Because of the significance of electron microscope tomography in the investigation of biological structure at nanometer scales, ongoing improvement efforts have been continuous over recent years. This is particularly true in the case of software developments. Nevertheless, verification of improvements delivered by new algorithms and software remains difficult. Current analysis tools do not provide adaptable and consistent methods for quality assessment. This is particularly true with images of biological samples, due to image complexity, variability, low contrast and noise. We report an electron tomography (ET) simulator with accurate ray optics modeling of image formation that includes curvilinear trajectories through the sample, warping of the sample and noise. As a demonstration of the utility of our approach, we have concentrated on providing verification of the class of reconstruction methods applicable to wide field images of stained plastic-embedded samples. Accordingly, we have also constructed digital phantoms derived from serial block face scanning electron microscope images. These phantoms are also easily modified to include alignment features to test alignment algorithms. The combination of more realistic phantoms with more faithful simulations facilitates objective comparison of acquisition parameters, alignment and reconstruction algorithms and their range of applicability. With proper phantoms, this approach can also be modified to include more complex optical models, including distance-dependent blurring and phase contrast functions, such as may occur in cryotomography.
Purpose: To evaluate the image quality of an ultrafast cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) system-Varian HyperSight.
Methods And Materials: In this evaluation, 5 studies were performed to assess the image quality of HyperSight CBCT. First, a HyperSight CBCT image quality evaluation was performed and compared with Siemens simulation-CT and Varian TrueBeam CBCT.
Imaging the film formation process of waterborne barrier coatings in situ with nanoscopic resolution is very challenging, which limits the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and rational design of the materials. Here this challenge is tackled using in situ cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM) in combination with electron tomography (cryoET), which allows 3D imaging of the process with <1 nm resolution. By monitoring the film formation process of poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) (EMAA) ionomer dispersion, onion-like nano-aggregates are captured.
Unlabelled: The rich diversity of synapses facilitates the capacity of neural circuits to transmit, process and store information. Here, we used multiplex super-resolution proteometric imaging through array tomography to define features of single synapses in the adult mouse neocortex. We find that glutamatergic synapses cluster into subclasses that parallel the distinct biochemical and functional categories of receptor subunits: GluA1/4, GluA2/3 and GluN1/GluN2B.
HIV is a lentivirus characterized by the formation of its mature core. Visualization and structural examination of HIV requires purification of virions to high concentrations. The yield and integrity of these virions are crucial for ensuring a uniform representation of all viral particles in subsequent analyses.
Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 200 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address:
Cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) has rapidly advanced as a high-resolution imaging tool for visualizing subcellular structures in 3D with molecular detail. Direct image inspection remains challenging due to inherent low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). We introduce CryoSamba, a self-supervised deep learning-based model designed for denoising cryo-ET images.
