This paper demonstrates the generation of optical pulses utilizing a mode locker (ML) based on Nickel-1,3,5-benzene-tricarboxylic acid-metal-organic framework (Ni-H 3 BTC-MOF) in a thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL). An evanescent field interaction between the material and the propagating light was ensured by using a tapered fiber as a waveguide structure for the ML construction. A composite of Ni-H 3 BTC-MOF and polydimethylsiloxane was prepared and transferred to the tapered fiber using a spin-coating technique. The prepared ML was characterized for nonlinear saturable absorption properties, exhibiting a modulation depth of 2.00% and a saturation fluence of 2.65 μJ/cm 2 . A mode-locked soliton pulse at 1931.94 nm lasing wavelength with a spectral bandwidth of 3.30 nm was emitted at 1109 mW pump power. The fabricated ML demonstrated a stable mode-locked pulse with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 46 dB and maintained operational stability for 1 hour with a standard deviation of 0.03 ps in the time domain.
Cucumber is an important crop, cultivated in greenhouses in Oman due to the hot desert climate of the country. Damping-off disease, predominantly caused by the pathogen Pythium aphanidermatum , remains a major threat globally, drastically reducing cucumber yields and presenting significant economic challenges. Plant endophytic bacteria play a crucial role in controlling plant diseases. This study uniquely explores the novel application of a native endophytic bacterium, Alcaligenes faecalis P1(1.4), isolated from the roots of the indigenous desert tree Prosopis cineraria , as a potent biocontrol agent against cucumber damping-off. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated the presence of morphological abnormalities in the hyphae of P. aphanidermatum at the zone of inhibition in dual culture assays. Further investigation revealed that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of A. faecalis P1(1.4) effectively suppressed the spread of P. aphanidermatum in the double-sealed base plates assay. Moreover, the bacterium exhibited significant plant growth-promoting potential, specifically in seed germination, seedling vigor, and a remarkable increase in root length. Additionally, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis indicated a high proportion of Indole (46.32%) in the VOCs spectrum. Indole the precursor of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), which is indeed the main growth hormone in plants, play a crucial role in cell elongation, apical dominance, root initiation and development and tropic responses. In greenhouse trials, the bacterium effectively reduced the disease severity up to 30%. This study provided a baseline for the application of Alcaligenes faecalis in controlling damping-off disease of cucumber.
This study establishes a robust quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) framework for glycols by integrating symmetry-aware topological indices, including Zagreb and neighborhood-degree descriptors, with machine learning (ML) models such as support vector regression (SVR) and random forest (RF). We demonstrate that these indices exhibit strong positive correlations R^2>0.90 for all topological indices with key properties including molecular weight (MW), boiling point (BP), heat capacity (HC), and flash point (FP), validated through both linear/quadratic regression ( p < 0.05) and ML models. Quadratic regression outperformed linear approaches, achieving 27.4% higher accuracy for all indices prediction, while SVR captured non-linear relationships with FP, R^2=0.9988 . Graphical validation confirmed deviations of less than 1% from experimental data, enabling reliable property estimation without lab trials. This work provides a computationally efficient alternative to experimental characterization and a template for green chemistry applications through reduced synthetic iterations, and ML-augmented indices for future small-molecule studies.
These days, diabetes mellitus has become a major issue for public health around the world, and its prevalence is rising quickly. The large global burden of diabetes has prompted the search for new natural sources with potential as antidiabetic agents with minimal side effects. One source of interest is mangrove plants, a coastal ecosystem rich in biodiversity and secondary metabolites. This review article aims to summarize and analyze studies on the antidiabetic activity of mangrove plants and to identify bioactive compounds that contribute to this bioactivity. Based on a literature review of scientific databases (Scopus, PubMed, and WoS), several genera, such as Avicennia, Rhizophora, Sonneratia, Bruguiera, and Xylocarpus were found to exhibit antidiabetic activities, predominantly by following model: α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, α-amylase inhibitory activity, in vivo antihyperglycemic activity. The phytochemicals contributing to these antidiabetic activities include flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, and tannins. Some of these, such as Xyloccensin-I, corniculatolide C, trans-tiliroside, myricetrin, and triterpenoids pentacyclic, which was isolated from mangrove plants, show potential as antidiabetic agents.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by hepatic lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation, but therapeutic options are limited due to the poor bioavailability of compounds such as curcumin. To address this limitation, we developed polydopamine-coated, curcumin-loaded zinc metal-organic framework (Curcumin-Np) and evaluated their physicochemical properties, sustained-release behavior, and biological activity in an in vitro lipotoxicity model. Curcumin was encapsulated within resorcinol-diacetic acid-based zinc MOFs (encapsulation efficiency ∼75%), and a polydopamine coating was applied to improve stability and regulate release. Dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy were employed to determine particle size, zeta potential, morphology, and surface functional groups, respectively. Release profiles were studied at pH 6.8 over 48 h. HepG2 cells exposed to free fatty acids served as an in vitro model of lipotoxicity. The CCK-8 assay was employed to ascertain cell viability, and a fluorescence-based ROS assay was used to measure intracellular ROS generation. Lipid accumulation was evaluated by Nile Red staining, intracellular triglycerides were quantified colorimetrically, and prolyl endopeptidase (PREP) inhibition kinetics were assessed using a cell-free enzyme assay. Furthermore, qPCR was used to assess lipid metabolism- and stress-related gene expression. Polydopamine coating increased the particle size from 84 to 220 nm and improved the zeta potential to -48 mV, indicating better colloidal stability. Curcumin-Np showed controlled curcumin release, with about 73% release over 48 h, in comparison to 25% release from free curcumin. In the FFA-induced HepG2 lipotoxicity model, Curcumin-Np improved cell viability compared with the FFA-treated group, reduced intracellular ROS generation (1.8-1.2-fold of the control level), decreased Nile Red-positive lipid droplet accumulation, and reduced intracellular triglyceride levels from about 2700-2800 to 2100-2200 pg/mg protein. qPCR analysis showed recovery of AMPKα and NRF2 expression and reduction of FFA-induced SREBP-1c, PREP, and p53 expression following Curcumin-Np treatment. In the cell-free PREP assay, curcumin demonstrated non-competitive inhibition, with an IC50 and Ki of approximately 35 and 45.7 µM, respectively. Curcumin-Np improved curcumin activity in an in vitro HepG2 lipotoxicity model by reducing oxidative stress and lipid accumulation while supporting PREP inhibition and favorable gene expression changes. These findings suggest that PDA-coated Zn-MOF-based curcumin delivery is a promising approach for further investigation of NAFLD/NASH. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
