The biological synthesis of nanoparticles has been emerging as an environmentally benign and eco-friendly method owing to its cost-effectiveness and high efficiency. Recently, the biological synthesis of semiconductor and metal-doped semiconductor nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic degradation efficiency and anticancer and antibacterial properties have gained tremendous attention. In pursuit of this purpose, for the first time, we biosynthesized zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver/ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) as semiconductor and metal-doped semiconductor nanoparticles, respectively, using the cell-free filtrate (CFF) of Lysinibacillus sphaericus bacterium. The biosynthesized ZnO and Ag/ZnO were characterized by various techniques such as ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy, Field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic degradation potential of these semiconductor/metal-semiconductor nanoparticles was evaluated against the degradation of azo dye methylene blue (MB) under simulated solar irradiation. Ag/ZnO showed 90.7 ± 0.91% photocatalytic degradation of MB, compared to 50.7 ± 0.53% by ZnO in 120 min. The cytotoxicity of ZnO and Ag/ZnO on human cervical HeLa cancer cells was determined using an MTT assay. Both nanomaterials exhibited cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner on HeLa cells. The antibacterial activity was also determined against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus). Compared to ZnO, Ag/ZnO NPs showed higher antibacterial activity. Hence, the biosynthesis of semiconductor nanoparticles could be a promising strategy for developing hybrid metal/semiconductor nanomaterials for different biomedical and environmental applications.

The ability of some bacteria to perform Extracellular Electron Transfer (EET) has been explored in bioelectrochemical systems (BES) to obtain energy or chemicals from pure substances or residual substrates. Here, a new pyoverdine-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain was isolated from a MFC biofilm oxidizing glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production. Strain EL14 was investigated to assess its electrogenic ability and products. In an open circuit system (fermentation system) EL14 was able to consume glycerol and produce 1,3-propanediol, an unusual product from glycerol oxidation in P. aeruginosa. The microbial fuel cell (MFC), EL14 reached a current density of 82.4 mA m-2, during the first feeding cycle, then drops sharply as the biofilm falls off. Cyclic voltammetry suggests electron transfer to the anode occurrs indirectly, i.e., through a redox substance, with redox peaks at 0.22 and -0.45 V (vs Ag/AgCl) and directly probably by membrane redox-proteins with redox peak at 0.05 V (vs Ag/AgCl). EL14 produced added-value bioproducts, acetic and butyric acids, as well as 1,3 propanediol, in both fermentative and anodic conditions. However, the yield of 1,3-PDO from glycerol was enhanced from 0.57 to 0.89 (mol of 1,3-PDO mol-1 of glycerol) under MFC conditions compared with the fermentation. This result was unexpected since successful 1,3-PDO production is not usually associated with the P. aeruginosa glycerol metabolism. By comparing EL14 genomic sequences related to the 1,3-PDO biosynthesis with reference P. aeruginosa strains, we observed that strain EL14 has three copies of dhaT gene (1,3-propanediol dehydrogenase a different arrangement compared to other Pseudomonas isolates). Thus, this work functionally characterizes a bacterium never before associated to 1,3-PDO biosynthesis, indicating its potential for converting a by-product of the biodiesel industry into an emerging chemical product.

To achieve higher crop yields and maintain environmental conservation, it becomes imperative to adopt novel agricultural methods that improve both the quantity and quality of produce. The above study focused on investigating the effectiveness of integrated use of biogas slurry (BS) and inorganic nutrigation on spinach growth and nutrient uptake through drip irrigation. Under field conditions and using a split plot design, spinach was cultivated with seven different treatments: biogas slurry nutrigation (BSN) (T1), integrated inorganic + organic nutrigation: 40% Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) +BSN (T2), 60% RDF +BSN (T3), 80% RDF +BSN(T4), 100% RDF(T5), slurry broadcasting (SB) (T6), and control(T7). The results showed that spinach grown with T4 80% RDF +BSN exhibited optimum plant height and leaf count compared to spinach under other treatments and was at par with T5 100% RDF for crop parameters. T5 treated plants demonstrated the longest roots, followed by T4 treated plants. The biomass produced by T4 was at par with T5 in the first (T4= 4.60 tonha-1, T5 =4.67 tonha-1) and second harvesting(T4= 6.69 tonha-1, T5 =6.89 tonha-1).In terms of macronutrient content in spinach leaves, significant differences were found only for nitrogen (N),potassium (K), while the phosphorus contents were not significantly influenced. Incorporating biogas slurry into the soil modifies microbial enzyme activities, specifically dehydrogenase and phosphatase. Normally, alkaline phosphatase shows greater activity than acidic phosphatase, but the addition of biogas slurry equalized the enzymatic activity of both, establishing a harmonized enzymatic profile. Fertilizing spinach with integrated Biogas slurry nutrigation + inorganic nutrigation not only improves growth and development to a similar extent as inorganic fertilizer but also enhances the nutrient content of the spinach, contributes to environmental preservation, and reduces production costs.

Metagenomics have opened our eyes to the otherwise enigmatic microbial consortia that relies on different human body niches that impact on disease pathogenesis. This work originally aims to re-analyse a public shotgun metagenomics dataset to glean insights on the microbial species that may partake in stomach cancer pathogenesis. However, a random selection of sequenced reads reveals poor percent identities (79 to 94%) of the microbial identification obtained in a BLAST search. This surprising result suggests possible stomach acid induced degradation or modification of the sequenced read that reduced the effectiveness of the metagenomics approach in microbial identification. Further analysis of the dataset highlights that poor percent identities did not arise due to highly fragmented nature of the genetic material where there is a good abundance of sequenced reads in the 100 to 1300 base pair category. More intriguingly, attempts to obtain a correlation between percent identity and read length did not reveal a correlation which meant that stomach acid did not modify all types of nucleotides. More likely, stomach acid only modified low abundance nucleotide in this case, which point to the probability of identifying a microbe in the modified gene fragment in totally unpredictable ways. Overall, data reported in this work suggests caution in the interpretation of results of shotgun metagenomics studies of stomach cancer microbiota where stomach acid likely degraded the genetic material of microbes that may result in mis-identification.

The rhizosphere is a rich source of actinomycetes which can produce several potential biologically-active secondary metabolites. The principal goals for this research are to extract, purify and characterize the bioactive secondary metabolites produced by three different strains of actinomycetes isolated from the rhizosphere of rosemary, black locust and olive. The plant growth-promoting effect (PGPE) of the studied strains of actinomycetes on Ocimum basilicum L. (basil) and disease-control effect on necrotic stem lesions of “black leg” caused by Fusarium tabacinum on basil, were in silico evaluated. The cell-free culture filtrates from the studied actinomycetes isolates were evaluated in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against some common phytopathogens. The secondary metabolites obtained from the cell-free culture filtrates have been chemically characterized using high‐resolution electrospray ionization of liquid-chromatography/mass-spectrometric detection (ESI-(HR)Orbitrap-MS). Results of in silico trial showed that all studied isolates demonstrated PGPE on basil seedlings improving some Eco-physiological characteristics and reduced the disease incidence of F. tabacinum. The extracted metabolites from the studied actinomycetes demonstrated antimicrobial activity in Petri-plates assay. The chemical analysis revealed the presence of totally 20 different components. This research emphasizes how valuable the examined isolates are for producing bioactive compounds, indicating their putative antimicrobial activity and their potential employment as fungal-biocontrol agents. In particular, the obtained results revealed the possibility of green-synthesis of some important secondary metabolites such as N-Acetyl-L-histidinol, Rhizocticin A and Eponemycin from actinomycetes. The bioactive metabolites may be successively used to develop novel bio-formulations for both crop protection and/or PGPE.

Events of groundwater recharge are associated with changes in the composition of aquifer microbial communities but also abiotic conditions. Modification in the structure of the community can be the result of different environmental condition favoring or hindering certain taxa or due to the introduction of surface-derived taxa. Yet, in both cases, the local hydrogeochemical settings of the aquifer is likely to affect the amount of variation observed. Therefore, in our study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to assess how microbial communities change in response to snowmelt and the potential connectivity between subsurface and surface microbiome in two distinct aquifers located in the region of Vaudreuil-Soulange (Québec, Canada). At both sites, we observed an increase in groundwater level and decrease in temperature following the onset of snow melt in March 2019. Bacterial community composition of each aquifer was significantly different (p < 0.05) between samples collected prior and after groundwater recharge. Furthermore, microbial source tracking results suggested low contribution of surface environments to groundwater microbiome except for months associated with recharge (March 2019 and April 2019). Overall, despite differences in soil permeability between both sites, the period of snow melt was followed by important changes in the composition of microbial communities from aquifers.

In the cold deserts of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) the suitability of soil for microbial life is determined by both contemporary processes and legacy effects. Climatic changes and accompanying glacial activity have caused local extinctions and geochemical changes to soil ecosystems over several million years, while high elevation refugia may have escaped these disturbances and existed under relatively stable conditions. This study describes the impact of historical glacial and lacustrine disturbance events on microbial communities across the MDV. Soil bacterial communities from 17 sites representing either putative refugia or sites disturbed during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (22-17kya) were characterized using 16S metabarcoding. Regardless of geographic distance, several putative refugia sites at elevations above 600 meter displayed highly similar microbial communities. At a regional scale, community composition was found to be influenced by elevation and geographic proximity more so than soil geochemical properties. These results suggest that despite the extreme conditions, diverse microbial communities exist in these putative refugia that have presumably remained undisturbed at least through the last glacial maximum. We suggest that similarities in microbial communities can be interpreted as evidence for historical climate legacies on an ecosystem-wide scale.

The plant microbiome is involved in enhancing nutrient acquisition, plant growth, stress tolerance and reduces chemical inputs. The identification of microbial functional diversity offers the chance to comprehend and engineer them for various agricultural processes. Using a shotgun metagenomics technique, this study examined the functional diversity and metabolic potentials of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soybean. 18 genera were selected out of which six are prominent in sample AB, the prominent genera are Geobacter, Nitrobacter, Burkholderia, Candidatus, Bradyrhizobium and Streptomyces. Twenty-one functional categories were present with 14 of the functions being dominant. The dominant functions include carbohydrates, fatty acids, lipids and isoprenoids, amino acids and derivatives, sulfur metabolism, and nitrogen metabolism. Kruskal- Wallis test was used to test samples’ diversity differences. There was a significant difference in the diversity with p-value of 0.04. ANOSIM was used to analyse the similarities of the samples, p-values and R-values of the samples were 0.01 and 0.5835 respectively. Phosphorus with p-value of0.718 and 64.3% contribution was more prominent among the soil properties that have influence on functional diversity of the samples. Given the functional groups reported in this study, it is clear that soil characteristics had an impact on on the functions role of the rhizospheric microbiome of soybean

Beach sand may act as a reservoir for numerous micro-organisms, including enteric pathogens. Several of these pathogens originate in human or animal feces, which may pose a public health risk. In August 2019, high levels of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were detected in the sand of the Azorean beach Prainha, Terceira Island, Portugal. Remediation measures were promptly implemented, including sand removal and the spraying of chlorine to restore the beach sand quality. To determine the biological source of the contamination, during the first campaign, supratidal sand samples were collected from several sites along the beach, followed by microbial source tracking (MST) analyses of Bacteroides markers for five animal species, including humans. Some of the sampling sites revealed the presence of marker genes from dogs, seagulls, and ruminants. Making use of the information on biological sources originating partially from dogs, the municipality enforced restrictive measures for dog-walking at the beach. Subsequent sampling campaigns detected low FIB contamination due to the mitigation and remediation measures that were undertaken, thereby no longer requiring MST marker-gene analysis. This is the first case study where the MST approach was used to determine the contamination sources in the supratidal sand of a coastal beach. Our results show that MST can be an essential approach to determine sources of fecal contamination in the sand. This study shows the importance of holistic management of beaches that should go beyond water quality monitoring for FIB, putting forth evidence for the need for sands also to be monitored.

α-amylase inhibitors (aAIs) have been proved efficient for the management of type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to search the potential aAIs produced by microbial fermentation. Among various bacterial strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa TUN03 was found as a potential aAI - producing strain, and shrimp heads powder (SHP) was screened as the most suitable C/N source for fermentation. P. aeruginosa TUN03 exhibited the highest aAIs productivity (3100 U/mL) in the medium containing 1.5% SHP with the initial pH of 7-7.5, and fermentation was performed at 27.5 °C in 2 days. Further, aAIs compounds were investigated for scale-up production in a 14 L – bioreactor system, and the results highlighted high yield (4200 U/mL) in much shorter fermentation time (12 h) compared to fermentation in flasks. The bioactivity-guided purification resulted in the isolation of one major target compound. This active compound was confirmed as hemi-pyocyanin (HPC), with good purity, via using high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Notably, HPC demonstrated potent activity comparable to acarbose, a commercial antidiabetic drug; this is the first-ever report of aAI activity of HPC. The docking study indicated that HPC inhibits α-amylase via binding to amino acid Arg421 at the biding site on enzyme α-amylase with good binding energy (-9.3 kcal/mol) and creating two linkages of H-acceptor.

Tillage has been reported to induce seasonal changes of organic carbon (Сmicro) and nitrogen (Nmicro) in biomass of microorganisms. Soil microorganisms execute such ecosystem functions as: it is an immediate sink of labile biophil elements; it is an agent of a conversion, catalysis and synthesis of humus substances; it transforms soil contaminants into non-hazardous wastes; it participates in soil aggregation and pedogenesis as a whole. However, the seasonal turnover of microorganisms on arable lands in temperate ecosystems has not been investigated on a relevant level. Hence, we aimed to study the dynamics of such soil microbial biomass patterns as: Сmicro, Nmicro, microbial index (MI = (Сmicro/CTOC)·100, %) and CO2-C emission on the background of 9 years of tillage and 22 years of abandoned (Ab) and fallow (F) usage. Our study was conducted on a long-term experimental site on a Mollisol in the northeast China. The maximum Сmicro and Nmicro content was found: at the beginning of the growing season – in 0-10-; in mid-July – in 20-40 cm layers, while the minimum – in August-October. The Сmicro content ranged from 577.79- and 381.79 mg-1 kg-1 under Ab in spring to 229.53- and 272.86 mg-1 kg-1 in autumn under CT (conventional tillage) and F in 0-10- and 10-20 cm layers, respectively. The amplitude of Nmicro content changes was several times lower comparatively to Сmicro. The smallest quartile range (IQR0.25-0.75) of such changes was under: no-till (NT) and Ab in 0-10-, NT and F – in 10-20- and CT - in 20-40 cm layers. The widest Сmicro : Nmicro ratio was found at F and CT – in 0-20- and CT and rotational tillage (Rot) – in 20-40 cm layers. MI dynamics resembled the trends of Сmicro and Nmicro and changed from 0.72  0.168- tо 2.00  0,030 %. The highest part of Сmicro in CTOC was at Ab (1.82  1.85 %) and NT (1.66  1.52 %) – in 0-10-; Ab (1.23  1.27 %) and NT (1.29  1.32 %) – in 10-20- and – Ab (1.19  1.09 %) and F (1.11  1.077 %) – in 20-40 cm layers, correspondingly. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient between Сmicro and CTOC increased from the upper 0-10- to the lower 20-40 cm layer, it was "strong" and "high" between Сmicro and CTOC. Different use of Mollisol affected the amplitude of Сmicro and Nmicro seasonal changes, but it didn’t change their trend. Our results suggest the key role of Ab and NT technologies in Сmicro accumulation in total organic carbon (TOC).

Salinity acts as a critical environmental filter on microbial communities in natural systems, negatively affecting microbial diversity. However, how salinity affects the community assembly remains unclear. This study used Wendeng multi-pond saltern as a model to evaluate the prokaryotic community composition and diversity and quantify the relative importance of ecological processes across salinity gradients. Results showed that low saline salterns (45-80 g/L) exhibited higher bacterial diversity than those in high saline salterns (175-265 g/L). The relative abundance of taxa assigned to Halanaerobiaceae, Haloferacaceae, Desulfohalobiaceae, Phormidiaceae, Rohodobacteraceae, and Nitrococcaceae was higher with increasing salinity. Salinity and pH were the primary environmental factors that directly or indirectly determined the composition and diversity of prokaryotic communities. Microbial co-occurrence network dynamics were more complex in the sediment than in water of salterns. An infer Community Assembly Mechanisms by Phylogenetic-bin-based null model analysis (iCAMP) showed that microbial community assembly in sediment and water differed. Our findings provide more information about microbial community structure and the importance of various ecological processes in controlling microbial community diversity and succession along salinity gradients in water and sediment environments.

Despite the acknowledged relevance of renewable energy sources, biofuel production supported by food-related agriculture has faced severe criticism. One way to minimize the considered negative impacts is the use of sources of non-food biomass or wastes. Synthetic biology (SB) embraces a promising complex of technologies for biofuel production from non-edible and sustainable raw materials. Therefore, it is pertinent to identify the global evolution of investments, concepts, and techniques underlying the field in support of policy formulations for sustainable bioenergy production. We mapped the SB scientific knowledge related to biofuels using software that combines information visualization methods, bibliometrics, and data mining algorithms. The United States and China have been the leading countries in developing SB technologies. Technical University of Denmark and Tsinghua University are the institutions with higher centrality and have played prominent roles besides UC-Los Angeles and Delft University Technology. We identified six knowledge clusters under the terms: versatile sugar dehydrogenase, redox balance principle, sesquiterpene production, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, recombinant xylose-fermenting strain, and Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4. The emerging trends refer to specific microorganisms, processes, and products. Yarrowia lipolytica, Oleaginous yeast, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and Microalgae are the most prominent microorganisms, mainly from the year 2016 onwards. Anaerobic digestion, synthetic promoters, and genetic analysis appear as the most relevant platforms of new processes. Improved biofuels, bioethanol, and N-butanol are at the frontier of the development of SB-derived products. Synthetic biology is a dynamic interdisciplinary field in environmentally friendly bioenergy production pushed by growing social concerns and the emergent bioeconomy.

Biogeography research is flawed by the poor understanding of microbial distributions due to the lack of a systematic research framework, especially regarding appropriate study units. By combining pure culture and molecular methods, we studied the biogeographic patterns of nematode-trapping fungi by collecting and analysing 2,250 specimens from 228 sites in Yunnan Province, China. We found typical watershed patterns at the species and genetic levels of nematode-trapping fungi. The results showed that microbial biogeography could be better understood by 1) using watersheds as research units, 2) removing the coverup of widespread species, and 3) applying good sampling efforts and strategies. We suggest that watersheds could help unify the understanding of the biogeographic patterns of animals, plants, and microbes and may also help account for the historical and contemporary factors driving species distributions.

The microbial colonisers of plastics – the ‘plastisphere’ – can affect all interactions that plastics have with their surrounding environments. While only specifically characterised within the last 10 years, at the beginning of 2021 there were 140 primary research and 65 review articles that investigate at least one aspect of the plastisphere. We gathered information on the locations and methodologies used by each of the primary research articles, highlighting several aspects of plastisphere research that remain understudied: (i) the non-bacterial plastisphere constituents; (ii) the mechanisms used to degrade plastics by marine isolates or communities; (iii) the capacity for plastisphere members to be pathogenic or carry antimicrobial resistance genes; and (iv) meta-OMIC characterisations of the plastisphere. We have also summarised the topics covered by the existing plastisphere review articles, identifying areas that have received less attention to date – most of which are in line with the areas that have fewer primary research articles. Therefore, in addition to providing an overview of some fundamental topics such as biodegradation and community assembly, we discuss the importance of eukaryotes in shaping the plastisphere, potential pathogens carried by plastics and the impact of the plastisphere on plastic transport and biogeochemical cycling. Finally, we summarise the future directions suggested by the reviews that we have evaluated and suggest other key research questions.

Quorum sensing (QS) describes a process by which bacteria can sense the local cell density of their own species, thus enabling them to coordinate gene expression and physiological processes on a community-wide scale. Small molecules called autoinducers or QS signals, which act as intraspecies signals, mediate quorum sensing. As our knowledge of QS has progressed, so too has our understanding of the structural diversity of QS signals, along with the diversity of bacteria conducting QS and the range of ecosystems in which QS takes place. It is now also clear that QS signals are more than just intraspecies signals. QS signals mediate interactions between species of prokaryotes, and between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In recent years, our understanding of QS signals as mediators of algae–bacteria interactions has advanced such that we are beginning to develop a mechanistic understanding of their effects. This review will summarize the recent efforts to understand how different classes of QS signals contribute to the interactions between planktonic microalgae and bacteria in our oceans, primarily N-acyl-homoserine lactones, their degradation products tetramic acids, and 2-alkyl-4-quinolones. In particular, this review will discuss the ways in which QS signals alter microalgae growth and metabolism, namely as direct effectors of photosynthesis, regulators of the cell cycle, and as modulators of other algicidal mechanisms. Furthermore, the contribution of QS signals to nutrient acquisition is discussed, and finally how microalgae can modulate these small molecules to dampen their effects.

The study compared the influence of chitosan sources on rumen fermentation, methane emission and milk production in lactating dairy cows fed a glycerin-based diet. Six, lactating Holstein-Frisian crossbreeds (410 ± 5.0 kg BW, 120 ± 21 day-in-milk), were arranged in a 3 x 3 replicated Latin square design. In addition to control, a 2% chitosan extract supplement and a 2% commercial chitosan supplement of dry matter intake were the treatments. The results denoted that no significant differences on daily dry matter, nutrients or estimated energy intake were noted when cows received different sources of chitosan. Nutrient digestibility was not influenced differently by extraction based or commercial chitosan supplements. The pH, temperature, ammonia nitrogen, blood urea and microbial count were similar among treatments. The different sources of chitosan supplements did not change the totals of volatile fatty acids, acetate and butyrate; in contrast, different chitosan sources influenced (P<0.05) propionate content. The ruminal acetate to propionate ratio was markedly (P<0.05) reduced with chitosan supplement, but no change appeared between sources of chitosan. At 4 hours after feeding, the methane estimation significantly decreased with the addition of chitosan supplementation (P<0.05) compared to the control group. The purine derivatives and microbial protein synthesis were not altered by the treatments. No significant differences existed on milk yield, milk composition or milk urea nitrogen when cows received different sources of chitosan (P>0.05). In sum, supplementing extracted chitosan showed more potential than did commercial chitosan for enhancing economic efficiency and recycling shrimp residues, therefore, reducing environmental waste.

Over the past 150 million years, the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert has been transformed by geologic and atmospheric conditions into one of the most unique and inhospitable landscapes on the planet. This makes it an ideal Mars analog that has been explored for decades as preliminary studies on the space life discovery. However, two heavy rainfalls that occurred in the Atacama in 2015 and 2017 provide a unique opportunity to study the response of resident extremophiles to rapid environmental change associated with excessive water and salt shock. Here we combine geochemical analyses with molecular biology to study the variations in salts and microbial communities along an aridity gradient, and to examine the reshuffling of hyperarid microbiomes before and after the two rainfall events. Analysis of microbial community composition revealed that soils within the southern desert were consistently dominated by Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Verrucomicrobia; soils within the hyperarid sites were dominated by Aquificae and Deinococcus-Thermus before heavy rainfalls, while these organisms almost totally diminished after rainfall, and the hyperarid microbial consortia and metabolisms transformed to a more southern desert pattern along with increased biodiversity. Salts at the shallow subsurface were dissolved and leached down to a deeper layer, both benefitting and challenging indigenous microorganisms with the excessive input of water and ions. Microbial viability was found to change with aridity and rainfall events but correlated with elevation, pH, conductivity, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and soil organic matters (SOM). Metagenomic functional pathways related to stressor responses also increased in post-rainfall hyperarid soils. Our findings contribute to the primary goal of Atacama Mars analog research for understanding the microbial community structure and adaptations: this study sheds light on the structure of xerophilic, halophilic, and radioresistant microbiomes in hyperarid environments, and their response to changes in water availability.

used traditional microbial starters revealed that effective fermentation requires three microbial strains with complementary metabolic activities: filamentous fungi (Rhizopus oryzae), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), and lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum). Relative to natural communities, modulation of the ratio of these three microorganisms led to significant differences not only in terms of ethanol and organic acid production, but also with the profile of volatile compounds. However, inoculation of an equal ratio of spores/cells of the three aforementioned microbial strains led to a flavor profile and ethanol yield similar to that obtained with natural communities. Compartmentalization of metabolic tasks through the use of a biofilm cultivation device allowed further improvement of the entire fermentation process, notably by increasing the amount of key components of the aroma profile of the fermented beverage (i.e., mainly phenylethyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, and 2-methyl-butanol) and reducing the amount of off-flavor compound. This study represents an initial step toward understanding interkingdom microbial interactions with a strong potential for application in the food biotechnology.

Milling and mining metal ores are major sources of heavy metal contamination. The Spring River and its tributaries in southeast Kansas are contaminated with Pb, Zn, and Cd as a result of 120 years of mining activities. Trace metal transformations and cycling in mine waste materials greatly influence their mobility and toxicity and affect plant productivity and human health. It has been hypothesized that under reduced conditions in sulfate-rich environments, these metals can be transformed into their sulfide forms, thus limiting mobility and toxicity. We studied biogeochemical transformations of Pb, Zn and Cd in flooded subsurface mine waste materials, natural or treated with organic carbon (OC) and/or sulfur (S), by combining advanced microbiological and X-ray spectroscopic techniques to determine the effects of treatments on the microbial community structure and identify the dominant functional genes involved in the biogeochemical transformations, especially metal sulfide formation over time. Samples collected from medium-, and long-term submerged columns were used for microarray analysis via functional gene array (GeoChip 4.2). The total number of detected gene abundance decreased under long-term submergence, but major functional genes abundance was enhanced with OC plus S treatment. The microbial community exhibited a substantial change in structure in response to OC and S addition. Sulfur-reducing bacteria genes dsrA/B were identified as key players in metal sulfide formation via dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Uniqueness of this study is that microbial analyses presented here in details are in agreements with molecular-scale synchrotron-based X-ray data supporting that OC-plus-S treatment would be a promising strategy for reducing metal toxicity in mine waste materials.

Medical implants made of biodegradable materials could be of advantage for temporary applications such mechanical support during bone-healing or as vascular stents to keep blood vessels open. After completion of the healing process the implant would disappear, avoiding long-term side effects or the need for surgical removal. Various corrodible metal alloys based on magnesium, iron or zinc have been proposed as sturdier and potentially less inflammatory alternative to degradable organic polymers, in particular for load-bearing applications. Despite the recent introduction of magnesium-based screws the remaining hurdles to routine clinical applications are still challenging, such as limiting mechanical material characteristics or unsuitable corrosion characteristics. Here, salient features and clinical prospects of currently investigated biodegradable implant materials are summarized with a main focus on magnesium alloys. A mechanism of action for the stimulation of bone growth due to the exertion of mechanical force by magnesium corrosion products is discussed. To explain divergent in vitro and in vivo effects of magnesium a novel model for bacterial biofilm infections is proposed which predicts crucial consequences antibacterial implant strategies.

The amino acid proline accumulates in plants during abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity and is considered a reliable marker of environmental stress. While its accumulation is well established, its precise role in stress tolerance and its underlying molecular mechanism remain less clear. To address these issues, we performed a meta-analysis - a robust statistical technique that synthesizes results from multiple independent studies while accounting for experimental differences. We focused on 16 physiological and morphological parameters affected by drought and salt stress in transgenic plants expressing proline metabolic genes. For each parameter, we calculated the effect size as the response ratio (RR), which represents the logarithm of the mean value in the transgenic group over the mean value of the control group (lnRR). Under stress, most parameters exhibited significantly higher response ratios in the transgenic group, confirming the beneficial effects of proline during drought and salt stress. Surprisingly, under non-stressed conditions, most stress markers showed no significant differences between transgenic and non-transgenic plants, despite elevated proline levels in the former. These results suggest that the benefits of proline may be related to proline catabolism or may only become apparent during stress, possibly due to interactions with reactive oxygen species (ROS), which accumulate predominantly under stress conditions.

There is a growing trend among consumers to seek out natural foods and products with natural ingredients. This shift in consumer preferences had a direct impact on both food and pharmaceutical industries, leading to a focus of scientific research and commercial efforts to meet these new demands. The aim of this work is to review recent available scientific data on foods of interest, such as artichoke, gooseberry, and polygonoideae plants, as well as olive oil and red raspberries. Interestingly, the urgency of solutions to the climate change emergency has brought new attention to by-products of grapevine bunch stem and cane, which have been found to contain bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. There is a pressing need for a faster process of translating scientific knowledge from the laboratory to real-world applications, especially in the face of the increasing societal burden associated to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), environmental crises, the post-pandemic world, and ongoing violent conflicts around the world.

The whitefly leads extensive damage to plants through direct feeding, honeydew secretion, plant physiological disorders, and vectoring plant viruses. This study aimed to evaluate the physiological characteristics of susceptible and resistant soybean cultivars to B. tabaci. The experiments were conducted in a greenhouse. Eleven soybean cultivars were selected and infested with 100 adults of B. tabaci at the V3 stage. The evaluation of photosynthetic parameters, such as photosynthetic rate, leaf transpiration, stomatal conductance, and internal CO2 concentration, revealed that B. tabaci infestation influenced gas exchange in soybean plants. The photosynthetic rate was higher in cultivars AS3810 and M8349 during the V6 stage. Infestations led to alterations in photosynthetic parameters, suggesting increased energy demand to maintain photosynthetic activity. However, the response to infestation varied among different cultivars, indicating varying levels of resistance and tolerance to the whitefly's damage. Additionally, the impact of infestation was more significant during the vegetative phenological. In conclusion, B. tabaci infestation affects soybean plants' physiology, leading to changes in gas exchange parameters and water use efficiency. The response to infestation varied among soybean cultivars, suggesting potential differences in resistance to the pest. The study highlights the importance of evaluating the physiological impact of whitefly infestations on soybean.

Nuclear fusion is essential for the sexual reproduction of various organisms, including plants, animals, and fungi. During the life cycle of flowering plants, nuclear fusion occurs three times: once during female gametogenesis and twice during double fertilization, when two sperm cells fertilize the egg and the central cell. Haploid nuclei migrate in an actin filament-dependent manner to become in close contact, then two nuclei fuse. The nuclear fusion process in plant reproduction is achieved by the sequential nuclear membrane fusion events. Recent molecular genetic analyses using Arabidopsis thaliana showed the conservation of nuclear membrane fusion machinery between plants and the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These include the heat shock protein 70 in the endoplasmic reticulum and conserved nuclear membrane proteins. Analyses of A. thaliana mutants of these components show that completion of the sperm nuclear fusion at fertilization is essential for proper embryo and endosperm development.

In order to reduce the environmental damage caused by coal waste landfills, it is necessary to look for rational ways of their management. One of the methods of their development may be the creation of soil-like substrates. The aim of the study was to assess the properties of soil-like substrates from coal mining waste with a varied share of sewage sludge and waste mineral wool. The evaluation of the properties of the substrates was carried out in a pot experiment. The properties of the substrates and their yield potential were determined. Coal mining waste as a substrate, compared to anthropogenic soil, was characterized by: significantly higher sorption capacity, content of alkaline cations and pH, significantly higher content of organic carbon, nitrogen and assimilable forms of K and Mg, and lower content of assimilable P. The substrates enriched with sewage sludge showed: significant increase in the content of organic carbon, nitrogen and assimilable forms of P and Mg, optimization of sorption properties. Extending the composition of substrates with mineral wool resulted in further improvement of their properties. Yields of plants grown on coal mining waste were significantly lower than on anthropogenic soil. Substrates with sewage sludge and mineral wool had a significantly higher yield potential.

In the research, we studied the typical functional plant traits and life forms of plants that colonize forest gaps. In the research, we analysed functional plant traits of plant species growing on five forest gaps in the Dinaric fir-beech forest in Slovenia. The forest gaps were created as a result of natural disturbances. We selected 18 functional plant traits, whose values were obtained from the BiolFlor database. With the help of the JUICE program, we calculated the frequency of its occurrence on individual forest gap for each functional plant trait. Then we calculated Sperman's correlation coefficient at p&lt;0.05, between the occurrence of individual functional plant traits and single forest gap. We found out that forest gaps are mainly colonized by perennials and herbaceous perennials and hamephytes. These are plant species that begin to flower in June and July, bloom for two or three months and are pollinated by insects, mainly hover flys and wild bees. Characteristic of colonizing plant species is also that, in addition to reproducing by seeds and spores, they also reproduce vegetatively. Besides that, birds and forest mammals are the vectors of fruit and seed dispersal of colonizing plant species.

Successful management of the synthesis of secondary metabolites of essential oil plants is the basis for the economic growth of the essential oil industry. Against the backdrop of a growing global population and a decrease in land available for cultivation, simple and effective ways to increase the content of certain components in essential oils are becoming increasingly important. Selection is no longer keeping pace with market needs, which stimulates the search for faster methods to control the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. In this article, using the genus Lavandula as an example, we will consider the prospects for use of antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), oligoilators, to rapidly increase the concentration of valuable components in essential oil. This article discusses the use of unmodified ASOs as regulators of plant secondary metabolism to increase the synthesis of individual valuable components, presenting a completely new way to increase the yield of valuable substances based on unique nucleotide sequences. The proposed approach is effective, affordable, safe, and also significantly reduces the time needed to obtain plants that synthesize the required concentrations of target substances. Oligoilators can the used along with oligonucleotide insecticides in complex formulations used for green agriculture. Further investigation is needed to determine maximum economic efficiency of this approach.

Numerous new technologies have been implemented in image analysis methods that help researchers withdraw scientific conclusions from biological phenomena. Plants of the family Lemnaceae (duckweeds) are the smallest flowering plants in the world, and biometric measurements of single plants and their growth rate are highly challenging. Although the use of software for digital image analysis has changed the way scientists extract phenomenological data (also for studies on duckweeds), the procedure is often not wholly automated and sometimes relies on the intervention of a human operator. Such a constraint can limit the objectivity of the measurements and generally slows down the time required to produce scientific data. Here is the need to implement image analysis software with artificial intelligence that can substitute the human operator. In this paper, we present a new method to study the growth rates of the plants of the Lemnaceae family based on the application of machine learning procedures to digital image analysis. The method is compared to existing analogical and computer-operated procedures. Results showed that our method drastically reduces the time consumption of the human operator while retaining a high correlation in the growth rates measured with other procedures As expected, machine learning methods applied to digital image analysis can overtake the constraints of measuring growth rates of very small plants and might help duckweeds gain worldwide attention thanks to their great nutritional qualities and biological plasticity.

The rapid industrial growth in solar energy is gaining increasing interest in renewable power from smart grids and plants. Anomaly detection in photovoltaic (PV) systems is a demanding task. In this sense, it is vital to utilize recent advances in machine learning to accurately and timely detect different anomalies and condition monitoring. This paper addresses this issue by evaluating different machine learning techniques and schemes and showing how to apply these approaches to solve anomaly detection and detect faults on photovoltaic components. For this, we apply distinct state-of-the-art machine learning techniques (AutoEncoder Long Short-Term Memory (AE-LSTM), Facebook-Prophet, and Isolation Forest) to detect faults/anomalies and evaluate their performance. These models shall identify the PV system's healthy and abnormal actual behaviors. Our results provide clear insights to make an informed decision, especially with experimental trade-offs for such complex solution space.

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the roles that microbes may be playing in the rootzone of the medicinal plant Datura inoxia. We hypothesized that rhizospheric and endophytic microbes would be found that were capable of performing the same secondary metabolic functions of the plant rootzone they inhabited. We also hypothesized that the microbial functions would be co-operative with and supportive to plant secondary metabolite production, for example, by providing precursors to important plant bioactive molecules. The methods employed were mi-crobial barcoding, tests of essential oils against antibiotic resistant bacteria and other soil bacterial isolates, 16S Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) metabarcoding, and Whole Genome Shotgun (WGS) taxonomic and functional. A few of the main bacterial genera of interest that were dis-covered in the Datura root microbiome were Flavobacterium, Chitinophaga, Pseudomonas, Strepto-myces, Rhizobium, and Bacillus. In the context of known interactions, and current results, plants and microbes influence the flavonoid biosynthetic pathways of one other, in terms of the regulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway. This is important because these compounds are phyto-protective antioxidants and are precursors to many aromatic bioactive compounds that are relevant to human health. There was strong evidence to support the notion that synergistic production of plant de-rived secondary metabolites by microbes occurred, as well as the ability for the compounds to enter plant cells. There are possible biopharmaceutical and agricultural applications of the natural interplay that was discovered during this study of the Datura inoxia rhizosphere.

This review article seeks to provide relevant information about the applicability of cell-based assays in assessing cytotoxicity of phytochemicals in light of several traditional methods available. Phenolic compounds and other phytochemicals are significant resources for drug discovery and development, thus underlining the enormous potentials of plant-derived natural products for the prevention and management of oxidative stress associated with cancer and other diseases. These effects have been linked to the content of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds and their antioxidant properties. The abundance and complexity of these bio-constituents highlight the need for well-defined methods for the in vitro characterization and quantification of extracts and/or preparations that can translate to in vivo effects. Cell culture systems provide a useful model for basic research and a wide range of clinical in vitro studies and physiological processes as well as assessing the toxicity and therapeutic potential of compounds including plant extracts with potential medicinal benefits. Their use in cancer research provide a useful insight into possible therapeutic properties of phytochemicals at the cellular level. This approach has been instrumental in the initial stages of developing chemotherapeutic agents where human cancer cell lines are used as experimental models. These models have continued to contribute to elucidating specific requirements for certain biochemical events associated with proliferation, metabolism, loss of cell viability/apoptosis. Cell culture systems remain a promising tool in natural product development.

Pteridophytes, represented by ferns and allies, are an important phytogenetic bridge between lower and higher plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms). Ferns have evolved independently of any other species in the plant kingdom being its secondary metabolism a reservoir of phytoconstituents characteristic of this taxon. The study of the possible medicinal uses of Polypodium vulgare L. (Polypodiaceae), PV, has increased particularly when in 2008 the European Medicines Agency published a monograph about the rhizome of this species. Thus, our objective is to provide scientific knowledge on the methanolic extract from the fronds of P. vulgare L., one of the main ferns described in the Prades Mountains, to contribute to the validation of certain traditional uses. Specifically, we have characterized the methanolic extract of PV fronds (PVM) by HPLC-DAD and investigated its potential cytotoxicity, phototoxicity, ROS production and protective effects against oxidative stress by using in vitro methods. Our results show that PVM is not cytotoxic against the different cell lines assessed, but we found potential cytoprotective and cellular repair activity in 3T3 fibroblast cells. This biological activity could be attributed to the high content of polyphenolic compounds; thus, this extract is positioned as a potential candidate for pharmaceutical uses.

Many studies have found that future predicted CO2 levels (< 800 ppm) can increase plant mass but dilute N content in leaves, impacting antiherbivore compounds. Nitrogen-fixing plants may balance leaf C:N ratio under elevated CO2, counteracting this dilution effect. The aim of this study was to look at how nitrogen-fixing plants grow and respond to herbivore damage at different CO2 levels. Alnus incana ssp. rugosa was grown at 400, 800, or 1600 ppm CO2 in soil collected from the field, inoculated with Frankia and exposed to herbivores (Orgyia leucostigma). Elevated CO2 increased nodulated plant biomass and stimulated the nitrogen fixation rate in the early growth stage. However, nitrogen-fixing plants were not able to balance the C:N ratio under elevated CO2 after grown 19 weeks. When plant were grown at 400 and 1600 ppm CO2, herbivores preferred to feed on leaves of nodulated plants. At 800 ppm CO2, nodulated plants accumulated more total phenolic compounds in response to herbivore damage than plants in the non-Frankia and non-herbivore treatments. Our results suggest that plant leaf defence, not leaf nutritional content, is the dominant driver of herbivory and nitrogen fixing plants have limited ability to balance C:N ratios at elevated CO2 in natural soil.

The alien invasive insect pest Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), commonly referred to as Fall Armyworm (FAW), is a polyphagous insect feeding on more than 350 host plants in addition to maize in its native habitat. Due to the voracious nature of FAW, significant yield losses on maize production were reported across the African continent since its detection in 2016. Despite being a polyphagous insect, little is known about its alternative host plants in the new habitat including Mozambique. This study aimed to assess the host range of FAW in the central province of Manica, Mozambique. A field survey was conducted from May to August 2019 (dry season of 2018/2019 cropping season) and in December 2019 and January 2020 (rainy season of 2019/2020 cropping season) in maize fields and crops often mixed with maize or located in the vicinity of maize fields. A total of 1291 fields were surveyed. In each field, 20 plants were selected in a “W” pattern and checked for the presence of FAW egg masses and/or larvae. At the time of the sampling, no evidence was found suggesting that in Manica province FAW feeds in crops other than maize because out of 35 different crops surveyed, FAW was only recorded on maize. Results from this study suggest that the strain of FAW occurring in Manica province might be the one specialized in maize or the continuous availability of maize fields throughout the year is influencing the choices of the host plants of this invasive insect pest.

The tribal belt of Pakistan-the Pak-Afghan border region is famous for its unique culture, ethnography and wild food plants and traditional knowledge. People of these regions gather wild plants for number of purposes including plants or plant parts for direct use, use it in the traditional cuisines and selling in local markets. However, there is huge lack of documentation of food system particularly the Wild Food Plants (WFPs). In current study we have focused on the uses and contributions of the WFPs in the tribal traditional food system. The ethnobotanical data were gathered through questionnaire surveys with Eighty-four informants 69 men and 15 women belonging to 21 different villages. We documented Sixty-three WFP species belonging to 34 botanical families, of which 27 were used as vegetables, 24 as fruits, 6 in different kinds of chutneys (starters) formation and six as fresh food species. Fruits were the mostly used part (40%) followed by leaves (24%), aerial parts (24%), seeds (7%), stem (3%), legume (2%) and young inflorescence (1%). Use of Carthamus oxycanthus & Pinus roxburghii seeds and Marsillea quadrifolia leaves were the novel reports for the gastronomy of Pakistan. The results elucidate that WFPs have a significant contribution in the Tribal Food Systems. Tribal people use WFPs not only due to their nutritional importance but also as a cultural practice - an inseparable component of the tribal communities. This important traditional Knowledge about the consumption of WFPs has been eroding with an alarming speed among the younger generations due to introduction of fast food chains, modernization, and globalization. Therefore, appropriates strategies are imperative not only to safeguard traditional knowledge but also the cultural heritage, food security and hence public healthcare via food supplement in the region.

Pakistan is an important country located in South Asia and ranks the world's sixth most populous country. It has diverse landscapes with their own specific vegetation. The country specific vegetative diversity has a great ecological and economic impact on the conservation of local fauna. It has huge potential for sustainable beekeeping industry if properly exploited. Beekeeping in Pakistan is mainly focused in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and central and north regions of Punjab provinces but nowadays it is growing rapidly across the country. Honey produced in Pakistan enjoys good repute in the Middle East due to its unique taste and quality. Pakistan exports around 4000 tons of the honey with the worth of about $ 23.00 million to Arab countries every year.

Coal-fired thermal plants (CTPP) are known to pollute the atmosphere with emission of many greenhouse gases and particulate matter. The power generation from these thermal plants cannot be stopped completely because it forms the backbone of the grid power supply. It is necessary to study the dispersion patterns of pollutants that affect the health of the people. The dispersion patterns are location specific since they depend on local meteorological conditions. In this study, the dispersion of particulate matter (PM) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) from a CTPP with 275 m high stack are studied under different atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) of neutral, stable and unstable conditions up to a distance of 30 km from the stack. The plume of the PM spreads under all conditions. During some parts of the day, PM settles around the stack while at other times PM keeps suspending in the air for the full distance under study. Sulphur dioxide dilutes to concentrations below the detection limits in about 12-13 km from the stack for neutral and unstable ABL whereas for the stable ABL, the dispersion is up to 30 km. The 24 h weighted average concentration of sulphur dioxide, at 10 m height from the ground, is 14.2 mg/m³ at a distance of 25 kms from the CTPP, which is comparable with the value of 9.2 mg/m³ measured at the Air Quality Stations located around the same distance. Based on the results policy changes that need to be implemented are suggested.

This study had the objective to evaluate the effect of Piper betle L. powder (PP) at 5 different doses in substrate incubated by sunflower oil as secondary function of PUFA using in vitro gas production technique. The treatments of this study were run as a 2X5 factorial arrangement in a completely randomised design using the PROC GLM procedure of SAS 9.4: (1) control (S1) without supplementation of PP; (2) 15 mg PP (S2); (3) 30 mg PP (S3); (4) 45 mg PP (S4); and (5) 60 mg PP (S5), while sunflower oil was supplemented in all treatments: low 15 mg/incubation and high 30 mg/incubation. A 500 mg of TMR (hay: concentrate, 50:50) was assigned to basal substrate. The PP containing 1.84 mg/g DM quercetin and 1.00 mg/g DM eugenol altered rumen fermentation without change pH (p < 0.001) and methane production was lesser (p < 0.001) about -30% and -25% for DM and OM measurement, respectively. Gas kinetic, degradability, and ammonia level was significantly affected by supplementing PP (p < 0.01). Overall, this study suggested quercetin and eugenol deriving from PP acted three major accelerations: assembled carbon dioxide, behaved antimicrobial role and performed the balance water molecules in the rumen kinetic. This study suggests that PP promotes changing in vitro rumen fermentation and diminishing methane production within recommended doses, 0.1-15 mg/incubation in DM.

While the demand in reduction of CO₂ increases, the need for CO₂ sequestration processes is very high. One promising technology is the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). In this paper we refer to several papers which study the three main steps in CCS chain. CO₂ capture technologies, CO₂ transportation to the storage sites and the very critical step the CO₂ storage. Recently a novel method (mineral carbonation) for CO₂ sequestration has been proposed which is based in the reaction of CO₂ with calcium or magnesium oxides or hydroxides to form stable carbonate materials. Greece is a country that emits CO₂ mainly from the lignite fired power plant in Western Greece. After the study of the bibliographic references about the use of mineral carbonation process while injecting CO₂ in the appropriate geological forms we concluded that there are also these forms in our country and mainly in the area near to the power plant such as in sites Vourinos and Pindos. In these sites exist minerals rich in oxides and hydroxides of Ca, Mg and Fe representing the perfect materials for mineral carbonation.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a recurring global problem, which constantly demands new antimicrobial compounds to challenge the resistance. It is well known that essential oils (EOs) have been known for biological activities including antimicrobial properties. In this study, EOs from seven aromatic plants of Asir region of southwestern Saudi Arabia were tested for their antimicrobial efficacy against four drug resistant pathogenic bacterial isolates (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus typhimurium) and one fungal isolate (Candida albicans). Chemical compositions of EOs were determined by Gas chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The results revealed that EOs from Mentha cervina, Ocimum basilicum and Origanum vulgare proved most active against all isolates with inhibitory zone range between17 to 45 mm. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.025mg/ml was observed for Staph. aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes with EO of Origanum vulgare. All the three EOs showed significant anti candida activity. Together form the results the EOs from Mentha cervina, Ocimum basilicum and Origanum vulgare demonstrated a significant antimicrobial efficacy against drug resistant microorganisms.

With the development of hyperspectral technology, to establish an effective spectral data compressive reconstruction method that can improving data storage, transmission and maintaining spectral information is critical for quantitative remote sensing research and application in vegetation. By introducing the idea of compressive sensing in compressed reconstruction, the spectral adaptive grouping distributed compressive sensing algorithm is proposed, which enables a distributed compressed sensing reconstruction of plant hyperspectral data. The experimental results showed that comparing with orthogonal matching pursuit(OMP) and gradient projection reconstruction(GPSR), the proposed algorithm can significantly improve the visual effect of image reconstruction in the spatial domain. The PSNR in low sampling rate(sampling rate is lower than 0.2) increases by 13.72dB than OMP and 1.66dB than GPSR. In the spectral domain, the average normalized root mean square error、the mean absolute percentage error and the mean absolute error of the proposed algorithm is35.38%，31.83% and 33.33% lower than GPSR respectively.. Therefore, the proposed algorithm can achieve relatively high reconstructed efficiency.

The wide metabolic diversity of microalgae, their fast growth rates, and cost-effective production make these organisms highly promising resources for a variety of biotechnological applications, addressing critical needs in industry, agriculture, and medicine. The utilization of microalgae in consortia with bacteria is proving to be valuable in different biotechnological fields, including treating various types of wastewaters, producing biofertilizers, and extracting various products from their biomass. Monoculture of the microalgae Chlamydomonas has been a prominent research model for many years, extensively utilized in studying photosynthesis, sulfur and phosphorus metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, respiration, and flagella synthesis, among others. Recent re-search has increasingly recognized the potential of Chlamydomonas-bacteria consortia as a bio-technological tool for various applications. Bioremediation of wastewater using Chlamydomonas, and its bacterial consortia presents significant potential for the sustainable reduction of contam-inants, while also facilitating resource recovery and valorization of microalgal biomass. Using Chlamydomonas and its bacterial consortia as biofertilizers can offers several benefits, such as en-hancing crop yield, protecting crops, maintaining soil fertility and stability, aiding in CO2 miti-gation, and contributing to sustainable agriculture practices. Chlamydomonas-bacterial consortia play a significant role in the production of high-value products, particularly in biofuel and en-hancing H2 production. This review aims to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the po-tential of Chlamydomonas monoculture and its bacterial consortia, identifying current applications, and proposing new research and development directions to maximize its potential.

The Mexican Central Pacific (MCP) has discontinuous coral ecosystems with different protection and anthropogenic disturbance. Characterizing the bacterial assemblage associated with the sea urchin Toxopneustes roseus and its relationship with environmental variables will contribute to understanding the species’ physiology and ecology. We collected sea urchins from coral ecosystems at six sites in the MCP during the summer and winter for two consecutive years. The spatial scale represented the most important variation in the T. roseus bacteriome, particularly because of Isla Isabel National Park (PNII). Likewise, spatial differences correlated with habitat structure variables, mainly the sponge and live coral cover. The PNII exhibited a highly diverse bacterial assemblages compared to other sites, characterized by families associated with diseases and environmental stress (Saprospiraceae, Flammeovirgaceae, and Xanthobacteraceae). The remaining five sites presented a constant spatio-temporal pattern, where the predominance of Campylobacteraceae and Helicobacteraceae families were key to T. roseus’ holobiont. However, the dominance of certain bacterial families in the second analyzed year, such as Enterobacteriaceae, suggests that Punto B, and Islas e islotes de Bahía Chamela Sanctuary, were exposed to sewage contamination. Overall, our results improve the understanding of host-associated bacterial assemblage in specific time and space and its relationship with the environmental condition.

The long-term use of fertilizers and pesticides in conventional cultivation has resulted in a decrease in soil productivity and vegetable yields in greenhouses. However, only a limited number of studies have explored the impacts of organic cultivation on greenhouse soil. Specifically, there is a scarcity of research examining the alterations in soil aggregate mediated organic carbon and microbial communities, which are known to enhance soil productivity. This study investigated the properties of soil aggregates, including the levels of organic carbon fractions, microbial community, and enzyme activity with the three aggregate classes microaggregates (&lt;0.25 mm), small macroaggregates (2-0.25 mm) and large macroaggregates (&gt;2 mm). These investigations were conducted under three different cultivation methods in a greenhouse: conventional cultivation (CC), integrated cultivation (IC), and organic cultivation (OC) in greenhouse. The results showed that (1) OC and IC promoted the formation of small macro-aggregates and enhanced aggregate stability compared to CC, (2) SOC in the three size fractions of OC increased by 98.99%-92.06% compared to CC; EOC increased by 98.47%-117.59%; POC increased by 138.59%-208.70%; MBC increased by 104.71%-230.61%; DOC increased by 21.93%-40.90%, respectively; (3) Organic cultivation significantly increased enzyme activity in all three particle size aggregates and increased the relative abundance of bacteria in micro-aggregates as well as the relative abundance of fungi in small macro-aggregates. Structural equation model (SEM) analysis revealed that organic farming practices fostered the development of smaller macro-aggregates, elevated microbial and enzyme activities within soil aggregates, and facilitated the conversion of soil nutrients and carbon sequestration. consequently, this led to an increase in soil organic carbon content and improved vegetable yield in greenhouse environments. In conclusion, the soil carbon content and vegetable yield are enhanced through long-term organic cultivation in greenhouses, primarily by increasing the proportion of small macro-aggregates.

Metabarcoding of prokaryotic and fungal ribosomal DNA was used to describe the microbial communities in soils of remnant equatorial rainforest, maize-bean intercrop, and sugarcane in western Kenya. Cropping systems influenced the microbial community composition and functional traits (energy source and nutrient cycling) of bulk soil in each crop. Microbial richness and diversity tended to increase with cultivation intensity. Soil of maize-bean intercrop had lower percentages and sugarcane had higher percentages of unique amplicon sequence variants of both bacteria and fungi compared to the remnant forest. Functional traits were altered by cultivation intensity. Compared to remnant forest soils, maize-bean intercrop soil had lower percentages of aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria and higher percentages of N-cycling bacteria, while sugarcane had higher percentages of aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria and lower percentages of N-cycling bacteria. In the face of increasing forest loss and pressures for agricultural productivity, this landscape provides a rich site for studying the impacts of cropping systems on soil health.

Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese medicine, and saponins are its main active ingredients. The content of saponins in flower of P. notoginseng is the highest in the whole plant. Minor ginsenosides have stronger pharmacological activity than main ginsenosides, but its content in nature is very low. We can use extracted total saponins from P. notoginseng flower as the substrate to produce minor ginsenosides by biotransformation method. In this study, we used the fungus Talaromyces flavus and its crude enzymes to transform the extracted total saponins of P. notoginseng flower. Through the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the transformation substrates and products, it was found that minor ginsenosides Gyp-XVII, ginsenosides C-Mc1, C-Mx1, F2, Rg3, 20(R)-Rg3, Rk1 and Rg5 were found in the products and the conversion rate of the major saponins in P. notoginseng flower ranged from 44.16 to 55.22%, the yields of the minor ginsenosides ranged from 0.05 to 3.24%. This study provided a good experimental idea, greatly increased the utilization rate of total saponins in P. notoginseng flower, and laid a foundation for promoting the wide application of minor saponins.

The interaction between native and invasive plant species plays a crucial role in understanding invasion mechanisms and developing control strategies. This study investigated the differences in photosynthetic and fluorescence parameters, gene expression profiles, and rhizosphere soil microbial composition between the native species Ficus tikoua Bur. and the invasive species Alternanthera philoxeroides. For the first time, it was demonstrated that that F. tikoua Bur. may enhance photoinhibition ability and the expression of genes involved in carbon metabolism, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, and plant-pathogen interactions to maintain growth. Additionally, it recruits beneficial microbes, e.g. Actinomarina (Bacteria), Nitrosotenuis (Archaea) and Laccaria (fungi), to suppress pathogens, thereby preserving soil DMSP and carbon cycling pathways to resist invasion by A. philoxeroides. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying plant invasion and suggest potential strategies for invasive plant management. Further research is needed to investigate this relationship and determine the mechanisms underlying the potential resistance of F. tikoua Bur. to plant invasion.

Purpose: The study investigates soil pores' impact on carbon dynamics and sequestration processes, examining their physical and chemical characteristics and their mechanisms for carbon sequestration.Research Method: Existing literature and research on soil pores, carbon dynamics, and carbon sequestration are analyzed. The interrelationships between soil pore structure, water movement, microbial activity, root penetration, carbon input, soil aggregation, and gas exchange are examined. Traditional techniques and advanced imaging methods are used to quantify and characterize soil pores.Findings: Soil pores play a critical role in facilitating carbon sequestration through various mechanisms. They affect water movement, microbial activity, root penetration, carbon input, soil aggregation, and gas exchange. Understanding these relationships is crucial for sustainable soil management.Research Limitations: This study relies on existing literature and research, which may have limitations and uncertainties. Further research is needed to address these gaps and enhance understanding.Originality Value: This research enhances the existing knowledge by comprehensively examining the significance of soil pores in carbon dynamics and sequestration. It incorporates both traditional and advanced methods, providing insights for soil management and contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.

Abstract: Assessing infection by a parasite, such as Haemonchus contortus, requires time and experienced personnel. Field-based diagnostics using metagenomic species-specific targeting methods would be beneficial. Here, we examine two helminth control methods, zoledronic acid (ZA), an activator of γ δ T cells, and a neutralizing antibody (AB) against γ δ T cells. We conducted a randomized complete block designed investigation for the effects of Haemonchus contortus (Hc) infection on Alpine wethers (young castrated male goats) to identify if metagenomic methods will provide strong evidence for diagnostics. Different tissues were collected from wethers and the microbiome compositions were identified. The relative proportion of microbial community members in the environments; the richness of the microbial community; and the evenness of distribution in microbial community members were determined. It was hypothesized that numerous parameters that include many data points will provide a more precise means to identify infection or health based on similarity to uninfected control data parameters. We found that samples did not sequence well, when multiplexed with high concentration libraries, giving taxonomic numbers that had residual and unmeasured confounding bias related to analysis or selection that define significance of OTUs in the tissue samples at the phylum or species level.

Chicken collagen is a promising raw material source to produce gelatins and hydrolysates. Gelatins and hydrolysates can be prepared biotechnologically using proteolytic enzymes produced by submerged fermentation of genetically modified microorganisms. By choosing the appropriate process conditions, such changes can be achieved at the molecular level of collagen, making it possible to prepare products with targeted properties for advanced cosmetic, pharmaceutical, medical or food applications. The research aims to investigate: i) antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS) in model samples of chicken collagen products (gelatin and hydrolysates); ii) distribution of molecular weights by the GPC-RID analysis method; iii) functional groups and configuration of polypeptide chains related to molecular level properties using FTIR; iv) the microbiological properties on SDA, PCA, TSA and VRBL microbial populations using MALDI method. Antioxidant activity towards ABTS radicals of more than 80% was found for all samples. The molecular weights of all gelatin samples showed typical α- and β-chains. FTIR analysis confirmed that the samples showed all typical vibrational regions for collagen cleavage products, Amide A and B, Amide I, II, and III at characteristic values. Microbiological analysis of the prepared samples showed no undesirable bacteria that would limit advanced applications of the prepared products. Gelatins and hydrolysates from chicken stomachs represent a promising alternative to products made from standard collagen tissues of terrestrial animals.

Despite the extensive research conducted on ruminal methanogens and anti-methanogenic intervention strategies over the last 50 years, most of the currently researched enteric CH4 abatement approaches have shown limited efficacy. This is largely because of the complex nature of animal production and the ruminal environment, host genetic variability of CH4 production, and an incomplete understanding of the role of the ruminal microbiome in enteric CH4 emissions. Recent sequencing-based studies suggest the presence of methanogenic archaea in extra-gastrointestinal tract tissues, including respiratory and reproductive tracts of cattle. While these sequencing data require further verification by culture-dependent methods, the consistent identification of methanogens with relatively greater frequency in the airway and urogenital tract of cattle plus increasing appreciation of the microbiome-gut-organ axis highlight the potential interactions between ruminal and extra-gastrointestinal methanogenic communities. Thus, a traditional singular focus on ruminal methanogens may not be sufficient, and a holistic approach which takes into consideration of the transfer of methanogens between ruminal, extra-gastrointestinal, and environmental microbial communities is of necessity to develop more efficient and long-term ruminal CH4 mitigation strategies. In the present review, we provide a holistic survey of the methanogenic archaea present in different anatomical sites of cattle and discuss potential seeding sources of the ruminal methanogens.

Within an amplicon-based metagenomic study of Archaea, Fungi, and Bacteria in Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica, in many of the samples antagonisms between these three super kingdoms were observed under the form of an inversely proportional dependence of the richnesses of the three types of microorganisms. This was quantified - based on the observed numbers of the total tags and the numbers of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs), as well as based on four alpha diversity parameters – the Shannon, the Simpson, the Chao1, and the ACE indices. We found that the most discriminative results in the antagonism measuring were observed in the comparison of the numbers of the OTUs and the ACE community richness estimator. The antagonism between Archaea and Fungi was strongest, followed by that of Archaea and Bacteria. The Fungi-Bacteria antagonism was slightly detectable. Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis also showed a statistically significant negative correlation between the fungal and archaeal effective tags, while the correlation between archaeal and bacterial diversity was positive. Indications of the order of primary microbial succession in barren ecological niches were also observed, demonstrating that Archaea and Bacteria are the pioneers, followed by Fungi which in time would displace Archaea.

In this study, four experimental treatments were evaluated: (T1) alfalfa hay + concentrate, (50:50%, DM); (T2) alfalfa hay + Leucaena leucocephala + concentrate, (30:20:50%, DM); (T3) alfalfa hay + prickly pear + concentrate, (30:20:50%, DM); and (T4) alfalfa hay + Leucaena leucocephala + prickly pear + concentrate, (30:10:10:50%, DM). NH3-N concentrations in T2 and T4 decreased when replaced alfalfa hay in 20 and 10 %, respectively. Treatments did not affect the concentration of total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) between T3 and T4 (p>0.05); while the concentrations among T1 and T2 were different (P<0.05). T2 showed a reduction of 25.5 % in the methane production when compared to T1(p < 0.05).The lowest concentrations of protozoa were observed in T2 and T4, which contained Leucaena leucocephala (T2) and Leucaena leucocephala + prickly pear (T4) (p<0.05). The highest concentration of total methanogens was recorded in T1 and were different to T2, T3 and T4 (p<0.05). Leucaena leucocephala at a inclusion percentage of 20 % decreased the methane when compared to T1; whereas prickly pear there was not a positive effect the methane production.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surface texture and biofilm adhesion of veneered or CAD/CAM milled zirconia (partially stabilized with yttrium) after professional oral hygiene procedures. Samples (4x4 mm, thickness 2 mm; n = 72) were separated from zirconia blanks (3Y-TZP-LA). One group was veenired with ceramics and the other group of samples was CAD/CAM milled. Each group had 2 subgroups: polished and glazed. The samples were subjected to simulated strokes of professional brushing using abrasive paste and ultrasonic scaling. Parameters of surface micromorphology and receptivity to biofilm were calculated before and after simulating the given methods of professional maintenance of oral hygiene. The characteristics of zirconia surface were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Microbial bacterial/fungal species (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus sanguinis and Candida albicans) were used and cultured on the respective sterilized zirconia surfaces. The amount of biofilm formation on zirconia surface was quantified by colony forming unit (CFU) counts. Results: SEM analysis showed the greatest change in surface microtopography after the use of ultrasonic scaling, in glazed zirconia samples. Less formation of colonies on the surface CAD/CAM milled zirconia restorations was observed. Conclusion: Routine methods of professional maintenance of oral hygiene can damage the surface of glazed zirconia restorations.

The addition of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums is a kind of biological measure for vegetation restoration of rock mining areas. Its function is to accelerate soil weathering, improve soil fertility, improve the ability of plants to fix soil. Through understanding the response of plant rhizosphere microbial community to the mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums, it is helpful to popularize the use of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums. However, little is known about the changes of plant rhizosphere soil microbial communities after the addition of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to reveal the pasthways through which different mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums positively affect underground part of R. pseudoacacia. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the responses of rhizosphere soil bacterial and fungal communities in R. pseudoacacia by taking 32 samples from four different mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums treatments. The results showed that the effect of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums on the structure of fungal community was greater than that of bacterial community. But the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was increased, which had a strong positive correlation with root nodulation. In terms of microbial diversity, mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums had a greater effect on the diversity and evenness of bacterial community. It is worth noting that correlation analysis showed that Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia in bacteria and Ascomycota and Zoopagomycota in fungi were positively correlated with soil enzyme activity and plant growth. RDA analysis showed that the relative abundance of these two phyla in bacteria also had positive effects on plant root nodulation. Our results showed that the addition of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums can optimize the rhizosphere soil microbial community structure, promote R. pseudoacacia root nodulation, and enhance the nitrogen fixation capacity of plants. In addition, this study can provide a theoretical basis for the application of mineral-solubilizing microbial inoculums to a wide range of slope ecological restoration.

Field studies were conducted in 2016, 2017, and 2020 in south-central and the Coastal Bend regions of Texas to determine the effects of various biostimulants and soil additives on corn growth and yield. In south-central Texas, the use of pop-up fertilizer (9-30-0 + Zn) either alone or in combination with either 2% N, bifenthrin, or bifenthrin + pyraclostrobin resulted in the greatest corn vigor but a yield response was only noted with pop-up fertilizer alone at 28062 or 46771 ml ha-1 in one year. In the Coastal Bend region, leaf tissue analysis showed that only Fe was affected with the use of any soil additive. Bacillus licheniformis + bacillus megaterium + bacillus pumilus increased Fe leaf tissue content by 20% over the untreated check. Radicoat seed coating at 438 ml ha-1 reduced corn plant stand by 10% and Pseudomonas brassicaceanum reduced corn height when compared with the untreated check; however, no differences in test weight or yield from the untreated check were noted with any soil additive. Little if any impacts of the use of biostimulants or soil amendments were seen in these studies.

Perennial cropping play vital roles in regulating soil carbon sequestration and thus mitigating climate change. However, how perennial cropping affects soil microbial community remains elusive. Using a field investigation, this study was conducted to examine the effects of mugwort cropping along a chronosequence (that is, wheat-maize rotation, 3-year, 6-year, and 20-year mugwort cropping) on soil microbial community in temperate regions of Northern China. The results showed that the highest total, actinomycetes, and fungi PLFAs were found in the 3-year mugwort cropping soils. All PLFAs of microbial groups were lowest in the 20-year mugwort cropping soils. All of the three cropping years of mugwort increased network complexity of soil microbial community. Changes in total nitrogen and phosphorus content as well as the ratio of ammonium nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen could be primarily explain the variations in soil microbial community along the mugwort cropping chronosequence. Our observations highlight the contrasting impacts of soil microbial community to short-term and long-term mugwort cropping compared to conventional rotations and would have critical implications for sustainable agricultural management under perennial cropping in temperate regions.

Among the agricultural practices promoted by the Common Agricultural Policy to increase soil functions, the use of cover crops is a recommended tool to improve the sustainability of Mediter-ranean woody crops such as olive orchards. However, there is a broad range of cover crop ty-pologies in relation to its implementation, control and species composition. In that sense, the in-fluence of different plant species on soil quality indicators in olive orchards remains unknown yet. This study describes the effects of four treatments based on the implementation of different ground covers (CC-NAT, CC-GRA and CC-MIX) and conventional tillage (TILL) on soil erosion, soil physicochemical and biological properties, and soil microbial communities after 8 years of cover crop establishment. Our results have demonstrated that the presence of a temporary cover crop (CC), compared to a soil under tillage (TILL), can reduce soil losses and maintain good soil physicochemical properties and modify greatly the structure and diversity of soil bacterial com-munities and its functioning. The presence of a homogeneous CC of gramineous (Lolium rigidum or Lolilum multiflorum) (CC-GR) for 8 years significantly increased the functional properties of the soil as compared to TILL; although the most significant change was a modification on the bacte-rial community composition that was clearly different from the rest of treatments. On the other hand, the use of a mixture of plant species (CC-MIX) as a CC for only two years although did not modify greatly the structure and diversity of soil bacterial communities compared to the TILL soil, induced significant changes on the functional properties of the soil, and reverted those properties to a level similar to that of an undisturbed soil that had maintained a natural cover of spontaneous vegetation for decades (CC-NAT).

The study of hydrothermal travertines contributes to the understanding of the interaction between physico-chemical processes and the role played by microbial mats and biofilms in influencing carbonate precipitation. Three active travertine sites were investigated in Central Italy to identify the types of carbonate precipitates and the associated microbial mats at varying physico-chemical parameters. Carbonate precipitated fabrics at the decimetre- to millimetre-scale and microbial mats vary with decreasing water temperature: a) at high temperature (55-44°C) calcite or aragonite crystals precipitate on microbial mats of sulphide oxidizing, sulphate reducing and anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria forming filamentous streamer fabrics, b) at intermediate temperature (44-40°C), rafts, coated gas bubbles and dendrites are associated with Spirulina cyanobacteria and other filamentous and rod-shaped cyanobacteria, c) low temperature (34-33°C) laminated crusts and oncoids in a terraced slope system are associated with diverse Oscillatoriales and Nostocales filamentous cyanobacteria, sparse Spirulina and diatoms. At the microscale, carbonate precipitates are similar in the three sites consisting of prismatic calcite (40-100 µm long, 20-40 µm wide) or acicular aragonite crystals organized in radial spherulites, overlying or embedded within biofilm EPS (Extracellular Polymeric Substances). Microsparite and sparite crystal size decreases with decreasing temperature and clotted peloidal micrite dominates at temperatures &lt; 40°C, also encrusting filamentous microbes. Carbonates are associated with gypsum and Ca-phosphate crystals; EPS elemental composition is enriched in Si, Al, Mg, Ca, P, S and authigenic aluminium-silicates form aggregates on EPS. This study confirms that microbial communities in hydrothermal travertine settings vary as a function of temperature. Carbonate precipitate types at the microscale do not vary considerably, despite different microbial communities suggesting that travertine precipitation, driven by CO2 degassing, is influenced by biofilm EPS acting as template for crystal nucleation (EPS-mediated mineralization) and affecting the fabric types, independently from specific microbial metabolism.

Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) is a medium-size carnivore that in Europe is restricted to Iberia. The bio-ecology of this species remains to be elucidated in several dimensions, including gut microbiota that is nowadays recognized as a fundamental component of mammals. In this work, we investigated the gut microbiota of this herpestid by single-molecule real-time sequencing of twenty paired male (n=10) and female (n=10) intestinal samples. This culture-independent approach enabled microbial profiling based on 16S rDNA and investigation of taxonomical and functional features. The core gut microbiome of the adult subpopulation was dominated by Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria. Eight genera were uniquely found in adults and five in non-adults. When comparing gut bacterial communities across sex, four genera were exclusive of females and six uniquely found in males. Despite these compositional distinctions, alpha- and beta-diversity analyses showed no statistically significant differences across sex or between adult and non-adult specimens. However, males presented a significantly higher abundance of amino acid and citrate cycle metabolic pathways, compared to the significant overrepresentation in females of galactose’ metabolic pathways. Adults showed a significantly higher abundance of cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance pathways, while non-adults bared a significant overrepresentation of two-component systems associated with antibiotic synthesis, flagellin production and chemotaxis control. This study adds new insights into mongoose bio-ecology palette, highlighting taxonomical and functional microbiome dissimilarities across sex and age classes, possibly related to primary production resources and life-history traits that impact on behavior, diet and gut ecosystem.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) encompass a group of biobased technologies capable of directly converting organic matter into electricity. In these systems, which are derived from conventional electrochemical systems, the ion exchange membrane represents a key element because of its influence on the economic feasibility and on the performance of BES. This study examines the impact of long-term operation of a BES on the mechanical, chemical and electrochemical properties of five different kind of cation exchange membranes (Nafion-117, CMI-7001, Zirfon UTP 500, FKE and FKB) through several techniques: (i) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to assess the changes on the membranes surface, (ii) thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to evaluate the structural stability of the membranes, and (iii) ion exchange capacity (IEC) to monitor any change in their electrochemical properties. Results confirmed that there is not an ideal membrane for BES. While Nafion and CMI-7000 exhibited the strongest chemical structure, they also underwent the highest fouling as revealed by a fast increase in surface roughness.

The plant-microbe-soil nexus is critical in maintaining biogeochemical balance of the biosphere. However, soil loss and land degradation are occurring at alarmingly high rates, with soil loss exceeding soil formation rates. This necessitates evaluating marginal soils for their capacity to support and sustain plant growth. In a greenhouse study, we evaluated the capacity of marginal incipient basaltic parent material to support native plant growth, and the associated variation in soil microbial community dynamics. Three plant species, native to the Southwestern Arizona-Sonora region were tested with three soil treatments including basaltic parent material, parent material amended with 20% compost, and potting soil. The parent material with and without compost supported germination and growth of all the plant species, though germination was lower than the potting soil. A 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing approach showed Proteobacteria to be the most abundant phyla in both parent material and potting soil, followed by Actinobacteria. Microbial community composition had strong correlations with soil characteristics but not plant attributes within a given soil material. Predictive functional potential capacity of the communities revealed chemoheterotrophy as the most abundant metabolism within the parent material, while photoheterotrophy and anoxygenic photoautotrophy were prevalent in the potting soil. These results show that marginal incipient basaltic soil has the ability to support native plant species growth, and non-linear associations may exist between plant-marginal soil-microbial interactions.

The conversion of C1 gas feedstock, such as carbon monoxide (CO), into useful platform chemicals has attracted considerable interest in industrial biotechnology. One conversion method is electrode-based electron transfer to microorganisms using bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). In this BES system, acetate is the predominant component of various volatile fatty acids (VFAs). To appropriately separate and concentrate the produced acetate, a BES type electrodialysis cell with an anion exchange membrane was constructed and evaluated under various operational conditions, such as the applied external current. The higher acetate flux of 23.9 mmol/m2∙hr was observed under -15 mA current in an electrodialysis-based bioelectrochemical system. In addition, the initial acetate concentration affects the separation efficiency and transportation rate. The maximum flux appeared at 48.6 mmol/m2∙hr when the acetate concentration was 100mM, whereas the effect of the initial pH of the anolyte was negligible. The acetate flux was 14.9 mmol/m2∙hr when actual fermentation broth from BES based CO fermentation, was used as a catholyte. A comparison of the synthetic medium with the actual fermentation medium suggests that unknown substances and metabolites in the actual medium interfere with electrodialysis in the BES. These results provide information on the separation and optimal concentration for VFAs produced by C1 gas fermentation through electrodialysis, and a combination of a BES and electrodialysis.

Work reviews the new isolated isolated cembranoid diterpene derivatives from species belonging to the family Alcyoniidae, which comprises the genera Sarcophyton, Sinularia, and Lobophytum as well as their biological properties, during 2016–2017. The compilation permitted to conclude that much more new cembranoid diterpenes were found in the soft corals of the genus Sarcophyton sp. (33 new compounds) than in those belonging to the genera Lobophytum (17) or Sinularia (8). Several methods have been used for identifying these new compounds, after extraction with organic solvents and fractionation. The fractions obtained, in some cases, were followed by TLC, and again subjected to chromatographic procedures, including semi-preparative HPLC. Beyond the chemical composition, the biological properties were also evaluated, namely anti-microbial against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral against several types of cancer cells. Although the biological activities detected in almost all samples, they were not outstanding ones.

Soils are an important COS sink. However they can also act as sources of COS to the atmosphere. Here we demonstrate that variability in the soil COS sink and source strength is strongly linked to available soil inorganic nitrogen (N) content across a diverse range of biomes in Europe. We revealed in controlled laboratory experiments that N fertilisation simultaneously decreases the COS sink strength of soils while increasing the COS production rate. Furthermore, we found strong links between variations in the two gross COS fluxes, microbial biomass and nitrate and ammonium contents, providing new insights into the mechanisms involved. Our findings provide evidence for how soil-atmosphere exchange of COS is likely to vary spatially and temporally, a necessary step for constraining the role of soils and land use in the COS mass budget.

Generating electricity from coal combustion is highly associated with ongoing pollution problems that negatively impact the environment. Coal fly ash (CFA) is a predominant waste by-product of coal combustion which is disposed of in exposed ash dams constructed in the vicinity of power stations. Its disposal requires a large piece of land and therefore more land is converted to unproductive disposal sites, degrading the ecosystem. This waste material is classified as a hazardous substance in South Africa due to unacceptable levels of inorganic and persistent organic pollutants and its potential for dust creation. CFA is recycled and sold to the building and construction sectors, but the rate of its utilization is far less than the production rate resulting to high volumes that is stockpiled in disposal sites. More than 500 million tons CFA is produced yearly and over 200 million tons yearly remain unused globally and more CFA will continue to be produced due to high consumer energy demands, especially in countries with heavy reliance on coal for power generation. In this context, the paper discusses production of CFA, pollution problems due to its disposal, examines existing gaps within the scope of ash dam restoration processes and presents opportunities offered by phytoremediation (a low-cost and environmentally friendly technology that utilizes plants to restore the degraded environments). Ecological restoration through the use of socio-economically valuable plants (aromatic plants, legumes and grasses) has potential in addressing societal challenges and consequently impacting positively the livelihood of communities.

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.

India, a megadiverse nation, harbors significant biodiversity, particularly in tropical moist deciduous forests. However, these forests and valuable medicinal plants face habitat loss and overexploitation threats. While indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants exists, a comprehensive ethnomedicinal study still needs to be included, especially for Uttar Pradesh's Terai region. This study focuses on the Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary, a haven for medicinal plants within the Terai. We aim to document the knowledge of local healers regarding wild medicinal plants used in phytotherapy. We will employ quantitative indices and compare our findings with data from other regions to identify novel medicinal plant uses. This enriched database can serve as a springboard for future pharmacological research. Suhelwa's diverse geography and climate contribute to its rich medicinal flora, making it a prime candidate for exploring the potential of traditional knowledge for drug discovery and sustainable income generation for local communities.

Tribal healers and local practitioners possess knowledge about plant uses passed down through generations. However, habitat loss, unsustainable harvesting, and declining traditional knowledge threaten this valuable resource. India, a global biodiversity hotspot, is rich in medicinal plants. Documenting the traditional knowledge prevents it from being lost and ensures the preservation of this cultural heritage. Recording traditional practices helps bridge the gap between traditional and modern medicine. This study quantifies the ethnomedicinal uses of plants within the Sohag Wildlife Sanctuary. The findings contribute to preserving traditional knowledge and promoting the sustainable use of medicinal plants. The study documented 95 medicinal plant species from 39 families, highlighting the importance of ethnomedicinal studies for preserving traditional knowledge and ensuring the sustainable use of medicinal plants. In the future, scientific studies can be organized to understand their efficacy, leading to developing new, potentially safer, and more effective medications. Identifying and documenting medicinal plants is crucial in safeguarding cultural heritage, fostering scientific discovery, and promoting sustainable healthcare practices.

The liver diseases are posing serious threat to human health associated with abusive use of allopathy medicines, especially in developing economies like Pakistan. The strengthening of detoxification system using natural products might be a suitable option to minimize the liver problems. In this current research, Zingiber officinale and Azadirachta indica were evaluated for their hepatoprotective role. For the purpose, 20 Sprague Dawley rats were equally divided into four groups i.e., negative control, paracetamol positive control, 2.5% ginger and 2% neem powder, respectively. During 42 days study, the levels of bilirubin and liver enzymes significantly elevated due to liver damage. Although, the values dropped (20-25%) in treatment group. Serum glucose and serum lipid profile increased in positive control group, but reduced (5-10%) in both ginger and neem groups. The serum protein profile declined in liver damage group, however, improved (~5%) in treatment groups. The hematological parameters slightly declined in liver damage group, but increased in ginger and neem groups. Moreover, the white blood cells differential count and renal parameters showed abnormal values in liver damage group, but improved after treatment. This study is promising and highlighted the hepato-protective role of neem and ginger that may open several avenues of research.

This review article deals with the pathways of cellular and global molybdate distribution in plants, especially with a full overview for the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In its oxidized state as bioavailable molybdate, molybdenum can be absorbed from the environment. Especially in higher plants, molybdenum is indispensable as part of the molybdenum cofactor (Moco), which is responsible for functionality as a prosthetic group in a variety of essential enzymes like nitrate reductase and sulfite oxidase. Therefore, plants need mechanisms for molybdate import and transport within the organism, which is accomplished via high-affinity molybdate transporter (MOT) localized in different cells and membranes. Two different MOT-families were identified. Especially legumes like Glycine max or Medicago truncatula have an increased numbers of MOT1-family members for supplying their symbionts with molybdate for nitrogenase activity. In Arabidopsis thaliana especially, the complete way of molybdate through the plant is traceable. Not only the uptake from soil by MOT1.1 and its distribution to leaves, flowers and seeds by MOT2-family members was identified, but also inside the cell the transport trough the cytoplasm and the vacuolar storage mechanisms depending on glutathione were described. Finally, supplying the Moco biosynthesis complex by MOT1.2 and MOT2.1 was demonstrated.

Spectacularly, particulate matter pollution influences human health by aggravating numerous diseases and causing premature deaths. In order to eliminate its concentration in the ambient air, plant species can act as natural bio-filters and capture, degrade, and metabolize air pollutants inside their foliage. In a study carried out at three sites with different pollution levels and plant types. The immobilization efficiency of Particulate Matter (PM) was investigated in the leaves of three species (shrub, climber, and herb) in the southwestern of Japan with a time gap of 14 days. Two healthy mature leaf samples of each specimen were carefully collected and analyzed using the gravimetric analytical method. A significant quantity of PM in three-size fractions with aerodynamic diameters ranging between (0.1-100 μm) was captured inside the leaf foliage of the analyzed species. Fine particles (2.5 -10 μm) dominated the highest portion of the PM deposition captured by the analyzed species with 70.6 μg.cm-2(39.5%). Shrub species represented with Elaeagnus pungens proved to be the most efficient species among the analyzed species. Leaf traits such as grooves, trichomes, roughness, and margin are considered key factors associated with positive PM deposition, whereas the total surface area of the leaves had no direct correlation to PM deposition.

Infusions of Camellia sinensis leaves have been known for their health benefits. The ABC method is a method of enriching organic infusion leaves (from Camellia. sinensis) with organic dry and concentrated extracts using organic acacia gum and its application to white tea has provided Qi cha tea®. In the present study, we assessed the content of tea polyphenols and caffeine, and biochemical properties of Qi cha tea® and its botanical constituents. Antioxidant and cell viability activities were determined by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay and MTT assay in Caco-2 and human HCT-116 cell lines, respectively. The caffeine, catechin, epicatechin composition of Qi cha tea® was modified with less caffeine and gallic acid and more EGCG than the original white tea. The majority of the tested botanical samples including Qi cha tea® at 50 µg/mL showed similar antioxidant activities, with the exception of Echinacea. The greatest effect was found for white tea. The antioxidant power of the Qi cha tea® (90% at 50 µg/mL for pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was divided by approximately a factor of 2 (61% at 50 µg/mL for pressurized liquid extraction products (PLEP)) which corresponds to the 48.3 % (mass/mass) white tea original content in the Qi cha tea®. Qi cha tea® showed the lowest activity in the viability of the two cell lines. The application of the ABC (Bio Concentrate Assets®) method to Qi cha tea® using various botanicals and dry extract with the acacia gum as blinder has allowed the development a new innovative functional health beverages which comply with European health claims.

The lockdown implemented to tackle the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on air quality. Globally, studies have shown that the air pollutants levels reduced temporally during the restriction measures. In this study, we evaluated the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the air quality of Western Macedonia, Greece, using the hourly concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 along with meteorological data from the Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) operated by the Lignite Center of Western Macedonia. In Western Macedonia, previous studies have identified that there is a general reduction in air pollutants levels during the last decade due to coal phase-out plan for power generation. During the lockdown the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 decreased further. However, reduced emissions from the local mining activities and lignite-fired power plant electricity generation, as well as the weather conditions seems to contribute to improving air quality.

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.

In recent years, the ecological and economic values of forest plants have been gradually recognized worldwide. However, the growing global demand for new forest plant varieties with higher wood production capacity and better stress tolerance cannot be satisfied by conventional phenotype-based breeding, marker-assisted selection, and genomic selection. In the recent past, diverse omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, have been developed rapidly, providing powerful tools for the precision genetic breeding of forest plants. Genomics lays a solid foundation for understanding complex biological regulatory networks, while other omics technologies provide different perspectives at different levels. Multi-omics integration has combined the different omics technologies, becoming a powerful tool for genome-wide functional element identification in forest plant breeding. This review summarizes the recent progress of omics technologies and their applications in the genetic studies of forest plants. It will provide forest plant breeders with an elementary knowledge of multi-omics techniques for future breeding programs.

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.

In the recent years, Cannabis and hemp-based products have become increasingly popular for various applications ranging from recreational use, edibles, beverages to health care products and medicines. The rapid detection and differentiation of phytocannabinoids is, therefore, essential to assess the potency, therapeutic and nutritional values of cannabis cultivars. Here, we implemented the SpiderMass technology for the in vivo detection of cannabidiol acid (CBDA) and tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA) and other endogenous organic plant compounds to access distribution gradients within the plants and differentiate cultivars. The SpiderMass system is composed of an IR- laser handheld microsampling probe connected to the mass spectrometer through a transfer tube. The analysis was performed in situ on different plant organs from freshly cultivated Cannabis plants in only a few seconds. SpiderMass analysis easily discriminated the two acid phytocannabinoid isomers by MS/MS and the built statistical models differentiated between four Cannabis cultivars. Different abundancies of acid phytocannabinoids were also found along the plant as well as between different cultivars. All together, these results introduce the direct analysis by SpiderMass as a compelling analytical alternative for forensic and hemp industrial analysis.

The growing population meet the challenge for agricultural production. CRISPR/Cas9 technology is based on plant research for the development of the new varieties as well as disease resistance crops. In addition the deletion of significant characters makes the new alleles from the CRISPR/Cas9. Recent and reliable molecular scissor for genetic engineering. The review is focused on the various application of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology in plant enhancement of plant disease resistance, stress burden in plant, nutritional improvement, and quality of crops from the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated protein9 (cas9) is adopted from the prokaryotic type II system. CRISPR/Cas9 is simplicity and efficiency than ZENs and TALENs for the genome engineering. Due to rapid growing of the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been formulate the adaptation of many plant species. The current advancement of plants and future schemes of improve of CRISPR technology has been presented in contest of multiplex editing, knowledge on induced mutation whether the factor effect in CRISPR/Cas9 technology in plant. Remarkable perspective and challenges of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in significance of plant genetic modification.

In strawberry production, the combination of high productive performance and fruits with desirable physicochemical characteristics requires the use of plants of good quality and high initial vigor. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of plants with different crown diameters on the productive performance and fruit quality of strawberry plants of the cultivar 'Pircinque.' The study was conducted in two evaluation cycles (2016/2017 and 2017/2018). The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four repetitions, and plots consisting of 20 plants. This study evaluated the crown diameters of plants of 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 mm. The productivity and number of fruit values increased significantly with larger caliber plants, which also provided precocity of productivity. The use of more vigorous plants also favored the production of fruits with higher soluble solids / titratable acidity ratios and with epidermis coloration closer to intense red. For the cultivar 'Pircinque', the plant crown diameters between 15 and 17 mm are the most favorable because they condition the best productive performances in combination with precocity and good fruit quality.

The local climate effects of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants have also attracted more and more attention with the rapid development of PV industry. Turbulent fluxes and intensity characteristics for the PV plant and the adjacent reference site are investigated in the gobi area in Wujianqu in Xinjiang. Results indicate that near surface boundary layer is more unstable during the daytime while is more stable at the night in the PV plant than the reference site. The average roughness is 0.089m and 0.041m for the PV plant and the reference site respectively. The turbulence intensity in the vertical direction (I_w) of the PV plant is higher than the reference site especially during the daytime. The turbulent kinetic energy of the PV plant during the daytime is lower than the reference site.The momentum in the PV plant is higher than the reference site, especially during the daytime. Compared to the reference site, the PV plant has higher sensible heat flux and less latent heat flux. Site specific turbulent intensity relationships were developed for the PV plant and the reference site by analyzing wind components as a function of stability parameter (z/L). The turbulent components of wind followed 1/3 power law in the unstable conditions and stable conditions in the PV plant and the reference site.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 19) pandemic, researchers have been trying to investigate several active compounds found in plants that have the potential to inhibit the proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). The present study aimed to evaluate bioactive compounds found in plants by using a molecular docking approach to inhibit the Main Protease (M^pro) and Spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. The evaluation was performed on the docking scores calculated using AutoDock Vina as a docking engine. A rule of five (RO5) was calculated to determine whether a compound meets the criteria as an active drug orally in humans. The determination of the docking score was done by selecting the best conformation of the protein-ligand complex that had the highest affinity (most negative Gibbs' free energy of binding / ΔG). As a comparison, nelfinavir (an antiretroviral drug), chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine sulfate (anti-malarial drugs recommended by the FDA as emergency drugs) were used. The results showed that hesperidin, nabiximols, pectolinarin, epigallocatechin gallate, and rhoifolin had better poses than nelfinavir, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine sulfate as spike glycoprotein inhibitors. Hesperidin, rhoifolin, pectolinarin, and nabiximols had about the same pose as nelfinavir, but were better than chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine sulfate as M^pro inhibitors. These plant compounds have the potential to be developed as specific therapeutic agents against COVID-19. Several natural compounds of plants evaluated in this study showed better binding free energy compared to nelfinavir, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine sulfate which so far are recommended in the treatment of COVID-19. As judged by the RO5 and previous study by others, the compounds kaempferol, herbacetin, eugenol, and 6-shogaol have good oral bioavailability, so they are also seen as promising candidates for the development lead compounds to treat infections caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Within the family Solanaceae, Withania is a small genus belonging to the Solanoideae subfamily. Here, we report the de novo assembled, complete, plastomed genome sequences of W. coagulans, W. adpressa, and W. riebeckii. The length of these genomes ranged from 154,198 base pairs (bp) to 154,361 bp and contained a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 25,027--25,071 bp that were separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85,675--85,760 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,457--18,469 bp. We analyzed the structural organization, gene content and order, guanine-cytosine content, codon usage, RNA-editing sites, microsatellites, oligonucleotide and tandem repeats, and substitutions of Withania plastid genomes, which revealed close resemblance among the species. Both the substitution and insertion and deletion analyses confirmed that the IR region was significantly conserved compared with the LSC and SSC regions. Further comparative analysis among the Withania species highlighted 30 divergent hotspots that could potentially be used for molecular marker development, phylogenetic analysis, and species identification.

Snakebite envenomation, cognized as a neglected tropical disease, is a dread public health concern with the most susceptible groups being herdsmen, the elderly, active farmers, hunters, fishers, firewood collectors, 10 to 14-year old working children and individuals with limited access to education and health care. Snakebites are fragmentarily documented in Uganda primarily because most occur in rural settings where traditional therapists end up being the first line defence for treatment. Ethnobotanical surveys in Uganda have unveiled that some plants are used to antagonize the activity of various snake venoms. This review was sought to compile the sporadic information on the vegetal species reported as antivenins in Uganda. Electronic data indicate that no study entirely reported on antivenin plants in Uganda. A total of 77 plant species belonging to 65 genera, distributed among 42 botanical families claimed as antiophidic in Uganda are used for treatment of snakebites. Majority of these species belong to family Fabaceae (30.9%), Euphorbiaceae (14.3%), Asteraceae (11.9%), Amaryllidaceae (9.5%) and Solanaceae (9.5%). The antiophidic species listed are shrubs (40.5%), trees (32.9%) and herbs (17.7%), usually found in the wild and uncultivated. Antivenin extracts are primarily prepared from roots and leaves, through decoctions, infusions, powders and juices and administered orally or topically. The most frequently encountered therapeutically important species are Allium cepa L., Carica papaya L., Securidaca longipedunculata Fres., Harrisonia abyssinica Oliv. and Nicotiana tabacum L. Baseline epidemiological data on snake envenomation and antivenin plants in Uganda remain incomplete due to inadequate research and diverse ethnic groups in the country. There is a dire need to isolate and characterize the bioactive compounds in the claimed plants to enable their adroit utilization in handling the plague of snake envenomation. More baseline data should be collected on snake ecology and human behaviour as well as antivenin plants in Uganda. Indigenous knowledge on the use of plant preparations in traditional medicine in Uganda is humongous, but if this is not quickly researched and appropriately documented, indications as to the usefulness of this vegetal treasure house will be lost in the not so distant future.

It is well known that working PV plants show several maintenance needs due to wiring and modules degradation, mismatches, dust and PV cells defects and faults. There are a wide range of studies that show the theoretical and some laboratory tests of how these circumstances may affect the PV production. Thus, it results mandatory to evaluate the whole PV plant performance and, then, it’s payback time, profitability and environmental impact or carbon footprint. However, very few studies include a systematic procedure to quantify and supervise the real degradation effects and faults impacts on the field. In this paper, the authors first conduct a brief review of the most frequent PV faults and degradation that can be found on real conditions operative PV Plants. Then, they propose and develop an innovative Geographic Information System application to locate and supervise them. The designed tool has been applied to either a large PV plant of 108 kWp and a small PV plant of just 9 kWp installed on a home rooftop. For the large PV plant, 24 strings of PV modules have been modelized and introduced into the GIS application and every module in the power plant has been studied including voltage, current, power, series and parallel resistance, fill factor, normalized PV curve to STC, thermography and visual analysis. For the small PV installation 3 strings of PV panels have been studied identically. It must be noticed that PV modules in this case include power optimizers. The precision of the study allows the researchers to locate and supervise up to a third part of every PV cell in the system, which are adequately georreferenciated. The developed tool allows both the researchers and the investors to increase control on the PV plant performance and conducts to a better planification of maintenance actuations and to evaluate several PV modules replacement strategies in a preventive maintenance programme. Found PV faults include hot spots, snail tracks, EVA discoloration, PV cells fractures, busbars discoloration, bubbles and Si discoloration.

The eutrophication of open water bodies, especially in coastal water area, has received intensive public focuses in recent years. Biological treatment of organic pollutants in industrial and domestic wastewater requires microbial flora to participate. The environmental impact of these microbes, particularly in regard to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogenicity in coastal water, remains largely unknown. We initiate studies to examine antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in microbial flora and study the mode of antibiotic spread in the coastal waters of Bohai Bay, North China by using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrum analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The metabolic features of bacteria related to the presence of ARGs in the coastal area showed the enrichment of Pseudomonadale species with triple resistance properties (ampicillin, kanamycin and gentamycin) at the estuary site locating adjacent to a coastal sewage treatment plant where both type I and type II polyketide synthase genes and b-lactam type antibiotics are detected. Pseudomonadale order is phylogenetically belonged to Proteobacteria Phylum, Gamma-proteobacteria Class and contains Pseudomonadaceae family and Pseudomonas genus. QPCR analysis suggests that the percent occupation of Pseudomonadale species to total Proteobacteria in the examined stations is close to several sampling stations close to sewage treatment plants, where consistent release of organic wastes occurred.

The expanding global population has increased the demand for sustainable protein sources, and microbial protein (MP) has emerged as a promising alternative. However, conventional carbon (glucose) and nitrogen (ammonia, urea) sources needed for MP production pose environmental and economic issues. This study aims to produce protein using lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) as a carbon source and the nitrogen fixation ability of Klebsiella oxytoca M5A1 as a nitrogen source. The study investigates the pretreatment of LCB (switchgrass), enzymatic hydrolysis, protein quantification, and high-performance liquid chromatography system (HPLC) analysis to track glucose utilization and organic acid production. K. oxytoca M5A1 harnessed free nitrogen from the atmosphere through nitrogen fixation and used abundant, cheap glucose from LCB to produce MP and organic acids as by-products. Protein production occurred in two phases: first within the initial 8 hours and secondly, within the last 16 hours. The highest protein concentration was at 40 hours, with approximately 68.3% protein content. HPLC analysis revealed a dynamic profile of glucose utilization and organic acids (Lactic acid, Propionic acid, Acetic acid, and Succinic acid). K. oxytoca M5A1 exhibited an early high rate of glucose consumption, and conversion to organic acids that were later used for second-phase protein production. The acids profile revealed intra-conversion from one acid to another via metabolic pathways (glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle). Overall, leveraging LCB and the nitrogen-fixing ability of K. oxytoca M5A1 for MP production offers an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional protein sources, contributing to a sustainable circular economy.

The intestinal microbial community of aquatic animals is closely related to the environment and thus affects the health of aquatic animals. Here we investigated annual variation of intestinal bacteria community structures of Ruditapes philippinarum cultured using two different methods, bottom sown and raft hanging. Bacterial diversity of seawater and sediment in different seasons was examined as well. Correlation between R. philippinarum intestinal bacteria community structures and environmental factors was analyzed. The results showed that in the two aquculture areas where R. philippinarum was differentially cultured, bacteria community structure of seawater and sediment both altered with seasons. However, neither seasonal changes nor difference in culture methods could significantly affect the intestinal bacteria community structures of R. philippinarum. Additionally, in terms of the alpha diversity of intestinal bacteria communities, there was no significant difference in R. philippinarum cultured using the two methods. For benthic cultured clams, alpha diversity of the intestinal bacterial communities was often higher than that of the environmental bacterial communities. For raft hanging cultured calms, Alpha diversity of the intestinal bacterial communities was normally comparable with that of the environmental counterparts. Beta diversity analysis showed that the intestinal bacterial community structure of R. philippinarum was mainly determined by both deterministic and stochastic processes. Correlation analysis showed that the intestinal bacterial community structures of R. philippinarum were determined by a variety of environmental factors. For clams collected from the benthic culture area, the intestinal bacterial structure was more correlated with the physicochemical properties of sediment in comparing with those of seawater. For clams collected from the raft-culture area, the intestinal bacterial structure was mainly determined by the phsicochemical characteristics of seawater. This study helps us to better understand the bacterial community structure in complex aquaculture ecosystems, providing a reference for healthy shellfish aquaculture and ecosystem protection in aquaculture area.

This paper explores the intricate world of microbial life, focusing on biofilm as a dynamic consortium of bacteria forming complex networks within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Analogous to a bacterial house, these structures provide both shelter and support, playing a pivotal role in the microbial realm with dual effects on human and environmental contexts. Biofilm's significance extends beyond its microcosmic architecture, positively contributing to heavy metal removal, electricity generation through microbial fuel cells, and structural remediation, while also posing threats with detrimental formations implicated in conditions from lung to urinary tract infections. Control of biofilm becomes imperative to unlock its positive attributes and mitigate potential negatives, serving as a cornerstone for environmental remediation, sustainable energy, and infrastructure maintenance. Employing a comprehensive bibliographic approach, this study identifies keywords, countries, and organizations influencing biofilm research, proposing innovative avenues like machine learning for future exploration. The aim is not only to contribute to existing knowledge but to pioneer cutting-edge strategies for biofilm optimization and challenge mitigation, shaping its trajectory towards sustainable applications across diverse fields.

The cycling of soil phosphorus (P) is inherently linked with soil organic carbon-iron (C-Fe) cycling, yet empirical integration of these processes within paddy soils remains scarce. In this study, we conducted a microcosm experiment using paddy soils subjected to six distinct fertilization regimes involving varying P inputs for five years. In addition to evaluating P activation under reflooding conditions, we assessed the Fe reduction process and characterized the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the molecular level using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), alongside profiling the composition of soil microbial communities with high-throughput sequencing. Our findings revealed that after 25 days of reflooding, soil Olsen-P content increased by an average of 73% compared to its initial state, showing a strong correlation with the Fe reduction process. Specifically, treatments involving pig manure application exhibited higher Fe reduction rates and enhanced P activation, highlighting the role of organic matter in facilitating Fe reduction. Investigations on the relative abundance of typical iron-reducing microbes further supported their importance in P activation, but the rate of iron reduction is limited by soil organic matter content. Delving deeper into DOM properties, soil DOM composition profiling and network analysis suggested that high-molecular-weight DOM, particularly lignins, served as the primary resources driving Fe reduction by iron-reducing microbes, consequently promoting Fe reduction and P release. Taken together, our study assembled the C-Fe-P cycling dynamics in paddy soils, emphasizing the pivotal role of microbial-driven Fe reduction facilitated by soil DOM in P availability and subsequently sustainable agricultural practices.

Quinoa, known as the "golden grain" for its high nutritional value, is a significant source of essential nutrients, including proteins, minerals, vitamins, polyphenols, phytosterols, and flavonoids. However, the biological functions of quinoa polysaccharides remain understudied. In this research, two crude quinoa polysaccharides extracts (Q-40 and Q-60) were obtained extracting by 40% and 60% alcohol. The purity of Q-40 and Q-60 was 58.29% and 62.15%, with protein contents of 8.27% and 9.60%, respectively. Monosaccharide analysis revealed that Q-40 contained glucose (Glc), galacturonic acid (GalA), and arabinose (Ara) in a molar ratio of 0.967:0.027:0.006. Q-60 was composed of xylose (xyl), arabinose (Ara), galactose, and galacturonic acid (GalA) with a molar ratio of 0.889:0.036:0.034:0.020. The average molecular weight of Q-40 ranged from 47484 to 626488 Da, while Q-60 showed a range of 10025 to 47990 Da. Rheological experiments showed that Q-40 exhibited higher viscosity, while Q-60 demonstrated more elastic properties. Remarkably, Q-60 showed potent antioxidant abilities, with scavenging rates of 98.49% for DPPH and 57.5% for ABTS. Antibacterial experiments using the microdilution method revealed that Q-40 inhibited the growth of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and E. coli, while Q-60 specifically inhibited MRSA. At lower concentrations, both polysaccharides inhibited MDA cell proliferation, but at higher concentrations, they promoted proliferation. Similar proliferation-promoting effects were observed in HepG2 cells. The research provides important information in application of quinoa in food and functional food industries.

The functioning of forest ecosystems depends on the taxonomic and ecological diversity of soil fungi. Urbanization is increasing worldwide and is regarded a major driver of environmental change altering local species assemblages in urban forest. We investigated whether the degree of urbanization and local forest characteristics affect the soil fungal community in 20 beech forests located along a rural–urban gradient in the city of Basel and its suburbs (Switzerland). We analyzed their soil fungal communities by DNA metabarcoding of the rDNA ITS2 region and related these data to local forest vegetation characteristics and soil properties. The number of fungal OTUs in the 20 forests examined ranged from 170 to 303. Richness, diversity and evenness of fungal OTUs were all significantly affected by the degree of urbanization, but in different ways. OTU richness was highest in forests in areas with a low degree of urbanization and lowest in forests in rural areas. In contrast, the diversity of OTUs increased with increasing degree of urbanization. Different fungal phyla and fungal guilds showed distinct patterns in their relative abundance along the rural-urban gradient. The degree of urbanization reduced the relative abundance of symbiotrophic fungi, but increased that of saprotrophic and pathotrophic fungi. Our results show that urbanization alters soil fungal community, which in turn can lead to changes in forest ecosystems.

Histidine is an essential amino acid with significant implications in human growth and neuromodulation. Its concentration within cells, when either elevated or reduced, can indicate different diseases. While various methods exist to measure increased histidine levels, there remains a significant lack of sensors capable of actively responding to histidine deficiency within cells and releasing strong signals. In this study, we exploited the high induction levels of the his operon in S. Typhimurium SL1344, a histidine auxotroph, within a histidine-deficient environment, to develop a specific bacterial sensor with sensitivity towards low histidine concentrations. The SL1344-pGEX sensor, with a high copy number, exhibited remarkable sensitivity and selectivity to histidine in the range of 0 to 50 μM. Notably, even a minute addition of histidine (approximately 2.5 μM) to the M9 medium led to observable fluorescence reduction, rendering it highly suitable for monitoring histidine-deficient cellular environments. This bacterial fluorescence sensor holds great potential for detecting changes in intracellular histidine concentrations during pathogenic bacterial infections and for assessing the impact of drugs on cellular metabolism.

Some biologically active compounds isolated from sea cucumbers stimulate the body’s immune response through activating immune cells. Immune function is closed related to the integrity intestinal barrier and balanced gut microbiota. However, it is unknown whether daily administration of holothurian wall hydrolysates (HWH) ameliorated intestinal dysbiosis and barrier injury induced by immunodeficiency. This study aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory effect and the underlying mechanism of HWH in cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunocompromised mice. BALB/c mice received CTX (80 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) once a day for 3 days to induce immunodeficiency, and then oral administration of HWH (80 or 240 mg/kg), levamisole hydrochloride (LH, 40 mg/kg, positive control) respectively once a day for 7 days. We utilized 16S rRNA sequencing for microbial composition alterations, histopathological analysis for splenic and colonic morphology, Western blotting for expressions of tight junction proteins (TJs), and quantitative real-time (qRT-PCR) for measurements of pro-inflammatory cytokines. HWH attenuated the immune organ damage induced by CTX, increased the secretions of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and promoted the recovery of goblet cells and the productions of TJs (claudin-1, occludin, and ZO-1) in the colon of the immunocompromised mice. Moreover, HWH promoted the growth of beneficial microorganisms such as Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae, Christensenellaceae, and Bifidobacterium, while suppressed the populations of Ruminococcus, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus. These results demonstrate that HWH elicits intestinal mucosal immunity, repairs the damage to intestinal mucosal integrity, and normalizes the imbalanced intestinal microbial profiles in immunocompromised mice. It may be helpful to identify the biological activities of HWH, and supports the potential as new prebiotics, immunomodulatory agents, and medical additive for intestinal repair.

The present paper describes a study case of the failure investigation of Duplex stainless steel (UNS S31803) on the tube and tube sheet section of a shell and tube heat exchanger BEM TEMA type with seawater as the cooling medium. Although UNS S31803 offers high strength, high resistance to chloride-induced SCC, and high resistance to pitting attack in chloride environments, in this study case, the heat exchanger experienced some material degradation; 26 tubes were leaked and plugged on both sides, and scales plugged 76 tubes. The examination in this study case revealed the formation of biofilm inside the tubes, XRD examination revealed that the film contained aragonite (CaCO3), and by using microstructural examination on the inner surface of the tube, the austenite grains were preferentially attacked by crevice corrosion. In this case, the failure was caused by crevice corrosion, and crevice corrosion was enhanced by microbiological-induced corrosion (MIC). Recommendations to avoid similar failures are also suggested in this paper.

To meet the growing interest in the development of innovative biological nutrient removal (BNR) alternatives for energy neutrality, resource recovery, and decarbonization, the adsorption/bio-oxidation (A/B) process has been widely studied for carbon capture and shortcut nitrogen (N) removal, while limited research has focused on incorporating enhanced biological phosphorus (P) removal (EBPR), mainly due to the differential carbon usage characteristics of functionally relevant microorganisms. Here, a full-scale pilot testing with an integrated system combining A-stage high-rate activated sludge (HRAS) with B-stage partial (de)nitrification/anammox and side-stream EBPR (HRAS-P(D)N/A-S2EBPR) was conducted treating real municipal wastewater. The results demonstrated that, despite the low influent carbon load, the B-stage P(D)N-S2EBPR system achieved effective and stable P removal performance, especially when the volatile fatty acid (VFA) load from A-stage was elevated. Sludge fermentation in both A-stage and B-stage promoted carbon redistribution and likely provided more competitive advantages for ammonium-oxidizing bacteria and polyphosphate accumulating organisms, leading to carbon-efficient shortcut N removal mainly through partial nitrification pathway and influent carbon-independent EBPR simultaneously. Exposure to high VFA levels was considered a potential selection factor for the suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in the system. The involvement of internal carbon-accumulating organisms would potentially play an important role in endogenous denitrification. This study provided new insights into the effects of incorporating side-stream EBPR into the A/B process on microbial ecology, metabolic activities, and system performance.

Predation is a driving force of organismal ecology and evolution. Predator-prey interactions, constrained by other environmental factors and historical contingency, shape physical and behavioral phenotypes of organisms on both sides of the interaction arrow. Yet despite the universality of trophic interactions in biology, study of the ecology and evolution of anti-predator defense is challenging because these interactions tend to be brief and unpredictable, and thus gathering direct evidence requires patience and serendipity. The evolution of prey defenses can be studied by DNA sequencing followed by phylogenetic analysis, and the ecology can be studied by field observation and bringing tractable systems into the lab. However, animal models generally do not allow genetic manipulation, strict control of environmental variables, or detailed observation of evolution in real time, all of which are important for demonstrating evolutionary causes and consequences. Developing complementary microbial predator-prey systems can help overcome this hurdle. There is an extensive body of work on microbial experimental evolution, and many microbes come with well-characterized genomes and established methods for genetic manipulation. As understanding of microbial ecology and the mechanisms of their trophic interactions grows apace, these systems are poised to make valuable contributions to our understanding of how predator behaviors evolve, why certain anti-predator defenses evolve and not others, and how multiple defenses function together in a single defense portfolio. These systems will enable us to both test hypotheses formulated from the study of larger organisms and to propose new ones that can be tested in larger organisms with existing methods.

This study investigated the spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) in Hongqipao reservoir dominated by different vegetation types and the possible relationships with other soil properties. Top 0–50cm soil samples were collected in sites dominated by different vegetation types within the reservoir littoral zone. There was high spatial variability for SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN in the Hongqipao reservoir. In addition, the SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN contents decreased with increasing soil depth. This could be attributed by the fact that when plants detritus decompose, most of their organic matter is mineralized and a new soil layer which contains a greater amount of organic carbon is formed at the top. According to Pearson's correlation values and redundancy analysis (RDA) results, SOC was significantly and positively correlated with TN likely because the vegetation organic matter and liter could be the main nitrogen sources. Similarly, soil moisture content (MC) was significant positive correlated with SOC and TN. Conversely, BD was significant negative correlated with SOC and TN contents in the 0-50 cm soil profiles. However, no significant correlations were observed between SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN contents and soil pH values. SMBN was significantly and positive correlated with C:N ratio and BD and negative related with MC. Multiple linear regression model revealed that all measures soil properties in this study could explain higher significant variability of the response variables (SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN contents). This implies that all the measured soil variables within the different vegetation types in the reservoir played a crucial role in determining the contents of SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN. This study further suggests that vegetation types play a major role in determining the spatial characteristics of SOC and TN. Any changes in the vegetation types in the reservoir may influence the distribution of SOC and TN. This may affect the global carbon budget and the atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration significantly.

Groundwater contamination is an ever-growing environmental issue that has attracted much and undiminished attention for the past half century. Groundwater contamination may originate from both anthropogenic (e.g., hydrocarbons) and natural compounds (e.g., nitrate and arsenic); to tackle the removal of these contaminants, different technologies have been developed and implemented. Recently, bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have emerged as a potential treatment for groundwater contamination, with reported in situ applications that showed promising results. Nitrate and hydrocarbons (toluene, phenanthrene, benzene, BTEX and light PAHs) have been successfully removed, due to the interaction of microbial metabolism with poised electrodes, in addition to physical migration due to the electric field generated in a BES. The selection of proper BESs relies on several factors and problems, such as the complexity of groundwater and subsoil environment, scale-up issues, and energy requirements that need to be accounted for. Modeling efforts could help predict case scenarios and select a proper design and approach, while BES-based biosensing could help monitoring remediation processes. In this review, we critically analyze in situ BES applications for groundwater remediation, focusing in particular on different proposed setups, and we identify and discuss the existing research gaps in the field.