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Global wheat production faces a severe threat from drought stress, necessitating innovative strategies for enhanced crop resilience. This study examined the synergistic impact of biochar and potassium co-application on the growth, physiological attributes, and antioxidant defense system of wheat under water deficit conditions at crown root initiation (CRI), anthesis, and grain development stage. Drought-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, particularly pronounced at the CRI stage, adversely affected all growth stages. At CRI, co-application of biochar and foliar potassium delivered significant improvements in growth parameters, including increased plant height (15.4%), spike length (50%), grain yield (43.0%), photosynthetic performance (chlorophyll content 125.8%), and relative water content (11.2%), compared to untreated drought-exposed counterparts. The combined application of biochar and potassium effectively reduced hydrogen peroxide production, electrolyte leakage, proline accumulation, and malondialdehyde generation, while increasing relative water content and glutathione levels under both well-irrigated and drought stress conditions. Furthermore, the combined biochar and potassium treatment was effective in mitigating oxidative stress and enhancing physiological resilience in wheat, particularly during the anthesis stage of drought stress. Specifically, the combined treatment ameliorated the effects of drought by reducing ROS levels through enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities and elevating osmoprotectants levels. The synergistic modulation of tissue osmotic balance and relative water content holds promise for mitigating drought-induced stress, offering an innovative and practical strategy for resilient wheat production in water-limited environments.

AbstractThe forests in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia have been heavily impacted by logging, mining, fires, and other degradation activities for over 30 years. To address this, the Indonesian government has promoted community-based forest management schemes. One such scheme, called Hutan Kemasyarakatan (HKm), has introduced Sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria) in smallholder plantations in Rungan Barat, Gunung Mas, Central Kalimantan. However, accurate estimation of biomass is crucial for carbon sequestration credits, but there are no specific allometric models for estimating Sengon above-ground biomass (AGB) in this area. To create a site-specific AGB allometric model for Sengon, 23 trees were felled to collect fresh biomass data. Various tree variables, such as diameter at breast height: 1.3 m (DBH), total height, merchantable height, and stem bole volume were measured for each sample tree. The average wood basic density of Sengon at the study site was also calculated. A total of nine alternative candidate regression equations were fitted and tested to select the best-fit AGB allometric model. Also, to assess the adaptedness of the identified AGB allometric model, comparisons with the models from literature, and comparisons between two interchangeable methodologies (i.e. direct biomass allometric model and biomass expansion factor (BEF)-based biomass estimation) were undertaken. This study has developed a regression function, denoted as [Formula: see text] to estimate the AGB of Sengon trees in smallholder plantations in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The formulated regression function demonstrated better estimation performance compared to common pantropical and regional AGB allometric models. In terms of the BEF-biomass approach, the AGB estimation derived from Smalian’s volume was relatively accurate, close to the mean AGB obtained by the formulated model in this study. In summary, this study proposes using the developed model, based solely on DBH, to accurately estimate AGB and carbon sequestration potential in Sengon trees. The accurate estimation of AGB using this model has additional advantages, including facilitating carbon credit acquisition and informing long-term management decisions.

Salinity stress is a major factor affecting the nutritional and metabolic profiles of crops, thus hindering optimal yield and productivity. Recent advances in nanotechnology propose an avenue for the use of nano-fertilizers as a potential solution for better nutrient management and stress mitigation. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of conventional and nano-fertilizers (nano-Zn/nano-Si) on maize and subcellular level changes in its ionomic and metabolic profiles under salt stress conditions. Zinc and silicon were applied both in conventional and nano-fertilizer-using farms under stress (100 mM NaCl) and normal conditions. Different ions, sugars, and organic acids (OAs) were determined using ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The results revealed significant improvements in different ions, sugars, OAs, and other metabolic profiles of maize. Nanoparticles boosted sugar metabolism, as evidenced by increased glucose, fructose, and sucrose concentrations, and improved nutrient uptake, indicated by higher nitrate, sulfate, and phosphate levels. Particularly, nano-fertilizers effectively limited Na accumulation under saline conditions and enhanced maize’s salt stress tolerance. Furthermore, nano-treatments optimized the potassium-to-sodium ratio, a critical factor in maintaining ionic homeostasis under stress conditions. With the growing threat of salinity stress on global food security, these findings highlight the urgent need for further development and implementation of effective solutions like the application of nano-fertilizers in mitigating the negative impact of salinity on plant growth and productivity. However, this controlled environment limits the direct applicability to field conditions and needs future research, particularly long-term field trials, to confirm such results of nano-fertilizers against salinity stress and their economic viability towards sustainable agriculture.

Recently, mathematicians, engineers, and scientists have explored the unique characteristics and potential applications of multi-solitons, which is an expanding domain of study. There are various approaches to obtaining multi-soliton solutions of an integrable system, such as the Bäcklund transform, the nonlinear transform method, the Hirota direct method, etc. But each approach has some own characteristics and attributes; however, the Hirota direct method is dominant among them and provides further multi-soliton solutions of nonlinear evolution equations. In this article, we use the Hirota direct method to investigate the single-soliton, double-soliton, and triple-soliton solutions, known as multi-soliton solutions, of the integral Sawada-Kotera equation. We also demonstrate and discuss the effects of amplitude on the fluctuation of wave number in different ranges by comparing 2-D and 3-D plots.

Heavy metal contamination in aquatic environment is a serious concern throughout the world. Metal contamination are responsible for the accumulation of metals within the fish body. And, consumption of these contaminated fish possess serious threat to the associated consumers. In this current study, five commonly cultured freshwater fishes (rui, Labeo rohita; mrigal, Cirrhinus mrigala; silver carp, Hypophthalmicthys molitrix; bata, Labeo bata, and sarpunti, Puntius sarana) were collected from a commercial fish farm of Natore district, Bangladesh to analyze metals levels in edible portion (flesh), and to assess the associated human health risk. Several heavy metals such as zinc (Zn); cadmium (Cd); chromium (Cr); arsenic (As); lead (Pb); and nickel (Ni) were analyzed by a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Besides, the target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI) and lifetime cancer risk (TR) were also estimated for assessing the associated human health risk. In this study, concentrations of Zn, Cd, Cr, As, Pb and Ni in different fish species were found 6.36 ± 1.48 to 13.31 ± 1.33; 0.017 ± 0.01 to 0.049 ± 0.02; 0.654 ± 0.04; 0.015 ± 0.01 to 0.033 ± 0.01; 0.534 ± 0.11 and 0.08 ± 0.05, respectively. All the analyzed values were within the recommended level except Cr in C. mrigala. The THQ, HI and TR values of all the analyzed metals in the fishes indicated that no associated cancer risk resulting from the consumption of those fishes. Therefore, the current study revealed that fishes of the target area might be free from associated metals contamination and hence, might be safe for human consumption.

Background. Persons with primary immune deficiency disorders (PIDD) who receive oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) may transmit immunodeficiency-associated vaccine-derived polioviruses (iVDPVs) and cause paralytic polio. The objective of this study was to identify children with PIDD in Bangladesh, and estimate the proportion with chronic poliovirus excretion.Methods. Patients admitted at 5 teaching hospitals were screened for PIDD according to standardized clinical case definitions. PIDD was confirmed by age-specific quantitative immunoglobulin levels. Stool specimens were collected from patients with confirmed PIDD.Results. From February 2011 through January 2013, approximately 96 000 children were screened, and 53 patients were identified who met the clinical case definition for PIDD. Thirteen patients (24%) had age-specific quantitative immunoglobulins results that confirmed PIDD. Of these, 9 (69%) received OPV 3–106 months before stool specimen collection. Among 11 patients, stool specimens from 1 patient tested positive for polioviruses 34 months after OPV ingestion. However, the poliovirus isolate was not available for genetic sequencing, and a subsequent stool specimen 45 days later was negative.Conclusions. The risk of chronic poliovirus excretion among children with PIDD in Bangladesh seems to be low. The national polio eradication program should incorporate strategies for screening for poliovirus excretion among patients with PIDD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose. This study aimed to provide the central bank of Bangladesh with some empirical data on the impact of bank agricultural credit on agricultural output as a priority sector lending. Methodology / approach. Econometric analysis is applied to discover the nature of the relationship between banks’ agricultural credit and agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) and to find the impact of bank agricultural credit on agricultural output in Bangladesh. Data are extracted from secondary sources, i.e., Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, World Bank, and Ministry of Finance for 1991 to 2018. Time-series data are analyzed using the Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) unit root test and the Johansen cointegration test and later examined with Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). Results. The Augmented Dickey–Fuller unit root test confirmed that the variables were non-stationary at their level data and became stationary after taking their first difference value. Since the variables are integrated at I(1), we performed the Johansen Co-integration test. Subsequently, one co-integration equation was found, and Vector Error Correction Model estimation was done afterwards. According to the results of VECM estimation, bank agricultural credit, pesticide consumption, and use of cropped areas have long-run relation with agricultural output. Originality / scientific novelty. This study reveals the nature of relationship and assessment of the impact of bank credit on agricultural GDP with empirically valid techniques and tools. In this context, the data from Bangladesh remains very rare. Moreover, for those works which have been done in the context of Bangladesh, appropriate methods and techniques are not always inherent. Hence, this significant research gap is addressed in our present study. Thus, we expect that the findings of this study from Bangladesh based on empirically valid standard techniques can incrementally contribute to the existing literature. Practical value / implications. Findings of this research, can be used as an information basis by the central bank of Bangladesh. Based on the findings of this research, Bangladesh Bank should initiate new policies and programs regarding agricultural credit for the projected increase in agricultural GDP in Bangladesh.

Tomato is the most consumed vegetable crop worldwide, with excellent beneficial health properties and high content of vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, total antioxidants, and phenolic compounds. Hence, improving its genotypes is crucial to sustain its production and ensure food security, principally under the fast-growing worldwide population and abrupt global climate change. The present study aimed to explore the genotypic variability associated with specific characteristics in twenty-five diverse tomato genotypes. In addition, the relationships between growth, yield, and quality traits using both univariate (correlation coefficient, path analysis) and multivariate (principal component, principal coordinates, canonical variate) analysis methods were explored. The results indicated that the evaluated genotypes possessed highly significant variation. This is appropriate for future hybridization through tomato breeding programs. All evaluated genotypes demonstrated considerable potential to develop strong hybrid vigour for growth, yield, and quality characteristics. In particular, the genotypes LS009, LS011, and LS014 could be considered promising, high-yielding, and resistant to yellow leaf curl virus infestation (YLCV) disease parents for future breeding schemes. The number of fruits per plant, fruit diameter, and fruit weight proved strong positive relationships with fruit yield. Accordingly, these characteristics demonstrate their importance in improving fruit yield and could be exploited as indirect criteria for selecting high-yielding tomato genotypes through breeding programs.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella provides an exemplar for the One Health approach as it encompasses public and animal health, food safety, and environmental considerations. The contribution of environmental aspects is currently less well-defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the carriage occurrence of non-typhoidal Salmonella in migratory birds in Bangladesh and assess the potential significance to public and animal health. Cloacal swabs (N = 453) were collected in the years 2018–2020 from Tanguar and Hakaluki Haors, important wetland ecosystems in Northeastern Bangladesh. The prevalence of Salmonella was 13.5% (61 positive swabs). Classical serotyping identified six serovars: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars Perth, Kentucky, Albany, Infantis, Weltevreden, and Brancaster. Resistance towards 14 antimicrobials was assessed by broth microdilution minimum inhibitory concentration determination and the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genotype established by whole-genome sequencing. S. Perth and S. Weltevreden isolates were susceptible and harbored no acquired AMR genes. Isolates from the remaining serovars were multidrug resistant, commonly possessing resistance to tetracycline, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and ciprofloxacin. Salmonella resistant to ciprofloxacin meets WHO criteria for priority pathogens. There was excellent concordance between resistance phenotype and the presence of corresponding AMR genes, many of which reside on Salmonella Genomic Islands. High-level ciprofloxacin resistance correlated with the presence of mutations in the chromosomal gyrB and/or parC genes. The S. Kentucky isolates were ST198, a widely distributed multidrug-resistant lineage reported in humans and animals, and constituting an ongoing risk to public health worldwide. We have demonstrated that multidrug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella of public health significance can be recovered from migratory birds. A potential for risk can manifest through direct interaction, transmission to food-producing livestock on farms, and dissemination via the long range migratory movements of birds. Risks can be mitigated by measures including continued surveillance and implementation of good farm biosecurity practices.

Mosquito-repellent textiles are a part of protective textiles which help in protection from the species that are prone to cause diseases like malaria and dengue fever. This study explored the possibility of natural extract (alcoholic) from peppermint leaves, stems, and garlic cloves to use as a mosquito-repellent finish material on knit fabric. Accordingly, different concentration (5%, 15%, 25%, and 35%) of PGE (Peppermint Garlic Extract) solution was prepared and applied to the developed fabric using an exhaust dyeing process to assess the mosquito (Aedes Aegypti L.) repellency performance. Following WHO (World Health Organization) standard (cone bioassay) and a self-modified cage technique from literature survey, mosquito protection and repellency tests have been performed for characterization. The findings revealed that the PGE-treated fabric samples C (25% PGE) and D (35% PGE) had the highest mosquito mortality (50.00% and 76.67%, respectively) and repellency (78.6% and 85.6%, respectively) rates. Moreover, this study evaluated the prepared PGE formulations’ shelf-life performance and colorfastness properties of PGE-treated fabrics, including the impact of washing cycles on the treated fabrics. There was no fungal growth, and the fabric showed excellent colorfastness properties. However, the efficacy of treated fabrics decreased with an increasing number of washes.

Risk perceptions and attitudes play a crucial role in agriculture. However, few researches on risk management have been conducted in developing countries. Therefore, keeping view on this knowledge gap, this research made an attempt to measure farmers' perceptions of catastrophic risks, their risk attitude and to assess the influence of farm and farm household features by using probit model, Equally Likely Certainty Equivalent approach and risk matrix. The data were collected through a stratified random sampling method where 350 maize farmers were interviewed from four different agro-ecological districts in Bangladesh. The results showed that most farmers had a risk averse attitude, and floods, heavy rains, pests, and diseases posed potential threats to maize production in the study area. Age, educational status, income, and land ownership were the key determinants for risk attitude while social and farm features play an insignificant role for the farmer's risk perceptions. The vibrant interpretations may further improve understanding of the risk management decisions and will help policymaker to better anticipate which farmer will adopt government support tool in the presence of traditional risk management tools. Also, the extension authority can improve their programs to guide the farmer in a better way to improve the risk management situation.

Environmental ethics and moral obligation are action plan that helps to preserve the environment and has influenced consumption style. The utilization of green products and consumption has helped minimize environmental and health threats, which is considered to sustain the environment. In this study, we examine consumer environmental ethics, environmental attitude, social influence, and moral obligation through the mediation of the willingness to use green products toward green behavior. Using a questionnaire survey method to capture 250 consumers in Abuja, Nigeria and SmartPLS3.0 to assess the model validity. The outcomes of our study show that consumer environmental ethics, environmental attitude, and moral obligation positively influence willingness to use green products, which also influence green behavior. The mediating effect was established and willingness to use green products simultaneously mediates the relationships between consumer environmental ethics, environmental attitude, moral obligation and green behavior. Further, social influence does not predict willingness to use green products, and the mediating link between social influence and green behavior was not supported. The study provides implications based on the empirical findings for theoretical and managerial insight as well as for future research.

Probiotics are gaining popularity both empirically and scientifically as eco-friendly alternatives in aquaculture. The present research proposed to examine the influences of selective probiotics on the growth, hematology, microbes, and morphology of the intestine of stinging catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis) in a biofloc system. Additionally, this study evaluated the benefit–cost ratio (BCR) of specific probiotics used in the biofloc system. Stinging catfish fingerlings (average weight 0.86 ± 0.26 g) were equally distributed (250 fingerlings/400 L water-filled PVC tank) into three treatment groups and reared for 16 weeks. Two commercial probiotics (CP-1 and CP-2) and one laboratory-developed probiotic were used in the study. The results showed significantly higher growth (weight gain and specific growth rate), feed efficiency, improved intestinal microbiota, and enhanced morphology in fish reared with laboratory-developed probiotics in the biofloc system. Moreover, indicators of increased immune responses, such as enhancements in the intestinal mucosal fold, width of enterocytes and lamina propria, and abundance of goblet cells, were also observed in fish reared with laboratory-developed probiotics. The BCR, which determined business profitability, was also highest for the laboratory-developed probiotics in the biofloc system. Therefore, the results suggest that laboratory-developed probiotics are economically viable and environmentally friendly growth stimulators for stinging catfish culture in a biofloc system.

In this article, we execute the enhanced (G'/G)-expansion method to search for new and further general closed-form wave solutions to the nonlinear partial differential equation, namely the Benny Luke equation. This method is one of the powerful techniques that come into view in recent time for establishing more exact wave solutions to nonlinear partial differential equations. We have achieved some new exact solutions including soliton and periodic wave solutions with arbitrary parameters and the solutions are expressed in terms of hyperbolic and trigonometric functions. The efficiency of this method for finding exact solutions has been established. It is shown that the enhanced (G'/G)-expansion method is direct, effective and can be used for many other nonlinear partial differential equations in mathematical physics and engineering.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs), such as doctors, nurses, and support staffs involved in direct or indirect patient care, are at increased risk of influenza virus infections due to occupational exposures. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza. Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, Bangladesh lacks a seasonal influenza vaccination policy for HCWs, and thus vaccination rates remain low. The current project aims to investigate the effect of interventions on influenza vaccine awareness and availability of vaccine supply, explore HCWs' knowledge and perceptions about influenza vaccination, understand the barriers and motivators for influenza vaccine uptake, and understand policymakers' views on the practicality of influenza vaccination among HCWs.Method: We will conduct the study at four tertiary care teaching hospitals in Bangladesh, using a cluster randomized controlled trial approach, with the hospital as the unit of randomization and intervention. The study population will include all types of HCWs.The four different types of intervention will be randomly allocated and implemented in four study hospitals separately. The four interventions will be: i) ensuring the availability of influenza vaccine supply; ii) developing influenza vaccine awareness; iii) both ensuring influenza vaccine supply and developing influenza vaccine awareness and iv) control arm with no intervention. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches will be applied to assess the intervention effect. We will estimate the Difference in Differences (DID) with 95% CI of the proportion of vaccine uptake between each intervention and control (non-intervention) arm, adjusting for the clustering effect. The qualitative data will be summarised using a framework matrix method.Discussion: The results of this study will inform the development and implementation of a context-specific strategy to enhance influenza vaccination rates among Bangladeshi HCWs.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05521763. Version 2.0 was registered in September 2022, and the first participant enrolled in March 2022. Retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solitary wave solutions of nonlinear evolution equations, in the recent years is being attractive in the field of physical sciences and engineering. In this article, we have investigated further general solitary wave solutions of three important nonlinear evolution equations, via the simplified MCH equation, the Pochhammer-Chree equation and the Schrödinger-Hirota equation by using modified simple equation method. These equations play an important role in the study of nonlinear sciences. The obtained solutions are expressed in terms of exponential and trigonometric functions including kink, singular kink and periodic soliton solutions. It is shown that the obtained solutions are more general and fresh and can be helpful to analyze the intricate physical incident in mathematical physics.

The poorly managed effluents from industrial activities in Bangladesh contaminate groundwater aquifer with subsequent health risks as the most of the Bangladeshi people depend on groundwater for their drinking water sources. This study aimed to investigate the contamination level in the groundwater surrounding the Setabganj Sugar Mills Limited, Dinajpur, Bangladesh with special attention on the associated health risk of the dwellers residing around it. Stratified random sampling was adopted to collect 12 water samples from tubewell to identify concentration of heavy metals using atomic absorption spectroscopy. We found metal concentration in groundwater in the order of Mn>Fe>Co>Cu>Pb>Zn>Cr among which mean value of Mn concentration exceeded the drinking water standard while Fe and Pb concentrations in few samples exceeded the standards. Metal Index, Degree of Contamination, Pollution Load Index and Heavy Metal Pollution Index confirmed more groundwater contamination at the vicinity of sugar mill compared with the other samples that taken from far away of sugar mill. Health risk assessment ensures that Infants and children have a great susceptibility to the contaminated groundwater all over the study area while the adults are at high risk only in the sugar mill region. Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis reveal that sugar mill contributes largely to groundwater contamination along with other anthropogenic and natural sources. The findings of this study will help the environmental managers and policy makers to understand the potential health risks from the effluent of sugar mills and will knock them to treat it prior to discharge.

This study attempts to explore the impacts of some demographic, economic and cultural factor's effects on overseas employment of female workers as well as on overseas employment of total workers from Bangladesh. The Gravity model of trade is applied here with the panel data of 12 countries and 22 years. The random effect analysis is applied since some variables which are time-invariant and important for the study. The main gravity variables – Gross Domestic Product (GDP), population and distance- are found to be well fitted with literatures with expected signs and level of significance. The magnitude of impacts differs for female overseas workers than total overseas workers. The study reveals that while the effect of religion is insignificant in case of total overseas employment its impact on female overseas employment is highly significant. The negative effects of language variables for both types of employments reflect the fact that most of the workers specially women workers migrated to abroad as home maid and didn't get the training on official language of Bangladesh, English. Furthermore, the opportunity of earnings at destination countries proxied by remittances flows from those countries to Bangladesh has highly positive impact and the magnitude is higher for female overseas workers. The study suggests policies and required support services should be provided to mitigate the migration cost. Also, countries with higher GDP, similar religion and higher income, networking and employment opportunities should be chosen as potential new labour market for the female workers of Bangladesh. Keywords: Female worker's overseas Employment, Gravity Model, Panel Data, Random Effect Analysis, Bangladesh JEL Classifications: E24, C130 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijefi.11626

Brain tumor is a severe health condition that kills many lives every year, and several of those casualties are from rural areas. However, the technology to diagnose brain tumors at an early stage is not as efficient as expected. Therefore, we sought to create a reliable system that can help medical professionals to identify brain tumors. Although several studies are being conducted on this issue, we attempted to establish a much more efficient and error-free classification method, which is trained with a comparatively substantial number of real datasets rather than augmented data. Using a modified VGG-16 (Visual Geometry Group) architecture on 10,153 MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) images with 3 different classes (Glioma, Meningioma, and Pituitary), the network performs significantly well. It achieved a precision of 99.4% for Glioma, 96.7% for Meningioma, and 100% for Pituitary, with an overall accuracy of 99.5%. It also attained better results than several other existing CNN architectures and state-of-the-art work.

A 1320-Megawatt capacity coal-fired power plant is establishing near the Ecologically Critical Area of the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. This power plant will generate 0.71 million tons of coal fly ash annually. Most of the previous studies concentrated on the soil amelioration and growth and yield of agricultural crops. However, this study investigated the effects of coal fly ash on the seedling growth (collar diameter, height, and biomass) of the major tree species (Bruguiera sexangula, Excoecaria agallocha, Heritiera fomes, and Xylocarpus mekongensis) of the Sundarbans, as well as to assess the nutrient (N, P, and K) partitioning in their parts (leaf, stem, and roots). Mangrove soil and coal fly ash were mixed to get seven treatments say T0, T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T7, which contained 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of fly ash (w/w) respectively. A significant (p

This article highlights the preparation of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles by adopting a sol–gel auto-combustion route. The prime focus of this study is to investigate the impact of γ-irradiation on the microstructural, morphological, functional, optical, and magnetic characteristics. The resulting NiFe2O4 products have been characterized employing numerous instrumental techniques such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Physical Properties Measurement System for a variety of γ-ray doses (0, 25, and 100 kGy). FESEM micrographs illustrate the aggregation of ferrite nanoparticles in the pristine NiFe2O4 product having an average particle size of 168 nm, and the surface morphology is altered after exposure to γ-irradiation. XRD spectra have been analyzed employing the Rietveld method, and the results of the XRD investigation reveal the desired phases (cubic spinel phases) of NiFe2O4 with the observation of other transitional phases. The values of the crystallite size are in the range of 34.04–34.71 nm investigated by the Debye–Scherrer (D–S) method. Several microstructural parameters, such as bond length, bond angle, and hopping length, have been determined from the analysis of the Rietveld method. This study reports that γ-irradiations demonstrate a great influence on optical bandgap energy, and it varies from 1.80 to 1.89 eV evaluated via the Kubelka–Munk function. The FTIR measurement depicts a proof for the persistence of Ni–O and Fe–O stretching vibrations within the respective products at positions 365 and 547 cm−1, respectively, thus indicating the successful development of NiFe2O4. The saturation magnetization (MS) of the pristine Ni ferrite product is noticed to be 28.08 emu/g. A considerable increase in MS is observed in the case of low γ-dose (25 kGy), and a decrement nature is disclosed after the result of high dose of γ-irradiation (100 kGy).

The investigation of closed form solutions for nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs) is being an attractive subject in the different branches of mathematical and physical sciences. In this article, the enhanced (G′/G)-expansion method has been applied to find the closed form solutions for NLEEs, such as the simplified MCH equation and third extended fifth order nonlinear equations which are very important in mathematical physics. Plentiful closed form solutions with arbitrary parameters are successfully obtained by this method which are expressed in terms of hyperbolic and trigonometric functions. It is shown that the obtained solutions are more general and fresh and can be helpful to analyze the NLEES in mathematical physics and engineering problems. Keywords: The enhanced (G′/G)-expansion method, Simplified MCH equation, Third extended fifth order nonlinear equation, Nonlinear evolution equation (NLEEs), Closed form wave solutions

Abstract Background To investigate in vitro antioxidant, brine shrimp lethality bioassay, antimicrobial, anthelmintic activities and in vivo peripheral analgesic activity of methanol and petroleum ether extracts of Cassia renigera seed. Methods Phytochemical screening of the crude extracts was carried out. Antioxidant activity was determined using seven different methods. Brine shrimp lethality bioassay and anthelmintic activities were done using nauplii of Artemia salina and adult earthworm (Pheretima posthuma), respectively. The antimicrobial potential was investigated against three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria. Acetic acid induced writhing test was performed to evaluate peripheral analgesic activity. Results Both methanol and petroleum ether extracts showed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, and tannins. While alkaloids, glycosides, and steroids were only found in the methanolic extract. Methanolic extract showed more potent 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide scavenging capacity, cupric reducing and reducing power capacity than petroleum ether extract. While petroleum ether extract showed better results in total phenol and total antioxidant activities. In brine shrimp lethality bioassay methanolic and petroleum ether extracts showed the LC50 value of 74.44 and 121.49 μg/mL, respectively. In overall antimicrobial study methanolic extract showed better activity than petroleum ether extract. Methanolic extract of 50 mg/mL showed maximum anthelmintic activity comparable to the standard (Piperazine Citrate, 10 mg/mL). Both 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg body weight dose of the methanolic extract exhibited significant 39.64% and 58.73% writhing inhibition (푃

The analytical experiment was executed to present detailed reports on the concentration of heavy metals (nickel, iron, zinc, manganese, chromium, lead, and cadmium) in farmed shrimp, Penaeus monodon and its concomitant human health risks upon consumption. A total of 147 farms from six sub-districts of Khulna were selected for sample collection and concentration of heavy metals were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) method, following electro-thermal heater digestion. Ni and Cr were found considerably below the detectable limit (BDL) in four sub-districts, while Cr found in shrimps from Rupsa and Paikgacha were far higher than the maximum recommended limit defined by FAO and WHO. The average concentrations of Fe and Mn in all sub-districts crossed the recommendations, whereas average concentrations of Zn, Ni, Cd, and Pb were within the recommendations. Regardless of sampling site, target hazard quotients (THQ) of more than 1 contributed by Fe confirmed higher level of hazard index (HI), indicating potential human health risk. Fortunately, no heavy metal or their additive effect found to offer lifetime potency of carcinogenesis upon consumption of these shrimps. Therefore, probabilistic non-carcinogenic human health risk from Fe contamination necessitates stringent monitoring and controlling of this metal from different sources to farms.

The study was carried out to obtain information on the present status and trend of finfish diversity of the Old Brahmaputra river, Bangladesh. Samples were collected directly from a professional fishing boat caught by different nets, traps and hooks from January 2019 to December 2019. Together with 4 exotic species, a total of 49 species under 6 families were recorded. Though a biodiversity index of 3.65854 and a dominance index of 0.030929 represent the richness of ichthyo-diversity within the river, Synbranchiformes and Tetraodontiformes were not reported throughout the study period. Linear regression analysis showed a positive correlation between water height of the river and monthly abundance of the species found. Catch composition of catfishes and snakeheads slumped while barbs showed triumph over previous findings. A majority of fish recorded were within the least concern category according to IUCN (2015) but portions also belonged to critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable categories as well. Therefore, conservation measures must be infixed in the Old Brahmaputra river to hold the fish diversity in a sustainable state.

A field experiment was conducted comprising two varieties of mungbean, BARI Mung-5 (V1) and BARI Mung-6 (V2), and five levels of phosphorus fertilizer: triple super phosphate [Ca(H2PO4)] viz. T1 (control), T2 (42.5 kg P ha−1), T3 (85 kg P ha−1), T4 (127.5 kg P ha−1), and T5 (170 kg P ha−1). The experiment was organized in a randomized complete block design with three replications. V1 produced the highest number of pods per plant (7.65), whereas the maximum 1,000-seed weight (49 g) was produced by V2. The maximum plant height (30.89 cm), number of branches per plant (8.55), number of leaves per plant (19.05), number of pods per plant (10.25), pod length (8.95 cm), number of seeds per pod (9.11), 1,000-seed weight (48.17 g), and yield (1.05 t ha−1) were obtained from the T4 treatment. The interaction of phosphorus levels and varieties had a considerable effect on the growth, yield, and yield attributes of mungbean. The highest number of leaves (20.44) and number of pods (10.39) were obtained from V1 when 127.5 kg P ha−1 (T4) was applied, whereas the maximum number of seeds per pod (9.25) and maximum pod length (9.09 cm) were obtained when 85 kg P ha−1 and 42.5 kg P ha−1, respectively, were used. The highest number of branches per plant (8.87), 1,000-seed weight (52.83 g), and the maximum seed yield (1.14 t ha−1) were achieved from the treatment V2T4 owing to the interactive effect of phosphorus dose and mungbean variety.

Heavy metal toxicity is one of the most devastating abiotic stresses. Heavy metals cause serious damage to plant growth and productivity, which is a major problem for sustainable agriculture. It adversely affects plant molecular physiology and biochemistry by generating osmotic stress, ionic imbalance, oxidative stress, membrane disorganization, cellular toxicity, and metabolic homeostasis. To improve and stimulate plant tolerance to heavy metal stress, the application of biostimulants can be an effective approach without threatening the ecosystem. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a biostimulator, plant growth regulator, and antioxidant, promotes plant tolerance to heavy metal stress by improving redox and nutrient homeostasis, osmotic balance, and primary and secondary metabolism. It is important to perceive the complete and detailed regulatory mechanisms of exogenous and endogenous melatonin-mediated heavy metal-toxicity mitigation in plants to identify potential research gaps that should be addressed in the future. This review provides a novel insight to understand the multifunctional role of melatonin in reducing heavy metal stress and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Sesame is sensitive to waterlogging, and its growth is devastatingly impacted under excess moisture conditions. Thus, waterlogging tolerance is crucial to alleviate yield constraints, particularly under expected climate change. In this study, 119 diverse sesame genotypes were screened for their tolerance to 12, 24, 48, and 72 h of waterlogging relative to non-waterlogged conditions. All plants died under 72 h of waterlogging, while 13.45%, 31.93%, and 45.38% of genotypes survived at 48, 24, and 12 h, respectively. Based on the seedling parameters and waterlogging tolerance coefficients, genotypes BD-7008 and BD-6985 exhibited the highest tolerance to waterlogging, while BD-6996 and JP-01811 were the most sensitive ones. The responses of these four genotypes to waterlogged conditions were assessed at different plant growth stages—30, 40, and 50 days after sowing (DAS)—versus normal conditions. Waterlogging, particularly when it occurred within 30 DAS, destructively affected the physiological and morphological characteristics, which was reflected in the growth and yield attributes. Genotype BD-7008, followed by BD-6985, exhibited the highest chlorophyll and proline contents as well as enzymatic antioxidant activities, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT). These biochemical and physiological adjustments ameliorated the adverse effects of waterlogging, resulting in higher yields for both genotypes. Conversely, JP-01811 presented the lowest chlorophyll and proline contents as well as enzymatic antioxidant activities, resulting in the poorest growth and seed yield.

A novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which has become a great concern for the world, was identified first in Wuhan city in China. The rapid spread throughout the world was accompanied by an alarming number of infected patients and increasing number of deaths gradually. If the number of infected cases can be predicted in advance, it would have a large contribution to controlling this pandemic in any area. Therefore, this study introduces an integrated model for predicting the number of confirmed cases from the perspective of Bangladesh. Moreover, the number of quarantined patients and the change in basic reproduction rate (the R0-value) can also be evaluated using this model. This integrated model combines the SEIR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infected, Removed) epidemiological model and neural networks. The model was trained using available data from 250 days. The accuracy of the prediction of confirmed cases is almost between 90% and 99%. The performance of this integrated model was evaluated by showing the difference in accuracy between the integrated model and the general SEIR model. The result shows that the integrated model is more accurate than the general SEIR model while predicting the number of confirmed cases in Bangladesh.

Automatic vehicle license plate recognition is an essential part of intelligent vehicle access control and monitoring systems. With the increasing number of vehicles, it is important that an effective real-time system for automated license plate recognition is developed. Computer vision techniques are typically used for this task. However, it remains a challenging problem, as both high accuracy and low processing time are required in such a system. Here, we propose a method for license plate recognition that seeks to find a balance between these two requirements. The proposed method consists of two stages: detection and recognition. In the detection stage, the image is processed so that a region of interest is identified. In the recognition stage, features are extracted from the region of interest using the histogram of oriented gradients method. These features are then used to train an artificial neural network to identify characters in the license plate. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a high level of accuracy as well as low processing time when compared to existing methods, indicating that it is suitable for real-time applications.

Zinc ferrite samples were prepared by two different routes which are chemical co-precipitation and standard solid state double sintering method. Structural properties of ZnFe2O4 were determined, and initial particle size was found as 5 nm in the samples prepared by chemical co-precipitation technique. The XRD patterns showed the single phase of ZnFe2O4 spinel structure and confirmed by the lattice parameter and the unmixed hkl values for both the synthesis techniques. M-H curves at room temperature showed superparamagnetic nature of the samples sintered from 200°C to 600°C, synthesized by chemical co-precipitation technique. The Mössbauer analysis at room temperature showed a doublet which is the signature of superparamagnetic nature, and it is in agreement with the acquired M-H curves. The magnetization of ZnFe2O4 synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method was found higher than the magnetization of ZnFe2O4 synthesized by the solid-state double sintering method in the sintering temperature from 1100°C to 1300°C.

Diarrheal diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide and a significant contributor to antimicrobial resistance. In the absence of laboratory diagnostics to establish diarrhea etiology, electronic clinical decision support tools can help physicians make informed treatment decisions for children with diarrhea. In Bangladesh, we assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an electronic Diarrhea Etiology Prediction algorithm (DEP tool) embedded into a rehydration calculator, which was designed to help physicians manage children with diarrhea, including decisions on antibiotic use. A team of Bangladeshi anthropologists conducted in-depth interviews with physicians (N = 13) in three public hospitals in Bangladesh about their experience using the tool in the context of a pilot trial. Physicians expressed positive opinions of the DEP tool. Participants perceived the tool to be simple and easy to use, with structured guidance on collecting and entering clinical data from patients. Significant strengths of the tool were as follows: standardization of protocol, efficiency of clinical decision-making, and improved clinical practice. Participants also noted barriers that might restrict the widespread impact of the tool, including physicians' reluctance to use an electronic tool for clinical decision-making, increasing work in overburdened healthcare settings, unavailability of a smartphone, and patients' preferences for antibiotics. We conclude that an electronic clinical decision support tool is a promising method for improving diarrheal management and antibiotic stewardship. Future directions include developing and implementing such a tool for informal healthcare physicians in low-resource settings, where families may first seek care for pediatric diarrhea.

Diabetes is one of the most serious chronic diseases that result in high blood sugar levels. Early prediction can significantly diminish the potential jeopardy and severity of diabetes. In this study, different machine learning (ML) algorithms were applied to predict whether an unknown sample had diabetes or not. However, the main significance of this research was to provide a clinical decision support system (CDSS) by predicting type 2 diabetes using different ML algorithms. For the research purpose, the publicly available Pima Indian Diabetes (PID) dataset was used. Data preprocessing, K-fold cross-validation, hyperparameter tuning, and various ML classifiers such as K-nearest neighbor (KNN), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), Naïve Bayes (NB), support vector machine (SVM), and histogram-based gradient boosting (HBGB) were used. Several scaling methods were also used to improve the accuracy of the result. For further research, a rule-based approach was used to escalate the effectiveness of the system. After that, the accuracy of DT and HBGB was above 90%. Based on this result, the CDSS was implemented where users can give the required input parameters through a web-based user interface to get decision support with some analytical results for the individual patient. The CDSS, which was implemented, will be beneficial for physicians and patients to make decisions about diabetes diagnosis and offer real-time analysis-based suggestions to improve medical quality. For future work, if daily data of a diabetic patient can be put together, then a better clinical support system can be implemented for daily decision support for patients worldwide., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Rakibul Islam et al.)

Mosquito-repellent textiles are a part of protective textiles which help in protection from the species that are prone to cause diseases like malaria and dengue fever. This study explored the possibility of natural extract (alcoholic) from peppermint leaves, stems, and garlic cloves to use as a mosquito-repellent finish material on knit fabric. Accordingly, different concentration (5%, 15%, 25%, and 35%) of PGE (Peppermint Garlic Extract) solution was prepared and applied to the developed fabric using an exhaust dyeing process to assess the mosquito (Aedes Aegypti L.) repellency performance. Following WHO (World Health Organization) standard (cone bioassay) and a self-modified cage technique from literature survey, mosquito protection and repellency tests have been performed for characterization. The findings revealed that the PGE-treated fabric samples C (25% PGE) and D (35% PGE) had the highest mosquito mortality (50.00% and 76.67%, respectively) and repellency (78.6% and 85.6%, respectively) rates. Moreover, this study evaluated the prepared PGE formulations' shelf-life performance and colorfastness properties of PGE-treated fabrics, including the impact of washing cycles on the treated fabrics. There was no fungal growth, and the fabric showed excellent colorfastness properties. However, the efficacy of treated fabrics decreased with an increasing number of washes., 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.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of symptomatic and asymptomatic laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among the population of Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Dhaka City and other districts of Bangladesh between April 18 and October 12, 2020. A total of 32 districts outside Dhaka were randomly selected, and one village and one mahalla was selected from each district; 25 mahallas were selected from Dhaka City. From each village or mahalla, 120 households were enrolled through systematic random sampling. Results: A total of 44 865 individuals were interviewed from 10 907 households. The majority (70%, n  = 31 488) of the individuals were <40 years of age. Almost half of the individuals (49%, n  = 21 888) reported more than four members in their household. It was estimated that 12.6% ( n  = 160) of the households had one or more severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected individuals, among whom 0.9% ( n  = 404) of individuals had at least one COVID-19-like symptom, at the national level. The prevalence of COVID-19 in the general population was 6.4%. Among the SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals, 87% were asymptomatic. Conclusions: The substantial high number of asymptomatic cases all over Bangladesh suggests that community-level containment and mitigation measures are required to combat COVID-19. Future studies to understand the transmission capability could help to define mitigation and control measures., (© 2021 The Authors.)