This work focuses on the application of nanoindentation measurements and the finite element method for analyzing the mechanical properties of the rostrum of the outstanding driller Cyrtotrachelus buqueti Guer. Nanoindentation tests were carried out to measure the Young's modulus and hardness of the rostrum, with the results for the “dry” samples being 13.886 ± 0.75 and 0.368 ± 0.0445 GPa, respectively. The values for the “fresh” samples showed no clear difference from those of the “dry” ones. Moreover, field observation was conducted to determine the motion behaviors of the rostrum on the weevil. Micro-computed tomography technology was employed to obtain structural information about the rostrum, using 9 µm slices. A real three-dimensional model of the rostrum was created using the MIMICS application. Finally, the mechanical properties of the rostrum were determined by finite element analysis. It was concluded that the rostrum provides an ideal biological template for the design of biocomposite materials and lightweight tube-shaped structures. The properties determined in this study can potentially be applied in different fields, such as in the design of automotive hybrid transmission shafts, helicopter tail drive shafts, robotic arms, and other sandwich structures in aerospace engineering.

Polycrystalline Ni-based superalloys for aerospace and power generation applications are often precipitation hardened to achieve strengthening at elevated temperatures. Here, atom probe microscopy has become an essential tool to study the complex morphology of nanoscale precipitates. This study focuses on Alloy 718, which is hardened by semi-coherent, ordered γ′ (Ni3(Al, Ti)) and γ″ (Ni3(Nb)) particles. According to previous research, these particles often occur as duplets or triplets with a stacking sequence dependent on prior processing. This creates various interfaces with a strong impact on the mechanical properties, highlighting the importance of quantitative studies which are challenging with electron microscopy. We present atom probe data reconstruction and analysis approaches particularly suited for precipitation hardened superalloys. While voltage atom probe allows for an accurate reconstruction, the acquired data volume is often limited. Laser-assisted atom probe provides statistically significant data, but the loss of crystallographic information requires correlation with voltage-mode datasets. We further describe an advanced iso-surface method where initially arbitrarily chosen concentration thresholds of Al + Ti for γ′ and Nb for γ″ particles are optimized. Recognizing the importance of the precipitate stacking order, the different types of precipitate interfaces are quantified, and these methods may be applicable to other engineering alloys.

The burrower bug Scaptocoris castanea Perty, 1830 (Hemiptera: Cydnidae) is an agricultural pest feeding on roots of several crops. The histology and ultrastructure of the salivary glands of S. castanea were described. The salivary system has a pair of principal salivary glands and a pair of accessory salivary glands. The principal salivary gland is bilobed with anterior and posterior lobes joined by a hilus where an excretory duct occurs. The accessory salivary gland is tubular with a narrow lumen that opens into the hilus near the excretory duct, suggesting that its secretion is stored in the lumen of the principal gland. The cytoplasm of the secretory cells is rich in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, secretory vesicles with different electron densities and mitochondria. At the base of the accessory gland epithelium, there were scattered cells that do not reach the gland lumen, with the cytoplasm rich in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, indicating a role in protein production. Data show that principal and accessory salivary glands of S. castanea produce proteinaceous saliva. This is the first morphological description of the S. castanea salivary system that is similar to other Hemiptera Pentatomomorpha, but with occurrence of basal cells in the accessory salivary gland.

Analysis and understanding of the role of hydrogen in metals is a significant challenge for the future of materials science, and this is a clear objective of recent work in the atom probe tomography (APT) community. Isotopic marking by deuteration has often been proposed as the preferred route to enable quantification of hydrogen by APT. Zircaloy-4 was charged electrochemically with hydrogen and deuterium under the same conditions to form large hydrides and deuterides. Our results from a Zr hydride and a Zr deuteride highlight the challenges associated with accurate quantification of hydrogen and deuterium, in particular associated with the overlap of peaks at a low mass-to-charge ratio and of hydrogen/deuterium containing molecular ions. We discuss possible ways to ensure that appropriate information is extracted from APT analysis of hydrogen in zirconium alloy systems that are important for nuclear power applications.

The gold technology in Iberia underwent an important development during the Early Iron Age (EIA) following the arrival of new technological skills from the Mediterranean region, including the use of filigree, granulation, and brazing. This work presents the microanalytical study of EIA gold jewels (22 spherical beads and four tongue pendants) recovered from three graves in southern Portugal. The set of jewelry, showing an extraordinary stylistic resemblance, was characterized by optical microscopy, micro energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy with X-ray microanalysis to establish the alloy composition and production techniques. The pieces show a close technological relation, making use of artificial gold alloys with different amounts of silver (c. 40 and 25%). The decorative styles include different types of filigree (solid wires and hollow wires), while the joining techniques comprise brazing with Au-Ag-Cu solders and, probably, sintering. In spite of those technological and stylistic features, clearly pointing to a Mediterranean influence, the absence of granulation suggests an indigenous workshop where exogenous technologies/decorations were not yet fully integrated in the manufacture of such luxury items.

The roundworms of Trichinella genus are worldwide distributed and their prevalence in nature is high. Trichinella genus parasites are the causative agents of foodborne zoonosis trichinellosis. The main prevention and control of the infection are meat inspection by the magnetic stirrer method for the detection of Trichinella larvae in muscle samples. The treatment can be effective if the parasite is discovered early in the intestinal phase. Once the Trichinella larva has reached the muscle tissue, the parasite remains therein and there is no treatment for this life cycle stage. The Trichinella species is dioecious with separate male and female individuals. The developed staining technique that uses confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) displays sufficient results for Trichinella larvae examination and this protocol is applicable to study the internal and external structures and for the sex determination of T. britovi and T. spiralis larvae samples. In the present study, a luminescent derivative was synthesized and used for staining of T. spiralis and T. britovi larvae samples for the examination by CLSM. Various fixatives, such as AFA, 70% ethanol, and Bouin's and Carnoy's solutions were tested for sample preparation. The synthesized luminescent compound demonstrates best visualization results for samples fixed in Bouin's fixative.

The adsorption of intact liposomes on surfaces is of great importance for the development of sensors and drug delivery systems and, also, strongly dependent on the surface roughness where the liposomes are adsorbed. In this paper, we analyzed, by using atomic force microscopy in liquid, the evolution of the morphology of gold surfaces and of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) surfaces with different roughness during the adsorption of liposomes prepared with the synthetic phospholipid 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)]. Our results reveal the following. On smooth surfaces of Au only and Au with PAH, the liposomes open and deploy on the substrate, creating a supported-lipid bilayer, with the opening process being faster on the Au/PAH surface. On rough substrates of Au coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers, the liposomes were adsorbed intact on the surface. This was corroborated by power spectral density analysis that demonstrates the presence of superstructures with an average lateral size of 43 and 87 nm, in accordance with two and four times the mean liposome hydrodynamic diameter of about 21 nm. In addition, this work presents an adequate and effective methodology for analysis of adsorption phenomena of liposomes on rough surfaces.

TorsinA is a member of the AAA+ superfamily of adenosine triphosphatases. These AAA+ proteins have numerous biological functions, including vesicle fusion, cytoskeleton dynamics, intracellular trafficking, protein folding, and degradation as well as organelle biogenesis. Of particular interest is torsinA, which is mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nuclear envelope (NE). Interestingly, mutations in the TOR1A gene (the gene encoding torsinA) are associated with DYT1 dystonia and with the preferential localization of mutated torsinA at the NE, where it is associated with lamina-associated polypeptide 1. A bioinformatics study of the torsinA interactome revealed reproductive processes to be highly relevant, as proteins in this class were found to interact with the former. Interestingly, the torsin protein family had never been previously described to be associated with the mammalian spermatogenic process. Histological staining of torsinA in human testis tissue revealed a granular cytoplasmic localization in mid- and late spermatocytes. We further sought to understand this newly discovered expression of torsinA in the meiotic phase of human spermatogenesis by studying its specific subcellular distribution. TorsinA is not present in the ER as commonly described. The proposal that torsinA might relocate to the pro-acrosomal vesicles in the Golgi apparatus is discussed.

The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of fresh sushi in Egypt. Fifty samples of sushi (Salmo salar) were collected from restaurants in Alexandria, Egypt. Paraffin, semi-thin and ultra-thin sections were used for parasitological analysis by light and transmission electron microscopy. Bacteria were isolated by the dilution plate and direct plate methods and identified by a Vitek system. Twenty (40%) of the total examined samples showed microsporidia and helminth metacercariae infections. Histochemical stains showed distinct pinkish-red pyriform microspores embedded in muscular tissue stained with Gram, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and Ziehl–Neelsen (ZN) stains. Semi-thin sections showed double membrane xenoma-inducing granulomas containing spores at different developmental stages. Empty sporophorous vesicles and free spores were observed in the electron microscopic images. A bacteriological assay showed forty samples (80%) contaminated with human pathogenic bacteria with the average total bacterial counts ranging from 32 to 526 CFU/g. Four species of human pathogenic bacteria were identified in the examined samples, namely Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Serratia plymuthica in 40, 38, 11, and 6 samples, respectively. These constitute the first record of fresh sushi product in Egypt and indicate the potential pathogenicity associated with raw seafood products.

The microstructure and distribution of the elements have been studied in thin films of a near-equimolar CrNbTaTiW high entropy alloy (HEA) and films with 8 at.% carbon added to the alloy. The films were deposited by magnetron sputtering at 300°C. X-ray diffraction shows that the near-equimolar metallic film crystallizes in a single-phase body centered cubic (bcc) structure with a strong (110) texture. However, more detailed analyses with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) show a strong segregation of Ti to the grain boundaries forming a very thin Ti–Cr rich interfacial layer. The effect can be explained by the large negative formation enthalpy of Ti–Cr compounds and shows that CrNbTaTiW is not a true HEA at lower temperatures. The addition of 8 at.% carbon leads to the formation of an amorphous structure, which can be explained by the limited solubility of carbon in bcc alloys. TEM energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated that all metallic elements are randomly distributed in the film. The APT investigation, however, revealed that carbide-like clusters are present in the amorphous film.

Tetraspanins, such as CD81, can form lateral associations with each other and with other transmembrane proteins. These interactions may underlie CD81 functions in multiple cellular processes, such as adhesion, morphology, migration, and differentiation. Since CD81's role in neuronal cells’ migration has not been established, we here evaluated effects of CD81 on the migratory phenotype of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. CD81 was found enriched at SH-SY5Y cell's membrane, co-localizing with its interactor filamentous-actin (F-actin) in migratory relevant structures of the leading edge (filopodia, stress fibers, and adhesion sites). CD81 overexpression increased the number of cells with a migratory phenotype, in a potentially phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)–Ak strain transforming (AKT) mediated manner. Indeed, CD81 also co-localized with AKT, a CD81-interactor and actin remodeling agent, at the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. Pharmacologic inhibition of PI3K, the canonical AKT activator, led both to a decrease in the acquisition of a migratory phenotype and to a redistribution of intracellular CD81 and F-actin into cytoplasmic agglomerates. These findings suggest that in neuronal-like cells CD81 bridges active AKT and actin, promoting the actin remodeling that leads to a motile cell morphology. Further studies on this CD81-mediated mechanism will improve our knowledge on important physiological and pathological processes such as cell migration and differentiation, and tumor metastasis.

A mineral, mimetite Pb5(AsO4)3Cl, is one of the most insoluble minerals and continues to be considered a viable remedial strategy for immobilization of Pb and As from contaminated soils. It has been recognized that many well-known, naturally-occurring, and synthetic chelators strongly influence dissolution processes in near-surface geological environments. In this study, crystals of mimetite were observed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) before and after dissolution in EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid) solution. Direct in situ observations at room temperature made in an AFM fluid cell revealed that the grain surface roughness has increased due to development of etch pits. Both hexagonal and prismatic walls developed dissolution features between 0.6 and 1.2 µm, respectively, during duration of the experiment. AFM observations suggest surface-controlled dissolution dominated step retrieval on both prismatic and hexagonal surfaces. SEM observations showed the development of rounded edges on hexagonal walls and elongated, oval etch pits on the prismatic wall. These results, representing early dissolution patterns on mimetite surfaces, might suggest that low pH conditions in soils containing organic acids similar to EDTA might contribute to remobilization of Pb and As from mimetite when applied to stabilization of these toxic metals in contaminated soils.

Gill histopathology is a valuable tool to evaluate ecosystems health, because the gill is a key site of waterborne pollutant uptake and the first target organ to their toxicity. Consequently, this makes it important in biomonitoring programs. This study aims to evaluate gill histopathological differences in Douro basin native fish species and determine possible associations with water quality and the ecological status classifications. Two native fish species (Pseudochondrostoma duriense and Luciobarbus bocagei) were sampled in four points of the Douro basin: two reference points, Ameixiosa (Paiva River) and Covelas (Bestança River), both classified with an excellent ecological status; and two disturbed points, Castro Daire (Paiva River) and Alvações do Corgo (Corgo River), categorized with a good and a moderate ecological status, respectively. Gill histopathological differences were qualitative and quantitatively analyzed. The histological analysis showed that, in all sampling locations, both species presented some degree of gill differences, such as epithelial lifting, lamellar fusion, and/or necrosis. The histopathological differences evaluation emphasized some variances in the responses between the two species. In nase, the filament and lamellar epithelium proliferation were the histopathological differences that better reflected the river ecological status classification, proving their usefulness in biomonitoring programs.