Implementing net-zero building design is a crucial step towards decarbonizing the built environment during the entire lifecycle of a building, encompassing both embodied and operational carbon. This paper presents a novel computational approach to design Life Cycle Zero-Carbon Building (LC-ZCB), utilizing parametric integrated modeling through the versatile Grasshopper platform and its plug-ins. The Department of Energy’s prototype residential building at New York Institute of Technology, optimized to fulfill the LC-ZCB target, serves as the base building for this comprehensive study. Four main influencing design parameters, namely geometry, construction technology, thermal resistance of the envelope, and on-site renewable energy production, are defined and three-hundred design combinations are evaluated through the assessment of the operational carbon (OC) and embodied carbon (EC). By incorporating bio-based materials in the design options, the influence of biogenic carbon on the whole carbon footprint of the building case study is addressed by utilizing the GWPbio dynamic method, which assumes 100-year time horizon and incorporates dynamic characterization factors based on time of pulse emissions and two variables: rotation of the biomass and storage period of carbon in products. Finally, to account for potential climate changes, future climate data and 2099 weather conditions are considered during the scenarios assessment. The results demonstrate the potential for achieving LC-ZCB when fast growing biobased materials are largely used as construction materials, fostering a more environmentally responsible future for the construction industry.

Soil carbon is newly refined as ~32,000 Gt C (gigatonnes) over ten times previous totals. Soil organic carbon (SOC) of ~22,000 Gt C plus plants at ~2,400 Gt C in both above- and below-ground stocks hold 99% of Earth’s biomass. Occupying a topographic surface area of 25 Gha with mean depth 21 m, soil has more organic carbon than all plants, oceans, fossil fuels, or the atmosphere combined. Soils are both the greatest biotic carbon store and the most active CO2 source. Basic inventory is required for proper understanding and utilization of Earth’s natural resources, especially with increasing soil degradation and species loss. Values are raised considerably, the disparity due to lack of full soil depth survey, neglect of terrain and of other omissions. Herein new totals are determined for mineral soils, permafrost, and peats (of all forms and ages), to full depth (easily doubling shallow values) and allowing for terrain that is ignored in all terrestrial models (doubling most values again), plus SOC in recalcitrant glomalins (~30%) and friable saprock (+26%). Additionally, soil inorganic carbon (SIC), aquatic sediments and dissolved fractions are factored in. Soil biota (e.g. fungi, bacteria and earthworms) are similarly upgraded. Primary productivity, also upped for terrain, is confirmed at 220 Gt C/yr on land supported by C/O isotope fluxes. Priority issues of species extinction, humic topsoil loss, and excess atmospheric CO2 are all remedied by SOC restoration and biomass recycling via (vermi-)compost for use in 100% organic husbandry and adoption of wider practices of Permaculture based upon scientific observation of Nature.

The decarbonization of the built environment, both in new construction and renovation, is crucial to mitigate its relevant impact on climate change and achieve the Paris agreement goals. This study presents a systematic LCA-based methodology to assess the whole life carbon emissions of buildings, applied to a proposal for the regeneration of one of Milan’s disused railway yards. As an entry for the 2020 Reinventing Cities competition, Scalo Lambrate is a project for a mainly residential neighborhood with a public park. Strategies to reduce carbon emissions deriving both from the operational energy and construction and maintenance were evaluated and their effects compared to a reference scenario over a time horizon of 100 years. The results show that, while the opportunities to reduce carbon emissions during the use phase are somehow limited due to the already stringent performance requirements for new builds, the use of fast-growing biogenic materials for construction materials, even if mixed with more traditional ones, can provide a significant reduction of the global warming potential over the whole life cycle, with a reduction of 70% over the baseline. The remaining emissions can be offset with afforestation initiatives that, however, must be assessed against land use issues.

Abstract: Given the increasing resistance of some bacterial strains to many common antibiotics used in the local market, the current study aimed to produce nanoscale particles capable of combating pathogenic bacteria that have developed resistance to current antibiotics. In this research, an ex-perimental study was conducted to produce nanoscale particles using the single-celled blue-green algae Synechococcus sp., which was isolated from a local environment in the Arab Republic of Egypt, specifically from a soil sample in Beni-Suef City. The aim of the study was to generate silver NPs employing different biological approaches, encompassing the direct strain powder technique, ethanol extract pellet technique, and ethanol extract technique. These synthesized nanoparticles displayed different shapes, including cubic, spherical, pellet-like, and rod-shaped particles. They were characterized by bio-functional groups containing Ag+ ions, which were detected using FT-IR, Zeta sizer, and Zeta potential measurements. High-resolution SEM imaging unveiled the mor-phological features of Silver NPs with biologically formed protective layers, spanning sizes from 20 to 430 nm for individual particles. The study evaluated the antibacterial efficiency against both G+ve and G-ve bacteria. The ethanolic extract technique exhibited the largest inhibition zone (24 mm) against G+ve bacteria, particularly Staphy. aureus. Furthermore, it was observed that the larger particles produced using the powder and pellet techniques were less effective antibacterial agents. In conclusion, this investigation emphasizes the potential of cyanobacteria-based synthesis of silver nanoparticles as a promising approach for producing innovative antimicrobial agents.

The invention of nanoscience not only brings a revolutionary change in the field of science but also changed the direction of research. Today the whole world is under the trigger of nano and nanoparticles have multidimensional applications in every aspect of life including environmental point of view. Till today a plethora of nanoparticles have been synthesized and have also been applied for multiple purposes and hence grabbed the attention of researchers all over the world. Among the bunch of NPs discovered to date, we have a particular interest in silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) because of their cost-effectiveness and huge abundance in the earth’s crust. With respect to every passing day, due to various kinds of anthropological activities, the quality of the environment such as air, water and soil is depleting which ultimately hampers the human civilization. To encompass the growing environmental issues, many techniques have been adopted. Among the many strategies, tackling the current issues regarding environment through nanoscience is highly worthy as because of its cost-effectiveness, less time consuming and easy handling process. This article reviews the potential of nanoparticles, particularly silver nanoparticles, for a wide range of environmental applications, such as soil, air, and water remediation.

Introduction: This study aims to characterize changes in biogenic amines patterns in glioblasto-ma patients undergoing surgery and concurrent chemoradiation to illustrate how this class of metabolites changes during different stages of standard care treatment protocol. Methods: We examined 138 plasma specimens (before surgery, 2 days after surgical resection, before starting concurrent chemoradiation, immediately after chemoradiation, and after adju-vant chemotherapy treatment) from 36 patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wildtype glioblastoma. Untargeted GC-TOF mass spectrometry-based metabolomics of biogenic amines was used given its superiority for identifying and quantitating small metabolites; this yielded 340 structurally identified metabolites. Results: Comparing post-surgery to pre-surgery showed increased level of 12 metabolites: Gly-codeoxycholic acid (P=7.79E-05), Betonicine (P=9.23E-05), Glycocholic acid (P=3.18E-03), 3-Cysteinylaectaminophen (P=4.95E-03), S-Methyl-3-thioacetaminophen (P=5.77E-03), Tau-rocholic acid (P=9.97E-03), N-glycine (P=0.0013), p-acetamidophenyl.beta.-D-glucuronide (P=0.0048), 2-Hydroxy-5-sulfopyridine-3-carboxylic acid (P=0.0074), Acetaminophen sulfate (P=0.0095), 2-Amino-3-methoxybenzoic acid (P=0.02), and Dehydrofelodipine (P=0.024). There were 11 compounds that were downregulated, which included Mannitol (P=1.96E-19), Sorbitol (P=2.75E-019), Linoleic acid (P=1.51E-10), 1-Methylnicotinamide (P=1.78E-09), Nudifloramide (P=2.81E-08), Hexadecanedioic acid (P=5.49E-05), 3-Hydroxybutyric acid (P=0.0002), Riluzole (0.0036), Bupivacaine (P=0.0041), Lactitol (P=0.008), and 1-hydroxymidazolam.beta.-D-glucuronide (P=0.0414). After chemoradiation, significant de-crease was uncovered in Famotidine (P=0.0074), N-Isovalerylglycine (P=0.012), and 3-Methylcrotonylglycine (P=0.0131). While significant increase was detected in N-Methylisoleucine (P=0.0011), 4-Methyl-5-thiazoleethanol (P=0.042), and 6-Hydroxycaproic acid (P=0.049). Ensemble learning models, specifically random forest (RF) and AdaBoost (AB), accurately classified treatment phases with high accuracy (RF: 0.81 ± 0.04, AB: 0.78 ± 0.05). One significant insight gleamed from these models were that the metabolites Sorbitol and N-methylisoleucine were identified as important predictive features and confirmed by SHAP analysis. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe plasma biogenic amines signa-tures during different treatment phases in patients with glioblastoma. A larger study is needed to confirm the results and the potential application of this algorithm for classification of treatment responses.

Biogenic emissions affect the urban air quality as they are ozone and SOA precursors and should be taken into account when applying photochemical pollution models. The present study presents an estimation of the magnitude of Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds emissions (NMVOCs) emitted by vegetation over Greece. The methodology is based on computation performed with the aid of a Geographic Information System (GIS) and theoretical equations in order to develop an emission inventory on a 6x6 spatial resolution, in a temporal resolution of 1hr covering one year (2016). For this purpose, a variety of input data was used: improved satellite land-use data, land-use specific emission potentials, foliar biomass densities, temperature and solar radiation data. Hourly, daily and annual isoprene, monoterpenes and other volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) were estimated. In the area under study, the annual biogenic emissions were estimated up to 472 kt, consisting of 46.6% isoprene, 28% monoterpenes and 25.4% OVOCs. Results delineate an annual cycle with increasing values from March to April, while maximum emissions were observed from May to September, followed by a decrease from October to January.

Society considers wine as a special product among food and beverages because of its high gastronomical value and its positively distinctive quality. In recent years, philosophies of the agricultural techniques and development of the oenological technology have been focused on the reduction of wasteful, "polluting" elements, and trends are moving towards an environmental friendly approach. Due to the stricter regulations and rules (with the limited amount and selection of the permitted chemicals) resistant, also known as interspecific or innovative grape varieties can be the ideal basic materials of alternative cultivation technologies. In terms of variety selection, innovative varieties can be equivalent to international varieties, although organically their quality could not compete with them. These grapes are more resistant to various fungal diseases and infections than international varieties. Well-founded analytical and organoleptic results have to provide the scientific background of resistant varieties, as these cultivars with the environmental friendly cultivation techniques, could be the raw material of the future.

The impacts of spice (sumac, cumin, black pepper, and red pepper) extract on Gram-positive (S. aureus and E. faecalis) and Gram-negative (K. pneumonia, P. aureginosa, C. jejuni, A. hydrophila, S. Paratyphi A, and Y. enterocolitica) food-borne pathogen bacterial strains (FBP) for their antibacterial activity and accumulation of ammonia (AMN), trimethylamine (TMA), and biogenic amines (BAs) in tyrosine decarboxylase broth (TDB) were investigated. Sumac extract exhibited the highest an-tibacterial potential against all FBP followed by cumin and peppers. Ammonia (AMN) production (844.24-543 mg/L) was strongly inhibited by sumac extract (55.10 mg/L), whilst suppression of trimethylamine (TMA) production (53.66-3.21 mg/L) was observed by sumac (1.28 mg/L), followed by red pepper (0.91 mg/L) extract. Cumin extracts stimulated the production of cadaverine, spermidine, tryptamine, and 2-phenylethylamine. Furthermore, sumac extracts inhibited hista-mine and tyramine production in the majority of FBP. This research suggests the application of sumac extracts as natural preservatives for inhibiting the growth of FBP and inhibiting the pro-duction of AMN, TMA, and BAs.

Nanoscience is a rapidly growing science stream that has been one of the cost-effective and energy-efficient approaches with wide applications. Water pollution is a major issue that is increasing continuously due to anthropogenic activities and several organic and inorganic contaminants. To overcome this issue, nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully used to treat water. These NPs possess many beneficial applications in many fields like agriculture, cosmetics, photoconductors, environmental biotechnology, glass and alloy production, solar cells, nanomedicine and drug deliveries, biosensors, food industries, etc. The properties comprising high surface area, greater chemical reactivity, and mechanical properties play a vital role in imparting such beneficiary properties. As a result, there has been an increasing demand for the synthesis of NPs. However, excess usage of NPs further creates toxic by-products. Therefore, scientists and researchers are now focussing on the biogenic synthesis of NPs. The biological routes of NP synthesis have been crucial because they are eco-friendly and environmentally safe. This chapter highlights the usage of different approaches and biogenic sources for the production of NPs. It also discusses the recent advancement in the use of biogenic NPs with respect to applications for wastewater treatment.

The discovery of a growing number of exoplanets and even extrasolar systems supports the scientific consensus that it is possible to find other signs of life in the universe. The present work proposes for the first time, an explicit mechanism inspired by the dynamics of biological dispersion, widely used in ecology and epidemiology, to study the dispersion of biogenic units, interpreted as complex organic molecules, between rocky or water exoplanets (habitats) located inside star clusters. The results of the dynamic simulation suggest that for clusters with populations lower than 4 M+/ly³ it is not possible to obtain biogenic worlds after 5 Gyr. Above this population size, biogenic dispersion seems to follow a power law, the larger the density of worlds lesser will be the impact rate (β ) value to obtain at least one viable biogenic Carrier habitat after 5 Gyr. Finally, when we investigate scenarios by varying β, a well-defined set of density intervals can be defined in accordance to its characteristic β value, suggesting that biogenic dispersion has a behavior of “minimal infective dose” of “minimal biogenic effective” events by interval i.e. once this dose has been achieved, doesn’t matter if additional biogenic impact events occur on the habitat.

Coalbed Methane(CBM) production enhancement for single wells is a big problem to CBM industrialization. Low production is due to insufficient gas generation by thermogenic. Luckily, Biogenic gas was found in many areas and its supply is assumed to improve coalbed methane production. Therefore, microbial simulation experiment will demonstrate the effectiveness of the assumption. From microbial simulation experiment on different coal ranks, it is found that microbes can use coals to produce biogas under laboratory conditions. With different temperatures for different experiments, it turns out that the gas production at 35 ℃ is greater than that at 15℃,indicating that 35℃ is more suitable for microbes to produce gas. According to quantitative experiments, adding exogenous nutrients or exogenous bacteria can improve CBM production. Moreover, the production enhancement ratio can reach up to 115% under the condition of adding exogenous bacterial species, while the ratio for adding nutrients can be up to 144%.

This contribution is aimed to measure for the first time the amount of biogenic amines (BAs) in one of the most ancient and traditional sheep cheese produced in Sardinia, Italy: the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Fiore Sardo. For doing this, an original RP-HPLC-DAD-UV method has been developed, completely validated in terms of LoD, LoQ, linearity, precision and trueness, and tested on 36 real Fiore Sardo PDO cheese samples produced by four different cheesemakers and marketed by four stores. The average total concentration of the eight BAs (i.e. tyramine, tryptamine, histidine, putrescine, cadaverine, 2-phenylethylamine, spermine and spermidine) measured in Fiore Sardo cheese was 700 mg/kg, with a range between 170 mg/kg and 1100 mg/kg. A great variability in the total amount of BAs has been evidenced among the Fiore Sardo marketed in the four stores as well as for the cheeses purchased in different times in the same store. Tyramine (350 mg/kg), putrescine (150 mg/kg), histamine (80 mg/kg) and cadaverine (30 mg/kg) are the most abundant BAs found in this matrix. Among many factors concurring, the dominant microflora of Fiore Sardo PDO is likely the principal cause of the qualitative and quantitative distribution of BAs in this matrix. Finally, the total amount of BAs found in Fiore Sardo PDO is not able to cause any situation of health alert for consumers.

Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao, L.) represents an important market that gained relevance and became an esteemed commodity thanks to cocoa powder, chocolate, and other related products. This work has analyzed 59 cocoa powder samples from the European market. Three distinct subgroups were identified: organic or conventional, alkalized or not alkalized, and raw or roasted processing. The impact of the technological process was evaluated on the pH, color, and compositional traits, as content of biogenic amines and salsolinol. The phenolic fraction was also investigated trough both common and emerging methods. Results depict that the influence of the agronomical practices (organic/conventional) did not affect significatively (p<0.05) the composition of cocoa powders; similarly, the roasting process was not discriminative for the compounds traced. On the other hand, the alkalinization process greatly impacted on color, and pH, no matter of cocoa provenience, obtention, or other processes, also resulting reducing the phenolic fraction of treated samples. Principal components analysis confirmed that the alkali process acts on pH, color, and phenolic composition, but not on other bioactives molecules (BAs and salsolinol). All samples resulted safe while alkalized powders have a great reduction in beneficial biocompounds. A novel strategy could be to emphasize non-alkalized powders in the label, to meet the demand for more beneficial products.

In this work, a colorimetric indicator based on gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and a biodegradable and eco-friendly polymer (sodium alginate, Alg.), has been developed, for the real-time detection of fish spoilage products. AuNP and colorimetric indicator were characterized by: UV-Vis, FTIR spectroscopies, TGA, DSC, XRD, TEM, and colorimetry. The UV-Vis spectrum and TEM showed the successful synthesis, the spherical shape, and the size of AuNPs. Results indicated color changes of the indicator in packaged fish on day 9 of storage at refrigerated temperature (5ºC). These results showed the successful application of colorimetric indicator in the detection of TVB-N in packaged fish.

1) Background: A survey of biogenic amines profile in opened wine bottles has been established. Opened bottles of red and white wine were submitted to different temperature as well as different kind of stopper (screw cap, cork stopper) and use of vacuum devices. A total of six wine made from different variety of grapes were obtained from Polish vineyard places in different region of Poland; 2) Results: DLLME-GC-MS procedure for biogenic amines determination was validated and applied for wine samples analysis. The total content of BAs in white wines ranged from 442 µg/L to 929 µg/L, while in red wines ranged from 669 µg/L to 2244 µg/L the set of just opened wine samples. The most abundant biogenic amines in the six analysed wines were histamine and putrescine; 3) Conclusion: Considering the commercial availability of the analysed wines, there was no relationship between the presence of biogenic amines in a given wine and their availability on the market. However, it was observed that the different storage conditions employed in this experiment affect not only the biogenic amines profile, but also the pH. The results were confirmed by chemometric analysis.

Immersive experiences in green areas and particularly in forests have long been known to produce beneficial effects for human health. However, the exact determinants and mechanisms leading to healthy outcomes remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether inhaling plant-emitted biogenic volatile compounds, namely monoterpenes (MTs), can produce specific effects on anxiety. Data from 505 subjects participating in 39 structured forest therapy sessions in different Italian sites, were collected. Monoterpenes air concentration was measured at each site. STAI State questionnaires were administered before and after the sessions as a measure of anxiety. A propensity score matching analysis was then performed, considering an above-average exposure to inhalable air MTs as the treatment: the estimated effect was -1.28 STAI-S points (95% C.I. -2.51 to -0.06, p = 0.04), indicating that the average effect of exposure to high MT air concentrations during forest therapy sessions is to decrease anxiety.

We found out main regularities of surface waters pollution by diesters of о-phthalic acid (PAEs) at the background level of concentrations. Lake Baikal was selected as a model for our studies. The composition of PAEs in Baicalins waters is represented by dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Their concentrations are assessed in statistically valuable average values and ranges: 0.02 (0.01 – 0.02), 0.07 (0.06 – 0.09), 0.55 (0.47 – 0.66), 0.30 (0.26 – 0.34), µg/L, respectively. Main factors determining PAEs concentration are found out: year and season of sampling. The distribution of PAEs in the water body meets their hydrophobicity and is characterized by: i) even distribution of minor hydrophilic congeners DMP and DEP in the whole water area; ii) maximal concentrations of hydrophobic congeners DnBP and DEHP in the upper and near-bottom layers of the water column; iii) decrease of concentration of hydrophobic congeners in the near-shore zone. The contribution of near-shore sources of PAEs into the pelagic site is minimal, the main pollutants source is atmospheric transfer. A valuable contribution of DEHP from biogenic sources into the background level of PAEs is shown. Within RQ coefficients, we assessed the environmental risk for Baicalins biota.

The formation of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in petroleum reservoirs by anaerobic microbial activity is called biogenic souring of reservoirs and is a risk in the oil and gas industry as the compound is extremely toxic, flammable and corrosive. In this paper, we present a workflow and the tools to assess biogenic souring from a pragmatic engineering perspective. The retention of H₂S in the reservoir due to the reactions with iron-bearing rock minerals (e.g. siderite) is shown in a theoretical approach here and supported with literature data. Cases are given for two fields under secondary (waterflooding) and tertiary flooding with microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). The use of the Monte Carlo method as a numerical modelling tool to incorporate uncertainties in the measured physical/chemical/ biochemical data is demonstrated as well. A list of studies conducted with different chemicals alone or in combination with various biocides to mitigate biogenic souring provides an overview of potential inhibitors as well as possible applications. Furthermore, the results of static and dynamic inhibition tests using molybdate are presented in more detail due to its promising mitigation ability. Finally, a three-step workflow for the risk assessment of biogenic souring and its possible mitigation is presented and discussed.

Filamentous manganese (Mn) oxide particles, which occur in the suboxic zone of stratified waterbodies, are important drivers of diverse elemental cycles. Although these particles are considered to be bacteriogenic, the environmental factor responsible for their formation has not been identified. Based on this study of laboratory cultures of a model Mn(II)-oxidizing bacterium, the supply of algal extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) was shown to stimulate Mn(II) oxidation and thus the production of filamentous Mn oxide particles. This observation was consistent with results obtained for naturally occurring particles collected from a near-bottom layer (depth of ~90 m) in the northern basin of Lake Biwa, Japan, that is, most Mn particles resembling delta-MnO2 were associated with an EPS-like gelatinous matrix, which contained dead algal cells and was lectin-stainable. In the lake water column, EPS produced by photosynthesis sank to the bottom layer. The analysis of the quality of water samples, which have been collected from the study site for 18 years, reveals that the annual average total phytoplankton biovolume in the surface layer correlates with the density of filamentous Mn particles in the near-bottom layer. Among different phytoplankton species, green algae appeared to be the key species. The results of this study suggest that algal EPS production induces the formation of filamentous Mn oxide particles in the near-bottom layer of the northern basin of Lake Biwa.

Waste biogenic materials from seafood exploitation are valuable resources of new compounds exploitation within the blue bioeconomy concept. Here, we describe the effectiveness of Raman technology implementation as an in-line tool for demineralization process control of crustaceans or gastropods. We produced transparent chitin polymer foils from three waste crustacean shells (C. sapidus, S. mantis and M. squinado) using a slow, green chemical approach employing acetic acid, and showed the progressive process of biogenic carbonate dissolution and increasing the Raman characteristic signal of chitin, in a time dependence manner. It turned that chitin foils obtaining is species-specific, and the demineralization bath of waste shell mixture can be effectively tracked by Raman spectroscopy, for solvent control and the recovery of the calcium acetate as valuable by-product. Comparatively, calcium acetate drug, a compound widely used in kidney failure diseases, or as additive in nutraceuticals and food industry, has been obtained here, following a green demineralization path of the sea snail Rapana venosa intact shell, assisted by Raman tech-nology, using 9% acetic acid (vinegar) solution for 14 days. To validate the final products identity and quality, The process of waste shells demineralization and the final products of the treatment were investigated using various Raman techniques and technologies, cross-validating the results with FT-IR, XRD and SEM-EDX techniques. NIR Raman spectroscopy revealed chitin bands in a time-dependent manner, while Resonance Raman spectroscopy showed the preservation of ca-rotenoids after two weeks of acetic acid treatment. A hand-held flexible TacticID Raman system with a 1064 nm excitation demonstrated its effectiveness as a rapid, in-line decision making tool during process control and revealed excellent reproducibility of the lab-based instrument signal, suitable for in situ evaluation of the demineralization status and solvent saturation control. The calcium acetate recovered from residual treatment solutions was assessed regarding its hydration status, purity, and suitability as recrystallized material for further use as pharmaceutical product or ingredient in complex formulations.

Keywords: Trichoderma sp., biogenic selenium nanoparticles, capping biomolecules, bio-corona, agriculture, plant biostimulants, phytopathogens, physicochemical properties, bioactivity mechanism

The potato is the most important non-cereal food crop, and thus improving potato growth and yield is in the focus of agricultural researchers and practitioners worldwide. Several studies reported beneficial effects of silicon (Si) fertilization on potato performance, although plant species from the family Solanaceae are generally considered as non-Si-accumulating. We used results from two field experiments in the temperate zone to gain insight into silica accumulation in potato plants as well as corresponding long-term potato yield performance. We found relatively low Si contents in potato leaves and roots (up to 0.08% and 0.3% in the dry mass, respectively) and negligible Si contents in potato tuber skin and tuber flesh for plants grown in soils with different concentrations of plant available Si (field experiment 1). Moreover, potato yield was not correlated to plant available Si concentrations in soils in the long-term (1965-2015, field experiment 2). Based on our results we ascribe the beneficial effects of Si fertilization on potato growth and yield performance reported in previous studies mainly to antifungal/osmotic effects of foliar-applied Si fertilizers and to changes in physicochemical soil properties (e.g., enhanced phosphorus availability and water holding capacity) caused by soil-applied Si fertilizers.

The development of multidrug resistance by pathogenic bacteria and yeast is a significant medical problem that needs to be addressed. One possible answer could be the combined use of antibiotics and silver nanoparticles, which have different mechanisms of antimicrobial action. Nanoparticles can be combined with antifungal agents in the same way. Biogenic silver nanoparticles synthesized using environmentally friendly technology using extracts of biologically active plants are an effective nanomaterial that needs to be comprehensively investigated for implementation into medical practice. In this study, the synergistic effects arising from their combined use with antibiotics and fungicides against various bacteria and yeasts, included in the ESKAPE list, were studied. Effective concentrations of substances were established, recommendations for the studied pathogenic species were presented and the effect of destruction of the bacterial membrane was illustrated. The most significant synergistic effect was manifested in pathogenic candida and brewer's yeast.