Distinct Textures Research Articles

Morphological Observation and Mineralogical Analysis of Basaltic Debris from a Chang'e 5 Drilled Sample

This paper analyzes the morphological characteristics and mineralogy of drilled basaltic clast sample CE5Z0806YJYX004, compares the variations in Chang'e-5 samples at different depths, and conducts a comparative analysis with surface-collected samples from Chang'e-5 and Apollo missions. Interestingly, Advanced electron microscopy identified bubbles and microcracks on the surface of some constituting mineral particles, and also displays crystalline particles with distinct rock textures and spherical droplets, revealing surface phenomena formed by space weathering. Based on Raman spectroscopy analysis, the main mineral phases were identified as 49.6 vol% pyroxene, 31.4 vol% plagioclase and 8.8 vol% olivine. Apatite, ilmenite and cristobalite are also found. The results indicate that the Chang’e-5 lunar soil exhibits similar mineral compositions at different depths. In short, a comparison was made between our drilling sample and the Chang'e 5 soil samples as well as samples from the Apollo mission series, demonstrating the physical similarities and some variations.

Transverse texture weakening and anisotropy improvement of Ti-6Al-4V alloy sheet via asymmetric rolling and static recrystallization annealing

Traditional rolled titanium alloys usually exhibit a distinct transverse texture, which is quite stable in subsequent annealing and leads to anisotropic mechanical behaviors. In this work, Ti-6Al-4V alloy was fabricated by asymmetric rolling and recrystallization annealing. The microstructure, texture, and anisotropy evolution were systematically studied. The results show that the <0001>//ND ± 30° RD texture component is formed during the rolling thinning process under the combined action of compressive stress and shear stress. The corresponding grains and αs prioritize nucleation and grow rapidly during subsequent annealing. The transverse texture are consumed or swallowed up before they grow up. The β phases provide secondary nucleation points for α grains. As a result, grains grown rapidly are decomposed and orientations are further established on adjacent matrix. The grains formed by preferential growth and secondary nucleation show more random orientation, and volume fraction of complete transverse texture decreases from 60.1% to 19.3%. Accordingly, the anisotropy of yield strength and tensile strength is decreased by 181MPa and 195MPa, respectively. The transverse texture is weakened by asymmetric rolling and static recrystallization, which provides an efficient way for producing high-performance rolled titanium alloy in the industry.

Biochemical Processes During Cheese Ripening

Cheese ripening entails specific biochemical changes that occur under certain conditions during storage. These changes allow different cheese varieties to develop their unique characteristics. The ripening process is influenced by both primary and secondary biochemical events. These are driven by coagulating enzymes, milk's natural enzymes, and the enzymes of both starter and non-starter microflora. The main biochemical events during cheese ripening include proteolysis, lipolysis, and the metabolism of citrate and lactate. Secondary biochemical reactions then process the primary metabolic products, such as lactic acid, fatty acids, and amino acids. This leads to the formation of volatile compounds like alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, acids, lactones, phenols, esters, and sulfur compounds, which play a crucial role in determining the cheese's quality. These processes give each cheese type its distinctive features, like aroma, taste, color, texture, and pore structure, influencing consumer preferences. This review provides insights into the biochemical events that occur during the cheese ripening period.

Soft and Integrable Multimodal Artificial Mechanoreceptors Toward Human Sensor of Skin

AbstractHerein, the development and characterization of three distinct artificial mechanoreceptor sensors meticulously engineered is reported to emulate human skin. By mimicking the morphology, structure, and response characteristics (including preferential sensitivity, adaptation profile, and frequency response) of biological mechanoreceptors, artificial Meissner, Merkel, and Ruffini sensors capable of detecting pressure, shear, and tensile deformations with high fidelity are successfully fabricated. In situ experiments, designed to mimic physiological conditions, demonstrate that the integrated sensor array, mimicking human fingertips, can accurately discriminate seven Braille characters, five distinct surface textures, a grating with ridges, and four‐step delivery stages of an object. Furthermore, a woolen glove incorporating 15 multimodal sensors are developed, which exhibits enhanced classification capabilities for eight objects of varying sizes and surface roughness. Notably, the trimodal sensor integration demonstrates superior recognition speed and precision compared to uni‐ or bimodal configurations, while also improving tactile identification intuition. This biomimetic mechanoreceptor sensor system demonstrates comprehensive and synergistic recognition of diverse stimuli and objects, potentially overcoming technological limitations in applications requiring human‐like tactile perception, such as advanced prosthetics, robotics, and immersive augmented and virtual reality interfaces.

Study of offset factor and depths of dimple on the performance of two-lobe journal-bearings

This study investigates the combined effect of offset factor and depths of a dimple on the performance parameters of hydrodynamic two-lobe journal-bearings. The finite element method (FEM) technique is employed to solve the governing Reynolds equation, facilitating the computation of oil-film pressure within the bearing. Three distinct texture configurations on the bearing surface are analyzed. The performance parameters of textured bearing configurations are calculated by varying the offset factor and depths of a dimple. The results indicate that the performance enhancement ratio of textured-II configuration of two-lobe journal-bearing is higher than that of other bearings. Furthermore, textured-II configuration shows the better performance in terms of static, dynamic and stability parameters. This superior performance is observed with an increase in the offset factor up to 0.5. Moreover, a comparative analysis of spherical and kite-shaped textures reveals that spherical textures generally outperform kite-shaped textures in terms of critical mass and threshold speed, while kite-shaped textures exhibit better damping characteristics.

Machine Learning—Supported Geotechnical Interpretation of Rock Slopes at the Zentrum Am Berg (ZaB) Using SAM

The Segment Anything Model (SAM) introduces advanced transformer-based capabilities for geological image segmentation. While traditional geoscience applications rely on machine learning models like random forests and support vector machines, SAM’s attention mechanisms enable it to adapt to image data. This contribution evaluates SAM’s performance in segmenting rock outcrop images into three geological classes, using ground truth masks as references. Segmentation accuracy was assessed via intersection over union (IoU) scores across prompt types, including points and bounding boxes. A combination of bounding box and mask prompts provided the best results, particularly for large, distinct textures. Initial findings indicate SAM’s potential in geological segmentation, though further prompt refinement and expanded datasets are needed to address rock heterogeneity. Future work will focus on fine-tuning SAM for complex textures and integrating Laserscan-derived data for quantitative validation. This contribution underscores SAM’s promise in advancing automated geological segmentation applications.

Effect of scanning strategies on microstructure and wear behavior of Inconel 718 fabricated by selective laser melting

Abstract To study the effect of the rotating angle on microstructure and wear properties of Inconel 718 alloy manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM) technology, parts were fabricated with two different scanning strategies (67°, 90°). The results revealed that the Inconel 718 produced by SLM with a 67° rotating angle exhibits higher surface roughness and a distinct cubic texture {100} &lt; 001 &gt;. Additionally, rotation angle of 90° will enhance grain coarsening and weaken texture strength. The influence of rotation angles on the hardness of SLMed Inconel 718 is negligible at room temperature. The wear resistance of SLMed Inconel 718 is superior at high temperatures compared to room temperature. The wear mechanisms of SLMed Inconel 718 at room temperature and high temperature are primarily governed by abrasive wear and adhesive wear, and oxidation wear, respectively. The favorable wear properties observed at the 67° rotating angle can be attributed mainly to the fine cellular structure and the triboxide layer.

Effect and mechanism of different exogenous biomolecules on the thermal-induced gel properties of surimi: A review.

Surimi products are favored by domestic and foreign consumers due to their distinctive gelatinous texture, rich nutrition, and convenient consumption. Gel properties are key evaluation indicators for the quality of surimi products, which was mainly determined by the gel-forming ability of the myofibrillar protein (MP). In recent years, the surimi processing industry has faced challenges in product quality that limits the further development, and how to effectively improve the gel properties of surimi products has become one of the key scientific problems to be solved in surimi processing industry. A viable strategy for improving the product quality involves combining surimi with exogenous additives, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids, to enhance the gel-forming ability of MP. At present, there is limited literature review to systematically investigate the role of these exogenous additives in interacting with MPs in surimi gel system and their effect on the gel properties of heat-induced surimi. Therefore, in this review, we systematically discussed the formation mechanism and influencing factors of surimi gel, the interactions of exogenous biomolecules (proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids) with surimi protein, as well as their effects on the gel properties of surimi product. The aim of this review was to help us with a better understanding for the intrinsic action mechanisms of complex surimi system and provide some theoretical guidance for the improvement of gel quality and development of surimi products.

Microscopic mineralogy of zoned pyroxene in NWA 12522: Implications for the crystallization histories of the shergottites

AbstractBasaltic shergottites are the most abundant rock type of Martian meteorites, and pyroxene grains within shergottites commonly show a zoned structure. Here, the detailed microscopic mineralogical characteristics of patchy zoned pyroxene in basaltic shergottite NWA 12522 were investigated by a combination of scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the cores of zoned pyroxene in NWA 12522 have a homogeneous Mg# value and consist mainly of augite and pigeonite. By contrast, the rim of zoned pyroxene is extremely ferroan and can be further divided into two regions based on quite distinct mineralogy and textures (i.e., far‐core and near‐core pyroxene rims). The near‐core rim shows narrow exsolution lamellae (~35 nm) that were cross‐cut by thin pigeonite veinlets and contain abundant nano‐sized particles of metastable pyroxferroite and pigeonite. Only relatively coarse exsolution lamellae (~80 nm) were observed in the far‐core pyroxene rim regions. The distinct mineralogical characteristics of the pyroxene rims and cores in NWA 12522 imply different crystallization conditions, and the homogeneous Mg‐rich pyroxene cores should have slowly crystallized from magma within a deep‐seated chamber, followed by an overgrown evolved melt on these pyroxene cores during their ascent to the Martian surface, and disequilibrium crystallization of nano‐sized metastable phase (pyroxferroite) occurred in the near‐core region. The abnormally low ΣREE contents and steep REE pattern (high Yb/La ratio) of the pyroxene rims in NWA 12522 imply that merrillite should have crystallized prior to the pyroxene rims, making the residual melt become REE‐depleted and HREE‐enriched.

Research Progress on Tofu Coagulants and Their Coagulation Mechanisms.

Tofu has captivated researchers' attention due to its distinctive texture and enrichment in nutritional elements, predominantly soybean protein. Coagulants play a critical role in promoting coagulation during tofu production, directly influencing its texture, quality, and physicochemical characteristics. Currently, the impact of coagulant characteristics on coagulation, as well as the underlying mechanisms, remain unclear. This review provides a summary of research progress on salt coagulants, acid coagulants, enzyme coagulants, novel coagulants, polysaccharide additives, and various coagulant formulations. The coagulation mechanisms of various coagulants are also discussed. Accordingly, this paper seeks to offer reliable theoretical guidance for the development of novel coagulants and the realization of fully automated tofu production.

Study on the Method of Vineyard Information Extraction Based on Spectral and Texture Features of GF-6 Satellite Imagery

Accurately identifying the distribution of vineyard cultivation is of great significance for the development of the grape industry and the optimization of planting structures. Traditional remote sensing techniques for vineyard identification primarily depend on machine learning algorithms based on spectral features. However, the spectral reflectance similarities between grapevines and other orchard vegetation lead to persistent misclassification and omission errors across various machine learning algorithms. As a perennial vine plant, grapes are cultivated using trellis systems, displaying regular row spacing and distinctive strip-like texture patterns in high-resolution satellite imagery. This study selected the main oasis area of Turpan City in Xinjiang, China, as the research area. First, this study extracted both spectral and texture features based on GF-6 satellite imagery, subsequently employing the Boruta algorithm to discern the relative significance of these remote sensing features. Then, this study constructed vineyard information extraction models by integrating spectral and texture features, using machine learning algorithms including Naive Bayes (NB), Support Vector Machines (SVMs), and Random Forests (RFs). The efficacy of various machine learning algorithms and remote sensing features in extracting vineyard information was subsequently evaluated and compared. The results indicate that three spectral features and five texture features under a 7 × 7 window have significant sensitivity to vineyard recognition. These spectral features include the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), while texture features include contrast statistics in the near-infrared band (B4_CO) and the variance statistic, contrast statistic, heterogeneity statistic, and correlation statistic derived from NDVI images (NDVI_VA, NDVI_CO, NDVI_DI, and NDVI_COR). The RF algorithm significantly outperforms both the NB and SVM models in extracting vineyard information, boasting an impressive accuracy of 93.89% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.89. This marks a 12.25% increase in accuracy and a 0.11 increment in the Kappa coefficient over the NB model, as well as an 8.02% enhancement in accuracy and a 0.06 rise in the Kappa coefficient compared to the SVM model. Moreover, the RF model, which amalgamates spectral and texture features, exhibits a notable 13.59% increase in accuracy versus the spectral-only model and a 14.92% improvement over the texture-only model. This underscores the efficacy of the RF model in harnessing the spectral and textural attributes of GF-6 imagery for the precise extraction of vineyard data, offering valuable theoretical and methodological insights for future vineyard identification and information retrieval efforts.

Comparable Theta Phase Coding Dynamics Along the Transverse Axis of CA1.

Topographical projection patterns from the entorhinal cortex to area CA1 of the hippocampus have led to a hypothesis that proximal CA1 (pCA1, closer to CA2) is spatially more selective than distal CA1 (dCA1, closer to the subiculum). While earlier studies have shown evidence supporting this hypothesis, we recently showed that this difference does not hold true under all experimental conditions. In a complex environment with distinct local texture cues on a circular track and global visual cues, pCA1 and dCA1 display comparable spatial selectivity. Correlated with the spatial selectivity differences, the earlier studies also showed differences in theta phase coding dynamics between pCA1 and dCA1 neurons. Here we show that there are no differences in theta phase coding dynamics between neurons in these two regions under the experimental conditions where pCA1 and dCA1 neurons are equally spatially selective. These findings challenge the established notion of dCA1 being inherently less spatially selective and theta modulated than pCA1 and suggest further experiments to understand theta-mediated activation of the CA1 sub-networks to represent space.

Perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride dye intercalated liquid crystal molecules: Synthesis, spectroscopic characterizations and photoluminescence dynamics

The present research explores the interaction between perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA)-dye (PD) and 3b {(E)-1-[3-fluoro-4-(pentyloxy)phenyl]-2-(4-methylphenyl)diazene} liquid crystal (LC) mesophase, 3c{(E)-1-[3-fluoro-4-(hexyloxy)phenyl]-2-(4-methylphenyl)diazene} nematic liquid crystal (NLC) molecule. Spectroscopic characterizations of 3b@PD LC mesophase and 3c@PD NLC molecule were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarizing optical microscope (POM), Raman, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV–visible analytical methods. The UV–visible studies revealed a red shift in absorption bands (348.0 nm to 374 nm) with a decrease in optical band gap from 2.43 eV to 2.25 eV. Room temperature photoluminescence (RTPL) spectra of 3b@PD LC mesophase exhibited blue light emission characteristics centred at 453.1 nm and 3c @PD NLC molecule showed broad emission peaks located at 400.7 nm and 324.8 nm. Steady-state photoluminescence (SSPL) spectra showcased indigo-purple emission bands corresponding to the wavelengths 303–353 nm, 420.5 nm, 418 nm, 418.3 nm, and 347.0 nm, however, for the 3c@PD NLC molecule, emission intensity peaks appeared at 429.6 nm, 418.0 nm and 329.0 nm. The stoke’s shift for 3b@PD LC mesophase varied between 0.01 eV to 0.613 eV while for 3c@PD NLC molecule it was found in between 0.317 eV to 0.453 eV. POM analysis unveiled distinct fan-like textures with varied colour interfaces. Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) decay studies unveiled average lifetime of 3b@PD LC mesophase was 1.80 ns, 0.98 ns, 0.308 ns and for 3c@PD NLC molecule, the average lifetime was found to be 0.98 ns, 0.82 ns, and 0.306 ns at various excitation wavelengths. However, phosphorescence decay studies showed faster decay characteristics for 3c@PD NLC molecule (1.40 ns to 4.00 ns) compared with 3b@PD LC mesophase (1.65 to 5.42 ns) when excited at various wavelengths. The interaction between LC molecules and PTCDA demonstrated a significant enhancement in RTPL, TRPL, and SSPL properties, suggesting promising applications in photonics and optoelectronics.

Hibiscus bullseyes reveal mechanisms controlling petal pattern proportions that influence plant-pollinator interactions.

Colorful flower patterns are key signals to attract pollinators. To produce such motifs, plants specify boundaries dividing petals into subdomains where cells develop distinctive pigmentations, shapes, and textures. While some transcription factors and biosynthetic pathways behind these characteristics are well studied, the upstream processes restricting their activities to specific petal regions remain enigmatic. Here, we unveil that the petal surface of Hibiscus trionum, an emerging model featuring a bullseye on its corolla, is prepatterned as the bullseye boundary position is specified long before it becomes visible. Using a computational model, we explore how pattern proportions are maintained while petals experience a 100-fold size increase. Exploiting transgenic lines and natural variants, we show that plants can regulate boundary position during the prepatterning phase or modulate growth on either side of this boundary later in development to vary bullseye proportions. Such modifications are functionally relevant, as buff-tailed bumblebees can reliably identify food sources based on bullseye size and prefer certain pattern proportions.

Physicochemical and sensory quality of high antioxidant fruit leather of red dragon fruit and watermelon rind enriched with seaweed

Fruit, as a source of antioxidants and phenolic compounds, is perishable. It also has an underutilized component. Fruit leather has a long shelf life in the form of thin sheets with a distinctive texture. This study aimed to investigate the effect of seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) addition on the physicochemical and sensory quality of fruit leather made from the combination of red dragon fruit and watermelon rind. The physicochemical quality was characterized by measuring the critical quality parameters of fruit leathers, including proximate analysis, water activity, total phenol, antioxidant activity, texture, and organoleptic analysis. The statistical analysis of phenolic compound activity, antioxidant activity, vitamin C, moisture content, carbohydrates, and water activity (aw) was conducted using a one-way ANOVA test, while the analysis of ash content, protein, fat, tensile strength, elongation, and organoleptic properties was performed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Increasing seaweed concentration significantly increased moisture, ash, protein, vitamin C, total phenol, water activity, and elongation but decreased fat content. Furthermore, the increase in seaweed concentration reduced liking toward taste and color significantly but increased texture liking. The best product was the F2 product with 10% seaweed. F2 has the following attributes: 11.07% of moisture content, 2.34% of ash, 1.53% of protein, 0.19% of fat, 84.86% of carbohydrate, 8.17 mg/100 g of vitamin C, 0.41 of water activity, 0.54 N/m2 of tensile strength, 22.22% of elongation, 107.39 ppm of IC50, 1.66 mg/GAE g of total phenolics.

Limited Effectiveness of Penicillium camemberti in Preventing the Invasion of Contaminating Molds in Camembert Cheese.

Mold-ripened cheese acquires a distinctive aroma and texture from mold cultures that mature on a fresh cheese wheel. Owing to its high moisture content (aw = 0.95) and pliability, soft cheese is prone to contamination. Many contaminating mold species are unable to grow at colder temperatures, and the lactic acid produced by the cheese bacteria inhibits further infiltration. Thus, Camembert cheese is generally well protected against contamination by a wide range of species. In this study, cocultures of Penicillium camemberti and widely distributed mycotoxin-producing mold species were incubated on different types of agars, and purchased Camembert samples were deliberately contaminated with mycotoxin-producing mold species capable of growing at both 25 °C and 4 °C. The production of mycotoxins was then monitored by the extraction of the metabolites and their subsequent measurement by means of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based targeted metabolite profiling approach. The production of cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) was highly dependent on the species cocultivated with Penicillium camemberti, the temperature and the substrate. Contamination of Camembert cheese with Penicillium chrysogenum, Mucor hiemalis, or Penicillium glabrum induced CPA production at 25 °C. Although mold growth on cheese was not always evident on biofilms for certain cultures, except for Penicillium citrinum, which stained the monosaccharide agar yellow, mycotoxins were detected in many agar and cheese samples, as in all monosaccharide agar samples. In conclusion, cheese should be immediately discarded upon the first appearance of mold.

Development and Evaluation of the Biological Activities of a Plain Mucoadhesive Hydrogel as a Potential Vehicle for Oral Mucosal Drug Delivery.

This study aimed to develop HGs based on cationic guar gum (CGG), polyethylene glycol (PEG), propylene glycol (PG), and citric acid (CA) using a 2k factorial experimental design to optimize their properties. HGs were characterized through FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The biological activities of HGs were determined by evaluating their mucoadhesive capacity and antibacterial activity in vitro, whereas their toxicity was analyzed using Artemia salina nauplii as an in vivo model. Results revealed that HGs were successfully optimized for their viscosity, pH, and sensory properties, and it was observed that varying concentrations of PEG-75 did not influence them. Through SEM analyses, it was noted that increased levels of PEG-75 resulted in HGs with distinct porosity and textures, whereas FTIR and Raman spectroscopy exhibited representative peaks of the raw materials used during the synthesis process. TGA studies indicated the thermal stability of HGs, as they presented degradation patterns at 100 and 300 °C. The synthesized HGs exhibited similar mucoadhesion kinetic profiles, demonstrating a displacement factor at an equilibrium of 0.57 mm/mg at 5 min. The antibacterial activity of HGs was appraised as poor against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria due to their MIC90 values (>500 μg/mL). Regarding A. salina, treatment with HGs neither decreased their viability nor induced morphological changes. The obtained results suggest the suitability of CGG/PEG HGs for oral mucosa drug delivery and expand the knowledge about their mucoadhesive capacity, antibacterial potential, and in vivo biocompatibility.

Correlation between microstructural inhomogeneity and architectural design in additively manufactured NiTi shape memory alloys

ABSTRACT Additively manufactured Nitinol (NiTi) architectured materials, designed with unit cell architectures, hold promise for customisable applications. However, the common assumption of homogeneity in modeling and additive manufacturing of these architectured materials needs further investigation because geometric-dependent melt pool behaviour results in inhomogeneous microstructure and thermomechanical properties. This study shows that property inhomogeneity at the mesoscale is one reason for pseudo-linear response and partial superelasticity of the fabricated NiTi body-centered cubic (BCC) architectured materials. We modeled using a phenomenological constitutive relation and additively manufactured NiTi architectured materials with varying relative densities. These fabricated samples showed distinct microstructural textures and compositions that affected their local recoverability. The edge effects and laser turn regions were identified as the causes underlying the observed microstructural inhomogeneity. The dimensionless Fourier number is used to describe the transition of printing modes. This study provides valuable information on rigorous experimental/computational consistency in future work.

Leaf Trait Variability and CSR Strategy Shifts in Mediterranean Woody Species along an Edaphic Gradient

Plant species in Mediterranean ecosystems are expected to exhibit diverse responses to environmental stresses such as climate aridity and challenging soil conditions by adopting various functional strategies. However, intraspecific variability at the local scale has received insufficient attention in the study of CSR strategies. This study aims to evaluate intraspecific variability in leaf traits and CSR strategies of seven woody species growing on ultramafic and non-ultramafic soils in the Beni Bousera region of Northern Morocco. We first conducted a physicochemical analysis to assess differences in soil composition between the two sites. Subsequently, we measured leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight, and leaf area and calculated CSR strategies for 10 individuals per species. The results revealed significant differences between the two soil types, primarily driven by a moderate serpentine effect characterized by a Ca:Mg ratio &lt;1 in the ultramafic site, along with distinct soil texture. In response to these challenging conditions, we observed substantial intraspecific variability in leaf traits, accompanied by shifts in CSR strategies for certain species. At the ultramafic site, Quercus coccifera adopted an S strategy, while Cistus salviifolius exhibited an S/SC strategy. Lavandula stoechas and Teucrium fruticans displayed notable interindividual variability, whereas Cistus atriplicifolius, Phillyrea latifolia, and Erica arborea maintained consistent strategies across both sites. Our research contributes to the enrichment of CSR databases and highlights the applicability of the CSR strategy framework at the local, intraspecific level, offering a valuable foundation for future ecological studies and plant conservation efforts. Moreover, investigating intraspecific variability in leaf traits and CSR strategies enhances our understanding of plant adaptation mechanisms in extreme environments such as Mediterranean serpentine soils.

Influence of bionic texture on the mechanical properties of 6061Al/CFRTP laser joints

Joining carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTP) with metals is a significant challenge for lightweighting in the automotive sector. The lower strength of hybrid joints limits their applications in the relevant fields. In this study, three distinct surface textures were applied to 6061 aluminum alloy (6061Al), including a traditional groove texture and two novel bionic textures (shark skin and fish scale), to enhance the strength of the hybrid joint between the materials. The impact of these textures on the mechanical properties of 6061Al/CFRTP hybrid joints was investigated through experimental methods and finite element simulations. The results indicated that the stress distribution at the interface of the bionic textured samples was more uniform, reducing stress concentration at the interface. Furthermore, the hybrid joint strength was improved as the bionic texture hindered crack initiation and propagation and facilitated crack deflection. Compared to the untextured samples, the fish scale textured samples exhibited the highest strength, which increased by 431.3 % relative to the untextured samples.