Search results for: nepodin enrich plant extract

Authors: Zia Ullah, Muhammad Asim, Shi Sujuan, Rayyan Khan, Aaqib Shaheen, LIU Haobao

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The plant-specific auxin efflux proteins PIN-FORMED (PIN) have been well depicted in many plant species for their essential roles in regulating the transport of auxins in several phases of plant growth. Little is known about the various functions of the PIN family genes in the Nicotiana tabacum (N. tabacum) species during plant growth. To define the expression pattern of the NtPIN1a gene under abiotic stresses and hormone treatment, transgenic tobacco with promoterNtPIN1a::GUS construct was employed. Comprehensive computational analyses of the NtPIN1a promoter confirmed the existence of common core promoter elements including CAAT-box, TATA-box, hormone, and abiotic stress-responsive elements such as ABRE, P-box, MYC, MYB, ARE, and GC-motifs. The transgenic plants with the promoter of NtPIN1a displayed a promising expression of β-glucuronidase (GUS) in germinating seeds, root tips, shoot-apex, and developing leaves under optimal conditions. While the differential expression of GUS in moderate salt, drought, low potassium stresses, and externally high auxin level at two different time points, suggested NtPIN1a played a key role in growth processes and the plants’ response to abiotic stresses. This analysis provides a foundation for more in-depth discoveries of the biological functions of NtPIN1a in Nicotiana species and this promoter may be employed in genetic engineering of other crops for enhanced stress tolerance.

Keywords: tobacco, nicotiana tabacum, pin, promoter, GUS, abiotic stresses, auxin

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Authors: Edmaritz Hernandez-Pagan, Kanjana Laosuntisuk, Alex Harris, Allison Haynes, David Buitrago, Michael Kudenov, Colleen Doherty

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Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are critical metals for modern electronics, green technologies, and defense systems. However, due to their dispersed nature in the Earth’s crust, frequent co-occurrence with radioactive materials, and similar chemical properties, acquiring and purifying REEs is costly and environmentally damaging, restricting access to these metals. Plants could serve as resources for bioengineering REE mining systems. Although there is limited information on how REEs affect plants at a cellular and molecular level, plants with high REE tolerance and hyperaccumulation have been identified. This dissertation aims to develop a plant-based system for harvesting REEs from industrial waste material with a focus on Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), a toxic coal mining product. The objectives are 1) to develop a non-destructive, in vivo detection method for REE detection in Phytolacca plants (REE hyperaccumulator) plants utilizing fluorescence spectroscopy and with a primary focus on dysprosium, 2) to characterize the uptake of REE and Heavy Metals in Phytolacca americana and Phytolacca acinosa (REE hyperaccumulator) in AMD for potential implementation in the plant-based system, 3) to implement the REE detection method to identify REE-binding proteins and peptides for potential enhancement of uptake and selectivity for targeted REEs in the plants implemented in the plant-based system. The candidates are known REE-binding peptides or proteins, orthologs of known metal-binding proteins from REE hyperaccumulator plants, and novel proteins and peptides identified by comparative plant transcriptomics. Lanmodulin, a high-affinity REE-binding protein from methylotrophic bacteria, is used as a benchmark for the REE-protein binding fluorescence assays and expression in A. thaliana to test for changes in REE plant tolerance and uptake.

Keywords: phytomining, agromining, rare earth elements, pokeweed, phytolacca

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Authors: Amir Ali, Laura Yael Mendoza

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The application of nanomaterials is becoming the most effective strategy of elicitation to produce a desirable level of plant biomass with complex medicinal compounds. This study was designed to check the influence of phytosynthesized iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) on physical growth characteristics, antioxidant status, and production of steviol glycosides of in vitro grown Stevia rebaudiana. Effect of different concentrations of iron nanoparticles replacement of iron sulfate in MS medium (stock solution) on invitro stevia plant growth following positive control (MS basal medium), negative control (iron sulfate devoid medium), iron sulfate devoid MS medium and supplemented with FeNPs at different concentrations (5.6 mg/L, 11.2 mg/L, 16.8 mg/L, 22.4 mg/L) was evaluated. The iron deficiency leads to a drastic reduction in plant growth. In contrast, applying FeNPs leads to improvement in plant height, leave diameter, improved leave morphology, etc., in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the stress caused by FeNPs at 16.8 mg/L in cultures produced higher levels of total phenolic content (3.7 ± 0.042 mg/g dry weight: DW) and total flavonoid content (1.9 ± 0.022 mg/g DW and antioxidant activity (78 ± 4.6%). In addition, plants grown in the presence of FeNPs at 22.4 mg/L resulted in higher enzymatic antioxidant activities (SOD = 3.5 ± 0.042 U/mg; POD = 2.6 ± 0.026 U/mg; CAT = 2.8 ± 0.034 U/mg and APx = 3.6 ± 0.043 U/ mg), respectively. Furthermore, exposure to a higher dose of FeNPs (22.4 mg/L) exhibited the maximum amount of stevioside (stevioside: 4.6 ± 0.058 mg/g (DW) and rebaudioside A: 4.9 ± 0.068 mg/g DW) as compared to other doses. The current investigation confirms the effectiveness of FeNPs in growth media. It offers a suitable prospect for commercially desirable production of S. rebaudiana biomass with higher sweet glycosides profiles in vitro.

Keywords: cell culture, stevia, iron nanoparticles, antioxidants

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Authors: M. Anji Reddy, R. Uma Devi

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Environmental planning for urban development is very much needed to reduce air pollution through the enhancement of vegetative cover in the cities like Hyderabad. This can be mainly based on the selection of appropriate native plant species as bioindicators to assess the impact of ambient Ozone. In the present study, tolerant species are suggested aimed to reduce the magnitude of ambient ozone concentrations which not only increase eco-friendly vegetation but also moderate air pollution. Hyderabad city is divided into 5 zones based on Land Use/Land Cover category further each zone divided into residential, traffic, industrial, and peri-urban areas. Highest ambient ozone levels are recorded in Industrial areas followed by traffic areas in the entire study area ( > 180 µg/m3). Biomonitoring of selected sixteen local urban plant species with the help of Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) showed its susceptibility to air pollution. Statistical regression models in between the tolerant plant species and ambient ozone levels suggested five plant species namely Azardirachta indica A. Juss which have a high tolerant response to ambient ozone followed by Delonix regia Hook. along with Millingtonia hortensis L.f., Alestonia Scholaries L., and Samania saman Jacq. in the industrial and traffic areas of the study area to mitigate ambient Ozone pollution and also to improve urban greenery.

Keywords: air pollution tolerance index, bio-indicators, eco-friendly vegetation, urban greenery

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Authors: Abolfazl Kamkar

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Vegetable oils and fats are recognized as important components of our diet. They provide essential fatty acids, which are precursors of important hormones and control many physiological factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol level, and the reproductive system.Vegetable oils with higher contents of unsaturated fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are more susceptible to oxidation.Protective effects of Sature jahortensis(SE) extracts in stabilizing soybean oil at different concentrations (200 and 400 ppm) were tested. Results showed that plant extracts could significantly (P< 0.05) lower the peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid value of oil during storage at 60 oC. The IC50 values for methanol and ethanol extracts were 31.5 ± 0.7 and 37.00 ± 0 µg/ml, respectively. In the β- carotene/linoleic acid system, methanol and ethanol extracts exhibited 87.5 ± 1.41% and 74.0 ±2.25 % inhibition against linoleic acid oxidation. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of methanol and ethanol extracts were (101.58 ± 0. 26m g/ g) and (96.00 ± 0.027 mg/ g), (44.91 ± 0.14 m g/ g) and (14.30 ± 0.12 mg/ g) expressed in Gallic acid and Quercetin equivalents, respectively.These findings suggest that Satureja extracts may have potential application as natural antioxidants in the edible oil and food industry.

Keywords: satureja hortensis, antioxidant activity, oxidative stability, vegetable oil, extract

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Authors: Patricia M. B. Saint-Vincent, Anna Furches, Stephanie Galanie, Erica Teixeira Prates, Piet Jones, Nancy Engle, David Kainer, Wellington Muchero, Daniel Jacobson, Timothy J. Tschaplinski

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Uridine diphosphate-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are enzymes that catalyze sugar transfer to a variety of plant metabolites. UGT substrates, which include plant secondary metabolites involved in lignification, demonstrate new activities and incorporation when glycosylated. Knowledge of UGT function, substrate specificity, and enzyme products is important for plant engineering efforts, especially related to increasing plant biomass through lignification. UGTs in Populus trichocarpa, a biofuel feedstock, and model woody plant, were selected from a pool of gene candidates using rapid prioritization strategies. A functional genomics workflow, consisting of a metabolite genome-wide association study (mGWAS), expression of synthetic codon-optimized genes, and high-throughput biochemical assays with mass spectrometry-based analysis, was developed for determining the substrates and products of previously-uncharacterized enzymes. A total of 40 UGTs from P. trichocarpa were profiled, and the biochemical assay results were compared to predicted mGWAS connections. Assay results confirmed seven of 11 leaf mGWAS associations and demonstrated varying levels of substrate specificity among candidate UGTs. P. trichocarpa UGT substrate processing confirms the role of these newly-characterized enzymes in lignan, flavonoid, and phytohormone metabolism, with potential implications for cell wall biosynthesis, nitrogen uptake, and biotic and abiotic stress responses.

Keywords: Populus, metabolite-gene associations, GWAS, bio feedstocks, glycosyltransferase

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Authors: N. M. Aborehab, M. Helmy, N. E. Waly

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Resistin was identified as an adipocyte hormone that participates in regulation of glucose metabolism. Elevated levels of Resistin are postulated to cause insulin resistance. This may link obesity, and increased fat mass to type II diabetes and insulin resistance. We hypothesized that tomato and broccoli extract treatment regulates glucose homeostasis via modulation of resistin levels in high fat diet induced obesity rats (HFD). 63 male albino rats were divided into 8 groups as follows: control, HFD, stop fat diet (SD), Tomato 200 mg/kg (T200), Tomato 400mg/kg (T400), Broccoli 200 mg/kg (B200), Broccoli 400 mg/kg (B400), Chromax (CX). Treatment continued for 1 month. Serum levels of resistin, leptin, adiponectin, glucose and insulin were measured using ELISA, and spectrophotometry. Serum level of resistin was significantly reduced in T 200, T 400, B 200, B 400 and CX groups to: 4.13 ± 0.22 ng/ml, 1.51 ± 0.04 ng/ml, 4.13 ± 0.22 ng/ml, 2.32 ± 0.15 ng/ml and 1.37 ± 0.03 ng/ml respectively compared to HFD group and SD group (P value < 0.0001). Non-significant difference was found between T 400, B 400 and CX groups. Mean serum level of leptin was significantly reduced in T 400 (22.7 ± 0.84 Pg/ml) group compared to B 400 (41 ± 2.45 Pg/ml) and CX groups (45.7 ± 2.91 Pg/ml), P value < 0.001.The mean serum level of adiponectin was significantly increased in T 400 group (131 ± 3.84 Pg/ml) compared to CX group (112 ± 4.77 Pg/ml), P value was < 0.01. Our results demonstrate that tomato and broccoli extract treatment regulates glucose homeostasis via reduction of serum resistin and may be a useful non-pharmacological therapy for obesity. Further studies are required to assess the potential use of these extract as a treatment for type II diabetes and obesity.

Keywords: broccoli, obesity, resistin, tomato

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Authors: Tamer El-Messery, Teresa Sanchez-Moya, Ruben Lopez-Nicolas, Gaspar Ros, Esmat Aly

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Olive leaves (OLs), the main by-product of the olive oil industry, have a considerable amount of phenolic compounds. The exploitation of these compounds represents the current trend in food processing. In this study, OLs polyphenols were microencapsulated with polycaprolactone (PCL) and utilized in formulating novel functional yoghurt. PCL-microcapsules were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis. Their total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC) contents, and antioxidant activities (DPPH, FRAP, ABTS), and polyphenols bioaccessibility were measured after oral, gastric, and intestinal steps of in vitro digestion. The four yoghurt formulations (containing 0, 25, 50, and 75 mg of PCL-microsphere/100g yoghurt) were evaluated for their pH, acidity, syneresis viscosity, and color during storage. In vitro digestion significantly affected the phenolic composition in non-encapsulated extract while had a lower impact on encapsulated phenolics. Higher protection was provided for encapsulated OLs extract, and their higher release was observed at the intestinal phase. Yoghurt with PCL-microsphere had lower viscosity, syneresis, and color parameters, as compared to control yoghurt. Thus, OLs represent a valuable and cheap source of polyphenols which can be successfully applied, in microencapsulated form, to formulate functional yoghurt.

Keywords: yoghurt quality attributes, olive leaves, phenolic and flavonoids compounds, antioxidant activity, polycaprolactone as microencapsulant

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Authors: Yonghwa Lee, Yoon Suk Kim, Yongsub Yi

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This study was to confirm the effects of anti-melanogenesis and anti-inflammatory effects from Opuntia humifusa fruit and stem extracts. A potent anti-oxidant activity was shown from the leaf extract at IC50 value of 38.33±1.07 μg/mL and fruit extract at IC50 value of 40.23±2.21 μg/mL by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Also, phenolic contents were confirmed total phenolic assay by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Fraction of taxifolin from leaf extract was identified using HPLC and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The extracts of Opuntia humifusa fruit and stem were confirmed about toxicity effect in B16 F1 by cell viability. Melanin contents were decreased. Opuntia humifusa fruit and stem extracts had a positive effect of melanin synthesis inhibition for skin whitening. In investigating the anti-inflammatory activities of Opuntia humifusa, the results of cell viability indicated that taxifolin did not show cytotoxicity on RAW264.7 cells at 500 μM of concentration. The results show that taxifolin inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of Nitrite oxide (NO). In addition, taxifolin indicated the inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α and interleukin (IL) -6 productions by cytokine assay and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression by western blot analysis, meaning that taxifolin had a significant anti-inflammatory effect. Our results suggested that taxifolin from Opuntia humifusa has anti-melanogenesis and anti-inflammatory activities.

Keywords: anti-melanogenesis, anti-inflammatory, Opuntia humifusa, taxifolin

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Authors: Marwa T. Badawy, Alaa F. Bakr, Nesrine Hegazi, Mohamed A. Farag, Ahmed Abdellatif

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Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease affecting a large population worldwide. Africa is rich in native medicinal plants with myriad health benefits, though less explored towards the development of specific drug therapy as in diabetes. This study aims to determine the in vivo antidiabetic potential of the well-reported and traditionally used fruits of Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) using STZ induced diabetic model. The in-vitro cytotoxic and antioxidant properties were examined using MTT assay on L-929 fibroblast cells and DPPH antioxidant assays, respectively. The extract showed minimal cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of 105.7 µg/mL. Histopathological and immunohistochemical investigations showed the hepatoprotective and the renoprotective effects of A. digitata fruits’ extract, implying its protective effects against diabetes complications. These findings were further supported by biochemical assays, which showed that i.p., injection of a low dose (150 mg/kg) of A. digitata twice a week lowered the fasting blood glucose levels, lipid profile, hepatic and renal markers. For a comprehensive overview of extract metabolites composition, ultrahigh performance (UHPLC) analysis coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) in synchronization with molecular networks led to the annotation of 77 metabolites, among which 50% are reported for the first time in A. digitata fruits.

Keywords: adansonia digital, diabetes mellitus, metabolomics, streptozotocin, Sprague, dawley rats

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Authors: Weena Siangphro, Orawon Chailapakul, Kriangsak Songsrirote

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A simple, rapid, sensitive, and economical method based on colorimetry for the determination of paraquat, a widely used herbicide, was developed. Citrate-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized as colorimetric probe. The mechanism of the assay is related to aggregation of negatively charged AgNPs induced by positively-charged paraquat resulting from coulombic attraction which causes the color change from deep greenish yellow to pale yellow upon the concentrations of paraquat. Silica gel was exploited as paraquat adsorbent for purification and pre-concentration prior to the direct determination with negatively charged AgNPs without elution step required. The validity of the proposed approach was evaluated by spiking standard paraquat in water and plant samples. Recoveries of paraquat in water samples were 93.6-95.4%, while those in plant samples were 86.6-89.5% by using the optimized extraction procedure. The absorbance of AgNPs at 400 nm was linearly related to the concentration of paraquat over the range of 0.05-50 mg/L with detection limits of 0.05 ppm for water samples, and 0.10 ppm for plant samples.

Keywords: colorimetric assay, paraquat, silica gel, silver nanoparticles

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Authors: Zainab M. Almutairi, Amjad Alharbi

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The use of engineered nanomaterials has increased as a result of their positive impact on many sectors of the economy, including agriculture. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are now used to enhance seed germination, plant growth, and photosynthetic quantum efficiency and as antimicrobial agents to control plant diseases. In this study, we examined the effect of AgNP dosage on the seed germination of three plant species: corn (Zea mays L.), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus [Thunb.] Matsum. & Nakai) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.). This experiment was designed to study the effect of AgNPs on germination percentage, germination rate, mean germination time, root length and fresh and dry weight of seedlings for the three species. Seven concentrations (0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 mg/ml) of AgNPs were examined at the seed germination stage. The three species had different dose responses to AgNPs in terms of germination parameters and the measured growth characteristics. The germination rates of the three plants were enhanced in response to AgNPs. Significant enhancement of the germination percentage values was observed after treatment of the watermelon and zucchini plants with AgNPs in comparison with untreated seeds. AgNPs showed a toxic effect on corn root elongation, whereas watermelon and zucchini seedling growth were positively affected by certain concentrations of AgNPs. This study showed that exposure to AgNPs caused both positive and negative effects on plant growth and germination.

Keywords: citrullus lanatus, cucurbita pepo, seed germination, seedling growth, silver nanoparticles, zea mays

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Authors: Marisol Rodriguez-Duarte, Aide Saenz-Galindo, Carolina Flores-Gallegos, Raul Rodriguez-Herrera, Juan Ascacio-Valdes

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The plant known as tarbush (Fluorensia cernua) is a plant originating in northern Mexico, mainly in the states of Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas and Chihuahua. It is a branched shrub that belongs to the family Asteraceae, has oval leaves of 6 to 11 cm in length and also has small yellow flowers. In Mexico, the tarbush is a very appreciated plant because it has been used as a traditional medicinal agent, for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, skin infections and as a healing agent. This plant has been used mainly as an infusion. Due to its traditional use, the content and type of phytochemicals present in the plant are currently unknown and are responsible for its biological properties, so its recovery and identification is very important because the compounds that it contains have relevant applications in the field of food, pharmaceuticals and medicine. The objective of this work was to determine the best extraction condition of phytochemical compounds (mainly polyphenolic compounds) from the leaf using ultrasound/microwave assisted extraction (U/M-AE). To reach the objective, U/M-AE extractions were performed evaluating three mass/volume ratios (1:8, 1:12, 1:16), three ethanol/water solvent concentrations (0%, 30% and 70%), ultrasound extraction time of 20 min and 5 min at 70°C of microwave treatment. All experiments were performed using a fractional factorial experimental design. Once the best extraction condition was defined, the compounds were recovered by liquid column chromatography using Amberlite XAD-16, the polyphenolic fraction was recovered with ethanol and then evaporated. The recovered polyphenolic compounds were quantified by spectrophotometric techniques and identified by HPLC/ESI/MS. The results obtained showed that the best extraction condition of the compounds was using a mass/volume ratio of 1:8 and solvent ethanol/water concentration of 70%. The concentration obtained from polyphenolic compounds using this condition was 22.74 mg/g and finally, 16 compounds of polyphenolic origin were identified. The results obtained in this work allow us to postulate the Mexican plant known as tarbush as a relevant source of bioactive polyphenolic compounds of food, pharmaceutical and medicinal interest.

Keywords: U/M-AE, tarbush, polyphenols, identification

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Authors: Karol Rodriguez-Peña, Martha L. Macias-Rubalcava, Leticia Rocha-Zavaleta, Sergio Sanchez

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A bioassay-guided study for anti-cancer compounds from endophytes of the Mexican medicinal plant Amphipteryygium adstringens resulted in the isolation of a streptomycete capable of producing a group of compounds with high cytotoxic activity. Microorganisms from surface sterilized samples of various sections of the plant were isolated and all the actinomycetes found were evaluated for their potential to produce compounds with cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines MCF7 (breast cancer) and HeLa (cervical cancer) as well as the non-tumoural cell line HaCaT (keratinocyte). The most active microorganism was picked for further evaluation. The identification of the microorganism was carried out by 16S rDNA gene sequencing, finding the closest proximity to Streptomyces scabrisporus, but with the additional characteristic that the strain isolated in this study was capable of producing colorful compounds never described for this species. Crude extracts of dichloromethane and ethyl acetate showed IC50 values of 0.29 and 0.96 μg/mL for MCF7, 0.51 and 1.98 μg/mL for HeLa and 0.96 and 2.7 μg/mL for HaCaT. Scaling the fermentation to 10 L in a bioreactor generated 1 g of total crude extract, which was fractionated by silica gel open column to yield 14 fractions. Nine of the fractions showed cytotoxic activity. Fraction 4 was chosen for subsequent purification because of its high activity against cancerous cell lines, lower activity against keratinocytes. HPLC-UV-MS/ESI was used for the evaluation of this fraction, finding at least 10 different compounds with high values of m/z (≈588). Purification of the compounds was carried out by preparative thin-layer chromatography. The prevalent compound was Steffimycin B, a molecule known for its antibiotic and cytotoxic activities and also for its low solubility in aqueous solutions. Along with steffimycin B, another five compounds belonging to the steffimycin family were isolated and at this moment their structures are being elucidated, some of which display better solubility in water: an attractive property for the pharmaceutical industry. As a conclusion to this study, the isolation of endophytes resulted in the discovery of a strain capable of producing compounds with high cytotoxic activity that need to be studied for their possible utilization.

Keywords: amphipterygium adstringens, cytotoxicity, streptomyces scabrisporus, steffimycin

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Authors: J. R. Wang, H. T. Lin, H. C. Chen, C. Shih, S. W. Chen, S. C. Chiang, C. C. Liu

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In this research, TRACE model of Chinshan BWR/4 Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has been developed for the simulation and analysis of Ultimate Response Guideline (URG). The main actions of URG are the depressurization and low pressure water injection of reactor and containment venting. This research focuses to verify the URG efficiency under Fukushima-like conditions. Trace analysis results show that the URG can keep the PCT below the criteria 1088.7 K under Fukushima-like conditions. It indicated that Chinshan NPP was safe.

Keywords: BWR, trace, safety analysis, URG

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Authors: Naoual Boussoualim, Hayat Trabsa, Iman Krache, Lekhmici Arrar, Abderrahmane Baghiani

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Resistance to antibiotics has emerged following their widespread use; the important mechanism of beta-lactam resistance in bacteria is the production of beta-lactamase. In order to find new bioactive beta-lactamase inhibitors, this study investigated the inhibition effect of the extracts of Anchusa azurea (AA) on a beta-lactamase from Bacillus cereus. The extracts exerted inhibitory effects on beta-lactamase in a dose-dependent manner, the results showed that the crude extract (BrE) and the ethyl acetate extract (AcE) of Anchusa azurea showed a very high inhibitory activity at a concentration of 10 mg, the percentage of inhibition was between 58% and 68%. Not all extracts were as potent as the original inhibitors such as clavulanic acid, the isolation and the structural elucidation of the active constituents in these extracts will provide useful means in the development of beta -lactamase inhibitors.

Keywords: Anchusa azurea, natural product, resistance, antibiotics, beta-lactamase, inhibitors

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Authors: Haruya Tamaki, Tsugunosuke Sakai, Ryuichi Yoshida, Ryohei Egusa, Shigenori Inagaki, Etsuji Yamaguchi, Fusako Kusunoki, Miki Namatame, Masanori Sugimoto, Hiroshi Mizoguchi

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Art appreciation is important as part of children education. Art appreciation can enrich sensibility and creativity. To enrich sensibility and creativity, the children have to learning knowledge of picture such as social and historical backgrounds and author intention. High learning effect can acquire by actively learning. In short, it is important that encourage learning of the knowledge about pictures actively. It is necessary that children feel like interest to encourage learning of the knowledge about pictures actively. In a general art museum, comments on pictures are done through writing. Thus, we expect that this method cannot arouse the interest of the children in pictures, because children feel like boring. In brief, learning about the picture information is difficult. Therefore, we are developing an art-appreciation support system that will encourage learning of the knowledge about pictures actively by children feel like interest. This system uses that Interacting with Pictures to learning of the knowledge about pictures. To Interacting with Pictures, children have to utterance by themselves. We expect that will encourage learning of the knowledge about pictures actively by Interacting with Pictures. To more actively learning, children can choose who talking with by information that location and movement of the children. This system must be able to acquire real-time knowledge of the location, movement, and voice of the children. We utilize the Microsoft’s Kinect v2 sensor and its library, namely, Kinect for Windows SDK and Speech Platform SDK v11 for this purpose. By using these sensor and library, we can determine the location, movement, and voice of the children. As the first step of this system, we developed ukiyo-e game that use ukiyo-e to appreciation object. Ukiyo-e is a traditional Japanese graphic art that has influenced the western society. Therefore, we believe that the ukiyo-e game will be appreciated. In this study, we applied talking to pictures to learn information about the pictures because we believe that learning information about the pictures by talking to the pictures is more interesting than commenting on the pictures using only texts. However, we cannot confirm if talking to the pictures is more interesting than commenting using texts only. Thus, we evaluated through EDA measurement whether the user develops an interest in the pictures while talking to them using voice recognition or by commenting on the pictures using texts only. Hence, we evaluated that children have interest to picture while talking to them using voice recognition through EDA measurement. In addition, we quantitatively evaluate that enjoyed this game or not and learning information about the pictures for primary schoolchildren. In this paper, we summarize these two evaluation results.

Keywords: actively learning, art appreciation, EDA, Kinect V2

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Authors: Brenda O. Mazzola, Adriel Larsen, Romina P. Ollier, Leandro N. Ludueña, Vera A. Alvarez, Jimena S. Gonzalez

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Seaweed is a natural renewable resource with great potential that is not being used by the domestic industry. Here, it was used a kind of invasive algae U. Pinnatifida that causes serious ecological damage on the Argentinian coasts. Alginate is one of the most widely used materials for encapsulation, and has the advantage that is a natural polysaccharide derived from a marine plant. It can form thermally stable hydrogel in the presence of calcium cation. In addition, the hydrogel can be easily produced into particulate form by using simple and gentle method. The aim of this work was to obtain and to characterize novel compounds (alginate/seaweed powder) for the soil nutrition. Alginate water solutions were prepared by concentrations of 20, 30, 40 and 50 g/L, in those solutions 10g/L of seaweed powder was added. Then the dispersions were transferred from a beaker to the atomizer by a peristaltic pump (with 0.05 to 0.1 L/h flow). A tank was filled with 1 L of calcium chloride solution (4 g/L), and the solution was agitated with a magnetic stirrer. The beads were analyzed by means TGA, FTIR and swelling determinations. In addition, the improvements in the soil were qualitative measured. It was obtained beads with different diameters depend on the initial concentration and the flow used. A better dispersions of seaweed and optimal diameter for the plant nutrition applications were obtained for 40g/L concentration and 0.1 L/h flow. The beads show thermal stability and high swelling degree. It can be successfully obtained alginate beads with seaweed powder with a novelty application as plant nutrient.

Keywords: biodegradable, characterization, hydrogel, plant nutrition, seaweed

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Authors: Prateek Sharma, Venkata Ramachandrarao Maddali, Kapil Kukreja, B. N. Mohapatra

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Waste management is one of the pressing issues of India. Several initiatives by the Indian Government, including the recent one “Swachhata hi Seva” campaign launched by Prime Minister on 15th August 2018, can be one of the game changers to waste disposal. Under this initiative, the government, cement industry and other stakeholders are working hand in hand to dispose of single-use plastics in cement plants in rotary kilns. This is an exemplary effort and a move that establishes the Indian Cement industry as one of the key players in a circular economy. One of the cement plants in Southern India has been mandated by the state government to co-process shredded plastic and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) available in nearby regions as an alternative fuel in their cement plant. The plant has set a target of 25 % thermal substitution rate (TSR) by RDF in the next five years. Most of the cement plants in India and abroad have achieved high TSR through pre calciner firing. But the cement plant doesn’t have the precalciner and has to achieve this daunting task of 25 % TSR by firing through the main kiln burner. Since RDF is a heterogeneous waste with the change in fuel quality, it is difficult to achieve this task; hence plant has to resort to firing some portion of RDF/plastics at kiln inlet. But kiln inlet has reducing conditions as observed during measurements) under baseline condition. The combustion behavior of RDF of different sizes at different firing locations in riser was studied with the help of a computational fluid dynamics tool. It has been concluded that RDF above 50 mm size results in incomplete combustion leading to CO formation. Moreover, best firing location appears to be in the bottom portion of the kiln riser.

Keywords: kiln inlet, plastics, refuse derived fuel, thermal substitution rate

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Authors: Jamila Fliou, Federica Spinola, Ouassima Riffi, Asmaa Zriouel, Ali Amechrouq, Luca Nalbone, Alessandro Giuffrida, Filippo Giarratana

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This study performed a preliminary evaluation of the phytochemical composition and in vitro antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of Lavandula x intermedia leaves and flowers collected in the Fez-Meknes region of Morocco. Phytochemical analyses comprised qualitative colourimetric determinations of alkaloids, anthraquinones, and terpenes and quantitative analysis of total polyphenols, flavonoids, and condensed tannins by UV spectrophotometer. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values against different ATCC bacterial strains. The phytochemical analysis showed a high amount of total polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins in the leaf extract and a higher amount of terpenes based on colourimetric reaction than the flower extract. A positive colourimetric reaction for alkaloids and anthraquinones was detected for both extracts. The antibacterial activity of leaves and flower extract was not different against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains (p<0.05). The results of the present study suggest the possible use of ethanolic extracts of L. x intermedia collected in the Fez-Meknes region of Morocco as a natural agent against bacterial pathogens.

Keywords: antimicrobial activity, Lavandula spp., lavender, lavandin, UV spectrophotometric analysis

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Authors: Mohammadreza Delfieh, Seyed Ali Mohammad Modarres Sanavy, Rouzbeh Farhoudi

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Fennel is of most important medicinal plants which is widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. In order to investigate the effect of different nitrogen nutritional systems including chemical, organic and biologic ones at different plant densities on yield, yield components and seed essential oil content and yield of this valuable medicinal plant, a field experiment was carried out in 2013-2014 agricultural season at Islamic Azad University of Shoushtar agricultural college in split plot design with 18 treatments and based on completely randomized blocks design. Different nitrogen system treatments consisting of: 1. N1 or control (Uniformly spreading urea fertilizer in the plot, 50% at planting time and 50% at stem elongation), 2. N2 (Uniformly spreading 50% of urea fertilizer in the plot at planting time and spraying the other 50% of urea fertilizer at stem elongation on fennel foliage), 3. N3 or cow manure, 4. N4 or biofertilizer (Inoculation of fennel seeds with Azotobacter and Azospirillum), 5. N5 or Integrated-1 (Cow manure + uniformly spreading urea fertilizer in the plot at stem elongation), 6. N6 or Integrated-2 (Cow manure + Inoculation of fennel seeds with Azotobacter and Azospirillum) were applied to the main plots. Three fennel densities consisting of: 1. FD1 (60 plant/m2), 2. FD2 (80 plant/m2) and 3. FD3 (100 plant/m2) were applied to subplots. Results showed that all of the traits were significantly affected by applied treatments (P 0.01). The interaction between treatments also were significant at 5 percent level for shoot dry weight and at 1 percent level for other traits. Based on the results, using the Integrated-1 treatment at 100 plant per m2 produced 94.575 g/m2 seed yield containing 3.375 percent of essential oil. Utilization of such combination not only could lead to a desirable fennel quantity and quality, but also is more consistent with environment.

Keywords: fennel (foeniculum vulgare mill.), nutritional system, nitrogen, biofertilizer, organic fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, density

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Authors: Gabriela-Andreea Despescu, Mădălina-Elena Mavrodin, Gheorghe Lăzăroiu, Florin Adrian Grădinaru

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The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the enhancement of a hydroelectric plant protection by coordinating protection measures and existing security and introducing new measures under a risk management process. Also, the plan identifies key critical elements of a hydroelectric plant, from its level vulnerabilities and threats it is subjected to in order to achieve the necessary protection measures to reduce the level of risk.

Keywords: critical infrastructure, risk analysis, critical infrastructure protection, vulnerability, risk management, turbine, impact analysis

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Authors: Ravi P. Agrahari

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The present study was undertaken with the objective of evaluating kitchen waste as an alternative organic material for biogas production in community level biogas plant. The field study was carried out for one month (January 19, 2012– February 17, 2012) at Centre for Energy Studies, IIT Delhi, New Delhi, India. This study involves the uses of greenhouse canopy to increase the temperature for the production of biogas in winter period. In continuation, a semi-continuous study was conducted for one month with the retention time of 30 days under batch system. The gas generated from the biogas plant was utilized for cooking (burner) and lighting (lamp) purposes. Gas productions in the winter season registered lower than other months. It can be concluded that the solar greenhouse assisted biogas plant can be efficiently adopted in colder region or in winter season because temperature plays a major role in biogas production. 

Keywords: biogas, green house chamber, organic material, solar intensity, batch system

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Authors: Ali Mohammadi

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The present study is an attempt to investigate the influence of mythology on J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works in general and on Middle-Earth in particular. Moreover, despite the fact that mythology is usually regarded as a thing of the past predominantly found in the early works of literature, this inquiry reveals that how modern literary works can artistically benefit from mythological elements of Old English Era so as to enrich their content and stand out as innovative masterpieces. Indeed, having been a philologist and well-acquainted with mythological literature, Tolkien paved the way for a novel understanding of literature by bridging the gap between the old and the new. In the end, it was concluded that had mythology not been utilised by Tolkien, his works, and on top of all, Middle-Earth, would not have turned into a modern literary showpiece.

Keywords: literature, Middle-Earth, mythology, Tolkien

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Authors: Wiwat Onnakklum

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Clarification is the turbidity removal process of water treatment plant. This paper was to study the factors affecting on energy consumption in order to control energy saving strategy. The factors studied were raw water turbidity in the range of 26-40 NTU and production rate in the range of 3.76-5.20 m³/sec. Clarifiers were sludge blanket and sludge recirculation clarifier. Experimental results found that the raw water turbidity was not affected significantly by energy consumption, while the production rate was affected significantly by energy consumption. Sludge blanket clarifier provided lower energy consumption than sludge recirculation clarifier about 32-37%. Subsequently, the operating pattern in production rate can be arranged to decreased energy consumption. The results showed that it can be reduced about 5.09 % of energy saving of clarification process about 754,655 Baht per year.

Keywords: sludge blanket clarifier, sludge recirculation clarifier, water treatment plant, energy

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Authors: Silvia Ximena Barrios, Diego Armando Villamizar Mantilla, Raquel Elvira Ocazionez, , Elena E. Stashenko, María Pilar Vinardell, Jorge Luis Fuentes

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Introduction: Skin overexposure to solar radiation has been a serious public health concern, because of its potential carcinogenicity. Therefore, preventive protection strategies using photoprotective agents are critical to counteract the harmful effect of solar radiation. Plants may be a source of photoprotective compounds that inhibit cellular mutations involved in skin cancer initiation. This work evaluated the photoprotective and antigenotoxic effects against ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation of a mixture of Posoqueria latifolia flower extract and Kaempferol (MixPoKa). Methods: The photoprotective efficacy of MixPoka (Posoqueria latifolia flower extract 250 μg/ml and Kaempferol 349.5 μM) was evaluated using in vitro indices such as sun protection factor SPFᵢₙ ᵥᵢₜᵣₒ and critical wavelength (λc). The MixPoKa photostability (Eff) at human minimal erythema doses (MED), according to the Fitzpatrick skin scale, was also estimated. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity/antigenotoxicity were studied in MRC5 human fibroblasts using the trypan blue exclusion and Comet assays, respectively. Kinetics of the genetic damage repair post irradiation in the presence and absence of the MixPoka, was also evaluated. Results: The MixPoka -UV absorbance spectrum was high across the spectral bands between 200 and 400 nm. The UVB photoprotection efficacy of MixPoka was high (SPFᵢₙ ᵥᵢₜᵣₒ = 25.70 ± 0.06), showed wide photoprotection spectrum (λc = 380 ± 0), and resulted photostable (Eff = 92.3–100.0%). The MixPoka was neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic in MRC5 human fibroblasts; but presented significant antigenotoxic effect against UVB radiation. Additionally, MixPoka stimulate DNA repair post-irradiation. The potential of this phytochemical mixture as sunscreen ingredients was discussed. Conclusion: MixPoka showed a significant antigenotoxic effect against UVB radiation and stimulated DNA repair after irradiation. MixPoka could be used as an ingredient in a sunscreen cream.

Keywords: flower extract, photoprotection, antigenotoxicity, cytotoxicity, genotoxicit

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Authors: Mohamed A. Ghandourah, Walied M. Alarif, Nahed O. Bawakid

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Halogenated cyclic enynes and terpenoids are commonly identified among secondary metabolites of the genus Laurencia. Laurencian acetogenins are entirly C15 non-terpenoid haloethers with different carbocyclic nuclei; a specimen of the Red Sea red alga L. obtusa was investigated for its acetogenin content. The dichloromethane extract of the air-dried red algal material was fractionated on aluminum oxide column preparative thin-layer chromatography. Three new rare C12 acetogenin derivatives (1-3) were isolated from the organic extract obtained from Laurencia obtusa, collected from the territorial Red Sea water of Saudi Arabia. The structures of the isolated metabolites were established by means of spectroscopical data analyses. Examining the isolated compounds in activated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) revealed potent Anti-inflammatory activity as evidenced by inhibition of NFκB and release of other inflammatory mediators like TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6.

Keywords: Red Sea, red algae, fatty acids, spectroscopy, anti-inflammatory

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Authors: Areej Ali Baeshen

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Allelopathy is a complex phenomenon that depends on the concentration of allelochemicals. It has both inhibitory and stimulatory effects, which may be decided by concentration of allelochemicals present in extraction. In the present study, the allelopathic effects of Eruca sativa, Mentha peperina, and Coriandrum sativum water extract prepared by grinding fresh leaves of the medicinal plants in distilled water and three concentrations were taken from the crude extracts (100%, 50% and 25% in addition to 0% as control), and were tested for their effects on seed germination and some growth parameters of Zea mays. The experiment was conducted in sterilized Petri dishes under the natural laboratory conditions at temperature of 25°C, with a 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h and 120 h time interval for seed germination and 24 h, 48 h and 72 h for radicle length. The effects of different concentrations of aqueous extract were compared to distilled water (control, 0%). In maize, germination percentage was suppressed when plants was treated with 100% extracts, however, 50% and 25% of M. peprina increased germination percentage by 4 times more than the control. Moreover, 50% and 25% extracts of M. peperina and 50% of C. sativum increased maize radicle and plumule length by 3 to 4 times that of the control. Results of plumule fresh and dry weights revealed that concentrations of water extracts of 100% and 50% M. peperina, E. sativa 100% and E. sativa 50% reported almost similar plumule fresh weight as in control plants. The most interesting finding is the reduction in harmful salts and TDS which could be a good factor in saline soils of Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Zea mays, Eruca sativa, Mentha peperina, Coriandrum sativum, medicinal plants, allelochemicals, aqueous extract

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Authors: Joel Bonales, Venecia Solorzano, Carlos Garcia

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A great percentage of the wastewater generated in developing countries don’t receive any treatment, which leads to numerous environmental impacts. In response to this, a paradigm change in the current wastewater treatment model based on large scale plants towards a small and medium scale based model has been proposed. Nevertheless, small scale wastewater treatment (SS-WTTP) with novel technologies such as anaerobic digesters, as well as the utilization of derivative co-products such as biogas, still presents diverse environmental impacts which must be assessed. This study consisted in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performed to a SS-WWTP which treats wastewater from a small commercial block in the city of Morelia, Mexico. The treatment performed in the SS-WWTP consists in anaerobic and aerobic digesters with a daily capacity of 5,040 L. Two different scenarios were analyzed: the current plant conditions and a hypothetical energy use of biogas obtained in situ. Furthermore, two different allocation criteria were applied: full impact allocation to the system’s main product (treated water) and substitution credits for replacing Mexican grid electricity (biogas) and clean water pumping (treated water). The results showed that the analyzed plant had bigger impacts than what has been reported in the bibliography in the basis of wastewater volume treated, which may imply that this plant is currently operating inefficiently. The evaluated impacts appeared to be focused in the aerobic digestion and electric generation phases due to the plant’s particular configuration. Additional findings prove that the allocation criteria applied is crucial for the interpretation of impacts and that that the energy use of the biogas obtained in this plant can help mitigate associated climate change impacts. It is concluded that SS-WTTP is a environmentally sound alternative for wastewater treatment from a systemic perspective. However, this type of studies must be careful in the selection of the allocation criteria and replaced products, since these factors have a great influence in the results of the assessment.

Keywords: biogas, life cycle assessment, small scale treatment, wastewater treatment

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Authors: Zahra Shakoori, Farid Salmanpour

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Pollination services are a vital service for the ecosystem to maintain environmental stability. The decline of pollinators can disrupt the ecological balance by affecting components of biodiversity. Bumble bees are crucial pollinators, playing a vital role in maintaining plant diversity. This study investigated the temporal patterns of their visitation to flowers in Kiasar National Park, Iran. Observations were conducted in Jun 2024, totaling 442 person-minutes of observation. Five species of bumble bees were identified. The study revealed that they consistently visited an average of 12-15 flowers per minute, regardless of species. The findings highlight the importance of protecting natural habitats, where their populations are thriving in the absence of human-induced stressors. This study was conducted in Kiasar National Park, located in the southeast of Mazandaran, northern Iran. The surveyed area, at an altitude of 1800-2200 meters, includes both forest and pasture. Bumble bee surveys were carried out on sunny days from June 2024, starting at dawn and ending at sunset. To avoid double-counting, we systematically searched for foraging habitats on low-sloping ridges with high mud density, frequently moving between patches. We recorded bumble bee visits to flowers and plant species per minute using direct observation, a stopwatch, and a pre-prepared form. We used statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a confidence level of 95% to examine potential differences in foraging rates across different bumble bee species, flowers, plant bases, and plant species visited. Bumble bee identification relied on morphological indicators. A total of 442 person-minutes of bumble bee observations were recorded. Five species of bumble bees (Bombus fragrans, Bombus haematurus, Bombus lucorum, Bombus melanurus, Bombus terrestris) were identified during the study. The results of this study showed that the visits of bumble bees to flower sources were not different from each other. In general, bumble bees visit an average of 12-15 flowers every 60 seconds. In addition, at the same time they visit between 3-5 plant bases. Finally, they visit an average of 1 to 3 plant species per minute. While many taxa contribute to pollination, insects—especially bees—are crucial for maintaining plant diversity and ecosystem functions. As plant diversity increases, the stopping rate of pollinating insects rises, which reduces their foraging activity. Bumble bees, therefore, stop more frequently in natural areas than in agricultural fields due to higher plant diversity. Our findings emphasize the need to protect natural habitats like Kiasar National Park, where bumble bees thrive without human-induced stressors like pesticides, livestock grazing, and pollution. With bumble bee populations declining globally, further research is essential to understand their behavior in different environments and develop effective conservation strategies to protect them.

Keywords: bumble bees, pollination, pollinator, plant diversity, Iran

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