Morphological Differences Research Articles

Melanin depletion affects Aspergillus flavus conidial surface proteins, architecture, and virulence.

Melanin is an Aspergillus flavus cell wall component that provides chemical and physical protection to the organism. However, the molecular and biological mechanisms modulating melanin-mediated host-pathogen interaction in A. flavus keratitis are not well understood. This work aimed to compare the morphology, surface proteome profile, and virulence of melanized conidia (MC) and non-melanized conidia (NMC) of A. flavus. Kojic acid treatment inhibited melanin synthesis in A. flavus, and the conidial surface protein profile was significantly different in kojic acid-treated non-melanized conidia. Several cell wall-associated proteins and proteins responsible for oxidative stress, carbohydrate, and chitin metabolic pathways were found only in the formic acid extracts of NMC. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed the conidial surface morphology difference between the NMC and MC, indicating the role of melanin in the structural integrity of the conidial cell wall. The levels of calcofluor white staining efficiency were different, but there was no microscopic morphology difference in lactophenol cotton blue staining between MC and NMC. Evaluation of the virulence of MC and NMC in the Galleria mellonella model showed NMC was less virulent compared to MC. Our findings showed that the integrity of the conidial surface is controlled by the melanin layer. The alteration in the surface protein profile indicated that many surface proteins are masked by the melanin layer, and hence, melanin can modulate the host response by preventing the exposure of fungal proteins to the host immune defense system. The G. mellonella virulence assay also confirmed that the NMC were susceptible to host defense as in other Aspergillus pathogens. KEY POINTS: • l-DOPA melanin production was inhibited in A. flavus isolates by kojic acid, and for the first time, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed morphological differences between MC and NMC of A. flavus strains • Proteome profile of non-melanized conidia showed more conidial surface proteins and these proteins were mainly involved in the virulence, oxidative stress, and metabolism pathways • Non-melanized conidia of A. flavus strains were shown to be less virulent than melanised conidia in an in vivo virulence experiment with the G. melonella model.

Intraspecific chemical variation of Tanacetum vulgare affects plant growth and reproductive traits in field plant communities.

The study investigated the impact of intraspecific plant chemodiversity on plant growth and reproductive traits at both the plant and plot levels. It also aimed to understand how chemodiversity at stand level affects ecosystem functioning and plant-plant interactions. We describe a biodiversity experiment in which we manipulated intraspecific plant chemodiversity at the plot level using six different chemotypes of common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L., Asteraceae). We tested the effects of chemotype identity and plot-level chemotype richness on plant growth and reproductive traits and plot-level headspace emissions. The study found that plant chemotypes differed in growth and reproductive traits and that traits were affected by the chemotype richness of the plots. Although morphological differences among chemotypes became less pronounced over time, reproductive phenology patterns persisted. Plot-level trait means were also affected by the presence or absence of certain chemotypes in a plot, and the direction of the effect depended on the specific chemotype. However, chemotype richness did not lead to overyielding effects. Lastly, chemotype blends released from plant communities were neither richer nor more diverse with increasing plot-level chemotype richness, but became more dissimilar as they became more dissimilar in their leaf terpenoid profiles. We found that intraspecific plant chemodiversity is crucial in plant-plant interactions. We also found that the effects of chemodiversity on plant growth and reproductive traits were complex and varied depending on the chemotype richness of the plots. This long-term field experiment will allow further investigation into plant-insect interactions and insect community assembly in response to intraspecific chemodiversity.

 Mazusjiangshiense (Mazaceae), a new species from China: evidence from morphological and molecular analyses.

Utilising both morphological and molecular analyses, this study unveils Mazusjiangshiensesp. nov., a novel addition to the Mazaceae family, discovered in Shaowu County, Fujian Province, China. The comprehensive description and illustrations provided here are a result of a meticulous exploration of its morphological features. While bearing a resemblance to M.gracilis, this new-found species is distinguished by three distinct characteristics: its stems are delicately soft, its leaves possess a membranous quality and the ovary is notably villous at the apex. Integration of molecular evidence, derived from the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrITS) and three plastid DNA sequences (rps16, rbcL and trnL-trnF), unequivocally supports the classification of M.jiangshiense as a distinct species. Notably, the molecular analysis positions it as a sister species to M.spicatus, underscoring the phylogenetic relationships within the genus Mazus. Our research not only introduces M.jiangshiense as a novel taxonomic entity, but also provides a nuanced understanding of its morphological differences and molecular affinities, enriching our comprehension of the diversity and evolutionary relationships of Mazaceae.

Looking across the gap: Understanding the evolution of eyes and vision among insects.

The compound eyes of insects exhibit stunning variation in size, structure, and function, which has allowed these animals to use their vision to adapt to a huge range of different environments and lifestyles, and evolve complex behaviors. Much of our knowledge of eye development has been learned from Drosophila, while visual adaptations and behaviors are often more striking and better understood from studies of other insects. However, recent studies in Drosophila and other insects, including bees, beetles, and butterflies, have begun to address this gap by revealing the genetic and developmental bases of differences in eye morphology and key new aspects of compound eye structure and function. Furthermore, technical advances have facilitated the generation of high-resolution connectomic data from different insect species that enhances our understanding of visual information processing, and the impact of changes in these processes on the evolution of vision and behavior. Here, we review these recent breakthroughs and propose that future integrated research from the development to function of visual systems within and among insect species represents a great opportunity to understand the remarkable diversification of insect eyes and vision.

Exploring Morphological Population Variability: Host Plant and Habitat Dependency in the Protected Moth Gortyna borelii (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

In this paper, we discuss the evolutionary implications of the correlation between different species of Peucedanum plants and the distribution of Gortyna borelii moth populations in Romania. We highlight geographic separation and isolation among these populations due to anthropogenic landscape fragmentation, which hinders genetic exchange. A geometric morphometric analysis was utilized to visualize and compare the morphometric variations in relation to the environmental variables, particularly the host plant. Additionally, the distribution of G. borelii populations across Europe and in Romania that are correlated with the host plant was analyzed. The significant morphological and morphometric differences between the analyzed populations support our working hypothesis, according to which the use of different Peucedanum species by the larvae of G. borelii leads to an intraspecific diversification correlated with the host plant species. The newly discovered population of G. borelii in Romania holds substantial conservation importance, necessitating protection measures, including demarcating habitat areas and raising awareness among stakeholders. G. borelii is a protected species at the European level (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC, Appendices II and IV), considered endangered due to the isolation of its populations and anthropogenic pressures exerted through agricultural practices. Understanding the impact of agricultural practices on their habitat is crucial for effective management strategies. Overall, this study sheds light on the complex interplay between ecological adaptation, host plant specialization, and speciation dynamics in phytophagous insects, emphasizing the importance of conservation efforts to preserve G. borelii populations and their habitats.

Discriminating viscous-creep features (rock glaciers) in mountain permafrost from debris-covered glaciers – a commented test at the Gruben and Yerba Loca sites, Swiss Alps and Chilean Andes

Abstract. Viscous-flow features in perennially frozen talus/debris called rock glaciers are being systematically inventoried as part of the global climate-related monitoring of mountain permafrost. In order to avoid duplication and confusion, guidelines were developed by the International Permafrost Association to discriminate between the permafrost-related landform “rock glacier” and the glacier-related landform “debris-covered glacier”. In two regions covered by detailed field measurements, the corresponding data- and physics-based concepts are tested and shown to be adequate. Key physical aspects which cause the striking morphological and dynamic differences between the two phenomena/landforms concern the following: tight mechanical coupling of the surface material to the frozen rock–ice mixture in the case of rock glaciers, contrasting with essential non-coupling of debris to the glaciers they cover; talus-type advancing fronts of rock glaciers exposing fresh debris material from inside the moving frozen bodies, as opposed to massive surface ice exposed by increasingly rare advancing fronts of debris-covered glaciers; and increasing creep rates and continued advance of rock glaciers as convex landforms with structured surfaces versus predominant slowing down and disintegration of debris-covered glaciers as often concave landforms with primarily chaotic surface structure. Where debris-covered surface ice is or has recently been in contact with thermally controlled subsurface ice in permafrost, complex conditions and interactions can develop morphologies beyond simple either–or-type landform classification. In such cases, the remains of buried surface ice mostly tend to be smaller than the lower size limit of “glaciers” as the term is applied in glacier inventories and to be far thinner than the permafrost in which they are embedded.

ALL classification using neural ensemble and memetic deep feature optimization.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a fatal blood disorder characterized by the excessive proliferation of immature white blood cells, originating in the bone marrow. An effective prognosis and treatment of ALL calls for its accurate and timely detection. Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown promising results in digital pathology. However, they face challenges in classifying different subtypes of leukemia due to their subtle morphological differences. This study proposes an improved pipeline for binary detection and sub-type classification of ALL from blood smear images. At first, a customized, 88 layers deep CNN is proposed and trained using transfer learning along with GoogleNet CNN to create an ensemble of features. Furthermore, this study models the feature selection problem as a combinatorial optimization problem and proposes a memetic version of binary whale optimization algorithm, incorporating Differential Evolution-based local search method to enhance the exploration and exploitation of feature search space. The proposed approach is validated using publicly available standard datasets containing peripheral blood smear images of various classes of ALL. An overall best average accuracy of 99.15% is achieved for binary classification of ALL with an 85% decrease in the feature vector, together with 99% precision and 98.8% sensitivity. For B-ALL sub-type classification, the best accuracy of 98.69% is attained with 98.7% precision and 99.57% specificity. The proposed methodology shows better performance metrics as compared with several existing studies.

Investigation of tribological behavior of MOFs/g-C3N4 nanocomposite for insight into effect of flake-on-sheet and ball-on-sheet nanostructure

Herein, we designed two catalogs of metal organic frame materials (MOF)/carbon nitride(g-C3N4) composite nanostructures (flake-on-sheet and ball-on-sheet nanostructure appearances) to probe the effect of composite nanostructures on the cooperative friction mechanism. The tribological behaviors of MOF/g-C3N4 composite nanostructures were extensively investigated in base oil on the four-ball friction tester. The results showed that the anti-wear ability of flake-on-sheet shaped MOF/g-C3N4 in oil was superior to the ball-on-sheet shaped MOF/g-C3N4, whereas the anti-friction and load-bearing ability of latter was preferable to the former. The flake-on-sheet shaped MOF/g-C3N4 enabled the friction coefficient (COF) and wear scar diameter (WSD) of oil to reduce 31.90% and 45.46%, while the ball-on-sheet shaped MOF/g-C3N4 enabled the friction coefficient (COF) and wear scar diameter (WSD) of oil to decrease 37.07% and 42.15%, respectively. Due to the morphology difference, the anti-frition and anti-wear mechanism of the flake-on-sheet shaped MOF/g-C3N4 were reliable to the tribo-film consisting of adsorption film and tribochemical film, whereas that of ball-on-sheet shaped MOF/g-C3N4 depended on the synergistic effect of the tribo-film and the ball bearing effect of MOF nanospehere in composite structure. Moreover, the interface interaction in composite structure also had a underlying influence in the friction behavior of nanoadditive.

Non-primary solid malignancies of breast in needle core biopsy: a clinicopathological analysis of 23 cases

Objective: To investigate the accurate diagnosis and differential diagnosis of non-primary solid malignant tumors in breast needle core biopsy. Methods: Twenty-three cases of breast, axilla or neck lymph nodes pathologically diagnosed as non-primary solid malignant tumors were collected at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China from January 2013 to March 2023. The differential diagnoses and diagnostic features were analyzed, based on combining clinical data, histology, and expression characteristics of biomarkers. Results: All patients were female, with age ranging from 29 to 75 years (average 56 years). The average time from the diagnosis of primary tumor to the current diagnosis was 21 months (0 to 204 months).The primary sites included the ovary (9 cases), the lung (5 cases), the gastrointestinal tract (4 cases), the pancreas, intrahepatic bile duct, thyroid gland, nasal cavity and forearm skin (1 case each). No carcinoma in situ was found in any of the cases. The morphological differences were significant among the tumors, but similar to the primary tumors. The tumors of neuroendocrine and female reproductive tract had great morphological and immunophenotypic overlaps with breast cancer. Metastatic lung cancer cells showed obvious atypia and tumor giant cells. The morphology and immunophenotype of metastatic serous carcinoma of female reproductive system might resemble invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast. Metastatic adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract often had features of mucous secretion. Metastatic neuroendocrine tumors were bland in appearance and morphologically similar to solid papillary carcinoma of breast, but negative for ER. TRPS1 was mostly negative (18/23) and variably positive in ovarian (4/9) and intrahepatic bile duct (1/1) tumors. Conclusions: The diagnosis of breast needle core biopsy specimen should be combined with clinical history, imaging study, and careful examination of histological features, such as presence of in situ component, morphological similarity between the primary and metastatic tumors, and using appropriate markers to differentiate the primary from metastatic tumors.

Optimization of Cadmium Removal Using Tetraethylene Glycol-Modified Silica-Based Adsorbent via Response Surface Methodology

In solid-phase extraction for preconcentration, silica (Si) is the most commonly used as an adsorbent. However, the selectivity and effectiveness of silica gel adsorption on metal ions are low, so it needs to be modified to improve the adsorption capability. The modification was done using reflux and oven heating in the modification silica with 3-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and tetraethylene glycol (TEG). A central composite design batch process determined the optimum conditions for cadmium adsorption. TEG-modified silica was successfully synthesized and characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, and elemental analyzers. Peaks of C-H and epoxy on FTIR spectra showed that Si- GPTMS was formed. The increase of %C and %H from the first to the second step indicated that Si-TEG was successfully synthesized. There was no significant difference in silica particle morphology on SEM before and after modification. The reflux method gave a higher yield compared to the heating method. The constant stirring by the magnetic bar and solvent cycle in the reflux method catalyzed the reaction. This study found that at pH 7, 30 mg of adsorbent weight at 35°C and 22 minutes of contact time were optimum Cd2+ adsorption conditions. As the weight of the adsorbent increases, the adsorption capacity decreases. Contact time and temperature have no significant effect on Cd adsorption by Si-TEG.

A new species and a replacement name in Cynanchum (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadeae) from China.

Cynanchumpingtaoi S.Jin Zeng, G.D.Tang & Miao Liao, sp. nov. (Apocynaceae) from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated based on morphological and molecular evidence. Its deeply cordate to reniform leaves and campanulate, large flowers show that it is a member of former Raphistemma Wall., which has been included in Cynanchum L.. It is different from all former Raphistemma species by the broadly ovate corolla lobes, purple-red corolla and connivent corona tip slightly exceeding the corolla throat. Meanwhile, Cynanchumlonghushanense G.D.Tang & Miao Liao, nom. nov. is proposed as replacement name for Raphistemmabrevipedunculatum Y.Wan, which was considered a synonym of Cynanchumhooperianum (Blume) Liede & Khanum but is here reinstated as a distinct species because of significant morphological differences.

Effectiveness of chromic catgut implantation in men with idiopathic infertility

Introduction: the treatment of idiopathic male infertility is empirical and controversial. Objective: to assess the effectiveness of chromic catgut implantation at selected acupuncture points according to traditional Chinese syndromic diagnosis in men with idiopathic infertility. Methods: quasi-experimental study with pre-test-post-test and control group, in 135 patients with idiopathic infertility divided into: study group (67 treated with catgut implantation) and control group (68 treated with medication). A traditional medical history was taken and descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Results: Mean age was similar in both groups (33.90 ± 6.28 years study group and 33.68 ± 5.6 years control group). Patients with Kidney yang vacuum predominated (55.2 % study group and 52.9 % control group). Both groups showed highly significant differences in sperm concentration, motility and morphology before and after treatments and between groups. Clinical improvement (64.2 % vs. 8.8 %), spermogram normalisation (53.7 % vs. 16.2 %) and pregnancy achievement (17.9 % vs. 4.4 %) were higher in patients treated with chromic catgut implantation compared to those using Clomiphene. Conclusions: chromic catgut implantation in selected acupuncture points according to traditional Chinese syndromic diagnosis in men with idiopathic infertility is effective because it improves sperm concentration, motility and morphology, normalises the spermogram and contributes to achieving pregnancies with increased fertility, to a greater extent than treatment with Clomiphene; together with the clinical improvement of the patients.

Sorption‐based treatment of flexographic printing packaging materials ink waste by synthesis of tri‐copolymers via gamma irradiation

AbstractThe treatment or recovery of waste ink constitutes a significant process for the printing and packaging industries, particularly in the flexographic printing of packaging materials. This poses a substantial challenge in the field of waste management science. The application of waste ink recovery, ensuring a safe environment and human health, along with the recovery and sustainability of Earth's resources, has garnered significant global attention. The present research is solely devoted to creating innovative trends without technological barriers for synthesizing a tri‐copolymer to be applied as an effective sorption system for waste ink. The Polyethyleneimine‐Poly Glycidyl methacrylate‐polyethylene glycol diacrylate tri‐polymer (PEI‐PGMA‐PEGDA tri‐polymer) was synthesized and thoroughly investigated using FTIR, TGA, and DSC to confirm its chemical structure, thermal stability, and the shift in melting point affected by radiation dose, respectively. SEM analysis showed significant morphological differences in PEI‐PGMA‐PEGDA tri‐polymer samples before and after treatment with flexographic printing ink waste, offering effective strategies for adsorbing waste printing inks from organic solvents. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the investigated materials and their potential applications. Additionally, the kinetic study of the sorption efficiency of flexographic ink by two sets of tri‐copolymers with doses of 20 and 40 kGy indicated that 40 kGy has a more efficient capacity. The highest sorption capacity, approximately 97.6%, was observed for a sample of GMA 15% irradiated by 40 kGy with a sorption amount of 2.5 g L−1. This suggests that the current new treatment strategy can be categorized as highly effective waste ink management and should be advocated for in such domains to ensure a safe environment and preserve Earth's resources. The treatment of printing ink for packaging materials is a crucial step towards achieving green printing technology, which must be supported and advanced through research and industrial application.

Characterizing traditional Brazilian house typologies by means of intervisibility analysis

This paper analyzes the morphological differences in traditional urban architecture in Brazil between the typologies of rowhouses and urban or suburban mansions, from the mid-eighteenth to the early twentieth century. It focuses on the relatively uniform and conservative context of the states of Rio de Janeiro, Goiás (including Tocantins), and Minas Gerais. This study highlights defining characteristics of each of the two typological series. While most previous studies have looked at tree graph analysis to assess the topological connections between individual spaces, this research turns to intervisibility analysis, evidencing the morphological centers of compositions. The results highlight how visual integration analysis confirms the overlap between the spatial composition of both rowhouses and mansions and the attributes of social life specific to each of these typologies. These attributes include the location of the family room in the rear of rowhouses and, in contrast, the primacy of ceremonial spaces in the front of mansions.

The Gene vepN Regulated by Global Regulatory Factor veA That Affects Aflatoxin Production, Morphological Development and Pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus.

Velvet (VeA), a light-regulated protein that shuttles between the cytoplasm and the nucleus, serves as a key global regulator of secondary metabolism in various Aspergillus species and plays a pivotal role in controlling multiple developmental processes. The gene vepN was chosen for further investigation through CHIP-seq analysis due to significant alterations in its interaction with VeA under varying conditions. This gene (AFLA_006970) contains a Septin-type guanine nucleotide-binding (G) domain, which has not been previously reported in Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus). The functional role of vepN in A. flavus was elucidated through the creation of a gene knockout mutant and a gene overexpression strain using a well-established dual-crossover recombinational technique. A comparison between the wild type (WT) and the ΔvepN mutant revealed distinct differences in morphology, reproductive capacity, colonization efficiency, and aflatoxin production. The mutant displayed reduced growth rate; dispersion of conidial heads; impaired cell wall integrity; and decreased sclerotia formation, colonization capacity, and aflatoxin levels. Notably, ΔvepN exhibited complete growth inhibition under specific stress conditions, highlighting the essential role of vepN in A. flavus. This study provides evidence that vepN positively influences aflatoxin production, morphological development, and pathogenicity in A. flavus.

Molecular detection of blood protozoa and identification of black flies of the Simulium varicorne species group (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Thailand

Species of the Simulium varicorne group in Thailand have veterinary significance as vectors of haemosporidian parasites. Accurate identification is, therefore, critical to the study of vectors and parasites. We used morphology and molecular markers to investigate cryptic genetic lineages in samples identified as Simulium chumpornense Takaoka & Kuvangkadilok, 2000. We also tested the efficiency of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) marker for the identification of species in this group. Morphological examinations revealed that S. chumpornense lineage A is most similar to S. khelangense Takaoka, Srisuka & Saeung, 2022, with minor morphological differences. They are also genetically similar based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences. Geographically, the sampling site where paratypes of S. khelangense were originally collected is <50 km from where S. chumpornense lineage A was collected. We concluded that cryptic lineage A of S. chumpornense is actually S. khelangense. COI sequences could not differentiate S. kuvangkadilokae Pramual and Tangkawanit, 2008 from S. chumpornense and S. khelangense. In contrast, ITS2 sequences provided perfect accuracy in the identification of these species. Molecular analyses of the blood protozoa Leucocytozoon and Trypanosoma demonstrated that S. khelangense carries L. shoutedeni, Leucocytozoon sp., and Trypanosoma avium. The Leucocytozoon sp. in S. khelangense differs genetically from that in S. asakoae Takaoka & Davies, 1995, signaling the possibility of vector-parasite specificity.

Redescription of Hatschekia exigua Pearse, 1951 (Copepoda: Hatschekiidae), parasitic on the Squirrelfish Holocentrus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765) (Actinopterygii: Holocentridae) off Ceará, Northeastern Brazil, with first description of the male.

The original description of Hatschekia exigua Pearse, 1951 neglected innumerous features of taxonomic value as well as morphometric data and illustrations. Posteriorly, other author tried to access the type material, but their poor state of preservation compromised a detailed redescription. Since then, this species is in need for new morphological data, mainly from fresh material. In the present work, three specimens of Holocentrus adscensionis from Mucuripe Bay, Fortaleza, State of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil, were parasitized by copepods on their gills. Parasites were fixed and preserved in 80% ethanol and cleared in 85% lactic acid for morphological observations using light microscopy. The females were identified as Hatschekia exigua by the cephalothorax representing about one-fourth of total body length, with lateral margins expanded into lateral lobes, first exopod with basal segment armed with one outer setae and terminal segment with three setae, first endopod with basal segment unarmed and terminal segment with five setae, leg 3 reduced to two setae and leg 4 reduced to single seta. Comparison with the type series revealed morphological differences in trunk and small appendages, which may be related to alterations in the specimens, caused by the mounting methodology and poor preservation. A detailed morphological analysis of the male revealedfor the first time that they differ from their closest congeners by having five setae on the last endopodal segment of leg 1, by smooth intercoxal sclerites on legs 1 and 2and by a proximolateral process on the third segment of antenna. Moreover, this work represents the first report of H. exigua in Brazil and the first hatschekiid copepod found off the coast of Ceará, highlighting that the diversity of Hatschekiidae in this oceanographic region still needs further investigation.

Steel strip surface defect detection based on multiscale feature sensing and adaptive feature fusion

A surface defect detection method for hot-rolled steel strips was proposed to address the challenges of detecting small target defects, significant differences in morphology, and unclear defect characteristics. This method is based on multiscale feature perception and adaptive feature fusion. First, based on the spatial distribution characteristics of the steel strip image, redundant background interference is removed using automatic gamma correction and Otsu thresholding. Second, based on the characteristics of surface defects in steel strips, this paper proposes TDB-YOLO (YOLO with a small target detection layer), a Bidirectional Feature Pyramid Network (BiFPN), and Double Cross Stage Partial (CSP) Bottleneck with three convolutions (DC3). To detect small object defects, a small target detection layer with a smaller receptive field focuses on fine-grained features, reducing the model’s probability of missed detection. In terms of feature extraction, DC3 enhances the interaction of feature information from different spatial scales, enabling the model to effectively handle features of varying scales. In terms of feature fusion, the BiFPN is used to adaptively fuse deep-level and shallow-level feature information, enhancing the semantic richness of the feature information. Ultimately, the proposed model in this paper achieved an accuracy of 90.3% and a recall rate of 88.0% for surface defects in steel strips. The mean average precision was 90.4%, and the frames per second was 33. The detection performance of this model outperformed those of other detection models, demonstrating its ability to effectively meet the real-time detection requirements of surface defects in industrial scenarios on steel strips.

Metal-organic framework-templated ZnIn2S4 nanomaterials for high-performance photocatalytic H2‐evolution

ZIF-8-templated ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) crystals with different morphologies have been synthesized solvothermally by varying the organic solvents, while thioacetamide (TAA) and L-cysteine (L‐cyst) were used as sulfur precursors. It is found that solvothermal properties, including ions coordination, dielectric constant, and atomic chain length, influence the nucleation and growth of ZIS composites. The differences in morphology and composition of the prepared ZIS crystals strongly affect their photophysical properties and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (PHER). The hydrogen evolution rates for ZIS composites decrease in the following order: Leaf‐like (EG, TAA) > nanorods (EtOH, TAA) > nanoflowers (EG, L‐cyst) > nanosheets (Gly, TAA) > irregular particles (EDA, TAA) > plate‐like (DETA, TAA). The leaf‐like ZIS‐EG composite prepared using TAA as a sulfur precursor and ethylene glycol (EG) as a solvent shows an excellent PHER performance of 5208 μmol g−1 h−1 (44.91 μmol) with an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 4.80% at 420 nm. The ZIS‐EG composites with different ZIF‐8 contents (50, 100, 150, and 200 mg) were also investigated for the PHER activity with mixed Na2S/Na2SO3 sacrificial agent at λ ≥ 420 nm. It shows that the nature of solvents and sulfur precursors had a significant influence on the morphology, photoabsorption, electrochemical properties, and PHER performance of ZIF‐8‐templated ZIS composites, which complements the knowledge of designing efficient and perspective photocatalysts with enhanced visible‐light‐driven PHER performance.

Influence of Substrate Stiffness on iPSC-Derived Retinal Pigmented Epithelial Cells.

Retinal degenerative diseases are a major cause of blindness involving the dysfunction of photoreceptors, retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), or both. A promising treatment approach involves replacing these cells via surgical transplantation, and previous work has shown that cell delivery scaffolds are vital to ensure sufficient cell survival. Thus, identifying scaffold properties that are conducive to cell viability and maturation (such as suitable material and mechanical properties) is critical to ensuring a successful treatment approach. In this study, we investigated the effect of scaffold stiffness on human RPE attachment, survival, and differentiation, comparing immortalized (ARPE-19) and stem cell-derived RPE (iRPE) cells. Polydimethylsiloxane was used as a model polymer substrate, and varying stiffness (~12 to 800 kPa) was achieved by modulating the cross-link-to-base ratio. Post-attachment changes in gene and protein expression were assessed using qPCR and immunocytochemistry. We found that while ARPE-19 and iRPE exhibited significant differences in morphology and expression of RPE markers, substrate stiffness did not have a substantial impact on cell growth or maturation for either cell type. These results highlight the differences in expression between immortalized and iPSC-derived RPE cells, and also suggest that stiffnesses in this range (~12-800 kPa) may not result in significant differences in RPE growth and maturation, an important consideration in scaffold design.