Effect of the Application of Ochrobactrum sp.-Immobilised Biochar on the Remediation of Diesel-Contaminated Soil.

The immobilisation of bacteria on biochar has shown potential for enhanced remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of bacterial immobilisation on biosolids-derived biochar for the remediation of diesel-contaminated soil. This current study aimed to assess the impact of the immobilisation of an autochthonous hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria, Ochrobacterium sp. (BIB) on biosolids-derived biochar for the remediation of diesel-contaminated soil. Additionally, the effect of fertiliser application on the efficacy of the BIB treatment was investigated. Biochar (BC) application alone led to significantly higher hydrocarbon removal than the control treatment at all sampling times (4887-11,589 mg/kg higher). When Ochrobacterium sp. was immobilised on biochar (BIB), the hydrocarbon removal was greater than BC by 5533 mg/kg and 1607 mg/kg at weeks 10 and 22, respectively. However, when BIB was co-applied with fertiliser (BIBF), hydrocarbon removal was lower than BIB alone by 6987-11,767 mg/kg. Quantitative PCR (q-PCR) analysis revealed that the gene related to Ochrobacterium sp. was higher in BIB than in the BC treatment, which likely contributed to higher hydrocarbon removal in the BIB treatment. The results of the q-PCR analysis for the presence of alkB genes and FTIR analysis suggest that the degradation of alkane contributed to hydrocarbon removal. The findings of this study demonstrate that bacterial immobilisation on biosolids-derived biochar is a promising technique for the remediation of diesel-contaminated soil. Future studies should focus on optimising the immobilisation process for enhanced hydrocarbon removal.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the brief assessment of recovery capital (BARC-10) scale into Bangla.

Recovery capital is a construct central to the substance use disorder treatment and recovery field. Lack of structured instrument for its assessment in the local context necessitated the translation of the English self-assessment version of the "Brief Assessment of Recovery Capital" (BARC-10) scale to Bangla and the study of its psychometric properties. The objective was to develop a culturally adapted and validated Bangla version of the BARC-10 scale for substance use disorders patients. This study conducted in the period of January 2021 to March 2022 in the department of Psychiatry of a tertiary hospital and central drug addiction treatment center. Initially BARC-10 questionnaire was translated into Bangla (T1 and T2) by 2 separate translators and then synthesis of a single version (T12) was done based on the previous translations. After that 2 back translations (BT1 and BT2) were done by 2 more translators based on the synthesized version (T12). By reviewing all these forward and backward translations, an expert committee made the pre-final version after making some linguistic modification. Then data collection was done among 100 subjects who were selected purposively. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach alpha. Content validity, face validity and Construct validity by factor analysis were measured. Internal consistency measured by Cronbach alpha found was 0.846. No significant change in Cronbach alpha was observed following deleting any item. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit to data by a chi-square/df value1.33, RMSEA value 0.058. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value (.840) showed sampling adequacy. Exploratory factor analysis of the principal component identified 2 factors which had eigenvalues of more than 1. Scree plot also revealed similar factors. These 2 factors together explained 53.1% of the variance. All items were loaded under 2 factors after varimax rotation. The validated Bangla version of the BARC-10 demonstrated high internal reliability and validity. It can potentially be applied in "recovery-oriented" deaddiction service.

On the mechanism of visible-light sensitized photosulfoxidation of toluidine blue O.

We report on the formation of toluidine blue O (TBO) sulfoxide by a self-sensitized photooxidation of TBO. Here, the photosulfoxidation process was studied by mass spectrometry (MS) and discussed in the context of photodemethylation processes which both contribute to TBO consumption over time. Analysis of solvent effects with D2 O, H2 O, and CH3 CN along with product yields and MS fragmentation patterns provided mechanistic insight into TBO sulfoxide's formation. The formation of TBO sulfoxide is minor and detectable up to 12% after irradiation of 3 h. The photosulfoxidation process is dependent on oxygen wherein instead of a type II (singlet oxygen, 1 O2 ) reaction, a type I reaction involving TBO to reach the TBO sulfoxide is consistent with the results. Density functional theory results point to the formation of the TBO sulfoxide by the oxidation of TBO via transiently formed peroxyl radical or thiadioxirane intermediates. We discover that the TBO photosulfoxidation arises competitively with TBO photodemethylation with the latter leading to formaldehyde formation.

SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection by saliva; an alternative to nasopharyngeal specimen: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Saliva samples are less invasive and more convenient for patients than naso- and/or oropharynx swabs (NOS). However, there is no US Food and Drug Administration-approved severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapid antigen test kit, which can be useful in a prolonged pandemic to reduce transmission by allowing suspected individuals to self-sampling. We evaluated the performances of High sensitive AQ+ Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test (AQ+ kit) using nasopharyngeal swabs (NPs) and saliva specimens from the same patients in laboratory conditions. Methods: The real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) test result was used for screening the inrolled individuals and compared as the gold standard. NP and saliva samples were collected from 100 rRT-PCR positives and 100 negative individuals and tested with an AQ+ kit. Results: The AQ+ kit showed good performances in both NP and saliva samples with an overall accuracy of 98.5% and 94.0%, and sensitivity of 97.0% and 88.0%, respectively. In both cases, specificity was 100%. AQ+ kit performance with saliva was in the range of the World Health Organization recommended value. Conclusion: xOur findings indicate that the saliva specimen can be used as an alternative and less invasive to NPs for quick and reliable SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection.

Discharge against medical advice in Special Care Newborn Unit in Chattogram, Bangladesh: Prevalence, causes and predictors.

INTRODUCTION: Discharge against medical advice (DAMA) is an unexpected event for patients and healthcare personnel. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of DAMA in neonates along with characteristics of neonates who got DAMA and, causes and predictors of DAMA. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This case-control study was carried out in Special Care Newborn Unit (SCANU) at Chittagong Medical College Hospital from July 2017 to December 2017. Clinical and demographic characteristics of neonates with DAMA were compared with that of discharged neonates. The causes of DAMA were identified by a semi-structured questionnaire. Predictors of DAMA were determined using a logistic regression model with a 95% confidence interval. A total of 6167 neonates were admitted and 1588 got DAMA. Most of the DAMA neonates were male (61.3%), term (74.7%), outborn (69.8%), delivered vaginally (65.7%), and had standard weight at admission (54.3%). A significant relationship (p < 0.001) was found between the variables of residence, place of delivery, mode of delivery, gestational age, weight at admission, and day and time of outcome with the type of discharge. False perceptions of wellbeing (28.7%), inadequate facilities for mothers (14.5%), and financial problems (14.1%) were the prevalent causes behind DAMA. Predictors of DAMA were preterm gestation (AOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.07-1.7, p = 0.013), vaginal delivery (AOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.31-1.86, p < 0.001), timing of outcome after office hours (AOR 477.15, 95% CI 236-964.6, p < 0.001), and weekends (AOR 2.55, 95% CI 2.06-3.17, p < 0.001). Neonates suffering from sepsis (AOR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.7, p< 0.001), Respiratory Distress Syndrome (AOR 3.1, 95% CI 1.9-5.2, p< 0.001), prematurity without other complications (AOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.45-3.1, p < 0.001) or who were referred from north-western districts (AOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.13-1.95, p = 0.004) had higher odds for DAMA. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of predictors and reasons behind DAMA may provide opportunities to improve the hospital environment and service related issues so that such vulnerable neonates can complete their treatment. We should ensure better communication with parents, provide provision for mothers' corner, especially for outborn neonates, maintain a standard ratio of neonates and healthcare providers, and adopt specific DAMA policy by the hospital authority.

Nasal swab as an alternative specimen for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Background and Aims: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought serious threats to public health worldwide. Nasopharyngeal, nasal swabs, and saliva specimens are used to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, limited data are available on the performance of less invasive nasal swab for testing COVID-19. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of nasal swabs with nasopharyngeal swabs using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) considering viral load, onset of symptoms, and disease severity. Methods: A total of 449 suspected COVIDCOVID-19 individuals were recruited. Both nasopharyngeal and nasal swabs were collected from the same individual. Viral RNA was extracted and tested by real-time RT-PCR. Metadata were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS and MedCalc software. Results: The overall sensitivity of the nasopharyngeal swab was 96.6%, and the nasal swab was 83.4%. The sensitivity of nasal swabs was more than 97.7% for low and moderate C t values. Moreover, the performance of nasal swab was very high (>87%) for hospitalized patients and at the later stage >7 days of onset of symptoms. Conclusion: Less invasive nasal swab sampling with adequate sensitivity can be used as an alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by real-time RT-PCR.

Insight into the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of biostimulating effect of Ascophyllum nodosum and Moringa oleifera extracts to minimize cadmium-induced oxidative stress in rice.

Cadmium (Cd) is a serious threat for environmental sustainability as it can be taken up quickly by plants and transported to the food chain of living organisms. It alters plants' metabolic and physiological activities and causes yield loss, thereby, enhancing plant tolerance to Cd stress is of utmost essential. Therefore, an experiment was executed to investigate the potential role of Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE) and moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf extract (MLE) to confer Cd tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa cv. BRRI dhan89). Thirty-five-day-old seedling was subjected to Cd stress (50 mg kg-1 CdCl2) alone and in a combination of ANE (0.25%) or MLE (0.5%) in a semi-controlled net house. Exposure to Cd resulted in accelerated production of reactive oxygen species, enhanced lipid peroxidation, and disrupted antioxidant defense and glyoxalase system, thus retarded plant growth, biomass production, and yield attributes of rice. On the contrary, the supplementation of ANE or MLE enhanced the contents of ascorbate and glutathione, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase. Moreover, supplementation of ANE and MLE enhanced the activities of glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II which prevented the overgeneration of methylglyoxal in Cd stressed rice plants. Thus, because of ANE and MLE addition Cd-induced rice plants showed a noticeable declination in membrane lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide generation, and electrolyte leakage, whereas improved water balance. Furthermore, the growth and yield attributes of Cd-affected rice plants were improved with the supplementation of ANE and MLE. All the studied parameters indicates the potential role of ANE and MLE in mitigating Cd stress in rice plants through improving the physiological attributes, modulating antioxidant defense and glyoxalase system.

Supplementation with Ascophyllum nodosum extracts mitigates arsenic toxicity by modulating reactive oxygen species metabolism and reducing oxidative stress in rice.

Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE) is considered as an effective source of biostimulants that have the potential of ameliorating the negative impact of different abiotic stresses in plants. Considering the growth-promoting ability and other regulatory roles of ANE, the present investigation was executed to evaluate the role of ANE in conferring arsenic (As) tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. BRRI dhan89). Rice seedlings (35-d-old) were exposed to two doses of sodium arsenate (As1 - 50 mg As kg-1 soil; As2 - 100 mg As kg-1 soil) at 25 days after transplanting through irrigation, whereas only water was applied to the control. Foliar application of 0.1% ANE was also supplemented under control as well as As-stressed conditions at 7 days intervals for 5 times. Arsenic-induced oxidative stress was evident through a sharp increase in lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal, and electrolyte leakage in the As-treated plants. As a consequence, plant growth and biomass, leaf relative water content, as well as yield attributes were reduced noticeably. On the other hand, ANE supplemented plants accumulated enhanced levels of ascorbate and glutathione, their redox balance, and the activities of antioxidant and glyoxalase enzymes viz. ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and activities of glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II, respectively. Furthermore, relative water content, plant growth, yield attributes and yield were increased in the As-treated rice plants with ANE supplementation. The results reflected that foliar spray with ANE alleviated As-induced oxidative stress in rice plants by modulating the antioxidative defense and glyoxalase system.

Production of H2 and CNM from biogas decomposition using biosolids-derived biochar and the application of the CNM-coated biochar for PFAS adsorption.

Anaerobic digestion is a popular unit operation in wastewater treatment to degrade organic contaminants, thereby generating biogas (methane-rich gas stream). Catalytic decomposition of the biogas could be a promising upcycling approach to produce renewable hydrogen and sequester carbon in the form of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs). Biosolids are solid waste generated during the wastewater treatment process, which can be valorised to biochar via pyrolysis. This work demonstrates the use of biosolids-derived biochar compared with ilmenite as catalysts for biogas decomposition to hydrogen and CNMs. Depending on the reaction time, biosolids-derived biochar achieved a CH4 and CO2 conversion of 50-70 % and 70-90 % at 900 °C with a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 1.2 Lg-1h-1. The high conversion rate was attributed to the formation of amorphous carbon on the biochar surface, where the carbon deposits acted as catalysts and substrates for the further decomposition of CH4 and CO2. Morphological characterisation of biochar after biogas decomposition revealed the formation of high-quality carbon nanospheres (200-500 nm) and carbon nanofibres (10-100 nm) on its surface. XRD pattern and Raman spectroscopy also signified the presence of graphitic structures with ID/IG ratio of 1.19, a reduction from 1.33 in the pristine biochar. Finally, the produced CNM-loaded biochar was tested for PFAS adsorption from contaminated wastewater. A removal efficiency of 79 % was observed for CNM-coated biochar which was 10-60 % higher than using biochar and ilmenite alone. This work demonstrated an integrated approach for upcycling waste streams generated in wastewater treatment facilities.

Telemedicine Use and the Perceived Risk of COVID-19: Patient Experience.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in an increased demand for telemedicine worldwide. Telemedicine is a technology-based virtual platform that allows the exchange of clinical data and images over remote distances. This study aims to examine the impact of the perceived risk of COVID-19 on telemedicine use in Bangladesh. METHODS: This explanatory study was conducted in hospital settings across Dhaka city in Bangladesh. Patients were eligible to participate if they were aged 18 years or over and had used telemedicine in a hospital at least once since the COVID-19 outbreak. Outcome variables included sociodemographic, the perceived risk of COVID-19, and telehealth use. Study data were collected using an online and paper-based survey. RESULTS: A total of 550 patients participated in this study, mostly male (66.4%), single (58.2%), and highly educated (74.2%). The means of the different domains of telemedicine use reflected a high degree of perceived benefit, accessibility, and satisfaction but a lower degree of privacy and discomfort, care personnel expertise, and usability. COVID 19 perceived risk predicted between 13.0% and 26.6% of variance in telemedicine domains, while the effects of demographic variables were controlled or removed. The perceived risk of COVID-19 was negatively correlated with privacy and discomfort, as well as care personnel concerns. Low and high levels of perceived COVID-19 risk were less likely to encourage the use of telemedicine as a risk reduction tool. DISCUSSION: The participants were mainly satisfied with telemedicine, finding it beneficial and accessible; however, many were concerned about privacy, care personnel expertise, and its usability. The perceived risk of COVID-19 was a strong predictor (contributor) of telemedicine use, suggesting that risk perception can be used to encourage telemedicine use as a risk reduction strategy during pandemics; however, a medium level of risk was more promising.

Measuring urban expansion pattern using spatial matrices in Khulna City, Bangladesh.

Khulna, the third-largest metropolitan area in Bangladesh, has become a potential site for the polycentric urbanization for multiple mega-projects. Measurement of urban expansion is essential for regulating haphazard growth and achieving effective management. This study aims to quantify and compare the urban expansion pattern of Khulna City Corporation (KCC) and surrounding areas' development hotspots. Landsat remote sensing images of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 were used to perform supervised classification using Geographic Information System (GIS). To quantify urban expansion, we compute Annual Urban Expansion Rate, Urban Expansion Intensity Index, and Urban Expansion Differentiation Index. Although annual urban expansion in the study area was slow during the first two decades, it accelerated to 6.76% during the last decade. 48% of the total built-up areas have grown during 2010-2020 alone. Even though KCC experienced continuous urban growth over a thirty-year period, after 2010, the rate of urban expansion in peripheral areas exceeded that of KCC. Transboundary and intra-regional transportation and economic corridor development, establishment of economically potential zones (EPZ), urban to rural migration, availability of rich agriculture hinterland, low land price and several direct transportation links between the core and periphery are the major influencing factors of peri-urbanization.

First Report of Fusarium commune Causing Root Rot of Field Peas in Canada.

A survey on field pea (Pisum sativum) root rot was carried out in Prince Edward Island (PEI) and New Brunswick (NB), Canada, between July and August, 2018. The average disease incidence was 75% and 78%, and severity was 3.5 and 2.8 on a 1 to 7 scale for NB and PEI, respectively (Schneider and Kelly 2000). Symptoms included seedling stunting, root rot, and wilting. Surface sterilized diseased root segments were incubated on water agar at 25°C for 5 days. Pure isolates were obtained by single spore culturing. A total of 210 isolates were identified as Fusarium spp. Five isolates were identified as F. commune by morphological and molecular characteristics (Leslie and Summerell, 2006; Skovgaard et al. 2003). The isolates on Potato Dextrose Agar produced whitish fluffy mycelia on the upper surface and grayish yellow coloration on the bottom surface of the colony cultured at 25°C in darkness. The isolates on carnation leaf agar at 25°C in darkness formed abundant chlamydospores and macroconidia but rare microconidia with 0 to1 septa, measuring 6.2 to 12.5 x 2.7 to 3.6 µm (n = 5). Macroconidia were typically fusiform with a slightly curved apical cell and a foot-shaped basal cell, bending equally toward both ends. Three-septate conidia were 26.8 to 39.3 x 3.6 to 4.5 µm (n = 20) and five-septate conidia were 56.2 to 64.3 x 4.5 to 5.4 µm in size (n = 10). Chlamydospores were smooth, terminal, and single, 7 to 12.5 µm in diameter (n = 20). Genomic DNA of the five isolates were used to amplify and sequence the translation elongation factor 1α (TEF-1α) and the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal DNA (mtSSU rDNA) using EF1/EF2 and NSM1/NSM2 primer pairs (White et al 1990; O'Donnell et al 2000), respectively, which were used to define the F. commune (Skovgaard et al. 2003). The mtSSU rDNA sequences were deposited in GenBank, OP752229 to OP752232 and OP752234 for isolates GR11-8, GR11-9, GR1-21, FRDC11-1 and FRDC11-2, respectively, and the TEF-1α sequences were assigned OP831956 to OP831959 and OP831961 for GR11-8, GR11-9, GR1-21, FRDC11-1, and FRDC11-2, respectively. The sequence similarities of the five isolates with ex holotype culture NRRL 31076 ranged from 98.69% to 99.79% for the TEF-1α (AF362263.1), with the matching base pairs of 526/533, 523/528, 483/484, 497/502 and 527/533, respectively, and 99.83 to 100% for the mtSSU rDNA (AF362279.1), with the matching base pairs of 633/634, 633/634, 600/601, 633/634, and 621/621, respectively. The sequences of mtSSU rDNA and TEF-1α for the F. commune type species and related Fusarium species were retrieved from NCBI. A phylogenetic tree constructed using the combined sequences of mtSSU rDNA and TEF-1α showed the five isolates clustered with F. commune. Three isolates (GR11-8, GR11-9, GR1-21) were used for pathogenicity testing with four replicates of four plants each and the trial was repeated twice. Seeds of field pea (CDC Limerick) were soaked in 2% sodium hypochlorite for 2 minutes, washed three times with sterilized distilled water, and then were soaked in conidial suspension at 2 × 106 conidia / mL or in sterilized distilled water as a control for 16 h in darkness at 20°C. Seeds were placed in sterilized vermiculite in a greenhouse at 24 / 18°C day / night temperature with a 16 h photoperiod. Three weeks after planting, the tested isolates were observed to cause seed decay, root rot, and seedling stunting, with disease severity ranging from 5 to 7 based on 1 to 7 scale in repeated trials. No symptoms were observed on the control plants. F. commune isolates were re-isolated and confirmed by sequencing the mtSSU rDNA and TEF-1α. F. commune was reported in Alberta causing soybean root rot (Zhou et al. 2018) but this is the first report of F. commune causing root rot of field pea in Canada. Considering its high pathogenicity in field pea and in soybean, the prevalence, host range and geographic distribution of this pathogen need further study.

First report of knowledge and practices towards toxoplasmosis among cat owners: A cross-sectional survey in Bangladesh.

Raising awareness about Toxoplasma gondii infection among cat owners in Bangladesh is indispensable to formulate persuasive management tactics to avoid zoonotic infections from pet cats. However, to the authors' best knowledge, no studies have been performed in Bangladesh to determine knowledge and practices of toxoplasmosis in cat owners. Therefore, the objectives of the current study were to cover this research gap. We carried out a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh from June 2020 through December 2021. A structured online questionnaire was distributed to cat owners, which were voluntarily completed by them. The questionnaire included socio-demographic data, aetiology, transmissions, clinical signs, and preventive practices towards toxoplasmosis. Overall, 1,019 cat owners participated voluntarily in the cross-sectional survey. Among them, 793 (77.82%) participants showed poor knowledge regarding toxoplasmosis. Under specific knowledge sections, 62.51% of the participants revealed incorrect knowledge that toxoplasmosis was a zoonotic disease. In the same way, (72.03-85.77) % of the cat owners were unaware that the disease could be transmitted from improperly washed vegetables, raw or undercooked meat and fish, and contaminated water and milk with cat faeces. Respondents' age, education, occupation, residence type, and marital status were significantly (p < .05) associated with their knowledge level. Besides, 94.11% of cat owners had a good practice level. They followed good practices in different issues; however, they practiced those activities without knowing their impacts on disease control. Cat owners' age, education, occupation, and residence type had a significant (p < .05) association with the practice level against toxoplasmosis. This is the first study highlighting the low level of knowledge among cat owners about toxoplasmosis in Bangladesh. These knowledge gaps could increase the risk and transmission of Toxoplasma gondii infection among them and their families. The survey recommends the arrangement of educational training and programmes to increase the awareness of toxoplasmosis among cat owners.

Elevated tropospheric ozone and crop production: potential negative effects and plant defense mechanisms.

Ozone (O3) levels on Earth are increasing because of anthropogenic activities and natural processes. Ozone enters plants through the leaves, leading to the overgeneration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mesophyll and guard cell walls. ROS can damage chloroplast ultrastructure and block photosynthetic electron transport. Ozone can lead to stomatal closure and alter stomatal conductance, thereby hindering carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation. Ozone-induced leaf chlorosis is common. All of these factors lead to a reduction in photosynthesis under O3 stress. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of O3 disrupts plant physiological processes, including water and nutrient uptake, respiration, and translocation of assimilates and metabolites. As a result, plant growth and reproductive performance are negatively affected. Thus, reduction in crop yield and deterioration of crop quality are the greatest effects of O3 stress on plants. Increased rates of hydrogen peroxide accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and ion leakage are the common indicators of oxidative damage in plants exposed to O3 stress. Ozone disrupts the antioxidant defense system of plants by disturbing enzymatic activity and non-enzymatic antioxidant content. Improving photosynthetic pathways, various physiological processes, antioxidant defense, and phytohormone regulation, which can be achieved through various approaches, have been reported as vital strategies for improving O3 stress tolerance in plants. In plants, O3 stress can be mitigated in several ways. However, improvements in crop management practices, CO2 fertilization, using chemical elicitors, nutrient management, and the selection of tolerant crop varieties have been documented to mitigate O3 stress in different plant species. In this review, the responses of O3-exposed plants are summarized, and different mitigation strategies to decrease O3 stress-induced damage and crop losses are discussed. Further research should be conducted to determine methods to mitigate crop loss, enhance plant antioxidant defenses, modify physiological characteristics, and apply protectants.

Developing a video expert panel as a reference standard to evaluate respiratory rate counting in paediatric pneumonia diagnosis: protocol for a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Manual counting of respiratory rate (RR) in children is challenging for health workers and can result in misdiagnosis of pneumonia. Some novel RR counting devices automate the counting of RR and classification of fast breathing. The absence of an appropriate reference standard to evaluate the performance of these devices is a challenge. If good quality videos could be captured, with RR interpretation from these videos systematically conducted by an expert panel, it could act as a reference standard. This study is designed to develop a video expert panel (VEP) as a reference standard to evaluate RR counting for identifying pneumonia in children. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Using a cross-sectional design, we will enrol children aged 0-59 months presenting with suspected pneumonia at different levels of health facilities in Dhaka and Sylhet, Bangladesh. We will videorecord a physician/health worker counting RR manually and also using an automated RR counter (Children's Automated Respiration Monitor) from each child. We will establish a standard operating procedure for capturing quality videos, make a set of reference videos, and train and standardise the VEP members using the reference videos. After that, we will assess the performance of the VEP as a reference standard to evaluate RR counting. We will calculate the mean difference and proportions of agreement within±2 breaths per minute and create Bland-Altman plots with limits of agreement between VEP members. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol was approved by the National Research Ethics Committee of Bangladesh Medical Research Council, Bangladesh (registration number: 39315022021) and Edinburgh Medical School Research Ethics Committee (EMREC), Edinburgh, UK (REC Reference: 21-EMREC-040). Dissemination of the study findings will be through conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Heavy metal pollution through hand loom-dyeing effluents and its effect on the community health.

Kumarkhali upazila in Kushtia district of western Bangladesh has become especially vulnerable to dye-effluent pollution over the last two decades. Twenty dyeing effluent samples were obtained at random from various dyeing units and used to determine the heavy metal concentration. The effluent pH, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids ranged from 3.69 to 13.68, 627 to 7160 mS cm-1 and 4140 to 19800 mg L-1, respectively. In dyeing effluents, the average concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, Mn, Fe and Cr ions were 5.50, 82.75, 6.80, 14.27, 66.03 and 65.28 µg mL-1, respectively, while the amount of Cd was barely detectable. Total annual discharges of Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn, Fe and Cr were found to be 21.52, 1.43, 1.77, 3.71, 17.12 and 16.98 kg year-1, respectively, which were high enough to pollute the local environment. According to the survey report, only a minority were aware of public safety measures and proper disposal procedures, though many respondents were conscious of the dangers associated with dyes and chemical substances. Most interviewees (58.33%) used synthetic dyes and other dangerous chemicals throughout the dyeing process, despite the fact that 43.33% did not use hand gloves. A remarkable 80% of respondents were improperly disposing of unused dyes and chemicals. Overall, there was a lack of awareness, right attitude and appropriate behavioural patterns about using dyeing chemicals. To prevent the negative effects of dyeing effluents on the community in the research area, environmental conservation rules should be appropriately implemented.

Halotolerant biofilm-producing rhizobacteria mitigate seawater-induced salt stress and promote growth of tomato.

Biofilm-producing rhizobacteria (BPR) enhance productivity and mitigate abiotic stresses in plants. This study showed that 21 out of 65 halotolerant rhizobacteria could build biofilms. The components of the biofilm matrices i.e., extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are proteins, curli, nanocelloluse, nucleic acids, lipids, and peptidoglycans. Various functional groups including carbonyl, carboxyl, amino, hydroxyl, and phosphate were identified. Positions of these groups were shifted by application of 5% NaCl, suggesting Na+ biosorption. By sequencing, Glutamicibacter arilaitensis (ESK1, ESM4 and ESM7), G. nicotianae (ESK19, ESM8 and ESM16), Enterobacter ludwigii (ESK15, ESK17, ESM2 and ESM17), E. cloacae (ESM5 and ESM12), Exiguobacterium acetylicum (ESM24 and ESM25), Staphylococcus saprophyticus ESK6, Leclercia adecarboxylata ESK12, Pseudomonas poae ESK16, Bacillus subtilis ESM14, and P. putida ESM17 were identified. These rhizobacteria exhibited numerous plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities including producing IAA, ACC deaminase, and siderophores, and solubilizing phosphate. Under non-stress, bacterized plants increased biomass accumulation (8-23.2% roots and 23-49.4% shoots), while under seawater-induced salt stress only ESK12, ESM4, ESM12, and ESM14 enhanced biomass production (5.8-52.9% roots and 8.8-33.4% shoots). Bacterized plants induced antioxidant defense system (19.5-142% catalase and 12.3-24.2% DPPH radical scavenging activity), retained a greater relative water content (17-124%), showed lesser membrane injuries (19.9-26.5%), and a reduced Na+ (6-24% in roots) and increased K+/Na+ ratio (78.8 and 103% in roots by ESK12 and ESM24, respectively) than the non-bacterized plants in saline conditions. Thus, native halotolerant BPR can be utilized as ameliorators of salt stress.

Effect of Biofumigation on Population Densities of Pratylenchus spp. and Verticillium spp. and Potato Yield in Eastern Canada.

Biofumigation has been proposed as an alternative to soil fumigation to manage soil-borne diseases including potato early dying disease complex (PED). This study examined the potential of using brown mustard (Mustard juncea) biofumigation to manage PED under rain-fed potato production in New Brunswick, Canada in two trials between 2017 and 2020 in comparison with chloropicrin fumigation and a conventional barley rotation. Biofumigation increased yield in one trial, but not in a second trial where the potato crop experienced severe drought, whereas chloropicrin fumigation increased yield in both trials. Biofumigation was effective in suppressing root-lesion nematode (RLN, Pratylenchus spp.) counts in both trials, but was ineffective in suppressing V. dahliae population density. Chloropicrin fumigation was effective in suppressing RLN counts and V. dahliae population density only in the hill where injected, but the effect was short-lived as the population density of V. dahliae in the hill increased to the level of the control in one potato growing season. Biofumigation may be an alternative to chloropicrin fumigation in managing PED, particularly in fields with high RLN population but relatively low Verticillium population density. However, neither biofumigation nor fumigation used alone may be sustainable in the short-term potato rotations commonly used in New Brunswick, and additional beneficial practices are required to sustain productivity in the long-term.

La biofumigación se ha propuesto como una alternativa a la fumigación del suelo para manejar las enfermedades transmitidas por el suelo, incluido el complejo de enfermedades de muerte prematura de la papa (PED). Este estudio examinó el potencial del uso de la biofumigación de mostaza marrón (Mustard juncea) para manejar la PED bajo la producción de papa de secano en New Brunswick, Canadá, en dos ensayos entre 2017 y 2020 en comparación con la fumigación con cloropicrina y una rotación de cebada convencional. La biofumigación aumentó el rendimiento en un ensayo, pero no en un segundo ensayo en el que el cultivo de papa experimentó una sequía severa, mientras que la fumigación con cloropicrina aumentó el rendimiento en ambos ensayos. La biofumigación fue efectiva para suprimir los conteos del nematodo lesionador de la raíz (RLN, Pratylenchus spp.) en ambos ensayos, pero fue ineficaz para suprimir la densidad de población de V. dahliae. La fumigación con cloropicrina fue efectiva para suprimir los conteos de RLN y la densidad de población de V. dahliae solo en el lomo del surco donde se inyectó, pero el efecto fue de corta duración ya que la densidad de población de V. dahliae en el surco aumentó al nivel del testigo en un ciclo de cultivo de papa. La biofumigación puede ser una alternativa a la fumigación con cloropicrina en el manejo de la PED, particularmente en campos con alta población de RLN pero densidad de población de Verticillium relativamente baja. Sin embargo, ni la biofumigación ni la fumigación utilizadas por sí solas pueden ser sustentables en las rotaciones de papa a corto plazo comúnmente utilizadas en New Brunswick, y se requieren prácticas benéficas adicionales para mantener la productividad a largo plazo.

Mineral nutrient content of infected plants and allied soils provide insight into wheat blast epidemics.

Wheat is the second-largest cereal crop in Bangladesh and plays an essential role in ensuring the country's food security. Since 2016, there has been a severe epidemic of wheat blast disease in Bangladesh. This research investigated the nutritional context of wheat blast epidemics by analyzing the infected plants and allied soils. We collected blast-infected wheat plants and allied soil samples from six different severely infected regions of the Meherpur district situated in the western part of Bangladesh. The incidence and severity of wheat blast disease in the sampling fields ranged from 84.78 - 95.11% and 82.06-92.19%, respectively. Among the investigated mineral nutrients in plant samples, the concentrations of sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) were within the acceptable range of the reference values. In contrast, 50% of the plant samples had insufficient phosphorus (P) concentrations, while others were within the critical range. The potassium (K) and copper (Cu) concentrations in more than 33.5% of plants were within the deficient range. The Si concentrations in half of the tested plant samples were below the acceptable level. However, the boron (B) concentration of around 50% of samples was within the toxic range. The total K, Ca, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu concentrations of the soils were lower than the reference values. Based on the interpretation of the available soil test values, the concentrations of S, Fe, Mn, and B in most samples were very low. The concentrations of available P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu in soil samples were higher than the critical limit. There was a negative relationship between K, S, Ca, Mg, Na and Si concentrations with blast incidence and severity. Therefore, this research suggests that certain plant nutrients such as P, K, Cu, B and Si play a vital role in the wheat blast disease epidemic.

Bi-allelic variants in CHKA cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with epilepsy and microcephaly.

The Kennedy pathways catalyse the de novo synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, the most abundant components of eukaryotic cell membranes. In recent years, these pathways have moved into clinical focus because four of ten genes involved have been associated with a range of autosomal recessive rare diseases such as a neurodevelopmental disorder with muscular dystrophy (CHKB), bone abnormalities and cone-rod dystrophy (PCYT1A) and spastic paraplegia (PCYT2, SELENOI). We identified six individuals from five families with bi-allelic variants in CHKA presenting with severe global developmental delay, epilepsy, movement disorders and microcephaly. Using structural molecular modelling and functional testing of the variants in a cell-based Saccharomyces cerevisiae model, we determined that these variants reduce the enzymatic activity of CHKA and confer a significant impairment of the first enzymatic step of the Kennedy pathway. In summary, we present CHKA as a novel autosomal recessive gene for a neurodevelopmental disorder with epilepsy and microcephaly.