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Okinawa propolis (OP) and its major ingredients were reported to have anti-cancer effects and lifespan-extending effects on Caenorhabditis elegans through inactivation of the oncogenic kinase, p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1). Herein, five prenylated flavonoids from OP, nymphaeol-A (NA), nymphaeol-B (NB), nymphaeol-C (NC), isonymphaeol-B (INB), and 3′-geranyl-naringenin (GN), were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-Alzheimer’s effects using in vitro techniques. They showed significant anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of albumin denaturation (half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 0.26–1.02 µM), nitrite accumulation (IC50 values of 2.4–7.0 µM), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity (IC50 values of 11.74–24.03 µM). They also strongly suppressed in vitro α-glucosidase enzyme activity with IC50 values of 3.77–5.66 µM. However, only INB and NA inhibited acetylcholinesterase significantly compared to the standard drug donepezil, with IC50 values of 7.23 and 7.77 µM, respectively. Molecular docking results indicated that OP compounds have good binding affinity to the α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase proteins, making non-bonded interactions with their active residues and surrounding allosteric residues. In addition, none of the compounds violated Lipinski’s rule of five and showed notable toxicity parameters. Density functional theory (DFT)-based global reactivity descriptors demonstrated their high reactive nature along with the kinetic stability. In conclusion, this combined study suggests that OP components might be beneficial in the treatment of inflammation, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Salinity is one of the rising problems causing tremendous yield losses in many regions of the world especially in arid and semiarid regions. To maximize crop productivity, these areas should be brought under utilization where there are options for removing salinity or using the salt-tolerant crops. Use of salt-tolerant crops does not remove the salt and hence halophytes that have capacity to accumulate and exclude the salt can be an effective way. Methods for salt removal include agronomic practices or phytoremediation. The first is cost- and labor-intensive and needs some developmental strategies for implication; on the contrary, the phytoremediation by halophyte is more suitable as it can be executed very easily without those problems. Several halophyte species including grasses, shrubs, and trees can remove the salt from different kinds of salt-affected problematic soils through salt excluding, excreting, or accumulating by their morphological, anatomical, physiological adaptation in their organelle level and cellular level. Exploiting halophytes for reducing salinity can be good sources for meeting the basic needs of people in salt-affected areas as well. This review focuses on the special adaptive features of halophytic plants under saline condition and the possible ways to utilize these plants to remediate salinity.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) contains prebiotic components, fructans, antibacterial compounds, and organosulfur compounds. The complex ingredients of garlic seem to impart a paradoxical result on the gut microbiome. In this study, we used a mouse model to clarify the effects of whole garlic on the gut microbiome. C57BL/6N male mice were fed with or without whole garlic in normal diet (ND) or in high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. Supplementation with whole garlic attenuated HFD-enhanced ratio of serum GPT/GOT (glutamic-pyruvic transaminase/glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase), levels of T-Cho (total cholesterol) and LDLs (low-density lipoproteins), and index of homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), but had no significant effect in the levels of serum HDL-c (high density lipoprotein cholesterol), TG (total triacylglycerol), and glucose. Moreover, garlic supplementation meliorated the HFD-reduced ratio of villus height/crypt depth, cecum weight, and the concentration of cecal organic acids. Finally, gut microbiota characterization by high throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that whole garlic supplementation increased the α-diversity of the gut microbiome, especially increasing the relative abundance of f_Lachnospiraceae and reducing the relative abundance of g_Prevotella. Taken together, our data demonstrated that whole garlic supplementation could meliorate the HFD-induced dyslipidemia and disturbance of gut microbiome.

We study the impact of an agricultural microcredit program on the livelihoods of small, marginal, and landless tenant farmers in Bangladesh based on a Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Twenty percent of eligible households acquire at least one loan from the program within two years of the start of the intervention. Results show that access to credit has positive but imprecisely estimated effects on adoption of modern varieties (MV) of rice as well as rice yield. The microcredit program increases crop farm income but has no significant effect on total income or expenditure. Although the program does not have a significant effect on most economic outcomes, it demonstrates an increase in farm activities among the targeted farmers. Our study suggests that facilitating access to credit without addressing other constraints may not be enough to increase investment and profits of tenant farmers.

Fish seed are important for the growth of aquaculture in Bangladesh, but there are many challenges associated with supplying quality fish seed. This review evaluated the current level of production, issues and challenges that are affecting the production of fish seed in Bangladesh. The fish hatchery was found to be the major contributor in terms of fish seed production. Out of 671 metric tons of fish seed produced in 2020–2021, above 99% were from hatcheries. Freshwater finfish hatcheries have expanded over the last 30 yr, and are distributed throughout the country, but there is no commercial hatchery for coastal and marine water finfish species in the country. Shrimp and prawn hatcheries are concentrated in Cox's Bazar and the greater Jassore regions, respectively, while crab culture is entirely dependent on wild capture. Crablets are collected from nature, which has a devastating impact on biodiversity and wild stocks. The fish seed value chain is multidirectional and interlinked, and intermediaries dominate the supply chain. Disease outbreaks and indiscriminate use of chemicals are major concerns in fish seed production. Management strategies such as the introduction of certification, training programs, technology transfer, access to credit, and implementation of the law could improve the quality and productivity of fish seed in Bangladesh.

The numerical investigation of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection flow and entropy formation of non-Newtonian Bingham fluid in a lid-driven wavy square cavity filled with nanofluid was investigated by the finite volume method (FVM). The numerical data-based temperature and nanoparticle size-dependent correlations for the Al2O3-water nanofluids are used here. The physical model is a two-dimensional wavy square cavity with thermally adiabatic horizontal boundaries, while the right and left vertical walls maintain a temperature of TC and TH, respectively. The top wall has a steady speed of u=u0. Pertinent non-dimensional parameters such as Reynolds number (Re=10,100,200,400), Hartmann number (Ha=0,10,20), Bingham number (Bn=0,2,5,10,50,100,200), nanoparticle volume fraction (ϕ=0,0.02,0.04), and Prandtl number (Pr=6.2) have been simulated numerically. The Richardson number Ri is calculated by combining the values of Re with a fixed value of Gr, which is the governing factor for the mixed convective flow. Using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) method, the correlation equations are obtained using the input parameters for the average Nusselt number (Nu¯), total entropy generation (Es)t, and Bejan number (Beavg). The interactive effects of the pertinent parameters on the heat transfer rate are presented by plotting the response surfaces and the contours obtained from the RSM. The sensitivity of the output response to the input parameters is also tested. According to the findings, the mean Nusselt numbers (Nu¯) drop when Ha and Bn are increased and grow when Re and ϕ are augmented. It is found that (Es)t is reduced by raising Ha, but (Es)t rises with the augmentation of ϕ and Re. It is also found that the ϕ and Re numbers have a positive sensitivity to the Nu¯, while the sensitivity of the Ha and Bn numbers is negative.

Jute endophyte Staphylococcus hominis strain MBL_AB63 was reported to produce a novel antimicrobial peptide, ‘homicorcin’. This exhibits potential activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive bacteria. Eight genes were predicted to be involved in the sequential maturation of this peptide antibiotic, which includes structural ( homA ), dehydratase ( homB ), cyclase ( homC ), peptidase ( homP ), immunity ( homI ), oxidoreductase ( homO ), ATP-binding cassette transporter ( homT1 ), and permease ( homT2 ), respectively. Among the modification enzymes, HomB, HomC, and HomP exhibit sequence similarities with class I lantibiotic dehydratase, cyclase, and leader peptidase, respectively. The current study investigated the sequential modifications and secretion of homicorcin by constructing robust computational protein models and analyzing their interaction patterns using protein-protein docking techniques. To enhance comprehension of the protein arrangement, their subcellular localization was also extrapolated. The findings demonstrate a network of proteins that works in a synchronized manner, where HomC functions as an intermediary between HomB and the transporter (HomT). Following its dehydration by HomB and cyclization by HomC, the pro-homicorcin is taken out of the cell by the transporter and processed by HomP, resulting in the production of matured, processed homicorcin. This biosynthesis model for homicorcin will lay the groundwork for the sustainable and efficient production of this peptide antibiotic.

The goal of this study was to examine the predictors of sustainable tourism development during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period in the context of Bangladesh. Quantitative-type research was applied, and this study used a descriptive research design. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect 302 data points from actual indigenous tourists using an online purposive sampling method. A partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was used to evaluate the data and test the hypotheses. The results of the PLS-SEM analysis method demonstrate that environmental integrity, social equity, economic prosperity, and technological adaption had a positive relationship with sustainable tourism development during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period in Bangladesh. This research article provides practical guidelines for tourism authorities (BTB, BPC, and so on) and stakeholders on how to effectively impact environmental integrity, social equity, economic prosperity, and technological adaption on sustainable tourism development during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period in the context of Bangladesh. This study recommends that influential strategic factors be utilized to develop a sustainable tourism business in Bangladesh, positioning it as an emerging tourism destination.

Cysteine biosynthesis is directed by the successive commitments of serine acetyltransferase, and O-acetylserine (thiol) lyase (OASTL) compounds, which subsequently frame the decameric cysteine synthase complex. The isoforms of OASTL are found in three compartments of the cell: the cytosol, plastid, and mitochondria. In this investigation, we first isolated putative chloroplastic OASTL (Ch-OASTL) from Leucaena leucocephala, and the Ch-OASTL was then expressed in BL21-competent Escherichia coli. The putative Ch-OASTL cDNA clone had 1,543 base pairs with 391 amino acids in its open reading frame and a molecular weight of 41.54 kDa. The purified protein product exhibited cysteine synthesis ability, but not mimosine synthesis activity. However, they both make the common α-aminoacrylate intermediate in their first half reaction scheme with the conventional substrate O-acetyl serine (OAS). Hence, we considered putative Ch-OASTL a cysteine-specific enzyme. Kinetic studies demonstrated that the optimum pH for cysteine synthesis was 7.0, and the optimum temperature was 40 °C. In the cysteine synthesis assay, the Km and kcat values were 838 ± 26 µM and 72.83 s−1 for OAS, respectively, and 60 ± 2 µM and 2.43 s−1 for Na2S, respectively. We can infer that putative Ch-OASTL regulatory role is considered a sensor for sulfur constraint conditions, and it acts as a forerunner of various metabolic compound molecules.

[...]the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Chlorella ellipsoidea as a feed supplement on the growth performance, body composition, and hematology of stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch). To the best of our knowledge, no studies have yet reported on the effects of chlorella as feed supplement in the diet of stinging catfish. [...]considering the nutritional features, availability, and potential of C. ellipsoidea as a feed supplement, this study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of graded lev-els of C. ellipsoidea on the growth performance, body composition, and hematology of stinging catfish. Collection of feed ingredients and experimental diet preparation Fish meal (FM), soybean meal, rice bran, wheatbran, mustard oil cake, and wheat flour were obtained from a local feed market, and then the ingredients were sun-dried and ground into fish feed. [...]the formulated diets were stored in polyethylene bags in a freezer (-18°C).