Effects of Seed Processing with Cold Plasma on Growth and Biochemical Traits of Bertoni Under Different Cultivation Conditions: In Soil Versus Aeroponics.

This study compared the effects of seed treatment with low-pressure cold plasma (CP) and atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on morpho-biochemical traits in Bertoni plants cultivated by two methods: in soil and aeroponics. We investigated the impact of the treatments on the germination, plant growth, and content of secondary metabolites, namely steviol glycosides (SGs), rebaudioside A (RebA), and stevioside (Stev), as well as phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Seeds were treated for 2, 5, and 7 min with CP or DBD and 5 min with vacuum six days before sowing.

Diversity and Plant Growth-Promoting Properties of Root Endophytic Bacteria.

Plants inhabiting environments with suboptimal growth conditions often have a more pronounced capacity to attract and sustain microbial communities that improve nutrient absorption and expand abiotic stress tolerance. L. is a succulent plant of the family adapted to survive in sandy or rocky soils or dry tundra.

Detection of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria membrane permeabilization induced by pulsed electric field using electrochemical admittance spectroscopy.

Electrochemical impedance or admittance spectroscopy (EIS or EAS) has been widely used for decades, offering a label-free, rapid, real-time, and non-destructive assay for optically opaque and turbid bacterial solutions. However, PEF-induced changes in the bacterial envelope can present challenges in detecting the extent of membrane permeabilization in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria due to their distinct morphological properties. Here, we used a new approach for detecting bacterial membrane permeabilization induced by PEF using electrochemical admittance spectroscopy (EAS).

Molecular Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of Honeybee () Mite-Borne Pathogen DWV-A and DWV-B Isolated from Lithuania.

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is known as one of the main viruses that affect honeybees' health all around the world. The virus has two widespread genotypes, DWV-A and DWV-B (VDV-1), transmitted mainly by mites. In this study, we collected honeycombs with covered broods from 73 apiaries in eight Lithuanian regions and initially investigated the prevalence of mites.

Changes in Garlic Quality during Fermentation under Different Conditions.

One of the garlic processing methods is fermentation, which produces black garlic with completely different chemical, physical, sensory, culinary, and health-enhancing properties. Our study aimed to compare the influence of various processing conditions on the quality indicators of black garlic (BG). Samples of white garlic (WG) were placed in laboratory climatic chambers.

New insights into the mechanism of electrotransfer of small nucleic acids.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful and rapidly developing technology that enables precise silencing of genes of interest. However, the clinical development of RNAi is hampered by the limited cellular uptake and stability of the transferred molecules. Electroporation (EP) is an efficient and versatile technique for the transfer of both RNA and DNA.

The concern about main crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change's impact on energy-saving behavior.

The number of crises experienced around the world forces people to reconsider and reassess various aspects of their lives. The energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and uncontrolled climate change revealed the importance of energy-saving behavior. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyze the concerns about current crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change's impact on energy-saving behavior and changes in environmental concern.

The Covid-19 pandemic in context of climate change perception and resource-saving behavior in the European Union countries.

The resource-saving behavior in the recent period is escalating particularly due to the energy and prices crises in all of the European Union (EU). The COVID-19 pandemic not only caused changes in health concerns but also in environmental awareness and behavior. Thus, this paper aims to reveal whether the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the resource-saving behavior, and how this pandemic changed the climate change perception and personal responsibility in the EU countries.

To store or to drain - To lose or to gain? Rewetting drained peatlands as a measure for increasing water storage in the transboundary Neman River Basin.

Agriculture continues to place unwanted pressure on peatland functionality, despite international recognition calling for their conservation and restoration. Rewetting of peatlands is often the first step of restoration that aims towards improving the delivery of ecosystem services and their benefits for human well-being. Ongoing debates on peatland restoration in agricultural landscapes raise several issues based on the valuation of benefits achieved versus the costs of peatland restoration.

Bulk Milk Tank Samples Are Suitable to Assess Circulation of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in High Endemic Areas.

A reliable surveillance strategy of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is necessary to ensure adequate disease control measures. However, current approaches assessing geographical TBEV circulation are ineffective or have significant limitations. In this study we investigated a total of 1363 goat and 312 sheep bulk tank milk samples for the presence of TBEV.

Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in questing Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus ticks in Lithuania.

The Baltic States are the region in Europe where tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is most endemic, with one-third of the European TBE cases detected in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. With the Czech Republic and Germany, Lithuania has among the highest population incidences of TBE. Ticks from the Ixodidae family are the main vectors of the TBE virus (TBEV) in Europe.