Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) application modulated the morpho-physiological and yield traits of fragrant rice under well-watered and drought conditions.

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.

Cis-regulatory control of mammalian Trps1 gene expression.

TRPS1 serves as the causative gene for tricho-rhino phalangeal syndrome, known for its craniofacial and skeletal abnormalities. The Trps1 gene encodes a protein that represses Wnt signaling through strong interactions with Wnt signaling inhibitors. The identification of genomic cis-acting regulatory sequences governing Trps1 expression is crucial for understanding its role in embryogenesis. Nevertheless, to date, no investigations have been conducted concerning these aspects of Trps1. To identify deeply conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) within the Trps1 locus, we employed a comparative genomics approach, utilizing slowly evolving fish such as coelacanth and spotted gar. These analyses resulted in the identification of eight CNEs in the intronic region of the Trps1 gene. Functional characterization of these CNEs in zebrafish revealed their regulatory potential in various tissues, including pectoral fins, heart, and pharyngeal arches. RNA in-situ hybridization experiments revealed concordance between the reporter expression pattern induced by the identified set of CNEs and the spatial expression pattern of the trps1 gene in zebrafish. Comparative in vivo data from zebrafish and mice for CNE7/hs919 revealed conserved functions of these enhancers. Each of these eight CNEs was further investigated in cell line-based reporter assays, revealing their repressive potential. Taken together, in vivo and in vitro assays suggest a context-dependent dual functionality for the identified set of Trps1-associated CNE enhancers. This functionally characterized set of CNE-enhancers will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the developmental roles of Trps1 and can aid in the identification of noncoding DNA variants associated with human diseases.

Identification of ancestral gnathostome Gli3 enhancers with activity in mammals.

Abnormal expression of the transcriptional regulator and hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway effector Gli3 is known to trigger congenital disease, most frequently affecting the central nervous system (CNS) and the limbs. Accurate delineation of the genomic cis-regulatory landscape controlling Gli3 transcription during embryonic development is critical for the interpretation of noncoding variants associated with congenital defects. Here, we employed a comparative genomic analysis on fish species with a slow rate of molecular evolution to identify seven previously unknown conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) in Gli3 intronic intervals (CNE15-21). Transgenic assays in zebrafish revealed that most of these elements drive activities in Gli3 expressing tissues, predominantly the fins, CNS, and the heart. Intersection of these CNEs with human disease associated SNPs identified CNE15 as a putative mammalian craniofacial enhancer, with conserved activity in vertebrates and potentially affected by mutation associated with human craniofacial morphology. Finally, comparative functional dissection of an appendage-specific CNE conserved in slowly evolving fish (elephant shark), but not in teleost (CNE14/hs1586) indicates co-option of limb specificity from other tissues prior to the divergence of amniotes and lobe-finned fish. These results uncover a novel subset of intronic Gli3 enhancers that arose in the common ancestor of gnathostomes and whose sequence components were likely gradually modified in other species during the process of evolutionary diversification.

Evaluation of medicinal plants using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) combined with chemometric techniques.

Medicinal plants play a vital role in herbal medical field and allopathic medicine field industry. Chemical and spectroscopic studies of Taraxacum officinale, Hyoscyamus niger, Ajuga bracteosa, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Camellia sinensis, and Berberis lyceum are conducted in this paper by using a 532-nm Nd:YAG laser in an open air environment. These medicinal plant's leaves, roots, seed, and flowers are used to treat a range of diseases by the locals. It is crucial to be able to distinguish between beneficial and detrimental metal elements in these plants. We demonstrated how various elements are categorized and how roots, leaves, seeds and flowers of same plants differ from each other on the basis of elemental analysis. Furthermore, for classification purpose, different classification models, partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), k-nearest neighbors (kNN), and principal component analysis (PCA) are used. We found silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), manganese (Mn), phosphorous (P), and vanadium (V) in all of the medicinal plant samples with a molecular form of carbon and nitrogen band. We detected Ca, Mg, Si, and P as primary components in all of the plant samples, as well as V, Fe, Mn, Al, and Ti as essential medicinal metals, and additional trace elements like Si, Sr, and Al. The result's findings show that the PLS-DA classification model with single normal variate (SNV) preprocessing method is the most effective classification model for different types of plant samples. The average correct classification rate obtained for PLS-DA with SNV is 95%. Moreover, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was successfully employed to perform rapid, sensitive, and quantitative trace element analysis on medicinal herbs and plant samples.

Comparative genomic analysis of human GLI2 locus using slowly evolving fish revealed the ancestral gnathostome set of early developmental enhancers.

BACKGROUND: The zinc finger-containing transcription factor Gli2, is a key mediator of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling and participates in embryonic patterning of various organs including the central nervous system (CNS) and limbs. Abnormal expression of Gli2 can impede the transcription of Hh target genes through disruption of proper balance between Gli2 and Gli3 functions. Therefore, delineation of enhancers that are required for complementary roles of Glis would allow the interrogation of those pathogenic variants that cause gene dysregulation, and a corresponding abnormal phenotype. Previously, we reported tissue-specific enhancers for Gli family including Gli2 through direct tetrapod-teleost comparisons. RESULTS: Here, we employed the sequence alignments of slowly evolving spotted gar and elephant shark and have identified six novel conserved noncoding elements in human GLI2 containing locus. Zebrafish-based transgenic assays revealed that combined action of these autonomous CNEs reflects many aspects of Gli2 specific endogenous transcriptional activity, including CNS and pectoral fins. CONCLUSION: Taken together with our previous findings, this study suggests that Hh-signaling controlled deployment of Gli2 activity in embryonic patterning arose in the common ancestor of gnathostomes. These GLI2 specific cis-regulatory modules will help to identify DNA variants that probably reside outside of coding intervals and are associated with congenital anomalies.

Molecular signatures of selection on the human GLI3 associated central nervous system specific enhancers.

The zinc finger-containing transcription factor Gli3 is a key mediator of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway. In vertebrates, Gli3 has widespread expression pattern during early embryonic development. Along the anteroposterior axes of the central nervous system (CNS), dorsoventral neural pattern elaboration is achieved through Hh mediated spatio-temporal deployment of Gli3 transcripts. Previously, we and others uncovered a set of enhancers that mediate many of the known aspects of Gli3 expression during neurogenesis. However, the potential role of Gli3 associated enhancers in trait evolution has not yet received any significant attention. Here, we investigate the evolutionary patterns of Gli3 associated CNS-specific enhancers that have been reported so far. A subset of these enhancers has undergone an accelerated rate of molecular evolution in the human lineage in comparison to other primates/mammals. These fast-evolving enhancers have acquired human-specific changes in transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs). These human-unique changes within subset of Gli3 associated CNS-specific enhancers were further validated as single nucleotide polymorphisms through 1000 Genome Project Phase 3 data. This work not only infers the molecular evolutionary patterns of Gli3 associated enhancers but also provides clues for putative genetic basis of the population-specificity of gene expression regulation.

Optimal Scheduling of Campus Microgrid Considering the Electric Vehicle Integration in Smart Grid.

High energy consumption, rising environmental concerns and depleting fossil fuels demand an increase in clean energy production. The enhanced resiliency, efficiency and reliability offered by microgrids with distributed energy resources (DERs) have shown to be a promising alternative to the conventional grid system. Large-sized commercial customers like institutional complexes have put significant efforts to promote sustainability by establishing renewable energy systems at university campuses. This paper proposes the integration of a photovoltaic (PV) system, energy storage system (ESS) and electric vehicles (EV) at a University campus. An optimal energy management system (EMS) is proposed to optimally dispatch the energy from available energy resources. The problem is mapped in a Linear optimization problem and simulations are carried out in MATLAB. Simulation results showed that the proposed EMS ensures the continuous power supply and decreases the energy consumption cost by nearly 45%. The impact of EV as a storage tool is also observed. EVs acting as a source of energy reduced the energy cost by 45.58% and as a load by 19.33%. The impact on the cost for continuous power supply in case of a power outage is also analyzed.

Soil aggregation and soil aggregate stability regulate organic carbon and nitrogen storage in a red soil of southern China.

Soil aggregation plays a critical role in the maintenance of soil structure, as well as in its productivity. Fertilization influences soil aggregation, especially by regulating soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents in aggregate fractions. The present study evaluated the influence of three contrasting fertilizer regimes (unfertilized control -CK-, mineral fertilization -NPK- and manure combined with NPK -NPKM) on soil aggregate stability, aggregate-associated organic carbon and total nitrogen sequestration and mineralization of SOC. Soil samples from (20 cm) depth were collected from a long-term fertilization experiment and analysed for size distribution ranging (>250 µm, 250-53 µm and <53 µm sizes), SOC and TN contents, as well as for mineralization of bulk and aggregate associated-SOC. Both NPK and NPKM fertilizations significantly enhanced SOC and TN contents in bulk soil and its constituent aggregates of >250 µm, 250-53 µm and <53 µm sizes, as compared to CK. Long-term NPK and NPKM increased SOC and TN stock in bulk soil by 45 and 98%, and by 70 and 144%, respectively, as compared to CK. Similarly, higher values of SOC and TN stock in all aggregate fractions was observed with the application of NPKM. Application of NPK and NPKM for 26 years significantly increased aggregate stability, which was positively correlated with total SOC contents in terms of mean weight diameter (MWD) (Adj. R2 = 0.689, p < 0.03) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) (Adj. R2 = 0.471, p < 0.24). Moreover, higher scores regarding cumulative mineralization for bulk soil and aggregate associated OC were observed with the application of NPK and NPKM. Irrespective of treatments, higher cumulative C-mineralization was observed for macro-aggregates (>250 µm size) followed by 250-53 µm and <53 µm size aggregates. Interestingly, a highly positive correlation was observed between aggregate stability and the cumulative amount of mineralization for bulk soil and aggregate fractions, with R2 ranging from 0.84 to 0.99. This study evidenced that long-term fertilization of NPK and NPKM can improve soil aggregation, stability and associated OC and TN stock in aggregates, as well as aggregate-associated OC mineralization, which was further governed by aggregate size.

Comparative study of calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy methods for quantitative elemental analysis of quartz-bearing limestone.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been employed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of quartz-bearing limestone using two different calibration-free LIBS methods, that is, one-line calibration-free LIBS (OLCF-LIBS) and self-calibration LIBS (SC-LIBS) methods in conjunction with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). The plasma is generated by focusing a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 134 mJ pulse energy, 9 ns pulse duration) in air under atmospheric pressure. Spectral analysis revealed the presence of Ca, Si, and Mg. Plasma temperature is deduced using the neutral spectral lines of pertinent elements using the Boltzmann plot method, and an average value of 3462 K is used for the quantitative analysis. An average value for electron number density is calculated as (1.3±0.3)×1017 cm-3 from the Stark broadening of isolated neutral Ca, Si, and Mg lines and a singly ionized Ca line. The elemental composition determined by different LIBS methods and other traditional analytical techniques are OLCF-LIBS (Ca, 71.82%; Si, 28.12%; Mg, 0.048%), SC-LIBS (Ca, 69.19%; Si, 28.92%; Mg, 1.87%), EDS (Ca, 68.86%; Si, 30.12%; Mg, 0.32%), and XRF (Ca, 68.62%; Si, 27.18%; Mg, 1.56%). By comparing the results of both CF-LIBS methods along with EDS and XRF, it is demonstrated that the SC-LIBS method is more appropriate than the OLCF-LIBS and gives compositions comparable with that determined by EDS and XRF and, hence, displays its ability as a powerful tool for the compositional analysis of complex minerals.

Quantitative elemental analysis of high silica bauxite using calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Bauxite is a primary ore of aluminum. Precise information about bauxite mineralogical composition is challenging and crucial for efficient aluminum extraction and for the determination of its appropriateness for different industrial applications. For the qualitative and quantitative analysis of bauxite ore, we performed laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in conjunction with x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Analysis of the acquired optical emission spectrum revealed the presence of Si, Al, Fe, K, Ti, Ca, Mg, Na, Cr, and Sr. The plasma temperature and electron number density values estimated using Boltzmann plot and Stark-broadening line profile methods were 5600 K and 7.65×1017 cm-3, respectively. In the present study we show that a calibration-free LIBS method presents a powerful solution, enabling quantitative analysis of multi-element bauxite ore better than traditional analytical techniques. The bauxite quantification obtained using CF-LIBS under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium and optically thin plasma was Si=47.31%, Al=31.90%, Fe=16.54%, K=2.45%, Ti=1.64%, and Ca=0.16%, and its comparison with the outcome from XRD, XRF, SEM-EDS, and FTIR not only assisted but potentially enhanced the mineralogical composition understanding of bauxite ore in the present study.

Efficient biosensing through 1D silver nanostructured devices using plasmonic effect.

The current work explores the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on a one dimensional (1D) silver nano-grating device, simulated on glass substrate, which can sense a very small change in the refractive index of an analyte adjacent to it. The most recent modeling technique finite element analysis is applied in this work by using a COMSOL RF module. The models of 1D grating devices of different slit widths with fixed periodicity and film thickness are simulated. The data is collected and then used to study higher refractive index unit per nanometer (RIU/nm) as well as the effect of the widths of the slits on the RIU. A number of investigations are done by the simulated data, like a dip in the transmission spectra of p-polarized light. This dip is due to SPP resonance with the variation of slit width. Furthermore, the most fascinating part of the research is the COMSOL modeling that provides an opportunity to look into factors affecting higher RIU/nm, while visualizing the cross-sectional view of the grating device and strong electric field enhancement at the surface of the metallic device. When the slit width is almost equal to half of the periodicity of the grating device, SPP resonance increases and it is at maximum for the slit width equal to two-thirds of the periodicity, because the coupling efficiency is at maximum.

APPLICATION OF VARIOUS POLYMERS AND POLYMERS BASED TECHNIQUES USED TO IMPROVE SOLUBILITY OF POORLY WATER SOLUBLE DRUGS: A REVIEW.

Solubility is concerned with solute and solvent to form a homogenous mixture. If solubility of a drug is low, then usually it is difficult to achieve desired therapeutic level of drug. Most of the newly developed entities have solubility problems and encounter difficulty in dissolution. Basic aim of solubility enhancement is to achieve desired therapeutic'level of drug to produce required pharmacological response. Different techniques are being used to enhance the solubility of water insoluble drugs. These techniques include particle size reduction, spray drying, kneading method, solvent evaporation method, salt formation, microemulsions, co-solven- cy, hydrosols, prodrug approach, supercritical fluid process, hydrogel micro particles etc. Selection of solubility improving method depends on drug properties, site of absorption, and required dosage form characteristics. Variety of polymers are also used to enhance solubility of these drugs like polyethylene glycol 300, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, chitosan, ß-cyclodextrins etc.

PLANTAGO OVATA: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON CULTIVATION, BIOCHEMICAL, PHARMACEUTICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ASPECTS.

The basic aspire of current study was to review different aspects of Plantago ovata together with its cultivation, growth, biochemistry, pharmaceutical and pharmacological attributes. Plantago ovata belongs to family Plantaginaceae. It is an annual herb, indigenous to Mediterranean region especially Southern Europe, North Africa and West Asia. Different electronic databases (Medline, Science Direct, Springer link, Pubmed, Google and Google Scholar) were analyzed for the literature on medicinal properties of Plantago ovata. The literature analysis has revealed that Plantago ovata has been endowed with diverse pharmaceutical and pharmacological activities. It is widely used in numerous medicines owing to its both pharmaceutical properties such as mucilage, superdisintegrant, gelling agent, suspending agent as well as pharmacological actions like anti-diarrheal, anti-constipation, wound healer, hypocholestrolemic and hypoglycemic. Thus, Plantago ovata can be employed in the manufacture of a number of pharmaceutical products as well as a safe and efficacious ethnobotanical remedy in several health problems.

PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS C IN DIABETIC PATIENTS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY.

There is a strong evidence of the relationship between diabetes and hepatitis C however, there are certain gaps in the literature. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C in diabetic patients and risk factors associated with it, to evaluate the presence of possible relationship between hepatitis C and diabetes. Serological testing for anti HCV antibody was carried out on a sample of 100 diabetic patients visiting the diabetic clinic Nishtar Medical College and Hospital Multan. An anti HCV antibody test was carried out on HCV ELISA 3.0 (third generation) kit, locally purchased. Data about demographic information and history of risk factors for HCV was collected from diabetic patients using a structured questionnaire as an experimental tool, after taking informed consent. Data of about 100 non diabetic subjects (volunteer blood donors) was taken from the blood bank of that hospital. Prevalence rate of HCV infection among diabetic patients was recorded 19% and in the control group (non-diabetics) was 3%. Prevalence of HCV infection is higher in type 2 diabetic patients as compared to type 1 diabetic patients (84% vs. 16%). Diabetic patients between age group 46-55 years of age has high prevalence rates (47%) as compared to healthy individuals. Female diabetic patients have higher seropositivity (74%) as compared to male diabetic patients (26%). High prevalence of HCV infection has been reported among diabetic patients with duration of disease = 11 years (47%). Most of the patients were married (95%) and from urban locality (89%) and almost all were poor (99%). HCV positive diabetic patients have also history of blood transfusion (16%), hospital admissions (84%), major surgical procedure (63%), family history of hepatitis C (16%), razor sharing among males (16%) and comb sharing (79%). There was not any I/V drug addict (or history of I/V drug addiction), and tattooing, nose/ear piercing from contaminated needle and toothbrush sharing have not been seen among the participants of research.The results showed that in the present study the prevalence of HCV infection is six times higher in diabetic patients as compared to non-diabetic subjects (control group).

Low mercury risks in paddy soils across the Pakistan.

Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed heavy metal. Here, we study Hg concentration and isotopic composition to understand the status of Hg pollution and its sources in Pakistan's paddy soil. The collected paddy soils (n = 500) across the country have an average THg concentration of 22.30 ± 21.74 ng/g. This low mean concentration suggests Hg pollution in Pakistan was not as severe as previously thought. Meanwhile, samples collected near brick kilns and industrial areas were significantly higher in THg than others, suggesting the influence of Hg emitted from point sources in certain areas. Soil physicochemical properties showed typical characteristic of mineral soils due to the study area's arid to semi-arid climate. Hg stable isotopes analysis, depicted mean Δ199Hg of -0.05 ± 0.12‰ and mean δ202Hg -0.45 ± 0.35‰, respectively, for contaminated sites, depicting Hg was primarily sourced from coal combustion by local anthropogenic sources. While uncontaminated sites show mean Δ199Hg of 0.15 ± 0.08‰, mean Δ200Hg of 0.06 ± 0.07‰ and mean δ202Hg of -0.32 ± 0.28‰, implying long-range transboundry Hg transport through wet Hg(II) deposition as a dominant Hg source. This study fills a significant knowledge gap regarding the Hg pollution status in Pakistan and suggests that the Hg risk in Pakistan paddies is generally low.

Above-and below-ground feedback loop of maize is jointly enhanced by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in drier soil.

Drought is a potent abiotic stressor that arrests crop growth, significantly affecting crop health and yields. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can offer to protect plants from stressful environments through improving water, and nutrient use efficiency by strengthening plant root structure and harnessing favorable rhizosphere environments. When Acaulospora laevis (AMF) and Bacillus subtilus (PGPR) are introduced in combination, enhanced root growth and beneficial microbial colonization can mitigate drought stress. To assess this potential, a pot experiment was done with maize (Zea mays L.) to explore the effects of A. laevis and B. subtilus under different water levels (well-watered = 80 %; moderate water stress = 55 %; and severe water stress = 35 %) on maize yield, soil microbial activities, nutrients contents, root, and leaf functioning. Plants exposed to severe drought stress hampered their root and leaf functioning, and reduced grain yield compared with control plants. Combined use of AMF and PGPR increased root colonization (104.6 %-113.2 %) and microbial biomass carbon (36.38 %-40.23 %) under moderate to severe drought conditions over control. Higher root colonization was strongly linked with elevated ACC (aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) production, subsequently enhancing water use efficiency (21.62 %-12.77 %), root hydraulic conductivity (1.9 %-1.4 %) and root nutrient uptake under moderate to severe drought conditions. Enhanced nutrient uptake further promoted leaf photosynthetic rate by 27.3 %-29.8 % under moderate and severe drought stress. Improving leaf and root physiological functioning enhanced maize grain yield under stressful environments. Furthermore, co-inoculation with AMF-PGPR reduced cellular damage by lowering oxidative enzyme levels and increasing antioxidative enzyme activities, improving plant performance and grain yield under stressful environments. Conclusively, the synergistic interaction of AMF with PGPR ensured plant stress tolerance by reducing cellular injury, facilitating root-leaf functioning, enhancing nutrient-water-use-efficiencies, and increasing yield under drought stress.

Functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi varies across different growth stages of maize under drought conditions.

Physio-biochemical regulations governing crop growth period are pivotal for drought adaptation. Yet, the extent to which functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) varies across different stages of maize growth under drought conditions remains uncertain. Therefore, periodic functionality of two different AM fungi i.e., Rhizophagus irregularis SUN16 and Glomus monosporum WUM11 were assessed at jointing, silking, and pre-harvest stages of maize subjected to different soil moisture gradients i.e., well-watered (80% SMC (soil moisture contents)), moderate drought (60% SMC), and severe drought (40% SMC). The study found that AM fungi significantly (p < 0.05) affected various morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters at different growth stages of maize under drought. As the plants matured, AM fungi enhanced root colonization, glomalin contents, and microbial biomass, leading to increased nutrient uptake and antioxidant activity. This boosted AM fungal activity ultimately improved photosynthetic efficiency, evident in increased photosynthetic pigments and photosynthesis. Notably, R. irregularis and G. monosporum improved water use efficiency and mycorrhizal dependency at critical growth stages like silking and pre-harvest, indicating their potential for drought resilience to stabilize yield. The principal component analysis highlighted distinct plant responses to drought across growth stages and AM fungi, emphasizing the importance of early-stage sensitivity. These findings underscore the potential of incorporating AM fungi into agricultural management practices to enhance physiological and biochemical responses, ultimately improving drought tolerance and yield in dryland maize cultivation.

Aflatoxins: biosynthesis, occurrence, toxicity, and remedies.

Food contagion with aflatoxins is the modern concern and has received a great awareness during the last few decades. The intermittent incidence of these toxins in agricultural commodities has negative role on the economy of the affected regions where harvest and postharvest techniques for the prevention of mold growth, are seldom practiced. Aflatoxins are difuranocoumarin derivatives produced by a polyketide pathway by the fungus Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus via polyketide pathway which are highly hepatotoxic, hepatocarcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic in nature and contaminate a wide variety of important agricultural commodities before, during, and after harvest in various environmental conditions. The production of aflatoxins in innate substrates depends upon the various factors, that is, type of substrate, fungal species, moisture contents of the substrate, minerals, humidity, temperature, and physical damage of the kernels. These toxins cause several ailments such as cancer, hepatitis, mutation abnormalities, and reproduction disorders. Minimization and inactivation of aflatoxins contaminants through proper crop management at farm level and with physical, chemical, and biological techniques are the limelight of the article.

Gulf Cooperation Council countries' water and climate research to strengthen UN's SDGs 6 and 13.

Clean water and sanitation and climate actions represent two of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although challenging, the two goals can be achieved by 2030 through unconventional and innovative solutions. Scientific research related to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) and urgent actions to combat climate change and its impacts (SDG 13) will help develop new technologies to support the two goals and can bridge the gap between practitioners and academia's to achieve sustainability. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are located in an arid region. Their water and climate research activities and outcomes may provide a good contribution toward achieving the two goals. This study used text mining and bibliometric methods to analyze water and climate research contributions to achieve SDGs 6 and 13 in GCC countries. Results revealed that there is an increase in research publications after 2016 in the areas of water and climate in the GCC countries involving a longstanding international collaboration with developed countries. Research topics were focused on wastewater treatment, contamination, heavy metal, groundwater, and climate change impacts. Under SDG 6, most of the publications were research articles (77.3%), followed by reviews (11.1%), and the rest were book chapters and conference papers. For SDG 13, 75.1% of the publications are research articles, 10.9% are conference papers, and 8% are reviews. The research outcomes in the GCC countries have clearly contributed to the development of water and climate strategies and international collaborations to achieve the two goals.

Omnichannel Retailing in Light of Psychological Factors: A Mediated Model.

Purpose: Retail businesses have been seeing dramatic changes in the last decades. It has evolved from single-channel retailing to omnichannel retailing, providing a seamless shopping experience to customers. Customers armed with modern technology are creating challenges for retailers and forcing them to create an omnichannel environment. So, implementing an omnichannel retailing strategy is a big challenge for retail managers in the age of modern technologies. Retailers could evaluate consumers' usage intention of omnichannel retailing based on technological and psychological factors. However, research based on psychological factors is limited in the prevailing literature on omnichannel retailing. Based on the Motivational Model (MM) and Big-Five Factors (BFF) of personality traits, the study tried to fill the gap regarding the influence of psychological factors on omnichannel usage intention. Methods: A sample of 724 respondents through a structured questionnaire from a developing economy. The target population of the current study was internet users, as they might be prospective Omni shoppers in the near future. Relationships were tested through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS 23. Results: Results revealed that personality traits directly correlate with omnichannel usage intention, while motivations (intrinsic and extrinsic) partially mediate these relationships. Moreover, the results of the current study also revealed that the personality traits extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are vital antecedents of behavioral intention. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations positively impact consumers' usage intention, while extrinsic motivation partially mediates intrinsic motivation and consumers' usage intention. Additionally, full mediation prevails in the association of consumers' usage intention and personality traits (emotional stability and Openness to experiences). Originality: The domino effects provide a solid theoretical milestone in understanding the phenomenon of omnichannel retailing strategy and facilitates marketing managers to design channel strategies for emerging economics.