Direct observation of individual hydrogen atoms at trapping sites in a ferritic steel.

The design of atomic-scale microstructural traps to limit the diffusion of hydrogen is one key strategy in the development of hydrogen-embrittlement-resistant materials. In the case of bearing steels, an effective trapping mechanism may be the incorporation of finely dispersed V-Mo-Nb carbides in a ferrite matrix. First, we charged a ferritic steel with deuterium by means of electrolytic loading to achieve a high hydrogen concentration. We then immobilized it in the microstructure with a cryogenic transfer protocol before atom probe tomography (APT) analysis. Using APT, we show trapping of hydrogen within the core of these carbides with quantitative composition profiles. Furthermore, with this method the experiment can be feasibly replicated in any APT-equipped laboratory by using a simple cold chain.

Macromolecular 3D SEM reconstruction strategies: signal to noise ratio and resolution.

Three-dimensional scanning electron microscopy generates quantitative volumetric structural data from SEM images of macromolecules. This technique provides a quick and easy way to define the quaternary structure and handedness of protein complexes. Here, we apply a variety of preparation and imaging methods to filamentous actin in order to explore the relationship between resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, structural preservation and dataset size. This information can be used to define successful imaging strategies for different applications.

Mechanisms of haptoglobin protection against hemoglobin peroxidation triggered endothelial damage.

Extracellular hemoglobin (Hb) has been recognized as a disease trigger in hemolytic conditions such as sickle cell disease, malaria, and blood transfusion. In vivo, many of the adverse effects of free Hb can be attenuated by the Hb scavenger acute-phase protein haptoglobin (Hp). The primary physiologic disturbances that can be caused by free Hb are found within the cardiovascular system and Hb-triggered oxidative toxicity toward the endothelium has been promoted as a potential mechanism. The molecular mechanisms of this toxicity as well as of the protective activities of Hp are not yet clear. Within this study, we systematically investigated the structural, biochemical, and cell biologic nature of Hb toxicity in an endothelial cell system under peroxidative stress. We identified two principal mechanisms of oxidative Hb toxicity that are mediated by globin degradation products and by modified lipoprotein species, respectively. The two damage pathways trigger diverse and discriminative inflammatory and cytotoxic responses. Hp provides structural stabilization of Hb and shields Hb's oxidative reactions with lipoproteins, providing dramatic protection against both pathways of toxicity. By these mechanisms, Hp shifts Hb's destructive pseudo-peroxidative reaction to a potential anti-oxidative function during peroxidative stress.

Phase-contrast imaging in aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Although the presence of phase-contrast information in bright field images recorded with a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has been known for a long time, its systematic exploitation for the structural characterization of materials began only with the availability of aberration-corrected microscopes that allow sufficiently large illumination angles. Today, phase-contrast STEM (PC-STEM) imaging represents an increasingly important alternative to the well-established HRTEM method. In both methods, the image contrast is coherently generated and thus depends not only on illumination and collection angles but on defocus and specimen thickness as well. By PC-STEM, a projection of the crystal potential is obtained in thin areas, with the scattering sites being represented either with dark or bright contrast at two different defocus values which are both close to Gaussian defocus. This imaging behavior can be further investigated by image simulations performed with standard HRTEM simulation software based on the principle of reciprocity. As examples for the application of this method, PC-STEM results obtained on metal nanoparticles and dodecagonal quasicrystals dd-(Ta,V)1.6Te are discussed.