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Tunisia is currently faced with the extremely delicate problem of managing the millions of tons of phosphogypsum (PG) discharges which is already causing considerable environmental damage. The research carried out in this work is part of a geochemical assessment of the level of heavy metal contamination in phosphogypsum waste from the Mdhilla region (Gafsa, southern Tunisia). The assessment of ETM contamination/pollution is based on the relatively simple principles of measuring concentrations, calculating indices, and comparing them with established standards, which vary according to the nature of the element, its toxicity, and the receiving environment. Six PG samples are taken from the storage heaps right next to the chemical group's plant. Our investigations to assess the level of heavy metals contamination focused on: zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and cadmium (Cd). These metallic elements are measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. To achieve our objectives, we calculated several indices, such as the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the contamination factor (FC), the degree of contamination (DC), and the sediment pollution index (IPS). The index approach enables us to predict the extent of heavy metal pollution in these PG discharges from the Mdhilla region. The Mdhilla region's PG heavy metals contents show the following order of abundance: Zn > Ni > Cr > Cd > Cu. Calculation of contamination/pollution indices reveals in principle polymetallic contamination dominated by three elements: cadmium, nickel, and copper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is a globally cultivated winter oilseed crop of the rapeseed-mustard group. It is predominantly grown in the semi-arid northwest agroclimatic zone of India, characterized by high soil salinity. Enhancing tolerance to salt stress in B. juncea is therefore crucial for sustaining its production in this region. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in coordinating gene expression under various abiotic stresses, including salt stress, but their involvement in the salt stress response in B. juncea remains largely unknown. In this study, we conducted RNA-seq analysis on control, salt-stressed, and salt-shocked young leaves of the salt-tolerant B. juncea cv CS-52. We identified a total of 3,602 differentially expressed transcripts between stress versus control and shock versus control samples. Among these, 61 were identified as potential lncRNAs, with 21 specific to salt stress and 40 specific to salt shock. Of the 21 lncRNAs specific to salt stress, 15 were upregulated and six were downregulated, while all 40 lncRNAs unique to salt shock were downregulated. Chromosomal distribution analysis of the lncRNAs revealed their uneven placement across 18 chromosomes in B. juncea. RNA-RNA interaction analysis between salt stress-upregulated lncRNAs and salt stress-related miRNAs identified 26 interactions between 10 lncRNAs and 23 miRNAs and predicted 13 interactions between six miRNAs and 13 mRNAs. Finally, six lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction networks were established, involving five lncRNAs, 13 miRNAs, and 23 mRNAs. RT-qPCR analysis revealed the upregulation of four out of five lncRNAs, along with their target mRNAs, supporting their involvement in the salt stress response in B. juncea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial role in regulating genes involved in various processes including growth & development, flowering, and stress response in plants. The study aims to identify and characterize tissue-specific, growth & development and floral responsive differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) in cluster bean from a high-throughput RNA sequencing data. We have identified 3309 DE-lncRNAs, with an average length of 818 bp. Merely, around 4 % of DE-lncRNAs across the tissues were found to be conserved as rate of evolution of lncRNAs is high. Among the identified DE-lncRNAs, 204 were common in leaf vs. shoot , leaf vs. flower and flower vs. shoot. A total of 60 DE-lncRNAs targeted 10 protein-coding genes involved in flower development and initiation processes. We investigated 179 tissue-specific DE-lncRNAs based on tissue specificity index. Three DE-lncRNAs: Cb_lnc_0820, Cb_lnc_0430, Cb_lnc_0260 and their target genes show their involvement in floral development and stress mechanisms, which were validated by Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The identified DE-lncRNAs were expressed higher in flower bud than in leaf and similar expression pattern was observed in both RNA-seq data and qRT-PCR analyses. Notably, 362 DE-lncRNAs were predicted as eTM-lncRNAs with the participation of 84 miRNAs. Whereas 46 DE-lncRNAs were predicted to possess the internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES) and can encode for small peptides. The regulatory networks established between DE-lncRNAs, mRNAs and miRNAs have provided an insight into their association with plant growth & development, flowering, and stress mechanisms. Comprehensively, the characterization of DE-lncRNAs in various tissues of cluster bean shed a light on interactions among lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs and help understand their involvement in growth & development and floral initiation processes. The information retrieved from the analyses was shared in the public domain in the form of a database: Cb-DElncRNAdb, and made available at http://backlin.cabgrid.res.in/Cb-DElncRNA/index.php , which may be useful for the scientific community engaged cluster bean research. • Identified and validated the involvement of differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs): Cb_lnc_0820, Cb_lnc_0430 and Cb_lnc_0260 in targeting the genes: homeobox-leucine zipper protein REVOLUTA, SCCPDH and Universal stress protein PHOS32 respectively, which are responsible for floral development and salt stress mechanisms. • Regulatory networks involving (i) DE-lncRNAs and mRNAs, and (ii) DE-lnRNAs and miRNAs that regulate mRNAs, were found associated with plant growth & development, flowering, and salt stress mechanisms. • A total of 362 eTM-DE-lncRNAs that acted as sponges for 84 miRNAs prevented the miRNAs to bind to their targeted genes thereby sequestering the gene regulatory activities. • Identified the internal ribosomal entry sites (IRESs) on forty-six DE-lncRNAs that act as translatable lncRNAs and encode for the formation of small peptides. • A database Cb-DElncRNAdb with the information generated from the findings was made available at http://backlin.cabgrid.res.in/Cb-DElncRNA/index.php [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this manuscript, we have performed the device modeling on perovskite based solar cells (PSC,s) to investigate the potential of different hole transport materials (HTM's) in combination with electron transport materials (ETM) using SCAPS 3.3 software package. Our simulated results depict that in the case of PSCs with CZTS, various parameters such as Voc, FF and PCE have demonstrated their maximum values at HTM thickness 700nm. It is further observed that the increase thickness of absorber layer resulted in the significant improvement of different performance parameters at specific limit then become constant. Moreover, studies of metal contact exposed that by increasing the work function of front contact of PSC efficiency decline to 7.34%. Optimized value of FTO front contact and Ni back contact metal work function were found to be 4.4 and 5.35 eV respectively. But at higher value of defect density in the PSCs, the performance of the cell is independent of thickness. At the carrier concentration of ETM is 1018 cm-3, ZnO and TiO2 have PCE 12.52 and 12.69 % respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as universal regulators of various biological processes, but no genome-wide screening of lncRNAs involved in the fertility transition of the photo-thermosensitive genic male sterile (PTGMS) rice line has been reported. Here, we performed strand-specific RNA sequencing at three developmental stages of a novel PTGMS line Wuxiang S (WXS). A total of 3,948 lncRNAs were identified; 622 of these were detected as differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) between male-sterile WXS (WXS-S) and male-fertile WXS (WXS-F). A large proportion of lncRNAs differentially expressed at the stage of pollen mother cells meiosis, suggested that it may be the most critical stage for fertility transition of WXS. Furthermore, functional annotation of the cis- and trans- targets of DE-lncRNAs showed that 150 targets corresponding to 141 DE-lncRNAs were identified as involved in anther and pollen development. Moreover, computational analysis predicted 97 lncRNAs as precursors for 72 miRNAs, and 94 DE-lncRNAs as potential endogenous target mimics (eTMs) for 150 miRNAs. Finally, using the dual luciferase reporter assays, we demonstrated that two lncRNAs act as eTMs to regulate the expression of the SPL and GRF genes by competing for the shared osa-miR156 and osa-miR396, respectively. These genomic characteristics, differential expression, and interaction of lncRNAs with miRNAs and mRNAs contribute to our understanding of the roles of lncRNAs during the fertility transition in PTGMS rice lines.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as universal regulators of various biological processes, but no genome-wide screening of lncRNAs involved in the fertility transition of the photo-thermosensitive genic male sterile (PTGMS) rice line has been reported. Here, we performed strand-specific RNA sequencing at three developmental stages of a novel PTGMS line Wuxiang S (WXS). A total of 3,948 lncRNAs were identified; 622 of these were detected as differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) between male-sterile WXS (WXS-S) and male-fertile WXS (WXS-F). A large proportion of lncRNAs differentially expressed at the stage of pollen mother cells meiosis, suggested that it may be the most critical stage for fertility transition of WXS. Furthermore, functional annotation of the cis - and trans - targets of DE-lncRNAs showed that 150 targets corresponding to 141 DE-lncRNAs were identified as involved in anther and pollen development. Moreover, computational analysis predicted 97 lncRNAs as precursors for 72 miRNAs, and 94 DE-lncRNAs as potential endogenous target mimics (eTMs) for 150 miRNAs. Finally, using the dual luciferase reporter assays, we demonstrated that two lncRNAs act as eTMs to regulate the expression of the SPL and GRF genes by competing for the shared osa-miR156 and osa-miR396, respectively. These genomic characteristics, differential expression, and interaction of lncRNAs with miRNAs and mRNAs contribute to our understanding of the roles of lncRNAs during the fertility transition in PTGMS rice lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In higher plants, flower development is a result of crosstalk between many factors like photoperiod, vernalization, hormone concentration, epigenetic modification etc. and is also regulated by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). In the present study, we are reporting the involvement of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and miRNAs during the process of flower development in Cajanus scarabaeoides, an important wild relative of pigeonpea. The transcriptome of floral and leaf tissues revealed a total of 1672 lncRNAs and 57 miRNAs being expressed during flower development. Prediction analysis of identified lncRNAs showed that 1593 lncRNAs were targeting 3420 mRNAs and among these, 98 were transcription factors (TFs) belonging to 48 groups. All the identified 57 miRNAs were novel, suggesting their genera specificity. Prediction of the secondary structure of lncRNAs and miRNAs followed by interaction analysis revealed that 199 lncRNAs could interact with 47 miRNAs where miRNAs were acting in the root of interaction. Gene Ontology of the ncRNAs and their targets showed the potential role of lncRNAs and miRNAs in the flower development of C. scarabaeoides. Among the identified interactions, 17 lncRNAs were endogenous target mimics (eTMs) for miRNAs that target flowering-related transcription factors. Expression analysis of identified transcripts revealed that higher expression of Csa-lncRNA_1231 in the bud sequesters Csa-miRNA-156b by indirectly mimicking the miRNA and leading to increased expression of flower-specific SQUAMOSA promoter-binding protein-like (SPL-12) TF indicating their potential role in flower development. The present study will help in understanding the molecular regulatory mechanism governing the induction of flowering in C. scarabaeoides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methylcellulose (MC) / SiO organic / inorganic hybrid materials have been prepared from MC and methyltriethoxysilane or ethyltrimethoxysilane, and characterized by XRD, FTIR and AFM. XRD showed peak shifts. FTIR shows intermolecular hydrogen bonding between MC and SiO. AFM depicts surface roughness which depends on the silica precursor and MC content. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Third-generation thin-film solar cells based on CZTSSe are highly promising because of their excellent optoelectrical properties, earth-abundant, and non-toxicity of their constituent elements. In this work, the performance of CZTSSe-based solar cells with TiO2, CdS, and ZnSe as electron transporting materials (ETMs) was numerically investigated using the Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS). The effect of the active layer's thickness and electron affinity, different buffer layers, and the contour plot of the operating temperature versus thickness of the CdS buffer layer were studied. The results show that the optimum power conversion efficiency for CdS, TiO2, and ZnSe, as the ETMs, is 23.16%, 23.13%, and 22.42%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An biomimetic catalyst CeCu(OH) 6 Mo 6 O 18 was employed in reaction of HMF to DFF. • The yield of DFF could reach 99% under quite mild conditions. • The Mo5+ and Ce4+ species play very important roles in the oxidation process. • Ce4+ species was employed as ETMs and CuMo 6 anion was used as the electron-donor. 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) is a key near-market platform chemical that has been widely used to synthesize various useful compounds. In this study, a unique biomimetic system was developed by splitting the oxidation process into multi-step redox circulations, which can increase markedly the activity and selectivity for the aerobic oxidation 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to DFF. An Anderson-type catalyst CeCu(OH) 6 Mo 6 O 18 , with similar properties to oxygenase enzymes, was prepared by the ion exchange method, in which the cation Ce4+ species was employed as electron transfer mediators (ETMs) as well as the anion [Cu(OH) 6 Mo 6 O 18 4− was used as the electron-donor. The Mo5+ and Ce4+ species on the surface of the catalyst play very important roles in the oxidation process of HMF to DFF. The aerobic oxidation of HMF over the CeCu(OH) 6 Mo 6 O 18 catalyst could bring out DFF with a yield of 99% in p -chlorotoluene. It provides a promising and highly environmentally friendly approach for the aerobic oxidation HMF to DFF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]