Zero-valent iron is a moderately reducing reagent that is both non-toxic and affordable. In the present work, iron nanoparticles were synthesized using bitter guard leaf extract (Momordica charantia L.) (BGL-Fe NP). Using leaf samples from bitter protectant extract, iron nanoparticles were synthesized with secondary metabolites such as flavonoids and polyphenols acting as capping and reducing agents. Polyphenols reduce Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ to nanovalent iron or iron nanoparticles. Iron nanoparticles were synthesized by reducing iron chloride as a precursor with bitter protective leaf extract in an alkaline environment. The obtained BGL-Fe NPs were calcined for 4 h at various temperatures of 400 °C, 500 °C, and 600 °C. The obtained samples were coded as BGL-Fe NPs-4, BGL-Fe NPs-5, and BGL-Fe NPs-6, respectively. The synthesized BGL-Fe NPs were systematically characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, UV-Vis and TG-DTA analysis. The obtained BGL-Fe NPs were then used as an adsorbent to remove the aqueous solution of basic methylene blue (MB) dye. MB concentration was monitored using UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Beta macrocarpa, Guss is an interesting species showing very low germination rates. The leading objectives of this work were to investigate the dormancy mechanism and to find methods to break dormancy in order to achieve rapid, uniform and high germination. Macro and micro-morphologic analyses were performed by stereo microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed two fruit coats. The yellow external coat or persistent perianth coat (PPC) was accrescent with 5 erect segments contiguous to the operculum of the seed capsule. This coat forms spongy layers (50 to 300 µm thick) that could be eliminated manually. The narrow internal coat or pericarp or achene coat (AC) forms woody joined seed capsules, each presenting a pressed operculum that cannot be manually opened. This coat was not adherent to seeds and was composed of compressed cells (50 to 200 µm thick) which form pockets for salt cristal. Seeds were lentiform (1 to 2 mm diameter and 0.5 to 0.8 mm thick) and highly fragile. The embryo was whitish surrounded peripherally by the perisperm with two highly developed cotyledons and radical. Polyphenol concentrations in both coats showed that after 4 months of collection, total polyphenol concentrations were 4-fold higher in the pericarp than in the persistent perianth. However, after one year, this parameter decreases significantly in the pericarp, whereas, it increases to a larger extent in the perianth. Different germination tests indicated that the pericarp provides a chemical and a physical resistance to seed germination during the first 4 months of the experiment after collection. The chemical dormancy was released to higher levels of total polyphenol compounds that inhibited seed germination and seedling growth. However, the physical dormancy was associated with the hardness of this intern coat which caused a mechanical resistance to radicle emergence. After one year of storage, total polyphenol pericarp concentration decreased notably, and chemical resistance disappeared, whereas the physical one persisted. Consequently, one year of storage pericarp removal is sufficient to break this exogenous dormancy.

The most crucial factor in producing papaya seedlings successfully is seed germination. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of seed priming with growing media on seed germination and seedling growth of papaya from October to December 2022. The experimental treatments included three seed priming treatments: T₀ = control (no seed priming treatments), T₁ = GA₃ (100 ppm), and T₂ = KNO₃ (1%), and four growing media, viz., M₁ = soil + vermicompost (1:1), M₂ = soil + cowdung (1:1), M₃ = soil + cocopeat + vermicompost (1:1:1), and M₄ = soil + cocopeat + cowdung (1:1:1). The treatments showed a significant effect on different parameters such as germination percentage, days to germination, survival percentage, chlorophyll content, seed vigor index, shoot, and root length. GA₃ treated seedlings performed better than non-GA₃-treated seedlings. Among the growing media, M₃ showed the best for seed germination and other growth attributes compared to other growing media. In terms of interaction effects, T₁M₃ showed the highest performance for germination percentage (84.33%), survival percentage (91.0%), and chlorophyll content (44.26%). T₁M₃ also showed the highest seed vigor index, shoot and root growth, and plant biomass. As a result, the combination of GA₃ and growing media containing soil + cocopeat + vermicompost was shown to be the most favorable for papaya seed germination and seedling growth.

In recent years, the pathological diagnosis of glomerular diseases typically involves the study of glomerular his-to pathology by specialized pathologists, who analyze tissue sections stained with Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) to assess tissue and cellular abnormalities. In recent years, the rapid development of generative adversarial networks composed of generators and discriminators has led to further developments in image colorization tasks. In this paper, we present a generative adversarial network by Spectral Normalization colorization designed for color restoration of grayscale images depicting glomerular cell tissue elements. The network consists of two structures: the generator and the discriminator. The generator incorporates a U-shaped decoder and encoder network to extract feature information from input images, extract features from Lab color space images, and predict color distribution. The discriminator network is responsible for optimizing the generated colorized images by comparing them with real stained images. On the Human Biomolecular Atlas Program (HubMAP)—Hacking the Kidney FTU segmentation challenge dataset, we achieved a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 29.802 dB, along with high structural similarity results as other colorization methods. This colorization method offers an approach to add color to grayscale images of glomerular cell tissue units. It facilitates the observation of physiological information in pathological images by doctors and patients, enabling better pathological-assisted diagnosis of certain kidney diseases.

In higher eukaryotes, the genes’ architecture has become an essential determinant of the variation in the number of transcripts (expression level) and the specificity of gene expression in plant tissue under stress conditions. The modern rise in genome-wide analysis accounts for summarizing the essential factors through the translocation of gene networks in a regulatory manner. Stress tolerance genes are in two groups: structural genes, which code for proteins and enzymes that directly protect cells from stress (such as genes for transporters, osmo-protectants, detoxifying enzymes, etc.), and the genes expressed in regulation and signal transduction (such as transcriptional factors (TFs) and protein kinases). The genetic regulation and protein activity arising from plants’ interaction with minerals and abiotic and biotic stresses utilize high-efficiency molecular profiling. Collecting gene expression data concerning gene regulation in plants towards focus predicts an acceptable model for efficient genomic tools. Thus, this review brings insights into modifying the expression study, providing a valuable source for assisting the involvement of genes in plant growth and metabolism-generating gene databases. The manuscript significantly contributes to understanding gene expression and regulation in plants, particularly under stress conditions. Its insights into stress tolerance mechanisms have substantial implications for crop improvement, making it highly relevant and valuable to the field.

Recently, Agile project management has received significant academic and industry attention from due to its advantages, such as decreased costs and time, increased effectiveness, and adaptiveness towards challenging business environments. This study primarily aims to investigate the relationship between the success factors and Agile project management methodology adoption and examine the moderating effect of perceived compatibility. The technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework and technology acceptance theories (UTAUT, IDT, and TAM) were applied as the theoretical foundation of the current study. A survey questionnaire method was employed to achieve the study objectives, while quantitative primary data were gathered using a carefully designed methodological approach focusing on Omani oil and gas industry. The PLS-SEM technique and SmartPLS software were used for hypotheses testing and data analysis. Resultantly, readiness, technology utilization, organizational factors, and perceived compatibility were the significant factors that promoted Agile methodology adoption in the oil and gas industry. Perceived compatibility moderated the relationship between success factors and Agile methodology. The findings suggested that people, technology, and organizational factors facilitate the Agile methodology under the technology acceptance theories and frameworks. Relevant stakeholders should adopt the study outcomes to improve Agile methodology adoption.