Search

Biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has emerged as an eco-friendly and sustainable approach with diverse biological applications. This study presents synthesis of AgNPs-LS using a probiotic strain Lactobacillus salivarius ( L. salivarius ) and explores their multifaceted biological activities, including antibacterial, antibiofilm, anti-quorum sensing, antifungal, antioxidant, anticancer, anticoagulant and thrombolytic properties. The biosynthesis of AgNPs-LS was successfully achieved using L. salivarius cell free supernatants, resulting in well-characterized nanoparticles as confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential analysis. The AgNPs-LS demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against different pathogenic bacteria ( C. violaceum, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus , E. coli and S. marcescens ), emphasizing their potential in combating bacterial infections. Moreover, these AgNPs-LS were effective in inhibiting biofilm formation (>60 % at 1/2 MIC), a key mechanism of bacterial virulence, highlighting their utility in preventing biofilm-related infections. AgNPs-LS exhibited anti-quorum sensing activity, disrupting bacterial communication systems and potentially reducing virulence factor such as, violacein production in C. violaceum, pyocyanin production in P. aeruginosa and prodigiosin production in S. marcescens . Additionally, AgNPs-LS also exhibited notable antifungal activity towards a different pathogenic fungus ( F. proliferatum, P. purpurogenum, A. niger and R. stolonifer ). In terms of health applications, the AgNPs-LS displayed significant antioxidant activity, effectively scavenging DPPH • (IC 50  = 42.65 μg/mL) and ABTS •+ (IC 50  = 53.77 μg/mL) free radicals. Furthermore, AgNPs-LS showed cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells (MCF-7) (IC 50  = 52.29 μg/mL), positioning them as promising candidates for cancer therapy. Moreover, AgNPs-LS were also shown promising anticoagulant and thrombolytic activities under practical conditions. Therefore, the biogenic synthesis of AgNPs-LS using L. salivarius offers a sustainable and cost-effective route for producing AgNPs with an array of biological activities. These AgNPs-LS have the potential to address various challenges in healthcare, ranging from antimicrobial, anticancer applications to biofilm inhibition, antioxidant therapy, anticoagulant and thrombolytic agents., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Rice production is inherently risky and volatile, and farmers in Bangladesh face a wide range of risks, including weather, pest and disease attacks, interruptions to input supply, and market-associated risks. Moreover, poor farm households often perceive risks in adopting new technology, even though it could improve productivity and food security. Such households are thus caught in a "risk-induced trap" that precludes them from realizing the benefits of technological innovation. Extension service is one way to help farmers improve risk management skills and escape risk-induced traps, but there is limited empirical analysis of its impact in Bangladesh. The objective of the study is to measure the nexus between agricultural extension services, technology adoption, and production risks as well as women empowerment in agriculture index. IFPRI utilized stratified random sampling to determine the 5603 households in 2018 (which is nationally called the BIHS-2018 dataset) from rural and pre-urban areas of Bangladesh. Out of these 5603 households, 2663 households were specifically selected for the study related to rice farming to achieve the main objective of the study. Focusing on rice farming, a moment-based Poisson regression model is estimated with 2SLS and identifies risks associated with key technologies and potential productivity and risk-reducing effects. The results revealed that wealthier households are more likely to adopt technology for minimizing production risk and women's empowerment which can positively affect productivity by mitigating risk. The result revealed a positive and significant difference in WEAI between the AES participant and non-participant group. We find that engagement in agricultural extension services was associated with technology adoption and production risk reduction. The agricultural extension services increased, technology adoption by 4.2 % and decreased production risk by 2.4 %. Based on the findings, it is concluded that more comprehensive extension services can enhance rice production and ameliorate farmers' risk in rice production to some extent., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Rural transformation plays a crucial role in enhancing the income and employment prospects of the rural labor force. We investigate the effects of rural transformation on rural income inequality at the district level in Bangladesh using data from five years of nationally representative Household Income and Expenditure Surveys. The Gini coefficient is used to measure rural income inequality. In contrast, the share of high-value agricultural outputs and the share of rural non-farm employment are used as indicators of rural transformation. We find that rural income inequality is positively associated with the share of high-value agricultural outputs and the share of rural non-farm employment. The non-linear regression result shows an inverted U-shaped relationship between rural transformation and income inequality, which indicates that income inequality initially increases with rural transformation but decreases in the long run. Additionally, we find that rural income inequality is positively correlated with the proportion of household education expenditures, agricultural rental activity, and the share of remittances. This study also reveals that income inequality in rural areas of Bangladesh has a significant negative correlation with the government's social safety net program., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The current study assessed the hypolipidemic effect and modulation of hepatic enzymes by different edible oils in obese Wistar rats. In order to conduct this study, 36 Wistar rats that were collected at 5 weeks of age and weighed an average of 70 g were split into two groups: 28 of them were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and 8 of them were fed a control diet. After 5 weeks of feeding, rats from the HFD (obese, n = 4) and the control diet group (n = 4) were sacrificed. Subsequently, the rest of obese rats (n = 24) were separated into six groups, including the continuing high-fat (CHF) diet group, rice bran oil (RBO) diet group, olive oil (OO) diet group, soybean oil (SO) diet group, cod liver oil (CLO) diet group, and sunflower oil (SFO) diet group, and the continuing control diet group (n = 4). Rats from each group were sacrificed following an additional 5 weeks, and all analytical tests were carried out. The results found that the interventions of RBO, CLO, and SFO in obese rats reduced their body weight non-significantly when compared with CHF. It was also observed that a non-significant reduction in weight of the heart, AAT, and EAT occurred by RBO, OO, SO, and CLO, while SFO reduced the AAT level significantly (p < 0.05). Besides, RBO, OO, SO, CLO, and SFO decreased IBAT and liver fat significantly compared to CHF. Similarly, the administration of RBO, OO, SO, and CLO reduced ALT significantly. RBO reduced GGT (p < 0.05) significantly, but other oils did not. The given oil has the efficiency to reduce TC, TAG, and LDL-C but increase HDL-C significantly. These findings suggest that different edible oils can ameliorate obesity, regulate lipid profiles, and modulate hepatic enzymes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

A cropping system that is based on three or four crops is currently a widely favored option for augmenting crop productivity to address the escalating global food demand. However, the improper fertilizer management and undue tillage adversely impacts both the productivity of crops and the fertility of the soil. A research investigation was conducted on tillage and nutrient management within the mustard-mungbean-Transplanting aus (T.aus)-Transplanting aman (T.aman) cropping system to examine the impact of fertilizer packages and tillage techniques on the overall productivity of cropping systems, as well as the condition of the soil in grey terrace soil. The research included tillage techniques viz; minimum tillage (MT), conventional tillage (CT) and deep tillage (DT); while nutrient management; NM 1 : 100 % STB (Soil test based) following FRG (Fertilizer Recommendation Guide-2018), all from chemical fertilizer, NM 2 : 125 % of STB following FRG- 2018, all from chemical fertilizer, NM 3 : 100 % STB (80 % from chemical fertilizers and 20 % from cowdung), and NM 4 : Native fertility (no fertilization). A total of twelve treatments replicated three times following the factorial completely randomized design for three consecutive seasonal years (2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21). MT outperformed DT and CT in terms of crop yield, rice equivalent yield (REY), system productivity (SP), and production efficiency (PE). Moreover, NM 3 exhibited enhanced performance in terms of agricultural productivity measures. Field capacity (FC), soil organic matter (OM), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and soil nutrients (N, P, K, S, Zn and B) observed an enhancement as a result of the implementation of tillage MT and nutrition package NM 3 . The investigation indicates that implementing minimum tillage (MT) coupled with an integrated plant nutrition system package (NM3) can assist in the improvement of soil and the enhancement of crop productivity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Seasonal variation observations were conducted in the coastal waters of St. Martin's Island in the Bay of Bengal to examine the influence of physical processes and the distribution pattern of nutrients in the ocean water. Pollution evaluation indices, health index and statistical techniques were incorporated to assess the heavy metal contamination. Two seasons, cool dry winter and pre-monsoon hot, were considered for sampling from 12 stations around the island. The Cool dry winter season has higher nutrient concentrations than the Pre-monsoon Hot season. The concentration of nutrients appeared as follows: Silicate > Nitrate > Ammonia > Phosphate > Nitrite. PCA and Pearson's Correlation showed that fresh water from nearby rivers, deep water upwelling, and, in some situations, modest anthropogenic sources are crucial. Hence, low DO and phosphate levels during the pre-monsoon hot season indicate there is a planktonic process like photosynthesis prevailing. The island's north-western and south-eastern regions have higher nutrient concentrations, which may be seasonal and due to wind action. Pb, Cu, As, Cr, Cd, and Zn were also considered to comprehend the island's geo-chemical perspectives and ecological and human health risks. The Pre-monsoon Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI) and Heavy Metal Evaluation Index (HEI) demonstrated that some places are much higher than the threshold limit, even though no significantly higher value was detected in the cool winter season. The Nemerow Index, the Total Ecological Risk Index (TERI), indicated that heavy metal contamination was severe to moderate and low to moderate. Finally, Pearson's correlation showed the association between physical and chemical characteristics, similar to PCA and Pearson's correlation for nutrients and heavy metals. Thus, this research may help shed light on the state of the seas around St. Martin's Island. This study may also provide explicit insights for the authority to take the necessary measures to preserve marine ecology and the associated terrestrial ecosystem., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In photovoltaic (PV) technology, halide perovskites are the prospective choice for highly efficient solar absorbers because of their superior optical properties, enhanced efficiency, lightweight, and low cost. In this study, a double absorber solar device using an inorganic perovskite called NaZn 0 . 7 Cu 0 . 3 Br 3 as the top absorber layer and MASnI 3 as the bottom absorber layer is analyzed utilizing the SCAPS-1D simulation tool. The primary goal of this study is to look for a device architecture with a higher efficiency level. Here, current matching over two active layers is performed by adjusting the thickness of both active layers. This research focuses on the effect of various electron transport layers, varied absorber layer thicknesses, temperatures, absorber defect density, and metalwork functions on the performance of the proposed photo-voltaic cells. After researching a variety of solar cell architectures, it is revealed that FTO/ZnO/ NaZn 0 . 7 Cu 0 . 3 Br 3 / MASnI 3 / CuO /Au arrangement has an open circuit voltage of 1.1373 V, Fill Factor of 82.13%, short circuit current density of 34.71 mA/cm 2 and highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 32.42%. Here, the simulations of the device indicated that a thickness of around 1 μm for the MASnI 3 absorber was optimum. Additionally, the results of the simulations demonstrate that the efficiency of the device rapidly drops with increasing absorbers defect density and temperature, and device structures are steady at 300 K. Finally; any conductor can make the anode if its work function is larger than or equal to 5.10 eV., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Despite persistent challenges, Bangladesh's dairy sector has been noticeable for a few decades. Although agriculture is the major contributor to GDP, dairy farming may play a crucial role in the economy by creating jobs, ensuring food security, and boosting the protein content of people's diets. This research aims to identify the direct and indirect factors influencing dairy product purchase intention amongst Bangladeshi consumers. Data were collected online using Google forms, and the convenience sampling technique was used to reach the consumers. The total sample size was 310. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate techniques. Structural Equation Modeling results reveal that marketing mix and attitude are statistically significant with the intention to purchase dairy products. Also, the marketing mix influences the consumers' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. However, there is no significant association between perceived behavioral control and subjective norm on intention to purchase. The findings suggest developing better products, ensuring reasonable pricing, performing promotional strategies, and proper placement to attract and increase consumers' intention to purchase dairy products., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Women-headed households (WHHs) have limited access to agricultural inputs and extension services relative to male-headed households (MHHs) which may lead to yield gaps, poorer livelihoods and greater food insecurity. Since lower fertilizer use by WHHs will restrict crop yield, we examined how limited access to fertilizer inputs and extension services was reflected in nutrient use gaps relative to Government recommendations. A total of 80 WHHs were randomly selected for interview from four Agro-ecological Zones (AEZs) covering five representative districts of Bangladesh to assess, for the first time, nutrient use gaps of WHHs under five rice-based cropping patterns. Data collected from 576 MHHs (reported elsewhere) was also utilized to examine nutrient use gaps, crop yields and farm income between MHHs and WHHs. The nutrient use rates were compared with the government Fertilizer Recommendation Guides (FRG): FRG-2012 and FRG-2018. The WHHs underuse N, P, K, S and Zn under fully rice-based cropping patterns, while MHHs overuse those nutrients, but WHH tend to overuse N, P, and K for patterns with potato and watermelon crops. WHHs seem to prioritize high-value crops for fertilizer use, but even yield was 14%, 11%, 17% and 15% lower for irrigated rice, maize, potato and watermelon, respectively compared to smallholder MHHs under diverse rice-based cropping patterns. Overall, WHHs had 10% and 14% lower farm incomes than MHHs under fully rice-based and high-value cropping patterns, respectively. Financial losses for both WHHs and the government due to overuse of NPK on high-value potato crops were estimated at around 63 and 115 USD ha -1 , respectively. However, the socio-demographic information suggested that effective extension services targeted to WHH, easing of social restrictions on their mobility, access of WHHs to fertilizers at Govt. fixed price and improved financial capability through better credit access could bring WHHs towards balanced fertilizer use practices in the EGP., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women and threatens to overturn four decades of progress in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment. To better grasp the key areas of concern that gender inequality exists, gender studies and sex-disaggregated evidence are required. Using the PRISMA technique, this review paper is the first attempt to present a comprehensive and current picture of the gendered dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh regarding economic well-being, resource endowments, and agency. This study found that women were more likely to face hardship as widows, mothers, or sole breadwinners after the loss of husbands and male household members because of the pandemic. The evidence suggests that the advancement of women during this pandemic was hampered by poor reproductive health outcomes; girls' dropping out of school; job loss; less income; a comparable wage gap; a lack of social security; unpaid work burnout; increased emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; an increase in child marriages; and less participation in leadership and decision-making. Our study found inadequate sex-disaggregated data and gender studies on COVID-19 in Bangladesh. However, our research concludes that policies must account for gender disparities and male and female vulnerability across multiple dimensions to achieve inclusive and effective pandemic prevention and recovery., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors.)

This paper presents the coating technology on Nano membrane using SiC-TiO2-Graphene with varying percentages of Azadirachta indica (Neem) extract with an objective to develop new coating materials. The nanomembranes have been synthesized by electrospinning machine over aluminum foil paper using the raw materials PVA grain, SiC, TiO2, Graphene, and neem. The nanomembranes have been characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, Surface Roughness, antibacterial, and Cytotoxicity test. FTIR analysis established the presence of PVA and neem indicating the formation of different organic compounds. It also confirmed that no chemical reaction occurred during the synthesis process. The membrane's roughness analysis obtained average roughness values from 1.15 to 3.84. The formation of homogeneous and smooth membranes with the formation of micropores was confirmed by SEM analysis. Miller Indices identified different types of crystal structures in XRD analysis. Antibacterial activity increased with the increase of the percentage of neem confirmed by the antibacterial test. No toxic effects were observed from the membrane during the cytotoxicity test. The obtained data confirmed that the synthesized nanomembrane could be used in different biomedical applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)