Welcome to the Amira-Avizo Software Use Case Gallery

Cranial ornaments such as keratinous horns and bony casques are commonplace amongst birds and take a variety of diverse forms. Possible functions include display, thermoregulation, vocalisation and intraspecific combat, yet few hypotheses have been directly tested. Here we investigate the anatomy and mechanics of the casque of the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), and test functional hypotheses using CT-based virtual dissection.

In particular, we determine the nature of pneumat... Read more

Proton conductivity of the polymer electrolyte membranes in fuel cells dictates their performance and requires sufficient water management. Here, we report a simple, scalable method to produce well-dispersed transition metal carbide nanoparticles. We demonstrate that these, when added as an additive to the proton exchange Nafion membrane, provide significant enhancement in power density and durability over 100 hours, surpassing both the baseline Nafion and platinum-containing recast Nafion ... Read more

In this study, a series of alumina hollow fibers have been prepared with varied polymer binder (polyethersulfone, PESf) concentration and new polymer-based internal coagulant (aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol, PVA). For the first time, the micro-channels were characterized in 3D using X-ray CT to determine micro-channel densities and diameters in the radial direction, as well as the 2D measurement of the pore size in the sponge-like layer.

The sequential activation of neurons has been observed in various areas of the brain, but in no case is the underlying network structure well understood. Here we examined the circuit anatomy of zebra finch HVC, a cortical region that generates sequences underlying the temporal progression of the song. We combined serial block-face electron microscopy with light microscopy to determine the cell types targeted by HVC_(RA) neurons, which control song timing. Close to their soma, axons... Read more

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and
materials. Within DSM’s Materials Cluster DSM Engineering Plastics is a global player in specialty plastics. These materials are used in components for the electrical and electronics, automotive, flexible food packaging and consumer goods industries.

A typical product made of DSM Engineering Plastics’ polymer portfolio are USB-C connectors. Key performance indicators for this application are dimension... Read more

X-ray micro-CT has increasingly been used for 3D imaging of plant structures. At the micrometer reso-lution however, limitations in X-ray contrast often lead to datasets with poor qualitative and quantitative measures, especially within dense cell clusters of plant tissue specimens. The current study developed protocols for delivering a cesium based contrast enhancing solution to varying plant tissue specimens for the purpose of improving 3D tissue structure characterization within plant spec... Read more

The ∼3.48 billion-year-old Dresser Formation, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, is a key geological unit for the study of Earth’s earliest life and the habitats it occupied. Here, we describe a new suite of spheroidal to lenticular microstructures that morphologically resemble some previously reported Archean microfossils. Correlative microscopy shows that these objects have a size distribution, wall ultrastructure, and chemistry that are incompatible with a microfossil origin and in... Read more

Prepared core technology illustrates in-depth planning and the presence of a mental template during the core reduction process. This technology is, therefore, a significant indicator in studying the evolution of abstract thought and the cognitive abilities of hominids. Here, we report on Victoria West cores excavated from the Canteen Kopje site in central South Africa, with a preliminary age estimate of approximately 1 Ma (million years ago) for these cores. Technological analysis shows tha... Read more

We had proposed an image-processing scheme using union operation suitable for extracting target features with hierarchical dimensions from the original data, and applied it to void analysis in a composite electrode of an all-solid-state lithium ion battery (LIB). Void analysis is very important in developing better composite electrodes for all-solid-state LIBs because internal voids should increase the interfacial resistance. Film formation of electrode-solid electrolyte composites by the aer... Read more

Food and detergent products are composed of complex micro structures. With modern microscopic techniques we can make them visible. The microstructure greatly affects macroscopic properties such as appearance, taste, mouth feel and solubility. Making these structures visible and quantifying them is essential to the development of products with optimal product properties. A broad range of imaging techniques is used to visualize microstructure elements at different length scales. For example, X-... Read more

Neural circuitry in the lumbar spinal cord governs two principal features of locomotion, rhythm and pattern, which reflect intra- and interlimb movement. These features are functionally organized into a hierarchy that precisely controls stepping in a stereotypic, speed-dependent fashion. Here, we show that a specific component of the locomotor pattern can be independently manipulated…

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a disease that affects millions of Americans. Identifying genetic pathways that influence recovery from noise exposure is an important step forward in understanding NIHL. The transcription factor Foxo3 integrates the cellular response to oxidative stress and plays a role in extending lifespan in many organisms, including humans. Here we show that Foxo3 is required for auditory function after noise exposure in a mouse model system, measured by ABR…Read more

In this paper, porous sintered glass bead packings are studied, using X-ray Computed Tomography (XRCT) images at 16μm16μm voxel resolution, to obtain not only the porosity field, but also other properties like particle sizes, pore throats and the permeability. The influence of the sintering procedure and the original particle size distributions on the microstructure, and thus on the hydraulic properties, is analyzed in detail. The XRCT data are visualized and studied by advanced image fil... Read more

Physical characteristics critical to chromatography including geometric porosity and tortuosity within the packed column were analysed based upon three dimensional reconstructions of bed structure in-situ. Image acquisition was performed using two X-ray computed tomography systems, with optimisation of column imaging performed for each sample in order to produce three dimensional representations of packed beds at 3 μm resolution.

Beamtime and resulting SRμCT data are a valuable resource for researchers of a broad scientific community in life sciences. Most research groups, however, are only interested in a specific organ and use only a fraction of their data. The rest of the data usually remains untapped. By using a new collaborative approach, the NOVA project (Network for Online Visualization and synergistic Analysis of tomographic data) aims to demonstrate, that more efficient use of the valuable beam time is possi... Read more

Lasers for Innovative Solutions, LLC (L4iS) is developing a new class of tomography technology with the aim of allowing material characterization in three dimensions with sub-micron resolution. The method uses a nanosecond, Q-switched, pulsed ultraviolet laser coupled with high-resolution imaging to generate highly detailed specimen models. Using this system, sequential images similar to light-sheet fluorescence microscopy are used to digitally reconstruct the specimen.

The CHEFF (Computational Heat Fluid Flow) Research group at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University is using computational fluid dynamics to model flow and heat transfer in various engineering applications for industry, government and the private sector. The primary goal of this research is to first examine and then enhance the thermal performance of current and future low-density reticulated porous media, and explore their use as heat sinks in high power electronics (computer chips... Read more

The vascular (arterial or venous) wall is a fascinating structure. At the simplest level, we can think of the wall as being composed of three distinct, but interacting, layers . The vascular wall changes its structure in conditions such as hypertension which can cause a thickening of the wall. Unfortunately, the details of this ‘remodeling’ process are poorly understood.

Therefore, studying the 3D architecture may provide vital clues for future therapeutic targets.

R... Read more

The Division of Highway and Railway Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) promotes advances in computational and experimental science in order to develop new materials, tools and systems for improved mobility, transportation safety and infrastructure durability. The group works on analysis and performance-based design of roads and tracks, management as well as operation and maintenance of roads.