Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres最新文献

The aim of potato breeding is to release cultivars that exhibit high and stable performance across the target population of environments. The objective of this research was therefore to investigate the use of various methods (site regression [SREG], coefficient of variation and regression deviation [σ²_δ]) for determining the adaptability and stability of productive and quality traits in the Nordic region of Europe. The multi-environment trials included 256 breeding clones and released cultivars grown by EU farmers at three distinct testing sites over two years in Sweden. There was significant (P < 0.001) variation in tuber yield, starch percentage and reducing sugars in the tuber flesh among the breeding clones and cultivars, testing environments and the genotype by environment interaction (GEI). The environments were very diverse, as revealed by the SREG biplots and particularly for the GEI patterns noted in terms of their productive and quality characteristics. The percentage of stable high-tuber yielding germplasm was greater for breeding clones (23%) than for released European cultivars (2%), thus revealing the advantage of potato breeding in the target population of environments. SLU 1415001 and SLU 1314015 were the most promising breeding clones due to their stable high tuber yield. This characteristic was best for the starch potato cultivars, although none of them exhibited a significant different σ²_δ. ‘Talent’ shows an almost stable good performance among low reducing sugar cultivars and breeding clones, which are often unstable in terms of their scoring across environments. Neither a breeding clone nor a cultivar was at the top for stable tuber yield, tuber flesh starch or reducing sugars in the tuber flesh, which shows the challenge faced by potato breeding while addressing the needs of different markets.

Alternative control methods are needed against plant parasitic nematodes in Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii L.) and Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) plants and one of these methods is the use of plant-based extracts against nematodes. Plant parasitic nematodes cause economic damage in cut flower production areas, so in order to reduce this damage, it is aimed to use different non-synthetic plant-based extracts as an alternative to chemical control methods within the scope of cultural control of nematodes. For this purpose, garlic, thyme, and terminator (70% thyme + 30% different plant mixture formation) were used to determine the resistance against M. incognita in two different clove cultivars, Turbo with standard flower type and Harnet with spray flower type. While the egg pack index was 1.40 ± 0.70 in the Harnet cultivar with garlic application, this rate was 16.00 ± 9.66 in the positive control. While the egg pack index was 1.20 ± 0.42 in the Turbo variety, in which garlic was applied, this value was 3.70 ± 0.48 in the control. When evaluated based on varieties, the egg package index was lower in the Turbo variety with garlic application compared to the Harnet variety.

Acmella radicans (Jacquin) R.K. Jansen is a new invasive species record for Yunnan Province, China, as of 2017 and little is known about its invasion mechanisms. To better understand its invasive strategies, we investigated the growth, physiological and soil nutrient use parameters of the invader under combined conditions of light (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of light availability) and soil water content (full, high, medium, and low soil water content) in the glasshouse. The results showed that light level, soil water content and their interaction had a significant effect on all plant morphological, physiological and soil nutrient parameters for A. radicans (P < 0.05). For the most part, plant height, total branch length, leafstalk length, leaf area, inflorescence number, seed number, leaf biomass, stem biomass, aboveground biomass, and total biomass of A. radicans were significantly increased with increased shading rate and soil water content and were generally greater at intermediate light levels and intermediate to high soil water levels. Under high-irradiance conditions, the chlorophyll content was greatly reduced compared to other treatments. We also observed that leafstalk length, leaf area, Pn, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b of A. radicans were markedly increased with increased shading rate and soil water content, and were generally highest under intermediate irradiance and soil water conditions, but many plant physiological parameters also exhibited relatively high values under waterlogging conditions. The concentrations of organic matter, available N and available K of A. radicans soils at high-irradiance and full-high soil water content treatments and medium-irradiance and high-medium soil water content treatments were often less than those of other treatments indicated that hypothetically soil absorption was increased by moderate shading and high soil water. This was the first study demonstrating that A. radicans thrives best under moderate light conditions in combination with high soil water. Furthermore, we surmised that its higher phenotypic and physiological plasticity contributes to its invasion success.

The global economy and public health are seriously at risk because of the COVID-19 outbreak brought on by the SARS-CoV-2. Currently, there is no specific medication available to treat COVID-19 patients. A quick method used to find out the treatment of newly developing infectious diseases like SARS COV-2 by drug repurposing. Metronidazole (3-methyl-5-nitroimidazole) is a synthetic, azomycin derivative having strong bacteriocidal and antiparasitic properties. Metronidazole (MTZ) derivatives are commercially broad spectrum containing pertinent antibacterial activity and a reasonable safety profile. MTZ structures were designed using chemdraw professional and subjected to field base and atom base QSAR and displayed good results by identifying 9 compounds as active. Molecular docking was performed with 9 proteins from which highest docking score was ranged from − 6.305 to − 8.044 of MT35 with 7aot as compared to standard drug (Lopinavir, showed docking score − 5.504 with same protein). Docking was further validated by redocking by RMSD score in range of 2 Å. MMGB/SA results showed the negative binding energy values of docked protein–ligand complexes comparable to standard drug and MD stimulation were also performed for the structure flexibility showed 1.00 Å RMSF for three protein at maximum fluctuation. Selected drug (MT35) showed good ADME properties which may need to be synthesized followed by in vitro and in vivo study against SARS-CoV-2.

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Present investigation was undertaken to assess the composition of bioactive compounds within various parts of methanolic extracts from mulberry plants utilizing both High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometric methodologies. Furthermore, the antioxidant potential was evaluated through assays including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), β-carotene bleaching (BCBA), and Hydroxyl Radical Scavenging Activity (HRSA). This research incorporated the analysis of the fruit, root, shoot, and leaf of the mulberry (Morus alba L.) Cv. Ichinose. Findings from the investigation revealed that levels of total phenols (533.8 ± 15.6 mg/100 g) and flavonoids (232.3 ± 7.1 mg/100 g) were notably higher in fruit compared to root, while total ascorbic acid content (70.9 ± 3.1 mg/100 g) was significantly elevated in the leaf. The fruit exhibited a significantly higher concentration of total anthocyanins (142.5 ± 3.1 mg/100 g), whereas the leaf contained a substantial amount of total carotenoids (5.8 ± 0.3 mg/100 g). Predominant phenolic acids detected in mulberry included ferulic acid, m-coumaric acid, syringic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and gallic acid. Quercetin and isoquercetin were identified as the major flavonoids in mulberry fruits. In terms of anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-rutinoside (25.6 ± 2.3 mg/100 g) and cyanidin-3-glucoside (16.4 ± 2.1 mg/100 g) were the primary anthocyanins present in the fruit. The main carotenoid found in the leaf was beta-carotene, with levels reaching 2.1 ± 0.3 mg/100 g. Fruit displayed the highest antioxidant activity among all parts examined. Comparison of the EC50 values of fruit (EC50 = 174.2 ± 2.2 µg/mL), root (EC50 = 179.6 ± 2.3 µg/mL), and shoot (EC50 = 189.4 ± 2.1) suggested that these segments of the mulberry plant could potentially function as antioxidants and could exhibit a greater hydroxyl radical scavenging effect than standard antioxidants.

Synthetic pollutants (SPs) are a significant environmental concern due to their extensive use and persistence in the environment. Various remediation strategies have been explored to address this issue, including photocatalysis, nano-remediation, and bioremediation. Among these, bioremediation stands out as a promising approach, particularly with the use of genetically engineered (GE) microorganisms. This review focuses on the role of GE microorganisms in reducing SPs from environmental systems. GE microorganisms have been modified to enhance their ability to degrade organic and inorganic SPs efficiently. Key genes responsible for contaminant degradation have been identified and modified to improve breakdown rates. Strategies to make engineered bacteria more acceptable are also discussed. Overall, GE microorganisms represent a viable and efficient alternative to native strains for pollutant degradation, highlighting their potential in addressing environmental pollution challenges.

One of the main challenges of today’s agriculture to ensure food security is developing strategies to deal with potential negative impacts of adaptation to climate variability. This study was conducted to determine climatic and management factors influencing wheat yield variability throughout a temperate region in Northeastern Iran in the period of 1980–2010. The growth stages and yield of wheat crop were simulated via DSSAT model, using AgMERRA gridded weather dataset. Also, the effect of climatic variables on yield was identified using Panel Data Regression (PDA). According to the results, 63% of the changes in irrigated wheat yield are explained by climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) and 37% by management factors. PDA revealed that among the climatic variables, the number of days with temperatures above 30 °C during the growing season, mean temperature, as well as amount and frequency of precipitation have a significant effect on irrigated wheat yield (p ≤ 0.05). The management practices, including provision of inputs such as chemical fertilizers, modified seeds, tillage machinery and equipment, information transfer and the penetration of knowledge in the field, would increase yields by 5 kg on average per year in study region. In general, employing effective management methods, in particular selecting the appropriate planting date that could result in better adaptation of the phenological stages of wheat to climatic conditions, thus improving the wheat yield. The results of this research suggest that use of valid AgMERRA meteorological dataset as input for DSSAT crop model could produce reliable simulations which in turn could be employed by food policy and decision makers, farmers, and managers in a temperate region.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is pneumonia like viral disease which was originated from Wuhan China in 2019. Besides its high morbidity and mortality, a lot of physiological, enzymatic, hormonal and genetic imbalances had also been observed among Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) patients. The purpose of the present study was the assessment of comorbidities and association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine (TMPRSS) gene among COVID-19 patients. A total of 300 (healthy control n = 150 COVID-19 n = 150) individuals were sampled and genotyped for ACE2 rs2285666 and TMPRSS rs2070788 SNPs respectively. A total of 92/150 (61.3%) were male infected population, among the various age groups (age group 1: 1–15 yrs; age group 2: 16–30 yrs; age group 3: 31–45; age group 4: 46 and above) where most of the patients were from age group 4 (46 and above) 79/150 (52.7%) followed by age group 3 (31–45) 44/150 (29.3%). Logistic regression analysis showed that among clinical features cough (90%) was observed to be highest followed by fever (80%), sore throat (76%) and shortness of breath (75%). Hypertension (51%), type II diabetes (48.4%), ischemic heart disease (43.3%) history was found to prevalent highly associated with infected individuals. For ACE2 rs2285666, we found disease risk association for both allele and genotype while TMPRSS did not reveal genotype association. It is concluded from the current study that COVID-19 infects majority of male population. ACE2 rs2285666 allele and genotype association was observed with COVID-19 infection and protective association of TMPRSS2 rs2070788 allele towards COVID-19 infection.

The present study deals with the bio-fabrication of AgA-AgNPs utilizing edible mushroom Agaricus arvensis as a reductant for improved stability and catalytic efficiency towards L-dopa production. The parameters optimized for achieving maximum tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity were the mushroom biomass (2.5%, w/v), media for extraction (peptone-saline), and temperature (90 ℃). The activity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was enhanced by its immobilization on AgNPs. The change in color from light yellow to dark brown confirmed the formation of AgA-AgNPs. In addition, the UV–Vis spectrum showed a surface plasmon resonance band at 260 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) indicated presence of functional groups, which play an important role in production of NPs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the crystalline nature of mycosynthesized AgNPs and showed peaks corresponding to 38.8° (111), 46.5° (200), 64.1° (220), and 77.5^o (311). AgA-AgNPs exhibited −9.16 mv zeta potential. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of AgA-AgNPs confirmed particle size between 88.49 ± 3.83 nm. Immobilized TH extracted from A. arvensis showed reusability at optimized temperature (20 ℃) for 3 cycles. A 2.54-fold higher production of L-dopa was examined with AgA-AgNPs. Furthermore, immobilized TH consumed more L-tyrosine i.e. 0.554 ± 0.022 mg/ml as compared to the free enzyme at 90 min of biotransformation. Hence, the immobilization of A. arvensis extracted TH on AgNPs increased its activity as well as its stability and catalytic efficiency. AgA-AgNPs has a potential of dopamine synthesis and can play a significant role in drug delivery or biomedical applications.

During monitoring visits to the beaches of Fnideq, M'Diq, Cabo-Negro, and Martil, two jellyfish species along the Moroccan Northwest Mediterranean coast have been observed. Rhizostoma luteum (Quoy JRC, Gaimard JP. Observations zoologiques faites à bord de l'Astrolabe, en mai 1826, dans le Détroit de Gibraltar. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, 1827) was recorded at Fnideq in January 2014, and Cotylorhiza tuberculata (Macri S. Nuove osservazioni intorno la Storia naturale del polmone marino, 1778) was recorded between M'Diq and Cabonegro beach in August 2015. Although their occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea is less frequent compared to the outbreaks of Pelagia noctiluca (Forskål P. Descriptiones animalium, avium, amphibiorum, piscium, insectorum, vermium: quae in itinere orientali observavit. ex officina Mölleri; 1775), these findings represent the first documented records of Rhizostoma luteum and Cotylorhiza tuberculata in this region, contributing valuable insights to the existing knowledge of jellyfish distribution in the Mediterranean.