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Entropy generation analyses of hybrid nanofluids via compliant wall tubes are performed with peristalsis effects in this study. Thermophysical properties of nanofluid are incorporated in mathematical formulations for various shapes of nanoparticles. Convective conditions on the boundary are considered. Momentum and energy equations are modeled and simplified under the lubrication approach. Solutions are calculated numerically using MATHEMATICA. The impact of various related parameters on flow quantities is observed via graphs. The study reveals greater entropy generation for blade-shaped nanoparticles.

The European spruce bark beetleIps typographus(L.) is a pest causing severe damage to Norway spruce-dominated forests in Europe. Microorganisms play an essential role in the species life history, including nutrition, fitness as well as in overcoming host defenses. Here, we performed high-throughput 16S rRNA metabarcoding ofI. typographusacross different populations in Europe. We investigated four postglacial refugial areas in Europe and focused specifically on a current bark beetle hot spot in the Dolomites where we compared populations with different epidemiological phases (outbreaking vs. non-outbreaking) and across different seasons (pre-overwintering vs. overwintering). Our results show that the bacterial community structure varied among populations from the refugial areas and geographic regions within the Dolomites. We found a significant difference in the bacterial community between pre-overwintering and overwintering individuals, highlighting a potential role of the microbiome inI. typographusoverwintering but we did not find differences between epidemic and endemic populations. The generaErwiniaandPseudoxanthomonas– previously reported for their role in nutrition and protection from conifer defense compounds – were present in every individual across all populations, suggesting that these taxa form the bacterial core community ofI. typographus. Furthermore, several additional bacterial taxa occurred in all populations, but with variable frequencies within and between individuals. This study highlights a complex interaction of various bacterial taxa across different regions and ecological phases ofI. typographuspopulations and provides new insights into the role of microorganisms in the biology of this important pest species.

Topological indices have played an important role in predicting physico-chemical properties of chemical compounds. Degree-based topological indices have been proved to have good correlation with boiling points, strain energy, entropy and a number of other properties of compounds.In this paper, we calculate some degree-based indices and conindices of titania nanotubes TiO2.

In this note, the variational form of the classical Lax–Milgram theorem is used for the divulgence of variational structure of the first-order noninstantaneous impulsive linear evolution equation. The existence and uniqueness of the weak solution of the problem is obtained. In future, this constructive theory can be used for the corresponding semilinear problems.

Endophytic plant-growth-promoting bacteria (ePGPB) are interesting tools for pest management strategies. However, the molecular interactions underlying specific biocontrol effects, particularly against phytopathogenic viruses, remain unexplored. Herein, we investigated the antiviral effects and triggers of induced systemic resistance mediated by four ePGPB (Paraburkholderia fungorum strain R8, Paenibacillus pasadenensis strain R16, Pantoea agglomerans strain 255-7, and Pseudomonas syringae strain 260-02) against four viruses (Cymbidium Ring Spot Virus—CymRSV; Cucumber Mosaic Virus—CMV; Potato Virus X—PVX; and Potato Virus Y—PVY) on Nicotiana benthamiana plants under controlled conditions and compared them with a chitosan-based resistance inducer product. Our studies indicated that ePGPB- and chitosan-treated plants presented well-defined biocontrol efficacy against CymRSV and CMV, unlike PVX and PVY. They exhibited significant reductions in symptom severity while promoting plant height compared to nontreated, virus-infected controls. However, these phenotypic traits showed no association with relative virus quantification. Moreover, the tested defense-related genes (Enhanced Disease Susceptibility-1 (EDS1), Non-expressor of Pathogenesis-related genes-1 (NPR1), and Pathogenesis-related protein-2B (PR2B)) implied the involvement of a salicylic-acid-related defense pathway triggered by EDS1 gene upregulation.

This article discusses the production of knowledge with regard to Asian research in Pakistan. Although there are multiple educational, research and policy institutes working on various topics related to different countries and regions within Asia, there is a lack of a well-defined inclusive ‘Asian’ academic space that engages with all regions of the continent. Given this, I survey the major gatekeepers of Asian Studies research in Pakistan and trace out some possible factors and explanations for this Asian research asymmetry and the lack of an inclusive approach on Asian Studies in Pakistan.

Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) is a novel concept in agriculture that considers not only yield, but also nutritional value of produce, sustainability of production, and ecological impact of agriculture. In accordance with its goals, NSA would benefit from applying microbial-based products as they are deemed more sustainable than their synthetic counterparts. This study characterized 3 plant-beneficial bacterial strains (Paenibacillus pasadenensis strain R16, Pseudomonas syringae strain 260-02, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain CC2) on their biocontrol activity and effect on nutritional and texture quality of romaine lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa) in greenhouse. The pathogens used in the trials are Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium ultimum. The obtained results indicate that strain R16 had a significant ability to cause a statistically significant reduction in the symptoms caused by both P. ultimum (reduction of 32%) and R. solani (reduction of 42%), while the other two strains showed a less efficient biocontrol ability. Indices of the nutritional quality (content in phenols, carotenoids and chlorophyll) were unaffected by the treatments, indicating that the product was equivalent to that obtained without using the bacteria, while the texture of the leaves benefits from the biocontrol treatments. In particular, the mechanical resistance of the leaves was significantly higher in non-treated plants affected by R. solani but was restored to the values of healthy plants when the bacterial inoculants were present as well. The ecological impact was evaluated by characterizing the bacterial microbiota in bulk soil, rhizosphere, and root in the presence or absence of the inoculants. The composition of the microbiota, analyzed with a Unifrac model to describe beta-diversity, was radically different in the rhizosphere and the root endosphere among treatments, while the bulk soil formed a single cluster regardless of treatment, indicating that the use of these treatments did not have an ecological impact outside of the plant.