Visible Spots Research Articles

Coffee Leaf Rust Disease Detection and Implementation of an Edge Device for Pruning Infected Leaves via Deep Learning Algorithms.

Global warming and extreme climate conditions caused by unsuitable temperature and humidity lead to coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) diseases in coffee plantations. Coffee leaf rust is a severe problem that reduces productivity. Currently, pesticide spraying is considered the most effective solution for mitigating coffee leaf rust. However, the application of pesticide spray is still not efficient for most farmers worldwide. In these cases, pruning the most infected leaves with leaf rust at coffee plantations is important to help pesticide spraying to be more efficient by creating a more targeted, accessible treatment. Therefore, detecting coffee leaf rust is important to support the decision on pruning infected leaves. The dataset was acquired from a coffee farm in Majalengka Regency, Indonesia. Only images with clearly visible spots of coffee leaf rust were selected. Data collection was performed via two devices, a digital mirrorless camera and a phone camera, to diversify the dataset and test it with different datasets. The dataset, comprising a total of 2024 images, was divided into three sets with a ratio of 70% for training (1417 images), 20% for validation (405 images), and 10% for testing (202 images). Images with leaves infected by coffee leaf rust were labeled via LabelImg® with the label "CLR". All labeled images were used to train the YOLOv5 and YOLOv8 algorithms through the convolutional neural network (CNN). The trained model was tested with a test dataset, a digital mirrorless camera image dataset (100 images), a phone camera dataset (100 images), and real-time detection with a coffee leaf rust image dataset. After the model was trained, coffee leaf rust was detected in each frame. The mean average precision (mAP) and recall for the trained YOLOv5 model were 69% and 63.4%, respectively. For YOLOv8, the mAP and recall were approximately 70.2% and 65.9%, respectively. To evaluate the performance of the two trained models in detecting coffee leaf rust on trees, 202 original images were used for testing with the best-trained weight from each model. Compared to YOLOv5, YOLOv8 demonstrated superior accuracy in detecting coffee leaf rust. With a mAP of 73.2%, YOLOv8 outperformed YOLOv5, which achieved a mAP of 70.5%. An edge device was utilized to deploy real-time detection of CLR with the best-trained model. The detection was successfully executed with high confidence in detecting CLR. The system was further integrated into pruning solutions for Arabica coffee farms. A pruning device was designed using Autodesk Fusion 360® and fabricated for testing on a coffee plantation in Indonesia.

VITILIGO TREATMENT WITH MANIPULATED FORMULATION CONTAINING TOPICAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS: CASE REPORT

Introduction: Vitiligo is a dermatological condition that causes white patches on the skin due to the loss of melanocytes. Classified as an autoimmune disease, it is associated with genetic, environmental factors and oxidative stress. It occurs predominantly in people aged between 10 and 30 years, affecting the self-esteem and quality of life of patients. Objective: This study aimed to monitor a patient using a compounded formulation containing topical anti-inflammatories, regarding improvement in the pigmentation of the spots. Case Report: The volunteer presented vitiligo spots in the eye and eyelid region, leading to self-esteem problems because they are quite visible spots. The formulation containing topical anti-inflammatories was compounded in a Compounding Pharmacy in the city of Maringá (PR) and given to the volunteer, with instructions for use to apply once a day directly on the spots, always at night, after cleaning the affected area. The monitoring was carried out by the students weekly, through photos and application of a questionnaire to the volunteer. The treatment was carried out for 30 days, without any complications, discomfort or skin irritation. The patient reported having undergone the treatment without interruption, and after the total treatment time, there was a significant improvement in pigmentation. In the questionnaire applied, the volunteer reported that there was an improvement in the appearance of the spots, and the result can be seen in the weekly photos. This research was approved by the Ethics Committee for Research involving Human Beings of Uningá (CEP/Uningá), under protocol number 6,950,683.

Optimizing the methodology for the assessment of bulbar conjunctival lissamine green staining.

When using lissamine green for bulbar conjunctival evaluation, the most staining was observed with two applications of the same strip in the same eye, wetted with a drop of saline. The first application was 5 seconds after wetting the strip, and the second was 1 minute later, followed by immediate viewing. This suggests that bulbar staining should be viewed before the lid wiper region. This study aimed to optimize the assessment of lissamine green staining of the bulbar conjunctiva by investigating the application technique and subsequent observation period. Twenty-two participants with dry eye (as defined by the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society Dry Eye Workshop II) were recruited to trial five application methods in randomized order: (1) application immediately after wetting a single strip, (2) application 5 seconds after wetting a single strip, (3) application 10 seconds after wetting a single strip, (4) consecutive single application of sodium fluorescein followed by lissamine green 5 seconds after wetting, and (5) two applications using the same lissamine green strip 5 seconds after wetting, 1 minute apart. Slit-lamp photography of the conjunctiva was performed immediately following application and at 30, 60, 90, and 300 seconds after application. Three experienced (masked) practitioners independently quantified the visible punctate spots and graded the staining intensity within the images in a random order. Values for punctate spot count ( F = 6.29, p<0.0001) and lissamine green staining intensity ( F = 6.29, p<0.0001) varied significantly between the different application methods. Using two applications of the same lissamine green strip, 1 minute apart, in the same eye resulted in the greatest values for both punctate spot count and lissamine green staining intensity. Lissamine green staining decreased with time for both spot count ( F = 18.87, p<0.0001) and lissamine green staining intensity ( F = 11.33, p<0.0001), with the most staining found immediately after application followed by a gradual decline. There was no evidence of any interaction effect between time and application method for either measure (p>0.05 for both). The optimal approach for assessing bulbar conjunctival lissamine green staining involves two applications of a whole infused drop resting on the same strip for 5 seconds, applied 1 minute apart. The ocular surface should be viewed immediately after application to maximize the conjunctival staining observed.

Bilateral Glaucoma in An Infant with Phacomatosis Pigmentovascularis and Sturge-Weber Syndrome: A Rare Case Report

Prevalence of concurrent PhakomatosisPigmentovascularis (PPV)and Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS)is unknown due to its rarity and sporadic occurrence. In this case report, we present a rare case of bilateral glaucoma in an infant with PPV and SWS. Athree-month old male infant presented with hazy cornea and visible black spots in the upper sclera and presented with intraocular pressure (IOP) of 40 and 52 mmHg in the left and right eye, respectively. Trabeculectomy-Trabeculotomy for both eyes was done which initially decreased IOP. However, high IOP recurred, and the patient was treated with topical medication.At one year follow-up, the patient had normal IOP and was responsive to light and object. Our case is a rare presentation of concurrent SWS, PPV, and bilateral glaucoma. The potential systemic comorbidities of this condition highlights that it is imperative that these patients are diagnosed early, treated promptly, and are monitored periodically.

Managing Esca in Susceptible ‘Sauvignon Blanc’ Wine Grapes Through Trunk Renewal

Trunk renewal was evaluated as a treatment for highly susceptible ‘Sauvignon blanc’ wine grapes with moderate leaf and wood symptoms of the trunk disease Esca in a 17-year-old vineyard 7 years after symptoms first appeared. The trunk was cut above the graft union, removing all woody parts of the vine above it, including infected wood. A new trunk was retrained from a shoot off presumably healthy wood at the base of the trunk. Prior to trunk renewal, we detected Esca pathogens from 26% of 97 symptomatic vines. Five years after trunk renewal, 72 retrained vines were still asymptomatic, 24 were replanted (i.e., did not produce a shoot after trunk renewal), and one had leaf and fruit symptoms. Chemical composition of asymptomatic fruit from asymptomatic-retrained vines (RV-AF) was compared to that of vines that were not retrained, the latter of which included asymptomatic fruit from asymptomatic vines (AV-AF) and both asymptomatic fruit (SV-AF) and symptomatic fruit (SV-SF) from the same symptomatic vines. Given the high proportion of asymptomatic retrained vines after five growing seasons, trunk renewal was an effective cultural practice. Although there were no differences in chemistry parameters used to make harvest decisions (total soluble solids, pH, and titratable acidity), SV-SF was unique in having the highest concentrations of the flavonoids catechin and epicatechin and the lowest concentrations of the volatile-aroma compounds hexanal and 2-hexanal. These findings in all three blocks among fruit with visible spots may reflect a host-defense response and/or the effect of Esca on fruit ripening.

Distinguishing between Tectona grandis and acacia auriculiformis woods

The demand for Teak (Tectona grandis Linn F.) wood in India is high due to its durability and aesthetic value, and the country is highly dependent on imports to fulfil the demand. Thus, people try to trade Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn wood commonly known as auri or acacia in place of teak wood as they have similar appearance. To address this issue, a simple and effective method was developed using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) analysis and UV–visible spectroscopy to distinguish between teak and auri timber and their finished products. For the study, we collected wood specimens from the Wood Properties and Processing division of IWST and conducted TLC analysis and UV–visible spectroscopy to distinguish the wood of both species. The identification of distinct peaks in UV–visible and separate spots with different retention factors (RF) in TLC provide a reliable means of differentiation. This study aims to present a solution to the problem of distinguishing between teak and auri, woods particularly in finished products, and the findings of the study may be useful for enhancing the customer satisfaction who are paying of teak and getting auri wood. Thus, also preventing the unethical trade of A. auriculiformis as T. grandis wood.

Heat Treatments at Varying Ambient Temperatures and Durations Differentially Affect Plant Defense to Blumeria hordei in a Resistant and a Susceptible Hordeum vulgare Line.

Our previous research showed that a powdery mildew resistant barley line (MvHV07-17) maintains its resistance to Blumeria hordei (Bh) even if plants are exposed to a long-term high temperature of 35°C for 120 h before Bh inoculation, whereas such high temperature pretreatment further increases susceptibility to infection in the susceptible barley line MvHV118-17. In the present study, we extended this approach using short-term high-temperature water treatment (49°C for 30 s) to determine how it affects powdery mildew resistance in these barley lines. We found that this short-term heat shock (HS) impaired plant defense responses, as reflected by development of Bh colonies and visible necrotic spots on leaves of MvHV07-17, which does not develop visible symptoms upon Bh inoculation under optimal growth conditions. In contrast, both HS and long-term heat stress enhanced susceptibility to Bh in MvHV118-17 plants. These results were supported by the measurement of Bh biomass using a qPCR method. Furthermore, microscopic examinations showed that HS elevated the rate of successful Bh penetration events and the spread of cell death in the surrounding mesophyll area and allowed for colony formation and sporulation in resistant barley, whereas early and effective plant defense responses, such as papilla formation and single-cell epidermal hypersensitive response, were significantly reduced. Furthermore, we found that the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in both resistant and susceptible barley was correlated with susceptibility induced by HS and long-term heat-stress. This study may contribute to a better understanding of plant defense responses to Bh in barley exposed to heat. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Preventing microbe colonization on avocado (Persea nubigena var. guatemalensis) through metabiotic treatment, a promising postharvest safety improvement.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce various metabolites (i.e. metabiotics) with inhibitory capacity towards harmful foodborne pathogens. This study aimed to design several antimicrobial formulations based on metabiotics obtained from different native LAB species (Lactobacillus pentosus UTNGt5, Lactococcus lactis UTNGt28, and Weissella cibaria UTNGt21O) and to detect the possible mode of action towards two multidrug resistant Staphylococcus spp. strains isolated from avocado (Persea nubigena var. guatemalensis) fruits. Additionally, the formulation with the highest inhibitory activity was tested ex vitro on avocados at the immature (firm) ripeness stage to evaluate their effect on microorganisms' growth and fruit quality attributes post-harvest. Out of the top five formulations showing the highest bactericidal effect in vitro at their minimum inhibitory concentration (1 x MIC) on both Staphylococcus spp. targets one candidate annotated P11 (consisting of UTNGt21O and UTNGt28; 1:3, v/v) was selected. Co-cultivation of Staphylococcus strains with P11 formulation results in cell viability reduction by 98%, by impairing the integrity of the cell membrane inducing cytoplasm molecule content leakage, protein profile changes, and finally bacterial death. Even though the total coliforms, Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacter spp., molds, and yeasts counts were not fully eliminated by day 13 of storage, a statistically significant reduction (p < 0.05) in viable cell counts were observed by day 8 upon the P11 treatment compared with non-treated control (C) and treated with a commercial disinfectant (T1) samples, suggesting that P11 formulation inhibited microbial colonization during storage. Likewise, no visible dark spots were observed on the mesocarp (pulp) upon the treatment with P11, whereas T1 and C fruits showed greater dark spots on the pulp as indicative of damage. The quality attributes, such as pH, total soluble solids, total titratable acidity, antioxidant capacity, and total polyphenol content, were not affected by the treatment. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) conducted on these five variables showed a clear separation of samples according to the maturity stage regardless of the treatment. These results suggest that the active metabolites from LAB strains might create a barrier between the exocarp and mesocarp, inhibiting the microorganisms colonization, reducing fruit damage, and lengthening the fruit quality and safety after harvest.

Chlorella vulgaris extract conjugated magnetic iron nanoparticles in nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Growth promoting, immunostimulant and antioxidant role and combating against the synergistic infection with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis and Aeromonashydrophila

Nile tilapia reared under intensive conditions was more susceptible for Ichthyophthirius multifilii (I. multifiliis) infection eliciting higher mortality, lower productive rate and further bacterial coinfection with Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophila). The higher potency of magnetic field of iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) can kill pathogens through inhibiting their viability. Herein, coating of Chlorella vulgaris extract (ChVE) with magnetic iron oxide NPs (Mag iron NPs) can create an external magnetic field that facilitates their release inside the targeted tissues. Thus, the current study is focused on application of new functionalized properties of Mag iron NPs in combination with ChVE and their efficacy to alleviate I. multifiliis and subsequent infection with A. hydrophila in Nile tilapia. Four hundred fingerlings were divided into: control group (with no additives), three groups fed control diet supplemented with ChVE, Mag iron NPs and ChVE@Mag iron NPs for 90 days. At the end of feeding trial fish were challenged with I. multifiliis and at 9 days post challenge was coinfected by A. hydrophila. A remarkable higher growth rate and an improved feed conversion ratio were detected in group fed ChVE@Mag iron-NPs. The maximum expression of antioxidant enzymes in skin and gills tissues (GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD) which came in parallel with higher serum activities of these enzymes was identified in groups received ChVE@Mag iron-NPs. Furthermore, group fed a combination of ChVE and Mag iron-NPs showed a boosted immune response (higher lysozyme, IgM, ACH50, and MPO) prior to challenge with I. multifiliis. In contrast, fish fed ChVE@Mag iron-NPs supplemented diet had lower infection (decreased by 62%) and mortality rates (decreased by 84%), as well as less visible white spots (decreased by 92 % at 12 dpi) on the body surfaces and mucous score. Interestingly, post I. multifiliis the excessive inflammatory response in gill and skin tissues was subsided by feeding on ChVE@Mag iron-NPs as proved by down regulation of IL-1β, TNFα, COX-2 and iNOS and upregulation of IL-10, and IgM, IgT and Muc-2 genes. Notably, group exposed to I. multifiliis-showed higher mortality when exposed to Aeromonas hydrophilia (increased by 43 %) while group fed ChVE@Mag iron-NPs exhibited lower morality (2%). Moreover, the bacterial loads of A. hydrophilia in fish infected by I. multifiliis and fed control diet were higher than those received dietary supplement of ChVE, Mag iron-NPs and the most reduced load was obtained in group fed ChVE@Mag iron-NPs at 7 dpi. In conclusion, ChVE@Mag iron-NPs fed fish had stronger immune barrier and antioxidant functions of skin and gills, and better survival following I. multifiliis and A. hydrophilia infection.

Using Sound Location to Monitor Farrowing in Sows.

Precision Livestock Farming systems can help pig farmers prevent health and welfare issues around farrowing. Five sows were monitored in two field studies. A Sorama L642V sound camera, visualising sound sources as coloured spots using a 64-microphone array, and a Bascom XD10-4 security camera with a built-in microphone were used in a farrowing unit. Firstly, sound spots were compared with audible sounds, using the Observer XT (Noldus Information Technology), analysing video data at normal speed. This gave many false positives, including visible sound spots without audible sounds. In total, 23 of 50 piglet births were visible, but none were audible. The sow's behaviour changed when farrowing started. One piglet was silently crushed. Secondly, data were analysed at a 10-fold slower speed when comparing sound spots with audible sounds and sow behaviour. This improved results, but accuracy and specificity were still low. When combining audible sound with visible sow behaviour and comparing sound spots with combined sound and behaviour, the accuracy was 91.2%, the error was 8.8%, the sensitivity was 99.6%, and the specificity was 69.7%. We conclude that sound cameras are promising tools, detecting sound more accurately than the human ear. There is potential to use sound cameras to detect the onset of farrowing, but more research is needed to detect piglet births or crushing.

Relating photometric and magnetic properties of structures at solar surface

We investigate sharp structures visible in solar magnetic field tracers. It is shown that the sunspot magnetic boundaries do not coincide with the photometric ones. Moreover, there is no clear boundary of the magnetic field in the vicinity of sunspots. Thus, the widely accepted concept of magnetic tubes with sharp edges is not always correct and should be used with caution. It is also shown that even in the moments of complete absence of visible spots on the Sun, there are magnetic fields over 800 Gauss. The nature of these strong magnetic fields remains unclear; they may originate at relatively small depths under the photosphere.

TranNas-NirCR: A method for improving the diagnosis of asymptomatic wheat scab with transfer learning and neural architecture search

Wheat scab is one of the most important diseases endangering the health of wheat which severely affects the yield and quality of wheat. Thus, the diagnosis of wheat scab is very important. However, it is difficult to distinguish between asymptomatic wheats without visible spots on the surface and healthy wheats by traditional visual methods under natural conditions, which has greatly hindered the diagnosis of wheat scab. To address the challenge of poor model classification caused by the difficulty in distinguishing asymptomatic wheats from healthy wheats, we use near-infrared spectral data with healthy, symptomatic and indistinguishable asymptomatic wheats and propose a new approach Transfer Learning and Neural Architecture Search for Near-infrared with Convolutional Networks and Recurrent Networks (TranNas-NirCR). This approach integrates neural architecture search with transfer learning and employs a combination of convolutional neural networks and recurrent neural networks in the search space. Compared to other methods, the TranNas-NirCR method achieved better classification results with an accuracy of 90.42%, which is 2.68% higher than support vector machines (SVM), 5.36% higher than neural architecture search (NAS), and 4.21% higher than Transfer Learning with Neural Architecture Search (Tran_NAS). This method shows strong generalization performance in the case of only a small amount of near-infrared spectral data, which is of referential significance for diagnosing early wheat scab in real conditions.

Novel Vertical Flow Immunoassay with Au@PtNPs for Rapid, Ultrasensitive, and On-Site Diagnosis of Human Brucellosis.

Brucellosis is an infectious zoonosis caused by Brucella with clinical symptoms of wavy fever, fatigue, and even invasion of tissues and organs in the whole body, posing a serious threat to public health around the world. Herein, a novel vertical flow immunoassay based on Au@Pt nanoparticles (Au@PtNPs-VFIA) was established for detection of Brucella IgG antibody in clinical serum samples. The testing card of Au@PtNPs-VFIA was manufactured by printing the purified Brucella LPS and goat antimouse IgG on the nitrocellulose membrane as the test-spot or control-spot, respectively. Au@PtNPs labeled with protein G (Au@PtNPs-prG) were concurrently employed as detection probes presenting visible spots and catalysts mimicking catalytic enzymes to catalyze the DAB substrate (H2O2 plus O-phenylenediamine) for deepening color development. The testing procedure of Au@PtNPs-VFIA takes 2-3 min, and the limit of detection (LOD) for Brucella antibody is 0.1 IU/mL, which is faster and more sensitive than that of Au@PtNP-based lateral flow immunoassay (Au@PtNPs-LFIA: 15 min and 1.56 IU/mL, respectively). By comparing with vertical flow immunoassay based on classic Au nanoparticles (AuNPs-VFIA), the Au@PtNPs-VFIA is 32 times or 16 times more sensitive with or without further development of DAB substrate catalysis. Au@PtNPs-VFIA did not react with the serum samples of Gram-negative bacterium infections but only weakly cross-reacted with diagnostic serum of Y. enterocolitica O9 infection. In detection of clinical samples, Au@PtNPs-VFIA was validated for possessing 98.33% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 99.17% accuracy, which were comparable with or even better than those obtained by the Rose-Bengal plate agglutination test, serological agglutination test, AuNPs-VFIA, and Au@PtNPs-LFIA. Therefore, this newly developed Au@PtNPs-VFIA has potential for rapid, ultrasensitive, and on-site diagnosis of human Brucellosis in clinics.

A Study on the Changing of Biophysical Properties of the Facial Skin according to Aging

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the differences in skin characteristics such as crow’s feet, visible and invisible spots, pores in the left and right cheek areas of the face, porphyrins, brown spots, and skin color and texture with increasing age.Methods: This study utilized Visia-CR software Mirror® to capture images of the entire face of 457 individuals aged 30–60 years. Facial skin characteristics were analyzed using image analysis software, VAESTRO, and a toolkit. The analysis of facial skin characteristics according to age was performed using one-way analysis of variance to test for significance, followed by Scheffe’s post-hoc test.Results: Significant differences in age-related crow’s feet, visible and invisible spots, brown spots on the left and right cheeks, and skin texture were observed in all age groups, except for groups in their 50s and 60s. Porphyrins, depending on age, showed significant differences between the mean values of the 30s and all other age groups and those of the 40s and 60s. Significant differences in L* and a* according to age were observed between the mean values of the 30s and 50s–60s and those of the 40s and 60s. Significant differences in age-dependent b* were observed between the mean values of the 30s and all other age groups.Conclusion: This study found significant differences in wrinkles, spots, brown spots, and skin color (L*, a*, and b*) with age. However, there were no significant difference in the pores of the facial skin and b* with increasing age. Based on this result, L* and a* are likely to require further research for the age groups in the 30s and 40s, 40s and 50s, and 50s and 60s. In addition, pores and b* require follow-up studies on morphological changes of the facial skin regardless of aging.

Analyzing the seismic attributes, structural and petrophysical analyses of the Lower Goru Formation: A case study from Middle Indus Basin Pakistan

The purpose of this research is to delineate the structures of the Lower Goru Formation, investigate fluid properties, and clarify the hydrocarbon-prone areas through seismic attributes analysis. First, the acquired data was matched by the interpretation datum. Structural analysis was done by performing horizon interpretation, fault interpretation, and contour mapping on the C-Interval of the Lower Goru Formation. Hydrocarbon zones were marked with the help of attribute analysis on seismic sections and were justified by petrophysical analysis. An integrated approach such as seismic structural interpretation, seismic attribute, spectral decomposition, and petrophysical analyses was used in current research to better understand geological structure and features. This research showed that normal faults are present in the area showing negative flower structure, horst and graben, and faults oriented north-west to south-east. The contour map shows structural inclination and faults bound closure near well locations. Variance attribute and spectral decomposition attribute were used to verify horizon lineation and fault behavior. Instantaneous amplitude and instantaneous phase attributes justify hydrocarbon bearing zones, and bright spots are present on seismic sections at C–Interval of Lower Goru Formation. Petrophysical analysis of the available wells showed a number of significant hydrocarbon zones having more than 55% of hydrocarbon saturation at the C-Interval of the Lower Goru Formation. The four possible reservoir zones in Sawan-02 well, two zones in Sawan-07 well, and three zones in Sawan-09 well are identified based on well data interpretation. Based on these analyses, the area of interest has a very good reservoir potential, structural closure, and visible bright spots. The current finding of this research will be helpful for future exploration and development of the Sawan area.

Phytochemical and Biological Investigation of the Leaves of Tridax procumbens

Aims: Because of various traditional uses of Tridax procumbens leaves, the authors choose the plant for investigating the numerous biological activities. The main objective for this study is to search antioxidant activity, hypoglycemic activity and antibacterial activities with initial phytochemical investigations of the leaves of Tridax procumbens.&#x0D; Methodology: The phytochemical purposes were achieved by using two different chromatographic techniques thin layer chromatography (TLC), vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC). DPPH test, glucose uptake activity of yeast cells and agar plate diffusion technique were performed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity, hypoglycemic activity and anti-bacterial properties respectively of different fraction obtained from VLC by using different solvent systems such as dichloromethane, butanol, ethyl acetate and methanol. 31.25 µg/ml, 62.5 µg/ml, 125 µg/ml, 250 µg/ml and 500 µg/ml sample were used from each fraction to investigate antioxidant and hypoglycemic activity where vitamin C tablet and metformin were used as standard respectively. Antibacterial capacity was measured by measuring zone of inhibition resulted by the fractions where ciprofloxacin was taken as reference drug. &#x0D; Results: Some visible spots were identified in the TLC plate which confirms the presence of different compounds in the fractions obtained from the methanolic extract of the leaves of Tridax procumbens. Butanol and ethyl acetate fractions showed the highest antidiabetic activity. In addition to, ethyl acetate, butanol and methanol fractions exerted more than 80% antioxidant capacity in DPPH assay. Furthermore, butanol fraction gives maximum zone of inhibition up to 21 mm against Staphylocuccos aureas which ensure anti-bacterial properties of the leaves of Tridax procumbens especially against Staphylocuccos aureas and its strains.&#x0D; Conclusion: Notwithstanding the all the research, the leaves had anti-inflammatory properties, which may have been generated by their antioxidant activity. As a result, if more therapeutic research is done, the separated compounds in those fractions may be employed as future therapeutic strategies.

Opening Kailasanatha: The Temple in Kanchipuram Revealed in Time and Space

Opening Kailasanatha: The Temple in Kanchipuram Revealed in Time and Space

Phyllosphere eukaryotic microalgal communities in rainforests: Drivers and diversity

Phyllosphere algae are common in tropical rainforests, forming visible biofilms or spots on plant leaf surfaces. However, knowledge of phyllosphere algal diversity and the environmental factors that drive that diversity is limited. The aim of this study is to identify the environmental factors that drive phyllosphere algal community composition and diversity in rainforests. For this purpose, we used single molecule real-time sequencing of full-length 18S rDNA to characterize the composition of phyllosphere microalgal communities growing on four host tree species (Ficus tikoua, Caryota mitis, Arenga pinnata, and Musa acuminata) common to three types of forest over four months at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan Province, China. Environmental 18S rDNA sequences revealed that the green algae orders Watanabeales and Trentepohliales were dominant in almost all algal communities and that phyllosphere algal species richness and biomass were lower in planted forest than in primeval and reserve rainforest. In addition, algal community composition differed significantly between planted forest and primeval rainforest. We also found that algal communities were affected by soluble reactive phosphorous, total nitrogen, and ammonium contents. Our findings indicate that algal community structure is significantly related to forest type and host tree species. Furthermore, this study is the first to identify environmental factors that affect phyllosphere algal communities, significantly contributing to future taxonomic research, especially for the green algae orders Watanabeales and Trentepohliales. This research also serves as an important reference for molecular diversity analysis of algae in other specific habitats, such as epiphytic algae and soil algae.

Pharmacognostic, Acute Toxicity Profile and Comparative Leaf Characteristics of Desmodium velutinum, Mallotus oppositifolius and Synedrella nodiflora

Plant leaf parameters such as stomatal index, stomata type, leaf microscopic features, and leaf powder microscopy are important taxonomic parameters used to properly identify species and to differentiate one species from another and these is a vital keys in the pharmacognostic study of the medicinal plants because leaf parameters play a vital role in distinguishing crude drugs even when they are fragmented or powdered. Also, extractive index, retention factor, ash value, and phytochemical parameters are vital in the standardization of crude drugs for the establishment of pharmacopeia and monograms. Therefore, the study seeks to validate the use of the phytochemistry and molecular systematics among Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Fabaceae to support their circumscription and therefore evaluated the pharmacognostic profile of Desmodium velutinum, Synedrella nodiflora and Mallotus oppositifolius folklorically used in South East Nigeria using standard laboratory protocols. The result of the leaf microscopy showed that Desmodium velutinum, Synedrella nodiflora, and Mallotus oppositifolius all had irregular shaped leaf epidermis, and stomata was present only in the abaxial surface respectively. The result showed both D. velutinum and S. nodiflora powder showed the presence of lignin, starch, cystoliths, tannin, and Oil body while calcium oxalate was absent whereas, Mallotus oppositifolius showed the presence of lignin, starch, tannin, and Oil body while calcium oxalate, and cystoliths were absent. Also the result of the TLC showed that M. oppositifolius had 3 visible spots with retention factors (RF) of 0.363, 0.425, and 0.5 in that order respectively, D. velutinum had 4 visible spot with retention factor (RF) of 0.425, 0.5, 0.550 and 0.66 in that order respectively while S. nodiflora had 6 visible spot with retention factor (RF) of 0.255, 0.363, 0.438, 0.538, 0.600 and 0.688 in that order respectively. The result also showed that methanol exhaustible extracted the phytochemicals in the crude dried plant. The acute toxicity studies showed that Desmodium velutinum, Synedrella nodiflora and Mallotus oppositifolius individually had LD50 greater than 5000mg/kg. This study validates the claim that leaf parameters such as stomatal index, stomata type, leaf powder microscopy are important parameters used for the identification of crude drugs.

Alternaria tenuissima, a biodeteriogenic filamentous fungus from ancient Oplontis ruins, rapidly penetrates tuff stone in an in vitro colonization test

To integrate the understanding of mycological biodeterioration on artistic-historical heritage, we cultivated Alternaria tenuissima on Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) tiles for 20 d in a low-carbon environment. The fungus, collected within the UNESCO site of ancient Oplontis ruins (Naples, Italy), was monitored during its early colonization both for the epilithic and the cryptoendolithic growth by using photomicrography-based image analyses. The data were integrated with the count of conidia and the analysis of biochemical proxies in order to evaluate the biological status of the fungus during growth. Additionally, we provided novel and synthetic insights on A. tenuissima 3D growth dynamics, suggesting that visible fungal spots on stone monuments could represent the “iceberg tip” for advanced stone decay. Our results confirm that in vitro tests, coupled with microscopical observations and computer image analysis, are useful tools to evaluate and quantify fungal biomass on a stone substratum, especially in the early steps of fungal colonization.