A new isoflavane-4-ol derivative from <i>Melilotus officinalis</i> (L.) Pall.

<p>A new isoflavane derivative, melilofficinaside together with seven other metabolites including coumarin, uridine, methyl-<i>α</i>-d-fructofuranoside, and flavonoid glucosides were isolated from the aerial parts of <i>Melilotus officinalis</i> (L.) Pall.</p

Sodium exclusion is a reliable trait for the improvement of salinity tolerance in bread wheat

<p>Identification of novel wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) germplasm is imperative to develop salt tolerant varieties. In the first phase, 400 accessions were screened against high salt stress (200 mM NaCl) on the basis of Na⁺ accumulation in leaf blade, and 40 genotypes with contrast reaction to salinity were selected. Salt tolerant group (25 genotypes) had higher leaf K⁺/Na⁺ ratio, maximum root and shoot lengths, leaf fresh/dry weights and chlorophyll content as compared to the salt sensitive group (15 genotypes). In second phase, physiologically based screening was performed on selected genotypes against varying salinity levels (0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl). GGE biplot analysis indicates that genotypes TURACO, V-03094, V0005, V-04178, Kharchia 65 and V-05121 were the most salt-tolerant and declared winners as depicted by more gaseous exchange relations and growth potential which was strongly correlated with proper Na⁺, K⁺ discrimination in leaf and root tissues. Genotypes PBW343*2, NING MAI 50, PGO, PFAU, V-04181, PUNJAB 85, KIRITATI, TAM200/TUI and TAM200 were poor performer due to more Na⁺ accumulation in leaf ultimately retarded growth. In conclusion, low Na⁺ accumulation in leaf can be used as the best screening criteria, employing a large set of genotypes in a breeding program.</p

Enhancing performance of movie recommendations using LSTM with meta path analysis

Movie recommendation algorithms play an important role in assisting consumers in identifying films that match their likes. Deep Learning, particularly Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, has shown substantial promise in collecting sequential patterns to improve movie recommendations among the different techniques used for this purpose. Long Short-Term Memory-Inter Intra-metapath Aggregation (LSTM-IIMA) in movie recommendation systems is proposed in this study, with a specific focus on incorporating intra and inter-metapath analysis. The intra-metapath analysis investigates interactions within a single metapath, whereas the inter-metapath analysis investigates links between numerous metapaths. Intra and inter-metapath analyses are used in the LSTM-based movie recommendation system LSTM-IIMA to capitalise on these rich linkages. Each metapath sequence records the dependencies of a user’s interactions with films and other things. The LSTM architecture has been modified to handle these metapath sequences, processing them to record temporal dependencies and entity interactions. To optimize the parameters and minimize prediction errors, the model is trained using supervised learning techniques. To measure the quality and usefulness of the recommendations, the LSTM-IIMA evaluation incorporates metrics such as precision, recall, ablation analysis, time efficiency and Area Under the Curve (AUC). The performance of the system is compared to that of alternative recommendation techniques HAN and MAGNN. Overall, incorporating intra and inter-metapath analysis into the LSTM-IIMA improves its ability to capture complex linkages and dependencies between movies, users, and other things.</p

Delay optimization in LoRaWAN by employing adaptive scheduling algorithm with unsupervised learning

Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies have been exponentially growing because of the tremendous growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices across the globe. Several LPWAN technologies have been utilized by the researchers to address certain issues like increased number of collisions, retransmissions, delay, and energy consumption. However, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is the most suitable and attractive technology in terms of delay optimization, low cost and efficient energy consumption. The main issue which arises in LoRaWAN is because of its high packet drop rate due to collision. The reason behind this packet drop rate is the MAC scheme known as Pure Aloha used by LoRaWAN for the transmission of the frames. Long Range (LoRa) End Devices (EDs) initiate communication with Pure Aloha that leads to a high number of retransmissions. These retransmissions further enhance the delay in LoRa networks. This paper aims to optimize the delay in LoRaWAN by using an Adaptive Scheduling Algorithm (ASA) with an unsupervised probabilistic approach called Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). By using ASA with GMM, the retransmissions are reduced which optimizes the delay in LoRaWAN. The results show that in our approach, Packet Collision Rate (PCR) is reduced by 39% as compared to conventional LoRaWAN. In addition, the Packet Success Ratio (PSR) is also increased by 39% as compared to the conventional LoRaWAN and Dynamic Priority Scheduling Technique (PST). Further, the delay is optimized by 91% and 79%. This research could be effective for the environments where the critical data of patients need to be sent with optimised retransmissions and minimum delay towards gateways.</p

Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Four Salvia Essential Oils and Individual Compounds against Two Species of Mosquitoes

The chemical compositions of essential oils obtained from four species of genus <i>Salvia</i> were analyzed by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main compounds identified from <i>Salvia</i> species essential oils were as follows: 1,8-cineole (71.7%), α-pinene (5.1%), camphor (4.4%), and β-pinene (3.8%) in Salvia apiana; borneol (17.4%), β-eudesmol (10.4%), bornyl acetate (5%), and guaiol (4.8%) in Salvia elegans; bornyl acetate (11.4%), β-caryophyllene (6.5%), caryophyllene oxide (13.5%), and spathulenol (7.0%) in Salvia leucantha; α-thujene (25.8%), viridiflorol (20.4%), β-thujene (5.7%), and camphor (6.4%) in Salvia officinalis. In biting-deterrent bioassays, essential oils of <i>S. leucantha</i> and <i>S. elegans</i> at 10 μg/cm² showed activity similar to that of DEET (97%, <i>N</i>, <i>N</i>-diethyl-<i>m</i>-toluamide) in two species of mosquitoes, whereas the activities of <i>S. officinalis</i> and <i>S. apiana</i> essential oils were lower than those of the other oils or DEET. Pure compounds β-eudesmol and guaiol showed biting-deterrent activity similar to DEET at 25 nmol/cm², whereas the activity of 13-<i>epi</i>-manool, caryophyllene oxide, borneol, bornyl acetate, and β-caryophyllene was significantly lower than that of β-eudesmol, guaiol, or DEET. All essential oils showed larvicidal activity except that of <i>S. apiana</i>, which was inactive at the highest dose of 125 ppm against both mosquito species. On the basis of 95% CIs, all of the essential oils showed higher toxicity in Anopheles quadrimaculatus than in Aedes aegypti. The essential oil of <i>S. leucantha</i> with an LC₅₀ value of 6.2 ppm showed highest toxicity in <i>An. quadrimaculatus</i>

Toxins in Botanical Dietary Supplements: Blue Cohosh Components Disrupt Cellular Respiration and Mitochondrial Membrane Potential

Certain botanical dietary supplements have been associated with idiosyncratic organ-specific toxicity. Similar toxicological events, caused by drug-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, have forced the withdrawal or U.S. FDA “black box” warnings of major pharmaceuticals. To assess the potential mitochondrial liability of botanical dietary supplements, extracts from 352 authenticated plant samples used in traditional Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Western herbal medicine were evaluated for the ability to disrupt cellular respiration. Blue cohosh (<i>Caulophyllum thalictroides</i>) methanol extract exhibited mitochondriotoxic activity. Used by some U.S. midwives to help induce labor, blue cohosh has been associated with perinatal stroke, acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, multiple organ injury, and neonatal shock. The potential link between mitochondrial disruption and idiosyncratic herbal intoxication prompted further examination. The <i>C. thalictroides</i> methanol extract and three saponins, cauloside A (<b>1</b>), saponin PE (<b>2</b>), and cauloside C (<b>3</b>), exhibited concentration- and time-dependent mitochondriotoxic activities. Upon treatment, cell respiration rate rapidly increased and then dramatically decreased within minutes. Mechanistic studies revealed that <i>C. thalictroides</i> constituents impair mitochondrial function by disrupting membrane integrity. These studies provide a potential etiological link between this mitochondria-sensitive form of cytotoxicity and idiosyncratic organ damage

Proteoform-Specific Protein Binding of Small Molecules in Complex Matrices

Characterizing the specific binding between protein targets and small molecules is critically important for drug discovery. Conventional assays require isolation and purification of small molecules from complex matrices through multistep chromatographic fractionation, which may alter their original bioactivity. Most proteins undergo posttranslational modification, and only certain proteoforms have the right conformation with accessible domains and available residues for small molecule binding. We developed a top-down mass spectrometry (MS) centric workflow for rapid evaluation of the bioactivity of crude botanical extracts after a one-step reaction. Our assay distinguished covalent from noncovalent binding and mapped the residue for covalent binding between bioactive constituents and specific proteoforms of the target protein. We augmented our approach with a nanoflow liquid chromatography-selected reaction monitoring (SRM)-MS assay for simultaneous identification and label-free multiplex quantitation of small molecules in the crude botanical extracts. Our assay was validated for various proteoforms of human serum albumin, which plays a key role in pharmacokinetics of small molecules <i>in vivo</i>. We demonstrated the utility of our proteoform-specific assay for evaluating thymoquinone in crude botanical extracts, studying its pharmacokinetics in human blood, and interpreting its toxicity to human breast cancer cells in tissue culture

Table_2_GmWRKY49, a Salt-Responsive Nuclear Protein, Improved Root Length and Governed Better Salinity Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis.XLSX

<p>Plant WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are active guardians against pathogens’ insurgency, key components in developmental processes, contributors in signal transduction pathways, and regulators of diverse biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this research, we isolated, cloned, and functionally characterized a new WRKY TF GmWRKY49 from soybean. GmWRKY49 is a nuclear protein which contains two highly conserved WRKY domains and a C₂H₂-type zinc-finger structure. The normalized expression (log₂ ratio) of GmWRKY49 was 2.75- and 1.90-fold in salt-tolerant and salt-susceptible soybean genotypes, respectively. The transcripts of GmWRKY49 could be detected in roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and almost no expression in pod tissues. The salinity-tolerance response of this gene was studied through overexpression in soybean composite seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis. The effect of GmWRKY49 overexpression on root length of transgenic Arabidopsis was also investigated. Under salt stress, several parameters including germination rate, survival rate, root length, rosette diameter, relative electrolyte leakage, and proline content were significantly higher in composite seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis than those in wild-type. Moreover, GmWRKY49 enhanced salinity tolerance in soybean mosaic seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis. These results suggest that GmWRKY49 is a positive regulator of salinity tolerance in soybean and has high potential utilization for crop improvement.</p

Image_1_GmWRKY49, a Salt-Responsive Nuclear Protein, Improved Root Length and Governed Better Salinity Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis.PDF

<p>Plant WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are active guardians against pathogens’ insurgency, key components in developmental processes, contributors in signal transduction pathways, and regulators of diverse biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this research, we isolated, cloned, and functionally characterized a new WRKY TF GmWRKY49 from soybean. GmWRKY49 is a nuclear protein which contains two highly conserved WRKY domains and a C₂H₂-type zinc-finger structure. The normalized expression (log₂ ratio) of GmWRKY49 was 2.75- and 1.90-fold in salt-tolerant and salt-susceptible soybean genotypes, respectively. The transcripts of GmWRKY49 could be detected in roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and almost no expression in pod tissues. The salinity-tolerance response of this gene was studied through overexpression in soybean composite seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis. The effect of GmWRKY49 overexpression on root length of transgenic Arabidopsis was also investigated. Under salt stress, several parameters including germination rate, survival rate, root length, rosette diameter, relative electrolyte leakage, and proline content were significantly higher in composite seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis than those in wild-type. Moreover, GmWRKY49 enhanced salinity tolerance in soybean mosaic seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis. These results suggest that GmWRKY49 is a positive regulator of salinity tolerance in soybean and has high potential utilization for crop improvement.</p

Table_1_GmWRKY49, a Salt-Responsive Nuclear Protein, Improved Root Length and Governed Better Salinity Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis.XLSX

<p>Plant WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are active guardians against pathogens’ insurgency, key components in developmental processes, contributors in signal transduction pathways, and regulators of diverse biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this research, we isolated, cloned, and functionally characterized a new WRKY TF GmWRKY49 from soybean. GmWRKY49 is a nuclear protein which contains two highly conserved WRKY domains and a C₂H₂-type zinc-finger structure. The normalized expression (log₂ ratio) of GmWRKY49 was 2.75- and 1.90-fold in salt-tolerant and salt-susceptible soybean genotypes, respectively. The transcripts of GmWRKY49 could be detected in roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and almost no expression in pod tissues. The salinity-tolerance response of this gene was studied through overexpression in soybean composite seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis. The effect of GmWRKY49 overexpression on root length of transgenic Arabidopsis was also investigated. Under salt stress, several parameters including germination rate, survival rate, root length, rosette diameter, relative electrolyte leakage, and proline content were significantly higher in composite seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis than those in wild-type. Moreover, GmWRKY49 enhanced salinity tolerance in soybean mosaic seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis. These results suggest that GmWRKY49 is a positive regulator of salinity tolerance in soybean and has high potential utilization for crop improvement.</p