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Talinum paniculatum root exhibits synergistic antimicrobial activity with Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Streptomycin against S. aureus but has no observed effect on antibiotic efficacy against E. coli

Patel et al. | Jan 09, 2018

Talinum paniculatum root exhibits synergistic antimicrobial activity with Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Streptomycin against S. aureus but has no observed effect on antibiotic efficacy against E. coli

Patel et al. explore whether T. paniculatum plant extract can work with modern antibiotics to increase antibiotic efficacy against common disease-causing bacteria. The plant extract in conjunction with the antibiotic shows promise in battling S. aureus. The authors present a cost-effective method to increase antibiotic efficacy in a time where antibiotic resistant bacteria is becoming a growing problem.

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Redefining and advancing tree disease diagnosis through VOC emission measurements

Stoica et al. | Mar 27, 2025

Redefining and advancing tree disease diagnosis through VOC emission measurements

Here the authors investigated the use of an affordable gas sensor to detect volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions as an early indicator of tree disease, finding statistically significant differences in VOCs between diseased and non-diseased ash, beech, and maple trees. They suggest this sensor has potential for widespread early disease detection, but call for further research with larger sample sizes and diverse locations.

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Tomato disease identification with shallow convolutional neural networks

Trinh et al. | Mar 03, 2023

Tomato disease identification with shallow convolutional neural networks

Plant diseases can cause up to 50% crop yield loss for the popular tomato plant. A mobile device-based method to identify diseases from photos of symptomatic leaves via computer vision can be more effective due to its convenience and accessibility. To enable a practical mobile solution, a “shallow” convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with few layers, and thus low computational requirement but with high accuracy similar to the deep CNNs is needed. In this work, we explored if such a model was possible.

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Development of novel biodegradable bioplastics for packaging film using mango peels

Wang et al. | Apr 06, 2025

Development of novel biodegradable bioplastics for packaging film using mango peels
Image credit: JACQUELINE BRANDWAYN

Here the authors explored the development of biodegradable bioplastic films derived from mango peels as a sustainable solution to plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from fruit waste. They optimized the film's mechanical properties and water resistance through adjusting processing conditions and incorporating plasticizers and a hydrophobic coating, ultimately demonstrating its potential as a bacteriostatic and biodegradable alternative to conventional plastic food wrap.

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