Drought is a major abiotic stress that impairs the physiology and development of plants, ultimately leading to crop yield losses. Drought tolerance is a complex quantitative trait influenced by ...multiple genes and metabolic pathways. However, molecular intricacies and subsequent morphological and physiological changes in response to drought stress remain elusive. Herein, we combined morpho‐physiological and comparative RNA‐sequencing analyses to identify core drought‐induced marker genes and regulatory networks in the barley cultivar ‘Giza134’. Based on field trials, drought‐induced declines occurred in crop growth rate, relative water content, leaf area duration, flag leaf area, concentration of chlorophyll (Chl) a, b and a + b, net photosynthesis, and yield components. In contrast, the Chl a/b ratio, stoma resistance, and proline concentration increased significantly. RNA‐sequence analysis identified a total of 2462 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 1555 were up‐regulated and 907 were down‐regulated in response to water‐deficit stress (WD). Comparative transcriptomics analysis highlighted three unique metabolic pathways (carbohydrate metabolism, iron ion binding, and oxidoreductase activity) as containing genes differentially expressed that could mitigate water stress. Our results identified several drought‐induced marker genes belonging to diverse physiochemical functions like chlorophyll concentration, photosynthesis, light harvesting, gibberellin biosynthetic, iron homeostasis as well as Cis‐regulatory elements. These candidate genes can be utilized to identify gene‐associated markers to develop drought‐resilient barley cultivars over a short period of time. Our results provide new insights into the understanding of water stress response mechanisms in barley.
The most efficient way to create novel materials that may be used in a variety of optoelectronic applications is thought to be doped mixed polymers with appropriate fillers. Undoped and doped PVC ...polymers with ZnS/Mn formed at different temperatures were fabricated using the casting method. The Rietveld method was used to discover the structure and microstructure of Zn
Mn
S prepared at T = 300, 400, and 500 °C. The distribution and existence of the nanofiller over the PVC matrix were determined via XRD, FTIR, EDS, and SEM techniques. The effect of the preparation temperatures of the ZnS/Mn nanofiller on the absorption, transmittance, reflectance, refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant, AC conductivity, electrical modulus, and DC conductivity activation energy data of the PVC polymer was studied using the diffused reflectance technique. Doping PVC with ZnS/Mn (prepared at 300 °C) lowered the direct and indirect optical band gaps from 5.4 and 4.52 eV to minimum values of 4.55 and 3.63 eV. The fluorescence intensity of pure PVC is greatly enhanced upon loading with ZnS/Mn. The PVC exhibited two near UV peaks, one violet and one blue color, while, in addition, the doped polymers exhibited green and orange colors. The corresponding CIE diagram for all the samples was also determined.
The wastewater released from different industries is a major environmental issue that has grabbed significant attention lately. Thus, the implementation of suitable routes for the treatment of such ...water is strongly recommended to reach the level of possible reuse for either industrial or agricultural purposes. In line with such a concept, this research work introduces a new composite structure made
via
the coating of polyacrylamide by loading nickel hydroxide nanoparticles for use as an absorbent for the purification of wastewater from dye contaminants. High internal phase emulation (HIPE) polymerization was utilized to first prepare particles of polyacrylamide followed by their coating with particles of nickel hydroxide to ultimately obtain the designated adsorbent. The structural features and chemical composition of the synthesized composite were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and energetic dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N
2
adsorption-desorption surface area analysis were employed to detect the textural characteristics of the composite. Subsequently, the efficiency of this structure, as an adsorbent for the disposal of methylene blue dye species from a wastewater sample, was studied. During the water purification process, several operating parameters, namely, retention time, solution pH, initial concentration, and absorbent dose, were investigated. The presented Ni-polyacrylamide composite achieved the promising removal of methylene blue dye. An increased adsorption capacity of 14.3 mg g
−1
toward methylene blue was achieved by the composite, thanks to the presence of both organic and inorganic functional groups within its structure. Kinetic and isotherm studies for the adsorption of methylene blue species were found to fit pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. Additionally, thermodynamic measurements indicated that the adsorption process of methylene blue is feasible, spontaneous, involves physisorption, and is endothermic.
Nickel hydroxide nanoparticles were used to encapsulate molecules of polyacrylamide to conserve the polymer because it is water-soluble. Therefore, a novel adsorptive composite is produced for utilization in the removal of MB dye from wastewater.
The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of fungal chitosan-polystyrene-Co-nanocomposites (FCPNC) as a material for the adsorptive removal of cadmium (Cd) ions from aqueous solutions. ...The synthesis and characterization of FCPNC were accomplished using various analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The effectiveness of this adsorbent in removing Cd(
ii
) species from solution matrices was systematically investigated, resulting in the achievement of a maximum adsorption capacity of approximately 112.36 mg g
−1
. This high adsorption capacity was detected using the following operational parameters: solution pH equals 5.0, 60 min as a contact time between the adsorbent and Cd(
ii
) solution, Cd initial concentration of 50 ppm, adsorbent dosage of 0.5 g L
−1
and room temperature. The process of cadmium adsorption by FCPNC was found to follow the Langmuir isotherm model, suggesting that a chemical reaction occurs on the biosorbent surface. Kinetic studies have demonstrated that the cadmium removal process aligns well with the pseudo-second-order model. The thermodynamic analysis revealed the following values: Δ
H
° = 25.89 kJ mol
−1
, Δ
G
° = −21.58 kJ mol
−1
, and Δ
S
° = 159.30 J mol
−1
K
−1
. These values indicate that the sorption process is endothermic, spontaneous, and feasible. These findings suggest the potential of FCPNC as an exceptionally effective biosorbent for the removal of water contaminants.
Fungal chitosan was extracted (
via
the biotechnology route) to produce a novel composite for the removal of Cd ions from wastewater. It consists of a chitosan core and nanoparticle-decorated polystyrene shell to conserve chitosan at low pH.
The 70% polyvinyl alcohol/30% polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVA/PVP) polymer blends, with different weight ratios of tetrapropylammonium iodide (TPAI) or tetrahexylammonium iodide (THAI) salt, were prepared ...using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent. The X-ray diffraction technique was used to trace the crystalline nature of the formed blends. The SEM and EDS techniques were applied to figure out the morphology of the blends. The variation in the FTIR vibrational bands was used to investigate the chemical composition and the effect of different salt doping on the functional groups of the host blend. The influence of the salt type (TPAI or THAI) and its ratio on the linear and nonlinear optical parameters for the doped blends were investigated in detail. Absorbance and reflectance are highly enhanced in the UV region reaching a maximum for the blend with 24% TPAI or THAI; so, it can be employed as shielding materials for UVA and UVB types. The direct (5.1 eV) and indirect (4.8 eV) optical bandgaps were reduced continuously to (3.52, 3.63 eV) and (3.45, 3.51 eV) while increasing the content of TPAI or THAI, respectively. The blend doped with 24% wt TPAI exhibited the highest refractive index (around 3.5 in 400-800 nm). The DC conductivity is affected by the content and type of salt, its dispersion, and blend-salt interaction. The activation energies of different blends were obtained by applying the Arrhenius formula.
To date, the term oral leukoplakia (OL) should be used to recognize ‘predominantly white plaques of questionable risk, having excluded (other) known diseases or disorders that carry no increased risk ...of cancer’.
In this review, we addressed four controversial topics regarding oral leukoplakias (OLs): (i) Do tobacco and alcohol cause OLs?, (ii) What percentage of OLs transform into oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)?, (iii) Can we distinguish between premalignant and innocent OLs?, and (iv) Is proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) a specific entity or just a form of multifocal leukoplakia?
Results of extensive literature search suggest that (i) no definitive evidence for direct causal relationship between smoked tobacco and alcohol as causative factors of OLs, (ii and iii) the vast majority of OLs follow a benign course and do not progress into a cancer, and no widely accepted and/or validated clinical and/or biological factors can predict malignant transformation, and (iv) the distinction between multifocal/multiple leukoplakias and PVL in their early presentation is impossible; the temporal clinical progression and the high rate of recurrences and development of cancer of PVL are the most reliable features for diagnosis.
Effluent water from different industries is considered one of the most serious environmental pollutants due to its non-safe disposal. Therefore, proper treatment methods for such wastewater are ...strongly stimulated for its potential reuse in industries or agriculture. This study introduces a composite fabricated
via
doping of polystyrene with nanoparticles of cobalt hydroxide as a novel adsorbent for dye and heavy metal decontamination from wastewater. The adsorbent fabrication involves the preparation of polystyrene
via
high-internal phase emulation (HIPE) polymerization followed by its intercalation with particles of alkali cobalt. The chemical composition and structural properties of the synthesized composite were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N
2
adsorption-desorption surface area analysis were performed to identify the surface and morphological characteristics of the composite. Then, the ability of this structure toward the removal of methylene blue dye (MB) and heavy metal (iron
iii
) species from waste aqueous solutions was investigated. Successful elimination for both MB and Fe(
iii
) was achieved by the presented composite. Elevated adsorption capacities of 75.2 and 112.3 mg g
−1
, toward MB and Fe(
iii
) respectively, were detected for the presented polymer-metal hydroxide composite. The increased values of the composite are attributed to the presence of both organic and inorganic functional groups within its structure. Kinetic and isotherm studies for the removal of both cationic species revealed that adsorption processes fit the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model. Additionally, thermodynamics measurements indicated that the adsorption process of methylene blue and Fe ions is feasible, spontaneous, physisorption, and endothermic.
A novel composite is prepared
via
high dispersion of nickel hydroxide nanoparticles in the structure of porous polystyrene. This composite demonstrated efficient performance toward the removal of dyes and Fe ions from wastewater.
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (CS), and cellulose (CL) are promising polymers for chemical functionalization and biomedical applications. This study aimed to synthesize folic acid (FA) conjugates ...with PVA, CS, and CL via chloroacetyl chloride, 2‐bromopropionyl bromide, and epichlorohydrin to enhance it biomedical applications. The functionalized polymer conjugates were characterized by FT‐IR, 1H‐NMR, GPC, and TGA techniques. FT‐IR and 1H‐NMR revealed the main functional groups (OH, NH, C═O, C═N), the aromatic CH and NH protons of FA moieties. TGA illustrated two stages of decompositions of all‐polymer conjugates. FA showed no antifungal activity, while two of the newly grafted polymer conjugates (chitosan bromopropionate‐grafted FA and cellulose chloroacetate‐grafted FA) illustrated antifungal activity against both Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans. Polymer conjugates; poly(vinyl chloroacetate)‐grafted FA and chitosan‐EPCH‐grafted FA revealed good antifungal effect on C. albicans and A. fumigatus, respectively. Most FA polymer conjugates showed significant antitumor activity against EAC‐bearing mice. Among these conjugates, chitosan chloroacetate‐grafted FA (P‐2A) showed the highest antitumor effect against EAC‐bearing mice via reduction in total tumor volume. Thus, these conjugates provided enhanced antifungal and antitumor activities as compared with FA itself. These conjugates may act as promising biologically active carrier systems for other applications such as drug delivery.
Casting and solid-state reaction methods were used to prepare composites of PVA/CMC/PEG/x wt% Zn
0.9
Cu
0.1
S (x = 0, 1, 3, 5, 10). The nanofiller Zn
0.9
Cu
0.1
S was investigated applying XRD ...Rietveld analysis. XRD, FTIR, SEM, and EDS techniques were used to trace the variation of the structure and morphology of the PVA/CMC/PEG blend upon loading with different Zn
0.9
Cu
0.1
S contents. The effect of the filler content (x) on the linear and nonlinear features of the host blend was examined. The direct and indirect optical band gaps of PVA/CMC/PEG (5.87 and 5.31 eV) reduced upon loading with Zn
0.9
Cu
0.1
S, attaining minimum values (4.47 and 3.65 eV) for x = 10%. The fluorescence intensity and the emitted colors of the blends depended on the amount of the nanofiller. The dielectric constant (
ε
′), dielectric loss factor (
ε
′′), the real (
M′
) and imaginary (
M′
′) parts of the electric modulus changed nonmonotonically with the nanofiller content (x). Among all blends,
ε
′ disclosed higher values for the blend with x = 10 wt% and lowest ones for x = 1 wt%, while
ε
′′ attained highest values for the blend with x = 3 wt%, and lowest values for x = 5 wt%.
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