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Recently, transformer-based methods have shown strong competition compared to CNN-based methods on the low-light image enhancement task, by employing the self-attention for feature extraction. Transformer-based methods perform well in modeling long-range pixel dependencies, which are essential for low-light image enhancement to achieve better lighting, natural colors, and higher contrast. However, the high computational cost of self-attention limits its development in low-light image enhancement, while some works struggle to balance accuracy and computational cost. In this work, we propose a lightweight and effective network based on the proposed pixel-wise and patch-wise cross-attention mechanism, PPformer, for low-light image enhancement. PPformer is a CNN-transformer hybrid network that is divided into three parts: local-branch, global-branch, and Dual Cross-Attention. Each part plays a vital role in PPformer. Specifically, the local-branch extracts local structural information using a stack of Wide Enhancement Modules, and the global-branch provides the refining global information by Cross Patch Module and Global Convolution Module. Besides, different from self-attention, we use extracted global semantic information to guide modeling dependencies between local and non-local. According to calculating Dual Cross-Attention, the PPformer can effectively restore images with better color consistency, natural brightness and contrast. Benefiting from the proposed dual cross-attention mechanism, PPformer effectively captures the dependencies in both pixel and patch levels for a full-size feature map. Extensive experiments on eleven real-world benchmark datasets show that PPformer achieves better quantitative and qualitative results than previous state-of-the-art methods. • We proposed a lightweight model PPformer to extract information in both local and non-local for LLIE adaptively. • We proposed a dual cross-attention mechanism for efficiency and accuracy. • PPformer with only 95k parameters achieves promising results on eleven low-light image enhancement datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular processes of immune responses in mucosal tissues such as fish gills under environmental stress are poorly understood. In the present study, pro-inflammatory response under hyposaline stress and its regulation by cortisol/corticosteroid receptors (CRs) in gill epithelial cells of the spotted scat Scatophagus argus were analyzed. The fish were transferred to freshwater for 6 days (144 h) of acclimation. Following freshwater exposure, the cortisol concentration increased transiently before returning to the control level over time. mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-a, IL-1b and IL-6) was stimulated by cortisol through CR signals at early stages of acclimation, but hyposaline stress inhibited their levels by the end of the experimental period. The transcriptional profile of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was quite different from these pro-inflammatory cytokines, and its value fluctuated within a narrow range during the experimental period. Full-length cDNAs of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor 1 (GR1) (different kinds of CRs) were cloned from the gills. Our results showed that MR and GR displayed mutually antagonistic effects during hyposaline stress. MR responded quickly at early stages, and its expression decreased with the drop of cortisol concentration. By contrast, GR expression was maintained at high levels after the acclimation of freshwater exposure. The tight coordination of GR and MR helps to shape the effects of stress on the immune system, which in turn, regulates the stress response. Our results confirm the interaction between endocrine and cytokine messengers and a clear difference in the sensitivity of GR and MR during the hyposaline challenge in gill epithelial cells of the spotted scat Scatophagus argus. • Gill epithelial cells of Scatophagus argus were isolated and purified. • MR and GR displayed mutually antagonistic effects during hyposaline stress. • mRNA abundances of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were tightly associated with MR and GR signals. • Pro-inflammatory response was ignited by environmental stress, and suppressed after longer exposure to freshwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Using clonal and population analysis, we found that the MCF7 and SK-OV3 were composed mainly of cancer stem cells. Together with SP analysis, we found that both SP and NSP cells of MCF7 and SK-OV3 contained different proportions of cancer stem cells. In addition, we discovered that MCF7 SP cells were able to generate non-SP cells, and conversely non-SP cells generated SP cells; Moreover, we showed that Hoechst 33342 and FACS were harmful to the clonogenicity of MCF7 and SK-OV3 cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Compared with swimmers with only caudal fins, swimmers with additional median fins, i.e. dorsal and anal fins can improve fish locomotive performance in cruising swimming. However, the effects of these fins on hydrodynamics, particularly on muscle actuation, remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated four models (model i: with dorsal and anal fins; ii: without dorsal and anal fins; iii: with dorsal fin and without anal fin; iv: without dorsal fin and with anal fin) of cruising crucian carp using three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. This study shows that both speed and thrust are improved in the presence of dorsal and anal fins, as the wake shed from these fins is intercepted by the caudal fin. Dorsal fin is discovered to increase the swimming efficiency, internal torque and the speed of the torque wave, whereas anal fin decreases these parameters. The adverse effects of these two fins are due to the difference in the phase of the forces generated on them and consequently affect the muscle actuation in the midbody and energy transmission around the peduncle. Our results provide new insight into the roles of the median fins in swimming performance and muscle actuation, which might benefit the design of fish-like robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has seen a worldwide expansion in incidence in the past three decades. Tumor-derived exosomes have been associated with the metastasis of cancer cells and are present within the local hypoxic tumor microenvironment, where they mediate intercellular communication by transferring molecules including microRNAs (miRNAs) between cells. Although miRNAs have been shown to serve as non-invasive biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, the role of hypoxia-induced tumor-derived exosomes in PTC progression remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the differentially expressed miRNA expression profiles from GEO datasets (GSE191117 and GSE151180) by using the DESeq package in R and identified a novel role for miR-221-3p as an oncogene in PTC development. In vivo and in vitro loss and gain assays were used to clarify the mechanism of hypoxic PTC cells derived exosomal-miR-221-3p in PTC. miR-221-3p was upregulated in human PTC plasma exosomes, tissues and cell lines. We found that hypoxic PTC cells derived exosomal-miR-221-3p promoted normoxic PTC cells proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro , while inhibition of miR-221-3p limited PTC tumor growth in our PTC xenograft model in nude mice. We finally identified ZFAND5, to be a miR-221-3p target. Mechanistically, hypoxic PTC cell lines-derived exosomes carrying miR-221-3p promoted PTC tumorigenesis by regulating ZFAND5. Our findings further the understanding of the underlying mechanisms associated with PTC progression and identify exosomal-miR-221-3p as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of PTC patients. Our study also suggests that miR-221-3p inhibitors could be a potential treatment strategy for PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Highly porous (specific surface area, S BET , 1400 m2/g) and rich in surface groups activated carbons (ACs) were obtained from cotton stalks using either a direct or indirect activation. They were characterized by adsorption of nitrogen, thermal analysis combined with mass spectrometry, potentiometric titration, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS analysis indicated that the indirect activation led to more nitrogen on the surface incorporated as pyridinic and graphitic/quaternary species. These species were beneficial for a carbon application as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts and supercapacitors. The carbons were catalytically active in ORR with a number of electron transfer from 2.15 to 3.40 and onset potential of 0.810 V vs. reference hydrogen electrode (RHE). Their capacitance was around 180 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 when measured in an alkaline medium. The dependence of the performance on the porosity and nitrogen content was found, indicating suitability of cotton stalks obtained using the indirect activation as precursors of carbons of promising electrochemically active features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a distributed logic UD-Datalog whose advantage lies that it extends U-Datalog to distributed environment but still keeps the logic semantic and evaluation method of U-Datalog. The logic presented a new approach to define update in distributed environment based on non-immediate update semantics which distinguishes the language from other distributed datalog. The language is pure declarative and allows us to use top-down and equivalent bottom-up computational evaluation so the already developed techniques for Datalog evaluation can be reused. Firstly, the paper elaborates the syntax and semantic of the logic. Secondly, the evaluation method of the logic is explained. Finally, an application example of the logic in access control of network is discussed which shows the application and expressiveness of the logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defect and interfacial engineering are employed to design and construct a novel CZS/CoPPi-M composite photocatalyst, which exhibits excellent photocatalytic H 2 production activity. [Display omitted] Photocatalysts with highly efficient charge separation are of critical significance for improving photocatalytic hydrogen production performance. Herein, a cost-effective and high-performance composite photocatalyst, cobalt-phosphonate-derived defect-rich cobalt pyrophosphate hybrids (CoPPi-M) modified Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S is rationally devised via defect and interface engineering, in which the co-catalyst CoPPi-M delivers a strong interaction with host photocatalyst Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S, rendering Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S/CoPPi-M with a remarkably improved efficiency of charge separation and migration. Besides, Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S/CoPPi-M exhibits a hydrophilic surface with ample access to electrons and a strong reduction ability of electrons. Benefiting from these advantages, the integration of defect-rich cobalt pyrophosphate and Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S enables Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S/CoPPi-M−5% with high photocatalytic H 2 production rate of 6.87 mmol g−1h−1, which is 2.46 times higher than that of pristine Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S, and the notable apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) is 20.7% at 420 nm. This work provides a promising route for promoting the photocatalytic performance of non-precious hybrid photocatalyst via defect and interface engineering, and advances energy-generation and environment-restoration devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolated cobalt oxide sites in CoO x @NC/S-1(4) are specifically responsible for propane dehydrogenation, and the reaction mechanism is proposed from in situ FT-IR spectra. [Display omitted] The "active site isolation" strategy has been proved to be efficient for enhancing the catalytic performance in propane dehydrogenation (PDH). Herein, spatially isolated cobalt oxide sites within nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) layers supported on silicalite-1 zeolite (CoO x @NC/S-1) were synthesized by a two-step process consisting of the pyrolysis of bimetallic Zn/Co zeolitic imidazole frameworks loaded on silicalite-1 (ZnCo-ZIF/S-1) under N 2 and the subsequent calcination in air atmosphere. This catalyst possesses exceptional catalytic performance for PDH with the propane conversion of 40% and the propene selectivity of >97%, and no apparent deactivation is observed after 10 h PDH reaction at 600 °C. With intensive characterizations and experiments, it is indicated that the real active sites of CoO x @NC/S-1 are isolated CoO sites during the PDH process. In situ FT-IR spectroscopy shows the same intermediate product (Co-C 3 H 7) during both propane dehydrogenation and propene hydrogenation, indicating that they have a reverse reaction process, and a reaction mechanism for PDH is proposed accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic effect in GaPt@S-1 catalyst hinders the adsorption of products on metal surfaces, and contributes to the migration of coke precursors from active sites to external channels, thus this catalyst achieves excellent PDH performance. [Display omitted] Ga-based catalysts are promising for use in propane dehydrogenation (PDH) because of the relatively superior activity, but the conventional Ga-based catalysts usually suffer from serious deactivation and unsatisfactory propene selectivity. Here, ultrafine bimetallic Ga-Pt nanocatalysts encapsulated into silicalite-1 (S-1) zeolites (GaPt@S-1) were synthesized by a facile ligand-protected direct H 2 -reduction method. It is indicated that this catalyst is composed of confined ultra-small GaPt alloy nanoclusters and a part of isolated tetrahedral coordination of Ga species. The confined GaPt alloy nanoclusters are the active sites for PDH reaction, and their high electron density could boost the desorption of products, resulting in a high propene selectivity of 92.1% and propene formation rate of 20.5 mol g−1 Pt h−1 at 600 °C. Moreover, no obvious deactivation was observed over GaPt@S-1 catalyst even after 24 h on stream at 600 °C, affording an extremely low deactivation constant of 0.0068 h−1, which is much lower than that of the conventional Ga-based catalysts. Notably, the restriction of the zeolite can enhance the regeneration stability of the catalyst, and the catalytic activity kept unchanged after four consecutive cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mesoporous Cd-Zn-S solid solutions (E-Cd x Zn 1-x S) with abundant surface defects synthesized via ingenious inorganic self-template co-precipitation method at room temperature, exhibiting high-efficient activity and stability for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The practical application of photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen evolution hinges on the development of high-efficient and low-cost photocatalysts. Defects engineering has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance photocatalytic activity effectively. Herein, a facile and versatile co-precipitation method is proposed to fabricate mesoporous Cd-Zn-S solid solutions (E-Cd x Zn 1-x S) with abundant surface defects by the inorganic salts formed in the reaction system as self-template. Compared with Cd-Zn-S solid solutions (W-Cd 0.65 Zn 0.35 S) prepared by the traditional co-precipitation method, the enhanced specific surface area and abundant surface defects endow E-Cd 0.65 Zn 0.35 S with more accessible active sites and effective separation of electron-hole pairs for the photocatalytic water splitting reaction. The E-Cd 0.65 Zn 0.35 S solid solution exhibits hydrogen evolution rate of 5.2 mmol h−1 g−1 without loading noble metal as cocatalyst under visible light, which is 1.13 times higher than that of W-Cd 0.65 Zn 0.35 S sample. The present work provides a simple, low-cost and prospective strategy for the synthesis of defective Cd-Zn-S solid solutions, and it also delivers guidance to design and develop the advanced visible-light photocatalyst in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-dispersed and ultrasmall PtZn bimetallic nanoclusters encapsulated in Silicalite-1 zeolites are prepared via a facile in situ synthetic strategy, showing excellent catalytic performance for propane dehydrogenation to propene. • Ultrasmall PtZn bimetallic clusters within S-1 were prepared by an in situ synthetic route. • PtZn@S-1 shows excellent catalytic performance and high stability for PDH. • The smaller Pt-containing clusters have higher dehydrogenation activity. • The confinement effect of zeolites improves the stability of the metal clusters. • Zeolite-confined nanocatalysts also show excellent shape-selective activity. Bimetallic catalysts have attracted increasing attention in propane dehydrogenation (PDH) due to the synergistic effect of metal species and considerably improved catalytic performance, but they often suffer from severe sintering and poor stability. Here, well-dispersed and ultrasmall PtZn bimetallic nanoclusters encapsulated in silicalite-1 (S-1) zeolites (named PtZn@S-1) are prepared via a facile in situ synthesis strategy. It is indicated that the PtZn bimetallic nanoclusters with ultrasmall size are homogeneously dispersed within the channels of S-1 zeolites. The 0.3Pt0.5Zn@S-1 catalyst shows excellent catalytic performance in PDH with a propane conversion of 45.3% and a propylene selectivity of >99%, and no visible sintering of PtZn bimetallic nanoclusters is observed in the long-term PDH reaction at 550 °C. The excellent catalytic properties and high stability of the ultrasmall bimetallic nanoclusters confined in zeolites create new prospects for PDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small amount of Co (0.5 wt%) supported on dealuminated Beta zeolite shows much better catalytic performance than other Co catalysts. The small confined metallic Co serving as the active site is proposed. • CoSiBeta catalysts have state-of-the-art productivity for direct dehydrogenation of propane. • CoSiBeta catalysts with or without prereduction show similar catalytic performance. • The CoO x species confined in the silanols of SiBeta can be reduced to small metallic Co particles. • The confined small metallic Co particles are catalytically active for PDH. CoO x within dealuminated Beta (SiBeta) zeolite developing into ultrasmall-sized Co particles under H 2 or reactant gas is highly efficient for catalyzing direct dehydrogenation of propane (PDH) to propylene reaction. The existence of highly dispersed CoO x species is identified, and the easily reducible CoO x species are confined in the created T-sites (silanols) of SiBeta support. The CoSiBeta catalysts with or without prereduction treatments show similar catalytic performance but different induction periods, implying that the metallic Co formed in situ during the reaction are the active sites. Co in SiBeta zeolite (0.5 wt%) showed state-of-the-art propylene productivity with propane conversion of about 72% and propylene selectivity of over 92% at 600 °C, which is far better than that of the other reported Co catalysts and comparable to that of industrial catalysts. This work proves the high catalytic ability and product selectivity of small confined Co particles, as well as providing novel inspiration for the design of low-cost, ecofriendly, and advanced catalysts for PDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Lamellar, 2D-hexagonal and particle-packed mesostructures of aluminum phosphonate are synthesized by selecting aluminum source with different inorganic anions. Abstract Mesostructured aluminum phosphonates (AOP- x) bridging with 1,1′-hydroxyl ethylidene groups, including a lamellar mesostructure (AOP-N) with crystalline framework, a well-ordered 2D-hexagonal mesophase (AOP-Cl), and a particle-packed mesostructure (AOP-S), were simply synthesized in the presence of surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in the ethanol-water system, by choosing Al(NO 3) 3 , AlCl 3 and Al 2 (SO 4) 3 as the aluminum source, respectively. The crystallinity, morphology, mesophase, and skeletal structure of the as-prepared materials were characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, 27Al, 31P and 13C MAS NMR, and nitrogen sorption techniques. After calcination under N 2 at 350 °C, the calcined AOP- x samples consist of aluminum phosphonate and phosphate, possessing desirable specific surface areas of 116–585 m2/g. The effect of the inorganic counteranions (NO 3 −, Cl− and SO 4 2−) from the aluminum source on the formation of different AOP- x mesostructures was discussed in terms of their bind strength to the headgroups of the surfactant micelles, suggesting the potential for designed synthesis of non-silica-based mesostructured organic-inorganic hybrid materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a common cause of acute optic neuropathy in the elderly. The role of the genetic polymorphisms of Atonal Homolog 7 ( ATOH7 ), Endothelin-1 ( ET-1 ) and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme ( ACE ) in NAION and the combined effects of the gene-gene and gene-medical comorbidities on NAION were not clear. We conducted a perspective, case-control study. 71 NAION patients and 142 age and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of ATOH7 (rs1900004), ET-1 (rs5370) and ACE (rs1799752) were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and all PCR products were screened with Sanger sequencing. The prevalence of genetic factors in NAION patients were compared to normal people, and assessed in conditional logistic regression models. The modified effects of gene-gene or gene-medical comorbidities on NAION development were assessed with a multiplicative model. A significant high risk was found in the T allele of ATOH7 in NAION, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.55 (P = 0.04). Conditional logistic regression analysis, including diabetes and hypertension, revealed that ATOH7 TT genotype carriers conferred a significantly increased risk of NAION (TT/CC + CT, OR = 3.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.16–9.53, P = 0.03). Interaction analysis showed that ET-1 (P = 0.01), ACE (P = 0.046) and hypertension (P = 0.02) have modified effects on NAION development. Our results showed that the polymorphism of optic disc associated gene- ATOH7 conferred a significant risk of NAION. Combination of ATOH7 and ET-1 , ATOH7 and ACE , as well as ATOH7 and hypertension, increased the susceptibility of NAION. Our data may be useful for NAION predicting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABCA4 gene associated retinal dystrophies (ABCA4 -RD) are a group of inherited eye diseases caused by ABCA4 gene mutations, including Stargardt disease, cone-rod dystrophy and retinitis pigmentosa. With the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS), numerous clinical and genetic studies on ABCA4 -RD have been performed, and the genotype and phenotype spectra have been elucidated. However, most of the studies focused on the Caucasian population and limited studies of large Chinese ABCA4 -RD cohorts were reported. In this study, we summarized the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of 129 Chinese patients with ABCA4 -RD. We found a mutation spectrum of Chinese patients which is considerably different from that of the Caucasian population and identified 35 novel ABCA4 mutations. We also reported some rare and special cases, such as, pedigrees with patients in two generations, patients diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy or retinitis pigmentosa, patients with subretinal fibrosis and patients with preserved foveal structure. At the same time, we focused on the correlation between the genotypes and phenotypes. By the comprehensive analysis of multiple clinical examinations and the application of multiple regression analysis, we proved that patients with two "null" variants had a younger onset age and reached legal blindness earlier than patients with two "none-null" variants. Patients with one or more "none-null" variants tended to have better visual acuity and presented with milder fundus autofluorescence changes and more preserved rod functions on the full-field electroretinography than patients with two "null" variants. Furthermore, most patients with the p.(Phe2188Ser) variant shared a mild phenotype with a low fundus autofluorescence signal limited to the fovea and with normal full-field electroretinography responses. Our findings expand the variant spectrum of the ABCA4 gene and enhance the knowledge of Chinese patients with ABCA4 -RD. • Describing the detailed phenotype of 129 Chinese patients with ABCA4 -retinopathy. • Identifying 35 novel ABCA4 mutations and a Chinese-specific mutational spectrum. • Presenting several special clinical subtypes of ABCA4 -retinopathy. • Exploring the genotype-phenotype correlation by multiple regression analysis. • Finding that patients with two "likely-null" variants may have more severe phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerobic exercise has been shown to play a crucial role in preventing neurological diseases and improving cognitive function. In the present study, we investigated the effect of treadmill training on retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) following optic nerve transection in adult rats. We exercised the rats on a treadmill for 5 d/week (30 min/d at a rate of 9 m/min) or placed control rats on static treadmills. After 3 weeks of exercise, the left optic nerve of each rat was transected. After the surgery, the rat was exercised for another week. The percentages of surviving RGCs in the axotomized eyes of inactive rats were 67% and 39% at 5 and 7 days postaxotomy, respectively. However, exercised rats had significant more RGCs at 5 (74% survival) and 7 days (48% survival) after axotomy. Moreover, retinal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels were significantly upregulated in response to exercise compared with those in the axotomized eyes of inactive rats. Blocking BNDF signaling during exercise by intraperitoneal injections of ANA-12, a BDNF tropomyosin receptor kinase (TrkB) receptor antagonist, reduced the number of RGCs in exercised rats to the level of RGCs in the inactive rats, effectively abolishing the protection of RGCs afforded by exercise. The results suggest that treadmill training effectively rescues RGCs from neurodegeneration following optic nerve transection by upregulating the expression of BDNF. • Treadmill exercise increases ganglion cell (GC) survival at 7 days postaxotomy. • Treadmill exercise increases BDNF levels in axotomized eyes. • Blocking BNDF signaling abolishes the protection of GCs afforded by exercise. • Exercise can rescue GCs in axotomized eyes by upregulating BDNF expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigated changes in the morphology of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), M1 subtype, and pupillary light reflex following local and selective ablation of photoreceptors in mice. Laser photocoagulation was used to selectively destroy four patches of photoreceptors per eye at around 4 papillary diameters from the optic disc and at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions between the retinal vessels in the adult mouse retina, leaving cells in the inner retina intact. Morphological parameters of individual M1 cells specifically labeled by the antibody against melanopsin (PA1-780), including dendritic field size, total dendritic length, and dendritic branch number, were examined 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after photocoagulation with Neurolucida software. A considerable reduction in these parameters in M1 cells in the "lesioned areas" was found at all the four time points after photocoagulation, as compared with those in the "unlesioned areas". Although M1 cells in the lesioned areas showed significant changes as early as 1 week after laser treatment and the changes gradually increased, reaching a peak value at 2 weeks, morphological restoration was clearly seen in these cells over time. However, no difference in the morphological parameters of M1 cells was observed between the unlesioned areas of laser-treated mice and the corresponding areas of age-matched normal mice without laser lesions. Fluorescence intensity of the somata of melanopsin-positive M1 cells located inside the lesioned areas was significantly decreased at all the four time points after photocoagulation, whereas no changes in pupillary light reflex were detected at different light irradiations, indicating that photocoagulation-induced local photoreceptor loss and alterations of ipRGCs may be insufficient to cause abnormalities in non-image-forming (NIF) visual functions. The results suggest that intact photoreceptors could be crucial for maintaining the expression levels of melanopsin and normal morphology of M1 cells. • Photocoagulation is used to destroy patches of photoreceptors in the mouse retina. • Melanopsin levels of M1 cells are decreased after ablation of photoreceptors. • Dendritic field size, length and branch number of M1 cells are reduced after laser use. • Pupillary light reflex is unchanged after the selective photocoagulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]