Nature-inspired Algorithms as a Part of the Biomimetic Architecture: A Brief Discussion

Biomimetic architecture is mainly derived from biological phenomena. It is a significant method to solve architectural design and engineering problems. Biomimicry aims to mimic biological concepts and behaviors and apply them in buildings. Biomimetic architecture methods are presently classified into three levels: the organism level, the organism behavior, and the ecosystem level. This paper contributes to conceptualizing a novel approach that leverages the capabilities of biomimetic architecture. The proposed architectural method is composed of two main modules: direct and indirect mimication. This novel method is elaborated through the thematic analysis method by a brief discussion. This research's main finding is the novel biomimetic architecture method

Fruit and seed morphology in Galium L. (Rubiaceae) and its importance for taxonomic identification

Fruit (mericarp) and seed morphology of 11 species and two subspecies of Galium were examined with light microscope and scanning electron microscope. Macro-and micro- morphological characters, including fruit and seed shape, colour, size, surface, epidermal cell shape, anticlinal boundaries, outer periclinal cell wall and relief of outer cell walls, are presented. Four different types ofmericarp surface are described. Three types of anticlinal cell wall boundaries of seed are recognized and three different shapes of outer periclinal cell wall are described. The secondary sculpture of the cell wall varies from micro-papillate to micro-reticulate, and smooth to fine- or coarse-folded. The fruit and seed characteristics could be used for taxonomic identification

Ethylene responsive transcription factor ERF109 retards PCD and improves salt tolerance in plant

Semi-quantitative RT-PCR for tobacco VIGS lines of 13 knocked down TFs induced 2 h post oxalic acid treatment (20 mM) as compared to their WT and VIGS line with empty pTRV2 (V2) plants. Amplicon sizes of different genes and primers used are shown in Additional file 5: Table S3. The Nbactin gene was used as the house-keeping control. Gene codes refer to those indicated in Additional file 3: Table S2. (DOCX 684 kb

Analysis of transcriptional response to heat stress in Rhazya stricta

Clusters of assembled transcripts of R. stricta SRA in mature leaves (A5-L8) at different time points of the day (A, morning; F-H, midday & L, dusk). Grey lines indicate expression patterns of individual transcripts in a given cluster. Blue lines indicate overall expression pattern across different transcripts of a given cluster. (PDF 397 kb

Metabolomic Response of Calotropis procera Growing in the Desert to Changes in Water Availability

Water availability is a major limitation for agricultural productivity. Plants growing in severe arid climates such as deserts provide tools for studying plant growth and performance under extreme drought conditions. The perennial species Calotropis procera used in this study is a shrub growing in many arid areas which has an exceptional ability to adapt and be productive in severe arid conditions. We describe the results of studying the metabolomic response of wild C procera plants growing in the desert to a one time water supply. Leaves of C. procera plants were taken at three time points before and 1 hour, 6 hours and 12 hours after watering and subjected to a metabolomics and lipidomics analysis. Analysis of the data reveals that within one hour after watering C. procera has already responded on the metabolic level to the sudden water availability as evidenced by major changes such as increased levels of most amino acids, a decrease in sucrose, raffinose and maltitol, a decrease in storage lipids (triacylglycerols) and an increase in membrane lipids including photosynthetic membranes. These changes still prevail at the 6 hour time point after watering however 12 hours after watering the metabolomics data are essentially indistinguishable from the prewatering state thus demonstrating not only a rapid response to water availability but also a rapid response to loss of water. Taken together these data suggest that the ability of C. procera to survive under the very harsh drought conditions prevailing in the desert might be associated with its rapid adjustments to water availability and losses

Storage Cell Tests for the Polarized Target at LHCb/CERN

The gas injection system, referred to as the System for Measuring Overlap With Gas(SMOG2), used in the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment at CERN,employs storage cells to provide gas targets for collision experiments. In the next stageof development, the LHCSpin project aims to establish a polarized atomic hydrogen gastarget through the utilization of an amorphous carbon-coated storage cell.At the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Jülich research center, an atomic beam sourcecapable of generating a polarized atomic hydrogen beam was available, along with aLamb-shift polarimeter capable of measuring the nuclear polarization of hydrogen atomsand molecules. These resources facilitated an in-depth exploration of the propertiesof such a storage cell, with a specific focus on assessing the recombination rate ofpolarized atoms and the polarization preservation on carbon surfaces. Additionally, anovel beam chopper design was introduced to investigate the impact of the Lyman-αradiation induced desorption recombination process.Results of mass spectrometry measurements, conducted using a Wien filter in combinationwith a Faraday cup, confirmed the absence of a dominant superficial water layer andrevealed the beam chopper’s limitations in effectively reducing atomic beam and photonintensity. Utilizing transition units alongside a spin filter, polarization measurementsfor atomic hydrogen showed a recombination rate ranging from 95.8% to 100% and amaximum vector polarization of −0.606 ± 0.002. In the case of molecular hydrogen,measurements indicated a maximum polarization of −0.54±0.01. The observed characteristicsalign with fit parameters derived from a mathematical model describing the lossof polarization due to surface interactions.These findings emphasize the feasibility of employing carbon-coated storage cells aswater-repellent, polarized molecular gas targets in accelerator experiments. Leveragingthe high-energy ion beam delivered by the Large Hadron Collider creates possibilitiesfor conducting spin physics experiments that were previously beyond reach

Mixed rearing correlates with the existence of Trichophyton verrucosum pathogens in humans

Background/Objective: Trichophyton verrucosum is a serious zoophilic dermatophyte causing dermatophytic infections and skin lesions in humans and animals. Raising small ruminants beside cattle is a common practice in rural areas of Egypt. Therefore, the current study emphasizes the risk of T. verrucosum spreading through backyard farming, recognizing the interconnectedness of ruminants and humans. Methods: A total of 478 cattle, 215 sheep, 186 goats, and 250 human contacts were investigated for the presence of skin lesions, and then the lesions were sampled. All samples were examined by fungal cultures using Sabouraud dextrose agar. Results: The highest rate of T. verrucosum isolates was recorded in cattle that grew up along with sheep and goats (14.5%), whereas the lowest rate was observed in cattle reared as a single species (6.6%), with a significant difference of p = 0.04, odds ratio = 2.42 at a 95% confidence interval: 1.03–5.65. In addition, there was a borderline significant difference of p = 0.05 between the presence of T. verrucosum pathogens in humans in contact with combined species of cattle, sheep, and goats (13.8%) and those in humans in contact with cattle only (3.3%); the odds ratio was 4.66 at a 95% confidence interval: 1.00–22.53. Moreover, the highest rate of T. verrucosum isolates in cattle was recorded in young cattle (calves). Tinea barbae was found in 11 human cases, while tinea corporis was determined in seven cases. Conclusion: Rearing different species of small ruminants with cattle supports the spread of T. verrucosum pathogens. Tinea barbae caused by T. verrucosum was predominant in the examined humans

Antimycotoxigenic Activity of Beetroot Extracts against Alternaria alternata Mycotoxins on Potato Crop

Alternaria species, mainly air-borne fungi, affect potato plants, causing black spots symptoms. Morphological identification, pathogenicity assessment, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) molecular identification confirmed that all isolates were Alternaria alternata. The annotated sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers MN592771–MN592777. HPLC analysis revealed that the fungal isolates KH3 (133,200 ng/g) and NO3 (212,000 ng/g) produced higher levels of tenuazonic acid (TeA) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), respectively. Beet ethanol extract (BEE) and beet methanol extract (BME) at different concentrations were used as antimycotoxins. BME decreased the production of mycotoxins by 66.99–99.79%. The highest TeA reduction rate (99.39%) was reported in the KH3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BME treatment. In comparison, the most effective AME reduction rate (99.79%) was shown in the NO3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BME treatment. In the same way, BEE application resulted in 95.60–99.91% mycotoxin reduction. The highest TeA reduction rate (99.91%) was reported in the KH3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BEE treatment, while the greatest AME reduction rate (99.68%) was shown in the Alam1 isolate with 75 µg/mL BEE treatment. GC-MS analysis showed that the main constituent in BME was the antioxidant compound 1-dodecanamine, n,n-dimethyl with a peak area of 43.75%. In contrast, oxirane, methyl- (23.22%); hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (10.72%); and n-hexadecanoic acid (7.32%) were the main components in BEE found by GC-MS. They are probably antimicrobial molecules and have an effect on the mycotoxin in general. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the antimycotoxigenic activity of beet extracts against A. alternata mycotoxins-contaminated potato crops in Egypt, aimed to manage and save the environment