Petals Research Articles

Phytochemical Compositions and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils Extracted from the Flowers of Paeonia delavayi Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Fluid.

Essential oils were extracted from dark-purple, red and yellow petals of Paeonia delavayi using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide method. The compositions of essential oils were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antioxidant activity assays were carried out using DPPH, ABTS- and FRAP methods. Total polyphenols and total flavonoids were measured to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity in addition to the volatile compounds contained in the essential oils extracted from the flower petals of P. delavayi with the three flower colors. A total of 194 compounds were detected from essential oils of P. delavayi flowers, including 83 in dark-purple petals, 90 in red petals and 80 in yellow petals. These compounds mainly include alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, alkenes, alkanes, esters and polyphenols. The results showed that the volatile compounds accumulated differentially among the essential oils from the different colors of flower petals. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that essential oils derived from dark-purple and red petals were more closely clustered while the yellow petal essential oil was very different with both the purple-red and red. Antioxidant assays suggested that the radical scavenging activity and the iron reduction antioxidant activity in the essential oils were highly correlated with the flower petal colors. These results suggest P. delavayi flower petals are potentially good resources for high quality essential oils and natural antioxidants.

Uji Efektivitas Antidiabetes Kombinasi Ekstrak Buah Pare (Momordica charantia L.) Dan Kelopak Bunga Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Pada Tikus Jantan Putih Sebagai Hewan Percobaan

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by an increase in blood glucose levels which can be treated with traditional treatments derived from plants. One of the example is a plant that can reduce blood glucose levels are bitter melon and rosella which contain flavonoids to reduce blood glucose by increasing cell sensitivity to insulin and stimulating insulin release in pancreatic β cells. The objective of the research is to determine the effect of the combination of bitter melon extract and rosella petal extract in reducing blood glucose levels compared to glibenclamide. The method of the research is an experimental study used 21 rats induced by alloxan and divided into 7 groups. Extraction using maceration method with 80% ethanol. From the results of the study, each treatment group experienced a decrease in blood glucose levels. From the 7 treatment groups, the best reduction in blood glucose levels were the third combination group. Among the three combination groups, the combination dose of 225 mg/kgBB of bitter melon and 195 mg/kgBB of rosella flower petals was the best compared to glibenclamide in reducing blood glucose levels. The conclusion of the research is combination of bitter melon extract and rosella flower petals have an effect that are more effective in reducing blood glucose levels compared to glibenclamide and their single extract.

EVALUATION OF RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY AND PROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY OF HERBAL DECOCTION ON CULTURED CARDIAC CELLS

Stem cell research is being pursued in the hope of achieving major medical breakthroughs in treatment of diseases. Experiments over several years have purported to show that stem cells have a phenomenon known as plasticity which includes blood cells becoming neurons and liver cells that can be made to produce hematopoietic stem cells that can develop into cardiac muscle. Stem cells are considered as a ‘Holy grail’ of the modern Medicine. Herbal decoction with a combination of coriander, hibiscus flower petals and pomegranate extract powder was prepared and used in different concentrations on cultures of different age chicken cardiomyocytes from embryonic to adults (8 weeks). The radical scavenging activity of the cultured supernatant analyzed showed increased activity. The cellular proliferation also showed a positive correlation to the concentration of herbal extract supplemented cultures (p<0.05).The population doubling time (PDT) was recorded during different culture days and have shown significant correlation to the proliferation Index (PI).The result of the preliminary study further encourages the concept that natural compounds have the ability to stimulate stem cell proliferation in culture. The enhanced antioxidant potential in herbal supplementation recommends herbal incorporation in food preparation and helps in maintaining the health prophylaxis of the individual.

Antioxidant Activity of TEMON (Clitoria ternatea and Citrus sp.) as an Infused Herbal Tea

Many people around the world believed that herbal tea had a lot of antioxidants contained in it, thus it was widely drunk all over the world. However, the antioxidant capacities of herbal tea may be various because it is affected by the usage of different plants as its primary ingredient. As a result, this study examines the antioxidant activity of herbal tea made from dried Citrus sp. and Clitoria ternatea flower petals. The antioxidant potential was assessed by performing a DPPH and H2O2 scavenging activity assay on 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging activity assay, total phenolic, and flavonoid content assay, ABTS reduction, and FRAP assay. This study showed that pure telang (Clitoria ternatea) herbal tea has antioxidant properties. Dried Telang (Clitoria ternatea) tea had the highest activity of antioxidants as we refer to the results of it had the highest activity value in DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assay and also had the lowest IC-50 value. Followed by TEMON infusion which showed the second-highest antioxidant activity after pure telang infusion. The decrease in antioxidant activity in the mixture of telang and lemon was due to the mixture of lemons which tended to have the lowest antioxidant activity among the three types of infusions tested. The addition of dried lemon has the aim of enhancing the flavor of the tea infusion.

Evaluation of the effect of treated wastewater and well water irrigation on the quality, quantity and antibacterial/antifungal activities of Rosa × damascena Herrm. essential oil

Water is one of the important environmental factors affecting the quality and quantity of Rosa × damascena Herrm. essential oil. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the quality, quantity, and antibacterial/antifungal activity of R. × Damascena essential oil in fields under irrigation treatments such as treated wastewater and well water at the University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran. In each field, flowers (sepals and petals) were collected from different bushes in May 2019, coinciding with the beginning of buds opening. After extracting the essential oil by water distillation using the Clevenger apparatus, the analysis and identification of the compounds were performed by a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS). The antibacterial/antifungal activity of the essential oils was evaluated by determining the diameter of the inhibition zone by the agar diffusion method and determining the minimum concentration of growth inhibitor and bactericidal/fungal lethality. The results of quantitative analysis of essential oil showed that the highest yield belonged to R. × damascena irrigated with treated wastewater with a value of 0.1527 ± 0.0045%. Based on the results of the analysis of chemical compounds, citronellol (32.38%), geraniol (12.86%), nonadecane (10.14%), and heneicosane (6.16%) were the predominant compounds of R. × damascena essential oil under irrigation with treated wastewater and geraniol (17.81%), citronellol (17.67%), nonadecane (12.87%), heptadecane (5.60%), and heneicosane (5.44%) were the predominant compounds of R. × damascena essential oil under irrigation with well water. The strongest inhibitory and lethal activity of R. × damascena essential oil under treated wastewater irrigation was against Gram-negatives Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC<15.63 μg/mL) and Candida albicans (MIC=62.50 μg/mL) which were twice as strong as control antibiotics such as rifampin and nystatin. Therefore, it can be found that irrigation with treated wastewater increases the quantity and quality, and antimicrobial activity of R. × damascena essential oil against many microbial strains, which can be a possible option to produce high-quality essential oil for treating infectious diseases.

Callogenesis and Plant Regeneration in Peony (Paeonia × suffruticosa) Using Flower Petal Explants

Peony is a traditional Chinese flower with significant ornamental and medicinal value. However, there are still problems, such as serious browning, difficulties in differentiation, and rooting and low regeneration efficiency in the process of the regeneration system established, which have hindered the development of transgenic peony technology. Establishing an efficient regeneration system is considered to be an important goal among peony researchers. Here, we describe a protocol for high-frequency callus induction and establishment of peony plants using flower petals as explants. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 1.5 mg/L N-(phenylmethyl)-9H-purin-6-amine (6-BA), and 0.3 mg/L 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA) was identified as the best medium for callus induction, achieving an induction rate of up to 98.52%. The highest peony proliferation rate (234%) was achieved on MS supplemented with 0.2 mg/L NAA and 3.0 mg/L 6-BA. The highest callus differentiation rate (34.81%) was achieved on MS supplemented with 2.0 mg/L 6-BA and 0.5 mg/L zeatin (ZT). The highest rooting rate was 23.33% when using 1/2 MS supplemented with 0.1 mg/L NAA and 0.05 mg/L 3-indolebutyric acid (IBA). After acclimation, the plants were transferred to pots, where they showed robust growth. We also observed the surface structures of the calluses using scanning electron microscopy and found that the differentiation characteristics of the calluses were hugely variable and that different surface structures appeared to affect bud differentiation efficiency. The efficient and rapid system for regenerating peonies using petal cultures established here will create new opportunities for the mass reproduction and genetic engineering of peony plants.

Design of an ultra-wideband omnidirectional and polarization insensitive flower petal antenna for potential ambient electromagnetic energy harvesting applications

Developing a polarization insensitive, omnidirectional, and ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna is highly desired for improving the utilization of freely available electromagnetic (EM) radiation energy. In this study, we have designed an UWB antenna based on tapered flower petals and numerically analyzed to show that it is a promising candidate for energy harvesting applications in the infrared (IR) to UV–visible regime. The impacts of design strategy and parameters on the absorption performance are studied numerically. The antenna shows a high performance in both bandwidth and absorptivity (average absorption of 84.5% spanning a broad range from 25 to 800 THz) under normal incidence of plane waves. To get a better understanding behind such high and UWB absorption mechanism, we investigated the electric field (E-field) distribution over the structure. The antenna also generates less than 5% absorption deviation between normal to 45° incident angle and 0.05% absorption deviation between 0° and 90° polarizations for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes. This new design aspect and the numerical findings unfolds the new direction for numerous EM wideband applications such as THz technology, photo detection, bolometric sensing, camouflaging, spectral imaging, and ambient EM energy harvesting applications.

Green extraction of lutein from marigold flower petals, process optimization and its potential to improve the oxidative stability of sunflower oil

Marigold flower petals are considered the richest source of lutein which possesses immense applications in the food and health sector. The study was undertaken to improve the stability of sunflower oil by enriching it with lutein extracted from marigold flower petals using safe and green technology. The extraction of lutein was optimized using Box-Behnken design by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) employing sunflower oil as a solvent. The impact of three independent variables i.e., ultrasonic intensity, solid to solvent ratio, and extraction time were evaluated on the amount of lutein extracted and its antioxidant activity. Highest amount of lutein (21.23 mg/g) was extracted by employing ultrasonic intensity of 70 W/m2, extraction time of 12.5 min, and solid to solvent ratio of 15.75%. FT-IR spectra of lutein extracted by ultrasound and conventional extraction show similar peaks depicting that ultrasound does not have any impact on the functionality of lutein. Sunflower oil incorporated with lutein at 1000 PPM and the synthetic antioxidant (TBHQ) showed good oxidative stability than oil with 500 PPM lutein and no lutein during accelerated storage for a month. The oxidative stability was shown by different oil samples in the following order: TBHQ = 1000PPM lutein˃500PPM lutein ˃control oil. It was concluded that the ultrasound technique extracts lutein efficiently from marigold flowers and this lutein was effective in improving the oxidative stability of sunflower oil under accelerated storage conditions.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Uncovers the Regulatory Roles of MicroRNAs Involved in Petal Color Change of Pink-Flowered Strawberry.

The pink-flowered strawberry is popular in China due to its high ornamental value. In the present study, sRNAome, transcriptome, and degradome sequencing were performed to understand the functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes during flower development in pink-flowered strawberry. Nine small RNA libraries and a mixed degradome library from flower petals at different developmental stages were constructed and sequenced. A total of 739 known miRNAs and 964 novel miRNAs were identified via small RNA sequencing, and 639 miRNAs were identified to cleave 2,816 target genes based on the degradome data. Additionally, 317 differentially expressed miRNAs among the various stages of flower development were identified, which regulated 2,134 differentially expressed target genes. These target genes were significantly enriched in the transcriptional regulation, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and plant hormone signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, integrated microRNAomic and transcriptomic analyses suggested that 98 miRNAs targeted several transcription factors, including MYBs (26), bHLHs (12), NACs (14), and SPLs (19), related to anthocyanin accumulation. In addition, 27 differentially expressed miRNAs might affect anthocyanin biosynthesis by regulating 23 targets involved in the hormone signal transduction pathway. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis confirmed the expression changes of 21 miRNA-target pairs. Furthermore, the transient expression of candidate miRNAs was performed in the pink-flowered strawberry cultivar “Fenyun” at the bud stage. Introduction of FamiR156a, FamiR396e, and FamiR858_R-2 in the “Fenyun” increased flower color intensity, while transient expression of FamiR828a decreased flower color intensity. Overall, the present study uncovers the regulatory functions of microRNAs, including anthocyanin biosynthesis, hormone signaling, and regulation factors during flower development and coloration in pink-flowered strawberry. This work expands the knowledge of miRNAs affecting coloration in strawberry and provides rich resources for future functional studies.

A morphoelastic stability framework for post-critical pattern formation in growing thin biomaterials

Morphological instabilities play a key role in the evolution of form and function in growing biomaterials. Spatially varying differential growth, in particular, leads to residual stresses that for soft materials or slender geometries are favourably relieved by out-of-plane buckling or wrinkling. While the onset of instability in growing biomaterials has been studied extensively, the post-critical regime remains poorly understood. To this end, this paper presents a robust computational modelling framework for morphoelastic instabilities and associated post-critical pattern formation. The seven-parameter shell element—commonly used for elasto-plastic analysis of engineering materials—is implemented alongside the multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient tensor into a growth and an elastic part. The governing nonlinear equations are solved using a generalised path-following/numerical continuation solver that facilitates comprehensive exploration of the stability landscape through pinpointing of critical points and branch switching at bifurcations. The utility and power of the computational framework is demonstrated by unveiling complex pattern formation phenomena that arise as a result of sequentially occurring morphological instabilities. In particular, we highlight the central role that exponential edge growth plays in fractal wrinkling patterns, the blooming of doubly-curved flower petals, and wavy daffodil trumpets. In addition, the ability of the solver to track critical points through parameter space enables efficient sensitivity studies into the role of material parameters on pattern formation. The presented computational framework is thus a versatile tool for modelling the evolution of form and function in growing biological systems and the design of biotechnology applications.

The JA pathway is rapidly down-regulated in petal abscission zones prior to flower opening and affects petal abscission in fragrant roses during natural and ethylene-induced petal abscission

Organ abscission is a developmental process regulated through changes in the abscission zone (AZ) and governed primarily by ethylene. In roses, the opening of flowers is also an ethylene-sensitive process possibly requiring changes at the AZ to facilitate petal movement. A study of the rose petal AZ transcriptome of the early-abscising fragrant rose, R. bourboniana, had indicated suppression of the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway in the AZ before abscission. Detailed investigation of 24 genes representing JA biosynthesis/perception/signalling revealed a rapid and substantial down-regulation of the entire JA pathway in the AZ prior to flower opening and abscission. Transcript levels of 17 genes encoding JA biosynthesis members of the PLD/LOX/AOS/AOC/OPR families and the receptor/signalling components of COI1/JAZ/MYC2/NINJA families decreased by 50–90% in petal AZ within 4 h of ethylene treatment as well as during natural field abscission (ethylene untreated). In contrast, R. hybrida flowers (which show delayed opening and abscission even after ethylene treatment) were much less affected in 10/24 genes while transcript levels of 9/24 JA pathway genes actually increased several fold during or just prior to abscission. JA treatment delayed flower opening as well as petal abscission by more than 24 h in R. bourboniana and also increased transcription of the JA pathway genes, unlike ethylene. The strong and rapid reduction of the entire JA pathway in the AZ in R. bourboniana flowers, prior to flower opening and petal abscission, suggests a negative role for JA in these processes with JA acting opposite to ethylene and possibly reducing ethylene sensitivity.

Increasing floral visitation and hybrid seed production mediated by beauty mark in Gossypium hirsutum.

SummaryHybrid crop varieties have been repeatedly demonstrated to produce significantly higher yields than their parental lines; however, the low efficiency and high cost of hybrid seed production has limited the broad exploitation of heterosis for cotton production. One option for increasing the yield of hybrid seed is to improve pollination efficiency by insect pollinators. Here, we report the molecular cloning and characterization of a semidominant gene, Beauty Mark (BM), which controls purple spot formation at the base of flower petals in the cultivated tetraploid cotton species Gossypium barbadense. BM encodes an R2R3 MYB113 transcription factor, and we demonstrate that GbBM directly targets the promoter of four flavonoid biosynthesis genes to positively regulate petal spot development. Introgression of a GbBM allele into G. hirsutum by marker‐assisted selection restored petal spot formation, which significantly increased the frequency of honeybee visits in G. hirsutum. Moreover, field tests confirmed that cotton seed yield was significantly improved in a three‐line hybrid production system that incorporated the GbBM allele. Our study thus provides a basis for the potentially broad application of this gene in improving the long‐standing problem of low seed production in elite cotton hybrid lines.

Tissue-Specific Expression of the Terpene Synthase Family Genes in Rosa chinensis and Effect of Abiotic Stress Conditions.

Rose (Rosa chinensis) is one of the most famous ornamental plants worldwide, with a variety of colors and fragrances. Terpene synthases (TPSs) play critical roles in the biosynthesis of terpenes. In this work, we report a comprehensive study on the genome-wide identification and characterization of the TPS family in R. chinensis. We identified 49 TPS genes in the R. chinensis genome, and they were grouped into five subfamilies (TPS-a, TPS-b, TPS-c, TPS-g and TPS-e/f). Phylogenetics, gene structure and conserved motif analyses indicated that the RcTPS genes possessed relatively conserved gene structures and the RcTPS proteins contained relatively conserved motifs. Multiple putative cis-acting elements involved in the stress response were identified in the promoter region of RcTPS genes, suggesting that some could be regulated by stress. The expression profile of RcTPS genes showed that they were predominantly expressed in the petals of open flowers, pistils, leaves and roots. Under osmotic and heat stresses, the expression of most RcTPS genes was upregulated. These data provide a useful foundation for deciphering the functional roles of RcTPS genes during plant growth as well as addressing the link between terpene biosynthesis and abiotic stress responses in roses.

Expression of a Stilbene Synthase Gene from the Vitis labrusca x Vitis vinifera L. Hybrid Increases the Resistance of Transgenic Nicotiana tabacum L. Plants to Erwinia carotovora.

‘Isabel’ grape (Vitis labrusca x V. vinifera L. hybrid) is one of the main grape cultivars in Russia and some other countries for processing, due to its vigor, tolerance to the main fungal diseases, high yield and potential for sugar accumulation. The stilbene synthase gene VlvSTS was isolated from the hybrid grape cv. Isabel and cloned into a pSS plant transformation vector under the control of a constitutive 35S RNA double promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus, CaMV 35SS. VlvSTS-gene containing transgenic tobacco lines were obtained and analyzed. For the first time plants expressing the VlvSTS gene were shown to have an enhanced resistance to the bacterial pathogen Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora B15. Transgenic plants were tested for resistance to a number of fungal pathogens. The plants were resistant to the grey mould fungus Botrytis cinerea, but not to the fungi Fusarium oxysporum, F. sporotrichioides, or F. culmorum. According to the results of a high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, the amount of trans-resveratrol in leaves of transgenic plants with the highest expression of the VlvSTS gene was in a range from 150 to 170 μg/g of raw biomass. Change in the color and a decreased anthocyanin content in the flower corollas of transgenic plants were observed in transgenic lines with the highest expression of VlvSTS. A decrease in total flavonoid content was found in the flower petals but not the leaves of these tobacco lines. High expression of the VlvSTS gene influenced pollen development and seed productivity in transgenic plants. The size of pollen grains increased, while their total number per anther decreased. A decrease in the number of fertile pollen grains resulted in a decreased average weight of a seed boll in transgenic plants.

Diagnostic traits of medicinal herbal raw material of species of Thymus genus

The paper presents the peculiarities of morphological-anatomical structure of the organs, which are diagnostic traits of herbal raw materials (HRM) of the commonest species of Thymus L. genus in the moderate climatic zone. We determined that the studied species develop a subshrub life form, which grows monopodially in Th. pulegioides and Th. marschallianus, and sympodially with mono-, di- and polycyclic types of monocarpic shoots in Th. serpyllum. Inflorescence is of thyrsoid type with opposite partial inflorescences, which are constituents of simple dichasia with monochasia. Macroscopic and microscopic diagnostic features of the HRM are structure and pubescence on the stem, leaves and flowers, the anatomical structure of which was studied on 20 µm thick transversal sections using a light microscope. In Th. pulegioides, stems are tetrahedral, pubescent on ribs with unicellular and two-cellular elbow-shaped hairs. Leaves are ovoid, covered by multiangular epidermis that bears diacytic stromas, sharpened capitate unicellular and two-cellular hairs and 10–12 cellular essential oil glandules. In Th. marschallianus, the stems are poorly tetrahedral, rounded, pubescent on the entire surface. Leaves are elliptic, the cells of the epidermis are elongated, significantly tortuous, with 10–12 cellular glandules, diacytic stromas, capitate and unicellular hairs. In Th. serpyllum, the stems are cylindric, pubescent all round. The leaves are elongated-elliptic, epidermis cells are oval, tortuous, stromas are diacytic, essential oil glandules are 8–10 cellular, number of papilla-like hairs is low. The petioles and lamina base of the studied species are pubescent on the sides with short, coned and elbow-shaped, 2–3 cellular hairs, among which there are long, 4–8 cellular hairs; the hairs in Th. serpyllum are multicellular, interrupted. In mesophyll, there are schizogenous essential oil reservoirs. In Th. marschallianus and Th. pulegioídes, the calyx is campanulate, bilabiate, and pubescent. The flower corolla is purple-violet, bilabiate, has tube and outward bend, pubescent inside with coned unicellular hairs, has essential oil glandules and glandular capitate hairs, and pubescence in the fauces comprises long unicellular hairs. In Th. pulegioídes, cells of the corolla epidermis are multiangular-shaped with insignificantly wavy walls, in Th. marschallianus ‒ rectangular with significantly wavy walls. Cells of the tube epidermis are rectangular, tortuous. Surface of the corolla of Th. serpyllum is pubescent on both sides with short, cone-like and three-cellular, interrupted hairs, and also capitate hairs, and has essential oil glandules. Epidermis cells are multi-angular, tubes – rectangular and narrow. The obtained results may be used for diagnostics of HRM of morphologically similar species during their preparation.

Effect of Different Harvest Dates to Essential Oil Components of Oil-Bearing Rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) in Mardin

Rosa damascena Mill. is the most prominent rose source for the manufacturing of rose oil, rose water, concrete, and absolute from flower petals. The purpose of this study was to see how different harvest dates affected the essential oil components and rates obtained from flowers in oil rose planted for the first time in Turkey's Mardin Province. Blossoms were taken five times with three replications, at around one-week intervals, from a garden in the Yaylabaşı district at 6:00 a.m. (4, 11, 18, 24, and 31 May). Animal manure and leonardite were used instead of chemical fertilizers for plants. No chemical pesticides have been applied. Essential oil components of the oils obtained by a water distillation system (Clevenger apparatus) were determined by GC/MS. The citronellol ratio, which is the most important component for the quality of the essential oil in the plant, was found to be highest (35.90%) in the first harvest period and lowest in the last harvest period (17.57%). Geraniol levels decreased in the first three harvests, with the greatest level (27.16%) coming in the last harvest. The percentages of citronellol/geraniol varied between 1.51 and 0.65 depending on the different harvest dates. Nerol rates peaked at 15.44% on the first harvest, progressively declined until the fourth harvest (7.92%), then slightly increased on the fifth harvest. Nonadecane continuously increased from the first to the last harvest (4.10%-11.66%). No methyl eugenol was detected. Mardin is a promising location for oil-bearing rose cultivation, given the essential oil components and their ratios.

Star of Bethlehem

Star of Bethlehem Sahar Mustafah (bio) (Jerusalem, 1941) "You must always be invisible," the Englishman says. Like the others, Abdul-Razzaq looks to the interpreter. "My brothers," Mansoor kindly begins, "you are neither to be seen nor heard." "Like ghosts," snickers a boy among them. The English butler called Broadleaf raises a sharp eyebrow in silent reprimand. Abdul-Razzaq studies the wiry foreigner with pale blue eyes. His thin white hair is parted down the middle and slicked back. He wears a gray swallow-tailed jacket and stiff white collars. His gestures are quick and measured, delivered with impeccably trimmed and clean fingernails. Abdul-Razzaq's ears burn: his own fingernails are caked with grit, his knuckles gnarled from years of farming. As if reading his mind, Broadleaf commands each of the men to hold out his hands and stare straight ahead. He inspects their fingernails and gives his notes to Mansoor, who quickly translates them before the butler moves to the next man in line. When it is his turn, Abdul-Razzaq straightens his posture, and obediently holds out his hands, dry and ashy from years of working in the sun. He thinks of his wife and two children waiting in the crammed hovel where they are squatting with another family. Inshallah khair, he prays silently as the English butler scowls. "Trim those fingernails and"—he makes a sign as if decapitating a head—"beard must be shaved," he tells Mansoor, who in turn explains it to Abdul-Razzaq. "He may keep his mustache." Abdul-Razzaq nods vigorously. Safiya will not mind this. Broadleaf briskly moves along the line until everyone present has been either dismissed or hired. Three men remain, including Abdul-Razzaq, and the boy. They follow the butler from an anteroom down a narrow corridor. [End Page 163] Abdul-Razzaq's eyes dart about the villa. Tall arched windows illuminate a large liwan where a European sofa and quilted chaise are arranged against a backdrop of blue, green, and yellow geometric tiles accenting walls. There is an odd incongruity running through the villa, like two worlds colliding, their respective objects struggling to find their proper place and coexist. A gold-painted mirror with a floral crest hangs on one wall; opposite are three ebony carvede masks, expressions fierce and regal. Atop a cherrywood console sits a white marble figure with slanted eyes, sitting cross-legged on a small throne, his torso upright, his left arm nestled in his lap while his right hand points downward. Abdul-Razzaq has never beheld such strange things. The men pass three maids also newly hired, and they are set to thoroughly cleaning and water-sweeping the three-story villa. They wear black cotton dresses with collars that bloom into flower petals and starched whitest aprons. On their heads are gleaming white caps concealing their dark hair. One stands on a wooden ladder with pheasant-feather dusters, reaching for brass chandeliers and cast iron sconces. They continue the tour to the servants quarters, where the kitchen is located. When he is permitted to interject, Mansoor continues transmitting Broadleaf's running commentary and directives. "Vice-Admiral James Bernard Wood of His Majesty King George the Sixth's Royal Fleet shall reside in this villa, and it is our honor and duty to serve him and his family as supremely as possible. It is a great hardship to be stationed away from one's beloved homeland." Broadleaf cocks a thin eyebrow. "Thereby it falls upon all of us to ensure the Vice-Admiral's perpetual comfort and pleasure as he fulfills his duty to the Commonwealth." Next to a large pantry, the butler opens a cupboard containing neatly folded black jellabiyas. On their heads they are expected to don a black tarboosh. "Your uniform," Mansoor announces, directing them to each grab their parcel. "At least we are not forced to dress like foreigners in our own country," one man derides. The others, except for Abdul-Razzaq, nervously chuckle. He has yet to relax, his entire body clenched like a fist. As soon as he's handed his uniform, he exhales, eager to return to Safiya with the news. They have thwarted a worse...

Where We Fit in the Firmament

Where We Fit in the Firmament

Labeling of an intra-class variation object in deep learning classification

&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;Machine orientation learning had demonstrated that deep learning (DL)-convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were robust image classifiers with significant accuracy. Although to been functional, DL scope classification as tight, well-defined as possible uses a 2-class object, for instance, cats and dogs. The DL classification faced many challenges, e.g., variation factors, the intra-class variation. This nature is presented in every object, its diversity of an object. The label was an exact given name of an intra-class variation object. Unfortunately, not every object had a specific name, in exceptionally high similarity inside the category. This paper explored those problems in flower plants’ taxonomy naming. In supervised learned of DL, image datasets musted labeled with a meaningful word or phrase that humans are familiar with, a taxonomy naming. Labeled with visual feature extraction brought a fully automatic classification. Flower Plumeria L labeling extracted from perspective dimension scale of petal flower which automatically obtained by contour detection, and peaks of blue green red (BGR) histogram channels from bins histogram after object masked. Dataset collected on photography workbench equipped with webcam and ring light. Results showed labels for intra-class variation of Plumeria L in form of dimension-scale and BGR-peaks. The result of this study presented a novelty in building datasets for intra-class variation for the DL classification.&lt;/span&gt;

Evaluation on the fresh eating quality of tree peony flowers

Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) is an ornamental and medicinal plant in China. The fresh eating of flower petals has gradually become a new idea for further development. This study analyzed the sensory indexes, nutritional indexes and antioxidant indexes of fresh flowers of five cultivars, namely, ‘Fengdan’ (P. ostia ‘Fengdan’), ‘Xiangyu’ (P. suffruticosa ‘Xiangyu’), ‘Zhaofen’ (P. suffruticosa ‘Zhanfen’), ‘Luoyanghong’ (P. suffruticosa ‘Luoyanghong’) and ‘High Noon’ (P. ‘High Noon’), to provide a theoretical basis for eating fresh tree peony flowers. The aroma volatiles of petals mainly comprised terpenes, alcohols and alkanes. ‘Luoyanghong’ and ‘High Noon’ have brighter colors. The taste test showed that ‘Luoyanghong’, ‘High Noon’ and ‘Xiangyu’ were the most palatable. ‘High Noon’ contained the highest soluble sugar content, ‘Luoyanghong’ contained the highest starch and vitamin C (VC) levels, and ‘Zhaofen’ contained the highest soluble protein content. The contents of bioactive compounds were the highest in ‘Luoyanghong’, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was the highest in ‘Xiangyu’. The petals were rich in essential amino acids, with the highest amount in ‘Xiangyu’. ‘Luoyanghong’ and ‘High Noon’ showed strong antioxidant capacity. Therefore, tree peony flowers have excellent sensory qualities, abundant nutrients and strong antioxidant activity and could be further developed as a food to be eaten fresh. The results showed that tree peony flowers had great edible potential. Flowers of red and yellow cultivars can be considered for fresh eating on the basis of the traditional consumption of white and pink tree peony flowers.