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Abstract In recent years, Silicene has attracted great interest in various fields but does not fit well in the field of thermoelectrics due to the absence of electronic band gap. Nevertheless, hydrogenation of silicene (SiH) delocalize the free electrons and induces gap widening (2.19 eV), but its thermoelectric performance is still limited due to the larger band gap. Thermoelectric performance can be effectively improved using strain engineering, which allows modulation of crystal as well as electronic energy levels of a material. We studied the effect of biaxial tensile strain on structure, stability and thermoelectric properties of SiH monolayer. Taking clue regarding the stability from phonon dispersion, tensile strain upto 14% is incorporated and results are discussed. The distortion of crystal structure with strain manipulates the characteristics of electronic band structure such that there is an indirect to direct band gap transition along with decrease in band gap, effective mass and relaxation time of carriers. As a result, the Seebeck coefficient falls and attains minimum value at 14% strain while electrical conductivity and electronic thermal conductivity shows increasing trend and maximize at 14% strain. Another crucial consequence of strain is that tensile strain led to a considerable decrease in lattice thermal conductivity. At a strain of 14%, the lattice thermal conductivity at 700 K (0.28) decreased by approximately 43% compared to its unstrained counterpart (0.49 K), which is highly beneficial for achieving high ZT. To assess the efficiency of thermoelectric conversion, the ZT is computed, revealing an increase from 1.66 in the unstrained state to 2.83 at a strain of 14% and a temperature of 700 K. The calculations unveil a nearly twofold increase in ZT with the implementation of strain engineering, underscoring its effectiveness in augmenting the efficiency of thermoelectric devices.

Abstract In plants, the BAX inhibitor-1 (BI-1) gene plays a crucial part in controlling cell death under stress conditions. This mechanism of Programmed Cell Death (PCD) is genetically regulated and is crucial for the elimination of unwanted or damaged cells in a controlled manner, which is essential for normal development and tissue maintenance. A study on cucumber identified and characterized five BI-1 genes: CsBI1, CsBI2, CsBI3, CsBI4, and CsBI5. These genes share conserved domains, indicating common evolutionary history and function. Physicochemical analysis revealed their molecular weights and isoelectric points, while subcellular localization showed their presence in different cellular compartments. The phylogenetic analysis highlighted evolutionary relationships with related crops. Chromosomal distribution and synteny analysis suggested segmental or tandem duplications within the gene family. Protein-protein interaction analysis revealed extensive interactions with other cucumber proteins. Cis-regulatory elements in the promoter regions provided insights into potential functions and transcriptional regulation. miRNAs showed diverse regulatory mechanisms, including mRNA cleavage and translational inhibition. The CsBI3, CsBI4 and CsBI5 genes exhibit elevated expression levels during cold stress, suggesting their vital involvement in cucumber plant defense mechanisms. The application of chitosan oligosaccharides externally confirms their distinct expression patterns. The qRT-PCR confirms the upregulation of CsBI genes in ToLCNDV-infected plants, indicating their potential to mitigate biotic and abiotic stresses. The comprehensive genome-wide exploration provides opportunities for the development of cold-tolerant and virus-resistant cucumber variants by traditional breeding or gene.

Abstract Fungal Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (FICP) is a novel method used in geotechnical engineering that enhances the engineering properties of sand by using the potential of fungal activity. This research is the first attempt to monitor the strength of FICP treated sand using embedded Piezoelectric (PZT) patch based Electromechanical Impedance (EMI) spectroscopy. In the past, the strength of such treated sand has been determined through the destructive methods like Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) test. In this study, the sand is mixed with the filamentous fungus Aspergillus Niger and the cementation solution (urea and $$\:{\text{C}\text{a}\text{C}\text{l}}_{2}$$ in the ratio of 1:1) is injected after every 24 h. Results recorded from the cost-effective EVAL AD5933 chip indicate that the shifting of frequency impedance signals in each phase is in good alignment with UCS and calcium carbonate content (CCC). Following the 28-day treatment period, the treated sand achieves a maximum UCS of 3.93 MPa, accompanied by a CCC of 15.19%. In order to correlate EMI signals with treatment cycles, UCS, and CCC, various multi linear regression (MLR) equations for statistical metrics like root mean square deviation (RMSD), mean absolute percentage deviation (MAPD), and correlation coefficient deviation (CCD) are developed. Additionally, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses have been conducted to observe the success of the FICP process in the sand.

Objective: The study is aimed at comparing the outcome of management of DERFs by close reduction and immobilisation by POP cast (CRIPOP) vs. close reduction and immobilisation by intrafocal pinning (K-wire), Kapandji technique. Material and method: 80 patients with DERFs (Frykman I&II/AO23AR) aged 19–68 years, both sexes, and sides (left or right) of involvement were studied at the Department of Orthopaedics, HIMS, Sitapur (U.P.), India, after getting clearance from the institute's ethical committee. The individual's identification, history, clinico-radiological evaluation (pre- and post-op), and follow-up were recorded in a pretested proforma. A standard protocol of pre- and post-operative care and physiotherapy was followed by all patients, irrespective of group. Results: To assess the functional outcome, cases were followed up at 6 weeks, at the time of removal of POP, at 12 weeks, and at 24 weeks. The objective assessment was done on parameters like wrist movement, i.e., palmer/dorsiflexion, radial/ulnar deviation, wrist/finger stiffness, supination, and pronation in forearm functions. The functions were compared with other limb functions. Subjective parameters such as pain, ADL, and work-related activities (satisfaction level) were also taken into account. The difference in distribution among groups was insignificant. Other than a pinhole infection and finger stiffness, there was no significant complication. Conclusion: CRIPOP was found to be an equally better option of treatment methodology in respect of functional outcome at 6 months in extra-articular (Fryman types I and II) or AO/OTS (23A2 and 3). The limitation of the study is the small number of cases and parameters to compare. Keywords: DERF, CRIPOP, Kapandji, Focal Pinning

Fungus Mycelium mediated Calcite Precipitation (FMCP) is a novel bio-inspired method for enhancing the mechanical and microstructural properties of sand. This study investigates the potential of Aspergillus Niger fungus mycelium to induce calcite precipitation in sand, thereby improving its unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and permeability. The experimental approach involves mixing sand with Aspergillus Niger and subsequently injecting a cementation solution containing urea and [Formula: see text] in an equimolar 1:1 ratio at 24-hour intervals. The effect of different treatment durations (7, 14, 21, and 28 days) on the UCS of the samples is examined. Our findings demonstrate that the highest average UCS of 3.93 MPa was achieved after 28 days using FMCP, corresponding to an average calcium carbonate content of 15.19%. Additionally, permeability of FMCP treated sand decreased to 99.54% compared to untreated sand. The Scanning electron microscopy identified the presence of fungus mycelia and calcium carbonate crystals that bind the sand grains together resembling fibrous structure. The Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of calcium carbonate crystals associated with the sand grains and fungal mycelium. These findings contribute valuable insights into the feasibility of FMCP as a sustainable approach to soil improvement, with implications for geotechnical and construction applications.

Grain yields in wheat can be limited by the assimilate supply (source) or by the carbohydrate demand of the grains (sink). Recently, there have been questions regarding the capability of crop models to simulate the physiology of source-sink interactions in crops; however, crop models scarcely tested with source-sink partitioning. DSSAT_CERES_Wheat model was used with details of field experimental data having treatments of manipulated source (i.e., assimilate supply), sink (i.e., kernel number). The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of different levels of nitrogen and source-sink manipulation on wheat crop and to model source-sink partitioning in wheat under varying N-Regimes and climatic conditions. The experiment was conducted during wheat growing seasons of 2015–16 and 2016–17, at two locations (Islamabad and URF Koont Chakwal), under five different levels of nitrogen and three source sink treatments (Control (100 % RUE), 50 % shading pre-anthesis (50 % RUE), 50 % spike removal i.e. spike halving) using randomized complete block design. Recommended rates of fertilizer were applied with the exception of nitrogen which was 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha−1, while each treatment was replicated thrice. CERES-Wheat model was calibrated using 2015–16 observed data while model was evaluated using two-year field collected data of two sites i.e. Islamabad and Chakwal. The model was able to simulate treatments impacts on phenology (R2, RMSE and d-index values of 0.89, 2.80 days and 0.97 respectively at Islamabad while at Chakwal R2 = 0.89, RMSE = 2.65 days and d-index = 0.94), leaf area index (R2 = 0.94, 0.94, RMSE = 0.51, 0.38 and d-index = 0.98 and 0.92 at Islamabad and Chakwal respectively), biomass (R2 = 0.98, 0.96, RMSE = 370, 450 kg ha−1 and d-index = 0.96 and 0.95 at Islamabad and Chakwal respectively), grain yield (R2 = 0.97,0.96, RMSE = 0.17, 0.2 t ha−1, and d-index = 0.95 and 0.93 at Islamabad and Chakwal respectively), harvest index, soil nitrogen, crop nitrogen and grain nitrogen with good accuracy. The observed range for biomass water use efficiency (BM_WUE) was 34.1–14.5 kg ha−1 mm−1 while grain WUE remained in the range of 10.3–3.7 kg ha−1 mm−1. The results depicted that model could reproduce observed effects of shading and halving the spikes. Crop response to modified radiation use efficiency (RUE) was variable among sites which could be critical for studying crop environment interactions, improving WUE, estimating genetically and atmospheric CO2-related increased RUE, analyzing impact of solar dimming and source manipulations under biotic stress.

Abstract Background Changing climate is causing erratic rainfall and prolonged drought periods, thus posing serious threats to crop productivity. Owing to severity of drought events, it is imperative to take proactive measures to enhance the resilience of drought sensitive crops like rice. Therefore, the present study was carried out to improve the drought stress tolerance in rice through gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) application. Methods The experiment was included four GABA concentrations i.e., 0 mM as control, 1 mM, 1.5 mM, and 2 mM, two water levels i.e., 100% and 50% field capacity (referred as FC100 for well-watered and FC50 for drought conditions, respectively), and two fragrant rice cultivars i.e., Super Basmati and Basmati-515. Results The findings unveiled a comprehensive improvement in various parameters with GABA application in fragrant rice under both well-watered (FC100) and water-limited (FC50) conditions, compared to the control. Specifically, GABA induced enhancements were observed in plant height, root length, fresh weight, dry weight, total soluble protein content, and total free amino acid content across both cultivars. Moreover, GABA application significantly improved peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme activities, alongside elevating anthocyanin levels, while concurrently reducing H2O2 contents in both FC100 and FC50 treatments. Furthermore, the positive impact of GABA extended to morphological traits, with notable increases in panicle length, total tillers and productive tillers per hill, branch and grain numbers per panicle, and 1000-grain weight for Super Basmati and Basmati 515 cultivars under both water regimes, compared to Ck. Similarly, the grain yield increased by 31.01% and 27.32% under FC100 and 36.85% and 27.71% under FC50 in Super Basmati and Basmati-515, respectively, in response to GABA application, compared to Ck. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significant variances attributed to Dim1 and Dim2, with 86.1% and 4.0% of the variance, respectively, across three bi-plots encompassing rice cultivars, water levels, and GABA treatments. Notably, all tested indices, except for H2O2 and non-productive tillers per hill, exhibited positive correlations amongst themselves and with rice yield, further emphasizing the beneficial effects of GABA application on fragrant rice under well-watered and drought conditions. Conclusions GABA significantly improved fragrant rice performance under both well-watered (FC100) and water-limited (FC50) conditions. Moreover, integrating GABA application into rice cultivation practices could not only improve the crop resilience to drought stress but also potentially benefiting the future food and nutritional security globally. However, however; further research is needed to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the functionality of GABA in fragrant rice, particularly under drought conditions.

Teratogenic and embryotoxic effect of diclofenac sodium (DS) on different developmental stages of the chick-embryos was investigated by examining different parameters such as its mortality rate, hatching, morphological measurements, weighing its internal organs and calculation of different indices. Experiment was divided into four trials with different dose (0.1 mL, 0.2 mL, 0.3 mL in groups A, B, and C, respectively and group D received 0.3 mL saline solution (0.9% NaCl) and group E remained un-injected) administration and observation. Results of first and second trial showed statistically (p0.05) when compared with the control groups. In trial 4, forelimb, hindlimb length, heart weight, CSI and HSI were statistically (p0.05). The mortality rate was increased with increase dose of DS and also affected the hatching. DS effect on chick embryos can be applied to humans because the early development of mammals and birds are closely related. So, it was concluded that DS should be used with caution during pregnancy especially during first trimester of pregnancy.

Abstract Background Our meta-analysis examines the effects of melatonin on wheat under varying abiotic stress conditions, focusing on photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf water status, and photosynthetic pigments. We initially collected 177 publications addressing the impact of melatonin on wheat. After meticulous screening, 31 published studies were selected, encompassing 170 observations on photosynthetic parameters, 73 on chlorophyll fluorescence, 65 on leaf water status, 240 on photosynthetic pigments. Results The analysis revealed significant heterogeneity across studies (I² > 99.90%) for the aforementioned parameters and evidence of publication bias, emphasizing the complex interaction between melatonin application and plant physiological responses. Melatonin enhanced the overall response ratio (lnRR) for photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance, transpiration rates, and fluorescence yields by 20.49, 22.39, 30.96, and 1.09%, respectively, compared to the control (no melatonin). The most notable effects were under controlled environmental conditions. Moreover, melatonin significantly improved leaf water content and reduced water potential, particularly under hydroponic conditions and varied abiotic stresses, highlighting its role in mitigating water stress. The analysis also revealed increases in chlorophyll pigments with soil drenching and foliar spray, and these were considered the effective application methods. Furthermore, melatonin influenced chlorophyll SPAD and intercellular CO2 concentrations, suggesting its capacity to optimize photosynthetic efficiency. Conclusions This synthesis of meta-analysis confirms that melatonin significantly enhances wheat’s resilience to abiotic stress by improving photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf water status, and photosynthetic pigments. Despite observed heterogeneity and publication bias, the consistent beneficial effects of melatonin, particularly under controlled conditions with specific application methods e.g. soil drenching and foliar spray, demonstrate its utility as a plant growth regulator for stress management. These findings encourage focused research and application strategies to maximize the benefits of melatonin in wheat farming, and thus contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.

Abstract The classification of locally rotationally symmetric Bianchi type V spacetime based on its killing vector fields is presented in this paper using an algebraic method. In this approach, a Maple algorithm is employed to transform the Killing’s equations into a reduced evolutive form. Subsequently, the integration of the Killing’s equations is carried out subject to the constraints provided by the algorithm. The algorithm demonstrates that there exist fifteen distinct metrics that could potentially possess Killing vector fields. Upon solving the Killing equations for all fifteen metrics, it is observed that seven out of the fifteen metrics exclusively exhibit the minimum number of Killing vector fields. The remaining eight metrics admit a varying number of Killing vector fields, specifically 6, 7, or 10. The Kretschmann scalar has been computed for each of the obtained metrics, revealing that all of them possess a finite Kretschmann scalar and thus exhibit regular behavior.

Companies with diverse product offerings rely on customer reviews to gauge product reception. Following a purchase, customers often share their opinions on the website. Prospective buyers, prior to deciding, typically peruse these reviews to inform their choices. Analysing such feedback, whether positive or negative, holds paramount importance for companies seeking to improve product quality. Researchers are actively exploring methods to categorize comments based on sentiment scores. Notably, customers may express their reviews in Arabic text. Despite challenges such as the structure and morphology of Arabic text, a scarcity of machine-readable Arabic dictionaries, and limited tools for handling Arabic text, minimal progress has been made in the analysis of Arabic reviews. While some attempts have been undertaken, they have achieved suboptimal accuracy. In response, the authors propose a hybrid deep learning model comprising a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) with GlobalMaxPooling. Through multiple iterations, the authors fine-tuned the proposed model and applied it to the publicly available Arabic Reviews dataset, achieving a notable 95% accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score. The results indicate that, when compared to alternative models, the proposed model exhibits superior accuracy.

Abstract Low-carbon steel (AISI 1010) is the predominant material used in industrial food processing equipment. Such equipment is vulnerable to the corrosive environment produced by various production stages. Different processes, such as sulphonation and carbonation, are used in the processing of sugar in the sugar industry, creating a corrosive atmosphere. The corrosion behavior of low carbon steel (AISI 1010) is strongly influenced by grain size variations, which in turn affect the microstructural mechanical properties of the material. The mechanical behavior and performance of metallic materials, including their corrosion resistance, is determined by grain size which is an important parameter for this phenomena. The impact of low-carbon steel (AISI 1010) microstructure on corrosion behavior is discussed in this work. Heat treatment produces two different types of microstructure from the same material, which are then analyzed. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) have both been used to study characteristics including morphology and content. By supplying an appropriate corrosive medium, the corrosion performance of several microstructures of low-carbon steel (AISI 1010) was assessed, and corrosion rates were calculated using weight-loss and electrochemical techniques. Results show that the creation of a protective coating with a higher charge transfer resistance is caused by the adsorption process. The variety in phases and grain sizes may contribute to the corrosion stability of different microstructures, and as a result, the corrosion rate lowers as average grain sizes are reduced. Employing the galvanic effect, pearlite increases the rate of ferrite corrosion. The study's findings support the notion that quenching low-carbon steel (AISI 1010) results in a finer grain structure and greater corrosion resistance.

Abstract Background Biochar is mainly used to enhance soil fertility, microbial activity, improve plant performance and reduce disease incidence. Methods A greenhouse experiment was designed to investigate the response of biochar on rhizosphere soil chemical properties, enzyme activity, microbial communities, and sugarcane Pokkah boeng disease (PB). Two sugarcane varieties Zhongzhe 9 (Z9) and ROC22, susceptible/resistant to PB, were cultivated and treated with: no biochar, 15 t ha−1 biochar, and 30 t ha−1 biochar. Results The amendment of 30 t ha−1 of biochar (B2) significantly improve soil pH by 1.50% and 9.61% compared with that of B1 and B0, followed by 0.51% increase by 15 t ha−1 of biochar (B1) compared with that of control (B0). The application of 15 t ha−1 biochar significantly increased available phosphorus (AP) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4 +–N) by 209.93 mg kg−1 and 12.1 mg kg−1, while the application of 30 t ha−1 of biochar significantly increased 241.04 mg kg−1 of available potassium (AK) (P

Abstract Background Malnutrition is a prevalent issue among older adults in long-term care facilities and is associated with adverse health outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Identifying the predictors of malnutrition in this population is crucial for developing effective intervention strategies. This study aimed to explore the factors contributing to malnourishment among older individuals living in long-term care facilities in Qatar. Methods This cross-sectional study included 75 older adults from two long-term care facilities (Rumailah Hospital and Enaya Specialized Care Center) in Qatar. Baseline characteristics, including age, sex, length of stay, mortality, weight, body mass index, co-morbidities, and laboratory parameters, were assessed. Data were analyzed using the most recent version of the SPSS software, version 29. Predictors of malnutrition and mortality were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results Of the 75 older individuals included in the study, 85% (64) were malnourished. The average age of the participants was 74.89 years, with a standard deviation of 10.21. Of all participants, approximately 61% (46) were males, and 39% (29) were females. Most malnourished older adults were classified as either at “moderate (29.69%)” or “severe risk (37.50%),” according to the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index. Malnourished participants experienced a significant percentage of weight change within 3 months (14.01 ± 7.89); the only statistically significant predictor of malnutrition was the percentage of weight change within 3 months with an odds ratio (OR) of 4.8 (confidence interval [CI] 1.56–14.75) and p-value of 0.006. Statistically significant predictors of mortality were malnutrition (OR 24.84, CI 1.09–564) and age (OR 1.07, CI 1.00–1.14). Conclusions A significant predictor of malnutrition in older adults identified in this study was the sudden and recent change in weight, which can be employed to detect individuals at risk early and guide tailored interventions. Malnutrition is a significant predictor of mortality. Employing a multidimensional strategy to tackle malnutrition can improve outcomes for the older individuals.

Abstract As the source of isoprenoid precursors, the plastidial methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway plays an essential role in plant development. Here, we report a novel rice (Oryza sativa L.) mutant ygl3 (yellow-green leaf3) that exhibits yellow-green leaves and lower photosynthetic efficiency compared to the wild type due to abnormal chloroplast ultrastructure and reduced chlorophyll content. Map-based cloning showed that YGL3, one of the major genes involved in the MEP pathway, encodes 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase, which is localized in the thylakoid membrane. A single base substitution in ygl3 plants resulted in lower 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase activity and lower contents of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) compared to the wild type. The transcript levels of genes involved in the syntheses of chlorophyll and thylakoid membrane proteins were significantly reduced in the ygl3 mutant compared to the wild type. The phytochrome interacting factor-like gene OsPIL11 regulated chlorophyll synthesis during the de-etiolation process by directly binding to the promoter of YGL3 to activate its expression. The findings provides a theoretical basis for understanding the molecular mechanisms by which the MEP pathway regulate chloroplast development in rice.

Background: Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus), a nematode with global prevalence, poses a major threat to the gastrointestinal health of sheep and goats. In an effort to combat this parasite, a nanovaccine was created using a recombinant ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) antigen encapsulated within poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA). This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of this nanovaccine in providing protection against H. contortus infection. Methods: Fifteen goats were randomly divided into three groups. The experimental group received two doses of the PLGA encapsulated rHcARF1 (rHcARF1-PLGA) nanovaccine on days 0 and 14. Fourteen days after the second immunization, both the experimental and positive control groups were challenged with 8000 infective larvae (L3) of H. contortus, while the negative control group remained unvaccinated and unchallenged. At the end of the experiment on the 63rd day, all animals were humanly euthanized. Results: The results showed that the experimental group had significantly higher levels of sera IgG, IgA, and IgE antibodies, as well as increased concentrations of cytokines, such as IL-4, IL-9, IL-17, and TGF-β, compared to the negative control group after immunization. Following the L3 challenge, the experimental group exhibited a 47.5% reduction in mean eggs per gram of feces (EPG) and a 55.7% reduction in worm burden as compared to the positive control group. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the nanovaccine expressing rHcARF1 offers significant protective efficacy against H. contortus infection in goats. The results also suggest the need for more precise optimization of the antigen dose or a reassessment of the vaccination regimen. Additionally, the small sample size limits the statistical rigor and the broader applicability of the findings.

Abstract Nitrogen (N) as an inorganic macronutrient is inevitable for plant growth, development, and biomass production. Many external factors and stresses, such as acidity, alkalinity, salinity, temperature, oxygen, and rainfall, affect N uptake and metabolism in plants. The uptake of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−) in plants mainly depends on soil properties. Under the sufficient availability of NO3− (>1 mM), low‐affinity transport system is activated by gene network NRT1, and under low NO3− availability (

Abstract Rainfall is crucial for the development and management of water resources. Six hybrid soft computing models, including multilayer perceptron (MLP)–Henry gas solubility optimization (HGSO), MLP–bat algorithm (MLP–BA), MLP–particle swarm optimization (MLP–PSO), radial basis neural network function (RBFNN)–HGSO, RBFNN–PSO, and RBFGNN–BA, were used in this study to forecast monthly rainfall at two stations in Malaysia (Sara and Banding). Different statistical measures (mean absolute error (MAE) and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and percentage of BIAS (PBIAS)) and a Taylor diagram were used to assess the models’ performance. The results indicated that the MLP–HGSO performed better than the other models in forecasting rainfall at both stations. In addition, transition matrices were computed for each station and year based on the conditional probability of rainfall or absence of rainfall on a given month. The values of MAE for testing processes for the MLP–HGSO, MLP–PSO, MLP–BA, RBFNN–HGSO, RBFNN–BA, and RBFNN–PSO at the first station were 0.712, 0.755, 0.765, 0.717, 0.865, and 0.891, while the corresponding NSE and PBIAS values were 0.90–0.23, 0.83–0.29, 0.85–0.25, 0.87–0.27, 0.81–0.31, and 0.80–0.35, respectively. For the second station, the values of MAE were found 0.711, 0.743, 0.742, 0.719, 0.863 and 0.890 for the MLP–HGSO, MLP–PSO, MLP–BA, RBFNN–HGSO, RBFNN–BA, and RBFNN–PSO during testing processes and the corresponding NSE–PBIAS values were 0.92–0.22, 0.85–0.28, 0.89–0.26, 0.91–0.25, 0.83–0.31, 0.82–0.32, respectively. Based on the outputs of the MLP–HGSO, the highest rainfall was recorded in 2012 with a probability of 0.72, while the lowest rainfall was recorded in 2006 with a probability of 0.52 at the Sara Station. In addition, the results indicated that the MLP–HGSO performed better than the other models within the Banding Station. According to the findings, the hybrid MLP–HGSO was selected as an effective rainfall prediction model.

Water is one of the essential natural resources for human beings. However, rising worldwide water demand and a significant decline in availability due to a lack of dynamic management and over-extraction have resulted in a complex scenario in terms of water availability. The current paper examines water resources and their management, methodologies, aims, and scope. Through the perspective of water resources and their management in Pakistan, 93 research publications were critically analyzed using a systematic review technique. The technique includes a systematic review of existing literature on water resource management, with particular emphasis on policy, governance, and environmental challenges. The study results demonstrate gaps and weaknesses in existing laws and regulations, alongside the threats to water resource management due to population expansion, urban development, climate change, and water contamination. To properly address these problems, the current study proposed a comprehensive framework for water resource management. This framework includes a national water policy that argues for sustainability and improves institutional strength. Infrastructure development, climate change adaptation, and examining social and environmental variables are all emphasized as important problems. Furthermore, it is essential to emphasize the importance of education and raising knowledge about water resource management among the general public and relevant stakeholders. By following these recommendations and the proposed OECD key principles on water governance, Pakistan may make significant progress towards achieving sustainable water management, aligning with its development objectives, and ensuring clean and safe water availability for future generations.

The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) stands out among the four surviving species of Asian pangolins, being the sole species present in Pakistan and listed as endangered owing to trafficking and illicit commerce. In the present study, we explored the population status of the Indian pangolin and the existing suitable habitats in Nowshera district, Pakistan. We employed the line transect method to confirm the species presence and subsequent population estimation. In a survey effort of 156 km2, a total of 56 signs of Indian pangolin were recorded within the research area. Amongst the 56 signs, 46 were burrows (living burrows (53.57%) and feeding burrows (28.57%)). Digging was observed nine (16.07%) times, along with one direct sighting (1.7%). Our results revealed a population estimate of only 29 pangolins in the Nowshera district, with a population density of 0.013 individuals/km2. Later, MaxEnt was applied to the species’ presence points, along with climatic and topographical variables. The MaxEnt model accuracy was good (AUC = 0.811). Of the total area studied, 210 km2 (12.01%) were highly suitable and 238 km2 (13.61%) were moderately suitable habitat for the Indian pangolin. To safeguard the fragile population and habitat of the Indian pangolin, we highly suggest strengthening watch and ward and law enforcement in the study area. By adopting a comprehensive approach that addresses both the direct threats to Indian pangolins and the underlying factors driving their decline, we can effectively protect this endangered species and ensure the preservation of its essential habitats for robust conservation.

Abstract Climate change has significantly affected agriculture production, particularly the rice crop that is consumed by almost half of the world’s population and contributes significantly to global food security. Rice is vulnerable to several abiotic and biotic stresses such as drought, heat, salinity, heavy metals, rice blast, and bacterial blight that cause huge yield losses in rice, thus threatening food security worldwide. In this regard, several plant breeding and biotechnological techniques have been used to raise such rice varieties that could tackle climate changes. Nowadays, gene editing (GE) technology has revolutionized crop improvement. Among GE technology, CRISPR/Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein) system has emerged as one of the most convenient, robust, cost-effective, and less labor-intensive system due to which it has got more popularity among plant researchers, especially rice breeders and geneticists. Since 2013 (the year of first application of CRISPR/Cas-based GE system in rice), several trait-specific climate-resilient rice lines have been developed using CRISPR/Cas-based GE tools. Earlier, several reports have been published confirming the successful application of GE tools for rice improvement. However, this review particularly aims to provide an updated and well-synthesized brief discussion based on the recent studies (from 2020 to present) on the applications of GE tools, particularly CRISPR-based systems for developing CRISPR rice to tackle the current alarming situation of climate change, worldwide. Moreover, potential limitations and technical bottlenecks in the development of CRISPR rice, and prospects are also discussed.

Geckos and their products have been used in Asian traditional medicine. Medicinal properties of desert-dwelling Gecko species, Crossobamon orientalis remain unexplored. In this study, natural bioactive macromolecules present in oil extracted from C. orientalis (COO) and their biological activities were evaluated. Chemical constitution of COO was explored by using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Antioxidant, antiviral, and antibacterial activities of COO extracts were assessed using various assays, including DPPH free-radical-protocol, HET-CAM method, in ovo-antiviral technique, and disc-diffusion method. GC-MS study reported 40 different compounds in COO. n-hexane and methanol extracts of COO demonstrated highest DPPH radical inhibition, with values of 70 and 63.3%, respectively. Extracts of COO in solvents, namely 1-butanol, methanol, diethyl ether, and n-hexane significantly inhibited the proliferation of four pathogenic viruses. Maximum zone of inhibition was observed for Escherichia coli (13.65 ± 0.57 mm). These findings suggest that COO possesses potent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties against viral and bacterial strains, thanks to its biologically active components having no side effects. Further studies are essential to isolate and identify individual bioactive compounds present in COO and to investigate their potential as therapeutic agents.

The utility of squeezingly driven stretching movement of non-Newtonian liquid to enhance the mechanical efficiency of a industrial processes, such as, extraction crude oil, cooling process of nuclear reactors, food processes, electronic chips manufacturing, pollution of ground water, fabrication of plastic materials, etc., is diverse. This inspires us to describe the mathematical stimulation of squeezed fluid flow via stretchable inclined wall. The non-Newtonian Casson fluid model is utilized here. The investigation related to heat and mass transport is pursued under the Cattaneo-Christov theory. Additionally, viscous dissipation and double stratification phenomena are also incorporated in the analysis of heat and mass transport. The governing equations are transformed under the appropriate variables. The convergent analytical solutions are acquired through homotopic technique. To notice the remarkable impacts of notable parameters on flow fields and skin friction coefficient, graphs have been plotted in two-dimensional axes. The values used for involved parameters are λh=Pr=λc=Sq=1.2,δ=ε=ε1=0.1,Gh=Gc=0.3,α=π/4,Re=0.2,β=1.0. The results depict that the dissipative effect increments the temperature distribution. Casson fluid parameter has decrementing impact in velocity field near the plates while opposite trend is witnessed apart from the plates. The current analysis incorporates numerous industrial and technological processes including pharmaceutical, petroleum related industries, marine engineering, nuclear up and down processes, etc.

Abstract Background Despite the great steadfastness that Syria has achieved in the face of more than a decade of stifling crisis followed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the heavy impacts of these long rough years are certain and crucial on the health and nutrition levels, specially on vulnerable groups like women and children. Moreover, the lack of research and data on health and nutritional status of children within Syria makes it very difficult to draw conclusions and act effectively. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate growth development and give an insight about the public health awareness and nutritional practices among Syrian primary schools children. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among private and public primary schools’ students aged 6 to 9 years old in Homs governorate in January to April 2021, anthropometric measures were taken and data assessment of socioeconomic background, nutritional practices, and health awareness was achieved by conducting two surveys answered by parents and students. Results We defined the total prevalence of obesity (11.8%), underweight (5.6%) and stunting (13.8%), with a significant increased in underweight and stunting prevalence ,(9%, 21.6%) respectively, among public schools’ students compared to private schools’ students. Differences in nutritional practices and health awareness were recorded between public and private schools’ students under socioeconomic impact. Conclusions This study contributes to evaluate the burden of crisis and COVID-19 pandemic on Syrian children growth and health practices in Syria. Improving health awareness and nutritional support among Syrian families to help children meet their growth needs is recommended. Moreover, additional research should be conducted to evaluate micro-nutrients deficiencies and provide appropriate medical support effectively.

Abstract Background Fatty acid desaturases (FADs) are involved in regulating plant fatty acid composition by adding double bonds to growing hydrocarbon chain. Apart from regulating fatty acid composition FADs are of great importance, and are involved in stress responsiveness, plant development, and defense mechanisms. FADs have been extensively studied in crop plants, and are broadly classed into soluble and non-soluble fatty acids. However, FADs have not yet been characterized in Brassica carinata and its progenitors. Results Here we have performed comparative genome-wide identification of FADs and have identified 131 soluble and 28 non-soluble FADs in allotetraploid B. carinata and its diploid parents. Most soluble FAD proteins are predicted to be resided in endomembrane system, whereas FAB proteins were found to be localized in chloroplast. Phylogenetic analysis classed the soluble and non-soluble FAD proteins into seven and four clusters, respectively. Positive type of selection seemed to be dominant in both FADs suggesting the impact of evolution on these gene families. Upstream regions of both FADs were enriched in stress related cis-regulatory elements and among them ABRE type of elements were in abundance. Comparative transcriptomic data analysis output highlighted that FADs expression reduced gradually in mature seed and embryonic tissues. Moreover, under heat stress during seed and embryo development seven genes remained up-regulated regardless of external stress. Three FADs were only induced under elevated temperature whereas five genes were upregulated under Xanthomonas campestris stress suggesting their involvement in abiotic and biotic stress response. Conclusions The current study provides insights into the evolution of FADs and their role in B. carinata under stress conditions. Moreover, the functional characterization of stress-related genes would exploit their utilization in future breeding programs of B. carinata and its progenitors.

This study, utilizing high-throughput technologies and Machine Learning (ML), has identified gene biomarkers and molecular signatures in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). We could identify significant upregulated or downregulated genes in IBD patients by comparing gene expression levels in colonic specimens from 172 IBD patients and 22 healthy individuals using the GSE75214 microarray dataset. Our ML techniques and feature selection methods revealed six Differentially Expressed Gene (DEG) biomarkers (VWF, IL1RL1, DENND2B, MMP14, NAAA, and PANK1) with strong diagnostic potential for IBD. The Random Forest (RF) model demonstrated exceptional performance, with accuracy, F1-score, and AUC values exceeding 0.98. Our findings were rigorously validated with independent datasets (GSE36807 and GSE10616), further bolstering their credibility and showing favorable performance metrics (accuracy: 0.841, F1-score: 0.734, AUC: 0.887). Our functional annotation and pathway enrichment analysis provided insights into crucial pathways associated with these dysregulated genes. DENND2B and PANK1 were identified as novel IBD biomarkers, advancing our understanding of the disease. The validation in independent cohorts enhances the reliability of these findings and underscores their potential for early detection and personalized treatment of IBD. Further exploration of these genes is necessary to fully comprehend their roles in IBD pathogenesis and develop improved diagnostic tools and therapies. This study significantly contributes to IBD research with valuable insights, potentially greatly enhancing patient care.

Flooding and drought are the two most devastating natural hazards limiting maize production. Exogenous glycinebetaine (GB), an osmotic adjustment agent, has been extensively used but there is limited research on its role in mitigating the negative effects of different abiotic stresses. This study aims to identify the different roles of GB in regulating the diverse defense regulation of maize against drought and flooding. Hybrids of Yindieyu 9 and Heyu 397 grown in pots in a ventilated greenhouse were subjected to flooding (2–3 cm standing layer) and drought (40–45% field capacity) at the three-leaf stage for 8 d. The effects of different concentrations of foliar GB (0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mM) on the physiochemical attributes and growth of maize were tested. Greater drought than flooding tolerance in both varieties to combat oxidative stress was associated with higher antioxidant activities and proline content. While flooding decreased superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase (POD) activities and proline content compared to normal water, they all declined with stress duration, leading to a larger reactive oxygen species compared to drought. It was POD under drought stress and ascorbate peroxidase under flooding stress that played crucial roles in tolerating water stress. Foliar GB further enhanced antioxidant ability and contributed more effects to POD to eliminate more hydrogen peroxide than the superoxide anion, promoting growth, especially for leaves under water stress. Furthermore, exogenous GB made a greater increment in Heyu 397 than Yindieyu 9, as well as flooding compared to drought. Overall, a GB concentration of 5.0 mM, with a non-toxic effect on well-watered maize, was determined to be optimal for the effective mitigation of water-stress damage to the physiochemical characteristics and growth of maize.

There are numerous applications related to engineering and industrial manufacturing and processing in which the boundary-driven hydromagnetic flow of non-Newtonian fluids play a vital role. Examples includes glass fiber, electronic devices, paper production, medical equipment, filaments, polymer sheets and medicine. Researchers investigated the heat transportation in fluid flows with linear stratification. However, linear stratification fails when there exists large temperature difference between different bodies. Owing to such facts, here our aim is to explore the features of convective heat model in Casson fluid flow with inclined magnetic field with exponential stratification deformed by linearly stretchable inclined sheet. Characteristics of heat transportations are formulated and investigated through viscous dissipation and heat generation. The reduced non-linear governing expressions are solved analytically by homotopic technique. Analysis of velocity and temperature are comprehensively demonstrated through graphs. Further, rate of heat transfer and drag force are computed graphically via various parameters. It is concluded that inclination and magnetic parameters diminish the flow velocity gradually. Further, temperature field intensifies when Biot number is enlarged while it decays with increasing thermal stratification. It is hoped that the present study will help us to form the homogeneous mixtures of fluids at industrial and biomedical levels especially in food liquids, medical syrups, and medicines.

Handling missing values is a critical component of the data processing in hydrological modeling. The key objective of this research is to assess statistical techniques (STs) and artificial intelligence-based techniques (AITs) for imputing missing daily rainfall values and recommend a methodology applicable to the mountainous terrain of northern Thailand. In this study, 30 years of daily rainfall data was collected from 20 rainfall stations in northern Thailand and randomly 25–35 % of data was deleted from four target stations based on Spearman correlation coefficient between the target and neighboring stations. Imputation models were developed on training and testing datasets and statistically evaluated by mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R2), and correlation coefficient (r). This study used STs, including arithmetic averaging (AA), multiple linear regression (MLR), normal-ratio (NR), nonlinear iterative partial least squares (NIPALS) algorithm, and linear interpolation was used. • STs results were compared with AITs, including long-short-term-memory recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN), M5 model tree (M5-MT), multilayer perceptron neural networks (MLPNN), support vector regression with polynomial and radial basis function SVR-poly and SVR-RBF. • The findings revealed that MLR imputation model achieved an average MAE of 0.98, RMSE of 4.52, and R2 was about 79.6 % at all target stations. On the other hand, for the M5-MT model, the average MAE was 0.91, RMSE was about 4.52, and R2 was around 79.8 % compared to other STs and AITs. M5-MT was most prominent among AITs. Notably, the MLR technique stood out as a recommended approach due to its ability to deliver good estimation results while offering a transparent mechanism and not necessitating prior knowledge for model creation.

Objectives: To determine the frequency of bacterial infections and their sensitivity to various antibiotics in paediatric cancer patients having chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Paediatric Oncology ward, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jul 2018 to Jan 2019. Methodology: A total of 205 children aged one year to 12 years undergoing chemotherapy and having neutropenic fever were included. Complete history, full physical examination and related blood, microbiological and radiological investigations were undertaken. Antibiotics were given as per protocol. Results: In our study, the bacterial infections in paediatric cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia was found in 45(21.95%) patients. Of these, gram-positive organisms were found in 25(55.5%) patients and gram-negative in 20(44.4%). Conclusion: The frequency of bacterial infections in paediatric patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia is quite high, with a high percentage of gram-positive bacteria.

This controlled pot experiment aimed to assess the effectiveness of garlic extract as a natural aphid control agent on infected tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum). The study investigated the impact of different doses of garlic extract on plant height, leaf damage, fruit production, and overall yield. The garlic extract was prepared by diluting crushed garlic bulbs with water to achieve the desired concentrations. The experiment employed a randomized complete block design with four treatment groups: a control group (0%), low dose (10%), medium dose (30%), and high dose (50%) of garlic extract. The treatments were applied using a handheld sprayer, and the plants were monitored for aphid populations using visual inspection and sticky traps. Data collected were subjected to statistical analysis, including analysis of variance (ANOVA), to determine significant differences between treatments. The results revealed that higher doses of garlic extract led to increased plant height, decrease in leaf damage caused by aphids, higher fruit production, and improved overall yield. The control group exhibited the lowest values for all parameters, while treatments with garlic extract showed significant improvements. The highest yields were observed in Treatment 50%, where plants treated with the highest dose of garlic extract yielded 41.2 kg per treatment. These findings demonstrate the potential of garlic extract as an effective aphid control agent, capable of enhancing tomato crop yield and economic returns for farmers.

Lodging in maize leads to yield losses worldwide. In this study, we determined the effects of traditional and optimized nitrogen management strategies on culm morphological characteristics, culm mechanical strength, lignin content, root growth, lodging percentage and production in maize at a high plant density. We compared a traditional nitrogen (N) application rate of 300 kg ha−1 (R) and an optimized N application rate of 225 kg ha−1 (O) under four N application modes: 50% of N applied at sowing and 50% at the 10th-leaf stage (N1); 100% of N applied at sowing (N2); 40% of N applied at sowing, 40% at the 10th-leaf stage and 20% at tasseling stage (N3); and 30% of N applied at sowing, 30% at the 10th-leaf stage, 20% at the tasseling stage, and 20% at the silking stage (N4). The optimized N rate (225 kg ha−1) significantly reduced internode lengths, plant height, ear height, center of gravity height and lodging percentage. The optimized N rate significantly increased internode diameters, filling degrees, culm mechanical strength, root growth and lignin content. The application of N in four split doses (N4) significantly improved culm morphological characteristics, culm mechanical strength, lignin content, and root growth, while it reduced internode lengths, plant height, ear height, center of gravity height and lodging percentage. Internode diameters, filling degrees, culm mechanical strength, lignin content, number and diameter of brace roots, root volume, root dry weight, bleeding safe and grain yield were significantly negatively correlated with plant height, ear height, center of gravity height, internode lengths and lodging percentage. In conclusion, treatment ON4 significantly reduced the lodging percentage by improving the culm morphological characteristics, culm mechanical strength, lignin content, and root growth, so it improved the production of the maize crop at a high plant density.

We studied variations in the volume of water stored in small lakes and wetlands using satellite remote sensing and lake water height data contributed by citizen scientists. A total of 94 water bodies across the globe were studied using satellite data in the optical and microwave wavelengths from Landsat 8, Sentinel-1, and Sentinel-2. The uncertainty in volume estimation as a function of geography and geophysical factors, such as cloud cover, precipitation, and water surface temperature, was studied. The key finding that emerged from this global study is that uncertainty is highest in regions with a distinct precipitation season, such as in the monsoon dominated South Asia or the Pacific Northwestern region of the USA. This uncertainty is further compounded when small lakes and wetlands are seasonal with alternating land use as a water body and agricultural land, such as the wetlands of Northeastern Bangladesh. On an average, 45% of studied lakes could be estimated of their volume change with a statistical significant uncertainty that is less than the expected volume in South Asia. In North America, this statistically significant uncertainty in volume estimation was found to be around 50% in lakes eastward of the 108th meridian with lowest uncertainty found in lakes along the East coast of the USA. The article provides a baseline for understanding the current state of the art in estimating volumetric change of lakes and wetlands using citizen science in anticipation of the recently launched Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission.

This study details the irradiation of pure (99.995%) and immaculate metallic Zinc using Nd: YAG laser (1064 nm, 10 mJ, 9–14 ns). The influence and impact of multiple laser shots on the formation of microstructures and crystal structure orientations is assessed. Arrays of ablated craters are machined on the whole surface of the target to probe the electrical and topographical characteristics of laser-treated surfaces. Irradiated samples are examined by multiple characterizing techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a four-point probe for electrical conductivity measurements. SEM and AFM analysis exhibited the formation of laser-induced ripple structures with periodicity sheerly dependent on laser shots. A comparison of surface topography of the virgin and treated samples disclosed a pronounced modification in surface texture. The XRD patterns of laser shined targets indicate no momentous structural change in the crystal structure, whereas the measurements on the electrical conductivity of the irradiated surfaces exhibit an exponential descending trend with an augmentation in laser shots.

Abstract Main goal of the JUNO experiment is to determine the neutrino mass ordering using a 20 kt liquid-scintillator detector. Its key feature is an excellent energy resolution of at least 3% at 1 MeV, for which its instruments need to meet a certain quality and thus have to be fully characterized. More than 20,000 20-inch PMTs have been received and assessed by JUNO after a detailed testing program which began in 2017 and elapsed for about four years. Based on this mass characterization and a set of specific requirements, a good quality of all accepted PMTs could be ascertained. This paper presents the performed testing procedure with the designed testing systems as well as the statistical characteristics of all 20-inch PMTs intended to be used in the JUNO experiment, covering more than fifteen performance parameters including the photocathode uniformity. This constitutes the largest sample of 20-inch PMTs ever produced and studied in detail to date, i.e. 15,000 of the newly developed 20-inch MCP-PMTs from Northern Night Vision Technology Co. (NNVT) and 5000 of dynode PMTs from Hamamatsu Photonics K. K.(HPK).

Abstract Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease that compromises the skin's barrier function and capacity to retain moisture. Cnidii Fructus (CF), the dried fruits of Cnidium monnieri, has long been used to treat atopic dermatitis (AD) in China. However, the anti-AD compounds and mechanisms of CF are not fully understood. In this study, we evaluated the active compounds and molecular targets of CF in treating AD. Methods The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database was used to acquire information regarding the compounds that occur in the herb. Targets of these compounds were predicted using the SwissTargetPrediction website tool. AD-related genes were collected from the GeneCards database. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analysis of proteins that are targeted by active compounds of CF and encoded by AD-related genes were performed using Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery Bioinformatics Resources. A “compound-target” network was constructed and analyzed using Cytoscape Software. Molecular docking was performed using BIOVIA Discovery Studio Visualizer and AutoDock Vina. Results We identified 19 active compounds in CF, 532 potential targets for these compounds, and 1540 genes related to AD. Results of GO enrichment indicated that CF affects biological processes and molecular functions, such as inflammatory response and steroid hormone receptor activity, which may be associated with its anti-AD effects. KEGG pathway analyses showed that PI3K-Akt signaling, calcium signaling, Rap1 signaling, and cAMP signaling pathways are the main pathways involved in the anti-AD effects of CF. Molecular docking analyses revealed that the key active compounds in CF, such as (E)-2,3-bis(2-keto-7-methoxy-chromen-8-yl)acrolein, ar-curcumene, and diosmetin, can bind the main therapeutic targets AKT1, SRC, MAPK3, EGFR, CASP3, and PTGS2. Conclusions Results of the present study establish a foundation for further investigation of the anti-AD compounds and mechanisms of CF and provide a basis for developing modern anti-AD agents based on compounds that occur in CF.

Soil microbial activity (SMA) is vital concerning carbon cycling, and its functioning is recognized as the primary factor in modifying soil carbon storage potential. The composition of the microbial community (MC) is significant in sustaining environmental services because the structure and activity of MC also influence nutrient turnover, distribution, and the breakdown rate of soil organic matter. SMA is an essential predictor of soil quality alterations, and microbiome responsiveness is imperative in addressing the escalating sustainability concerns in the Himalayan ecosystem. This study was conducted to evaluate the response of soil microbial and enzyme activities to land conversions in the Northwestern Himalayas (NWH), India. Soil samples were collected from five land use systems (LUSs), including forest, pasture, apple, saffron, and paddy-oilseed, up to a depth of 90 cm. The results revealed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in terms of dehydrogenase (9.97–11.83 TPF µg g−1 day−1), acid phosphatase (22.40–48.43 µg P-NP g−1 h−1), alkaline phosphatase (43.50–61.35 µg P-NP g−1 h−1), arylsulphatase (36.33–48.12 µg P-NP g−1 h−1), fluorescein diacetate hydrolase (12.18–21.59 µg g−1 h−1), bacterial count (67.67–123.33 CFU × 106 g−1), fungal count (19.33–67.00 CFU × 105 g−1), and actinomycetes count (12.00–42.33 CFU × 104 g−1), with the highest and lowest levels in forest soils and paddy-oilseed soils, respectively. Soil enzyme activities and microbial counts followed a pattern: forest > pasture > apple > saffron > paddy-oilseed at all three depths. Paddy-oilseed soils exhibited up to 35% lower enzyme activities than forest soils, implying that land conversion facilitates the depletion of microbiome diversity from surface soils. Additionally, reductions of 49.80% and 62.91% were observed in enzyme activity and microbial counts, respectively, with soil depth (from 0–30 to 60–90 cm). Moreover, the relationship analysis (principal component analysis and correlation) revealed a high and significant (p = 0.05) association between soil microbial and enzyme activities and physicochemical attributes. These results suggest that land conversions need to be restricted to prevent microbiome depletion, reduce the deterioration of natural resources, and ensure the sustainability of soil health.

Clustering is a machine learning technique that groups data samples based on similarity and identifies outliers with distinct features. Density-based clustering outperforms other methods because it can handle arbitrary shapes of clustering distributions. However, it has a limitation of requiring empirical values for the cluster center and the nominal distance between the cluster center and other data points. These values affect the accuracy and the number of clusters obtained by the algorithm. This paper proposes a solution to optimize these parameters using Harris’ hawks optimization (HHO), an efficient optimization technique that balances exploration and exploitation and avoids stagnation in later iterations. The proposed HHO-tuned density-based clustering achieves better performance as compared to other optimizers used in this work. This research also provides a reference for designing efficient clustering techniques for complex-shaped datasets.

The physics potential of detecting ^8 B solar neutrinos will be exploited at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), in a model-independent manner by using three distinct channels of the charged current (CC), neutral current (NC), and elastic scattering (ES) interactions. Due to the largest-ever mass of ^13 C nuclei in the liquid scintillator detectors and the expected low background level, ^8 B solar neutrinos are observable in the CC and NC interactions on ^13 C for the first time. By virtue of optimized event selections and muon veto strategies, backgrounds from the accidental coincidence, muon-induced isotopes, and external backgrounds can be greatly suppressed. Excellent signal-to-background ratios can be achieved in the CC, NC, and ES channels to guarantee the observation of the ^8 B solar neutrinos. From the sensitivity studies performed in this work, we show that JUNO, with 10 yr of data, can reach the 1 σ precision levels of 5%, 8%, and 20% for the ^8 B neutrino flux, ${\sin }^{2}{\theta }_{12}$ , and ${\rm{\Delta }}{m}_{21}^{2}$ , respectively. Probing the details of both solar physics and neutrino physics would be unique and helpful. In addition, when combined with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory measurement, the world's best precision of 3% is expected for the measurement of the ^8 B neutrino flux.

Current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of important land uses and soil depth on soil organic carbon pools viz. total organic carbon, Walkley and black carbon, labile organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon and carbon management index (CMI) in the north Western Himalayas, India. Soil samples from five different land uses viz. forest, pasture, apple, saffron and paddy-oilseed were collected up to a depth of 1 m (0–30, 30–60, 60–90 cm). The results revealed that regardless of soil depth, all the carbon pools differed significantly (p

IntroductionAutophagy not only plays an antiviral role but also can be utilized by viruses to facilitate virus infection. However, the underlying mechanism of potato virus Y (PVY) infection against plant autophagy remains unclear. BI-1, localizing to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), is a multifunctional protein and may affect the virus infection.MethodsIn this study, Y2H, BiFC, qRT-PCR, RNA-Seq, WB and so on were used for research.ResultsP3 and P3N-PIPO of PVY can interact with the Bax inhibitor 1 (BI-1) of N. benthamiana. However, BI-1 knockout mutant showed better growth and development ability. In addition, when the BI-1 gene was knocked out or knocked down in N. benthamiana, the PVY-infected mutant showed milder symptoms and lower virus accumulation. Analysis of transcriptome data showed that the deletion of NbBI-1 weakened the gene expression regulation induced by PVY infection and NbBI-1 may reduce the mRNA level of NbATG6 by regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD) in PVY-infected N. benthamiana. The expression level of the ATG6 gene of PVY-infected WT was significantly down-regulated, relative to the PVY-infected mutant. Further results showed that ATG6 of N. benthamiana can degrade NIb, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of PVY. NbATG6 has a higher mRNA level in PVY-infected BI-1 knockout mutants than in PVY-infected WT.ConclussionThe interaction of P3 and/or P3N-PIPO of PVY with BI-1 decrease the expression of the ATG6 gene might be mediated by RIDD, which inhibits the degradation of viral NIb and enhances viral replication.

Objective: To compare the effects of Mulligan traction straight leg raise and passive straight leg raise in patientsVwith lumbar radiculopathy. Study Design: Randomized Control Trial. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted from 2 February 2017 to 30 June2017 at NationalVInstitute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Islamabad. Materials and Methods: A total of 38 patients of either gender with age range of 40 to 60 years with low back pain and lumbar radiculopathy were recruited in the study and they were randomly allocated in to two groups through lottery method, Traction straight leg raise, and Passive straight leg raise group. Patients with spinal surgeries and fractures were excluded from the study. Conventional physiotherapy treatments including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, hot pack, stretching and strengthening exercises were given to all patients. Traction Straight leg raise Technique was performed on patients of experimental group and Passive Straight leg raise was performed on control group. Patients were assessed on baseline and after 4 weeks through Numeric pain rating scale, Oswestry disability index, and goniometer. Treatment duration was of 4 weeks with 2 sessions per week. Results: Mean age of all patients was 53.60 ± 3.82. Experimental group showed much reduction in pain with pre median =6(1) and post median=2(1) as compared to control group pain with pre median= 6(1) and post median=4(1) on pain scale. Traction Straight leg raise also showed significant improvement in Range of motion with pre median=50(10) and post median=70(10) of experimental group as compared to SLR of control group with pre median= 50(15) and post median= 60(10). Statistically both groups showed improvement, but experimental group improvement was more significant. Conclusion: Traction straight leg raise is more effective than Passive straight leg raises in decreasing pain and improving range of motion in patients with lumbar radiculopathy.

Abstract We study damping signatures at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), a medium-baseline reactor neutrino oscillation experiment. These damping signatures are motivated by various new physics models, including quantum decoherence, ν 3 decay, neutrino absorption, and wave packet decoherence. The phenomenological effects of these models can be characterized by exponential damping factors at the probability level. We assess how well JUNO can constrain these damping parameters and how to disentangle these different damping signatures at JUNO. Compared to current experimental limits, JUNO can significantly improve the limits on τ 3/m 3 in the ν 3 decay model, the width of the neutrino wave packet σ x , and the intrinsic relative dispersion of neutrino momentum σ rel.

NRL3 is essential for the growth and development of rice leaves. In this study, we found that the loss function of NRL3 also delayed heading date under natural long daylight and short daylight conditions. The yeast two-hybrid and the bimolecular fluorescence complementation proved that NRL3 interacts with OsK4, a Snf1-related kinase. OsK4 localized to the nucleus and expressed in various rice tissues. The rhythmic expression pattern of OsK4 was similar to NRL3 under long daylight and short daylight conditions. Knock-out mutants of OsK4 exhibited early heading under long daylight conditions, indicating that it acts as a negative regulator of heading date in rice. Interestingly, the OsK4 mutant under the nrl3 mutant background rescued the late heading phenotype of nrl3 under long daylight conditions, suggesting that OsK4 functions downstream of NRL3. Moreover, both NRL3 and OsK4 controlled heading date through regulating the expression of Hd3a and RFT1 genes. These findings shed light on the heading date regulation in rice and provide a sound theoretical base to improve regional adaptability of rice.

Abstract Direct sewage discharge could cause copious numbers of serious and irreversible harm to the environment. This study investigated the impacts of treated and raw sewage on the river ecosystem. Through our analysis, sewage carried various nutrients into the river, leading to changes in the microbial community in the river and reducing the diversity and richness of bacteria. The relative abundances of Hydrogenophaga, Thauera, Planctomyces, Zoogloea, and Pseudomonas boosted from 0.25, 0.01, 0.00, 0.05, and 0.08% to 3.33, 3.43, 0.02, 6.28, and 2.69%, before and after raw sewage discharge, respectively. The gene abundance of pathogenic bacteria significantly increased after raw sewage discharge. For instance, the gene abundance of Vibrio, Helicobacter, Tuberculosis, and Staphylococcus augmented from 4055, 3797, 13,545, 33 reads at Site-1 to 23,556, 13,163, 19,887, 734 reads at Site-2, respectively. In addition, according to the redundancy analysis (RDA), the infectious pathogens were positively related to the environmental parameters, in which COD showed the highest positive correlation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Additionally, river self-purification may contribute to improving water quality and reducing pathogenicity. The outcomes of this study showed that direct discharge brought pathogens and changed microbial community structure of the river.

Abstract This study aimed to access the influence of rice flour incorporation on various quality attributes of low-gluten wheat-based pretzels viz., functional, rheological, starch digestibility, color, textural and sensorial properties. Significant increase in swelling power (18.33 ± 0.51) and bulk density (0.58 ± 0.04) was observed in flour blend upon incorporation of rice flour, whereas, significant decrease in oil absorption capacity (0.62 ± 0.09), solubility index (6.72 ± 0.17), foaming capacity (9.67 ± 0.34), and foaming stability (3.39 ± 0.15) was recorded. Pasting properties of samples were studied using a Rapid Visco Analyser which indicated that all the pasting properties increased with an increase in rice flour incorporation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies revealed no difference in the basic functional groups of flour blend upon the incorporation of rice flour, however, it had a pronounced effect on elastic modulus (G′) of flour blend. In vitro starch digestion characteristics revealed 7.23% surge in slowly digestible starch and 13.36% reduction in rapidly digestible starch of developed low-gluten pretzels upon the incorporation of rice flour. Apparent amylose content (27.3 ± 1.45) and resistant starch content (6.12 ± 0.97) increased and starch digestibility index (69.87 ± 1.72) decreased in developed low-gluten pretzels. In conclusion, the developed low-gluten pretzels had significantly (p