Browse Articles

Analytical model for helical particle array assessment for EMI shielding applications

Uniaxial compressive damage evolution and constitutive modeling of fissure-like rocks under different loading rates based on acoustic emission

Particle accelerators get an assist from AI co-pilots

Optimal parameter identification of photovoltaic systems based on enhanced differential evolution optimization technique

RED light promotes flavonoid and phenolic accumulation in Cichorium spp. callus culture as anti-candida agent

Abstract Chicory species, particularly Cichorium endive Supp. Pumillum, also, known as Egyptian chicory, are globally recognized for their rich content of bioactive secondary metabolites such as flavonoids and phenolics. These metabolites are highly valued for their pharmaceutical, dietary, and commercial applications. Light exposure, particularly through red and blue wavelengths, is a potent natural elicitor that influences the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and impacts plant morphology. This study investigates the effects of red and blue LED light exposure on the callus culture of Egyptian chicory (Cichorium endive Supp. Pumillum), with the aim of enhancing flavonoid accumulation for potential use as an anti-Candida agent. Callus cultures of Cichorium intybus, Cichorium endive Supp. Pumillum, and Taraxacum officinale (Italian chicory) were grown on MS media supplemented with 4 mg/L 2iP and 0.5 mg/L NAA for 4 weeks. The cultures were then exposed to 12 days of red and blue LED light. After extraction using liquid nitrogen and methanol, the resulting callus extracts were tested against Candida albicans NRRL477 at various concentrations (1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 MIC) for 20 to 120 min. The antifungal activity was assessed by determining the effects on acid-soluble phosphorus, total lipids, and soluble proteins in the Candida cells. Our results demonstrate that the red LED light-exposed Cichorium endive Supp. Pumillum callus extract exhibited the most potent antifungal activity, significantly inhibiting the growth of Candida species compared to blue light and control treatments. Notably, the red light-treated callus culture accumulated higher concentrations of flavonoids and phenolic compounds, which contributed to its effectiveness as an anti-Candida agent. These findings suggest that LED red light elicitation is an effective method for enhancing the production of bioactive compounds in Egyptian chicory, offering potential for its use in natural antifungal therapies. Future research will explore the mechanistic pathways of flavonoid accumulation under different light conditions and investigate the broader applications of this elicitation technique for other medicinal plants.

Author Correction: RNASeq analysis of drought-stressed guayule reveals the role of gene transcription for modulating rubber, resin, and carbohydrate synthesis

‘WithdrarXiv’ database of 14,000 retracted preprints launches

Progress in quality assessment of Italian saffron

Biochar and bentonite application improves aeolian sandy soil health and enhances soil carbon sequestration and emission reduction potential

Earth shattered heat records in 2023 and 2024: is global warming speeding up?

Contribution of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha to pathogenesis of sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Abstract Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) caused by autosomal-dominant mutations in genes coding for structural sarcomeric proteins, is the most common inherited heart disease. HCM is associated with myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis and ventricular dysfunction. Hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1α (Hif-1α) is the central master regulators of cellular hypoxia response and associated with HCM. Yet its exact role remains to be elucidated. Therefore, the effect of a cardiomyocyte-specific Hif-1a knockout (cHif1aKO) was studied in an established α-MHC719/+ HCM mouse model that exhibits the classical features of human HCM. The results show that Hif-1α protein and HIF targets were upregulated in left ventricular tissue of α-MHC719/+ mice. Cardiomyocyte-specific abolishment of Hif-1a blunted the disease phenotype, as evidenced by decreased left ventricular wall thickness, reduced myocardial fibrosis, disordered SRX/DRX state and ROS production. cHif1aKO induced normalization of pro-hypertrophic and pro-fibrotic left ventricular remodeling signaling evidenced on whole transcriptome and proteomics analysis in α-MHC719/+ mice. Proteomics of serum samples from patients with early onset HCM revealed significant modulation of HIF. These results demonstrate that HIF signaling is involved in mouse and human HCM pathogenesis. Cardiomyocyte-specific knockout of Hif-1a attenuates disease phenotype in the mouse model. Targeting Hif-1α might serve as a therapeutic option to mitigate HCM disease progression.

The role of lean body mass in predicting mortality in hemodialysis patients across different age groups

Spacecraft makes closest-ever fly-by of Sun: what the trip will tell us

Superior charge storage performance of optimized nickel cobalt carbonate hydroxide hydrate nanostructures for supercapacitor application

Why don’t new memories overwrite old ones? Sleep science holds clues

Association between triglyceride/high density lipoprotein ratio and incidence risk of Parkinson’s disease: a population-based cohort study

‘Precocious’ early-career scientists with high citation counts proliferate

Response of negative ion beamlet width and axis deflection to RF field in beam extraction region

Abstract Beam-divergence characteristics of single negative ion beamlet have been experimentally investigated with a superimposition of a controlled perturbation of a radio frequency wave (RF) field in a filament-arc discharge negative ion source. Oscillations of a negative-ion beamlet width and axis responding to the RF perturbation were observed, which may be a cause of the larger beam divergence angle of the RF negative ion source for ITER. It is pointed out that the oscillation of the beamlet width depends on the perveance and on an RF frequency such that the oscillation is suppressed at perveance-matched conditions and at low RF frequency.

Highly efficient and rapid removal of Congo red dye from textile wastewater using facile synthesized Mg/Ni/Al layered double hydroxide

Abstract Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are compounds with unique structures of hydroxide functional groups on their surfaces, and they have the proper arrangement of divalent and trivalent cations to adjust their unique catalytic actions. LDH was synthesized utilizing the co-precipitation technique and was thermally treated at 300 °C. The prepared compounds were chemically and structurally elucidated using FT-IR, XRD, SEM, BET, TG-DTA, and XPS characterization. We found that the thermal treatment of the prepared magnesium/nickel-LDH resulted in dehydration and dehydroxylation in its chemical structure. The crystallinity, the surface area, and the pore volume of the formed meso- and micropores were improved considerably after the thermal treatment. The efficiency of the uptake process was increased from 84 to 97% after the thermal treatment process, and the adsorption process tracked the Freundlich adsorption isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The kinetics indicated the occurrence of three stages, and the diffusion of dye molecules into the pores was the rate-determining step. Different real water sample treatments showed the applicability of the thermally treated Mg/Ni/Al-LDH in the treatment process under optimized conditions. The presented mechanism of the uptake process using the prepared compounds comprises several interactions between the dye molecules and the thermally treated Mg/Ni/Al-LDH. The study presented the new application for Mg/Ni/Al-LDH in the as-prepared and thermally treated forms to uptake Congo-red (CR) dye from textile effluents.

Damage due to ice crystallization

Abstract The freezing of water is one of the major causes of mechanical damage in materials during wintertime; surprisingly this happens even in situations where water only partially saturates the material so that the ice has room to grow. Here we perform freezing experiments in cylindrical glass vials of various sizes and wettability properties, using a dye that exclusively colors the liquid phase; this allows precise observation of the freezing front. The visualization reveals that damage occurs in partially water-saturated media when a closed liquid inclusion forms within the ice due to the freezing of the air/water meniscus. When this water inclusion subsequently freezes, the volume expansion leads to very high pressures leading to the fracture of both the surrounding ice and the glass vial. The pressure can be understood quantitatively based on thermodynamics which correctly predicts that the crystallization pressure on the inclusion boundary is independent of the volume of the liquid pocket. Finally, our results also reveal that by changing the wetting properties of the confining walls, the formation of the liquid pockets that cause the mechanical damage can be avoided.