Relative effects of melatonin and hydrogen sulfide treatments in mitigating salt damage in wheat

Soil salinity poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity, impacting the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants. This study investigates the potential of melatonin (MT; 100 μM) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S; 200 μM sodium hydrosulfide, NaHS) to confer the tolerance of wheat plants to 100 mM NaCl. Salinity stress induced the outburst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in damage to the chloroplast structure, growth, photosynthesis, and yield. Application of either MT or NaHS augmented the activity of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, upregulated the expression of Na+ transport genes (SOS1, SOS2, SOS3, NHX1), resulting in mitigation of salinity stress. Thus, improved stomatal behavior, gas-exchange parameters, and maintenance of chloroplast structure resulted in enhanced activity of the Calvin cycle enzymes and overall enhancement of growth, photosynthetic, and yield performance of plants under salinity stress. The use of DL-propargylglycine (PAG, an inhibitor of hydrogen sulfide biosynthesis) and p-chlorophenyl alanine (p-CPA, an inhibitor of melatonin biosynthesis) to plants under salt stress showed the comparative necessity of MT and H2S in mitigation of salinity stress. In the presence of PAG, more pronounced detrimental effects were observed than in the presence of p-CPA, emphasizing that MT was involved in mitigating salinity through various potential pathways, one of which was through H2S

Potential of organic amendments for heavy metal contamination in soil–coriander system: environmental fate and associated ecological risk

Pollution by organic wastes and manures is an important problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries and novel solutions for their proper management and valorization are needed. Waste-derived organic manures may increase metal load in the soil–plant ecosystem and food chain, with potential risks to public health. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of three manures (poultry waste (PW), press mud (PM), and farmyard manure (FYM)) on heavy metals (HMs) (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Mn) toxicity in a soil and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) system and their environmental impact (bioaccumulation, pollution load) and the consequent risk to human health via consumption. Results demonstrated that HMs in coriander fluctuated from 0.40 to 0.43 for Cd, 1.84 to 3.52 for Co, 0.15 to 0.16 for Cr, 1.32 to 1.40 for Cu, 0.05 to 0.09 for Pb, 1.32 to 2.51 for Fe, 0.10 to 0.32 for Mn, and 2.01 to 8.70 mg/kg for Zn, respectively. Highest pollution load index value was 2.89 for Cd and Mn showed the lowest (0.005). Daily intake of metal was noticed to be higher for Zn (0.049 mg/kg/day) for PW and lower for Mn (0.0005) at FYM treatment. The health risk index value was <1 and in the range of 2.30–2.50 for Cd showing potential carcinogenicity. It was concluded that as the organic amendments have the widest application in vegetables, it should be prudent to avoid their contamination and mobilization in plant–soil ecosystems to protect public health perspectives.King Saud University | Ref. RSP-2021/21

Deep learning in computed tomography pulmonary angiography imaging: a dual-pronged approach for pulmonary embolism detection

The increasing reliance on Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) for Pulmonary Embolism (PE) diagnosis presents challenges and a pressing need for improved diagnostic solutions. The primary objective of this study is to leverage deep learning techniques to enhance the Computer Assisted Diagnosis (CAD) of PE. With this aim, we propose a classifier-guided detection approach that effectively leverages the classifier's probabilistic inference to direct the detection predictions, marking a novel contribution in the domain of automated PE diagnosis. Our classification system includes an Attention-Guided Convolutional Neural Network (AG-CNN) that uses local context by employing an attention mechanism. This approach emulates a human expert's attention by looking at both global appearances and local lesion regions before making a decision. The classifier demonstrates robust performance on the FUMPE dataset, achieving an AUROC of 0.927, sensitivity of 0.862, specificity of 0.879, and an F1-score of 0.805 with the Inception-v3 backbone architecture. Moreover, AG-CNN outperforms the baseline DenseNet-121 model, achieving an 8.1% AUROC gain. While previous research has mostly focused on finding PE in the main arteries, our use of cutting-edge object detection models and ensembling techniques greatly improves the accuracy of detecting small embolisms in the peripheral arteries. Finally, our proposed classifier-guided detection approach further refines the detection metrics, contributing new state-of-the-art to the community: mAP$_{50}$, sensitivity, and F1-score of 0.846, 0.901, and 0.779, respectively, outperforming the former benchmark with a significant 3.7% improvement in mAP$_{50}$. Our research aims to elevate PE patient care by integrating AI solutions into clinical workflows, highlighting the potential of human-AI collaboration in medical diagnostics.Comment: Published in Expert Systems With Application

Carbohydrate, flavonoid, anthocyanin,total phenol, chlorophyll and mineral (K+) content development of wax apple fruit as affected by CPPU and NAA using swabbing technology

Abstract The study was conducted to investigate the effect of CPPU(2-Chloro-4-pyridyl-phenylurea) and NAA (Naphthaleneacetic acid) on the pigments, total phenol, flavonoid and mineral (K+) content in wax apple fruit. CPPU concentrations were 10, 15 and 20ppm (Expt.1) and 6, 12, 18ppm NAA were applied coming after swabbing technique (Expt.2). In Expt.1, the lowest fruit weight, fruit size and chlorophyll content was observed in control treatment. However, the highest fruit weight, fruit size and chlorophyll (SPAD) content was found in 15ppm CPPU. The most effective concentration was 15ppm CPPU for the earlier fruit maturity (color development) compared to other concentrations. Moreover, flavonoid, fructose, inverted sugar, total phenol and K+ were higher in 15ppm CPPU than control, 10 and 20ppm CPPU. In addition, anthocyanin was found increasing trend while developing the fruit maturity represented by color development. In Expt.2, chlorophyll was higher in 15ppm CPPU than control, 6, 18ppm NAA. Furthermore, flavonoid, fructose, inverted sugar, total phenol and K+ content were higher in 12ppm NAA than control, 6 and 18ppm NAA. Besides, the maximum anthocyanin was found in 12ppm NAA. Finally it seemed that 15ppm CPPU and 12ppm NAA were the best concentration for fruit growth and biochemical contents development in wax apple

The impact of PEG-induced drought stress on seed germination and seedling growth of different bread wheat genotypes

Wheat is an important crop, used as staple food in numerous countries around the world. However, wheat productivity is low in the developing world due to several biotic and abiotic stresses, particularly drought stress. Non-availability of drought-tolerant wheat genotypes at different growth stages is the major constraint in improving wheat productivity in the developing world. Therefore, screening/developing drought-tolerant genotypes at different growth stages could improve the productivity of wheat. This study assessed seed germination and seedling growth of eight wheat genotypes under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced stress. Two PEG-induced osmotic potentials (i.e., -0.6 and -1.2 MPa) were included in the study along with control (0 MPa). Wheat genotypes included in the study were ‘KLR-16’, ‘B6’, ‘J10’, ‘716’, ‘A12’, ‘Seher’, ‘KTDH-16’, and ‘J4’. Data relating to seed germination percentage, root and shoot length, fresh and dry weight of roots and shoot, root/shoot length ratio and chlorophyll content were recorded. The studied parameters were significantly altered by individual and interactive effects of genotypes and PEG-induced osmotic potentials. Seed germination and growth parameters were reduced by osmotic potentials; however, huge differences were noted among genotypes. A reduction of 32.83 to 53.50% was recorded in seed germination, 24.611 to 47.75% in root length, 37.83 to 53.72% in shoot length, and 53.35 to 65.16% in root fresh weight. The genotypes, ‘J4’, ‘KLR-16’ and ‘KTDH-16’, particularly ‘J4’ better tolerated increasing osmotic potentials compared to the rest of the genotypes included in the study. Principal component analysis segregated these genotypes from the rest of the genotypes included in the study indicated that these can be used in the future studies to improve the drought tolerance of wheat crop. The genotype ‘J4’ can be used as a breeding material to develop drought resistant wheat genotypes

The Effect of a Grammatical Educational Program Based on Contemporary Standards of Curricula in Developing Grammatical Structures Among Students of the Department of Arabic Language at Aal Al- Bayt University أثر برنامج تعليمي نحوي قائم على المعايير المعاصرة للمناهج في تنمية التراكيب النحويّة لدى طلبة قسم اللغة العربيّة في جامعة آل البيت

Abstract: This study aimed at exploring the effect of a grammatical educational program based on contemporary standards of the curricula in developing grammatical structures among students of the department of Arabic language at aal al- Bayt University. To achieve this aim, the educational program has been prepared and a test of grammatical structures. The study group members were students enrolled in the Arabic grammar course (2), all of whom were included in one division chosen intentionally. They studied for nine weeks according to the educational program, and the grammer test was applied to them before and after the experiment. After analyzing the data, the results showed that there were significant differences between the performances of the study group in the pre and post applications of the study test, in favor of the post application, it is attributed to the effect of the grammar educational program. The results did not show significant differences in grammatical structures due to sex variable. In light of these results, the study presented some recommendations and suggestions. ملخص: هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى الكشف عن أثر برنامج تعليمي نحوي قائم على المعايير المعاصرة للمناهج في تنمية التراكيب النحويّة لدى طلبة قسم اللغة العربيّة في جامعة آل البيت. ولتحقيق هذا الهدف, أُعدّ البرنامج التعليمي, واختبار في التراكيب النحويّة. تكوّن أفراد مجموعة الدراسة من الطلبة المسجّلين في مساق النحو العربي (2) جميعهم , وقد كانوا مدرجين في شعبة واحدة اختيرت قصديّاً, وقد درسوا مدّة تسعة أسابيع وفق البرنامج التعليمي, وطُبّق اختبار التراكيب النحويّة عليهم قبل التجربة وبعدها. وبعد تحليل البيانات, أظهرت النتائج وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائيّة بين أداء أفراد مجموعة الدّراسة في التطبيقين القبلي والبعدي لاختبار الدّراسة, ولصالح التطبيق البعدي, تُعزى إلى أثر البرنامج التعليمي النحوي. ولم تظهر النتائج فروقًا دالّة إحصائيّاً في التراكيب النحوية تعزى إلى الجنس. وفي ضوء هذه النتائج, قدّمت الدراسة بعض التوصيات والمقترحات

A Review of Impact of Accounting and Management Information Systems on the Performance of Organizations: Empirical study at Iraqi port

In this study, we discuss the impact of the use of accounting and management information systems on the performance of enterprises. This study was applied in Iraqi ports. The study involved shareholders, program management, knowledge management, internal control, procedures, competition, efficiency, constraints, management and planning. This study plays a major role in the performance of Iraqi ports and the executive authority inside the port and how to do work in the use of accounting and management information systems. For staff working in Iraqi ports, based on the analysis of the results, we found that the use of accounting and management information systems significantly affects the work of the port in Iraq as described in this paper.</jats:p

Gibberellic acid reverses glucose-inhibited photosynthesis and growth via reduced glutathione and hormonal crosstalk in chromium-treated mustard

Chromium (Cr) contamination jeopardizes agricultural productivity by impairing photosynthesis and growth in plants. This study investigates the potential of gibberellic acid (GA) in mitigating the adverse effects of Cr exposure in mustard (Brassica juncea L.) plants and elucidates the underlying mechanism involved. Mustard plants were treated with 100 µM Cr to induce stress, followed by individual and combined foliar applications of 10 µM GA and 6 % glucose (Glu) to assess their effects on photosynthesis, growth, oxidative stress and hormonal regulation. Photosynthesis and growth of Cr-treated plants were inhibited, partially due to Glu accumulation. GA application enhanced Glu utilization, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and optimized ethylene and nitric oxide (NO) levels. The optimized ethylene and NO signaled increased proline, GSH and antioxidant enzyme activity, thus promoting photosynthesis and growth under Cr stress. This study highlights the role of GA with Glu in counteracting Cr toxicity through complex hormonal interactions, emphasizing its potential as a phytoremediation strategy to improve the growth and productivity of crops in Cr-contaminated soils. The mechanisms underlying GA-mediated stress alleviation could pave the way for developing targeted approaches to enhance plant resilience against heavy metal stress

Screening and Estimation of Bioactive Compounds of Azanza garckeana (Jakjak) Fruit Using GC-MS, UV–Visible Spectroscopy, and HPLC Analysis

Azanza garckeana (F. Hoffm). Exell and Hillc. is an important food and medicinal plant that has been used in tropical Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the nutritional value of jakjak fruit using different analytical techniques. The obtained results have demonstrated that jakjak fruit is very rich in total soluble sugar, constituting about 48% of the dry weight. Moreover, the chromatographic analysis revealed that jakjak fruit contained a high amount of glucose, fructose, maltose, and ascorbic acid. Further, GC-MS analysis detected four compounds related to secondary metabolites. Some of these detected constituents have medicinal value. For example, phenol, 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl) has been reported to have many functions such as antioxidant activity, anticancer, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Furthermore, the antioxidant potential of different concentrations of deionized water and methanolic extracts was estimated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The results showed that the scavenging activity of the DPPH radical was found to be raised with increasing concentrations of fruit extracts. The concentration (50%) of both methanol and deionized water gave the best inhibition percentage (91.7 and 84.4%), respectively. In contrast, the methanolic extract has shown significant results compared to deionized water. This study concluded that jakjak fruit is very rich in total soluble sugar and phenolic compounds, which can be used as a source of polysaccharides and antioxidants for the human diet as well as raw materials for downstream industries.</jats:p