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This article explores the poetics at work in Black American poet Ross Gay's contemporary two-volume Book of Delights (2019 and 2023). I argue that his delights are phytopoetic, which describes moments when plants impact the human imagination and, by extension, shape human culture and aesthetic production, such as literary texts. Such phytopoetic processes are moments of co-creation, involving plants both as engaged in poietic making and in the shaping of the poetics of a given text. By examining patterns of form in Gay's prose and close reading some of his delights that center on plants, this article unfolds Gay's specific phytopoetics and shows that the delights are a genre that operates on plant time: seasonal, cyclical, and rooted in growth. As such, the genre slows down the reader and draws attention to the delight found in small, everyday encounters with plants and the world around us, even in the midst of overwhelming crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the effects of biochar-based organic fertilizer on the accumulation of the total flavonoid contents in dandelion after sowing, the experiment applied four levels of treatments of carbon-based organic fertilizer (0.15, 0.30, 0.45, and 0.60 kg • m-2), and the base fertilizer that only applied conventional chemical fertilizer was used as the control. The total flavonoid contents and physiological indices of dandelion in different growth periods were determined. The results showed that the accumulation of the total flavonoid contents in leaves and roots of dandelion improved significantly by applying biochar-based organic fertilizer (0.15, 0.30, 0.45, and 0.60 kg • m-²), with the highest total flavonoid occurred in the 0.45 kg • m-2 biochar-based organic fertilizer treatment. Along with dandelion growing, the total flavonoid contents in leaves were first elevated, and then decreased, with the maximum reached at 95 days after sowing (anthesis). While the total flavonoid contents in roots were elevated constantly. The total flavonoid contents accumulation in dandelion were positively correlated with net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, soluble sugar content, soluble protein, nitrate nitrogen, and available potassium, while negatively correlated with intercellular CO2 concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: In the fragrance and perfume industry, the controlled release of fragrances are crucial factors that contribute to consumer appeal and product quality enhancement. In this study, various aromatic active substances were extracted from dandelion root (DR), which was subsequently calcined to produce high-performance porous biochar material. Methods: The dandelion root biochar (DRB) material was identified as promising adsorbents for the controlled release of fragrances. Furfuryl alcohol was chosen as the model fragrance for inclusion and controlled release studies. Results and discussion: The DRB exhibited a substantial specific surface area of 991.89 m2/g, facilitating efficient storage and controlled release capabilities. Additionally, the DRB's high stability and porous nature facilitated rapid collection and efficient recyclability. This research significantly contributes to the development of a sustainable, zero-waste multistage utilization strategy for dandelion roots, indicating a potential applications in the food flavoring industry and environmental conservations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermentation experiments were conducted with a top-fermenting brewing yeast strain and wort enriched with three varieties of quinoa (with white, red and black grain color), as well as edible flowers (marigold and dandelion) to study their influence on the antioxidant properties of ale beer. Plant additives led to a slight increase in pH and a lower alcohol content of the beer. By itself, quinoa did not improve the functional properties of the beverage, but the combination of black quinoa and edible flowers resulted in an increased content of polyphenols in beer; marigold showed a 48.7 % increase in this parameter compared to the control, and dandelion - 51.2 %. The content of flavonoids in beer was not affected by the addition of plant additives to the wort. A slight increase in anthocyanins (0.7 - 4.4 %) was reported for black quinoa beer as well as black quinoa with flowers. A significant increase in antioxidant activity was reported for the variants with flowers (54 % for marigold and 56.6 % for dandelion). The increased antioxidant capacity combined with the reduced alcohol content of the beers with black quinoa and flowers suggests that a beverage with improved functional properties was obtained. Black quinoa, combined with edible flowers, was more favorable for increasing the antioxidant capacity of beer than other pseudo-cereals (amaranth and chia). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taraxacum albidum, a perennial herb of the Asteraceae family, exhibits both tetraploid and pentaploid in Japan. This study sequenced and characterized the complete chloroplast genome of T. albidum, revealing a 151,451 bp sequence with a typical quadripartite structure, comprising one large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,052 bp, one small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,541 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions, IRa and IRb, each 24,429 bp in length. The chloroplast genome, excluding duplicates, contained 113 unique genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 transfer RNA genes, and four ribosomal RNA genes. The GC content of this genome was 37.7%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that T. albidum is most closely related to T. mongolicum, with the chloroplast genome sequences being nearly identical, differing by only one nucleotide. These findings suggest that the maternal lineage of T. albidum likely originates from T. mongolicum or its closely related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we introduce a new type of preferential attachment network, the growth of which is based on the eigenvector centrality. In this network, the agents attach most probably to the nodes with larger eigenvector centrality which represents that the agent has stronger connections. A new network is presented, namely a dandelion network, which shares some properties of star-like structure and also a hierarchical network. We show that this network, having hub-and-spoke topology is not generally scale free, and shows essential differences with respect to the Barabási–Albert preferential attachment model. Most importantly, there is a super hub agent in the system (identified by a pronounced peak in the spectrum), and the other agents are classified in terms of the distance to this super-hub. We explore a plenty of statistical centralities like the nodes degree, the betweenness and the eigenvector centrality, along with various measures of structure like the community and hierarchical structures, and the clustering coefficient. Global measures like the shortest path statistics and the self-similarity are also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If X = (V (X), E(X)) and Y = (V (Y), E(Y)) are n-vertex graphs, then their friends-and-strangers graph FS(X, Y) is the graph whose vertices are the bijections from V (X) to V (Y) in which two bijections σ and σ 0 are adjacent if and only if there is an edge {a, b} ∈ E(X) such that {σ(a), σ(b)} ∈ E(Y) and σ 0 = σ ' (a b), where (a b) is the permutation of V (X) that swaps a and b. We prove general theorems that provide necessary and/or sufficient conditions for FS(X, Y) to be connected. As a corollary, we obtain a complete characterization of the graphs Y such that FS(Dandk,n, Y) is connected, where Dandk,n is a dandelion graph; this substantially generalizes a theorem of the first author and Kravitz in the case k = 3. For specific choices of Y, we characterize the spider graphs X such that FS(X, Y) is connected. In a different vein, we study the cycle spaces of friends-andstrangers graphs. Naatz proved that if X is a path graph, then the cycle space of FS(X, Y) is spanned by 4-cycles and 6-cycles; we show that the same statement holds when X is a cycle and Y has domination number at least 3. When X is a cycle and Y has domination number at least 2, our proof sheds light on how walks in FS(X, Y) behave under certain Coxeter moves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Antioxidants protect against free radicals. Objective: The aim of this work is to determine the influence of the composition of the plant raw material on magnitude and kinetics of interactions with free radicals of infusions obtained from a mixture of artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) herbs and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) flowers. The composition of a complex plant raw material with strong antioxidative properties was searched. Material and Methods: The infusions were prepared from the mixtures of C. scolymus herbs and T. officinale flowers with weight ratio of the ingredients: 1:1, 2:1, and 1:2. The proportions of the ingredients in the examined mixtures were chosen to obtain the effect of the individual plant components on free radical interactions of the infusions from the complex material. Antioxidant properties were examined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and the model DPPH free radicals. Results and Discussion: EPR spectra of DPPH free radicals decrease as a result of interactions with the examined plant infusions. The decrease of the EPR spectra was strongest and the weakest for infusions of complex plant raw material with the ratio of ingredients 2:1 and 1:1, respectively. Conclusions: All tested infusions of a mixture of artichoke (C. scolymus) herbs and dandelion (T. officinale) flowers, with ingredient weight ratios of 1:1, 2:1 and 1:2, quench free radicals. The character of kinetics of free radical interactions for the tested infusions are similar. An infusion of complex plant raw material with a 2:1 weight ratio of ingredients has the strongest effect on eliminating free radicals. An infusion with a 1:1 weight ratio of ingredients has the weakest ability to quench free radicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing online gradient pressure liquid extraction (OGPLE) coupled with a high-performance liquid chromatography antioxidant analysis system, we examined the antioxidative active components present in both the aerial parts and roots of dandelion. By optimizing the chromatographic conditions, we identified the ferric reducing–antioxidant power system as the most suitable for online antioxidant reactions in dandelion. Compared to offline ultrasonic extraction, the OGPLE method demonstrated superior efficiency in extracting chemical components with varying polarities from the samples. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed twelve compounds within the dandelion samples, with nine demonstrating considerable antioxidant efficacy. Of these, the aerial parts and roots of dandelion contained nine and four antioxidant constituents, respectively. Additionally, molecular docking studies were carried out to investigate the interaction between these nine antioxidants and four proteins associated with oxidative stress (glutathione peroxidase, inducible nitric oxide synthase, superoxide dismutase, and xanthine oxidase). The nine antioxidant compounds displayed notable binding affinities below −5.0 kcal/mol with the selected proteins, suggesting potential receptor–ligand interactions. These findings contribute to enhancing our understanding of dandelion and provide a comprehensive methodology for screening the natural antioxidant components from herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, swarm intelligence optimization methods have been increasingly applied in many fields such as mechanical design, microgrid scheduling, drone technology, neural network training, and multi-objective optimization. In this paper, a multi-strategy particle swarm optimization hybrid dandelion optimization algorithm (PSODO) is proposed, which is based on the problems of slow optimization speed and being easily susceptible to falling into local extremum in the optimization ability of the dandelion optimization algorithm. This hybrid algorithm makes the whole algorithm more diverse by introducing the strong global search ability of particle swarm optimization and the unique individual update rules of the dandelion algorithm (i.e., rising, falling and landing). The ascending and descending stages of dandelion also help to introduce more changes and explorations into the search space, thus better balancing the global and local search. The experimental results show that compared with other algorithms, the proposed PSODO algorithm greatly improves the global optimal value search ability, convergence speed and optimization speed. The effectiveness and feasibility of the PSODO algorithm are verified by solving 22 benchmark functions and three engineering design problems with different complexities in CEC 2005 and comparing it with other optimization algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two polysaccharides were obtained from dandelion roots (DPR) and dandelion leaves (DPL) via water extraction and ethanol precipitation. Both DPR and DPL were an acid heteropolysaccharide, with a molecular weight of 5.89 × 104 and 28.2 × 104 Da, respectively. Monosaccharide composition results showed that both DPR and DPL contained Man, Glc, Rha, GalA, Glc, Gal, and Ara with a molar ratios of 2.98:1.00:3.67:6.41:2.98:16.70:2.48 and 1.23:1.00:1.06:5.74:2.88:8.59:1.84, respectively. Methylation and NMR analysis showed DPR and DPL, with triple-helix conformations, were mainly composed of 4-ɑ-Galp and 4-ɑ-GalAp, terminated with t-ɑ-Araf, t-ɑ-Rhap, t-ɑ-Glcp and t-ɑ-Manp. DPL showed an immunoprotective effect in cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced black-bone silky chickens by improving chicken growth performance, increasing the spleen, thymus, and bursa of Fabricius indices, and promoting blood lymphocyte proliferation, the secretion of cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, and INF-γ) and serum immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG, and IgM) levels in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the oxidative stress damage in immunosuppressed chickens was significantly reformed after DPL treatment. These findings provide useful information on the potential for application of dandelion polysaccharides as natural nutrients to enhance chicken immune and antioxidant functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the field of eco-crip theory, Dandelion Rebellion is the crip author's art-as-research project focused on accessible nature, environmentalism, and activism for weedy species such as the dandelion. Drawing on relationships between dandelions and disabilities, Dandelion Rebellion investigates urban nature and examines multispecies relations and responsibility. Accessibility is central to this project's design, participation, and conceptual process in digital and analog forms. Even as this project practices a model of accessibility, it also envisions a more fundamental reconceptualization of access called crip nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several preclinical studies suggest the potential of edible plants in controlling blood sugar levels and stabilizing diet. The goals of the study were to examine, analyze, and describe whether there are chemical compounds in dandelion and burdock roots that could have antidiabetic properties. The 70% ethyl alcohol and lyophilizate extracts (AE and LE, respectively), were used, and analyses were carried out on their total polysaccharide (TP), total phenolic content (TPC), tannin, and inulin. The antioxidant activity of extracts was determined using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay, and hypoglycemic properties were based on α-amylase activity. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was used for the tentative identification of the chemical components. Qualitative techniques confirmed the presence of inulin in both roots. Analysis of TPC, tannin content, DPPH assay, and α-amylase activity revealed higher values for burdock compared to dandelion. However, dandelion exhibited higher TP content. Burdock contained a small amount of tannin, whereas the tannin content in dandelion was insignificant. All LE consistently exhibited higher values in all analyses and assays for all roots compared to AE. Despite burdock root showing overall better results, it is uncertain whether these plants can be recommended as antidiabetic agents without in vivo studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitzschia soratensis and N. inconspicua are two small diatoms that are extremely similar in the light microscope though separable in subtle aspects of valve and girdle ultrastructure. They are not closely related in molecular phylogenies and differ in their ecological preferences, though they sometimes co-occur in the same communities. To test further their functional equivalence, we investigated the reproductive biology of N. soratensis, for comparison with a previously published account of N. inconspicua. Both species are automictic, lacking pairing between gametangia and gamete exchange. Nuclear staining shows the presence of two nuclei in some auxospores of N. soratensis, which are smaller than the nuclei of vegetative cells and appear to be haploid, indicating prior meiosis. These auxospores, surrounded by incunabula containing tangles of silica strips, give rise to uninucleate initial cells 18–21 µm long. Frequently, however, small N. soratensis cells produce two spherical 'pseudogametes', some of which abort while others expand and form initial valves shorter than those produced by binucleate auxospores (maximum length 14.5 µm). Similar uniparental auxosporulation, with silica strip formation, occurs in N. aff. hantzschiana, N. acidoclinata, N. fonticola and N. angustata, which are close relatives of N. soratensis according to morphological and/or molecular evidence. This group and the N. inconspicua complex may be the diatom equivalents of apomictic angiosperms, e.g. dandelions, and likely contain a multitude of microspecies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a graph G, the M-polynomial is defined to be... where mαβfi(α, β; ≥ 1) is the number of edges ab of G such that degG(a) = and degG(b) = fi; and ffi is the minimum degree and is the maximum degree of G. The physicochemical properties of chemical graphs are found by topological indices, in particular, the degree-based topological indices, which can be determined from an algebraic formula called M-polynomial. In this paper, we first compute the M-polynomial of the Dandelion graph and the line graph of Dandelion graph. Further, we derive some degree-based topological indices of these graphs from their respective M-polynomial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to achieve several objectives: determine background element concentrations in Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg-common dandelion roots, stems, and flowers; clarify T. officinale's ability to accumulate trace elements (TEs) in plant parts; calculate accumulation and translocation factors to identify hyperaccumulator potential; and contribute to practical applications in geochemical prospecting, exploration geochemistry, phytomining, and environmental remediation. To accomplish this, 34 samples of T. officinale and associated soil samples were gathered from the plant's habitat along the roadside for trace element (TE) analysis. The elemental composition of both plants and soils underwent analysis using diverse statistical approaches, including factor analysis, ANOVA tests, and descriptive parameters. Plant element accumulation patterns and tendencies across various plant parts were explored through bioconcentration (BCFs) and translocation factors (TFs). Results showed that T. officinale accumulates some TEs in its roots, stems, and flowers, with the highest concentrations found in the roots. The factor analysis of plant element contents indicated a grouping tendency among elements. Specifically, Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn exhibited a tendency to co-occur, while Ba, Mo, and Sr formed a separate group. Furthermore, in the flowers of the plant, Al, Ba, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Sr showed a similar grouping, while Cu, Pb, and Zn formed a distinct cluster. ANOVA tests demonstrated significant variations in the accumulation of Al, Ba, Cr, Fe, and Sr among the roots, flowers, and stems of the plant. Additionally, Ni and Pb exhibited noteworthy differences in accumulation between these plant parts. Furthermore, Mn and Zn showed significant discrepancies in their accumulation capacities across all parts of the plant. T. officinale was identified as a lead hyperaccumulator by the study, with BCFs and concentrations exceeding 1000 mg kg−1. These findings inform strategies for phytoremediation and enhance our understanding of the plant's potential role in exploration studies and environmental management in metal-rich regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for the human body, and its dietary deficiency has been a widespread issue globally. Vegetables serve as a significant source of dietary Se intake, with organic Se derived from plants being safer than inorganic Se. In the present study, Taraxacum mongolicum plants were treated with various concentrations of Na2SeO3. The results showed that as the concentration of Na2SeO3 increased, the chlorophyll content of dandelion seedlings decreased at high concentrations, and the content of soluble sugars, soluble proteins, flavonoids, total phenols, and Vc all increased. The application of Na2SeO3 at concentrations ranging from 0 to 4 mg/L resulted in a reduction in plant malondialdehyde content and an enhancement in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Following the Na2SeO3 treatment, five Se species were identified in the seedlings, Se4+, Se6+, selenocysteine, selenomethionine, and methylselenocysteine. Notably, selenomethionine emerged as the primary organic Se species in the shoots of dandelion. Transcriptome analysis revealed that ABC11b, PTR4, MOCOS, BAK1, and CNGC1 were involved in the absorption, transport, and storage of Se in dandelion, and C7317 was involved in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species. This study complements the understanding of the possible molecular mechanisms involved in the absorption and transformation of organic Se by plants, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for the biofortification of dandelion with Se in crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the successful generation of haploid plants in foxtail millet through the expression of the dandelion PARTHENOGENESIS (PAR) gene in egg cells. Haploid induction is a valuable technique in crop breeding, and this study demonstrates its feasibility in foxtail millet, a significant multigrain crop. The researchers used a heterologous expression system to introduce the PAR gene into foxtail millet and observed haploid induction in six out of eleven transgenic lines. The haploid plants exhibited distinct characteristics and complete loss of fertility. This research provides insights into the potential application of haploid induction in foxtail millet breeding programs. [Extracted from the article]

In the context of complex structures and blurred cell boundaries present in breast cancer histopathological tissue images under a microscope, traditional thresholding methods struggle to accurately separate lesion areas in breast cancer image segmentation. To address this challenge, we propose a multi-threshold segmentation method for breast cancer images based on an improved Dandelion Optimization algorithm. This approach incorporates the concept of opposite-based learning and utilizes the improved Dandelion Optimization algorithm to calculate the maximum between-class variance as the optimization objective. Moreover, the method establishes fallback strategies and incorporates a memory matrix, while leveraging the golden jackal energy judgment mechanism to identify optimal thresholds. The experimental results show that compared with the Crow search algorithm, Harris Hawks optimization algorithm, artificial gorilla troop optimization algorithm, dandelion optimization algorithm, ocean predator algorithm, whale optimization algorithm, sparrow search algorithm, and sine cosine algorithm, and the improved Dandelion optimization algorithm achieves the highest fitness value and converges at the fastest speed when using the same threshold number, it also occupies an advantageous position in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio, structural similarity index, feature similarity index, and mean square error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new swarm intelligence optimization algorithm is proposed to simulate the long-distance flight process of dandelion seeds as a function of wind by the dandelion optimizer (DO). An improved version of DO, called IDO, is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of slow optimization speed and vulnerability to local optimum of the algorithm. In the landing stage of the dandelion seeds, IDO introduces the elite pool roulette wheel selection mechanism to maintain the diversity of the dandelion population, which enables the algorithm to maintain a better optimization ability. In the rising stage, a gamma distribution is introduced to make the algorithm population more diverse, thus improving its optimization capabilities. Finally, the mirror reversal strategy is introduced to search for the mirror solutions of inferior particles in the population surrounding the optimal individual, which helps the population to escape from local optima. The performance of the proposed improved IDO algorithm was tested against the CEC-2017, CEC-2020, and CEC-2022 benchmark functions. Finally, three engineering design problems were optimized, namely, three-bar truss design, cantilever design, and pressure vessel design. The experimental results show that the proposed IDO algorithm significantly improves the convergence rate and optimization accuracy. The experimental results show that the proposed IDO algorithm optimizes the exploitation and exploration process, improves the convergence rate and optimization accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing salt-tolerant plants is a cost-effective strategy for agricultural production on salinized land. However, little is known about the mechanism of dandelion (Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.) in response to saline stress and caffeic acid biosynthesis. We investigated the morphological and physiological variations of two dandelions, namely, "BINPU2" (dandelion A) and "TANGHAI" (dandelion B) under gradient NaCl concentrations (0, 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.7%, and 0.9%), and analyzed potential mechanisms through a comparison analysis of transcriptomes in the two dandelions. Dandelion A had a high leaf weight; high ρ-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and caffeoyl shikimic acid contents; and high activities of POD and Pro. The maximum content of four kinds of phenolic acids mostly occurred in the 0.7% NaCl treatment. In this saline treatment, 2468 and 3238 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in dandelion A and B were found, of which 1456 and 1369 DEGs in the two dandelions, respectively, showed up-regulation, indicating that more up-regulated DEGs in dandelion A may cause its high salt tolerance. Further, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that dandelion salt response and caffeic acid metabolism were mainly enriched in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway (ko00940) and response to ethylene (GO: 0009723). The caffeic acid biosynthesis pathway was reconstructed based on DEGs which were annotated to PAL, C4H, 4CL, HCT, C3′H, and CSE. Most of these genes showed a down-regulated mode, except for parts of DEGs of 4CL (TbA05G077650 and TbA07G073600), HCT (TbA03G009110, TbA03G009080, and novel.16880), and COMT (novel.13839). In addition, more up-regulated transcription factors (TFs) of ethylene TFs in dandelion A were found, but the TFs of ERF104, CEJ1, and ERF3 in the two dandelions under saline stress showed an opposite expression pattern. These up-regulated genes could enhance dandelion salt tolerance, and down-regulated DEGs in the caffeic acid biosynthesis pathway, especially CSE (TbA08G014310) and COMT (TbA04G07330), could be important candidate genes in the synthesis of caffeic acid under saline stress. The above findings revealed the potential mechanisms of salt response and caffeic acid metabolism in dandelion under saline stress, and provide references for salt-tolerant plant breeding and cultivation on saline–alkali land in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute colitis is a complex disease that can lead to dysregulation of the gut flora, inducing more complex parenteral diseases. Dandelion polysaccharides (DPSs) may have potential preventive and therapeutic effects on enteritis. In this study, LPS was used to induce enteritis and VC was used as a positive drug control to explore the preventive and therapeutic effects of DPS on enteritis. The results showed that DPS could repair the intestinal barrier, down-regulate the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and other pro-inflammatory factors, up-regulate the expression of IL-22 anti-inflammatory factor, improve the antioxidant capacity of the body, and improve the structure of intestinal flora. It is proved that DPS can effectively prevent and treat LPS-induced acute enteritis and play a positive role in promoting intestinal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Internet of Things devices become widely used in the real-world, it is crucial to protect them from malicious intrusions. However, the data scarcity of IoT limits the applicability of traditional intrusion detection methods, which are highly data-dependent. To address this, in this article, we propose the Open-Set Dandelion Network (OSDN) based on unsupervised heterogeneous domain adaptation in an open-set manner. The OSDN model performs intrusion knowledge transfer from the knowledge-rich source network intrusion domain to facilitate more accurate intrusion detection for the data-scarce target IoT intrusion domain. Under the open-set setting, it can also detect newly-emerged target domain intrusions that are not observed in the source domain. To achieve this, the OSDN model forms the source domain into a dandelion-like feature space in which each intrusion category is compactly grouped and different intrusion categories are separated, i.e., simultaneously emphasising inter-category separability and intra-category compactness. The dandelion-based target membership mechanism then forms the target dandelion. Then, the dandelion angular separation mechanism achieves better inter-category separability, and the dandelion embedding alignment mechanism further aligns both dandelions in a finer manner. To promote intra-category compactness, the discriminating sampled dandelion mechanism is used. Assisted by the intrusion classifier trained using both known and generated unknown intrusion knowledge, a semantic dandelion correction mechanism emphasises easily-confused categories and guides better inter-category separability. Holistically, these mechanisms form the OSDN model that effectively performs intrusion knowledge transfer to benefit IoT intrusion detection. Comprehensive experiments on several intrusion datasets verify the effectiveness of the OSDN model, outperforming three state-of-the-art baseline methods by 16.9%. The contribution of each OSDN constituting component, the stability and the efficiency of the OSDN model are also verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, some physicochemical, antioxidant properties and in-vitro bioaccessibility of bread enriched with yarrow and dandelion powder at three different ratios (1%, 2%, 3%) were determined. The antioxidant capacity was determined as 20.50 μmol TE/g in the bread with 3% yarrow addition and 19.75 μmol TE/g in the bread with 3% dandelion addition according to the CUPRAC method. The total phenolic content was 45.76 mg GAE/100g in the control group and 62.23 and 61.40 mg GAE/100g in the bread with 3% yarrow and dandelion, respectively. It was detected that the bioaccessibility values of the phenolic compounds of the bread subjected to the enzymatic extraction process ranged between 69-73%. The study revealed that the bread enriched with medicinal plants, known for their positive effects, exhibited higher levels of ash, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity in comparison to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground and unground dandelion roots were subjected to dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma (DBDCP) at 40 kV for 0 (control), 10, or 20 min. Then, infusions of the pretreated dandelion roots in water were prepared, and the changes in color, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and sensory properties were investigated. The 20‐min pretreatment increased the b* value, TPC, antioxidant activity, and sage odor of the ground dandelion root infusions compared with the control, whereas decreases in the TPC, antioxidant activity, and sage odor were noted in the 10‐min pretreated infusions of the unground roots. DBDCP pretreatment did not affect the overall likeliness of infusions of ground and unground roots. In addition, the TPC, antioxidant activity, and overall likeliness of infusions of the ground dandelion roots were higher than those of the unground samples. In conclusion, it can be said that the DBDCP pretreatment can be utilized to improve the TPC and antioxidant activity of ground dandelion roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes induced in testicular tissue by administration of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) extract and its effects on the release of enzymatic antioxidants SOD-2 by immunohistochemical methods in rats with experimental diabetes. Degenerative changes in the seminiferous tubule structure were observed in the testicular sections of the diabetes group. Separations between the basement membrane and the seminiferous epithelium, disruptions in the structure and localization of spermatogenic cells toward the lumen of the seminiferous tubules, thickening of the basement membrane and tunica albuginea, changes in the shape of Sertoli cells, and shrinkage of the nucleus of Leydig cells were observed. While no immunopositivity was observed in spermatogonium and primary spermatocytes in the diabetes group, weak SOD-2 immunoreactivity was observed in other cells of the spermatogenic series and moderate SOD-2 immunoreactivity was observed in the diabetes+dandelion group. In conclusion, it was found that histopathological changes occurred in the testicular tissue and SOD-2 immunoreactivity decreased in diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease. It was concluded that dandelion administration may have beneficial effects on decreased SOD-2 immunoreactivity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk of fraudulent activity has significantly increased with the rise in digital payments. To resolve this issue there is a need for reliable real-time fraud detection technologies. This research introduced an innovative method called stacked autoencoder kernel extreme learning machine optimized by the dandelion algorithm (S-AEKELM-DA) to detect fraudulent transactions. The primary objective was to enhance the kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) performance by integrating the dandelion technique into a stacked autoencoder kernel ELM architecture. This study aimed to improve the overall effectiveness of the proposed method in fraud detection by optimizing the regularization parameter (c) and the kernel parameter (σ). To evaluate the S-AEKELM-DA approach; simulations and experiments were conducted using four credit card datasets. The results demonstrated remarkable performance, with our method achieving high accuracy, recall, precision, and F1-score in real time for detecting fraudulent transactions. These findings highlight the effectiveness and reliability of the suggested approach. By incorporating the dandelion algorithm into the S-AEKELM framework, this research advances fraud detection capabilities, thus ensuring the security of digital transactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to optimize the extraction process and investigate the impact of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on phenolic compounds, including total polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins, present in dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), and their corresponding antioxidant activity. To optimize the quantity of extracted phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity, a centered composite experimental design was employed, with solvent concentration and maceration time as the optimized factors. The study also examines the effect of digestion and colonic fermentation on the antioxidant activity and phenolic compound content of dandelion, using in vitro static simulation of INFOGEST gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation, respectively. Spectrophotometric methods were used to determine the total polyphenol, flavonoid, and tannin contents of the plant. The evaluation of antioxidant activity was carried out using the DPPH and ABTS methods. Results indicated that the optimal contents of total polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins were 13.6311 mg GAE/g, 10.8377 mg QE/g, and 7.584 mg EAT/g, respectively. The DPPH and ABTS methods recorded minimum IC50 values of 0.0892 mg/mL and 0.15 mg/mL, respectively. The study revealed that the salivary, gastric, and intestinal phases of digestion and in vitro colonic fermentation cause a decrease in total polyphenols and tannins but increase the flavonoid content, which initially rises during the oral phase, decreases during the gastric and intestinal phases, and increases again during in vitro colonic fermentation. The evaluation of antioxidant activity by the DPPH method shows that the dandelion extract exhibits strong antioxidant activity, which decreases during the oral phase, but gradually increases after the gastric, intestinal, and fecal fermentation phases. However, there was no significant difference in antioxidant capacity between the digested and undigested plant samples for the ABTS method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dandelion (Pugongying) is one of the most frequently used Chinese herbs for treating lactational mastitis (LM). Pugongying granules, a patented medication primarily comprised of dandelion extract, have been approved by CFDA for LM treatment in China. The aims of this study were to investigate the etiology of LM and the mechanism by which Pugongying granules decrease LM symptoms, with a particular focus on the microbial communities found in breastmilk. Methods: Participants were recruited from a previously performed randomized controlled trial (Identifier: NCT03756324, ClinicalTrials.gov). Between 2019 and 2020, women diagnosed with unilateral LM at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital were enrolled. In total, 42 paired breastmilk samples from the healthy and affected breasts of the participants were collected. Additionally, 37 paired pre- and post-treatment breastmilk samples from the affected breast were collected from women who received a 3-day course of either Pugongying granules (20 women) or cefdinir (17 women). Clinical outcomes [e.g., body temperature, visual analogue scale (VAS) score for breast pain, the percentage of neutrophils (NE%)] were analyzed pre- and post-treatment, and the breastmilk samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze the alpha and beta diversities and identify significant bacteria. Finally, the relationship between microorganisms and clinical outcomes was analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in fever and pain between the Pugongying group and cefdinir group. The most prevalent bacterial genera in breastmilk were Streptococcus and Staphylococcus. Compared to healthy breastmilk, microbial diversity was reduced in affected breastmilk, and there was a higher relative abundance of Streptococcus. After Pugongying treatment, there was an increase in microbial diversity with significantly higher abundance of Corynebacterium. A negative correlation was found between Corynebacterium, VAS score, and NE%. Treatment with cefdinir did not affect microbial diversity. Taken together, our results show a correlation between LM and reduced microbial diversity, as well as an increased abundance of Streptococcus in affected breastmilk. Conclusion: Pugongying granules enhanced microbial diversity in breastmilk samples. Given the substantial variation in individual microbiomes, identifying specific species of Streptococcus and Corynebacterium associated with LM may provide additional insight into LM pathogenesis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were fabricated through the dandelion flower hydroalcoholic extract, and their properties were characterized by FTIR, XRD, UV visible, SEM, and EDX. The results demonstrated that the average diameter of the green fabricated AgNPs is 45–55 nm (G-AgNPs). The antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and photocatalytic properties of G-AgNPs were compared with two commercially available different diameter sizes (20 and 80–100 nm) of AgNPs (C-AgNPs1- and C-AgNPs2, respectively). The sample's capacity for antioxidants was evaluated by DPPH free radical scavenging method. The consequences showed that G-AgNPs have higher radical scavenging activity (47.8%) than C-AgNPs2 (39.49%) and C-AgNPs1 (33.91%). To investigate the photocatalytic property, methylene blue dye was used. The results displayed that G-AgNPs is an effective photo-catalyst compared to C-AgNPs2 and C-AgNPs1, which respectively have an inhibition potential of 75.22, 51.94, and 56.65%. Also, the antimicrobial capacity of nanoparticles was assayed against, the gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The results indicated that G-AgNPs could effectively inhibit the growth of both bacteria, compared to C-AgNPs1 and C-AgNPs2. Finally, G-AgNPs exhibited a considerable α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory effect (88.37%) in comparison with C-AgNPs1 (61.7%) and C-AgNPs2 (50.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method of extraction with forced circulation of extractant was used for exhaustive extraction of inulin from dandelion roots (Taraxacum officinaleWigg.). Inulin samples were obtained by three methods that were evaluated by inulin yield and purity. The results were used to develop an industrial technology for inulin production from dandelion roots that consisted of extraction of roots with water at 80°C, circulation of the extractant at a rate of 90 L/h, concentration of the extract to 70% dry residue, precipitation of inulin by adding 95% EtOH in a concentrate(EtOH volume ratio of 1:4, and sedimentation for 8 h. Inulin was produced in 30.0% yield of the raw material mass with a purity of at least 80%. The following characteristics were determined: mass loss on drying ≤5.0%; ash content ≤2%; heavy metals ≤0.001%; inulin content ≥80.0%. The resulting product complied with standards for the contents of toxic elements, pesticides, and radionuclides and was safe for use in the pharmaceutical and food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Dandelion has a great potential to be used as feed additive. Using microbial fermentation technology to degrade cell walls is conducive to enable better release of bioactive compounds of dandelion. This study intended to explore the effect of fermented dandelion (FD) on production performance, meat quality, immune function, and intestinal microbiota of broiler chickens. One-hundred and twenty 1-day-old male Arbor Acres broiler chickens were randomly allotted into three treatments: CON (basal diet, control), LFD and HFD (basal diet with 500 and 1000 mg/kg FD, respectively), with five replicates of eight birds each. The experiment lasted for 42 days. Results: The results showed that birds in HFD group had increased ADG during 1–21 days (P < 0.05). On day 21, the bursa of Fabricius index of birds in LFD group was higher (P < 0.05), while the serum contents of IFN-γ and TNF-ɑ were lower in HFD group (P < 0.05). FD supplementation decreased the observed_species, shannon, chao1 and ace indexes (P < 0.05) as well as the abundance of Bacteroidota, Bacteroides, and Alistipes (P < 0.05). Birds in HFD group had higher abundance of Firmicutes and lower abundance of Verrucomicrobiota (P < 0.05). LFD group had lower abundance of unidentified_bacteria (P < 0.05). On day 42, the abdominal fat yield of HFD group was decreased (P < 0.05). Birds in LFD group had lower L* and b* values of breast muscle (P < 0.05), while higher spleen index. The CAT activities of breast muscle of FD groups were higher (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In summary, dietary FD supplementation at 1000 mg/kg improved production performance and immune function and modulated microbiota composition in ileum of broiler chickens. FD can be supplemented in the diet to enhance performance and health of broiler chickens, of which 1000 mg/kg FD is more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers among women worldwide. Recently, natural compounds have been widely used for the treatment of breast cancer. Present study evaluated antiproliferative and anti-metastasis activities of two natural compounds of dandelion and all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) in human MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells. We also evaluated the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, IL-1β, p53, NM23 and KAI1 genes. Data showed a clear additive cytotoxic effect in concentrations of 40 μM ATRA with 1.5 and 4 mg/ml of dandelion extract in MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 cells, respectively. In both cell lines, compared with the untreated cells, the expression levels of MMP-9 and IL-1β were significantly decreased while p53 and KAI1 expression levels were increased. Besides, MMP-2 and NM23 had different expressions in the two studied cell lines. In conclusion, dandelion/ATRA co-treatment, in addition to having strong cytotoxic effects, has putative effects on the expression of anti-metastatic genes in both breast cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curriculum development has long been regarded as a central pillar in the architecture of educational effectiveness; however, this theme has been largely overlooked in the unique context of foundation years in higher education, with research on transnational programmes in China focusing on the point of view of the foreign institutions. In this article, the authors aim to propose a conceptual framework to guide curriculum development based on four principles—integration, inspirational teaching, inclusiveness, and innovation—named the 4 Is. The framework addresses the theme of curriculum development in foundation years within transnational education in China adopting the point of view of the educators working in China. By introducing a case study of an introductory management module, the article will discuss how the framework can be applied in practice, and data gathered from 2019 to 2022 will show students' reactions toward module developments informed by the framework. The 4 Is are the result of a continuous interplay between the authors' teaching practice, reflection, and engagement with students and wider academic literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to determine the effect of adding different ratios of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) extract (KHE) to layer hen rations on performance and egg internal-external quality parameters. In the study, 96 layer Atak-S hens at the age of 22 weeks were used. Chickens were divided into 4 groups, each consisting of six subgroups, and arranged in a way to have four chickens in each subgroup. The study was conducted over a period of 90 days. During the study, the control group was fed with basal feed, and the experimental groups were fed with feeds with 0.30%, 0.60% and 0.90% KHE added to the basal feed, respectively. Although there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of egg production (P>0.05), it was determined that the average egg production at the end of the study was numerically higher in the groups fed with KHE-containing feeds compared to the control group. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, live weight, egg yolk colour averages (P>0.05). In the study, it was determined that egg weight in the groups containing 0.90% KHE was significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05). Egg shell thickness were also significantly increased in 0.30% and 0.60% KHE containing groups (P<0.05). It was concluded that dandelion extract has a positive effect on egg quality in laying hens and more studies should be done on this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the effect of stresses on photosynthesis, the investigation of chlorophyll fluorescence in plants is very important to evaluate the effect of herbicides on plants. This experiment was also conducted in order to study the effects of Dylan, Atlantis and Total herbicides on the dandelion fluorescence system in the green space of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Mohaghegh Ardabili University in 2021 For this purpose, different doses (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 times the recommended dose) of the herbicides Dylan, Atlantis and Total were applied. Fluorescence of dandelion was measured.1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days after treatment with herbicides with a portable fluorometer. The results showed that Dylan and Atlantis reduced maximum fluorescence more severe than Total and irreversible. The application of high dose of Atlantis reduced the variable fluorescence of dandelion by 46% compared to the control. Also, the dry weight of dandelion decreased under the influence of different herbicide treatments compared to the control. The amount of reduction in the herbicide treatment of Dylan and Atlantis was more than total. In these herbicides, the dry weight of dandelion was 50% less than the control. Introduction Herbicides are one of the most effective agricultural tools in the fight against weeds, and the use of these chemicals has increased significantly in recent years, especially in developed countries in the field of agriculture. It is necessary to use non-destructive and high-speed methods to accurately and quickly investigate the effects of herbicides on plants and identify their mechanisms of action. Evaluation of chlorophyll a fluorescence is a quick and non-destructive method to determine the state of the plant's photosynthetic system in response to various stresses, such as herbicide stress. Chlorophyll a transfers the energy received from the light photon to the reaction center and these interactions cause the electron transfer chain to start in the chloroplast. Considering the effect of stresses on photosynthesis, the investigation of chlorophyll a fluorescence in plants is very important to evaluate the effect of herbicides on plants. Materials and methods This experiment was also conducted in order to study the effects of Dylan, Atlantis and Total herbicides on the dandelion fluorescence system in the green space of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Mohaghegh Ardabili University in 2020 in the form of a basic randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Different doses (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 times the recommended dose) of Dylan, Atlantis and Total herbicides were evaluated. Chlorophyll a fluorescence of dandelion was measured 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days after treatment with different herbicides with a portable fluorometer. For this purpose, fully developed leaves on the top of the plant were selected. The selected leaves were placed in the dark for 20 minutes using special clips so that all reaction centers of the photosynthetic apparatus were open and ready to transfer electrons. Then, a light pulse at a wavelength of 650 nm with an intensity of 3000 µmolphotons per square meter per second was irradiated to these leaves for four seconds, and parameters such as minimum fluorescence (F0), maximum fluorescence (Fm), variable fluorescence (Fv), maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), efficiency of the water-decomposing complex as an electron donor of photosystem II (Fv/Fo), and heat loss (Fo/Fm) ) were studied. One month after application of different weed control treatments, in each plot dandelion were colected using a 25x25 cm square and then placed in an oven at a temperature of 72°C for 48 hours and their dry weight was measured. Results and discussion Results showed that application of herbicides decreased maximum fluorescence of Fm, variable fluorescence of Fv, maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and efficiency of water splitting complex as an electron donor to photosystem II (Fv/Fo) of dandelion and increased minimum fluorescence and Fo/Fm. Also, dry weight of dandelion weed decreased under the influence of different herbicide treatments compared to control (no herbicide). Results showed that maximum fluorescence reduction in Dylan and Atlantis was more severe and irreversible than Total. Application of a dose of 2 times recommended amount of Atlantis reduced variable fluorescence of dandelion by 46% compared to control. Also, dry weight of dandelion weed decreased under the influence of different herbicide treatments compared to control. The amount of reduction in Dylan and Atlantis herbicide treatment was more than total. In these herbicides, the dry weight of dandelion was 50% less than the control. The results of the effect of herbicides on dry weight were consistent with their effect on the fluorescence parameters of chlorophyll a. Total herbicide did not have much effect on chlorophyll a and dry weight parameters, on the contrary, Atlantis and Dylan herbicides increased Fo and Fo/Fm and decreased Fm, Fv and Fv/Fo, and as a result decreased dry weight of dandelion. Conchusion Overall, results showed that Atlantis herbicide had the greatest effect on fluorescence parameters of chlorophyll a and dry weight. Based on results obtained from the evaluation of chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters and the existence of a relationship between chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters and dandelion weed biomass calculated one month after the application of herbicide treatments, it can be concluded that chlorophyll a fluorescence is a quick method to study the effectiveness of herbicides and reduces the time required to study the plants response to herbicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dandelion has received wide attention in food and medicine fields due to its excellent antioxidant properties. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of this action has not yet been fully clarified, particularly at the metabolic level. Herein, the effects of dandelion extract (DE) on H2O2-induced oxidative damage was investigated. The results indicate that the DE alleviated H2O2-induced cell damage (increased by 14.5% compared to H2O2 group), reduced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level (decreased by 80.1% compared to H2O2 group), maintained the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) level, and increased antioxidant-related enzyme activities. Importantly, the metabolic response of PC12 cells indicates that H2O2 disturbed phospholipid metabolism and damaged cell membrane integrity. In addition, energy metabolism, the central nervous system, and the antioxidant-related metabolism pathway were perturbed. In contrast, DE rescued the H2O2-induced metabolic disorder and further alleviated oxidative damage. Collectively, these findings provide valuable stepping stones for a discussion of the mechanism and show the promise of DE as a suitable additive for functional food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "officinal" derives from the Latin and includes all medicinal, aromatic and perfume plant species, which have long been a subject of interest for multiple purposes: health, food, pharmacological, cosmetic and so on. In this work, a study on six different species of medicinal plants, particularly characterized by digestive, choleretic and diuretic properties, was carried out: rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis), laurel (Laurus nobilis), gentian (Gentiana lutea), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and rhubarb (Rheum palmatum). The roots and aerial parts of plants were separately extracted with two different techniques—maceration and rapid solid–liquid dynamic extraction (RSLDE)—and the quali/quantitative analysis of active ingredients have been determined by applying dry residue, Folin–Ciocalteu and DPPH assays. Data obtained have provided useful answers regarding the efficiency of the extraction carried out on a mixture or on single plants, allowing us to evaluate the best choice according to the cases and the final uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the tracking accuracy of moving targets in Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) environments and reduce positioning errors, a hybrid TDOA/AOA positioning method is proposed using the Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) and Angle of Arrival (AOA) joint localization. The method is based on an improved multi-objective dandelion optimization algorithm. In the optimization process of the fitness function for the positioning model using the dandelion optimization algorithm, a fast non-dominated sorting method is used to determine the core dandelions, and an approximation ideal solution sorting method is employed to achieve global optimization, thereby enhancing the speed and accuracy of the model solution. By introducing a multi-objective mechanism, the optimal individual of one population guides another population, accelerating the convergence speed, balancing the exploration and exploitation abilities to a certain extent, and enhancing the optimization performance. Simulation results show that compared to TDOA/AOA, Taylor, Chan, PSO, and DOA algorithms, the proposed algorithm outperforms TDOA/AOA algorithm and other similar algorithms. The algorithm exhibits excellent performance in terms of node positioning accuracy, convergence speed, and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iodine is a crucial microelement necessary for the proper functioning of human and animal organisms. Plant biofortification has been proposed as a method of improving the iodine status of the population. Recent studies in that field have revealed that iodine may also act as a beneficial element for higher plants. The aim of the work was to evaluate the efficiency of the uptake and accumulation of iodine in the plants of dandelion grown in a pot experiment. During cultivation, iodine was applied through fertigation in inorganic (KI, KIO3) and organic forms (5-iodosalicylic acid, 5-ISA; 3,5-diiodosalicylic acid, 3,5-diISA) at two concentrations (10 and 50 µM). The contents of total iodine and iodosalicylic acids, as well the plant biomass and antioxidant capacity of dandelion leaves and roots, were analyzed. The uptake of inorganic and organic forms by dandelion plants was confirmed with no negative effect on plant growth. The highest efficiency of improving iodine content in dandelion leaves and roots was noted for 50 µM KI. The applicability of iodosalicylates, especially 5-ISA, for plant biofortification purposes was confirmed, particularly as the increase in the iodine content after the application of 5-ISA was higher as compared to that with commonly used KIO3. The chemical analyses have revealed that iodosalicylates are endogenous compounds of dandelion plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) root supplementation on performance, egg quality and some serum antioxidant enzymes capacity with increasing age, after the peak laying stage in hens. This study, also aimed to overcome diseases that occur due to lipid metabolism in layers in the late laying period. Methods: In total, one hundred and twenty 70-week-old Lohman LSL laying hens were randomly assigned to five groups equally (n=24). Each treatment was replicated six times (6 replicates  4 birds). The control group was fed basal diet (2650 kcal/kg ME) with no supplementation. The other groups were fed high-energy diets (2850 kcal/kg ME) to induce fatty liver and also 5, 10 and 15 g/kg dandelion (taraxacum officinale) root were supplemented. Result: The study revealed that the addition of 5 g/kg dandelion root to the high-energy feed positively changed the egg production, decreased lipid profiles (triglyceride and VLDL) and liver fat ratio and played a role in preventing lipid peroxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]