Impact of Babaco ( (Heilborn) Mabb.) Fruit Ripening Stages on Phytochemical Composition and Biological Properties.

This research article delves into Babaco fruit's-an Ecuadorian product with immense nutraceutical potential phytochemical composition and biological activity-in different maturation fruit stages. Bridging the gap between food and medicine, nutraceuticals offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Specifically, this study investigates Babaco's antioxidant and its phenolic and flavonoid content across different ripening stages: physiological maturity, organoleptic quality immaturity, and commercial maturity.

Cold-Active Lipase from the Ice Cave SC65A.3 Strain, a Promising Biocatalyst for Silybin Acylation.

Cold-active lipase from the psychrophilic bacterial strain SC65A.3 isolated from Scarisoara Ice Cave (Romania) was cloned and characterized as an extremophilic biocatalyst for silybin acylation. Structural analyses highlighted conserved motifs confirming a functional lipase and the presence of primary structure elements for catalysis at low temperatures.

Plastic-Degrading Enzymes from Marine Microorganisms and Their Potential Value in Recycling Technologies.

Since the 2005 discovery of the first enzyme capable of depolymerizing polyethylene terephthalate (PET), an aromatic polyester once thought to be enzymatically inert, extensive research has been undertaken to identify and engineer new biocatalysts for plastic degradation. This effort was directed toward developing efficient enzymatic recycling technologies that could overcome the limitations of mechanical and chemical methods. These enzymes are versatile molecules obtained from microorganisms living in various environments, including soil, compost, surface seawater, and extreme habitats such as hot springs, hydrothermal vents, deep-sea regions, and Antarctic seawater.

Antibacterial and Antitumoral Potentials of Phytosynthesized Silver/Silver Oxide Nanoparticles Using Tomato Flower Waste.

This study presents the phytosynthesis of silver-based nanoparticles using tomato flower waste extracts for the first time in the literature. The determination of total polyphenolic and flavonoid contents in the extracts showed high gallic acid equivalents (6436-8802 mg GAE/kg dm) and high quercetin equivalents (378-633 mg QE/kg dm), respectively, dependent on the extraction method. By the Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography technique, 14 polyphenolic compounds were identified and quantified in the tomato flower waste extracts.

Sustainable Collagen Film Preparation with Tannins Extracted from Moroccan Pomegranate Byproduct Varieties: Thermal, Structural, and Nanoscaled Studies.

Recently, obtaining collagen films using a cross-linking technique has been a successful strategy. The current investigation used six cross-linker extracts (CE) from six different pomegranate varieties' byproducts to make and characterize collagen-tannin films using acid-soluble collagen (SC). The polymeric film has a yellow hue after CE incorporation.

Secondary Metabolites and Antioxidant Activity against Moko Disease as a Defense Mechanism of spp. from the Ecuadorian Coast Area.

The spp. represents the most commonly produced, transitioned, and consumed fruit around the globe, with several important applications in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Moko disease is produced by -a factor with a high impact on all crops in Ecuador, representing one of the biggest phytosanitary problems.

Riparian woody plant communities in the Romanian Carpathians: Species diversity and community structure of and communities.

Riparian woody plant communities, including shrubs and trees, are essential for maintaining biodiversity, protecting against floods, reducing erosion, and transporting nutrients. However, these habitats are greatly threatened by human activities, particularly agricultural land acquisition, and the introduction of invasive species. This study examined species diversity and interspecific association in riparian woody plant communities along rivers in the Romanian Carpathians.

after dark: citizen science sheds light on the common grass snake's nightlife.

Activity patterns in animals are often species-specific, and can be generally categorized as diurnal, crepuscular, or nocturnal. Understanding these patterns provides insight into ecological adaptations and behaviors. The common grass snake (), one of the most common and widespread European snake species, is traditionally considered diurnal, with scarce evidence of its crepuscular and nocturnal activity.

Extremozyme-Based Biosensors for Environmental Pollution Monitoring: Recent Developments.

Extremozymes combine high specificity and sensitivity with the ability to withstand extreme operational conditions. This work presents an overview of extremozymes that show potential for environmental monitoring devices and outlines the latest advances in biosensors utilizing these unique molecules. The characteristics of various extremozymes described so far are presented, underlining their stability and operational conditions that make them attractive for biosensing.

Urban Flora Riches: Unraveling Metabolic Variation Along Altitudinal Gradients in Two Spontaneous Plant Species.

Using resilient, self-sustaining plants in urban green spaces enhances environmental and cultural benefits and reduces management costs. We assessed two spontaneous plant species, Mill. and L.

Draft genome sequence data of Antarctic . strain E22, from Deception Island.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence and assembly of the . strain E22, which was isolated from Antarctic soil of Deception Island, South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula. The genome was sequenced using a 2 # 250 bp paired-end method by Illumina MiSeq 6000.

A new species of Entomobrya Rondani, 1861 (Collembola, Entomobryidae, Entomobryinae) from Croatia with the redescription of Entomobrya margaretae Gruia, 1967.

In the present paper, a new species of the genus Entomobrya is described from Croatia. E. silvicola sp.

Global fine-resolution data on springtail abundance and community structure.

Springtails (Collembola) inhabit soils from the Arctic to the Antarctic and comprise an estimated ~32% of all terrestrial arthropods on Earth. Here, we present a global, spatially-explicit database on springtail communities that includes 249,912 occurrences from 44,999 samples and 2,990 sites. These data are mainly raw sample-level records at the species level collected predominantly from private archives of the authors that were quality-controlled and taxonomically-standardised.

Does the Mineral Composition of Volcanic Ashes Have a Beneficial or Detrimental Impact on the Soils and Cultivated Crops of Ecuador?

Agriculture is an important economic sector for Ecuador, sustained by food crops like maize, potatoes, and vegetables cultivated in the highlands while cash crops such as coffee, bananas, cacao, and palm oil are grown on the coastal plains. But, Ecuador is also a country under the influence of several natural hazards due to its geographical location, atmospheric dynamics, and geological characteristics. One of the main risks to food security is the presence of a large number of active volcanoes scattered all over the country with the most representative enemy, the falling volcanic ash.

Necrophagous insect species succession on decomposed pig carcasses in North Dakota, USA.

Necrophagous insect species are widely used during death investigations primarily for the estimation of the minimum postmortem interval, since these species use decomposing organic matter for feeding, oviposition, and larval development. The development stages and successional colonization patterns provide important information for shorter or longer postmortem time intervals. Diptera species are the predominant taxa recovered from decomposed bodies.

The Fungal, Nutritional, and Metabolomic Diagnostics of the Oil Palm Affected by Bud Rot Disease in Esmeraldas, Ecuador.

The oil palm represents one of the most important crops in Ecuador. Considering that bud rot disease is deadly in Ecuador, more attention has been given to identifying possible causes for palm debility from this disease. We studied the involvement of fungi and nutrients in triggering bud rot disease in Special emphasis was given to the molecules synthesized by the plant to protect against this devastating disease.

The Impact of Acute Low-Dose Gamma Irradiation on Biomass Accumulation and Secondary Metabolites Production in Scop. and Duch. Red Callus Cultures.

Scop. (smoketree) and Duch. (strawberry) are two industrially important species due to their composition in bioactive compounds.

Effect of Grazing Management on Predator Soil Mite Communities (Acari: Mesotigmata) in Some Subalpine Grasslands from the Făgăraş Mountains-Romania.

For the first time in Romania, a complex study was conducted on soil mite communities from two types of managed grasslands: ungrazed and intensively grazed. The study was accomplished in August 2018, in the Făgăraş Mountains. Within the soil mite communities (Mesostigmata), 30 species were identified, from 80 soil samples.

Comparative Assessment of Antioxidant Activity and Functional Components of and from the Andean Region of Ecuador.

The present study aims to provide information about the antioxidant capacity and secondary metabolites from different plant parts of two species that are grown in Ecuador: (the Ecuadorian national tree), and (the fringe tree-endemic to the United States of America and adapted to Ecuador's physiographical and ecological conditions). These two species have still not been investigated for these characteristics. A comparative estimation of the antioxidant activities between the leaf, fruit, and inflorescence extracts was performed.

Phenological and Environmental Factors' Impact on Secondary Metabolites in Medicinal Plant Scop.

Scop. (smoketree) is a phytotherapeutically valuable shrub growing in specific areas in many Eurasian countries. Exploring the intrinsic and extrinsic (abiotic) factors that modulate its secondary metabolism has fundamental and applicative importance.

LED Technology Applied to Plant Development for Promoting the Accumulation of Bioactive Compounds: A Review.

Light is an important environmental factor for plants. The quality of light and the wavelength stimulate enzyme activation, regulate enzyme synthesis pathways and promote bioactive compound accumulation. In this respect, the utilization of LED light under controlled conditions in agriculture and horticulture could be the most suitable choice for increasing the nutritional values of various crops.

The Panoramic View of Ecuadorian Soil Nutrients (Deficit/Toxicity) from Different Climatic Regions and Their Possible Influence on the Metabolism of Important Crops.

Soil nutrients influence all stages (reproduction, growth, and development) of a plant species' life, and it is known that the deficit and/or toxicity of one or more nutrients has negative effects on the production of crops of commercial interest. Ecuador represents one of the "mega-diverse" countries in the world, with an agricultural sector of great importance, due to its contribution to the country's economy. This review provides a panoramic view of soil nutrients from different climatic regions of Ecuador and revises the importance of knowledge about the possible influence of nutrients from the soil on the plant metabolism able to influence the crop resistance against pathogens or to enrich the biological characteristics of these crops.

A Multi-Community Approach in Biodiversity Assessment of a Peat Bog in the Southern Carpathians (Romania) and Implications for Conservation.

Although natural peatlands have been recognized as an important type of wetlands because they support high biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services, the value of peatlands both in biodiversity research and conservation is still largely underestimated. Our study characterizes the biodiversity and conservation value of Peşteana peat bog, an upland mesotrophic peat bog, located in the Southern Carpathians, Romania. More specifically, we: (1) characterized the invertebrate (i.

Population and Conservation Status of (DC.) Moug. & Nestl. in Romania.

The field survey made in the last 20 years revealed that large areas of Romania's territory are still unexplored concerning moss distribution. The long-term research in natural and mature spruce forest habitats of this country shows that many sites are well protected, a status that is also confirmed by reports of . However, many other sites where this species was identified still lack legal protection.