FAQ

How do I get access to MB26?/My card doesn't work (any more)!

To get access fill in the door form at tinyurl.com/lifesciencesdoors to get or renew your access.

Please not we only approve access to people who are trained on at least one instrument and are either based in SLS or registered as SLS visitors for other Warwick departments including WMS. To get a visitor form, contact Saskia or Ian. Once the form has been processed, you will need to do an induction before you can get access.

Help! The images you sent me are all grey!

Ok, so the microscope sees many more greyscales than our eyes, and all the microscope values are in the middle. This means you should adjust the contrast. Open the .tif file in ImageJ (or FIJI) and press ctrl+shift+C. This will open a new little window with a histogram. Press the "auto" button and it should automatically adjust the contrast so you can see things. Now press "apply" and save the image.

Note you should only do this for display purposes. If you are doing class averaging and/or reconstruction, please leave the images as they are - the EM software will cope.

How do I add a scale bar?

In ImageJ/Fiji, use Analyze > Set Scale to put the scale in the software. Then use Analyze > Tools > Scale Bar... to put a scale bar in the image. Pixel size are:

	JEOL 2200/FEG - K2	JEOL 2100/Lab6
80000x	0.0427 nm/pix	0.138 nm/pix
60000x	0.052 nm/pix	0.184
50000x	0.0716 nm/pix	0.22
40000x	0.0907 nm/pix	0.275
30000x	0.12	0.363
25000x	0.15	0.43
20000x	0.19	0.54
15000x	0.25	0.73
12000x	0.32	0.92
10000x	0.39	1.11
8000x	0.46	1.36
6000x	0.64	1.82
5000x	0.69	2.18
4000x	0.88	2.73
3000x	1.187	3.04

Do I need to buy my own grids?

If you are staining or freezing grids during your booked microscope session, we provide grids. However, if you want to prepare grids in advance, you should buy your own. I recommend grids from EM Resolutions (on Opera)

Can I borrow some of your tweezers to prepare grids in my own lab?

Nope, sorry! If we lose them we can't do our work. You're welcome to use them in MB026 or you can buy some from Scientific Laboratory Supplies

How do I acknowledge the instruments and help on my paper?

People

If the staff of the Advanced Bioimaging RTP have significantly contributed to your research, for instance in experimental design and data processing, please consider them for authorship on your publications.

Jeol 2200FS/DiSPIM/Cryo-ultramicrotome
"We acknowledge the University of Warwick Advanced Bioimaging Research Technology Platform supported by BBSRC ALERT14 award BB/M01228X/1"

Jeol 2100Plus TEM
"We acknowledge the Midlands Regional Cryo-EM Facility, hosted at the Warwick Advanced Bioimaging Research Technology Platform, for use of the JEOL 2100Plus, supported by MRC award reference MC_PC_17136"