The agricultural sector is notably affected by climate change,especially soybeans,which may face diminished yields because of severe water shortages.The evaluation of germplasm at morphological and molecular levels is...The agricultural sector is notably affected by climate change,especially soybeans,which may face diminished yields because of severe water shortages.The evaluation of germplasm at morphological and molecular levels is an important pre-breeding step for crop improvement.This study employed 10 simple sequence repeat(SSR)markers to examine 60 soybean genotypes in the quest for drought-resistant lines during 2022–23.The results of the screening experiment(PEG-6000)revealed that the soybean genotypes SPS13,SPS195,PGRB83,and 39982 exhibited significant correlations in growth parameters.The results of molecular characterization indicated that five out of ten molecular markers,specifically Satt373,Satt454,Satt471,Satt478,and Satt581,exhibited distinct banding patterns along with elevated levels of genetic diversity and heterozygosity.The phylogenetic analysis findings indicated that soybean genotypes were categorized into many clusters,with at least six genotypes located in cluster 5 and the most seventeen genotypes in cluster 7.The results obtained from principal component analysis indicated that PC1 explained up to 44.7%of the variance,while PC2 accounted for 17.3%.The results of the heatmap indicated that PGBR83 exhibited the highest expression in plant height,GP39982 and SPS109 in chlorophyll content,GP39982 in proline accumulation,and SPS2,GP40025,SPS69,and GP40174 in protein content,number of pods per plant,and yield per plant,whereas GP40116 and PGRA83 demonstrated consistently low expression.The results of biochemical analysis indicated that the soybean genotypes SPS13,PGRA83,SPS176,40158,SPS162,SPS195,SPS175,SPS109,and SPS80 were identified as superior sources of protein and oil content,along with genotypes such as PGRB55,SPS177,40116,and 40111,which exhibited a significant increase under drought stress conditions.The findings of this research provide complete information derived from molecular approaches on soybean genotypes,which might assist breeders in selecting parental lines to generate drought-tolerant soybean cultivars in the future.展开更多
Stainless steel(SS)grade 316L is used for orthopedic implants due to its biocompatibility;yet the effort should be done to minimize the carcinogenic and inflammatory effects related to SS 316L implants.In this researc...Stainless steel(SS)grade 316L is used for orthopedic implants due to its biocompatibility;yet the effort should be done to minimize the carcinogenic and inflammatory effects related to SS 316L implants.In this research,aluminide coating of Al–Si alloy on SS 316L is characterized by using optical microscopy,energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS),nano-indentation and corrosion testing technique.Hot dip aluminizing process is used to coat the SS 316L specimens at 765°C for 2 min immersion time.Half of the specimens are also diffusion treated in a Muffle furnace at 550°C for 4 h to produce diffused specimens of SS 316L.Microstructural examination shows the formation of flat coating/substrate interface due to Si addition.EDS analysis confirms the formation of complex intermetallic at the coating/substrate interface which finally results in increasing the hardness and corrosion resistance properties of coating.展开更多
MXenes have emerged as versatile 2D materials that are already gaining paramount attention in the areas of energy,catalyst,electromagnetic shielding,and sensors.The unique surface chemistry,graphene-like mo rphology,h...MXenes have emerged as versatile 2D materials that are already gaining paramount attention in the areas of energy,catalyst,electromagnetic shielding,and sensors.The unique surface chemistry,graphene-like mo rphology,high hydrophilicity,metal-like conductivity with redox capability identifies MXenes,as an ideal material for surface-related applications.This short review summarizes the most recent reports that discuss the potential application of MXenes and their hybrids as a transducer material for advanced sensors.Based on the nature of transducing signals,the discussion is categorized into three sections,which include electrochemical(bio)sensors,gas sensors,and finally,electro-chemiluminescence&fluorescent sensors.The review provides a concise summary of all the analytical merits obtained subsequent to the use of MXenes,followed by endeavors that have been made to accentuate the future perspective of MXenes in sensor devices.展开更多
The Editor-in-Chief has retracted this article [1] because Figures 11 and 12 appear to be identical with Figures 3 and 4respectively from a previously published article [2].Sehrish MUKHTAR,Waqas ASGHAR,Zubair BUTT,Zah...The Editor-in-Chief has retracted this article [1] because Figures 11 and 12 appear to be identical with Figures 3 and 4respectively from a previously published article [2].Sehrish MUKHTAR,Waqas ASGHAR,Zubair BUTT,Zaheer ABBAS,Mudaser ULLAH and Rana ATTA-UR-REHMAN did not respond to correspondence about this retraction.展开更多
Drought is one of the major abiotic threat to rice production in the context of climate change.Super Basmati is an elite,fine grain basmati rice variety grown in Punjab,Pakistan.Due to drought sensitive in nature,its ...Drought is one of the major abiotic threat to rice production in the context of climate change.Super Basmati is an elite,fine grain basmati rice variety grown in Punjab,Pakistan.Due to drought sensitive in nature,its yield has been facing an alarming situation in production because of gradual decrease in irrigated water for a couple of years.Three reported novel QTLs for drought tolerance were selected for incorporation into Super Basmati by employing marker assisted selection strategy.IR55419-04 with novel QTLs was used as a donor parent.Foreground selection was performed by applying PCR based QTL linked SSR markers followed by recombinant selection by using 2-4 flanking markers.Background selection was exercised by using polymorphic SSR markers for maximum genome recovery of the Super Basmati.The individuals homozygous at the target QTLs and with maximum background of Super Basmati at the rest of the non-target genome was selected for evaluation of drought tolerance.Under drought stress conditions,the yields of all introgressed lines(ILs)were 44.2%-125.7%higher than recurrent parent.Six superior ILs that are drought tolerant and very similar to Super Basmati in terms of agronomic and grain quality traits are marked for release as drought-tolerant varieties in arid regions or for use in breeding programs of high grain quality and drought-tolerant parents.展开更多
This study deals with the stagnation point flow of ferrofluid over a flat plate with non-linear slip boundary condition in the presence of homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions.Three kinds of ferroparticles,namely,magne...This study deals with the stagnation point flow of ferrofluid over a flat plate with non-linear slip boundary condition in the presence of homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions.Three kinds of ferroparticles,namely,magnetite(Fe_3O_4),cobalt ferrite(CoFe_2O_4) and manganese zinc ferrite(Mn-ZnFe_2O_4) are taken into account with water and kerosene as conventional base fluids.The developed model of homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions in boundary layer flow with equal and unequal diffusivities for reactant and autocatalysis is considered.The governing partial differential equations are converted into system of non-linear ordinary differential equations by mean of similarity transformations.These ordinary differential equations are integrated numerically using shooting method.The effects of pertinent parameters on velocity and concentration profiles are presented graphically and discussed.We found that in the presence of Fe_3O_4-kerosene and CoFe_2O_4-kerosene,velocity profiles increase for large values of α and β whereas there is a decrement in concentration profiles with increasing values of if and K_s.Furthermore,the comparison between non-magnetic(A1_2O_3) and magnetic Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles is given in tabular form.展开更多
The main theme of the current article is to investigate the heat transfer in the pulsatile flow of an electrically conducting viscous fluid in a constricted channel under the effect of the magnetic field and thermal r...The main theme of the current article is to investigate the heat transfer in the pulsatile flow of an electrically conducting viscous fluid in a constricted channel under the effect of the magnetic field and thermal radiation.The unsteady governing equations simplified for low conducting fluids are solved numerically by finite difference method using stream-vorticity function formulation.The influence of the flow parameters such as the Hartmann number(magnetic parameter),Strouhal number(flow pulsation parameter),Prandtl number,and radiation parameter is studied on the relevant flow profiles.The influence of different emerging parameters on the skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number are examined,as well.In general,the profiles are observed to exhibit a relatively more regular pattern upstream of the construction than that downstream of the constriction.展开更多
A theoretical numerical communication is demonstrated to analyze the impact of Arrhenius activation energy and melting phenomena on chemically reactive Falkner-Skan flow of cross nanofluid over a moving wedge with vis...A theoretical numerical communication is demonstrated to analyze the impact of Arrhenius activation energy and melting phenomena on chemically reactive Falkner-Skan flow of cross nanofluid over a moving wedge with viscous dissipation and nonlinear radiation impacts.The basic partial differential equations for nanoparticle concentration,energy,momentum and mass conservation are reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential equations with the help of appropriate transforming variables and then solved numerically via bvp4c Matlab solver.It is interesting to notice that nanoparticle concentration and concentration boundary layer thickness are uplifted for enhancing values of activation energy parameter.Additionally,magnitude of heat transfer rate is a growing function of the Eckert number.展开更多
Mulberry-derived postbiotics(MDP)have been scientifically proven to possess beneficial properties for human health,making them potential nutraceuticals.This study aims to enhance the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ...Mulberry-derived postbiotics(MDP)have been scientifically proven to possess beneficial properties for human health,making them potential nutraceuticals.This study aims to enhance the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of MDP via submerged fermentation with Bacillus subtilis H4(H4)and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens LFB112(LFB112)bacterial strains.Our results demonstrated compelling evidence that the combination of two strains with the optimized time(24 h),inoculum size(8%),and substrate size(10%)significantly increased the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)scavenging activities.When compared to the non-fermented mulberry(NFM),the MDP with the above-optimized conditions showed substantially higher antioxidant activities such as DPPH,2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylebenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS),hydroxyl scavenging activities,and reducing power capabilities.Moreover,the MDP showed a significant decrease in the lipopolysaccharides(LPS)-induced reactive oxygen species(ROS)generated in RAW264.7 cells.The antibacterial assays such as minimum inhibitory concentrations(MICs)and minimum bactericidal concentrations(MBCs)showed that MDP possesses antibacterial activity against various pathogenic bacterial strains with the lowest MIC recorded as 32.5 mg/ml against S.pullorum CVCC519,while the highest MIC observed was 40 mg/ml against P.aeruginosa.The lowest and highest MBCs observed were 40 and 55 mg/ml against S.aureus ATCC43300 and S.pullorum CVCC519 respectively.Furthermore,the MDP showed good ant-inflammatory activities by significantly reducing the nitric oxide(NO)concentration(p<0.0001)and mRNA expression of the proinflammatory cytokines in response to the LPS-induced inflammation in the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line.To sum up,our findings indicate that MDP as a novel postbiotics can be utilized both as a functional food and a safe feed additive,possibly benefiting gut and metabolic health.展开更多
Postbiotics are preparations made from inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that are beneficial to host health,but the underlying specific modes of action in relieving intestinal inflammation remain poorly...Postbiotics are preparations made from inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that are beneficial to host health,but the underlying specific modes of action in relieving intestinal inflammation remain poorly understood.This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity,intestinal barrier recovery,antioxidant activity,and correction of microbial dysbiosis of PWE(postbiotics water extract),a novel postbiotics derived from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens J and Lactobacillus plantarum SN4 named PWE.In this study,C57BL/6 male mice were administered PWE by oral gavage for seven days,followed by a three-day K88 challenge to evaluate its protective effects against enteritis.Our results showed that PWE exerted an obvious protective effect on ETECchallenged enteritis mice.Specifically,PWE improved overall health status and colon length,restored jejunal and colonic villi and crypt morphology,and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration.Moreover,PWE enhanced the expression of tight junction proteins,including Occludin,and upregulated the mRNA expression of ZO-1 and Claudin,modulated apoptosis-related genes(BAX,Bcl2,and Caspase-3),and strengthened liver antioxidant capacity.Gut microbiota analysis revealed that PWE rebalanced the microbial composition through decreasing Escherichia-Shigella abundance and increasing Lactobacillaceae and Lachnospiraceae abundance that promote SCFA production.Furthermore,correlation analysis demonstrated that these increases in abundance of Lactobacillaceae were associated with reduced intestinal inflammation and improved barrier function.Abundance of Ligilactobacillus was positively correlated to anti-apoptotic effects and antioxidant properties.In conclusion,our findings highlight the modulatory effects of the postbiotics PWE in alleviating intestinal inflammation,repairing barrier dysfunction,and restoring microbial imbalance through microbiota regulation and SCFA enhancement.These results provide new insights and strategies for combating bacterial infections diarrhea and improving intestinal health.展开更多
基金funding with Ref.No.PMAS-AAUR/ORIC/2018 dated 08-03-2021 from Office of Research,Innovation and Commercilization,Pir Mahr Ali Shah Air Agriculture University,Rawalpindi,Pakistan for this study.
文摘The agricultural sector is notably affected by climate change,especially soybeans,which may face diminished yields because of severe water shortages.The evaluation of germplasm at morphological and molecular levels is an important pre-breeding step for crop improvement.This study employed 10 simple sequence repeat(SSR)markers to examine 60 soybean genotypes in the quest for drought-resistant lines during 2022–23.The results of the screening experiment(PEG-6000)revealed that the soybean genotypes SPS13,SPS195,PGRB83,and 39982 exhibited significant correlations in growth parameters.The results of molecular characterization indicated that five out of ten molecular markers,specifically Satt373,Satt454,Satt471,Satt478,and Satt581,exhibited distinct banding patterns along with elevated levels of genetic diversity and heterozygosity.The phylogenetic analysis findings indicated that soybean genotypes were categorized into many clusters,with at least six genotypes located in cluster 5 and the most seventeen genotypes in cluster 7.The results obtained from principal component analysis indicated that PC1 explained up to 44.7%of the variance,while PC2 accounted for 17.3%.The results of the heatmap indicated that PGBR83 exhibited the highest expression in plant height,GP39982 and SPS109 in chlorophyll content,GP39982 in proline accumulation,and SPS2,GP40025,SPS69,and GP40174 in protein content,number of pods per plant,and yield per plant,whereas GP40116 and PGRA83 demonstrated consistently low expression.The results of biochemical analysis indicated that the soybean genotypes SPS13,PGRA83,SPS176,40158,SPS162,SPS195,SPS175,SPS109,and SPS80 were identified as superior sources of protein and oil content,along with genotypes such as PGRB55,SPS177,40116,and 40111,which exhibited a significant increase under drought stress conditions.The findings of this research provide complete information derived from molecular approaches on soybean genotypes,which might assist breeders in selecting parental lines to generate drought-tolerant soybean cultivars in the future.
基金sponsored and funded by Metallurgy and Materials Engineering Department,College of Engineering and Emerging Technologies, University of the Punjab (grant no.PU/ASR&TD/ RG-348 dated 26-1-2012)
文摘Stainless steel(SS)grade 316L is used for orthopedic implants due to its biocompatibility;yet the effort should be done to minimize the carcinogenic and inflammatory effects related to SS 316L implants.In this research,aluminide coating of Al–Si alloy on SS 316L is characterized by using optical microscopy,energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS),nano-indentation and corrosion testing technique.Hot dip aluminizing process is used to coat the SS 316L specimens at 765°C for 2 min immersion time.Half of the specimens are also diffusion treated in a Muffle furnace at 550°C for 4 h to produce diffused specimens of SS 316L.Microstructural examination shows the formation of flat coating/substrate interface due to Si addition.EDS analysis confirms the formation of complex intermetallic at the coating/substrate interface which finally results in increasing the hardness and corrosion resistance properties of coating.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC,Nos.51572011 and 51802012)。
文摘MXenes have emerged as versatile 2D materials that are already gaining paramount attention in the areas of energy,catalyst,electromagnetic shielding,and sensors.The unique surface chemistry,graphene-like mo rphology,high hydrophilicity,metal-like conductivity with redox capability identifies MXenes,as an ideal material for surface-related applications.This short review summarizes the most recent reports that discuss the potential application of MXenes and their hybrids as a transducer material for advanced sensors.Based on the nature of transducing signals,the discussion is categorized into three sections,which include electrochemical(bio)sensors,gas sensors,and finally,electro-chemiluminescence&fluorescent sensors.The review provides a concise summary of all the analytical merits obtained subsequent to the use of MXenes,followed by endeavors that have been made to accentuate the future perspective of MXenes in sensor devices.
文摘The Editor-in-Chief has retracted this article [1] because Figures 11 and 12 appear to be identical with Figures 3 and 4respectively from a previously published article [2].Sehrish MUKHTAR,Waqas ASGHAR,Zubair BUTT,Zaheer ABBAS,Mudaser ULLAH and Rana ATTA-UR-REHMAN did not respond to correspondence about this retraction.
基金We thank Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and Green Super Rice Project a Component of Productivity Enhancement of Rice(PSDP No.0754),Pakistan for providing financial support.
文摘Drought is one of the major abiotic threat to rice production in the context of climate change.Super Basmati is an elite,fine grain basmati rice variety grown in Punjab,Pakistan.Due to drought sensitive in nature,its yield has been facing an alarming situation in production because of gradual decrease in irrigated water for a couple of years.Three reported novel QTLs for drought tolerance were selected for incorporation into Super Basmati by employing marker assisted selection strategy.IR55419-04 with novel QTLs was used as a donor parent.Foreground selection was performed by applying PCR based QTL linked SSR markers followed by recombinant selection by using 2-4 flanking markers.Background selection was exercised by using polymorphic SSR markers for maximum genome recovery of the Super Basmati.The individuals homozygous at the target QTLs and with maximum background of Super Basmati at the rest of the non-target genome was selected for evaluation of drought tolerance.Under drought stress conditions,the yields of all introgressed lines(ILs)were 44.2%-125.7%higher than recurrent parent.Six superior ILs that are drought tolerant and very similar to Super Basmati in terms of agronomic and grain quality traits are marked for release as drought-tolerant varieties in arid regions or for use in breeding programs of high grain quality and drought-tolerant parents.
文摘This study deals with the stagnation point flow of ferrofluid over a flat plate with non-linear slip boundary condition in the presence of homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions.Three kinds of ferroparticles,namely,magnetite(Fe_3O_4),cobalt ferrite(CoFe_2O_4) and manganese zinc ferrite(Mn-ZnFe_2O_4) are taken into account with water and kerosene as conventional base fluids.The developed model of homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions in boundary layer flow with equal and unequal diffusivities for reactant and autocatalysis is considered.The governing partial differential equations are converted into system of non-linear ordinary differential equations by mean of similarity transformations.These ordinary differential equations are integrated numerically using shooting method.The effects of pertinent parameters on velocity and concentration profiles are presented graphically and discussed.We found that in the presence of Fe_3O_4-kerosene and CoFe_2O_4-kerosene,velocity profiles increase for large values of α and β whereas there is a decrement in concentration profiles with increasing values of if and K_s.Furthermore,the comparison between non-magnetic(A1_2O_3) and magnetic Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles is given in tabular form.
文摘The main theme of the current article is to investigate the heat transfer in the pulsatile flow of an electrically conducting viscous fluid in a constricted channel under the effect of the magnetic field and thermal radiation.The unsteady governing equations simplified for low conducting fluids are solved numerically by finite difference method using stream-vorticity function formulation.The influence of the flow parameters such as the Hartmann number(magnetic parameter),Strouhal number(flow pulsation parameter),Prandtl number,and radiation parameter is studied on the relevant flow profiles.The influence of different emerging parameters on the skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number are examined,as well.In general,the profiles are observed to exhibit a relatively more regular pattern upstream of the construction than that downstream of the constriction.
文摘A theoretical numerical communication is demonstrated to analyze the impact of Arrhenius activation energy and melting phenomena on chemically reactive Falkner-Skan flow of cross nanofluid over a moving wedge with viscous dissipation and nonlinear radiation impacts.The basic partial differential equations for nanoparticle concentration,energy,momentum and mass conservation are reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential equations with the help of appropriate transforming variables and then solved numerically via bvp4c Matlab solver.It is interesting to notice that nanoparticle concentration and concentration boundary layer thickness are uplifted for enhancing values of activation energy parameter.Additionally,magnitude of heat transfer rate is a growing function of the Eckert number.
基金supported by the grant provided by the National Key R&D projects of China,(No.2021YFD1301000).
文摘Mulberry-derived postbiotics(MDP)have been scientifically proven to possess beneficial properties for human health,making them potential nutraceuticals.This study aims to enhance the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of MDP via submerged fermentation with Bacillus subtilis H4(H4)and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens LFB112(LFB112)bacterial strains.Our results demonstrated compelling evidence that the combination of two strains with the optimized time(24 h),inoculum size(8%),and substrate size(10%)significantly increased the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)scavenging activities.When compared to the non-fermented mulberry(NFM),the MDP with the above-optimized conditions showed substantially higher antioxidant activities such as DPPH,2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylebenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS),hydroxyl scavenging activities,and reducing power capabilities.Moreover,the MDP showed a significant decrease in the lipopolysaccharides(LPS)-induced reactive oxygen species(ROS)generated in RAW264.7 cells.The antibacterial assays such as minimum inhibitory concentrations(MICs)and minimum bactericidal concentrations(MBCs)showed that MDP possesses antibacterial activity against various pathogenic bacterial strains with the lowest MIC recorded as 32.5 mg/ml against S.pullorum CVCC519,while the highest MIC observed was 40 mg/ml against P.aeruginosa.The lowest and highest MBCs observed were 40 and 55 mg/ml against S.aureus ATCC43300 and S.pullorum CVCC519 respectively.Furthermore,the MDP showed good ant-inflammatory activities by significantly reducing the nitric oxide(NO)concentration(p<0.0001)and mRNA expression of the proinflammatory cytokines in response to the LPS-induced inflammation in the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line.To sum up,our findings indicate that MDP as a novel postbiotics can be utilized both as a functional food and a safe feed additive,possibly benefiting gut and metabolic health.
基金supported by the National Key R&D projects with No.2022YFD1300900the Beijing Science and Technology Plan with No.Z201100008020018.
文摘Postbiotics are preparations made from inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that are beneficial to host health,but the underlying specific modes of action in relieving intestinal inflammation remain poorly understood.This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity,intestinal barrier recovery,antioxidant activity,and correction of microbial dysbiosis of PWE(postbiotics water extract),a novel postbiotics derived from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens J and Lactobacillus plantarum SN4 named PWE.In this study,C57BL/6 male mice were administered PWE by oral gavage for seven days,followed by a three-day K88 challenge to evaluate its protective effects against enteritis.Our results showed that PWE exerted an obvious protective effect on ETECchallenged enteritis mice.Specifically,PWE improved overall health status and colon length,restored jejunal and colonic villi and crypt morphology,and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration.Moreover,PWE enhanced the expression of tight junction proteins,including Occludin,and upregulated the mRNA expression of ZO-1 and Claudin,modulated apoptosis-related genes(BAX,Bcl2,and Caspase-3),and strengthened liver antioxidant capacity.Gut microbiota analysis revealed that PWE rebalanced the microbial composition through decreasing Escherichia-Shigella abundance and increasing Lactobacillaceae and Lachnospiraceae abundance that promote SCFA production.Furthermore,correlation analysis demonstrated that these increases in abundance of Lactobacillaceae were associated with reduced intestinal inflammation and improved barrier function.Abundance of Ligilactobacillus was positively correlated to anti-apoptotic effects and antioxidant properties.In conclusion,our findings highlight the modulatory effects of the postbiotics PWE in alleviating intestinal inflammation,repairing barrier dysfunction,and restoring microbial imbalance through microbiota regulation and SCFA enhancement.These results provide new insights and strategies for combating bacterial infections diarrhea and improving intestinal health.
