Chemical Factors Research Articles

Features of TLR4 and MMP9 gene expression modified with SARS-CoV-2 antigen and benzapyrene in children

Introduction. Exposure to chemical and biological environmental factors is associated with the risk of realizing genetic predisposition to the development of asthenia and cancer-associated diseases, which determines the relevance of the search for genetic indicator markers of early abnormalities in mRNA structure in the context of modern threats and challenges to public health. The aim of the study: characteristics of the expression of TLR4 and MMP9 genes modified by the SARS-CoV-2 antigen and benz(a)pyrene in children. Materials and methods. We analyzed the polymorphism of MMP9 Gln279Arg (rs17576), TLR4 A8595G (rs1927911) genes, as well as the relative normalized expression level of MMP9 Hs00234579_m1 (20q13.12), TLR4 Hs00152939_m1 (9q33. 1) in whole blood cell culture both spontaneous and induced by 24 hour incubation with benz(a)pyrene and vaccine antigens (using SARS-CoV-2, 1.0±0.5•1011 particles as an example) in adolescents of 10–16-years. Results. Benz(a)pyrene was found to have a potentiating effect on MMP9 expression and a suppressive effect on TLR4. The combination of benz(a)pyrene exposure with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine antigens “in vitro” resulted in differently directed effects depending on the genotype (polymorphism) of the genes under study. The ability of benz(a)pyrene and SARS-CoV-2 antigens to modify “in vitro” expression of MMP9, TLR4 candidate genes was shown, which allows considering genes and products of their expression MMP9 Hs00234579_m1 and TLR4 Hs00152939_m1 as indicator genes for early diagnosis of the development of asthenia and oncoproliferative states. Limitations. Limitations of the study include the limited sample and scope of the pilot study. Conclusion. The results of experimental studies ”in vitro” showed the ability of benz(a)pyrene and SARS-CoV-2 to modify the expression of genes of matrix metalloproteinase MMP9 Gln279Arg (rs17576) and toll-like receptor TLR4 A8595G (rs1927911), which allows considering transcripts Hs00234579_m1 and Hs00152939_m1 as criteria for the formation of asthenia in the course of viral infections (SARS-CoV-2) due to activation of the enzyme that destroys the extracellular matrix for AA wild-type and AG heterozygous genotype of the MMP9 Gln279Arg gene. In the case of heterozygous AG genotype of TLR4 A8595G gene, the combination of benz(a)pyrene and SARS-CoV-2 (26 serotype) leads to the formation of immunosuppression, which phenotypically may be accompanied by the development of oncoproliferative processes. MMP9 Hs00234579_m1 and TLR4 Hs00152939_m1 transcripts are recommended as markers of early disorders associated with SARS-CoV-2+benz(a)pyrene exposure.

Generation of a Potato Radiation Mutation System to Analyse the Features of Radiation Mutant RM1

Potatoes are widely planted worldwide and are the third most important food crop. Mutation breeding involves the artificial use of various physical and chemical factors to induce plants to produce new genotypes. In this study, we established a potato radiation mutation system and analysed the features of a radiation mutant. The LD50 of the potato callus was 24.8 Gy after linear regression analysis. The radiation mutant 1 (RM1) showed significant dwarfism and strong growth; RM1 plants decreased in height by 31%. The root and leaf fresh weights of the RM1 increased 1.8-fold compared to the wild-type (WT, Chuanyu 10) cultivar. Leaf microstructure results showed that the thicknesses of the upper epidermis and lower epidermis of RM1 plants were greater than those of the WT cultivar. Transcriptome analysis of seeding revealed 1179 upregulated and 1641 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in RM1 plants. Further analysis showed that the expression levels of WRKY and MYB transcription factors, CIPK and MAPK protein kinases, ABC transporters, hormones, and ROS pathway genes were altered. These results provide theoretical support for potato breeding research and enrich the functional network of vital breeding-related genes.

Assessment of the impact of physical and chemical factors of the production environment on the morphological state of target organs in an animal experiment

The study of the morphological state of target organs of outbred (nonlinear) laboratory mice ICR (CD-1), which were under prolonged dynamic influence of physical and chemical factors of the production environment under model conditions, is of wide research interest, as it allows to assess the impact of these factors at the tissue and cellular level and to identify the presence of pathological changes in relation to the group control that was not exposed to the studied factors of the production environment during the 90-day experiment, which has clinical and practical significance. When assessing the 90-day dynamics (from 0 days – 6 months (background) to 30–60–90 days – 7–8–9 months) of the impact of environmental factors on the morphological state of tissues and organs of outbred (nonlinear) laboratory mice ICR (CD-1), generally accepted and unified methods were used. Animals (weighing 45–50 gr., sexually mature age – 6 months) were divided into 3 experimental groups (vibration exposure, noise exposure, chemical exposure) of 30 individuals each (15 females and 15 males) and 1 control group (15 females and 15 males), kept in standard comfortable conditions, and not exposed to the factors of the production environment. The experiment was conducted in accordance with the rules adopted by the European Convention for the Protection of Animals Used for Experimental Scientific Purposes (Strasbourg, 1986), after approval by the Ethical commission of the Novosibirsk Research Institute of Hygiene of Rospotrebnadzor. Statistical processing of the research materials was carried out using standard Statistica 10.0 application programs. The morphological analysis of the target organs of experimental animals revealed the presence of a complex of pathological changes in the 90-day dynamics of the impact of factors of the production environment, compared with the morphological state of the organs in the control group. The results obtained have clinical and practical significance, as they allow us to justify preventive measures aimed at preventing the negative impact of long-term production factors on the labor contingent. Further study of the morphological state of target organs of ICR laboratory mice exposed to prolonged dynamic exposure to physical and chemical factors of the production environment under model conditions will contribute to the establishment of mechanisms for the development of occupational diseases and the development of scientifically based medical and hygienic measures aimed at preserving the health of the labor contingent in the management of labor longevity.

Phase separation behavior and CO2 absorption kinetic analysis of DETA/DEA/DMAC biphasic absorbent

Lower regeneration energy and superior cyclic capacity have enabled biphasic absorbents great potential in the area of flue gas CO2capture. The liquid film mass transfer coefficient(kL) is a vital parameter in the development of absorbents with efficient CO2 absorption mass transfer performance, while the phase separation behavior of biphasic solutions could be an essential factor for the absorption mass transfer and the stability of absorber. However, systemic kinetic research towards biphasic absorbents, especially the impact of phase separation behavior, is limited. In this study, a typical amide-based biphasic absorbent diethylenetriamine(DETA)/diethanolamine(DEA)/N, N-dimethylacetamide(DMAC) which has achieved great reduction in regeneration energy, was selected as the subject of kinetic investigation in a wetted wall column. The CO2 overall mass transfer coefficient(KG) of DETA/DEA/DMAC exceeded other biphasic solvents, blended amine solution, and 40% K2CO3 solution, with 3 times that of 40% K2CO3 solution. Moreover, various operational conditions including absorption temperature, gas flow rate, and water content of solution were taken into account to build a multiple-condition kinetic mechanism to offer guidance for biphasic absorbents. Furthermore, phase separation behavior was revealed as the main blame for the deterioration in the liquid film chemical mass transfer process of biphasic solvents in the CO2 absorption process, resulting in the kL of DETA/DEA/DMAC before phase separation decreased by 75.3% at the phase separation stage. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the CO2 loading of the solution entering absorber is lower than the phase separation point in applications. After phase separation, DETA/DEA/DMAC split into the organic and aqueous phases, the kL of the aqueous phase gradually exceeded that of the organic phase as CO2 loading increased for its higher chemical enhancement factor(E).

Evidence of intrinsic structural heterogeneity by monatomic metallic glass

Structural heterogeneity is generally considered to be an intrinsic feature of metallic glasses (MGs), playing a crucial role in their numerous exceptional properties. Prior studies on the structural and dynamic heterogeneities of MGs mainly focused on multi-element systems, which were possibly caused by chemical variations, challenging to exclude. This study employed a monatomic MG, as an ideal system, to investigate structural heterogeneities despite chemical factors using atomic force microscopy. Our results confirm the persistence of markedly structural heterogeneities in monatomic MGs, which cannot be entirely eliminated through annealing, thereby solidifying the intrinsic nature of structural heterogeneity in amorphous solids. Furthermore, we discover that tuning heterogeneity allows for tailoring the properties of monatomic MGs. This work provides conclusive evidence of the intrinsic property of heterogeneity in amorphous solids, reveals the hidden the complexity which covered by the chemical factors, and could advance the current understanding of the nature of glasses.

Swelling of cellulosic fibers in aqueous systems: A Review of chemical and mechanistic factors

Swelling of cellulosic fibers in aqueous systems: A Review of chemical and mechanistic factors

Mathematical analysis of FLASH effect models based on theoretical hypotheses.

Clinical applications of FLASH radiotherapy require formulas to describe how the FLASH radiation features and other related factors determine the FLASH effect. Mathematical analysis of the models can connect the theoretical hypotheses with the radiobiological effect, which provides the foundation for establishing clinical application models. Moreover, experimental and clinical data can be used to explore the key factors through mathematical analysis. 
Approach: We abstract the complex models of the oxygen depletion hypothesis and radical recombination-antioxidants hypothesis into concise mathematical equations. The equations are solved to analyze how the radiation features and other factors influence the FLASH effect. Then we propose methodologies for determining the parameters in the models and utilizing the models to predict the FLASH effect.
Main results: The formulas linking the physical, chemical and biological factors to the FLASH effect are obtained through mathematical derivation of the equation. The analysis indicates that the initial oxygen concentration, radiolytic oxygen consumption and oxygen recovery are key factors for the oxygen depletion hypothesis and that the level of antioxidants is the key factor for the radical recombination-antioxidants hypothesis. According to the model derivations and analysis, the methodologies for determining parameters and predicting the FLASH effect are proposed: the criteria for data filtration; the strategy of hybrid FLASH and conventional dose rate (CONV) irradiation to ensure the acquisition of effective experimental data across a wide dose range; pipelines of fitting parameters and predicting the FLASH effect.
Significance: This study establishes the quantitative relationship between the FLASH effect and key factors. The derived formulas can be used to calculate the FLASH effect in future clinical FLASH radiotherapy. The proposed methodologies guide to obtain sufficient high-quality datasets and utilize them to predict FLASH effect. Furthermore, this study indicates the key factors of FLASH effect and offers clues to further explore the FLASH mechanism.

Plankton Community Stability and Drive Factor Identification Guizhou Plateau Reservoir

In order to understand the stability of the zooplankton and phytoplankton communities in the Guizhou plateau reservoir environment, the process of reservoir water quality change affecting the stability of plankton was studied. The changes in the plankton community and water quality in three different nutrient reservoirs （Huaxi Reservoir, Goupitan Reservoir, and Hailong Reservoir） were studied from October 2020 to August 2021. The stability of the zooplankton and phytoplankton communities was studied using time-lag analysis （TLA）. Variance decomposition analysis （VPA） was used to explore the response of the two communities to environmental changes. The driving factors of plankton community changes in reservoirs were also revealed. The results showed that Huaxi Reservoir and Goupitan Reservoir were mesotrophic reservoirs, and Hailong Reservoir was a eutrophic reservoir. The average comprehensive nutrition indices of the three reservoirs were 44.07, 44.68, and 50.25. A total of 51 species of zooplankton rotifers, 39 species of rotifers, three species of copepods, and nine species of cladocera were identified. Among them, the abundance of rotifers was the highest, accounting for 85.96%. A total of seven phyla and 73 species of phytoplankton were identified, including 16 species in the phylum Cyanophyta, 32 species in the phylum Chlorophyta, 16 species in the phylum Diatoma, three species in the phylum Chlorophyta, four species in the phylum Euglenophyta, and one species each in the phyla Cryptophyta and Chrysophyta. Among them, the abundance of cyanobacteria and diatoms was the highest, accounting for 66.2% and 27.35%, respectively. The median absolute deviation （MAD） of the Bray-Curtis distance of zooplankton and phytoplankton community in the three reservoirs were 0.67 and 0.65 in Huaxi Reservoir, 0.80 and 0.69 in Goupitan Reservoir, and 0.85 and 0.47 in Hailong Reservoir, respectively. The larger the value, the greater the variation in the community. The absolute value of the slope of zooplankton was greater than that of phytoplankton in the TLA results, and the absolute values of the slopes were 0.018 and 0.004, respectively. The larger the absolute value of the slope, the faster the community variability. The zooplankton community in the three reservoirs was less stable than the phytoplankton community and more sensitive to environmental changes, and the degree of variation was greater. The higher the degree of eutrophication of the reservoir, the more obvious this phenomenon. VPA showed that the changes in plankton communities in Huaxi Reservoir and Hailong Reservoir were mainly influenced by water temperature and eutrophication factors. The changes in planktonic community in Goupitan Reservoir were mainly influenced by water temperature and chemical factors. The driving factors of Huaxi Reservoir were water temperature, TP, permanganate index, and SD. The driving factors of Goupitan Reservoir were water temperature, NO3-- N, and pH. The driving factors of Hailong Reservoir were water temperature and TP. Nutrients and water temperature were the main factors affecting the stability of plankton communities in reservoirs.

Research topics in occupational medicine, 1990-2022: A text-mining-applied bibliometric study.

Occupational health has been influenced by societal and industrial changes. This study aimed to clarify topic trends in occupational health research in 1990-2022. We conducted a text-mining-adjusted bibliometric study using research titles in occupational health. Data on research titles and the years of publication were collected from 26 peer-reviewed journals on PubMed. Using morphological and correspondence analyses in text mining, we structured research topics into multiple categories and visualized the relationship between all categories and publication years. Statistical analyses were conducted using the text mining software - KH Coder 3.0. We obtained 48 645 articles containing 714 890 words in their titles. The research topics were classified into 4 categories and 17 subcategories, of which those of occupations; countries; non-intervention; psychosocial factors; lifestyle factors; safety; symptoms; therapy and care; and productivity have recently shown an increasing trend. In contrast, the subcategories of risk, chemical factors, disease, and organ damage showed decreasing trends. Chemical factors, which were the main topics in the 1990s, included risk, organ damage, and disease. Productivity, the main topic in the 2020s, co-occurred with lifestyle factors, symptoms, and intervention. Focal areas in occupational-health research shift according to societal trends. Occupational-health research has primarily analyzed issues in developed countries with capitalist values and may not have sufficiently covered issues in developing countries. It is imperative for policymakers and public funding bodies to determine priorities for investigation in the field.

ANALYSIS OF THE EFFICIENCY OF TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES OF WATER PREPARATION OF THE KREMENCHUK RESERVOIR OF THE DNIPRO RIVER TO ENSURE DRINKING NEEDS

An analysis of the efficiency of the surface water treatment systems of the Dnipro reservoirs when their quality is changed to ensure the normative indicators of the quality of drinking water were carried out. The study of the effectiveness of traditional water treatment technologies was carried out by analyzing the results of laboratory studies of source and drinking water at the Dnipro water treatment plant with water intake from the Kremenchuk Reservoir (data from the Svitlovodsk Water and Sewage Services (SWS) of the Regional Municipal Production Enterprise (RMPE) of the Dnipro-Kirovograd), establishing correlations of quality indicators and assessing the state of water resources by the requirements of water legislation. The treatment plants of the Dnipro water supply station are not designed to treat water with a high content of biogenic substances during active phytoplankton vegetation, and under such conditions, increased doses of preliminary chlorination are used. As a result, water is polluted with residual chlorine and organochlorine. An increase in the dose of aluminum-containing coagulants in the corresponding period leads to an increase in the aluminum content in drinking water to the limit of the normative value (0,5 mg/dm3). According to the results of research in drinking water, turbidity was found to be 1,4 higher and permanganate oxidizability 1,3 higher than the standard content; excesses of color, iron, and residual chlorine content were found only sporadically and were on average within the upper limits of normative values. Correlation analysis (Pearson and Spearman correlations methods) of the influence of temperature on the following hydrometric, chemical, and physical factors was carried out: changes in turbidity, color, and changes in the concentration of total iron and ammonia. The analysis confirmed the visual connection of oxygen with temperature and water level and the influence of factors on oxygen concentration. The practical aspects of phytoplankton extraction during water intake from Dnipro reservoirs and water treatment at stations have gained further scientific justification.

Midazolam versus Ondansetron versus Dexamethasone in Preventing Post-Operative Nausea and Vomiting after Elective Laparoscopic Abdominal Surgeries

Abstract Background Laparoscopic surgery is associated with a remarkably high risk of post-operative nausea and vomiting. The reasons for this high rate of PONV include mechanical factors (such as pressure on the stomach and gut caused by the pneumoperitoneum), neural factors (such as vagal reflexes elicited by irritation of parasympathetic nerve endings in the abdomen), and chemical factors (which include speculative considerations regarding a possible influence of CO2 on PONV). Objective To compare the effect of midazolam, ondansetron or dexamethasone on prophylaxis against PONV in patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgeries. Patients and Methods After approval of anesthesiology department, scientific and ethical committees in Ain Shams University Hospitals, patients were included in the study, and were divided into three groups (n = 40; each); group M (midazolam group) and Group O (ondansetron group) and group D (dexamethasone group). Results The three groups were adequately monitored and assessed post-operatively and they were compared regarding post-operative nausea and vomiting outcome by recording the incidence of nausea and vomiting and recording the call for rescue antiemetic. Demographic data, intra-operative hemodynamics and post-operative pain score, occurrence of side effects, sedation score and patient satisfaction scores were also assessed, we found about 95% of (M) group achieve the complete response, that mean midazolam provided PONV prophylaxis comparable to dexamethasone and ondansetron in patients who underwent laparoscopic abdominal surgeries. Conclusion From this study, we can conclude that the midazolam is as effective as ondansetron and dexamethasone in reducing the incidence of nausea and vomiting in post-operative period of laparoscopic abdominal surgeries.

Spatial information allows inference of the prevalence of direct cell-to-cell viral infection.

The role of direct cell-to-cell spread in viral infections-where virions spread between host and susceptible cells without needing to be secreted into the extracellular environment-has come to be understood as essential to the dynamics of medically significant viruses like hepatitis C and influenza. Recent work in both the experimental and mathematical modelling literature has attempted to quantify the prevalence of cell-to-cell infection compared to the conventional free virus route using a variety of methods and experimental data. However, estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and moreover rely on data collected by inhibiting one mode of infection by either chemical or physical factors, which may influence the other mode of infection to an extent which is difficult to quantify. In this work, we conduct a simulation-estimation study to probe the practical identifiability of the proportion of cell-to-cell infection, using two standard mathematical models and synthetic data that would likely be realistic to obtain in the laboratory. We show that this quantity cannot be estimated using non-spatial data alone, and that the collection of data which describes the spatial structure of the infection is necessary to infer the proportion of cell-to-cell infection. Our results provide guidance for the design of relevant experiments and mathematical tools for accurately inferring the prevalence of cell-to-cell infection in in vitro and in vivo contexts.

Improving implementation of occupational health and safety of construction company by Job Safety Analysis (JSA) method (study case at PT Arto Moro Sentosa)

The construction sector is a sector that employs many people who have high risk of work accidents, because a lot of work in this sector is possibility carried out by unsafe actions or unsafe conditions. PT. Arto Moro Sentosa is company which operates in general trading, general construction, suppliers, outsourcing, etc., is aware that the business has a high risk of work accidents. The lack of employee awareness will have an impact on the magnitude of the risks that must be borne by the worker and the company. The purpose of this research is determining work accident records for the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) system, employee risks, and existing improvements at company. By knowing the classification of hazards based on the type of accident, this research uses the Job Safety Analysis (JSA) method, histograms, Pareto diagrams, and cause-and-effect (fish bone) diagrams. Based on the author's observations, company data related to OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) and interviews with the directors, could be obtained a history of work accidents based on the type of accident. Here are ergonomic work accidents (57.89%), physical factor accidents ( 31.58%), chemical factor accidents (5.26%), biological factor accidents (5.26%), and psychological factor accidents (0%). Several recommendation is performed to avoid repeated accident by providing training programs on OHS to workers, paying more attention to OHS supervision, giving sanctions to workers who violate OHS.

Antifungal Hybrid Graphene-Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides Aerogels with an Ionic Liquid Additive as Innovative Absorbers for Preventive Conservation of Cultural Heritage.

The use and integration of novel materials are increasingly becoming vital tools in the field of preventive conservation of cultural heritage. Chemical factors, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but also environmental factors such as high relative humidity, can lead to degradation, oxidation, yellowing, and fading of the works of art. To prevent these phenomena, highly porous materials have been developed for the absorption of VOCs and for controlling the relative humidity. In this work, graphene and transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) were combined to create three-dimensional aerogels that absorb certain harmful substances. More specifically, the addition of the TMDs molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide in such macrostructures led to the selective absorption of ammonia. Moreover, the addition of the ionic liquid 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride promoted higher rates of VOCs absorption and anti-fungal activity against the fungus Aspergillus niger. These two-dimensional materials outperform benchmark porous absorbers in the absorption of all the examined VOCs, such as ammonia, formic acid, acetic acid, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde. Consequently, they can be used by museums, galleries, or even storage places for the perpetual protection of works of art.

Extraction and Hemagglutination Activity Study of Lectins from Hygrophorus lucorum Kalchbr

Edible fungus lectin hasanti-tumor, anti-virus, immune regulation and other functions. In this experiment, the wild Hygrophorus lucorum Kalchbr was used as the material, and the lectin was extracted by leaching method. The lectin was treated with physical and chemical factors, and the hemagglutination method was used to detect the change rule of lectin agglutination activity. The extraction process of lectin was optimized by single factor experiment and orthogonal experiment. The study of agglutination activity showed that: glycerol, lactose and maltose had significant inhibitory effects; when treated at 80℃, the agglutination activity was lost; pH<5.0 or pH>9.0, the agglutination activity was greatly inhibited; AI3+, Fe3+ had obvious promoting effects. Lectin extraction single factor test results: PBS (0.50mol/L, pH6.5) was used as the extraction reagent, the ratio of solid to liquid(g/mL) was1:10, and the fruiting bodies were extracted for 5 hours at 30℃. 40% saturation ammonium sulfate salting-out treatment, the salting-out product has the highest agglutination activity. The optimal process combination obtained by the or thogonal test is: using PBS (0.50mol/L, pH 6.5) as the extractant, according to the solid-liquid ratio (g/mL) 1:10, 40℃, leaching for 4h, the quantitative agglutination activity of lectin was 0.9609.

Effect of certain physical and chemical factors on the development of biofilms in Lactobacillus plantarum

Lactobacillus plantarum is known to produce biofilms and planktonic cells. It has the ability to grow in MRS broth on inert surfaces. This study aimed to examine the ability of L. plantarum to generate biofilms and planktonic cells under diverse environmental conditions. The study also included the effect of temperature and pH changes on the growth of biofilms. In addition, the study investigated the effect of different sugars added to the MRS medium on biofilm formation. The results confirmed that the optimal temperature for biofilm growth is 37°C, and that the best pH 8. It was noted that the use of MacConkey's medium hinders bacterial growth.. Conversely, the addition of sugars to media environments significantly enhances biofilm formation, with biofilm production increasing alongside concentrations of glucose, sucrose, fructose, maltose and starch. The production of biofilms by L. plantarum holds importance for food processing and preservation, and presents diverse potential medical applications.

A mechanohydraulic model supports a role for plasmodesmata in cotton fiber elongation.

Plant cell growth depends on turgor pressure, the cell hydrodynamic pressure, which drives expansion of the extracellular matrix (the cell wall). Turgor pressure regulation depends on several physical, chemical, and biological factors, including vacuolar invertases, which modulate osmotic pressure of the cell, aquaporins, which determine the permeability of the plasma membrane to water, cell wall remodeling factors, which determine cell wall extensibility (inverse of effective viscosity), and plasmodesmata, which are membrane-lined channels that allow free movement of water and solutes between cytoplasms of neighboring cells, like gap junctions in animals. Plasmodesmata permeability varies during plant development and experimental studies have correlated changes in the permeability of plasmodesmal channels to turgor pressure variations. Here, we study the role of plasmodesmal permeability in cotton fiber growth, a type of cell that increases in length by at least three orders of magnitude in a few weeks. We incorporated plasmodesma-dependent movement of water and solutes into a classical model of plant cell expansion. We performed a sensitivity analysis to changes in values of model parameters and found that plasmodesmal permeability is among the most important factors for building up turgor pressure and expanding cotton fibers. Moreover, we found that nonmonotonic behaviors of turgor pressure that have been reported previously in cotton fibers cannot be recovered without accounting for dynamic changes of the parameters used in the model. Altogether, our results suggest an important role for plasmodesmal permeability in the regulation of turgor pressure.

Factors affecting macromolecule orientations in thin films formed in cryo-EM.

The formation of a vitrified thin film embedded with randomly oriented macromolecules is an essential prerequisite for cryogenic sample electron microscopy. Most commonly, this is achieved using the plunge-freeze method first described nearly 40 years ago. Although this is a robust method, the behaviour of different macromolecules shows great variation upon freezing and often needs to be optimized to obtain an isotropic, high-resolution reconstruction. For a macromolecule in such a film, the probability of encountering the air-water interface in the time between blotting and freezing and adopting preferred orientations is very high. 3D reconstruction using preferentially oriented particles often leads to anisotropic and uninterpretable maps. Currently, there are no general solutions to this prevalent issue, but several approaches largely focusing on sample preparation with the use of additives and novel grid modifications have been attempted. In this study, the effect of physical and chemical factors on the orientations of macromolecules was investigated through an analysis of selected well studied macromolecules, and important parameters that determine the behaviour of proteins on cryo-EM grids were revealed. These insights highlight the nature of the interactions that cause preferred orientations and can be utilized to systematically address orientation bias for any given macromolecule and to provide a framework to design small-molecule additives to enhance sample stability and behaviour.

AI-powered sensor fault detection for cost-effective smart greenhouses

Sensor networks in greenhouses play a pivotal role in controlling the stability of environmental and chemical factors. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been widely adopted for monitoring various sensor networks in greenhouses. In the present study, an IoT platform for remote monitoring of greenhouse environment is designed. The platform consists of a sensor node, a sink node, and an edge server. The sensor node measures indoor and outdoor humidity and temperature, interior CO(g), and interior luminosity and transmits data to the sink node, where it is timestamped. The sink node is connected to an edge server through the Mosquitto MQTT broker and the data is subsequently transferred to a MongoDB Cloud infrastructure, where the data of each variable is stored in proper formats. In the second part of the study, four 1D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were developed for data prediction of each sensor to provide fault-tolerance in the system. The first three models, for predicting inner humidity and temperature, outdoor temperature, and outdoor humidity, directly predict the actual data of the faulty sensor based on regression analysis. The last model is designed for predicting CO and luminosity and performs data classification for faulty sensors. The models provide a high level of precision in their predictions. The RMSE for interior temperature and humidity and exterior temperature and humidity are 0.86 ℃, 3.47%, 0.682 ℃, and 2.74%, respectively. Additionally, the accuracy for luminosity and CO classification are 89.70% and 83.43%. Comparison of 1D CNN, decision tree, and linear regression model revealed that the machine learning models considerably outperform linear regression model, and they can better capture the nonlinear correlations among the variables. Furthermore, the predictive outcomes of the models were consistent across different weather conditions. The proposed methodology can be used to induce tolerance against faulty reads at sensor level in greenhouse sensor networks, independent of time and the data gathered by the faulty sensors. The study indicates that exploiting cloud resources for promoting the use of complex AI models on IoT platforms can provide a suitable solution for real-time monitoring and fault control of greenhouse environmental factors.

The ice phenology as a predictor of Planktothrix rubescens bloom in vegetation season in temperate lakes.

Global warming affects air and water temperatures, which impacts the phenology of lakes and aquatic ecosystems. These changes are most noticeable during winter, when the potentially toxic Planktothrix rubescens forms its inoculum for annual blooms. Mostly, research has been conducted on alpine lakes, where blooms have persisted for decades, while a few have focused on temperate lakes. Our study aimed to determine the factors influencing the dynamics of the development of P. rubescens in temperate lakes where blooms occasionally occur, with a particular emphasis on the role of ice phenology. We investigated the vertical distribution of P. rubescens in an annual cycle in three temperate lakes. Samples were collected monthly in the winter and biweekly during the vegetative seasons. Overall, 434 samples were collected and analyzed according to biological and chemical parameters. Physical parameters were measured in situ. The vegetation seasons in temperate lakes showed a similar development pattern in the P. rubescens population as that in alpine lakes. Our results also show the influence of physical and chemical factors on the vertical distribution of this cyanobacterium. These results revealed the significant impact of P. rubescens filaments on phytoplankton biodiversity and biomass. Our data show the role of ice phenology in the establishment of the winter inoculum of P. rubescens and its further mass development until its disappearance in autumn. A climate-zone-independent pattern of P. rubescens blooms was observed during the vegetation periods. The population of P. rubescens was more influenced by physical factors than by the availability of dissolved nutrients in the water. Despite the same etiology, global warming has been shown to cause different responses in aquatic ecosystems, which affect the different nature of P. rubescens appearances. We associated blooms in temperate lakes, in contrast to alpine lakes, mainly with the presence of ice cover during severe winters, when the species establishes its inoculum. Hence, blooms in temperate lakes occur at different time intervals. Therefore, the dynamics of periodic blooms of P. rubescens in temperate lakes provide novel knowledge to the case study and a counterpoint to permanent blooms found in deep alpine lakes.