In this study, the vegetative and reproductive morphology and anatomy of two Hawaiian endemic Portulaca species were examined. Specifically, P. molokiniensis and P. sclerocarpa were compared to closely related species in the genus. The comparisons were both qualitative and quantitative, using characteristics of leaves, stems, roots, and fruits. Tissue organizations of vegetative and reproductive parts of the plants were assessed using microtechnique procedures, statistical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The most notable features of these two species were (1) the size and frequency of stomata in P. molokiniensis, and (2) the large number of sclerenchymatous cell layers in the thickest fruit walls of P. sclerocarpa. These findings may imply that stomata development in P. molokiniensis and thick fruit wall development in P. sclerocarpa are evolved features of survival. In particular, the development of thickened walls in indehiscent fruits likely has evolutionary implications of ecological tolerance for better adaptation.

Fine structural characteristics of eggs (nits) found on the scalp hairs of Korean children were observed with scanning electron microscopy. An egg is structurally composed of four parts: the cementum, nit body, operculum, and aerophyle. The total length of an egg is about 1.5 mm. The glue secreted from the female louse completely surrounds the 1 mm hair shaft and forms the cementum. The thickness of the cementum at the end of the nit body was found to be more than 5 times the thickness at the end toward the scalp. The nit body is shaped like a goblet with a very smooth surface. The operculum and aerophyles are located at the apiculus area. In the circular operculum, there are 10 aerophyles concentrated on the side of the hair shaft surface that are shaped like a dome. Three aerophyles in the center are surrounded by 7 aerophyles. Each aerophyle is dome shaped with a diameter of $65{\mu}m$ and a respiratory pathway with a $15{\sim}25{\mu}m$ opening at the center. On the cut surface where the operculum is separated as the egg hatches, long grooves about $1{\mu}m$ thick are uniformly formed transversely. These long grooves facilitate the separation of the operculum through body expansion at the time of hatching.

In the present study, we investigated the effects of Polygonum tinctoria Niram (PTN) on atopic dermatitis (AD) in BALB/c mice induced by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). They were divided into four groups; Control, DNCB, DNCB+1%PTN (1% PTN extract) and DNCB+5%PTN (5% PTN extract), for evaluating the change of appearance of skin surface, skin hydration, thickness of epidermis and mast cell numbers during 4 weeks. PTN suppressed symptoms of AD in appearance of skin and increased skin hydration for DNCB+1%PTN and DNCB+5%PTN. Treatment with PTN significantly decreased the levels of eosinophils. In histopathological examination, DNCB+1%PTN and DNCB+5%PTN significantly reduced the thickness of epidermis and number of mast cell in dermis. These results suggested that the PTN improved symptoms of AD in BALB/c mice.

Layered structures of fiber cell wall of Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) were investigated by confocal reflection microscopy (CRM). CRM micrographs revealed detailed structures of the fiber cell wall such as S1, S2, and S3 layers as well as transition layers (S12 and S23 layers), which are present between the S1, S2, and S3 layers. Microfibril angle (MFA) measurement was possible for the S2 and S3 layer in the cell wall. The experimental results suggest that CRM is a versatile microscopic method for investigation of layered structures and MFA measurement in individual sub layer of the tracheid cell wall.

With wide use of nano-materials, it is increasingly important to address their potential toxicity to mammalian cells. However, toxic effects of these materials have been mainly assessed by the cell survival assays. Considering that mitochondrial morphology and quality are highly sensitive to the condition of the cells, and the impairment of mitochondrial function greatly affect the survival of cells, here we tested the impact of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) on the survival, mitochondrial morphology, and their membrane potential in HeLa cells. Interestingly, although MWNT did not induce cell death until 24 hours as assessed by pyknotic cell assay, mitochondrial length was elongated and the mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly reduced by exposure of HeLa cells to MWNT. These results suggest that MWNT exposure is potentially harmful to the cell, and the mechanism how MWNT alters mitochondrial quality should be further explored to assess the safety of MWNT use.

Dislocation density and distribution in epitaxial GaAs layer on Si are evaluated quantitatively and effectively using image processing of transmission electron microscopy image. In order to evaluate dislocation density and distribution, three methods are introduced based on line-intercept, line-length measurement and our coding with line-scanning method. Our coding method based on line-scanning is used to detect the dislocations line-by-line effectively by sweeping a thin line with the width of one pixel. The proposed method has advances in the evaluation of dislocation density and distribution. Dislocations can be detected automatically and continuously by a sweeping line in the code. Variation of dislocation density in epitaxial GaAs films can be precisely analyzed along the growth direction on the film.

Aluminum nitride (AlN) powder was easily synthesized by the direct nitridation of Al melt containing ~20 wt.% Mg catalyst and the nitriding behavior was investigated by thermodynamic calculation and through observations of electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The addition of Mg catalyst decreased the nitriding temperature below $1,000^{\circ}C$, which is comparable to the high nitriding temperature of $1,400^{\circ}C$ required in carbothermal method. It was caused by a significant increase of the solubility of nitrogen gas due to the increase of Mg catalyst in Al melt. The dissolved nitrogen gas met Mg catalyst and was transformed into metastable $Mg_3N_2$. Finally the metastable phase reacted with Al to AlN.