Hua Zhang, Ganghua Li^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.5, pp. 1367-1399, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.064632 - 29 May 2025

Abstract Soil naturally contains various heavy metals, however, their concentrations have reached toxic levels due to excessive agrochemical use and industrial activities. Heavy metals are persistent and non-biodegradable, causing environmental disruption and posing significant health hazards. Microbial-mediated remediation is a promising strategy to prevent heavy metal leaching and mobilization, facilitating their extraction and detoxification. Nickel (Ni), being a prevalent heavy metal pollutant, requires specific attention in remediation efforts. Plants have evolved defense mechanisms to cope with environmental stresses, including heavy metal toxicity, but such stress significantly reduces crop productivity. Beneficial microorganisms play a crucial role in… More > Graphic Abstract

Melissa Mashaba¹, Curwyn Mapaling^2,*, Wandile F. Tsabedze³

Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol.35, No.1, pp. 29-35, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpa.2025.066007 - 30 April 2025

Abstract The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic introduced significant psychosocial stressors for morticians in South Africa, yet their coping mechanisms remain underexplored. This study investigated how South African morticians (N = 10, Black males) coped with these stressors during the pandemic through semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) informed thematic analysis identified five themes: (i) death overload distress associated with trauma and fear of exposure; (ii) insomnia due to worry, workload, and fear of infection; (iii) stigmatisation from community avoidance and negative perceptions; (iv) social isolation and anxiety related to emotional disconnection, personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, More >

Shahin Imran^1,2,#,*, Mousumi Jahan Sumi^3,#, Israt Jahan Harine⁴, Newton Chandra Paul¹, Md. Asif Mahamud⁵, Rakibul Hasan Md. Rabbi⁵, Marian Brestic⁶, Mohammad Saidur Rhaman^7,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.4, pp. 1073-1109, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.064046 - 30 April 2025

Abstract Heavy metal (HM) accumulation in soil poses a major hazard to both ecological health and plant growth progressions. Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni) are examples of HMs that negatively impact the growth and development of plants, resulting in lower agricultural output and food safety concerns. Biochar (BC), a substance rich in carbon that is formed by pyrolyzing natural biomass, has demonstrated remarkable promise in reducing HM stress in polluted soils. Research has shown that BC effectively lowers plant uptake of metals, and enhances soil qualities,… More >

Chen Lin^1,*, Zidan Zhang¹, Zhao Zhang¹, Yuxiang Long¹, Xuwen Shen¹, Jinghao Zhang¹, Youping Wang^1,2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.3, pp. 583-601, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.063086 - 31 March 2025

Abstract Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) represent a large and diverse enzyme family ubiquitously distributed across the plant kingdom. These proteins catalyze the conjugation of glutathione (GSH) with electrophilic substrates in response to various stress conditions. Beyond their role in stress adaptation, certain GSTs are integral regulators of plant growth and development, contributing to a range of physiological processes. Most GST proteins exhibit dual enzymatic activities, functioning as both transferases and peroxidases, which enables their involvement in diverse cellular processes, including detoxification and stress responses. Recent advancements, particularly in X-ray crystallography, have enabled detailed structural analysis of GST More >

Mian Xia^1,2, Baoguo Xie^3,4, Lijun He^5,*, Jingru Chen⁶

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 231-240, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.058878 - 03 March 2025

Abstract Objectives: Recently, how family-related factors influence employees’ mental health has garnered increasing attention from researchers and practitioners. Drawing on the cognitive appraisal theory of stress, this study aims to examine how and when family financial stress affects the employees’ mental health and investigate the mediating role of performance stress and the moderating role of workplace competition. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 23,520 Chinese employees by using a voluntary and anonymous structured questionnaire, which included family financial stress, performance stress, symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90) scale, and workplace competition. The data were analyzed using SPSS… More >

Dong-Wook Lee^1,*, Heungjo An², Tae Yeon Kim³, Sungmun Lee⁴, Jide Oyebanji¹, Prabakaran Balasubramanian¹

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.31, No.2, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.011286

Abstract This work analyzes the problems of material elastic constants identification and residual stresses determination in an orthotropic materials using hole drilling method. These problems are very important to understand mechanical performance of materials. A lot of optical method such as Moiré, laser speckle interferometry, digital image correlation or photoelasticity is developed to estimate displacement (or strain) fields or applied loads (or stresses) from images. These methods require a very complicated techniques, skill, and efforts to analysis images. But deep learning method based on a convolution neural network shows better performance in image analysis problems such… More >

Zhenhua Gao¹, Bin Han^1,*, Shengyuan Niu¹, Liying Li¹

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.30, No.3, pp. 1-4, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.013339

Abstract With the rapid development of industry and globalization, the demand and strategic importance of oil and natural gas have become increasingly significant, leading to energy extraction in more complex corrosive environments [1, 2]. Bimetallic composite pipes, which offer strength and corrosion resistance, exhibit promising potential. For the welding of bimetallic composite plates, it is optimal to follow the welding sequence of the base layer, transition layer, and inner layer [3, 4]. For the welding of bimetal composite pipes, due to the diameter limit, the inner layer is usually welded first, followed by the transition layer,… More >

Hui Huang^1,*, Yongbing Li¹, Shuhui Li¹, Ninshu Ma²

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.30, No.3, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.011348

Abstract The sequentially coupled thermo-mechanical finite element analysis (FEA) with implicit iteration scheme is widely adopted for welding process simulation because the one-way coupling scheme is believed to be more efficient. However, such computational framework faces the bottleneck of scalability in large-scale analysis due to the exponential growth of computational burden with respect to the number of unknowns in a FEA model. In the present study, a fully coupled approach with explicit integration was developed to simulate fusion welding induced temperature, distortion, and residual stresses. A mass scaling and heat capacity inverse scaling technique was proposed More >

Esra Arslan Yuksel^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.9, pp. 2189-2207, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.055053 - 30 September 2024

Abstract Heavy metal contamination in the environment, resulting from human activities or natural processes, poses a significant and widespread challenge. L-glutamic (L-glu) and L-aspartic acid (L-asp) treatments have been reported to improve plant metabolism of heavy metal-exposed plants, but the role of these amino acids in the resistance to lead (Pb²⁺), cadmium (Cd²⁺), arsenic (As³⁺) and nickel (Ni²⁺) treated-bean are unclear when applied together. This study investigated the L-glu and L-asp supplementation-induced changes in some physio-biochemical parameters and some stress-related gene expression levels in Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, As³⁺, and Ni²⁺-stressed Phaseolus vulgaris (Elkoca and Gina) grown in nutrient solution. The combination of… More >

Mingzhao Han¹, Susilawati Kasim^1,*, Zhongming Yang², Xi Deng², Noor Baity Saidi³, Md Kamal Uddin¹, Effyanti Mohd Shuib¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.9, pp. 2149-2166, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.054009 - 30 September 2024

Abstract It is imperative to enhance crop yield to meet the demands of a burgeoning global population while simultaneously safeguarding the environment from adverse impacts, which is one of the dominant challenges confronting humanity in this phase of global climate change. To overcome this problem and reduce dependency on chemical fertilizer, scientists now view the implementation of biostimulant strategies as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to achieving sustainable agriculture. Plant extracts are rich in bioactive phytocompounds, which can enhance plant resistance to disease, pest, and abiotic stresses (e.g., drought, salinity, and extreme temperature), and promote… More >