High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has become a vital tool for dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization. The upward trend in HRMS analysis of DOM presents challenges in data comparison and interpretation among laboratories operating instruments with differing performance and user operating conditions. It is therefore essential that the community establishes metric ranges and compositional trends for data comparison with reference samples so that data can be robustly compared among research groups. To this end, four identically prepared DOM samples were each measured by 16 laboratories, using 17 commercially purchased instruments, using positive-ion and negative-ion mode electrospray ionization (ESI) HRMS analyses. The instruments identified~1000 common ions in both negative-and positive-ion modes over a wide range of m/z values and chemical space, as determined by van Krevelen diagrams. Calculated metrics of abundance-weighted average indices (H/C, O/C, aromaticity, and m/z) of the commonly detected ions showed that hydrogen saturation and aromaticity were consistent for each reference sample across the instruments, while average mass and oxygenation were more affected by differences in instrument type and settings. In this paper we present 32 metric values for future benchmarking. The metric values were obtained for the four different parameters from four samples in two ionization modes and can be used in future work to evaluate the performance of HRMS instruments.

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Background Plant-endophyte partnership provides an excellent gateway toward restoration of contaminated ecosystems. The interactions between both partners can be manipulated by introducing novel catabolic/ metabolic genes into host plant or endophytic bacteria genomes. The potential of the engineered organisms to degrade or accumulate contaminants is much wider than their wild relatives. Scope This review covers the recent developments for engineering catabolic/metabolic genes from a wide range of sources into plants or endophytic bacteria for the development of modified plant-endophyte interactions. Genetic alteration of plants promises enhanced catabolism by plant's own enzymatic machinery or greater contaminant uptake/accumulation for subsequent in planta detoxification by complementary endophytes. On the other hand, bacteria may also be engineered to enhance the potential for degradation or alteration of catabolic pathways, either to protect the host plant against phytotoxicity or to improve the overall efficiency of phytoremediation in planta, a situation especially suitable when hydrophilic compounds fail to be degraded by rhizospheric microbes due to the rapid uptake by plants. This is followed by discussion on kinetic parameters controlling phytoremediation. Conclusions It is hypothesized that transgenic approach can result in synergistic and effective plant-endophyte partnerships for wider-range and enhanced capabilities of degrading and/or detoxifying contaminants.

The contamination of water with hydrocarbons resulting from oil exploration and production highlights the need for efficient and environmentally friendly technology to mitigate this form of water pollution. Floating treatment wetlands are a sustainable approach for remediating contaminated water. In this large-scale study, we used four different plants, Phragmites australis, Typha domingensis, Leptochloa fusca, and Brachiaria mutica, to vegetate a floating mat with an area of 3058 m 2 made from locally sourced materials. The floating treatment wetlands constructed in this manner were used to treat an oil-contaminated water stabilization pit resulting from oil and gas exploration activities in District Chakwal, Pakistan. The plants and the water in the pit were inoculated with a consortium of 10 different hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. The application of floating treatment wetlands to the pit reduced chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, hydrocarbon content, and heavy metals by 97.4%, 98.9%, 82.4%, 99.1%, and 80%, respectively, within 18 months. All plants survived and showed growth, but maximum development and biomass production were exhibited by P. australis. Moreover, the bacteria used for inoculation were able to persist and show degradation activity in the water as well as in the rhizoplane, roots, and shoots of the plants. We conclude that floating treatment wetlands can be applied to oil-contaminated water stabilization pits for affordable and effective water treatment.

This investigation reports the quantitative assessment of endophyte-assisted floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) for the remediation of sewage and industrial wastewater. Typha domingensis was used to vegetate FTWs that were subsequently inoculated with a consortium of pollutant-degrading and plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria. T. domingensis, being an aquatic species, holds excellent potential to remediate polluted water. Nonetheless, investigation conducted on Madhuana drain carrying industrial and sewage water from Faisalabad City revealed the percentage reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) to be 87% and 87.5%, respectively, within 96 h on coupling the plant species with a consortium of bacterial endophytes. With the endophytes surviving in plant tissue, maximal reduction was obtained in not only the aforementioned pollution parameters but for other major environmental quality parameters including nutrients (N and P), ions (Na and K), Cl, and SO as well, which showed percentage reductions up to 90%, 39%, 77%, 91.8%, 40%, and 60%, respectively. This significant improvement in polluted wastewater quality treated with the proposed method render it safe to be discharged freely in larger water bodies as per the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) of Pakistan or to be reused safely for irrigation purposes; thus, FTWs provide a sustainable and affordable approach for in situ remediation of sewage and industrial wastewater.

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Modification with SUMO protein has many key roles in eukaryotic systems which renders the identification of its target proteins and sites of considerable importance. Information regarding the SUMOylation of a protein may tell us about its subcellular localization, function, and spatial orientation. This modification occurs at particular and not all lysine residues in a given protein. In competition with biochemical means of modified-site recognition, computational methods are strong contenders in the prediction of SUMOylation-undergoing sites on proteins. In this research, physicochemical properties of amino acids retrieved from AAIndex, especially those involved in docking of modifier and target proteins and optimal presentation of target lysine, in combination with sequence information and random forest-based classifier presented in WEKA have been used to develop a prediction model, SUMOhunt, with statistics significantly better than all previous predictors. In this model 97.56% accuracy, 100% sensitivity, 94% specificity, and 0.95 MCC have been achieved which shows that proposed amino acid properties have a significant role in SUMO attachment. SUMOhunt will hence bring great reliability and efficiency in SUMOylation prediction.

Obesity has been defined as the excessive deposition of fats on the body. It presents a very significant risk to humanity, with debilitating consequences for healthcare systems worldwide. It has multiple effects on the body, including grave consequences on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Our project explores the latter. There are multiple studies available in the scientific literature that attempt to explain this phenomenon, all with limited success and conflicting results. This cross-sectional exploration of the topic was done on medical undergraduates to pick up on any correlations between peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and the markers of obesity (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and waist to hip ratio (WHR)). In general, we found that male participants had sizably higher PEFR values than females (r=0.540, p<0.01). Appropriate BMI is mandatory for the physiologic functioning of the human body. This work also statistically demonstrates a negative overall correlation between lung health and various parameters of obesity. Our work suggests a positive correlation between WHR and PEFR (r=0.325, p<0.01), BMI and PEFR (r=0.573, p=0.02), along with weight and PEFR (r=0.464, p<0.01). Maintaining a BMI and WHR in the normal range is essential for optimal physiological functioning and physical well-being.