eyepiece, much like Galileo's telescope.

Most workers wishing to prepare material for microscopy will study a limited range of organisms, and already be familiar with raising, culturing or collecting the species in question because of their research interests or adopted field of study. For those new to microscopy who have not yet defined a field of interest, it is suggested that they read a practical introductory text such as that of Grave (1991).

The diversify and abundance of animal, plant and microbial life available for collection means that gathering material can be a relatively simple task. Nevertheless, a methodical approach ensures that specimens are less likely to suffer damage and full details of their natural habitat are known, which will place any serious study into scientific context.

The present-day interactive manual selection of biological molecules from digitized micrographs for single particle averaging and reconstruction requires substantial effort and time. Thus a computer algorithm capable of recognition of structural content and selection of particles would be desirable. A few approaches have been proposed in the past. The method by Frank and Wagenknecht is based on the principle of correlation search. Van Heel's method is based on the computation of the local variance over a small area around each point of the image field. The method by Harauz and Fong- Lochovsky is based on edge-detection.

Total replacement of a diseased or traumatized hip joint is fast becoming one of the most common surgical procedures. The acetabular prosthetic shell is gaining widespread acceptance as a socket replacement for this procedure. Bio-materials research is providing a wealth of information regarding the life span, wear characteristics, and performance of these replacements, with a major clinical finding being the destruction of bone (osteolysis) at interfaces with the implants. Osteolysis is widely thought to be associated with the particulate wear debris released from articulation of the ball and socket. Formation and release of these particulates will depend not only on the relative motion occurring but also on the surface roughness of the replacement materials.