Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Cephalaspideans are a group of opisthobranch gastropods comprising carnivorous and herbivorous species, allowing an investigation of the relationship between these diets and the morphofunctional features of the salivary glands.In this study, the salivary glands of the carnivorous cephalaspidean Philinopsis depicta were observed by light microscopy using semithin sections and by transmission electron microscopy. A central duct runs along the length of these thin ribbon-shaped glands dividing them in two halves, each formed by a single row of tubules perpendicularly attached to the central duct. The simple epithelium of the central duct and lateral tubes contains ciliated cells and two types of secretory cells, named granular cells and cells with apical vacuole (Fig. 1). A very thin outer layer of connective tissue covers the epithelium (Fig. 1). The ciliated cells are numerous but very thin, forming small clusters between secretory cells. The nucleus, several mitochondria and a few lysosomes are located in the apical region were the cells are wider. A very thin cytoplasmic stalk reaches the base of the epithelium and contains bundles of filaments in addition to some mitochondria.

Salinity is one of the major factors limiting plant development and crop productivity. Damage to plants exposed to salinity has been ascribed to ion toxicity, water deficit, nutrient imbalance and oxidative stress. The physiological and biochemical aspects of salt tolerance in plants have attracted considerable interest, but few studies have been carried out to study the ultrastructural changes in plant cells adapted to salinity. These changes may be helpful in elucidating the mechanisms of salt tolerance at cellular level. In plants exposed to salinity, alterations of cell walls and structure of cellular membranes, the swelling of thylakoids and a decrease in the amount of grana stacking in chloroplasts, and the vacuolation of cells have been observed n1, 21.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

The aim of this work was to gain insights into the muscle fibre phenotype and ultrastructure in blackspot seabream juveniles, a potential candidate for Portuguese aquaculture. Firstly, we used a panel of isoform-specific antibodies as well as histochemical staining for myosin ATPase and for SDH enzyme activity (a marker for mitochondrial content and oxidative metabolism) to identify myosin expression. Secondly, muscle fibre types were also identified by their fine structure where powerful approaches contributed to understand the muscle fibre phenotype of blackspot seabream juveniles. We observed that the main part of the musculature consisted of fast-white fibres, with a narrow strip of slow-red fibres situated superficially adjacent to the lateral line. A zone of intermediate-pink muscle fibres was inserted between those muscle domains (Fig.1).

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Different epidemiological studies demonstrated that male gender and age are risk factors for the progression of liver disease. Regarding age, it has been associated with liver mass and blood flow reduction, whereas in gender, the estradiol has revealed protective roles in models of liver fibrosis and of trauma-hemorrhage in rats. So far, most of the studies on aging focused their attention in hepatocyte (HEP) structure and function and few data exists pertaining to other liver cell subpopulations, including hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and Kupffer cells (KC). To the best of our knowledge, an integrative analysis (with modern stereology) of the liver cell populations, throughout aging and gender, has never been performed.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Recent developments in the design of holders for transmission electron microscopes (TEM) have enabled widespread property analysis of nanostructures with unprecedented spatial resolution. It is now possible to routinely and reliably test the mechanical and electrical characteristics of a single carbon nanotube (CNT), for instance. Furthermore, due to the multitasking capability of TEMs, the study can even integrate simultaneous imaging and spectroscopical analysis. The combination of real-time gathering of structural, chemical, electrical and mechanical information provides an outstanding view of the materials' reactions when subjected to external stimulus such as current or heat.

The morphology control at the mesoscale, via the design of size, shape, surface, interface, porosity and patterning of the meso-components, has gained increasing attention in the recent past and is expected to endue materials with novel functions. Most reports on mesoporous materials are on amorphous silica or simple oxides with amorphous or polycrystalline framework. It is still quite challenging to achieve functional multi-metal-oxides possessing highly porous structure. On the other hand, the synthesis and characterization of nano-sized ferroics has recently become important since it was predicted a dependence, for instance of the ferroelectric response, on the size and morphology. Moreover, the combination of different materials at the nanoscale creating multifunctional nanocomposites, where new properties resulting from scale, interface and defect phenomena are expected, is a new field that requires exploitation. Crystal size, surface area, surface curvature, and charges on the surface singnificantly influence the physical properties of ferroics at the nano-scale. Within our studies of the porous ferroelectrics, we have prepared BaTiO3 crystals with nanoporosity inside with a sol-precipitation process involving polymer or surfactant micelles. In this work, we present the microscopic characterization of porous BaTiO3 derived from hard matrix.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Bulk barium titanate (BaTiO3) has found widespread applications especially in multi-layered ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and embedded decoupling capacitors (EDC). In the last years, the interest in one-dimensional (1D) nanostructured ferroelectric systems (nanotubes, nanowires, nanorods, nanobelts, nanofibers) is increasing. Recently theoretical studies reported an enhancement of ferroelectricity in 1D systems. Although the hydrothermal and aqueous synthesis of equiaxed barium titanate powders have been thoroughly investigated the growth of barium titanate anisotropic nanoparticles still less known. Indeed it is particularly dificult to modify the crystal habit by hydrothermal and related methods. However it is expected that the presence of some additives during the synthesis will change the growth kinetics.

Lead zirconate - lead titanate (PZT) materials are commercially important piezoelectric and ferroelectrics in a wide range of applications, such as data storage (dynamic access and ferroelectric random access memories) and sensing and actuating devices. PZT with the morphotropic phase boundary composition offers the highest piezoelectric response and at the present there are no fullydeveloped alternative materials to PZT. The importance of PZT associated with the continuous requirements of device miniaturization, imposes the development of high quality PZT thin films with optimized properties. Concomitantly due to the dependence of the final properties of thin films on the details of the microstructure a thoroughly analysis at the local scale of their microstructure is necessary. Sol-gel method, is one of the Chemical Solution Deposition techniques used to prepare oxide thin films, such as PZT. Starting from a solution, a solid network is progressively formed via inorganic polymerisation reactions. Most metal alkoxides used for sol-gel synthesis are highly reactive towards hydrolysis and condensation. Therefore their chemical reactivity has to be tailored via the chemical modification (or complexation) of metal alkoxides to avoid uncontrolled reactions and precipitation. For PZT sol gel thin film preparation, two chemical routes are frequently used depending on the nature of the molecular precursor, namely methotoxyethanol (MOE) route and diol-route.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009