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This study aims to examine the loss and damage experienced by coastal regions from the perspective of adaptation. It also seeks to evaluate the adaptation techniques employed when migration is utilized as a significant approach to mitigate the effects of loss and damage on coastal communities. This study evaluates the extent of loss and damage caused by constraints on adaptation. Two districts, Khulna and Satkhira, in the Khulna division of Bangladesh, were chosen for the study. In these districts, a total of twenty-four detailed interviews and one focus group discussion (FGD) were conducted with individuals living in rural areas whom climate-related effects and disasters have impacted. Additionally, seven interviews were conducted with climate migrants residing in informal settlements within the words of Khulna City Corporation. The process of identifying appropriate interview candidates involves utilizing a combination of specific criteria and snowball sampling techniques. The study employed NVivo 14 software to conduct theme analysis on textual data obtained from interviews. In the coding procedure, we sequentially employed semantic coding, latent coding, categorization, pattern exploration, and theme creation, all of which were in line with the research aim. The study indicates that most affected persons utilize seasonal and temporary movement as an adaptive strategy to deal with the slow effects of climate change, such as increasing temperatures and salinity in rural regions, and when they encounter limitations in their ability to adapt. Conversely, they opted for permanent migration in response to stringent constraints imposed by severe climate events like cyclones and river erosion, leaving them with no alternative but to move to urban regions. Social networks are crucial in influencing migration choices, as several families depend on information provided by urban relatives and rural neighbors to inform their relocation decisions. Nevertheless, not all individuals impacted by the situation express a desire to relocate; others opt to remain in rural areas due to their sentimental attachment to their birthplaces and a sense of dedication to their ancestral territory. Due to the exorbitant cost of urban life, they believe that opting not to migrate is a more practical option for addressing the repercussions of climate-induced loss and damage. The study’s findings aid policymakers in determining migration strategies and policies to address the adverse effects of coastal population displacement in Bangladesh. Additionally, it aids in determining strategies to address the challenges faced by climate migrants in both urban and rural environments.

The February 7, 2021, Joshimath flood scenario was one such event that caused widespread damage and led to complete washout of the many hydroelectric power projects located on the course of Dhauliganga River. The physical monitoring and mapping of such events is a difficult task that often involves deployment of labour force in inhospitable terrains. Therefore, remote sensing techniques are used for the mapping and machine learning model-based predictions for future scenarios. Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) remote sensing has been widely used over the years for accurate estimation of many natural and anthropogenic disaster events. This study utilizes Persistent Scatterer SAR interferometry (PSInSAR) technique to map the surface displacement of the 2021 flood scenario and make predictions for future displacement using a Deep Learning Neural Network (DLNN) model. 16 images of both ascending and descending pass were taken for the estimation of Line of Sight (LOS) displacement velocity mapping between January 2020 and April 2021 for Tapovan area. Further, 36 images from January 2020 to December 2022, in ascending and descending passes were used for prediction and validation of future LOS surface displacement using a DLNN model for Joshimath town to see the possible impact of February 7, 2021 event. The PSInSAR LOS displacements were found to be −1.2 ​cm–1.2 ​cm between January 1, 2020 and April 14, 2021, for Tapovan region where the floods had occurred on February 7, 2021. The predicted LOS displacement was observed to be −10 cm–10 ​cm for December 2022 for Joshimath town. These observations clearly indicate the impact of the event to Joshimath town and as one of the causative factors of recent observations of widespread cracks in the buildings in the region.

This century’s most serious catastrophe, COVID-19, has been dubbed “the most life-threatening disaster ever”. Asthmatic persons are even more prone to COVID-19’s complex interplay with the underlying inflammatory condition. In order to protect themselves against COVID-19, asthmatic patients must be very vigilant in their usage of therapeutic techniques and drugs (e.g., bronchodilators, 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors), which may be accessed to deal with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 indications. People with asthma may have more severe COVID-19 symptoms, which may lead to a worsening of their condition. Several cytokines were found to be elevated in the bronchial tracts of patients with acute instances of COVID-19, suggesting that this ailment may aggravate asthma episodes by increasing inflammation. The intensity of COVID-19 symptoms is lessened in patients with asthma who have superior levels of T-cells. Several antibiotics, antivirals, antipyretics, and anti-inflammatory drugs have been suggested to suppress COVID-19 symptoms in asthmatic persons. Furthermore, smokers are more likely to have aggravated repercussions in COVID-19 infection. Being hospitalized to critical care due to COVID-19, needing mechanical breathing, and suffering from serious health repercussions, are all possible outcomes for someone who has previously smoked. Smoking damages airways and alveoli, which significantly raises the risk of COVID-19-related health complications. Patients with a previous record of smoking are predisposed to severe COVID-19 disease symptoms that essentially require a combination of bronchodilators, mucolytics, antivirals, and antimuscarinic drugs, to cope with the situation. The present review discusses the care and management of asthmatic and smoker patients in COVID-19 infection.

This research explores the nexus between COVID-19 and the livelihoods of easy-bike (three-wheeler human hauliers) drivers using a case study of Rangpur City, Bangladesh. Although easy-bike has become a prevalent form of paratransit among city-dwellers in medium-sized cities in Bangladesh, many passengers are now avoiding such paratransit to maintain health and safety guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has negatively affected easy-bike drivers’ income in many medium-sized cities. To conduct this study, we collected primary data from the field, with the health and safety guidelines recommended by the government of Bangladesh in consideration. The results demonstrate a decreasing number of trips due to government policy changes under the COVID-19 pandemic, influencing people’s earnings associated with this transit system. We summarized the data to capture the attention of policymakers, who may need to introduce any foreseeable action to assist workers of different professions in need of economic assistance in cities outside of the capital city in Bangladesh. Moreover, we suggest the need to consider these urban transport workers as a vulnerable group for livelihood assistance within the country.

Climate change impacts, the resulting spatiotemporal changes, and growing uncertainty exert pressure on city leaders and policy makers to create climate adaptive development strategies worldwide. This article introduces climate urbanism as a new development paradigm that advocates for a climate adaptive urban development process, safeguarding urban economics and infrastructure, and ensuring equitable implementation of related strategies. The objective of this article is to determine how far a climate vulnerable city in the Global South has progressed toward climate urbanism. The study employs Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to develop a conceptual framework. Afterward, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and indexing are used to develop a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) method to assess the selected climate sensitive factors related to climate urbanism. Findings reveal that the city of Khulna’s climate urbanism index score is 0.36, which is extremely low and denotes subpar urban performance. ‘Climate Conscious Governance’ and ‘Climate Smart Infrastructure’ contribute little, while ‘Adaptive and Dynamic Urban Form’ and ‘Urban Ecosystem Services’ contribute even less. The binary logistic regression analysis reveals the significant indicators of (transformative) climate urbanism. The article provides a critical lens for stakeholders to evaluate climate urbanism and promote urban sustainability in the face of climate change.

Our aim was to study post-fire perceptions of selected mitigation strategies for wildland fire-induced risks proposed in a previous scientific study for the communities situated within the forested areas. Consequently, we considered engaging relevant professionals in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB), Alberta who experienced the costliest wildland fire occurrences in Canadian history known as the 2016 Horse River Fire (HRF). To meet our goal, we formulated a questionnaire based on the scientific evidence presented in a previous study and conducted a structured survey. Our results revealed that 24 professionals participated in the survey during the June 2020–April 2021 period, providing a 32% response rate. We observed that a high percentage of the participants agreed (i.e., between 63% and 80%) with the proposed wildland fire-induced risk mitigation strategies, including the presence of no to little vegetation in the 30 m buffer zone from the wildland–urban interface (WUI), extending the 30 m buffer zone to 70 m from the WUI, constructing a 70 m width ring road around the communities, and parking lots of the social infrastructures in the fringe of the communities encountering to the forest. We also found other views, including the use of non-combustible and fire-resistant construction materials, and developing the 70 m buffer zone as a recreational space.

Contents This study was designed to determine the semen quality and seminal plasma biochemical parameters in White Leghorn layer breeders in the early phase of maturity. Individual ejaculates from 25 males were analysed for the determination of volume, sperm concentration, dead sperm percentage (DS) and sperm motility. Seminal plasma was separated and analysed for total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), paraoxonase (PON1), arylesterase, ceruloplasmin, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Our findings showed a significant (p < 0.05) positive correlation between TOS and DS in layer breeders. The values of TAC were significantly negatively correlated with TOS and DS, while positively correlated with PON1. Conversely, AST showed significant negative correlation with motility and DS. Significantly, negative correlation was also observed between ALT and sperm concentration. In conclusion, these parameters provide some valuable basal data that may help better understanding the semen quality characteristics of White Leghorn layer breeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objective: Serum sialic acid is a recently investigated potential risk-marker for cardiovascular complications. There is a known association between sialic acid and cardiovascular complications in diabetes mellitus. We aimed to investigate the effect of antidiabetic drugs on the serum concentration of sialic acid. Methods: We investigated the effect of metformin and rosiglitazone on the concentration of sialic acid in 120 type 2 diabetic patients, divided into a group ( n = 60) receiving metformin and a group ( n = 60) receiving rosiglitazone treatment. Results: Serum sialic acid was significantly higher in patients on rosiglitazone (66·90 ±8·80 mg/dL vs. 57·6 ± 8·46 mg/dL, P <0·01) and metformin (61·95 ± 10·49 mg/dL vs. 57·6 ±8·46mg/dL, P < 0·04) when compared with control subjects. In addition, rosiglitazone-treated patients showed a significant increase in cardiovascular risk factors, notably total cholesterol (246·45 ± 20·2 mg/dL vs. 170·6 ± 15·1 mg/dL, P =0·01), triglyceride (178 ± 9·20 mg/dL vs. 149·35 ±6·31 mg/dL, P < 0·04) and glycohemoglobin (HbA1-c) concentration (8·17 ± 1·43% vs. 4·38 ±0·96%, P < 0·02) compared with normal control subjects. The patients on metformin also showed significantly higher levels of serum glucose (133·7 ± 9·63 mg/dL vs. 88·35 ± 6·31 mg/dL, P <0·04) and glycohemoglobin (HbA1-c) (8·23 ±1·75% vs. 4·38 ± 0·96%, P < 0·02) when compared with control subjects. Comparison of the two groups of patients revealed a significantly higher serum sialic acid (66·90 ± 8·80 mg/dL vs. 61·95 ±10·49 mg/dL, P < 0·05), total cholesterol (246·45 ±20·2 mg/dL vs. 192 ± 14·23 mg/dL, P <0·02) and triglyceride (178 ± 9·20 mg/dL vs. 158 ± 14·51mg/dL, P < 0·05) concentrations in the rosiglitazone-treated patients. What is new and conclusions: This study suggests significantly higher levels of serum sialic acid and other cardiovascular risk factors in rosiglitazone-treated patients than in metformin-treated patients. The lower sialic acid concentration may explain a better metformin antidiabetic effect than with rosiglitazone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169423.].

Understanding the warming trends at local level is critical; and, the development of relevant adaptation and mitigation policies at those levels are quite challenging. Here, our overall goal was to generate local warming trend map at 1 km spatial resolution by using: (i) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-based 8-day composite surface temperature data; (ii) weather station-based yearly average air temperature data; and (iii) air temperature normal (i.e., 30 year average) data over the Canadian province of Alberta during the period 1961-2010. Thus, we analysed the station-based air temperature data in generating relationships between air temperature normal and yearly average air temperature in order to facilitate the selection of year-specific MODIS-based surface temperature data. These MODIS data in conjunction with weather station-based air temperature normal data were then used to model local warming trends. We observed that almost 88% areas of the province experienced warming trends (i.e., up to 1.5°C). The study concluded that remote sensing technology could be useful for delineating generic trends associated with local warming.

Warming, i.e., increments of temperature, is evident at the global, regional, and local level. However, understanding the dynamics of local warming at high spatial resolution remains challenging. In fact, it is very common to see extremely variable land cover/land use within built-up environments that create micro-climatic conditions. To address this issue, our overall goal was to generate a local warming map for the period 1961–2010 at 15 m spatial resolution over the southern part of the Canadian province of Alberta. Our proposed methods consisted of three distinct steps. These were the: (i) construction of high spatial resolution enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) maps; (ii) conversion of air temperature (Ta) normal (i.e., 30 years average) at higher spatial resolution using vegetation indices (VI); and (iii) generation of a local warming map at 15m spatial resolution. In order to execute this study, we employed MODIS-driven air temperature data, EVI and NDVI data, and Landsat-driven vegetation indices. The study uncovered that around 58% (up to positive 1 °C) of areas in the considered study region were experiencing increased temperature; whereas only about 4% of areas underwent a cooling trend (more than negative 0.25 °C). The remaining 38% did not exhibit significant change in temperature. We concluded that remote sensing technology could be useful to enhance the spatial resolution of local warming maps, which would be useful for decision-makers considering efficient decisions in the face of increments in local temperature.

The northeastern region of Bangladesh often experiences flash flooding during the pre-harvesting period of the boro rice crop, which is the major cereal crop in the country. In this study, our objective was to delineate the impact of the 2017 flash flood (that initiated on 27 March 2017) on boro rice using multi-temporal Landsat-8 OLI and MODIS data. Initially, we opted to use Landsat-8 OLI data for mapping the damages; however, during and after the flooding event the acquisition of cloud free images were challenging. Thus, we used this data to map the cultivated boro rice acreage considering the planting to mature stages of the crop. Also, in order to map the extent of the damaged boro area, we utilized MODIS data as their 16-day composites provided cloud free information. Our results indicated that both the cultivated and damaged boro area estimates based on satellite data had strong relationships while compared to the ground-based estimates (i.e., r2 values approximately 0.92 for both cases, and RMSE of 18,374 and 9380 ha for cultivated and damaged areas, respectively). Finally, we believe that our study would be critical for planning and ensuring food security for the country.

People are walking in cities for different reasons. Some walkers walk for going to work, some are walking for shopping and some are for leisure during day and night hours. Medium sized cities like Braga and Guimarães in Portugal are depending on car for even shorter trips up to 2 kilometers. However, the walkways are allowing people to walk in convenient and safe way including late night environment. The pedestrians feel troublesome to walk on the footpaths because of illegal parking and discontinuation of walkways. Municipality transport plans and master plans do not incorporate pedestrians as a major component. But this egress mode of transportation is very important in medium sized city centers like Guimarães and Braga for the people to enjoy city centers’ activities. This paper focuses on the types of walkers who use the walkways on a regular basis. Usually, people are feeling comfortable to walk when they go to clubs and bars in a group in these small cities especially after work. This paper again tries to focus the varieties of problems on walkways and to present policies that can improve the situation. Municipal master plan and transportation plan have been studied carefully to see the provisions of pedestrian planning options. Field surveys have been conducted both in form of questionnaire and observation during the end of 2009 and results show different patterns of pedestrian behavior as well as evidence that people get different experiences with problems while walking on the walkways in both surveyed towns. Considering the issues of sustainable mobility, this paper also tries to suggest policies to motivate more people to walk especially in the medium-sized cities of Portugal.

Abstract Background The prevalence of hypertension is increasing in much of the South Asian region, including Nepal. This paper reports the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension and pre-hypertension among adult women in a rural community of Nepal. Methods Cross-sectional data on socioeconomic status (SES), lifestyle factors and blood pressure (BP) were collected from a cohort of 15,934 women in rural Nepal in 2006–08. Among a subsample (n = 1679), anthropometry and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk were measured. Results The mean age of women was 34.2 years (range 16.4-71.2 years). More than three percent (3.3%) had hypertension and 14.4% had pre-hypertension. In an adjusted analysis, lower SES, especially lower household farm assets and storage of food for long term consumption, was associated with increased odds of hypertension (OR = 1.14 for mid-level SES and OR = 1.40 for low SES; p for trend Conclusions Although the prevalence of hypertension was low in this cohort, it was more prevalent among the poorer women and was strongly associated with other cardiovascular risks. These associations at a relatively young age may confer greater risk for cardiovascular disease among women in later life, indicating the need for interventions to reduce the progression from pre-hypertension to hypertension.

Abstract Background Helicobacter species associated with human infection include Helicobacter pylori, Helicobacter heilmannii and Helicobacter felis among others. In this study we determined the prevalence of H. pylori and non-Helicobacter pylori organisms H. felis and H. heilmannii and analyzed the association between coinfection with these organisms and gastric pathology in patients presenting with dyspepsia. Biopsy specimens were obtained from patients with dyspepsia on esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for rapid urease test, histology and PCR examination for Helicobacter genus specific 16S rDNA, H. pylori phosphoglucosamine mutase (glmM) and urease B (ureB) gene of H. heilmannii and H. felis. Sequencing of PCR products of H. heilmannii and H. felis was done. Results Two hundred-fifty patients with dyspepsia were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 39 ± 12 years with males 162(65%). Twenty-six percent (66 out of 250) were exposed to cats or dogs. PCR for Helicobacter genus specific 16S rDNA was positive in 167/250 (67%), H. pylori glmM in 142/250 (57%), H. heilmannii in 17/250 (6%) and H. felis in 10/250 (4%), respectively. All the H. heilmannii and H. felis PCR positive patients were also positive for H. pylori PCR amplification. The occurrence of coinfection of H. pylori and H. heilmannii was 17(6%) and with H. felis was 10(4%), respectively. Only one out of 66 exposed to pets were positive for H. heilmannii and two for H. felis. Histopathology was carried out in 160(64%) of 250 cases. Chronic active inflammation was observed in 53(56%) (p = 0.001) of the patients with H. pylori infection alone as compared to 3(37%) (p = 0.73) coinfected with H. heilmannii and H. pylori and 3(60%) coinfected with H. felis and H. pylori (p = 0.66). Intestinal metaplasia was observed in 3(3%)(p = 1.0) of the patients with H. pylori infection alone as compared to 2(25%) (p = 0.02) coinfected with H. heilmannii and H. pylori and 1(20%) coinfected with H. felis and H. pylori (p = 0.15). Conclusion The prevalence of H. heilmannii and H. felis was low in our patients with dyspepsia. Exposure to pets did not increase the risk of H. heilmannii or H. felis infection. The coinfection of H. pylori with H. heilmannii was seen associated with intestinal metaplasia, however this need further confirmation.

Background: Cell-surface proteins play key roles in the communication between external stimuli and internal signaling. As protein types and expression levels vary in different cells, in-situ visualization of the whole surface proteome (surfaceome) may facilitate the study of their functions in homeostasis maintenance or response to environmental changes (e.g., drug treatment). However, there lacks easily-prepared and universal labeling probes to visualize them in living cells., Results: We designed and synthesized a small-molecule fluorescent probe, SRB-NHS, for one-step labeling of surfaceome. Live-cell imaging results exhibited the plasma membrane localization of the fluorescent signal from SRB-NHS and SDS-PAGE/fluorescence scanning results confirmed the covalent labeling of proteins by SRB-NHS, indicating the suitability of SRB-NHS for surfaceome labeling towards different cell lines., Significance: Upon labeling by SRB-NHS, the cellular internalization of surfaceome was studied under different stimuli (e.g., nutritional deprivation, drug treatments). Intriguingly, specific monitoring of the interaction between antibody drugs and related cell-surface targets can be achieved when the probe is used in combination with fluorescently labeled antibodies and imaged via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), offering a new method compatible with various cell lines to monitor the surfaceome or a specific drug-target interaction in situ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Seaport infrastructure requires considerable resources and time for a full recovery from accidents caused by hazardous cargo. Despite their severity, the risk to seaport infrastructure from hazardous cargo operations has been insufficiently explored. This study aims to fill that gap by examining the risks to seaport infrastructure from the complex effects of hazardous cargo operations. It draws on literature, incident reports, and expert consultations to identify comprehensive risk factors and their interconnections. The study employs expert judgments alongside logistic regression to develop Conditional Probability Tables (CPTs) and conducts a risk analysis using Bayesian networks (BN). Our findings indicate that, under typical operating conditions, fire and explosion, corrosion, and improper handling are the most significant contributors to seaport infrastructure risk with probabilities of 8.73 %, 5.88 %, and 5.61 % respectively. Inverse propagation indicates that the contribution of improper handling and corrosion is enhanced by 153 % and 96 % respectively towards the increased risk. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to pinpoint critical risk factors. Based on these insights, the study suggests practical measures like the use of tracking and monitoring systems along with third-party audits for effective handling, augmented and virtual reality for advanced training, and automation technology for reduced human roles to subside risks to seaport infrastructure and promote uninterrupted operations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Endometritis is a common inflammatory condition of the uterine endometrial lining that primarily affects perinatal dairy animals and causes significant economic losses in agriculture. It is usually triggered by pathogenic bacteria and is associated with chronic postpartum reproductive tract infections. Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are known to increase levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress and inflammation through the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and the inhibition of Nrf2 nuclear translocation, which regulates antioxidant response elements (AREs). The effectiveness of the conventional management strategy involving antibiotics is decreasing due to resistance and residual concerns. This review explores the potential therapeutic benefits of targeting the Nrf2/Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)/NF-κB signaling pathway to alleviate LPS-induced endometritis. We discuss recent advancements in veterinary medicine that utilize exogenous antioxidants to modulate these pathways, thereby reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in endometrial cells. This review highlights the efficacy of several bioactive compounds that enhance Nrf2 signaling and suppress NF-κB activation, offering protective effects against oxidative damage and inflammation. By examining various in vitro studies, this review emphasizes the emerging role of these signaling pathways in developing new therapeutic strategies that could potentially replace or supplement traditional treatments and mitigate the economic impacts of endometritis in livestock.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an increasing widespread cause of disability and mortality, typically leading to dementia and memory impairment., Objective: This study aims to investigate the neuroprotective potential of Nigella sativa extract against TBI induced memory impairment in adult albino mice., Methods: Adult male mice were divided into four groups randomly: Control, Nigella sativa extract alone, TBI alone and TBI plus Nigella sativa extract. TBI induction was carried out in mice using a weight dropping method then Nigella sativa extract (10 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally for two weeks. Morris water maze and Y-maze tests were used to measure memory improvement ability and Western blot technique was used to analyse the neuroinflammatory and synaptic protein markers., Results: Nigella sativa extract significantly decreased phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) proteins to reduce TBI-induced neuroinflammation accompanied by the restoration of both pre- and post-synaptic protein expression in adult mice model. Furthermore, Nigella sativa extract enhanced both short and long-term spatial memory against TBI in adult mice model., Conclusion: Nigella sativa extract abrogated neuroinflammation mediated memory impairment in TBI mice model. Further research is needed to determine Nigella sativa extract ingredients detail completely and to understand its mechanisms of neuroprotection in reducing memory impairments associated with traumatic brain injury and other neurodegenerative diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Antibiotics have been a vital component in the fight against microbial diseases for over 75 years, saving countless lives. However, the global rise of multi-drug-resistance (MDR) bacterial infections is pushing us closer to a post-antibiotic era where common infections may once again become lethal. To combat MDR Acinetobacter baumannii, we investigated chiral phthalimides and used molecular docking to identify potential targets. Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) is crucial for A. baumannii resistant to antibiotics, making it a pathogen of great concern due to its high mortality rate and limited treatment options. In this study, we evaluated three distinct compounds against the OmpA protein: FIA (2-(1,3-dioxoindolin-2yl)-3-phenylpropanoic acid), FIC (2-(1,3-dioxoindolin-2yl)-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid), and FII (3-(1,3-dioxoindolin-2yl)-3-phenylpropanoic acid). Molecular docking results showed that these three compounds exhibited strong interactions with the OmpA protein. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation analysis further confirmed the stability and binding efficacy of these compounds with OmpA. Their antimicrobial activities were assessed using the agar well diffusion method, revealing that FIA had an optimal zone of inhibition of 24 mm. Additionally, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of these compounds were determined, demonstrating their bactericidal properties against A. baumannii, with MICs of 11 μg/μL for FIA, 46 μg/μL for FIC, and 375 μg/μL for FII. In vitro cytotoxicity data indicated that none of the three compounds were hemolytic when exposed to human red blood cells. This finding is particularly significant as it highlights the superior efficacy of FIA against A. baumannii compared to the other compounds. With thorough pharmacokinetic validations, these chiral phthalimides are promising alternative therapeutic options for treating infections caused by A. baumannii, offering new hope in the face of rising antibiotic resistance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Biostimulants are obtained from various sources like plants, animals, microorganisms, and industrial by-products as well as waste material. Their utilization in agriculture practices is being increased that is giving positive results. The purpose of the current study was to use plant-derived smoke (SMK) solution and biogas digestate (BGD) slurry as biostimulant to elucidate their impact on potato ( Solanum tuberosum ) performance. The experiment was conducted in lab as well as field conditions, and SMK and BGD solutions were prepared in varying concentrations such as SMK 1:500, SMK 1:250, BGD 50:50, and BGD 75:25. Foliar applications were performed thrice during experiments and data were collected related to photosynthesis, growth, pigments, and genome-wide methylation profiling. Net photosynthesis rate ( A ) and water use efficiency (WUE) were found higher in SMK- and BGD-treated lab and field grown plants. Among pigments, BGD-treated plants depicted higher levels of Chl a and Chl b while SMK-treated plants showed higher carotenoid levels. Alongside, enhancement in growth-related parameters like leaf number and dry weight was also observed in both lab- and field-treated plants. Furthermore, DNA methylation profile of SMK- and BGD-treated plants depicted variation compared to control. DNA methylation events increased in all the treatments compared to control except for SMK 1:500. These results indicate that smoke and slurry both act as efficient biostimulants which result in better performance of plants. Biostimulants also affected the genome-wide DNA methylation profile that resultantly might have changed the plant gene expression profiling and played its role in plant responsiveness to these biostimulants. However, there is need to elucidate a possible synergistic effect of SMK and BGD on plant growth along with gene expression profiling.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of different levels of hempseed (HS) on growth performance, immunity and gut health in broiler chickens. A total of 192 Hubbard broiler chicks were divided into four groups and fed HS as follow: control (HS0), HS 10% (HS-10), HS 15% (HS-15) and HS 20% (HS-20). The study on HS supplementation in broilers revealed no significant impacts on feed intake during the starter ( p  = .2294) and finisher phases ( p  = .2294), or overall ( p  = .0944), though numerical increases were noted with higher HS levels. Body weight gain showed no significant influence in the starter and finisher phases, with overall weight gain also not significantly different ( p  = .0944), but numerically higher with increased HS. Feed conversion ratio was unaffected in the starter ( p  = .6986) and finisher phases ( p  = .6425), and overall ( p  = .2218). Dressing percentage ( p  = .1062) and mortality ( p  = .1631) were not significantly altered, but HS-20 had the highest dressing percentage and lowest mortality numerically. White blood cell counts increased significantly ( p  = .0377), especially in HS-15 and HS-20 groups. IgM and IgG production was higher in HS-20 on day 28 ( p  = .021). Gut pH ( p  > .05) and intestinal histomorphology ( p  > .05) were not significantly affected, although villus height increased numerically with higher HS levels. These results suggest potential benefits of HS, especially at higher inclusion levels. In conclusion, the obtained results indicated that HS incorporation into the diet of broilers did not affect the growth performance and gut health; however, the immune responses were significantly higher at 15 and 20% levels.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of varying levels of sorghum-based diets as an alternative to maize in broiler nutrition. A total of 320 one-day-old male Ross 708 broiler chickens were randomly allocated to four treatment groups (5 pens per treatment and 16 birds per pen), comprising a control group with a basal diet and groups receiving sorghum-based diets with 20%, 40%, and 100% maize replacement. The overall weight gain was significantly ( p  < 0.0001) higher in the control group, followed by 20%, 40%, and 100% sorghum replacement. Additionally, overall feed intake was significantly ( p  < 0.01) higher in the 20% sorghum replacement group compared to the control and other groups. Broilers fed sorghum-based diets exhibited a significantly ( p  < 0.01) increased feed conversion ratio. Carcass characteristics showed no significant differences between broilers fed corn and sorghum; however, the digestibility of crude protein and apparent metabolizable energy significantly ( p  < 0.01) increased in the 20% sorghum-corn replacement compared to the 40% and 100% replacement levels. Ileal villus height and width did not differ among the corn-sorghum-based diets, regardless of the replacement percentage. Furthermore, among the cecal microbiota, Lactobacillus count was significantly ( p  < 0.041) higher in the 20% corn-sorghum diet compared to the 40% and 100% replacement levels. These findings suggest that replacing corn up to 20% of corn with sorghum in broiler diet positively impact growth performance, gut health, nutrient digestibility, and cecal microbiota in broilers. However, larger replacements (40% and 100%) may have negative implications for broiler production and health.

In poultry nutrition, zinc supplementation is typically achieved through the addition of zinc oxide or zinc sulfate to the feed. The alternative approach of organic sources utilizes an organic ligand to bind zinc (Zn), resulting in higher bioavailability. Thus, a study was conducted to assess and compare the impact of a methionine-complexed Zn versus an inorganic Zn on growth, blood biochemical profile, gut histomorphology, and fecal excretion of Zn in broilers. The experimental design included two treatments: the addition of a zinc amino acid complex or zinc oxide to the basal diet. The zinc amino acid complex was supplemented at a dose equivalent to the inorganic zinc (Zn-80), while the organic zinc was provided at levels of 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg to a total of 400 broilers. There were five treatments in total, and each treatment was replicated four times. Broilers supplemented with an organic form of Zn at the level of 80 mg/kg had significantly ( p  < 0.05) higher body weight gain and lower feed conversion ratio (F/G). Significantly ( p  < 0.05) higher Zn excretion was recorded in broilers supplemented with inorganic Zn supplementation. Significantly ( p  < 0.05) higher villus length and width, their ratio, and lower ( p  < 0.05) crypt depth were observed in birds supplemented with 80 mg/kg organic Zn. From the results of the present study, it was concluded that Zn from an organic source at the rate of 80 mg/kg was superior in terms of growth performance, intestinal histomorphology and less excretion of Zn to the environment in broilers.

Animal industry seeks cost-effective solutions to enhance performance and health of domestic animals. This study investigated the effects of supplementing Bacillus spp. probiotics and xylanase on 2000 one-day-old Japanese quails, randomly assigned to four treatment groups (10 replicates). The control group received no supplementation, while the others were supplemented with a Bacillus -based probiotic at 7.5 × 10 7 cfu/kg of feed, xylanase enzyme (2,000 U/kg) alone or in combination. Quails receiving both probiotic and enzyme exhibited significantly ( p  < 0.01) higher weekly and overall weight gain, and lower feed conversion ratios compared to the control group. Dressing percentage was higher ( p  < 0.01), and mortality lower in birds supplemented with a combination of enzyme and probiotic. Antibody titres against infectious bronchitis and infectious bursal disease were significantly ( p  < 0.01) higher in quails receiving combined probiotic and enzyme supplementation, while titres against Newcastle disease virus were higher ( p  < 0.01) in groups supplemented with probiotic and enzyme individually or in combination. Additionally, digestibility was significantly ( p  < 0.01) higher in groups receiving combined enzyme and probiotic supplementation, with higher apparent metabolizable energy compared to the control. The populations of beneficial Lactobacillus increased, while harmful E. coli and Salmonella decreased significantly in quails supplemented with both probiotic and enzyme. In conclusion, supplementing xylanase enzyme and probiotic together in Japanese quails positively influenced growth, nutrient digestibility, immune response, and cecal microbiota.

Federated unlearning (FUL) is a promising solution for removing negative influences from the global model. However, ensuring the reliability of local models in FL systems remains challenging. Existing FUL studies mainly focus on eliminating bad data influences and neglecting scenarios where other factors, such as adversarial attacks and communication constraints, also contribute to negative influences that require mitigation. In this paper, we introduce Local Model Refining (LMR), a FUL method designed to address the negative impacts of bad data as well as other factors on the global model. LMR consists of three components: (i) Identifying and categorizing unreliable local models into two classes based on their influence source: bad data or other factors. (ii) Bad Data Influence Unlearning (BDIU): BDIU is a client-side algorithm that identifies affected layers in unreliable models and employs gradient ascent to mitigate bad data influences. Boosting training is applied when necessary under specific conditions. (iii) Other Influence Unlearning (OIU): OIU is a server-side algorithm that identifies unaffected parameters in the unreliable local model and combines them with corresponding parameters of the previous global model to construct the updated local model. Finally, LMR aggregates updated local models with remaining local models to produce the unlearned global model. Extensive evaluation shows LMR enhances accuracy and accelerates average unlearning speed by 5x compared to comparison methods on MNIST, FMNIST, CIFAR-10, and CelebA datasets., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess CT-scan based parameters, particularly ureteral wall thickness (UWT), in predicting spontaneous ureteral stone passage., Study Design: Cross-sectional, analytical study., Place and Duration of the Study: Section of Urology, Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from June to November 2023., Methodology: Patients with symptomatic, single, radio-opaque, unilateral ureteral stones having size ≤10 mm with normal kidney functions, diagnosed by non-contrast CT-scan KUB, and treated by conservative option for four weeks were enrolled. Clinical and radiological predictors for stone passage (SP), including stone size, area, laterality, location, density, degree of hydronephrosis, maximal UWT at the stone site, and ureteral diameter and density above and below the stone, were evaluated. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to identify predictors of stone passage. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to find the optimal cut-off for UWT., Results: Among 34 eligible patients, 22 (64.7%) passed their stones spontaneously. Patients who passed had smaller stone size and area and lesser UWT. Stone location, laterality, degree of hydronephrosis, stone density, ureteral wall diameter, and density above and below stones were not associated with SP. Multivariate analysis revealed maximum UWT as the independent predictor of SP, with a cut-off of 1.95 mm and an accuracy of 0.94., Conclusion: UWT was the single most convincing factor for the spontaneous passage of ureteral stone in this study. By applying UWT's optimal cut-off value, it might be an extremely significant tool when taking decisions in daily practice., Key Words: Ureteral wall thickness, Medical expulsive therapy, Non-contrast computed tomography.

Pashtu is one of the most widely spoken languages in south-east Asia. Pashtu Numerics recognition poses challenges due to its cursive nature. Despite this, employing a machine learning-based optical character recognition (OCR) model can be an effective way to tackle this issue. The main aim of the study is to propose an optimized machine learning model which can efficiently identify Pashtu numerics from 0-9. The methodology includes data organizing into different directories each representing labels. After that, the data is preprocessed i.e. , images are resized to 32 × 32 images, then they are normalized by dividing their pixel value by 255, and the data is reshaped for model input. The dataset was split in the ratio of 80:20. After this, optimized hyperparameters were selected for LSTM and CNN models with the help of trial-and-error technique. Models were evaluated by accuracy and loss graphs, classification report, and confusion matrix. The results indicate that the proposed LSTM model slightly outperforms the proposed CNN model with a macro-average of precision: 0.9877, recall: 0.9876, F1 score: 0.9876. Both models demonstrate remarkable performance in accurately recognizing Pashtu numerics, achieving an accuracy level of nearly 98%. Notably, the LSTM model exhibits a marginal advantage over the CNN model in this regard., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Syed et al.)

Improved data sharing between healthcare providers can lead to a higher probability of accurate diagnosis, more effective treatments, and enhanced capabilities of healthcare organizations. One critical area of focus is brain tumor segmentation, a complex task due to the heterogeneous appearance, irregular shape, and variable location of tumors. Accurate segmentation is essential for proper diagnosis and effective treatment planning, yet current techniques often fall short due to these complexities. However, the sensitive nature of health data often prohibits its sharing. Moreover, the healthcare industry faces significant issues, including preserving the privacy of the model and instilling trust in the model. This paper proposes a framework to address these privacy and trust issues by introducing a mechanism for training the global model using federated learning and sharing the encrypted learned parameters via a permissioned blockchain. The blockchain-federated learning algorithm we designed aggregates gradients in the permissioned blockchain to decentralize the global model, while the introduced masking approach retains the privacy of the model parameters. Unlike traditional raw data sharing, this approach enables hospitals or medical research centers to contribute to a globally learned model, thereby enhancing the performance of the central model for all participating medical entities. As a result, the global model can learn about several specific diseases and benefit each contributor with new disease diagnosis tasks, leading to improved treatment options. The proposed algorithm ensures the quality of model data when aggregating the local model, using an asynchronous federated learning procedure to evaluate the shared model's quality. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed scheme for the critical and challenging task of brain tumor segmentation. Specifically, our method achieved a 1.99% improvement in Dice similarity coefficient for enhancing tumors and a 19.08% reduction in Hausdorff distance for whole tumors compared to the baseline methods, highlighting the significant advancement in segmentation performance and reliability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The present study aimed to find whether low doses of mixed mycotoxins would affect egg quality in laying hens, and to explore the oxidative stress induced liver damage through endoplasmic reticulum during summer stress. A total of 96 Jinghong laying hens, 36 wks of age, were divided into four treatments, with eight repetitions per treatment and three hens per repetition. All the hens were raised in summer (average temperature: 31.3 ± 0.5℃; average humidity: 85.5 ± 0.2%) for 28d. One treatment was fed a basal diet as control (CON), and the other three treatments were fed the same diets containing 3.0 mg/kg deoxynivalenol (DON), 0.5 mg/kg T-2 toxin (T-2), and 1.5 mg/kg DON + 0.25 mg/kg T-2 toxin (Mix). Albumen height and Haugh unit were decreased (P < 0.05) in the Mix group on day 14 and 28. The activity of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase were decreased (P < 0.05) in the DON, T-2, and Mix groups. The alkaline phosphatase level in DON, T-2, and Mix groups was significantly increased (P < 0.05). The level of interleukin-1β, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α in the Mix group were higher (P < 0.05) than CON, DON, and T-2 groups. Mix group upregulated the mRNA expressions of protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase, activating transcription factor4, IL-1β, nuclear factor-κ-gene binding, and nuclear respiratory factor 2 in the liver (P < 0.05). The results showed that low doses of DON and T-2 toxin could cause oxidative stress in the liver, but DON and T-2 toxin have a cumulative effect on virulence, which can reduce egg quality and cause endoplasmic reticulum stress in the liver., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Society of Biometeorology.)

About 26 million people worldwide use the Saraiki language [1]. In the southern part of Punjab and Sindh, Saraiki language is extensively spoken. One of the most important Saraiki cultural hubs is Dera Ghazi Khan. In Dera Ghazi Khan, the Saraiki language is spoken by over 90 % of the population. Calligraphers use a sophisticated script to write this language. Despite the vast body of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) literature and research dedicated to other languages, a fully functional OCR system is still needed for Saraiki language [2,3]. This work presents a genuine dataset of Saraiki handwritten characters, consisting of 50,000 scanned photos, and makes it accessible to the public for use. All of the photographs include handwritten text contributed by teachers and students from Pak-Austria Fachhochschule for Applied Sciences and Technology, Pakistan. Around 1000 people, roughly half men and half women, contributed in writing this text. For scientific research, the dataset will be made accessible to the general public., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

This study examines the manufacturing, characterization, and biological evaluation of platinum nanoparticles, which were synthesized by Enterobacter cloacae and coated with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and Resveratrol (RSV). The formation of PtNPs was confirmed with the change of color from dark yellow to black, which was due to the bioreduction of platinum chloride by E. cloacae. BSA and RSV functionalization enhanced these nanoparticles' biocompatibility and therapeutic potential. TGA, SEM, XRD, and FTIR were employed for characterization, where PtNPs and drug conjugation-related functional groups were studied by FTIR. XRD confirmed the crystalline nature of PtNPs and Pt-BSA-RSV NPs, while TGA and SEM showed thermal stability and post-drug coating morphological changes. Designed composite was also found to be biocompatible in nature in hemolytic testing, indicating their potential in Biomedical applications. After confirmation of PtNPs based nanocaompsite synthesis, they were examined for anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Pt-BSA-RSV NPs showed higher concentration-dependent DPPH scavenging activity, which measured antioxidant capability. Enzyme inhibition tests demonstrated considerable anti-inflammatory activity against COX-2 and 15-LOX enzymes. In in vitro anticancer studies, Pt-BSA-RSV NPs effectively killed human ovarian cancer cells. This phenomenon was demonstrated to be facilitated by the acidic environment of cancer, as the drug release assay confirmed the release of RSV from the NP formulation in the acidic environment. Finally, Molecular docking also demonstrated that RSV has strong potential as an anti-oxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer agent. Overall, in silico and in vitro investigations in the current study showed good medicinal applications for designed nanocomposites, however, further in-vivo experiments must be conducted to validate our findings., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a complex and challenging arrhythmia to treat, necessitating innovative therapeutic strategies. This review explores the evolving landscape of gene therapy for AF, focusing on targeted delivery methods, mechanistic insights, and future prospects. Direct myocardial injection, reversible electroporation, and gene painting techniques are discussed as effective means of delivering therapeutic genes, emphasizing their potential to modulate both structural and electrical aspects of the AF substrate. The importance of identifying precise targets for gene therapy, particularly in the context of AF-associated genetic, structural, and electrical abnormalities, is highlighted. Current studies employing animal models, such as mice and large animals, provide valuable insights into the efficacy and limitations of gene therapy approaches. The significance of imaging methods for detecting atrial fibrosis and guiding targeted gene delivery is underscored. Activation mapping techniques offer a nuanced understanding of AF-specific mechanisms, enabling tailored gene therapy interventions. Future prospects include the integration of advanced imaging, activation mapping, and percutaneous catheter-based techniques to refine transendocardial gene delivery, with potential applications in both ventricular and atrial contexts. As gene therapy for AF progresses, bridging the translational gap between preclinical models and clinical applications is imperative for the successful implementation of these promising approaches., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Limited literature is available on the consequences of postpartum low blood calcium (Ca) concentration in crossbred cows. The research aimed to investigate the correlation between postpartum serum Ca levels and various parameters, including milk yield, serum energy metabolites, milk somatic cell count, and reproductive factors in crossbred cows. Following parturition, a total of 45 potential high-yielding F2 (HF × Sahiwal; Genotype: 75:25) dairy cows were enrolled . These cows were categorized based on plasma calcium concentrations into three groups: a low calcium group (Ca-L) with a calcium concentration of <5 mg/dL, a medium calcium group (Ca-M) with a calcium concentration ranging from 5 to 8.5 mg/dL, and a high calcium group (Ca-H) with a calcium concentration exceeding 8.5 mg/dL. The study parameters were measured over an 8-week period. The results indicated that overall milk yield and blood glucose were significantly higher in the Ca-H group compared to Ca-M and Ca-L (p < .01). Blood cholesterol was significantly higher in Ca-M (p < .01), while blood triglyceride was significantly lower in both Ca-M and Ca-H. Overall, blood cortisol did not show a significant change between these groups (p < .01); however, progesterone levels were higher (p < .01) in Ca-M and Ca-H cows. Furthermore, somatic cell count (SCC) significantly (p < .01) decreased in cows with Ca-H compared to Ca-L. Additionally, postpartum oestrous interval and interestrus interval decreased significantly (p < .01) in Ca-M and Ca-H compared to Ca-L. These findings suggest that cows with blood calcium levels exceeding 8.5 mg/dL exhibited significantly higher milk yield, blood metabolite levels, a lower likelihood of subclinical mastitis, and earlier reproductive activity after calving., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)