Acquisition of Reflex Microscope

在国家科学基金会的支持下，Joan Richtsmeier博士将购买一台反射显微镜，用于特定研究项目的数据收集以及本科生和研究生的培训。反射式显微镜是小型坐标测量机和表面轮廓仪的融合，是测量小型不规则表面三维位置、距离和角度的理想选择。显微镜利用观察者的立体能力，沿“Z”轴将图像的表面精确定位到沿着几微米之内。这使得研究人员能够通过精确定位地标上的一个微小的照明点并通过将该点的三维坐标写入计算机文件来标定该点来找到生物相关的地标。Richtsmeier博士和他的同事们开发了一套称为欧几里得距离矩阵分析的形态测量方法，该方法可以定量描述和比较三维生物物体的形式，形状和生长以及样本的聚类和分类。与反射显微镜结合，这些技术将允许在三维空间中对现存和灭绝的小生物形式进行定量分析。一些项目将由一系列科学家进行。第一个将集中在哺乳动物头骨的发展和进化，使用鼠模型。利用转基因小鼠，将有可能确定单个基因对形态表达的影响。这项研究是基础性的，因为所涉及的机制可能适用于广泛的物种。该显微镜将用于其他项目，包括始新世早期哺乳动物的进化，牙齿和牙齿制品的定量分析以及骨截面几何形状和生物力学。还将向学生提供该仪器，指导他们使用。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Joan Richtsmeier will purchase a Reflex Microscope that will be used in data collection for specific research projects and in the training of undergraduate and graduate students. The Reflex Microscope represents a fusion between a small coordinate measuring machine and a surface profiler, and it is ideal for measuring locations, distances and angles in three dimensions on small irregular surfaces. The microscope uses the stereoscopic ability of the observer to pinpoint the surface of an image to within a few microns along the "Z" axis. This enables a researcher to find biologically relevant landmarks by precisely locating a tiny illuminated spot over the landmark and demarcating that point by writing the three-dimensional coordinates of the spot to a computer file. Dr. Richtsmeier and colleagues have developed a set of morphometric methods known as Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis which allow quantitative description and comparison of form, shape and growth of biological objects in three dimensions as well as the clustering and classification of specimens. In conjunction with the Reflex Microscope these techniques will permit quantitative analysis of small biological forms, both extant and extinct in three dimensions. A number of projects will be conducted by a range of scientists. One of the first will focus on the development and evolution of the mammalian skull, using a murine model. Employing genetically modified mice, it will be possible to determine the effect of single genes on the expression of morphological form. This research is basic since the mechanisms involved will, presumably, apply across a wide range of species. Other projects for which the microscope will be employed involve the evolution of early Eocene mammals, the quantitative analysis of teeth and tooth ware and bone sectional geometry and biomechanics. The instrument will also be made available to students who will be instructed in its use.