Net CO2 emissions and sequestration from European forests are the result of removal and growth of flora. To arrive at aggregated measurements of these processes at a country's level, local observations of increments and harvest rates are up-scaled to national forest areas. Each country releases these statistics through their individual National Forest Inventory using their particular definitions and methodologies. In addition, five international processes deal with the harmonization and comparability of such forest datasets in Europe, namely the IPCC, SOEF, FAOSTAT, HPFFRE, FRA (definitions follow in the article). In this study, we retrieved living biomass dynamics from each of these sources for 27 European Union member states. To demonstrate the reproducibility of our method, we release an open source python package that allows for automated data retrieval and analysis, as new data becomes available. The comparison of the published values shows discrepancies in the magnitude of forest biomass changes for several countries. In some cases, the direction of these changes also differ between sources. The scarcity of the data provided, along with the low spatial resolution, forbids the creation or calibration of a pan-European forest dynamics model, which could ultimately be used to simulate future scenarios and support policy decisions. To attain these goals, an improvement in forest data availability and harmonization is needed.

The three-dimensional printing of scaffolds is an interesting alternative to the traditional techniques of periodontal regeneration. This technique uses computer assisted design and manufacturing after CT scan. After 3D modelling, individualized scaffolds are printed by extrusion, selective laser sintering, stereolithography, or powder bed inkjet printing. These scaffolds can be made of one or several materials such as natural polymers, synthetic polymers, or bioceramics. They can be monophasic or multiphasic and tend to recreate the architectural structure of the periodontal tissue. In order to enhance the bioactivity and have a higher regeneration, the scaffolds can be embedded with stem cells and/or growth factors. This new technique could enhance a complete periodontal regeneration. This review summarizes the application of 3D printed scaffolds in periodontal regeneration. The process, the materials and designs, the key advantages and prospects of 3D bioprinting are highlighted, providing new ideas for tissue regeneration.

The paper presents an assessment of the growth dynamics of the modal fir plantations in the Lower Angara region. At present, a vast area of fir forests in the Lower Angara region is characterised by a significant decrease in sustainability due to periodic forest fires, insect pests outbreaks and diseases, which lead to their natural degradation and death. However, the intensity of coniferous stand growth in certain forest site characteristics persists in the long term. Therefore, creating regression models of forest growth and development involving the identification of site conditions is very important both from a practical point of view and for environmental monitoring. The materials of the mass inventory of 3491 stands served as the initial data for studying the processes of fir plantations natural growth. The Hoerl Model function is suitable for the best approximation of stand growth since it is characterised by high levelling factor (from 0.970 to 0.987) and a small standard error (not exceeding 7%). As a result of the research, there have been constructed sketches of the growth rate tables for the modal Siberian fir stands of the third bonitet class of the forb and mossy groups of forest types.

The influence of a high inclusion level of Chlorella vulgaris, individually and supplemented with two carbohydrase mixtures, in finishing pig diets was assessed on zootechnical performance, carcass characteristics, pork quality traits and nutritional value of pork fat. Forty crossbred entire male pigs, sons of Large White × Landrace sows crossed with Pietrain boars, with an initial live weight of 59.1 ± 5.69 kg were used in this trial. Swines were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments (n=10): cereal and soybean meal-based diet (control), control diet with 5% C. vulgaris (CV), CV diet supplemented with 0.005% Rovabio® Excel AP (CV+R) and CV diet supplemented with 0.01% of a four-CAZyme mixture (CV+M). Animals were slaughtered, after the finishing period, with a BW of 101 ± 1.9 kg. Growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality traits were not influenced (p > 0.05) by the incorporation of C. vulgaris in the diets. However, the inclusion of the microalga in finishing pig diets increased some lipid-soluble antioxidant pigments and n-3 PUFA, and decreased the n-6:n-3 ratio of fatty acids, thus ameliorating the nutritional value of pork fat. Moreover, the supplementation of diets with the carbohydrase mixtures did not change (p > 0.05) neither animal performance nor meat quality traits, indicating their inefficacy in the increase of digestive utilization of C. vulgaris by pigs under these experimental conditions. It is concluded that the use of C. vulgaris in finishing pig diets, at this high incorporation level, improves the nutritional value of pork fat without compromising pig performance.

In the application of classical nucleation theory (CNT) and all other theoretical models of crystallization of liquids and glasses it is always assumed that nucleation proceeds only after the supercooled liquid or the glass have completed structural relaxation processes towards the metastable equilibrium state. Only employing such assumption, the thermodynamic driving force of crystallization and the surface tension can be determined in the way it is commonly performed. The present paper is devoted to the theoretical treatment of a different situation when nucleation proceeds concomitantly with structural relaxation. To treat the nucleation kinetics theoretically for such cases, we need adequate expressions for the thermodynamic driving force and the surface tension accounting for the contributions caused by the deviation of the supercooled liquid from metastable equilibrium. In the present paper, such relations are derived. They are expressed via deviations of structural order parameters from their equilibrium values. Relaxation processes result in changes of the structural order parameters with time. As a consequence, the thermodynamic driving force and surface tension, and basic characteristics of crystal nucleation, such as the work of critical cluster formation and the steady-state nucleation rate, also become time-dependent. We show that this scenario may be realized in the vicinity and below the glass transition temperature, and it may occur only if diffusion (controlling nucleation) and viscosity (controlling the alpha-relaxation process) in the liquid decouple. Analytical estimates are illustrated and confirmed by numerical computations for a model system. The theory is successfully applied to the interpretation of experimental data. Several further consequences of this newly developed theoretical treatment are discussed in detail. In line with our previous investigations, we reconfirm that only when the characteristic times of structural relaxation are of similar order of magnitude or longer than the characteristic times of crystal nucleation, elastic stresses evolving in nucleation may significantly affect this process. Completing the analysis of elastic stress effects, for the first time expressions are derived for the dependence of the surface tension of critical crystallites on elastic stresses. As the result, a comprehensive theoretical description of crystal nucleation accounting appropriately for the effects of deviations of the liquid from the metastable states and of relaxation on crystal nucleation of glass-forming liquids, including the effect of simultaneous stress evolution and stress relaxation on nucleation, is now available. As one if its applications, this theoretical treatment provides a new tool for the explanation of the low-temperature anomaly in nucleation in silicate and polymer glasses (the so-called \breakdown" of CNT at temperatures below the temperature of the maximum steady-state nucleation rate). We show that this anomaly results from much more complex features of crystal nucleation in glasses caused by deviations from metastable equilibrium (resulting in changes of the thermodynamic driving force, the surface tension, and the work of critical cluster formation, in the necessity to account of structural relaxation and stress effects) than assumed so far.

To investigate the influence of supplemental lighting intensity on the production of cut gerbera during Canada’s supplemental lighting season (November to March), trials were carried out at a research greenhouse. Five supplemental LED light intensity (LI) treatments provided canopy-level photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD) ranging from 41 to 180 µmol·m-2·s-1. With a 12-h photoperiod, the treatments provided 1.76 to 7.72 mol·m-2·d-1 of supplemental light. Two cultivars of cut gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii H. Bolus ex Hook.f) were used to evaluate vegetative growth and flower production. Plugs of ‘Ultima’ were assessed for vegetative growth and rate of flower development. There were minor LI treatment effects on number of leaves and chlorophyll content index and flowers from plants under the highest vs. lowest LI matured 10% faster. Reproductively mature ‘Panama’ plants were assessed for flower yield and quality. ‘Panama’ flowers from the highest LI treatment had shorter stems than the three lowest LI treatments, flowers from the middle LI treatment had larger diameter than the other treatments. Flowers from the lowest LI treatment had lower fresh mass than the three highest LI treatments. There were linear relationships between LI and numbers of flowers harvested, with the highest LI treatment producing 10.3 and 7.0 more total and marketable flowers per plant than the lowest LI treatment. In general, increasing levels of supplemental light had only minor effects on vegetative growth (young plants) and size and quality of harvested flowers (mature plants) but flowers from plants grown under higher LIs were more numerous and matured faster.

Mammals have two insulin-like growth factors (IGF) that are key mediators of somatic growth, of tissue differentiation and cellular responses to stress. Thus, the mechanisms that regulate the bioavailability of IGFs are important in both normal and aberrant development. IGF-I levels are primarily controlled via the growth hormone-IGF axis, in response to nutritional status, and also reflect metabolic diseases and cancer. One mechanism that controls IGF bioavailablity is the binding of circulating IGF to a number of binding proteins that keep IGF in a stable, but receptor non-binding state. But even before IGF is released from the cells that produce it, it undergoes an obligatory association with a ubiquitous chaperone protein, GRP94. This binding is required for secretion of a properly folded, mature IGF. This chapter reviews the known aspects of the interaction and highlights the specificity issues yet to be determined. The IGF-GRP94 interaction provides a potential novel mechanism of idiopathic short stature, involving the obligatory chaperone and not just IGF gene expression. It also provides a novel target for cancer treatment, as GRP94 activity can be either inhibited or enhanced.

The present study was conducted to evaluate encapsulated essential oils as an alternative anticoccidial in coccidiosis vaccine challenged broiler chickens. A total of 600 day-old male broiler chicks were provided with no-added corn-soybean meal-based control diet or diets that contained either salinomycin or EO at 60 and 120 mg per kg of diet. On day 21, half of the control groups were orally challenged with a coccidiosis vaccine at 25 times higher than the recommended vaccine dose. During 22 to 28 days (i.e., one-week post coccidiosis vaccine challenge), the challenged chickens had decrease (P < 0.05) in body weight gain and feed intake but increase in feed conversion ratio compared with the non-challenged, naïve control chickens. However, dietary EO significantly counteracted (P < 0.05) coccidiosis vaccine-induced depression in body weight gain and feed intake. Increasing dietary EO linearly decreased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of the volatile fatty acids. Dietary SAL and EO affected gut morphology in chickens at 20 days posthatch. Increasing dietary EO linearly (P = 0.073) increased serum catalase activity. Collectively, our study shows that dietary EO increased coccidiosis vaccine-induced growth depression and altered gut physiology in broiler chickens.

In this review, we summarize the current state-of-the-art in the utilization of close-range sensing in forest monitoring. We include technologies, such as terrestrial and mobile laser scanning as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, which are mainly used for collecting detailed information from single trees, forest patches or small forested landscapes. Based on the current published scientific literature, the capacity to characterize changes in forest ecosystems using close-range sensing has clearly been recognized. Forest growth has been the most investigated cause for changes and terrestrial laser scanner the most applied sensor for capturing forest structural changes. Unmanned aerial vehicles, on the other hand, have been used to acquire aerial imagery for detecting tree height growth and monitoring forest health. Mobile laser scanning has not yet been used in forest change monitoring except for a few early investigations. Considering the length of the forest growth process, investigated time spans have been rather short, less than 10 years. In addition, data from only two time points have been used in many of the studies, which has further been limiting the capability of understanding dynamics related to forest growth. In general, method development and quantification of changes have been the main interests so far regardless of the driver of change. This shows that the close-range remote sensing community has just started to explore the time dimension and its possibilities for forest characterization.

Ulmus species have been widely used in Korean folk medicine because of their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. We intended to investigate the wound healing effect of the powder of Ulmus parvifolia (UP) root bark in a mouse wound healing model. We also determined the mechanisms of effects of Ulmus parvifolia (UP) in skin and skin wound healing effect using keratinocyte model. in vivo experiments showed that the wound lesions in the mice decreased by U. parvifolia with 200 mesh size of root bark powder and significantly reduced by treatment with UP, compared with those treated with U. macrocarpa (UM). Results from in vitro experiments also revealed that UP extract promoted the migration of human skin keratinocytes. UP powder treatment upregulated the expression of the matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 protein and significantly increased transforming growth factor (TGF)-β levels. We confirmed that topical administration of the bark powder of exerted a significant effect on skin wound healing by upregulating the expression of MMP and transforming growth factor-β. TGF-β In, Our study suggests that U. parvifolia may be a potential candidate for skin wound healing including epidermal skin rejuvernation.

Background: Lung cancer (LC) is a major leading cause of death worldwide. Immunomodulators that target several immune mechanisms have proven to reduce tumor burden in experimental models through induction of the immune microenvironment. We hypothesized that other biological mechanisms may also favor tumor burden reduction in lung cancer-bearing mice treated with immunomodulators. Methods: Tumor weight, area, and immune cells (T, B, macrophages, and TNF-alpha levels, immunohistochemistry) and tumor growth, oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and sirtuin-1 markers were analyzed (immunoblotting) in subcutaneous tumor of BALB/c mice injected with LP07 adenocarcinoma cells treated with monoclonal antibodies (CD-137, CTLA-4, PD-1, and CD-19, N=9/group) and non-treated control animals. Results: Compared to non-treated cancer mice, in tumors of monoclonal-treated animals, tumor area and weight and ki-67 significantly reduced, while T cell counts, oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and sirtuin-1 marker increased. Conclusion: Immunomodulators elicited a reduction in tumor burden (reduced tumor size and weight) through decreased tumor proliferation and increased oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and sirtuin-1 levels, which may have interfered with the immune profile of the tumor microenvironment. Future research should be devoted to the elucidation of the specific contribution of each biological mechanism to the reduced tumor burden.

As climate change should lead to an increase in the vulnerability and the sensitivity of forests to extreme climatic events, quantifying and predicting their response to more severe droughts remains a key task for foresters. Furthermore, recent works have suggested that tree diversity may affect forest ecosystem functioning, including their response to extreme events. In this study we aimed at testing whether the growth response of forest stands to stressful climatic events varied between mixed and monospecific stands, under various environmental conditions. We focused on beech-fir forests (Fagus sylvatica [L.] and Abies alba [L.]) and beech-oak forests (Fagus sylvatica [L.] and Quercus pubescent [L.]) in the French Alps. We used a dendrochronological dataset sampled in forest plots organized by triplets (one mixture and two monospecific stands) distributed in six sites along a latitudinal gradient. We tested (1) whether stand diversity (two-species stands vs monospecific stands) modulates the stands’ response to drought events in terms of productivity, (2) whether species identity may drive the diversity effect on resistance and recovery, and (3) whether this can be explained by interspecific interactions. We found that (1) interspecific differences in response to extreme drought events (possibly due to interspecific differences in hydraulic characteristics) can induce a mixture effect on stand growth, although it appeared (2) to be strongly depending on species identity (positive effect only found for beech-fir mixed stands), while (3) there were no significant non-additive effects of diversity on stand resistance and recovery, except for some specific cases. Overall, our study shows that promoting selected mixed stands management may buffer extrem drought effect on stand productivity.

The seeds of red clover are heteromorphic and two color morphs can be visually recognized, light purple and yellow, resulting from heterozygosity and recessive homozygosity at two loci. Here, we report the responses of seed imbibition, seed germination, and early seedling growth of the two morphs to distilled water, sodium chloride, and complete nutrient solution. The sensitivity of red clover seeds to treatments increased with the stage of development in what seems to be a cumulative process. No differences were found in seed imbibition between morphs or between treatments. In seedling growth, on the contrary, treatments were always effective, but differences between morphs were only observed in seeds that were treated with nutrient solution, whereas in the intermediate stage of seed germination, the effects by treatments were observed together with the appearance of differences between morphs in distilled water and in the treatment by sodium chloride solution. Simultaneously, the superior performance of the yellow morph that was found in germination, which appears to be a trait stable across cultivars of red clover seeds, turned into a superior performance of the light purple morph in seedling growth.

In this study, the prevalent methodology for design of the industrial policy in developing countries was critically assessed, and it was shown that the mechanism and content of classical method is fundamentally contradictory to the goals and components of the endogenous growth theories. This study, by proposing a new approach, along settling Schumpeter's economic growth theory as a policy framework, designed the process of entering, analyzing and processing data as the mechanism of the industrial policy in order to provide "theoretical consistency" and "technical and Statistical requirements" for targeting the growth stimulant factor effectively.

Reliable fatigue design rules affect the proactive identification of safety parameters in aerospace industry. Numerous fatigue crack initiation and propagation models, linear and nonlinear, have been developed for designing purposes or estimation of the remaining life of aging airplanes. Depending on the adopted assumptions, the accuracy varies for different loading histories, loading types, and materials. Semi empirical models are simple but yield significant inaccuracies. Models with better theoretical basis provide better accuracy, but implementation in real conditions is problematic. In the present work, a review of author’s recent fatigue crack initiation and propagation models based on physical mechanisms is presented and improvements are proposed. Verification of the models on test results is provided and discussed.

This paper studies the combined effect of corrosion and fatigue on the growth of cracks in aircraft and on the effect of skin corrosion and stress corrosion cracking on the load bearing capacity of rib stiffened aircraft wings. In this context it is shown that the growth of cracks from surface pitting, and also from intergranular cracking at a fastener hole, can be accurately computed using the Hartman-Schijve variant of the NASGRO crack growth equation. The examples studied support the lead crack approach, that has been independently developed by the USAF and the Australian Defence Science Technology Group, in which the growth of lead cracks is often exponential. In the case of skin corrosion it is shown that to be consistent with the US Joint Service Structural Guidelines (JSSG2006) assessment of its effect on the load bearing capacity of the wing should involve an assessment of whether at 115% DLL the remaining material exceeds the yield stress of the material.

We recently reported that in the spinal cord of PPMS or SPMS patients, large areas of periplaque demyelinating lesions extend distance away from plaque borders. Such lesions are characterized by a progliotic TGF-beta 1 signature accompanied by: i) a low-grade inflammatory reaction, ii) an extensive astrocytosis and iii) a process of incomplete demyelination. It was proposed that, while efficiently dampening inflammation in MS spinal cords, TGF-beta 1 could promote astrocytosis, prevent remyelination and possibly trigger alterations of myelin synthesis. In light of these findings, a re-interpretation of two large neuropathological studies performed on MS brains and spinal cords is provided here. While results from these studies clearly showed that active plaques do not display any region-specific distribution, an important point was apparently overlooked and not discussed by the authors: a significantly higher percentage of inactive plaques was found in MS spinal cords as compared to brains and, conversely, the percentage of slowly-expanding (or smoldering) lesions was significantly lower in the spinal cord as compared to the brain. These data indicate that the spinal cord environment may be more favorable to the resolution of inflammation. Downstream of the autoimmune process leading to plaque formation, region-specific mechanisms may thus drive the outcome of active plaques. While inflammation triggers tissue destruction, inflammation may also be needed for effective tissue repair and an inappropriate dampening of inflammatory events may possibly translate into a poor level of remyelination in MS spinal cords. It is proposed here that TGF-beta 1 is involved in such a brain-spinal cord dissociation of active plaques outcome.

Fibrin rich of platelets (PRF^®) of Choukroun represents a new step in the therapeutic concept of platelet gel with a simplified processing and biochemical changes little artificial. A valid method of preparation of the PRF must effectively separate the plates by erythrocytes and concentrate without damaging or lysing the plates themselves. In this study the experimental design is to standardize the production of L-PRF in horse directing it to human production. Our hypothesis is that the L-PRF is easy to produce in the horse, without modifications of the human protocol, thus allowing a better standardization of the human protocol. A new device for the preparation and the standardization of L-PRF clots and membranes is the L-PRF Wound Box^®. The optical microscopy, most cell bodies were highlighted concentrated in the proximal portion of each membrane, the last 1/4 was observed at the center; the distal part had only residual traces of cell bodies. The L-PRF will form constantly when the phases described above are strictly adhered to. The success of the art L-PRF depends entirely on the speed of blood collection and transfer in centrifuge within a minute and by a temperature of centrifugation and compression is higher than 21°C (between 21 and 30°C). Our experiments on the horse will no doubt be able to improve our understanding on wound healing, in particularly in chronic skin lesions therapy.

One of the major concerns in structural health management (SHM) is the early detection of a growing crack. Using this, future damage due to crack propagation can be mitigated or eliminated by implementing proper repair and maintenance. Acoustic Emission (AE) is a non-destructive testing (NDT) method with potential applications for locating and monitoring fatigue cracks. The research presented in this paper focuses on SHM using AE. A novel AE signal analysis approach was proposed in order to detect crack initiation and assess small crack lengths. Experimental investigation indicated that initiation of a crack could be identified through the statistical analysis of the resulting features of the AE signals. A probabilistic AE-based model for small fatigue crack sizing was developed and the uncertainties of the model were estimated. In addition, a probabilistic model validation approach was implemented to confirm accurate estimation of the results. The outcome of this research can be used to evaluate the integrity of structures under fatigue loading. The proposed approach can also be applied as an approach to manage health and assess prognosis of structures.

A new class of nano-cube core-shell heterostructures containing Ag coating on the top of WO₃ was fabricated. Physical vapor deposition was used to produce WO₃ based nano-heterostructures. All kind of wet toxic chemical process was avoided to make the process simple and contaminant free. Sputtering of WO₃ and a subsequent thermal annealing process was done to create nano-cubes of WO₃. After that, sputtering of Ag was performed to form the Ag-WO₃ core-shell nano-heterostructures (CSNH). The CSNHs were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The morphologies, elemental analysis, interfaces, crystallinity, phases, and chemical compositions were analyzed. The bottom-up growth of WO₃ nanocubes was studied using different time periods at 900°C. Ag coating was also studied before and after annealing. Finally, an optical property (band gap) was also analyzed using Tauc plot derive from absorption spectra. The tailoring the band gap of WO₃ from ~2.9eV to ~ 2.45 eV was observed while Ag-WO₃ CSNH formed.

This paper analyzes the causal effect between domestic private investment, public investment, foreign direct investment and economic growth in Tanzania during the 1970-2014 period. The modified neo-classical growth model is used to estimate the ieffect of investment on economic growth. Also, the economic growth models based on Phetsavong and Ichihashi (2012) [1], and Le and Suruga (2005) [2]are used to estimate the crowding out effect of public investment on domestic private investment on one hand and foreign direct investment on the other hand. In the same way, the crowding out effect of foreign direct investment on domestic private investment is estimated. A correlation test is applied to check the correlation among independent variables, and the results show that there is very low correlation suggesting that multicollinearity is not a serious problem. Moreover, the diagnostic tests including RESET regression errors specification test, Breusch-Godfrey serial correlation LM test, Jacque-Bera-normality test and white heteroskedasticity test reveal that the model has no signs of misspecification and that, the residuals are serially uncorrelated, normally distributed and homoskedastic. Broadly, the empirical results show that the domestic private investment and foreign direct investment play an important role in economic growth in Tanzania. Besides, a revealed negative, albeit weak, association between public and private investment suggests that the positive effect of domestic private investment on economic growth becomes smaller when public investment-to-GDP ratio exceeds 8-10 percent. Similarly, foreign direct investment tends to marginally reduce the impact of domestic private investment on growth. These results suggest that public investment and foreign direct investment need to be considered carefully in order to avoid a reduced positive impact of domestic private investment on growth. Domestic saving may be promoted to encourage domestic investment for economic growth.

Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the causative agent of the Asian Soybean Rust, is one of the most prominent causes of yield loss in soybean production worldwide. In this study, a combination of hyperspectral imaging with advanced data analysis methodology is shown to accurately detect soybean rust symptoms in early stages and differentiate them from other factors at leaf scale. Data analysis was performed with neural networks based on training data from a small subset of the respective experiments and compared with classical machine learning methods for its accuracy and early disease detection capabilities. Results show that even with a comparably small subset of training data the analysis through neural networks can outperform classical machine learning methods in a complex dataset with high variability in the designated classes. In two separate experiments it was possible to accurately detect disease in inoculated leaves before symptoms were visible to the human eye. These results do not only show the potential of this methodology for precision farming applications, but also allow accurate and objective assessment of symptom severity and development for scientific studies and resistance breeding.

In this work, we develop a detailed analysis of the current panorama for electric vehicle charging technology, focusing on the various levels and types of charging protocols and used connectors. We propose a charging station for electric cars powered by solar photovoltaic energy, performing the analysis of the solar resource in the selected location, sizing the photovoltaic power plant to cover the demand completely, and exploring different configurations such as grid connection or physical and virtual electric energy storage. Despite the current development applying for specific working conditions, operating voltage, charging rate, power demand, etc., the proposed configuration is modular, adaptable, and resilient. The simulated system operates within the 360 V to 800 V range of continuous current for charging the electric vehicles, with a selectable power range between 20 and 180 kW. The basic layout includes four charging poles, each servicing all working voltages. An oversized PV plant powers the charging station at any time of the year, saving money compared to the alternative of the electric storage unit. In addition, we build simulation tools and algorithms that optimize the design of future projects, providing a solid basis for sustainable energy infrastructure planning and design.

Mycotoxin contamination of food and feed is a worldwide problem that needed to be addressed with highly efficient and biologically safe techniques. RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural mechanism playing an important role in different processes in eukaryotes, including regulation of gene expression, maintenance of genome stability, protection against viruses and others. Recently, RNAi-based techniques have been widely applied for the purposes of food safety and management of plant diseases, including those caused by mycotoxin-producing fungi. In this review, we summarize the current state-of-art of RNAi-based approaches for reducing aggressiveness of key toxigenic fungal pathogens and mycotoxin contamination of grain and its products. The ways of improving RNAi efficiency for plant protection and future perspectives of this technique, including progress in methods of double-stranded RNA production and its delivery to the target cells are also discussed.

Climate variability influences plant growth. With the variation in atmospheric CO2 concentration leading to global warming, it is urgent to monitor the performance of plant ecosystems for optimal carbon sequestration. Net primary productivity (NPP) is the perfect measurement tool as it measures the net carbon flux between the atmosphere and green plants and the factors that affect it. This study applied remote sensing techniques, specifically one of the radiation use efficiency models; the CASA model (Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach) to assess the spatio-temporal dy-namics of NPP in Togo from 1987 to 2022 and the climatic parameters that influence it. The annual average NPP over the 36 years of the study is 4565.31 Kg C ha⁻¹. Variability is observed over the years with extremes in 2017 (6312.26 Kg C ha⁻¹) and 1996 (3394.29 Kg C ha⁻¹). Natural formations identified as high-production areas saw their productivity increase between 2000 and 2022. The interaction between climate change and land use changes negatively influences the variation of Total Production (PT) between 2000 and 2022, while individually, these parameters positively influence the variation of NPP (58.28% and 188.63%). The correlation result is positive and higher between NPP and light use efficiency (LUE) (r² = 0.75). Actual evapotranspiration also shows a positive correlation with NPP (r² = 0.43). A positive but weak correlation is observed between NPP and precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (r² = 0.20; 0.10 respectively). Temperatures have almost no correlation with NPP (r² = 0.5). Climatic parameters as a whole under the LUE banner influence NPP more. This study helps understand ecosystem performance in the context of To-go's commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.

Isolation of new plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is highly prioritized in developing novel starter cultures for plant-based fermentation. This study explores the diversity of LAB in Danish flowers and their potential use for plant-based food fermentation. 46 flower samples under 34 genera were collected for LAB isolation. By introducing an enrichment step, in total of 61 LAB strains were isolated and identified by using MALDI-TOF and 16S rRNA sequencing. These strains represent 24 species across 9 genera, predominantly Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Fructobacillus fructosus, Apilactobacillus ozensis, and Apilactobacillus kunkeei. Phenotypic screening for exo-cellular polysaccharide production revealed that 40 strains exhibited sliminess or ropiness on sucrose containing agar plate. HPLC analysis confirmed that all isolates produced exo-cellular polysaccharides containing glucose, fructose or galactose as sugar monomer. Therefore, the strains were glucan, fructan and galactan producers. The suitability of these strains for plant-based fermentations was characterized by using almond, oat and soy milk. The results showed successful acidification in all three types of plant-based matrices but only observed texture development in soy by Leuconostoc, Weissella, Lactococcus, Apilactobacillus, and Fructobacillus. The findings highlight the potential of flower-derived LAB strains for texture development in soy-based dairy alternatives.

Essential oils (EOs) have been gaining popularity in the past decades among researchers due to their potential to replace conventional chemicals used in the fight against pests, pathogenic and spoilage microbes and oxidation processes. EOs are complex mixtures with many chemical components the content of which depends on many factors – not just the plant genus, species or subspecies, but also chemotype, locality and climatic conditions, phase of vegetation, method of extraction and others. Due to this fact, there’s still much to study, with antimicrobial effect being one of the key properties of EOs. There are many methods that have been frequently engaged by researchers for in vitro evaluation; however, although the research has been going on for decades, an internationally accepted standard is still missing. Most of methods are based on time-proven standards used for testing of antibiotics. Due to the specific properties of EOs and their components, such as volatility and hydrophobicity, many modifications of these standard procedures have been adopted. The aim of this review is to describe the most common methods and their modifications for testing of antimicrobial properties of EOs and to point out the most controversial variables which can potentially affect results of the assays.

This study explored the intricate nexus between public service provision and land use planning, with a specific focus on the conservation of local plant species in Tambon Khao Phanom, Amphoe Khao Phanom, Krabi Province. Rooted in commitment. The research framework encompasses three fundamental activities: resource survey and collection, resource conservation and utilization, and resource development planning for public services, emphasizing land use planning for local plant species conservation. This multidisciplinary approach integrates the one-map method and draws data from the Department of Land Development to formulate a comprehensive land utilization plan that optimizes land use for biodiversity conservation. This study underscores the critical synergy between public service delivery and land use planning, highlighting their collective potential to advance community well-being and sustainable development.

Recent advancements in computer vision, especially deep learning models, have shown considerable promise in tasks related to plant image object detection. However, the efficiency of these deep learning models heavily relies on input image quality, with low-resolution images significantly hindering model performance. Therefore, reconstructing high-quality images through specific techniques will help extract features from plant images, thus improve model performance. In this study, we explored the value of super-resolution technology for improving object detection model performance on plant images. Firstly, we built a comprehensive dataset comprising 1030 high-resolution plant images, named the PlantSR dataset. Subsequently, we developed a super-resolution model using the PlantSR dataset and benchmarked it against several state-or-the-art models designed for general image super-resolution tasks. Our proposed model demonstrated superior performance on the PlantSR dataset, indicating its efficacy in enhancing the super-resolution of plant images. Furthermore, we explored the effect of super-resolution on two specific object detection tasks: apple counting and soybean seed counting. By incorporating super-resolution as a pre-processing step, we observed a significant reduction in mean absolute error. Specifically, on the YOLOv7 model employed for apple counting, the mean absolute error decreased from 13.085 to 5.71. Similarly, on the P2PNet-Soy model utilized for soybean seed counting, the mean absolute error decreased from 19.159 to 15.085. These findings underscore the substantial potential of super-resolution technology in improving the performance of object detection models for accurately detecting and counting specific plants from images. The source codes and associated datasets are available at https://github.com/SkyCol/PlantSR.

This study, conducted with meticulous attention to detail, comprehensively examines the state of plants and their adaptation to Kazakhstan's extra-arid climatic zone of the Mangistau. It uses the collections of woody plants from the Mangyshlak Experimental Botanical Garden in Aktau as a case study and extrapolates the results to the entire region. The study area is arid and unsuitable for many plants, so examining physiological adaptation mechanisms and strategies for preserving plants in unfavourable conditions is crucial. The study employed a range of methods, including the measurement of the intensity of transpiration, leaf hydration, and the content of chlorophyll A, B, and carotenoids. These methods were chosen for their proven effectiveness in similar studies and their ability to provide accurate and reliable data. The samples were also assessed using a point system for resistance to drought, phytophagy, gas tolerance, salt tolerance, winter hardiness, and soil fertility. The results obtained and entered into the IEBG platform “DinTseR” to assess the value of the introduction using a diagnostic scale revealed a high variability (up to 51.7-52.2%) of physiological indicators of growth and development. The highest values of transpiration intensity were observed in deciduous trees and shrubs, rose varieties (205-243 mg/g fresh leaf mass per hour), leaf water content - in climbing plants (68.9%), chlorophyll A and B content - in deciduous plants, and plants - old trees, fruit trees and varietal roses (3.46-3.93 and 1.34-1.84%). Their concentration in coniferous species is almost two times lower (0.63%). A correlation was also made between various significant factors. Twenty regression equations and forecasts have been identified that can be used to diagnose and assess resistance, thereby reducing the cost of determining the introduction value in the conditions of Mangistau. These findings are essential in understanding and preserving the unique flora of the Mangistau region.

Conventional fertilization practices can lead to many ecological problems, such as nutrient imbalance, soil acidity, and reduced soil fertility in natural rubber plantations. To address these challenges, a field investigation was strategically carried out to substitute inorganic fertilizer with organic fertilizers consisted of six treatments, i.e., no fertilization (CK), inorganic fertilizer (NPK), 25 % replacement of inorganic through organic (25%M), 50 % replacement of inorganic through organic (50%M), 75 % replacement of inorganic through organic (75%M), and 100% organic fertilizer (100%M). The soil physicochemical properties (SOC, TN, AN, C:N, pH, NH4+-N, and NO3--N) and carbon and nitrogen converting enzymes (BG, NAG, and LAP) were all determined. The partial substitution of inorganic fertilizers with organic fertilizers (i.e., 75%M at surface soil layer) showed higher SOC (14.52 g.kg-1), TN (1.06 g.kg-1), AN (20.07 mg.kg-1), C:N (14.63), NH4+-N (10.63 mgkg-1), and NO3--N(11.06 mg.kg-1) than NPK and CK. Such increase in physicochemical properties in partial replacement of inorganic with organic fertilizers plots resulted from higher carbon and nitrogen enzymes activities (BG (143.17 nmol.g-1.h-1), NAG (153.96 nmol.g-1.h-1), and LAP (153.48 nmol.g-1.h-1)) compared to NPK and CK, and further the person correlation and RDA analysis confirmed a significant positive correlation between SOC, AN, and soil enzymes. This study presents a new strategy for assessing the impact of partially replacing inorganic fertilizers with organic fertilizers in rubber plantations, mainly by modifying the soil nutrient composition in tropical regions.

Mitochondria are semiautonomous organelles, which are pivotal for the energy metabolism of eukaryotic cells. These organelles contain their own genetic system (mtDNA, mitogenome) that encodes to some structural RNAs and organellar proteins. The biogenesis and function of mitochondria is tightly regulated by nuclear-encoded protein cofactors. The mtDNAs of land plants are characteristically large, with a complex mode of gene organization and expression, in particularly at the post-transcriptional level. To become functional, the primary organellar transcripts undergo extensive maturation steps, which include endo- and exo-nucleolytic cleavage, RNA-base editing, and both ‘cis’- and ‘trans’-splicing events. These essential processing steps rely on the activities of a large set of nuclear-encoded factors. Among these, the RNA helicases serve as key players in organellar (mt-)RNA metabolism. This review summarizes the important roles played by these factors in regulating the highly dynamic processes of transcription, RNA processing, and translation within the mitochondria of land plants. We further discuss recent advancements in understanding how dysregulation of mitochondrial RNA helicases affects the organellar gene expression, respiratory functions, and hence the growth, development and physiology of land plants.

The increased cultivation of high THC-containing Cannabis sativa L. (cannabis), particularly in greenhouses, has resulted in a greater incidence of diseases and molds that can negatively affect the growth and quality of the crop. Among them, the most important diseases are root rots (Fusarium and Pythium spp.), Botrytis bud rot (Botrytis cinerea), powdery mildew (Golovinomyces ambrosiae), cannabis stunt disease (caused by Hop latent viroid), and a range of microbes that reduce post-harvest quality. An integrated management approach to reduce the impact of these diseases/microbes requires combining different approaches that target the reproduction, spread and survival of the associated pathogens, many of which can occur on the same plant simultaneously. These approaches will be discussed in the context of developing an integrated plan to manage the important pathogens of greenhouse-grown cannabis at different stages of plant development. These stages include maintenance of stock plants, propagation through cuttings, vegetative growth of plants, and flowering. The cultivation of cannabis genotypes with tolerance or resistance to various pathogens is a very important approach, followed by the maintenance of pathogen-free stock plants. When combined with cultural approaches (sanitation, management of irrigation, and monitoring for diseases) and environmental approaches (greenhouse climate modification), a significant reduction in pathogen development and spread can be achieved. The use of preventive applications of microbial biological control agents and reduced risk biorational products can also reduce disease development at all stages of production in jurisdictions where they are registered for use. The combined use of promising strategies for integrated disease management on cannabis plants during greenhouse production will be reviewed. Future areas for research are identified.

Fruit cracking or splitting, a severe physiological disease that highly affects appearance and quality, compromise the commodity value of fruit and also causes huge economical losses to the producers of several fleshy fruit crops. The growth-promoting phytohormone gibberellic acid (GA) and growth-inhibiting phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) antagonistically regulate numerous developmental processes throughout the plant life cycle. Homeostasis of endogenous GA and ABA play a significant role in the normal growth of fruits, and its imbalance may lead to the occurrence of cracking or splitting during the process of fruit growth, development, ripening and postharvest storage. The pathways of GA and ABA metabolism and signaling have been studied widely, and the major components were well characterized, which including the genes encoding major biosynthesis and catabolism enzymes and the key signaling components. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the mechanisms of GA and ABA governing fruit cracking is not comprehensive enough. In this review, we not only focus on the scenarios of effects of endogenous GA and ABA contents in the fruit and exogenous plant growth regulators GA and ABA treatments, but also endeavor to provide some genetic cues on the function of GA and ABA responsible for fruit cracking modulation. Information from this review aims to strengthen the understanding of potential molecular bases underlying GA and ABA in fruit cracking control and provide guidance in breeding of fruit cultivars with cracking-resistant ideotypes, and also make great theoretical significance in guiding the establishment of integrated prevention and control measures to fruit cracking or splitting.

Rapidly and accurately extracting tobacco plant information can facilitate tobacco planting man-agement, precise fertilization and yield prediction. In karst plateau of southern China, tobacco plant identification is affected by large ground undulations, fragmented planting areas, complex and diverse habitats and uneven plant growth. This study took a tobacco planting area in Gui-zhou Province as the research object and used DJI UAVs to collect UAV visible light images. Considering plot fragmentation, plant size, presence of weeds and shadow masking, this area was classified into eight habitats. The datasets of different habitats were constructed to train the U-Net model. The results show that (1) the overall precision, recall, F1-score and IOU of tobacco plant information extraction were 0.68, 0.85, 0.75 and 0.60, respectively. (2) The precision was the highest for the subsurface-fragmented and weed-free habitat and the lowest for the smooth-tectonics and weed-infested habitat. (3) The weed-infested habitat with smaller tobacco plants can cause blurred images, reducing the plant identification accuracy. This study verified the feasibility of the U-Net model for tobacco single-plant identification in complex habitats. Decomposing complex habitats to establish the sample set method is a new attempt to improve crop identification in complex habitats in karst mountainous areas.

Globally, the demand for plant-based alternative food is increasing rapidly as these products are getting quite popular in vegan and vegetarians. However, it is still in the early stage and faces various technological challenges, but the imitation of sensory profile is the most challenging part as the products are meant to be an alternative of meat. The development of similar product to meat requires an accurate selection of ingredients and processing. An understanding about the sensory profile can help to construct the product and technologies that are consumer centric and sustainable. In this review, we focus on the comparative differences in the sensory profile of animal meat and plant-based meat alternative specially in the color, texture and flavor, along with the method used to resemble them. The paper also explains about the sensory evaluation and how it affects the consumer preference and acceptability. Additionally, a direction to further research for developing better plant-based alternative products has also been suggested.

To investigate the effects of plant polysaccharides combined with boric acid on digestive function, immune function, and harmful gas and heavy metal contents in faeces of finishing pigs, for this study, 90 healthy three-way cross-bred pigs were selected and randomly divided into five groups: Con) A control, fed basic feed; BA) fed basic feed supplemented with 40 mg/kg of boric acid; BA+APS) fed basic feed supplemented with 40 mg/kg of boric acid and 400 mg/kg of Astragalus polysaccharides; BA+GLP) fed basic feed supplemented with 40 mg/kg of boric acid with 200 mg/kg of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides; and BA+EPS) fed basic feed supplemented with 40 mg/kg of boric acid and 500 mg/kg of Echinacea polysaccharides. Compared with the Con, the average daily gain (ADG) and trypsin activity were higher in BA, along with there being increased glutathione peroxidase (p < 0.05); furthermore, lower malondialdehyde content and harmful substance emissions from manure were observed (p < 0.05). Compared with BA, increases in ADG, gain-to-feed ratio (G/F), trypsin, and maltase activities were observed in BA+EPS (p < 0.05), as well as a lower NH3 emissions (p < 0.05). Compared with BA, BA+APS exhibited higher ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), G/F, trypsin, and maltase activities (p < 0.05), while H2S emissions were lower (p < 0.05). And Taken together, our findings reveal that supplementation with boric acid and plant polysaccharides in the diet of finishing pigs synergistically improved their growth performance, trypsin and maltase activities, and immune function, while also discovered the intestinal digestive enzymes, serum inflammatory factors, oxidative stress responseand emissions of harmful gases and heavy metals from feces and urine were tightly related, further reducing the impact of fecal pollution generated by modern animal husbandry on the environment.

This review compiles research findings pertaining to Nuclear Distribution C (NudC) genes and their involvement in various cellular processes, including nuclear migration, intracellular transport, nuclear positioning and cell cycle progression. Structural and functional similarities of NudC pro-teins across diverse organisms highlight their evolutionary conserved nature and pivotal roles in upholding cellular functions. Special attention is given to the growing importance of NudC family members in plants, elucidating their contributions to plant growth, development and responses to environmental challenges. Within this framework, we spotlight two Arabidopsis NudC genes, BOB1 and NMig1, for their indispensable roles in embryo and postembryonic development, and involvement in stress responses and tolerance mechanisms. Furthermore, we accentuate the chaperone activity of plant NudC family members, a crucial function in mitigating the adverse effects of stress and bolstering plant resilience in the face of environmental challenges. These insights underscore the promising potential of NudC members as valuable targets for enhancing crop performance, particularly when directed towards optimizing plant morphology and fortifying en-vironmental resistance to enhance overall crop productivity.

Cut chrysanthemum, renowned as a highly favored floral choice globally, experiences a significant decline in production due to the practice of continuous cropping. The adverse physiological effects on cut chrysanthemums have been observed as a result of the degradation of soil physical and chemical properties, coupled with the proliferation of pathogens. It is noteworthy that the 'Guangyu' cultivar in Xinxiang, Henan province, China, has been specifically impacted by these effects. This study effectively identified and validated the precise pathogen accountable for wilt disease initially. Subsequently, an analysis was conducted to examine the invasion pattern of the pathogen and the physiological response of the chrysanthemum. Finally, PacBio platform was employed to investigate the dynamic alterations in the microbial community within the soil rhizosphere, comparing the effects of seven years of monocropping with the first year. The findings indicated that Fusarium solani was the primary causative agent responsible for wilt disease, as it possessed the ability to invade and establish colonies in plant roots, leading to alterations in various physiological parameters of the plants. Furthermore, the practice of continuous cropping had been observed to significantly disturb the microbial community composition, potentially acting as an additional influential factor in the advancement of wilt.

Computer vision is a powerful technology that has enabled solutions in various fields by analyzing visual attributes in images. One field that has taken advantage of computer vision is agricultural automation, which promotes high-quality crop production. The nutritional status of a crop is a crucial factor in determining its productivity. This status is mediated by approximately 14 chemical elements acquired by the plant, and their determination plays a pivotal role in farm management. To address the timely identification of nutritional disorders, this study focuses on the classification of three levels of phosphorus deficiencies through individual leaf analysis. The methodological steps include: (1) generating a database with laboratory-grown maize plants that were induced to total phosphorus deficiency, medium deficiency, and total nutrition, using different capture devices; (2) processing the images with state-of-the-art transfer learning architectures (i.e. VGG16, ResNet50, GoogLeNet, DenseNet201, and MobileNetV2); and (3) evaluating the classification performance of the models using the created database. The results show that the VGG16 model achieves superior performance, with 98% classification accuracy. However, the other studied architectures also demonstrate competitive performance and are considered state-of-the-art automatic leaf deficiency detection tools. The proposed method can be a starting point to fine-tune machine vision-based solutions tailored for real-time monitoring of crop nutritional status.

The results of the most recent investigation of triterpenoid-based antiviral agents effective namely in the HIV-1 and HSV-1 treatment were reviewed and summarized. Several key historical achievements are included to stress consequences and continuity in this research. Most of the agents studied belong into a series of compound derived from betulin or betulinic acid, and their synthetic derivative called bevirimat. A termination of clinical trials of bevirimat in the Phase IIb initiated a search for more successful compounds partly derived from bevirimat or designed independently of bevirimat structure. Surprisingly, a majority of bevirimat mimics are derivatives of betulinic acid, while other plant triterpenoids, such as ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid or other miscellaneous triterpenoids, are relatively rarely involved in a search for novel antiviral agent. Therefore, this review article is divided into three parts based on the leading triterpenoid core structure.

Veganism and the interest towards a plant-based diet are experiencing exponential growth worldwide, and in Italy more and more individuals and families are adopting this lifestyle and diet, too.Such a change in eating habits also imperatively implies the support and expertise of medical and health care professionals, who to date are still often unprepared and skeptical about this dietary pattern, despite scientific evidence.

Accurate and efficient medicinal plant image classification is of utmost importance as these plants produce a wide variety of bioactive compounds that offer therapeutic benefits. With a long history of medicinal plant usage, different parts of plants, such as flowers, leaves, and roots, have been recognized for their medicinal properties and are used for plant identification. However, leaf images are extensively used due to their convenient accessibility and are a major source of information. In recent years, transfer learning and fine-tuning, which use pre-trained deep convolutional networks to extract pertinent features, has emerged as an extremely effective approach for image identification problems. This study is leveraging the power of three component deep convolutional neural networks, namely VGG16, VGG19 and DenseNet201, to derive features from the input images of the medicinal plant dataset, containing leaf images of 30 classes. The models were compared and ensembled to make four hybrid models to enhance the predictive performance by utilizing the averaging and weighted averaging strategies. Quantitative experiments were carried out to evaluate the models on the Mendeley medicinal leaf dataset. The resultant ensemble of VGG19+DensNet201 with fine-tuning showcases enhanced capability in identifying medicinal plant images with an improvement of 7.43% and 5.8% compared with VGG19 and VGG16. Furthermore, VGG19+DensNet201 can outperform its standalone counterparts by achieving an accuracy of 99.12% on the test set. A thorough assessment with metrics such as accuracy, recall, precision, and f1-score firmly establishes the effectiveness of the ensemble strategy.

The intricacies of translational strategies make this stage of the implementation of genetic information one of the most difficult to understand and, at the same time, perhaps the most interesting. It also becomes clear that all this variety of strategies is not just a consequence of a long evolutionary history but is of paramount importance for fine-tuning gene expression and metabolic modulation. This is especially true for those organisms that demonstrate predominantly biochemical and physiological reactions with a lack of behavioural ones. Plants are just such a group of organisms. Overcoming unfavourable environmental conditions occupies a key place in plant physiology. This is especially true with the changing conditions of global warming and the irretrievable loss or depletion of natural ecosystems. Conceptually, the response of plants to abiotic stress is a set of complex and intricate strategies. This is dictated both by a variety of abiotic factors that provoke stressful conditions and by a variety of molecular genetic mechanisms that make it possible to fine-tune the metabolic pathways through which the plant organism overcomes non-standard and non-optimal conditions. In the presented review, we tried to focus on the state-of-the-art in the field of translational regulation in plants under abiotic stress conditions. Various regulatory elements and patterns are considered in relative chronological order. We also considered it necessary to pay attention to key high-performance methods for studying the dynamics of genetic information at the stage of translation.

Human disturbance, such as trampling, is an integral component of global change, yet we lack a comprehensive understanding of its effects on alpine ecosystems. Many alpine systems are seeing a rapid increase in recreation, and in understudied regions, such as the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, disturbance impacts on alpine plants remain unclear. We surveyed disturbed (trail-side) and undisturbed (off-trail) transects along elevational gradients of popular hiking trails in the T’aḵ’t’aḵ’múy̓in tl’a In̓inyáx̱a7n region (Garibaldi Provincial Park), Canada, focusing on dominant shrubs (Phyllodoce empetriformis, Cassiope mertensiana, Vaccinium ovalifolium) and graminoids (Carex spp). We used a hierarchical Bayesian framework to test for disturbance by elevation effects on total plant percent cover, maximum plant height and diameter (growth proxies), and buds, flowers, and fruits (reproduction proxies). We found that trampling reduces plant cover and impacts all species, but that effects vary by species and trait, and disturbance effects only vary with elevation for one species’ trait. Growth traits are more sensitive to trampling than reproductive traits, which may lead to differential impacts on population persistence and species level fitness outcomes. Our study highlights that disturbance responses are species-specific, and this knowledge can help land managers minimize disturbance impacts on sensitive vegetation types.

Colon cancer is a common malignancy of digestive tract and has high incidence and mortality worldwide. As a normal flora in the human gastrointestinal tract, lactic acid bacteria have been proved to have health benefits, such as immune-regulation, anti-infection, and anti-tumor. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of 19 heat-inactivated plant-derived lactic acid bacteria on human colon cancer cell HCT116 were investigated. The results showed that heat-inactivated plant-derived lactic acid bacteria strain 729 had the strongest inhibitory effect on HCT116 cells among all tested bacteria. Treatment with heat-inactivated bacteria strain 729 could inhibit the proliferation of HCT-116 cells in dose-dependent manner, with 54.52% inhibition at a final concentration of 1×10⁸ CFU/mL. Moreover, the heat-inactivated bacteria strain 729 could block the cell cycle, induce apoptosis, and promote cellular ferroptosis by downregulating the expression of GPX4 and xCT at protein level. According to the 16S rDNA sequencing, the plant-derived lactic acid bacteria strain 729 was Lactobacillus plantarum. Collectively, the results indicates that lactic acid bacteria strain 729 may be developed as special ingredients targeting colon cancer, but further in vivo studies are required.

Beef has one of the highest climate footprints of all foods, and therefore the hamburger has been targeted for substitution by numerous plant-based alternatives. However, many consumers find the taste of these alternatives lacking, and thus we proposed a hybrid meat and plant-based burger as a lower threshold alternative for these consumers. The burger was made from 50% meat (beef and pork, 4:1) and 50% plant-based ingredients, including texturised legume protein and had a climate footprint less than half that of a beef burger. Texture and sensory properties were evaluated instrumentally and through a consumer survey (n = 381) using the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method. Moisture properties indicated a significantly juicier eating experience for the hybrid compared to a beef burger, which was supported by the CATA survey. From texture profile analysis the hybrid burger was significantly softer and less cohesive than a beef burger. Despite having different CATA term profiles overall liking of the hybrid and a beef burger were not significantly different. Penalty analysis indicated that “meat flavour”, “juiciness”, “spiciness”, and “saltiness” are the most important attributes for a burger. In conclusion, consumers may be open to reducing their meat consumption by way of hybrid meat and plant-based products.

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has become one of the most important pests on corn in China since it invaded in 2019. Although FAW has not been reported to cause widespread damage to rice plants in China, it has been sporadically found feeding in the field. If FAW infests rice in China, the fitness of other insect pests on rice may be influenced. However, how FAW and other insect pests on rice interact remains unknown. In this study, we found that the infestation of FAW larvae on rice plants prolonged the developmental duration of the brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål)) eggs, and plants damaged by gravid BPH females did not induce defenses that influenced the growth of FAW larvae. Moreover, co-infestation by FAW larvae on rice plants did not influence the attractiveness of volatiles emitted from BPH-infested plants to Anagrus nilaparvatae, an egg parasitoid of rice planthoppers. FAW larvae were able to prey on BPH eggs laid on rice plants and grew faster compared to those larvae that lacked available eggs. Studies revealed that the delay in development of BPH eggs on FAW-infested plants was probably related to the increase in levels of jasmonoyl-isoleucine, abscisic acid and the defensive compounds in the rice leaf sheaths on which BPH eggs were laid. These findings indicate that if FAW invades rice plants in China, the population density of BPH may be decreased by intraguild predation and induced plant defenses, whereas the population density of FAW may be increased.

This work is the first scientific study on the development of the composition and technology of a new antioxidant agent based on a combination of extracts of tree medicinal plants and the study of the technological parameters of a dry extract. Further draw up technological regulations for their production and their introduction into production. This study aims to the antioxidant activity of dry extract "Antioxim" was determined. In order to create this herbal collection of plant, first of all, to study the technological parameters of raw materials, such as mass size, porosity, dispersibility, free volume of layers of raw materials, water absorption coefficient of extractives, and technological process efficiency to study the effect of parameters, developed at the Department of "Industrial Technology of Medicines" of the Tashkent Pharmaceutical Institute:

Maize (Zea mays) is one of the most important staple food and primary source of livestock feed in the world. As the consumption of maize grown on the selenium-enriched soils of Naore Valley is one of the apparent causes of selenosis in the area, this work collected and analyzed total Se, Se fractions, and Se species distributions in maize plant samples, including grains, leaves, stalks, roots, rhizosphere soils, and the most representative parent rock materials from Naore Valley, Ziyang County, China. The Se distribution in soils markedly correlated with the weathered Se-enriched bedrocks, but most of the Se in the analyzed soils is enclosed as recalcitrant residual Se and organic-sulfide bound Se. In contrast, Se in rocks had a comparatively higher bioavailability and is bounded mainly to organic matter and sulfides minerals, with very few of the Se enclosed in the residual fraction. Maize plants might take a large amount of Se from the organic-sulfide bound Se fraction in the Se-rich soils, the weathered products from bedrocks or plant litters. Total Se concentrations in the collected samples were observed in descending order soil>leaf>root>grain>stalk. The predominant Se species detected in maize plants was SeMet. Se inorganic forms, mainly Se(VI), decreased from root to grain and were possibly assimilated into organic forms. Se (IV) was barely present. The natural increases in Se concentration affected mainly leaf and root dry-weight biomass as they are the organs that coped with the highest Se accumulation. This paper offers an insight into the uptake, accumulation, and distribution of Se forms in natural Se-rich maize crops and an opportunity for shifting Se-rich soils from menaces to valuable resources for growing Se-rich agricultural products.

Background: Drought, N deficiency and herbivory are considered the most important stressors caused by climate change in the agro- and eco-systems and varied in space and time shaping a highly dynamic and heterogeneous stressful environments. This study aims to evaluate the to-mato morpho-physiological and metabolic responses to combined abiotic and herbivory at dif-ferent within-plant spatial levels and temporal scales. Methods: Leaf-level morphological, gas exchange traits and VOC profiles were measured in to-mato plants exposed to N deficiency and drought, T. absoluta larvae and their combination. Ad-ditive, synergistic or antagonistic effects of the single stress when combined were also evaluat-ed. Morpho-physiological traits and VOC profile were also measured on leaves located at three different positions along the shoot axes. Results: The combination of the abiotic and biotic stress has been more harmful than single stress with antagonistic and synergistic but non-additive effects for the morpho-physiological and VOC tomato responses, respectively. Combined stress also determined a high within-plant phenotypic plasticity of the morpho-physiological responses. Conclusions: These results suggest that the combined stress in tomato determined a “new stress state” and a higher within-plant phenotypic plasticity which could permit an efficient use of the growth and defence resources in the heterogeneous and multiple stressful environmental condi-tions.

The article is devoted to solving the problem of searching for universal explainable features that can remain explainable for a wide class of objects and phenomena and become an integral part of Explainable AI (XAI). The study is implemented on the example of an applied problem of early diagnostics of plant stress, using Thermal IR (TIR) and HSI, presented by 8 vegetation indices/channels. Each such index was presented by 5 statistical values. A Single-Layer-Perceptron classifier was used as the main instrument. TIR turned out to be the best of the indices in terms of efficiency in the field and sufficient to detect all 7 key days with 100% accuracy. Our study shows also that there are a number of indices, inluding NDVI, and usual color channels Red, Green, Blue, which are close to TIR possibilities in early plant stress detection with 100% accurasy or near, and can be used for wide class of plants and in different conditions their treatment. The stability of the stress classification in our study was maintained when the training set was reduced up to 10% of the dataset volume. The entropy-like feature of (max-min) for any indices/channels have determined as a leadersheep universal high-level explainable feature for the plant stress detection, which used in interaction with some of other statistical features.

Developing countries are confronted with general issues of municipal wastewater management and treatment. Untreated faecal sludges and wastewaters from septic tanks and traditional toilet are rejected into rivers and sometimes using for urban agriculture without any treatment to reduce the biorisk. Consequently, there are potential environmental and public health risks. In this study, a wastewater treatment plant prototype coupled with Moringa Oleifera seeds treatment was developed to evaluate their effectiveness for the reduction of faecal indicator bacteria and antibiotics resistant bacteria in domestic wastewater. Results indicate that our performed prototype system presents high capacity to reduce bacteria with abatements up to 99.34%. High reductions of bacteria load were obtained after add of Moringa Oleifera seeds into waters, with reductions varied from 36.6-78.8% for E. coli, 28.3-84.6% for Faecal coliform, 35.3-95.6% for Vibrio cholerae and 32.1-92.4% for total flora. Same effects of Moringa Oleifera seeds were noted for reducing antibiotic resistant bacteria, Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamases and Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae with abatements up to 98% for E. coli and faecal coliform, 100% for Vibrio cholerae and 91.96% for total flora. Our results supported high capacity of Moringa Oleifera seeds as an excellent alternative for pathogens and antibiotics resistant bacteria reduction/purification from domestic wastewater

Insect herbivores have a wide range of life cycles and feeding habits, making them extremely diverse. With their host plants, they form close relationships and suppress their defense mecha-nisms. Molecular elicitors are the key bio-elements in detection and recognition of attacking enemies in tissue consumption. Insect oral secretion, frass, and fluid of egg deposition contain bio-logical active molecules called herbivore-associated elicitors (HAEs) are recognized by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). However, in insect herbivores, little is known about the molecular basis of signal transduction and regulation of plant resistance. Many plants distinguish insect feeding from wounding by HAEs presenting in their oral secretions (OS) and induce local and systemic responses against arthropod feeding. PRRs perceive HAEs in the oral secretion of cater-pillars in a species-specific manner to elicit exclusive defense responses. HAEs-PRRs interactions induce plant resistance by reprogramming plant metabolism and transcriptional machinery. Quantitative, timely, and coordinated plant response initiate early signalling events including Ca+2, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). We have discussed how early signalling cascades converge into the accumulation of phytohormones that regulate down-stream special metabolites against herbivores. In this review, we have drawn a hypothetical model of PPRs-HAEs mediated induced responses in plants and discussed how PRRs-HAEs interactions based on molecular mechanism that elicit short- and long-term induced defenses in plants. The identification of plant target insect herbivore PRRs-HAEs interactions will help to explore the fundamental molecular mechanisms of host manipulation and may generate prospects to develop novel pest resistance strategies.

Two once-through steam generators and a combination of a steam generator and a gas preheater for supplying feed gases to solid-oxide electrolysis stacks were evaluated for their carryover characteristics of contaminants from the feed-water into the steam phase. The concentrations of various trace impurities in the steam were determined by sampling the steam condensates and screening them with inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry for 19 elements and liquid ion chromatography and continuous flow analysis for chloride and ammonium. Steam soluble species like boric acid undergo complete volatilization and transfer into the steam phase. During unstable evaporation in the steam generators an extensive physical carryover of alloying metal species was observed. At realistic operation conditions for steam electrolysis, the gas preheater caused a considerable release of silicon into the steam phase. Two stack experiments were performed with common preheater temperatures and showed largely increased cell voltage degradation at higher operation temperatures. The post-test chemical analysis of cell samples revealed significant concentrations of silicon in the samples that are regarded as primary cause for increased degradation. These findings could partially explain the wide spread of degradation rates reported for solid-oxide steam electrolysis experiments.

Plants characterized by a soft or weak steam, such as climbing plants, need to find a potential support (e.g., wooden trunk) to reach greater light exposure. Since Darwin’s research on climbing plants, several studies on their searching and attachment behaviors have demonstrated their unique ability to process different support features to modulate their movements accordingly. Nevertheless, the strategies underlying this ability are yet to be uncovered. The present research tries to fill this gap by investigating how the interaction between above- (i.e., stem, tendril, …) and belowground (i.e., the root system) plant organs influence the kinematics of the approach-to-grasp movement. With three-dimensional (3D) kinematical analysis, we characterized the movement of pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) towards a support with different thicknesses above and belowground (i.e., thin below, thick aboveground, or the opposite). As a control condition, the plants were presented to supports with the same thickness below- and aboveground (i.e., either entirely thin or thick). The results suggest an integration between the information from below- and aboveground for driving the reach-to-grasp behavior of the aerial plant organs. Information about the support conveyed by the root system seems particularly important to fulfil the end-goal of the movement.

In the current scenario of changing climatic conditions and rising global population, there is always a need to explore novel, efficient, and economical natural products for the benefit of human kind. Biosurfactant is one of the latest explored microbial biomolecules that have been used in numerous fields, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food processing, and environment-cleaning industries as raw material, lubrication, wetting, foaming softening, making emulsions, and stabilizing dispersions. The amphiphilic nature of biosurfactant biomolecules showed great advantage, distributing themselves into two immiscible surfaces by reducing interfacial surface tension and increasing the solubility of hydrophobic compounds. Furthermore, their eco-friendly nature, low or even no toxic nature, durability at higher temperatures, and wide range of pH fluctuations making the microbial surfactants preferable compared to their chemical counterparts. Additionally, the biosurfactants can obviate the oxidation flow by eliciting the antioxidant property, antimicrobial, anticancer activity, and drug delivery system, further broadening their applicability in the food, pharmaceutical, and pharma industries. Nowadays, biosurfactant has been broadly utilized to improve the soil quality by improving the concentration of trace elements and mixed with pesticides or applied singly on the plant surfaces for plant disease management. In the present review, we summarise the latest aspect of microbial synthesized biosurfactant compounds, limiting factors of biosurfactant production, and their application in improving soil quality, plant disease management.

Biogenic-Silver nanoparticles emerge as new nanosilver platfmorm that allow to obtain silver nanoparticles via “green chemistry”. In our study we obtained biogenic-Silver nanoparticles from Iris tuberosa leaves extract. Nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, dinnamical light scattering technique and Transmission electron microscope, showing spheric and irregular nanoparticles with 5 to 50 nm in diameter. Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were evaluated against typical microbial contaminants found in cosmetic products, showing high antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. We formulated a natural moisturizing cream with biogenic-silver nanoparticles to evaluate the preservative efficiency trought challenge test, confirming that our nanoparticles are a promising alternative to use as cosmetic preservative.

Salvia ceratophylloides (Ard.) is an endemic, rare, threatened plant species recently rediscovered in very few individuals in two different sites of South Italy. The study of within-plant variation more than among-plant one is fundamental to understand the plant adaptation to the local conditions, especially in rare species, and consequently to preserve plant biodiversity. Here, we reported the variation of the morpho-ecophysiological and metabolic traits between the sessile and petiolate leaf of S. ceratophylloides plants in two different sites for understanding the adaptation strategies for surviving in these habitats. The S. ceratophylloides individuals exhibited different net photosynthetic rate, maximum quantum yield, light intensity for the saturation of the photosynthetic machinery, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, leaf area, fractal dimension and some VOCs between the different leaf types. This within-plant morpho-physiological and metabolic variation was depended on the site. These results provide empirical evidence of sharply within-plant variation of the morpho-physiological traits and VOCs profiles in S. ceratophylloides which could be because of adaptation to the local conditions.

Plant proteins being considered to become the most important protein source of the future, they must be able to replace the animal-derived proteins currently in use as technofunctional food ingredients. This poses challenges because plant proteins are oftentimes storage proteins with a high molecular weight and low water solubility. One promising approach to overcome these limitations is the glycation of plant proteins. The covalent bonding between the proteins and different carbohydrates created via the initial stage of the Maillard reaction can improve the technofunctional characteristics of these proteins without the involvement of potentially toxic chemicals. However, compared to studies with animal-derived proteins, glycation studies on plant proteins are currently still underrepresented in literature. This review provides an overview of the existing studies on the glycation of the major groups of plant proteins with different carbohydrates using different preparation methods. Emphasis is put on the reaction conditions used for glycation as well as the modifications to physicochemical properties and technofunctionality. Different applications of these glycated plant proteins in emulsions, foams, films, and encapsulation systems are introduced. Another focus lies on the reaction chemistry of the Maillard reaction and ways to harness it for controlled glycation and to limit the formation of undesired advanced glycation products. Finally, challenges related to the controlled glycation of plant proteins to improve their properties are discussed.

Two wild-type field populations of root-knot nematodes (Mi-Vfield, Mj-TunC2field), and two isolates selected for virulence in laboratory on resistant tomato cultivars (SM2V, SM11C2), were used to induce a resistance reaction in tomato to the soil-borne parasites. Epigenetic and metabolic mechanisms of resistance were detected and compared with those occurring in partially or fully successful infections. The activated epigenetic mechanisms in plant resistance, as opposed to those activated in infected plants, were detected by analysing the methylated status of total DNA, by ELISA methods, and the expression level of key genes involved in the methylation pathway, by qRT-PCR. DNA hypo-methylation and down-regulation of two methyl-transferase genes (CMT2, DRM5), characterized the only true resistant reaction obtained by inoculating the Mi-1.2-carrying resistant tomato cv Rossol with the avirulent field population Mi-Vfield. On the contrary, in the roots into which nematodes were allowed to develop and reproduce, total DNA was generally found to be hyper-methylated and methyl-transferase genes up-loaded. DNA hypo-methylation was considered to be the upstream mechanism that triggers the general gene over-expression observed in plant resistance. Gene silencing induced by nematodes may be obtained through DNA hyper-methylation and methyl-transferase gene activation. Plant resistance is also characterized by an inhibition of the anti-oxidant enzyme system and activation of the defence enzyme chitinase, as opposed to the activation of such a system and inhibition of the defence enzyme glucanase in roots infested by nematodes.

Gene editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 have created unprecedented opportunities for genetic studies in plants and animals. We designed a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) to train introductory biology students in the concepts and implementation of gene editing technology as well as develop their soft skills in data management and scientific communication. We present two versions of the course that can be implemented with twice-weekly meetings over a five-week period. In the remote-learning version, students perform homology searches, design guide RNAs and primers, and learn the principles of molecular cloning. This version is appropriate when access to laboratory equipment or in-person instruction is limited, such as closures that have occurred in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the in-person version, students design guide RNAs, clone CRISPR-Cas9 constructs, and perform genetic transformation of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The highly parallel nature of the CURE makes it possible to target dozens to hundreds of genes, depending on the number of course sections available. Applying this approach in a sensitized mutant background enables focused reverse genetic screens for genetic suppressors or enhancers. The course can be readily adapted to other organisms or projects that employ gene editing.

This study assessed bio-equivalence of high-quality, plant-based protein blends versus Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) in healthy, resistance-trained men. The primary endpoint was incremental area under the curve (iAUC) of blood essential Amino Acids (eAAs) 4 hours after consumption of each product. Cmax and Tmax of blood leucine were secondary outcomes. Subjects (n=18) consumed three plant-based protein blends and WPI (control). Analysis of Variance model was used to assess for bio-equivalence of total sum of blood eAA concentrations. The total blood eAA iAUC ratios of the three blends were: [90% CI]: #1: 0.66 [0.58-0.76]; #2: 0.71 [0.62-0.82]; #3: 0.60 [0.52-0.69], not completely within the pre-defined equivalence range [0.80-1.25], indicative of 30-40% lower iAUC versus WPI. Leucine Cmax of the three blends was not equivalent to WPI, #1: 0.70 [0.67-0.73]; #2: 0.72 [0.68-0.75]; #3: 0.65 [0.62 – 0.68], indicative of a 28-35% lower response. Leucine Tmax for two blends were similar to WPI (#1: 0.94 [0.73-1.18]; #2: 1.56 [1.28-1.92]; #3: 1.19 [0.95-1.48]). The plant-based protein blends were not bio-equivalent. However, blood leucine kinetic data across the blends approximately doubled from fasting concentrations whereas blood Tmax data across two blends was similar to WPI. This suggests evidence of rapid hyperleucinemia, which correlates with a protein’s anabolic potential.

Failure of various weight-loss programs and long-term maintenance of favorable body composition in all kinds of people is high, since the majority go back to old dietary patterns. Many studies have documented the efficacy of a plant-based diet (PBD) for body mass management, but there are opinions that maintaining a PBD is difficult. We aimed to evaluate the long-term success of a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle program. We investigated the differences in the obesity indices and lifestyle of 151 adults (39.6 ± SD 12.5 years), who were on our program for short (0.5–<2 years), medium (2–<5 years), or long term (5–10 years). Body-composition changes were favourable for all three groups, both genders and all participants. There were no differences in relative body-composition changes (BMI, body fat percentage and muscle mass index (MMI)) between the three groups. All participants improved their BMI (baseline mean pre-obesity BMI range (kg/m²): 26.4 ± 5.6 to normal 23.9 ± 3.8, p < 0.001), decreased body mass (–7.1 ± 8.3 kg, p < 0.001) and body fat percentage (–6.4 ± 5.6 % points, p < 0.001). Those with the highest BMI at baseline lost the most of: a) BMI units, b) total body mass and c) body fat (a) (kg/m²) (–5.6 ± SD 2.9, –2.4 ± 1.8 and –0.9 ± 1.5), b) (kg) (–16.1 ± SD 8.8, –7.1 ± 5.4 and –2.5 ± 4.5) and c) (% points) (–9.5 ± SD 5.7, –6.6 ± 4.6 and –4.7 ± 5.3) for participants who had baseline BMI in obese, overweight and normal range, respectively; p_{baseline vs. current} < 0.001 for all). 85.6% (101 out of 118) of parents of underage children (< 18 years), introduced WFPB lifestyle to their children. WFPB lifestyle program provides long-term lifestyle changes for reversal of obesity and is effective transferred to the next generation.

Trigonella foenum is one of the oldest medicinal plants that grow in many parts of Iran with the diverse ecological situation. Employing this plant for treating diabetes and high cholesterol has a long history, because of some metabolites. Due to the habitat of fenugreek is a wide range of climatic conditions, it may have power to cope with climate variation. The main intention of this inquiry was to understand the effect of the environmental variables on this therapeutic plant features. It was also interesting for us to understand which environment variables are more impressive for enhancing of trigonelline and 4-hydroxy isoleucine content as the most important metabolites of this plant. For achieving this goal, environmental information and vegetal data were analyzed to discover the role of nature on the seed part of fenugreek life in 50 different regions of Iran. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) displayed that high content of metabolites and some morphological characteristics happened in high temperature and solar irradiation. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and path analysis used to find the best predictors and direct and indirect effect of all variables on 4-hydroxy isoleucine and trigonelline. Ecological condition were the best predictors and had the highest direct and indirect impact on 4-hydroxy isoleucine. However, for trigonelline, the environment did not play a senior role. It seems that the reaction of components of fenugreek does not follow the same way. Studying on morphological, primary and secondary metabolites, and surrounding environment of fenugreek, helped us to have a more precise judgment about the life of this plant.

The Abnormal increase in the mass of adipose tissue during adipogenesis results in obesity. Obesity is a predominant disorder and its widespread has become a critical concern worldwide. This is due to the burden of its associated co-morbidities like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Over-nutrition and the sedentary lifestyle are considered as the most significant causes of abnormal adipose tissue development. Appropriate lifestyle and behavioural interventions are the corner stones of successful weight loss, but to maintain such a lifestyle is highly challenging. Accordingly, natural products from plants either as crude extracts or purified phytochemicals have shown to have anti-obesogenic properties and are generally non-toxic and cost-effective. In this review, we discuss the comparative analysis of molecular mechanisms involved in adipogenesis and the recently reported anti-obesogenic effects of various plant products. We will provide a common platform for understanding obesity and adipogenesis, and a possible mechanism of action for anti-obesogenic plant products through AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which will support the scientific development of traditional herbal medicine.

Interactions of soil moisture with plant root systems are very important for plant growth. For non-invasive determination of volumetric soil moisture in a rhizobox, a microwave system based on transmittance of electromagnetic waves in the microwave frequency range was developed using microstrip patch antennas. Vector Network Analyzers (VNAs) were used to measure the S-parameters at frequency ranges close to 5 GHz. A transmission system with microstrip patch antennas was developed. The result of this attenuation is in the frequency domain. The antennae were designed as resonant microstrip antennae. The antennae were placed on both sides of a rhizobox, which allowed non-invasive measuring soil moisture in the box. The attenuation (S21(dB)) was used to measure the effect of temperature, and different types of soil; as well as sensitivity, reproducibility and repeatability of the system. In this work we present quantitative results of soil moisture in rhizobox. The microwave technique, using microstrip patch antennas, is a reliable and accurate system, and showed very promising potential applications for rhizobox-based investigations of root performance.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulatory RNAs, originated from hairpin precursors. For the past decade, researchers are focusing extensively on miRNA profiles in various plants. However studies on precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs) global profiling stay static even in model plants. Here, for the first time in a non-model plant, Abelmoschus esculentus with negligible genome information, we are reporting the global profiling to characterize the miRNAs and their associated pre-miRNAs by applying next generation sequencing approach. Preliminarily we performed sRNA (small RNA) sequencing with five biological replicates of leaf samples to attain 207,285,863 reads and data analysis using miRPlant keyed out 128 known and 845 novel miRNA candidates. With the objective to seize their associated hairpin precursors, we accomplished pre-miRNA sequencing to attain 83,269,844 reads. The paired end reads are merged, adaptor trimmed and the resulting 40-241 nt (nucleotide) sequences were picked out for analysis by using perl scripts from miRGrep tool and in-house built shell script for Minimum Fold Energy Index (MFEI) calculation. Applying stringent criteria of dicer cleavage pattern and perfect stem loop structure revealed precursors for 57 known miRNAs of 15 families and 18 novel miRNAs. Quantitative Real Time (qRT) PCR was performed to determine the expression of selected miRNAs.

This review article focuses on the current state-of-the-art in the area of cellular and molecular biotechnology for over-production of clinically relevant therapeutic and anabolic growth factors. We discuss how the currently available tools and emerging technologies can be used for the regenerative treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Transfected protein packaging cell lines such as GP-293 cells may be used as “cellular factories” for large-scale production of therapeutic proteins and pro-anabolic growth factors, particularly in the context of cartilage regeneration. However, when irradiated with gamma or x-rays, these cells lose their capacity for replication, which actually makes them safe for use as a live cell component of intra-articular injections. This innovation is already here, in the form of TissueGene-C, a new biological drug which consists of normal allogeneic primary chondrocytes combined with transduced GP2-293 cells that overexpress the growth factor transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1). TissueGene-C has revolutionized the concept of cell therapy, allowing drug companies to develop live cells as biological drug delivery systems for direct intra-articular injection of growth factors whose half-lives are in the order of minutes. Therefore, in this paper, we discuss the potential for new innovations in regenerative medicine for degenerative diseases of synovial joints using mammalian protein production platforms, specifically protein packaging cell lines, for over-producing growth factors for cartilage tissue regeneration and give recent examples. Mammalian protein production platforms that incorporate protein packaging eukaryotic cell lines are superior to prokaryotic bacterial expression systems and are likely to have a significant impact on the development of new humanized biological growth factor therapies for treating focal cartilage defects and more generally for the treatment of degenerative joint diseases such as OA, especially when injected directly into the joint.

This paper explores the critical role of biomathematics in cancer research, focusing on how mathematical models enhance our understanding of tumor growth and optimize treatment strategies. It begins with an overview of cancer biology, highlighting the complexities of tumor dynamics and the molecular mechanisms driving growth. The paper then delves into various mathematical modeling approaches, including deterministic, stochastic, and agent-based models, illustrating their applications in predicting tumor behavior and treatment responses. Case studies demonstrate the real-world impact of these models on optimizing chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. Challenges such as data availability, model complexity, and clinical translation are discussed, alongside future directions in the field, including advances in computational power and personalized medicine. Ultimately, this research emphasizes the transformative potential of biomathematics in improving cancer treatment outcomes and underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing the field.

This study introduces a novel method for early prediction of Kimchi cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis (Lour.) Hanelt) height, utilizing drone imagery and a long short-term memory (LSTM) model. The research was conducted on a testbed at the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences (NAS) in South Korea, encompassing two distinct soil types (loam and sandy loam) to investigate their impact on growth. High-resolution drone images were captured throughout the growing season to generate a canopy height model (CHM) for estimating plant height at various stages. Missing height data were interpolated using a logistic growth curve, and an LSTM model was trained on this data to predict the final height of Kimchi cabbage at harvest. Three LSTM models were developed using time-series data collected at 29, 36, and 44 days after planting (DAP). The model trained on data from DAP 44 demonstrated the highest accuracy with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.83, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 2.48 cm, and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.26 cm, outperforming models trained on earlier data. Color-coded maps were generated to visualize the spatial distribution of predicted Kimchi cabbage heights, revealing variations in growth patterns across the testbed and confirming the model's potential for site-specific management. Considering the trade-off between accuracy and prediction timing, the model trained on DAP 36 data (MAE = 2.77 cm) was deemed optimal for informing cultivation management decisions. This research demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating drone imagery, logistic growth curves, and LSTM models for early and accurate prediction of Kimchi cabbage height. The proposed technology enables data-driven decision-making for farmers, facilitating timely interventions based on predicted growth patterns. This could lead to improved crop yields, resource optimization, and a more sustainable agricultural future. Future research will focus on refining the model's accuracy and exploring its applicability to other crops, further expanding the potential of precision agriculture technologies.

This study investigated the development of novel probiotic formulations specifically designed for rainbow trout aquaculture. The project evaluated the effects of two formulations containing potential probiotic strains isolated from rainbow trout itself. These effects were assessed on various parameters including growth performance, immune response, liver enzyme activity, gene expression related to immunity, and the composition of the bacterial gut microbiota in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In a completely randomized experimental design, a total of 450 rainbow trout were randomly divided into 70-liter fiberglass tank. The study included six treatments of three replicates (n=18 tanks). Six dietary treatments were included (A) and (B) containing three strains of Pediococcus sp P15, Lactococcus lactis ml3, Weissella cibaria ml6 at two dosages (300 and 500 mg/kg), treatments (C) and (D) containing five strains of P. sp P15, L. lactis ml3, W. cibaria ml6, Enterococcus faecium E10 and Lactobacillus curvatus 13A at two dosages (300 and 500 mg/kg), a commercial probiotic (E) at 300 mg/kg, and a control group (F) without probiotics. Treatments of (A), (B) and (E) resulted in the highest final weights in compared to control group. Fish fed treatments (A) and (B) had the lowest FCR than other groups. Treatments (A) and (D) showed a significant increase in immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentration compared to other groups. The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was significantly lower in group (A) than the control. In contrast, the expression of interleukin 6 (IL6) and immunoglobulin T (IgT) was increased 4.4-fold and 41-fold, respectively, in group (A) compared to control group. Among the probiotic fed treatments, group (A) showed a significant higher number of lactic acid bacteria compared to other groups during the experiment. This study highlights the significant role of treatment (A) containing three strains of P. sp P15, L. lactis ml3, and W. cibaria ml6 at a dosage of 300 mg/kg as a potential probiotic product for the rainbow trout industry.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of plasma treated metal contaminated water, used for irrigation, on plant growth. Zinc (Zn) is one of the more commonly used metals. It can enter the environment from industrial processes as particles released into the atmosphere or as wastewater discharged into waterways or the ground. Exposure to large amounts of zinc, even for a short time, can seriously affect human health. In this experiment, three different DBD O2 plasma treated zinc contaminated water and a control (tap water) were used, with Arabidopsis thaliana as the model plant. The treatments were: i) Control, ii) Zn water, iii) Zn+O3(30 min), and iv) Zn+O3(60 min). Arabidopsis plant exhibited maximum growth in the Zn+O3(30 min) treatment. All growth parameters, except leaf area, followed this trend: Zn+O3(30 min) > Control > Zn water > Zn+O3(60 min). Gene expression analysis revealed that reduced metal ion stress and controlled oxidation due to active oxygen species contributed to favorable/improved growth of Arabidopsis in the Zn+O3(30 min) treatment. Therefore, 30 minutes of DBD O2 plasma treated zinc contaminated water [Zn+O3(30 min)] can mitigate the adverse effects of excess zinc ions and promote the growth of Arabidopsis plants.

Drug resistance in melanoma is a major hindrance in cancer therapy. Growth hormone (GH) plays a pivotal role in contributing to resistance to chemotherapy. Knocking down or blocking the GH receptor has been shown to sensitize the tumor cells to chemotherapy. Extensive studies have demonstrated that exosomes, a subset of extracellular vesicles, play an important role in drug resistance by transferring key factors to sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy. In this study, we explore how GH modulates exosomal cargoes from melanoma cells and their role in drug resistance. We treated the melanoma cells with GH, doxorubicin, and GHR antagonist, pegvisomant, and analyzed the exosomes released. Additionally, we administered these exosomes to recipient cells. The GH-treated melanoma cells released exosomes with elevated levels of ABC transporters (ABCC1 and ABCB1), N-cadherin and MMP2, enhancing drug resistance and migration in recipient cells. GHR antagonism reduced these exosomal levels, restoring drug sensitivity and attenuating migration. Overall, our findings highlight a novel role of GH in modulating exosomal cargoes that drive chemoresistance and metastasis in melanoma. This understanding provides insights to the mechanisms of GH in melanoma chemoresistance and suggests GHR antagonism as a potential therapy to overcome chemoresistance in melanoma treatment.

A feeding study was conducted to evaluate the different diets supplemented with vitamin solution effect on broodstock reproduction, growth performances, and the survival rates of larvae and fry of Pangasius catfish during over-spawning season. The experiment of broodstock cultivation was set up as a diet supplement design with six different diets consisting of vitamin solution, each diet fed to triplicate groups of fish, the stocking density of 10 broodstock fish (07 females and 03 males) per hapa net. Fish larvae and fry were reared in the hatchery for 45 days after hatching to evaluate growth performances and survival rates of fish fingerling. The growth and reproductive performances of breeders fed with different test diets showed that there were differences among the six tested diets (P < 0.05). The highest final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), daily weight gain (DWG), specific growth rate (SGR) of broodstock and survival rate of Pangasius fingerlings were found in Treatment 5, which contained 0.6% H-OVN for Pangasius Broodstock mixed with 12.6% algal oil and Treatment 3, which contained 0.6% vitamin premix H-OVN for Pangasius Broodstock compared to other Treatments. With these test diets, the Gonadosomatic index (GSI), relative fecundity index (RFI), fertilized egg, hatching rates of eggs, and survival rate of fingerling ranged between a 6.7–12.8%, 104,267–199,512 eggs/kg, 62.2–93.6%, 43.5–76.2%, and 45.3–66.3%, respectively (P < 0.05). The findings of this study showed that the diet containing 35% CP contents supplemented with 0.6% vitamin premix H-OVN mixed with algal oils showed the highest results in terms of growth, reproductive performance indices, and survival rates of Pangasius catfish fingerling.

Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 mRNA binding Protein 1 (IGF2BP1) is a promising candidate gene for influencing economic traits in livestock and poultry. The second intronic region of IGF2BP1 is closely related to growth traits, although the exact mechanism remains unclear. The preliminary resequencing results of goats in our laboratory demonstrated that the IGF2BP1 gene region was subject to strong selection, then we selected multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify. Seven SNPs were located in the conserved region of the second intron, and their functions and relationship with growth traits require further clarification. This study selected 348 Nanjiang Yellow goats as experimental subjects, and chose Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (MALDI-TOF) as the main method. Our results showed that six SNPs were significantly correlated with the growth traits of the Nanjiang yellow goat by association analysis. Among them, the rs652062749(A>G) was identified as the primary locus affecting the later stage of growth traits of Nanjiang yellow goat. Moreover, there was a strong linkage among three SNPs, and the rs638185407 (T>A) mutant type was observed to increase the luciferase activity in H293T cells extremely significantly. The TTAACT, TTCCCC, and ATCACT combination genotypes were dominant combination genotypes, which provided theoretical references for further genetic co-breeding. The results of our study demonstrate the potential role of the IGF2BP1 gene as a functional genetic marker in the breeding programs of Nanjiang Yellow goats.

The signaling complex around voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels includes accessory proteins and kinases crucial for regulating neuronal firing. Previous studies showed that one such kinase, WEE1—critical to the cell cycle—selectively modulates Nav1.2 channel activity through the accessory protein fibroblast growth factor 14 (FGF14). Here, we tested whether WEE1 exhibits crosstalk with the AKT/GSK3 pathway for coordinated regulation of FGF14/Nav1.2 channel complex assembly and function. Using the in-cell split luciferase complementation assay (LCA), we found that the WEE1 inhibitor II and GSK3 inhibitor XIII reduce FGF14/Nav1.2 complex formation, while the AKT inhibitor triciribine increases it. However, combining WEE1 inhibitor II with either one of the other two inhibitors abolished its effect on FGF14/Nav1.2 complex formation. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings of sodium currents (INa) in HEK293 cells co-expressing Nav1.2 channels and FGF14-GFP showed that WEE1 inhibitor II significantly suppresses peak INa density, both alone and in the presence of triciribine or GSK3 inhibitor XIII, despite the latter inhibitors’ opposite effects on INa. Additionally, WEE1 inhibitor II slowed the tau of fast inactivation, and caused depolarizing shifts in the voltage dependence of activation and inactivation. These phenotypes either prevailed or were additive when combined with triciribine but were outcompeted when both WEE1 inhibitor II and GSK3 inhibitor XIII were present. Concerted regulation by WEE1 inhibitor II, triciribine and GSK3 inhibitor XIII were also observed on long-term inactivation and use-dependence of Nav1.2 currents. Overall, these findings suggest a complex role for WEE1 kinase—in concert with the AKT/GSK3 pathway—in regulating the Nav1.2 channelosome.

To meet the dual-carbon objective, China's economy needs to move from a carbon-intensive to a green economy. Green technology innovation and renewable energy development are key to promoting green economic growth. The study uses 2010–2022 provincial panel data from 30 Chinese provinces. The super-efficient SBM model measures the province's green economic growth index. A panel fixed-effects model is used to experimentally evaluate how green technology innovation and renewable energy development affect green economic growth. Green financing moderates and a panel threshold model tests the threshold effect of renewable energy development on green economic growth. The results demonstrate that (1) China's green economic growth is rising and has a "U" shape. (2) all selected variables significantly impact green economic growth. However, population density, government intervention, and industrial structure are inversely associated with GEG. Green economic growth is significantly boosted by the moderate role of green finance in the development of renewable energy and green technological innovation. (3) Renewable energy development has a single threshold non-linear effect on green economic growth, depending on its development level and green technological innovation. Considering China's current condition and research findings, this study examines the green energy transition to promote green economic growth and high-quality economic development. Meanwhile, puts forward some important policy recommendations.

The intricate architecture of dendritic arborization is fundamental to the formation and functionality of neural networks, serving as the primary site for synaptic integration and signal propagation. This study presents a pioneering computational model that simulates dendritic growth dynamics, employing exponential and logarithmic scaling over an extended developmental period of 720 days. This model offers a valuable tool for investigating the implications of diverse dendritic growth patterns on neural development, synaptic connectivity, and ultimately, cognitive functions. The computational framework incorporates biologically plausible parameters, allowing for the systematic exploration of dendritic branching patterns and their potential impact on neuronal information processing. By simulating exponential and logarithmic growth scales, the model captures the inherent complexity and diversity of dendritic morphologies observed in various neuronal populations across different brain regions. The findings from this study hold significant implications for our understanding of neural circuit assembly, synaptic integration, and the potential functional consequences of aberrant dendritic growth patterns observed in neurodevelopmental disorders. Furthermore, the model's ability to simulate extended developmental trajectories over a prolonged period of 720 days offers insights into the dynamic interplay between dendritic growth and synaptic pruning, which is crucial for the refinement and optimization of neural networks.

Early-life adversity can profoundly impact individual development, yet some demonstrate resilience. Longitudinal studies tracking individuals over extended periods have aided our understanding of resilience and growth following adverse childhood experiences. This paper reviews insights from influential studies like the Kauai Longitudinal Study, the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, and the Dunedin Study. It explores key findings on risk and protective factors, adaptation trajectories, and long-term outcomes associated with resilience. Theoretical frameworks and methodological considerations are discussed. The paper examines how this research informs interventions, policies, and support systems for fostering resilience. It highlights the need for diverse samples, integrating biological and environmental factors, and investigating intergenerational impacts. By synthesizing longitudinal research, this paper elucidates complex pathways to resilience and positive development despite early adversity, offering insights for research and supporting vulnerable populations.

The potential of metallic lithium to become the anode material for next-generation batteries is hampered by significant challenges, chief among which is dendrite growth during battery charging. These dendritic structures not only impair battery performance but also pose safety risks. Among the non-destructive analytical techniques in battery research, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) stands out as a promising tool. However, the direct imaging of lithium by 7Li MRI is hindered by its low sensitivity and spatial resolution, making its use for of dendritic growth imaging very difficult. Instead, a recently introduced indirect imaging approach based on 1H MRI of the electrolyte was used in this study. This method was used for sequential 3D imaging to monitor the charging process of lithium metal symmetric cells in three different electrical circuits: single cell, four cells in parallel, four cells in series. The measured sequential images allowed measurement of dendrite growth in each cell using volumetric analysis. The growth results confirmed the theoretical expectation that growth across cells is uneven in a parallel circuit and even in a series circuit. The methods presented in this study can be applied also to many other dendrite-related issues in batteries.

Leaf springs are critical components for the railway vehicle safety in which they are installed. Although these components are produced in high-strength alloyed steel and designed to operate under cyclic loading conditions in the high-cyclic fatigue region, their failure is still possible to occur and hence lead to economic and human catastrophes. The aim of this document is precisely to characterise the mechanical crack growth behaviour of the 51CrV4 spring steel representative of leaf springs under cyclic conditions, that is, crack propagation in mode I. The common fatigue crack growth prediction models (Paris and Walker) considering the effect of stress ratio and parameters such as propagation threshold, critical stress intensity factor and crack closure ratio are also determined using statistical methods, which resulted in good approximations with respect to the experimental results. Lastly, the fracture surfaces under the different test conditions were analysed using SEM, with no significant differences to declare. As a result of this research work, it is expected that the developed properties and fatigue crack growth prediction models can assist design and maintenance engineers in understanding fatigue behaviour in the initiation and propagation phase of cracks in leaf springs for railway freight wagons.

Hemangioblasts give rise to endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which also express the cell surface markers CD133 and C-kit. They may differentiate into the outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) that control neovascularization in the developing embryo. Reduced levels of EPC in circulation have been linked to human cardiovascular disorders, according to numerous studies. Furthermore, preeclampsia and senescence have been linked to levels of EPCs produced from cord blood. Uncertainties surround how preeclampsia affects the way EPCs function. It is reasonable to speculate that preeclampsia may have an impact on the function of fetal EPCs during the in utero period; however, given the present literature's suggestion that maternal vasculopathies, including preeclampsia, damage fetal circulation. Additionally, the differentiation potential and general activity of EPCs may serve as an indicator of the health of the fetal vascular system since they promote neovascularization and repair during pregnancy. Thus, the purpose of this review is to compare, through assessment of their quantity, differentiation potency, angiogenic activity, and senescence, the angiogenic function of fetal EPCs obtained from cord blood for normal and pregnancy problems. This will shed light on the relationship between the angiogenic function of fetal EPCs and pregnancy complications, which could have an effect on the management of long-term health issues like metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in offspring with abnormal vasculature development.

Water sustainability has become one of the most severe issues in the 21st Century due to dramatic urban population growth and climate change. This paper reviews some of the critical key water issues that need to be considered/incorporated in the quest for water sustainability for the upcoming decades. The purpose is to recognize the critical circumstances for maintaining water sustainability and recognize that many regions in the world have passed the ‘tipping point’ of balancing their water sustainability and failing to realize that restoring sustainability will be extremely difficult. From the water quantity perspective, several examples are used to demonstrate situations which, in hindsight, have been initially shown to be effective but highly problematic in the long term. The review considers, amongst others, the 1960s India example shows that an agricultural ‘success’ starting in the 1960s has subsequently become an environmental disaster. Additional issues, including the impacts of dietary adjustments, upstream diversions raising downstream shortfalls, and transfers of water from agriculture to urban areas, are examples that demonstrate that to achieve water sustainability, lessons must be learned from the past, and adaptive measures must be adopted to help humanity avoid adverse and irreversible environmental tragedies. Government authorities can learn from this critical review of some approaches and realize their responsibility to proactively promote better water resource management strategies (domestic and international collaborations) and strictly regulate water use practices to better manage water sustainability.

Abstract: The venom-containing barb attached to their ‘whip-like’ tail provides stingrays a defensive mechanism for evading predators such as sharks. From human encounters, dermal stingray envenomation is characterized by intense pain often followed by tissue necrosis occurring over several days to several weeks. The bioactive components in stingray venoms (SRV’s) and their molecular targets and mechanisms that mediate these complex responses are not well understood. Given the utility of venom-derived proteins from other venomous species for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, we set out to characterize the bioactivity of SRV from three local species that belong to the Dasyatoidea ‘whiptail’ superfamily. Multiple cell-based assays were used to quantify and compare the in vitro effects of these SRV’s on different cell lines. All three SRV’s demonstrated concentration-dependent growth inhibitory effects on three different human cell lines tested. In contrast, a mouse fibrosarcoma cell line was markedly resistant to all three SRV’s, indicating the molecular target(s) for mediating the SRV effects are not expressed on these cells. The multifunctional SRV responses were characterized by an acute disruption of cell adhesion leading to apoptosis. These findings aim to guide future investigations of identified SRV proteins and their molecular targets for potential use in biomedical applications.

Background and Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly prevalent world-wide. It progresses from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Fibrosis is often present during NAFLD progression; however, factors determining which subjects develop NASH or fibrosis are unclear. Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBP) is a family of secreted proteins involved in senescence and scarring mainly synthetized in the liver. Here we aimed to study the association of IGFBP and its induced senescence with the progression of NAFLD and liver fibrosis. Materials and Methods: 16 weeks old male C57BL/6 mice weighing 23 ± 3 g were fed either Methionine-Choline Deficient or control diet for 2, 8 or 12 weeks. Blood and liver samples were collected; histological assessment of NAFLD and fibrosis was performed. Fat contents were measured. Cellular senescence was evaluated in the liver. IGFBP levels were assessed in liver and serum. Data was expressed as Mean ± SD and analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed Tukey’s test. Lineal regression models were applied for NAFLD and fibrosis progression. p

Objective: Aims to investigate the effects of empagliflozin (EMPA), a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, on renal fibrosis in male diabetic Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model. Methods: Streptozotocin(STZ) were injected to establish diabetes model, EMPA (10 mg/kg·d) or normal saline (NS) were administered for four weeks. The changes in renal fibrosis-related biomarkers, include vimentin (VIM), collagen types I(Col-I), collagen types III(Col-III), fibroblast-specific protein 1(FSP-1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), fibronectin (FN) were evaluated. Renal pathology, serum glucose levels and urinary protein excretion were also assessed. Results: Biomarkers of renal fibrosis were significantly reduced in the EMPA group compared to those in the NS group after 4-week treatment, including VIM (519.84±83.37 vs. 663.27±91.84 ng/ml, P<0.05), Col-I (21.27±1.46 vs. 25.71±2.82 ng/ml , P<0.05) and Col-III (7.06±1.12 vs. 9.43±1.36 ng/ml, P<0.05), FSP-1 (4.38±0.81 vs. 5.70±0.78 ng/ml, P<0.05), and CTGF (1147±217 vs. 1556±235 pg/ml, P<0.05),respectively. Nevertheless, compared to normal control (NC) group, the levels of renal fibrosis-related biomarkers in the EMPA group showed no significant differences except for VIM, which was VIM (336.66±28.87 vs. 519.84±83.37 ng/mL, P<0.001). NS group rats showed notable renal tubular dilation and casts, EMPA group exhibited only mild tubular dilation. Conclusion: These findings suggest that empagliflozin reverse renal fibrosis potentially through inhibiting CTGF-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

Any malocclusion can be associated with various face development patterns, including hyper, neutral and hypodivergent growth patterns. We measured face height ratios, angle formed by Y axis to SN and growth patterns in various malocclusions in a group of patients from Timis county. The pretreatment digital cephalograms of 350 participants were split into three groups based on Angle's classification of dentoalveolar malocclusion. Every cephalogram was digitally traced and analyzed using a composite cephalometric method analysis utilizing the WebCeph imaging cephalometric program, which included two linear and one angular. In general, patients from Timis county have a hypodivergent development pattern. Hypodivergent development pattern predominated in group I, II, and III. Group I hyperdivergent 5.14%, normodivergent 16.01%, hypodivergent 78.85%. Group II hyperdivergent 2.78%, normodivergent 14.44%, hypodivergent 82.78%. Group III hyperdivergent 10.53%, normodivergent 10.53%, hypodivergent 78.94%. In all three groups, the value of the angle formed by Y axis to SN is within normal limits group I 65.4 ±4.34°, group II 63.87± 3.86° and group III 64.66 ±5.28°. A strong negative correlation was found between angle: Y axis to SN and facial height ratio (r= -0,766; p &lt;0.001). In all kinds of malocclusion, patients from Timis county show primarily a hypodivergent development pattern.

Provenance trials provide a valuable opportunity to evaluate the impact of extreme events on growth and wood properties. In this study, we have evaluated 81 Norway spruce provenances, tested in three provenance trials established in the Romanian Carpathians in 1972. The response to drought of the Norway spruce provenances – resistance, recovery, resilience, and relative resilience, has been examined, as well as the relationship between climate and growth, and the correlations between wood traits, the coordinates of origin and drought resilience indices. In each provenance trial, there were significant differences between provenances and years regarding wood widths and latewood percentage (LWP). Regarding the drought extreme events, the years when it occurred in all three provenance trials were 2000 and 2003. Significant differences between provenances for at least one drought resilience index have been found in all provenance trials, for the year 2000. By using subperiods of 25 years, changes in the relationship between climate and growth have been observed. Several provenances with high radial growth and good resistance and/or recovery have been identified. Provenances that performed better in common garden experiments could be used in assisted migration even beyond the current natural range.

Customer satisfaction is the process of reaching a customer's expectations to generate delightful experiences with a product or a brand. Delight involves delivering an unforgettable experience to users by focusing on their requirements, desires, and interests. Delighting Customers is crucial for organizations’ economic growth worldwide, especially in the airline industry. This study aims to determine if safety measures, ticketing policies, and the cost of air travel impact among the airline passengers’ satisfaction post-COVID-19 in Malaysia. A research framework is designed to present an in-depth understanding of the mentioned variables. In this study, a comprehensive survey using online questionnaire was used and 388 valid responses were obtained from airline passengers in Malaysia. Data were analyzed by employing data reduction technique and multivariate data analysis. The results revealed that safety appears to be the most essential aspect of airline customer satisfaction among Malaysians, while cost is perceived as a significant factor. Moreover, as the cost of living rose because of the pandemic, many of the income earners in the lower category are less inclined to take vacations. In a nutshell, the study recommends that airlines implement a conscious practice that contributes to the happiness of passengers, which in turn increases profitability and ensures sustainable growth of the airlines.

Third-generation biomass production utilizing microalgae exhibits sustainable and environmentally friendly attributes, along with significant potential as a source of physiologically active compounds. However, the process of screening and localizing strains that are capable of producing high-value-added substances necessitates a significant amount of effort. In the present study, we have successfully isolated the indigenous marine diatom Odontella aurita OAOSH22 from the East coast of Korea. Subsequently, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of its morphological, molecular, and biochemical characteristics. Afterwards, comprehensive analysis was conducted on the morphological, molecular, and biochemical characteristics, along with testing for optimal growth conditions. The morphological characteristics of the isolate were observed using optical and electron microscopes, and it exhibited typical features of O. aurita. Additionally, the molecular phylogenetic inference derived from the sequence of the small-subunit 18S rDNA confirmed the classification of the microalgal strain as O. aurita. This isolate has been confirmed to contain 7.1 mg g-1 dry cell weight (DCW) of fucoxanthin, a powerful antioxidant substance, in terms of dry cell weight (DCW). In addition, this isolate contains 11.1 mg g-1 DCW of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which is one of the nutritionally essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, this indigenous isolate exhibits a significant potential as a valuable source of bioactive substances for various bio-industrial applications.

The rapid growth of urban areas is a major challenge facing cities around the world. This growth can have a significant impact on the local climate, leading to higher temperatures and other changes. In desert climates, the effects of urban expansion can be particularly pronounced. This study investigated the impact of urban expansion on land surface temperature (LST) in Baghdad, Iraq. Notably, this study employs a sophisticated artificial intelligence method known as Random Forest for Land Use Land Cover (LULC) classification, utilizing three Landsat images spanning the temporal spectrum from 1985 to 2021 to meticulously monitor land use transformations and associated LST variations. The results showed that vegetated areas declined by 46.8% during the study period, while built-up areas increased by 124.7%. This decline in vegetation was accompanied by an increase in LST, with bare soil recording the highest temperatures. The study also found that LST has a strong inverse relationship with vegetation and moisture. This means that areas with more vegetation and moisture tend to have lower LSTs. These findings suggest that urban expansion can lead to higher LSTs in desert climates, which can have implications for the health and wellbeing of residents. The study has important implications for urban planners and policymakers in Baghdad and other cities in desert climates. By identifying the main factors that control LST, the study provides insights into strategies for mitigating the effects of urban expansion on temperature.

This study aims to explore predictors of the foreign investment from China coming into Rwanda. One of the components of Rwanda’s economy is the investment it receives from other countries. In order to achieve these objectives, the study gathers econometric secondary data from 2007 to 2020 quarterly which were availably provided by National Statistics of China, World Bank, UNCTAD, National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, and the National bank of Rwanda. From literature and based on the availability of data, market size, trade openness, infrastructure, and human capital were measured as predictors of Chinese FDI. The data is analyzed using linear regression in Stata. The finding of the study showed that variables have a positive effect on FDI from China, and it found that though FDI had an effect on overall economy of Rwanda, the effect was not statistically significant. The study suggested that Rwanda’s policy on foreign investment should aim to attract and encourage Chinese investment to increase the economy of Rwanda. To encourage more FDI, the Rwandan government can offer Chinese investors greater ownership, locational, and internalization benefits. It also should continue to strengthen economic policy transparency since it lowers transaction costs and hence improves incentives for foreign investment.

Methanotrophic bacteria that possess a unique ability of using methane as a sole source of carbon and energy have attracted considerable attention as potential producers of a single-cell protein. So far, this biotechnology implied using freshwater methanotrophs, although many regions of the world have limited freshwater resources. This study aimed at searching for novel methanotrophs capable of fast growth in saltwater comparable in composition with seawater. A methane-oxidizing microbial consortium containing Methylomarinum- and Methylotuvimicrobium-like methanotrophs has been enriched from a sediment of the river Chernavka (water pH 7.5, total salt content 30 g L-1), a tributary river of the hypersaline Lake Elton, southern Russia. This microbial consortium, designated Ch1, demonstrated stable growth on natural gas in a bioreactor in media with a total salt content of 23 to 35.9 g L-1 at a dilution rate of 0.19-0.21 h-1. The highest biomass yield of 5.8 g CDW/L with a protein content of 63% was obtained during continuous cultivation of the consortium Ch1 in a medium with a total salt content of 29 g L-1. Isolation attempts resulted in obtaining a pure culture of methanotrophic bacteria, strain Ch1-1. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain Ch1-1 displayed 97.09-97.24% similarity to the corresponding gene fragments of characterized representatives of Methylomarinum vadi, methanotrophs isolated from marine habitats. The genome of strain Ch1-1 was 4.8 Mb in size and encoded 3 rRNA operons, and about 4400 proteins. The genome contained the gene cluster coding for ectoine biosynthesis, which explains the ability of strain Ch1-1 to tolerate high salt concentration.

Marine sediment sample was collected and the total aerobic population was counted and probiotic Bacillus cereus was isolated. Then it was mixed with formulated feed by spraying, while control diet was purchased from a local aquarium. 30 days of feeding experiment was conducted. Carassius auratus fishes were randomly divided into two experimental groups in rectangular tanks. The first group served as a control in which fishes were fed with commercial feed. The second group of fish were fed with probiotic incorporated feed. After 40 days, their survival and growth performance were detected. Bacillus cereus incorporated feed significantly yielded higher survival rate of the fish compared to control. Food conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly lower than the control group. The main aim of this work is to investigate the effect of a marine probiotic bacteria, Bacillus cereus on the survival and growth performance of gold fish Carassius auratus.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a fatal disease due to early metastatic spread, late diagnosis and the lack of efficient therapies. A major driver of cancer progression and hurdle to successful treatment is transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. Recent data from pancreatic cancer mouse models have shown that transcriptionally active p73 (TAp73), a p53 family member, inhibits tumor progression through promoting tumor suppressive canonical TGF-β/Smad signaling, while preventing non-canonical TGF-β signaling through extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2. Here, we have studied whether this mechanism also operates in human PDAC. Using the PDAC-derived tumor cell lines PANC-1 and HPAFII, we show that TAp73 induces the expression of the epithelial marker and invasion suppressor E-cadherin and the common-mediator Smad, SMAD4, while at the same time suppressing expression of the EMT master regulator SNAIL and basal and TGF-β1-induced activation of ERK1 and ERK2. Using dominant-negative and RNA interference-based inhibition of SMAD4 function we went on to show that inhibition of ERK activation by TAp73 is mediated through SMAD4. Intriguingly, both SMAD4 and the α isoform of TAp73 - but not the isoform - interfered with cell migration as shown by xCELLigence technology. Our findings highlight the role of TAp73-SMAD4 signaling in tumor suppression of human PDAC and identify direct inhibition of basal and TGF-β-stimulated pro-invasive ERK activation as an underlying mechanism.

South rear-edge populations of widely distributed temperate and boreal tree species such as birches (Betula pubescens and B. pendula) are considered particularly vulnerable to climate warming, and at the same time they constitute genetic reservoirs of drought-adapted ecotypes. Here, we compared radial growth patterns and responses to climate, river or dam flows and a drought index of rear-edge (southernmost) populations (Toledo Mountains, central-southern Spain) with populations located in northern Spain of B. pubescens and B. pendula. Then, we per-formed a comparative analysis across Europe of B. pendula populations. The main climatic con-straint of birch growth was high summer water deficit, although the effect of local hydrological conditions was particularly important in rear-edge populations. We found declining growth trends in rear-edge stands since the early 21st century, related to decreasing water availability and increasing aridity. Our results also suggested distinct growth patterns and climate-growth associations of B. pendula across Europe that show how populations further south and in warmer locations were more sensitive to the drought. In conclusion, drought-induced growth decline can be exacerbated by local human land uses leading to reduced river inflow, thus endangering birch populations at their southern distribution limit. Protection of endangered rear-edge birch populations requires adequate management of local water resources.

The economic downturn caused by the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and the intensifying glob-al climate policy trends forced changes in the energy management of the European Union. The study examined how the most relevant energy economic variables affected the economic growth of the EU between 2010-2019. The study examined the relationship between GDP (dependent variable) and energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the average energy price, and renewable energy use (independent variables) using the PSL-PM methodology. The results show an asymmetric picture because the independent variables influenced the eco-nomic growth of the EU in the examined period with different correlations and with different strengths. One of the significances of the study is that the presented and analyzed variables, as well as the results of the relationships between them, can contribute to the optimization of the EU's currently critical energy management and economic growth.

Red palm weevils (RPWs) are a major pest to coconut and palm trees, causing significant economic losses in many countries. The current control method involves using insecticides, which are unsustainable and environmentally damaging. Thus, it is necessary to develop an eco-friendly and sustainable approach to mitigate the RPW problem. Our studies have revealed that feeding RPWs with food containing specific herbs can affect the weevils' mutualistic relationship with gut microbiota or their growth hormones, resulting in a notable reduction in the metamorphosis rate at the pupation stage. For instance, the addition of Kra-jeab (a roselle Hibiscus sabdariffa) and Kra-pao (a holy basil Ocimum tenuiflorum) led to a reduction of 76.7% and 75.6%, respectively, in the metamorphosis rate, while combining the two herbs resulted in a higher reduction rate of 86.7%. In addition to these findings, altering their pupation nature by reducing the fiber length used in RPW feed to less than 1 centimeter can stop the weevil’s pupation entirely. These findings demonstrate the potential application of biological and physical factors to reduce RPWs' metamorphosis rate and control their destructive impact on palm industries, thus providing a promising solution for the conflict between palm and insect farmers.