Intestinal gases are usually discarded as physiologically inert, useless sub-products of colonic fermentation that must be expelled to prevent discomfort and meteorism. Starting from the observation that many living beings use exogenous and/or endogenous gases to attain evolutionary benefits, we question whether intestinal gases in healthy humans could have underestimated physiological effects, either intestinal or extra-intestinal. We examine gaseous volume, composition, source and local distribution in proximal as well as distal gut, providing extensive data that may serve as reference for future studies. We analyze each one of the most abundant intestinal gases and describe their diffusive patterns, active trans-barrier transport dynamics, chemical properties, intra-/extra-intestinal metabolic effects mediated by intracellular, extracellular, paracrine and distant actions. Discussing the physical properties of the whole intestinal gaseous mixture, we illustrate how changes in volume/pressure can be generated by two different mechanisms, namely, physical muscular gut contraction and biological colonic fermentation, with quite different metabolic outcomes. The experimental gas laws suggest that the gaseous exchanges between lumen and bloodstream are impaired by muscular contraction and improved by muscular relaxation. In turn, the surface-area-to-volume ratio suggests that the gaseous exchanges are impaired by microorganismal overproduction and improved by microorganismal reduction. Further, theoretical stochastic approaches from probability theory indicate that the non-turbulent, random paths of gas molecules inside colonic haustra do not homogenously spread over the whole mucosal surface. This means that the intestinal area available for lumen/blood metabolic exchanges is much less than expected not just in disease states, but also in healthy individuals.

Most methods for measuring environmental lead (Pb) content are time consuming, expensive, hazardous, and restricted to specific analytical systems. To provide a facile, safe tool to detect Pb, we created pMet-lead, a portable fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based Pb biosensor. pMet-lead comprises a 3D-printed frame housing a 405-nm laser diode — an excitation source for fluorescence emission images (YFP and CFP) — accompanied by optical filters, a customized sample holder with a Met-lead 1.44 M1 (the most recent version)-embedded biochip, and an optical lens aligned for smartphone compatibility. Measuring the emission ratios (Y/C) of the FRET component enables Pb detection with a dynamic range of nearly 2 (1.96), pMet-lead/Pb dissociation constant (K_d) 45.62 nM, and limit of detection 40 nM (0.832 μg/dL, 8.32 ppb). To mitigate earlier problems with lack of selectivity for Pb vs. zinc, we preincubated samples with tricine, a low-affinity zinc chelator. We validated pMet-lead measurements of characterized laboratory samples and unknown samples from six regions in Taiwan by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Notably, two unknowns had Y/C ratios significantly higher than that of the control (3.48 ± 0.08 and 3.74 ± 0.12 vs. 2.79 ± 0.02), along with Pb concentrations (10.6 ppb and 15.24 ppb) above the WHO-permitted level of 10 ppb in tap water, while the rest four unknowns showing no detectable Pb upon ICP-MS. These results demonstrate that pMet-lead provides a rapid, sensitive means for on-site Pb detection in water from the environment and in living/drinking supply systems to prevent potential Pb poisoning.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of crude protein (CP) levels in concentrate and Sesbania grandiflora pod meal (SG) supplementations on feed intake, rumen fermentation, and methane (CH4) mitigation in Thai purebred beef cattle. Four cattle with 100 ± 5.0 kg body weight were used in this study. A 2 × 2 factorial experiment in a 4 × 4 Latin square design were conducted, in which factor A was the CP contents in concentrate of 14, and 16% of dry matter (DM) and factor B was the supplement contents of SG at 0.4% and 0.6% DM intake, respectively. The results showed that the CP contents in concentrate and SG had no interaction effect on intake, digestibility, ruminal ecologies, ruminal fermentation products, and nitrogen utilization. Increasing CP contents in concentrate did not influence DM intake and nutrients’ digestibility, and SG supplementation at 0.6% significantly (P<0.05) decreased CP digestibility. Increasing CP content to 16% increased significantly (P<0.05) the ruminal ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration while decreased significantly (P<0.05) the NH3-N concentration, protozoal number, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) at 4 h post-feeding. The 0.6% supplementation of the SG increased significantly average total volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and propionate (C3) concentration while decreased significantly average acetate (C2), C2:C3 ratio, and CH4 production, which was 2.71% for C2, 13.17% for C2:C3 ratio, and 4.37% for CH4 production lower than 0.4% supplementation. Fecal nitrogen excretion was significantly decreased when supplemented with 0.6% of the SG. In conclusion, 0.6% of the SG supplementation showed a greater effect on intake, rumen manipulation, and CH4 mitigation and would recommend supplementation to a concentrate-based diet containing either 14% or 16% CP content.

Recent years have seen dramatic growth in the number of scholarly scientific works dedicated to the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI), banking, and finance. With the development of scientometric tools, it is now possible to map, visualize, analyze, and assess scientific activities in many fields of engineering and social sciences including Islamic banking and finance. Based on data retrieved from the Scopus database and using a qualitative method, this study investigates, evaluates, and identifies significant development, trends, and players in the application of AI in Islamic banking and finance using the Visualization Of Similarities Method (VOS) between objects in VOSviewer. From 2006 to 2022, 387 documents were retrieved from the Scopus database; Results revealed that the top five most active countries in terms of publications are Malaysia (117 documents), Indonesia (89 documents), the United Kingdom (36 documents), the USA (24 documents), and Saudi Arabia and Bahrain (24 documents each). The International Islamic University Malaysia and Universitas Indonesia came out on top of active institutions while the top funding source came from the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. The comprehensive findings and analysis reported in this study serve as a roadmap for future academics to create theory and practice for applying AI in Islamic banking and finance.

In order to better understand the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen in meromictic lakes, which can serve as a model for past aquatic environments, we measured dissolved concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, ammonium and organic nitrogen in deep (39 m maximal depth) subarctic Lake Svetloe (NW Russia). The lake is a rare type of freshwater meromictic water boy with high concentrations of methane, ferrous iron, manganese and low concentrations of sulfates and sulfides in the monimolimnion. In the oligotrophic mixolimnion, the concentration of mineral forms of nitrogen decreased in summer compared to winter, likely due to phytoplankton bloom. The decomposition of the bulk of organic matter occurs under microaerophilic/anaerobic conditions of the chemocline and accompanied by the accumulation of nitrogen in the form of N-NH4 in the monimonimlion. We revealed a strong relationship between methane and nitrogen cycles in the chemocline and monimolimnion horizons. The nitrate concentrations in Lake Svetloe varied in the range from 9 to 13 μM throughout the water column. This fact is rare for meromictic lakes, where nitrate concentrations up to 13 µM are found in the monimolimnion zone down to the bottom layers. We hypothesize, in accord with available data for other stratified lakes, that under conditions of high concentrations of manganese and ammonium at the boundary of redox conditions and below, anaerobic nitrification with the formation of nitrates occurs. Overall, most of organic matter in Lake Svetloe undergoes biodegradation essentially under microaerophilic/anaerobic conditions of the chemocline and the monimolimnion. Consequently, the manifestation of the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle is expressed in these horizons in the most vivid and complex relationship with other cycles of elements.

In Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) site-specific techniques are needed to match N availability with durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum Desf.) requirements. Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers (EEF) can improve efficient N supply and reduce leaching, thus contributing to sustainable agriculture. To study the effects of rates, sources and timings of nitrogen application, two-year field experiments were carried out at two Mediterranean NVZs of Central Italy (Pisa and Arezzo). The trial compared: i) two N rates: one based on the crop N requirements (NO), the other on the Action Programmes’ prescriptions of the two NVZ (NAP); ii) three N sources (urea, methylene urea (MU), and nitrification inhibitor (NI) 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP); and two top-dressing timings (1st tiller visible and 1st node detectable). Grain yield and yield components were determined, together with N uptake. Results showed that: i) grain and biomass production were reduced with NAP at both locations; ii) urea performed better than slow-release fertilizers; iii) the best application time varied depending on N source and location: at Pisa enhanced-efficiency fertilizers achieved higher yields when applied earliest, while for urea the contrary was true; at Arezzo different N fertilizers showed similar performances between the two application timings. Different behaviors of top-dressing fertilizers at the two localities could be related to the diverse patterns of temperatures and rainfall. Therefore, optimal fertilization strategies vary according to environmental conditions.

Agriculture (crop production, land use, and livestock) is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting sector after the energy sector. Agriculture is also recognized as the source and sink of GHGs. Evidence demonstrates that the application of high amounts of nitrogen-rich fertilizers enhances methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which are potent GHGs with a high global warming potential (GWP). Considering its global contribution to the climate crisis, reducing GHG emissions in agriculture would considerably lower its share of the global GHG emission records, which may lead to enormous benefits for the environment and food production systems. Several diverging and controversial views questioning the actual role of plants in the current global GHG budget continue to nourish the debate globally. We must acknowledge that considering the beneficial roles of major GHGs to plants at a certain level of accumulation, implementing GHG mitigation measures from agriculture is indeed a complex task. This review seeks to provide key approaches for GHG mitigation in the literature (environmentally friendly crop cultivation and residue management practices, improvement of plants nutrients/fertilizer use efficiency, exploring the genetic diversity for low GHG emission, soil methane-producing bacteria, integrated soil fertility management, improved livestock feeding efficiency, and production, etc.). This work gathers key approaches from 275 peer-reviewed publications, including experimental research papers, review articles, and books, discussing greenhouse gas emissions mechanisms and mitigation to unravel effective strategies for GHG mitigation, proven to be effective or carry the potential to mitigate GHG generation from agriculture. This review also discusses in depth the significance and the dynamics of strategies regarded as game changers with a high potential to enhance, in a sustainable manner, the resilience of agricultural systems. Agricultural GHG mitigation approaches discussed in this work can serve as game changers in global efforts to reducing GHG emissions and alleviating the impact of climate change through sustainable agriculture and informed-decision making.

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.

In the field of metallurgy, there are many factors that influence the final quality of cast iron. These are mainly charge materials, chemical composition, metallurgical preparation up to the final casting process. Even small deviations from metallurgical processing lead to fluctuations in melt quality and the occurrence of casting defects. Charge materials has a significant impact on the quality of cast iron, especially steel scrap, which is increasingly used from an economic and ecological point of view, especially when melting cast iron in electric furnaces. Cast iron produced from a higher proportion of steel scrap in the charge has higher hardness and tensile strength. On the other side, these cast irons has a higher tendency to chillout, brittleness, shrinkage, pearlitic microstructure, stresses and higher purity due to the difference in hardness at different wall thicknesses of the castings. It is the high hardness that is the problem in the final machining of castings. These negative properties are recorded mainly in heavy thick-walled castings with higher tensile strength and hardness. This negative effect is mainly due to the nitrogen content in the steel scrap. Based on these knowledges, operating melts were realized in the foundry's operating conditions. The influence of steel scrap in the charge and the possibility of eliminating its negative effects on the properties of cast iron were investigated.

The present study assessed the effect of abscisic acid (ABA; 25 µM) and/or nitrogen (N; 10 mM) in minimization of salinity (NaCl; 100mM)-impact on growth, photosynthetic efficiency, Rubisco activity, nitrogen and sulfur assimilation, oxidative stress (H₂O₂), lipid peroxidation measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, (TBARS), osmolyte (Proline) content, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD glutathione reductase, GR; ascorbate peroxidase, APX) in cultivar RH0-749 of Brassica juncea L. NaCl stress caused significant elevations in H₂O₂ and TBARS, and differentially modulated proline content, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and impaired growth and photosynthetic functions. Exogenously applied 25 µM ABA negatively affected plant growth and photosynthesis in B. juncea without NaCl. In contrast, exogenously applied 25 µM ABA and 10 mM N, alone or in combination minimized oxidative stress, and maintained a fine-tuning between proline content and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and thereby improved plant growth and photosynthetic functions in NaCl exposed B. juncea.

Water and nutrients shortage threatens agricultural sustainability in many arid and semiarid areas of the world. It is unknown whether improved water and nutrient conservation practices can be developed to alleviate this issue while increasing crop productivity. In this study, experimental work included the application of straw, biochar and N fertilizer. The straw and biochar were applied alone or combined with N fertilizer (0 and 100 kg N ha-1). Application of biochar and straw in combination with N fertilizer caused a reduction in mean soil temperature by an average of 20.05% and 18.10% relative to soils without carbon. Biochar and straw– amended soils significantly (P &lt; 0.05) increased soil moisture content by 11.04% and 13.68% compared to no carbon treatments. Statistically comparable temperatures and moisture were recorded for both straw and biochar treated plots. Both biochar and straw treated soils produced the lowest bulk density (0–5 cm) at 1.15 g cm–3, and no carbon soils the highest at 1.20 g cm–3. The improved soil quality translated into higher biomass in the biochar (1906 kg ha–1) and biomass (1643 kg ha–1) and soils without carbon the lowest at 1553 kg ha–1. The improvement of soil moisture and the optimization of soil temperature for the two residue treated soils allow us to conclude that combined application of biochar and straw at the rate used in this study can be used as an effective farming model in alleviating water and nutrient shortage in semiarid environments.

Impact of Nitrogen Foamed Stimulation Fluids Stabilized by Nanoadditives on Reservoir Rocks of Hydrocarbon Deposits

In the present study, the potential of ethylene as ethephon (an ethylene source) was investigated individually or with a combination of the split dosage of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) soil treatments for the removal of damaging effects of salt stress (100 mM NaCl) in mustard (Brassica juncea L.). Plants were grown with 50 mg N plus 50 mg S kg−1 soil at sowing time and an equivalent dosage at 20 days after sowing ([N50 + S50]0d + [N50 + S50]20d). Ethephon at 200 μL L‒1 was applied to combined split dosage of N and S with or without NaCl. Plants subjected to NaCl showed a deceased in growth and photosynthetic characteristics as well as N and S assimilation, though, proline metabolism and antioxidants increased. The application of ethephon to plants grown with split N and S dosages significantly enhanced the photosynthetic efficiency by increasing the assimilation of N and S, improving the content of proline and induction of the antioxidant system with or without NaCl. The regulation of ethylene and/or split form N and S application may be the potential tools for overcoming salt stress effects in this species and in related Brassicaceae.

Deep Learning (DL) and Machine Learning (ML) are widely used in many fields, but rarely used in Frequency Estimation (FE) and Slope Estimation (SE) of signals. Frequency and slope estimation for Frequency-Modulated (FM) and single-tone sinusoidal signals are essential in various applications, such as wireless communications, sonar, and radar measurements. In this work, artificial neural network (ANN) and convolutional neural network (CNN) are used in frequency and slope estimation for FM signals under Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and Additive Symmetric alpha Stable Noise (SαSN). SαS distributions are impulsive noise disturbances found in many communication environments like marine systems; their distribution lacks a closed-form Probability Density Function (PDF), except for specific cases, and infinite second-order statistic, hence Geometric SNR (GSNR) is used in this work to determine the impulsiveness of noise in a mixture of Gaussian and SαS noise processes. ANN is a machine learning classifier, designed with few layers for reducing FE and SE complexity while getting higher accuracy as compared with classical techniques. CNN is a deep learning classifier, designed with many layers for FE and SE, and proved to be more accurate than ANN when dealing with big data and finding optimal features. Simulation results show that SαS noise can be much more harmful for FE and SE of FM signals than Gaussian noise. DL and ML can significantly reduce FE complexity, memory cost, and power consumption, which is important in many systems such as some Internet of Things (IoT) sensor applications. After training DCNN for frequency and slope estimation of LFM signals, the performance of DCNN (in terms of accuracy) can give acceptable results at very low signal-to-noise ratios where TFD fails, giving more than 20dB difference in the GSNR working range.

The impact of riparian wetlands on the cycling, retention and export of nutrients from land to water varies according to local environmental conditions and is poorly resolved in catchment management approaches. To determine the role a specific wetland might play in a catchment mitigation strategy, an alternative approach is needed to the high frequency and spatially detailed monitoring programme that would otherwise be needed. Here, we present a new approach using a combination of novel and well-established geochemical, geophysical and isotope ratio approaches. This was developed and tested against a 2-year high-resolution sampling programme in a lowland permeable wetland in the Lambourn catchment, UK. The monitoring programme identified multiple pathways and water sources feeding into the wetland, generating large spatial and temporal variations in nutrient cycling, retention and export behaviours within the wetland. This complexity of contributing source areas and biogeochemical functions within the wetland were effectively identified using the new toolkit approach. We propose that this technique could be used to determine the likely net source/sink function of riparian wetlands prior to their incorporation into any catchment management plan, with relatively low resource implications when compared to a full high frequency nutrient speciation and isotope geochemistry-based monitoring approach.

This study investigated defect formation and strain distribution in high Mg content Al-Mg alloys during normal rolling and cross-rolling processes. The finite element analysis (FEA) revealed the presence of wave defects and strain localization-induced zipper cracks in normal cold rolling, which were confirmed by experimental results. The concentration of shear strain played a significant role in crack formation and propagation. However, the influence of wave defects was minimal in the cross-rolling process, which exhibited a relatively uniform strain distribution. Nonetheless, strain concentration at the edge and center regions led to the formation of zipper cracks and edge cracks, with more pronounced propagation observed in the experiments compared to FEA predictions. Furthermore, texture evolution was found to be a crucial factor affecting crack propagation, particularly with the development of the Goss texture component which is observed by electron backscattered diffraction analysis at bending points. The Goss texture hindered crack propagation, while the Brass texture allowed cracks to pass through. This phenomenon was consistent with both FEA and experimental observations. To mitigate edge crack formation and propagation, potential strategies involve promoting the formation of the Goss texture at the edge through alloy and process conditions, as well as implementing intermediate annealing to alleviate stress accumulation. These measures can enhance the overall quality and reliability of Al-Mg alloys during cross-rolling processes. In summary, understanding the mechanisms of defect formation and strain distribution in Al-Mg alloys during rolling processes is crucial for optimizing their mechanical properties. The findings of this study provide insights into the challenges associated with wave defects, strain localization, and crack propagation. Future research and optimization efforts should focus on implementing strategies to minimize defects and improve the overall quality of Al-Mg alloys in industrial applications.

In this work, effects of 20 transition element additives on the interfacial adhesion energy and electronic structure of Al (111)/6H-SiC (0001) interfaces have been studied by first principles method. For clean Al (111)/6H–SiC (0001) interfaces, both Si-terminated and C-terminated interfaces have covalent bond characteristics. The C-terminated interface has stronger binding energy, which is mainly due to the stronger covalent bond formed by the larger charge transfer between C and Al. The results show that the introduction of many transition elements, such as 3d transitional group Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and 4d transitional group Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, can improve the interfacial adhesion energy of the Si-terminated Al (111)/6H-SiC (0001) interface. However, for the C-terminated Al (111)/6H-SiC (0001) interface, only the addition of Co element can improve the interfacial adhesion energy. Bader charge analysis shows that the increase of interfacial binding energy is mainly attributed to more charge transfer.

To increase rice production, fertilizer plays a crucial role in rice yield. In this research, we applied the coupled atmospheric and crop model, which is based on the WRF and CERES-Rice models, to find the appropriate nitrogen fertilizer level for increasing rice yield production in northern Thailand. The model was conducted from October to December in 2011 to 2015. To evaluate the model capability, the output from the model, including meteorological data, i.e., precipitation and temperature, and rice production, as compared to actual observation data. The modeling system shows an acceptable level of output for statistical examination; for example, the R² values were 0.93, 0.76, and 0.97 for precipitation, temperature, and rice production, respectively. To assess the optimization of the nitrogen fertilizer level, we designed 9 experiments: control cases and other cases that were multiplied by a factor of 2 – 10 times the nitrogen fertilizer levels. The model suggested that we can produce worthwhile rice yield production by approximately 4830 kg/ha if we increase the nitrogen fertilizer levels by 36 kg/ha.

The C/N ratio is an extremely important parameter in the composting process, which is directly responsible for the growth of microorganisms. A low C/N ratio contributes to higher emissions of greenhouse gases and odorous substances, such as ammonia (NH3), which is formed by nitrogen mineralization. Due to the highly toxic effects of ammonia, it is a particularly unwanted by-product that can disrupt the composting process because it poisons microorganisms and cause environmental issues. The activity of anammox bacteria, so far analyzed only in wastewater treatment processes, is a particularly efficient method of nitrogen removal, having an advantage over the conventional methods used previously. Our study proofs the presence of anammox bacteria during composting, what gives an opportunity to improve the process and reduce its impact on atmospheric pollution. Despite the aerobic nature of this process, the composted mass of waste presents conditions conducive to the development of these ammonia oxidizing bacteria, as well as other strains of microorganisms cooperating with them. This makes it possible to compost at a low C/N ratio; in addition, there is no need for additional energy supply through aeration, as the processes carried out by anammox bacteria do not require oxygen.

The mosquito microbiota reduces the vector competence of Anopheles to Plasmodium and affects host fitness, it is therefore considered as a potential target to reduce malaria transmission. While immune induction, secretion of antimicrobials and metabolic competition are three typical mechanisms of microbiota-mediated protection against invasive pathogens in mammals, the involvement of metabolic competition or mutualism in mosquito-microbiota and microbiota-Plasmodium interactions has not been investigated. Here, we describe a metabolome analysis of the midgut of An. coluzzii provided with a sugar-meal or a blood-meal, under conventional or antibiotic-treated conditions. We observed that the antibiotic treatment affects the tricarboxylic acid cycle and nitrogen metabolism, notably resulting in decreased abundance of free amino acids. Linking our results with published data, we identified candidate pathways which may participate in microbiota/Plasmodium interactions via metabolic interactions or immune modulation.

Oil spills may have devastating effects on marine ecosystems, public health, the economy, and coastal communities. Therefore, scientific literature contains various up-to-date, advanced oil spill predictive models, capable to simulate the trajectory and evolution of an oil slick generated by the accidental release from ships, hydrocarbons production, or other activities. To predict in near real time oil spill transport and fate with increased reliability these models are usually coupled operationally to synoptic meteorological, hydrodynamic, and wave models. The present study reviews the available different met-ocean forcings that have been used in oil spill modeling, simulating hypothetical or real oil spill scenarios, worldwide. Nine state-of-the-art oil spill models are critically examined in terms of the met-ocean data used as forcing inputs in the simulation of twenty-four case studies. Results illustrate that most oil spill models are coupled to different resolution, forecasting meteorological and hydrodynamic models, posing, however, limited consideration in the forecasted wave field (expressed as the significant wave height, the wave period and the Stokes drift) that may affect oil transport, especially at the coastal areas. Moreover, the majority of oil spill models lacks any linkage to the background biogeochemical conditions, hence, limited consideration is given in processes like oil biodegradation, photo-oxidation and sedimentation. Future advancements in oil spill modeling should be directed towards the full operational coupling with high-resolution atmospheric, hydrodynamic, wave, and biogeochemical models, improving our understanding in the relative impact of each physical and oil weathering process.

Road vehicles are a large contributor to Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) pollution. The routine road-side monitoring stations, however, may underrepresent the severity of personal exposure in urban areas, because long-term average readings cannot capture the effects of momentary, high peaks of air pollution. While numerical modelling tools historically have been used to propose an improved distribution of monitoring stations, ultra-high resolution Computational Fluid Dynamics models can further assist the relevant stakeholders in understanding the important details of pollutant dispersion and exposure at local level. This study deploys a 10 cm-resolution CFD model to evaluate actual high peaks of personal exposure to NOx from traffic, by tracking the gases emitted from the tailpipe of moving vehicles being dispersed towards the roadside. The investigation shows that a set of four Euro 5-rated diesel vehicles travelling at constant speed may generate momentary road-side concentrations of NOx as high as 1.25 mg/m3, with 25% expected increase for doubling the number of vehicles and approximately 50% reduction when considering Euro 6-rated vehicles. The paper demonstrates how the numerical tool can be used to identify the impact of measures to reduce personal exposure, such as protective urban furniture, as traffic patterns and environmental conditions change.

Saudi Arabia consists mainly of desert land. However, it has big and small natural wetlands and artificial wetlands. Most of these wetlands are seen along the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf coastal regions. Al-Asfar Lake, located in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia, is one of the historical landmarks of Al-Ahsa province. The primary lake water source is agricultural drainage water, which some refer to as an artificial lake. This paper mainly aims to reflect shade on the wetlands in Saudi Arabia in general and to show in detail the environmental impacts of Al-Asfar Lake on the ecosystem and biodiversity of the study area. The analytical review of the previous studies conducted in Al-Asfar Lake was adopted in this article. Hence, the impact of the lake on the land-use system, water quality and biodiversity was illustrated as the main outputs of the review analysis. However, the sustainable management of Al-Asfar Lake requires the stakeholders to adopt the wetland ecosystem health concept, which might lead to improving the lake's environmental conditions.

The objective of the present study was to develop and optimize an efficient growth media for Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, an essential dairy starter culture, uses plant-based nitrogen sources. The composition of the de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) culture medium was modified, and the nitrogen content was replaced by alternative nitrogen sources X-Seed N7 and N5 in various blends of 3% and 1.5%. Results showed that bacterial growth was higher with the N7 and N5 nitrogen source blends at 3% and 1.5%. Similarly, the optical densities of the L. bulgaricus strains were higher in the N7 and N5 blends (1.5/3%) compared to the MRS medium. Although there was no significance in bacterial counts for both the MRS and the N7 and N5 media, a significant difference between the control medium and the optimized growth media was noted. Our results thus suggest that the alternative nitrogen sources X-Seed N7 and N5 can substantially support the growth of lactic acid bacteria as shown with L. bulgaricus. Moreover, the presence of complex nitrogen sources rich in free nucleotides, amino acids, and peptides enhanced L. bulgaricus growth. Our results support the development of cost-effective and plant-based growth media for LAB cultures and potential benefits to the food and dairy industries. Additional research is warranted to improve buffering capacity for higher cell counts.

Biofertilizer, an environment-friendly and renewable plant nutrient source, has been widely applied and studied to reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers. However, most studies focus on the effects of biofertilizer on the bacterial and fungal communities, and we still lack an understanding of biofertilizer on the protistan community. Here, the effects of biofertilizer application on the composition and interaction of the protistan community in the wheat rhizosphere were investigated based on a 4-year field experiment. Biofertilizer application altered soil physicochemical properties and the protistan community composition (ANOSIM, p &lt; 0.001), and significantly induced an alpha diversity decline. Random forecast and redundancy analysis demonstrated that nitrogenase activity and available phosphorus were the main drivers. Trichomonas classified to the phylum Metamonada was enriched by biofertilizer, and was significantly positive connections with soil nitrogenase activity and some function genes involved in nitrogen-fixation and nitrogen-dissimilation. Biofertilization loosely connected biotic interactions, while did not affect the stability of the protistan community. Besides, biofertilizer promoted the connections of protists with fungi, bacteria, and archaea. Combined with the conjunct biotic network (protist, fungi, bacteria, and archaea) and interactions between protists and soil physicochemical properties/function genes, protists may act as keystone taxa potentially driving soil microbiome composition and function.

Microalgae are used in various biotechnological processes, such as biofuel production due to their high biomass yields, agriculture as biofertilizers, production of high-value-added products, de-contamination of wastewater, or as biological models for carbon sequestration. The number of these biotechnological applications is increasing, and as such, any advances that contribute to reducing costs and increasing economic profitability can have a significant impact. Nitrogen fixing organisms, often called diazotroph, also have great biotechnological potential, mainly in agri-culture as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Microbial consortia typically perform more com-plex tasks than monocultures and can execute functions that are challenging or even impossible for individual strains or species. Interestingly, microalgae and diazotrophic organisms are capable to embrace different types of symbiotic associations. Certain corals and lichens exhibit this sym-biotic relationship in nature, which enhances their fitness. However, this relationship can also be artificially created in laboratory conditions with the objective of enhancing some of the biotech-nological processes that each organism carries out independently. As a result, the utilization of microalgae and diazotrophic organisms in consortia is garnering significant interest as a potential alternative for reducing production costs and increasing yields of microalgae biomass, as well as for producing derived products and serving biotechnological purposes. This review makes an effort to examine the associations of microalgae and diazotrophic organisms, with the aim of highlighting the potential of these associations in improving various biotechnological processes.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) remains the preeminent American perennial (C4) bioenergy crop for cellulosic ethanol that could help displace over a quarter of the US current petroleum consumption. Intriguingly, there is often little response to nitrogen fertilizer once stands are established. The rhizosphere microbiome plays a critical role in nitrogen cycling and overall plant nutrient uptake. We used high-throughput metagenomic sequencing to characterize the switchgrass rhizosphere microbial community (5.37 billion Illumina reads at 805 Gbp of data) before and after a nitrogen fertilization event for established stands on marginal land. We examined community structure, bulk metabolic potential, and resolved 29 individual bacteria genomes via metagenomic de novo assembly. Community structure and diversity were not significantly different before and after fertilization; however, the bulk metabolic potential of carbohydrate-active enzymes was depleted after fertilization. We resolved 29 metagenomic assembled genomes including some from the ‘most wanted’ soil taxa such as Verrucomicrobia, Candidate phyla UBA10199, Acidobacteria (rare subgroup 23), Dormibacterota, and the very rare Candidatus Eisenbacteria. The Dormibacterota (formally candidate division AD3) we identified have the potential for autotrophic CO utilization, which may impact carbon partitioning and storage. Our study also suggests that the rhizosphere microbiome may be involved in providing associative nitrogen fixation (ANF) via the novel diazotroph Janthinobacterium, which may partially explain why switchgrass growth is insensitive to fertilizer.

Carbon and nitrogen contents and their isotopic components and AMS radiocarbon dating ages were measured for 57 coastal sediments from Weizhou Island to analyze the distribution of total inorganic carbon (TIC) and its carbon and oxygen isotopic components (δ13Ccarb and δ18Ocarb), total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents and their stable isotopic components (δ13CTOC and δ15NTN) and environmental significance. The results showed that the oldest age of coastal sediments on Weizhou Island was 2750 cal. a BP, and the average TIC contents of A1, A2, B1, C1, and D1 in the intertidal zone were all greater than 5%, where δ13Ccarb and δ18Ocarb were enriched, while the TIC contents in A3, C2, and D2 of the supra-tidal zone were low, where δ13Ccarb and δ18Ocarb were depleted. Moreover, TIC decreased sharply from the estuary to upstream region in the C1-C2 section. The average C/N ratio was 7.02, and δ13CTOC and δ15NTN were between -14.96‰~-27.26‰ and -14.38‰~4.12‰, respectively. These measurements indicated that the TIC in coastal sediments mainly came from seawater. A1, A2, and B1 in the northern intertidal zone exhibited organic terrestrial signals because of C3 and C4 plant inputs, which proved that the important source of the northern coast of Weizhou Island came from the island. The lacustrine facies deposits were mainly distributed in the upper reaches of the river, the northern coastline was rapidly advancing toward the sea, and part of the southwestern coastal sediments rapidly accumulated to the shore under the influence of a storm surge. The relative sea level of the Weizhou Island area has continuously declined at a rate of approximately 2.07 mm/a, using beach rock as a marker, since the Holocene.

Empirical models help us understand the process of plant residue decomposition and nutrient release into the soil. The objective of this study was to determine an appropriate model to describe the decomposition of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop (CC) residue and nitrogen (N) release. Data pertaining to above and belowground CC residue mass loss and N release for up to 2633 cumulative decomposition degree days (112 d) after litterbag installation were obtained from two cropping system experiments, one conducted in 2015 and the other in 2017 and 2018 at the humid subtropical environment of southern IL, USA. Six exponential and two hyperbolic models were fit to percent mass and N remaining data to find the one with minimum Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and residual sum of squares. Modified three-parameter single exponential and two- or three-parameter hyperbolic models best met the assumed criteria of selection for above and belowground CC residue, respectively. Fitting a double exponential model to a combined data for percent mass and N remaining, which identified two mass and N pools, a fast and a slow pool with different rate constants. A five-parameter double exponential with an asymptote met the preset criteria and passed all tests for normally distributed population, constant variance, and independence of residuals at α = 0.05 when fit to combined data of hairy vetch shoot mass and N remaining. However, a two-parameter hyperbolic and three-parameter asymptotic hyperbolic model provided the best fit to a combined data of cereal rye shoot mass and N remaining, respectively. Both hyperbolic decay models showed a good fit for belowground mass decomposition and N release for both CCs. Cereal rye had poorer fit than hairy vetch for mass and N remaining of both above and belowground mass. The best-selected decay models can be used to estimate the decomposition and N release rates of hairy vetch and cereal rye above and belowground residue in a similar environment.

Abstract Plant uptake and assimilation of essential nitrogen compounds from the soil are mainly in the form of nitrate and ammonium ions. Plant nitrate transporters (NRTs) play a crucial role in nitrate uptake from the soil into the roots. NRT structural analysis reveals the mechanisms by which these transporters function. Similarly, plant ammonium transporters (AMTs) mediate the uptake of ammonium ions, and their structural analysis has provided valuable information on their mechanisms. After nitrogen uptake by plant roots, the nitrogen metabolism pathway involves the incorporation of nitrogen into organic compounds. Glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GoGAT) are the master players in this pathway. They work together to convert ammonium ions into glutamine and glutamate, respectively. Different isoforms of GS and GoGAT exist, enabling plants to fine-tune nitrogen metabolism based on environmental cues. Under severe abiotic stress conditions, nitric oxide (NO) has been found to enhance plant survival under drought. Furthermore, the interaction between salinity stress and nitrogen availability in plants has been studied, with NO identified as a potential mediator of responses to salt stress. On the other hand, excessive use of nitrate fertilizers can lead to health and environmental issues. Therefore, alternative strategies, such as establishing nitrogen fixation in plants through diazotrophic microbiota, have been explored to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Ultimately, genomics can identify new genes related to nitrogen fixation, which could be harnessed to improve plant productivity. By deciphering the genetic basis of nitrogen-fixing traits, researchers aim to develop crops that efficiently utilize nitrogen from the environment.

Air pollution is a leading cause of death worldwide, and has a profound impact on the planet's climate and ecosystems. A substantial portion of air pollution is attributable to Ocean Going Vessels (OGVs). In light of this, international regulations have been put in place to mitigate air pollutant emissions from OGVs. While studies have indicated that these regulations can create significant health, environmental, and economic benefits, there remains a research gap regarding their specific impact on enhancing air quality. The aim of this study is to investigate how the implemented regulations have affected air quality in the Southern North Sea. The study found that the international regulations on ship emissions have successfully led to a decline in SO2 emissions from OGVs in the Southern North Sea, which resulted in a reduction of ambient SO2 concentrations inland, leading to positive effects on public health and the environment. However, it was projected that their proportion is tend to increase in the following years. Moreover, the study revealed that Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) present significant concerns. They were significantly more frequently found to be non-compliant, and more alarmingly, they emit notably higher average levels of SO2. It also turned out that international regulations in the southern North Sea have less effect on the reduction of NOx emissions from OGVs than expected. The NOx emissions from OGVs will even account for an alarming 40% of the total domestic NOx emissions for the Belgian Region by 2030.

Nitrogen and phosphorous loading drives eutrophication of aquatic systems. Lakes and reservoirs are often effective N and P sinks, but information is needed on the variability of their biogeochemical dynamics, especially for tropical systems. A long-term N and P mass balance (2003-2018) in a small tropical eutrophic reservoir lake, Valle de Bravo (VB), Mexico, showed it is a net sink of N (-41.7 g N m-2 y-1), and P (-2.7 g P m-2 y-1), mainly through net sedimentation, equivalent to 181% and 68% of their respective loading (23.0 g N m-2 y-1 and 4.2 g P m-2 y-1). N mass balance showed that VB has a high net N atmospheric influx (31.6 g N m-2 y-1), which was 1.3 times the external load, and likely dominated by N2 fixation. During a period of high water level fluctuations (WLF), the net N atmospheric flux decreased by half compared to high level years. WLF can be a useful management tool to improve the trophic status of water bodies by decreasing anoxic conditions and net atmospheric fluxes, possibly through decreasing nitrogen fixation and/or promoting denitrification and other microbial processes that alleviate the N load.

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 development of platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalysts derived from cheap and environmentally friendly biomasses for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a topic of relevant interest, particularly from the point of view of sustainability. Fe-nitrogen-doped carbon materials (Fe-N-C) have attracted particular interest as alternative to Pt-based materials, due to the high activity and selectivity of Fe-Nx active sites, the high availability and good tolerance to poisoning. Recently, many studies focused on developing synthetic strategies, which could transform N-containing biomasses into N-doped carbons. In this paper chitosan was employed as a suitable N-containing biomass for preparing Fe-N-C catalyst in virtue of its high N content (7.1%) and unique chemical structure. Moreover, the major application of chitosan is based on its ability to strongly coordinate metal ions, a precondition for the formation of Fe-Nx active sites. The synthesis of Fe-N-C consists in a double step thermochemical conversion of a dried chitosan hydrogel. In acidic aqueous solution, the preparation of physical cross-linked hydrogel allows to obtain sophisticated organization, which assure an optimal mesoporosity before and after the pyrolysis. After the second thermal treatment at 900 °C, a highly graphitized material was obtained, which has been fully characterized in term of textural, morphological and chemical properties. RRDE technique was used for understanding the activity and the selectivity of the material versus the ORR in 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte. Special attention was put in the determination of the active site density according to nitrite electrochemical reduction measurements. It was clearly established that the catalytic activity expressed as half wave potential linearly scales with the number of Fe-Nx sites. It was also established that the addition of the iron precursor after the first pyrolysis step leads to an increased activity because of both an increased number of active sites and of a hierarchical structure, which improves the access to active sites. At the same time, the increased graphitization degree, and a reduced density of pyrrolic nitrogen groups are helpful to increase the selectivity toward the 4e- ORR pathway.

The corrosion behavior of Fe-containing directionally solidified (DS) and centrifugally cast (CC) Al-Si-Cu-Zn alloys with either Co or Ni additions has been investigated. Electrochemical and immersion corrosion methods were used to investigate the corrosion behavior in 0.6 M NaCl after short (1-hour) and long (30-day) exposure periods. The employed solidification methods allowed the production of samples with a wide range of secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) while preserving Si and Fe-containing phases. The 0.5 wt.% Ni and Co additions led to the growth of the AlFeSi(Ni) and AlFeSi(Co) phases, but no binary AlNi nor AlCo intermetallic par-ticles have been generated. Potentiodynamic polarization studies at early exposure revealed an increase in the corrosion potential as the Ni was added for either fast or slow solidified samples. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at early exposure demonstrated that the Ni-modified alloy, on the other hand, was associated to smaller charge transfer resistances, in-dicating a reduction in corrosion resistance after short elapsed time into the electrolyte. Howev-er, 30-day immersion tests revealed much lower corrosion rate of the Ni-modified alloy than the other alloys, while the corrosion rates of the Co-modified and non-modified alloys were simi-lar. In the Ni-containing alloy, decreased corrosion rate under long-term corrosion process was attributed to the formation of a thick and dense alumina layer, effectively protecting the surface under such conditions. This work contributes to a better knowledge of the corrosion behavior of Ni- and Co-corrected Al industrial scrap compositions.

Earthworms and soil microorganisms contribute to soil health, quality and fertility, but their importance in agricultural soils is often underestimated. This study aims at examining whether and to what extent the presence of earthworms [Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826)] affected the a) soil bacterial community composition, b) litter decomposition, and c) plant growth (Brassica oleracea L., broccoli; Vicia faba L., faba bean). We performed a mesocosm experiment in which plants were grown outdoors for four months with or without earthworms. Soil bacterial community structure was evaluated by a 16S rRNA-based metabarcoding approach. Litter decomposition rates were determined by using the tea bag index (TBI) and litter bags (olive residues). Earthworm number almost doubled throughout the experimental period. Independently of the plant species, earthworm presence had a significant impact on the structure of soil bacterial communities, in terms of enhanced α- and β-diversity (especially that of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Myxococcota, and Verrucomicrobia) and increased 16S rRNA gene abundance (+89% in broccoli and +223% in faba bean). Microbial decomposition (TBI) was enhanced in the treatments with earthworms, and showed a significantly higher decomposition rate constant (kTBI) and a lower stabilization factor (STBI), whereas decomposition in the litter bags (dlitter) increased by about 6% in broccoli and 5% in faba bean. Earthworms significantly enhanced root growth (in terms of total length and fresh weight) of both the plant species. Our results show the strong influence of earthworms and crop identity in shaping soil bacterial communities, litter decomposition and plant growth. These findings could be used for developing nature-based solutions that ensure the long-term biological sustainability of soil agro- and natural ecosystems.

Endophytic microbes are a ubiquitous group of plant-associated communities that colonize the intercellular or intracellular host tissues while giving numerous beneficial effects to the plants. All the plant species are thought to be associated with endophytes, majorly constituted with bacteria and fungi. During the last two decades, there has been a considerable movement toward the study of endophytes associated with coffee plants. In this review, the main consideration is given to address the coffee-associated endophytic bacteria and fungi, particularly their action on plant growth promotion and the biocontrol of pests. In addition, we sought to identify and analyze the gaps in available research. Additionally, the potential of endophytes to improve the quality of coffee seeds is briefly discussed. Even though there are limited studies on the subject, it has been well recognized the potentiality of coffee endophytes in plant growth promotion through enhancing nitrogen fixation, availability of minerals, nutrient absorption, secretion of phytohormones, and other bioactive metabolites. Further, the antagonistic effect against various coffee pathogenic bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and also insect pests lead to the protection of the crop. Furthermore, it is recognized that endophytes enhance the sensory characteristics of coffee as a new field of study.

Adding a submerged zone (SZ) is deemed to promote denitrification during dry periods and thus improve NO3--N removal efficiency of a bioretention system. However, few studies had investigated the variation of nitrogen concentration in the SZ during dry periods and evaluated the effect of the variation on nitrogen removal of the bioretention system. Based on the experiment in a mesocosm bioretetion system with SZ, this study investigated the variation of nitrogen concentration of the system under 17 consecutive cycles of wet and dry alternation with varied rainfall amount, influent nitrogen concentration and antecedent dry periods (ADP). The results indicated that (1) during the dry periods, NH4+-N concentrations in SZ showed an exponential decline trend, decreasing by 50% in 12.9 ± 7.3 hours; while NO3--N concentrations showed an inverse S-shape decline trend, decreasing by 50% in 18.8 ± 6.4 hours; (2) during the wet periods, NO3--N concentration in the effluent showed an S-shape upward trend; and at the early stage of the wet periods, the concentration was relatively low and significantly correlated with ADP, while the corresponding volume of the effluent was significantly correlated with the SZ depth; (3) in the whole experiment, the contribution of nitrogen decrease in SZ during dry periods to NH4+-N and NO3--N removal accounted for 12% and 92%, respectively; and the decrease of NO3--N in SZ during the dry period was correlated with the influent concentration in the wet period and the length of the dry period.

The present study assessed the effect of abscisic acid (ABA; 25 µM) and/or nitrogen (N; 10 mM) in minimization of salinity (NaCl; 100mM)-impact on growth, photosynthetic efficiency, Rubisco activity, nitrogen and sulfur assimilation, oxidative stress (H2O2), lipid peroxidation measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, (TBARS), osmolyte (Proline) content, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD glutathione reductase, GR; ascorbate peroxidase, APX) in cultivar RH0-749 of Brassica juncea L. NaCl stress caused significant elevations in H2O2 and TBARS, and differentially modulated proline content, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and impaired growth and photosynthetic functions. Exogenously applied 25 µM ABA negatively affected plant growth and photosynthesis in B. juncea without NaCl. In contrast, exogenously applied 25 µM ABA and 10 mM N, alone or in combination minimized oxidative stress, and maintained a fine-tuning between proline content and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and thereby improved plant growth and photosynthetic functions in NaCl exposed B. juncea.

We have previously developed several successful decellularization strategies yielding porcine cardiac extracellular matrices (pcECMs), which exhibit tissue-specific bioactivity and bioinductive capacity when cultured with various pluri- and multipotent stem cells. Here, we studied the tissue-specific effects of the pcECM on seeded human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) phenotype using reverse transcribed quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) arrays for cardio-vascular related genes. We further corroborated interesting findings at the protein level (flow cytometry and immunological stains) as well as bioinformatically using several mRNA sequencing and protein databases of normal and pathologic adult tissue expression, as well as during human embryonic organogenesis. We discovered that upon seeding of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on the pcECM they displayed partial MET toward endothelial phenotypes (CD31+) and morphologies, which were preceded by an early spike (~day 3 onward after seeding) in HAND2 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels compared to plate controls. CRISPR-Cas9 knockout (KO) of HAND2 and its associated antisense long non-coding RNA (HAND2-AS1) regulatory region resulted in proliferation arrest, hypertrophy, and senescent-like morphology. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that HAND2 and HAND2-AS1 are highly correlated in expression, are expressed in many different tissue types albeit at distinct yet tightly regulated expression levels. Deviation (down or up regulation) from these basal tissue expression levels are associated with a long list of pathologies. We thus suggest that HAND2 expression levels may finetune cell plasticity possibly affecting senescence and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition states, through yet unknown mechanisms. Targeting this pathway may represent a promising new therapeutic approach for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, degenerative disorders, and aging. Nevertheless, further investigations are required to better understand the molecular players involved, potential inducers and inhibitors of this pathway, and eventually potential therapeutic applications.

The European Green Deal has set a concrete strategic plan to increase farm sustainability. At the same time, the current global challenges, due to climate change and fuels and commodity market crisis, combined with the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, comprise the need for quality food, but also the reduction of negative external effects of agricultural production, with fair remuneration for the farmers. In response, precision agriculture has great potential to contribute to the sustainable development. Precision agriculture is a farming management that provides a holistic system approach to managing the spatial and temporal crop and soil variability within a field to improve the farm’s performance and sustainability. However, farmers are still hesitant to adopt it. On these premises, the study aims to evaluate the impacts of precision agriculture technologies on farm profitability, agronomic and environmental management by farmers adopting (or not) these technologies, using the case study method. In detail, the work focuses on the period 2014-2022 for two farms that cultivate durum wheat in Central Italy. The results suggest that the implementation of precision technologies can guarantee economic and agri-environmental efficiency. Results could serve as a basis for developing a program to start training in farms as well as suggest policy strategies.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a reversible cellular program that transiently places epithelial (E) cells into pseudo-mesenchymal (M) cell states. The malignant progression and resistance of many types of carcinomas depends on EMT activation, partial EMT and hybrid E/M status in neoplastic cells. EMT is activated by tumor microenvironmental TGFβ signal and EMT-inducing transcription factors, such as ZEB1/2 in tumor cells. However, reverse EMT factors are less studied. We demonstrate that transcription factor SCAND1 can revert mesenchymal and hybrid E/M phenotype of cancer cells to a more epithelial, less invasive status and inhibit their proliferation and migration. SCAND1 is a SCAN domain-containing protein and hetero-oligomerizes with SCAN-zinc finger transcription factors, such as MZF1, for accessing DNA and transcriptional co-repression of target genes. We found that SCAND1-MZF1 co-expression and interaction correlated with maintaining epithelial features, whereas the simultaneous loss of SCAND1 and MZF1 correlated with mesenchymal features of tumor cells. Overexpression of SCAND1 over endogenous MZF1 in DU-145 prostate cancer cells reverted their hybrid E/M status into cobblestone morphology with increased epithelial adhesion by E-cadherin and β-catenin relocation. Consistently, co-expression analysis in TCGA PanCancer Atlas revealed that both SCAND1 and MZF1 co-express and are negatively correlated with EMT driver genes, including CTNNB1, ZEB1, ZEB2 and TGFBR, in prostate tumor specimens. In addition, SCAND1 overexpression suppressed tumor cell proliferation by reducing the MAP3K-MEK-ERK signaling pathway. Of note, SCAND1-overexpressing DU-145 cells migrated slower than control cells with decreased lymph node metastasis of prostate cancer in a mouse tumor xenograft model. Kaplan-Meyer analysis showed high expression of MZF1 and SCAND1 to correlate with better prognoses in pancreatic cancer and head and neck cancers, although with poorer prognosis in kidney cancer. Overall, these data suggest that the combination of SCAND1-MZF1 complexes may revert the EMT mechanism in cancer to establish an epithelial phenotype. These effects seem to include co-repression of EMT-driver genes and suppression of tumor cell proliferation via inhibition of the MAP3K-MEK-ERK signaling pathway.

Bare titania and metal promoted TiO2 catalysts were employed in the treatment of nitrates, which are ubiquitous pollutants of wastewater. The results show that the process can be carried out under visible light (from white light LED lamp) and, in the best case, 23.5% conversion of nitrate was obtained over 4 hours with full selectivity towards N2 by employing 0.1 mol% Ag/TiO2 prepared by flame spray pyrolysis. Moreover, the performance was worse when testing the same catalysts with tap water (11.3% conversion), due to the more complex composition of the matrix. At last, it was found that the photoreduction of nitrate can be effectively performed in combina-tion with the photo-oxidation of ammonium without loss in the activity, opening to the possi-bility to treat highly polluted wastewater with a single process. The latter treatment employs the two contaminants simultaneously as electron and holes scavengers, with very good selectiv-ity, in a completely new process that we may call Photo-Selective Catalytic Reduction (Pho-to-SCR).

Bauxite residue (BR), also known as red mud, is a by-product of the production of alumina via the Bayer process. Because of the high sodium oxide and other impurities content, this material is not used to obtain iron or other iron-containing products. In this paper, the hydro-chemical conversion of goethite (FeOOH) to magnetite (Fe3O4) in high-iron BR from the Friguia alumina refinery (Guinea) by Fe2+ ions in highly concentrated alkaline media was studied. The simultaneous extraction of Al and Na made it possible to obtain a product containing more than 96% Fe3O4. The results show that the magnetization of Al-goethite and Al-hemetite accelerates the dissolution of the Al from the iron mineral solid matrix and from the desilication product (DSP). After ferrous sulfate (FeSO4·7H2O) was added directly at the FeO:Fe2O3 molar ratio of 1:1 at 120 °C for 150 min in the solution with the 360 g L-1 Na2O concentration, the alumina extraction ratio reached 96.27% for the coarse bauxite residue size fraction (Sands) and 87.06% for fine BR obtained from red mud. The grade of iron (total iron in the form of iron element) in the residue can be increased to 69.55% for Sands and 58.31% for BR. The solid residues obtained after leaching were studied by XRD, XRF, TG-DTA, VSM, Mössbauer spectroscopy and SEM to evaluate the conversion and leaching mechanisms and the recovery ratio of Al from different minerals. The iron-rich residues can be used in the steel industry or as a pigment.

Background/Aim: To evaluate the association between baseline [18F]FDG-PET/CT tumor burden parameters and disease progression rate after first-line target therapy or immunotherapy in advanced melanoma patients. Materials and Methods: 44 melanoma patients who underwent [18F]FDG-PET/CT before first-line target therapy (28/50) or immunotherapy (16/50) were retrospectively analyzed. Whole-body and per-district metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were calculated. Therapy response was assessed according to RECIST 1.1 on CT scan at 3 (early) and 12 (late) months. PET parameters were compared with Mann-Whitney test. Optimal cut-offs for predicting progression were defined using the ROC curve. PFS and OS were studied using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: Median(IQR) MTVwb and TLGwb were 13.1 mL and 72.4 respectively. Non-responders patients were 38/44, 26/28 and 12/16 at early evaluation, and in 33/44, 21/28 and 12/16 at late evaluation in the whole-cohort, target and immunotherapy subgroup respectively. At late evaluation, MTVbone and TLGbone were higher in non-responders compared to responder patients (all p<0.037) in the whole-cohort and target subgroup and also MTVwb and TLGwb (all p<0.022) in target subgroup. No significant differences were found for immunotherapy subgroup. No metabolic parameters were able to predict PFS. Controversy, MTVlfn, TLGlfn, MTVsoft+lfn, TLG-soft+lfn, MTVwb and TLGwb were significantly associated (all p<0.05) with OS in both the whole-cohort and target therapy subgroup. Conclusion: Higher values of whole-body and bone metabolic parameters were correlated with poorer outcome, while higher values of whole-body, lymph node and soft tissue metabolic parameters were correlated with OS.

Black poplar (Populus nigra L.) was thermally modified in nitrogen atmosphere. Treatment in nitrogen atmosphere can improve the dimensional stability of black poplar. The effects of the modification process on poplar wood were evaluated for temperatures: 160 °C, 190 °C, and 220 °C applied for 2 h; and 160 °C and 190 °C for 6 h. The percentual impact of temperature and time of modification on the properties of modified wood was analysed. The study permitted to identify correlations between the chemical composition and selected physical properties of thermally modified poplar wood. The dimensional stability of poplar wood improves after thermal modification in nitrogen. The higher the temperature of modification, the lower the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of black poplar. At the temperature of 220 °C, EMC was two times lower than the EMC of non-modified black poplar. It is also possible to reduce the dimensional changes of wood two-fold (at the modification temperature of 220 °C), both in radial and tangential directions, independently of the acclimatisation conditions (from 34% to 98% RH). Similar correlations have been found for wood that has been soaked in water. Higher modification temperatures and longer processing times contributed to a lower swelling anisotropy (SA).

Compared with precious metal catalysts, non-platinum catalysts have the advantages of low cost and high performance. Among them, the activated carbon (AC) with a large specific surface area (SSA) can be used as a carrier or as a carbon source of nonprecious metal/carbon system catalyst at the same time. Therefore, this paper uses cheap pine peel bio-based materials to prepare large surface area activated carbon and then compound with cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) to obtain a high-performance cobalt/nitrogen/carbon catalyst. The merits include AC@CoPc composite catalysts are prepared by precisely controlling the composite proportion of AC and CoPc, the atomically dispersed Co nanoparticles form and synergistically with N promote the exposure of CoNx active sites, and the Eonset of the catalyst treated with a composite proportion of AC and CoPc of 1 to 2 at 800 °C (AC@CoPc-800-1-2) is 1.01 V, which is higher than Pt/C (20 wt%) catalyst. Apart from this, the stability is 87.8% in 0.1 M KOH after 20000 s testing in compared with other AC@CoPc series catalysts and Pt/C (20 wt%) catalyst. Considering from the performance and price of the catalyst in practical application, these composite catalysts combine biomass carbon materials with phthalocyanine series, which will be widely used in the area of nonprecious metal catalysts.

The narrow process window during intercritical annealing and discontinuous yielding have limited the commercialisation of medium Mn steels. In this study, a double annealing process based on the commercial continuous annealing line is proposed. The cold-rolled medium Mn steels were first fully austenitized and quenched during the first annealing, followed by the intercritical annealing for reverted austenite transformation. The microstructure of duplex lath-shaped austenite and ferrite is produced and the steel exhibit a desirable continuous yielding during tensile deformation. Al is added into the medium Mn steel to enlarge the process window and to improve partitioning efficiency of Mn. The produced steel is more robust with temperature fluctuation during the industrial process due to the enlarged intercritical region. Mn partitioning is more efficient owing to elevated annealing temperature, which results in the improvement of ductility in the Al-added steel with increased austenite stability.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) contributes to several impacts both for human health and the environment. Periodical measurement of NO₂ at industrial and residential areas needs comprehensive and reliable instrumentation; long-interference-free measures with minimum maintenance and re-calibration. DOAS can be used as a direct measurement technique based on specific absorption characteristics of NO₂ follow Beer-Lambert law. This research applies a low-cost folded path photometer for measurement NO₂ in air. Cheap tubular acrylic used as a detection cell with a 3D printed framework makes it compact, modular, and flexible. Evaluation of the DOAS conducted by instrument test responses using NO₂ gas. The estimated LOD was ~ 1263 pb using 2 nm resolution of the spectrometer and 6-meter detection cell length. Deviation of the DOAS estimated to be 0.8% at high concentration and 2.85% at a low concentration based on DOAS calibration. An intercomparison between methods used to evaluate instrument performance to measure NO₂ using emission from a motorcycle with coefficient correlation (R) 0.649 for paired DOAS-ASTM D1607 Griesz Saltzmann Method 0.846 for paired DOAS-Electrochemical Gas Analyzer. This significant correlation is caused by different respond time between paired methods, while it is still comparable for NO₂ measurement.

Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy has high specific strength, good corrosion resistance, fracture toughness and fatigue resistance. It is one of the most important structural materials in the fields of aviation, aerospace, weapons, transportation and so on, which plays a huge role in the field of aerospace.In order to optimize the strength, toughness and corrosion properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy, alloying has always been the focus of research on Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy. The effects of main alloying elements, trace alloying elements and rare earth elements on the microstructure and properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu aluminum alloy were briefly introduced in the paper, and the future research directions were prospected.

High-resolution K-shell photoionization cross-sections for the C-like atomic nitrogen ion (N+) are reported in the 398 eV (31.15 Å) to 450 eV (27.55 Å) energy (wavelength) range. The results were obtained from absolute ion-yield measurements using the SOLEIL synchrotron radiation facility for spectral bandpasses of 65 meV or 250 meV. In the photon energy region 398 eV - 403 eV, 1s⟶2p autoionizing resonance states dominated the cross section spectrum. Analyses of the experimental profiles yielded resonance strengths and Auger widths. In the 415 eV - 440 eV photon region 1s⟶1s2s22p2 4Pnp and 1s⟶1s2s22p2 2Pnp resonances forming well-developed Rydberg series up n=7 and n=8 , respectively, were identified in both the single and double ionization spectra. Theoretical photoionization cross-section calculations, performed using the R-matrix plus pseudo-states (RMPS) method and the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) approach were bench marked against these high-resolution experimental results. Comparison of the state-of-the-art theoretical work with the experimental studies allowed the identification of new resonance features. Resonance strengths, energies and Auger widths (where available) are compared quantitatively with the theoretical values. Contributions from excited metastable states of the N+ ions were carefully considered throughout.

The conductor aluminum alloys Al-0.25wt.%Zr doped additionally with Х = Er, Si, Hf, and Nb were the objects of investigations. The fine-grained microstructure in the alloys was formed by Equal Channel Angular Pressing and Rotary Swaging. The thermal stability of the microstructure, specific electrical resistivity, and microhardness of the novel conductor aluminum alloys was investigated. The mechanisms of nucleation of the Al3(Zr,X) secondary particles during annealing the fine-grained aluminum alloys were determined using Jones-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation. Using Zener equation, the dependencies of the mean secondary particle sizes on the annealing time were obtained on the base of analysis of the data on the grain growth in the aluminum alloys. The secondary particle nucleation during long-time low-temperature annealing (300 оC, 1000 hrs) was shown to go preferentially at the cores of the lattice dislocations. The Al-0.25%Zr-0.25%Er-0.20%Hf-0.15%Si alloy subjected to long-time annealing at 300 оC has the optimal combination of the microhardness and electrical conductivity (59.8%IACS, Hv = 480 ± 15 MPa).

To enhance the mechanical properties (i.e. strength and elongation) of the face-centered cubic (fcc) α-phase in the Au-Cu-Al system, this study focused on the introduction of the martensite phase (doubled B19 (DB19) crystal structure of Au2CuAl) via the manipulation of alloy compositions. Fundamental evaluations, such as microstructure observations, phase identifications, thermal analysis, tensile behavior examinations, and reflectance analysis have been conducted. The presence of fcc annealing twins was both observed in the optical microscope (OM) and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. Both the strength and elongation of the alloys were greatly promoted while the DB19 martensite phase was introduced into the alloys. Amongst all the prepared specimens, the 47Au41Cu12Al and the 44Au44Cu12Al alloys performed the optimized mechanical properties. The enhancement of strength and ductility in these 2 alloys was achieved while the stress plateau was observed during the tensile deformation. A plot of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) against fracture strain was constructed to illustrate the effects of the introduction of the DB19 martensite phase on the mechanical properties of the alloys. Regardless of the manipulation of the alloy compositions and the introduction of the DB19 martensite phase, the reflectance stayed almost identical to pure Au.

It is now well accepted that most chronic diseases have a common feature which is “low-grade” inflammation. Whether inflammation is causal or rather consequent to these diseases is still a matter of debate. A key factor of inflammation is considered to be “oxidative stress”, which is the result of an alteration of redox homeostasis which is critical for the regulation of physiological cell and organ metabolism and proliferation. The term “oxidative stress” is how-ever often used in an inappropriate manner as the primary target of the initial oxidative radical, superoxide ion, is nitric oxide which, being in large excess, acts as a “buffer”, yielding reactive nitrogen species. It is only once the superoxide fluxes exceed the nitric oxide fluxes that true “oxidative stress” occurs. Nitro-oxidative stress is a more appropriate term which takes into account the evolving generation of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species and their effects on cell and organ pathophysiology. The molecular bases of redox homeostasis and nitro-oxidative stress will be presented and discussed using obesity-linked inflammation as a path-ophysiological example.

Home-field advantage (HFA) encompasses all the processes leading to faster litter decomposition in the 'home' environment as compared to that of ‘away’ environments. To determine the occurrence of HFA in a forest and adjacent clear-cut, we set up a reciprocal litter decomposition experiment within the forest and clear-cut for two soil types (Cambisols and Gleysols) in temperate Germany. The forest was dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies), whereas forest regeneration of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) after clearcutting was encouraged. Our observation that Norway spruce decomposed faster than European beech in 70-yr-old spruce forest, was therefore most likely related to specialized litter-microbial interaction under existing spruce, and leading to a HFA. The ‘spruce’ microbial biome and soil conditions of original forest were then rapidly changed even after a short-term regeneration following clearcutting, resulting in faster beech decomposition also masking any HFA for spruce, particularly in moisture- and nutrient-deficient Cambisols. Divergence between forest and clear-cut in the Cambisol of their litter δ15N values beyond 9 months, implied litter N decomposition was only initially independent of soil and residual C status. We conclude that clearcutting modifies HFA and helps promote the establishment or regeneration of European beech in this and similar forest mountain upland areas.

The clinical relationship between diabetes and inflammation is well-established. Various branches of science independently have confirmed that disrupting oxidant-antioxidant equilibrium and elevated lipid peroxidation could be a potential mechanism for chronic kidney disease associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Under diabetic condition, hyperglycemia, especially inflammation, and increased reactive oxygen species generation are bidirectionally associated. Inflammation, oxidative stress and tissue damage are believed to have a role in the development of diabetes. Although the exact mechanism underlying the oxidative stress and its impact on diabetes progression remains uncertain, the hyperglycemia-inflammation-oxidative stress interaction clearly plays a significant role in onset and progression of vascular disease, kidney disease, hepatic injury, pancreas damage and, therefore holds promise as a therapeutic target. Evidence strongly indicates that the use of multiple antidiabetic medications therapy fails to achieve the normal range for glycated hemoglobin target, signifying treatment resistant diabetes. Antioxidants with polyphenols are considered useful as adjuvant therapy for their potential anti-inflammatory effect and antioxidant activity. We aimed to analyze the current major points reported in preclinical in vivo and clinical studies of antioxidants in the prevention or treatment of inflammation in T2DM. Then, we will share our speculative vision of the future diabetes clinical trials.

We have performed the first comparative analysis of the potential of two physiologically-diverse model cyanobacteria, Synechococcus PCC 7002 (S.7002) and Synechococcus PCC 7942 (S.7942), for the photosynthetic production of four chemically-different high-value terpenes: two monoterpenes limonene and pinene, and two sesquiterpenes bisabolene and farnesene. We showed, for the first time, that S.7002 and S.7942 can produce farnesene and bisabolene, respectively. Both cyanobac-teria produced farnesene (S.7942 better than S.7002) more efficiently than the other tested terpenes (especially pinene the weakest produced terpene). S.7002 produced limonene better than bisabo-lene, whereas S.7942 produced bisabolene better than limonene. These findings suggest that S.7942 is better suited to produce sesquiterpenes than monoterpenes. Also interestingly, higher levels of terpenes were produced by S.7942 and S.7002 expressing a terpene-synthase gene from both a RSF1010-derived replicating plasmid and a neutral chromosomal site, as compared to ei-ther the plasmid alone or the chromosome alone. These results suggest that in both cyanobacteria the production of terpenes is more limited by the activity of terpene synthases than the abondance of terpene precursors. Finally, higher levels of terpenes were produced by S.7002 growing on urea (a frequent pollutant) as compared to nitrate (or ammonium) the standard nitrogen sources for cyanobacteria (more expensive than urea).

Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient for the production of vegetable crops, but anthropogenic sources pose risks due to its transformation into several reactive forms and movement throughout the environment. To mitigate the impact of environmental losses, current research efforts aim to improve management practices to obtain a greater Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE). From a chemical, biological, and ecophysiological perspective, at a reductionist level we have acquired a considerable mechanistic understanding about the N cycle, the varied N chemical forms, microbial interactions and physiology of crop uptake. However, at a holistic level, we are far from obtaining an adequate understanding of the myriad of multi-level cropping system, genetic, socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological interactions that have an effect on the N cycle and NUE. Here, based on a selected review of the literature, we provide a perspective on the potentials to increase the NUE of vegetable crops, by adopting a range of best management practices and by highlighting some of the N x system interactions that may be considered to better understand the complex dynamics of the N cycle, to optimize the NUE of vegetable crops, and to explore alternatives to the reliance on the use of synthetic N sources.

To evaluate the nutrient load due to the grazing of laying hens in outdoor runs, soil characteristics were monitored in three Italian organic farms. For each farm, soil samples were taken from three increasing distances from the hen house and two depths and different chemical parameters were evaluated. The comparison among the results from the different distances shows that N-NO3 and Olsen P are the most affected parameters by hen faeces: both present high values with a statistically significant difference in the area close to the poultry house and for the most superficial layer. Even TKN and TOC show significant differences between the concentrations of the first layer (more concentrated) and those of the second layer (less concentrated). In general, the surface soil layer closest to the chicken house is the portion of the outdoor run most affected by chicken droppings and represents the most critical point in terms of potential environmental impact. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify the management of the outdoor run with tools that can facilitate the grazing of animals and with vegetation that can absorb nutrients by limiting leaching and run-off.

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of different soil tillage practices in sunflower cultivation in a rotation system with intercropping Triticosecale x Pisum sativum. For this purpose a two year experimental field of 5% slope was established in central Greece. There were four treatments with three replications each. The treatments were: (a) no tillage - planting parallel to the contour (NTC-PAC), (b) conventional tillage - planting parallel to the contour (CTC-PAC), (c) no tillage - planting perpendicular to the contour (NTC-PEC), (d) conventional tillage - planting perpendicular to the contour (CTC-PEC). During the experiment plant height, leaf area index, specific leaf area, plants’ total nitrogen and plants’ proteins were measured. According to the results plant height ranged from 64.9 (CTC-PAC) to 85.2 cm (NTC-PEC) the 1st year and between 66.5 – 86.5 cm in CTC-PAC and NTC-PEC treatments in the 2nd year. Furthermore, LAI and SLA, plant’s total nitrogen and protein content and N-uptake were affected positively by the no tillage practice. To conclude, sunflower is a promising crop in a rotation system with intercropping Triticosecale x Pisum sativum, cultivating under rainfed sloping conditions.

Cancer cells are originated by normal cells and with those share the need to be fed. Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells is not yet fully understood, and there is a vast literature suggesting that any macronutrient may be efficiently utilized by cancer for duplication purposes. Metabolic hyperactivity of cancer and continuous duplication requires huge amounts of both energy and substrates for syntheses of components of new cells, and the modifications of metabolism induced by cancer cells to survive and grow damaging lethally, the whole organism. In rodents, we have recently observed that by modifying diet in a way not existent in nature, changing radically the ratios among essential and non-essential amino acids (AA) (usually less than 0.9), largely increasing essential-AA (EAA) percentages, lifespans increased. In vitro, EAA supplementation promoted colon cancer cells (CT116) apoptosis by enhanced autophagy. Therefore, we tested in mice if injection of colon cancer cells would have been followed by unvaried development of cancer volumes in animals fed with standard laboratory diet (controls) versus EAA rich modified diets (EAAmd). Both diets perfectly matched the same total macronutrients and micronutrients contents; only quality of nitrogen was radically different. Results of the first set of 8 animals, 4 controls and 4 EAAmd-fed, showed that controls develop cancers near 5 times larger and heavier than EAAmd-fed (P&lt;0,002) on the same time. We discuss which epigenetic modifications would be involved and worth to be studied, and what kind of scenarios those preliminary findings, if confirmed, would open.

This paper investigates urban microclimate in relation to the typical major streets and mobility layout in Turin, i.e. boulevards with lateral minor roads, called “controviali”, an almost unique urban mobility layout. The aim is to examine the possibility of intervention in relation to the type and scope of mobility for microclimate mitigation and climate adaptation purposes. To this, this paper evaluates to which extent urban morphology and mobility features contribute to determining microclimatic conditions, to finally identify site-specific prioritised strategies to cope with its mitigation. This research is structured in two phases. The first phase is dedicated to urban-scale analysis of the streets with “controviali”, resulting in the creation of a database containing their properties and typology, to finally derive six clusters of boulevards. The second phase involves the selection of one representative case study per cluster and simulation of their microclimate conditions, performed by the software ENVI-met. The results are discussed in relation to the parameters proven in the prior literature review to have a major impact on the microclimate. The assessment of the results indicated which elements affect the climatic conditions the most, allowing for the proposal of different prioritised mitigation strategies in the conclusion.

The heavy metal lead (Pb) can irreversibly damage the human nervous system. To help understand Pb-induced damage, we applied a genetically encoded Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based Pb biosensor Met-lead 1.44 M1 to two living systems to monitor the concentration of Pb: induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes as a semi-tissue platform, and Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies as an in vivo animal model. Different FRET imaging modalities were used to obtain FRET signals, which represented the presence of Pb in the tested samples in different spatial dimensions. Using iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, the relationship between beating activity (20–24 beats per minute, bpm) determined from the fluctuation of fluorescent signals and the concentrations of Pb represented by the FRET emission ratio values of Met-lead 1.44 M1 was revealed from simultaneous measurements. Pb (50 μM) affected the beating activity of cardiomyocytes, whereas two drugs that stop the entry of Pb differentially affected this beating activity: verapamil (2 μM) did not reverse the cessation of beating, whereas 2-APB (50 μM) partially restored this activity (16 bpm). The results clearly demonstrate a potential of this biosensor system as an anti-Pb drug screening application. In the Drosophila model, Pb was detected within the adult brain or larval central nervous system (Cha-gal4>UAS-Met-lead 1.44 M1) using fast epifluorescence and high-resolution two-photon 3D FRET ratio image systems. The tissue-specific expression of Pb biosensors provides an excellent opportunity to explore the possible Pb-specific populations within living organisms. We believe that this integrated Pb biosensor system can be applied to the prevention of Pb poisoning and advanced research on Pb neurotoxicology.

This research was specifically aimed at assessing the influence of sulfur in triple-super phosphate (TSP) on wheat yield. From the results, wheat showed response to sulfur (S) from gypsum (in 67%); and nitrogen (N) from urea in about 100% (of 24 sites). Based on this N was found to be the most limiting element to wheat production followed by sulfur, and then by phosphorus. TSP is tested to contain agronomically up to 2-6% by weight of S. However, wheat didn’t show response to S impurity supplied in the form of TSP. Though, not statistically significant, it is observed that there have always been yield increments by certain percent due to S from TSP in 8 out of 10 target sites, which is depicted in the increasing trends of yield response curves. From this it is learnt that, the benefits of the accidental/incidental application of such high analysis fertilizers can be many-folds in the quality attributes of wheat, if the soils of such investigation at the same time would contain significant amount of organic matter (OM). Indeed, such analysis would be vital in varietal specific nutrient requirement studies in precision-farming and/or in categorizing soils into fertility gradients and fertilizer recommendation domains.

Abstract: Cancer cells are originated by normal cells and with those share the need to be fed. Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells is not yet fully understood although there is a vast literature suggesting that huge amounts of both energy and substrates are require for synthesis of components of new neoplastic cells so that any macronutrient may be efficiently utilized. Recently, in vitro data show that EAA supplementation promoted colon cancer cells apoptosis by enhanced autophagy. Therefore, in this study we tested in vivo the effects of matched macronutrients standard laboratory diet (control) versus EAA rich modified diet (EAArmd) in mice injected with colon cancer cells. Results of the first set of 12 animals, 6 controls and 6 EAArmd-fed, showed that controls mice develop cancer volume cancers 5 times larger and heavier than EAArmd-fed. If confirmed, these results would open new scenarios for the cancer integrate therapies.

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are one of the most toxic compounds. Degradation of CWAs using decontamination agents is one of the few ways to protect human health against the harmful effects of CWAs. A ferrate Fe(VI) based potential chemical warfare agent decontaminant was studied for degradation of persistent nitrogen mustard (tris(2-chloroethyl)amine, HN3). By optimizing the reaction conditions, the complete degradation of HN3 was achieved in 4 minutes. The degradation products contained mostly reduced Fe species which confirmed the environmental friendliness of the proposed decontamination solution.

This work investigates spatial and temporal distributions of hydroxyl, OH, in laser-plasma in laboratory air at standard ambient temperature and pressure. Of interest are determination of temperature and density of OH and establishment of a correlation of molecular OH emission spectra with shadow graphs for time delays of 50 to 100 microsecond, analogous to previous work on shadow graph and emission spectroscopy correlation for cynaide, CN, in gas mixtures and for time delays of the order of 1 microsecond. Wavelength- and sensitivity- corrected spatiotemporal data analysis focuses on temperature inferences using molecular OH emission spectroscopy. Near-ir radiation from a Q-switched laser device initiates optical breakdown in laboratory air. The laser device provides 6 nanosecond, up to 850 milli Joule pulses at a wavelength of 1064 nanometer, and focal irradiance in the range of 1 to 10 Tera Watt per centimeter-squared. Frequency doubled beams are utilized for capturing shadow graphs for visualization of the breakdown kernel at time delays in the range of 0.1 to 100 microsecond. OH emission spectra of the laser plasma, spatially resolved along the slit dimension, are recorded in the wavelength range of 298 nm to 321 nm, and with gate widths adjusted to 10 microsecond for the intensified charge-coupled device that is mounted at the exit plane of a 0.64 m Czerny-Turner configuration spectrometer. Diatomic OH signals occur due to recombination of the plasma and are clearly distinguishable for time delays larger than 50 microsecond, but are masked by spectra of N2 early in the plasma decay.

Soil is an extremely significant resource for human survival, and agglomerates, as the basic unit of soil structure, not only enhance soil fertility and control the biological validity of nutrients, but also strengthen the soil's erosion resistance. The mass application of fertilizers may have a significant impact on crop growth and soil structure, and the rational application and dispensing of fertilizers will be an urgent issue to be addressed. Therefore, the effect of fertilizer application on the stability of water-stable soil aggregates needs to be studied under different meteorological and soil conditions to draw more general and feasible conclusions. Our Meta-analysis of data from 220 of 56 published studies found that fertilizer application increased mean weight diameter (MWD) by an average of 18% compared to the no-fertilizer treatment. Among the nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and organic (OM) fertilizer treatments, the organic fertilizer treatment had a greater stimulatory effect on MWD (26%). Among the different fertilizer levels, low level of phosphorus (<40kg·hm-2·yr-1), high level of N (>120kg·hm-2·yr-1), and low level of organic fertilizer (<5000kg·hm-2·yr-1) increased MWD by 19%, 14%, and 41% respectively. Across soil types and land use types, the response to MWD was positive for red soils and paddy fields, and the stimulatory effect of organic fertilizer was more significant compared to chemical fertilizer. The regression model showed that the response ratio of MWD was negatively correlated with the response ratio of soil pH and bulk density (BD), and positively correlated with the response ratio of soil organic carbon (SOC) and microbial mass carbon (MBC). Meanwhile, the PLS-SEM model showed that average annual temperature was the main factor affecting the stability of soil aggregates, and the average annual rainfall is the secondary factor. Therefore, this study found that the long-term use of organic fertilizers in place of some chemical fertilizers was more effective than chemical fertilizer alone. Temperature and rainfall have greater effects on the response of fertilizer to soil aggregate stability.

The last 50 years witnessed the emergence of various so called “hyperpolarization technologies” that allow generating large magnetizations of spin ensembles. This Editorial Essay provides a brief overview of the use of these technologies in various fields, including medicine, chemistry, and quantum sensing. It is concluded that critical questions still need to be addressed to harness benefits of nuclear hyperpolarization in clinical medical imaging while interdisciplinary innovation can unlock potential of novel (yet unexplored) methods. My hope is that this Editorial Essay provides valuable insights into the current state and future directions of spin technologies.

The eutrophication caused by excessive total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorus(TP) emissions has been widely concerned by the whole society. Studies have revealed the relationship between land use and TN and TP, but the relationship between land use compound topographic position and TP and TN was seldom studied. Therefore, Spearman correlation and redundancy analyses were used to reveal the relationship between land use compound topographic position and TN and TP based on the monthly data of 28 water quality sampling sites and the land use data of 2013 and 2016 in the lakes of Guizhou Plateau. The results show that the nutritional state of the HBA watershed is medium. The trophic level index (TLI) value and TN concentration were high during flood, while TP concentration was high in dry period. The TN concentration in the tributaries was higher than that in the reservoir area. Construction and valley were the sources of the pollution, whereas forest land and gentle slope were the sink. According to the”source-sink”effect, the optimal zoning of land use was completed, and the urban land pollution govern area should be strengthened firstly. This paper can provide decision support for water environment management and sustainable development decision-making.

The fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) of aluminium alloys under the combined influence of temperature and humidity remains a relatively unexplored area, receiving limited attention due to its intricate nature and challenges in predicting the combined impact of these factors. The challenge was to investigate and address the specific mechanisms and interactions between temperature and humidity, as in coastal environment conditions, on the FCGR of aluminium alloy. The present study conducts a comprehensive investigation on the combined influence of temperature and humidity on the FCGR of Al6082 alloy. The fatigue pre-cracked compact tension specimens were corroded for 7 days and then subjected to various temperature and humidity conditions in a thermal chamber for 3 days to simulate coastal environments. The obtained data were analysed to determine the influence of temperature and humidity on the FCGR of Al6082 alloy. An empirical model was also established to predict fatigue life cycle values under these environmental conditions precisely. The correlation between FCGR and fracture toughness models was also examined. The Al6082 alloy exhibits a 34% increase in the Paris constant C, indicating reduced FCGR resistance due to elevated temperature and humidity levels. At the same time, fatigue, corrosion, moisture-assisted crack propagation, and hydrogen embrittlement lead to a 27% decrease in threshold fracture toughness. The developed model exhibited accurate predictions for fatigue life cycles, and the correlation between fracture toughness and FCGR showed less than 10% error, indicating a strong relationship between these parameters.

In this work, we have proposed two new methods for the synthesis of [TcO2L4]+ (where L = im-idazole (Im), methylimidazole (MeIm)) complexes using thiourea (Tu) and Sn(II) as reducing agents. The main and by-products of the reactions were determined, and possible reaction mechanisms were proposed. We have shown that the reduction of Tc(VII) with thiourea is ac-companied by the formation of the Tc(III) intermediate and further oxidation to Tc(V). The reac-tion conditions changing can lead to the formation of Tc(VII) and Tc(IV) salts. Seven new crystal structures are described in this work: Tc(V) complexes, salts with Tc(VII) and Tc(IV) anions. For halide salts of Tu the cell parameters were determined. In all obtained compounds, except for [TcO2(MeIm)4]TcO4, there are π-stacking interactions between aromatic rings. An increase in the anion size lead to weaken intermolecular interactions. Halogen bonds and anion-π interactions have also been found in hexahalide-containing compounds. The Hirshfeld surface analysis showed that the main contribution to the crystal packing is made by van der Waals interactions of the H···H type (42.5–55.1%), H···C/C ···H (17.7–21.3%) and hydrogen bonds, which contribute 15.7–25.3% in total.

The brain's unique characteristics make it exceptionally susceptible to oxidative stress, which arises from an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reactive nitrogen species (RNS) production, and antioxidant defense mechanisms. This review explores the factors contributing to the brain vascular tone vulnerability in the presence of oxidative damage, which can be of clinical interest in critically ill patients or presenting acute brain injuries. The brain's high metabolic rate and inefficient electron transport chain in mitochondria lead to significant ROS generation. Moreover, non-replicating neuronal cells and low repair capacity increase susceptibility to oxidative insult. ROS can influence cerebral vascular tone and permeability, with a potential impact on cerebral autoregulation. Different ROS species, including superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, exhibit vasodilatory or vasoconstrictive effects on cerebral blood vessels. Reactive nitrogen species (RNS), particularly NO and peroxynitrite, also exert vasoactive effects. This review further investigates the neuroprotective effects of antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), vitamin C, vitamin E, and the glutathione redox system. Various studies suggest that these antioxidants could be used as adjunct therapies to protect the cerebral vascular tone during high oxidative stress conditions. Nevertheless, more extensive research is required to comprehensively grasp the relationship between oxidative stress and cerebrovascular tone, as well as to explore the potential benefits of antioxidants as adjunctive therapies in critical illnesses and acute brain injuries.

The root-colonizing endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica promotes root and shoot growth of its host plants. We show that growth promotion of Arabidopsis leaves is abolished when the seedlings are grown on media with nitrogen (N) limitation. The fungus neither stimulated the total N content nor did it promote 15NO3- uptake from agar plates to the leaves of the host under N-sufficient or N-limiting conditions. However, when the roots were co-cultivated with 15N-labelled P. indica, more label can be detected in the leaves of N-starved host plants, but not of plants supplied with sufficient N. Amino acid and primary metabolite profiles, as well as expression analyses of N metabolite transporter genes suggest that the fungus alleviates the adaptation of its host to the N limitation condition. P. indica alters the expression of transporter genes which participate in relocation of NO3-, NH4+ and N metabolites from the roots to the leaves under N limitation. We propose that P. indica participates in the plant´s metabolomic adaptation to N limitation by delivering reduced N metabolites to the host, alleviating metabolic N starvation responses, and reprogramming the expression of N-metabolism related genes.

In rice, symbiotic N fixation via nodule bacteroids does not take place naturally. Although N fixation by endophytic and associative diazotrophs has been reported in rice, main organs and seasonal regulation for the N fixation have not been elucidated. In this study, therefore, seasonal changes of nitrogenase (acetylene reduction) activity and carbohydrate contents in culm internode (IN), basal nodes (BN), and crown root (CR) were investigated in manure compost (MC)- and chemical fertilizer-applied rice. Nitrogenase activity increased after rooting, and reached the highest activity in BN of MC-applied rice at panicle initiation. In BN of MC-applied rice, the sucrose content was low whereas the higher glucose content was detected at panicle initiation. Although bacterial and diazotrophic bacterial populations were most abundant in CR, the nitrogenase activity seemed to be restricted by its trace sucrose and glucose contents. In addition, alpha-Proteobacteria and Clostridia phyla were abundant in BN-specific bacterial microbiota at panicle initiation. These results suggest that the increased N fixation in BN at panicle initiation might be sustained both by the non-structural carbohydrate supply from photosynthetic apparatus and BN-specific bacterial microbiota including diazotrophs.

This study involved the fabrication of a set of Aluminum ion-grafted SBA-15 utilizing ethylene-diamine and trimethylamine ionic liquids. The primary objective was to examine the impact of the fabrication environment on the physicochemical characteristics of the catalysts. Comprehensive characterization of the Al-SBA-15 catalysts was conducted using various techniques, including XRD, FTIR, surface area, pyridine FTIR, 27Al-NMR, TGA, HRTEM, and FESEM, to analyze their physicochemical characteristics. Furthermore, the acidic characteristics were examined by con-ducting potentiometric titration in a nonaqueous solvent and employing FTIR spectroscopy to an-alyze the chemisorbed pyridine. The effectiveness of the fabricated acid materials was evaluated by testing their performance in the acetic acid esterification with butanol. The findings obtained reveal that the mesostructured of SBA-15 remains intact following the successful inclusion of Al3+ ions into the silica frameworks. Additionally, a remarkable enhancement in the existence of both Bronsted and Lewis acid centers is noted due to the grafting process of Al3+ ions. At temperatures of 80°C and 100°C, the reaction in Al-SBA-15(T-120) proceeds swiftly, reaching approximately 32% and 38% conversion, respectively, within a span of 110 minutes. The excellent catalytic performance observed in the esterification reaction can be attributed to two factors: the homogeneous distribution of Al3+ ions within the SBA-15 frameworks and the acidic character of Al-SBA-15. The findings further indicate that the grafting process for incorporating Al3+ ions into the silica matrix is more efficient.

The dynamics of hydrological lateral nutrient fluxes contribute to our understanding of ecological functions related to energy, materials, and organism flows across various spatiotemporal scales. To explore the connectivity between multiple spatial flow processes, we conducted a one-year field measurement to assess lateral hydrologic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fluxes over the continental shelf in the Yangtze estuary. We observed a significant correlation between the differences in remote sensing-based estimates of gross primary production (GPP) (∆GPPMODIS) and the differences in eddy covariance (EC) tower-based GPP (∆GPPEC) at both high-elevation and low-elevation sites. Over the course of a year, our predicted daily maximum tidal elevation (TE) closely matched the observed values in the creek, which facilitated the development of theoretical models to simulate biogeochemical cycling processes and aquatic ecosystem functions. Our findings indicate that the studied saltmarsh acts as a net exporter of dissolved total C (DTC) while serving as a net sink for dissolved total N (DTN). Furthermore, there is a significant correlation in the total dissolved stoichiometry of the C/N ratio between imports and exports. These findings highlight the importance of integrating ecological stoichiometric principles to gain a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between physical, chemical, and biological processes, particularly within the context of the meta-ecosystem framework. Additionally, when considering reciprocal hydrological lateral C and N flows, single ecosystem can function both as sources and sinks within the meta-ecosystem framework.

Varunaivibrio sulfuroxidans type strain TC8T is a mesophilic, facultatively anaerobic, facultatively chemolithoautotrophic alphaproteobacterium, isolated from a sulfidic shallow-water marine gas vent located at Tor Caldara, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. V. sulfuroxidans belongs to the family Thalassospiraceae within the Alphaproteobacteria, with Magnetovibrio blakemorei as its closest relative. The genome of V. sulfuroxidans encodes the genes involved in sulfur, thiosulfate and sulfide oxidation, as well as nitrate and oxygen respiration. The genome encodes the genes involved in carbon fixation via Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, in addition to genes involved in glycolysis and TCA cycle, indicating a mixotrophic lifestyle. Genes involved in the detoxification of mercury and arsenate are also present. The genome also encodes a complete flagellar complex, one intact prophage and one CRISPR, as well as a putative DNA uptake mechanism mediated by the type IVc (aka Tad pilus) secretion system. Overall, the genome of Varunaivibrio sulfuroxidans indicates that the bacterium is metabolically versatile and well-adapted to the dynamic environmental conditions of sulfidic gas vents.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a lifelong pathogen characterized by asymptomatic latent infection in the trigeminal ganglia (TG) with periodic outbreaks of cold sores caused by virus reactivation in the TG and subsequent replication in the oral mucosa. While antiviral therapies can provide relief from cold sores, they are unable to eliminate HSV-1. We provide experimental results that highlight non-thermal plasma (NTP) as a new alternative therapy for HSV-1 infection that would resolve cold sores faster and reduce the establishment of latent infection in the TG. Additionally, this study is the first to explore the use of NTP as a therapy that can both treat and prevent human viral infections. We investigated the antiviral effect of NTP using an in vitro model for HSV-1 cold sores, involving the application of NTP from two separate devices to cell-free HSV-1, HSV-1-infected cells, and uninfected cells. We found NTP reduced the infectivity of cell-free HSV-1, reduced viral replication in HSV-1-infected cells, and diminished the susceptibility of uninfected cells to HSV-1 infection. This triad of antiviral mechanisms of action suggest the potential of NTP as a therapeutic agent effective against HSV-1 infection.

Carbon (C) cycle n inland waters, including its concentrations and carbon dioxide (CO2) emis-sions from water surfaces are at the forefront of biogeochemical studies, especially in the re-gions, strongly impacted by on-going climate change. Towards better understanding of C stor-age, transport and emission in Central Asian mountain regions, extremely poorly studied until now, here we carried out systematic measurements of dissolved C and CO2 emissions in 15 riv-ers and 5 lakes located along a macro-transect of various natural landscapes in the Sayan-Altai mountain region, from high mountains of the Western Sayan in the northwest of Tyva to arid (dry) steppe and semi-deserts in intermountain basins of the southeast of Tyva, the border with Mongolia. New data on major hydrochemical parameters, CO2 fluxes by floating chambers, dis-solved organic and inorganic carbon concentrations collected over four main hydrological sea-sons allowed to assess the current C biogeochemical status of these water bodies in order to judge possible future changes under climate warming. We further tested the impact of perma-frost, river watershed size, lake area and climate parameters as well as ‘internal’ biogeochemical drivers (pH, mineralization, organic matter quality and bacterial population) on CO2 concentra-tion and emissions in lakes and rivers of this region, and compared them with available data on other subarctic and mountain settings.

Plant N concentration (PNC) has been commonly used to guide farmers in assessing maize (Zea mays L.) N status and making in-season N fertilization decisions. However, PNC varies based on the development stage and therefore a relationship between biomass and N concentration is needed (i.e., critical N dilution curves; CNDC) to better understand when plants are N deficient. A few CNDC have been developed and used for plant N status diagnoses, but have not been tested in the US Midwest. The objective of this study was to evaluate under highly diverse soil and weather conditions in the US Midwest the performance of CNDCs developed in France and China for assessing maize N status. Maize N rate response trials were conducted across eight US Midwest states over three years. This analysis utilized plant and soil measurements at V9 and VT development stages and final grain yield. Results showed that the French CNDC (y=34.0x-0.37, where y is critical PNC, x is aboveground biomass) was better with a 91% N status classification accuracy compared to only 62% with the Chinese CNDC (y=36.5x-0.48). The N nutrition index (NNI), which is the quotient of the measured PNC and the calculated critical N concentration (Nc), based on the French CNDC was significantly related to soil nitrate-N content (R2=0.38-0.56). Relative grain yield on average reached a plateau at NNI values of 1.36 at V9 and 1.21 at VT, but for individual sites ranged from 0.80 to 1.41 at V9 and from 0.62 to 1.75 at VT. The NNI threshold values or ranges optimal for crop biomass production may not be optimal for grain yield production. It is concluded that the CNDC developed in France is suitable as a general diagnostic tool for assessing maize N status in US Midwest. However, the threshold values of NNI for diagnosing maize N status and guiding N applications vary significantly across the region, making it challenging for guiding specific on-farm N management. More studies are needed to determine how to effectively use CNDC to make in-season N recommendations in the US Midwest.

Air pollution has been a major environmental issue worldwide from the last few decades. It is a man-made issue that has a serious harmful impact on the environment and the health of humans. There are different sources of emission, but industrial processes and motor vehicles contribute to a chief part of air pollution. It has acute as well as chronic effects on the health of humans and affects different organs. It is thought the main environmental risk factor in the incidence and progression of several diseases such as lung cancer, asthma, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Long-term exposure to air pollution has different toxicological impacts on humans such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, neuropsychiatric complications, eye irritation and skin diseases. As per the study by the World Health Organization (WHO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals are the major air contaminants. These pollutants are different in their properties, composition and time of disintegration. The aim of this study is to review the different sources, types, impacts, challenges and mitigation of air pollution in detail.

As the use of microbial inoculants in agriculture rises, it becomes important to understand how the environment may influence microbial ability to promote plant growth. This work examines whether there are light dependencies in the biological functions of Azospirillum brasilense, a commercialized prolific grass-root colonizer. Though classically defined as non-phototrophic, A. brasilense possesses photoreceptors that could perceive light conducted through its host’s roots. Evidence for light dependency of four microbial processes were examined and noted: biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), auxin biosynthesis, ATP biosynthesis, and iron and manganese uptake. Functional mutants of A. brasilense were leveraged and studied in light and dark environments: HM053 (high BNF and auxin production), ipdC (capable of BNF, deficient in auxin production), and FP10 (capable of auxin production, deficient in BNF). HM053 exhibited the highest rate of nitrogenase activity with the greatest light dependency comparing iterations in light and dark environments. The ipdC mutant showed similar behavior with relatively lower nitrogenase activity observed, while FP10 did not show a light dependency. Auxin biosynthesis showed strong light dependencies in HM053 and FP10 strains, but not for ipdC. Iron is involved in the BNF biological process, and light dependency was observed for microbial 59Fe2+ uptake in HM053 and ipdC, but not FP10. Surprisingly, a light dependency for 52Mn2+ uptake was only observed in ipdC. Finally, ATP biosynthesis was sensitive to light across all three mutants favoring blue light over red light compared to darkness with observed ATP levels in descending order for HM053 > ipdC > FP10.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv) is an important food and forage crop that is well adapted to nutrient-poor soils. However, little is known about how foxtail millet adapts to low nitrogen (LN) at the physiological and molecular levels. In the present study, two foxtail millet varieties with contrasting low nitrogen (LN) tolerance properties were investigated through integrative analyses of physiological featureparameters and transcriptomics. The physiological results showed that JG20 (high tolerance to LN) had higher biomass accumulation, nitrogen content and nitrogen use efficiency compared with JG22 (low tolerancesensitive to LN) under LN. JG20 had higher soluble sugar and soluble protein concentration in shoots compared with JG22 under LN, while contcentrations of soluble sugar and soluble protein contents were higher in the roots of JG22. Higher levels of CTK contentzeatin concentration were found in the shoots of JG20 com-pared with JG22, and a higher ABA contcentration was found in both the shoots and roots of JG22 compared with JG20 under LN. In the transcriptomics results, JG20 had more differentially ex-pressed genes (DEGs) than JG22 both in shoots and roots in response to LN. These LN-responsive genes were enriched in glycolysis, starch and sucrose metabolism, photosynthesis, biosynthesis of amino acids, hormone metabolism and nitrogen metabolism. Furthermore, the high-affinity nitrate transporter gene, SiNRT2.1, and glutamine synthetase gene, SiGS5, chlorophyll apoprotein of photosystem II gene, SiPsbQ, ATP synthase subunit gene, b, auxin-responsive protein gene, SiIAA25, and aldose 1-epimerase gene, SiAEP, in shoots, and high-affinity nitrate transporter gene, SiNRT2.3, SiNRT2.4, and glutamate synthase gene, SiGOGAT2, auxin-responsive protein gene, SiIAA4, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase gene, SiAEP5, in root, were important genes in-volved in the LN tolerance of foxtail millet. These results provide a detailed description of the physiological and transcriptome response of foxtail millet under LN condition.

This review delves into the pivotal role of green manure in advancing agricultural sustainability and enhancing soil fertility. It emphasizes the wide-ranging ecological benefits of green manure practices, particularly in tropical regions, where it fosters multiple biological processes such as nitrogen fixation and nutrient cycling. The text provides an in-depth exploration of specific green manure species, their characteristics, practical considerations, and the physical, biological, and chemical effects they have on soil. It also discusses the practical implementation of green manure techniques, including cropping, intercropping, and strip or alley cultivation. The study emphasizes the critical need for species selection and effective green manure management, shedding light on their profound impact on crop productivity and environmental sustainability. With comprehensive details on various species and their practical implications, the study offers a comprehensive understanding of green manure's potential as an alternative source to mineral fertilizers in tropical agriculture.

Information on how bacteria in plants and soil, along with extracellular enzymes, affect nutrient cycling in Encephalartos villosus growing in nutrient-poor and acidic scarp forests is lacking. Bacteria in coralloid roots, rhizosphere, and non-rhizosphere soils were isolated to determine the potential role of soil bacterial communities and their associated enzyme activities in nutrient contributions in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils. The role of soil characteristics and associated bacteria on E. villosus nutrition and nitrogen source reliance was investigated. Encephalartos villosus leaves, coralloid roots, rhizosphere, and non-rhizosphere soils were collected at two scarp forests. Leaf nutrition, nitrogen source reliance, soil nutrition and extracellular enzyme activities were assayed. A phylogenetic approach was used to determine the evolutionary relationship between identified bacterial nucleotide sequences. Twenty, twelve and seven different bacterial genera were isolated from rhizosphere, non-rhizosphere, and coralloid roots, respectively. Phosphorus and nitrogen cycling enzyme activities in E. villosus rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils were insignificant. More than 70% of the leaf nitrogen was derived from the atmosphere. This study revealed that plant-associated bacteria with plant growth-promoting functions, soil bacteria, and associated extracellular enzymes play a role in E. villosus nutrition and nitrogen source reliance and contribute to E. villosus rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil nutrition.

Developing advanced carbon materials by utilizing biomass waste has attracted much attention. Herein, a N-doped carbon material (RSM-0.33-550) was prepared by directly pyrolyzing reed straw and melamine. The as-prepared RSM-0.33-550 possessed a N content of 6.02% and a specific surface area of 547.1 m2 g-1. As the anode for supercapacitors (SCs), in 6 M KOH, such RSM-0.33-550 exhibited a capacitance of 202.8 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1. At a high current density of 20 A g-1, it still remained a capacitance of 158 F g-1. Notably, it delivered an excellent stability with capacity retention of 96.3% at 20 A g-1 after 5000 cycles. This work not only offer a new electrode material for SCs, but also gives a new insight for rationally utilizing the biomass waste for energy storage.

Nitrogen (N) applications can play a key role in achieving profitable wheat production in the low-fertility soils prevalent under rainfed conditions. The model-predicted N partitioning revealed that ammonia-nitrogen (NH4-N) contributed little to the plant N nutrition, and its concentration in the soil remained below 2 ppm throughout the crop season except immediately after the NH4-N based fertilizer application. Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) gradually increased (maximum 144 ppm) with time, especially in the 0-40 cm horizons, and contributed to most N uptake during both seasons at both locations. The N losses from the soil at the medium rainfall site (3.5-20.5 kg ha-1) were mainly attributed to NH4-N volatilization (Nv) and NO3-N leaching (NL) below the crop root zone. Water productivity (8-40 kg ha-1 mm-1) and N use efficiency (31-41 kg kg-1) showed immense variability induced by climate, water availability, and N dynamics in the soil. These results suggest that combining water balance and N modeling can help manage N applications to optimize wheat production and minimize N losses in rainfed agriculture.

The main purpose of this study was to determine the size and direction of the seasonal dynamics of organic carbon (Сmicro) and nitrogen (Nmicro) biomass of microorganisms and microbial index (Cmicro : Corg) of natural and agrocenoses with their different uses. Field research methods involved taking of soil samples in 0-10-, 10-20- and 20-40 сm layers. Under laboratory conditions, the content of total soil carbon was determined by dry oxygen combustion on a Vario EL III analyzer (Elementar Analyzensysteme, Hanau, Germany). The carbon content of microbial biomass (Сmicro) was determined by chloroform fumigation extraction method (CFE). To freshly taken soil samples (2 hours) and soil samples after their 24-hour fumigation with chloroform vapors, 0.5 M K2SO4 was added to extract biomass lysis products of soil microorganisms. The content of organic carbon and nitrogen in the biomass of microorganisms in the obtained filtrates was determined on the Elementar Liqui TOC II, Analyzensysteme GmbH, Germany. The carbon content of microbial biomass was calculated from the difference between carbon in fumigated and control samples using a factor of 0,45 - for carbon and 0,54 – for nitrogen. The microbial index of soils was determined by the ratio between the carbon of microorganisms and the total organic carbon of the soil – Cmicro : Corg • 100 (%). Average values and confidence intervals were determined for each defined indicator. The Bonferoni method was used to correct the errors of multiple comparative samples of a one-way ANOVA analyze. K. Pearson’s linear correlation analysis was used to establish the relationships between the dynamics of carbon biomass of microorganisms and organic carbon of the soil during the growing season. Our research has shown the dynamics of Сmicro, Nmicro, Сmicro : Nmicro and Cmicro : Corg during the growing season. Analysis of the box plot showed the largest amplitude of Сmicro changes in the upper 0-10 cm layer of izogumusol. The smallest difference in the quartile range (IQR0,25-0,75) was for no-till and overhang (Ab) in the upper 0-10-, no-till (NT) and fallow (F) - in the layer 10-20- and plowing (CT) - in a layer of 20-40 cm. The content of organic carbon biomass of microorganisms in the upper layer of izogumusol at the beginning of the growing season had the highest values of Ab (577,79  1,64 mg/kg), NT (485,43  1,97 mg/kg) and CT (470,43  0,77 mg/kg), the smallest - for F (370,15  2,18 mg/kg). The content of Nmicro during this period decreased from Ab to Comb (combined tillage), NT, CT, Rot (rotary tillage), RT (reduced (ridge) tillage) and F, respectively. In the 20-40 cm layer, the highest values of Сmicro and Nmicro were observed in mid-July. The lowest values of Сmicro and Nmicro and the largest – Сmicro : Nmicro were found in late August for all variants and layers of the study. The dynamics of the microbial index resembled the trends of Сmicro and Nmicro. The largest share of Smicro in Sorghum during the growing season, on average was: - Ab (1,82  1,85 %) and NT (1,66  1,52 %) - in the layer 0-10-, - Ab (1,23  1,27 %) and NT (1,29  1,32 %) - in the layer 10-20- and - Ab (1,19  1,09 %) and F (1,11  1,077 %) - in a layer of 20-40 cm. Different use of izogumusol affected the amplitude of seasonal changes of Сmicro and Nmicro and did not affect on their direction. The maximum content of Сmicro and Nmicro was observed at the beginning of the growing season - in a layer of 0-10 cm and in mid-July - in a layer of 20-40 cm, the minimum - at the end of the summer period. During this period, the widest ratio of Сmicro : Nmicro was for F and CT - in the layer 0-20 cm and CT and Rot - in the layer 20-40 cm. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient between Сmicro and Corg increased from the upper 0-10- to the lower 20-40 cm layer of izogumusol. "Strong" and "high" negative correlations have been established between Сmicro and Corg, but no pattern has been found between the correlation coefficient and tillage technologies.

Rice production is a significant contributor to methane emissions, accounting for ap-proximately 11% of global anthropogenic emissions. However, methane emissions in rice fields could effectively be reduced by implementing proper management practices and careful cultivar selection. The impact of nitrogen fertilizers on methane emissions is mul-tifaceted, as these fertilizers enhance crop growth and influence the activity of me-thane-producing (methanogens) and methane-consuming microbes (methanotrophs), leading to complex outcomes in methane emissions. In this study, we used qPCR to quan-tify methanogens and methanotrophs using mcrA (methanogenesis-related gene) and pmoA (methane oxidation-related gene) primer sets under different nitrogen levels (0, 50, and 100%) and rice varieties. The results revealed that higher nitrogen input led to higher methanogen inhabitation in the rhizosphere. Additionally, the abundances of methano-gens and methanotrophs varied among the different rice varieties. Furthermore, it was observed that there may be an additive effect between the rice variety and nitrogen level used. These findings suggest that future breeding efforts should involve screening for me-thane-related microbes in rice cultivars adapted to low-nitrogen conditions. By identifying and selecting rice varieties that promote lower methanogen levels and higher metha-notroph inhabitation, significant steps can be taken to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation.

(1) Background: P-cadherin (CDH3) is a transmembrane protein that plays a crucial role in maintaining the structural integrity of epithelial tissue and homeostasis. Its role in carcinogenesis remains a subject of debate, as its behavior can vary depending on the molecular context and the specific tumor cell model under study. In this study, we explored the role of P-cadherin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the mechanism underlying its function. (2) Methods: We analyzed P-cadherin expression in HNSCC patients using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. For in vitro functional analysis, we conducted proliferation, migration, invasion, and western blot assays after either suppressing or overexpressing P-cadherin. For in vivo functional analysis, we utilized mouse xenograft models. (3) Results: P-cadherin was significantly overex-pressed in tumor samples compared to normal samples in the TCGA-HNSCC cohort. P-cadherin knockdown resulted in decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion compared to control cells, while P-cadherin overexpression increased cell proliferation and migration in HNSCC cells. We discovered that c-Met functioned as an upstream regulator of P-cadherin. Surprisingly, we found that P-cadherin knockdown increased the phosphorylation of c-Met and STAT3. Combining P-cadherin siRNA with the c-Met inhibitor SU11274 resulted in a more effective reduction in HNSCC cell growth, both in vitro and in vivo, compared to either treatment alone. (4) Conclusions: Our study uncovered a previously unknown aspect of P-cadherin-mediated c-Met regulation. The enhanced activation of c-Met/STAT3 following P-cadherin inhibition could be responsible for the survival of resistant tumor cells. Therefore, dual inhibition of P-cadherin and c-Met may be a potentially effective approach for treating HNSCC.

Plasma treatment of livestock slurry and biogas digestate is a method by which the nitrogen content of organic fertilizers can be increased. The resultant nitrogen-enriched organic fertilizer (NEO) contains twice as much plant-available nitrogen, and its pH is reduced, which is known to reduce ammonia volatilization. The current study included 14 spring wheat and barley field trials in Norway fertilized by NEO and other fertilizers over three years. The results showed that 120 kg N ha-1 in NEO yielded the same as 95 kg N ha-1 in mineral fertilizer considering the grain yields and 100 kg N ha-1 regarding the harvested nitrogen yield in the grains. On average, 39 tons ha-1 of untreated slurry supplemented with mineral fertilizers Opti-NS up to 120 kg N ha-1 yielded 5083 kg ha-1 of barley and 5290 kg ha-1 of spring wheat. Filtrating 39 tons of untreated slurry and running it through the N2 Applied unit gave 35 tons of NEO with 120 kg N. 35 tons ha-1 of NEO yielded 5068 kg ha-1 of barley and 5155 kg ha-1 of spring wheat. Filtrating the slurry increased grain yields by 756 and 447 kg ha-1 in spring wheat and barley, respectively, compared to the untreated slurry. 120 kg N ha-1 in mineral fertilizer yielded 5443 kg of barley and 6123 kg of spring wheat. Combining 12 kg N ha-1 in mineral fertilizer at sowing day and 108 kg N ha-1 in NEO at three leaves stage led to a higher yield in spring wheat than 120 kg ha-1 NEO spread at sowing day in two out of three experimental years.

Growing interest has accrued in the co-existence of cardiac amyloidosis and valvular heart disease. Amyloid infiltration from either transthyretin (ATTR) or light chain (AL) origin may affect any structure of the heart, including the valves. Recent literature has mainly focused on aortic stenosis and cardiac amyloidosis, improving our understanding of epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this dual pathology. Even though of high clinical relevance, data on mitral/tricuspid regurgitation and cardiac amyloidosis is rather scarce and mostly limited to case reports and small cases series. It is the aim of this review article to summarize the current evidence of concomitant valvular heart disease and cardiac amyloidosis including epidemiology, diagnostic approaches, screening possibilities, therapeutic management, and prognostic implications.

Savolitinib is a highly selective small molecule inhibitor of the mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (MET) tyrosine kinase, primarily developed for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MET mutations. It is also being investigated as a treatment for breast, head and neck, colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, and other gastrointestinal cancers. In both preclinical and clinical studies, it has demonstrated efficacy in lung, kidney, and stomach cancers. Savolitinib is an oral anti-cancer medication taken as a 600 mg dose once daily. It can be used as a monotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer with MET mutations, and in combination with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors for patients who have developed resistance to them. Furthermore, savolitinib has shown positive results in gastric cancer treatment, particularly in combination with docetaxel. As a result, this review aims to validate its efficacy in NSCLC and suggests its potential application in other gastrointestinal cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, based on related research in gastric and renal cancer.

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a major cause of mortality worldwide, has been shown through epidemiological studies to have a relationship with short-term exposure to air pollutants; however, the association between air pollutants and the outcome of STEMI has not been well studied. The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of air pollutants on the outcomes of STEMI. Data on particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5), <10 μm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) at each of the 11 air monitoring stations in Kaohsiung City were collected between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2017. Medical records of non-trauma patients aged > 20 years who had visited the ED with a principal diagnosis of STEMI were extracted. The primary outcome measure was in-hospital mortality. After adjusting for potential confounders and meteorological variables, we found that an increase in the interquartile range (IQR) in NO2 was associated with an elevated risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with STEMI. Moreover, during the warm season, an IQR increase in NO2 corresponded to a higher risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with STEMI on lag 3 (OR=3.266; 95% CI:1.203–8.864, p=0.02). Conversely, an IQR increase in PM10 was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with STEMI on lag 3 (OR=2.792; 95%CI:1.115–6.993, p=0.028) during the cold season. Our study suggests that exposure to NO2 (during warm season) and PM10 (during cold season) may contribute to a higher risk of poor prognosis in patients with STEMI.

This paper investigates the effect of Fe contamination on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-7Si-0.7Mg-Fe2.5 alloy processed by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and heat treated in two different conditions: (1) Solution Heat Treatment (SHT) at 520 °C, followed by artificial ageing at 160 °C (T6), and (2) Direct Artificial Ageing of the as-printed material at 160 °C (DAA). Microstructural characterization was carried out by Optical Microscopy (OM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Mechanical characterization was carried out by tensile tests at room temperature. The formation of fine AlSiFe phases such as α-AlFeSi, β-AlFeSi, and π-Al8Si6Mg3Fe had no deleterious effect on the mechanical properties compared to previous studies for AlSIMg alloys without Fe. However, compared to the as-printed condition, the T6 heat treatment decreased the ultimate tensile strain significantly, while the elongation to the fracture presented a slight improvement.

Limnospira maxima is widely cultivated due to its abundance of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and phycobiliproteins. However, limited information, high production costs, and nitrogen source limitations have hindered the optimal utilization of this cyanobacteria. The main goal of this study was to address these limitations by identifying ideal cultivation parameters to maximize yields, reduce costs, and contribute to global food security. It was demonstrated that the white and yellow light spectra are the most suitable for cultivating L. maxima, and the use of KNO3 as a nitrogen source proved to be the most cost-effective on a large scale. Nitrogen deficiency stimulates the production of dry biomass but also affects the concentration of key pigments such as chlorophyll and phycocyanin. A notable characteristic of L. maxima is its adaptability and survival capability in various environmental conditions, including nitrogen-deficient environments. This resilience is achieved through the degradation of phycobilisomes and the storage of glycogen. By identifying the optimal growth conditions and understanding the physiological responses of L. maxima, cultivation practices can be improved to be more efficient and sustainable.

In recent years, genetic research has been developing rapidly and taking on a larger role in research and medicine. The synthesis of any particle that can be used in this research can pave the way for new developments in this field. This research aims to develop a chemical method to produce nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots - economical and bio-sourced substances that bind to genomic DNA. Carbon quantum dots are produced by the green synthesis hydrothermal method from radish, which is abundant in nature, and economically affordable. Nitrogen is added to increase the fluorescence properties of the produced carbon quantum dots and to improve their binding to DNA. The synthesized nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) were tested through chromosome imaging subsequently. It was shown that N-CQDs can bind to the chromosomes, and N-CQDs reflected green light better than DAPI under the FITC filter, a potential advantage of using N-CQDs over DAPI in chromosome imaging.

Cattle slurry is an important nitrogen source for maize on dairy farms. Slurry injection is an effective measure to reduce ammonia emissions after field application, but with higher risk of nitrous oxide emission than surface application. This study compared soil mineral nitrogen dynamics and nitrous oxide emissions with two ways of application. First, traditional injection at 25 cm spacing between rows followed by ploughing (called “non-placed slurry”), and second, injection using a new so-called goosefoot slurry injector that placed the slurry in ploughed soil as a c. 30 cm broad band at 10 cm depth below maize crop rows with 75 cm spacing (named “placed slurry”). Furthermore, the effect of treating slurry with the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) in Vizura® was tested with both application methods. The field experiment was conducted on a sandy loam soil in a temperate climate. Both nitrous oxide emissions, and the dynamics of soil mineral nitrogen, were monitored for eight weeks after slurry application and seeding of maize using static chambers. The level of nitrous oxide emissions was higher with non-placed compared to placed slurry, mainly due to higher emissions during the first four weeks. That might be due to higher rates of nitrification rate and in turn stimulation of denitrification process. In both placed and non-placed slurry treatments, Vizura® caused higher soil ammonium concentrations and lower nitrate concentrations, particularly from 3 to 8 weeks after slurry application. The final level of soil nitrate was similar with and without the nitrification inhibitor, but higher with placed compared to non-placed slurry. Adding Vizura® to non-placed slurry reduced nitrous oxide emissions by 70 % when compared to placed slurry. Surprisingly, there was a non-significant trend towards higher cumulative emissions from placed slurry with the nitrification inhibitor compared to untreated slurry, which were due to higher emissions in the last part of the monitoring period (5-7 weeks after slurry application). Possibly degradation of the nitrification inhibitor, and nitrification activity inside the slurry band as the soil dried, promoted nitrous oxide emissions by this time. In summary, placement of untreated slurry in a broad band under maize seeds reduced nitrous oxide emissions compared to non-placed slurry with more soil contact. A comparable reduction was achieved by adding a nitrification inhibitor to non-placed slurry. The pattern of nitrous oxide emissions from placed slurry treated with the inhibitor was complex and requires more investigation.

This study evaluated gas mixtures of carbon dioxide (CO2) associated with nitrogen (N2) as al-ternatives to the use of CO2 in two phases to improve the welfare of broiler chickens at slaugh-ter. Broilers were exposed to one of three treatments: 40C90C (1st phase: <40% CO2 for 2 min; 2nd phase: >90% CO2 and <2% O2 for 2 min, n=92), 40C60N (40% CO2, 60% N2 and <2% O2 for 4 min, n=79), or 20C80N (20% CO2, 80% N2 and <2% O2 for 4 min, n=72). The time to onset of loss of consciousness (LOC) and death was assessed by brain activity (EEG) and behaviour. Behaviour also allowed characterisation of the aversive response to the treatments. Exposure to 40C60N and 20C80N induced LOC faster (19 s [14 – 30 s] and 21 s [16 – 37 s], respectively) but also with less inter-individual variability compared to 40C90C (53 s [26 – 156 s], P < 0.001) and birds took less time to die (40C60N: 64 s [43 – 108 s]; 20C80N: 70 s [45 – 88 s]; 40C90C: 177 s [89 – 212 s], P < 0.001). The 40C90C birds not only experienced more aversion during induction to LOC but are at risk of remaining conscious when the CO2 concentration is increased in the 2nd phase. From an animal welfare point of view, 40C60N provided the highest welfare, followed by 20C80N and 40C90C.