5-Methoxyindole, a Chemical Homolog of Melatonin, Adversely Affects the Phytopathogenic Fungus Fusarium graminearum

Fusarium graminearum is a destructive fungal pathogen that threatens the production and quality of wheat, and controlling this pathogen is a significant challenge. As the cost-effective homolog of melatonin, 5-methoxyindole showed strong activity against F. graminearum. In the present study, our results showed the strong adverse activity of 5-methoxyindole against F. graminearum by inhibiting its growth, formation, and conidia germination. In addition, 5-methoxyindole could induce malformation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and cell death in F. graminearum hyphae and conidia. In response to 5-methoxyindole, F. graminearum genes involved in scavenging reactive oxygen species were significantly downregulated. Overall, these findings reveal the mechanism of antifungal action of melatonin-homolog 5-methoxyindole. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that a novel melatonin homolog confers strong antifungal activity against F. graminearum, and 5-methoxyindole is a potential compound for protecting wheat plants from F. graminearum infection.

Integrative Molecular and Clinical Profiling of Acral Melanoma Identifies LZTR1 as a Key Tumor Promoter and Therapeutic Target

Acral melanoma, the most common melanoma subtype among non-Caucasian individuals, is associated with poor prognosis. However, its key molecular drivers remain obscure. Here, we performed integrative genomic and clinical profiling of acral melanomas from a cohort of 104 patients treated in North America or China. We found that recurrent, late-arising amplifications of cytoband chr22q11.21 are a leading determinant of inferior survival, strongly associated with metastasis, and linked to downregulation of immunomodulatory genes associated with response to immune checkpoint blockade. Unexpectedly, LZTR1 – a known tumor suppressor in other cancers – is a key candidate oncogene in this cytoband. Silencing of LZTR1 in melanoma cell lines caused apoptotic cell death independent of major hotspot mutations or melanoma subtypes. Conversely, overexpression of LZTR1 in normal human melanocytes initiated processes associated with metastasis, including anchorage-independent growth, formation of spheroids, and increased levels of MAPK and SRC activities. Our results provide new insights into the etiology of acral melanoma and implicate LZTR1 as a key tumor promoter and therapeutic target

Integrative molecular and clinical profiling of acral melanoma identifies LZTR1 as a key tumor promoter and therapeutic target

Acral melanoma, the most common melanoma subtype among non-Caucasian individuals, is associated with poor prognosis. However, its key molecular drivers remain obscure. Here, we performed integrative genomic and clinical profiling of acral melanomas from a cohort of 104 patients treated in North America or China. We found that recurrent, late-arising amplifications of cytoband chr22q11.21 are a leading determinant of inferior survival, strongly associated with metastasis, and linked to downregulation of immunomodulatory genes associated with response to immune checkpoint blockade. Unexpectedly, LZTR1 - a known tumor suppressor in other cancers - is a key candidate oncogene in this cytoband. Silencing of LZTR1 in melanoma cell lines caused apoptotic cell death independent of major hotspot mutations or melanoma subtypes. Conversely, overexpression of LZTR1 in normal human melanocytes initiated processes associated with metastasis, including anchorage-independent growth, formation of spheroids, and increased levels of MAPK and SRC activities. Our results provide new insights into the etiology of acral melanoma and implicate LZTR1 as a key tumor promoter and therapeutic target.

Global Changes in Approaches to Ensuring Financial Criteria for the Development of Enterprises Based on Accounting the Stakeholder Interests

Ensuring the development of enterprises, its reliable financial basis, stability and intensification of financial-economic relations, attraction and expansion of stakeholder groups are both systemic, complex processes and the result of interaction of all subsystems and elements of the internal and external environment of enterprise. The article is aimed at generalizing the world’s leading trends in ensuring reliable financial criteria for the development of enterprises on the basis of accounting the stakeholders’ interests for the application of systematic approaches to the formation and implementation of strategic and tactical components of business success in the context of global changes. Based on the analysis of advanced world approaches, the components of business growth system are distinguished to ensure reliable financial criteria for the development of enterprise; the formation of the projection of financial-economic interests of stakeholders on business and the possibility of their influence on ensuring stable financial criteria for the development of enterprises is considered; the approach to ensuring business growth, formation and achievement of high financial criteria for the development of enterprise, taking into account the interests of stakeholders, is suggested. Generalization of world approaches to ensuring reliable financial criteria for the development of enterprises makes it possible to determine the increase of significance, along with the financial-economic, as well as social and ecological components and strategic aspects of the functioning and growth of business, taking into account the interests of stakeholders. The actual direction of further research is to determine the weight and financial-economic effectiveness of attracting stakeholders and taking into account their interests in the processes of ensuring high financial criteria for the development of enterprises.

Enhanced Surface Energetics of CNT-Grafted Carbon Fibers for Superior Electrical and Mechanical Properties in CFRPs

Surface enhancement of components is vital for achieving superior properties in a composite system. In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grown on carbon fiber (CF) substrates to improve the surface area and, in turn, increase the adhesion between epoxy-resin and CFs. Nickel (Ni) was used as the catalyst in CNT growth, and was coated on CF sheets via the electroplating method. Surface energetics of CNT-grown CFs and their work of adhesion with epoxy resin were measured. SEM and TEM were used to analyze the morphology of the samples. After the optimization of surface energetics by catalyst weight ratio (15 wt.% Ni), CF-reinforced plastic (CFRP) samples were prepared using the hand lay-up method. To validate the effect of chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown CNTs on CFRP properties, samples were also prepared where CNT powder was added to epoxy prior to reinforcement with Ni-coated CFs. CFRP specimens were tested to determine their electrical resistivity, flexural strength, and ductility index. The electrical resistivity of CNT-grown CFRP was found to be about 9 and 2.3 times lower than those of as-received CFRP and CNT-added Ni-CFRP, respectively. Flexural strength of CNT-grown Ni-CFRP was enhanced by 52.9% of that of as-received CFRP. Interestingly, the ductility index in CNT-grown Ni-CFRP was 40% lower than that of CNT-added Ni-CFRP. This was attributed to the tip-growth formation of CNTs and the breakage of Ni coating.

OPTIMIZATION OF TREE LIGHTING IN PEACH GARDEN DUE TO SCHEMES OF PLANT LOCATION DENSITY

In the article is given an experimental material devoted to exploration of the impact of peach tree placement schemes in the garden on the quality of lighting of the crown different parts in order to optimize plant placement in intensive gardens. It was revealed significant differences in the inflow of photoactive solar radiation into the tree crown due to tree placement schemes, on the base of studies, carried out in 2015-2017 at Bukhara Agricultural Institute, branch of TashSAU with Lola variety of peach on a weak stock VVА-1. Most of all sunlight - 90 thousand lux comes to the intersections of the garden in spring-summer period. To the central part of crown from 72.0 to 104.7 thousand lux, between trees 69.6-93.9 thousand lux. From studied tree placement schemes, the most solar photoactive radiation is supplied to plants with a thinned scheme from 86.5 to 104.7 thousand lux. This density of placement should be considered as determining when growing peach according to intensive technology. KEYWORDS: Peach, garden, solar radiation, lux, scheme, crown, inter-row, lighting, growth, formation.

PENGARUH APLIKASI PUPUK ROCK PHOSPHATE DAN MIKROBA PELARUT FOSFAT TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN KADAR HARA P BIBIT KELAPA SAWIT (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

One way to produce good seeds is from fertilization factors, both artificial fertilizers or biological fertilizers. Palm oil growing media is soil in which there are several nutrients needed by plants, one of which is Phosphor (P). The role of P in plants is important for cell growth, formation of fine roots and root hairs, strengthening the stem stands. However, there are still many P nutrients that are bound in the soil so with that one effort to overcome the low phosphate available in the soil is by utilizing a group of microorganisms. Microorganisms and organic matter, each of which can produce organic acids that chew metal in the soil so that phosphate becomes available to plants.

Significance Of Nutritional Value Of Fish For Human Health

Nutrients are the substances which give nourishment to the body and promote growth. These nutrients are present in varieties of foods in various amounts. Fish is a source of aquatic food which can both be farmed and wild caught. Fish is rich in macronutrients: proteins, lipids and ash and micronutrients: vitamins and minerals. Proteins in the fish have immunoglobins that acts as defense mechanism against viral and bacterial infections and prevent protein calorie malnutrition. Lipids mainly LC n-3 PUFAs like EPA and DHA prevents cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases and maintains blood pressure and neuro-development in child. Selenium is important for the function of thyroid gland. Iron helps in synthesis of hemoglobin and prevents the occurrence of anemia. Calcium and vitamin D naturally present in fish prevents rickets, low bone-mineral density and osteomalacia. Vitamin A in fish helps in normal growth, formation of bones and teeth. Despite these importances’s, fish is still undervalued and less consumed compared to other animal protein sources due to lack of awareness. If the per capita consumption of the fish can be increased, then people can have many health benefits. People should be made known about the health benefits of fish. Many other researches should be conducted to make the nutritional value of fish known to the world.

Adaptive reactions of corn plants to acute ultraviolet radiation

Aim. The goal of this work was to study the adaptive reaction of young corn plants (Zea mays L.) to the action of acute ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation in the vegetative growth period. Methods. Corn plants hybrid Dostatok 300 MV in the phase of two leaves were irradiated by UV-B at doses of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 kJ/m2 with a power of 6 W/m2 and were grown in a long day conditions. After irradiation, the growth of shoots in length, the growth of the mass of plants, the content of photosynthetic pigments and endogenous hydrogen peroxide (HP) in the leaves were determined. Results. It is shown that after irradiation of corn plants UV-B at doses of 4, 8, 16 kJ/m2 the growth of shoots in length decreased, after the irradiation of UV-B at doses of 1, 2 kJ/m2 mass of plants increased. UV-B irradiation in all doses, except for a dose of 16 kJ/m2, stimulated the accumulation of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves. Increasing HP content in the leaves was determined in corn leaves after irradiation of UV-B in all doses. Conclusions. It is shown that irradiation of young corn plants by acute UV-B at doses from 1 to 16 kJ/m2 induced adaptive reactions, that included inhibition of shoot growth with simultaneous stimulation of plants mass growth, accumulation of photosynthetic pigments, increased endogenous content of HP. The adaptive period lasted about 10 days, after that processes of growth, formation of a photosynthetic apparatus and content of HP were stabilized. UV-B belongs to the necessary components of sunlight components for corn growth. Keywords: UV-B radiation, Zea mays L., photosynthetic pigments, adaptation.

Tracking of the Growth Interface during PVT-Growth of SiC Boules Using a X-Ray Computed Tomography Setup

A crystal comprising various polytype switches was analyzed in detail. A very flat temperature profile together with an on axis seed are used to increase the probability for the nucleation of foreign polytypes during growth. Formation of foreign polytype occurred from thin lamella propagating from the edge of the main facet to the crystal rim as well as from 2D nucleation. The evolution of the crystal surface during the growth time is visualized using in-situ X-Ray computed tomography. Two concurrent growth centers are identified in the beginning of the growth process. Nucleation and lateral growth of foreign polytypes in the main facet area can be traced during the growth process.