Response of maize (Zea mays L. saccharata Sturt) to different concentration treatments of deltamethrin.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the deltamethrin pesticide on the biological properties of maize (Zea mays L. saccharata Sturt). Maize seeds were exposed to environmentally relevant dosages (0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 ppm) of deltamethrin. On the 7th day of germination, morphological, anatomical and physiological responses were determined. All seedling growth characters were decreased with increasing deltamethrin levels. The most negative effect on the radicle length of maize was observed by the highest deltamethrin concentration with a 61% decrease (P <0.05). Both stomatal density and stomatal dimension reduction were caused by increasing concentrations of deltamethrin. Moreover, the pigments like chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and caretonoids decreased with the increase in deltamethrin concentration. Conversely, anthocyanin and proline content increased in parallel with deltamethrin concentration. As a result, all morphological traits and pigments except for proline and anthocyanin were significantly reduced with an increase in pesticide concentration, compared to control (P <0.05).

Effect of Ramadan fasting on serum concentration of apelin-13 and new obesity indices in healthy adult men.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine how Ramadan fasting (RF) affected the recently described new obesity indices [visceral adiposity index (VAI), waist circumference to height ratio (WHtR), body adiposity index (BAI)], and serum concentration of apelin-13 (RF) in healthy adult men. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For this purpose, 42 healthy adult men were selected. Anthropometric parameters were measured and a sample of venous blood was obtained for biochemical assays on the first and last days of Ramadan. When all subjects were evaluated, all anthropometric parameters changed except VAI. Serum apelin-13, triglyceride (TG), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), and insulin levels did not change. When patients were divided into 3 groups according to body mass index (BMI), BAI decreased in normal-weight subjects and WHtR decreased in other groups, but VAI and apelin-13 did not change in any groups. RESULTS: We demonstrate for the first time that while some anthropometric parameters changed, VAI and serum apelin-13 levels did not change with RF. BMI, waist circumference (WC), TG, and HDL-C were evaluated together in calculation of VAI. TG, VAI, and HDL-C remained unchanged by RF. Even if body weight (BW) and BMI decreased, apelin-13 was not affected by RF. The data on serum apelin-13 may have been influenced by the small-percentage decrease in BW, as well as insignificant improvements in metabolic parameters such as lipid profiles, glucose, and insulin. CONCLUSIONS: We found that Ramadan fasting in healthy adult men was associated with significant decreases in BW, BMI, WHtR, and BAI, but we found no significant changes in VAI and serum apelin-13 concentrations.

Large-area (over 50 cm × 50 cm) freestanding films of colloidal InP/ZnS quantum dots.

We propose and demonstrate the fabrication of flexible, freestanding films of InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) using fatty acid ligands across very large areas (greater than 50 cm × 50 cm), which have been developed for remote phosphor applications in solid-state lighting. Embedded in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix, although the formation of stand-alone films using other QDs commonly capped with trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) and oleic acid is not efficient, employing myristic acid as ligand in the synthesis of these QDs, which imparts a strongly hydrophobic character to the thin film, enables film formation and ease of removal even on surprisingly large areas, thereby avoiding the need for ligand exchange. When pumped by a blue LED, these Cd-free QD films allow for high color rendering, warm white light generation with a color rendering index of 89.30 and a correlated color temperature of 2298 K. In the composite film, the temperature-dependent emission kinetics and energy transfer dynamics among different-sized InP/ZnS QDs are investigated and a model is proposed. High levels of energy transfer efficiency (up to 80%) and strong donor lifetime modification (from 18 to 4 ns) are achieved. The suppression of the nonradiative channels is observed when the hybrid film is cooled to cryogenic temperatures. The lifetime changes of the donor and acceptor InP/ZnS QDs in the film as a result of the energy transfer are explained well by our theoretical model based on the exciton-exciton interactions among the dots and are in excellent agreement with the experimental results. The understanding of these excitonic interactions is essential to facilitate improvements in the fabrication of photometrically high quality nanophosphors. The ability to make such large-area, flexible, freestanding Cd-free QD films pave the way for environmentally friendly phosphor applications including flexible, surface-emitting light engines.

Interactions of melatonin with the micro-morphological structures and physiological characteristics of lemon balm.

Melatonin (MEL) is defined as a plant master regulator. It regulates plant growth and development in various stress environments by increasing in amount. Effects of external MEL application on the content of the secretion products in micro-morphological structures of leaf trichomes of Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) without the presence of external stress factors were characterized. The relationships between different MEL concentrations and changes in type, density and size of trichomes, total chlorophyll and proline amounts, and secretion products were defined. Furthermore, monoterpenoids, which are the main products of trichomes that determine the quality of essential oils in lemon balm, varied under the effects of MEL. Especially 100 mM MEL concentration had the most dramatic impact. The highest number of glandular trichomes (GT) were observed at this concentration. 150 mM concentration of MEL had the opposite effect. At this concentration, significant decreases in secondary metabolite content and glandular structures were observed. Thus, it was concluded that MEL had a positive effect on these parameters up to a certain concentration. Changes in the size and number of GT due to MEL application is greatly reflected by the quality and content of secondary metabolites. Total chlorophyll, proline and monoterpene numbers were highest at 100 mM MEL concentration. The effects of MEL application without the presence of any stress conditions were supported by total chlorophyll and proline content. Important information was obtained about the relationship of these effects with the density of peltate trichomes and the chemical compounds and quality of essential oils.

Sandpaper Wastes as Adsorbent for the Removal of Brilliant Green and Malachite Green Dye.

Sandpaper wastes were used as adsorbent after pyrolysis at 500 °C and calcination at 800 °C for the removal of brilliant green and malachite green cationic dye from an aqueous solution. The effects of the pH, the adsorbent dose, the contact time, and the initial dye concentration on the removal efficiencies were investigated. The isotherm studies were conducted by using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich models, and thermodynamic studies were also performed. The adsorption of the Brilliant green and malachite green were found to comply with the Langmuir isotherm model and the Freundlich isotherm model, respectively. The thermodynamic studies showed that the adsorption of dyes were endothermic. The E values obtained from the Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm showed that the adsorption mechanism was chemical in nature. Furthermore, the three kinetic models (pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, and intraparticle diffusion) were investigated. It was found that the pseudo second-order kinetic model fitted well for adsorption of dyes.

Study of exciton transfer in dense quantum dot nanocomposites.

Nanocomposites of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) integrated into conjugated polymers (CPs) are key to hybrid optoelectronics, where engineering the excitonic interactions at the nanoscale is crucial. For such excitonic operation, it was believed that exciton diffusion is essential to realize nonradiative energy transfer from CPs to QDs. In this study, contrary to the previous literature, efficient exciton transfer is demonstrated in the nanocomposites of dense QDs, where exciton transfer can be as efficient as 80% without requiring the assistance of exciton diffusion. This is enabled by uniform dispersion of QDs at high density (up to ∼70 wt%) in the nanocomposite while avoiding phase segregation. Theoretical modeling supports the experimental observation of weakly temperature dependent nonradiative energy transfer dynamics. This new finding provides the ability to design hybrid light-emitting diodes that show an order of magnitude enhanced external quantum efficiencies.

Serum CXCL10 levels and neuromuscular manifestations in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases.

OBJECTIVE: Serum C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10) levels have been shown to be elevated in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). This study sought to determine whether newly diagnosed AITD patients with neuromuscular findings had higher levels of CXCL10 than those without neuromuscular manifestations. DESIGN: A total of 80 patients were recruited to the study, which included treatment-naive hypothyroid Hashimoto's thyroiditis (n = 19) and hyperthyroid Graves' disease (GD; n = 21), euthyroid thyroid autoantibody-positive (n = 20) and -negative (n = 20) patients. METHODS: All patients underwent a thorough sensorimotor and neuromuscular examination. Serum samples were kept in - 20°C for further CXCL10 measurements with ELISA. RESULTS: There was a significant difference with regard to serum CXCL10 levels only between GD and euthyroid thyroid autoantibody-negative patient groups [187(12-418) vs. 37.5(2-542) pg/ml, p < 0.05]. However, a comparison of newly diagnosed AITD patients with and without neuromuscular manifestations in terms of serum CXCL10 levels yielded no significant difference. When a correlation of existence of a neuromuscular manifestation and serum CXCL10 levels was evaluated, a significantly positive correlation was noted between carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and serum CXCL10 levels [207 (95-748) pg/ml in CTS-positive vs. 117 (2-977) pg/ml in CTS-negative patients, p < 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, from a number of neuromuscular manifestations, only the existence of CTS correlated with significantly higher CXCL10 levels in the whole study group. Further studies with larger numbers of patients with autoimmune-based hyper- and hypothyroidism may better clarify the hypothesis regarding a relationship between serum CXCL10 levels and neuromuscular manifestations of AITD.