Search Results (20,829)

Salt stress is a major abiotic factor limiting crop productivity worldwide, as it disrupts plant growth, metabolism, and survival. In this study, we report that the genes PvPR10-2 and PvPR10-3 were significantly up-regulated in bean leaves and stems in response to combined salt and jasmonic acid (NaCl–JA) treatment. Foliar application of JA with salt induced physiological alterations, including stem growth inhibition, H₂O₂ accumulation, and activation of antioxidant enzymes. To investigate the role of PvPR10-3 in response to salt and phytohormones, we introduced this gene into Arabidopsis and found that its heterologous expression conferred salt tolerance to the transgenic lines. Interestingly, exogenous JA contributed to salt tolerance by reducing H₂O₂ levels, inducing ROS-scavenging enzymes, and promoting the accumulation of phenolic compounds and ABA. Furthermore, gene expression analysis of the transgenic lines revealed that PvPR10-3 expression under NaCl–JA stress is associated with the induction of JA-related genes like MYC2, JAZ2, JAZ11, and JAZ12, as well as SA-responsive genes, like ALD1 and TGA2, and two ABA-independent components DREB2A and ERD1, suggesting potential coordination between JA, ABA, and SA signaling in salt stress response. Additionally, key flowering regulators (FT, GI) were upregulated in transgenic lines under NaCl–JA treatment, suggesting a previously unexplored link between salt tolerance pathways and the regulation of flowering time. Taken together, our findings suggest a role of PvPR10-3 in enhancing salt stress tolerance and the involvement of exogenous JA in tolerance potentially by modulating ROS balance, hormone-associated gene expression, and protective secondary metabolites. Full article

(1) Background: The present study investigated the effects of extracellular vesicles (EVs), derived from adipose tissue stem cells (ADSCs) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs), on atherosclerosis-associated cardiac hypertrophy. (2) Methodology: The experiments were performed on hamsters divided into the following groups: control (C) fed with a standard diet; hypertensive–hyperlipidemic (HH) generated by combining a diet enriched with 3% cholesterol, 15% butter, and by gavage with 8% NaCl on a daily basis; HH groups injected with EVs (ADSCs) or EVs (BMMSCs), either transfected with Smad2/3 siRNAs or not (HH-EVs (ADSCs), HH-EVs (BMMSCs), HH-EVs (ADSCs) + Smad2/3siRNA, HH-EVs (BMMSCs) + Smad2/3siRNA); and HH group injected with Smad2/3 siRNAs (HH-Smad2/3siRNA). (3) Results: In comparison with the HH group, the findings demonstrated that treatment using EVs (ADSCs or BMMSCs), either with or without Smad2/3 siRNAs, resulted in several significant improvements in the following aspects: the plasma levels of cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, TGF-β1, and Ang II were decreased; the left ventricular structure and function were recovered; inflammatory markers, ROS, COL1A, α-SMA, Cx43, MIF, ANF, and M1/M2 macrophages, were reduced; the level of key protein NF-κB p50 was diminished. (4) Conclusions: These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell-derived EVs in atherosclerosis-associated cardiac hypertrophy. Full article

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are key Ca²⁺ sensors in plants, mediating responses to abiotic stresses via phosphorylation signaling. In the halophyte Nitraria sibirica, which thrives in saline soils, we identified 19 CDPK genes (NsCDPKs) and classified them into four canonical angiosperm clades, highlighting conserved functional modules. Promoter analysis revealed diverse cis-acting elements responsive to light, hormones (ABA, MeJA, auxin, GA, SA), and abiotic stresses (drought, cold, wounding), along with numerous MYB binding sites, suggesting complex transcriptional regulation. Transcriptome profiling under salt stress (100 and 400 mM NaCl) showed induction of most NsCDPKs, with several genes significantly upregulated in roots and stems, indicating coordinated whole-plant activation. These salt-responsive NsCDPKs were also upregulated by cold but repressed under PEG-simulated drought, indicating stress-specific regulatory patterns. Fifteen MYB transcription factors, differentially expressed under salt stress, were predicted to interact with NsCDPK promoters, implicating them as upstream regulators. This study identified a potential salt- and cold-responsive CDPK regulatory module and a MYB-mediated transcriptional hierarchy in N. sibirica, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation and highlighting candidate genes that could be explored for improving salt tolerance in crop species. Full article

The immobilization of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanostructures on conductive supports offers a promising strategy to overcome the intrinsic limitations of a wide band gap, poor visible-light absorption, and rapid charge recombination in photocatalysis. Herein, a rutile TiO₂ nanorods (TiO₂NRs) array was directly grown on carbon cloth (CC) via a hydrothermal method by using titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) seed solutions of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 M, designated as TiO₂NR0.1/CC, TiO₂NR0.3/CC, and TiO₂NR0.5/CC, respectively. Structural analysis confirmed that the TiO₂ NRs array is vertically aligned, and phase=pure rutile NRs strongly adhered to CC. The optical characterization revealed broadened absorption in the visible wavelength region and progressive band gap narrowing with the increasing seeding concentration. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed pronounced quenching in the fabricated TiO₂NRs/CC samples, especially with TiO₂NR0.3/CC exhibiting the lowest PL intensity, indicating suppressed charge recombination. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy further demonstrated reduced charge transfer resistance, and TiO₂NR0.3/CC achieved the most efficient electron transport kinetics. Photocatalytic tests at λ ≥ 400 nm irradiation confirmed the enhanced hydrogen evolution performance of TiO₂NR0.3/CC. The hydrogen yield of 2.66 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ of TiO₂NR0.3/CC was 4.03-fold higher than that of TiO₂NRs (0.66 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹), along with excellent cyclic stability across three runs. Additionally, TiO₂NR0.3/CC achieved 90.2% degradation of methylene blue within 60 min, with a kinetic constant of 0.0332 min⁻¹ and minimal activity loss after three cycles. These results highlight the synergistic integration of TiO₂ NRs with CC in achieving a durable, recyclable, and efficient photocatalytic platform for sustainable hydrogen generation and wastewater remediation. Full article

Industrial wastewater can serve as a low-cost nutritional source for sustainable microalgal biomass production. This study investigated the biomass of Chlorella vulgaris var. vulgaris TISTR 8261 grown in untreated wastewater collected from four food industry factories in Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. Among them, wastewater from a processed food production plant (PFPP) supported the highest algal growth. Supplementation with 17.4 mM sodium acetate significantly improved algal biomass yield. Further optimization with 3.7 mM NH₄Cl, 1.0 mM KH₂PO₄, 0.2 mM MgSO₄, and a moderate concentration of trace minerals enhanced the specific growth rate and chlorophyll concentration. Scaled-up cultivation in 3.5 L culture bottles in optimized PFPP yielded a maximum biomass yield of 8.436 ± 0.378 g L⁻¹, comparable to 6.498 ± 0.436 g L⁻¹ in standard TAP medium. Biomass composition analysis after 15 days of cultivation revealed 42.70 ± 1.40% protein, 17.10 ± 1.60% carbohydrate, and 1.90 ± 0.10% lipid on a dry weight basis. These findings demonstrate that optimized PFPP wastewater can effectively support high-density cultivation of C. vulgaris var. vulgaris TISTR 8261, yielding nutritionally rich biomass, and offering a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable strategy for industrial-scale microalgal production. Full article

In this paper, the results from a study of the products obtained by vacuum–thermal processing of industrial copper telluride in an inert atmosphere at a pressure of 66 Pa and a temperature of 1100 °C are presented. The residue obtained mainly consisted of the copper(I) oxide phase. The condensate was represented by the phases CuTe₂O₅, CuO·CuTeO₃, TeO₂, SiO₂, and CuTe₂Cl. The vapor phase condensed in four temperature zones, each represented by a different phase composition. A monophase of tellurium oxide was identified in the condensate at temperatures of 150 to 270 °C. The obtained data contribute to expanding scientific knowledge and form the basis for developing a new, environmentally safe method of processing tellurium-containing middling. The creation of new technologies promotes increased efficiency of tellurium recovery and reduces environmental risks. Full article

In recent years, numerous constrained multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (CMOEAs) have been proposed to tackle constrained multi-objective optimization problems (CMOPs). However, most of them still struggle to achieve a good balance among convergence, diversity, and feasibility. To address this issue, we develop an adaptive constraint-boundary learning-based two-stage dual-population evolutionary algorithm for CMOPs, referred to as CL-TDEA. The evolutionary process of CL-TDEA is divided into two stages. In the first stage, two populations cooperate weakly through environmental selection to enhance the exploration ability of CL-TDEA under constraints. In particular, the auxiliary population employs an adaptive constraint-boundary learning mechanism to learn the constraint boundary, which in turn enables the main population to more effectively explore the constrained search space and cross infeasible regions. In the second stage, the cooperation between the two populations drives the search toward the complete constrained Pareto front (CPF) through mating selection. Here, the auxiliary population provides additional guidance to the main population, helping it escape locally feasible but suboptimal regions by means of the proposed cascaded multi-criteria hierarchical ranking strategy. Extensive experiments on 54 test problems from four benchmark suites and three real-world applications demonstrate that the proposed CL-TDEA exhibits superior performance and stronger competitiveness compared with several state-of-the-art methods. Full article

Background/Objectives: Autonomously functioning thyroid nodules (AFTNs) are most frequently diagnosed as benign. However, they show high ratings in ultrasound (US) risk stratification systems (RSSs) that utilize the current clinical standard methodology of conventional static image capture (SIC) documentation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the RSS ratings and respective fine needle cytology (FNC) recommendations of cine loop (CL) video sequences in comparison to SIC. Methods: 407 patients with 424 AFTNs were enrolled in this unicentric, retrospective study between 11/2015 and 11/2023. Recorded US CL and SIC were analyzed lesion-wise and compared regarding US features, Kwak and ACR TIRADS, ACR FNC recommendations, as well as assessment difficulties and artifacts. Statistical analyses were conducted using the Chi² test and Spearman’s correlation coefficient in SPSS software. p-values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Strong to very strong correlations were observed for all US features, RSS ratings, and ACR FNC recommendations (Spearman’s correlation: each p < 0.001), comparing CL and SIC. For >60% of the AFTNs, ACR FNC recommendation was given. Kwak TIRADS were more consistent with the benign nature of AFTNs than the ACR ratings. CL captured significantly more “echogenic foci” than SIC (Chi²: p < 0.001). Artifacts (poor image quality, acoustic shadowing, sagittal incompletely displayed AFTN) were significantly more common on CL, affecting ~40% of AFTNs, compared to ~15% on SIC (Chi²: each p < 0.05). Weak correlation was observed for assessment confidence between CL and SIC, with SIC outperforming CL (Spearman’s correlation: each p < 0.001). Conclusions: A strong correlation was identified between CL and SIC in terms of RSS ratings and ACR FNC recommendations. Kwak is a superior representative of the benign character of AFTNs than ACR. However, CL provided more detailed information while being associated with decreased observer confidence and more artifacts. Specific operator training and technical improvements, including AI implementation, could improve image quality in future. Full article

Light quality is a recognized driver of plant growth and secondary metabolism in Coleus blumei, a valuable source of rosmarinic acid (RA) and quercetin (QU), whereas its combination with salinity stress represents a potential strategy that still requires further investigation. We evaluated four LED spectra, red–blue (RB) (6:1, control), blue (B), red (R), and RB + Far-Red, under both control (0 mM NaCl) and moderate salt stress (120 mM NaCl), measuring biomass (dry weight) and RA/QU in leaves and roots after three (T1) and five weeks (T2). Blue light produced the greatest root biomass, while the leaf dry weight under B did not differ significantly from RB or RBfr. RA peaked at T2 under B in leaves and under R in roots; QU was maximal under B in leaves and under RB in roots. Extending exposure from T1 to T2 markedly increased both metabolites’ yield. Salinity had little effect on biomass, increased the total QU yield, and did not enhance the total RA yield. These results indicate that targeted LED regimes and longer exposure can raise the yields of bioactive compounds, and that combining specific spectra with moderate salinity is an effective strategy for selectively increasing quercetin accumulation in indoor-grown C. blumei. Full article

Grammatophyllum speciosum Blume is an endangered wild orchid with medicinal properties. In this research, we propagated G. speciosum from vegetative organs grown under aseptic conditions. Subsequently, salinity stress was applied at the plantlet stage to investigate its effect on the accumulation of bioactive compounds. Half-strength Murashige and Skoog (½ MS) medium supplemented with a combination of 1 mg of L⁻¹ 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 0.5 mg of L⁻¹ 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) proved to be a more suitable medium for shoot formation (32.33 ± 2.52 shoots per explant). The protocorm-like bodies, derived from embryogenic callus, were transferred into a temporary immersion bioreactor (TIB) system; 10-min of immersion every 3 h enhanced the maximum number of shoots, shoot height, and the fresh growth index (127.00 ± 2.16, 5.00 ± 0.51 cm and 4.26 ± 0.52, respectively). The proliferated plantlets from the TIB system successfully rooted in Vacin and Went medium. Furthermore, the plantlets were maintained in ½ MS medium supplemented with sodium chloride (NaCl) (0, 50, 100 or 200 µM) under a white light-emitting diode for 72 h to determine the total phenolic content (TPC) in the in vitro cultures. The TPC was highest in the medium with 100 µM of NaCl (111.06 ± 2.24 mg gallic acid equivalent g⁻¹ dry weight), the diphenyl picrylhydrazyl antioxidant activity was 24.50 ± 0.76% and ferric-reducing antioxidant power values were in the range 2441.79 ± 1.21 to 2491.96 ± 3.23 µM ascorbic acid equivalent g⁻¹ dry weight. The G. speciosum extracts showed antibacterial activity against acne pathogens, with minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values in the ranges 6.4–12.8 mg mL⁻¹ and 12.8–25.6 mg mL⁻¹, respectively. Full article

Detailed description of phase composition and geochemistry of the Muschelkalk carbonate rocks of the Upper Silesian Province in Poland were presented in this article. The tests were carried out to determine mineralogical features and geochemical properties. The samples were collected from the formations of the Lower Muschelkalk (Gogolin Unit), Middle Muschelkalk (Diplopore Dolomite Unit) and Upper Muschelkalk (Tarnowice Unit, Boruszowice Unit). The following research methods were used: macroscopic description, X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence and Atomic spectrometry with plasma intensification. The following carbonate phases were identified: a low-Mg calcite, a high-Mg calcite, a proto-dolomite, an ordered dolomite and a huntite. The results of XRD analysis allowed the determination of the chemical formulas of the mineral phases. XRF and ICP AES analyses allowed to establish the content of following trace elements: Sr, Ba, Al, Si, Fe, Mn, K, Na, S, Cl, Ti, Cr, Ni, Zn, Rb, Zr, Pb, As, V, Be, B, Co, Cu, Br, Mo and Cd. Apart from Sr and Ba, they are not fundamental components of carbonate rocks. They indicate the presence of minerals such as silicates, aluminosilicates, oxides and sulfides. Full article

In this work, a series of novel high-entropy alloys CoCrFeNiSiV_x (x = 0.25; 0.5; 0.75; 1.0) with an intermetallic compound structure was proposed. The effect of vanadium addition on the structure, as well as selected mechanical and corrosion properties, was investigated. In the case of the CoCrFeNiSiV_0.25 alloy, the structural analysis revealed the formation of a dual-phase structure consisting of Fe_1.812V_0.907Si_0.906-type and Fe₅Ni₃Si₂-type intermetallic phases. The increase in vanadium concentration results in the crystallization of one Fe_1.812V_0.907Si_0.906 intermetallic phase detected by the X-ray diffraction method. The increase in vanadium content had a beneficial influence on the corrosion resistance of CoCrFeNiSiV_x alloys in 3.5% NaCl. The CoCrFeNiSiV alloy exhibited the lowest corrosion current density of 0.17 μA/cm² and the highest corrosion potential of −0.228 V. The hardness of the alloys investigated increased with vanadium content, reaching 1006 HV for the equimolar alloy. In turn, the lowest friction coefficient of 0.63 ± 0.06 was obtained for the CoCrFeNiSiV_0.75 alloy. The abrasive, fatigue, and oxidative wear were identified as the main wear mechanisms. Full article

Chromium (Cr), a toxic heavy metal, poses significant environmental and health risks when industrial effluents containing Cr are discharged untreated. Addressing this challenge, this study developed a selective chromium removal strategy using IRA-900 resin in a sulfuric acid system with sodium phosphite (NaH₂PO₃) as a complexing agent. In the NaH₂PO₃-H₂SO₄ system, IRA-900 resin exhibited exceptional selectivity for Cr³⁺ with minimal co-adsorption of competing ions. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir isotherm model (R² > 0.99), indicating monolayer chemisorption dominated by homogeneous active sites, and achieved a maximum capacity of 103.56 mg·g⁻¹. Characterization via XPS, FT-IR, and SEM-EDS revealed a two-step mechanism: Cr³⁺ reacts with H₂PO₃⁻ to form an anionic complex, and then the complex undergoes electrostatic interaction and ion exchange with chloride ions (Cl⁻) on the quaternary ammonium groups of the resin. The chromium-loaded resin demonstrated remarkable structural stability, resisting Cr³⁺ desorption under conventional elution conditions. This property provides a novel pathway for chromium solidification in industrial wastewater, effectively minimizing secondary pollution risks. This work advances the design of ligand-assisted ion-exchange systems for targeted heavy metal removal, offering both high selectivity and environmental compatibility in wastewater treatment. Full article

Currently, the potential environmental concerns around the world for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogenic (PAHCs) contamination as carcinogenic compounds in industrial soils (automobile industry) are rising day by day. At present, the technology of treating contaminated soils using photocatalysts is commonly used; however, this study tested photolysis and photocatalysis through ultraviolet light (306 nm) due to its high treatment efficiency. FeCl₃ (0.3, 0.4 M) was used as an iron catalyst for each treatment in the presence of H₂O₂ (10%, 20%) as an oxidizing agent. The impact of light treatment on soils that contained various concentrations of PAHCs like naphthalene (NAP), chrysene (CRY), benzo(a) pyrene (BaP), indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene (IND) was investigated. The QuEChERS method was used to extract PAHCs, and a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMSMS) was used to determine concentration. The concentrations of PAHCs were measured for soils at intervals of every 2 h after exposure to ultraviolet rays. The results showed a decrease in PAHCs concentrations with increased exposure to UV irradiation, as the initial values were 26.8 ng/g (NAP), 97 ng/g (CRY), 9.1 ng/g (BaP) and 9.7 ng/g (IND), which decreased to 2.17 ng/g (NAP), 3.14 ng/g (CRY), 0.33 ng/g (BaP) and 0.46 ng/g (IND) at 20, 40, 30 and 40 h of UV exposure; moreover, with an increase in concentration of the catalyst (0.4 M FeCl₃ with 20% H₂O₂), NAP, CRY, BaP and IND became undetectable at 8, 26, 14 and 20 h, respectively. It was concluded that a significant effect of ultraviolet rays on the photolysis of PAHCs, along with Photovoltaic at 306 nm wavelength, was observed while using FeCl₃ (0.4 M) combined with H₂O₂ (20%) produced better results in a shorter time compared to FeCl₃ (0.3 M) with H₂O₂ (10%). Full article

The regioselectivity of the Claisen rearrangement with different meta-substituted and meta- and para-substituted allyl phenyl ethers was investigated. The main results were that in meta-substituted Claisen rearrangements the regioselectivity depends roughly on the electronic nature of the substituent, with electron-donating groups favoring migration further from the meta-substituent while electron-withdrawing groups favor migration towards the meta-substituent. Different para-substituents were tested with two meta-substituents, Me, and Cl. Most of the para-substituent tested had a clear effect on the product ratio, in all but one case enhancing the proportion of the major product favored by the meta-substituent. Population analysis was performed with Mulliken, Löwdin, Hirshfeld, and natural population analysis to analyze the influence of the substituents on the atomic charges on the reaction sites. It was observed that the atomic charge on the carbon that forms the major isomer is of higher negativity than the atomic charge on the carbon that forms the minor isomer. Full article