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This study aimed to assess the genetic basis and combining ability of 10 morphological traits in Indian mustard. The experiment involved eight parent lines and 28 crosses derived from a half-diallel mating design. Combining ability analysis is vital for identifying parents and hybrids with favorable genetic effects to enhance breeding efficiency. The study found significant variations across treatments, parents and parent vs. cross for all attributes related to seed yield. Some traits exhibited notable disparities between parents and crosses, underscoring the intricate genetic dynamics at play. The estimation of genetic components of variance underscored a predominant influence of non-additive gene action, especially in traits linked to yield. Specific combining ability (SCA) consistently surpassed general combining ability (GCA), underscoring the substantial role of non-additive genetic effects. Parental genotypes NPJ-194, DRMR-15-16, Kranti and NPJ-194 were identified as consistent and potent general combiners, indicating their potential to pass on favorable alleles to their offspring. Hybrid combinations such as SKJM-05 × Kranti, RW-85-59 × SKJM-05, and NPJ-194 × SKJM-05 exhibited notable GCA effects of parents, per se performance and SCA effects of hybrids for seed yield plant -1 . Heterosis breeding proved to be a viable strategy, with crosses such as RW-85-59 × SKJM-05, RW-85-59 × Giriraj, RW-85-59 × PHR-2, DRMR-15-16 × Giriraj, and SKJM-05 × PHR-2 exhibiting significant positive heterosis for OC over both mid-parent and better-parent values. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the genetic basis of morphological traits in Indian mustard, offering strategic directions for focused breeding efforts and trait refinement., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: “The genotype was obtained from Pulses and Oilseed Research Station in Kanpur, Banaras Hindu University located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and the Directorate of Rapeseed and Mustard Research and no special permissions were necessary to collect samples and comply with India’s guidelines and legislation. The plant collection and use were in accordance with all the relevant guidelines and legislation of India”. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

A cobalt(III)-catalyzed dual C(sp 2 )-H/C(sp 2 )-H activation of 2-arylimidazopyridines and its annulation with N-substituted maleimides leads to polycyclic aromatic heterocycles. This sustainable oxidative annulation uses earth-abundant, less toxic, and cost-effective cobalt(III) catalyst that complement expensive 2nd and 3rd-row metals. This oxidative annulation features a broad substrate scope with very good functional group tolerance. These maleimide-fused imidazopyridines display strong fluorescence in the region of 527- 536 nm with a Stokes shift of 83-87 nm and possess an excited state lifetime of 14.6-16.1 ns. Interestingly, such luminescent compounds show aggregation-enhanced emission (AEE) behavior in the i Pr-OH/hexane mixed solvent system. Furthermore, field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM) reveals their spherical nano-aggregates with an average diameter of ~216.8 nm. They can also be used as cellular-imaging and picric acid-sensing probes., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Context: Obesity is prevalent in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and is problematic with higher risk for diabetes complications. It is unknown to what extent gut microbiome changes are associated with obesity and T1D., Objective: This work aimed to describe the gut microbiome and microbial metabolite changes associated with obesity in T1D. We hypothesized statistically significant gut microbial and metabolite differences in lean T1D youth (body mass index [BMI]: 5%-<85%) vs those with obesity (BMI: ≥95%)., Methods: We analyzed stool samples for gut microbial (using metagenomic shotgun sequencing) and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) differences in lean (n = 27) and obese (n = 21) T1D youth in a pilot study. The mean ± SD age was 15.3 ± 2.2 years, glycated hemoglobin A1c 7.8 ± 1.3%, diabetes duration 5.1 ± 4.4 years, 42.0% female, and 94.0% were White., Results: Bacterial community composition showed between sample diversity differences (β-diversity) by BMI group (P = .013). There was a higher ratio of Prevotella to Bacteroides in the obese group (P = .0058). There was a differential distribution of significantly abundant taxa in either the lean or obese groups, including increased relative abundance of Prevotella copri, among other taxa in the obese group. Functional profiling showed an upregulation of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) biosynthesis in the obese group and upregulation of BCAA degradation, tyrosine metabolism, and secondary bile acid biosynthesis in the lean group. Stool SCFAs were higher in the obese vs the lean group (P < .05 for all)., Conclusion: Our findings identify a gut microbiome and microbial metabolite signature associated with obesity in T1D. These findings could help identify gut microbiome-targeted therapies to manage obesity in T1D., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society.)

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a fascinating class of structured materials with diverse functionality originating from their distinctive physicochemical properties. This review focuses on the specific chemical design of geometrically frustrated MOFs along with the origin of the intriguing magnetic properties. We have discussed the arrangement of spin centres (metal and ligand) which are responsible for the unusual magnetic phenomena in MOFs. Both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MOFs with frustrated magnetism, their synthetic routes, and evaluation of magnetic properties are highlighted. Such spin-frustrated MOFs may find applications in the field of memory devices, transistors, sensors, and the development of unconventional superconductors., (© 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Many analytical methods have been developed for performing targeted metabolomics. By combining multiple analytical techniques, comprehensive coverage of the metabolome can be achieved. We combined multiple analytical techniques to comprehensively and quantitatively characterize the widely studied NIST human plasma reference material, SRM 1950. Our goal was to provide a large, well-validated list of confident metabolite concentration values (i.e., benchmarks) to assist the metabolomics community in its calibration and comparison efforts. We used four analytical platforms: high-resolution NMR spectroscopy, direct injection tandem MS (DI-MS/MS), liquid chromatography tandem MS (LC-MS/MS), and inductively coupled plasma MS (ICP-MS). Eight validated analytical assays were run, yielding accurate quantitative measurements for 728 unique metabolites or metabolite species. Through computer-aided literature mining, we identified another 330 unique metabolites previously quantified in SRM 1950. We compared NIST-certified values along with literature-derived concentrations/ranges to the metabolite concentrations measured by our four platforms and eight assays. From these assays/platforms, we generated a list of high-confidence concentration values of 1058 metabolites or metabolite species in SRM 1950 including data for 60 amino acids/related compounds, 48 bile acids, 72 amines/sugars/alcohols, 21 metals, 8 catecholamines, 11 vitamins, 92 organic acids, 40 fatty acids/steroids/nucleobases/indole derivatives, 5 polyfluorinated compounds, 7 carotenoids, 39 acylcarnitines, 76 oxylipins, 13 sterols, and 566 lipids/lipid species. This data set represents the most complete quantitative characterization of SRM 1950. An online database (SRM1950-DB) containing 1058 plasma metabolites/metabolite species in SRM 1950, their structures, HMDB IDs, mass, chemical class, concentrations, references, and reliability is freely available at https://srm1950-data.wishartlab.com.

Toxic organic solvents and electrolytes, traditionally indispensable for electro-organic synthesis, are now being reconsidered. In developing more sustainable electro-organic synthesis, we've harnessed the aqueous micelles as solvents and electrolyte-like structures when deformed under an electric field. The technology is showcased in synthetically highly valued hydrodefluorination reactions of difluorinated indoles. This mild electrosynthetic method produces monofluorinated unprotected indole scaffolds. Our approach minimizes waste and enhances atom economy, reducing reliance on expensive and hazardous solvents and electrolytes. The surfactant's potential for recycling was verified for two cycles. Cyclic voltammetry analysis has corroborated that PS-750-M micelles in water establish a more efficient platform for hydrodefluorination. Our technology simplifies the production of monofluorinated indoles, which are crucial for many drug-like molecules., (© 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)