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Climate change is making droughts more frequent, which is a major problem for crop yield, especially for crops that are vulnerable to drought, such as common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum). Drought stress affects negatively on physiological and biochemical processes of plants, leading to reduced yields. This study addresses the knowledge gap regarding effective strategies to mitigate drought-induced damage and enhance productivity in buckwheat. We hypothesized that iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 NPs) and rice husk biochar could improve drought tolerance in buckwheat by modulating its physiological and biochemical responses. To test this, buckwheat plants were grown under well-watered (80% of field capacity, FC) and drought (40% of FC) conditions following a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Results showed that the application of 50 g/kg rice husk biochar and 400 ppm Fe 3 O 4 NPs, either separately or in combination, significantly enhanced the yield and improved key physiological and biochemical traits, including relative water content, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant activity. The combination of Fe 3 O 4 NPs and rice husk biochar led to improvements the plants' relative water content, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll levels, membrane stability index, proline, antioxidant activity (DPPH), and seed yield by 22.37, 17.11, 43.05, 16.07, 43.75, 8.59, and 50.87%, respectively compared to untreated drought plants. Moreover, this treatment reduced oxidative stress indicators such as hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde by 31.09 and 38.19%, respectively. These results show that Fe 3 O 4 NPs, when combined with rice husk biochar, significantly improve drought tolerance in common buckwheat, providing a viable strategy to increase crop yields in water-limited environments. In view of climate change, this study emphasises the potential of combining biochar with nanomaterials for sustainable agricultural practices., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Statement on IUCN Policy Statement on Research Involving Species at risk of extinction and the convention on the Trade in Endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora: We all authors are confirming that our experimental research on plants was comply in accordance with relevant institutional, national, and international guidelines and legislation., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) is the level of uncertainty or unpredictability arising from government policy on topics such as taxes, trade, monetary policy, and regulation. Exploring the relationship between EPU and insurance premiums can provide insights into broader economic trends and policy decisions. EPU is often driven by political and economic events, and understanding its impact on insurance premiums can provide valuable information about how policy decisions and other external factors can affect the insurance industry and the broader economy. To understand the impact of EPU, this research examines the nexus between EPU and insurance premiums across 22 countries from 1996 to 2020. By applying panel cointegration tests, and the PMG-ARDL regression, it is found a periodical (both short-term and long-term) influence of EPU on insurance premiums. Additionally, it is revealed that EPU has a longer-term consequence on insurance premiums than it does in the short run. Also, EPU has a greater role in life insurance than non-life insurance. The results are consistent when robustness techniques (FMOLS and DOLS) are applied. The findings of the article have major implications for the government, policymakers, insurance authorities, and other relevant stakeholders., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

To clarify the role of the aquaporin 5 (AQP5) in salivary secretion, we evaluated acetylcholine (ACh)-induced secretion in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, rats expressing a low level of AQP5 protein (AQP5/low SD) which developed from SD rats, and Wistar/ST rats. The salivary secretion in AQP5/low SD rats in response to infusions of low-dose ACh (60-120 nmol/min) was 27-42% of that in SD rats. By contrast, Wistar/ST rats exhibited comparable secretion to that of SD rats in response to low-doses ACh, despite their low-level expression of AQP5. Experiments using spectrofluorometry and RT-PCR demonstrated no differences in the ACh-induced Ca 2+ responses or the mRNA expression of muscarinic receptor, Cl - channel, or cotransporter between these strains. These findings imply that factors other than the function of salivary acinar cells regulates the secretion in response to weak stimuli. Monitoring of the hemodynamics in the submandibular gland revealed that low-doses ACh induced different patterns of the fluctuations in the blood flow in these strains. The blood flow decreased below the resting level in AQP5/low SD rats, but remained mostly above the resting level in Wistar/ST rats. The present study reveals that the contribution of AQP5-dependent transport of water is altered by stimulus intensity and blood flow.

This study conducted a systematic review regarding the association between cryptocurrency and the stock market. This study used bibliometric and content analysis covering 151 articles from 2008 to November 2021. Using VOSviewer software, we explored the influential aspects of the literature, such as the prominent institutions, authors, countries, and journals. Additionally, we performed co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, and co-occurrence of keywords to understand the network. Furthermore, in the content analysis, we discussed key findings of four major research streams that we identified. Finally, we present seven research questions that can be explored in the future. The findings have a number of implications for the present state of the literature on cryptocurrency and the stock market, including study gaps and potential future research initiatives., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Deteriorating soil fertility and gradually decreasing rice productivity along with higher greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields have emerged as serious threats to the sustainability of rice production and food security. Rice production in the subtropical environment in Bangladesh is mostly dependent on synthetic inorganic fertilizer to maintain productivity; however, the inorganic fertilizer has negative effects on global warming. Climate-smart and resilient agricultural production systems are major concerns nowadays to meet sustainable development goals. The study was conducted to evaluate the optimum rate and source of organic amendments on rice productivity and soil fertility along with CH4 emission. A total of nine nutrient combinations were used in the study. The CH4 emission, soil redox potential (Eh), soil pH, soil nitrogen and organic carbon, available phosphorus, rice grain and straw were greatly affected by the application of different rates and sources of the nutrient. However, the soil exchangeable K content, plant height, and harvest index were not affected. Among the treatments, the application of 75% recommended fertilizer (RF) + biosolid 2 t ha−1 (T3) was the most effective and showed the superior performance in terms of available P (12.90 ppm), the number of grains panicle−1 (121), and 1000-grain weight (24.6g), rice grain, and straw yield along with the moderate CH4 emission (18.25 mg m−2h−1). On the other hand, the lowest soil Eh (−158 mV) and soil pH (6.65) were measured from the treatment T3. The finding of this study revealed that the application of 75% of RF + biosolid 2 t ha−1 can be recommended as the preferable soil amendment for boosting rice yield, reduce CH4 emissions, and sustainably maintain soil fertility. Furthermore, this finding may help to introduce preferable soil amendment doses, which will contribute to boosting rice productivity and economic turnouts of the farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time-fractional Emden-Fowler model is an interesting mathematical model because it is widely used and important in mathematics and applied sciences. The current investigation compiles the Elzaki transform homotopy perturbation method (ET-HPM) and the Laplace transform homotopy perturbation method (LT-HPM) for the analytical solution of the considered model. In their developments, we show that fractional orders are simple to compute, and the resulting series lead to accurate results after a few iterations. We consider the fractional orders in the context of the Caputo form. The primary aim of these approaches is to compare the analytical results of the models under consideration. These schemes do not impose any constraints on the parameters or make any assumptions that could complicate the process of obtaining the analytical results. We show that the derived outcomes are in convergent sequence with a rapid iterative formula. The iterative series and the graphical illustrations in various fractional orders confirm the efficiency of the proposed approaches. The derived results are also compared to the precise solutions, which show that our suggested approaches are simple, effective, and accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The experiment aimed to determine the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), polymyxin B, and honey on survival rates, hematological parameters, liver and kidney biomarkers, blood glucose levels, serum insulin levels, and histopathology of the liver, kidney, lungs, brain, and pancreas in LPS-challenged mice. Materials and Methods: 50 male Swiss Albino mice (Mus musculus), aged 3 weeks, were randomly assigned into 5 groups (10 mice per group): Control group (A), LPS (2 mg/kg bwt/day IP in NS) treated group (B), polymyxin B (1.2 mg/kg bwt/day IM) pre-treated plus LPS (2 mg/kg bwt/day IP in NS) treated group (C), honey (10 gm/kg bwt/day PO) pre-treated plus LPS (2 mg/kg bwt/day IP in NS) treated group (D), both polymyxin B (1.2 mg/kg bwt/day IM) and honey (10 gm/kg bwt/day PO) pre-treated plus LPS (2 mg/kg bwt/day IP in NS) treated group (E). The LPS was administered intraperitoneally (IP) at 80 µg/mice/day, diluting in normal saline. After 16 weeks, the mice were sacrificed, and blood samples and organs (liver, kidney, lung, brain, and pancreas) were collected for laboratory tests. Results: The results revealed that in LPS-treated mice, the mortality rate was the highest, and hemato-biochemical parameters were altered. Histopathological examination in the group treated with LPS showed disarrangement of hepatocytes, cellular infiltrations in the glomerulus, alveolar congestion in the lungs, several nerve fiber degenerations in the brain, and degenerative changes in pancreatic islets. The mortality rate and hemato-biochemical and histopathological changes were restored by the combined treatment of polymyxin B and honey. Conclusion: LPS has detrimental effects on survival rate and hemato-biochemistry, which are lessened by taking honey and polymyxin B supplements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity affects 800 million hectares of agricultural soils in the world and represents a serious concern for crop production. The soils of the San Jacinto de Yaguachi canton (Guayas province, Ecuador), where rice has traditionally been grown with low yield, are characterized as saline. This research aimed to evaluate the agronomical performance and yield of five commercial rice varieties (INIAP FL-Arenillas, SFL 011, INIAP 14, INIAP 11, and Fedearroz 60) grown in a saline soil amended with leonardite (150 kg/ha). A randomized complete block design was used in a split-plot arrangement with three repetitions; the leonardite amendments corresponded to the main plot, and the rice varieties to the sub-plots. At harvest time, in the amended plots, increments in plant height, number of tillers, panicle number and length, number of grains per panicle, grain weight, and yield were obtained. Nutrient uptake also increased in the amended plants, with the sole exception of phosphorus, which responded poorly to the treatment. Under these conditions, it is concluded that the use of the leonardite amendment can be an effective practice for obtaining significantly higher rice production in saline soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal, discharged into environments naturally or anthropogenically, where industrial and agricultural revolutions have led to serious Cd pollution into the environment. Poultry feed may be contaminated by Cd due to its presence in concentrates and supplements, and also in the machinery and equipment used in the feed production and processing. After absorption in the digestive system, Cd largely accumulates in kidneys, liver, bones and other organs and causes irreversible damage to these organs. Higher doses of Cd in poultry diet reduced feed intake, body weight, bone mineral density, egg production and eggshell quality. Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient and important component of a variety of antioxidant enzymes, with the ability to antagonize metal toxicity including Cd. Hence, in the current review, we try to summarize recent information about the toxicological effects of Cd and provide updated information about the role of Se as an effective strategy in reducing Cd toxicity in poultry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective and anti-lipid peroxidation properties of a methanol extract of Paullinia pinnata root-bark, in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic rats. The extract of P. pinnata root-bark was prepared using a cold maceration method with 80% methanol and concentrated at 40°C in hot air oven. The extract was administered once daily per os at 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg for 21 consecutive days. Distilled water (5 mL/kg) and glibenclamide (2 mg/kg) were used as the vehicle and reference standard, respectively. The serum lipid profile, markers of liver and kidney functions, antioxidant status (malondialdehyde level, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities), histopathological changes in liver and kidney were examined 24h after the last treatment on day 21. The extract reduced serum lipid profile, markers of liver and kidney functions of treated rats relative to vehicle-treated rats. The superoxide dismutase and catalase activities of the extract treated rats were also elevated relative to the vehicle-treated rats. The extract reversed liver and kidney injuries induced by alloxan in the treated rats. This study provides some basic information which suggest that P. pinnata could be effective in managing diabetic complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use the Hirota bilinear method. With the help of symbolic calculation and applying this method, we solve the (2+1)-dimensional bidirectional Sawada-Kotera (bSK) equation to obtain some new lump-kink, lump-solitons, periodic kink-wave, periodic soliton and periodic wave solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]