Application of ferrous sulfate alleviates negative impact of cadmium in rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.)

Soil contamination with toxic heavy metals [such as cadmium (Cd)] is becoming a serious global problem due to rapid development of social economy. Iron (Fe), being an important element, has been found effective in enhancing plant tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses. The present study investigated the extent to which different levels of Ferrous sulphate (FeSO₄) modulated the Cd tolerance of rice (Oryza sativa L.), when maintained in artificially Cd spiked regimes. A pot experiment was conducted under controlled conditions for 146 days, by using natural soil, mixed with different levels of CdCl₂ [0 (no Cd), 0.5 and 1 mg/kg] together with the exogenous application of FeSO₄ at [0 (no Fe), 1.5 and 3 mg/kg] levels to monitor different growth, gaseous exchange characteristics, oxidative stress, antioxidative responses, minerals accumulation, organic acid exudation patterns of O. sativa. Our results depicted that addition of Cd to the soil significantly (P < 0.05) decreased plant growth and biomass, gaseous exchange parameters, mineral uptake by the plants, sugars (soluble, reducing, and non-reducing sugar) and altered the ultrastructure of chloroplasts, plastoglobuli, mitochondria, and many other cellular organelles in Cd-stressed O. sativa compared to those plants which were grown without the addition of Cd in the soil. However, Cd toxicity boosted the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by increasing the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), which is the indication of oxidative stress in O. sativa and was also manifested by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) contents and electrolyte leakage to the membrane bounded organelles. Although, activities of various antioxidative enzymes like superoxidase dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and non-enzymatic antioxidants like phenolics, flavonoid, ascorbic acid, anthocyanin and proline contents increased up to a Cd level of 0.5 mg/kg in the soil but were significantly diminished at the highest Cd level of 1 mg/kg in the soil compared to those plants which were grown without the addition of Cd in the soil. The negative impacts of Cd injury were reduced by the application of FeSO₄ which increased plant growth and biomass, improved photosynthetic apparatus, antioxidant enzymes, minerals uptake together with diminished exudation of organic acids as well as oxidative stress indicators in roots and shoots of O. sativa by decreasing Cd retention in different plant parts. These results shed light on the effectiveness of FeSO₄ in improving the growth and upregulation of antioxidant enzyme activities of O. sativa in response to Cd stress. However, further studies at field levels are required to explore the mechanisms of FeSO₄-mediated reduction of the toxicity of not only Cd, but possibly also other heavy metals in plants.     

A New Paradigm for Waste Classification Based on YOLOv5

Classification of garbage is of paramount importance prior to process them to categorise physically and this process helps to manage wastes by maintaining pollution free environment. Many systems that have capability segregate garbage are on the rise, but efficient and accurate segmentation with recognition mechanisms draw the attention of researchers. A computer vision approach for classifying garbage into respective recyclable categories could be one of the effective and economical ways of processing waste. This project mainly focused on capturing real-time images of a single piece of garbage and classifying it into three divisions: paper, or metal, or biodegradable (food) waste. Each garbage class contains around 2000 images obtained from an open-source dataset and images collected from Google and personally collected custom images. The developed intelligent models provide the effectiveness of the machine and deep learning in classification with structural and nonstructural data. The model used was a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) named YOLOv5. The project showcased vision based approach capable of maintaining an accuracy of 61%. The CNN was not trained to its maximum capacity due to the difficulty of finding optimal hyperparameters, as most of the images were gathered from Google Images.     

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist: From synthesis to therapeutic applications

The cytokine channel’s mechanism for self-regulation involves the application of antagonistic cytokines that are synthesized to connect to the receptors and release soluble cytokine receptors. The very first receptor antagonist of cytokine that was naturally present was interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra). The IL-1Ra protein forms are disinfected from supernatants of cultured monocytes on stacked IgG. The family of IL-1 consists of IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-1Ra. Human monocytes regulate the production of IL-Ra. IL-Ra takes part in normal physiological functions by using specific antibodies, and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. IL-Ra is synthesized in the tissues during the period of active disease and can be systematically measured and/or estimated. Maintenance of the levels of IL-Ra and IL-1 is the main factor for host resistance in patients during diseased conditions, as IL-Ra acts as an inherent regulator of various inflammatory responses. In this article, we focuse on how IL-Ra is synthesized and performs its functions once the inflammatory responses are activated.     

Biochemical association between the prevalence of genetic polymorphism and myocardial infarction

Genetic polymorphism has a vital role in the pathogenesis and development of myocardial infarction (MI). Single nucleotide polymorphism at any one of the amino acid sequences can result in a diseased state. A single gene can exhibit genetic polymorphism at more than one position giving rise to different variants. Genetic polymorphism of angiotensinogen (AGT) M235T, AGT T174M, and angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) can be a risk factor for MI. However, it is important to study the prevalence of genetic polymorphisms of these genes among different populations. MI is influenced by genetic polymorphism of various genes, including AGT, ACE, eNOS, MTHFR, etc. However, the association of genetic polymorphism of these genes varies among different populations, but different ethnic groups could show contradictory results. These genes have shown a positive association with risks of MI in some populations, whereas the results have not been consistent with every ethnic group. In this article, we have summarized the genetic variations in the aforementioned genes and their association with MI.