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Background Elevated cobalt (Co) levels induce cellular toxicity and reduce overall plant growth and development. Ascorbic acid is known to enhance heavy metal tolerance in plants; however, its potential to reduce Co stress in linseed remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of ascorbic acid in mitigating Co toxicity in linseed, focusing on its influence on morpho-physiological and biochemical attributes, along with regulation of stress-responsive genes. Results The results revealed that ascorbic acid (0.2 mM) decreased plant Co concentration by 9.36% in Roshni and 7.03% in Chandni under Co stress compared to plants under Co stress without ascorbic acid. Plant dry weight and number of grains per plant increased by 29.11% and 34.61% while chlorophyll content improved by 37.50% and 15.78% in both cultivars. Under Co stress, AsA also improved plant calcium contents by 23.28% and 15.50%, potassium contents by 18.02% and 20.02%, amino acids by 27.57% and 16.95% and total soluble protein by 29.74% and 36.15% in Roshni and Chandi over non-AsA Co stress. In addition, AsA alleviated Co toxicity by reducing oxidative stress markers including malondialdehyde by 35.56% and 36.84%, superoxide radical by 26.18% and 51.30%, and hydrogen peroxide by 26.53% and 29.72% and increased antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase: 36.95% and 29.64%; catalase: 34.05% and 31.23%; and peroxidase: 35.29% and 24.01% and osmolytes accumulation (proline: 18.18% and 45.09%) in Roshni and Chandni. Interestingly, qRT-PCR confirmed its role in enhancing the gene expression of antioxidants (CuZnSOD1, 2, CAT1, 2, POD1, 2, APX1, 2) and proline (p5CR and P5CS) in linseed. Conclusion Collectively, our results showed that ascorbic acid decreased cobalt-induced toxicity by modifying morpho-physiological and biochemical aspects as well as gene expression of linseed. Graphical abstract

This paper presents an ensemble learning approach to predict the active power losses during the allocation and sizing of distributed generation (DG) units in power distribution networks. The forecast model incorporates the Gradient Boosting Machine Regression (GBMR) to estimate DG location, bus voltages, DG size, and active losses without conventional power flow calculations. The results demonstrate that the suggested estimations of power losses and DG sizing are effective, practical, and adaptable for power system management. The accuracy of the proposed model has been validated using key performance metrics and tested on the standard IEEE 33 bus system. In the case of fixed load, the GBMR outperforms other machine learning techniques with the R-squared 0.9997, with a very low mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) (0.2216%) and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.0673 in predicting active power losses. This approach is promising in enabling grid operators to effectively manage DG unit integration of distributed energy resources from precise and reliable estimates of the power loss.

Background Infertility is a huge global problem with a significant mental health burden. Infertility could become a source of continuous stress leading to psychosocial issues including stress, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem in these women. A cross-sectional, case-controlled study was conducted between January 2021 and November 2021 to study the effect of infertility on mental health and quality of life. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for sociodemographic and clinical variables. The Oslo Social Support Scale-3 and FertiQol were used to study social support and quality of life respectively. Psychiatric morbidity was assessed using ICD-10 symptom checklist. A total of 56 cases and 102 controls were studied. Results The mean age of cases and controls was 30.4 ± 3.5 years and 31.9 ± 2.9 years, respectively. Young infertile females, primary infertility, and female factor for infertility were associated with higher psychiatric morbidity. Psychiatric morbidity was seen in 46.4% of infertile women. FertiQoL score for the infertile group was 64.61 ± 5 with the lowest score in the emotional domain (45.10) and mind-body domain (54.86) ( p < 0.0001). The scores in the relational domain and social domain were higher (85.2 and 73.3, respectively). The scores in the mind-body domain and emotional domain were poor among the infertile women regardless of the presence of psychiatric morbidity (48.27 vs 59.80 and 43.57 vs 46.57) ( p < 0.0001–0.04). Conclusions Our study emphasizes the role of more qualitative instruments like FertiQoL in studying the well-being of infertile women. Even in the absence of psychiatric morbidity, the QoL score could still predict mental well-being in fertility-related issues.

Soil degradation, resulting from improper agricultural practices and chemical processes, leads to nutrient depletion and pH changes, which affect soil fertility and crop productivity. However, understanding its impact on soil health and identifying mitigation strategies are crucial for improving and sustaining agricultural production and food security. Exposure of the soil environment to abiotic stresses intensifies chemical degradation, further compromising soil health and posing threats to agricultural production. On the other hand, agronomic practices such as tillage management, cropping geometry, nutrient application, and waste handling are crucial for sustainable crop cultivation in degraded soils. In this review, we discuss the harmful effects of elevated soil pH, salinity, and heavy metal stresses on soil degradation, as well as the reduction in nutrient availability and uptake, leading to nutrient deficiency in plants. This review explores various conventional methods, particularly organic and inorganic fertilizer management, to improve nutrient uptake and translocation in plants under chemically degraded soil conditions. In addition, we discuss sensor-based precision agricultural technologies that accurately monitor soil parameters to improve soil health. The potential of microbial biostimulants and biofortification techniques to enhance soil microbial health, promote long-term soil biodiversity, and ensure sustainable plant production is also addressed. Graphical Abstract

Peace-building initiatives from early years of life result in preventing violence in homes, schools and communities and plays a vital role in ensuring social cohesion, creating peaceful societies and promoting sustainable economic and social development. Against this background, Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) conducted a research study to explore what is in the minds of teachers regarding peace and peace-building. The study followed a qualitative research design, respondents were selected conveniently to conduct in-depth interviews. Teachers specified a wide range of description on meaning of peace including positive and negative peace. The findings put more emphasis on homes, schools and communities – all three in sync to create an impact on peace-building. Teachers also shared concerns about the negative impact of media, and the level of violence and intolerance among grownups. Teachers felt a need for having a broader understanding of what and how to enhance peace-building among children. Teachers were more concerned and interested in developing their capacities in knowing what can be done in schools and how the existing curriculum can be modified to introduce peace-building concepts. They also demanded capacity development of parents and teachers on peace education and conflict resolution, as it is the most neglected area in present situation.