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Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are essential components of electronic devices containing valuable silver metal. Using sustainable methods, silver recovery from electronic trash, like PCBs, demonstrates excellent promise. This research’s objective is to determine the optimum leaching time and solid-to-liquid (S/L) ratio for extracting silver from PCB using deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of choline chloride and glycerol (glyceline DES). The binary DES’s leaching performance was then compared to choline chloride, glycerol, and citric acid ternary systems. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was carried out to analyze the bond interactions. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was employed to determine the PCB’s metal concentration prior to and after the leaching process. Ternary DES was viscous, colorless, stable for 60 days, and less acidic than binary DES, with a 1.21 g/mL density. FTIR peak broadening and shifting indicated the formation of a new hydrogen bond and proved a successful synthesis of ternary DES. XRF result showed that PCB’s initial silver metal content was 2.32%. The optimal silver leaching from PCB using glyceline DES was achieved after 16 hours, with a 1/20 solid-to-liquid ratio. Ternary DES demonstrated a silver leaching efficiency of 93.65%, surpassing 86.77% of glyceline. Ternary DES synthesized in this study has the potential to serve as an efficient and environmentally friendly solvent for extracting silver from PCB, providing a sustainable approach to managing electronic waste.

The permanent organs of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.), like those of other woody perennials, are colonized by various unrelated pathogenic ascomycete fungi secreting cell wall-degrading enzymes and phytotoxic secondary metabolites that contribute to host damage and disease symptoms. Trunk pathogens differ in the symptoms they induce and the extent and speed of damage. Isolates of the same species often display a wide virulence range, even within the same vineyard. This study focuses on Eutypa lata, Neofusicoccum parvum, and Phaeoacremonium minimum, causal agents of Eutypa dieback, Botryosphaeria dieback, and Esca, respectively. We sequenced 50 isolates from viticulture regions worldwide and built nucleotide-level, reference-free pangenomes for each species. Through examination of genomic diversity and pangenome structure, we analyzed intraspecific conservation and variability of putative virulence factors, focusing on functions under positive selection and recent gene family dynamics of contraction and expansion. Our findings reveal contrasting distributions of putative virulence factors in the core, dispensable, and private genomes of each pangenome. For example, carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) were prevalent in the core genomes of each pangenome, whereas biosynthetic gene clusters were prevalent in the dispensable genomes of E. lata and P. minimum. The dispensable fractions were also enriched in Gypsy transposable elements and virulence factors under positive selection (polyketide synthase genes in E. lata and P. minimum, glycosyltransferases in N. parvum). Our findings underscore the complexity of the genomic architecture in each species and provide insights into their adaptive strategies, enhancing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of virulence. [Graphic: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Abstract Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterium that infects crops like grapevines, coffee, almonds, citrus and olives. There is little understanding of the genes that contribute to plant resistance, the genomic architecture of resistance, and the potential role of climate in shaping resistance, in part because major crops like grapevines (Vitis vinifera) are not resistant to the bacterium. Here we study a wild grapevine species, V. arizonica, that segregates for resistance. Using genome-wide association, we identify candidate resistance genes. Resistance-associated kmers are shared with a sister species of V. arizonica but not with more distant species, suggesting that resistance evolved more than once. Finally, resistance is climate dependent, because individuals from low (

‘Candidatus Liberibacter’ is a group of bacterial species that are obligate intracellular plant pathogens and cause Huanglongbing disease of citrus trees and Zebra Chip in potatoes. Here, we examined the extent of intra- and interspecific genetic diversity across the genus using comparative genomics. Our approach examined a wide set of Liberibacter genome sequences including five pathogenic species and one species not known to cause disease. By performing comparative genomics analyses, we sought to understand the evolutionary history of this genus and to identify genes or genome regions that may affect pathogenicity. With a set of 52 genomes, we performed comparative genomics, measured genome rearrangement, and completed statistical tests of positive selection. We explored markers of genetic diversity across the genus, such as average nucleotide identity across the whole genome. These analyses revealed the highest intraspecific diversity amongst the ‘Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum’ species, which also has the largest plant host range. We identified sets of core and accessory genes across the genus and within each species and measured the ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous mutations (dN/dS) across genes. We identified ten genes with evidence of a history of positive selection in the Liberibacter genus, including genes in the Tad complex, which have been previously implicated as being highly divergent in the ‘Ca. L. capsica’ species based on high values of dN.

AbstractThe domestication history of the avocado (Persea americanaP. americana

Abstract Background Introgressive hybridization can reassort genetic variants into beneficial combinations, permitting adaptation to new ecological niches. To evaluate evolutionary patterns and dynamics that contribute to introgression, we investigate six wild Vitis species that are native to the Southwestern United States and useful for breeding grapevine (V. vinifera) rootstocks. Results By creating a reference genome assembly from one wild species, V. arizonica, and by resequencing 130 accessions, we focus on identifying putatively introgressed regions (pIRs) between species. We find six species pairs with signals of introgression between them, comprising up to ~ 8% of the extant genome for some pairs. The pIRs tend to be gene poor, located in regions of high recombination and enriched for genes implicated in disease resistance functions. To assess potential pIR function, we explore SNP associations to bioclimatic variables and to bacterial levels after infection with the causative agent of Pierce’s disease (Xylella fastidiosa). pIRs are enriched for SNPs associated with both climate and bacterial levels, suggesting that introgression is driven by adaptation to biotic and abiotic stressors. Conclusions Altogether, this study yields insights into the genomic extent of introgression, potential pressures that shape adaptive introgression, and the evolutionary history of economically important wild relatives of a critical crop.

Phytophthora megakarya and P. palmivora are oomycete pathogens that cause black pod rot of cacao (Theobroma cacao), the most economically important disease on cacao globally. While P. palmivora is a cosmopolitan pathogen, P. megakarya, which is more aggressive on cacao than P. palmivora, has been reported only in West and Central Africa where it has been spreading and devastating cacao farms since the 1950s. In this study, we reconstructed the complete diploid genomes of multiple isolates of both species using single-molecule real-time sequencing. Thirty-one additional genotypes were sequenced to analyze inter- and intra-species genomic diversity. The P. megakarya genome is exceptionally large (222 Mbp) and nearly twice the size of P. palmivora (135 Mbp) and most known Phytophthora species (∼100 Mbp on average). Previous reports pointed toward a whole-genome duplication (WGD) in P. palmivora. In this study, we demonstrate that both species underwent independent and relatively recent WGD events. In P. megakarya we identified a unique combination of WGD and large-scale transposable element driven genome expansion, which places this genome in the upper range of Phytophthora genome sizes, as well as effector pools with 1,382 predicted RxLR effectors. Finally, this study provides evidence of adaptive evolution of effectors like RxLRs and Crinklers, and discusses the implications of effector expansion and diversification.

Background: Over the years, attention has been focused on digital banking and financial technology with little or no attention being paid to biometric banking technology. Objective: The study aimed to investigate the need for security and simplicity in the authentication of retail payments, digital banking and financial technology through the application of biometric systems. Method: The study employed quantitative research methodology and a response rate of 52% was achieved. A set of questionnaires was distributed for data collection. Results: The study’s findings indicated it is imperative for all businesses that participate in financial businesses to fully implement the best possible security measures or systems to ensure or enhance security for financial business activities. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that businesses must adopt the new innovative and secured mechanisms of financial dealings to enhance innovation, security and flexibility.

AbstractBacteriophages infecting pathogenic hosts play an important role in medical research, not only as potential treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections but also offering novel insights into pathogen genetics and evolution. A prominent example is cluster K mycobacteriophages infecting Mycobacterium tuberculosisM. tuberculosisMycobacterium smegmatisM. tuberculosisMycobacterium lepraeMycobacterium abscessusMycobacterium marinum—

Abstract Background DNA metabarcoding, commonly used in exploratory microbial ecology studies, is a promising method for the simultaneous in planta-detection of multiple pathogens associated with disease complexes, such as the grapevine trunk diseases. Profiling of pathogen communities associated with grapevine trunk diseases is particularly challenging, due to the presence within an individual wood lesion of multiple co-infecting trunk pathogens and other wood-colonizing fungi, which span a broad range of taxa in the fungal kingdom. As such, we designed metabarcoding primers, using as template the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer of grapevine trunk-associated ascomycete fungi (GTAA) and compared them to two universal primer widely used in microbial ecology. Results We first performed in silico simulations and then tested the primers by high-throughput amplicon sequencing of (i) multiple combinations of mock communities, (ii) time-course experiments with controlled inoculations, and (iii) diseased field samples from vineyards under natural levels of infection. All analyses showed that GTAA had greater affinity and sensitivity, compared to those of the universal primers. Importantly, with GTAA, profiling of mock communities and comparisons with shotgun-sequencing metagenomics of field samples gave an accurate representation of genera of important trunk pathogens, namely Phaeomoniella, Phaeoacremonium, and Eutypa, the abundances of which were over- or under-estimated with universal primers. Conclusions Overall, our findings not only demonstrate that DNA metabarcoding gives qualitatively and quantitatively accurate results when applied to grapevine trunk diseases, but also that primer customization and testing are crucial to ensure the validity of DNA metabarcoding results.

The Botryosphaeriaceae is a fungal family that includes many destructive vascular pathogens of woody plants (e.g., Botryosphaeria dieback of grape, Panicle blight of pistachio). Species in the genera Botryosphaeria, Diplodia, Dothiorella, Lasiodiplodia, Neofusicoccum, and Neoscytalidium attack a range of horticultural crops, but they vary in virulence and their abilities to infect their hosts via different infection courts (flowers, green shoots, woody twigs). Isolates of seventeen species, originating from symptomatic apricot, grape, pistachio, and walnut were tested for pathogenicity on grapevine wood after 4 months of incubation in potted plants in the greenhouse. Results revealed significant variation in virulence in terms of the length of the internal wood lesions caused by these seventeen species. Phylogenomic comparisons of the seventeen species of wood-colonizing fungi revealed clade-specific expansion of gene families representing putative virulence factors involved in toxin production and mobilization, wood degradation, and nutrient uptake. Statistical analyses of the evolution of the size of gene families revealed expansions of secondary metabolism and transporter gene families in Lasiodiplodia and of secreted cell wall degrading enzymes (CAZymes) in Botryosphaeria and Neofusicoccum genomes. In contrast, Diplodia, Dothiorella, and Neoscytalidium generally showed a contraction in the number of members of these gene families. Overall, species with expansions of gene families, such as secreted CAZymes, secondary metabolism, and transporters, were the most virulent (i.e., were associated with the largest lesions), based on our pathogenicity tests and published reports. This study represents the first comparative phylogenomic investigation into the evolution of possible virulence factors from diverse, cosmopolitan members of the Botryosphaeriaceae.

Many pathogenic bacteria have evolved to subvert host immune responses triggered by lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Here the authors show that a long terminal polysaccharide chain, known as the O-antigen, present in LPS from the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa can delay recognition by grapevine hosts.

The Ascomycete fungus Phaeoacremonium minimum is one of the primary causal agents of Esca, a widespread and damaging grapevine trunk disease. Variation in virulence among Pm. minimum isolates has been reported, but the underlying genetic basis of the phenotypic variability remains unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize intraspecific genetic diversity and explore its potential impact on virulence functions associated with secondary metabolism, cellular transport, and cell wall decomposition. We generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly, using single molecule real-time sequencing, and resequenced the genomes and transcriptomes of multiple isolates to identify sequence and structural polymorphisms. Numerous insertion and deletion events were found for a total of about 1 Mbp in each isolate. Structural variation in this extremely gene dense genome frequently caused presence/absence polymorphisms of multiple adjacent genes, mostly belonging to biosynthetic clusters associated with secondary metabolism. Because of the observed intraspecific diversity in gene content due to structural variation we concluded that a transcriptome reference developed from a single isolate is insufficient to represent the virulence factor repertoire of the species. We therefore compiled a pan-transcriptome reference of Pm. minimum comprising a non-redundant set of 15,245 protein-coding sequences. Using naturally infected field samples expressing Esca symptoms, we demonstrated that mapping of meta-transcriptomics data on a multi-species reference that included the Pm. minimum pan-transcriptome allows the profiling of an expanded set of virulence factors, including variable genes associated with secondary metabolism and cellular transport.

Se realizó un ensayo clínico, durante 6 meses, en 25 adultos con diabetes mellitus tipo 2, tratados con antihiperglicemiantes, para estudiar el efecto terapéutico de la dieta macrobiótica vegetariana Ma-Pi 2. Se evaluaron datos de encuesta dietética, evolución clínica, estado nutricional, indicadores bioquímicos de rutina y del metabolismo glucídico y lipídico, consumo de medicamentos y eventos adversos. La dieta tuvo presencia mayoritaria de cereales integrales, verduras y hortalizas, leguminosas y té verde; fue suficiente en energía, baja en grasa y adecuada en proteínas; elevada en carbohidratos complejos, fibra dietética, ß caroteno, manganeso y magnesio. Al final del estudio la glicemia disminuyó en 53 %, hemoglobina glucosilada 32 %, colesterol 21 %, triglicéridos 43 % y la relación colesterol-LDL/colesterol-HDL 61 %. El peso corporal y las circunferencias de cintura y cadera disminuyeron significativamente. Se normalizaron los valores de hemoglobina, creatinina, ácido úrico, urea, transaminasa glutámico pirúvica, frecuencia cardíaca y tensión arterial. Los niveles séricos de vitaminas A, E, C, B1, B12 y folatos resultaron adecuados. Del total de los pacientes, 88 % suprimió totalmente el tratamiento antihiperglicemiante. No se registraron eventos adversos. Mejoraron de manera notable los síntomas asociados, el bienestar y la calidad de vida. Se concluyó que la dieta Ma-Pi 2 resultó una alternativa terapéutica muy apropiada en los 25 pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 evaluados.A clinical assay of 25 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who were treated with anti-hyperglycemic drugs was conducted for six months in order to study the therapeutical effect of vegetarian macrobiotic diet Ma-Pi2. Data from dietetic surveys, clinical evolution, nutritional status, biochemical indicators, glucose and lipid metabolism indicators, drug consumption and adverse effects were evaluated. The diet mostly comprised whole grains, vegetables, leguminosae and green tea; sufficient energy, low fat and adequate protein contents, high amount of complex carbohydrates, dietetic fiber, ß carotene, manganese and magnesium. At the end of the study, glycemic levels lowered by 53 %, glycosylated hemoglobin by 32 %, cholesterol by 21 %, triglycerides by 43 % and LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio by 61 %. Body weight, and waist and hip circumferences were significantly reduced. Hemoglobin, creatinine, uric acid, urea, piruvic glutamic transaminase, heart rate and blood pressure values stabilized. Vitamin A, E, C, B1, B12 and folates serum levels were satisfactory. Of the total number of patients, 88% totally ceased their antihyperglycemic treatment. No adverse effects were observed. Improvement in associated symptoms, well-being and quality of life was remarkable. It was concluded that the Ma-pi2 diet proved to be a very suitable therapeutical alternative in the 25 studied patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.