Avaliação de procedimentos de preparação de amostras e rotinas de análises de imagem automatizada por microscopia eletrônica de varredura.

Abstract

The automated image analysis has an important role in the mineral industry due to the quickly analysis and the results reliability. The technique can be applied using images from a scanning electron microscope associated usually coupled with chemical microanalysis from an EDS system. These analyses are carried out in many stages of a mining project helping mineral exploration, mining (blending), mineral processing (mineral association), genetic studies and mineralization control.This technique allows a statistic analysis of a large numbers particles and data, providing information of mineralogical composition, mineral chemistry, elemental distribution, mineral associations, phase and spectra liberation and others.This study sets the applicability of automated image analysis of an iron ore sample with diverse preparation procedures and analysis routines, which were evaluated by the MLA system. An iron ore sample was chosen because it is a familiar and well-documented ore in the literature, that usually shows simple textures and mineralogy which makes easier the interpretation of results by a diversity of preparation procedures and analysis routines.Furthermore, the iron ore shows mineral phases with significant differences in specific gravity resulting in more difficulties in sampling and preparation procedures due to potential density segregation.

Proboscis Morphology and Its Relationship to Feeding Habits in Noctuid Moths

“…The base of the proboscis and the food canal were not examined with SEM, but are known to contain sensilla trichodea and basiconica ( Krenn 2010 ). The material was dehydrated in alcohol 100% for 15 min, followed by 15 min in acetone, then a critical point dryer Bal-Tec CPD 030 was used to remove all moisture from the samples ( Castro 2002 ). Each galea was mounted on an aluminum stub with a graphite adhesive double-face tape, and sputter-coated with gold and carbon using a Bal-Tec SCD 005 unit.…”