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The cyber–physical infrastructure of a smart grid requires data-dependent artificial intelligence (AI)-based forecasting schemes for predicting different aspects for the short- to long-term, where AI-based schemes include machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and hybrid models. These forecasting schemes in different application areas of a smart grid can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which is yet to be addressed from a broad perspective. This work reviews the literature addressing the vulnerability of forecasting schemes in smart grids with a categorization of application areas. The existing research works addressing cyber-security or cyber resiliency are reviewed and then presented in an organized manner according to application areas to highlight their advantages and disadvantages. The findings of this review indicate a critical need to develop accurate and robust AI-based forecasting schemes capable of withstanding diverse attack scenarios in each sector, while addressing unsymmetrical attention to different sectors of smart grids. Hence, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the current literature and emphasizes the necessity for the research community to advance toward developing attack-resilient AI-based forecasting schemes designed explicitly for smart grids. • Categorized the application areas of forecasting models in smart grids. • Summarized presentation of forecasting models for each application area. • Organized discussion on usages and robustness of forecasting models during cyber-attacks. • Presented future directions to develop attack-resilient forecasting models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish assemblage and their association with major ecological factors were spatiotemporally conducted from January to December 2016 in the Atrai River, Dinajpur, Bangladesh. A total of 14,137 specimens belonging to 61 species, 45 genera, 18 families and 6 orders was recorded. The proportion of threatened and omnivore fish was 22.85% and 66.66%, respectively. The dominated (> 4.60%) species were Pethia ticto followed by Aspidoparia jaya , Puntius sophore , Salmophasia bacaila and Barilius barna. Temperature, depth and rainfall were the main environmental gradients to alter species biomass, biodiversity and taxonomic indices and fish assembly. The low level of river flow and water availability during autumn and winter seasons forced the fish to aggregate at higher water depth for their existence expressing unequal aquatic state and taxa. However, the study on spatiotemporal diversity of fish assemblage in this river will be an effective tool to conserve both the native and threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial wilt (causal agent: Ralstonia solanacearum) and Phomopsis fruit rot (causal agent: Phomopsis vexans) are two major diseases constraining eggplant production in Bangladesh. No integrated management options to manage both diseases together are currently available; farmers spray pesticides. A 2-year participatory study was conducted to compare yield and disease severity of plants that originated from preceding nursery studies. Both soil and seed were found to be source of these pathogens. Seedlings raised according to farmers' practice or in nursery soil treated with Trichoderma harzianum from seed treated either with hot water or Carbendazim were transplanted on fields either with or without soil application of T. harzianum. The seed treatments had comparable effects. Improved nursery management alone reduced wilt and fruit rot by 25–40 and 14–20 percentage points respectively, increased marketable yield by 8–19 t ha−1 and income by €1800-3700 ha−1 compared to farmers' conventional practice of spraying. In Year 1, a comparable result was obtained treating only the field but not the nursery; farmers, however, did not want to repeat this treatment in Year 2 as costs were higher. Further disease reduction (10–11 and 0.6–6 percentage points respectively for wilt and rot) occurred when improved seedlings were transplanted into T. harzianum amended fields and consequently marketable yield increased by 5–7 t ha−1 and income by €500-900 ha−1. Both labour and material costs of the introduced technology were lower than the costs of current farmers' practice. Given costs of labour and inputs and eggplant price fluctuations over years, farmers are recommended to use the improved nursery management practices. Also treating the field may depend on the capacity of farmers to invest in the additional labour and input. In fields with improved management, T. harzianum persisted at the end of the growing season and reduced populations of R. solanacearum and P. vexans. Also, seed preserved from improved management plots showed reduction of both pathogens compared to seed from farmers' practice plots. The reduction of pathogens both in field soil and preserved seed for improved management plots may imply that a next crop will start with a lower level of disease pressure. Laboratory tests showed nursery raised seedlings from screenhouse experiments were always found infected with R. solanacearum , but soil application of T. harzianum alone or combined with hot water treatment of seed substantially reduced the infection. Given the positive results of our study, the technology should be made locally available to support eggplant IPM. • Bacterial wilt and Phomopsis fruit rot constrained sustainable eggplant production. • Nursery management controlled diseases, field applied T. harzianum further helped. • T. harzianum reduced R. solanacearum & Phomopsis vexans in soil & produced seeds. • Besides soil, farmers' seed and seedlings were sources of both pathogens. • T. harzianum substantially reduced latent seedling infection by R. solanacearum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eggplant seedling production in homestead nurseries of farmers in Jamalpur (Bangladesh) is greatly compromised by damping-off. Therefore, farmers often do not have enough seedlings to transplant. Effective treatments of soil and seed to reduce disease pressure in the nurseries are available but little is known on the relative contributions of soil-borne and seed-borne pathogens to damping-off and on how nursery management can integrate management options under farmers' conditions. A 2-year nursery study was conducted in consecutive seasons, jointly with farmers and using farmers' preserved seed and farmers' nurseries subject to damping-off problems. Year 1 involved a single nursery, Year 2 nine nurseries. The following treatments were tested: Trichoderma harzianum as soil amendment combined with seed treatment using either hot water or Carbendazim and farmers' conventional practice: curative spraying after appearance of damping-off. In Year 1, a control (no intervention) treatment was also included. Emergence of seedlings, incidence of damping-off, seedling performance variables and farmers' appreciation of seedling vigour were recorded. Soil treatment with T. harzianum combined with seed treatment with hot water increased seedling emergence and produced 25–64 percentage points more healthy seedlings than farmers' conventional practice. This combined treatment also improved seedling performance (height, root length, lateral root development), and reduced stem girdling, a symptom associated with disease infection of transplants. To determine the contributions of nursery soil and farmers’ seed to damping-off, blotter and in vitro studies in the laboratory and tray studies in a screen house were performed. Soil proved to be the major pathogen source and treating nursery soil with T. harzianum had the largest positive effect on seedling performance, both reducing damping-off and enhancing seedling growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a double-integral sliding mode controller (DISMC) based bridge-type flux-coupling non-superconducting fault current limiter (BFC-NSFCL) to enhance the fault ride-through (FRT) capability of a DFIG-based wind farm connected to a multi-machine power system. At first, a complete modeling of the BFC-NSFCL is derived to understand its behavior during the normal and fault period more accurately. Then, the DISMC is designed based on that dynamic model obeying the double-integral theory, along with the single-integral sliding mode controller (SISMC) and non-integral sliding mode controller (NISMC) for comparison purpose. Finally, the performance of the DISMC in controlling the BFC-NSFCL has been analyzed and verified by comparing with that of the SISMC and the NISMC. The DISMC removes the chattering problems induced by the traditional SMCs and improves the transient performance by reducing the overshoot and steady-state error by implementing double-integral action. All the graphical and mathematical analyzes favor the DISMC based BFC-NSFCL under symmetrical and unsymmetrical fault (both temporary and permanent) scenarios. • Design dynamical modeling of a bridge-type flux-coupling non-superconducting FCL. • Design different sliding mode controllers for the BFC-NSFCL. • Propose the DISMC based BFC-NSFCL to enhance the FRT capability of a wind farm. • Reduce chattering problems induced by the traditional SMCs. • Ensure a better THD profile to improve the system performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of soil physicochemical properties on the sorption, desorption and kinetics of beryllium (Be) uptake and release on soils from a legacy waste site in Australia. This information is needed to help explain the current distribution of Be at the site and evaluate potential future environmental risks. Sorption was determined by a batch study and key soil properties were assessed to explain Be retention. The soil was favourable for sorption of Be (up to 99%) due to organic content, negative surface charge, soil oxyhydroxides (Fe/Al/Mn–O/OH) and the porosity of the soil structure. Lesser sorption was observed in the presence of a background electrolyte (NaNO 3). Sorption closely followed pseudo second order kinetics and was best described by the Langmuir model. FTIR analysis suggested that chemisorption was the predominant mechanism of Be sorption. Desorption was very low and best described by the Freundlich model. The low desorption reflected the high K d (up to 6624 L/kg), and the presence of hysteresis suggested partially irreversible binding of Be with active surfaces of the soil matrix (minerals, SOM, oxyhydroxides of Fe/Al/Mn etc.). Intra-particle diffusion of Be and entrapment in the pores contribute to the irreversible binding. The sorption behaviour of Be helped to explain the relative immobility of Be at the site despite the significant quantities of Be disposed. Soil physicochemical properties were significant for Be sorption, through influencing both the uptake and desorption, and this demonstrates the implications of these measurements for evaluating potential future risks to the environment. Image 1 • Soil physico-chemistry is important for sorption-desorption chemistry of beryllium. • Very high sorption (up to 99%) which declined with background electrolyte. • High K d (up to 6624 L/kg) and hysteresis (<0.84) reflects low desorption at pH 5. • Organic matter, metal oxydroxides, clay and porosity were important for Be sorption. • Irreversible chemisorption was the predominant sorption process of soil to Be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead (Pb) pollution in the environment predominantly occurs through anthropogenic activities, which pose significant threats to human health and that of biota. In this study, Pb and other elements were investigated in different soils (n = 52), crops (n = 24) and water (n = 13) around a lead-acid battery (LAB) recycling workshop in southwestern Bangladesh. Most of the elements' concentrations (except Se and Ag) in soil were lower than the background concentrations. However, excessive concentrations of Pb were found in both surface (966 ± 2414 mg kg−1 at 0–15 cm) and subsurface (230 ± 490 mg kg−1 at 15–30 cm) soil. Although no definitive pattern or direction in elemental concentration in soil was observed, relatively higher concentrations of most elements were detected at the southeast part of the factory. The LAB factory, brick kiln, agricultural and geogenic activities might be the sources of these elements in soil. Extremely high amounts of Cr, As, Cd, and Pb were found in the food crops around the area. In particular, the Pb concentrations were 114 ± 155 and 665 ± 588 mg kg −1 dry weight in rice grain and straw, respectively, which reflected the emissions of Pb from the LAB recycling workshop. Moreover, 40% and 100% of the groundwater samples exceeded, respectively, the WHO provisional guideline values for As (0.01 mg L−1) and Pb (0.05 mg L−1). Consequently, a high level of Pb contamination in the soil was observed while assessing different soil pollution indices. Human health risk assessment indicated severe carcinogenic (from Pb, As, and Cr intake) and non-carcinogenic (from Pb, As, Co, Cr, Ni and Sb intake) health risks are associated with rice and groundwater consumption. It is concluded that all LAB recycling workshops should be better managed to prevent Pb pollution from seeping into the environment. [Display omitted] • This study reports severe lead (Pb) pollution at the LAB factory, Magura, Bangladesh. •Pb acid battery recycling was responsible for elevated Pb emissions into the environment. •Rice grain and straw including other vegetables accumulated large amounts of Pb. •Lead in groundwater was17-fold higher than the WHO guideline value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injudicious application of available commercial herbicide formulations leads to water, air and soil contamination, which adversely affect the environment, ecosystems and living organisms. Controlled release formulation (CRFs) could be an effective way to reduce the problems associated with commercially available herbicides. Organo-montmorillonites are prominent carrier materials for synthesising CRFs of commercial herbicides. Quaternary amine and organosilane functionalised organo-montmorillonite and pristine montmorillonite were used to investigate their potential as suitable carriers for CRFs in herbicide delivery systems. The experiment involved a batch adsorption process with successive dilution method. Results revealed that pristine montmorillonite is not a suitable carrier for CRFs of 2,4-D due to its low adsorption capacity and hydrophilic nature. Conversely, octadecylamine (ODA) and ODA-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) functionalised montmorillonite has better adsorption capacities. Adsorption of 2,4-D onto both organoclays is higher at pH.3 (232.58% for MMT1 and 161.29% for MMT2) compared to higher pH until pH.7 (49.75% for MMT1 and 68.49% for MMT2). Integrated structural characterisation studies confirmed the presence of 2,4-D on the layered organoclays. The Freundlich adsorption isotherm model fitted best to the experimental data, which revealed an energetically heterogeneous surface of the experimental organoclays, and adsorption which specifically involved chemisorption. The cumulative desorption percentages of adsorbed 2,4-D from MMT1 (2,4-D loaded) and MMT2 (2,4-D loaded) after seven desorption cycles were 65.53% and 51.45%, respectively. This outcome indicates: firstly, both organoclays are potential carrier materials for CRFs of 2,4-D; secondly, they have the ability to reduce the instantaneous release of 2,4-D immediately after application; and thirdly, eco-toxicity is greatly diminished. [Display omitted] • Pristine montmorillonite (K10) is not a suitable carrier for CRFs of 2,4-D. • Energetically heterogeneous surface of both organoclays enhanced the chemisorption process. • Both organoclays have excellent desorption ability at a wide range of pH, temperatures, and ionic strengths. • ODA and APTES functionalised montmorillonites are potential carriers for CRFs of 2,4-D. • CRFs of 2,4-D using organo-montmorillonite may reduce eco-toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determines the bioaccessibility of toxic and carcinogenic arsenic (As) in composite food samples and evaluates potential exposure from food intake in Bangladesh children. Total As (tAs), inorganic As (iAs) and bioaccessible As (BAs) in food composite samples consumed by children were compared between an exposed and a control group (based on As in drinking water). Total As concentrations in composite food samples of children exposed to mean As level of 331 µg/l in drinking and cooking water ranged from 586 to 1975 µg/kg, dry weight over 76–90 µg/kg in the unexposed group. Average iAs in food composites was 73.9% (range: 49.3–90.8%). The fraction of BAs using gastric and gastrointestinal phases was 91 ± 13% and 98 ± 11%, respectively. Daily intake of iAs in the exposed group ranged from 0.41 to 6.38 µg per kg body weight (BW), which was much higher than the unexposed group (0.08–0.15 µg per kg BW). High iAs content and BAs in composite food samples indicated the elevated risk to exposed children. Further research should include both adults and children using larger sample size to determine overall As exposure from food intake in Bangladesh, attention must be given to lowering of As in food. ga1 • Arsenic bioaccessibility and speciation in food composites of children diet. • Inorganic arsenic in food composites was on average 74%. • Arsenic in food composites influenced by contaminated cooking water. • Arsenic bioaccessibility was higher in gastrointestinal (99%) than gastric phase (92%). • HQ and CR from food intake indicated high risk to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]