Search Results (11)

Turions (overwintering buds) as modified shoot apices constitute specialized vegetative structures that enable many aquatic vascular plants to withstand adverse environmental conditions such as low temperature, desiccation, or limited light availability. Turions serve as major storage sites for organic reserves, including sugars, proteins, fatty acids, and polyamines. Owing to their high content of energy-rich and nutritionally valuable compounds, turions represent a potential renewable resource for applications in biofuel production, animal feed, and the food industry. We investigated whether arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) occur in aquatic plant turions and localized these compounds within specific tissues or cell types. This work was designed to evaluate whether stress-resistant storage organs may constitute a practical reservoir of AGPs. Considering the central role of AGPs in plant responses to abiotic stress, we hypothesized that turions, which routinely encounter cold, anoxia, and intermittent dehydration, would exhibit particularly high AGP accumulation. Mature turions of aquatic species (Aldrovanda vesiculosa, Utricularia australis, U. intermedia, and Caldesia parnassifolia) were used. Immunofluorescent labeling with AGP-specific antibodies (JIM8, JIM13, JIM14, LM2, MAC207) and confocal laser scanning microscopy were employed. In Aldrovanda vesiculosa and Caldesia parnassifolia, AGP epitopes were abundantly presented in cytoplasmic compartments. AGP epitopes occurred in secretory structures in turions of all examined species (trichomes of Aldrovanda and Utricularia, secretory ducts of Caldesia). In analyzing turions of four different species, we identified Aldrovanda vesiculosa turions as the most promising potential source of AGPs, also noting their high reserve potential for use in animal feed or the food industry. Full article

Background: Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. is a small aquatic plant that produces snap traps for capturing zooplankton prey. Aldrovanda belongs to the family Droseraceae, which is well known for the production of secondary metabolites (especially naphthoquinones). However, compared to other species in this family (Drosera and Dionaea), A. vesiculosa has been very poorly studied in terms of metabolites. The Aim: To fill this gap in knowledge, we investigated what secondary metabolites are present in the shoots of these plants. A hypothesis was tested stating that there are more metabolites in the younger (apical) parts of the shoots, which protect them from herbivores. Methods: Shoots of A. vesiculosa were collected, and the plant material was extracted with methanol, followed by 80% methanol or pure acetone using the accelerated solvent extraction method. The phytochemical profile was established using UPLC-DAD-(ESI)-MS. Results: A. vesiculosa shoots contained gallic acid and its derivatives, ellagic acid and its derivatives, flavonoids, and naphthoquinones (plumbagin and hydroplumbagin hexoside). A gradient (apical–basal) of gallic acid, ellagic acid, plumbagin, and hydroplumbagin hexoside was observed in the shoots. Meanwhile, the total flavonoid content did not differ between the middle and apical parts but was significantly lower in the basal part. In general, the lowest concentrations of metabolites were found in the basal part and the highest in the apical part, with the exception of total flavonoids. The number of free flavonoid aglycones was significantly higher in the middle part, whereas the apical part was dominated by glycoside derivatives. Full article

More than 85% of the world’s cervical cancer fatalities occur in less-developed nations, causing early mortality among women. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for the early classification of cervical cancer based on a new feature selection algorithm and classification method. The new feature selection algorithm is based on a hybrid of the Waterwheel Plant Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization algorithms, and bWWPAPSO denotes it. Meanwhile, the new classification method is based on optimizing the parameters of a multilayer perceptron neural network (WWPAPSO+MLP). A publicly available dataset is employed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Due to this dataset’s imbalance and missing values, it is preprocessed and balanced using SMOTETomek, where undersampling and oversampling were utilized. The usefulness of class imbalance and feature selection based on the classifier’s specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy has been demonstrated by way of a comparative study of the proposed methodology that has been carried out. WWPAPSO+MLP achieves superior performance, with an accuracy of 97.3% and a sensitivity of 98.8%. On the other hand, several statistical tests were conducted, including the Wilcoxon signed rank test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to confirm the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach. Full article

Over 1350 Chilean rural schools are experiencing a lack of potable water, and 40.4% of them lack formal access to drinking water and have to resort to various alternative sources of supply, with 43% relying on wells or waterwheels, 32% using water trucks, and 26% relying on rivers, springs, or streams. Due to the extreme situation, most inhabitants of affected rural areas count on different means of water recycling, mainly reused from irrigation, without control or management of water quality. For this study, Los Bellotos de la Vega Elementary, a rural school, became a case study as proposed by the Municipality of Olmué. The educational program focuses on crops and plantations based on rural agricultural practices, which are irrigated by a water recycling system. Through microbiological water analysis, olfactory air quality testing, surveys, and photovoice methods, we identified serious problems with the implementation and management of the water recycling system, including a lack of resources and maintenance, which could endanger the health of the members of the community. An analysis of the treatment plant’s water revealed that the recycled water did not meet quality standards, and the water supplied by water trucks was at the limits of the standards. It was also found that all the families related to the school children recycle water in their homes without any control over the quality of the water they reuse. However, a positive aspect revealed by this study is the elevated level of awareness about water conservation, habits of use, consumption, rationing, and reuse, as well as knowledge of appropriate vegetation, and they are already part of daily life. Full article

Soft robots have often been proposed for medical applications, creating human-friendly machines, and dedicated subject operation, and the pneumatic actuator is a representative example of such a robot. Plants, with their hingeless architecture, can take advantage of morphology to achieve a predetermined deformation. To improve the modes of motion, two pneumatic actuators that mimic the principles of the plants (the birds-of-paradise plant and the waterwheel plant) were designed, simulated, and tested using physical models in this study. The most common deformation pattern of the pneumatic actuator, bending deformation, was utilized and hingeless structures based on the plants were fabricated for a more complex motion of the lobes. Here, an ABP (actuator inspired by the birds-of-paradise plant) could bend its midrib downward to open the lobes, but an AWP (actuator inspired by the waterwheel plant) could bend its midrib upward to open the two lobes. In both the computational and physical models, the associated movements of the midrib and lobes could be observed and measured. As it lacks multiple parts that have to be assembled using joints, the actuator would be simpler to fabricate, have a variety of deformation modes, and be applicable in more fields. Full article

Plants are ideal for soft robot design due to their favourable ability to adapt and respond to the environment. Here, three different motile plants, bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae), the waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa), and the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), are introduced. They may deform following the physics predetermined by the structure. As a decentralised species, plants respond under environmental stimulation without a controlling unit like a brain and motor-like muscles. The mechanism behind the movement of the plant should enlighten more intelligent robotics. In this study, movable plants are compared for their actuating principle, and, based on their deformation model, three pneumatic actuators are designed. The bird of paradise opens its petals when the sunbirds sit on another petal, which inspires the structure utilising the bending of the midrib to open lobes. Similarly, the waterwheel plant stores energy in the bending midrib and releases it when it closes. But, the Venus flytrap takes advantage of snapping to achieve rapid closure. Using three-dimensional (3D) printing, pneumatic actuators, which are ruled by the mechanism of plants with silicon rubber surfaces, are fabricated and tested. Under air pressure, the actuator deforms, mimicking the plant cells expanding under the turgor pressure. The hingeless actuator performs well while interacting with dedicated projects. Full article

Attempting to address optimization problems in various scientific disciplines is a fundamental and significant difficulty requiring optimization. This study presents the waterwheel plant technique (WWPA), a novel stochastic optimization technique motivated by natural systems. The proposed WWPA’s basic concept is based on modeling the waterwheel plant’s natural behavior while on a hunting expedition. To find prey, WWPA uses plants as search agents. We present WWPA’s mathematical model for use in addressing optimization problems. Twenty-three objective functions of varying unimodal and multimodal types were used to assess WWPA’s performance. The results of optimizing unimodal functions demonstrate WWPA’s strong exploitation ability to get close to the optimal solution, while the results of optimizing multimodal functions show WWPA’s strong exploration ability to zero in on the major optimal region of the search space. Three engineering design problems were also used to gauge WWPA’s potential for improving practical programs. The effectiveness of WWPA in optimization was evaluated by comparing its results with those of seven widely used metaheuristic algorithms. When compared with eight competing algorithms, the simulation results and analyses demonstrate that WWPA outperformed them by finding a more proportionate balance between exploration and exploitation. Full article

Aldrovanda vesiculosa is a rare and critically endangered carnivorous plant species. Its populations have declined worldwide, so there is a need to protect the species from extinction. The research was conducted to establish an effective method of in vitro propagation of the species in order to obtain plants for reintroduction in the wild. The procedures included disinfection, multiplication, and acclimatization of plants. Contamination-free in vitro cultures were established using shoots and turions, which were disinfected with 0.25% sodium hypochlorite. The shoots were first defoliated. The explants regenerated better in liquid 1/5 MS medium than in solidified one. The optimum medium for the multiplication phase contained MS macro- and microelements diluted to 1/10. Plants cultivated in that medium were of good quality, long, and branched. The advantageous effect of medium was also confirmed by the content of photosynthetic pigments in the plant material. The content of chlorophyll a was highest in plants cultivated in 1/5 or 1/10 MS medium. The plants obtained were acclimatized to ex vitro conditions and reintroduced in the wild. Full article

The selection of appropriate locations for the reintroduction of endangered plant species is an important process, because it usually influences the success of the conservation. The aim of this study was to select the optimal substitute habitats for Aldrovanda vesiculosa, taking into account the influence of physical–chemical factors (light intensity, temperature, pH, concentration of dissolved forms of nitrogen and cyanobacterial toxin microcystin-LR) on the efficiency of plant growth. Water analysis and field observations of the habitats of six lakes in Eastern Poland typified as potential substitute habitats for aldrovanda were carried out. The results of the experiments showed that both the concentration and the form in which nitrogen compounds are present in the environment were the factors limiting the growth rate and condition of plants. The second factor that caused the inhibition of aldrovanda growth was microcystin-LR. It was found that the habitat conditions in Lake Brzeziczno were within the ecological tolerance of the species. Particularly important was the low content of mineral compounds and the available forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water. Therefore, the probability of development of toxic cyanobacteria, the metabolites of which may affect the growth of A. vesiculosa, is also minimal. Full article

Carnivorous plants are unique due to their ability to attract small animals or protozoa, retain them in specialized traps, digest them, and absorb nutrients from the dissolved prey material; however, to this end, these plants need a special secretion-digestive system (glands). A common trait of the digestive glands of carnivorous plants is the presence of transfer cells. Using the aquatic carnivorous species Aldrovanda vesiculosa, we showed carnivorous plants as a model for studies of wall ingrowths/transfer cells. We addressed the following questions: Is the cell wall ingrowth composition the same between carnivorous plant glands and other plant system models? Is there a difference in the cell wall ingrowth composition between various types of gland cells (glandular versus endodermoid cells)? Fluorescence microscopy and immunogold electron microscopy were employed to localize carbohydrate epitopes associated with major cell wall polysaccharides and glycoproteins. The cell wall ingrowths were enriched with arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) localized with the JIM8, JIM13, and JIM14 epitopes. Both methylesterified and de-esterified homogalacturonans (HGs) were absent or weakly present in the wall ingrowths in transfer cells (stalk cells and head cells of the gland). Both the cell walls and the cell wall ingrowths in the transfer cells were rich in hemicelluloses: xyloglucan (LM15) and galactoxyloglucan (LM25). There were differences in the composition between the cell wall ingrowths and the primary cell walls in A. vesiculosa secretory gland cells in the case of the absence or inaccessibility of pectins (JIM5, LM19, JIM7, LM5, LM6 epitopes); thus, the wall ingrowths are specific cell wall microdomains. Even in the same organ (gland), transfer cells may differ in the composition of the cell wall ingrowths (glandular versus endodermoid cells). We found both similarities and differences in the composition of the cell wall ingrowths between the A. vesiculosa transfer cells and transfer cells of other plant species. Full article

Aldrovanda vesiculosa is a carnivorous water plant which is endangered by extinction worldwide. The number of natural stands and populations has decreased; therefore, there is a need for its active protection. The best method would be an in vitro culture. One of the main problems is disinfection of the explants. Therefore, it was decided that we should treat the explants with nano-silver particles. The explants were shoot fragments which were disinfected with sodium hypochlorite and then placed in a liquid 1/5 MS medium, supplemented with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at a concentration of 5 mg·dm⁻³. It was observed that AgNPs reduced the number of contaminations but also led to necrosis of the shoots. The shoots, which undertook regeneration in presence of AgNPs, were smaller and did not form traps; however, after being moved to fresh media twice, they started to develop normal leaves. Taking into consideration both disinfection and regeneration rates, it might be advisable to disinfect aldrovanda shoots in sodium hypochlorite only, without AgNPs. The results of the research might indicate a toxic activity of AgNPs towards water plants, which seems a big problem, as nanoparticles are commonly used in all the fields of life. However, the matter should be studied further. Full article