Welcome to the Amira-Avizo Software Use Case Gallery

Below you will find a collection of use cases of our 3D data visualization and analysis software. These use cases include scientific publications, articles, papers, posters, presentations or even videos that show how Amira-Avizo Software is used to address various scientific and industrial research topics.

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High-resolution synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography as a tool to unveil the three-dimensional neuronal architecture of the brain

High-resolution synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography as a tool to unveil the three-dimensional neuronal architecture of the brain

The assessment of neuronal number, spatial organization and connectivity is fundamental for a complete understanding of brain function. However, the evaluation of the three-dimensional (3D) brain cytoarchitecture at cellular resolution persists as a great challenge in the field of neuroscience. In this context, X-ray microtomography has shown to be a valuable non-destructive tool for imaging a broad range of samples, from dense materials to soft biological specimens, arisen as a new method fo... Read more

Matheus de Castro Fonseca, Bruno Henrique Silva Araujo, Carlos Sato Baraldi Dias, Nathaly Lopes Archilha, Dionísio Pedro Amorim Neto, Esper Cavalheiro, Harry Westfahl Jr, Antônio José Roque da Silva, Kleber Gomes Franchini

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Ptychographic X-ray CT characterization of the osteocyte lacuno-canalicular network in a male rat's glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis model

Ptychographic X-ray CT characterization of the osteocyte lacuno-canalicular network in a male rat's glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis model

Ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT) is a quantitative imaging modality that non-destructively maps the 3D electron density inside an object with tens of nanometers spatial resolution. This method provides unique access to the morphology and structure of the osteocyte lacuno-canalicular network (LCN) and nanoscale density of the tissue in the vicinity of an osteocyte lacuna.  Our findings indicate that PXCT can non-destructively provide detailed, nanoscale information on the 3D org... Read more

Antonia Ciani, Hechmi Toumi, Stéphane Pallu, Esther H.R.Tsai, Ana Diaz, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Mirko Holler, Eric Lespessailles, Cameron M.Kewish | Synchrotron Soleil, France

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Cortical Column and Whole Brain Imaging of Neural Circuits with Molecular Contrast and Nanoscale Resolution

Cortical Column and Whole Brain Imaging of Neural Circuits with Molecular Contrast and Nanoscale Resolution

Combined expansion and lattice light sheet microscopy enables high
speed, nanoscale molecular imaging of neural circuits over large volumes.

Optical and electron microscopy have made tremendous inroads in understanding the complexity of the brain, but the former offers insufficient resolution to reveal subcellular details and the latter lacks the throughput and molecular contrast to visualize specific molecular constituents over mm-scale or larger dimensions. We combined expansio... Read more

Ruixuan Gao, Shoh M Asano, Srigokul Upadhyayula, Igor Pisarev, Daniel E Milkie, Tsung-Li Liu, Ved Singh, Austin Graves, Grace H Huynh, Yongxin Zhao, John Bogovic, Jennifer Colonell, Carolyn M Ott, Christopher Zugates, Susan Tappan, Alfredo Rodriguez, Kishore R Mosaliganti, Sean G Megason, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, Adam Hantman, Gerald M Rubin, Tom Kirchhausen, Stephan Saalfeld, Yoshinori Aso, Edward S Boyden, Eric Betzig

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Morphology of the bryozoan Cinctipora elegans (Cyclostomata, Cinctiporidae) with first data on its sexual reproduction and the cyclostome neuro-muscular system

Morphology of the bryozoan Cinctipora elegans (Cyclostomata, Cinctiporidae) with first data on its sexual reproduction and the cyclostome neuro-muscular system

Cyclostome bryozoans are an ancient group of marine colonial suspension-feeders comprising approximately 700 extant species. Previous morphological studies are mainly restricted to skeletal characters whereas data on soft tissues obtained by state-of-the-art methods are still lacking. In order to contribute to issues related to cyclostome ground pattern reconstruction, we analyzed the morphology of the neuromuscular system Cinctipora elegans by means of immunocytochemical staining,... Read more

Thomas F. Schwaha, Stephan Handschuh, Andrew N. Ostrovsky, Andreas Wanninger

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Advances in the Synthesis and Long‐Term Protection of Zero‐Valent Iron Nanoparticles

Advances in the Synthesis and Long‐Term Protection of Zero‐Valent Iron Nanoparticles

Core@shell Fe@Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized via the thermal decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl (Fe(CO)5) in the presence either of oleylamine (OAm) or a mixture of OAm and oleic acid (OA). The heterostructured nanocomposites formed do so by a postsynthetic modification of isolated Fe seeds. This proves the versatility of the coating procedure and represents a significant advantage over previous work with Co seeds owing to the higher magnetic susc... Read more

Joshua P. Mehta, Benjamin R. Knappett, Giorgio Divitini, Emilie Ringe, Paul A. Midgley, David Fairen‐Jimenez, Andrew E. H. Wheatley

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Three-dimensional virtual histology of human cerebellum by X-ray phase-contrast tomography

Three-dimensional virtual histology of human cerebellum by X-ray phase-contrast tomography

To quantitatively evaluate brain tissue and its corresponding function, knowledge of the 3D cellular distribution is essential. The gold standard to obtain this information is histology, a destructive and labor-intensive technique where the specimen is sliced and examined under a light microscope, providing 3D information at nonisotropic resolution. To overcome the limitations of conventional histology, we use phase-contrast X-ray tomography with optimized optics, reconstruction, and image an... Read more

Mareike Töpperwien, Franziska van der Meer, Christine Stadelmann, and Tim Salditt

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Characterisation of the diffusion properties of metal foam hybrid flow-fields for fuel cells using optical flow visualisation and X-ray computed tomography

Characterisation of the diffusion properties of metal foam hybrid flow-fields for fuel cells using optical flow visualisation and X-ray computed tomography

The flow distribution behaviour of open-cell metallic foam fuel cell flow-fields are evaluated using ex-situ optical analysis and X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT). Five different manifold designs are evaluated and flow distribution and pressure drop ... Read more

A.Fly, D.Butcher, Q.Meyer, M.Whiteley, A.Spencer, C.Kim, P.R.Shearing, D.J.L.Brett, R.Chen

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An Investigation of Fiber Reinforced Chemically Bonded Phosphate Ceramic Composites at Room Temperature

An Investigation of Fiber Reinforced Chemically Bonded Phosphate Ceramic Composites at Room Temperature

In this study, chemically bonded phosphate ceramic (CBPC) fiber reinforced composites were made at indoor temperatures. The mechanical properties and microstructure of the CBPC composites were studied. The CBPC matrix of aluminum phosphate binder, metakaolin, and magnesia with different Si/P ratios was prepared. The results show that when the Si/P ratio was 1.2, and magnesia content in the CBPC was 15%, CBPC reached its maximum flexural strength. The fiber reinforced CBPC composites were prep... Read more

Zhu Ding; Yu-Yu Li; Can Lu; Jian Liu

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3D Reconstruction of Lipid Droplets in the Seed of Brassica napus

3D Reconstruction of Lipid Droplets in the Seed of Brassica napus

Rapeseed is one of the most important and widely cultured oilseed crops for food and nonfood purposes worldwide. Neutral lipids are stored in lipid droplets (LDs) as fuel for germination and subsequent seedling growth. Most of the LD detection in seeds was still in 2D levels, and some of the details might have been lost in previous studies. In the present work, the configuration of LDs in seeds was obtained by confocal imaging combined with 3D reconstruction technology in Brassica napus<... Read more

Yongtai Yin, Liangxing Guo, Kang Chen, Zhenyi Guo, Hongbo Chao, Baoshan Wang, and Maoteng Licorresponding author

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3-D micro-architecture and mechanical response of soil cemented via microbial-induced calcite precipitation

3-D micro-architecture and mechanical response of soil cemented via microbial-induced calcite precipitation

We introduce the application of microbial-induced calcite precipitation via the ureolytic soil bacterium Sporosarcina Pasteurii in freeze-dried form, as a means of enhancing overall MICP efficiency and reproducibility for geotechnical engineering applications. We show that the execution of urea hydrolysis and CaCO3 precipitation persist as a “cell-free” mechanism upon the complete breakdown of rehydrated cell clusters. Further, strength and stiffness parameters of bio-cemented ... Read more

Dimitrios Terzis, Lyesse Laloui

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X-ray Tomographic Imaging of Tensile Deformation Modes of Electrospun Biodegradable Polyester Fibers

X-ray Tomographic Imaging of Tensile Deformation Modes of Electrospun Biodegradable Polyester Fibers

Electrospun constructs for the repair of load-bearing tissues are required to have adequate mechanical properties. However, the failure mechanisms of electrospun fibrous materials are not well understood. Existing literature focuses on failure modes of individual fibers and/or on bulk mechanical properties of whole fiber mats.

Electrospinning allows the production of fibrous networks for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound healing in health care. It enables the production of c... Read more

Jekaterina Maksimcuka; Akiko Obata ; William W. Sampson ; Remi Blanc ; Chunxia Gao ; Philip J. Withers ; Olga Tsigkou ; Toshihiro Kasuga ; Peter D. Lee ; Gowsihan Poologasundarampillai

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Stochastic reconstruction of carbon fiber paper gas diffusion layers of PEFCs: A comparative study

Stochastic reconstruction of carbon fiber paper gas diffusion layers of PEFCs: A comparative study

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy of fuels into electrical energy. An ideal option for a wide variety of portable, stationary, and automotive applications is using the polymer electrolyte
fuel cells due to their modular design, high efficiency, and environmental benefits.

A 3D microstructure of the non-woven gas diffusion layers (GDLs) of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) is reconstructed using a stochastic method. For a commercial GDL, ... Read more

Sepehr Sima Afrookhteh, Jalil Jamali, Mohsen Shakeric, Majid Baniassadi

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Synchrotron X-ray tomographic quantification of microstructural evolution in ice cream – a multi-phase soft solid

Synchrotron X-ray tomographic quantification of microstructural evolution in ice cream – a multi-phase soft solid

The microstructure of food affects our sensorial perception, its attractiveness, and the manufactured product’s shelf-life.

Microstructural evolution in soft matter directly influences not only the material’s mechanical and functional properties, but also our perception of that material’s taste. Using synchrotron X-ray tomography and cryo-SEM we investigated the time–temperature evolution of ice cream’s microstructure. This was enabled via three adv... Read more

Enyu Guo, Guang Zeng, Daniil Kazantsev, Peter Rockett, Julian Bent, Mark Kirkland, Gerard Van Dalen, David S. Eastwood, David StJohn and Peter D. Lee

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The Application of Hierarchical Structures in Energy Devices: New Insights into the Design of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Enhanced Mass Transport

The Application of Hierarchical Structures in Energy Devices: New Insights into the Design of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Enhanced Mass Transport

Mass transport can significantly limit the rate of reaction and lead to concentration polarization in electrochemical devices, especially under the conditions of high operating current density.

In this study we investigate hierarchically structured micro-tubular solid
oxide fuel cells (MT-SOFC) fabricated by phase inversion technique and quantitatively assess the mass transport and electrochemical performance improvement compared to a conventional tubular SOFC. We present pioneer... Read more

Xuekun Lu, Tao Li, Antonio Bertei, Jason I S Cho , Thomas M.M. Heenan , Rabuni Mohamad, Kang Li, Dan JL Brett, Paul R Shearing

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Correlation between triple phase boundary and the microstructure of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell anodes

Correlation between triple phase boundary and the microstructure of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell anodes

This study aims to correlate the active triple phase boundaries (TPBs) to the variation of as-prepared anode microstructures and Ni densifications based on the reconstructed 3D volume of an SOFC anode, providing a point of comparison with theoretical studies that reveal the relationship of TPBs and the material microstructure using randomly packed spheres models.

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Xuekun Lu, Thomas M.M. Heenan, Josh J. Bailey, Tao Li, Kang Li, Daniel J.L. Brett, Paul R. Shearing, Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London

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The fractal nature of the three-phase boundary: A heuristic approach to the degradation of nanostructured solid oxide fuel cell anodes

The fractal nature of the three-phase boundary: A heuristic approach to the degradation of nanostructured solid oxide fuel cell anodes

Nickel/zirconia-based nanostructured electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells suffer from poor stability even at intermediate temperature.

This study quantifies the electrochemical and microstructural degradation of nanostructured electrodes by combining 3D tomography, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and mechanistic modeling. For the first time, the electrochemical degradation of nanostructured electrodes is quantified according to the fractal nature of the three-phase bounda... Read more

A. Bertei, E. Ruiz-Trejo, K. Kareh, V. Yufit, X. Wang, F. Tariq, N.P. Brandon,

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New Method for the Deposition of Nickel Oxide in Porous Scaffolds for Electrodes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers

New Method for the Deposition of Nickel Oxide in Porous Scaffolds for Electrodes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers

A simple chemical bath deposition is used to coat a complex porous ceramic scaffold with a conformal Ni layer.

The resulting composite is used as a solid oxide fuel cell electrode, and its electrochemical response is measured in humidified hydrogen. X‐ray tomography is used to determine the microstructural characteristics of the uncoated and Ni‐coated porous structure, which include the surface area to total volume, the radial pore size, and the size of the necks between the pores.... Read more

Dr. Enrique Ruiz‐Trejo, Milla Puolamaa, Brian Sum, Dr. Farid Tariq, Dr. Vladimir Yufit, Prof. Nigel P. Brandon

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A Structure and Durability Comparison of Membrane Electrode Assembly Fabrication Methods: Self-Assembled Versus Hot-Pressed

A Structure and Durability Comparison of Membrane Electrode Assembly Fabrication Methods: Self-Assembled Versus Hot-Pressed

The most common means of fabricating membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) involves a hot-press step. The conditions used to perform the hot-press impacts the performance and durability of the fuel cell.

However, the hot-press process is not essential for achieving operational MEAs and some practitioners dispense with the hot-press stage altogether by using a self-assembled approach. By performing the integration of the components in-situ durin... Read more

Jennifer Hack, T. M. M. Heenan, F. Iacoviello, N. Mansor, Q. Meyer, P. Shearing, N. Brandon and D. J. L. Brett

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3D Failure Analysis of Pure Mechanical and Pure Chemical Degradation in Fuel Cell Membranes

3D Failure Analysis of Pure Mechanical and Pure Chemical Degradation in Fuel Cell Membranes

Lifetime-limiting failure of fuel cell membranes is generally attributed to their chemical and/or mechanical degradation. Although both of these degradation modes occur concurrently during operational duty cycles, their uncoupled investigations can provide useful insights into their individual characteristics and consequential impacts on the overall membrane failure.

X-ray computed tomography is emerging as an advantageous tool for fuel cell failure analysis due to its non-destructive ... Read more

Yadvinder Singh, Francesco P. Orfino, Monica Dutta, and Erik Kjeang

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Quantification of the degradation of Ni-YSZ anodes upon redox cycling

Quantification of the degradation of Ni-YSZ anodes upon redox cycling

Ni-YSZ anodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells are vulnerable to microstructural damage during redox cycling leading to a decrease in the electrochemical performance.

 

  • Quantification of redox damage by coupling 3D tomography, EIS and nanoindentation.
  • YSZ fracture, Ni detachment and agglomeration led to irreversible mechanical damage.
  • Ni nanoparticles obtained upon redox cycling improve electrochemical performance.
  • Loss in TPB densi... Read more

Bowen Song, Enrique Ruiz-Trejo, Antonio Bertei, Nigel P.Brandon

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Cellular in vivo 3D imaging of the cornea by confocal laser scanning microscopy

Cellular in vivo 3D imaging of the cornea by confocal laser scanning microscopy

We present an in vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy based method for large 3D reconstruction of the cornea on a cellular level with cropped volume sizes up to 266 x 286x 396 µm3.

The microscope objective used is equipped with a piezo actuator for automated, fast and precise closed-loop focal plane control. Furthermore, we present a novel concave surface contact cap, which significantly reduces eye movements by up to 87%, hence increasing the overlapping image area of the whole st... Read more

Sebastian Bohn, Karsten Sperlich, Stephan Allgeier, Andreas Bartschat, Ruby Prakasam, Klaus-martin Reichert, Heinrich Stolz, Rudolf Guthoff, Ralf Mikut, Bernd Köhler, and Oliver Stachs

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